Author Archives: Evan Toth

Maybe I’m a little guilty of nostalgia on this one, but aren’t we all from time-to-time?

When I look into the past with my rose-colored glasses on, they take me to that time of life when most people find themselves experiencing glowy memories of the past: high school. In my case, it was high school in the early to mid 1990s. As is true of every generation, there were certain songs that were inescapable during that time, some music that was simply a part of the cultural wallpaper. Music that is ingrained to that extent into society’s psyche can face both pros and cons. On one hand, the song is at risk of being overplayed and over consumed and of course, we all know what familiarity breeds. On the other hand, it’s extraordinarily rare for a certain music to be considered definitive and infinitely attached to a particular place in time in human history.

In 1997, Paula Cole released two iconic songs that had a significant generational impact. “I Don’t Want to Wait” became a radio staple and gained immense popularity as the theme song for the popular TV show Dawson’s Creek. “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” became Cole’s only top-ten hit in the US, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also earned Cole three Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Paula joins me on this episode to discuss her brand new album Lo, it’s her first batch of originals in a decade and it is a strong work that makes an occasional nod to her sound in the ’90s, but showcases Cole as the forward-facing performer that she is. We discuss the new record, and learn about a few recording secrets from the 1990s and how some of those tricks of the trade worked their way into her recent production.

We also explore the latest reissue of This Fire which was released last year in celebration of the album’s 25th anniversary and talk about how, in many ways, those songs are as relevant as ever having been discovered by a new generation of listeners because, as you’ll find out, good art may represent a certain generation, but it isn’t anchored to it. That’s the feeling you’ll get digging through the past, present, and future of Paula Cole’s catalog.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

Often on this program, I interact with artists and creators, who do their best work when they are by themselves.

It’s in solitude that a musician often finds the freedom and flexibility to create just what it is they want to develop. However, there is surely something to be said about the chemistry between two people, two artists. When two musicians sit before one another and unite for the good of performing or recording one song, the tension can be palpable. Such a situation can reach Olympic level heights when the musical duel is between two experts in their field.

Lau Noah knew that for her next musical project she wanted to engage in this kind of intimate match-up. And so on her new album A Dos she’s chosen to pursue musical conversation with some of her favorite artists, and what artists they are. Chris Thile, Jacob Collier and many more met with Lau to assist her to communicate with her audience the compositions that she’s worked so hard to create.

Interestingly, as you’ll learn by listening to our conversation, is how Noah was adamant about recording these tracks face-to-face rather than utilizing the remote technology that is so prevalent in today’s music production. So, what you hear when you listen to her new record is that moment, that spark where two people meet and combine their forces into one.

One may be the loneliest number, as they say, but it sure can be helpful when a composer must concentrate on what they’re overall artistic vision is. But, that solitude sometimes eschews the excitement and competition that can be found in a suitable partner. After all, it does take two to tango, doesn’t it?

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

What does it take to be epic? Many filmmakers and creators struggle to construct breathtaking spectacles for audiences that will allow them to escape into a transformative world that depicts events that would not normally be seen with human eyes. But what about the music? Once they’ve created the visual component, how do they find the right music to both compliment and even elevate the towering images that appear on your local IMAX theater’s screens?

For many years, the industry has called upon Sam Nelson Harris and his band—X Ambassadors—to provide music for the soundtracks that are as compelling as your favorite comic book character’s powers. Most recently, the band featured a song in the new Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom film, but they have also placed music in Transformers: The Last Knight, The Call of the Wild, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Suicide Squad. It’s the band’s prodigious sound and production that make them the perfect choice for an enthralling cinematic display.

The voice you hear on these tracks belongs to the band’s frontman Sam Nelson Harris who is also an actor, producer, and songwriter. On this episode Sam and I discuss how he and the band traverse the intersection between the music and film industries. We also discuss the band’s forthcoming newest record, Townie which is slated to be released on April 5. It’s easy to hear how Sam and I are both excited for this release to hit the shelves.

So, think big! Get into a larger-than-life mood and prepare to explore the process by which the huge sounds you hear on your favorite viewing screen usually just come from one person with an idea. The magic is in how that acorn is transformed into a towering Oak. Sam Nelson Harris shares his secrets about taking good ideas and molding them into something epic.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

It’s always a pleasure to speak with musicians who seem to appreciate and absorb music on another level. Folks like this often see music in a way that regular music consumers might take for granted. After all, there is a real power in music, a force and strength that can alter our emotions in any which direction. Sometimes we forget this, and we just let the sounds that we’re listening to wash over us without thinking of the other dimensions that we might be missing.

The last time I spoke with someone who had a great deal of intensity over this subject was Carlos Santana. On this episode, I speak with a close friend and collaborator of his—a multi-instrumentalist who is a particularly amazing drummer and a multi-Grammy-winning producer whose No. 1 chart successes include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and many others. We’re talking about Narada Michael Walden.

Walden has a new album available, it’s called Euphoria and on it you’ll hear his usual compositional and production craftsmanship, but you’ll also get the opportunity to scroll through the contacts on his phone, because many of his musical pals make an appearance: Stevie Wonder, Sting, and—of course—Carlos Santana. Euphoria finds the ever positive Narada Michael Walden creating music to move your body, but that also aims to ignite your spirit.

So, stop taking your music for granted. Especially that pop stuff you love to listen to with the windows down and your hair blowing in the breeze. There’s a reason that you feel that freedom in your soul while you’re driving to your grueling 9-5; it’s because the music that elevates you was crafted by folks who really care about how those tunes are to exist within the dimension you inhabit. You can thank guys like Michael Narada Walden for fusing his musical chops with his spiritual enlightenment to create a mini-vacation for you to take anytime you choose.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

How do you feel about karma? Do you think what goes around comes around? Is that really the way of the world, or does it just seem that way? Perhaps we’re getting a start that’s a bit too deep, but the natural order of things has a way of following a mysterious pattern. You might see some of these things in your day-to-day activities, but sometimes a story invites you to consider how the design of our lives can be investigated, every so often, it arrives musically.

Avram Brown is the key composer and performer in a project titled The Wheel which focuses on his musical and personal journey and how he’s come—yes, you guessed it—“full circle” with many aspects of his life. You can call it a psychedelic project, but it’s more than that: it’s introspective, but it also makes some attempts at looking outward, somewhere into the great beyond. If that’s too much for you, then just know that the music is darned good! We’ll also explore the friends who helped Avi complete this project which include Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Earley, violist/arranger Kyleen King (Brandi Carlile, The Decemberists), and recording engineer Larry Crane (Elliott Smith).

So, sit down with Avram and me and take the interdimensional journey, if you choose, or just go along for the ride. You’ll find that there’s a lot of preparation—productionwise, and personally—that goes into growing a body of work that explores our existential complexities. How does the wheel spin in your life, does it move forward, or backward? If you had to set it to music, how would it sound? Avram Brown’s wheel sounds like this.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

It’s one thing to love vinyl records and to enjoy listening to them, most people stop there. But, you might even go a step further and truly embrace vinyl culture and become a serious collector, there are plenty of those folks, too. But it’s a whole other ball of wax to learn the ins and outs of actually creating discs and becoming involved in the manufacturing process. That’s just what Dustin Blocker has done.

Originally, Dustin was a musician who soon turned his attention to the record label industry by founding North Texas-based artist-centric record label Hand Drawn Records in 2011. A few years later, in 2014, he started Hand Drawn Pressing as the vinyl record manufacturing arm for the company. Dustin is Chief Creative Officer of Hand Drawn Records and Hand Drawn Pressing. Just before the pandemic hit, Dustin became interested in what other vinyl manufacturers were doing to make their businesses run at their peak levels.

Instead of being suspicious of his competition, Dustin—with a few other manufacturers—created a vinyl manufacturing collective known as The Vinyl Record Manufacturers Association (VRMA) which is a professional trade association of independent businesses committed to the craft of vinyl record manufacturing through collaboration, advocacy, standardization, and education. Blocker currently serves as the group’s president.

So, if you’d like a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes workings of the vinyl industry, keep listening as Dustin and I talk about the viability of vinyl as a long-term audio product, how manufacturing of vinyl has—and hasn’t—changed over the last century and how the industry works together to ensure that the polyvinyl chloride discs that we love of are of a sustainably high-quality for years to come.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

What happened to that 1960s optimism, the peace, the love, and the understanding? Unfortunately, the sentiment hasn’t endured socially in the mainstream dialogue over the last few decades. But—as Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello are aware—there’s nothing funny about those ideas. It may not be fashionable, but a focus on spreading peace and love and trying to understand those who are different from you are incredibly important tasks; ones that must be seriously explored if we hope to keep this world spinning for a few thousand more years.

It was Jesse Colin Young’s voice in the summer of 1967 that implored everyone to “Get Together” in a song that wasn’t just a big hit of the psychedelic ’60s, it was a clarion call that epitomized the best ideals of that summer of love. While Young didn’t write the song, it was his version with the Youngbloods that became the touchstone of the concept, transferring a feeling that so many strongly felt into a song. The message has endured as well—albeit through different generational lenses—Nirvana even lifted the introductory lyrics to use in a song from their Nevermind album in 1992.

After the breakup of the Youngbloods in 1972, Jesse continued a solo career and 2023 saw the 50th anniversary and remastered reissue of Young’s most important solo work, Song For Juli. The album was recorded at a home studio that Young built upon a ridge in Inverness, California, about 30 miles north of San Francisco. It’s a dynamic group of songs that explore a wide range of genres and styles. Jesse joins me on this episode to discuss the reissue, but also walks us through many of the high points and pivotal moments of his long career.

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A quick internet search will yield several results about accomplishments and successes that have taken place in the great Garden State of New Jersey, but its musical roots are particularly strong. You’ve heard about that crooner, Sinatra, who came from Hoboken and—of course—there were those Jersey Boys, Whitney Houston, Bon Jovi, and no conversation about New Jersey music would be complete without the Boss.

However, there’s a hidden history, too. A deep dive into the milk crates and cardboard boxes of NJ’s garage and estate sales reveals some fabulous music that didn’t reach the lofty heights of the superstars mentioned above. There were several R&B and soul singles and albums released by names that might not be immediately familiar to you. The music is excellent, but it can be tough to locate the tracks and find a convenient way to enjoy them.

So, thank goodness for folks like Graham Wallace who have taken an interest in some of those tracks and had a vision to create a record label and compilation shining a light on these rarely heard tracks. Graham’s new label is called Continued Sound and—being that Graham was born in NJ—his first release is titled, The Soul of New Jersey, Vol. 1. This first volume of tracks focuses on the work of two composers and producers who were creating tracks in the ’60s and ’70s: George Kerr and Paul Kyser.

Graham discusses his reasons for beginning this new label, the technical hoops he jumped through to get these songs sounding their best, and the ideas he’s got for future releases. New Jersey has a lot to be proud of, but one of its strongest exports has been its music. Let Graham Wallace steer you away from the familiar stars and play some records for you that you may not have heard before.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

It’s Grammy season which is a perfect time for a reminder that the entertainment industry is—after all—a business that operates behind velvet curtains and closed dressing room doors. All of the biopics, books, and exposes still won’t quite be able to communicate the industry’s mysteries to media consumers. The business’ financial side is one such curious corner ripe for exploration. Often we are wowed by numbers in the millions and billions when it comes to superstars of the decade, but what about the day to day ups and downs of the music market? And what if we wanted to invest in a piece of it? Where would one even start?

David Schulhof is a music industry veteran who has seen all sides of the biz. In fact, David’s father was even a chief executive at Sony. He’s been in the publishing world, worked in musical segments of the film industry, and now he turns his attention to the stock market, the musical side of it, of course. Specifically, David is the founder and CEO of an ETF fund (an exchange traded fund) with a focus on stocks related to music: featuring mainstays and new names that cover all parts of the industry including music streaming, content and distribution, live music events and ticketing, satellite and broadcast radio, and equipment and technology. The ETF is called the MUSQ Global Music Industry ETF (NYSE: MUSQ).

You may love music, but it might require a bit of patience to truly learn about the industry’s financial side. Money and music have always been connected and now during a time when listeners want a more intimate connection with their idols, Schulhof’s ETF might offer them the opportunity to change their relationship from fan to investor.

So, pop a large bowl of popcorn before this year’s Grammy awards and enjoy the show, but consider taking a moment during the production to focus on the sound, the video, the technology, all of the things that help to support the magic of the music we love. Someone’s got to pay for all of the stuff and, hopefully, be rewarded with the profits. Maybe that someone is you.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

Some musicians just can’t help but be inspired by everything!

Everywhere they look, they see a little something that triggers musical thoughts, every song they hear pushes them to pick up a guitar or sit down at that piano and craft something of their own. Steve Lewis is one of those guys and—a few times during this interview—you’ll hear me compare his latest release, Exit to Mystery, with the experience of going through an old forgotten box of records, or maybe flipping around the car radio in search of something to tap the steering wheel to.

The new record features a little bit of everything: there’s chunky rock and roll, a few country-tinged tracks, some threads of gospel, and even a tip of the cap to modern pop. Through it all, however, it’s all Steve Lewis; whoever Steve Lewis chooses to be on that song, at least.

Our conversation explores how the pandemic gave him the time he finally needed to get the album he’d been hoping to produce done. We also discuss a few key tracks and look at the future. If you’re a musical maverick, someone who doesn’t mind going through that proverbial box of records and throwing what looks good on the turntable, then stay tuned and consider exploring Steve Lewis’ Exit to Mystery.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

It’s not hyperbole to say that musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer Van Dyke Parks is a legendary or mythical creature in pop music folklore. Sure, you know how Brian Wilson recruited him to join his creative process on what was to be The Beach Boys’ penultimate masterpiece, Smile. But there’s so much more to his career: aside from his critically acclaimed solo albums, Parks has historically been involved in a number of notable musical projects, always searching to shed light on music and stories that are astutely sui generis.

During quarantine, Parks orchestrated four songs for Verónica Valerio, a singer, songwriter and harpist born in Veracruz, Mexico. The EP is titled, “Only in America, Solo En America.” While the lyrics are in Spanish, the mood and emotion of the project is evident no matter what language one speaks. Don’t forget to take a moment to study the album’s cover art: it was created by Klaus Voorman, The Beatles’ chum who created the ever-enduring album art for Revolver.

So, let VDP and me keep you company as we engage in a conversation that goes wherever it pleases. We discuss his connection with Valerio’s music and subject matter, calling Klaus Voorman on his cell phone, how this project compares to his work with Brian Wilson and so much more. You’ll find Van Dyke Parks affable, nimble-witted, and urbane; join me as I try to keep up!

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

There is a subgenre of jazz that remains a bit of a mystery. On one hand, it’s incredibly popular as a sound that you’ve heard throughout film, television, and marketing for many years. On the other, there might not be many records in your collection that represent this style. It is, however, endlessly exciting and features musicians who play at a breathtaking level. If you love jazz, and you’d like to hear something new, get yourself into a genre commonly referred to as Gypsy Jazz, or jazz Manouche.

Popularized—and more, or less invented by—Django Reinhardt on guitar with Stéphane Grappelli on violin at his side, the style came to prominence in France during the early part of the 20th century, through their performances with the Quintette du Hot Club de France, or in American terms, the Hot Club of France. Much of the sound’s mystery comes from the fact that it was born of a nomadic group of people traversing Europe. That multi-cultural influence, however, is what gives jazz Manouche its uniquely full-flavored sound.

Though Reinhardt died in 1953, the style that he popularized has become a permanent part of the landscape and there are several groups and musicians still carrying the torch that they lit. But how has the genre developed nearly a century later? One place to discover—or rediscover—the sound is by hearing the newest release from the Hot Club of Los Angeles, Nova.

On Nova the quintet shares a collection of 15 tracks ranging from classic and contemporary gypsy jazz, bossa nova, French chanson and traditional Roma fare to film soundtrack, jazz standards and originals composed by the group’s members in a few different languages.

To discuss the current state of Gypsy Jazz in sunny California, we are joined today by the group’s drummer, Jim Doyle. He’ll discuss Jackson Browne’s fandom of the group, the band’s decade long, Monday-night residency at The Cinema Bar in Culver City, and explore the lineage of the sound and the HCLA. Gypsy jazz takes on its nomadic heritage through its sound, borrowing and blending unique contributions from different customs and cultures. If you want to hear how 100 years and nearly 6,000 miles have altered the genre, listen to some Django, then switch on the Hot Club of Los Angeles.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

How many different sides of you are there? Who are you when you’re alone, and how is that person different from who you are in front of others? We all have different sides to us and the world rarely sees the whole version of ourselves. But music and art can help to peel back the layers and provide a glimpse of the threads that make us who we are.

Stacey Kent has a long musical career under her belt, she is a longtime and critically acclaimed jazz vocalist and a Grammy nominee with a brand new album out now titled, Summer Me, Winter Me which is a compilation of the songs that she enjoys performing on stage, but that haven’t yet made it to an album. It’s that “little bit of everything” that lets us in on the secret of what Stacey enjoys performing for her audiences around the world, but also gives us a sneak peek into who she is through the eclectic blend of music that was chosen for this release.

Of course, like any great artist, she doesn’t do it alone. While many of the selections on the album may be familiar to you, several songs were written by Kent’s saxophonist, arranger, producer, and husband Jim Tomlinson. One of which was co-written with their longtime collaborator and Nobel Prize winner, Kazuo Ishiguro.

Stacey has album sales in excess of two million, Platinum, Double-Gold, and Gold-selling albums that have reached a series of chart-topping positions and over half a billion Spotify streams—and she joins us on Radar to kick off a new year of conversations with style, grace, and plenty of panache. Happy New Year to Stacey…and Happy New Year to you, dear listener…

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

It’s the end of another calendar year at The Vinyl District’s Radar podcast and to all of our listeners—and readers—we wish you the happiest of holidays and a very wonderful new year in 2024. Thank you, also, to all of the fabulous guests who took time out of their busy schedules to join us here for a chat.

Frank Sinatra was born on December 12th, 1915 in Hoboken, NJ and his voice is often heard during this season, so what better time to delve into a newly released box set that highlights some of Frank’s prime cuts for Capitol Records in celebration of his signing to the label 70 years ago. The set is simply titled, Platinum.

Featuring 44-tracks on 4LPs (for the vinyl box, at least) the records are housed in a hardback, large format package including rare photos, an introductory essay and quotes from Sinatra and his arrangers. The man behind the project is Charles Pignone who was curator of the set and who also serves as President of Frank Sinatra Enterprises.

So, we end the year with a toast and a cheer taking a moment out of the hustle and bustle to celebrate the man who had one of the greatest voices any of us has had the fortune to hear: Frank Sinatra. Join Charlie and me as we discuss the process of putting together this beautiful new box set, how he became a part of the Sinatra team, and listen as I try to find out what Sinatra fans might expect in the near future.

So, cheers to everyone and—while you’re enjoying yourself this season—you might want to make sure that Francis Albert’s voice is coming through the speakers wherever you are. I mean, really. When Frank comes on, it’s hard to turn him off. Happy Birthday to the Chairman of the Board.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

The arts have always served as an effective way to tackle difficult feelings. Mental health has become a very hot topic in the last few years for two reasons: the first is that mental health challenges have continued to become destigmatized, and the second is the continued realization that—believe it, or not—someone that you know, most likely several of the people you know, grapple with a mental health challenge of their own.

The arts serve as a conduit through expressing feelings that aren’t so easy to communicate with mere words. Non-profit record label Future Youth Records knows this well and offers young performers a way for them to express their feelings about complicated social issues in musical terms. Ontario’s Tausha Hanna connected with the label and together they have completed two significant projects. On the the first, Tausha was one of the featured performers on Julian Lennon’s, “Saltwater” which supported Lennon’s White Feather Foundation.

Recently, Tausha has completed her second project with the label. This time, shifting the focus away from environmental concerns and toward mental health initiatives. Tausha was connected with Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton and his stalwart musical partner from The Boxmasters, J.D. Andrew. They were both impressed by a song of Tausha’s titled, “As I Ever Was” and invited her to Billy Bob’s studio to produce and record the song together.

What you’ll hear on this episode is Billy Bob Thornton, J.D. Andrew, Tausha and I have a frank discussion regarding the state of mental health support in our current society and examples of ways that the arts serve as a valuable tool in combating the challenges that so many people face. It’s also a refreshing portrait of new and experienced performers joining forces for a common goal.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.