Oklahoma Mama: Interview with Wanda Jackson

Viewers of the Ken Burns "Country" documentary were no doubt startled by the incredible footage of a young Wanda Jackson tearing up the stage in a rare clip.

While there were a few standout female rockers in the 1950s (most notably Virginia's own packet of dynamite, Janis Martin) Jackson took the rockabilly music pioneered by one of her boyfriends, Elvis Presley, to a whole new level.

Jackson's work for Capitol Records and with producer Ken Nelson spawned numerous classics -- stomping anthems like “Let's Have a Party” and “Fujiyama Mama,” fueled by Jackson's untamed growl and kittenish persona (not to mention top notch guitarists such as Grady Martin and the young Roy Clark).

I'm pleased to see that my 2010 interview with the petite Oklahoma powerhouse is still online -- although wonkily formatted -- at the Style Weekly website. Read my in-depth talk with the legend by having a party right here.

And for more on the great Wanda Jackson, go here. 

A New Song: Interview with Jesse McReynolds

A few years ago, I had the honor of spending the afternoon with the legendary Jesse McReynolds for a cover feature in Virginia Living Magazine.

In a wide-ranging interview, conducted at his event space, the Pick Inn, outside of Nashville, the matchless mandolin virtuoso talked with me about how he and his brother Jim McReynolds formed Jim and Jesse, one of the greatest bluegrass acts in history, and how he became the longest-running regular on the Grand Ole Opry, among many other topics (including his relationships with the likes of Bill Monroe and the Louvin Brothers, and his work with -- yes -- The Doors).

Jesse is still going strong, performing on the Opry (at age 90), and remains one of the nicest guys in the music business. Thanks Jesse.

Read "A New Song" by going right here.

And for more on Jesse McReynolds and Jim and Jesse, get to steppin' here.

Old-Time Man: Interview with Ralph Stanley

Thanks to Ken Burns, I can shamelessly plug some of my previously-published features on the history of country and bluegrass music -- like my Virginia Living Magazine cover feature on the legendary Ralph Stanley, who passed away in 2016.

Eight years earlier, I got to spend the day with Dr. Ralph at his Ralph Stanley Museum in Clintwood and talk with him at length about his incredible career, including his relationship with brother Carter, his discovery of Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley, the career resurgence that followed his work in "O Brother, Where Art Thou," and his unlikely one-off collaboration with the great James Brown.

Read "Old-Time Man" by going right here.

And remember: You CAN get tired of chocolate pie!

(Photo by the mighty Robb Scharetg)

Interview with Damien Jurado

Indie folk artist Damien Jurado has released some of the finest music of his 23-year-career of late, traversing the worlds of folk, easy listening and found-sound pop.

Last year's "The Horizon Just Laughed" cast his melancholic melodies amid glorious choirs, strings and horns, resulting in memorable neo-psychedelic creations such as "Percy Faith" and "Allocate." By contrast, his new album, "In the Shape of a Storm," is stripped down and closer in tone to Jurado's intimate solo performances.

Read my Richmond Magazine interview with this unique talent by going here.

And for more on Damien Jurado and his music, click this place.

(Photo by the mighty Vikesh Kapoor)

Raw Enough: The Candy Snatchers Return

Formed in 1992, the Virginia Beach-based Candy Snatchers made quite a first impression—their unpredictable, often unhinged, stage performances frequently included pyrotechnics and blood-letting—when they played legendary Virginia clubs such as Norfolk’s Kings Head Inn and Richmond’s Twisters, and later toured the U.S. and Canada.

After 16 years, three albums, and more than a dozen singles, the Snatchers dissolved following the 2008 death of guitarist Matthew Odietus.

But a decade after disbanding,  the Snatchers have never been hotter. "Moronic Pleasures," a new release on Berlin, Germany’s Hound Gawd label featuring lost sessions from 1997, is earning raves and garnering new fans. The current interest has spurred the gang to start it all up again.

Read "Raw Enough," my Virginia Living Magazine piece on the Candy Snatchers and their unlikely resurrection, by going here.

And for more on the Candy Snatchers, go here.

(Photo by the mighty Lori Golding)

A Talk With Lydia Night of The Regrettes

When The Regrettes burst onto the scene two years ago with their debut album, "Feel Your Feelings Fool!," the high school-aged California band seemed like a breath of fresh, loud air, and not just because of its members' relative youth and fetching visual style.

Here was an enthusiastic modern rock outfit keen on incorporating, and often subverting, retro song forms — such as rockabilly ("Hey Now") and girl-group pop ("A Living Human Girl") — and recasting them with biting, socially conscious snark for a new generation.

My Richmond Magazine Q&A with Regrettes leader Lydia Night, recently hailed as "the new face of feminist punk, is now online.

Read the interview by going here. 

For more on The Regrettes, take yourself to this place.

(Photo by the mighty Claire Marie Vogel)

Frank Guida and "High School U.S.A."

Frank Guida liked to think big.

The Virginia music producer, who scored national hits with Gary “U.S. Bonds” and Jimmy Soul in the early 1960s, is known as the spark plug behind the Norfolk Sound—the rambunctious party music that influenced generations of rockers.

Old Dominion University’s Perry Library recently unveiled its new Frank and Carmela Guida Collection of rare papers, recordings, and personal items from the producer’s archives. Donated by Guida’s family, the collection includes handwritten lyrics, contracts, correspondence, photos, tapes, and original recording equipment.

Even with legal papers embargoed until 2029, the collection is filled with historical insight into the recording industry and the Norfolk music scene. One box in particular reveals behind-the-scenes details of the producer’s most audacious recording—a song, or songs, waxed 60 years ago, called “High School U.S.A.”

My look back at this unusual record -- and all of its many regional variations -- is now online at the Virginia Living Magazine website.

You can read "School is In" by going right here.

For more on the archive, read my recent Coastal Virginia Magazine article right here. 

And for more on ODU's Special Collections, click this spot. 

Picker's Supply: Strings Attached

At first glance, Picker’s Supply in Fredericksburg, Virginia seems like an ordinary instrument shop—amplifiers, ukuleles, and bass guitars adorn the front aisles, and classic rock lingers in the air, punctuated by the sound of customers tentatively thumping, strumming, and banging prospective purchases.

Wander a bit and you’ll learn why, to many musicians, this is a sacred space. The affable owner, Bran Dillard, with his sandy beard and encyclopedic knowledge of anything with strings attached, leads a visitor to the back where stacked lines of unique guitars and other musical oddities sit inside glass showcases. “This represents the evolution of Americana music,” he says.

My Virginia Living Magazine article on this unique musical destination is now online. Read "Strings Attached" by going right here.

And for more on Picker's Supply, go here.

(Photo by the mighty Jennifer Chase)

The History of Hardywood

Eric McKay and Patrick Murtaugh can recall the exact day that they knew the small craft beer venture they’d co-founded—Hardywood Park Craft Brewery—was going to make it.

“It was the first event at our downtown Richmond facility, July 4, 2012, just after it became legal in Virginia to sell in a taproom,” company president McKay recalls. Recently opened, the brewery’s small staff prepared for 500 patrons, but 4,000 showed up, he says. “People were everywhere. I’m sure there were attendees there who were like, ‘We’ve got to start a brewery.'”

It sort of seems that way. In Virginia’s exploding craft beer universe—from 35 to 200 breweries in just the past few years—Hardywood has led the way.

My in-depth Q&A with McKay and Murtaugh for Savor Virginia examines the history of Hardywood -- it all started on a sheep farm in Australia -- and how the duo continue to spearhead Virginia's craft beer revolution.

Read the article right here. 

And for more on Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, go right here. 

(Photo by the mighty Todd Wright)

Come Fly With Me: World Flying Disc Championships

LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!

More than 100 ace aerialists are slated to compete in the 2019 World Overall Flying Disc Championships, to be held in various Richmond, Virginia-area parks and fields in July.

‘‘A flying disc is what a ball wants to be when it grows up,” says Rob McLeod, a.k.a. Frisbee Rob (pictured). “You know what a basketball, football or soccer ball can do, but with a flying disc, there are so many more possibilities.”Hailing from Alberta B.C., McLeod is one of the hundred athletes from across the globe slated to participate in the world championships.

“The competition is best compared to a decathlon or heptathlon,” says event organizer and player Jack Cooksey. “There are seven different events with individual skill tests, and two of the events are partner events.”

Read my Richmond Magazine article on the World Championships by going here.

And for more on the World Flying Disc Federation, which sanctions the competitions, go here.

Link Wray: The First Man in Black

"Rumble," released in 1958 by Link Wray and his Raymen, was an instrumental once considered so dangerous and subversive that it was banned on American radio, a tune so influential that it’s been credited with birthing both heavy metal AND punk rock.

The man behind this seminal blast of noise—a black-haired, leather-clad guitarist of American Indian origin—spent his formative years in and around Hampton Roads and came up with his most famous song at a Virginia sock hop.

"His rebellious look was functional," says Dana Raidt, the author of a new biography, "Link Wray: The First Man in Black," set for release in August from Bazillion Points Books. "He wore dark sunglasses because the light bothered his eyes ... he had really bad vision. And he wore the leather jacket so he wouldn't catch cold."

My article on the new Link biography is now up at the Coastal Virginia Magazine website, one of the many articles I penned for the mag's special May-June music issue.

Get the rumble by clicking this spot. 

And for more on "Link Wray: The First Man in Black," go here.

The Attucks Theatre at 100

If buildings could talk, the 624-seat Attucks Theatre would sing.

Originally constructed in 1919, this ornate Norfolk destination -- known for many years as The Booker T -- has been called "The Apollo of the South," but that's not exactly right, as the Attucks was constructed first.

The venerable venue is currently celebrating its 100th birthday with a new WHRO TV documentary devoted to its history as a music venue, movie theater, playhouse and community gathering place.

(And how's this for dream concerts? Dizzy Gillespie appeared here for a two-night stint in November 1946, and Newport News' own Ella Fitzgerald opened for him).

My historical feature on this important African-American showplace is now up at the Coastal Virginia Magazine website, one of the many articles I penned for the mag's special May-June music issue.

Hear the echoes by going here. 

(Photo of the Attucks in 1927 courtesy of SevenVenues).

The Backyard Beckons: North Shore Point

For nearly two decades, journalist Jim Morrison has been hosting intimate acoustic concerts on the back lawn of his Norfolk home, and not just any shows.

His North Shore Point House Concerts has brought acclaimed Americana singers, established bluegrass, folk and blues pickers, stripped-down rock 'n' rollers and even a few Grammy winners— the likes of Todd Snider, Steve Forbert, Della Mae, Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Kelly Willis, Marshall Crenshaw, Lloyd Cole, Nellie McKay and many more.

Lately, Morrison's nonprofit venture has been booking more performances in actual venues—like Old Dominion University Goode Theatre & Soundstage, Boathouse Live in Newport News, Norfolk's Toast and the Virginia Arts Festival courtyard.

My feature on NSP is now up at the Coastal Virginia Magazine website, one of the many articles I penned for the mag's special May-June 2019 music issue. The online version comes complete with some of Jim's favorite house concert moments, including video clips from past shows.

Take a trip to the backyard by going here.

And for more on North Shore Point, go here. 

(Photo of Steve Forbert courtesy of North Shore Point House Concerts)

The 'Norfolk Sound' Archive at ODU

Those rowdy party noises emanating from Old Dominion University these days might not be the work of the students.

The holdings of the late record producer Frank Guida, who helped popularize the rollicking “Norfolk Sound,” now reside in ODU’s Perry Library as part of its Special Collections. The Frank and Carmela Guida/Rockmasters International Collection includes original recording equipment, tapes, records, photographs, master discs, correspondence and legal papers saved from Guida’s active 40-year career as a music maker and a producer of artists ranging from Gary U.S. Bonds, Jimmy Soul, Bill Deal and the Rhondels, Lenis Guess, and more.

My history of the "Norfolk Sound," accompanied by photographs of artifacts from the archive, is now up at the Coastal Virginia Magazine website, one of the many articles I penned for the mag's special May-June 2019 music issue.

Join in the roar and read the article here.

And for more on the Frank Guida archive and ODU's Special Collections, go here.

Making the Charts with Trey Pollard

My April Virginia Living Magazine column on musician and producer Trey Pollard is now online

Pollard is best known as the inventive arranger behind the soul and indie-rock performers -- standouts  from Matthew E. White to Natalie Prass -- on Richmond’s distinctive Spacebomb label.

For his own first solo album, he took a detour from his usual string and horn sweetenings. Antiphone is a beautifully realized classical chamber music disc, mostly four-string quintet, a moody mélange of cello and violin that simmers and stimulates. “I don’t see it as a record like any other Spacebomb has done,” the 35-year-old Chesapeake native says. “It’s all about making a statement, and trying not to lose too much money.”

Find out more about Trey Pollard and his arresting new record by clicking here.

And for more on Spacebomb Records, go here.

Photo by the mighty Sarah Walor!

Sonic Boom: Music Reviews in the RTD Void

I've been telling people for years that I've never worked for the Richmond Times-Dispatch --- it's one of the few major Virginia publications I've avoided.

So imagine my surprise when someone calls me a liar. An acquaintance informed me that he saw my byline on several articles published on the RTD website.

He's right. Well, look at that.

OK, let me explain. Way back at the turn of the Millennium, I had a regular music column, Sonic Boom, that ran on a then-active local news site called Richmond.com. That entire operation, and the website's web address, was sold to the RTD in a regional media buyout some time ago. Richmond.com is now the RTD's website.

,,,and that web address is STILL where you can find past editions of my "Sonic Boom." Not all of them but some. And they hold up pretty well, if I do say so myself.

Get yourself a bit of old Boom (as they say) by clicking on these links.

Best Releases of the 1990s.

Beck, The Roots, the Hang-Ups, "Clem Comstock," Seven Hearts

Ben Harper, Solex, Manishevitz, the Hollies, the Mekons

Nine Inch Nails, the Misfits, Robyn Hitchcock, Louis Jordan, Tower of Power, Barry White, LaBradford

Foo Fighters, Billy Nichols, Peter Finger, a case for Low Power Radio 

(Art: "Nancy" by the late, great Ernie Bushmiller)

Record Collectors and Richmond's Fine Vinyl

I love lists.

Well, actually, they're just OK. They tire me out sometimes.

But I REALLY love records. And so this just-posted online list of rare and unusual Richmond-affiliated vinyl platters that I compiled with Richmond Magazine arts editor Craig Belcher was fun to put together and listen back to.... and we even give you links so you can hear the artifacts in question.

With this list, you can find outmoreabout Robert Williams' amazing "Loud Mufflers" as well as check out  noteworthy tracks by the Ferguson Brothers, Johnson's Happy Pals, Serious Tripp, and more. Get to listening right here.

The list accompanies a larger Richmond Magazine feature section where different area record hounds are profiled - there are a lot of record stores in this area, as I've written about in the past. For this Rich Mag spread, I came up with a piece on legendary record collector John Wood, the man who started the Richmond area's first record shows, and who keeps a guest cottage just to house his 45's. Get that article right here.

(Photo by the mighty Jay Paul!)

Growing Down with Illiterate Light

“The limitations of our set-up give us a certain edge,” says Jake Cochran, the drummer and one half of Illiterate Light, a Harrisonburg duo that is taking its high-energy two-man live show and hummable tunes beyond regional acclaim. “I think people can feel it.”

Produced at Montrose Studios in Richmond with engineer Adrian Olsen and The Head and The Heart’s Charlie Glenn, Illiterate Light’s striking new album is filled with sugary, Classic rock-influenced gems. And it’s getting notice. National Public Radio named the Light’s anthemic “Better Than I Used To,” which was released as an advance single, as one of its “Ten Hot Summer Songs” for 2018.

Find out more about illiterate Light. Read the December 2018 installment of my Virginia Living Magazine music column by taking yourself right over here.

And for more on Illiterate Light -- yes, they were named after the Wilco lyric -- you can two-step it here.

(Photo by the mighty Joey Wharton)

Seeds of Memory: Native Heritage Crops

“Our seeds are more than just food," says seedkeeper Frank Cain.

Formed by members of the Monacan, Nottoway and Tuscarora tribes, the Alliance of Native Seedkeepers is an organization that works to save specific, sometimes disappearing, varieties of indigenous crops and herbs important to tribal legacies, some with colorful names such as Skunk Pole Bean and Virginia Gourd Seed Corn.

Members like Cain are currently growing rare corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, tobacco and more in fields and plots across Central Virginia — their largest is located at Epic Gardens in Richmond's Bon Air section.

Read my Richmond Magazine feature on these intrepid seed kepers, and the efforts to save rare indigenous crops, by planting yourself right here.

And for more on the Alliance of Native Seedkeepers, go to their Facebook Page here.

(Photo courtesy of the Alliance)

For Pete's Sake: John McCutcheon Speaks

Johnny Cash once called John McCutcheon the most talented instrumentalist he'd ever seen. It's easy to see why -- the man plays more than a dozen different kinds, including his signature hammered dulcimer.

The folk music veteran's new album, his 40th, To Everyone in All the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger, is a rousing tribute to his idol, Seeger, who died in 2014 at age 94. The set features Virginia blues master Corey Harris, country singer Suzy Bogguss and bluegrass band Hot Rize.

“The first LP I ever bought was by Pete Seeger, and it was called ‘We Shall Overcome,’ ” he tells me in an interview for Richmond Magazine. “It was a concert recording, and I had never been to a concert before. This LP was a revelation because Pete’s audiences, they came to sing. And everyone was singing along in harmony. I’d never heard anything like it.”

McCutcheon’s immersion in traditional music continued through his days at Saint John’s University in Minnesota. On a whim, he traveled south to Virginia and West Virginia to try to learn from some of his Appalachian musical heroes such as banjo player Roscoe Holcomb, fiddler Tommy Hunter and mountain dulcimer artist I.D. Stamper. “Originally I thought, as a college student, that I would come down here and study and marinate myself in it for three months. It was a three-month study that I’m still on 47 years later.”

Read my profile of McCutcheon, "For Pete's Sake," by going right here.

And for more on the music of John McCutcheon, click here.

(Photo by the mighty Irene Young)

Interview with Daniel Bachman

“I’ve always been into traditional American music as well as contemporary experimental music,” says Daniel Bachman, whose finger-picked acoustic guitar and banjo instrumentals—traversing between classic Piedmont blues covers, ruminative Americana, and atmospheric soundscapes—have won rave reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and National Public Radio.

Atmospheric tunes like “New Moon” and old-timey workouts, such as “Wide Oak,” even prompted NPR to enthuse that Bachman isn’t just playing guitar, “He’s sculpting sound.”

As his career unfolds, the 29-year-old Bachman prompts continuous comparisons to the late John Fahey, the guiding light of the American Primitive style of folk guitar. “I became aware of John Fahey right after I had this epiphany that you could tune the guitar like a banjo,” he says with a laugh. “And then it was, ‘Oh wait, someone’s already been doing that for forever.’”

My interview with the Fredericksburg, Virginia sonic sculptor is now online at the Virginia Living Magazine website. Read "Orange Country Serenader" by clicking here.

(Photo by the mighty Jen Fariello!)

Bee Happy: Saving the Honeybee

My long, loving look at the Virginia honeybee has been posted online. I hope it starts a buzz.

The Virginia Living Magazine article, titled "Bee Happy," follows  Virginia backyard beekeepers who are helping pollen-loving Anthophila—and in particular the much-needed honeybee—to survive in an ever-changing, tumultuous climate.

“The numbers of bees have been going down dramatically since the 1970s,” Keith Tignor, Virginia’s state apiarist, tells me in the piece. “We estimate that we have had as many as 85,000 to 90,000 beehives across the state, and now we’re looking at 35,000, maybe at best 40,000, hives.” The die-off is part of a nationwide trend known as colony collapse disorder, he adds, and this past season was Virginia’s worst in a long time. “We lost 60 percent of our managed colonies this past winter.”

But with recent rains, things may be looking up for the bees. Find out by reading "Bee Happy" right here.

And more on the products of Virginia beekeepers, go here.

(Photo by the mighty Kate Thompson!)

An Open Letter to Pharrell

Richmond Magazine arts editor Craig Belcher and I have written a friendly letter to Pharrell Williams about his -- ah -- borrowing of our big Virginia Music concert idea for his Something in the Water Festival in April.

Why stop there, Mr. Williams? What about our Virginia Music Hall of Fame and Museum idea too? (And where are our comp tickets? It's the least you can do.)

Read the letter on the Richmond magazine website right here.

As far as our Rich Mag cover feature with the cool ideas, it recently copped a first place Virginia Press Association award for Best Arts Writing. Kudos to Craig and me. Read that award-winning pitch here and here and here.

(Photo of a waterlogged copy of the inspirational issue by the mighty Heather Palmateer)

Unsettled History: Virginia in 1619

My latest feature for Coastal Virginia Magazine is about the very beginnings of America.

In "Unsettled History," I write about a yearlong initiative in Virginia called American Evolution, designed to loudly spread the word about the events of 1619,  one year before the Mayflower landed, when the first assembly of American lawmakers convened in Jamestown, the first Africans arrived in Hampton, and a campaign to recruit groups of women from England was started in the New World. It was also—sorry, Massachusetts—the year Virginia celebrated the first English Thanksgiving.

Kickstarted by a $24 million state investment and buoyed by a bevy of high-powered corporate sponsors, American Evolution intends to rebrand the Old Dominion as the nation's birthplace and maybe even talk openly about the difficult birth.

Find out about the statewide celebrations and discussions, as well as what the City of Hampton is doing with its own yearlong 400th commemorative celebration, by reading my feature article, which is available in the March-April issue of Coastal Virginia.

Click and read it right here.

And for more on the American Evolution campaign, go here.

For more on the City of Hampton's 400th anniversary events, go here.

(Illustration: "First Thanksgiving" by Sidney Lang)

The Old Dominion Barn Dance

It was Virginia’s biggest hoedown. First airing in 1946, the Old Dominion Barn Dance was broadcast on Richmond’s WRVA radio as the city’s version of Nashville’s Grand Ol’ Opry. Hosted by pioneering femcee Mary “Sunshine Sue” Workman, the country music variety show lasted a little more than a decade, but its steel guitar-sweetened echoes still resonate.

“The Barn Dance had great entertainers, musicians, and vocalists,” remembers Cal Newman, 86, a fiddler who grew up listening to, and later performing as a backup musician on, the Saturday night performance. “A lot of legends used it as a stepping stone to greater things, like Chet Atkins, Mac Wiseman, Reno and Smiley ... for some, it became a jumping off place to Nashville and stardom.”

With its blend of rustic, sometimes sentimental songs (“You Are My Sunshine” was Sue’s signature sign-off), folksy product placement, and cornball humor, the Barn Dance became wildly popular, and not just in Virginia—WRVA’s 50,000 watts could span several states, and portions were heard across the world on Armed Forces Radio. Sue and her cast even made it to Broadway in 1954 to perform in a country musical called Hayride.

My photo feature on the Old Dominion Barn Dance is now up at the Virginia Living Magazine website. Lasso it right here. Find out about the amazing legends who passed through the program, as well as the contemporary reboot of the big show that happens at Hopewell's Beacon Theatre.

(Photos courtesy of the Library of Virginia)

Screenwriter Ramona Taylor

Screenwriter and independent movie producer Ramona Taylor wrote her first screenplay as a form of therapy after she went through a painful divorce. “But soon it was my relaxation,” says the Virginia assistant attorney general, who serves as legal counsel for Virginia State University.

Taylor, a winner of the 2018 Virginia Screenwriting Competition, is a self-admitted science fiction nerd who began her writing career exploring futuristic themes — early work that, in her mind, was not ready for prime time. “But I was learning,” she says, and gaining confidence “That’s something that I had to get over before I entered competitions. Do not be ashamed of your writing. If it’s good enough to be put down on paper, it’s good enough for someone to read. You have to believe that.”

Read my interview with Ramona Taylor on the Richmond Magazine website. Photo by the mighty Ash Daniel!

Tricked-Out Whiskeys

There are currently more whiskey distilleries in Virginia—55 and counting—than in Kentucky or Tennessee, and many operations, established and new, are helping to push the palate on how whiskey can taste.

Using unique smoking and aging methods, bold flavor infusions, and even ingredients that are way out of the norm, Virginia is at the vanguard of tricked-out whiskeys. My feature on steeping and infusing is now online at the Virginia Living Magazine website. You can read it right here.

In this piece, I profile the pioneering whiskey flavorists at Belmont Farms Distillery, Copper Fox Distillery, Virginia Distillery Co., Belle Isle Craft Spirits, MurLarkey's, among others.

(Photo of Chuck Miller of Belmont Farms Distillery courtesy of Belmont Farms)

Interview with Jon Spencer

It might come as a surprise that Jon Spencer — the guiding force behind some of the best, most dangerously playful rock 'n' roll of the modern era — would only now be releasing his first solo album. The 12-song Spencer Sings the Hits is of a piece with the trademark punk blues and fuzzed-out retro rock he's specialized in for 30 years with bands like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hogg and Heavy Trash.

"Part of the reason I used my name is so I can let people know what to expect," the 53-year-old performer says, calling from his New York City home base.

Spencer's music and cameo performance in last year's hit film “Baby Driver” introduced his yowling, beat-heavy sonics to a new generation. Read my Richmond Magazine interview with the man by clicking right here.

And for more on the solo music of Jon Spencer, go right here.

(Photo courtesy Jon Spencer)