Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Grave Robber frontman Wretched Graverobber about the legendary Horror Punk band's history, longevity, and new covers album, The Cellar Sessions.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Tom Greco - publisher of the celebrated New Jersey-based music magazine Liner Notes (1995-2001) - about his history in media, his thoughts on the current state of music journalism, and a few of his most memorable experiences with some of the world's biggest musicians.
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Agnostic Front bassist Mike Gallo about his art business (Gallo Originals) and his decades-long history in the band.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with famed photographer Frank White and veteran singer Alan Tecchio (Hades/Non-Fiction/Watchtower/Autumn Hour/Level Fields) about their book Jersey Metal: Volume One, a history of the Garden State’s heavy metal scene from 1969 to 1986.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Claude Strillo and Mike Zacek of Anything Box about the mid ‘80s underground music scene in New Jersey, the group’s experience on a major label and more recent activities, and Strillo’s upcoming Anything Box performance at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with experimental musician and artist Reg Bloor about her latest solo album (Viewer Discretion Is Not Advised) and her work with the Glenn Branca Ensemble, The Paranoid Critical Revolution, David Bowie, and Twitcher.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Dave Travis and David O. Jones of Los Angeles underground music stalwarts Carnage Asada about the upcoming release of the band's first album in 25 years, the current state of the LA music scene, and the legacy of late Carnage Asada bassist Chris Stein (Saccharine Trust).
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran singer Karl Agell (Corrosion of Conformity/School of Violence/Seizure/Leadfoot/King Hitter/COC Blind/Teenage Time Killers/Patriarchs in Black/LIE HEAVY/The Skull/Legions of Doom) and his decades-long history in music.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran musician Troy Gregory (Prong/Flotsam and Jetsam/The Witches/Killing Joke/Swans/The Dirtbombs/Crime and the City Solution/Super Birthday/Rodriguez/Nathaniel Mayer/Troy Gregory and the Stepsisters/Solo) about his eclectic career and upcoming solo album.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran musician and DJ Lindsey Anderson (The Kowalskis/Killer Kowalski/Vatican Commandos/Starkist/The Drags/Kitty and the Kowalskis/Kitty and the Manges/Vicious Cobain) about her history in music and the glory years of Coney Island High, the NYC club she co-owned in the '90s.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten welcomes back veteran guitarist Sal Canzonieri (Electric Frankenstein/The Thing/Kung Fu Killers/Maggot SS/Doom Patrol) to discuss his two groundbreaking compilation series, A Fistful of Rock N' Roll and A Fistful More of Rock N' Roll.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran drummer Tom Wallace of Guild of Others, a musical partnership with guitarist Steve Potts that has included contributions from Tony Franklin (The Firm/Blue Murder), Derek Sherinian (Sons of Apollo/Dream Theater/Black Country Communion), Michael Bruce (Alice Cooper Group), Craig Goldy (Dio/Giuffria/Resurrection Kings), Michael Sadler (Saga), Henrik Bath (Darkwater), and Mark Hammond.
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In this third installment of a three-part interview, author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with guitarist and New Jersey Punk/Oi! music scene veteran B.T. (The Wretched Ones/The Burnt/Artesanz/DogHouse Swine) about his work in Artesanz and DogHouse Swine, the early days of M.O.D. with Billy Milano, and more.
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Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with NJ Punk/Oi! scene veteran Tommy B. (Squad Car Vandals) about his history in music and his experiences promoting shows at the '90s-era venue The Clubhouse.
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| Jack Barksdale and Lindi Ortega (photo courtesy of Reybee, Inc.) |
It ain’t easy covering Tom Waits.
When you strip away the guy’s notorious voice—basically the sound of someone who washes down three packs of Camels with a gallon of gasoline every day—it’s clear that the world’s most beloved sonic drunkle writes from the soul. Waits’ lyrics have always struck a delicate balance between the sordid and the saintly, brilliantly flowing from glorifying the gutter to capturing the quiet sadness of love gone by. With so many treasures throughout Waits’ decades-long discography, it makes sense that plenty of artists have tried their hand at covering a few of them over the years—but not all these acts have succeeded in getting the feel right. Rod Stewart’s radio smash rendition of “Downtown Train” was epic, beautifully produced, vibrant, soaring, and all wrong. (Don’t even get me started on The Eagles’ “Ol’ ’55.”) Apart from Patty Griffin’s flawlessly heart-wrenching interpretation of “Ruby’s Arms,” the 2019 tribute album Come On Up to the House: Women Sing Waits was a listless borefest perfect for drive-time NPR but utterly useless for 3 a.m. self-immolation.
Thankfully, some acts actually got it. The Ramones’ cover of “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” is The Ramones covering “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” (and thus excluded from all possible scrutiny on principle), while the brightest moments on actress Scarlett Johanssen’s 2008 album of Waits remakes, Anywhere I Lay My Head, are left-field beauties that could have easily found a comfortable home on the classic 4AD roster. (Fellow actress Megan Mullally has also taken on Waits with admirable aplomb.)
Canadian singer/songwriter Lindi Ortega and Texas-based singer/guitarist Jack Barksdale are two more artists who do the man justice. While not a household name in the U.S. (yet), Ortega has been steadily releasing stellar noir-tinged Country music for years. (Think a gothy Emmylou Harris doing the soundtrack for a Lynch film—then give this video a watch/listen.) One of the most promising young (and I mean young) talents in music today, Barksdale released his first studio album, 2022’s Death of a Hummingbird, at the ripe old age of 14. Recently, the pair released their collaborative reimagining of Waits’ “How’s It Gonna End” (off 2004’s Real Gone) and “Yesterday Is Here” (off 1987’s Frank’s Wild Years).
The results are extraordinary. Check these out:
In this second installment of a three-part interview, author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with guitarist and New Jersey Punk/Oi! music scene veteran B.T. (The Wretched Ones/The Burnt/Artesanz) about the history of The Wretched Ones.
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran Metal guitarist Dan Lorenzo (Hades/Non-Fiction/The Cursed/Vessel of Light/Cassius King) about Patriarchs in Black, his project with drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative/Quiet Riot/Danzig).
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran singer Ron Keel (Keel/Steeler/Black Sabbath/Ron Keel Band/IronHorse/Fair Game/Solo) about his fantastic new album KEELWORLD, the first new Steeler recording in 40 years, his brief stint fronting Black Sabbath, and his longevity in the music industry.
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In this first installment of a three-part interview, author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with guitarist and New Jersey Punk/Oi! music scene veteran B.T. (The Wretched Ones/The Burnt/Artesanz) about the early history of The Burnt and the start of The Wretched Ones.
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Chip Z’Nuff about the current status of Enuff Z’Nuff, playing in Missing Persons and Adler’s Appetite, his friendship with singer Jack Russell (Jack Russell's Great White), performing and recording with the late Jim Ellison of Material Issue, and more.
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