Best Cheryl Feldman Podcasts (2025)

1
Zev Feldman, 'Jazz Detective' 1:07:03

5d ago1:07:03

1:07:03

Zev Feldman, a.k.a. the “Jazz Detective,” has turned his crate-digging passion into a career: He tracks down previously unreleased recordings and jumps through the necessary hoops to get them released, often in lavish packages for his label, Resonance Records. This past Record Store Day featured such Feldman finds as live albums from Bill Evans, Fr…

1
Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill 1:00:43

12d ago1:00:43

1:00:43

Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, who are married to each other, have been making music for many years but recently released their first album together, Long After the Fire. Peterson has been singer-songwriter-guitarist for the Bangles and Continental Drifters. John Cowsill began drumming for the Cowsills at a young age, more recently was the Beach …

1
Chad Kassem (Acoustic Sounds) 1:19:59

19d ago1:19:59

1:19:59

Called "the Wizard of Vinyl" by the New York Times, Chad Kassem has devoted his professional life to the cause of great-sounding records. In addition to running Acoustic Sounds, a go-to mail-order company for audiophile albums and equipment, the outspoken Kassem oversees the specialty label Analogue Productions, the Mastering Lab, Quality Record Pr…

1
Mitch Ryder 49:46

26d ago49:46

49:46

With mid-‘60s hits such as “Jenny Take a Ride!” and “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels all but created the rock ‘n’ soul rave-up, and he became the musical godfather of the so-called blue-collar rockers including Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp. In this career-spanning conversation conducted from his M…

1
Jason Jones & Steve Woolard (Rhino, Yes, Talking Heads) 1:10:52

1M ago1:10:52

1:10:52

How does a label execute ambitious rerelease campaigns for its key artists, in this case Yes and Talking Heads? We talk with Rhino A&R directors Jason Jones and Steve Woolard about the Super Deluxe Editions, Record Store Day releases and other archival packages they have been assembling for these two bands. Woolard also oversaw Yes rereleases more …

1
Kevin Godley, Pt. 2 (Godley & Creme) 49:22

1M ago49:22

49:22

As this episode kicks off, Kevin Godley and his longtime songwriting and creative partner, Lol Creme, have just left 10cc, so instead of being part of hits such as “The Things We Do for Love,” the duo continues pushing their artistic boundaries as Godley & Creme. Godley describes how he and Creme collaborated on music and, eventually, videos—for th…

1
Kevin Godley, Pt. 1 (10cc) 59:22

2M ago59:22

59:22

“If we did something that was too drab, too normal, too obvious, we'd say, ‘Nah, let's give it a kick in the ass.’” That’s how Kevin Godley describes the approach of his former band, 10cc, and his drive for creativity and art has not abated. Godley was 10cc’s angelic-voiced drummer who would go on to make inventive music and groundbreaking videos w…

1
Cheryl Pawelski (Omnivore, Wilco boxes) 1:07:49

2M ago1:07:49

1:07:49

Omnivore Recordings co-founder and four-time Gramny-winning producer Cheryl Pawelski has figured out how to do what she loves for a living. She went from obsessing about music in Milwaukee to having great adventures in the "floater pool" at Capitol Records in Los Angeles. With stints at Rhino and Concord as well, she oversaw ambitious reissues by, …

1
Patrick Milligan 2025 (Rhino, Record Store Day) 59:31

2M ago59:31

59:31

Rhino Records has 47—yes, 47—releases coming out on Record Store Day (April 12), but that’s not all that’s been keeping Rhino Senior A&R Director Patrick Milligan busy. The Rhino High Fidelity series, which he oversees, has taken off, with recent Doors and Black Sabbath releases selling out quickly. He also launched the less expensive, still-all-an…

1
Peter Holsapple 2025 1:20:19

2M ago1:20:19

1:20:19

Over the past year, Peter Holsapple has toured with the reunited dB’s and enjoyed the overdue U.S. vinyl releases of their classic first two albums; seen the release of a book, compilation album and tribute album dedicated to his other band, the Continental Drifters; and, most important, recorded a terrific new solo album. The Face of 68 offers an …

1
Joe Harley (Blue Note Tone Poet) 1:15:11

2M ago1:15:11

1:15:11

Joe Harley oversees some of the best jazz vinyl rereleases around as producer of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet series. Harley picks the titles, and, as he did with the much-coveted Music Matters series, he preps each release with ace mastering engineer (and recurring Caropop guest) Kevin Gray. Here Harley reflects on how he went from growing up (…

1
Joe Boyd 2025 1:04:49

3M ago1:04:49

1:04:49

Producer Joe Boyd (Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention/Richard Thompson, R.E.M.) has written a massive, highly entertaining, illuminating book about world music called And the Roots of Rhythm Remain, the title a lyric from Paul Simon’s Graceland song “Under African Skies.” That album is a jumping-off point for Boyd’s explorations of music from around t…

1
Bob Mould 1:04:27

3M ago1:04:27

1:04:27

No one mixes fury and vulnerability, ferocious energy and pop smarts like Bob Mould. His 15th solo album, Here We Go Crazy, comes out March 7, and he remains at the peak of his powers. Here he reflects on his tremendous, sometimes turbulent career, starting with his attending Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., meeting Grant Hart at Cheapo Recor…

1
Mike Mills (R.E.M.) 1:03:00

3M ago1:03:00

1:03:00

Mike Mills of R.E.M. and the Baseball Project and a new supergroup with Darius Rucker is here, and we’ve got questions: How did R.E.M. come to share all songwriting credits, and why did Mills initially object? What impact did the albums’ producers have? Given the bandmates’ senses of humor, why wouldn’t R.E.M. smile in photographs? Had R.E.M. decid…

1
Dave Alvin, Pt. 2 54:17

3M ago54:17

54:17

Part 2 of our conversation with guitarist-songwriter-singer-storyteller Dave Alvin begins with him discussing musical biopics and the one that put him off the genre for good. (Hint: He was in it.) Has he seen A Complete Unknown? How did he wind up actually recording with Bob Dylan? Will any of these recordings ever come out? Alvin also revisits his…

1
Dave Alvin, Pt. 1 1:04:09

4M ago1:04:09

1:04:09

Dave Alvin has had such an epic career that we’re going to need two episodes to fit it all in. Much of Part 1 spotlights Alvin’s values as a musician. As he tells it, the Blasters, the revved-up L.A. roots-rock band for which he was the main songwriter/guitarist, had lots of rules. The Third Mind, his current psychedelic improvisatory band, has few…

1
Bob Jackson (Badfinger) 1:02:59

4M ago1:02:59

1:02:59

Do you know the tragic story of Badfinger? Behind such life-affirming songs as “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue” and the much-covered power ballad “Without You” lay a dark tale in which Badfinger’s manager defrauded the band and left them destitute. Bob Jackson played keyboards and guitar in the last Badfinger lineup that featured P…

1
Nora O'Connor (The Flat Five) 1:09:46

4M ago1:09:46

1:09:46

Nora O’Connor is a super collaborator, someone who loves singing harmonies and makes everyone sound good. She’s a member of the Chicago all-star group the Flat Five and a formidable singer-songwriter in her own right, as her 2022 solo album, My Heart, her first in 18 years, reminded us. Here she reflects on her life as “a music worker,” including w…

1
Macie Stewart (Finom) 1:04:04

4M ago1:04:04

1:04:04

Macie Stewart, half of the Chicago-based duo Finom, is one of those musicians who can do almost anything. She’s a classical pianist and violinist who wrote her first piece for an orchestra at age 11 and still creates string arrangements, such as on her 2021 solo album Mouth Full of Glass. She also taught herself acoustic guitar and began writing so…

1
Michael Jerome (Richard Thompson, The Third Mind) 1:23:58

5M ago1:23:58

1:23:58

Michael Jerome had been drumming in a post-industrial metal band when he auditioned for Richard Thompson in 1999, little knowing he would be this brilliant guitarist's percussive foil for the next 25 years and counting. Jerome also has played with Charlie Musselwhite, the Blind Boys of Alabama and, for several years, John Cale. He’s been Better Tha…

1
Kevin Gray 2025 54:57

5M ago54:57

54:57

It's time for our fourth annual check-in with masterful mastering engineer Kevin Gray as he comes off yet another crazy-busy year. What new did he and Doors engineer/producer Bruce Botnick think they could bring to the instant-sellout Rhino High Fidelity box The Doors 1967-1971? Which Rhino High Fidelity album doesn’t make sense to him as an audiop…

1
Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) 1:21:32

5M ago1:21:32

1:21:32

Redd Kross, a band overdue for massive appreciation, is having a moment. There’s a new page-turner of a memoir, Now You’re One of Us, co-written by brother bandmates Jeff and Steven McDonald with Dan Epstein. Their narrative rocks to life in Andrew Reich’s new documentary, Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story. The movie, in turn, inspired the 2024 d…

1
Bruce Spizer (Beatles U.S. 1964 Albums in Mono) 1:11:25

5M ago1:11:25

1:11:25

Beatles author Bruce Spizer wrote the liner notes for the new vinyl box The Beatles U.S. 1964 Albums in Mono, and here he digs into the history of these reconfigured U.S. Capitol albums, from Meet the Beatles! through Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles. Spizer is a New Orleans tax lawyer and CPA, and that expertise has helped him untangle the Beatle…

1
Steve Conte 1:11:31

6M ago1:11:31

1:11:31

Steve Conte became lead guitarist in one legendary band, the New York Dolls, and co-wrote half of his latest album, The Concrete Jangle, with the main singer-songwriter of another one: Andy Partridge of XTC. Conte is a longtime New York working musician who has played with such artists as Paul Simon, Peter Wolf, Phoebe Snow and, in a great story, C…

1
Don Was, Pt. 2 (Blue Note President) 50:28

6M ago50:28

50:28

Don Was may be an accomplished performer and producer, as covered in Pt. l, but he’s also got quite the day job: president of Blue Note Records. How did this rock-funk musician become the top executive at one of the most prestigious, influential jazz labels? What was the Blue Note album that turned him on to jazz when he was 14 years old? What earl…

1
Don Was, Pt. 1 (Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, B-52's) 52:37

6M ago52:37

52:37

His ‘80s band Was (Not Was) scored a top 10 hit, “Walk the Dinosaur,” but Don Was has had an even greater impact on the music world as a producer. In 1989 he produced two big comebacks: Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning Nick of Time and “Love Shack” and other songs on the B-52’s Cosmic Thing. Then came work with Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Willie Nelson and—i…

1
Caropop Happy Thanksgiving 2024 2:45

6M ago2:45

2:45

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for listening to Caropop since our launch in the fall of 2021. We’re now 157 episodes and more than three years in, and we can’t wait to share more great conversations about creative work with you. Please enjoy this brief message from the Caropop team, and take this opportunity to catch up on any episodes you m…

1
Graham Gouldman (10cc) 1:00:55

6M ago1:00:55

1:00:55

Graham Gouldman already had written classic ‘60s hits—including the Yardbirds’ “For Your Love” and “Heart Full of Soul,” the Hollies’ “Bus Stop” and “Look Through Any Window” and Herman’s Hermits’ “No Milk Today”—by the time he and Manchester schoolmates Lol Creme and Kevin Godley plus ex-Mindbender Eric Stewart formed one of the '70s’ most tuneful…

1
Grant Achatz on Charlie Trotter 1:17:53

7M ago1:17:53

1:17:53

“It felt like I just stepped into a rodeo, and they shut the gate behind me.” That’s how Grant Achatz describes his first day of working in the kitchen of Charlie Trotter’s, then considered one of the world’s finest restaurants. The future 3-Michelin-star Alinea chef was just 21 in the summer of 1995 when he convinced Trotter to give him a shot at …

1
Susan Cowsill 53:46

7M ago53:46

53:46

Susan Cowsill was the kid sister of the family band the Cowsills, and she made an indelible impression singing “and spaghetti’d!” on the Cowsills’ 1968 hit version of “Hair.” Jump to the 1990s, and she was singing and, for the first time, writing songs in the indie supergroup the Continental Drifters, which also included her friend Vicki Peterson o…

1
Sima Cunningham (Finom) 1:16:54

7M ago1:16:54

1:16:54

Sima Cunningham has had two albums released this year: Not God from Finom, her band with fellow Chicago singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Macie Stewart; and a long-gestating solo project, High Roller. With Finom kicking off a tour this weekend and a solo album launch and a Roches-themed show coming up, Cunningham is enjoying the culmination o…

1
Iain Matthews (Fairport Convention) 52:13

7M ago52:13

52:13

Iain Matthews was an early member of the pioneering British folk-rock band Fairport Convention, singing on its first two albums and leaving during the recording of the third one, Unhalfbricking. Since then this singer-songwriter has formed other bands — Matthews Southern Comfort, Plainsong — and released much solo work, including the just-released …

1
Joan Osborne 51:25

8M ago51:25

51:25

Joan Osborne is best known for a certain big hit yet has amassed an impressive career since then. Her latest album, Nobody Owns You, may be her most personal yet, with songs about her mother’s Alzheimer’s, the impact of time spent in “Too Many Airports” and the title track addressed to her daughter. Yet she remains as enthusiastic interpreting othe…

1
Scott Lucas (Local H) 57:39

8M ago57:39

57:39

When the young Zion, Ill., band Local H shrunk from four members to two, leader Scott Lucas decided he liked the guitar-and-drums attack and has stuck with it for more than 30 years. Local H has had its moments of popularity (the 1996 album As Good As Dead and single “Bound for the Floor”), critical triumphs that fell short commercially (1998’s daz…

1
Mark Caro, by Steve Dawson 1:36:18

8M ago1:36:18

1:36:18

To mark Episode 150 of Caropop, we’re doing something different. My friend Steve Dawson— an awesome singer-songwriter who was my guest back on Episode 10, as well as my co-author on Take It to the Bridge: Unlocking the Great Songs Inside You—said he wanted to turn the tables and interview me for an episode. So here we go, with Steve probing me on w…

1
Isaac Slusarenko (Jackpot Records) 55:29

8M ago55:29

55:29

This week’s episode takes us behind the scenes of an independent record label and record store out of Portland, Oregon: Jackpot Records, with its founder Isaac Slusarenko. He opened the store in 1997 as a place that was all about music, no T-shirts or candles. He launched the label in 2004 with a vinyl edition of the 1971 self-titled psychedelic so…

1
John Stirratt (Wilco, The Autumn Defense) 1:14:57

9M ago1:14:57

1:14:57

Immediately after Uncle Tupelo co-leaders Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy parted ways 30 years ago, bassist John Stirratt and his fellow bandmates followed Tweedy into a new band, Wilco. Now Stirratt and Tweedy are the only members left from that original lineup, and Stirratt reflects on Wilco’s exciting, turbulent early years as well as the more stable…

1
Steve Wynn: Rockin' Author 1:22:56

9M ago1:22:56

1:22:56

The Dream Syndicate/Baseball Project singer-songwriter-guitarist just released a new memoir, I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True, and solo album, Make It Right. But Steve Wynn’s second Caropop visit is no mere rehash of his book and career. He loves talking about music, and our subjects this time include the guitars that got away, the fun of huntin…

1
Jeff McDonald (Redd Kross) 57:29

9M ago57:29

57:29

Jeff McDonald’s band Redd Kross is marking its 45th anniversary this year, which is all the more impressive given that the singer-songwriter-guitarist is barely in his 60s. Jeff and his younger brother, bassist Steven, started the band in their teens, and their songs are as catchy and powerful as ever on their new self-titled double album. (A Redd …

1
Caropop End of Summer Message 1:44

10M ago1:44

1:44

Wanted to let you know that we’re taking the last three weeks of August off, and we’ll be back the Thursday after Labor Day, Sept. 5, all refreshed and ready with a new Caropop conversation. In the meantime, we encourage you to explore our back catalog. There are 145 episodes, after all. Have you listened to Ep. 102 with jazz-R&B pianist/singer/com…

1
Steve Cropper & Jimmy James 42:01

10M ago42:01

42:01

When I spoke with guitarist Jimmy James a few weeks ago for Caropop Ep. 143, he cited Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the M.G.’s. as a key inspiration. Listen to James’ work with the organ trio Parlor Greens and, before that, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, and you hear how he, like Cropper, is a rhythmic guitarist who never overplays yet can make you…

1
Dan Zanes 1:17:32

10M ago1:17:32

1:17:32

Dan Zanes enjoyed a good run with the Boston band the Del Fuegos but had no idea what broader, more enthusiastic audiences awaited him when he began making “family music” with friends such as Sheryl Crow and Suzanne Vega. The Dan Zanes and Friends albums and concerts got fans young and old dancing and singing along—and earned him a Grammy Award. No…

1
Jimmy James (Parlor Greens, True Loves) 1:09:34

10M ago1:09:34

1:09:34

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-…

1
Chris Stein (Blondie) 59:40

11M ago59:40

59:40

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, an…

1
Pete Best (The Beatles) 1:13:12

11M ago1:13:12

1:13:12

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 Beatl…

1
Happy Independence Day, 2024 3:01

11M ago3:01

3:01

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 Li…

1
Graham Maby (Joe Jackson) 1:07:11

11M ago1:07:11

1:07:11

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 Mab…

1
Will Rigby (The dB's) 1:01:44

12M ago1:01:44

1:01:44

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 ser…

1
Vicki Peterson (The Bangles) 1:27:42

12M ago1:27:42

1:27:42

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) …

1
Abey Fonn (Impex Records) 1:05:01

12M ago1:05:01

1:05:01

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, Patri…

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Cheryl Feldman Podcasts

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