Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Lauren Lucas. Lauren is a singer songwriter originally from South Carolina, and currently living in Nashville, Tn. In this episode, we chat about her growing up in South Carolina and making the move to Nashville. We also discuss the craziness of her being signed to a publishing deal as a teenager; having never written a song! She shares some of her inspirations, and some of the amazing artists that she has opened for on regional and national tours. I ask her why she decided to attend Belmont University, and how she ended up teaching songwriting at that same school. We briefly talk about some of the bands and acts that she has been part of, or associated with. Naturally we do a deep dive into songwriting and the importance of learning to co-write. Lauren graciously lets me play one of my favorite older songs of hers, and then later on I get to play her newest release! Finally, we get into how she came to be part of the writing team that composes all of the music and interstitials for the Netflix sitcom Leanne. (The voice you hear sing the theme is Lauren’s). If you have a chance, check out Lauren’s podcast ‘The Happiest Hour Podcast’, available wherever you get your podcasts.
This is a throwback episode with American music icon Don McLean. Don’s first appearance on the show was 8.13.21 It was such a compelling & fun episode, l decided it needed to be re-visited! Enjoy this throwback episode, tell a friend, and thanks for listening!
Don McLean
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Don McLean. Legendary singer / songwriter; Don is most known for his super smash hit AMERICAN PIE, which was released FIFTY YEARS AGO this year! In this episode, Don and I chat about: some of his songs, his new and upcoming projects, including: a new album of originals, a new album of covers, a new documentary, a play, a movie, and a new children’s book called “American Pie: A Fable” which drops in October. Then he tells us about the true story behind the hit song “Killing Me Softly”; which is not his song, but has a very interesting connection that I bet you didn’t know about. Don was kind enough to let me play some of his classic songs during this episode, as well as one of the covers off of his new album of covers called “Still Playin Favorites”. Be sure to check out his website for upcoming tour dates (covid permitting). Don McLean is a legend, a brilliant poet and songwriter; but more importantly, he was a super king and generous to me! Enjoy this conversation with a LEGEND. Follow Don on social media: Twit: @DonMcLean Insta: @TheDonMcLean FB: Don McLean (Musician) Website: DonMcLean.com
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Tre Russo. Tre is the bass player and front man for the new band out of San Diego, Soundivision. Tre is also the son of pop punk legend Scott Russo; but we really focus on Tre and his new band. In this episode, we chat about his getting into music, and what made him and his friends decide to put a band together. Then we talk about their writing & producing style, and some of the previous incarnations of the band before they settled on this lineup. Of course, Tre shares stories of growing up around his dad and Unwritten Law, and the impact that environment and the array of musicians that were always around. Soundivision consists of Tre Russo, Kerek Martinson, and DJ Hernandez. Soundivision’s debut album “Invincible” is available everywhere, and Tre even lets le play my favorite track from the record. We go all over the place in this one, and Tre gives some peeks behind the curtain of what it is like to not only grow up with musical inspiration and support, but how that support manifests itself even into his adult years. Follow Soundivision on Instagram and catch one of their live shows if you have the chance.
Wyatt Michael Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Wyatt Michael. My wife and I saw Wyatt perform live at a jazz club in San Antonio and I just had to get him on the show. In this episode, we get to know about Wyatt’s early years singing in a rock band, and how he discovered jazz and the American Standards. He lets me play one of his songs from that rock band so we can get an idea of what he USED to sound like. Then we dive into his love affair with the Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Buble style of music. He shares funny stories about some of his first live gigs in this new style, as well as ‘The Curse of the First Dance’. Next, we get into his time on the NBC reality competition show The Voice. Wyatt explains how he came to be part of the show, what his experience was like, and some behind the scenes tidbits. Naturally, I ask if I can play a song that he wrote and performed in this crooning style, that I just adore. of course, we cover his recent move to Las Vegas, and where he can be found belting out the great American Songbook. Make sure to check SingWithSwing.com for tour dates and upcoming shows.
Liz Longley Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Nashville based artist Liz Longley. In this episode, Liz and I chat about her being born & raised in Pennsylvania, not far from where Taylor grew up, and how there MUST be something in the water in that area! Then we get into some of the reasons behind her attending; as well as some of the thigs that she learned at The Berkley School of Music. We touch very briefly on her similarly brief NYC residence, before she packed her guitar and her song book, and headed for the much more apt Nashville. Of course, I get her to explain a musical concept that I only recently learned about, and it turns out that it is her favorite musicology term! Then we talk about her music. Liz has released SEVEN albums! I pepper her with questions about some of my favorites of her work, and the meaning behind them. Naturally, I ask her about her two Kickstarter campaigns. In 2012, Liz launched a Kickstarter campaign designed to help her finance a studio album. By the end of the campaign, she has raised 157% of her goal. The resulting record that she made, landed her a record deal with Sugar Hill Records! We discuss a bit of her time at that record company, and how her exit from it transpired. Sadly, when she left the record company, they had received & shelved her latest album. So, she turned once again, to her backers at Kickstarter. Her 2020 Kickstarter campaign had a goal to raise enough funds to PURCHASE the finished album from the record company. The campaign met the stated goal in the first 24 hours and went on to raise 333% of the financial goal; making that one of the biggest musician campaigns ever funded on the platform. She used the extra funds to create TWO more records! Liz was a blast to chat with, and she even let me play two of her songs that I absolutely love. PLUS, we get together to come up with an amazing offer for the listeners of this episode. Liz will send every listener a FREE CD EP (just pay shipping)! Click the link below to get that FREE CD! Make sure you follow her on all of the social medias, and check her website for tour dates near you. At the time of this recording, Liz was about 8.75 months pregnant with her second child. That baby was born less than 2 weeks ago! Congratulations Liz and welcome Connor to the world!
Lew Apollo Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Minnesota / Austin musician Lew Apollo. In this episode, Lew and I chat about his growing up in Minnesota, and what made him decide to move to Austin, Texas. Naturally, I ask him about his tattoos, and what they mean. Then we move onto a good ol’ Texas burger slap fight! Lew and I go round and round, /1/4 pound for 1/4 pound about who has the best fast-food burger in South Texas; Whataburger or P. Terry’s. Then we get into his music. Lew’s new debut album is called Fool’s Gold, and is a 9-track journey through heartache, acceptance, and finally contentment. We discuss a few of the tracks individually, and he even lets me play his most talked about song from this record. Lew does talk about learning from and being mentored by Austin local legend Blk Odyssy. We touch a bit on Lew’s previous E.P. called Jungle, and what that title means to him. Sadly, we do discuss some rough subject matter related to his father’s passing, and how this tragedy reframed the feeling and meaning of some of the songs he wrote before the event. Lew Apollo has a unique, original sound, and I can’t stop playing his music in my house! Special shout out to Victor Gaspar, Orb Studios, and Rey Roldan at Rey Bee Publicity.
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Jonathan Grossman. Known in some circles as Johnny Keys; Jon is the keyboard player for the rock band Uncle Lucius. Jon is from Kentucky, and how he became part of this kickass south Texas band is a good story, I get him to tell it to me in this episode. We discuss his growing up in Lexington and what he was doing after school before the universe aligned, and Uncle Lucius rolled into his town. We also chat about other bands that have keyboard players in them, and even some fake movie bands that do. Uncle Lucius took a bit of a break a few years ago, and then through a series of magical events, they were almost forced back together. The television show Yellowstone happened to feature an Uncle Lucius song in the fourth episode of the first season. The song caught fire all over again and made the band look into getting back together to see what they had left in the tank. As it turns out, they had quite a lot. Since then, they have released 3 more albums and just recorded yet another one a few weeks ago live at Gruene Hall. I ask Jon about the royalty implications of having a song blow up on a TV show like that, and he gives HUGE props to Austin attorney Gwendolyn Seale! One of their more recent albums is called ‘Like It’s The Last One Left’ and features one of my favorite Uncle Lucius songs (All the Angelenos). Jon is gracious enough to let me play that song, and their massive hit (from Yellowstone) called Keep the Wolve Away. Naturally, we talk about the live show at Gruene Hall, why they haven’t headlined at world famous Stubb’s in Austin, and Uncle Lucius’ insane touring schedule. We end the show talking about some of Jon’s other work. He releases music under the name ‘Sleepy Jon’, as well as performing live at Sam’s Town Point (south of Austin) EVERY Wednesday that Uncle Lucius is in town. Three members of Uncle Lucius are in this weekly performing band with some of Arlo Guthrie’s daughters. The band is called The Guthrie Girls. For tour dates and new album information, check out YourUncleLucius.com
Will Wesley Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know country singer / songwriter Will Wesley. In this episode, we chat about his growing up in the Baton Rouge area, and what got him into music. Naturally we discuss the best Cajun food in his local area, and he tells me a couple of cool restaurants to eat at. Next, we move into how he gained his country & blues street cred, by competing in battle of the bands style pickin’ contests. Will explains to me why he decided to cover the timeless gospel song ‘Go Tell it on The Mountain’. and what makes his different than the rest. Then we talk about his new single ’12 O’clock In Texas’. We spend most of the episode talking about the reasons he wrote this song, and the tragic loss of his brother. The conversation turns to sobriety, and addiction. I ask Will about some of the places he has played, and some of the places he will play on the current tour. Luckenbach! Finally, we discuss his recent experiences at The Josie Awards and working with some folk & bluegrass icons on a couple of musical collaborations. Make sure you check out ‘Both Sides Of The Tracks’, ‘A New Kind of Blues’, and ‘Leah’. Do NOT miss him on tour in 2025! Check out WillWesleyMusic.com for tour dates and venues.
Ollee Owens Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Ollee Owens. Ollee is a Canadian born and raised Country / Folk / Blues Southern Rock singer songwriter. In this episode, we chat about when she was first called upon by the music gods to be a performer. We discuss her writing and learning to play instruments at a very early age, and then why she decided to take a break from music for fifteen years. Ollee tells me what she was doing during that long hiatus, and what made her jump back into her passion. We talk a little about her debut record “Cannot Be Unheard’ and how the energy of that release drove her to write and record her second album. Her sophomore album is titled ‘Nowhere To Hide’, and was released earlier this year. We break down some of the tracks from this record and she even let’s me play my favorite track from it. We do a little bit of a deep dive on this particular song, and she tells me who the inspiration for it is. We do touch on the importance of her daughters seeing their mother lead by example in putting her passion on hold for a very good reason; but then going back to it when the time was right. This album was recorded in Nashville with some iconic Muscle Shoals musicians, and a legendary producer. Follow Ollee on Instagram, and check out her website for upcoming tour dates and new release info.
A.J. Lambert Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know A.J Lambert. AJ is a singer, a songwriter, and now a filmmaker. In this episode, we chat about her new short film THE JUNCTION. We discuss why she wrote it, why she made it, and why she decided to make it a short film. She also shares where it can be seen, and what she hopes to gain from this project. AJ is also the daughter of Hugh Lambert and Nancy Sinatra, as well as the grand daighter of Frank Sinatra. We talk about her Siruis XM show caleld Seriously Sinatra, and how that came about, plus, i ask her if there are “gate keepers” in the music business. Naturally we talk about her family; but she also discusses losing her father at a very young age, and some of the things she missed out on; as well as some of the ways that affected her. I ask AJ about her music, and she even lets me play one of her songs! Look for AJ everywhere that you listen to music, and wherever you see short films.
