The Hustle

Latest Episodes:

Episode 122 - Oleta Adams Sep 05, 2017

Show notes

The story on Oleta Adams is that she was discovered playing piano in a Kansas City hotel bar by the guys from Tears For Fears, who then brought her in to sing on their 1989 album The Seeds of Love, thus launching her stellar solo career. As you'll find from our conversation, it wasn't exactly that simple. Oleta had been toiling away for over a decade on the hotel entertainment circuit before Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith followed through on the promises many before them had made and broken. She did break big duetting on their hit "Woman in Chains" before nailing her own solo hit "Get Here" in 1991. Since then Oleta has had a steady solo career, but despite her success she's never ventured far from her roots. At the end of the day, success has really just given her the freedom to be herself. She also put out a new album this year called Third Set which harkens back to her roots. She still sounds amazing!

http://oletaadams.com/

Bonus - The (Notorious) Expo Retro Sep 04, 2017

Show notes

Now that the smoke has cleared and most people were fine with what I said, I'll go ahead and put this out even though most of you have heard it by this point. This is the original version, maybe slightly more unfiltered than what came out in the revised version. My only regret is that I forgot to mention a couple of our beautiful fans I got to meet there. Love you guys. I corrected it in the second version, but let's let this original recording be the one that remains.

Episode 121 - Russ Ballard Aug 29, 2017

Show notes

Russ Ballard is one of the most successful songwriters of the rock era. Artists from Ace Frehley to America have scored with tunes written by the man. Russ has also shepherded a successful solo career which, oddly, never took off quite as strongly as the success others were having recording those same songs. We talk about why that might be as well as his days in Argent and earlier, what makes a good pop song, and we get insight into some of the people he's worked with after over 50 years in the business! He also has some genius career advice for Roger Daltrey. You'll be blown away by how many hits he's responsible for and how diverse his style is!

https://www.facebook.com/RussBallardMusicOfficial/

Bonus - Gary Corbett Live From the Nashville Rock n Pod Expo Aug 28, 2017

Show notes

These days, Gary Corbett may be best known for his time in Cinderella and as the touring keyboard player with Kiss. What everyone may not know is that he actually comes from a pop background. He started out in the new wave band Tom Dickie and the Desires, but his first brush with success was when Cyndi Lauper recorded a little song he co-wrote called "She Bop". That tune went on to be a huge hit and his career has been building ever since. This led to working with artists like Debbie Gibson and the great Lou Gramm and even some of the Marleys! He's seen a lot and had a wide-ranging career and he was kind enough to let us talk to him live at the Rock n Pod Expo.

Episode 120 - John Parr Aug 22, 2017

Show notes

John Parr was one of the most promising artists of the 80s. He broke out in 1984 with the decent-sized hit "Naughty Naughty" (#23), but then he hit the jackpot when his theme for the movie St. Elmo's Fire, "Man In Motion", topped the charts in 1985. This should have launched him into the stratosphere with other heavyweights like Bryan Adams and Eddie Money, but it didn't. Once again, label politics stifled what should have been a big career. John did carry on for a few more years, recording several more movie themes along the way (Running Man, Three Men and a Baby, American Anthem, Quicksilver), but wasn't given the support he deserved. Ultimately, he's had the last laugh though, as "Man In Motion" has never gone away and he's very active on the 80s tour circuit. He's a wonderful man who's been though a lot and come out the other end victorious. Plus, you'll remember how much fun his music is. Enjoy!

http://www.johnparr.net/

Episode 119 - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Senior Pop Editor at Allmusic Aug 15, 2017

Show notes

We go in a slightly different direction with this week's guest, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Senior Pop Editor at Allmusic! "Tom" has been with the publication since the beginning making him one of the most frequently read music critics in the world. We break this conversation into three parts - 1) how does Allmusic work, 2) the current state of music criticism, and 3) our personal bests and worsts. We also play a handful of his favorite songs. It's a fascinating look at a writer whose name is to music criticism what Leonard Maltin or Roger Ebert are to movies. You'll want to have a notebook handy for this one!

Episode 118 - Steve "Eddie" Rice of Eddie and the Tide Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

Eddie and the Tide were a great Bay Area rock band of the early 80s that mixed heartland rock with some new wave flair, much like contemporaries Huey Lewis and the News and Greg Kihn. Over the course of the decade, they released five great albums (the second was produced by Eddie Money), but while their sound got sleeker and sleeker, no doubt for commercial purposes, that mass crossover never quite happened and the band called it quit as the decade was ending. These days, they may be best known for the song "Power Play" which was featured on the Lost Boys soundtrack, which turned 30 last week! Today Steve is a normal working man in Nashville, but he occasionally puts out excellent solo albums. One of my favorite discs of the last five years is his 2014 album The Eddie Rice Project, which is a soulful examination of an up and down life in hindsight. Enjoy!

http://www.eddieandthetide.com/

Episode 117 - Trevor Steel of The Escape Club Aug 01, 2017

Show notes

The Escape Club had one of the biggest and most inescapable hits of the 80s with their 1988 number one blockbuster "Wild Wild West". Contrary to popular belief, they are not one-hit-wonders, and cracked the code again in 1991 when their balled "I'll Be There" hit the top 10 as well. Frontman Trevor Steel discusses the effects a number one smash has had on his life and, surprisingly, it isn't the consistent windfall huge hits have been for other guests we've featured on the show. He's had to pivot over the years to other roles within the music industry and Escape Club's fortunes have fluctuated. The band still do their thing occasionally, releasing an excellent album called Celebrity in 2012. He's a really good guy and honest about the ups and downs.

https://www.facebook.com/theescapeclub/

Episode 116 - Froilan Sosa of Nuclear Valdez Jul 25, 2017

Show notes

Nuclear Valdez were an excellent and highly buzzed about alternative rock band out of Miami in the late 80s. A lot of the hype centered around what shouldn't be that unique of a thing, but is, the fact that they were all Hispanic. Their debut album, 1989's I Am I with it's debut single "Summer" made a splash and the band was invited to perform on one of the very first MTV Unplugged episodes. Unfortunately, the label never put their full muscle behind the band (even though similar artists like the Alarm and Jane's Addiction were seeing big success) and after a second album, 1991's Dream Another Dream, the guys called it quits. Lead singer Froilan Sosa reflects on this time in his life and how he processed it all. The good news is that they released a new album on Record Store Day called Present From the Past, which is a collection of songs they were working on back in the 90s. And, they are playing a reunion gig in Miami this Saturday (7/29)! Great band - deserved more.

https://nuclearvaldez.com/

Bonus - The Hustle vs. Suburban Underground: 4 Songs That Shoulda Been Hits Jul 23, 2017

Show notes

Jon was invited on Suburban Underground this week, one of his favorite radio programs (Bedford 105 in New Hampshire). Hosts Drew and Steve challenged all of us to bring a song from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s that should have been a hit and then defend our choices. We need you to tell us who you think has the best taste!

Suburban Underground is a weekly show that plays excellent alternative rock that's under the radar or hasn't been heard in a while. It's also a podcast! Please subscribe for your weekly slab of great music that doesn't get heard as often.

https://suburbanunderground.podbean.com/

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected