Listen Now

Charlie FARREN burst onto the national scene in the early 80’s as lead singer of THE JOE PERRY PROJECT, teaming up with Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry and releasing an acclaimed album on Columbia Records. Farren penned the Billboard charting classics “Listen To The Rock” and “East Coast, West Coast”, also co-writing four songs with Perry including the hit “I’ve Got The Rock ‘N’ Rolls Again”.The Joe Perry Project sold out theaters across the country and toured arena's & stadium's around the world with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Rush, Heart,  ZZ Top, and Alice Cooper. FARREN subsequently formed FARRENHEIT, a trio releasing a self-titled debut album on Warner Brothers, produced by Keith Olsen. Three singles from that album, “Fool in Love”, “Bad Habit”, & “Lost in Loveland”, as well as video exposure on MTV, established FARRENHEIT as one of the era’s premier rock acts. Highlights for FARRENHEIT included the coveted opening slot on the 75+ date BOSTON ‘Third Stage Tour’, sold out from coast to coast, including a performance at the ‘Texxas Jam’ to a sold out crowd of 85,000 people at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX. More recently, Charlie has been touring North America as ‘America’s Special Guest’ with Three Dog Night, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, and many others. This Summer he's performed as a Special Guest with ZZ Topp, Joe Perry, Max Weinberg, Three Dog Night, Average White Band, Elliot Easton and others. His latest project, CHARLIE FARREN: GUITAR & VOICE has been rolling out with regular releases of compelling new original music that has been resonating with audiences across the United States. Charlie continues to be one of America's most original and compelling musical artists. He takes the stage alone, and leaves with a roomful of new believers. https://charliefarren.com/

It's a mental health check in with Michael Weitzman, motivational speaker, about how to stay sane until Spring with your mental health! He talks about getting well and staying well, using many types of wellness tools and most importantly, the use of laughter as the greatest medicine! He  conducts  workshops giving great advice and gives some great tips on how stay mentally fit! His words will make you  feel better and fight the feelings of isolation which so many of us are feeling since the pandemic started!  Tune in and stay sane until Spring and through the months to come! 

Carmine Appice  is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He also played with Ozzie Osbourne and many others. He is credited with influencing later rock drummers such as Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain, Aerosmith's Joey Kramer, Roger Taylor of Queen, Phil Collins of Genesis, Rush's Neil Peart, Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee,  Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Ian Paice of Deep Purple,  and Eric Singer of Kiss.Appice received classical music training, and was influenced early on by the work of jazz drummers Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. Appice first came to prominence as the drummer with the late 1960s psychedelic band Vanilla Fudge.  Carmine currently is touring the area with The Carmine Appice Diaries which he explains in this episode plus he is going back out on the road with Vanilla Fudge in April! The Fudge is currently touring with three of the four original members: Stein, Martell, and Appice with Pete Bremy taking over for Tim Bogert when he retired in 2009. Tim passed away from Cancer on January 13, 2021 Vanilla Fudge has been cited as “one of the few American links between psychedelia and what soon became heavy metal.” Vanilla Fudge also is known to have influenced other major bands such as The Nice, Deep Purple, Yes, Styx, Led Zeppelin, and Uriah Heep. https://carmineappice.net/https://vanillafudge.com/https://www.facebook.com/CarmineAppiceOfficialhttps://www.facebook.com/VanillaFudgeOfficialSite/

Tribute bands have grown in popularity over the last few years especially and The Tom Petty Project is a Tom Petty Tribute band based out of Fairfield County, Connecticut! They are playing a show at Park City Music Hall Saturday March 11th and Garcia's inside the Captitol Theater in Portchester April 7th! We chat with a couple of the members! Guitarist Phil Lo Presti who plays the part of Mike Campbell and Scott Persson who is the band's drummer! Scott plays the parts of Stan Lynch and Steve Ferrone! https://www.tpp203.com/

Meat Loaf's longtime producer, music director, and guitarist — recently announced the brand new release, Paradise Found: Bat Out of Hell Reignited, a new LP helmed by Meat Loaf's official band, The Neverland Express — featuring alumni Justin Avery, (keyboard, vocals), Tom Brislin (orchestration), Steve Buslowe (bass), Paul Crook (guitar), Randy Flowers (guitar), David Luther (saxophone), Lyssa Lynne (“Stop Right There!”), John Miceli (drums) — plus American Idol Season 13 winner Caleb Johnson providing lead vocals.Paradise Found reimagines the sound, passion, and fury of the original Bat Out of Hell, the 1977 release by Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman, which remains in the top five best-selling albums of all time. It includes all seven songs performed in their original order. The song arrangements have developed over decades of touring and now the listener can hear these re-envisioned versions.Tour dates in link....coming to The Space at Westbury in Long Island and The Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, Connecticut! To find out other dates or to purchase tickets click on link below!Celebrating Meatloaf link is here:https://batexperience.com/homeThe Making Of "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkBglGCI7Zk

Dennis Dunaway is an American musician, best known as the original bass guitarist for the rock band Alice Cooper (1962–1975, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021). He co-wrote some of the band's most notable songs, including "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out". It is kind of funny how he ended up on Episode 18 and no that was not planned!! Dennis Dunaway was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 as a founding member of the band named Alice Cooper. Dennis and the group are in the Grammy Hall of Fame for co-writing “School’s Out.” Dennis’ book, Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!: My Adventures In The Alice Cooper Group has been translated into German, and the audiobook, narrated by Dennis, is available at Audible.com. And the new paperback version features a very special introduction by Alice Cooper.                  VersoFest 2023 March30th-April 2! Blue Coupe plays in concert at The Westport Library Friday March 10th! Also Dennis will be part of VersoFest in another form by showing off DR. DREARY’S SNAKES MUSEUM OF ALICE COOPER ARTIFACTS April 1st and 2nd! Mini-museum exhibition of Alice Cooper Group costumes, stage props, instruments, photos, and much more! DENNIS DUNAWAY presents LIVE FROM THE ASTROTURF  on April 2 at 7pm! Founding Spiders and Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway hosts a special screening of the documentary Live from the Astroturf featuring a Q&A and book signing (Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!) Dennis currently records and tours with Blue Coupe featuring Joe and Albert Bouchard of Blue Öyster Cult fame and singers Tish and Snooky of Manic Panic. Dennis is constantly recording and playing shows with bands involving his musical friends. His fans inspire him to take new risks while remaining true to legendary roots. https://www.dennisdunaway.com/https://www.facebook.com/dunawaysrockOn Instagram DennisDunaway18SPECIAL OFFER for The City's Backyard listeners - Here is the link for one 20% off discounted ticket for Blue Coupe at the Westport Library in Connecticut on March 10th. Use the Promo Code “Blue2”https://westportlibrary.org/event/supergroup-blue-coupe-to-perform-versofest-2023-fundraiser-live-at-the-westport-library

Special Guest  Joseph James drops by The City's Backyard Podcast! GRAMMY NOMINATED MUSIC PRODUCER, SINGER/SONGWRITER & MUSIC EXECUTIVE RELEASES HIS FIRST SOLO EFFORT Berklee College of Music graduate Joseph James has had a keen eye for talent and has helped launch and develop the music careers of many talented artists most notably, Stefani Germanotta aka Lady Gaga & others . . .  Other credentials : Keyboardist for Bocelli, Bono and  Blackmore (Deep Purple) Joe first met Stefani in 2003 to produce her college application demo for New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Together they recorded three Jazz standards. Fast forward to 2023 and Joseph's debut single is #22 / Billboard AC and Climbing Featured on Spotify : 31k Streams, 14k Followers / 4wks 200K Plays Added to Sirius/XM Love & Mosaic channels Valentine's Day is a year-round celebration of Love + Music VALENTINE :    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik--xhP8hK4    The rest of Joseph's  album ('5.5') follows in the coming weeks!

The members of FOUR STICKS have toured the world with various artists and are now combining their skills to bring you a uniquely authentic Led Zeppelin experience. FOUR STICKS is a must see live musical journey through the vast archive of Led Zeppelin's catalog....the music that set the standard and changed rock n roll forever! Coming to The Music Room in Cape Cod Friday Feb 24th! 8pmhttps://www.musicroomcapecod.com/Warehouse in Amityville, NY Friday April 28thIntervale Amphitheater in Intervale, NH Friday September 1sthttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087996080360&sk=abouthttps://four-sticks.com/

We talk with local CT musician Alan Marcus from a new band called The British Legends of Rock Show. Alan had a long run in other bands in Fairfield County but wanted to step it up and form a new kind of tribute band...instead of catering to just one popular rock band like Led Zeppelin or The Who and their songs he decided to change it up by paying tribute to multiple bands. But he had to draw the line somewhere and make a decision on which bands to cover and perform stellar versions of their songs  at the same time. That is when he came up with The British Legends of Rock Show!  For more info on The British Legends of Rock Show log onto their website:     https://britishlegendsrock.com/ABOUT THE BAND/BIO It takes quite a band to play it ALL which is why The British Legends of Rock Show is such a standout and unique musical performance. Collectively, these pro-players have shared the stage with musical greats The Monkee's, The Crystals, The Coasters, The Bangles, The Waitresses, Marshall Crenshaw, Ronnie Spector, Tommy James & The Shondells. Together as a band, They faithfully and meticulously recreate  the golden age of British Rock note for note just like the original recordings.https://britishlegendsrock.com/media-video

With Valentines Day (Feb 14th)  and International Women's Day March 8th, we thought it was great time to feature Irene Patar founder of Single Married Divorced sparkling Wines! It puts your relationship status front and center,  and is the perfect sparkling wine for everyone no matter what their relationship status might be.It's incredible the dynamic between an introvert and an extrovert. Especially if you just happened to be married to one. Sometimes, life together can be an inspiration. The perfect balance. Other times, there are no words I can think of to describe it.  But, Irene, she's prolific. She feels emotion, has a sensitivity most of us lost years ago. She understands all people. And believes we all should celebrate who we are.   Single Married Divorced is her proclamation to the world that, despite all our differences, it's those differences that should be celebrated.  And what better way to celebrate than with bubbles!https://www.singlemarrieddivorced.com/  

Stephane Wrembel, best known for his original compositions “Bistro Fada” (Midnight in Paris) and “Big Brother” (Vicki Cristina Barcelona) will perform at Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley MA 2/17...The Music Room, 541 Main St, West Yarmouth, MA, on Saturday, February 18 at 8 p.m and Side Door Jazz Club, Old Lyme, CT on 2/24! In addition to Wrembel on guitar, this world-class band includes long-time members Josh Kaye on rhythm guitar, Ari Folman-Cohen on bass guitar, and Nick Anderson on drums. Born in Fountainebleau, France, Wrembel learned his craft traveling the French countryside before graduating from Berklee College of Music. Wrembel has had a remarkable career, touring the world, composing for film and TV, while releasing 16 albums under his name and the nom de plume, The Django Experiment.  Wrembel’s original composition “Bistro Fada”, the theme song for the movie Midnight in Paris, has had over 20 million plays on Spotify. In 2019, Wrembel released the highly regarded Django L’Impressionniste, featuring 17 of Reinhardt’s preludes for solo guitar. He is the only guitarist in the world to perform these 17 preludes in their entirety. San Diego Union Tribune said recently, “Stephane Wrembel repeatedly soars whether performing his own music or classics by Django Reinhardt and Duke Ellington.”Wrembel is currently gearing up to release a new recording, Django New Orleans, in early May of 2023 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of his annual Django a Gogo Festival. This annual music festival and "guitar camp" brings together some of the finest musicians in the world to celebrate the Sinti guitar style to perform in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Town Hall. https://www.stephanewrembel.com/

Denny Laine from The Moody Blues and Wings had so much fun a few weeks ago he decided to drop by the backyard again to chat about his rock n roll roots and his Songs & Stories Tour!•2/3 City Winery - Nashville, TN•2/5 Rams Head - Annapolis, MD•2/7 City Winery - NYC, NY•2/8 City Winery - Hudson Valley, NY•2/9 City Winery - Boston, MA•2/10 The Music Room - West Yarmouth, MA (Cape Cod)•2/11 City Winery - Philadelphia, PA•2/16 Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA•2/17 Music Box - Cleveland, OH•2/18 Studio 64 (ArcadaTheater)- St Charles, IL•2/19 City Winery - Chicago, IL•2/23 My Fathers Place - Roslyn, NY Follow Denny on Facebook for more updates: https://www.facebook.com/DBFLaine/Here's that rare rehearsal video of Band On The Run that we chatted about:https://www.facebook.com/DBFLaine/videos/1321257497892160  Denny Laine is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, known as a founder of two major rock bands: the Moody Blues, with whom he played from 1964 to 1966, and co founder of Wings with Paul McCartney, with whom he played from 1971 to 1981. Laine has worked with a variety of artists and groups over a six-decade career, and continues to record and perform as a solo artist. In 2018, Laine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues

Z100's Claire Stevens from the original Zmorning Zoo with Scott Shannon drops by the  backyard to chat about the WORST to FIRST documentary...the true story of Z100! We talk with Claire about her glory days as a morning news anchor co host with Scott Shannon on this legendary New York radio station! The original Z100 studios were out in Secaucus, New Jersey and the transmitter was at the top of the Empire State Building! Tune in to hear some great stories about Claire's time working with Scott and the crew on this legendary flamethrower! 

Actor PETER FLIHAN is our guest on this episode! We talk with him about his acting career and of course his latest appearances on two New York TV shows: East NY and Blue Bloods!New York City born and bred, Peter Flihan got his first taste of acting as the “M” in “Merry Christmas” in the kindergarten play. But it was behind, and later on, the stage with Fordham University’s “Mimes & Mummers” in the Bronx where he got really hooked.  It would only take 13 years and 2 prior careers as a foreign exchange broker and then a sales manager for a teddy bear company to finally allow him to become a working commercial actor.With typical perfect timing, he started his pursuit right before the SAG and AFTRA strike in the Spring of 2000.  But with the incredible support of his wife and children, a difficult start became a rewarding journey that continues over 20 years later.  His scope of work has grown over that time to include healthy aspects of voiceover, film, and television roles.As a dedicated community firefighter since 2003, Peter has attained the rank of Captain in a Ladder Company, and is the current President of that Company.  An active freemason, Peter seeks a sense of shared purpose in every family he enjoys being a part, especially the creative one of acting.Here is the link to see Peter's scenes on East New York!  Click to watch thishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5g1ImDgvk8

Denny Laine  from The Moody Blues and Wings is ON the AIR for this incredible episode! We give it a go and talk about his Songs & Stories Tour, his Moody Blues days and how he formed Wings with Paul McCartney!Denny Laine is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, known as a founder of two major rock bands: the Moody Blues, with whom he played from 1964 to 1966, and co founder of Wings with Paul McCartney, with whom he played from 1971 to 1981. Laine has worked with a variety of artists and groups over a six-decade career, and continues to record and perform as a solo artist. In 2018, Laine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues

This week we check in with Rob Malave and Jeff Mott from the Zeppelin Tribute band called BLACK DOG! January 28th Black Dog plays College Street Music Hall in New Haven with Almost Queen! We catch up with the band and talk all things Zep...about some other tribute bands and the differences and more!  Led Zeppelin shook the world of rock & roll for little more than a decade, but their legacy lives on stronger than ever. Masters of creativity and diversity, their music covers such a wide range of styles and genres that they are difficult to define. Their collective talent remains unmatched and unchallenged.   There will never be another Led Zeppelin.   Their songs are still aired regularly, and their recordings are being bought in droves by new generations, but fans of the band still crave the raw energy of a live show.Black Dog proudly pays tribute to the mighty Led Zeppelin with an extensive catalogue of songs comprised of classic masterpieces! For more on the band check out there website and follow them on social media!http://blackdogzeppelin.com/

We chat over seas with Dutch Soul Empowerment Coach Birgitta Visser! Birgitta has a book out called BE-Coming Authentically Me! Birgitta gives us tips on how to become a happier person within ourselves and manifest our dreams! How can we change our lives for the better and learn to love ourselves? Birgitta has some great insight on how we can all improve our individual lives! https://www.powersoulhealing.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/universallightwarriors/

Comedian Johnny Rizzo is our first guest in 2023 in the backyard! We chat about the comedy scene, what we think the new year will bring and his upcoming gig in Newburgh, New York at Chilitos on Saturday night January 14th! It is comedy night and Johnny shares the stage with some other great comedians in the biz! Listen to the episode to find out! Doors Open at 6pm and Showtime is at 8pm!Call For Reservations and more info: 973-908-1811

We're goin to California this episode with guitarist Billy Alexander from the band YYNOT who are touring in 2023!Billy continues to tour and record for other artists including with Sony/Columbia recording artist Anna Nalick and playing lead guitar/vocals for John Waite (The Babys, Bad English, Alison Krauss). And in addition to lending his exceptional skills as a lead guitarist, he is establishing himself as a world class songwriter and producer in the world of Pop and Contemporary Country music!Billy has written and recorded with Ron Blair of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers as well as continuing scheduled Nashville writing trips, performing multiple live dates each month and a maintaining a busy schedule with producing and recording. Billy is also the lead guitarist/songwriter and producer for the progressive rock band YYNOT who is touring nationally.           https://www.yynotband.com/  https://www.billyalexander.net/

Since Covid-19 hit the world, Corky has spent half of his time in Finland. He has worked with Finnish musicians on several projects for a decade, but the pandemic gave him an opportunity to fully concentrate on the tunes that had been brewing in his mind.  He has a small demo studio in Finland and together with his trusted studio engineer and multi-instrumentalist, Harri Väyrynen, he was able to give shape to the new material.  The first single, "Whatcha Doin?" features Corky's multi-talented friend, Maria Hänninen (of Mount Mary) on vocals and the wonderful Conny Bloom from Sweden (of Electric Boys) on guitar. Antero Priha's trumpet adds a distinctive flavor to track.  ​The second single, "The Ball" out now! "To me the host of The City's Backyard Podcast(Matt Zako) this track sounds like MODERN MOUNTAIN!" It really rocks with Corky singing and on cow bell and drums...yes there is cow bell and plenty of it! Corky knocked it out of the park on this solo track!   The rest of the album was recorded at E-studio in Finland in April with Petri Majuri in charge of the board. It was released on October 14, 2022 by On-Stage Records / TimeZone Records, Germany. Maria Hänninen (vocals, guitar, violin), John Vihervä (bass) and Harri Väyrynen (guitar, backing vox) joined Corky at the studio for the basic tracks. The album  features Michael Monroe (harmonica) and Ian Hunter (keyboards) as special guests. Stay tuned for more tour dates from  Corky in 2023! https://www.corkylaingworks.com/Here is the link to The Ball video!https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=mw7cekzUTOA