The Hustle – Details, episodes & analysis

Britain's Railway Children were a band stuck between movements. Too late for the post-punk explosion of the early 80s and done just before Britpop conquered the world, they released a handful of albums and songs that deserved more attention. "Every Beat of the Heart" did crackthe UK top 40 and singles like "A Pleasure" and "Brighter" did well on the indie charts, but it wasn't enough and the band called it quits in the early 90s after three albums. Frontman Gary Newby joins us this week to explain how it all went down including their tours of the states, going from Factory Records to Virgin, and releasing more music on the band's name. These guys are ripe for rediscovery. Enjoy! 

Candi Staton is arguably one of the best, and most underrated, soul singers in history. While Aretha and Gladys and Diana were getting most of the attention, Candi was consistently recording incredible music whether it's deep r&b in Muscle Shoals, disco smashes like "Young Hearts Run Free", or quality gospel music. She remains one of the finest interpreters of music ever and she joins us this week to discuss her storied career including starting out on the chitlin circuit, her approach to making a song her own, and her association with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker back in the day. We're so lucky she's still here, sounding great, and making new music! 

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the masterpiece that is Prince's Purple Rain, we welcome author Andrea Swensson to discuss her fabulous new book celebrating the achievement. Andrea knew Prince and had been to Paisley Park a few times, plus she's an acclaimed writer, podcast host, and expert on the music of Minneapolis, making her the perfect person for this book. We discuss his legacy, his artistry, his impact on Minnesota, and much more. Also, we have a copy of the book to give away! There will never be another Prince! 

We are honored to welcome back Icehouse mastermind Iva Davies to deep dive their breakthrough album Man Of Colours from 1987. This was the album that brought Icehouse into the mainstream with hits like "Crazy" and "Electric Blue" and remains their best known globally. Iva gives us incredible stories about every song on the record, how they came to be, writing with John Oates, and much much more. We're lucky to hear from Iva again! Enjoy. 

Romeo Void were a sneaky important band. First, they were the most successful band to come out of the San Francisco scene of the early 80s and showed that interesting things were happening in that city. They also had a couple of the most provocative hits of the era, "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" that remain potent today. And frontwoman Debora Iyall represented proudly large women everywhere with her style, intellect, talent and grace. Debora joins us to talk about the band's history, how she coped with being unique, and the new album Romeo Void has coming out on Record Store Day which is a concert from 1980 at the Mabuhay Gardens. She's a icon and we're lucky to hear from her.  www.romeovoid.com

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Why do people who love music so passionately, still have styles, genres, decades etc that they just can't get into? Does it mean you have a closed mind? Baggage? Bigotry? Have you ever come around to certain artists or styles once the right person or situation turns you on to them? Can you ever approach anything artistic with a completely open mind? Brad Page, BJ Kramp and Eric Miller join Jon to discuss these topics. Tell us what you think! 

I wonder if it's Peter Case's slightly rebellious spirit that has endeared him to fans for so long. Within one decade he was a member of two hugely important rock bands - the Nerves ("Hanging on the Telephone") and the Plimsouls ("A Million Miles Away"), but since the late 80s he's been doing things his way - a little folk, a little jazz, a little blues, just whatever he felt like. His diverse tastes have made for an equally diverse body of work and his latest album, Doctor Moan, is no exception. The album explores his jazz and piano side more than any other release and is all the better for it. We hear about his love for all kinds of music, his historic legacy, playing piano at the church of John Coltrane, and much more. Enjoy! 

This week is a fun, UK-focused, twofer. First is the great Nik Kershaw. Nik was a major hit maker in the early 80s with songs like "Wouldn't It Be Good" and "The Riddle" peaking with his appearance at Live Aid. Things started to slow down after that, but he's continued on releasing excellent music. This fall he'll be going back on the road in Europe for his first tour in 11 years. After that we hear from journeyman Henry Priestman. Henry was in a great new wave band called Yachts that had some success in the late 70s. It didn't last too long though, so he moved on to other bands, most notably The Christians who were multi-platinum hitmakers in the UK for a few years. For the last 15 years he's released a few high-quality solo albums. He shares stories of his early days in Liverpool, playing with Echo and the Bunnymen and Paul McCartney, and much more.  Both lovely guys. Enjoy! 

The great Donnie Iris just turned 80 years old and is still out there playing packed shows that totally rock in his homebase of Cleveland and Pittsburgh. To celebrate we welcome author D.X. Ferris to discuss his book The Story of Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. Part oral history, part narrative, Ferris goes through every benchmark in Donnie's career, including every track on every album with Donnie, Mark Avsec, and the rest of the band. We learn about why Ferris felt compelled to write this book and honor Donnie in this way. Plus, we have a copy to give away. Enjoy! 

Philadelphia's Dead Milkmen hold a special place in American punk rock. Relying heavily on absurdist humour rather than ferocity, the band found a place in the hearts of many with underground hits like "Punk Rock Girl" and "Bitchin' Camaro". Eventually the band slowed way down and the guys went back to "normal" with the occasional reunion show, but as frontman Rodney Anonymous shows us, that caustic sense of rebellion has never left. Here Rodney tells us the band's story, his feelings on performing, the music he's into, and where they go from here. Don't remember the last time I laughed this hard. Enjoy!