Anthology

An Interview with Halle Petro of Halle & The Jilt

by: Casey Pukl

I have to admit, I really admire people who do crazy things. I love hearing stories of people who aren’t afraid to sky dive or make a big career change. Insert Halle Petro’s story here. The Brooklyn based singer/songwriter released her debut album in February 2011, quit her cushy job on Wall Street in July, and hasn’t looked back since. She’s gearing up for her west coast tour with guitarist Michael Gomez, and already thinking about her next record! I had a chance to chat with Halle on the phone this week, and I think you’ll all enjoy her immeasurable spirit and dedication to her music.

CP: I know you’ve had a pretty crazy road to get to where you are, so I guess let’s start from the beginning!

HP: A very good place to start (laughs)! I moved to New York right after I graduated from college, and I did theater primarily— off Broadway and regional primarily. I was doing a lot of Broadway auditions, and I just did one show, and then there were some lapses between the next couple of jobs, and I was just kind of getting bored. The business end of things can kind of make you lose your love for what you’re doing.

I just wanted to start having fun singing and making music again, so I put together a band just to do cover songs on the upper west side of Manhattan. I had met with a friend of mine who was a singer/songwriter who told me that if I had an original piece, I should really just do it. So I told her that I did have one, but I didn’t know if it was any good, but eventually with her encouragement, we wound up doing the piece. It went over really well, and so I was like, ‘Well, I’ve actually got a bunch more!’ Before we knew it, the show was all original music.

And then shortly after that, I said, ‘I want to make a record.’ So I started figuring out what I had to do to make it happen. Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Richie Furay

by: Casey Pukl

It’s tough not to like Richie Furay. He’s super easy to talk to, upbeat, and has had a pretty interesting journey in music. While he found success with Buffalo Springfield and Poco early in his career, he later took a hiatus from his music to focus on his family and himself. Wondering whether or not he’d ever find his way back to music, he eventually returned with a new passion for his family, religion, and the guitar. Furay is now fresh off of a Buffalo Springfield reunion tour, and he’s gearing up for another set of dates with his latest project, The Richie Furay Band. Not only is the band fun for the great music they play, but the band also includes Furay’s daughter, Jesse, as well as his partner Scott Sellen’s son. Furay is extremely proud of his latest venture, and I hope you enjoy hearing about is as much as I did.

CP: I’ve been listening to your latest record, Alive, and I’ve got to say, it’s a super fun album.

RF: Thank you! It covers almost forty years of music! (Laughs)

CP: That’s so awesome. I can’t wait to dig into all of that, but I’d love to start off with what you’ve been up to recently. I know you just wrapped up a Buffalo Springfield reunion tour. What was that like for you? Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche

by: Casey Pukl

If you’re anything like me, you’ll understand why today’s interview is barely edited (except for the part where I bared my sister’s Queensrÿche-loving soul to Geoff Tate). Some people are just interesting. They are the people that you can listen to for days and never get bored. Geoff Tate is one of those people. If you’ve ever listened to Queensrÿche, you could probably predict that Tate is someone with a lot of ideas, opinions, and knowledge; but listening to him speak about wine, writing, staying current, and what inspires him is just plain interesting.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Geoff last week to close out my Friday. Immediately following, I headed home and spent no less than three hours researching winemaking and all of the regions on the west coast that I need to visit while listening to Operation: Mindcrime II and American Soldier with new ears. I hope that this interview inspires you all to do the same.

CP: Thanks so much for taking some time out to talk to me this morning! I was just poking around your website, and you have a ton of stuff going on lately!

GT: Sure! Yeah, I usually have a pretty crazy schedule with events and shows and things like that.

CP: Yeah, it seems like you’ve been up to quite a bit these days!

GT: Yes, I’ve definitely had a lot of things in the works. Before we dig into this though, I have to ask how you pronounce your last name? [I’ve get asked this question in 9/10 interviews, and figured some of our loyal blog readers might be curious]. Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Mr. Stanley Clarke

by: Casey Pukl

When I got the word that Stanley Clarke was coming to Anthology, I did a little happy dance in my chair. Then I heard that he was coming on my birthday, and I squealed! And then, I was informed that I would be interviewing him, and I danced, paused, thought about the prospect, and almost threw up with excitement. For a solid week, I stressed about what to talk about. I have to admit that I wasn’t 100% sure exactly what I was going to ask Stanley Clarke in this interview even as I was dialing his phone number. Why? Seriously, put yourself in my shoes. Where does one start with a career that’s so diverse and accomplished? I turned to my Facebook and Twitter followers for a little guidance about what they might want to ask the most influential jazz bassist of our time (if not ever), and the majority of responses I received were either requests for him to play songs or, “Good luck with that one.” Thanks, guys.

Thankfully for me (and you), Mr. Stanley Clarke is one of those people who is just as comfortable talking about music as he is playing his bass. He has plenty of news, upcoming projects, and other thoughts and opinions that he was up for chatting about. Fortunately that makes for not only a great conversation, but also what I think is a great interview. Cozy up with your copy of School Days, and give this one a read.

CP: Let’s talk a little bit about what you’ve been up to lately! 

SC: Well, I finished up a big, big, big, humongous tour with Return to Forever. I think all together last year we did about 90 dates or something like that, maybe a little more. That was huge. We went all around the world, and that was really something. The world is still there! (Laughs)

CP: (Laughs) I certainly hope so! Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Sugar Blue

by: Casey Pukl

If there’s one thing that you’ve got to love about harmonica virtuoso Sugar Blue, it’s his whole-hearted dedication to the blues tradition. Raised in Harlem, NY, Blue found fame in Paris when he met the Rolling Stones in a chance encounter. Before he knew it, he was recording with one of the most famous rock bands in history, and his signature sound was the staple of one of their greatest hits, “Missing You”. But what might be even more remarkable about Sugar Blue is his dedication to having his own sound with his own band rather than being someone elses’ side man.

Decades later, he still remains one of the greatest living legends in blues. Having played with Willie Dixon, Big Walter Horton, Memphis Slim, Stan Getz, Frank Zappa and more, Blue is truly one of a kind. Take a read through my interview with him about what’s in store for 2012, and who he can’t get enough of.  Read the rest of this entry »