Music Makers and Soul Shakers with Steve Dawson

Well we made it to our 100th episode! Singer, songwriter and member of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, John Oates joins me on the show this week. John is widely known for his work with Hall & Oates, topping the charts and selling over 40 million records - that ain’t too shabby. John’s been in Nashville now for quite a few years and has established himself on the local scene here, playing with the cream of the crop of studio players, and exploring some of his blues, country and soul roots with them, dubbing them the Good Road Band. His brand new album “Live In Nashville” features his soulful voice and the killer playing of his live band. John and I talked about the recent records he’s worked on with them, and delved into his early history in the Philly and New York soul scene, which goes back to his recording debut in 1966, and through some of his early Hall and Oates recording experiences with Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren, jamming with Doc Watson, and how he ended up with Mississippi John Hurt’s guitar. Enjoy my conversation with John Oates!I’m encouraging listeners to call in this season, and at this point I’m hoping to hear from people about their experiences, good and bad, with starting to play or experience live music again. Join in and leave a message at 615-375-6318 anytime! If you want to skip straight to the interview, it starts about 12 minutes in. Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guitarist Keith Scott joins me on the podcast this week. Keith is a fellow Vancouverite (although he lives in California now) and for almost 40 years, he has been the guitarist for Bryan Adams. He has played on countless hits, and some of the biggest selling records of all time. Its been quite a ride for him, and while his hooks and solos on Adams’ songs are incredibly crafted gems, it was a night that I saw him sit in with a local blues band in Vancouver, The Vaqueros, that blew my mind, and cemented him as one of the finest guitarists I had ever seen. But if you weren’t there that night (there was about 12 of us), you’ll just have to take my word for it. It was great to speak with Keith and hear abou this early days on the road, hooking up with Adams, and hearing about some of the sessions that he was involved in. I’m encouraging listeners to call in this season, and at this point I’m hoping to hear from people about their experiences, good and bad, with starting to play or experience live music again. Join in and leave a message at 615-375-6318 anytime! If you want to skip straight to the interview, it starts about 13 minutes in. Enjoy my conversation with Keith Scott! Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An excerpt from the "One Life" Podcast presented by Steve Dawson and featuring Jim Byrnes. The new series will be released October 12th on all Podcast platforms. Subscribe now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2 of my conversation with bassist David Piltch. If you haven't listened already, please go back and listen to Part 1 first. Enjoy! Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Piltch, the bassist on many of my favourite records from the last 15 years joins me on the show this week. David grew up in Toronto in a musical family - his Dad was a session musician around the city and on CBC. David and his brother Rob grew up playing jazz around town, and David eventually left Canada for Los Angeles to find studio work. His body of recorded work is epic, starting in Canada with Mary Margaret O’Hara and KD Lang and includes recordings along the way with Joe Henry, Holly Cole, Solomon Burke, Salif Keita, Allen Toussaint, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, Elton John and many more. His path is an intriguing one, and many of his stories and experiences are so relatable to all musicians. In my experience of doing this podcast, no one has been so frank, honest, and able to paint a picture of the sense of dread you feel when you’re on a gig and know that you really don’t know how to play the music properly (C’mon we’ve all been there at least once!). His trial by fire attitude imbued him with a musical sense that has made him one of the most sought after bassists in music today. We sure blabbed alot, but it’s all so fun and fascinating that I’m just making a big ol’ 2-part episode out of this one. Enjoy Part 1 of my interview with David Piltch, and please subscribe to the podcast! Part 2 will come out next week. Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guitarist, songwriter, producer and frontman for the mighty Big Sugar, Gordie Johnson joins me on the show this week. Gordie has been creating amazing sounding records since the early 90’s when Big Sugar exploded out of the Toronto blues and jazz scene. Almost 30 years later, Big Sugar has just released another great new album. Gordie relocated to Austin years ago, and has worked out of his studio there, making his own records, as well as working in the studio and on the road with other artists like The Black Crowes, Taj Mahal, Gov’t Mule and Warren Haynes. Enjoy my interview with Gordie Johnson, and please subscribe to the podcast.Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Engineer and producer Tucker Martine joins me on the show this week. Tucker has been operating out of a couple of incarnations of his own studio, Flora Recording and Playback, for quite a few years now. He has recorded and/or produced acclaimed records for a diverse cast of characters like The Decemberists, Bill Frisell, My Morning Jacket, Wayne Horvitz, Neko Case, Laura Veirs and many more. Tucker has an amazing sense of depth and tone that comes through in his recordings, which is a reflection of how much he cares for the art of recording itself. I wanted to have Tucker on the show to talk about some of his experiences making those records, as well as building his studio and some of the joys and trials of that process. We had a great time digging deep, and I hope you enjoy it! Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Singer/Songwriter, guitarist and producer Joel Plaskett joins me on the show this week. Joel is one of Canada’s most respected performers and has been making great records since the 90’s. Starting out with his pals from high school, his band Thrush Hermit toured endlessly and achieved great success before splitting up and Joel launched his solo career with his new band, The Joel Plaskett Emergency. Joel has become an excellent producer and engineer in that time, working at his own studio in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Joel has a sprawling new album out called “44” - a quad album full of great songs, themes, adventurous production and incredible sonics. We go deep into the process of making it in our conversation.Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nashville guitarist and producer Colin Linden joins me on the show this week. We talked all about his growing up and getting into music in Canada in the 70's and some of the great artists and records he's been involved with over the years, including his extensive work with Bruce Cockburn and The Band. Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz joins me on the show today. She just released her 5th album "World On The Ground" and I thought it would be a great time to speak with her about her recording, songwriting and playing experiences.Our new website is now up at www.makersandshakerspodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.