SMI Radio Ep. 40 On Demand: Lee Oskar & John Popper / Author Jules Follett (“Sticks n’ Skins”) / Afraid of Figs

By Greg Roth on November 9, 2011@WeRideWhy

After the collective effort of several folks, including me, the two harmonica powerhouses finally had dinner recently and got up to play in front of a sold out show at Highway 99, last month Saturday night, October 29th, 2011. I wanted to be there when these two forces of nature collided and I was. You can read more about it and see my photo slideshow on examiner.com by clicking the link below.

John Popper and Lee Oskar join forces in The Emerald City (Photo Slide Show)

After the show I had the chance to sit down with these two virtuosos and chat with them about what it was like to play together and their approach playing the mouth harp.

Sunday, November 6th was the 11th annual Woodstick Big Beat in Kirkland. In attendance was author Jules Follett. Jules and I spoke about the making of her book, “Sticks n’ Skins” a wonderful coffee table book featuring photos and bios from some of the best drummers throughout the world.

In the third segment of the show lead vocalist Tee and guitarist EJ from Afraid of Figs stopped by to chat about their music and The Humane Society, Rock Out for Animals which took place on Saturday, October 12th at High Dive in Seattle. They have another charity gig coming up on December 10th at Vera Project.

To listen on demand or download to your mobile device, click on the player below…

SMI Radio can be heard at 7:00pm (PST) Thursday night on NWCZ Radio.

If you miss Thursday night’s show, you can catch it again on Saturday morning (11/12) at 9:00am (PST) on Night Out Radio and then again next Wednesday night (11/16) at 9:00pm (PST).

Check out Afraid of Figs fun video “(Don’t Wanna Be Your) Facebook Friend”

Not only is he a multi-media journalist, he is also an accomplished musician. He is the founder of SMI and drives the creative look, feel and branding for the publication. His years of writing, arranging, and performing live music in a variety of genres inform his ability to communicate the message and the mechanics of music. Roth’s work on SMI reflects his philosophy that music is the universal language, and builds community. He believes it has the power to unite people of every race, religion, gender, and persuasion.