Songs That Saved Me
An in depth discussion with artists, entrepreneurs, and luminaries exploring some of the songs that shaped who they are. Hosted by Ross James.
Episodes
I sit down with Trevor Hall and talk about the magic of CD players back in the day and how there was a period of time where all he listened to was Midnite.
Joe and I caught up ahead of the Kitchen Dwellers shows with Dine From Out There here in Denver. We talked about three very different songs and how they all have been big for him.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Young guitar slinger Daniel Donato and I caught up about Cosmic Country, the Grateful Dead & three tunes that shaped his path.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Chuck and I catch up and talk about the days he spent grinding it out in Europe and what it's like writing songs with a legend in Nashville.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Wylie was the man behind the legendary NY restaurant wd~50. He now runs the insanely delicious Du's Donuts in Williamsburg and is also a huge music enthusiast with an encyclopedic knowledge of Grateful Dead lyrics. It was great to catch up with him and hear about some of the tunes that have impacted him.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.co...
Marc is a super talented multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer who's been a part hit songs all over the world. We talk about his life and journey and what it was like to lose his father to terminal cancer at the same time he welcomed his first child.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=v...
Matt is a dear friend and I've been lucky enough to travel the world with him. He helped push the directive of the past few episode to focus on the influence of black musicians and that's what him and I do here.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Jackie shares the influence black musicians have had on him and goes through a stack of records that shaped him musically. He also performs one of his favorite Bill Withers' tunes.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Robert and I talk about his transition from playing sacred music in a predominantly black church to playing all over the world with his Family Band & some of the influences that got him there. We also discuss the systemic racism that is still an issue in our country.
* Robert mentions the first time he played with Phil. It was at Xmas Jam in 2001 and he sat in for "Lovelight". You can hear it here: https://a...
Phil and I talk about the influence black musicians have had on him. He relives three incredible experiences that still leave him at a loss for words.
* Here's a link to the course at Stanford that Phil mentions on the show: https://online.stanford.edu/courses/sohs-music0001-online-jamming-and-concert-technology
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https:...
Anders has overcome a lot in his life and has emerged as one of the most inspirational and positive people I've come across in this business. He shares some great stories about healing, continually growing, and the role music has played for him.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Luther and I trace his journey with the electric guitar going from Bo Diddley, to Black Flag, to the Allman Brothers. We talk about unlocking musical doors with psychedelics and the power music has when it comes to relationships.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
I welcome fellow musician / podcaster / lover of life Andy Frasco to the program for an off the wall discussion. We get real & we cover it all...imposter syndrome, Van Morrison, ayahuasca, Phil Jackson, and more!
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
I sat down with the legend John Scofield. He reveals the unlikely concert that led him to become a jazz musician.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
As the man behind the Fruit Bats, Eric has written some of my favorite songs in the last 20 years. It's great to hear some of the stories behind a few of the tunes that have been big in his life. Also includes a couple of stellar acoustic performances.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmz...
Marcus has been gigging regularly since the 7th grade. He talks about a few challenges that presented growing up and how he overcame them. We also get to hear two first time performances of Songs That Saved him.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Victoria spoke with me from her home in Mexico City. We talk about what it was like growing up with with her dad being a member of Bob Seger's band, how a song can help you through especially dark & challenging times and how truly powerful the songwriting process can be. She also delivers a beautiful performance of a track off of her new record "Aquamadre" that features her husband, Erik Deutsch.
Make su...
Dave is one of the most die-hard record collectors that I know. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to talking to him about a few of the most impactful songs in his life & our conversation did not disappoint.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Between being a founding member of The Mother Hips and his solo career, Greg has written or co-written more great songs than anyone could ever hope to in one lifetime. In this episode he talks about (and plays killer versions of) three very diverse songs that had a big influence on him.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02...
I caught up with Anders about a super cool, uncool song and how much it can mean to you throughout your life. He also goes deep talking about the power of writing a song with a friend.
Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist that features every song discussed on the show: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4woCFOUuh02lbsNetoi1lA?si=viLNtA4IQzOpmzJzKsYHSw
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.
"SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!