Author Archives: Evan Toth

Gary Kemp cut his teeth as a band member of the immensely popular 1980s new romantic, synth-pop band, Spandau Ballet. As their chief composer, his participation in the group was fundamental to its success; Kemp is responsible for writing a song that you’ve heard many times—in fact, BMI has awarded it one of the most played songs in American history with 5 million airplays and counting: the 1983 mega-super-hit, “True.”

Kemp released his first solo album Little Bruises in 1995, but now he’s come back again with his first new album in 25 years. It’s called INSOLO and demonstrates his formidable and refined composition chops coupled with his evocative voice. The album was crafted during the pandemic and features some special guests like Queen’s Roger Taylor.

Spandau Ballet is currently on hiatus, but that hasn’t slowed down Kemp. In addition to this new record and his stage and screen acting gigs, he also tackles guitar and vocal duties in Nick Mason’s, Saucerful of Secrets band which performs the early music of Pink Floyd. Kemp also co-hosts the popular music interview podcast The Rockonteurs with Guy Pratt.

Join us as we discuss his clear insights into how he’s approached writing the songs on this new album, the odds of a Spandau Ballet reunion, and to see if he knows my cousin Terry who has been a Spandau Ballet superfan since the early days!

Everything has its time and place, while it’s wonderful to enjoy a small indie band who created a landmark recording on the laptop in their bedroom, don’t discount the seasoned artist who enters the studio to create an expansive and polished masterwork. If you hope to enjoy an expertly executed, blockbuster production this year, Gary Kemp’s new album is the place to start listening.

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 Cold War was a time that those of a certain age will remember living through quite vividly, and it included a terrifyingly tangible fear of global nuclear warfare. The Soviet Union was simply seen as an evil empire and the media surrounding America during those years had no problem perpetuating that narrative.

In my case, during the 1980s, it was films like Rocky IV, Red Dawn, or even Spies Like Us that set the diplomatic tone of the time. However, by the early 1990’s, I’d acquired an unusual record titled, Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands from the Soviet Union. I certainly didn’t know what to expect, but I was surprised to discover that the music contained in the album’s grooves was edgy, exciting, and surprisingly contemporary and timeless; it was cool. The Russian bands featured on the album were Aquarium, Kino, Strannye Igry (Strange Games), and Alisa.

Through glasnost and perestroika reforms this record remained in my collection. With the fall of the Soviet Union our Russian relations thawed through the years as they embraced a type of capitalistic culture that seemed somewhat familiar to us Americans. Cold War paranoia, the KGB, wiretaps, and global nuclear warfare gradually faded away.

Recently, however, our collective relationship with Russia has again changed and not for the better. But what an interesting time to learn that the catalyst for the Red Wave album that had been in my collection for so many years has recently released a book, Red Wave: An American in the Soviet Music Underground, detailing her story of how—right in the thick of the Cold War—she fell in love with the underground music and culture of the Soviet Union and how she was determined to bring their sounds to the United States and beyond.

Read More »

Once one delves far enough into a hobby or an interest, they become curious about its inner workings. When it comes to records, you might enjoy those discs on a certain level before you start wondering how music comes from those grooves at all. Who is responsible for producing this material? How are the pressing machines maintained? How does the industry make all of this stuff?

Enter Larry Jaffee and Bryan Ekus—both of whom wear many hats, but who oversee, and co-created—the Making Vinyl conference which is an event bringing together industry professionals, enthusiasts, and experts from the vinyl record manufacturing and music industries. The popular conference serves as a platform for sharing knowledge, networking, and discussing the resurgence and future of vinyl records. The “Making Vinyl” conference continues to be a must-attend event for anyone with an interest in learning more about the nitty gritty of the vinyl trade. Additionally, Larry is an author and professor who literally wrote the book on Record Store Day, Record Store Day: The Most Improbable Comeback of the 21st Century. So, of course we discuss the current happenings at RSD.

If you love records, then there is plenty of information to enjoy in this episode. It’s an opportunity to not just enjoy records from afar, but to begin to scratch the surface in appreciating the hard work and back-end of an industry that grows bigger each day. It’s a chance to investigate and uncover some of the intangibles that make vinyl so darn fun.

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.

Artificial Intelligence is a hot button topic of the day. Everyone wonders where the A.I. rabbit hole will lead us, and one of those areas of conversation involves music and media production. For years now, computers have been helping musicians to create their music and also to improve upon whatever it is that they’ve made. From autotune to sampled electronic versions of analog sounds, the digital recording landscape has gone too far to completely turn its back on music production in the 21st century. But, how can this relationship grow without us humans relying too much upon the tools available to us in our digital sheds?

Darren Burgos is doing his part to explore and demonstrate the synergistic connection between digital production and us old fashioned human beings. His recently released album, Connections focuses on electronic pop composition and synthesizers, but his work also ponders the complicated human relationships that live amongst the 0s and 1s. In addition to his work as a musician, Darren is also considered one of the world’s leading experts in Apple’s Logic Pro digital production software; because of this, Darren has taught thousands of new and established musicians how to produce music in the digital realm.

Darren and I discuss his latest release, but also the sometimes perplexing relationship that human beings have with technology; how even with all of our Luddite tendencies, humans have always had an innate and organic need to create and connect with technology. How this relates to music has yet to be fully envisioned, but Darren might be one of the more qualified folks on the planet to imagine what that future looks like. The digital music of the future might sound good, but will it sound human?

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.

Are there records in your collection that you love so much you might consider the possibility of never hearing them again? Such a concept is counterintuitive to a lover of music or sound. Records are made to be played, not hidden away like the dusty storage unit relics in the concluding scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark!

However, I’m sure that by scanning the items on our shelves, there are a few things—perhaps more than a few—that are only there for nostalgic reasons: that copy of our first Beatles 45 that is now scratched and written on; maybe the hastily scribbled Nick Lowe autograph from the early ’80s on an album jacket that’s seen much better days; or, perhaps when a special release hit the market, you had the foresight and clever collecting acumen to purchase a spare. You know, just in case.

Coins, comic books, and baseball cards have long inhabited the world of collectible grading and encapsulation, and if Rob Martinez from Audio Media Grading has his way, so will all physical media associated with sound production. Rob has recently partnered with DJ Steve Aoki to create a process to grade and encapsulate all types of different sound media: vinyl, cassette, CD, and—yes—even 8-track.

The other collectibles mentioned above all feature items that can be extremely lucrative and, of course, their value is reliant upon the condition the thing is in. But who is the ultimate judge of that? For those who aren’t familiar with the collectible grading and encapsulation world, it’s summed up in this way: a customer has an item they believe is of some value, they pay to send that item to a company that will then ascribe a grade to the item, and then the item is encapsulated in some form of thick, nearly impenetrable acrylic holder which is suitable for display. This is done to ensure that the collectible inside retains that grade, so long as the thing stays locked securely within the case.

Read More »

It’s a real luxury to sit for a while and chat with musicians who have been a part of your life for – well – all of your life. To actually speak with the people who made the sounds that have served as your life’s soundtrack, to ask those things you’ve always wondered about. Who gets to do that? For better, or worse, I’m one of the lucky son of a guns who is allowed to engage directly with many musicians whose work has impacted my life in one way or another for many years. I’m sure you all have some Police records in your collections; what would you ask those fellas if you had a moment of their time?

I asked Stewart Copeland about his newest musical endeavor, it’s called Police Deranged for Orchestra and it features a fresh take on many of the Police classics that you know and love, but they are infused with a new and exciting energy by this musically restless, 7 time Grammy award winning rock star and drumming great. He’s taking the show on the road and wants this new album to serve as a representation of what you might expect in the audience. He’s also completed a new coffee table book titled, Stewart Copeland’s Police Diaries which looks at the lean early years of the Police where Stewart was their drummer, but also their manager.

So, what would you ask Stewart Copeland if you had the chance to chat with him? Well, you’d probably ask questions that are different from mine, but that’s only because his work and music has impacted so many different people in so many different ways that we’d each have our own unique list of comments and questions to bring to him. The best part of speaking with Stewart, however, is listening to him respond! If you’ve ever caught a moment of his interviews, he is funny, candid, intellectual, and straightforward. So, pull up a drum throne; let’s savor the opportunity to speak with one of the greats!

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.

One never knows what might end up in a songwriter’s sketchpad. It could be random musings about the state of the world, hazy memories about family members, or maybe even inspired creations from the works of other masters. A songwriter’s sketchpad is a diary of sorts for an artist, but can also serve to shed light upon the unconscious interests and influences of the artist themself.

Sam Blasucci recently released his first solo album titled, Off My Stars on Innovative Leisure Records. Listeners will discover a laid-back musical affair featuring Sam as he displays the pages of his metaphorical sketchbook. It’s an organic album featuring the opportunity for an intimate dialogue between listener and artist. Sam is good enough to take us through the journey of the newest album and explain what he had in mind.

We explore the influence that his Italian-American upbringing had and the familial roots that create a certain artistic security. We also discuss the work he’s creating in his other group Mapache, and talk about that most elusive musical instrument, the melodica. It’s one thing to turn the pages of an artist’s sketchbook with the hopes of catching a peek at what the creator was thinking, but it’s even better to have a guided tour from the artist himself. Luckily, Sam doesn’t mind narrating his creations.

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.

Artists need to be inspired to create their best works, and it’s not always easy to have the wherewithal to clearly see the inspiration around us. In fact, for a musician, the insight to this inspiration is often more important than musical or production ability. Listeners love sounds that touch them on an emotional level, but how do you search out that spark? How does the musician find the muse?

This is the journey that Charlie Bruber finds himself traversing on his latest album Finding the Muse, and as you’ll learn, Charlie is open to the idea that there are many sources of inspiration to explore. It may be a famous musician, a vintage keyboard, or something else. In any case, Charlie has created a far-reaching album that delves into all facets of his talents and skills as a multi-instrumentalist and composer. While you’re listening, you may wonder if you’re hearing the same performer, but you’re just seeing all the many different sides of Charlie Bruber.

Charlie joins us directly from his recording studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota and we end up digging through our respective record collections in real-time for a fun back-and-forth about albums we both appreciate. We also discuss Charlie’s other important musical projects, specifically, Black Market Brass on Colemine Records. It’s entirely possible, by joining in on our search for Charlie’s muse, you might be given some direction in finding your own.

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.

One of my old film professors used to say that one had never really seen a film unless they had watched it at least once with the sound off. Audio—be it music, or sound—adds so much detail to a moving picture that sometimes the viewer misses a few visual nuances because they’re also busy listening. While my professor’s approach might be an extreme way to evaluate a movie, there’s no denying that music and film have long had a strong cooperative association. Long before film even had sound, there was always an attempt to fill the auditory gap.

While the days of the chart-topping soundtrack albums are long gone, there are still some directors who lean heavily on the mixtape concept to source sound for their films, and Wes Anderson is one of them. Marty Isenberg is a bassist and composer based in New York City and on July 7th, he’ll release his newest collection of songs pulled from, and inspired by, the films of Wes Anderson. The album will be titled, The Way I Feel Inside and it will be released on the Truth Revolution Recording Collective label. The music is stellar, of course, but the icing on the cake is the album cover which was illustrated by Renan Campus who tapped into the wonder of Anderson’s aesthetic palette.

Marty and I delve not only into the music that Wes Anderson has employed in his films, but we talk a bit about the films themselves. We also discuss the players that Isenberg employed on his auditorily filmic adventure including the outstanding work of Sami Stevens who added vocals to many of the album’s tracks, adding a crucial layer of dynamism and lyrical context to Isenberg’s vision. So, the lights are going down, join me and Marty as we take our seats and listen to the movies of Wes Anderson. Maybe my old film professor should add another layer to his approach: perhaps one should listen to a film at least once without watching 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.

Musical genre can be a very limiting place; it can put fences around the aspirations and creations of musicians, but it can also cause the listener to stay in their own little world without branching out to explore things that they might also enjoy. It takes a strong group of musicians to move beyond those confines and a loyal and dedicated horde of fans and followers who are ready, willing and able to go wherever their favorite artist chooses to lead them.

For all intents and purposes, Nickel Creek is a bluegrass band and features Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar), but they stretch the barriers of the genre and bring their fans along for the ride. Believe it or not, even though the band members are all in their early to mid-40s they have been performing together since the late ’80s and so they can read each other’s thoughts musically—and probably otherwise. They have a brand new album on the shelves this year (their first release since 2014) called Celebrants and while it may be a bluegrass record, it is unbound by the confines of any genre: it’s an exciting musical exploration by three excellent musicians with a potent mixture of artistic symmetry and collegiality.

One of those three excellent musicians, Chris Thile, joins me on this episode to discuss the new Nickel Creek album, of course, but to also engage me in a free-flowing conversation about sound, music, composition, working with others, creation, and his own personal musical restlessness and a lifetime of discovery. This talk is a chance to look into the mind of a musician who is always looking out.

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.

Life is full of twists and turns; unexpected chapters. Sometimes, we recall certain times and experiences and they bear resemblance to vivid dreams, so much so, we might even ask ourselves, did that really happen? We evolve, we move on, but—no matter where we go—we carry those adventures with us, even if we’re not always aware of the influences.

The life of May Pang took an unexpected detour in her early twenties when she became romantically involved with one of the most famous people on planet Earth, John Lennon. While this period of Lennon’s life is often described as a debaucherous tangent, Pang—who was there at his side through it all—explains it with a bit more context in the new, recently released film she is involved in, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story.

The film tells the tale of how Pang and Lennon met and Yoko Ono’s unique role in their relationship. It also explores Pang’s association with many of the ancillary characters in Lennon’s life. Even though the Beatle’s biography has been exhaustively documented, Pang’s film offers a few surprises that only a true insider would be able to share. May Pang allows me the luxury of asking about some things I always wanted to know. Perhaps I ask a few questions that you’ve always wanted to know about this somewhat mysterious episode. Let’s learn about the ballad of John and May.

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.

Longevity in the entertainment business is an attribute worth celebrating. While the industry is often focused on brand new, younger artists, it’s the performers who have been out there for decades that are really the cornerstone of the touring industry. Of course, it’s also helpful if the music that they’ve created has become popular standards.

Gene Cornish—along with Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati, and Dino Danelli, created The Young Rascals in 1964 and became a smash-hit single recording and touring act. What Gene brought to the table was a unique spin and approach on the guitar and—of course—harmonica! Imagine “Groovin’” without a harmonica, it’s impossible. Thanks, Gene.

Gene joins me for a chat about the string of shows he is currently performing with Felix Cavaliere & Gene Cornish’s Rascals. We also discuss the recent loss of his good friend and musical compatriot, Dino Danelli, what fans can expect seeing when he and Felix perform together, and he shares some insight on the industry after 60 years in show business.

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.

Modern music listeners enjoy creating personalized playlists containing their preferred musicians and genres, but there’s one thing lacking: the expertly guiding hand of a radio station’s program director—or, even better—a tasteful DJ behind the microphone who loves to share favorite tunes, but also introduces listeners to new music that is worthy of addition to your personal faves. But, current culture has sacrificed the serendipitous nature of the radio in favor of complete control over musical choices, or—even worse—the choices of a faceless corporate AI bot.

Bassist and composer, Esperanza Spalding understands the mystery and magic that a spin of your local radio dial can provide, and in 2012 she released an album paying homage to the spirit of radio. Produced by Esperanza and co-produced by A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, Radio Music Society showcased the breadth of Spalding’s musical aptitude and inhabited the rare musical landscape of being challenging, yet also a lot of fun to listen to.

It’s been 10 years and the Grammy award-winning album finds itself eligible for reissue by Craft Recordings and is given the full anniversary treatment featuring 2 LPs pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. The title will also be reissued in hi-res digital audio. Esperanza and I discuss the continuing role of radio in her current life and she offers a unique and descriptive behind-the-scenes peek into her production and composing process. We also explore her complimentary role as an educator and, of course, delve into what makes vinyl special to her. So, let’s turn the radio dial and search for some serendipity.

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 arrival of each season brings with it some balance. When one element is taken away, another quality takes its place. It’s the old adage of one door closing and another one opening. No matter how hard we want the long, warm days of sunny summer to last forever, the fall brings its own snug serenity (depending on where you live on planet Earth, of course).

Alexz Johnson is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress who first gained recognition in the early 2000s by playing the role of the lead character in the Canadian CTV series Instant Star, where she also contributed to the show’s soundtrack. She also appeared in the Disney Channel series So Weird, and in the 2006 horror film Final Destination 3. Throughout it all, Johnson has released several critically acclaimed albums and singles, showcasing her talent in various genres, including pop, rock, and folk. Johnson has built a loyal fan base and established herself as a promising and dynamic artist in the Canadian music scene. On her latest LP, Seasons, Alexz explores nature’s natural patterns.

Join Alexz and I as we discuss the ups and downs of the Gregorian Calendar to which we all subscribe. On this episode, you’ll hear Alexz describe her songwriting process, detail the challenges of simultaneously balancing a show business career with raising a family, and how she crafted her latest record which is contemporary and soulful. The skies outside might be warm and beautiful, or perhaps they are overcast and nefarious, nevertheless, Alexz takes it all in and details the highs and lows that each season brings.

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.

To surrender does not always mean to give up. Sometimes, it takes an incredibly strong person to recognize that the flow of life is trying to tell them something. Often, one’s real power can be found by letting go and allowing the natural direction of things to take their course.

Jann Klose’s new album, titled Surrender (Honey Rose Records), is an exploration of many things, but notably that concept as well. His seventh studio album finds this pop/rock singer-songwriter honing his already sharp songwriting chops. There are some notable guests on this album as well: singer, Alicia Madison duets on a song she co-wrote with Klose titled, “Love You the Most,” fellow songwriter and friend Alex Forbes also co-writes some songs, and you’ll hear some beautiful choral embellishments courtesy of a 15-member choir from PS 171 in New York City.

If you like a pop hook, an earworm that won’t escape your brain no matter how hard you try, you’re in the right place. Join Jann and I as we discuss his newest work, his upcoming world tour, and how it doesn’t always make sense to fight against the forces around you, about how sometimes real strength can be built from learning how to surrender.

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.