Stage Vault

For nearly 20 years, Gail Ann Dorsey held down bass and vocals in David Bowie's live band — including singing the Freddie Mercury part in "Under Pressure." Now, 21 years after her last solo album, she's releasing The Appearance of Life and stepping back to center stage.Gail talks about the terror of being asked to sing "Under Pressure" for the first time, what she's actually thinking about mid-performance when a show is really working, and how it feels to perform Bowie's music now with the Blackstar Symphony — for audiences still carrying his loss. She also opens up about the night she opened solo at The Vogue in Indianapolis before joining Thomas Dolby's band, and what it costs — and gives — to finally walk out as herself.Stage Vault goes behind the curtain of live music: the nerves, the rituals, and the moments that never make it to the setlist. Hosted by Chuck Fields.New episodes every other week. Follow the show so you never miss one.The show ends. The vault opens.Photo of Gail by Jimmy Fontaine.Sponsored by Musicologie – simply delightful music lessons at ⁠⁠⁠⁠musicologie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

On this episode of Stage Vault, Courtney Taylor-Taylor — frontman of The Dandy Warhols — opens up about what actually happens inside a performer during 30+ years of shows: the readiness that never quite becomes autopilot, the physical grind of playing sick or hungover, and the two nights performing with the Oregon Symphony that he calls the most powerful music experience of his career.He also tells the story of singing "White Light/White Heat" alongside David Bowie at the Meltdown Festival, reflects on what "Bohemian Like You" still feels like 25+ years into playing it live, and talks through Pin Ups — the Dandy Warhols' new covers album, spanning The Cure, The Clash, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Violent Femmes — and what it means to inhabit someone else's song onstage.Photo by Nicole NodlandStage Vault is a podcast about the interior experience of live performance: not the catalogue, not the career — what's actually happening inside an artist that the audience never sees.New episodes every two weeks. The show ends. The vault opens.More: stagevaultpod.comSponsored by Musicologie — simply delightful music lessons at ⁠⁠⁠musicologie.com⁠⁠⁠.

William Lee Golden of The Oak Ridge Boys opens up about more than six decades on stage — the four-part harmony that still gives him chills, the devastating losses the group has endured, and what keeps him singing at 87.In this conversation, William Lee reflects on the emotional weight of losing longtime bandmates Joe Bonsall and Richard Sterban, how new members Ben James and Aaron Lee McCune stepped in and kept the sound alive, and why singing has always been “a joy, never a job.”He also shares what it was like performing at Live Aid with David Bowie, the magic of recording family albums with his sons and grandchildren during the pandemic, and the deeply personal story behind his autobiography.If you love classic country, gospel harmony, or stories about resilience and legacy on stage, this episode is for you.New album *Buried Treasures* coming Fall 2026.Photo credit: Brandon Wood/IndieBlingStage Vault is a video podcast about the interior experience of live musical performance — what artists think, feel, and prepare in the moments before they step on stage.Follow Stage Vault for more conversations with legendary performers.#TheOakRidgeBoys #WilliamLeeGoldenStage Vault — The show ends. The vault opens.Sponsored by Musicologie — simply delightful music lessons at ⁠⁠musicologie.com⁠⁠.

TOTO’s Dennis Atlas opens the vault on the most intense chapter of his career so far.Just five weeks after getting the call (while ordering pizza in Iowa), he walked onstage in Luxembourg in front of 20,000 people as the newest member of TOTO. At the same time he was writing and releasing his deeply personal solo album PRINCIPLE — largely created in hotel rooms and on tour buses between shows.In this conversation we go inside:• The dual reality of TOTO tours + solo album • The hour before showtime • What it takes mentally and emotionally to hold your own in a band with 50 years of history • The first notes of that Luxembourg debut • Bringing PRINCIPLE songs to the stage • What the stage gives that nothing else canA must-listen for anyone who loves live music, classic rock, or the human side of performing.Sponsored by Musicologie – simply delightful music lessons at ⁠⁠⁠⁠musicologie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Carmine Appice joins Stage Vault for a candid conversation about music, faith, and more than six decades behind the kit.In this episode:• Carmine shares the story behind three original songs he wrote after a life-changing experience — songs he has never performed or released before. One of them (“Game Changer”) plays in full while he listens and reacts on camera.• The making of his current blues album, Temple of Blues II.• His pre-show mental routine and the funny Rod Stewart story about practicing single-stroke rolls.• What being on stage still gives him at 79.• The legendary Isle of Wight 1970 show in front of 600,000 people and the moment the entire crowd stood up like a wave.• The Ed Sullivan appearance that changed everything for Vanilla Fudge.Carmine Appice has played with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck Bogert & Appice, and Rod Stewart. He’s still active with Cactus All-Stars and his Rod Stewart tribute project.Temple of Blues II is available now: https://cleorecs.com/products/cactus-temple-of-blues-ii-all-stars-cdPhoto by Vito GeraciListen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch the full video on YouTube.Follow Stage Vault: @stagevaultpod everywherestagevaultpod.comSponsored by Musicologie – simply delightful music lessons at ⁠⁠⁠musicologie.com⁠⁠⁠.