The Sound Podcast with Ira Haberman

You no doubt have heard the buzz not just in the larger community for Ghost Light, but from us here at The Sound Podcast. The quintet, made up of Tom Hamilton Jr., Raina Mullen, Holly Bowling, Steve Lyons and Scotty Zwang is exciting to all our ears, because it offers up something completely different than anything currently in our consciousness. So when we hear something fresh and exciting, well, yeah, we're psyched. Up until now, Ghost Light's music, in one form another has only been available through live performance. So this is a band, who's fandom is totally built on word of mouth, and the reputation of its members. Frankly, they probably didn't need to put out a record in a world of singles, and streaming services, but we are so glad that they have. I caught up with Tom Hamilton Jr. in Madison, WI, on tour with that other monster band he's in Joe Russo's Almost Dead, to talk about Best Kept Secrets, Ghost Light and a bunch more. You'll definitely want to pre-order Best Kept Secrets at ghostlightband.com and check them out on the road over the next couple of months, those dates are also available on the website.

What’s so remarkable about our scene is how many musicians are part of it, that we don’t unfortunately readily know. Like other genres or other scenes, or indeed in life, there are those that toil in near obscurity, honing their craft, and occasionally making “big league” appearances. Such is the case for Marcus Rezak who has played with a list of jamband scene types that is too long to list here. In fact because Marcus is such a phenomenal player, who’s style is hard to define much like his hero’s Frank Zappa, we thought it might be interesting to catch up with him and learn more about his record Gateway to the Galaxy and all the various projects he is in.To learn more about Marcus Rezak, all his gigs, and news from the various bands he plays in, visit marcusrezak.com.

We have so much fun putting this show together each week. If you see a live show or listen to one, and hear something incredible, please reach out either on social media or leaving a message on our hotline at 628-643-2443! We'd love to hear from you and potentially include your song in our show. Remember, all of these songs and the shows they are taken from can be found at nugs.net for download or on the nugs.net app.

Back in September of last year we sat down with Mike and Dave from Aqueous on Episode 134 to talk about their album Color Wheel. It was their first in many years, and they were both really excited about their work on the record and were eager to go out and play their new material. Some 6 months later they released a compendium of live versions of Color Wheel songs, as part of the Element compilation series. While live shows have been available through nugs.net, this third volume of Elements showcases their favorite live versions of Color Wheel tracks. We caught up with Mike Gantzer on the road, to talk about the release of Element 3, the Color Wheel tour and more. For more on Element III, Color Wheel, tour dates and more, visit aqueousband.com.

We’ve been big fans of Galactic dating back to 1998 and Crazy Horse Mongoose. They’ve always been a band that’s hard to describe blending New Orleans funk with R&B, soul, rock and several other sounds. In fact it’s almost impossible. What we appreciate most, aside from the music though, is the ambassadorship for New Orleans this band has taken on, no matter where they go, or what they do. They not only share the passion for the music from that town, but they’ve put their name behind the notion of curating music from all around North America with their recent acquisition of the famed Tipitina’s. With Already Ready Already Galactic continues to push both music boundaries while maintaining a very authentic funk sound. Stanton Moore the drummer of the band, who himself comes with a great degree of pedigree and prowess has always been one of our favorite personalities in the scene. Luckily we had the opportunity to chat with him about Already Ready Already, and way more. You can check out Already Ready Already wherever and however you listen to music and you can visit galacticfunk.com for tour dates and more.

We have so much fun putting this show together each week. If you see a live show or listen to one, and hear something incredible, please reach out either on social media or leaving a message on our hotline at 628-643-2443! We'd love to hear from you and potentially include your song in our show. Remember, all of these songs and the shows they are taken from can be found at nugs.net for download or on the nugs.net app.

When I heard Tim Bluhm was releasing a "country" solo record, his seventh if you count his Ball Point Birds stuff, we were eager to get him on. It's true, Sorta Surviving, has a country feel, which made us even more curious about the project. While the album isn't out until March 29th, we were eager to unpack the record with Tim, since we've been playing it quite a bit in the studio. You should definitely refer to timbluhm.com for tour dates, news about the record's release, and more.

I’ve had a chance to listen to the forthcoming Signs from the Tedeschi Trucks Band, multiple times, and it's definitely eclectic and very strong. Their fourth album might be their finest collection of tunes to date. It’s a deeply personal album, and this band, has been through quite a bit the last few years.... The album is dedicated to Col. Bruce Hampton, and when our conversation started with Derek Trucks, I asked if tragedy, loss, and change, ultimately fuels the fire to make inspired music, full of hope, celebration and love. You can pre-order Signs in various configurations with cool swag at tedeschitrucksband.com where you will also find upcoming tour dates.

We have so much fun putting this show together each week. If you see a live show or listen to one, and hear something incredible, please reach out either on social media or leaving a message on our hotline at 628-643-2443! We'd love to hear from you and potentially include your song in our show. Remember, all of these songs and the shows they are taken from can be found at nugs.net for download or on the nugs.net app.

When I first met Phil Tessis at a Jam Labs event here in Toronto at a local bar, he was a quiet, unassuming, gifted guitar player. What I didn't know at the time, or rather immediately is that Phil is indeed part of an amazing Funk quartet that although local to Toronto has found some success across Canada and indeed the United States. So when we heard After Funk was releasing a new record, we had to get him on the show to talk about the band, their success to date, and where they are headed, figuratively and literally. For more on After Funk including tour dates all over North America and to pre-order Santa Barbara visit afterfunk.ca.

When we were first were notified that Hayes Carll was releasing a new record, we needed to get in touch with him. He’s absolutely one of our favorite songwriters because he paints such vivid pictures and blends excellent words-smithing with a very dry sense of humor. That isn’t to say though that he doesn’t have a lot to say about the human condition, socio-political issues or love, what is true though, is that he does it in a very genuine and authentic way without ramming his perspective down your ears. "What It Is" is out February 15th, and when you do get a chance to hear the record, pay particular attention to his carefully crafted phrasing, tremendous use of language and indeed the vivid way he paints a picture. You can learn more about Hayes’ other recordings and his upcoming tour at HayesCarll.com.

We have so much fun putting this show together each week. If you see a live show or listen to one, and hear something incredible, please reach out either on social media or leaving a message on our hotline at 628-643-2443! We'd love to hear from you and potentially include your song in our show. Remember, all of these songs and the shows they are taken from can be found at nugs.net for download or on the nugs.net app.

Truthfully until The Higgs reached out We had no idea about them, or their sound. Since then we’ve listened to whatever music we could find, and have been impressed with what we’ve heard. Their jams have purpose and their more slightly less goofy songs are well written. We recently caught up with The Higgs frontman John Lovero and our conversation started when I asked him to take us back to how it all started. You can learn more about The Higgs by visiting thehiggsmusic.com, or following them on social media where they are quite active.

The Michigan Rattlers are a four piece, originally as the band name would suggest, from Michigan. They are currently on tour opening for the Lil’ Smokies, and that’s a pretty big break for them, this early on. Rather than telling you about their sound and story, we caught up with Graham Young the band’s primary song writer, vocalist and guitar player. You really need to hear all of their debut Evergreen to get the full scope of Graham’s songwriting ability. For more visit michiganrattlers.com.

We have so much fun putting this show together each week. If you see a live show or listen to one, and hear something incredible, please reach out either on social media or leaving a message on our hotline at 628-643-2443! We'd love to hear from you and potentially include your song in our show. Remember, all of these songs and the shows they are taken from can be found at nugs.net for download or on the nugs.net app.