Records & Riffs Matt Norlander

I recently stumbled upon a band I knew nothing about — and immediately loved their sound. Isn’t it great when that happens? Their name: Maj Deeka. Their style: Steely Dan meets Umphrey’s McGee meets Galactic meets Dopapod meets Reign of Kindo meets Herbie Hancock … and a dash of a lot of other stuff. They sound great. But it seemed like they didn’t have a huge following. I was fascinated. Why? Turns out, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 stymied this group’s ascent. Now what? This episode is a peek into the reality of how hard it can be to elevate from making that shift between ambitiously playing in a band for fun and a little cash vs. turning your art creation into a viable career option. The pandemic splintered a lot of bands forever. These guys have a sound that’s good enough to warrant landing a record deal and establish, at minimum, a regional following. Which way will it go?

Listen to Maj Deeka on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC42GXMKpOoN0AMZ-kLXoRlA

Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2XDqlGJ1Ki5KkmDCGhLq09

Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/maj_deeka/

The previously untold story of just how rocky this album-making process was at a critical time in DMB's history. Producer Steve Harris reveals the highs and lows of DMB's fifth major studio LP, with never-before-told stories from the studio. He also goes track-by-track with each song, detailing some of his favorite cuts and best memories. The highlight is “You Never Know,” a tune that comfortably ranks among the band’s best. Twenty years on, here’s a lengthy look back at Busted Stuff, and how busted it could have been. Plus: a few extra DMB goodies unrelated to the record that will get fans all the more curious on other projects.

Matt Norlander brings Steve Lillywhite back on the podcast for a long-awaited reflection on the ill-fated 2000 "Lillywhite Sessions," a studio project that was initially supposed to be DMB's fourth major-label record. Things went awry, Lillywhite was fired, the recordings shockingly leaked almost a year later anyway ... and then pretty much everyone thought the halfway-done recordings were sketches of an amazing record aborted too soon. Those sessions still carry a heavy, important and positive legacy for DMB, and it's worth lifting up this project in addition to providing context of the music business and popular music culture when this saga unfolded. For Lillywhite, this was the rare instance of him being unceremoniously fired from a project. More than two decades on, he looks back on being in the studio, finding out how he was sacked, and goes track by track through the recordings to offer thoughts on the cuts all these years later

In 2000, Dave Matthews Band was the biggest rock act in America. The group set out to record a fourth record, on the heels of its massive hit, 1998's Before These Crowded Streets. It was a doomed process. The album's sessions eventually leaked anyway—to widespread positive reviews. The band obviously and rightfully rejected this act of defiance and piracy. The record-that-wasn't maintains a stellar reputation by fans all these years later, flaws and all. It's become one of the most well-known aborted albums in popular American music history, in part because it happened near the birth of the Napster era. Twenty-two years later, the story of the infamous sessions is recounted by DMB's lead engineer, Steve Harris. Lillywhite himself will be featured in part two.

In May of 2022, Apple announced it was no longer manufacturing the iPod. RIP. Of course, this is the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on the so-called "iPod era," a particular near-decade of music obsessiveness that paved the way for the streaming-service dominance we live in now. Matt Norlander is joined by Joe Ovies to reflect on what was better 15 years ago vs. now, but also what wasn't. Best of all: an incomplete list of iPod artists that you will not want to miss. Get ready for the flashbacks!

I’m thrilled to have noted author, Chopped champion and robe enthusiast Drew Magary join the pod. His most recent novel, Point B, is available in electronic and print form now. If you’d like to purchase a copy — and I do recommend that! — there are multiple ways to do so, but print versions can be found at Barnes & Noble here and at Amazon here. Most importantly, it was a joy to do this podcast with Drew, considering the brain hemorrhage, and subsequent coma, he suffered in late 2018. He eventually wrote a gripping, vital recollection of that incident, and so much more, for Deadspin in 2019. I can’t recommend it enough; the piece was so good, Magary’s next book will be centered around the near-death experience. This episode begins with some writing and book chat, then soon enough delves into Magary’s favorite artist: Bob Mould. He of Hüsker Dü and Sugar. Why is Mould’s work worth a deep dive? The reasons are many, led by his steadfast consistency at putting out heartfelt records that seem incapable of ever letting his fortified fan base down. And as usual, if we’re talking about an artist, we’re ranking the best records. That comes at the end of the podcast. Magary’s got a couple of curveballs in there, for sure.