The Sound Podcast with Ira Haberman

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are all about raw, emotional fun. I really dig their sound and you will to. Like most jam bands today, they blend all kinds of genres but they are rooted in a very sassy funk groove. We recently sat down with front man Greg Ormont to talk about their upcoming release Pizaz and a whole lot more. The conversation started just after I watched their Lockn' set, and I asked Greg to recall how awesome that set was......

Something a little different today as we sit down with rock n' roll photographer Jay Blakesberg. If you're a fan of The Grateful Dead, The Jam Band scene or frankly rock music since the 80s, you have no doubt scene Jay's work in Relix and Rolling Stone Magazine, never mind the dozens of album covers and books he has done. He is an absolute treasure and a man full of many incredible stories.

If you like you like the Jam Bands that rock hard, but are indescribable in terms of one true sound, you're already well aware of Dopapod. Blending deep grooves, with hard hitting percussion and catchy guitar licks, creative keyboard playing, wild song structure and interesting lyrics. The genre actually doesn't matter these guys are totally cool and really fascinating.

If you don’t know the name, you should, because he’s played with just about everyone in the Jam band community, and the bigger community. From Eric Clapton to Robert Randolph, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir amongst others. Crosby’s resume looks like a who’s who of rock hall of famers and potential ones. A multi-instrumentalist who has done his duty both on the road and in the studio, we sat down with Jason Crosby to learn more about his latest release Cryptologic. 

We recently had the chance to sit down with Trevor Steer the chief protagonist given that he's the keys and organ player in Organ Freeman recently, to get his take on the project and their new album Respect My Art. We started by asking him how their sophomore release's sound was so different from their first record.... 

When I sat down with John Kadlecik, I wasn't entirely sure how the conversation would go. There is no doubt he is an extremely talented guitar player and vocalist, but performing the work of Jerry Garcia on a regular basis is no easy feat. Couple that with the ferocious tour schedule and constant playing. But it went VERY well For the uninitiated, John founded Dark Star Orchestra along with several other bands, and was the lead guitar player for Further with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh. 

We recently caught up with Andrew Altman the bass player for Railroad Earth to talk about the misconceptions about the band, the new grass revival, recording a record with Warren Haynes and much more. It was a robust conversation that started when I asked Andrew about the rigours of being on the road A LOT.....

The day Gregg Allman left us, I was personally rocked, having grown up listening to the Allman Brothers Band, meeting Gregg on a couple of occasions and seeing not only the "Brothers" live but also The Gregg Allman Band. His legacy and work will live on, as one of the finest blues vocalists and musicians we will ever know. We sat down with Michael Lehman Gregg's manager to learn more about the posthumous release of Southern Blood and Gregg Allman. 

One of the things I love most about The Sound Podcast is the really wide and diverse music we get to listen to, and talking to the artists who share their craft with us. Such is the case with Tauk a quartet from New York who mix all kinds of genres for explosive sometimes hard hitting instrumental jams. We recently sat down with AC Carter who plays keyboards and guitarist Matt Jalbert of Tauk. The discussion started when I asked Matt how the band hones their sound…… 

I know you’ve heard Cory Wong play, because who isn’t a fan of his full time project Vulfpeck. With time away from the band, and deciding to stretch his creative muscle, Cory put together a pretty neat project called The Green Sc   reen Band. We recently sat down with Cory to get the low down on the Green Screen project, but I started with asking him how he liked Toronto since he was recently here with Vulfpek.

We were all set to talk with Mungion last week but unfortunately something went horribly wrong for them, so we had to reschedule. Their entire van and trailer were stolen in Detroit just before they were set to head cross country for their first headlining tour. Wisely, they've started a GoFundMe campaign, and are putting their best foot forward and continuing with their tour plans. I sat down with Justin Reckamp to get the low down on the band, and their plans moving forward. 

Living Colour is a band thats been in your ear for almost 30 years and for good reason. Though you wouldn't immediately fit them in any specific musical box, nor should you, they continue to make sonically bombastic records with a hugely important political agenda. Their latest was four years in the making so it made sense to sit down with vocalist Corey Glover before the album Shade comes out September 9th. I started by asking why the record took so long to make....  You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for "The Sound Podcast"; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

With the proliferation and abundance of music at an all time high, it’s almost impossible not to find something new and exciting on the music platforms we listen to. It’s also easier than ever to go back and listen to stuff you may have forgotten about or put aside years ago. That was certainly the case for me, when I remembered the name Antibalas, and the Afrobeat music this ensemble makes. Thats why we were stoked to speak with Martín Perna to get the latest scoop on the band.

The Jamband community is so diverse in it’s talent that when you see someone you know about or even have never heard of, step up and play with other musicians you enjoy so much, you get super psyched. We’ve been following Anders for quite some time so it was a thrill to catch up with him and hear about that performance and what he’s up to now, including his plans to open for Bonnie Raitt and an upcoming tour with Jackie Greene. We started though with that Red Rocks performance….

Sometimes you have to go a long way from home and try things way out of your comfort zone, to ultimately reach your goals.... that's the case for Ross James a Bay Area guitar and pedal steel player who grew up listening to punk rock and country in his home state of Michigan. He left shortly after high school to live with his sister specifically for the warmer weather. As fate would have it, he wound up working with a Bay Area legend in Phil Lesh and his family. Now Ross is set to release a solo record one I think is quite good. We caught up with Ross to get the low down on the bushy bearded guy with dark glasses we often see around Phil Lesh. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for "The Sound Podcast"; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS