Max Diez

On Wednesday, March 4th @ 10am, Berkestir speaks with English musician and singer-songwriter, Iain Matthews, ahead of his upcoming concert at The Hillside Club in Berkeley on March 7th.

Iain Matthews first gained attention as a founding member and vocalist for the innovative Fairport Convention’s first three albums, changing the voice of folk music in his country. He moved on to create Matthews’ Southern Comfort, exploring his interest in American music. They had a No 1 hit in Europe with Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’. Never one to stand still for very long, Iain moved on during the 1970’s with another group, Plainsong. An ensemble with British songwriter Andy Roberts, that allowed Iain to blossom as a writer himself and an agile acoustic guitarist. Between his own solo recording and various Plainsong line-ups Iain released ten albums to critical acclaim including another well known Top Ten US hit with the single ‘Shake It’.

In 2000 Matthews settled in the Netherlands and found a busy, happy life in Europe with more touring of the UK and continent. Yet more well received collaborative recordings were issued including a Tribute album to Sandy Denny. Since settling in the lowlands Matthews found some of his most sympathetic musical companions, in the jazz pianist Egbert Derix, American guitarist Jim Fogarty and multi instrumentalist B.J. Baartmans. Despite these superb collaborations, plus a unique partnership with Norwegian alternative rock band, The Salmon Smokers, resulting in one of his most imaginative albums to date, Fake Tan, Matthews now feels he has finally found an almost perfect musical sweet spot, playing solo, in support of one of his more recent solo recordings, the acoustic A Baker’s Dozen.

In 2024, he released his 38th solo recording, intriguingly titled How Much Is Enough. Is this some sort of message to the music community at large, or simply another teasing album title. Time will indeed show the wiser. As his 60 years (can this be true) in the business prove, things do come around again and again and again…. and until further notice, Iain Matthews, will have his guitar in hand and songs springing from his muse.

Photo: Lisa Margolis

Red Rider recently sat down with California native and Los Angeles based Christian Lee Hutson before his SF show at the Swedish American Hall. Tune in this Sunday, March 9th at 4pm to hear their conversation.

Hutson’s latest album, Paradise Pop. 10 feels a lot like finding an unpublished collection of short stories, scrawled hastily on the sides of airsickness bags and cocktail napkins, each one detailing the life of the unwitting passenger fortunate enough to be seated next to Christian Lee Hutson on their flight to Fort Worth.

Anyone who has had the good fortune of falling in love with his earlier albums – 2020’s Beginners and 2022’s Quitters – knows that he is a keen observer of both himself and the world. Those albums earned the Californian singer-songwriter international attention, with Pitchfork noting that, “Few lyricists can paint such clear portraits in such a small space; even fewer can set them so naturally to such long-breathed melodies”, the UK’s Guardian commending his work as “small films in song, delicate and devastating, lingering long” and No Depression heralding the arrival of “an artist fully formed and wise beyond his years”.

Photo: Michael Delaney

Jon The Reptilian recently spoke with Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter of New York based band, Phantogram. Tune in on Monday, March 3rd at 10am to hear their conversation.

Lauded as an experimental and alternative band and one that’s never been married to a particular genre, Phantogram have continued to change the zeitgeist for almost a decade by consistently challenging it with their signature blend of hard-hitting beats, guitar driven dark psychedelia and electronic pop. Since the arrival of 2010’s debut release, Eyelid Movies, the duo has amassed over a billion streams, achieved one platinum-certified single, two gold-certified singles.

Latest and fifth album, Memory Of A Day, captures that disorienting sense of time travel with the band noting, “We put these songs together as a capsule, thinking about how a certain sound or melody can bring you back instantly to a memory of a day.”

Join Ladybug on Saturday, March 1st at 2pm to hear her recent conversation with L.A. based producer, multi-instrumentalist, and artist, Stephen Buono of collaborative music project, Church Chords.

Join Roscoe 2000 on Thursday, March 6th at 6pm for a conversation with Phil Manley and Donny Newenhouse of psych rockers Terry Gross, in run-up to their appearance at The Kilowatt in SF on March 20th.

Not to be confused with a public radio host of similar name, Terry Gross broadcast out of the Bay Area with a blistering wall of feedback, riff and rhythm. Not only are the band seasoned musicians – Phil Manley is a founding member of post-rock pioneers Trans Am – they are also studio wizards who engineer many other bands, in their own San Francisco establishment El Studio.

Tune in Wednesday, February 26th at 6:30pm when Donut Monoxide hosts an in-studio visit with Doll Fest founder, Maria Chaos, ahead of this year’s festival taking place on March 1st & 2nd at Cornerstone in Berkeley.