Where The Living Room Used To Be

Alley Trash talks their history and ”New Failures”

On this special edition episode, I sit down with vocalist Evan Warren and drummer Devin McGrath from Alley Trash to talk about the history of the band and some of their key influences. Plus, we get into their latest release "New Failures" and you're going to want to listen to the end to hear about a couple of very cool things they have in the works as well!
I hope you enjoy and definitely make sure to check out their EP release show on Sept 4th at the Bristol VFW which has an incredible lineup of RI and MA bands that you'll hear more about in this episode.
Interlude track order:
"A Matter of Course and Policy" from their EP Cement Waits For No Man 
"Son of the South" from their EP New Failures
// Interview recorded August 31st, 2021 via Instagram Livestream// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
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Sound Advice with Mark Taber

Mark Taber shares some very practical advice on how to be a better musician and a better bandmate, as well as what he feels the overall approach should be toward creating art and music
And, as Mark talked about in the full episode, Tombstone was known for their powerful live shows - playing anywhere from small bars to big arenas - which helped lead them to major label record deals. So what I have for you at the end of this mini-episode is a 1987 performance of Ken Lyon and the Tombstone Blues Band live from the Blue Pelican in Newport. The song is "Brownsville" and this was originally broadcast on WOTB radio. Enjoy! 
 
// Interview recorded August 3rd, 2021 at Lippitt Park in Providence // Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
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Mark Taber (Tombstone Blues Band, Two Tabers, solo pianist)

On this episode, I have the honor of speaking with the legendary, Mark Taber. As you can imagine, we discuss a lot over his 60+ year music career including how he first got into playing the piano, the start of Tombstone Blues Band, how music is a great mechanism to give back to the community, and his experiences playing shows with some of the most acclaimed artists over the last half-century.
Interlude song order:
"The Way You Look Tonight" solo piano by Mark Taber (audio courtesy of Sam Taber)
"Lorraine" by Ken Lyon and Tombstone
"Guilty" performed by Two Tabers
"The Nearness of You" solo piano by Mark Taber (audio courtesy of Sam Taber)
// Interview recorded August 3rd, 2021 at Lippitt Park in Providence (please excuse any background noise... I did what I could :) )// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
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Paul Dube Sr. (tribute to this master accordionist)

I've been very fortunate to speak with so many talented musicians over the last few years. One of these people was my father-in-law, Paul Dube, back in February of 2020. As you hopefully heard in that episode, Paul is an accomplished musician, booker, and music educator, but one thing you didn't hear was how his father Paul Dube Sr. was a master accordion player and educator as well.
Paul Dube Sr. passed away on July 4th of this year after a hard-fought battle with cancer. So what I have for you on this mini-episode is a previously unreleased clip of Paul Dube Jr. talking about the skill his father had, and what it was like balancing a third-shift job in a mill and being a working musician in the 60s to support the family.
I hope you enjoy the episode and please listen to the end to hear some recordings of Paul Sr. playing "Waltz Allegro" followed by the song "Sunny Skies" 
 
Previously unreleased clip from our interview recorded February 1st, 2020 at Paul's home in PawtucketIntro music by CedrosHosted by James Toomey

RI 5 with Jon Hope

Jon Hope takes us back to his favorite RI record store, how his love for engaging with an artist has evolved over the years, where he hangs in the Ocean State, and how becoming the host of Providence College Basketball games at The Dunk came about!
Also, included his track "Rhode Less Traveled", which Jon and I discussed quite a bit in the full episode.
// Interview recorded July 8th, 2021 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
/// If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now! ///

Sound Advice with Jon Hope

Jon Hope shares some things he's learned from other hip-hop stars, what he feels you can do to find your truest self, and what it is that moves him down his musical path. 
I've also included a performance of Jon's song "Black Rose" from his appearance on BAMS FEST. He recently did this livestream show and interview and I highly recommend checking out the full event. [CLICK HERE TO WATCH] 
Also, make sure to catch the album release party for Hope All Is Well to see him live in person with a full band on September 15th at The Met in Pawtucket! [CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS]
 
// Interview recorded July 8th, 2021 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
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Jon Hope

Jon Hope is an acclaimed rapper, entrepreneur, and educator and on this episode, we have a long conversation that delves into all of these. We cover his early years, what he puts into his writing, how he reps Rhode Island, and we spend some time highlighting a couple of tracks from each of the albums he's done. 
Plus, we talk about his new book "Respect Your Passion" and how his Hope Scholars Initiative came about.
Interlude song order:
Live at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in 2007
"Better feat. Taktix" from Somekind of Wonderful
"Sara's Song (The Proclamation)" from Work In Progress 
"Coffee Milk feat. Buffi" from A Guy Named Harry
"Dirty Wings feat. Nino & Helena" from Savage Beauty
"3rd Shift feat. RagzDaArtist" previously unreleased single
"Winners Story feat. OT The Real" from Hope All Is Well
"Bluest Moon feat. RagzDaArtist" from Hope All Is Well
 
// Interview recorded July 8th, 2021 via Zoom// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
/// If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now! ///

Strip Mall talks about their new self-titled EP

I sat down with Jack and Vinnie of Warwick party emo /sad jazz band Strip Mall to cover their start, how the band constructs their intricate songs, the experience they had recording the "Strip Mall EP", and what to expect at the release show on 7/15 at Dusk!!! (if you're listening to this in the future check the internet for some videos from the show... it was a good one and definitely did have some surprises) 
As you'll hear, I'm a big fan of these guys and definitely recommend picking up their new EP on Bandcamp or wherever you buy/stream music... or grab a CD at the show!
Includes their song "Julius Caesar" from Strip Mall EP 
// Interview recorded July 14th, 2021 via Instagram Livestream// Intro music by Cedros// Hosted by James Toomey //
/// If you enjoy the episode please leave a rating or review wherever you're listening right now! ///