Episode 594: Donut Musik

Hello friends! It's been a tough week for this music community. We lost two pillars on Sunday... The great Jimmy LaFave and the amazing George Reiff. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones at this time. I know this music community is reeling from two powerful losses, but remember that these beautiful souls and their music will live on within us forever. They'll be missed.
My guests for episode 594 are Alice Spencer, Brian Beattie and Dony Wynn, collectively known as Donut Musik! These amazing talents joined forces and are finally bringing their beautiful, strange and highly entertaining music to the people. They're doing their "Donut Musik's Wang Dang Doodle" at The Townsend in Austin, TX on Wednesday, May 24th and Wednesday, May 31st. Shows start at 7:30pm. You can find out more about the shows and see videos at their facebook page. I hope you enjoy our conversation. I sure did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 593: Wendy Colonna Returns Again!

Hey gang! I hope the week is treating you right and you're easing into your weekend. It's funny, when most people are gearing up to get off work on Friday and head home, or out of town to "have a weekend", I'm usually packing up my car to head out to a show and start my two-day intense work weekend. You can actually see me in action this weekend in Houston. SKYROCKET! is playing at Fitzgerald's in Houston tomorrow, Saturday, May 20th. Come out and say hi. Those shows are always a good time. 
My guest for episode 593 is the amazingly talented, always entertainging and now, extremely pregnant, Wendy Colonna! Wendy's brilliant new album, No Moment But Now comes out today, Friday, May 19th. Go to wendycolonna.com to find out where to get it and what her summer looks like. The first single off the album, "Every Second" was featured on Apple Music's "Hot Tracks" and Spotify's "Fresh Folk" Playlist. Wendy and I have a great conversation about living "home free", Scoring Coke and State of Louisiana commercials, Her partnership with producer, Mark Addison, falling in love, starting a family, being a 2016 Black Fret winner and getting $17,000 to finish her album and much, much more. I had a great time catching up with Wendy. I'm sure you will too. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 591: Echocentrics

Hey gang! I hope you've had a good week. Maybe you're getting ready for the weekend. I am. The weekend usually means my work time. I'm traveling this weekend. Sunday is Mother's day. I hope you remembered to get something for your mom or the maternal figure in your life. I am behind on my Mother's day gifts for my aunt and grandmother. I think I'm going to get flowers on Sunday morning on the way. Good idea, right? I'll let you know how it turns out on Tuesday. 
My guest for episode 591 is guitar player, producer and all-around great guy, Adrian Quesada! Adrian returns to the show to the show to talk about his psychedelic/cinematic solo project, Echocentrics. Their latest album, Echo Hotel is available now. You can find it at theechocentrics.com You might know Adrian from his many bands including, the Grammy winning, Grupo Phantasma, Money Chicha, Brownout, Spanish Gold or his production like The Sword's High Country and more. Adrian is one of my favorite musicians and producers around. He's an amazing dude with great stories. I hope you enjoy our conversation. I sure did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 590: Suzanna Choffel Is Back!

Hello friends! I hope you all had a good weekend doing weekend things and what not. I played all weekend. I played with SKYROCKET! on Friday and Saturday nights in Dripping Springs and San Antonio. Then Sunday i played at The Pecan Street Festival with my new band. It was a great time, but I hurt my back during the show. I'm on the mend. Gang, I want to remind you that we are celebrating our 600th episode with a live podcast recording at The Townsend in Austin, TX on Monday, May 5th at 8pm. My guests will be A.J. Vallejo, Nakia, Jaimee Harris and Jane Ellen Bryant. Find out more about it here!
My guest for episode 590 was our very first guest and has appeared on this show more times than I can count. The amazing Suzanna Choffel returns to the show! Her gorgeous new album, Hello Goodbye, comes out this Friday, May 12th. She'll be celebrating the release with a few special shows this weekend. She's playing Friday, May 12th at 3Ten Austin City Limits Live and Saturday, May 13th at The Mucky Duck in Houston. You can go to suzannachoffel.com for more info and to hear her new single, "Go Forth". Suzanna and I have a great conversation about making Hello Goodbye, motherhood, her years of travel and experience that led to Hello Goodbye and much, much more. I always love my conversations with Suzanna. I'm sure you will too. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 589: Flyjack / Alex Dezen Checks In From The Road

Hello friends! I hope you're all doing well. It's a gorgeous day in Austin, TX and I always appreciate that. Quick promo, I'm playing with my new band on Sunday, May 7th at The 40th Annual Pecan Street Festival here in Austin. We're playing at 1 pm on the Trinity stage. There are a lot of awesome bands playing both days so go to pecanstreetfestival.org for the full line-up and times. Alex Dezen (formerly of The Danmwells) checked in from the road the other day. He just released a new solo album Alex Dezen II and he's on tour supporting it. He'll be in Austin tomorrow, Saturday, May 6th at 3Ten Austin City Limits Live. Go to alexdezen.com for tickets and information. Alex and I video chatted about his album, the tour and our mutual friends. I was glad to meet him, even virtually as ive been a fan for years. I hope you enjoy our chat.
My guests for epsiode 589 are Buck McKinney and Brad Bradburn from Austin funk/soul band, Flyjack. They just released their second album, New Day a month ago and they'll be playing some shows in May including Last Concert cafe' in Houston on May 13th and The Blackheart in Austin on May 20th. Go to flyjackmusic.com for more info on album and dates. We have a great conversation about Buck and Brad's transition from Gnappy to Flyjack, making New Day, flying the flag for late 60's & early 70's deep funk and rare groove, working with a 10-peice band and much, much more. I hope you enjoy our conversation. I sure did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 586: Renee' Woodward

Hello friends! I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was weird. Some fun, some back pain, some emotional drama, i played a show and I was in bed all weekend. Anyway, I'm getting ready to go get a massage which I really need right now. I have some rehearsals with my new band this week. I'm lookng forward to that. I love working on songs and a show. 
My guest for episode 586 is my old friend, singer/songwriter, Renee' Woodward! Renee' has been underground fro the last few years, living life and rasing her daughter. She has resurfaced with a new album, Mayfly, a new eight-piece band and a new resolve to get out and play music again. She's celebrating with a two-night record release show this Friday, April 28th and Saturday, April 29th at The Townsend. You can find Mayfly and find out about the record release shows by going to her website reneewoodwardmusic.com Renee' and I have a great conversation about her journey through music, marriage, motherhood and back to music. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 584: Emily Bell Returns Again!

Hello friends! I hope you all had a great Easter weekend or a good Passover or just a great weekend. I had good weekend. I played a couple of shows with SKYROCKET!, went to Waco on easter Sunday and met my aunt and her partner at probably the worst Mexican restaurant in America. I used to eat at the ones in Houston when I was a kid and I loved them, but this one in Waco was "the suck". Anyway, I had a great day with those ladies. We drove around Waco, had some drinks at a pub and caught up. It was a nice Easter.
The amazingly talented and always entertaning, Emily Bell returns to the show today! Her firey new e.p. Kali comes out this Friday April, 21st and she is celebrating with a release show with her band, Emily Bell & The Talkbacks, at 3Ten Austin City Limits Live on Saturday, April 29th. Go to emilybell.com to find out how to get tickets. Emily and I always have a great time hanging out and chatting. We have a great conversation about working with your spouse, Losing her voice and the long journey of recovering it, her new band Emily Bell & the Talkbacks and much, much more! I hope you enjoy my conversation with brilliant artist. I sure did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 582: Bourgeois Mystics

Hello friends! I hope you all had a good weekend. I did. I played, spent time with my aunt and my cousins, hung out with my dogs, watched a few movies and chilled out. I'm spending the week organizing and writing some songs for my new band that still has no name. We rehearsed a few times last week and worked on some songs I've written over the last year and a half or so. Stuff sounds good and we'll be ready for our first gig at Pecan Street Festival on May 7th.
My guests for episode 582 are psychedelic art/funk band, Bourgeois Mystics! their debut album, Eureka! comes out this Friday, April 14th and they're celebrating with a release show at The Parish here in Austin on that same night. They're also hitting the road next week for a 3 week tour of the northeast and southeast United States. Go to bourgeoismystics.com to see if they're coming to a town near you. Zaalo, Zach and Trevor from the band came by last week and we had a great conversation about how they came together, making Eureka!, mixing jazz, prog, funk and rock for a unique sound, abstaining from masturbation to be a better musician and much, much more. I hope you enjoy getting to know these dudes. I sure did. Let's get down!
Ciao! -jg

Episode 580: Scott Collins & Lexi Cardenas

Hello friends! I hope you all had a great weekend and that things are all going your way. Things are good here. I am still kinda tired from my crazy week/weekend of SKYROCKET! shows. The convention we were playing (check the intro on ep. 579) took a step into the world of the insane on Thursday night when Vanilla Ice showed up for soundcheck and didn't like what he heard. I talk all about it in the intro. By the way, if the intro sounds a little different, it's because i recorded it in my hotel room on Saturday night before my gig. Hope you enjoy it.
Scott Collins and Lexi Cardenas are my guests for episode 580! Their gorgeous new e.p., Let's Start Here comes out this Saturday, April 8th and they're celebrating with an e.p. release show this Saturday at The Blackheart here in Austin. Scott was on a few months ago when he had just opened his studio, Chicken Run Studios andsince then I've run into him and kept in touch. He's a really sweet and cool guy. You can find out their schedule and hear their music at scottcollinsproject.com. Scott and Lexi and I have a great conversation about making Let's Start Here, how they met, what constitutes a "hat guy" or a "hat band", Lexi's years in El Paso, violin vs. fiddle and much, much more! I hope you enjoy our conversation. I sure did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 578: Raul Midon

Hello friends! I hope you all had a great weekend. I was back at work with SKYROCKET!. We played Friday in San Antonio and Saturday in Austin. They were great shows. This week we're back at it on the private party scene. we're playing 5 shows this week, so that should be interesting. I got to play with some of my new band on Saturday! That was really, really fun. We'll be playing our first show at Pecan Street Festival here in Austin in May. I'll let you know when it's happening.
My guest for episode 578 is the amazing Raul Midon! His brand new album, Bad Ass and Blind just came out last Friday and he is embarking on a U.S. and European tour as we speak. Go to Raulmidon.com to find out when he's coming to town near you. Raul came by when he was in town for SXSW a couple of weeks ago and we had a fantatsic conversation about making Bad Ass And Blind, his time at The University of Miami Music Program, being in the jingle scene, playing with Shakira for two years, teh New York jazz scene and much, much more! I hope you enjoy getting to know Raul. I sure did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg