Cris Cohen: You had a post on social media the other day where you said you were in the middle of a show, looked down at your sticks, and thought, “Wow, these two sticks have taken me all over the world.”

What is the lesson from that about the tools of the trade or about how to approach work?

Jeff Marino, drummer and Music Director for Darius Rucker: Deep question. First and foremost, it is absolutely true. I’m at a phase in my life and my career where you can’t take any of this for granted. I don’t think I ever have. But you get to where I am in my career arc… I’m 53 years old. I’ve been on (tour) buses for 28 years. And every once in a while, you (think), “Man, I picked up two drumsticks in middle school and here I am still doing it. This really happened.”

It was a (feeling of) thankfulness and an awareness of how fortunate I am to still be doing this.

I actually took that picture during the show. Don’t tell the band leader [he is the band leader]. But I had to grab that. I had to get that picture. It sounds corny, but it was a bit of a deep moment for me. I’ve been able to raise a family. We have a pretty decent house. My kids are grown. They’re 23 and 19. I’ve been able to do all of these things as a result of two drumsticks.

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“When this band first started, I didn’t have much. Back then I would spend a lot of time just walking in this neighborhood I lived in in uptown New Orleans. I would walk for miles and imagine myself playing a song or playing in shows.

“I used that imaginative power to see what I wanted to do, how I wanted to approach things, and how it felt to perform those shows long before they ever happened. There was a lot of imagination at play. And there still is.

“I still imagine the shows we are going to play long before we ever play them. That’s one of the ways I rehearse off the road, practicing a show in my head. That way, when I do perform in front of an audience, I can allow myself to kind of let go and let the moment take over.” - Fred LeBlanc of clients Cowboy Mouth

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Jeff Marino, drummer for Darius Rucker: The lesson Kenny Aronoff gave me when I was 12 or 13 that I still do today… you play one and three on the kick and two and four on the snare with the click. Do it for five minutes without hearing the click. If you hear one beat of the click, you have to stop the clock and start over.

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Ken Block of clients Sister Hazel: When I wrote some of the songs on “BAM!”, I was still grieving the death of my brother. And I was not yet clean and sober. The song “Sweet Destiny” addresses all of that. It has the lyric “I’ve been searching all the wrong bars and churches.”

I was looking for spirituality in the bottom of a whiskey bottle or a pill bottle. I was desperately searching for a safe harbor, some understanding, and some peace.

I wrote that song on an acoustic guitar. But if you listen to the beginning, it’s basically Ryan taking those chords and just playing harmonics of them. No acoustics, no bass, nothing.

It has some identifiable Sister Hazel fingerprints. It has a storyline that talks about life in a really honest way. Questioning things, challenging things, challenging yourself, who you are to other people, how you act.

It also has these great slide guitar parts that are so hooky.

Personally, it’s one of my favorite songs that’s I’ve ever written. A mix of existential dread packaged as an upbeat piece that feels much better than what it says.

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In this interview with Jeff Marino, drummer and Music Director for Darius Rucker, we discuss how his relaxed power comes from economy of motion, a minimalist kit, and an obsession with feel. We also talk about the advice Kenny Aronoff gave him years ago that still guides him, the use of tension and release in crafting a set list, and his business developing the live of shows of young artists.

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“My (drumming) philosophy: the right hand is where the pocket is. Two and four (on the snare) never stops, never moves. But your right hand (on the hi-hat) is the sauce. You could do 92 different flavors with your right hand, with the foot and the left hand (kick drum and snare) never changing. And to me, if people say it feels good when I play, I think that’s where it comes from.”

Jeff Marino website

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Ironically, because of the algorithms, I am spending less time consuming social media. The algorithms prioritize slop. Not necessarily AI slop, but there is a lot of that too. I am talking about video shorts crammed with bells and whistles. They are packed with distractions, but lacking substance. “Full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.” Some bands I like keep trying to please the algorithm by releasing slop. And maybe that does make the algorithm happy. But as a music fan, it drives me away. I would genuinely rather read a well thought out text quote from an artist than watch a video short filled with quick cuts and effects where they sit on a tour bus or look over a deli tray. Hence why the content I develop with my clients is built around quotes about their music. Maybe I am an outlier. But I am an outlier who buys CDs and vinyl records. The algorithms don’t do that.

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Jack Sundrud of Cimarron 615 (clients): The song “Aruba” came about because I overheard someone talking about a lost weekend. They went to Aruba, spent the entire time drunk and high, never even left the motel room and missed the whole deal. I thought that was hilarious. Much like the story line in “The Hangover” movies. I have to admit, I’ve been that stupid. It’s been a long, long time, but I’ve been that guy.

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Randy Jacobs of The Boneshakers: Lyrics are everything. In blues and rock, it’s often about the guitar slinger. But that’s never been The Boneshakers. We’ve always been about writing songs. Your solo is only as good as the vehicle it rides in. We love Jimi Hendrix because we love the songs, not just because he was a great player. You’ve got to have the songs and you’ve got to have the emotion. That’s what draws somebody in.

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Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds (clients): I love people like Al Green, Otis Redding. But I can’t sing like them. I sing like me. It’s kind of impossible to emulate anyone totally and it’s no way to live. I think that it’s very important to have your own identity early on in music.

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Michael Webb of Cimarron 615 (clients): Last year we had a lot of touring lined up. Then Rick (Lonow) had sudden health issues. As he recovered, we realized we had written a lot of songs during the down time, ones that fit our situation. We had gelled as a band, not just playing live, but rallying around Rick. We had a whole new reason to exist. Not to get too lofty about it, but we truly became a band of brothers working through Rick's illness last summer. We hit the studio with a new round of energy, a new lease on life. We had a mission.

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Last night with Jeff Marino, drummer and Music Director for Darius Rucker, at the show in Greensboro, NC. I will post the full interview soon.

In the meantime, here is a funny excerpt…

Cris Cohen: By the way, is (bassist John Mason) still known as Big Sexy?

Jeff Marino: He’s big sexy. It’s on his dresser. Darius gave that (nickname) to him early on. He’s not quite as big, but he’s still f----- sexy. That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever said about him. You need to send him that.

Cris Cohen: Okay. We will cut that out. We will send it to him. “Not as big, but still just as sexy.”

And yes, I sent this clip to Jeff today to send to John.

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Cris Cohen: The last time we talked, you made a point about spending ten years really getting to know yourselves as a band, and how you can hear that growth in the music of “Suffocate City.” How did those ten years of growth affect you as a live band?

Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait: I think that’s the only way that we’re here. For so long, we didn’t have the songs to get us here. Then finally, you get the songs.

I think bands often focus on one thing and not the other. They’ll say, “I wrote the best songs ever.” Then you see them live and it’s the most boring show you’ve ever seen. Or they just worry about the live show, and they don’t have the songs.

Since we had that break to really work on this record, we were finally able to focus on the songs. And then going on tour last year and the year before, really playing these songs and working them out… even with a new member. You will never guess that he just joined the band. Because as a band, we know these songs.

These are our songs. This is what we are. This is Funeral Portrait.

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Working on a Saturday? When work is hanging out with a band like Sister Hazel, I am happy to do it. Great conversations. Great music. This year they are celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their album “BAM!” and The Hazelnut Hang.

Ryan: "Wrong The Right Way" on the “BAM!” album was written and recorded in a hotel room in Gainesville, Florida, with just a microphone and a portable rig I brought. We were going to build it up later in the studio. But when we listened back to the acoustic version, we thought that was a great representation of the song as it was. We built a makeshift vocal booth in the hotel room by pulling the mattresses off the beds and forming a little square with them. It was kind of like when you were a kid and you would make forts out of blankets and couch cushions. It stopped any echo from bouncing off the walls. We also turned off the air conditioning to eliminate that background noise. You'd be surprised how much amazing music is recorded in hotel rooms. I think you can hear and feel the creative energy of being on the road.

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Cris Cohen: For the new version of “Teach Me How To Stay,” it has been almost 30 years since you originally wrote this song. You’re playing it with a very different singer in Jenny Langer than you originally had. And it’s an acoustic version. From your perspective, what about it is the same and what has changed over that time?

Randy Jacobs of The Boneshakers: When we did it with Sweet Pea (Atkinson), it was a little more mid-tempo. We had this whole concept with horns answering back. When Sweet Pea sings something, it sometimes sounds like an ultimatum. The difference is Jenny is probably a little more emotional.

Jenny learned the song, but she didn’t tell me she learned it. We were performing somewhere. It was just an acoustic thing. And she said, “Let’s do ‘Teach Me How To Stay.’” Her love for the song is what got us back to doing it. And it’s amazing. People find something in that lyric. “Teach me how to stay.” When all else fails and I can’t figure it out, can somebody help me? Can you teach me how to be in a relationship? That’s really the gist of the line.

When Jenny sings this version, we cut it way down: just cajón, a little pedal steel, a little mandolin, and acoustic guitar. It just feels genuine. You feel like (we) really mean this. And Jenny’s such a great singer. Her talent is evident every day. I’m very lucky to find someone who can convey the emotion in a song, because it’s all about that.

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Cris Cohen: “Stay Weird” technically hasn’t been released as a single. What’s fascinating is that, despite not being pushed as a single, it’s been deeply embraced by your fans, the Coffin Crew. People post photos of their “Stay Weird” tattoos. It’s breaking through on its own. Once you release a song, it’s not really yours anymore, is it?

Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait: That’s it. The fans decide the fate. They decide what’s next. “Stay Weird” is the song they really love. And I like that it’s not a single. Not everything has to be a single.

I love that the fans hold that song. They cherish it. It’s theirs.

I don’t want it to be a single. I kind of put my foot down. The label was like, “The fans really connect with that one.” I said, “That’s fine. Let them have it. Let them have their own imagery for it.” I don’t need to sell it. That’s a deep cut. That’s for the fans.

And here’s the thing: if it had been a single and gone super viral, we would have to play it every night. I like teasing it. I like the question of, are we going to play it tonight or not? I think it’s fun.

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Paula Boggs has always believed music should take you somewhere. On Sumatra, her new album with the Paula Boggs Band, she makes good on that promise — opening with Gregorian chant recorded at a Seattle cathedral and closing with a joyous civil rights anthem featuring Valerie June and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Rooted in American roots music but ranging freely across folk, gospel, jazz, and spoken word, the album was born from years of walks, voice memos, and a deepening preoccupation with the tension between beauty and loss. Boggs recently sat down to talk about the making of Sumatra and why forward, as she sings on “Route 66,” only works as an action verb.

Paula Boggs Band website: https://www.paulaboggsband.net/

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After 40 years together, the Southern California roots band Marley's Ghost shows no signs of slowing down — and their latest album proves it. Honky Tonk is a deep dive into the music that shaped them, featuring songs from Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, and other giants of country music, recorded live in the studio with producer Larry Campbell. It's an album that smirks and stomps, carrying the weight of a lifetime spent in smoky bars and on stages across the country.

Dan Wheetman, vocalist and founding member, sat down to talk about what it means to really live inside a song, how four decades of friendship shapes a band's sound, and why an older voice is sometimes exactly what a honky tonk tune needs.

Marley's Ghost website: https://www.marleysghost.com/

Cris Cohen: I’m really interested in the band Howl Owl Howl. What have you noticed as a bandmate about the performance of Darius Rucker that maybe you didn’t notice as a listener or a friend?

Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes: There’s one song called “Pilot.” It’s the one song you could say is like a country song. It sounds like a George Jones song to me. (In the studio Darius) was humming the parts to himself to make sure the syllables fit. We were having a very pedestrian conversation, making sure he can find the melody with his syllables and making sure it made sense. Then he gets on that mic. And the first time he sang it, this thing washed over me. I’d never heard him sing in a studio before, on the studio speakers. Everyone knows that voice instantly. But his breath, the way he leans in or doesn’t lean in on a note, the way that he trusts the melody to do all the work, there’s not an ounce of effort in terms of his voice. The effort is in the tone and the mood and letting the melody carry it. It’s the way Tony Bennett doesn’t over sing. It was amazing.

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After a year of spending 290 days on tour, the success of the album Suffocate City, and a lineup change, Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait has arrived at something rare: clarity. Recorded before their performance at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, Jennings opens up about learning to stop running from hard emotions, why he’s letting the fans own “Stay Weird,” and how a decade of grinding finally gave the band both the songs and the stage presence for arenas.

The Funeral Portrait website: https://www.thefuneralportrait.com/

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