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The May 6 edition of the Devo Rock Show will feature an interview with DEVO guitarist and keyboardist Josh Hager.

The program airs 9 a.m.-noon. Click here to listen live.

Host Devo got a chance to talk with Hager last week before Hager joined his bandmates on a tour to mark their 50th anniversary.

Hager shared how he got started in music and some of his experiences working with DEVO founding members Gerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh.

Hager also talks about some of his earliest bands, including Backstroke To Cuba, The Elevator Drops and his work with Matt Sharp of the band Weezer. Also included will be music from his band with Tom Chapman of New Order called Shadowparty.

DEVO was formed in 1973 in Akron, Ohio, by two sets of brothers, Mark (keyboardist/vocalist) and Bob Mothersbaugh (guitarist), and Gerald (bassist) and Bob Casale (keyboardist) along with drummer Alan Myers.

The band started as an art project and joke at Kent State University and centered on the concept of “de-evolution” which was a satirical take on the dysfunction of modern society.

The joke took a more serious turn following the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970, in which four students were killed and nine injured after Ohio National Guard troops fired on anti-Vietnam war protestors.

Gerald Casale was friends with some of the victims, including Allison Krause, and witnessed her death at the scene. This had a profound impact on him and was the catalyst to the formation of DEVO.

In 1977, DEVO released their first single “Mongoloid” with the B-side “Joko Homo”. The second single was a cover of The Rolling Stones song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” which led to their brief stint on Stiff Records.

They were signed to Warner Brothers in 1978 — with the help of David Bowie and Iggy Pop — and recorded their first album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

They gained national attention after their appearance on Saturday Night Live with their performance of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Joko Homo”.

In 1980, they broke through with their album Freedom Of Choice which included their biggest hit, “Whip It”. Throughout the 1980s, they continued to produce albums and tour until 1991 when they decided to break up. Later in the decade, they got back together and worked on various projects and toured on and off.

Mark Mothersbaugh got involved in TV and film soundtracks and Gerald Casale released an album under the name Jihad Jerry and the Evildooers. In 2010, they reformed and released Something For Everybody. Hager and his brother Paul worked on the production of that album, which included the singles, “Fresh” and “What We Do”.

On February 17, 2014, Bob Casale died of heart failure at the age of 61. Shortly after this, Hager was asked to replace him and tour with the band. This led to Hager working on several solo projects with Gerald Casale, including the singles “I’m Gonna Pay You Back” and “It’s All Devo”.

DEVO’s tour winds up in Las Vegas on May 27.

The April 27 edition of Greasy Tracks featured a special tribute to Dickey Betts.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

The iconic guitarist, one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers, passed away April 18, 2024, at the age of 80.

There were interviews with numerous people who played with Betts — including a contingent of Connecticut-based musicians — as well as a pair of noted journalists who have written extensively about Betts over the years.

The feature went in depth when it came to recordings Betts made with the Allmans as well as his solo work and time spent with Great Southern and The Dickey Betts Band.

Providing insight and sharing memories of Betts were former Allman Brothers Band bassist David Goldflies, guitarist Andy Aledort, keyboardist Matt Zeiner, bassist David Stoltz and saxophonist Kris Jensen.

Zeiner, Stoltz and Jensen are all based in Connecticut and played with Betts when he regrouped the Dickey Betts Band and later, Great Southern. The trio is part of the Great Southern Reunion. Stoltz is an adjunct professor at Trinity’s Austin Arts Center.

An associate editor at Guitar World, Aldort — who spent 12 years with various Betts lineups — now plays with Friends of the Brothers, which he formed with author Alan Paul.

Paul wrote two of the definitive tomes on the Allmans, including Brothers & Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the 70s (St. Martin’s Press) and One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band (St. Martin’s Press).

Paul, who was also interviewed, co-wrote Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan (St. Martin’s Press), with Aledort.

Music from the recently released debut by Louisa Stancioff, When We Were Looking (Yep Roc), was featured on the April 22 edition of the Devo Rock Show.

Check out the archive.

Devo interviewed the singer/songwriter — who hails from Camden, Maine — prior to her April 18 show at Passim in Cambridge, Mass. She discussed some of the background of the material on her album which was produced by Sam Kassirer who also plays assorted keyboards.

Recorded in Parsonsfield, Maine, the album has a dreamy sound that showcases Stancioff’s unique voice.

Included in the program are some of her singles from last year, including “Red Neck Yacht Club” and “Cass’s Song” which were produced by Benny Yurco, formerly of the Nocturnals and now part of Grace Potter’s solo outfit.

Stancioff grew up in rural Maine and spent some time living in California, New York and North Carolina before returning to Maine during the pandemic.

These experiences, along with her memories of growing up in Maine, are inspirations for her music. She will be touring throughout New England during the summer and fall.

The April 13 edition of Greasy Tracks featured an interview with and a feature on Dave Mason.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam comes to the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport on May 24 with the Beach Boys.

The program went deep and wide when it comes to Mason’s career, from the early on and off period as a founding member of Traffic; interesting studio collaborations — sessions that would lead to George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Paul McCartney and Wings’ Venus and Mars and Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland — and road work in one of the greatest touring bands, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends.

Mason’s chart-friendly solo career, especially his legendary 1970s period, will also be included along with a number of interesting Mason tracks covered by other artists.

The April 6 edition of Greasy Tracks featured the recently released live gem, Bear’s Sonic Journals: Sing Out! (Owsley Stanley Foundation).

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

The three-CD collection captures Country Joe McDonald, Kate Wolf, Rosalie Sorrels, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and John Kahn in an acoustic setting on April 25, 1981, at a Seva Foundation benefit presented at a Berkeley Community Theater. The legendary Odetta was also on the bill, but her set is not included on the release.

Berkeley, Calif.-based Seva was formed in 1978 to prevent/treat blindness in countries around the world. One of the organizations founders, Wavy Gravy, organized the benefit.

The recording was done by Owsley Stanley, the long-time sound guru for the Grateful Dead, who was running the front of the house as a volunteer at the event in a venue long considered to be sonically challenging.

This concert marked the last time he recorded members of the Dead. Stanley, best known as “Bear”, began working with the Dead in 1966 and designed their famed “Wall of Sound” which they only employed in 1974.

In addition to some insight from Wavy Gravy, there were interviews with Stanley’s son, Starfinder Stanley who is president of the Owsley Stanley Foundation and OSF board members Hawk and Pete Bell. Starfinder Stanley and Hawk served as executive producers for the project while Bell was an associate producer. All contributed to the extensive liner notes.

Guitarist Mitch Greenhill, who accompanied Rosalie Sorrells at the benefit, is also interviewed.

OSF is a non-profit organization founded to finance the incredible undertaking of digitizing the massive trove of music that makes up “Bear’s Sonic Journals” — 1,300 reels of live soundboard recordings of 80 artists — that Owsley made. Thus far, they’ve gone through nearly 900 reels from concerts in the 1960s through the 1980s by 80-plus acts running the gamut from the Grateful Dead and Miles Davis to Johnny Cash and the Jefferson Airplane.

Previous OSF releases featured on Greasy Tracks included concerts by Tim Buckley and Johnny Cash.

The March 23 edition of Greasy Tracks featured an interview with JJ Grey who discussed the recently released Olustee (Alligator), the first album by he and Mofro in nine-plus years.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

With nearly a quarter century of recording and performing under his belt, Grey’s experience is evident on the latest album.

Marking his return to Alligator Records, the Grey-produced Olustee has a little bit of everything from funky rockers, introspective ballads and old-timey soulful gospel-tinged tracks. All delivered in that in inimitable Mofro style.

JJ Grey and Mofro, supported by Judith Hill, come to College Street Music Hall in New Haven on April 4. and Boston’s House of Blues a day later. There will be tickets given away to the College Street show.

The March 16 edition of Greasy Tracks focused on Carol Kaye, one of the most recorded bassists in history and a legend when it comes to studio work.

Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here. 

In addition to featuring music from across her illustrious career, there was an interview with Kaye who provided insight to a fascinating era when 1960s metro-Los Angeles became ground zero for a massive boom in the recording industry.

Working with some of the most innovative producers — including Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and Quincy Jones — and skilled musicians in the business, she logged nearly 10,000 sessions in a career she started as a teen, playing and teaching guitar in the 1950s.

Kaye recorded with hundreds of different artists. Many of those sessions would end up being some of the most famous rock or pop songs, television or movie soundtracks ever captured on tape.

Tthe March 6 edition of The PT Radio Show featured Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, including interviews with guitarist/vocalist Greg Ormont and noted guitarist Tomo Fujita — an associate professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

To check out the archive, click here.

The Baltimore-based band, which just wrapped a short tour of the southern U.S., will release a new album, Day In Time, on April 26.

Renowned for their live shows, PPPP has been together for 15 years and Day In Time marks their seventh, self-released studio effort.

Ormont discussed how material came together for the album and how the band has gained a level of comfort and confidence in the studio. He shares insight on the importance of the band’s fanbase, known as “The Flock”, and some interesting views when it comes to influences for he and his bandmates.

In 2018, the group reached out to Fujita about sitting in with them when they were in the area. One of Fujita’s former students encourged him to take up the offer and he joined PPPP on the second show of a two-night run at The Paradise in Boston. Since that time, he usually ends up on stage with the band when schedules allow, at shows from New York up through the New England states. He sat in during the recent New Year’s shows at House of Blues in Boston and during PPPP appearance at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., last month.

Eric Krasno and John Mayer were students of Fujita.

To provide a perspective, almost from a teacher-student point of view, Fujita talked about his first encounter with the band — a group he’d never heard of — as well as how impressed he’s been by their growth and dedication to continually honing their skills as musicians.

The 18^th Trinity International Hip Hop Festival takes place April 4-7 and features co-headliners MC Soffia and Maiya the Don.

This year’s theme focuses on underrepresented hip-hop artists. All events are completely free and open to the public, regardless of age.

Four other performers, including Chicago-based Cuee, Simon (Senegal), Konstancy (Cyprus by way of Palestine) and Rudeboy Musa (Hartford), round out the bill which will be hosted by by Jupiter and Tang Sauce. Kasey Cortez will be the house DJ.

The festival kicks off with a keynote lecture by James Top, a hip-hop graffiti pioneer, on April 4, 12:15-1:30 p.m. in the Rittenburg Lounge on campus.

Following the lecture, there will be a multitude of events, including parties, showcases, graffiti exhibitions, film screenings, panel discussions, production workshop and an open mic session.

The main showcase, featuring the co-headliners, is April 6, 10:30 p.m.-2 a.m.

For more information, including the festival schedule, click here or contact organizers via e-mail: trinity-hiphop@trincoll.edu.