Zig At The Gig podcast

Ollee Owens

Interview with Ollee Owens.

 

Canadian soul/blues powerhouse singer Ollee Owens announces the release of her new album, Nowhere to Hide, on October 25th through her Ollee Owens Music label imprint. The first single from Nowhere to Hide, “Some Days,” was released on August 30. Produced by Bobby Blazier, the music on Nowhere to Hide is also graced by the presence of Muscle Shoals all-star guitarist Will McFarlane on eight of the album’s eleven tracks. “The writing of ‘Some Days’ came out of a desire to acknowledge the ups and downs of our day-to-day experiences and at the same time call out the resilience of the human spirit no matter what we come up against,” Owens says. “Sonically, we imagined it as a blues-infused song that leaves the listener feeling happy. It was recorded in Nashville with some of the best session musicians in Music City: Chris Rodriguez, Craig Young, Bobby Blazier, and DeMarco Johnson. The energy in the room that day was palpable as the song began to take shape, capturing exactly what I heard in my head when we wrote the song, resulting in a soulful and hope-filled anthem.” After returning to music a decade ago and releasing 2022's Cannot Be Unheard, the Calgary-based blues/rock singer is better than ever with her latest dazzling, down-to-earth studio album Nowhere to Hide. It's one teeming with stylish, sophisticated jewels mined from blues, rock, and soul. Nowhere to Hide features eight co-writing credits by Owens and a few covers, including Bob Dylan's "Lord Protect My Child." Whether it's Owens' confident delivery fueling the driving title track, the infectious "Some Days," or the deliciously well-crafted "Shivers and Butterflies," Owens is as dynamic as the eleven-track album is flawless. "I learned so much," Owens says of the creative process, "especially, vocally, as there was real opportunity to dig deeper and embody the lyrics." Nowhere to Hide, recorded at Nashville's Sweetbriar Studio and Gnome Studios, shines with help from a who's who of acclaimed Nashville session musicians Blazier brought to the album. "Bobby has an incredible ability to bring people together," Owens says of Blazier. "We all got in the studio together, gave it everything we got, and made some great music." That great music derives from Owens' backstory in the farming community of New Bothwell, Manitoba. As a teen, she gravitated toward Dylan, Delta Blues, The Staple Singers, and Etta James. "When I came back to creating music, I really realized the depth and influence that particular style of music had on me," Owens says of her early listening habits. Owens and her husband started their family early and had three daughters, one of whom has a cognitive disability. After some soul-searching, and realizing her daughter had exceptional needs, she took a hiatus from music. "I focused on being present and engaged for my daughters," she says. As a result, "Lord Protect My Child" strikes an emotional chord as Owens pours her soul into it. "That song has really become close to my heart," she says. "My daughter is twenty-three now, but there's still a lot of vulnerability there. The desire for protecting and taking care of her will never go away." Owens will be playing a Canadian concert in October celebrating the release of Nowhere to Hide and has plans for further touring in the spring. She's also performed at the Roots Blues and BBQ Festival in Drumheller, Alberta, and Calgary's National Music Centre, among several other venues. Now with Nowhere to Hide, Owens will have a larger fan base thanks to an amazing album you would be wise to experience wherever you get your music. 

 

Ollee's Info

/https://olleeowens.com/

 

Robert Kidney of The Numbers Band 15-60-75 : Part 2

Robert Kidney of The Numbers Band 15-60-75 : Part 2 on Zig At The Gig.

Robert Kidney founding member, singer songwriter, composer, and guitarist for the Number band. The Numbers Band (a.k.a. 15-60-75) are an American blues rock[1] and experimental rock band formed in Kent, Ohio, United States in 1969. They are part of the 'Akron Sound' that sprang forth from their home state. The original personnel were Robert Kidney (guitar, lead vocals), the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde's brother Terry Hynde (saxophone), Hank Smith (guitar, keyboards), Greg Colbert (bass) and Tim Hudson (drums). Chris Butler, from Tin Huey and The Waitresses, also played in the band for a stint as a bassist. They premiered as a live act at the local nightspot The Kove in July 1970. Later, they incorporated jazzy influences as well and they have stuck with their sound ever since. By 1972, Gerald Casale, future co-founder of Devo (bass), and David Robinson were added to the lineup. Casale was thrown out after wearing a monkey mask onstage. Due to interior pressures, Kidney terminated the project by year's end and joined his brother Jack's band, King of Hearts. However, King of Hearts reformed as a new Numbers Band a few weeks later with a retooled lineup that consisted of the Kidney brothers, Hynde, Drake Gleason (bass) and Jay Brown (drums). After two years of playing gigs, Brown left the band and Robinson came back. Michael Stacey (guitar), was added prior to the cutting of their 1976 live album Jimmy Bell's Still in Town. The following year, Gleason was replaced by Bart Johnson (bass).

The Numbers Band, like most of the other Ohioans, never became renowned nationally and were not signed by the major labels. ENDURE: Outliers on Water Street out now! https://www.numbersband.com/shop

Robert's info https://www.numbersband.com/

http://www.robertkidney.com/

 

Maura Pond of Luna Honey

Interview with Maura Pond of Luna Honey

Luna Honey was originally formed in 2017 in Washington, DC by Maura Pond and Levi Flack who had informally begun playing together in Flack’s basement and set a goal to write an album’s worth of music. The pair met Benjamin Schurr (Ruah, Br’er, Nyxy Nyx), founder of BLIGHT.records, when his band Br’er opened a show for Arto Lindsay at the Black Cat and he soon after agreed to record and produce them. When they’d finished recording their debut album, Peace Will Grind You Down, Ben insisted that the pair begin performing live, agreed to fill in temporarily, then became a permanent member along with baritone sax player Madeline Billhimer. The four-piece line-up recorded Peace Lives, a live recording of songs mostly from their first album. Billhimer left the band during the recording of their next full-length album, Ballast. Schurr, who was born in Philadelphia, moved back to his home city in 2019 with Flack following shortly after. Christmas Eve of 2019, Pond’s aunt shared she had months to live and asked her to write her some music to help accept her transition, asking that it could be released after her death. Still living in DC, Pond recruited Ben to come down to her house in Anacostia and record an intense week of highly improvised sessions. The two worked around the clock on what would become the fourth album Luna Honey, Branches. After the pandemic hit in 2020, Pond moved back to her hometown of Richmond, VA to be closer to her parents and Schurr followed. All three band members commuted back and forth between Richmond and Philadelphia continuing to write songs. Parables was written during the period of geographic separation across DC, Philadelphia, and Richmond. Three months after moving to Richmond, Pond’s mother passed after an over a decade long fight with cancer. In the wake of her mother’s passing, Pond had found comfort in the solo work of longtime Swans guitarist Norman Westberg and ended up striking up a long-distance collaboration. Aftermath resulted, a meditation on grief and what is left behind. In 2022, Pond and Schurr moved to Philadelphia, finally reuniting the band within the same city. Re-energized after living through the difficulties during COVID and the past several years, the three began recording a new crop of songs that would make up the majority of Bound, with the goal of capturing the raw, powerful energy of their live shows. Luna Honey’s art emerges from the creative tension between the death of the ego and the exploration of the subconscious with the pragmatism and discipline of punching the clock and getting the work done.

http://www.lunahoney.com

http://facebook.com/lunahoneymusic

http://www.instagram.com/lunahoneymusic

linktr.ee/lunahoneymusic

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3kz45E0sd0kFgZIfQNwm2F

https://lunahoney.bandcamp.com/album/bound

 

Kerry Jones Of Death Doula

Interview with Kerry Jones Of Death Doula.

Death Doula's new album Love Spells available on all streaming platforms.

 

Love Spells is the debut album from Death Doula, a dusky Art-Rock band hailing from Portland, Oregon. The new album was recorded at Jackpot Studios by Adam Lee (Built to Spill, Sleater- Kinney) and mixed by Bob Cheek, (Deftones, Band of Horses). It’s being released as a digital download and via streaming platforms by Death Doula Records on October 11. Kerry Jones had a crush on his best friend. Kyle List didn’t mind, he asked her to come collaborate at his tiny home studio anyway. By the end of the night, they were in love and had created a demo of “Disembark”, which would be lead single from Love Spells. Three weeks later, he moved to Portland to live with her, with no plan beyond an intuition that the music would take them somewhere. Fast forwarding two years later, they recruited the veteran rhythm section of Keith Vidal on bass (Marjorie Faire, Nyles Lannon) and Adam Kozie on drums (Pollens, Crystal Beth) and adopted the name “Death Doula.” The music they’ve created shows their shared love of artists like Can, Television, Jeff Buckley, The Cranberries, Deerhunter, Kate Bush, The Sundays and Deftones, while remaining altogether sonically new. After having their lives dramatically reshaped during the pandemic, the members of Death Doula approach music with an intensity that can only come from having spent a lifetime wanting it. Kerry and Kyle have an 11 year age difference. Keith and Kyle have a 22 year age difference. Each member pours their lifetime of experience into performances that place emotion and groove first.“In a world so algorithmized it’s numb,” says Kerry “we just want to make people feel something again.” https://deathdoula.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/deathdoulaband/?img_index=1

 

Rust County Revival

Interview with Rust County Revival

About Rust County Revival ":Somewhere between the former stomping grounds of blues legend Robert Lockwood Jr. and the modern-day, blues-inspired rockers The Black Keys comes an original Rock ‘N’ Roll experience, which attempts to blend elements of both the old and the new and feels authentic as well. Bob (guitar/vocals), Russ (drums), Stu (guitar/vocals), and Tim (bass) strive to deliver a unique blend of Rock and Blues soaked in gasoline for your eardrums. Formed in the post-pandemic world on the mean streets of Seven Hills, four musicians set out to deliver freakish blues and familiar grooves to your soul. RCR brings a multitude of expressions and influences to the stage. From hard-hitting Rock and Grunge to old-school Blues with a modern spin. Mainly we just enjoy writing and playing music inspired by artists we admire."

 

UPCOMING SHOWS

• Dec. 19 – Emerging Sounds Showcase @ Rialto Theatre (Akron, OH) – Doors: 7 p.m.
• Jan. 17 – Front St. Social (Berea, OH) – Doors: 6:30 p.m.

https://rustcountyrevival.com

/ https://www.facebook.com/RustCountyRevival

https://www.instagram.com/rustcountyrevival

 

Cailyn Maeve of Final Passion

Final Passion is the solo project of Cailyn Maeve, an independent artist making music from her tiny bedroom in Cleveland, OH.

Originally from Houston, TX, Cailyn fronted the punk band Fail Mary for several years before relocating to Cleveland in the midst of her transition, where she began work on the project.

Final Passion’s first self-produced solo single, “Perpetual Motion” released October 2023, and was followed up by the EP “we will figure it out” in September 2024.

 

https://www.finalpassion.net

 

Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony

Formed in 2004 The Old Ceremony has survived longer than many marriages. They’ve
reinvented themselves again and again, beginning as an eleven-piece mini-orchestra, slimming
down to a five-piece touring machine (guitar, bass, drums, vibraphone/keys, violin), and now – 
in their 20th year together – creating a fresh, energized record that incorporates the visceral
(“Valerie Solanas”), the meditative (“North American Grain”), the philosophical (“Too Big To
Fail”), and a nod back to their noir-ish beginnings (“Lonely Mayor”). Songwriter and
vocalist/guitarist Django Haskins’ gift for incisive, colorful lyrics and melodies is on full display
throughout, whether it be an unhinged first-person tale of shooting Andy Warhol or the
melancholy last act of a long-closeted politician. He writes with empathy and precision that
occasionally calls to mind the source of the band’s name, Leonard Cohen, among others.
In fact, the songs contained in Earthbound are culled from the 115 new songs Haskins penned
during the pandemic. When tossed into the well-seasoned cauldron of the band’s collective
musical voices, they transform from one person’s songs into something else: the sound of a band
that has created together for two decades, through highs and lows, busy years of touring and slow
years of child-rearing and mask wearing. 
The Old Ceremony has seen their share of highlights: sharing bills with the Jayhawks, CAKE,
Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mountain Goats, Chuck Berry, Giant Sand, and many more; touring the
U.S., Canada, and Europe; building their stature in the fertile Chapel Hill/Durham scene one
cinematic performance at a time. Meanwhile band leader Django Haskins in addition to
participating in the Big Star tribute tours, co-wrote and recorded an album of Folk-Rock
originals with the Jayhawks’ Gary Louris under the name “Au Pair.” Earthbound is destined to
be another highlight to add to the list, a musical recommitment ceremony among five musicians
who share a life in song.

 

 

 

The Old Ceremony's info 

www.theoldceremony.com

www.facebook.com/theoldceremony

www.instagram.com/theoldceremonyofficial

https://open.spotify.com/artist/21PmWnK0ROD7G4nGvYCmDj

 

Binnie Klein of In These Trees and Tartie

Interview with Binnie Klein of In These Trees and Tartie

In These Trees is an alternative indie music project led by Binnie Klein. Klein's lyrical stories are suffused with human longing and memory, and pair gracefully with soulful melodies from the artists who perform her work. With her extensive background in music as a radio DJ and a career in writing, Klein seeks to elevate her words through collaboration with rising artists. "Orchard" is her premier single inspired by her audio memoir, 10 Days in Newark, with music by Australian artist, Tartie. In These Trees and Tartie now have 5 singles out (Orchard, Sky, Ocean, Quiver, Hailstorm, and Ablaze). The album, THE QUIVER, is planned for November 2023. As a long-time DJ at free-form radio station WPKN, Binnie receives many promotional CD’s from hopeful artists. She tries to listen to most of them, just in case there is a gem that will fit with her show’s eclectic mix. When Australian singer/songwriter Tartie sent a few tunes, Binnie chose “Winter’s Girl” to play on her show. The two women, decades apart in age, began to chat on Zoom — about dogs, about music, about politics, finding a wonderful symmetry. Binnie encouraged Tartie to finish up a rough mix of “Ablaze,” about the Australian wildfires, and asked if Tartie might take a look at some lyrics. “Orchard” emerged from that question, and a great geographic distance, and a pandemic — the song, and many others -- began to take shape, with help from producer David Baron of Sun Mountain Studios.

https://www.inthesetrees.com

 

Arlen Roth

Interview with Arlen Roth 2024

Arlen Roth is a true guitar legend; part of the list of who he's recorded and toured with contains folks like Simon & Garfunkel (together and individually), John Prine, Phoebe Snow, Bob Dylan, Bee Gees, Don McLean, Levon Helm, Ry Cooder, Duane Eddy, Danny Gatton, Janis Ian, Dusty Springfield, John Sebastian, Johnny Winter and countless more. He also appeared with Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Patti Smith in the Martin Scorcese Rolling Thunder film, created the guitar parts and was consultant and teacher to Ralph Macchio for the legendary blues film, Crossroads. In 2016, he wrote and performed an acoustic guitar piece with Daveed Diggs and Leslie Odom, Jr. of Hamilton for ESPN. Arlen was voted in the Top 100 most Influential guitarists of all time by Vintage Guitar Magazine and top 50 all-time acoustic guitarists by Gibson.com. Now, on Arlen Roth's 20th solo album and his fifth all-acoustic offering, he’s bringing rootsy acoustic music to new heights on Playing Out the String, set for release September 27 and distributed by MVD. The new album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Alex Salzman, who also contributes keyboards to the mix.  Arlen’s previous album, Super Soul Session, with bass legend Jerry Jemmott, sat atop the Blues and Soul charts for 22 straight weeks, and was in the Top 5 for 55 straight weeks this past year. Arlen has also been at the forefront of guitar and music education, with 10 best-selling books, and he was the first-ever to offer video instruction with the giants of the music industry through his “Hot Licks” company, which he started in 1979, and has had millions of students worldwide. His column for Guitar Player magazine was voted #1 by the largest margin of readers from 1982 to 1992, and was also turned into a best-selling book, Hot Guitar. On Playing Out the String,  this all-acoustic, mostly solo album is very personal to Arlen and is really like getting an up-close "at home" concert in your living room. On it, he paints with broad strokes across several genres of music he loves. From "Old Timey" Norman Blake material to country blues from Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Tampa Red; he even makes you feel at home with Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'" and gives his 12-string guitar a workout on the archetypical, "Walk Right In."

https://www.arlenroth.com

 

Jeff Lang

Interview with Jeff Lang 2024

Australian guitarist-songwriter-vocalist-producer, Jeff Lang has built a reputation for making startling music that is accomplished, intricate, gutsy, melodic and loaded with soul. Often taking unexpected turns, he has consistently inspired his audiences by creating a stylistically diverse catalog of over 25 albums. Jeff has mischievously called his music ‘Disturbed Folk.’ One writer referred to him as a “quiet achiever.” But the overall impression one has from observing Jeff’s lengthy career is that of a driven man who keeps his head down, playing and recording music as if his very life depends on it. Outside of his homeland, Jeff has toured the UK, Europe, Japan, India, China, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada as well as concentrated work in the U.S., where he has played upwards of 300 shows, living there for 6 months at a time. He has appeared on prestigious American radio programs A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage and Acoustic Café. Jeff has shared stages with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Richard Thompson, Bonnie Raitt, Ani Di Franco, Chris Whitley, Albert Collins, Loudon Wainwright III, Greg Brown, John Butler, AR Rahman and Bob Geldolf, among many others. Jeff has delivered show-stopping performances at festivals all across the globe: The Dublin Blues Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Quebec City Music Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival, Fuji Rock, Glastonbury, Echo Park China, Ottawa BluesFest as well as on his home turf at Port Fairy, Woodford, Bluesfest Byron Bay and Womadelaide. Jeff Lang’s unique musical vision easily finds a home in myriad settings, from large festival stages to the intimate, long-running Ann Arbor, Michigan club The Ark to the Sydney Opera House. Most importantly, Jeff Lang has achieved what is a rarity in the cluttered world of contemporary sounds: his own voice.

Jeff's info https://jefflang.com.au