Caropop

Jimmy James is a fantastic, funky guitarist who never plays more than is needed yet can seize any moment. This Seattle native is a longtime member of the big soul-funk band True Loves but may have been best known for his standout work in the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. He left that group (and discusses his departure here) and now plays in a new, all-star organ trio, Parlor Greens, with Hammond player Adam Scone of the Sugarman 3 and drummer Tim Carman of GA-20. Its new album, In Green/We Dream, came out last week. James is precise about how he plays and passionate and encyclopedic about earlier-era guitarists who have inspired him, including Jimi Hendrix, with whom his family had a personal connection. He also offers a tribute to his late mother that's as lyrical as any part he might play. (Photo by Chris C. Bowden)

Guitarist Chris Stein was a driving force behind Blondie and, with longtime songwriting/personal partner Debbie Harry, co-wrote many of its classic songs, including “Rip Her to Shreds,” “Heart of Glass,” “Dreaming,” “The Hardest Part” and “Rapture.” His passion for exploration pushed Blondie beyond its punk roots into disco, pop, reggae and rap, and in this conversation we dig into the details. What struck him most about Harry’s voice and songwriting? Where did Blondie fit amid the art-punk CBGB scene? What song did Stein model “Dreaming” on before drummer Clem Burke blasted it in another direction? Which Blondie album did the label complain had no singles? Which one Blondie song did Stein know would be a hit? How did Stein overcome an autoimmune disease and all-consuming drug addiction? And how did writing his new memoir, Under a Rock, change his perspective? (Photo by Axel Dupeux)

After a fluky financial windfall, Mona Best bought a Victorian mansion in Liverpool, opened the Casbah Coffee Club in the cellar, and the Quarrymen, an early version of the Beatles, became the resident band. When the Beatles needed a drummer for their 1960 Hamburg residency, they called on Mona's son Pete. Pete Best became a key player in the Beatles' evolution before being unceremoniously replaced by Ringo Starr on the eve of the band's EMI recording sessions. Here, in vivid detail, he recalls those early years, including the grueling living and playing conditions in Hamburg and his and McCartney's arrest there for attempted arson. What were his impressions of John, Paul and George? What did he think of the first Lennon-McCartney songs? What happened with the Beatles' Decca audition? He also reveals the last time he had contact with any of them and details about the Casbah's new incarnation as a B&B.

With the Fourth of July falling on a Thursday, we encourage your independence to explore the 140 Caropop episodes so far. Go to Caropop.com/caropopcast—you can scroll through them or use the search tool—and you also can find the epsiodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Some suggestions based on artists now touring: Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon of the Baseball Project; Jody Stephens and Chris Stamey (also dB's) of the Big Star Quintet; David Lowery and Johnny Hickman of Cracker; and the formidable Bettye LaVette, who just opened for the Rolling Stones at Soldier Field in Chicago. And please consider supporting this little operation so we can keep it going. You can become an official Caropop Friend for a mere $24 at caropop.com. Come back next week for a brand new Caropop conversation that you won't want to miss.

Graham Maby is one of rock’s most revered bassists, known especially for his work with Joe Jackson. Maby and Jackson were in another band together in England before Jackson proposed forming his own band with Maby’s bass front and center. That was the approach of Jackson’s first three albums—starting with 1979’s Look Sharp!—and the ever-gracious Maby reflects on how his indelible parts came to be. He also recalls the breakup of the Joe Jackson Band, his continued work with Jackson on albums such as Night and Day and Body and Soul, and what prompted him to join previous Caropop guest Marshall Crenshaw's band. How did Crenshaw’s approach to bass parts differ from Jackson’s? How did Maby wind up back in the Jackson fold? And when will they record and perform together next?

Drummer Will Rigby provided the propulsion, grooves and furious fills for the dB’s, a North Carolina foursome who launched their collective career in New York City yet had their powerfully poppy first two albums released only overseas. Now the dB’s landmark 1981 debut, Stands for Decibels, finally has come out in the U.S. on vinyl and streaming services, with Repercussion to follow, and the classic lineup of singer-songwriters Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple, bassist Gene Holder and Rigby will tour for the first time in 12 years. The ever-engaging Rigby recalls the band’s formation with Stamey, the addition of Holsapple, the making of those early dB’s albums, the reasons behind Stamey’s departure and the more American sound of 1984’s Like This. Rigby also discusses his own idiosyncratic songwriting and his work with other artists, such as Steve Earle. (Photo by John Gessner)

Vicki Peterson wrote, sang and played lead guitar on many of the Bangles’ best songs, even if they weren’t the ones that made the band famous. In a smart, revealing conversation, the down-to-earth Peterson reflects on the Bangles’ origins—and her desire to be in an all-female band, which soon would include her sister Debbi (a former Caropop guest) and singer/guitarist Susanna Hoffs—and the compromises and rising tensions that accompanied their success. In the aftermath of a painful Bangles breakup, Peterson—a band person through and through—joins the Continental Drifters, teams with Susan Cowsill in the Psycho Sisters and tours with the Go-Go’s. The Bangles also reunite for two more albums. What lies in the future for the Bangles and Continental Drifters? What is Peterson’s creative life like now? (Photo: Rebecca Wilson Studio.)

Impex Records has been releasing stellar audiophile recordings since Abey Fonn founded the small label in 2009. Impex’s offerings have included 33 and 45 rpm LPs (including Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucía’s Friday Night in San Francisco and Saturday Night in San Francisco) as well as deluxe 1Step releases such as Getz/Gilberto, Patricia Barber's Companion and, coming June 14, Sing and Dance with Frank Sinatra. Here Fonn pulls back the curtain on how Impex chooses and makes deals for its titles, what the competition is like with the larger audiophile labels, how Impex decides which format is best for an album, whether original master tapes have become harder to obtain, whether a one-to-one analog transfer is superior to a high-res digital copy, which act has been Fonn’s white whale and which one she was happiest to land.

After co-producing R.E.M.'s Murmur and Reckoning, Don Dixon got calls from other bands, often southern and jangly, seeking his services. He produced three albums by Guadalcanal Diary, another Georgia band, but it was his work with New Jersey's the Smithereens that took him to another level. It also prompted Nirvana to ask him about producing Nevermind. Dixon was pursuing his own career as well while thinking U.S. labels had slighted his previous band, Arrogance. What happened when the head of Enigma Records approached him in a European airport about releasing the song "Praying Mantis"? What unorthodox scheme did Dixon propose to the label in lieu of releasing albums? Why does he, of all people, think recording ruined music? Dixon has enough great stories and insights to fill two episodes. This is the second.

Don Dixon already had spent 13 years playing, singing and writing with the North Carolina indie band Arrogance when he joined Mitch Easter to co-produce R.E.M.’s trailblazing first two albums, Murmur and Reckoning. He went on to produce the first two crunchy-and-sweet Smithereens albums plus music from Guadalcanal Diary, Matthew Sweet, Marshall Crenshaw and Marti Jones, to whom he remains married. His own infectious “Praying Mantis” got him some airplay as well. Did he see himself more as a soul singer, a songwriter, a bassist or producer? What are the secrets to being a strong producer? What happened when Nirvana asked him about producing Nevermind? Dixon has enough great stories and insights to fill two episodes. This is the first.