Matthew Ryan has been making great music for over a decade.  Most recently he had a song featured on the TV show House. 

His new album, Matthew Ryan vs the Silver State, won't be released until April Fools Day, 2008 (it ain't no joke!). 

I love his music and am so honored to have him on the show.

My thanks to Holland Nix for making this happen.

Buy the Album (4/1/08)!

 Swati, meaning "birth of a star" in Hindu, came to my attention by way of the amazing Abby White, Music Editor for Performing Songwriter Magazine.

Swati is real and refuses to be anything but herself.  She's a rare combination of fire and ice.

My thanks to John Porter and Mark McKenna for being so great in making this show happen.

Buy the Album!

Josh Doyle reminds me of Paul Weller mixed with Tom Waits.  He's passionate and is a force to be reckoned with when there's a guitar in his hands. 

His former band, The Dum Dums, opened for Bon Jovi at Wembley and had success in Europe.

My favorite way to hear Josh is solo.  Don't miss his live performance at the end of the show. 

My thanks to Speakerheart for making me aware of Josh.

Buy the Album!

Kaiser Cartel's music makes me feel like I'm running through a field of daisies.  It's stripped down and honest.  Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel make beautiful music in more ways than one.  Take a listen!

Buy the Album!

Grammy nominated Abra Moore has a magical quality to her music and her life.  She's worked with Clive Davis and is a fantastic songwriter, in my opinion.

Enjoy.

Buy the Album!

Tom Brosseau is an artist like no other.  He's gentle, yet confident.  His stories weave tails of growing up in rural North Dakota and hearken back to a simpler time melodically.

This show is dedicated to our great friend Mike Gowder who supports independent music unceasingly.

Buy the Album!

The Good Listeners music makes you feel like you're watching a film.  Their song King Friday is made even more stunning by watching the accompanying clip from the film Soy Cuba.  Take a look.

Those of you in the LA area can meet me at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on Wed, Sept 19 for Young Director's Night, where The Good Listeners will be performing.

September, 19 2007 at LACMA
5905 Wilshire Boulevard, los Angeles, California 90036

Buy the Album!

Danny Socolof is a music industry mogul, but you'd never know it.  He's worked with Led Zeppelin and The Who, not to mention representing Pepsi's music initiatives for 16 years. 

We sat down for a long chat and I asked him to choose a band for the show.  I'm very grateful he introduced me to the music of Chicken Legs Weaver, a great band out of Sheffield, UK.

Carrie Rodriguez hails from Austin, Texas but makes her home in Brooklyn, NY now.  This might give you some idea of how eclectic her music is.   You'll hear elements of Lucinda Williams, with whom Carrie's been touring with this summer, but she also incorporates elements of jazz and rock in her sound.  The fabulous Bill Frisell plays on the album.

Buy the Album!

Buddy is one of my new favorites.  His lyrics are wonderful and his melodies quietly attach themselves to your heart.  If you like the Postal Service and Deathcab for Cutie, you're going to fall for Buddy, as I have.

Buy the Album!

Justin Lyons is the nicest guy.  I had the best time hanging out with him when we recorded this show.  You've heard California Groove on the popular Lifetime show Army Wives and his album Water My Whiskers will be available late Sept on iTunes.

Montreal's Izzy Cox is all at once open, distant, warm and cold.  Her music tells the story of her life.  A life that includes prisons, drugs, asylums, heartbreak, love and a lot of leaving.

Buy the Album!

Miniature Tigers are the best unsigned band I've ever heard.  Truthfully!  22 year old Charlie Brand wrote all the songs and played all the instruments on this stunning debut.  I'm speechless and SO thankful to 8mm for telling me about these guys.

You can't buy the album yet, so check back with me.

If you're in LA, I'll see you this Monday Night at Silverlake Lounge for their set.

Apart from being incredibly talented, Rob Giles is just a sweetheart.  His music has such depth and his voice...oh that voice. 

Just listen.  Listen.

Buy the Album.

mere mortals kicked my ass when I saw them live in LA a few years back.  I love their new ep and I had a blast sitting on the floor of lead singer Axel's apartment in Hollywood.

Buy the album!

Eleni Mandell's music takes me back to another time.  Her latest effort, Miracle of Five, has elements of big band, jazz and even swing, but her songs are modern and demand you listen to the lyrics.

Wilco's Nels Cline can be heard throughout this album on a variety of instruments. 

A beautiful journey from start to finish.

Buy the Album!

Jesse Malin is one of the coolest artists I've met.  Apart from being an amazing guy, he knows how to please a crowd.  He even came to my gig at the Living Room, jet-lagged I might add, and got up and played a song.

I hope you enjoy Jesse's duet with Bruce Springsteen and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for being on the show.

Buy the Album!

This Wednesday, April 4, Jeff Finlin, Paul Chesne and Dave Phenicie's new band Stonehoney LIVE at

The Mint

6010 W Pico Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90035

Don't miss this amazing night of music!

In this podcast I feature a song from each artist.

Derren Raser performs perhaps the best live performance here since SMtv's inception.  If you're a fan of John Mayer and Michael Buble, you'll love San Diego's Derren Raser.  His latest effort, The King of I'll Tell You Next Week, is produced by SMtv's artist #22 Greg Laswell, now signed to Van Guard Records.

 

Buy the Album!

Lonesome Spurs are Lynda Kay and Danny B Harvey.  Their music makes me wanna hit the road, roll down the windows and have no destination in mind.

Join me?

Buy the Album!

I just love Eric Anderson, aka Cataldo.  He crafts really cool pop songs with incredibly unique stories.  I had a great time chatting with him last summer as he toured through California.

My thanks to Speechwriters LLC for hooking a sister way up.

Buy the Album!

AJ Croce had no choice.  Music runs through him like the blood in his veins.  As the son of Jim Croce, AJ has been through many trials and tribulations and has come out the other side a better musician.

My thanks to LeStat's in San Diego for letting us record this show there and Louis Brazier, you are amazing.

Huge gratitude to Mick Wainman for organizing this show for me.

Buy the Album

Happy Holidays from SMtv! 

Enjoy a beautiful song from Mike Schmid and purchase his Snow Day CD!

Tune into my next show January 7, 2007.  I'm featuring a brilliant artist, as well as playing his duet with Bruce Springsteen!

Be happy and well!

What can I say about Revival?

Is it necessary for me to share my feelings that they're without a doubt a band you will definitely see on the Billboard Charts one day?  Do you need to know how much I love Josh Read's voice and music?  Does it matter that he drove through the icy winter in an unregistered van to spend an afternoon with me and a few cans of beer?  Damn right it does. 

I love this band.

Listen.

Thank you.

Album coming in February, 2007.

I met NYC artist Ben Carroll earlier this year when we played a show together.  I was immediately impressed by his voice and stage presence. 

I hope those of you in New York City will come see Ben and me play live this Friday, December 15 @ The Living Room's brand new upstair's lounge.  Ben's on @ 8:30 and I'm at 10:30.

My sincere thanks to Ben's dad, the incredibly talented Jon Carroll, for joining Ben on his live performance for this show.  Oh yeah, and for the use of his living room!

Dave Phenicie is everything of talent.  He sings his ass off and has backed many successful touring artists and bands.  Long Lonely Time is his first solo record and ain't we grateful!

 

Buy the Album!

 

Photo by Dave Navarro