Don't we all miss the 70s? That golden era of soulful singer-songwriters left an impression that has never been replicated and high among them is the great Melissa Manchester. After 50 years in the business, Melissa keeps getting better releasing material in the 2000s that's easily as good as her peak 70s period. We talk openly about her journey, how the glory of the 70s led to the gloss of the 80s that completely changed her sound before the 90s passed her by almost entirely. We also talk about her relationship with songwriters like Carole Bayer-Sager, Kenny Loggins and Paul Simon, her teaching career, and how she was nearly a cast member on Saturday Night Live! They don't make them like Melissa anymore, we're lucky to have her!  www.melissamanchester.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

For this Deep Dive we are welcoming Gunnar Nelson to tell us the full story behind the Nelson's blockbuster debut album After the Rain. Few rock albums from that era stand the test of time like this one, helped by several smash hits like "More Than Ever" and "Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection". Gunnar tells us how he and Matthew wrote the songs, the obstacles they had to overcome to release it and make it a hit, and much more. Gunnar's honesty and passion is infectious. Enjoy!  www.matthewandgunnarnelson.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

Producer Terry Manning is a Jack of All Trades and Master of Many! Starting out as a pre-teen in Texas, Terry went on to work with everyone from Led Zeppelin to Otis Redding to Bjork and many more in between. After a long relationship with ZZ Top he produced their breakthrough Eliminator and from there was hired to bring similar success to acts like George Thorogood and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. His time at Stax and Ardent Studios brought time with Big Star, Al Green and Isaac Hayes and while running Compass Point in the Bahamas booked time with David Bowie and Lenny Kravitz. He's also an accomplished photographer,runner, and recording artist in his own rite. This episode of jam packed with more great stories than you can imagine, including everyone mentioned here. You'll love it!  www.terrymanning.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

Steve Stevens and Billy Idol are a pair that goes together like Marr and Morrissey, like Plant and Page, like Scott and Adams, like Pirroni and Ant... you get the idea. This power duo has created some of the most indelible songs and styles of the last 40 years with Steve's identifiable guitar leading the way. In this chat we learn some of the stories behind their dynamic, the albums, his solo work, and our thoughts on the passing of Eddie Van Halen (news broke about 15 mins before the interview). Here's a chance to listen to a true game-changer.    www.stevestevensguitar.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

The loss of the Outfield's Tony Lewis recently really stings. The Outfield were a consistently excellent band that deserved more and Tony's incredible voice paired with the late John Spink's songwriting was a match made in heaven. To honor Tony we bring back former guest producer William Wittman (ep 215) who did their first two, and biggest, albums, Play Deep and Bangin'. And go back and listen to our interview with Tony himself (ep 164). He's the best.

Nick Launay started his career when still in his teens and when John Lyden picked (forced?) him to produce PiL's "Flowers of Romance" in 1981 he was off and running. His resume includes greats like Killing Joke, Talking Heads, Semisonic and even recent albums from Arcade Fire, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I planned to cover these amd many more in our conversation, but instead we went deep on a few - INXS (he produced The Swing), Midnight Oil, The Church, Nick Cave, Silverchair, Phil Collins (he was in the room when Phil did the drums for "In The Air Tonight", Eric Clapton and Public Image Ltd (which is maybe the craziest story we've ever heard). This is another instant classic!    www.launay.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

The Bongos were one of those great early 80s American indie bands, like Violent Femmes or the db's. After having some success and creating a rabid grassroots fanbase, frontman Richard Barone went solo and has had a fulfilling musical career ever since doing whatever he wants. Imagine growing up with people like Lou Reed, Andy Warhol and Tony Visconti as your heroes and then actually befriending and working with them! Richard's is a fascinating story of the power of glam rock, shape-shifting, sexual experimentation, and art. You'll love it!  www.richardbarone.com

Producer/Musician Andy Ross has been in music his entire life. He's served as a session musician, a member of the band Immaculate Fools, and a producer working with artists like Howard Jones. His dad even gave saxophone lessons to a young David Bowie! Andy's just released a hugely ambitious and excellent album The Fear Engine. The album, and the accompanying documentary, explores why people behave the way they do by asking big questions like Why do people lie?, Why do people fear failure?, Why do people want to be famous? etc. He explains the impetus for this timely project as well as his career and music in general.  www.andyrossmusic.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

Producer John Fryer was instrumental in honing the sound of some of the 80s most inventive groups. While working at Blackwing Studios and largely with the 4AD label, his list of accomplishments includes albums by Depeche Mode, Yaz, Cocteau Twins, Fad Gadget, Peter Murphy and many others with the mother of all being Nine Inch Nails' debut Pretty Hate Machine. Over the years he's devoted time to his own musical projects as well and his latest is Black Needle Noise which sounds just like you would imagine and has a new album, These Mortal Covers, coming out this week. We discuss all of this including the stories behind songs he worked on like Love & Rockets "So Alive" and MARRS "Pump Up the Volume". Enjoy!  www.blackneedlenoise.com

For this Deep Dive we welcome back a favorite of ours, songwriter Martin Page (ep30)! On top of the great songs Martin's written in his career, back in 1985 he was hand-picked by Earth Wind and Fire mastermind Maurice White to oversee his first solo album. Even though the songs are just as strong as what EWF would have put out, the album underperformed and remains fairly obscure to this day. Martin talks about what it was collaborating with this genius and how he approached the songs he wrote. We also talk about Martin's entertaining podcast, Radio OwlsNest and how he creates his own solo material. Enjoy!  www.martinpage.com www.patreon.com/thehustlepod