EPISODE 143: Electronic music pioneer Howard Jones has been a constant presence on the international touring scene for the past four decades, playing live in a number of different configurations including intimate solo shows and dates with his full high-tech band set-up. He first burst upon the contemporary music scene in 1983, with his very English songwriting and pioneering synthesizers with “New Song”. His first two albums HUMAN’S LIB and DREAM INTO ACTION were worldwide hits. HUMAN’S LIB reached #1 in 1984 in the UK and featured the hits “New Song,” and “What Is Love?” In 1985, Jones released the follow-up, DREAM INTO ACTION, which quickly became a Top Ten Platinum album in the United States and featured the smashes: “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life In One Day,” “No One Is To Blame,” and “Like To Get To Know You Well.” Howard Jones has sold upwards of 10 million albums worldwide and continues to make new music and tour the world. Jones has performed on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! As well as NBC’s top-rated morning and nighttime shows respectively, Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. His ubiquitous hits can be heard in such high-profile television series and films such as “Stranger Things,” “Breaking Bad,” “Watchmen,” “The Carrie Diaries”, “Superstore” and “Bumblebee”. Howard Jones’ most recent studio album is DIALOGUE, which was released in September, 2022. DIALOGUE is the third album in a trilogy of electronic releases from Jones with multi-media project ENGAGE coming out in 2015 and studio album TRANSFORM out in 2019. DIALOGUE garnered serious coverage in outlets such as Spin, Stereogum and more. howardjones.com

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EPISODE 142: Joe Matera is an Italian-Australian musician, music journalist, and author. Over the course of his illustrious performing career, he has played guitar for famed British music legend Steve Harley, supported the likes of Canned Heat, The Animals, and Bay City Rollers in concert and earned a top five selling instrumental album on the Australian ARIA chart. He has co-written and recorded music with ABBA guitarist Janne Schaffer, as well as, legendary English pop-rock group The Korgis. A respected music journalist too, his writings have appeared in Guitar Player, Record Collector and The Guardian among many others. He is also the best-selling author of 'Backstage Pass: The Grit and the Glamour' and 'Louder Than Words: Beyond the Backstage Pass'. His third book, ‘The Making of ABBA: The Story Behind The Band’s 1975 Breakthrough Album' was published worldwide by UK publishing house Sonicbond Publishing in January, 2026. joematera.com

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EPISODE 141: The Blackbyrds were at the cutting edge of jazz fusion, R&B and funk in the 1970s, pushing the boundaries of Black popular music forward in one of the most musically fertile decades of the past century. Established by legendary jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd in 1973, the band's success includes several highly touted albums, film scores (1975's "Cornbread," "Earl and Me"), as well as supporting such iconic artists as B.B. King. Herbie Hancock, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Roberta Flack and more. The Blackbyrds’ self-titled debut album put the group on the map with "Do It, Fluid," a funky laid-back party anthem. The group followed that initial success with a string of albums over the next five years, including FLYING START (1974), which yielded their biggest hit, the Grammy-nominated "Walking in Rhythm," and CITY LIFE (1975), which contained the hit "Happy Music" and the iconic "Rock Creek Park," which remains one of the most sampled jazz-funk tracks to this day, as well as such hits as “Supernatural Feeling,” Grammy-nominated “Unfinished Business,” “Time is Movin’,” “Dreaming About You” and “Flyin’ High,” among many others. Under the leadership of original drummer and vocalist, Keith Killgo, the band continues to record, tour and perform globally. The Blackbyrds current lineup includes original founding members Keith Killgo (drums and vocals) and Joe Hall (bass), Paul Spires (vocals), Dominique Toney (vocals), daughter of original band keyboardist Kevin Toney, Roberto Villeda (keyboards), Charles Wright (guitar), Thad Wilson (trumpet), Marshall Keys (saxophone) and Sean Anthony (percussion). blackbyrdsmusic.com

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EPISODE 140: Christine Ohlman is the long-time vocalist with the Saturday Night Live Band on NBC whose towering hair earned her the nickname “The Beehive Queen.” She is one of the queens of American Rock n’ Soul, deeply embedded in the scenes in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and New Orleans Louisiana as well as—of course—NYC. She leads Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez, with whom she has released six CDs. (The latest, “The Deep End,” appeared on several year-end national Top Ten lists). She has recently collaborated with Dion on his chart-topping CD of duets, “Girl Friends” as well as appearing on recent tributes to Wilson Pickett and Matt “Guitar” Murphy. She is a musicologist of note, and her radio show/Apple Podcast “Soul Hive” is now in its second year. christineohlman.net

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EPISODE 139: Blair Mowat is a BAFTA-nominated, award-winning composer with over 200 projects and nearly two decades of experience across film, television, and theatre. Credits include Class (a spin-off from Doctor Who), McDonald & Dodds, Hammer Horror’s Doctor Jekyll, Russell T Davies’s Nolly (TV BAFTA-nominated score and Camille Award winner), The Guest, After the Flood, and The Age of Disclosure, an explosive and record breaking documentary that, since release, has entered the global news conversation. blairmowat.co.uk

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EPISODE 138: Matthew Feder is a Los Angeles–based film and television composer known for co-composing the scores for the Netflix docuseries Arnold and the immersive film Asteroid (which premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival), both alongside longtime collaborator Christophe Beck. He has contributed additional music to a wide range of films and series including Agatha All Along, Road House, The Instigators, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Nimona, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Hawkeye, Lego Ninjago, and Wolf Hound. His work spans genres from drama and action to comedy and documentaries, and he is passionate about exploring new sounds across projects, crafting scores with distinct sonic and melodic identities while collaborating closely with directors and filmmakers to tell meaningful stories with nuance and depth. https://matthewfeder.com

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EPISODE 137: Embracing a broad range of musical styles, British singer-songwriter Tasmin Archer's soulfully silky voice has graced a strong catalogue of songs with an eclectic mix of themes since the 1990s. Archer first came to public attention in 1992 with the UK chart topper and worldwide hit 'Sleeping Satellite' taken from the platinum debut album 'Great Expectations'. Three further singles from the album were top 30 hits in the UK. She received a Brit award in 1993 and was nominated in two further categories the same year. Archer also won an RSH Gold award in Germany and was nominated in the best alternative artist category for an MTV award in the US. 'Shipbuilding', an EP of four Elvis Costello covers, was released in early 1994 and was followed in 1996 by the more introspective, critically acclaimed album 'Bloom'. 'On', the third Tasmin Archer studio album was released independently on Quiverdisc in 2006. A new album 'A Cauldron of Random Notes' is scheduled for release in September 2025. tasminarcher.com

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EPISODE 136: Phil Manzanera is one of the UK’s best-known musicians and record producers, having shot to prominence in the early ‘70’s as the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. He is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading guitarists and is in much demand both as a performer and record producer. Now in his fifth decade as a professional musician, in addition to his work with Roxy Music, he has worked with many music luminaries, including Steve Winwood, David Gilmour, John Cale, Godley and Creme, Nico (Velvet Underground) and John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia). He has co-written material with many artists, including Brian Eno, Tim Finn, Robert Wyatt and David Gilmour. Manzanera co-wrote Pink Floyd’s single “One Slip,” from their 1988 MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON album. Manzanera has also produced seminal albums for Spanish-speaking artists Draco Rosa, Enrique Bunbury, Héoes del Silencio Aterciopelados, Paralamas and Fito Paez. manzanera.com

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