
Hosted by Jon Lamoreaux · EN

Geoff Downes has lent his keyboard wizardry to many of the biggest and best bands of the last 50 years. He was a trendsetting new-waver with the Buggles popularizing synth pop alongside Trevor Horn. Then they were famously recruited to join Yes, changing that band's sound for a decade. And, while with Asia, he showed how good "corporate" AOR rock (not to mention supergroups) could be. There have been several other side-projects (DBA), one-offs (Trapeze), and production jobs (GTR, Thompson Twins) along the way as well that has kept him active and in demand. Yes's 2011 comeback album, Fly from Here, which reunited that 1980 version of the band that created the much-loved Drama album, has recently been reimagined and released on vinyl for the first time as Fly from Here: Return Trip. Geoff gives us the scoop on everything and more. Enjoy! Official website for the progressive rock band YES The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Our buddy John Cafferty returns to the pod to discuss the new Beaver Brown Band album, Sound of Waves. You might remember John was on here a year or two ago when some new songs were finally released. Well, now there's a whole new album. We only had to wait about 36 years for this! John and I discuss these new tracks, finally making it happen, and the passing of saxophonist Michael "Tunes" Antunes, a key ingredient to the JCBBB sound. Enjoy!

The Porcaro family is rock royalty. They made everything they touched better from their incredible session work to the many Toto hits and Grammys. Steve Porcaro has recently released a new solo album called The Very Day that shows him cleaning house. Most of these songs have been sitting around unfinished for decades so he finally committed to perfecting them (with help from friends like Michael McDonald and Jason Scheff) and getting them out in the world. Steve joins us this week to discuss the process of completing this album, as well as stories from his long session career. There's working with Quincy Jones and David Foster, there's working with Earth Wind and Fire and the Brothers Johnson, and there's his feelings on the many afterlives of "Human Nature" which he wrote and appeared on Thriller. I wish we could have talked for hours! Steve Porcaro The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Author Bill Kopp returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book, What's the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums. The great thing about Bill's writing is that he often shines a light on music that is underappreciated. These 30 albums aren't the obvious ones, but completely worthy creations that deserve a spot in your collection. We also get into why artists choose to make them, whether they're fun or work, why they're often long, and what went into him selecting these particular options. Bill was on a couple years ago to discuss his book on San Francisco's 415 record label. We love him around here. Enjoy and prepare to take notes! What's the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums - new book by BILL KOPP - from HoZac Books The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Our latest Book Club is a blast. Music writers David Goggin and Martin Porter have collaborated on a fascinating new book, Buzz Me In, detailing the history of the Record Plant studios. The story begins with business partners Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone but includes the juicy in-studio stories of Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, the Eagles, Stevie Wonder and John Lennon and what it takes to extract as much money as possible from artists like these. Sex, drugs and rock and roll are in abundance. You won't want to miss this great book! The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Where to start with Jacknife Lee? He's been one of the most successful and in demand producers of the last 20 years for a start. A short list of people he's worked with include the Killers, Weezer, Modest Mouse, James, Neil DIamond, One Direction, Taylor Swift, REM, Snow Patrol, the Hives, Bloc Party and the Cars, and he won a Grammy for U2's Atomic Bomb album. Then there's his solo work, which always includes incredible artists like Beth Ditto, Sneaks, and Open Mike Eagle to create forward-thinking dance music. And then there are his many collaborations like his current one, Telefis with fellow Irishman Cathal Coughlan. This one's a doozy as Jacknife explains these pairings as well as many many others, how he got sick of himself and changed his way of producing, and the music that inspires him every day. There's a lot here, sit back and enjoy! www.jacknifelee.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

This week I had a chat with four of our newer podcasting friends, all of which have started their own pods fairly recently. There's Alex Alt of the Sly Dog Music-Cast, Mike Wiles of Retro Rock Roundup, Patrick Dupuis of EETF and Nick Bambach of Rock in Retrospect. Each host brings with them stories about what it takes to start and maintain a podcast, what have we learned, what were expectations going in and how have they changed, monetization, work vs reward, and where we see this going. If anyone is thinking of starting a podcast, here's everything you need to know! Special thanks for the work these guys do, give them all a listen if you haven't already! And, like the others, this was recorded live and immediately posted with no edits. Enjoy!