Inside Out w/ Turner and Seth

In 2020, wTnS wasn’t able to bring the Annual Col. Bruce Hampton Tribute to you, our listeners. Given this, and the fact that many of you are still stuck at home almost a year into the COVID nightmare - wTnS decided to bring you a li’l Col. Bruce Hampton podcast gift for the 2020 Christmas/whatever holiday you celebrate season. We dug deep into the podcast vault, and unEarthed some previously unheard audio from interviews conducted in Atlanta’s Diamond Street Studios before one of TDawg’s legendary “Holiday Hootenanny” concerts. The amazing Larry Keel, Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band, Travelin’ McCourys), Nick DiSebastian (Bonaventure Quartet, Madrid Express, Town Mountain), Lyndsay Pruett (Jon Stickley Trio, Asheville Tango Orchestra, Hot Point Trio), Joey Sommerville (Big Joe Burrell, Papa J Sez), Rev. Jeff Mosier (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Blueground Undergrass) and Bill Fleming (Hair Of The Dog, Expand Band) help the hosts celebrate The Col. a whole lot, and the Christmas Holiday Spirit a little bit as well. We are treated to four exclusive duet performances mixed with some stunning stories! Jeff and Rob even share one example of how even from the beyond, The Col. continues to mess with his friends. Bruce himself finds his way into this episode cosmically, verbally and musically (the latter thanks to his Live at The Vista Room record with the Madrid Express).

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This is the pilot episode of a new Inside Out wTnS series which finds hosts Rob Turner and Seth Weiner focusing on the Georgia music world.  The podcasts’ goal is to shine a light on all things related to the Georgia music industry - and the people, artists and supporters who make it all happen.  In this first episode, we take a look at how Collectiv and Beware Presents were able to put on large-scale concerts at The Atlanta Motor Speedway during a global pandemic.  We focus on the pair of Umphrey’s McGee concerts which took place in October (one of which was almost canceled due to tornado warnings).  First, Eric Von Haessler of WSB’s “Von Haessler Doctrine shares insight about the Speedway itself, as well as about how his interest in NASCAR was rekindled when he moved to Atlanta in the late 90s.  Then, we dive into the preparation, execution, and enjoyment of this unique event from multiple angles.  The Site/Event Director (Kit Blanchard) explains about how many folks had to be on board with each other to make the shows happen, particularly in the immediate wake of tornado warnings on Saturday.  We also hear of the experiences of a Social Distancing Ambassador (Nicholas Woodruff), and a long-time music fan who traveled from Colorado to see the Umphrey’s McGee, “Drive-in At The Speedway” concert (Steve Homer).  The episode ends with Jake Cinninger of Umphrey’s McGee giving his thoughts on the band’s experience, and how it all looked and felt from their position.   Sprinkled throughout the episode are thoughts and feedback from the hosts, who attended the first of these two concerts.

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The lead guitarist of Umphrey's McGee and Ali Baba's Tahini, Jake Cinninger kindly gave Seth and Rob some time to talk about one of his elite guitar heroes, Eddie Van Halen. Eddie was a pivotal part of Jake's decision to focus on playing guitar to the extent that he did. We hear Jake discuss (and demonstrate with his guitar) how Eddie was an innovator, how he evolved as a player and the importance of Van Halen. Jake also talks about how he first heard Van Halen, and the time he saw them live. Jake also talks about, and demonstrates how Eddie impacted his songwriting.

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Seth and Rob sit down with one of Weiner's absolute favorite musical artists, Bahamas. This is the performance name for Afie Jurvanen, a brilliant Canadian (with strong roots to Finland) singer/songwriter.  The band's fifth release, "Sad Hunk" is a continuation of this artist's brilliant studio career. Afie shares some insight on specific songs on the record, and elaborates on how his songwriting process has evolved. Conversation flows freely as the topics include his forthcoming webcast series, salmon fishing, scheming/executing strong backing vocals, allowing happiness to happen to you, being a father and how "Half Your Love" is a bit of a reward for him constantly challenging himself to write a better and more compelling love song. We also hear about the Robbie Robertson and others are among his listeners, how his Nova Scotia province avoided COVID and how much he learned touring with more established artists - particularly Feist. Jurvanen even shares with our listeners a revelation he had when while high on mushrooms as a teen, he was confronted with a firearm - and he gives specific hints of what a Jurvanen-curated music festival might be like. All of the music contained in this episode is from the Bahamas' 2020 release, "Sad Hunk."

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Rob and Seth chatted with Erika Wennerstrom of the Heartless Bastards shortly after she and her band had released the single, "Revolution." Erika talks about the message of the song, and how it is a part of a record that will be the first full-length release from Heartless Bastards in over five years. We hear the song in its entirety, and we hear Erika talk about how the record was completed just before COVID locked us all in our homes.  We include a bunch of music from her debut solo record "Sweet Unknown" because Erika explains to us in detail about how the forthcoming Heartless Bastards release in many ways expands on themes that were a huge part of that brilliant debut solo release. She also shares with us how she has coped with her time during the pandemic. We also go into the Wayback Machine and learn of her early days in Dayton, and why she moved to Cincinnati. We also find out how her persistence there, and her insistence on playing a wildly under-attended gig in Akron would each serve to change her life forever. This episode covers plenty of other territory, and it demonstrates that Erika is a very sincere and thoughtful person beyond her writing and performing excellence.

Music From The Episode:

Heartless Bastards

• Revolution (new single)
• Parted Ways (from Arrow)

Erika Wennerstrom 

• Twisted Highway (from Sweet Unknown)
• Letting Go (from Sweet Unknown)
• Time (from Sweet Unknown)
• Be Good To Yourself (from Sweet Unknown)
• Gravity (from Sweet Unknown)

Be Here To Love Me (from Tribute To Townes Van Zandt)

Mahalia Jackson

• Go Tell It On The Mountain (from original 1962 Christmas With Mahalia record)

Lhasa de Sala

• 1001 Nights (from 2009 release Lhasa)

Osiris Media - www.osirispod.com

Inside Out w/ Turner and Seth - insideoutwtns.com

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In honor of Como de Allstars , the first studio release from Greyboy Allstars in 7 years, Seth and Rob share a recent a Zoom chat with Robert Walter (keyboards) and Elgin Park (guitar) of the band. We learn a good bit about the ethos that these two and Karl Denson (sax, vocals), Chris Stillwell (bass) and Aaron Redfield (drums) had in mind when recording the seductive new release. They talk about how the initial genesis of the record came out of what was initially unfortunate circumstances, and why they chose to release the record when they did. Then in honor of the re-release of the band's debut cd West Coast Boogaloo , Seth dusts off the Wayback Machine and we visit the early days of the band as a touring unit, and the hilarious story about how their debut was recorded.  Many other topics are discussed, and truths are told.

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Last Fall, Billy Cobham invited Rob Turner into his hotel room for a career-spanning discussion.  This was between shows during the Atlanta stop of Cobham's tour in support of Crosswinds Project: Time Lapse Photos . Cobham talks about the ethos behind this project, and how he ended up finding JUST the right musicians for it. Billy also talks about the book Six Days At Ronnie Scotts's - a book written by his long-time friend Brian Gruber which examines Cobham's history, takes an inside look at how Billy puts a band together and is a lesson in jazz (and music) history in general. Billy also brings forth stories about working with Miles Davis on Bitches Brew , creating/recording/touring with Mahavishnu Orchestra, how his relationship with Merl Saunders led to him work with Muhammed Ali, how he ended up collaborating with members of The Grateful Dead and many, many other things. He also talks about how a powerful tree inspired one of his compositions, and an adventurous tribute to the Mahavishnu Orchestra that featured over 100 musicians (and why it was never released).

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Rob and Seth sit down with the multi-talented "Uncle" Jesse Lauter, and first they speak about the genesis and success of his popular, interactive "QuaranTrain" (quarantrain.live) weekly online dance parties via Osiris Media. Jesse elaborates on some of the guest DJs, and Seth points out some of the other online events that Jesse seems to have inspired.  Jesse also shares insight from his experience working on The Tedeschi Trucks Band "Live From The Fox Theater Oakland" DVD, and he gives information on a forthcoming release that he has been working on for quite some time. He also elaborates on his work on the unique Bob Dylan In The 80s Volume One" tribute cd - which gives way to a chat about our departed brother, Neal Casal. We also learn about Jesse broad frame of reference in the music world - and Rob tells a story about how he discovered The Low Anthem, which leads to a story about how Jesse's work with them helped him get his start in the business.

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It is a very confusing time right now on many fronts - and in the music world there is widespread concern for those who have lost work recently. This episode focuses on four non-profits who have each been created out of concern for others, and who each have "pivoted" to address the current clear and present danger to our music community. Those of you who are in need can learn how to reach out, and those of you who are of the means to do so can learn how you can help. Seth and Rob gain insight from, and learn a little bit about Aric Steinberg (Executive Vice President, Development & Artist Relations, Sweet Relief), Hilary Gleason (Executive Director, Backline), Justin Levy (Executive Director, Conscious Alliance) and Kristen Sommer-Swager (Executive Director, Positive Legacy).

The music in episode includes:

The New Mastersounds - Love They Deserve (from Shake It)

Fruition - Counting The Days (from Broken At The Break Of Day)

Billy Strings - Enough To Leave (from Home)

Railroad Earth - Give That Boy a Hand (from Bird In A House)

Umphrey's McGee - Easter In Quarantine (new single)

Pearl Jam - Crazy Mary from (Sweet Relief, A Benefit For Victoria Williams)

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This week's episode centers around a chat that our producer Rob Turner had with Ryan Stasik (Doom Flamingo, Umphrey's McGee) and music expert Kevin Cassels (Mother Vinegar, Pleasure To Burn) about the early days of Umphrey's McGee. The trio discusses pre-Umphrey's bands, how material evolved, line-up changes, specific shows, songwriting ethos and many other elements of those halcyonic early days. Since the conversation took place in Asheville this February, the COVID19 pandemic has shut down most aspects of society, including concerts. So, for the introduction to this episode, Seth Weiner and Rob call Ryan to discuss how he is currently finding inspiration during this confusing moment in time.

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