Bill Janovitz returns to the Hustle, this time as an author instead of a rocker. The Buffalo Tom frontman has recently published a master work - the definitive story of The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told. Bill effectively tells the band's story from beginning to end with all the detours in between. Each band member's personality comes to life and the inner tensions become very real, but so does the wonderful music they made. Bill and I discuss the guys, how he went about writing the book, and our thoughts on the music especially the earlier albums versus the later ones. The book is great, check it out! 

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Bill Janovitz – billjanovitz.com

When you talk to keyboardist Roddy Bottum, the word "privileged" comes up a lot. He was privileged to grow up in San Francisco as a gay man. Privileged to play keys in Faith No More and Imperial Teen. Privileged to have the foresight to be an early investor in Apple that has since made him a multi-millionaire. Privileged to have had close friends like Kurt and Courtney. He recounts this unique life in a new memoir, The Royal We, which is out now and totally fascinating. Roddy joins us this week to discuss the book and flesh out details like this (and shoot down others). We even have a copy to give away. Enjoy! 

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This week's guest is Saint Tim! The Charlatans have been one of the most reliably great British bands over their 35 year history. Tons of hits and many great albums. Their profile changed drastically over lockdown when Tim began his Listening Parties on Twitter which managed to unite the entire music world in good vibes at a tenuous time in history. The whole band is back together for their first album in eight years, We Are Love, and are kicking off a UK tour this weekend. Tim discusses coming back for this album after some time off, but also how the Listening Parties evolved into a massive undertaking. We also discuss some deep cuts and chapters in the band's life - some good and some bad, not to mention the artists that have influenced him over the years. Tim has made the world a better place and we're blessed to have him. Enjoy!  The Charlatans - We Are Love - Out Now The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

The 80s weren't a fertile time for blues on the radio. Eventually, acts like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Cray and this week's guest the Fabulous Thunderbirds captured some attention and kept the torch lit. In fact, "Tough Enough" also happens to be one of the greatest singles of the decade, but it was the T-Birds biggest and only crack at the pop charts. Eventually, tastes changed, Jimmie Vaughn left the band, and things settled back down, but the they've never stopped delivering blistering blues for six decades now. Frontman Kim Wilson is here to discuss his great new solo album, Slow Burn, but also to give a tutorial on the history of the blues. He's a great dude and still doing what he does best. 

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Ivy might be the least likely band to release new music in 2025. After the loss of leader Adam Schlesinger to COVID early in the pandemic, the band had no choice but to end things. Luckily, surviving members Dominique Durand, Andy Chase and Bruce Driscoll came together to flesh out some songs Adam hadn't finished and released the new album Traces of You recently as a proper tribute to their former bandmate. All three of them join us this week to explain how the album came together and if there will be more, what it was like competing for Adam's attention with Fountains of Wayne, and everyone's other side projects. Ivy was special. It's a shame they and Adam are gone, but we have some incredible records to remember them by including Traces of You. 

IVY • Official Website The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

The great Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly is back again. Last week he released his 30th album (!) called Seventy and it's evidence that this genius shows no signs of slowing down. Paul returns to the podcast to discuss some of the key tracks, what his process is at this stage, and what he still has left to prove. The man is as good at 70 and he has been his whole career. We're lucky to have him. 

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It's been a bumpy road for Pete Droge the last few years and the acclaimed singer-songwriter knew exactly what to do about it. First off, after years of not feeling right, Pete was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome about ten years ago. This changed how he would have to approach his career which, as an independent artist, was already a full time job. Then, he decided the time was right to find his birth mother who, it turns out, passed away just months before he found her. These themes permeate his latest (and best) album, Fade Away Blue. Pete lays out the challenges of the last few years, how he kept afloat, and what to expect from here. We also get the scoop on his sadly short-lived supergroup the Thorns with Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins. He's a wonderful guy and hugely inspiring. Enjoy! 

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Producer Mark Saunders has done a lot of things, but amidst it all he's responsible for two of the most revolutionary albums of all time. The first is Neneh Cherry's debut Raw Like Sushi featuring the game-changing "Buffalo Stance". The second is the debut album Maxinquaye from Tricky which rewrote the rules as far as what music could sound like. Just those would be enough for some people, but we also hear about The Cure, the Chameleons, Erasure, Madness, a-ha, Ian McCulloch, Lisa Stansfield, Cyndi Lauper, and an absolutely bananas experience with John Lydon. Plus, we get the full scoop on the historic night when Bowie and Jagger recorded "Dancing in the Street". It's 3 hours and not a second is wasted on this instant classic. Don't miss it! 

Mark Saunders — Producer | Mixer | Remixer | Composer | Audio Engineer The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Liverpool's The Farm capitalized on a moment in the early 90s when their debut album Spartacus captured the Baggy sound in the UK perfectly. It featured a couple of evergreen hits with "Groovy Train" and "All Together Now" and even did well in the states. But, as Baggy wound down, so did the Farm and after a couple more albums they called it a day. Miraculously, they came back this year to release their first album in almost 30 years, Let The Music (Take Control), and it's excellent. Frontman Peter Hooton joins us this week to discuss this wild ride, what they've been doing for 30 years, and how this new album even happened. Enjoy! 

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Author Greg Prato joins us this week to discuss his new book Alternative for the Masses. The book argues that Nirvana didn't just happen out of nowhere. The seeds had been planted with bands like the Pixies and Jane's Addiction that prepared a way for Nirvana (and the whole grunge movement) to flourish. The book is an oral history featuring dozens of key voices from the scene (many of which are former guests) who share their recollections of that period including indie record labels, the drugs, Lollapalooza and key songs and albums, which Greg and I debate as well. It's a lively discussion with a great writer about an important chapter in music history. We're also giving away a book. You don't want to miss it! 

Quarto At A Glance | The Quarto Group

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What can you say about the great Thomas Dolby that hasn't already been said? We know about the hits (like "Science" and "Hyperactive"), we know about the innovation and the tech businesses he's started, and we know about Live Aid. In this conversation we set out to fill in some of the gaps like how did he get Jerry Garcia and Eddie Van Halen to play guitar with him? Did he ever meet Prince, who he is so similar to creatively? We know Howard the Duck didn't work, but what about his incredible soundtrack? What happened when he produced Joni Mitchell? It might be a slightly different conversation than you're used to. All of this is to promote his North American tour which kicks off on the east coast this week. Hope you enjoy hearing from the master! 

ThomasDolby.com

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