11 Things With Leigh Jones

Steve Poltz is the consummate folk singer, and then some.  Having toured the globe for over 30 years, his collective stories, paired with his unparalleled energetic stage presence, make for live shows that are equal parts magnificent, hilarious, and heartwarming.  Listen in as Steve discusses the origins of his wild spirit, his somewhat legendary liaison with Jewel, and how the first girl he ever kissed turned out to be a lesbian.  www.poltz.com

Patrick Cooper is a blues and Americana musician based in New Orleans.  Listen in as he chats about his geographical trajectory (Japan to Louisiana to California and back to Louisiana), his influences from John Prine to Allen Toussaint, and his former life as a lawyer.  www.patrickcoopermusic.com

Xander and Orion Hitzig (aka The Hitzig Brothers) hail from southern West Virginia, and have been touring the country over the last six years with Brown Chicken Brown Cow Stringband. Now the two are turning their focus on a duo project, a brotherly mix of folk, bluegrass, and celtic-influenced tunes. Listen in as the Hitzigs discuss things like: being attacked by a pigeon, how their first gig was at a civil war reenactment, and being just about as mature now as they were when they were eleven.

The Coffis Brothers and the Mountain Men are a rootsy rock n’ roll band born and raised in the Mountains of Santa Cruz, California. The band, fronted by brothers Jamie and Kellen Coffis, released their second full-length album, Wrong Side of the Road, earlier this year. Listen in as the 5-piece discusses growing up together, their common influences, and the pros and cons of being a Santa Cruz band. www.coffisbrothers.com

Formed in Santa Cruz, California in 2012, Marty O'Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra throw a resonator guitar (O'Reilly), a double bass (Jeff Kissel), and a dirty fiddle (Chris Lynch) into a blender, and churn out a haunting, bluesy, and driving musical sound that is at once uniquely theirs, and also reminiscent of some of the delta greats with a generous spattering of Tom Waits.  Listen in as the trio discuss their respective beginnings in music, how they work together to create songs, and the importance of audience connection.  They talk about farting, too.  www.martyoreilly.com

Liana Stampur is a New York City based musician and music educator, and a co-founder of the non-profit organization ArtStrides, which provides free early childhood arts education for New York families.  Listen in as Liana discusses the path that led her to teaching, her love for and special connection to Pete Seeger, and her impending motherhood!  www.artstrides.org  www.youtube.com/lianadstamps

The Brothers Comatose are a 5-piece string band based out of San Francisco. Over the past few years, the oft-touring band has shared the stage with the likes of The Devil Makes Three and Yonder Mountain String Band, and have played prestigious festivals such as Outside Lands, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and High Sierra. Listen in as the fellows of BroCo discuss how they formed, who and what influences them, and where they dream of playing, with no small measure of humor. www.thebrotherscomotose.com

KC Turner is a San Francisco Bay Area music promoter and musician.  In 2013, his production company "KC Turner Presents" put on nearly 100 concerts.  He's come a long way from growing up in small-town Missouri and impersonating Elvis for his family as a kid.  Here, KC talks about taking the leap to pursue a full-time career in the music industry, the artists who inspire him most, and his experience putting together a last minute house concert for G. Love.  www.kcturnerpresents.com

John Elliott is a San Francisco-based songwriter and musician, who recently released his eighth album, entitled Good Goodbyes.  Listen in as we rap about our theater school backgrounds, John talks about growing up in Minnesota, and sheds a positive light on LA, where he lived for 12 years.  www.thehereafterishere.com

Randy Schwartz is a drummer based in the San Francisco bay-area.  He played and toured with Brett Dennen for six years, and now performs with Oakland-based Ethiopian jazz band, Sun Hop Fat.  Listen in as Randy discusses his influences and his interest in mixing different musical genres, what it means to approach music as a "sculptor" rather than a "painter," and shares a memorable encounter he had with Conan O'Brien.  

Happy 2014!  Today's episode features Irish-born, California-bred music producer/engineer/mixer Cian Riordan. Cian is currently based in Los Angeles, working at Barefoot Recording, a state of the art recording studio owned and run by esteemed music producer, Eric Valentine.  Listen in as Cian talks about his journey in recorded music, the many hats a producer must wear, and a very tense personal encounter he had with Slash of Guns N' Roses.  www.cianriordan.com

Mike Brun is a NYC-based musician and songwriter. In addition to creating and performing his own material, he often collaborates with Shaina Taub (he makes up one-third of her band, the Shaina Taub Trio), and recently served as musical director for the off-Broadway hit, Mr. Burns. Here, Mike discusses his musical beginnings playing a stolen guitar until his fingers bled, the benefits of musical cross-training, and his relationship with the three cities in which he has resided - Philly, New Orleans, and NYC.  www.mikebrun.com

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! For this special edition of 11 Things, I appealed to all my previous guests and asked them share a musical artist for whom they are particularly thankful. Listen in, reflect upon who/what YOU are thankful for, then go devour a mountain of delicious foooood!

Todd Almond is a NYC-based musician, composer, and playwright. He has collaborated with many of today's top theatre artists, and performs his own solo material as well. Here, Todd candidly discusses growing up in a small midwestern town, his embarrassing first couple of gigs, knowing and focusing on what you're good at, and his decision not to be a brain surgeon.  www.toddalmond.com

Grace McLean is a New York City based singer, songwriter, and actor.  Both as a solo artist and along with her band, Grace McLean and Them Apples, she's been busy seducing audiences with her clever and dynamic songs, sharp wit, and magnetic stage presence. Here, Grace ruminates on her upbringing in the OC, the rewards of teaching, and the musical she is developing about the fascinating medieval visionary, Hildegard von Bingen. Also, Grace shares a diary entry from age 11 and we go deep about our mutual love of The West Wing.  www.gracemclean.com

Miko De Leon is a New York City based singer-songwriter, and frontman of the indie folk/pop band, Miko & the Musket. Here, Miko talks about how his ethnicity informs his role in the music scene, transitioning from a very personal to a more universal songwriting style, and his dream of playing at the White House. Also, Miko and I are both visited by ghosts from our past lives when we studied musical theatre.  www.mikoandthemusket.com

Olivia Quillio is a singer/songwriter currently based in Albany, NY.  Her vivid folk-inspired lyrics and melodic jazz vocals are only topped by the raw emotion she packs into her songs.  Here, Olivia talks about being influenced by the dynamics of the family unit, what artist in the whole world she'd like to hear cover one of her songs, and being done with heartbreak.  www.oliviaquillio.com

Holly McGarry is a folk singer-songwriter originally from Sandpoint, Idaho and now living in Boston. Just 20 years old, Holly already has three albums and several tours under her belt. Here, she talks about becoming enamored with and determined to play the guitar very early on, her influences from Gillian Welch to The Who, and how age has informed and affected both her musical and personal journeys thus far.   www.hollymcgarry.com

Jason Anderson is a force of nature. When he performs, a tangible energy fills the room and one can't help but sing along to his catchy, often soul-stirring tunes. Here, the oft-touring Jason talks about growing up in small-town New Hampshire, his compulsive songwriting process, and how different variables play into the way he approaches his live shows.   www.jasonandersonmusic.com

Justin Goldner is a NYC-based bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. His versatility as a musician has enabled him to work within a broad range of genres and with countless bands and artists around the country and abroad. Here, Justin discusses his influences from Bach to Joni Mitchell to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, why he sees himself as a craftsman as opposed to an artist, and his attraction to playing gigs in strange places. www.subdiversity.com