Roadie Free Radio

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076: HOST UPDATE #2 Dec 11, 2017

Show notes

I decided to take this week to fill you guys in on a few things coming up, some new music I picked-up in Mississippi, and the general state of affairs. Oh yeah, and I did the whole thing from the front seat of my car! Plus, we have a new SALE going on!

075: ANDREW RATCLIFFE/Owner/TWEED RECORDING STUDIOS/The Black Crowes, Will Sexton, Jars of Clay Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

After thirty days on the road in Mississippi I'm happy to say I'm home and back in the studio! To help celebrate our 75th episode I sat down with Andrew Ratcliffe of Tweed Recording in Oxford, MS. Andrew has been producing and engineering bands for over twenty years and has carved out an incredible career in an area rich in musical history and heritage. His list of clients includes The Black Crowes, The Damnwells, Pokey LaFarge, Jimbo Mathus, Will Sexton, and the North Mississippi All-Stars. However, the real heart of Tweed studios lies in the incredible microphone collection Andrew has amassed, particularly the selection from Columbia studios. Thanks for tuning-in this week, and stay safe out there!

074: DAVE RAT/FOH Engineer/Rat Sound Systems/Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Flag Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

In the late '70's and into the '80's Hollywood and the Sunset Strip played host to the hair bands and spandex superstars that rocked clubs like the Whiskey and the Roxy night after night. But several miles down the coast, a new sound was emerging; raw, impatient, and not satisfied with the Status Quo. It was in this world that Dave Rat of Rat Sound Systems carved his place as a trusted engineer, with a company that provided the kind of equipment that could match the DIY attitude of the artists and crowds that were showing up to hear bands like Black Flag, Jane's Addiction, and Rage Against the Machine. After nearly 30 years as the FOH engineer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Rat is setting his sights on a life more simple, allowing him to focus more on the company he started when he was just eighteen years old.

073: PHIL DUDDERIDGE/Chairman/FOCUSRITE Audio Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

I can't tell you how incredible it was to sit with Phil Dudderidge at my first AES show, and listen to him reflect on his career. Today, Phil is the Chairman of Focusrite Audio Engineering, a highly successful company known for its audio interfaces, preamps, and consoles, but at seventeen, he was just a kid in North London with a van, and a willingness to seize every opportunity that came his way. Phil attributes his success to the fact that not only was he always in the right place at the right time, but he always had the vision to meet the demand and find the best way forward. From his days as a roadie for Fairport Convention and lyricist Pete Brown, his short but impressionable stint as FOH for Led Zeppelin, launching Soundcraft Electronics, and ultimately re-envisioning Focusrite, Phil has always followed his instincts and found a way to move forward in a conscious and positive way.

072: JAY BLAKESBERG/Concert Photographer/Filmmaker/The Grateful Dead, Michael Franti, John Mayer Nov 14, 2017

Show notes

For close to thirty years, Jay Blakesberg has photographed and befriended the most incredible roster of artists, musicians, tech giants, hippies, rockers, punkers, and concert-goers. He's published close to 15 books, runs his own publishing company, gives back to his community, and generally leads a pretty cool life. Being in the moment and in the music is what keeps Jay on his toes from night to night, stage to stage. If you need any proof of this, just look at a few of his photographs and you'll see what I mean. Jay and I caught-up at the Relix magazine headquarters in Manhattan, while he was in town promoting his latest book; Eyes of the World: Grateful Dead Photography 1965-1995.

071: ARON MICHALSKI/Guitar tech/Indigo Girls, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones, Little Feet Nov 06, 2017

Show notes

Hello from Oxford, Mississippi! I'm very happy to bring you my latest episode from North Mississippi while I'm on location during my current gig. This week's guest is guitar/bass tech Aron Michalski, a New England native who has toured the world a few times over with the likes of Paul Simon, Metallica, the Indigo Girls, Norah Jones, Babyface, Bruce Springsteen, Weezer, and Little Feat, just to name a few. I caught up with Aron via Skype, while he was on a short break a few weeks ago in-between runs with the Indigo girls. Given the depth of his resume, you can only imagine how deep his story runs, and I'm very excited to share it with you. Don't forget to grab one of our t-shirt's from the website and use the code: DELTABLUES to get 15% off of your purchase. Next weeks guest: Jay Blakesberg/Concert photographer/filmmaker/publisher

070: TONI FISHMAN/Founder/Telefunken Elektroakustik Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

One could argue that if it were not for an unfortunate mishap at Joni Mitchell's home studio, Toni Fishman may never have had the opportunity to re-launch the Telefunken brand. By reverse-engineering the guts of a badly burned microphone from Mitchell's home studio, Toni was able to not only bring the mic back to life, but realized there was a market for people who owned the same microphones and needed them serviced. It all came down to one small plastic switch. Born and raised in Connecticut, Toni spent many years on the road with various bands archiving live shows and acquiring enough gear to build and maintain his own home studio. His passion for sound and the desire to deliver the best audio experience possible led him on his unbelievable journey re-visualizing the Telefunken brand, earning him the respect of his peers. But don't just take their word for it, ask the growing legion of satisfied customers.

069: MICHAEL LARDIE/guitarist & keyboardist/Great White Oct 23, 2017

Show notes

For over 30 years, multi-instrumentalist Michael Lardie has traveled the world and rocked stage after stage as the keyboardist and guitarist for the band Great White. He's ridden every high and low that comes with rock stardom, and through it all he's kept the same passion and love for music that prompted him to move to Southern California in the late '70's. Michael started out in recording studios engineering some of L.A.'s first punk bands, before he found his way as a session player and eventually got the call to join Great White in 1985. From then on, he's been an integral part of the band, writing and contributing to some of the band's most memorable songs. I caught-up with Michael in-between gigs in the midst of the band promoting their latest album, Full Circle.

068: JEFF SLATE/Singer-songwriter/Journalist/Esquire Magazine Oct 16, 2017

Show notes

Singer-songwriter Jeff Slate is an internationally recognized recording artist and music journalist. He co-founded the band the Mindless Thinkers, founded The Badge and has performed and worked with countless other rock luminaries, including Pete Townshend of The Who, Sheryl Crow and others. His band with David Bowie sideman Earl Slick, and his current band Jeff Slate & Friends, are both mainstays of the Northeast music scene. I met Jeff in Forrest Hills, NY this past Summer at a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers show, while I was grabbing my interviews with Greg Looper and Chris Adamson. When I found out he was both a music journalist and a performer in his own right, I knew I wanted to have him on the show. Not only does Jeff write about music for Esquire, he recently contributed liner notes to the 50th anniversary edition of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and is the author of the authorized Roy Orbison biography which comes out on October 17th, 2017.

067: ROBERT COMPTON/Founder/Compton Guitars Oct 09, 2017

Show notes

Robert Compton is no stranger to life-changing events. As you'll hear in our interview, he's had quite a few. In fact, Compton's knack for surviving a few of those events is what's led him to focus his passion and channel his creativity into building guitars out of his home in New Jersey. Redemption, a love of music, and a rekindling of childhood dreams is what helped turn this veteran of corporate America around. Join me as I talk with Robert from his home in Stirling, NJ.

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