Cover to Cover with Matt Tarka | Podcast on RSS.com

Cover to Cover with Matt Tarka

Cover to Cover with Matt Tarka

by Matt Tarka

Episode 105: Allison Leah (Musician)

Nashville based folk-pop artist, Allison Leah has an innate gift for songwriting, coupling honest stories with ethereal melodies and accumulating over three million streams worldwide. Allison’s vulnerable lyrics and soothing voice overlay organic folk pop production to create introspective singer/songwriter tunes. To listen to Allison Leah is to know her, and maybe even to get to know yourself a little better too. Her music has been featured on Spotify playlists such as “New from NYC: Folk”, Pandora’s “Fresh Cuts”, “Today’s Tunesmiths and Troubadours” as well as WFUV radio. Leah’s captivating live show provides joy and self-reflection, connecting with audiences nationwide. Recent performances include the Black Bear Americana Music Festival, Tucson Folk Festival (where she was named runner-up in their songwriting competition), The Listening Room (Nashville), City Winery, and over 30 shows alongside Sofar Sounds. For our conversation, we dug deep into Stick Season - the third studio album from acclaimed American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, who also served as producer alongside Gabe Simon. It was released on October 14, 2022, by Mercury Records and Republic Records. Enjoy!

Episode 104: Jonny Swift - Wild Nothing/Gemini

Jonny Swift (ex Beat the Radar, Paloma Café) is a Cumbria, UK-based artist who writes, performs and releases music under his own name, and since 2020 has released three albums (Dalton Daze, Story of Luna & Kalimera) via local independent label Seahouse Records. Swift has received national and international radio play and exposure from BBC 6 music, BBC London, BBC introducing, Amazing Radio as well as local independent radio stations. Jonny has released the lead single "She Said" on 17 November 2023 off his forthcoming record "An Awesome Dream" (1 December). Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Matt Kassell at Digital Man Recording Studio, Barrow, Cumbria, these releases are available on all digital platforms. Sounding like something from 80s indie label Sarah Records, there’s no denying that ‘She Said’ is a straight forward indie pop song. Jangly guitars, female backing vocals, tambourines and lyrics about rejection place this track firmly in a particular category. With strong influences by The Vaselines, The Wake as well as more modern indie acts such as The Cribs, this perfect slice of pop is perfect for both daytime radio as well as indie-specific shows and playlists. For our conversation today, we discussed the artistic impact of "Gemini" - the debut album by an American indie rock, dream pop act known as Wild Nothing, Released on May 25, 2010, on Brooklyn, NY’s Captured Tracks, Wild Nothing is a brainchild of Blacksburg, VA’s Jack Tatum and a mainstay of the group since its inception back in 2009. Enjoy the conversation!

Episode 103: Scout Gillett (Musician)

Today, we’re speaking with one Scout Gillett, from Brooklyn, NY by way of Kansas City, MO. Scout is a musician and runs her own booking agency called Road Dog Booking. Her atmospheric and contemplative debut record titled “no roof no floor” is out now via Captured Tracks, and at the time of our conversation in November 2022, wrapped up a tour in support of Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, and celebrated a release party for “no roof no floor” at the record Bar in KC with The Whiffs, Blanky, and Magic Marty. The music of Scout Gillett is very difficult to pin down sonically, and I personally believe that’s a very good place to land for an artist. If you enjoy the musical stylings of Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Mazzy Star, and Patty Smith, Scout has a seat at that table. And, I highly recommend catching her upcoming solo tour on the West Coast through the month of December, starting on Dec 7 at The Firehouse in Joshua Tree, CA, dear listeners. For our conversation, we will be discussing The Man Who Died in His Boat, the 9th studio album by American “experimental pop” musician Liz Harris under the moniker, Grouper, which was released on Monday, February 4, 2013. This record consists of outtakes from the previous years, when she was in the process of recording Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill. Enjoy the conversation!

Episode 102: Jeff Cumpson - Musicologist/Marketing Professional

Today, we are speaking with a very old friend of mine. He is one Jeffrey Thomas Cumpson. These days, he’s a marketing professional and I also know him as a musical mastermind in such projects as The 9th Great Power and The Block Signals. I first met Jeff in the summer of 1989 on the ball fields in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Sports were always part of the fabric of our friendship and as time marched on, music also began playing a crucial role – fiddling around with a four-track recorder, writing our own songs, playing in high school variety shows and the like. For our conversation, we will be discussing in great detail John Hiatt and his eighth studio record called Bring the Family, which was released on May 29, 1987 for A&M Records. This was a pivotal moment in Hiatt's career, as it very well could have been his last chance in the music business. Welcome in and enjoy!

Episode 101 - Continental Drifters (Rock band)

Today’s conversation focuses on an as-yet untitled book written by musician Sean Kelly (A Fragile Tomorrow, So Sure) about an acclaimed and criminally overlooked American rock and roll band known as Continental Drifters . Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, the Drifters consist of guitarist/vocalist Vicki Peterson from The Bangles and The Psycho Sisters, bassist Mark Walton from The Dream Syndicate, Susan Cowsill of The Cowsills and also Psycho Sisters, Peter Holsapple from the dBs, Carlo Nuccio, Robert Maché, Russ Broussard and many others throughout the band's history. With Sean, I was delighted to speak with both Vicki and Mark, who go into great detail about the origins of the group, songs which comprise their 1998 studio album Vermilion, and so much more! Be on the lookout for details surrounding the forthcoming biography on Instagram! @continentaldriftersbook

Episode 100: Jamie Aston (Musician/Bassist)

Our guest today is south central Pennsylvania's Jamie Aston, acclaimed bassist of Wes Hoke and the Bare Roots and the Joe Olnick Band. Back in August of 2022, we had a lively conversation about Burlington, Vermont's Phish and their fifth studio album released in 1994 titled Hoist. The mid 1990's was a pivotal era for the band, which saw Jon (Henrietta), Trey (Big Red), Mike (Cactus) and Page (Chairman of the Boards) leap from the club circuit in the U.S. to large scale amphitheaters and beyond. I think you'll enjoy his tale of how he discovered the band, subsequent touring/taping and his love of the music, which has never waivered for nearly thirty years. Enjoy!

Episode 99: Salim Nourallah (Musician/Producer)

Our guest today is a solo artist, producer, Palo Santo Music Group co-founder in Dallas, TX, and its indie music godfather. He is one Salim Nourallah. You may remember Salim as our guest in Episode 40 and our discussion about one of the most consequential records in our lifetime and beyond, The White Album. As a solo artist, Nourallah has long mined the terrain between catchy and devastating. Rolling Stone called him “a singer-songwriter who can stop time.” As a producer and owner of Pleasantry Lane in Dallas, Nourallah has worked notably with the Old 97’s, Rhett Miller, the Deathray Davies, and the Damnwells. His work on either side of the sound booth has won an armful of Dallas Observer music awards and proven that some musicians actually do get better with age. Our conversation today will focus on British singer/songwriter Stephen Duffy and his second solo offering from 1995 titled “Duffy” which was originally released on Indolent Records. Some may know Stephen Duffy as a founding member, vocalist and bassist of Duran Duran and later the front man for the folk rock outfit The Lilac Time. Please, enjoy episode #100!

Episode 98: Marco Castro (Musician - The Castros)

Our guest today is one Marco Castro of the Chicagoland band known as The Castros. Born & raised in Costa Rica , embraced by the Midwest, Marco is also a Metroid & coffee enthusiast. The Castros newest single that was released on December 31st, 2021 called "Sail Away" which they recorded and self-produced. For our conversation today, Marco and I discussed in great detail Vheissu (pronounced "vee-sue"), the fourth studio album from the band known as Thrice. Vheissu was recorded at Studio Bearsville in Bearsville, NY and released on October 18, 2005. Enjoy the conversation!

Episode 97: Fine Lace (Singer-Songwriter)

Our guest today is one Fine Lace. She is a 28 year old indie singer-songwriter from Idaho currently based in Seattle. In 2020 she released the first 2 songs off her upcoming EP centered on mental health ("Hold On" and "Amazing Mom (Infertility Song)"). Producing music got put on hold last year when in her own words gave birth to a “little miracle baby” but says she should be back in the studio sometime in 2022. For our conversation today, she has chosen is "We Can Still Sing" by Nashville based singer-songwriter Allison Leah. We Can Still Sing is a song inspired by the hundreds of people singing from their balconies in 2020 during the current and ongoing global health pandemic due to COVID-19. Jonathan Frahm of the blog For Folks Sake writes, "A choral call to arms for love, kindness, and respect, the singer-songwriter has effectively woven a beautiful anthem for this precise moment in history.” Enjoy the conversation!

Episode 96: Sarah Harralson (Country Recording Artist)

Our guest today is one Sarah Harralson from Nashville, by way of Knoxville, TN. Sarah began writing songs when she was ten years old, her bluegrass musician grandfather being her biggest musical influence. After her grandfather passed in 2011, Sarah decided she would move to Nashville in 2013 to pursue music at Belmont University. Upon the release of hearing her debut EP Finally Found, in 2014 Music Connection Magazine wrote “Sarah Harralson presents honest, bare-boned recordings that are authentic.” A year later after releasing Finally Found, she was discovered by Scotty Schultz, drummer of Shooter Jennings (Waylon Jennings’s son). Scotty opened up his publishing company, Raindrop Music LLC, in 2015 and after hearing Sarah’s original song “Watered Down Whiskey”, he knew he wanted to sign her right away. Scotty decided he would produce her first country EP, Watered Down Whiskey, of all original songs that Sarah has either written or co-written. One of the tracks on the EP includes the song, “Radio Static” that was co-written with Johnny Garcia (lead guitar for Garth Brooks). Over time, Sarah began writing and working with Johnny, which evolved to the point where Sarah would sign her next publishing deal with Busy at Play Publishing (Johnny Garcia’s company) in February 2020. During 2020, she has released singles, "Put a Rock on This Rolling Stone", "Get Lost in Some Rock 'N Roll", and holiday single, "Frosty", since signing with Busy at Play Publishing. Her 2021 singles include, "The Chance", "The America I Knew", "Love on Lease (Reimagined)", "Bottom of the Glass", and a jazz version of "Silent Night". A new single, "Whiskey History" was released on January 14th of this year. You can Sarah find her playing local shows in Nashville when she is not out of town. Her stage credibility includes opening for the likes of Aaron Tippin, Bucky Covington, and also included on festival rosters with Jason Aldean and Old Dominion as headliners. Besides performing, Sarah also produces music herself and decided to release a collaborative album, West of Me, with co-writer Christine Bauer in early 2019 that she self-produced. You can also hire her to write and record a song for you or your loved one through websites, Songfinch, SoundBetter, or Fiverr. In June 2021, she was invited to be a voting member of The Recording Academy as a vocalist and songwriter. She also plays at hospitals as a volunteer musician once a month for Musicians On Call. Sarah hopes that her music will help people in some way across the world. She is a big believer that music heals and aims to present her music in a way that is relatable for others and can heal any open wounds. For our conversation today, we’ll be discussing country artist Brandy Clark and her debut record 12 Stories, which was recorded with produced Dave Brainard and released on October 22, 2013, through Slate Creek Records. Enjoy the conversation!

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