- Hosts:
- Seth Weiner
- Rob Turner
Rob and Seth discuss their experiences with Railroad Earth including Rob’s memories of when he saw RRE front man Todd Scheaffer’s band, From Good Homes open for Bob Weir and Ratdog the night after Jerry Garcia died. A brief discussion of this podcast’s fast-approaching live event at City Winery Atlanta September 19th takes us to to Seth and Rob sitting down with Tim Carbone (The Contribution, Railroad Earth) for a thorough examination of what makes him a truly special human and musician. Tim talks about how this summer Railroad Earth was forced to adjust to the temporary-but-still-painful loss of founding member, multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling – who was “on the disabled list.” We learn how they relied on top notch players to step up, sit in and help out – particularly Chris Pandolfi and Matt Slocumb who kept things compelling for RRE loyalists by being part of bringing forth unusual versions of songs in the RRE lexicon – specifically Slocumb on, “Morning Flies.” Carbone explains in detail exactly how Psychedelia earned itself an assist with regard to the genesis of his adventurous side project, The Contribution. Tim talks about the band first doing a session in a cabin in Woodacre, California, then working in Laughing Tiger Studios in San Rafeal and eventually recording at Bob Weir’s state-of-the-art TRI Studios in Marin County – elaborating specifically about TRI’s “microphone guru,” Rick Vargas. Vargas was vital to the success of their recording and Tim still uses techniques he learned from Vargas during this time. He also relates how he initially became interested in violin, and then how his personal experiences (including a stint playing harmonica in a blues band) and hearing artists like Paul Butterfield and Don “Sugarcane” Harris shaped his approach to playing. Tim tells of his days in The Blue Sparks From Hell, and their string-band bluegrass alter-ego band (each with future Railroad Earth bandmate Andy Goessling). Tim recounts some of the legendary New York shows he saw as an audience member, including his various Fleetwood Mac experiences, detailed accounts of his favorite Traffic shows and his memory of the legendary Grateful Dead SUNY 1970 Halloween show. He also speaks of shaking hands with Muddy Waters, playing in bands with Rick Danko, attending Danko’s funeral and meeting future band mates and other significant folks at New York’s legendary music club, The Wetlands. We learn of how Railroad Earth landed the Telluride Bluegrass Festival for their 10th gig, and how the band would unfold from there. He talks about working with various engineers including John Siket of Phish “phame.” Tim conveys what it is like working with RRE’s brilliant Todd Scheaffer, identifying specifically Scheaffer’s feel for melody, knowledge of songwriting and familiarity with literature as reasons for Todd’s excellence. He also shares his memory of sitting in with the Allman Brothers’ Band, and then how he, and in turn Railroad Earth evolved from casually collaborating with, to becoming full-on recording partners on Ashes and Dust with jamband icon Warren Haynes. Other icons discussed are Buddy Cage, David Nelson, the timeless David Bromberg and this program’s Godfather, Col. Bruce Hampton. We hear music from Tim’s band The Contribution, including the debut of “So Long, Farewell” in its entirety, which is paired with “Raven’s Child” from Railroad Earth’s most recent cd Captain Nowhere. wTnS is Produced by Rob Turner and Engineered by Josh Thane of Wonder Dog Sounds Studio. www.joshthaneproductions.com www.wonderdogsounds.com Inside Out w/ Turner and Seth: insideoutwtns.com Twitter: @InsideoutWTNS Instagram: www.instagram.com/insideoutwtns Facebook: www.facebook.com/insideoutwTnS
