Frets with DJ Fey

Latest Episodes:

Straight From the Hat – The Return of Ben Vaughn Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Back in 2022, I talked with Ben Vaughn, whose music and radio show I’ve been a fan of for years. Ben has enjoyed a great career as a performer, songwriter, composer for film and TV, and record producer. He’s produced records by Ween, Arthur Alexander, and Charlie Feathers, and also collaborated with Alan Vega, Alex Chilton and Los Straitjackets. His songs have also been recorded by artists including Marshall Crenshaw, The Morells, and Deer Tick. Needless to say, Ben Vaughn has encountered some colorful characters in his musical journey. His friend Laura Pochodylo, who works for Sun Records in Nashville, wrote the names of those colorful characters down and placed them in a hat. Names like Jonathan Richman, Arthur Alexander, Willie Nelson, Nancy Sinatra and more. So, what do they do with those names? Laura selects a few at random and Ben relives the stories—no pre-planning, no filter —just telling it like it was, straight from the hat. The new podcast is called, of course, Straight from the Hat and on today’s episode of Frets, I happily welcome…the return of Ben Vaughn.

This is my second interview with Ben Vaughn. Check out my 2022 interview here.

Songs featured in this episode:

“Quote Unquote” by Ben Vaughn
“Asking for a Friend” by Ben Vaughn
“My Reservation’s Been Confirmed” – a Herman’s Hermits song (one of my favorites) covered by Ben and written by Charles Silverman, Derek Leckenby and Keith Hopwood

Listen to Straight From the Hat here.

Find music by Ben Vaughn here.

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Thanks for listening to Frets with DJ Fey. You can follow or subscribe for FREE at most podcast platforms.And now, Frets is available on YouTube. There are a lot of fun extras like videos and shorts and audio of all episodes. Subscribing for FREE at YouTube helps support the show tremendously, so hit that subscribe button! https://www.youtube.com/@DJFey39 You can also find information about guitarists, bands and more at the Frets with DJ Fey Facebook page. Give it a like! And – stay tuned…

Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Bob Collum – Expat Singer/Songwriter and Leader of The Welfare Mothers Jan 28, 2026

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“Wasted Wonderland” serves as the title of a great compilation of songs by Bob Collum. A singer-songwriter and guitarist, Bob grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then spent a couple years in Chicago before making a big change. In 2001, he moved to the UK. Bob’s music had already been getting airplay in Europe and not long after moving there, he formed The Welfare Mothers. He also made a lot of friends and connections in England’s music community. The list of artists Bob has supported include Dave Alvin, Ron Sexsmith, The Handsome Family, John Wesley Harding, Robbie Fulks, Marshall Crenshaw, Alejandro Escovedo, Amy Rigby, Robert Earle Keen, and Wilko Johnson. He continues to write, record and perform with his current group, simply referred to as…The Bob Collum Band. His music is great – It’s UK Americana, but you can hear slices of Western Swing from his time in Tulsa and hours spent at Cain’s Ballroom, but also Buddy Holly-esque rockabilly. Stay tuned for – an interview with Bob Collum.

Photo by Graeme Bunyan. Check out Graham’s work here.

More info about Bob Collum is available at bobcollumusic.com

Bob’s music on Bandcamp can be found here.

Save on Certified Pre-Owned Electronics
Plug has great prices on refurbished electronics. Up to 70% off with a 30-day money back guarantee!
Find or Sell Guitars and Gear at Reverb
Find great deals on guitars, amps, audio and recording gear. Or sell yours! Check out Reverb.com
Euclid Records – Buy and sell records.
A gigantic selection of vinyl & CDs. We’re in St. Louis & New Orleans, but are loved worldwide!
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Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

John McFee – From Clover to The Doobie Brothers and Jackdawg Nov 17, 2025

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John McFee formed San Francisco-based band Clover in the ’60s. Their first, self-titled album on Fantasy came out in 1970. Several years later, they came to realize some key people in the UK pub rock scene were big fans of their music. Nick Lowe, Brinsley Schwarz and also drummer Pete Thomas, who called Clover to see if they would audition for the up and coming Declan MacManus, who would soon change his name to Elvis Costello. Clover got the gig, backing Elvis on My Aim is True and John McFee’s great guitar work is what you hear on all the classic tracks like “Alison” and “The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes”. John also played steel guitar on Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey and St. Dominic’s Preview. The long list of artists he’s contributed guitar, pedal steel and vocals for includes Carlene Carter, Nick Lowe, Emmylou Harris, The Grateful Dead, and Boz Scaggs. In ’79, John McFee was asked to join The Doobie Brothers, replacing Jeff Baxter. He also formed Southern Pacific with Keith Knudsen of the Doobies and Stu Cook of Creedence. In the ’90s that trio became Jackdawg. The release of their fantastic self-titled album was delayed due to the death of their manager. A CD release was temporarily available in 2009, but the album was out-of-print for years. That is, until now. Tune in to my interview with singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist, John McFee.

Photo: Courtesy John McFee

The classic Jackdawg album is available on vinyl, CD and also digital through Liberation Hall. Purchase options are here.

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Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Maia Sharp – Embracing Her True Self With Her Great New Album “Tomboy” Nov 11, 2025

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Multi-instrumentalist Maia Sharp has written songs for the likes of Cher, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal and Art Garfunkel, just to name a few. Hailing from L.A., Maia is currently based in Nashville, often collaborating with many musicians and songwriters in that creative community. She also collaborates often with her dad, three-time Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter and guitarist Randy Sharp. Randy’s songs have been recorded by artists including Linda Ronstadt, Delaney Bramlett, Glen Campbell, Tanya Tucker, Edgar Winter, the Dixie Chicks, Emmylou Harris, and of course, Maia. Tomboy is Maia Sharp’s 10th solo album and her musical talent is on full display. In addition to her wonderful vocals and guitar, Maia, who’s played saxophone for years, supplied a very cool sax solo on “Edge of the Weatherline”, one of many great tracks on the record. Stay tuned for my talk with the very talented Maia Sharp.

You can find out more about Maia Sharp and also purchase music at maiasharp.com

Photo by Emma Lee. Check out her work here.

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Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets and Ashes and Diamonds - an Interview with Daniel Ash Oct 28, 2025

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Daniel Ash, along with Peter Murphy and brothers Kevin and David Haskins, formed Bauhaus, a band who were pioneers of goth rock. Their debut single, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” is considered by many to be the first record of the gothic-rock genre. They released five studio albums, and during that period, Daniel and Kevin formed the post-punk band Tones on Tail in the early 1980s. In 1985, David Haskins, now as David J, rejoined his Bauhaus bandmates, minus Peter Murphy, and they became Love and Rockets. Where Bauhaus was known for its gothic sound, Love and Rockets’ had a brighter, more pop feel. They enjoyed a succesful run in the ’80s and ’90s, touring internation-ally and were featured prominently in the glory days of MTV. And now, Daniel Ash, along with drummer Bruce Smith of Public Image Ltd. and bassist Paul Spencer Denman who backed Sade, is back. The band is Ashes and Diamonds. The atmospheric sound of their debut album, Ashes and Diamonds are Forever, is fantastic. It releases October 31st and according to my talk with Daniel, the Halloween release is “appropriate”. He was such a pleasure to talk with and I think you’ll enjoy…my interview with Daniel Ash.

Photo by Regan Catam @raygun1111

Ashes and Diamonds Are Forever is available through Cleopatra Records. Get yours here.

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Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Long After the Fire - an Interview with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill Sep 09, 2025

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Vicki Peterson played lead guitar and sang vocals for The Bangles. Vicki was also in The Continental Drifters and the Psycho Sisters, both with Susan Cowsill. John Cowsill is the youngest brother in The Cowsills, a family band who had a string of hits including “The Rain, The Park & Other Things” for which they received a gold record. John went on to play percussion and provide backing vocals on “867-5309/Jenny” with Tommy Tutone, and toured with The Beach Boys as keyboardist, eventually backing them on drums. Vicki and John also teamed up with Bill Mumy to form Action Skulls. Long After the Fire, an album featuring the songs of John’s late brothers Bill and Barry Cowsill, is a wonderful record, – I was very fortunate to hear them play songs from the album earlier this year and more recently had the privilege of talking with the happily married couple about their early years, the bands, the songs, and what went into making the album. Stay tuned for my interview with two of my favorite musicians, Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill.

Photo by Pamela Springsteen. Check out her wonderful photography here. And yes, she’s Bruce’s sister.

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Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Rebecca Pidgeon – Singer/Songwriter, Guitarist, Actress Aug 26, 2025

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Rebecca Pidgeon has enjoyed a long, successful career as a singer-songwriter and guitarist as well as a very successful career in film as an actress. Her songs have also appeared in major motion pictures. Born in the U.S., she moved with her family at a very young age to Edinburgh, Scotland and later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She became lead singer of the band Ruby Blue, but left and released her first solo album – The Raven. Unillusion is her twelfth solo record and Rebecca blends narrative depth and musical intimacy in a way that feels both timeless and current. And the new album marks a return to the organic, acoustic sounds of her debut The Raven. Hope you’ll enjoy my interview with Rebecca Pidgeon.

Portrait by Blossom Berkofsky. Check out Blossom’s fantastic photography here.

Tickets to Rebecca’s release party for Unillusion at McCabe’s can be purchased here.

Support the show

Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Crispian Mills – Kula Shaker’s Incredible Frontman Aug 19, 2025

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Crispian Mills was born into a family of actors, film producers and directors. He was exposed to a wide variety of music, but when he heard “You Really Got Me“ by The Kinks, it was an epiphany – he knew he wanted to play guitar. Through determination and practice, he became a great guitarist. He loved Deep Purple. He loved The Ramones. He played in bands including X-Ray Spex before forming Kula Shaker in 1996. Their debut album K was the fastest-selling debut since the self-titled first record by Elastica. Noel Gallagher, a fan of the band, invited them to open for Oasis at Knebworth. Their album, Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts, was recorded at David Gilmour’s Astoria houseboat studio in London with production help from Bob Ezrin, Rick Rubin and George Drakoulias. Kula Shaker have continued to produce great psychedelic Brit-pop over the last couple decades. They released Natural Magick in 2024 as well as two recent singles, “Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Broke as Folk”. A tour with The Dandy Warhols kicks off this fall. He’s a talented, spiritual, dynamic singer songwriter with a great guitar sound.

Hope you’ll dig my fascinating interview with Kula Shaker frontman, Crispian Mills.

Photo by Alice Teeple. You can view more of her great work here.

Support the show

Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Chris Stamey of The dB’s, The Golden Palominos, Big Star Quintet and Salt Collective – Anything Is Possible Jul 09, 2025

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Chris Stamey’s new album Anything is Possible releases Friday, July 11. Musicians who contributed to this record include The Lemon Twigs, Matt Douglas of The Mountain Goats, Marshall Crenshaw, Don Dixon, Probyn Gregory and more. It features long-time friend and collaborator Mitch Easter – Chris sings, plays keyboards, guitar and bass and…he wrote the orchestrations.
It was great to talk with Chris about his early days in Chapel Hill and Winston-Salem, his early bands he formed with friends in school, his move to New York, working with Alex Chilton and Richard Lloyd, the formation of the dB’s and his career as a singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and engineer.

Hope you’ll enjoy my interview with the great Chris Stamey.

You can read more about the new album and where to purchase it at chrisstamey.com

Photo by John Gessner. View John’s work here.

Euclid Records – Buy and sell records.
A gigantic selection of vinyl & CDs. We’re in St. Louis & New Orleans, but are loved worldwide!
Save on Certified Pre-Owned Electronics
Plug has great prices on refurbished electronics. Up to 70% off with a 30-day money back guarantee!
Find or Sell Guitars and Gear at Reverb
Find great deals on guitars, amps, audio and recording gear. Or sell yours! Check out Reverb.com
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

Jefferson Hart – All in the Family with Secret Monkey Weekend Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

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Jefferson Hart and his stepdaughters Lila and Ella are Secret Monkey Weekend, a family band who were the subject of an Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary. Jeff plays guitar, Lila plays drums, Ella plays bass and all three provide wonderful vocals and harmony. The documentary tells the story of how the band came to be, through loss and heartbreak – but also of a family coming together and bonding over their love of music and their love for each other. Listen as Jefferson Hart talks about music, love, family and Secret Monkey Weekend.

Photo by Bill Reaves. Check out his wonderful photography at https://wwreavesphotography.com/

The new album, Lemon Drop Hammer releases on June 6. You can find music by Secret Monkey Weekend here at Bandcamp or at the band’s website, secretmonkeyweekend.com

Support the show

Contact Dave Fey at davefey@me.com or call 314-229-8033

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