The Load Out Music Podcast

From Rock Hall-of-Famers to Grammy winners and emerging artists on the cusp of greatness — The Load Out Music Podcast is hosted by singer/songwriter Aaron Perlut of Atomic Junkshot and features intimate, long-form conversations with music artists.

Season 6: Old Soul Anna Wescoat Brings Back the Craft of True Country Music 06/30/2025

Season 6: Electronic Jam Band 2Lot Brings Order to Thermodynamic Disorder 05/31/2025

Season 6: Lilly Hyatt Returns to Trinity Lane with Her Latest Album “Forever” -- a Punk-Infused Americana Treat 04/26/2025

Season 6: DRAWING FROM THE STONES, ZEPPELIN AND CORNELL, THE BAND FEEL HAS SOMETHING “SPECIAL” GOING 03/28/2025

Season 6: DRAWING FROM THE STONES, ZEPPELIN AND CORNELL, THE BAND FEEL HAS SOMETHING “SPECIAL” GOING Some modern bands—ones like Jack White, Larkin Poe, Greta Van Fleet and Marcus King among others—they are beginning to standout for their exceptional musical talents while still holding onto what has become somewhat of a lost art form. “It’s not uncommon that young people are making music that nods to the past,” according to the lead guitarist of one of those bands, Tyler Armstrong of The Band Feel, during the first episode of Season 6 of The Load Out Music Podcast. Only about two years old, The Band Feel evolved out of the now-defunct Alton, Illinois-based band known as Nick Bifano and the Innocents. It has quickly become a dynamic quartet, driven by the partnership of Armstrong and lead vocalist Garrett Barcus. Rounded out by drummer T.J. Steinwart and Kadin Rea on bass guitar, the band has quickly become known for its sizzling performances that pay homage to the classic rock era while adding a modern twist. Most comparisons place the The Band Feel somewhere between Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes, and indeed, watching Armstrong and Barcus on stage is reminiscent of the chemistry once displayed by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. The Band Feel had what Armstrong calls its “coming out party” just after Covid, releasing an EP that was produced by the five-time Grammy-nominated and ASCAP award winning producer, Paul Moak, at The Smokestack in Nashville. The quartet hit the road in support of Dirty Honey last Fall on the “Can’t Find The Breaks” tour, playing more 30 markets in theatres across the US. So with the newness of success, Armstrong—who is remarkably quiet and unassuming—is taking it day-by-day, just trying to focus on building a stronger brotherhood with his bandmates. “We’re still pretty new to this thing,” he said with great humility. “I think we view ourselves as special but it’s always interesting hearing it. The only expectation in this world is to treat someone as good as you can. It goes deeper than my service level statement. With the band the only expectation is that you treat those of us in the band the best you can.” Special indeed. Welcome to Episode 1 of Season 6 of The Load Out Music Podcast with Tyler Armstrong of The Band Feel. You should be hearing a lot about the band in the coming years. /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/35908705

Season 5: Singer-Songwriter Jovin Webb Dishes the Sound of Barbecue Sauce 12/02/2024

Season 5: Jody White Unearths Treasures of His Late Father, Tony Joe White 11/18/2024

Season 5: Andrew Browning ‘Relapses’ into Music and it Gets Messy 11/04/2024

Season 5: The Cold Stares' Chris Tapp Lays Down the Heavy Blues Rock 10/29/2024

Season 5: A Not So Ordinary Quarter Century: Carbon Leaf Looks Back and Ahead 09/30/2024

Season 5: Joanne Shaw Taylor Works to Keep Things Fresh While Holding Onto her Unique Sound 08/26/2024

Season 5: Virginia's The Steel Wheels Join The Load Out Music Podcast 07/16/2024

Season 5: Jake Neuman and Greg Griffith Usher in A Very Special Load Out 07/08/2024

Season 5: With Black Country Communion, Jason Bonham Furthers His Drumming Legacy 06/24/2024

Season 5: The Legendary John Oates Discusses Break with Daryl Hall, Aging Gracefully and Reuniting with Himself 05/23/2024

Season 5: Coreen Sheehan’s Scientific “Footprint” is Littered Across the Voices of the World 05/09/2024

Season 5: Jose James Brings Hip Hop Cool to International Jazz Audiences 04/20/2024

Season 5: Jose James Brings Hip Hop Cool to International Jazz Audiences Acclaimed international jazz artist Jose James has a composure about him that one might compare to James Bond. The Minneapolis native claims he was one of the least talented artists in his music circles growing up, yet he ultimately attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. His first album, The Dreamer, debuted in 2008. Since then, he’s gone on to play at the Kennedy Center, The Hollywood Bowl, Ancienne Belgique, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Melbourne Symphony and has recorded 11 more records including his latest which dropped April 5—the stunning album 1978, named for the year of his birth. Along the way, he’s picked up honor after honor in establishing himself as an extraordinary jazz singer/songwriter—but one built for the hip-hop generation. Pitchfork called him, “one of the suavest vocal improvisers on the scene,” and it’s been said his arrangements and approach are “in deep conversation with funk, R&B, and hip-hop.” Despite oozing cool, he’s not really all about himself. You quickly understand that James lives for the collaboration and building art that he loves with others. “I really grew up with this idea that you make music with a band, with other people,” he told me recently on The Load Out Music Podcast. He grew up feeling the diverse vibes of bands ranging from the Ohio Players and Peter, Paul and Mary found in his mother’s record collection; the funky global beats of his multi-instrumentalist father’s band, ; the western church music of his Catholic school and diverse artists such as Nirvana, 10,000 Maniacs, De la Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and Grammy-winner Bobby McFerrin who was the creative chair of the for a time in the early 1990s. When he was 17, James attended a McFerrin concert with the noted jazz pianist Chick Corea. It was then that he was hooked on the idea that a career in music was inevitable—but he still was surprised that others saw it as well. “Wow,” James said. “People see something in me that I might not see. I didn’t really go to college. I didn’t want to do the traditional route. I was like, I can have a coffee shop job and pay my rent and see what happens. This is where my spirit is taking me.” Despite a love for jazz, early on James understood that jazz could be limiting and wanted to explore the boundaries of the genre. “There is a strong jazz radio, but it’s pretty strict about what they play,” he said, noting that listeners essentially find smooth or classic jazz on radio, but the parameters are narrow. Thus, he approaches each record with the understanding that he must keep certain singles within the ditches, producing them to be radio friendly, while stretching boundaries on other tracks with dance, pop and hip-hop beats. “I think it’s more frustrating that jazz, in general, is not more popular in America,” he muses, despite his voice not elevating to indicate any semblance of anger. “You go to Tokyo, go to any shopping mall, restaurant, they are playing jazz.” As James’ star has risen, he’s realized two principal realities about his chosen career: That money and power still drive the industry and that he would be little without the graciousness of other artists. “It’s not just about talent, James said. “It’s about who’s pushing you and how much money.” This became apparent to him when he released a single independently in 2012 to little fanfare. However, the same single was included on his first album for the vaunted Blue Note label and it became a sensational hit, landing him appearances on David Letterman’s and Conan O’Brien’s late-night shows. James credits his success to mentors who have given him their time including legendary jazz pianist McCoy Tyner (who worked with John Coltrane), singer Anita Baker, composer Christian McBride, band leader Chico Hamilton and even former late-night host Jay Leno. “There’s so much generosity going around,” he said. “You have to take the wins.” As for 1978, James said that it is, “The first time I’ve really gotten personal in a concrete way. I’m going to reveal more about myself and where I’m from.” He points to the racial politics of Minnesota and efforts to bring to bear a range of influences including Prince, Michael Jackson and even Bob Dylan. “I call it party and politics because, to me, that’s what the 70s kind of resonates with. People knew how to party. They could throw down. But they were also famous for taking a stand.” Thus, the first half of the album is what he calls “party,” while the second half focuses on “politics,” including pieces written in the memories of George Floyd and Trayvon Martin. “I don’t really worry about it,” James said of injecting politics into his art. “I’ve definitely gotten some of that—the shut up and sing kind of vibe. If it’s important to you, I think you’ve got to talk about it. If people don’t like it, that’s kind of fine.” It’s important to Jose James indeed. Enjoy a tremendous episode of with the acclaimed jazz maestro. /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/30912888

Season 5: Guitarist Tobin Dale’s Authentic Soul Shines Through 04/07/2024

Season 5: Guitarist Tobin Dale’s Authentic Soul Shines Through Earnestness. Authenticity. These are the things Nashville-based guitarist Tobin Dale relates to when he considers his chosen craft as a guitarist and playing the music he loves. A true student of rock‘n’roll guitar, Dale has been at it since discovering the Beatles and subsequently picking up the guitar around age 12, growing up in Orlando. In music circles, he’s become known as a go-to sideman for touring and sessions when artists are seeking the much-admired weave sound of guitars made popular by the likes of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and heard in the sounds of bands like The Faces, Humble Pie, the Black Crowes, Dan Baird projects and more. He first began life as a working musician in Los Angeles after following the cross-country voyage taken by one of his heroes, Tom Petty, who went from central Florida to LA. In California, he first joined the band the Nasty Souls, playing his first live show at the famed Roxy on Sunset at age 21. It was there that the likes of Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Patti Smith, Prince and more had played prior. Alcohol and drugs, of course, were ever-present in the LA music scene. In particular, booze became a particular vice when playing with Caldwell Jack & the Six Pack during a residency at the Kibitz Room. Dale had a wakeup call during an East Coast tour that helped Dale find sobriety. He ultimately moved to Nashville with the love of his life and began finding bigger opportunities through encounters with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo, through producer Julian Raymond at Big Machine Records, touring with Brock Ganyea and ultimately hooking up with the legendary Ray Wylie Hubbard. Dale’s relationship with Hubbard started during his time playing on tour with Ganyea, who was opening shows for Hubbard. The iconic Texas songwriter approached Dale after a few performances and asked him to come up on stage to join him on the song “You Got to Move.” Dale asked Hubbard if he wanted, “the Fred McDowell or the Rolling Stones version.” A kinship was formed and the bond has only solidified since. It didn’t hurt, of course, that Dale quickly found chemistry with Hubbard’s son and bandmate Lucas—the two weaving their guitars seamlessly—and Dale continues playing with Hubbard’s band today, such as his recent gigs on the Sirius XM Outlaw Country Cruise (where Dale also played with Andrew Leahey and the Homestead) and at Red Rocks in Colorado. It would seem, at just age 34, Dale is only getting started. He has a big summer ahead, touring with Tuk Smith & the Restless Hearts, picking up gigs here and there in Nashville and across the U.S. But with every consideration, Dale seemingly comes back to his fundamental tenants—particularly, authenticity. We discuss all of this and more on a terrific edition of The Load Out Music podcast with guitarist Tobin Dale. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/30715258

Season 5: A Visit with Rap Music Royalty in the Sugarhill Gang 02/20/2024

Season 5: A Visit with Rap Music Royalty in the Sugarhill Gang Like any other art form, rap music or hip-hop has a defined, ever-evolving legacy. There are names etched in the walls of the greats industry founders ranging from Curtis Blow to Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J to Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, Will Smith, Doug E. Fresh, the Fat Boys and Queen Latifah. As the genre evolved, rap developed more of an edge, telling painful stories of street life from performers like N.W.A., Ice-T, Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur, and the Notorious B.I.G. Rappers Jay Z, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg took rap to new heights of popularity, giving hip-hop a seat at the mainstream table. And others like Lauryn Hill, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Lil’ Wayne, Eminem, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Drake, DMX, J. Cole and others have kept rap going strong and made it a viable and highly profitable music style. But rap is incomplete without the group that coined the phrase “hip-hop” in their groundbreaking anthem “Rapper’s Delight”—the Sugarhill Gang. Indeed, any conversation about rap—which in 2023, celebrated 50 years as an art form—is incomplete without the Sugarhill Gang. Formed in 1979, it started outside an Englewood, New Jersey, pizza shop when singer and music executive Sylvia Robinson asked Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson—who would croon as he made pizza inside—to sing for she and her husband Joe in their car parked outside. Jackson was ultimately joined by Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien and the two of them went to the Robinson home along with Michael "Wonder Mike" Wright. The three young me thought they were auditioning against one another, but in the end, were assembled into a music act that would go on to become one of the first rap groups ever—the Sugarhill Gang—holding a legendary place in popular music history. We sit down with the Sugarhill Gang including Master Gee, Wonder Mike, Hendogg and DJ T-Dynasty for the latest episode of the Load Out Music Podcast. /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/30038408

Season 5: Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Dave Mason Kicks off Season 5 01/27/2024

Season 4: Caleb Lee Hutchinson Emerges 10/23/2023

Season 4: NEEDTOBREATHE's Josh Lovelace Joins The Load Out 10/18/2023

Season 4: ZZ Ward Polishes That Dirty Shine 08/28/2023

Season 4: ZZ Ward Polishes That Dirty Shine If there’s anything to be learned from the monumental successes of Beyonce and Taylor Swift, it’s that music artists can do more than simply record and perform music. Certainly, each has established themselves as exceptional artists. But they have also cultivated remarkably strong seemingly interpersonal bonds with their fans ranging from Beyonce’s “Bee Hive” to Taylor’s “Swifties.” A few rungs down the ladder, yet furiously climbing higher and higher, sits the uniquely engaging Zsuzsanna Eva Ward. She is better known as and was our most recent guest on The Load Out music podcast. Ward’s fan community is known as “Dirty Shine,” a term revolving around being one’s authentic self—imperfections and vulnerabilities included. The term itself, “Dirty Shine,” that is, has become something of a mission statement and rallying cry for the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose alternative, blues and hip-hop-blending music has quietly exploded amongst her passionate fanbase. “The concept of ‘Dirty Shine’ is larger than the record,” Ward said of her new album. “When I put out my first album (2012’s Til the Casket Drops), my fans and I started saying we are dirty shine. It was about embracing who you are—we are all dirty, a little rough around the edges. I’ve always had this vibe, but I feel like this time in my life is like dirty shine on steroids. I can fully be myself, and nothing can stop me.” Ward, however, has gone beyond embracing her who she is, embracing her fans and polishing that dirty shine through her relationships each and every day, noting that she chats “with my fans on every day.” Ward’s Til the Casket Drops made a notable entry into the AAA Radio Charts Top 10. Her sophomore album, The Storm, clinched the number one spot on the Billboard Blues Charts. On her third and latest effort, Dirty Shine sets a new bar as more of a cinematic piece with a diverse blend of sounds—from bold electronic textures, rugged hip-hop beats, to juke joint harmonica. The album was recorded in collaboration with renowned producers such as Ludwig Göransson, Mike Elizondo, Jason Evigan and more. The single "On One," features Jean Deaux and is inspired by Ward’s new role as a mother. It carries an empowering message, defying the stereotype that motherhood equates to weakness. “You just have to run your own race and do your own thing,” Ward said. As Ward expands her role in making music she has gone beyond artist and become a video director, record label owner, a new mom, and she hand-makes versions of her signature fedoras that are available for purchase via her website Watch her polish that dirty shine as we enjoy a great conversation with ZZ Ward on the latest edition of The Load Out music podcast. /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/27869055

Season 4: Susan Gibson Still Loves Her Wide Open Spaces 08/20/2023

Season 4: Susan Gibson Still Loves Her Wide Open Spaces Singer-songwriter was born in Minnesota but spent most of her formative years in Amarillo, Texas. Growing up, she and her family would often drive between Amarillo and Missoula, Montana, where she drew comfort and inspiration from the wide open spaces along their route. Ultimately, Gibson took to music and the continuum of movement through those scenic vistas would become an essential muse that, in the early 1990s, would end up on a cassette tape of her early songs. “I didn’t start writing songs to become a professional songwriter at all,” Gibson recently told me on the latest episode of The Load Out music podcast. Recorded way back in 1992, that cassette tape had a gem that, not-so-ironically, was called “Wide Open Spaces.” The song ended up on a demo tape for Gibson’s former Amarillo-based band, , which they sent to legendary music producer Lloyd Maines in hopes he would produce a record for them. Maines connected with the lyrics of “Wide Open Spaces,” a tale of a daughter leaving home. But he thought it would be an ideal match for the voice of his daughter Natalie, who had just joined a little country outfit called The Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks). And the rest, as they say, is history. The Chicks released the album Wide Open Spaces in 1998 and the title track went on to become a smash hit around the world and one of the most impactful country songs of the past 50 years. But Gibson has no remorse about one of her songs turning into a hit for another artist. She not only adores The Chicks as a band, but is grateful that her inspiration remains so appreciated. “I’m proud that I captured something at 24-years-old that still feels true to me today,” she said. “That idea of being a tumbleweed is really attractive to me. I lean into that part of the job…I love kind of a gypsy-ish lifestyle.” Gibson is realistic about the song, playfully calling it her “lightning strike lottery ticket,” but it’s important to understand the context of just how big “Wide Open Spaces” became. Not only was it named the Country Music Association Single of the Year in 1999, but it won Gibson the American Songwriter Professional Country Songwriter of the Year award in early 2000, along with a BMI award the previous year. Despite the acclaim, however, Gibson has remained grounded and committed to her craft—writing, playing, singing. She is highly respected across the industry as a songwriter which is on display throughout her catalogue of seven albums and a variety of singles. Her last full-length record—2019’s The Hard Stuff—dug deep into her personal journey. It examined Gibson’s battle with alcoholism (she’s been sober since 2010), and we spoke at length about the signals she received that led her to finally giving up the bottle. “I had all of the stuff that you are imaging happened when you have a drinking problem,” she said. “The lying, cheating, stealing, blaming other people for your own mistakes. It makes good relationships incredibly hard when you are an alcoholic.” A hand injury suffered in a 2010 car accident turned the light on, leading her to realize that—without her physical talents—she had no music. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said. “Getting sober has changed my life profoundly.” Thus, today Gibson is clear-eyed, loving the craft of playing music every single day; being thankful for moments in time like writing “Wide Open Spaces,” and the experiences that drove her to follow an artist’s path. Enjoy an amazing conversation with a terrific songwriter and wonderful person, Susan Gibson, on the latest Load Out music podcast. /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/27799737

Season 4: Diane Gentile and Alejandro Escovedo Take a Walk 08/14/2023

Season 4: Anthony and Steven Babino Get Their Rebel Kicks Out 07/31/2023

Season 4: Red Dirt Pioneer Cody Canada Visits The Load Out 07/17/2023

Season 4: Red Dirt Pioneer Cody Canada Visits The Load Out Let’s start here. Cody Canada—our latest guest on The Load Out Music Podcast—is many things but he is most certainly not some radio DJ in Canada, in the event you were curious. No, he’s a pioneering figure in red dirt music and one of the more respected musicians in songwriting circles today. But many casual music fans might be unfamiliar with his name, instead knowing his work from the legendary band that he founded and led from 1994 – 2010: Cross Canadian Ragweed. For those unfamiliar with red dirt music, it’s a genre stuck between country and rock-and-roll named for the color of the Oklahoma soil. It has featured acts such as Jason Boland & the Stragglers, Stoney Larue, Charlie Robison, the Turnpike Troubadours, and the Randy Rogers Band—but has also extended to the likes of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Ray Wylie Hubbard and those who have built the Texas country-rock scene. Canada got hooked on music when he attended a George Strait show while living in Texas as a kid. The next day he asked his parents for a guitar and it was on. In his teen years, Canada was insulated, a loner, he freely admits he didn’t have many friends. His family then relocated to Yukon, Oklahoma, and his obsession with the regional outlaw country music and the Seattle sounds of Nirvana and Pearl Jam only deepened. Music became his thing—his only thing—and in 1994, Canada put together a band with Matt Weidemann (bass), Grady Cross (guitar), and Randy Ragsdale (percussion). Cross Canadian Ragweed was born and one of their first gigs was playing a on a glorious trailer on —where they played for six hours. The band would move to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and in 1998 put out its first album, Carney. But it wasn’t until Ragweed’s 2002 self-titled album featuring Canada’s song “17” that the band broke through. Then things really went next level in 2004 with the album Soul Gravy. It debuted at number five on Billboard’s country charts—despite Canada wanting to be as far from Nashville country as he possibly can to this day—and featured the hit songs “Sick and Tired” with Lee Ann Womack and “Alabama.” But like happens in most bands, tensions rose in Ragweed—a topic Canada does not shy away from—and the band dissolved in 2010. In 2011, Canada and bassist Jeremy Plato formed Cody Canada & the Departed, releasing the album This Is Indian Land, a collection of covers written by Oklahoma songwriters. The band ultimately minimized to simply, The Departed, and over the past decade, Canada has moved forward with the band as well as on solo projects, writing music and reaping the rewards of a legacy he’s built over 30 years. In 2020, , the esteemed festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, paid tribute to Canada with live recorded performances from his songwriting peers, releasing the album The Years: A MusicFest Tribute to Cody Canada. Ragweed also released the reboot of “Soul Gravy” in 2022. Womack returned to sing on the new version along with performances from some key musicians who helped shape the original album including Randy Rogers and Ray Wiley Hubbard. And just recently, Canada joined longtime friends Micky and Gary Braun (of Micky and the Motorcars) on the “Acoustic Healing Tour.” All along, in spite of being a pioneer in red dirt music, family remains the bedrock of Canada’s life. He and his wife Shannon lead a School of Rock in their hometown of New Braunfels, Texas, where they are raising their children Dierks Cobain Canada (named for friend Kierks Bentley and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain) and Willy Vedder Canada (named for Willy Braun of the band Reckless Kelly and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder). So, sit back for a great conversation on The Load Out Music Podcast with an incredibly accomplished musician and fascinating character in Cody Canada. /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/27485751

Season 4: Joshua Radin is Working to Create a World to Live In 07/11/2023

Season 4: Joshua Radin is Working to Create a World to Live In Singer-songwriter Joshua Radin didn’t think he was going to be a musician. Certainly, he loved art and studied drawing and painting at Northwestern. But after college he worked as a teacher, screenwriter and other odd jobs. In his late 20s, Radin’s father bought him a guitar and things slowly came together. In 2004, actor Zach Braff—a friend since college—helped Radin get his song "Winter" on the NBC show Scrubs. Ultimately, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence cherry-picked several of Radin’s other songs for the show which would also go on to appear on Radin’s debut record, We Were Here. And off Radin went. He recently joined us on The Load Out Music Podcast, and over his career thus far, he has since tallied more than one billion streams. Radin’s single, “I’d Rather Be With You,” was certified gold, his music has appeared in over 200 films, television series, and commercials; and Ellen Degeneres loves his music so much that Radin played her wedding. In recent years, Radin decided a change of scenery was necessary and essentially left his life behind, traveling with nothing more than the essentials (and enough tools to be creative). He decided to live somewhat of a vagabond lifestyle overseas while also making stops to record new material in places such as Stockholm, Paris, and Lisbon. The result is his forthcoming album (out August 4) Though the World Will Tell Me So, Vol 2, which follows Vol 1—also written in Europe—that came out last year. Radin recently released the EP’s latest single “Man Of The Year,” which finds him exploring his personal struggles with intimacy and vulnerability. “I build walls around myself,” he said, “Always terrified of being hurt, making myself too vulnerable, which is I’m sure why the music I write is the exact opposite—I try to create a world in which I want to live.” So enjoy the latest episode of The Load Out music podcast with singer-songwriter Joshua Radin. It’s a great one! /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/27435552

Season 4: Blues Rock Guitar Legend Joe Bonamassa is Keeping the Blues Alive 06/20/2023

Season 4: Shawn Mullins Still Shimmers 06/13/2023

Season 4: Ivan Neville Wants to Touch Your Soul 05/04/2023

Season 4: Ivan Neville Wants to Touch Your Soul In 1994, I moved to New Orleans, where I lived until 1998. I loved my time there and still love the city today. Life in NOLA is hard to explain to those who’ve never been, or maybe only spent time partying in the French Quarter. It’s unique in so many ways, and as my children grew up, we tried to expose them to it as often as we could. Unlike most cities, communities in New Orleans are often racially integrated. They call them “checker-board neighborhoods,” which gives you a depiction of how white and black families live side-by-side. That doesn’t mean racism does not exist in NOLA. It does, just like any other city or town in America. But relations between races is very different there in that the identities are more closely shared than in other places across the U.S. Among several factors is the city is a living, breathing celebration of life and music runs through New Orleans’ veins. You very well might run into it at nearly any turn, and oftentimes, that music is being played or enjoyed by multicultural audiences, regardless of the style. This can create a unique sense of community that has the ability to overshadow differences. Our most recent guest on is the great . He’s not only a true king of modern-day funk and standard-bearer for New Orleans music, but the son of one of the most distinctive vocalists of the past half-century—Aaron Neville of the legendary Neville Brothers. “I saw my own place in the conversation about our musical and cultural heritage and history,” Neville said. “I got to see my role in the evolution of the music of New Orleans. The crowds may not have seen the Neville Brothers back in the day, most of the audiences were too young for that. But spiritually speaking, these were the Brothers’ children and that makes me appreciate what (his band) Dumpsta does even more. You become an elder, a teacher, by example.” Neville and I spent time reminiscing about our shared NOLA haunts—I lived a block from his family’s home for a time—but focus largely on the evolution of his career that emerged from his father’s shadow long ago. Indeed, he has performed or recorded with the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Robbie Robertson and is a charter member of Keith Richards’ X-Pensive Winos. Now, he is out with his first solo record in nearly 20 years and Ivan has a lot to say about life, fatherhood, sobriety, and what he and I believe might be the greatest place on earth—New Orleans. “I haven’t written any new material for myself in a long time,” Ivan explained, “So this project is very special to me. I made it up as I went along, a song here and there.” The new record, Touch My Soul, is filled with joy, beauty and pain. It exudes an unmistakable New Orleans ambience and breathes new life into his singular sound. It’s both a love letter to the Crescent City and a celebration of his emotional and spiritual journey as an artist, a father and a man. “When I was growing up,” Ivan said about the spirit of Touch My Soul, “People interacted differently on the street. They acknowledged each other. There was a feeling of connection. Just a nod or a look that said, ‘Where y’at?’” And with that in mind, Neville brings together old friends on the album, with vocal contributions from Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt, Big Aaron and David Shaw of the Revivalists, and instrumental sparks from Troy Andrews on trombone and violinist Theresa Anderson. “I wanted familiar voices to bring back a feeling of community,” Ivan said. “I figured, if everyone said hello to a stranger, spontaneously but within reason, it might make the world a better place. It certainly can’t hurt.” That sense of community-mindedness extends throughout Touch My Soul—one that is alive with the pulse of the Crescent City. “When I think about the way music has touched my soul and all the songs that became special moments in my life, I become very emotiona,” added Ivan. “Music should touch your soul. I hope this record and this music touches someone’s soul.” Ivan Neville unquestionably has that ability to touch your soul, so sit back and enjoy the latest episode of The Load Out Music Podcast with the modern standard bearer of New Orleans funk. /episode/index/show/loadoutmusic/id/26745183

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