The Hustle

The Porcaro family is rock royalty. They made everything they touched better from their incredible session work to the many Toto hits and Grammys. Steve Porcaro has recently released a new solo album called The Very Day that shows him cleaning house. Most of these songs have been sitting around unfinished for decades so he finally committed to perfecting them (with help from friends like Michael McDonald and Jason Scheff) and getting them out in the world. Steve joins us this week to discuss the process of completing this album, as well as stories from his long session career. There's working with Quincy Jones and David Foster, there's working with Earth Wind and Fire and the Brothers Johnson, and there's his feelings on the many afterlives of "Human Nature" which he wrote and appeared on Thriller. I wish we could have talked for hours!  Steve Porcaro The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Author Bill Kopp returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book, What's the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums. The great thing about Bill's writing is that he often shines a light on music that is underappreciated. These 30 albums aren't the obvious ones, but completely worthy creations that deserve a spot in your collection. We also get into why artists choose to make them, whether they're fun or work, why they're often long, and what went into him selecting these particular options. Bill was on a couple years ago to discuss his book on San Francisco's 415 record label. We love him around here. Enjoy and prepare to take notes!  What's the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums - new book by BILL KOPP - from HoZac Books The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Percussionist Lenny Castro has made a career out of being an ingredient that makes everything he touches better. He's been one of the most in-demand musicians of the last 50 years and was even an official member of Toto for many decades. Would classics like "Africa" and "Rosanna" be what they are without him? Doubtful. He's also the best thing about Christopher Cross's "Ride Like the Wind" and ONJ's "Physical". We also discuss a bunch of his session work with people like Stevie Wonder, Robert Palmer, and Fleetwood Mac. He's "mostly" retired now but keeps getting pulled in because he's so good and even just completed a tour with John Mayer. He's the best and we're lucky to hear from him. Enjoy!  The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

The musical mind of Barry Adamson was so cinematic he created soundtracks for movies that didn't exist. Until they did. He starts out with the essential post-punk band Magazine, who released some of the best albums the genre had to offer. He was restless though and after time in Visage and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, he committed the music in his head to tape with the solo album, Moss Side Story and never stopped. Barry's music has always had a heavy cinematic quality which lead to him eventually scoring films, of course. Last week he released his new album, SCALA!, which is the soundtrack to the new documentary on the legendary art-house cinema in London which was a gathering place for him and artsy people like him for decades. We get to hear stories about all the stops along the way in his musical journey, working with people like Nick Cave and Midge Ure, growing up bi-racial, and more. Enjoy!  Barry Adamson The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

By running Boston's Fort Apache studio with partner Sean Slade, Paul positioned himself at the forefront of the underground, indie sound that was suddenly above ground. His resume includes all time classics like Radiohead's Pablo Honey (featuring "Creep") and Hole's Live Through This, but also well-respected benchmarks by Buffalo Tom, Morphine, Pixies, Uncle Tupelo, Dinosaur Jr., and the Lemonheads. There are even fascinating outliers like Joe Jackson and Warren Zevon. We get into all of this and a ton more. He's still at it today too. Paul helped shape the sound of that pivotal time in rock history. We're lucky to hear from him!  Paul Q. Kolderie | Music Producer, Engineer and Mixer The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Britta Phillips has maintained two very different careers for decades - one is all kitsch and the other has a ton of street cred. She starred in that kinda fun, but mostly bad 1988 Justine Bateman movie Satisfaction and was the singing voice for Jem in the Jem and the Holograms cartoon. She also maintained a career in indie rock bands that got a big leg up when she joined Luna in the early 2000s. She and front man Dean Wareham eventually married and the two have been releasing excellent Dean & Britta music while also scoring films and reuniting with Luna occasionally. She joins us this week to discuss all of it. We get pretty deep on her success with cover songs and her approach. She's wonderful!  Dean & Britta - brittaphillips.com The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Producer Paul O'Duffy may not have been the actual architect of the sophistopop movement in the UK in the late 80s, but he had a hand in popularizing it. The man helped shape the sound of five of the major players within the genre - Hipsway, Breathe, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Danny Wilson, and Swing Out Sister, which he was practically the unofficial third member of for many years. Along the way he brought his expertise to artists like Dusty Springfield and Culture Club as well as groups outside the genre like Pretenders and House of Love. Paul regales us with stories this week of all of this and more. It's a great way to close out 2025!  Paul Staveley O'Duffy The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Around the year 2000, keyboardist Jai Winding decided he didn't want to be a hugely successful musician anymore and traded in his rock star life for real estate. He made the right move for him, but boy was it fun while it lasted. Some of the collaborations we discuss this week include the Pointer Sisters, George Benson, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Olivia Newton-John, Howard Jones, and more. Unfortunately, Jai's home, and the homes of many of his clients, were destroyed in the fires in the Pacific Palisades earlier this year and he lost everything including his entire community. Jai fills us in on both sides of his life in this fascinating conversation. Enjoy and Merry Christmas! Be grateful for what you have!  The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Few yacht rock hits of the 70s have endured as well as Player's 1977 classic "Baby Come Back." While they had a few other hits, they've been completely overshadowed by this monolith. What you may not be as aware of is the vast songwriting career of frontman Peter Beckett. Remember "Twist of Fate" by Olivia Newton-John? That was Peter. Or "Dare to Fall in Love" by Brent Bourgeois? Also Peter. There's also been the Temptations, Commodores, Survivor, Heart. Grace Slick, and Janet and Jermaine Jackson. There was even a stint in Little River Band. These days he's embracing the yacht rock life for all it's worth and tells us stories about all of it including seeing the Beatles at the Cavern! It's stories galore this week! Enjoy!  PETER BECKETT'S PLAYER The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

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!  The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon 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!  The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

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.  The Fabulous Thunderbirds The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

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.  Paul Kelly The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

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!  Pete Droge The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

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!  The Farm - All Together Now - Groovy Train The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

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 The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

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 The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon