Zig At The Gig podcast

Jake Burns Of Rockstead

Interview with singer-songwriter/guitarist Jake Burns of Rockstead OH based rock reggae band 

About Rockstead

The feeling of love. The power of unity. The essence of happiness. The strength of togetherness and positive vibrations. The highs of living life and the lows of dealing with its obstacles. All of these things encapsulate the music of Cincinnati, OH-based Rockstead, a five-piece, passion driven rock/reggae group. 

With roots leading as far back as middle school, Rockstead combines a lifetime full of influences ranging from rock, punk, reggae, jam and metal. In their early days Rockstead ruled the college party scene in Ohio with a schedule full of impromptu house shows that led to packed basements of DIY venues and later, massive crowds attending college fests such as Ohio University’s infamous spring festivals. This early success catalyzed the debut of their first album “Wake Up and Live” (2013) shortly followed by their popular self-recorded “Rise” EP (2014). These releases ignited their inner road warrior leading to a plethora of plays at music festivals and concert venues across the Midwest. Since then, Rockstead continues to widen their reach touring throughout the Eastern U.S. and down into Florida.

Though member changes have occurred over the years, front man singer/guitarist Jake Burns continues to drive the group forward as they have shared stages with international acts such as The Wailers (Jamaica) and Sticky Fingers (Australia) as well as many staple East coast reggae acts like Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Badfish, Tropidelic, Bumpin’ Uglies and Ballyhoo!. The band has now grown to include Nate Anuci (drums), Jacob Riley (lead guitar), and Alex Kessis (bass). With a healthy gap since their last full release (Homegrown, 2016) Rockstead dropped their first studio album “You’re In Control” in September 2020 which scored them multiple features in blogs and podcasts across the scene. By using their relentless high-energy performances and genre-bending set lists, while aligning their unwavering dedication to the do-it-yourself work ethic, Rockstead shows no sign of slowing down their mission of bringing people together through music.

 

Rockstead's info

https://rocksteadband.com

Feb 10th

John Wayne and the Payne, with Rockstead, and Ziggy D of C-Level at the Beachland ballroom 

Tickets

https://www.beachlandballroom.com/e/12802825/jon-wayne-and-the-pain-rockstead-ziggy-d-of-c-level

 

 

C-Level album release show March 4 at the Grog Shop with Joint Operation, The Cat's Meow, and The Frans

Tickets 

https://grogshop.gs/event-details/12836645/c-level-think-4-yourself-album-release-party

 

 

 

 

KB Boyce Of Nasty Facts & Queer Rebel Productions

Interview with KB Boyce Singer-Song writer Bassist, Drummer, and activist

 

Queer Rebel Productions: our mission is to showcase queer and trans artists of color, connect generations, and honor our histories with art for the future. www.queerrebels.org

Music https://thehomobiles.com

https://www.leftfordeadrecords.com/nasty-facts

Nasty Facts

Nastyfacts were fronted by bassist/lead singer/songwriter Cherl Boyze, an 18 year oldQueer POC with the rest of the band being in their mid-teens or younger in 1981 when their three-song, 7-inch debut, Drive My Car, was released on the independent Jimboco label. The record was a word-of-mouth hit and sold strongly in the U.S. despite group members being too young to tour. John Peel played it repeatedly on his legendary indie- centric BBC show and helped get it released in the UK. Over 40 years after their release these songs still capture the imaginations of music lovers the world over, showing up on OG punk compilations like Killed By Death while rabid collectors pay $300 for original copies,and counterfeiters regularly sell out bootleg pressings. The reason for the EP’s continued appeal is nicely captured in Steve Gardner’s (editor of Noise For Heroes / Another Tuneless Racket fanzines) description of the music contained here in this re-release’s liner notes: “The drums were crazed and hammering, as wild and primal in their own way as Rat Scabies on “New Rose”. The bass motored up and down, laying out a great melody but reinforcing the rhythm as well. The guitar was power-chording nirvana, and when the lead break came it was perfect. The vocals weren’t the hyper-aggro thing that was the stock-in-trade most of the furious punks of the day; the lead was handled deftly by Cherl Boyze, who, I wrote in NFH #9, was ‘black, female, and at 18 the oldest member of the band”. She didn’t snarl, but she didn’t croon, either, and when her male bandmates added backing vocals the result was pop/punk magic. And finally, the production had all kinds of wild bad driving sound effects that just elevated everything.’” Nastyfacts were part of a Brooklyn teen-punk scene that included the Speedies and The Stimulators. Their core line-up consisted of Cherl Boyze on bass and lead vocals, guitarists Brad Craig and Jeff ;Range Tischler with Genji Searizak & Siraisi on drum; these last three also sang back-up. They began playing music together while attending St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn and after a year of playing covers locally began building a following in Manhattan playing amateur nights at CBGBs and then regular slots at Max’s Kansas City and other venues that’d host all-ages shows. They soon accumulated a full album’s worth of solid original material, but unfortunately only made studio recordings of the three amazing songs that make up Drive My Car.

Phil Marcade Of The Senders

The Senders are the great lost band of New York Punk. Begun in 1976, they were peers of all the early legends – Ramones, Blondie, Heartbreakers, etc. Their brand of dangerous sidewinder r&b, with a twist of rockabilly, shook the rafters at CBGB and Max's Kansas City, yet barely registered beyond the boroughs.

The Senders Info

https://www.facebook.com/The-Senders-121826447862324

https://www.leftfordeadrecords.com/the-senders

 

Richard X Heyman Part 2

Interview with Singer-songwriter Richard X Heyman (2022) on Zig At The Gig Part 2 After debuting his DIY EP Actual Size and the full-length album Living Room!!, RXH was signed to Cypress/A&M who re-released Living Room!! His second major label album, Hey Man!, came out on Sire/Warner Bros. Next was his third album Cornerstone on Permanent Press Recordings. All subsequent releases have been on RXH's own Turn-Up Records - Basic Glee, Heyman Hoosier & Herman, Rightovers, Actual Sighs, Intakes, Tiers, And Other Stories, X, Y, Incognito and Pop Circles. For those of you unfamiliar with RXH's music, it might help to list his influences. One can hear traces of early rock'n'roll, 60's British Invasion groups, American folk rock, west coast pop, Motown; even some Broadway and classical baroque find their way into the mix, but it all ends up bearing his singular sound. He has not only played with The Doughboys, but has also lent his drumming chops to Link Wray, Brian Wilson, Mark Lindsay, The Left Banke's Michael Brown and Steve Martin Caro, and Jonathan Richman, among others. As a guitarist, he performed with Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las, and played keyboards with Ben E. King. Copious Notes will be released on Turn-Up Records on June 18, 2021. Richard's Info

 

https://www.richardxheyman.com/

 

Capital Theatre Adam Stevenson

Capital Theatre's Adam Stevenson interviewed on Zig At The Gig

CAPITAL THEATRE is a New Zealand Rock Band.

Their debut album ‘A Hero’s Journey’ is out now. Listen on Spotify

Capital Theatre's Info https://www.capital-theatre.com

 

Julian Shah-Tayler Aka The Singularity Music

Julian Shah-Tayler, Aka The Singularity

Frontman and multi-instrumentalist Julian Shah-Tayler (formerly of the band Whitey) childlike fascination with science, space and the big questions that trouble the human condition has fueled the creative output of his electronic rock and roll. “Everything burst out of the center of a supermassive black hole,” remarks Julian, “and we are going back there one day, so let’s just enjoy it.” A Londoner relocated to LA, Julian’s prolific catalog of music exceeds 300 songs, many of which have been featured in films and hit TV shows including Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and The Newsroom, while also turning up on broadcasts ranging from UK television’s Popstar to NBC Sports. In 2014, Shah-Tayler won the “Golden Trailer” award for his work with Lana Del Ray on Disney’s Maleficent trailer. He also performed one of his songs in front of Bill Clinton, Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese for the Unite For Humanity charity at the Oscars. Three of his songs were the “hits” for the focus band in the music movie Plush, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Lords Of Dogtown). Shah-Tayler did all this while co-founding an LA charity called Art Angeles, teaching music to underprivileged kids in Watts.

 

Julian's Info

https://linktr.ee/julianshahtayler

https://www.julianshahtayler.com

 

 

Jeff Tripoli

Tripoli's drumming reflects a wide background of independent musical influences. At the root of his dynamic framework resides the deep passion to provide fresh rhythms and artistic perspective.

On the road and in the studio, Tripoli performs with Celtic folk rockers, The Town Pants. A consistent audience favorite at Celtic, Folk, World, Irish and even Rock festivals throughout the United States, Canada and in Europe.

 

Jeff Tripoli's new 2022 album release, called ‘Wabi Sabi’, offers in his unusual manner a wide variety of original drum set and percussion compositions. The album takes you on a journey through Tripoli’s musical improvisations while experimenting with new sonic landscapes.

It also reveals Tripoli’s explorations deep into found sounds and self made instruments created in Tripoli’s recording studio in Syracuse, New York. Personal expressions of psychedelic rhythms and musical collaborations are laid out in a pure and unfiltered form with special guest appearances by Butch Norton (Lucinda Williams, Eels), Jeff Tortora (Blue Man Group Las Vegas) and Griffin Brady (Slyboots Circus).

Jeff's info!

https://jefftripolidrums.com

 

 

Mark Bingham

Interview with Mark Bingham

Guitarist-singer-songwriter-arranger and esteemed producer Mark Bingham (a 2021 recipient of Offbeat magazine’s Lifetime Achievement in Music Business Award), has dedicated over 50 years to pursuing creativity regardless of category. From working with seminal punk and No Wave bands MX-80 Sound and Bush Tetras to Cajun groups Michot’s Melody Makers and Lost Bayou Ramblers to Beat poets Ed Sanders and Allen Ginsberg to jazz artists John Scofield, Wycliffe Gordon and Nicholas Payton to celebrated pop stars like Marianne Faithfull, Dr. John, R.E.M., Roy Orbison and Jon Batiste, Bingham has always sought out projects that get his creative juices flowing. “There’s been no linear path,” he said of his storied career. “It’s been up and down and all around, and you just try to find good people to work with.” A true child of the ‘60s, Bingham is from an era when ‘Question Authority’ was de rigueur. He ended up taking it to heart, both politically and musically. While attending Indiana University in the early ‘70s, at the peak of the anti-war movement on the campuses all across America, the Bloomington, Indiana native formed the Screaming Gypsy Bandits, a sprawling 10-piece theatrical psych rock group with an absurdist/prankster bent that shared the renegade stance of such bands of the day as Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band and the Hampton Grease Band (led by visionary frontman Col. Bruce Hampton).

 

Mark's Info 

https://markbingham.bandcamp.com/music

 

 

Elizabeth McCullough of Alpha Cat Part 2

Zig At The Gig with Elizabeth McCullough of Alpha Cat

Interview with Elizabeth McCullough

Elizabeth McCullough's info

https://alphacat.band/home

https://www.facebook.com/alphacatband/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6LLx0...

 

Rebecca Pidgeon

Rebecca Pidgeon was born in Cambridge, MA and raised primarily in Edinburgh, Scotland, gravitating towards music as a child. Mom and Dad introduced her to the likes of James Taylor, while she eventually discovered both Kate Bush and The Sex Pistols on her own. She fronted the band Ruby Blue for three records before relocating to the United States where she launched her solo career. Fan favorite albums followed including The Raven (1994), The New York Girls’ Club (1996), The Four Marys (1998), Tough On Crime (2000), and Behind the Velvet Curtain (2008), four songs appearing in the critically acclaimed film Red Belt. The ensuing decade saw her release Slingshot (2011), Blue Dress On (2013), Bad Poetry (2014), and Sudden Exposure to Light (2019). Praising the latter, American Songwriter affirmed, “She’s the real deal,” and Glide Magazine noted, “Pidgeon’s prolific work as a songwriter and vocalist is akin to the self-immersion she undertakes for her mesmerizing performances on camera.”

In addition, she has captivated audiences on-screen as a much sought-after film and television actress. Among dozens of credits, she has appeared in celebrated classics such as The Spanish Prisoner (1997), State and Main (2000), and Heist (2001) opposite the likes of Gene Hackman, William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Additionally, she has appeared in blockbusters a la Red(2010) and NETFLIX’s Bird Box (2018), to name a few.

Parts of Speech Pieces of Sound, however, is the best way to get to truly know Rebecca. “This is a very special record to me; with its connection to yoga, this does bring everything full circle for me.”

 

 

Rebecca's info 

http://rebeccapidgeonmusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/rebeccapidgeonmusic

https://www.instagram.com/rebeccapidgeon

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