Episode 533: Amy Edwards & The Hi-Fis

Hello friends! I hope you're all doing well. Things are good here. It's my birthday today. I'm going to the dentist and then going to San Antonio to play at Sam's Burger Joint Music Hall with SKYROCKET!. I feel like I've been fighting off sickness or allergies or whatever it is that i have had for a week. Some days I'm winning, some days i'm losing. I'm pretty sure I'l prevail. I want to let you guys know that my band, Lady Band Johnson is playing on Friday November 4th at The Continental Club here in Austin. I'll post a link to the facebook event page when we make one. 
My guests for episode 533 are Yates Hagan and Amy Edwards from Amy Edwards & The Hi-Fi's! Their new single, a searing cover of The Carpenters "Superstar" is out today! Amy and Yates have gone through some restructuring of their project. They've stripped the live band down to just the two of them. Bringing out a raw, rock approach to their songs. We have a great conversation about the changes they've gone through, recording "Superstar" with AJ Vallejo, making videos and much, much more. I love these guys and I'm sure you will too. Have a great weekend. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 525: Rattletree

Hello friends! I hope you're all doing well. I'm recovering from a pretty fun Sunday. I went to the Reckless Kelly Sunset Motel listening party at Arlyn Studios here in Austin yesterday. The album is great. The party was awesome. Lots of old friends and new friends all celebrating one of our own and their new album. It reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of this scene. Sunset Motel comes out this Friday, September 23rd. You'll be hearing from them on this show very soon.
My guest for episode 525 is Joel Laviolette from the electronica/marimba band, Rattletree! This weekend Rattletree will be hosting "The Rattletree Glow Party" with all kinds of activities, musical projects, food and more.The party takes place this Friday, Sept 23rd, Saturday, Sept 24th and Sunday Sept 25th. For tickets and more information, simply go to rattletree.com Joel and i have a great conversation about learning marimba and living in Africa, teaching marimba, incorporating electronic music and traditional African music, the glow party, African chord changes and much, much more. I hope you enjoy our conversation. I sure did. Let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 522: James Speer / Rev. Wade With "Soul of a Musician" Series Stops By!

Hello friends! I hope you're all having a great week. Things are good here. We have a gret big show for you today. First up, Reverend Merrill Wade from St. Matthew's Episcopal Church stops by to talk about their "Soul of a Musician" series which kicks off their new fall season this Sunday, Sept. 11 at Iron Cactus North with Nakia. The "Soul of a Musician" series is the brainchild of Rev. Wade. Each Sunday, they have a different artist in a friendly environment playing their songs and talking about them. The shows are at 6:30 pm on Sundays at Iron Cactus North in Austin. They're free to the public. Learn more by going to their website. I'll be there this Sunday helping interview Nakia. 
My guest for episode 522 is the incredibly talented James Speer! I've known James since the 90's. He's a phenomenal keyboard player, excellent songwriter and an all around great hang. Anyway, i ran into him a month or so ago at Antone's after he had opened for and played with Eric Tessmer for his record release. I invited him over to catch up on what he's been up to the last 10 years. Well, it's been a lot... from starting a family, playing private events and nice restaurants, writing and recording with other artists and much, much more. I hope you enjoy my conversation with James. I sure did. Let's get down!
Ciao! -jg

Episode 517: Money Chicha

Hello friends! I hope you're all surviving the end of summer heat and floods. It's crazy out there, right?
I got to see Alice Cooper on Sunday night! I was amazing. I want to thank my friend, AJ Vallejo for inviting me. I had a blast seeing AJ's band, BANG before the Alice show. It was a great night all around. Alice's show is an onslaught of costume changes, snakes, giant frankenstein monsters and heavy metal. Plus, he's super old and still rocking like a champ. it was inspiring.
My Guest for episode 517 is Greg Gonzalez, the bass player from Money Chicha, Brownout and the Grammy winning, Grupo Fantasma! Money Chicha has a fantastic new album out, Echo En Mexico. I've been a fan of Money Chicha for a few years now and I've gotten to see them a few times during their residency at The Continental Club Gallery here in Austin and i'm a big fan. Greg and i have a conversation about balancing, touring and making music with three high-profile bands, growing up in Laredo, teaching composition, making Echo En Mexico, the history of Chicha music, playing with Prince and much, much more. i hope you enjoy getting to know Greg. I sure did. Let's get down!
Ciao! jg

Episode 515: Magna Carda

hello friends! i hope this episode finds you well. things are good here. i'm doing some writing and recording this week. so far, it's been fun, frustrating and ultimately, liberating. i have some gigs with skyrocket this weekend. if you live in north austin, we'll be making our debut at the new hanovers 2.0 in round rock on friday, august 19th and saturday, august 20th we'll be at the continental club in houston. come out and say hi.
my guests for episode 315 are megz kelli and dougie do from austin hip hop sensations, magna carda! their amazing, new album, cirqlation is out now! they're going to be playing the austin city limits festival and the sound on sound festival this fall. we have a great conversation about how megz and dougie met in college, megz displacement by hurricane katrina, the austin hip hop scene, making cirqlation and much, much more. i hope you enjoy getting to know these brilliant young artists as much as i did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 511: Tee Double Returns Again!

hello friends. i hope you're all doing well. i need to make an important announcement about a dear friend and very important part of the music community, bass player/producer, george reiff. george has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. he had a brain tumor removed on friday and is recovering. he has a long road ahead of him and that road is going to be very expensive. his family has started a gofundme page so that we can all help out. please go to gofundme.com/georgereiff and give what you can. let's help this beautiful man and his family get through this. let's do it for george.
my guest for episode 511 is artist/producer/entrepreneur/activist and austin's hip hop ambassador, tee double! he's just released his 27th album, ambassador status. he's started "black mics matter " a new musical project that will feature new artists with stories of passion and solutions for the black community and the world during these challenging times. you can find out more about by going to his gofundme page and help him realize his vision. tee double and i have an amazing conversation about making his new album, ambassador status, his goals with "black mics matter", race relations in today's crazy times, austin's hip hop scene, music licensing and much, much more. i hope you enjoy our conversation. i sure did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 506: Laura Scarborough / Giulia Millanta Stops By!

hello friends! i hope you're all doing well. i'm good. i have the weekend off from skyrocket this weekend. my girlfriend, zuri and i are gonna go to a cook out and doing some weekend things. maybe we'll go see the new ghostbusters... my pal, giulia millanta stops by for a quick chat abut her new kicktstarter campaign to fund her new album, moonbeam parade which comes out september 9th. she'll be previewing her album this sunday, july 17th at strange brew lounge side at 6 pm. you can go to giulia's kickstarter page to see what it's all about.
my guest for episode 506 is the incredibly talented piano/vibes/synth playing singer, laura scarborough. you might know laura as the vibes player in the ultra-flamboyant psychedelic band, the golden dawn arkestra. i had the chance to see them a few weeks ago at a black fret event and they're amazing, like nothing you've ever seen before. laura also plays with kat edmonson, suzanna choffel, bob schnieder's moonight orchestra and many, many more. she covered john lennon's love on the friends of sims album that came out earlier this year and is releasing a solo album later this year. you can find her at laurascarborough.com i hope you enjoy my conversation with laura. i sure did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 501: Bri Bagwell

hello friends! i hope life is treating you well. things are good here. i'm coming off of a pretty nutty week into a less frantic week. i spent about an hour today making a spotify playlist based on "every little step" by bobby brown. that means i had a bunch of stuff from new edition to babyface to mary j blige etc. i made it so i would have more fun cleaning my house and it worked! when i was a little kid, my aunt christina taught me the importance of having the right jams on the stereo to ease the shittyness of house cleaning. try it some time.
my guest for episode 501 is texas country music artist, bri bagwell. she is currently on tour if the midwest in support of her new album, when a heart breaks. go to bribagwell.com to buy the album and to find out when she's coming to a town near you. her latest single, "half as good" has been #1 on the texas country charts this spring. i met bri a couple of months ago when she was a guest on an episode of "cooking/drinking with johnny & aj"  anyway, she came over a few weeks ago and we had a great conversation about the definition of texas country, sexism in the music business, knocking her ex out of the #1 spot on the charts, new mexico, whiskey and much, much more. i hope you enjoy getting to know bri. i sure did. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 499 Part Two: The Conversations

hello friends! yesterday was the first day of summer. are you ready? have you chosen your summer jam? i have... i announced it at our live show last night for episode 500. it's "make me like you" by gwen stefani. what's yours? you can be a hit at any pool party, backyard bbq, boat ride, beach house party by playing my summer jam 2016 playlist available on spotify. i'll post a link on our facebook page. 
episode 499 part 2: the conversations is a clip show of some of the highlights of the last hundred shows. you'll hear joe king carrasco talk about being banned from saturday night live, being the first poster boy for mtv and more. mike flanigin talks to me about why he chose billy gibbons to sing the title track from his latest album, the drifter. chip pope talks about writing for tv, the natasha leggero special and more. lincoln durham explains how he's lived in his head since he was a kid. director penelope spheeris and her daughter anna talk about "the decline of western civilization part 2: the metal years". brannen temple gives me a history lesson on the origin of bebop. emily wolfe talks about hitting bottom and getting sober. bruce sudano talks about staying inspired after 40 plus years in the business and how casablanca told his band to play disco. once again, it's been a great hundred episodes. i look forward to the next 500. thank you so much for listening. let's get down!
ciao! -jg

Episode 494: The Midnight Stroll / Kady Rain Stops By!

hello friends! i hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend. i did. i played some gigs with skyrocket, zuri and i laid low on sunday and i actually did a couple of podcasts yesterday. i want to let you guys know about that skyrocket will be playing in the hill country this friday, june 3rd at mercer street dance hall in dripping springs and friday, june 4th, we'll be playing at the continental club in houston. come out, it's a good time. kady rain stops by in the intro of the show to talk about the gofundme page they started to finish their e.p., make a video, hire a publicist and make some new merch. they're very close to reaching their goal. you can help them make it. 
ghostland observatory frontman, aaron behrens and producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, jonas wilson collectively known as the midnight stroll, return to the show today for episode 494! they've both been on before on their own, now they back together to talk about the gorgeous new midnight stroll album, heartbreak bugaloo, which comes out tomorrow, wednesday, june 1st! you can find it at all the regular online places including their bandcamp page. we have a great conversation about how they wrote and recorded heartbreak bugaloo together, ghostland observatory's summer schedule, jonas's solo albums, we try to figure out who the new rock heroes are and much, much more! i love hanging out and talking to these guys. i'm sure you will too. let's get down!
ciao! -jg