Author Archives: Evan Toth

There was an exciting time during the early 1980s where there was a true fusion of a few different musical styles which led to a hybrid of rock and reggae in a radio-friendly pop-package that was especially popular in the UK. The English Beat and General Public were two bands at the forefront who captured the ears of that generation. Coincidentally, both groups had two band members in common: Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger.

Earlier this year, BMG reissued General Public’s debut album All the Rage and their second studio album Hand to Mouth which feature a few of the group’s hits including “Tenderness” which, at the time, showed up in not one, but two John Huges films, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science—you can’t get much more ’80s than that.

Sadly, Ranking Roger passed away in 2019, but Dave Wakeling continues to tour and perform his catalog of music from both the English Beat and General Public for audiences around the world. He’s also having a high-water mark vinyl year as well, in addition to BMG’s General Public reissues, Rhino reissued an expanded version of the English Beat’s I Just Can’t Stop It for Record Store Day Black Friday last week.

Dave joins me this week to discuss these reissues and to take us on a detailed journey through their intricate production process. He’s got a great memory of the old days and a witty and nuanced perspective on the music he made during those years. You won’t want to miss his description of how John Hughes organized his record collection. It may be a trip down memory lane, but it’s also an exploration of how much of the music that was made all of those years ago has found its way back to the future.

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.

We all make boo boos. Usually, however, when the boo boos happen, we more or less move on, apologize if necessary, and try to watch out for similar situations in the future. Sometimes, however, as we’re bobbling that thing that we’re about to break, we manage to tap-dance our way into some sort of a solution; even if it doesn’t look pretty.

I’d been hoping to interview Graham Parker for many years and when the opportunity came up in the past, it just didn’t work out. So, when the chance came up in connection with his latest release, Last Chance to Learn the Twist, I jumped and wanted to make everything run as smoothly as possible. Graham and I had a great, fun chat. Except, as Murphy and his law might have predicted, I messed it up and was unable to use any of the footage that we created together.

Instead of running away with my tail in between my legs, I bravely stood up, raised my hand, and said out loud, “I goofed!” to which Graham and his team kindly responded in the positive: “Don’t worry, mate. We’ll do it again.”

So, enjoy take-two of a double-take of my interview with Graham Parker. He’s as fun of a chat as you might imagine and his wealth of experiences and strong and solid body of work make him a character who anyone would enjoy speaking with. He’s smart, he’s funny, and he’s not above giving a bloke a break when that bloke has made a boo boo. Thanks, Graham.

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.

Can you remember the first time you heard the song “Cars”? At that moment, it must have been obvious that Gary Numan looked at things a little bit differently than you or I do; that he was full of a wisdom and intellect that we mere Earthlings do not possess. The good news is that Gary Numan is still putting his unique insights to music.

Gary’s new album is titled Intruder and it is an exploration of the concept that the Earth is tired of us lowly humans kicking it around and has decided to fight back. At an earlier time, the thesis Gary posits might have garnered a few chortles and eye rolls, but in today’s climate, well, it feels as though we ought to sit down with Gary and hear him out; he might be onto something. Don’t say Gary Numan didn’t warn you.

Gary joins me all the way from England to talk about his newest release, but we don’t stop there. We also talk about how music production has changed since the late seventies, his feelings about the vinyl comeback, and how hard he’s worked to stay true to his musical voice.

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’s something to be said about longevity, especially in an industry as cruel and fickle as music and entertainment. But there are those who have been able to maintain a career through all of the ups, downs, ins and outs; those who have stood the test of time no matter what curveballs have been thrown at them.

Originally hailed by The Village Voice as “the new Dylan,” Steve Forbert now enters what will be his fiftieth year of performing. After a hot breakout with Alive on Arrival it was his 1979 second album, Jackrabbit Slim, which featured his first shot at radio success, “Romeo’s Tune.” His output and touring continued during the early eighties and he even found himself playing the bouquet wielding boyfriend in Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” video. Watch out for Captain Lou, Steve.

Over the years, he’s continually released albums (some 23 studio records) and toured for much of the time. Recent days find him in a simultaneously retrospective and forward-looking mode! Late last year, he released his most recent package of originals, Moving Through America. But this year, he has taken the opportunity to revisit one of his favorite albums, 1988’s Streets of This Town, even remixing and moving some sonic furniture around to fit his idea of how it should to contemporary ears.

So, join me and Steve Forbert as we discuss his lengthy musical journey, his latest record, and what it’s like to look back at his own work as a man with a few more miles on the touring odometer and many more experiences to share with those who have stayed loyal to him over the course of his notable musical journey.

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.

PHOTO: EILON PAZ | On this program, we usually focus on folks who create the music that we love listening to, but what about paying homage to those who are in charge of sharing the music with us? We don’t all have a friend who can hip us to the latest and greatest, so we all must subscribe to a trusted voice we can rely on that is equipped with careful curation skills and discriminating taste.

Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy is certainly one of those people for me. Not only do I learn about plenty of great music on her weekly online program Balearic Breakfast, but I also regularly take a deep dive into her world-renowned podcast and live series, Classic Album Sundays which features a scholarly dive into your favorite albums showcasing someone who worked closely on it and brings valuable first-hand information to the conversation. Of course, when she’s not doing those two things, she can be found DJing different major events all across the globe.

She’s a woman in constant motion which is why I had to travel all the way to the Netherlands to catch her for this program which makes this our first “on location” episode of Radar. Colleen and I were both attending the Haarlem Vinyl Festival and they were kind enough to create a fabulous podcast area for us to conduct our interview in the main lobby of the Haarlem PHIL. For that reason, you’ll hear plenty of ambiance as folks ambled by TO watch us chat; some even snapped a few pictures! So, relax and enjoy a quick-fire conversation with a true musical tastemaker.

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.

We grapple a lot with genre here on Radar, and this week’s episode is no different.

Genre is a funny thing when it’s applied to nearly any field. On one hand, there’s nothing wrong with an artist being aligned with—or, being seen as representative of a certain genre—even if it’s a point of frustration for the artist. On the other hand, music listeners should allow artists the latitude to adjust their compass to explore other styles of music without untoward rebuke, but sometimes it’s not easy to persuade an audience to follow an artist’s whims and dalliances. It is what it is.

While much of Danny Lee Blackwell’s output can be tidily summarized as living in the psychedelic world, there’s a lot more to him, and to his numerous musical projects. Today, we’re here to talk about Danny’s group Night Beats and his new album, Rajan (Suicide Squeeze / Fuzz Club), but he’s got other irons in the fire, as well. This year, Danny also released an album with another project he’s working with, the name of that group is Abraxas and the album was titled, Monte Carlo. Danny’s involved in many other musical productions as well.

On Rajan, Danny explores garage rock, soul, and R&B. Of course, one can also find some funk, jazz, and elements of hip-hop in his work as well. We discuss all of that, plus more—the familial ties that are connected to this album and life on the road. No matter what genre Danny is exploring, he’s got one simple rule for determining if what he’s created makes it to the final cut: whatever it is, it’s got to give him goosebumps. Hopefully, you get the same feeling listening to our chat.

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.

We all know that crime doesn’t pay, but that doesn’t stop the world’s fascination with it. What is it about the seedy underbelly of our social structures that makes it such an intriguing topic? And there are no shortage of types of criminal activities to explore: white-collar crime, violent crimes, crimes of passion, cyber crime, and even crimes of the heart. How can we think about these things without glorifying them? It’s also a study of our individual morals: what you think is a crime, might be fine with me.

Harper Simon has chosen to explore these topics in a brand-new, wide-ranging, multimedia project titled, Meditations on Crime. What began as a music project eventually morphed into a book containing essays, artwork, a short film, and an album. It’s a thought provoking thesis that examines the unfortunately, ever-present entity of crime in our lives.

While we’ve all had criminal activities touch us in different ways, it’s those uncomfortable experiences that might bring us together in an exploration of crime—and in a more complicated way—it invites us to ask the question of what do we do about 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.

If you love vinyl, there’s only one place to be this weekend (9/26–10/1) and that is Haarlem, Netherlands.

There won’t be just one gathering dedicated to vinyl either: the town will host a conference and a festival who have made the wise decision to co-locate in the capital of North Holland. A few months ago on this program we spoke with Larry Jaffee and Bryan Ekus about the Making Vinyl conference that took place last spring in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During that conversation, they gave us a sneak peek at what to expect this week in the Netherlands as they set up shop to hold a European conference there.

But, they won’t be alone. Following the conclusion of the Making Vinyl conference will be the beginning of the Haarlem Vinyl Festival which takes place during the second half of the weekend and which is billed as, “the world’s first multi-day festival entirely dedicated to vinyl culture.” One of the architects of the event is Anouk Rijnders (RHINEJERS) who is the sales manager at the Netherlands record pressing plant, Record Industry.

After working as a producer and director in the television and advertising industry, Anouk joined the Record Industry vinyl pressing plant in 2000. In addition to her role as a Sales Manager for the company, she has produced two books, Passion For Vinyl and its sequel, Passion For Vinyl Part II and will debut Part III this weekend. Anouk is also the Project Manager of Artone Studio which is Record Industries’ brand new mastering room and studio, offering direct-to-disc recording amongst other services.

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Music is best when taken internationally. It’s easy to get looped into all of the wonderful North American offerings that are available to we listeners, but sometimes you’ve got to take the night flight to locations unknown. To close your eyes and wake up in a new culture with unfamiliar languages and customs. Our relationship with music should be an adventurous journey, it should be the tonic that brings people of all nationalities together, it’s a universal language; maybe I’m getting too romantic, but in times like these we could certainly benefit from sharing some favorite records and engaging in some moonlight dancing with strangers.

Who else to take us on this multicultural, international trip but Sabina Sciubba. It doesn’t get more international than her. Sabina was born in Rome, however, she was raised in Germany and France before ending up, of course, in the Big Apple where she connected with a group of other adventurously like-minded musicians who eventually formed what would become known as the Grammy-nominated group, Brazilian Girls. While the group is on hiatus, Sabina has released three excellent solo albums—the latest is titled, Sleeping Dragon which features her unique blend of language (she speaks six of them) and an eclectic array of music to interest any music lover’s senses.

We talk about the new record, her collaboration with Dhani Harrison, and she gives us a glimpse into her artistic process. We also discuss her upcoming American shows—her first ones in the states in four years. She’ll be in New York City at Nublu on September 23 and those of you on the west coast can catch her at Zebulon in Los Angeles, CA on September 27. At both shows, she’ll be performing her solo music, tunes from the new album, and—for the first time—some of your Brazilian Girls favorites. So, check to see how many miles you’ve got on your credit card, and dust off your passport; let’s join Sabina in Italia and let her take us on a musical adventure.

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.

Go ahead and judge that book by its cover! This maneuver often gets a bad rap, but it’s something we are all programmed to do.

One of the ways we appreciate the good things in life is through our proclivities for certain aesthetic environments. Interestly, music is no exception. As much as we use our ears as auditory devices—and as much as we like to tell ourselves we don’t—we are most certainly impacted by the visuals provided to us by the music industry. Whether we like it, or not, it’s a part of the package. What would our favorite albums of the ’70s look like without the graphic design of Hipgnosis? The modernist Blue Note graphic designs of Reid Miles coupled with the photography of Francis Wolff are as iconic as the sonic touch of Rudy Van Gelder’s engineering style. Can you imagine a Deutsche Grammophon album without its ornate cartouche yellow banner? How has the photography of Annie Leibovitz impacted your connection with the artists?

If you’re serious about delving into your music collection thoroughly, the pictures, graphic design, and words (words just like these words that you’re reading at The Vinyl District) are necessary parts of the music appreciator’s toolkit. In the digital age, however, where does that leave the good old magazine? Things aren’t what they used to be in the print industry, but a small resurgence of periodicals dedicated to music and vinyl exists because there’s nothing quite like seeing pictures of stuff: a musician’s face while they let loose on stage, or perhaps a few moody shots of your favorite artist during the recording process. Our experience with music is uplifted and underscored even more when those images are coupled with thoughtfully analytical words from excellent writers.

Have you ever subscribed to Creem? The fabled music rag was originally published from 1969 to 1989 with a focus on the wilder side of rock and roll. Editor and writer David Marsh even allegedly coined the phrase “punk rock” in a 1971 issue of Creem. The magazine soon became known as the edgy, sarcastic—and fun—voice on the music magazine racks and boasted the second largest circulation of all music magazines (of course, you know who came in first). Of note, Creem’s pages hosted many of the world’s best music writers of all time: Lester Bangs, David Marsh, Greil Marcus, Robert Christgau, to name but a few. The magazine even boasted its own bespoke mascot! Robert Crumb created “Boy Howdy” whose likeness was emblazoned upon the fictitious beer cans that a myriad of rockstars modeled with in Creem’s pages.

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Some musicians get lucky enough to find a career, once; maybe even twice. But if a musician is able to have several different careers in the brutal music business over the course of their lives, it’s not about luck; it’s about talent.

Peter Case has plenty of talent: he’s made his name as a great songwriter and vocalist and was also a part of the primordial punk/new wave band, The Nerves as well as The Plimsouls. Over the course of his half-century career, he’s released fifteen solo albums, and just released number 16. It’s called Doctor Moan and it finds Case leaning his usual acoustic guitar against the wall in favor of the piano he spent an inordinate amount of time with during the pandemic. Go ahead, he won’t mind if you call it Peter Case’s piano record.

Case and I, of course, talk about the new record and the process of recording it, but we also comb through his career and touch upon some of the thumbnails that he’s left behind on the map of his travels around the world he’s taken over the past 50 years. We also discuss the recent documentary that was produced about his life and his work called, Peter Case: A Million Miles Away. So tune in to learn how Peter Case crafted his Zelig-like persona in the music industry with a whole lot of hard work and time and, well, maybe just a little bit of luck.

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.

Supporting a leader isn’t an easy job. The list of responsibilities is long—it’s necessary to pivot with that person, and go with the flow. One must have the ability to look a few yards ahead and anticipate what’s coming just around the corner. If you’ve ever watched a late night television show, watch—or, maybe more appropriately, listen—to the bandleader: the way the music punctuates special moments, how the occasional comments from the host can be countered by a bandleader who is connected and paying attention to the unexpected ebbs and flows that are an integral part of late night television.

Louis Cato may be only beginning his second year as bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but he’s ready to find the spotlight on center-stage, musically, at least. In addition to his work on the Late Show, Cato is a Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter. He has worked with an array of artists including Bobby McFerrin, Snarky Puppy, Jon Batiste, Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest and more. This year he released his newest album titled, Reflections.

So, make a cup of coffee because Louis and I are going to stay up late discussing his new album, the road that led him to late night, and the tricks of the trade involved in supporting an acclaimed talk-show host with one of the most important parts of any late-night program: the music.

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.

So what if it’s a nickname? When people refer to you by the name Vinyl, there’s a reason why. Of course, it also happens to rhyme with this week’s guest’s legal nam—which is Lionel—and you’ll find out the origin of this nomenclature by just staying tuned in.

Lionel (Vinyl) Williams is a California based musician who has created an impressive body of psychedelic work, and he has just released his seventh album, Aeterna. Like his other albums, this one explores the inner (or, maybe outer) reaches of his auditorily psychedelic vision which stretches quite far, and that shouldn’t be surprising, because he’s got some excellent familial genes to rely on: his parents were both musicians and his grandfather also happens to be John Williams. Yes, that John Williams.

So, join me and Vinyl as we talk about musical subgenres, the influence he’s received from his musical family, how he approaches the recording process, and his lifelong trip of musical exploration and experimentation.

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.

As large as it seems, the entertainment world is really pretty small. While many folks make the joke about Kevin Bacon and his six degrees of separation from anyone else in the industry, it’s quite possible because everyone in the performing arts world is really only a few steps away from anybody else.

I had my own experience with this phenomenon just a few months ago when I hosted bassist Marty Isenberg on this program to discuss his recently released album featuring jazz covers of music from Wes Anderson films. As I enjoyed his record, I noticed the vocalist who was featured on many of the tracks and whose voice served to tie the project together: Sami Stevens. So, imagine my delight when I learned that she was releasing her first full-length album, Morning, and that she would be available to speak with me on this very podcast! Coincidence, or six degrees of entertainment separation? Whatever it was that led us here, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you accept the invite to learn more about this talented performer and her new work.

Morning is an ambitious first album from any performer, and on this episode you’ll hear Sami explain the process of putting it together, but you’ll also learn more about where she’s come from and, of course, where she’s planning to go. While you’re listening, you might check your social media feeds to learn just how many degrees separate you from Sami Stevens. It’s probably fewer than you think.

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 are some musical groups and performers whose music is as ubiquitous as having the lights on in a dark room, or water streaming from a kitchen faucet. Some music is more than just songs, it’s as though the words, phrases and messages are ingrained into our psyche. This might not even have anything to do with whether we like the music, or not! It’s just always there: on the radio, of course, but also in echoing hotel lobbies, in the backseat of cramped taxi cabs, in sprawling, neverending mall hallways, and yes—even the occasional elevator ride. Wherever music is, certain songs can be found.

Since 1995, no matter where you’ve gone in the world, at some point, the music of the Goo Goo Dolls has followed you around. You know the choruses and those acoustic guitar riffs almost as intimately as some of their hardcore fans do! To-date, the band has sold over 15 million records worldwide, garnered four GRAMMY® Award nominations, and they have produced nearly a dozen platinum and gold singles combined, and seized a page in the history books by achieving 16 number one and Top 10 hits. It doesn’t matter if it’s “Name,” “Long Way Down,” “Iris,” “Slide,” or “Black Balloon” those songs are our companions, and the lyrics of John Rzeznik are inspiring, especially in the right set of circumstances. The themes of resilience in the face of love, loss, and being lost strike a familiar chord with anyone who stops to listen and soak up the deeper notions that are inside of each song.

Rzeznik joins me on this episode to talk about the band’s new song, “Run All Night,” the band’s recent collaboration with O.A.R on Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down,” and the nationwide tour that they are currently on that will see them performing career-spanning sets at major amphitheaters across the country. So, maybe the next time you’re feeling a little low, a little bit lost, I’ll bet that—wherever you may find yourself—if you bend your ear in the right direction, you might hear John Rzeznik singing a song about staying brave and believing in yourself in the midst of life’s inevitable changes, and that’s a comfort that is much more than just listening to a good song.

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.