INTO THE MUSIC
Whether you're a musician or a fan, a writer or an instrumentalist, MUSIC is our common denominator. On INTO THE MUSIC, darn near all we discuss is music. Join us for insightful discussions with interesting guests as we journey INTO THE MUSIC.
LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY's first ever podcast forum with ITM host ROB MARNOCHA and The Avenue's ANN KOENIG
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We have a different type of show for you this week. Into The Music host, Rob Marnocha, and 91.1 The Avenue's Ann Koenig were invited to be the panelists at Lawrence University's first ever live podcast forum for their Musician in Business Week in September. Emma Snyder, the Managing Director of Lawrence University’s Business and Entrepreneurship Center, created the event to help students and others in attendance understand the relationships between the podcast, The Avenue, and th...
PAT MacDONALD takes us from TIMBUK3 to PURGATORY HILL
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pat mAcdonald has had quite a career in music over the past four-plus decades. Starting out in the college bar scene in early 1980s Madison, WI, he and then wife Barbara K. progressed from The Essentials to Timbuk3 where their bandmate was a boombox. In 1986 they scored their first hit single "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" from their debut album Greetings From Timbuk3 on IRS Records. They even were the bar band in...
ERIC HAGEN shows why winning the Midwest CMO's Songwriter of the Year is no fluke
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Eric Hagen returns to Into The Music this week to catch us up on what he's been up to. A lot of that has been writing and recording some of the best country music you'll come across today. Eric's songs are like a musical gut punch and his delivery is always spot on. His studio recordings show not only his songwriting and singing prowess, but his live shows are nothing short of powerful and dynamic. Eric is the winner of the Songwriter of the Year at...
MARK "MALIBU" SANDERS and the surf-punk of THE WASAGAS
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Mark Malibu & The Wasagas are known as Canada’s original Surf Punk instrumentalists. This is a band with a history dating back to 1979 and ended its original run in 1982. In 2014 the band regrouped and has been one of surf music’s top bands ever since. Led by Mark "Malibu" Sanders, The Wasagas’ catalog is filled with surf tunes that will have listeners rocking and rolling hard. No matter if their tunes have a punk edge, a little glitter-glam, or even a touch of country, The Wasagas bring a lot of...
KAYLYN SAHS: Award winning country vocalist grounded by faith, family, and fun
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If there's one country artist who is on a steep upward trajectory, it's Kaylyn Sahs. One listen through her catalog demonstrates steady growth in her vocal and songwriting abilities. She's a young woman whose original songs are able to touch a wide demographic since a lot of what she writes is so relatable. A 2018 audition for American Idol got her the boost in confidence she needed to pursue music as a career and her parents are her biggest supporters taking on management, booking, and logistics duties. Kaylyn's faith...
THE TOURMALINERS return with "El Gato" which just might be their best album yet!
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It's rare these days that an artist or band releases a full album that is a great listen all the way through. In 2025 Los Straitjackets did it with Somos Los Straitjackets and now The Tourmaliners are set to drop their new album El Gato and it's one of the best complete surf albums I've ever heard. The entire album takes you back to the golden age of early 1960s surf guitar with all the great subgenres and associated themes that made—and still make—surf music unique and yet...
THE GENTLEMEN GRIFTERS return bigger and better than ever with their new project, "Chest of Lead"
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It's been three years since The Gentlemen Grifters have been on Into The Music, but it seems that time has served them well. Shaun Swanson (fiddle, vocals) and Mike Goodwin (guitar, vocals) have added Chris LaLonde (mandolin, vocals) and Jake Gilderson-Duwe (bass) to the line up and boy howdy are they making some great music! Their new project, Chest of Lead, is set to drop on August 12 and it's their best batch of songs yet. We discuss the...
BRUCE LEE ROSE: Over three decades of building some of the Wisconsin music scene's finest guitars and pickups
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Bruce Lee Rose has been crafting high quality musical instruments for over thirty years. This has included electric and acoustic guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, and an assortment of cigar box instruments. Along with that Bruce winds custom pickups to go into his creations or to upgrade just about any guitarist's sound. He's an avid fan of the local music scene and the artists are a fan of his. Even when a hand injury put his building and playing in question, Bruce kept moving along with the help of his wife, MaryAnn...
INTO THE MUSIC's ROB MARNOCHA is on the hotseat with guest host STEVE MARCH-TORMÉ dishing up the questions
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It's time for Into The Music's midsummer special episode where Rob gets grilled... er... interrogated... uh... interviewed by a guest host and this time around we have Mr. Steve March-Tormé doing the honors. Steve digs into Rob's musical history as well as writing, the podcast, performing, and much more. On top of it we have some rarities in the way of songs (one of which was recorded by Butch Vig and Steve Marker at the infamous Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin) p...
SISTER WINCHESTER is serving up great original music family style
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Sisters Jenna Lee and Shaun Marie are Sister Winchester. Along with Jenna's husband, Dave (drums, logistics), Sister Winchester turns out great original heartland music that ranges from rock to country to blues to folk and all the ground in between. The individual personalities of Jenna and Shaun are evident in the songs each writes, but their styles mesh seamlessly for a sound that is warm and consistent. They continually receive praise within the Wisconsin music scene and it's high time for those outside the state to...
MATTHEW CLARK covers the surf music scene with COLORADO INSTRUMENTAL FANZINE
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Being landlocked in Parker, Colorado doesn't keep Matthew Clark from pursuing the sounds of ocean waves crashing on pristine beaches so long as they come in the form of surf music. Matthew is the publisher of Colorado Instrumental Fanzine which debuted in 2023. CI Fanzine is one of the best surf music magazines around and has garnered the praise of fans and artists alike. In the three years of its existence, Matthew has grown the business into music distribution so surf artists have an advocate for their music in...
TAPE AND TEARS: the folk-punk of Gilliana Hope and Quiver the Busker
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The folk-punk music scene is unique and northeast Wisconsin has a duo that has carved out a niche for themselves locally. Tape and Tears is Gilliana Hope and Quiver the Busker. Each has recorded, released, and performed solo and now they're combining their talents to create something bigger. Their music hits on emotional elements through the use of not only instrumentation, lyrics, and arrangement, but by thoughtfully using sound effects and outside-the-box instruments to enhance it all.
"Misery's Best Company" written and performed by...
GOLD STANDARD is taking bluegrass music to an entirely new level
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According to their website, "Gold Standard is an all original progressive bluegrass band with heavy influences of soul, jazz, and folk." One listen to their EP, Better Than These Days, will bear that out. Kate Stenson, Ian Moore, Gregg Daigle, and Loren Dempster are taking traditional bluegrass sensibilities and layering on their influences from other genres in some very imaginative ways. What this means is that those who might not otherwise listen to bluegrass might find something new and fresh...
JAY STULO is back with a heavy hitting live blues album guaranteed to satisfy
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Blues guitarist Jay Stulo returns to Into The Music to discuss Live at the Smiling Moose, the new live album from The Jay Stulo Band. Taking cues from BB King's masterpiece album Live at the Regal, Jay and his bandmates—Tom Thiel (bass) and Chad Wirl (drums)—deliver a performance with a lot of heart and volume. When you add to that Jay serving up some of the best soloing of his already stellar career, you know this is going to b...
THE GIN AND SONICS have those old school soul music grooves and vibes
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There's nothing like classic soul music whether that be from Stax, Motown, Muscle Shoals, or Philly. When you have a group like The Gin and Sonics in your own back yard playing original soul music with the vibes from those places, well, that's huge! Their debut album, Anytime, has become a favorite in the northeast Wisconsin music scene and cuts from it have been making their way onto local airwaves and it even garnered the band a pair of 2026 WAMI Awards for the album and its title track. If you're...
CITY FATHERS will have you dancing and crying with their dreamy alternative pop
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The description of City Fathers' music from Instagram says this: "Tony & friends make dreamy alternative pop that make you want to dance and cry at the same time." One listen to Tony Knuppel's originals is proof of this statement. That dreamy alternative pop includes splashes of ambient music, exotica, a touch of soul, and dashes of emotional elements blended into some of the Wisconsin music scene's most unique sounds. The great thing about it is this is some of the most accessible music out there in...
RYAN PEARL is one of the most thoughtful and adaptive musicians in the Wisconsin music scene
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As a musician, there are two words that come to mind about Ryan Pearl: thoughtful and adaptive. He's thoughtful because what he brings to a song is expressive and intentional with generous amounts of feeling. He's adaptive because over the decades he's taken to instruments new to him and been put in situations where his chops are counted on sometimes in the spur of the moment. He's well versed in a number of genres and whatever the scenario calls for, Ryan delivers. He's the "sixth member" of The Willy...
BRIAN WITKIN of Slack Key ’Ohana and Pacific Records is a music industry swiss army knife!
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Just like the episode title says, Brian Witkin is indeed a music industry swiss army knife. He's the CEO of the San Diego based Pacific Records label, leader of award winning Hawaiian music band Slack Key ’Ohana, a record producer, an entertainment and music attorney, an Ovation endorsed guitarist, and a columnist. He's also one of the friendliest guys you could ever meet. His boundless energy and enthusiasm permeates everything he's involved in. The music he makes with Slack Key ’Ohana is a wonderful mix of Hawa...
DAVID PIETILA of SourceTrack Studio on recording, producing, playing, and wrenching
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There's something to be said for a studio that consistently turns out clean, high quality recordings. Behind such an operation is usually a producer/engineer who understands not just the recording process, but musicians and what they are aiming to convey through their original music. SourceTrack Studio in Appleton, Wisconsin is that kind of studio and David Pietila is that owner/producer/engineer. David has received praise from those he has worked with at SourceTrack and from those who have heard his top notch work. On this episode...
ROGER LEE returns with stories from the road and smooth sweet country melodies
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After nearly three years, country singer Roger Lee returns to Into The Music to share some stories from the road and a pair of new original songs. Roger was Rob's first guest on Into The Music in early August, 2023, so we thought it was about time to catch up with him. Like a good whiskey, his wonderful smooth baritone has aged extremely well (just as smooth too!) and he's taken his songwriting up a good notch or two as well. Join us as we reconnect with Roger Lee.<...
STICK MEN, Part 3: Touch Guitarist MARKUS REUTER (Tu:Ner, Centrozoon, and more!)
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Stick Men month on Into The Music concludes this week with Touch Guitarist Markus Reuter. Markus is an accomplished musician and composer who is equally at home delving into contemporary classical music, jazz, progressive rock, folk, and ambient music. His Touch Guitar brings an emotional element to much of the music he plays whether that be with Stick Men, solo, Tu:Ner (also with Pat Mastelotto and former King Crimson member Trey Gunn), and multiple collaborations he's been...
STICK MEN, Part 2: Bassist TONY LEVIN (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, and more!)
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Stick Men month on Into The Music continues this week with legendary bassist and Chapman Stick player Tony Levin. With well over 500 recording credits, chances are likely you've heard Tony play many times over on recordings by Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Joan Armatrading, Dire Straits, Buddy Rich, Paul Simon, ABWH (i.e. Yes), and loads more. We dig into Tony's fifty-plus year career including...
STICK MEN, Part 1: Drummer PAT MASTELOTTO (King Crimson, Mr. Mister, and more!)
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It's Stick Men month on Into The Music! We have a set of three interviews with each member of this trio and we're starting them with drummer Pat Mastelotto. Not only has Pat been the drummer for Stick Men for nearly two decades, but he's the longest tenured drummer in the history of legendary prog rock band King Crimson. In the 1980s, he was the drummer for Mr. Mister when they were at their peak with the hits "Kyrie" and "<...
KYLE MEGNA & THE MONSOONS are dropping their new EP "This World" on this world
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Kyle Megna & The Monsoons are one of northeast Wisconsin's premiere bands. From the songwriting and arranging to dynamic performances, this band never disappoints. They're all set to drop their latest EP, This World, so band leader Kyle Megna and bassist Fred Velpel are on hand to talk all about it. Now here's the kicker... we have the entire EP on this very show! That means you'll hear not only the three singles released from it so far, but we have the debut of the...
ACE CHAMPION is bridging his love of ancient music and culinary arts into something unique and special
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Ace Champion is one driven man. Whether it be in his music, being a chef, doing voiceover work, teaching, or one of his other ventures, there's no stopping him. As a musician, he has a deep passion for ancient music and playing the instruments that are connected to it. Whether it be one of over sixty different wind instruments (mostly a variety of flutes), a variety of ancient percussive instruments, and simply using his own voice, Ace brings ancient rhythms, melodies, and harmonies into today's world with soul and passion...
ALLEN COTÉ has a cornucopia of styles in his original music
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The biography on Allen Coté's website reads, "Allen Coté is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, multimedia artist, divemaster and ship captain, originally from Austin, TX and currently based in Milwaukee and Door County, WI. Coté is proficient in guitar, lap steel, bass, ukulele, mandolin, and many others; and received the Wisconsin Area Music Industry's 2011 'Specialty Instrumentalist of the Year' award." Add to that he's an extremely talented songwriter who, similar to a painter, mixes and matches various textures, genres, and arrangements into some fascinating original music. The best way to describe All...
THE TERRA SURFERS are wringing out fresh vibes from vintage waves
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These days you find incredibly great surf bands all around the globe and a lot of them aren't even near surfable water. The Terra Surfers aren't only one of those bands, but they're a cut above. Based in landlocked Colorado Springs, CO, they look to the past, add a dash of this or that genre, and create fresh surf sounds that you'd swear came right out of southern California. In late 2025 they dropped a fantastic debut EP called Mountain Waves and for a relatively new band they sound...
JAKE GILL is an outstanding country artist motivated by the love of helping those around him
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Jake Gill is a country artist not to be ignored. His love of country music came by way of working on his grandfather's farm where he heard it on the radio. He heard all the "olds," but then Garth Brooks came along to change the game and it became something Jake needed to dive into. After fifteen years in his own chiropractic practice, he found himself on NBC's The Voice with Blake Shelton as his mentor and made his way into the...
LOCAL 5 LIVE is giving local musicians their chance to been seen and heard
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Local 5 Live is a show that airs weekday mornings at 9:00 AM CT on WFRV-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Millaine Wells and Lisa Malak are the hosts and these ladies love music. One of the great weekly features of Local 5 Live is bringing in a band or artists from the local music scene to perform live and share their stories. This has given those artists a good amount of exposure and it's brought more viewers to Local 5 Live. If one thing can be said of the NE...
DAN HUBBARD blends Americana with soul and R&B for music that goes down nice and easy
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Dan Hubbard is a middle American singer-songwriter with soul. His influences are all right there in his original songs, there's no hiding them. It's what he does with them that makes Dan's music unique and a great anytime listen. Imagine taking Paul Simon's singer-songwriter chops and combining them with Tom Petty's rock & roll, Van Morrison's soul, and Al Green's rhythm & blues and you have some great original music coming right out of America's heartland. On this show we get into how Dan put this all together to create his latest...
MICHAEL GRABNER is back with a brand new album and the Ghosts of Electricity
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In just a short five year span, Michael Grabner has become one of Wisconsin's most prolific singer-songwriters. From his first album, Restart (2021), to his solo acoustic sophomore effort, A Story I Can't Tell (2023), through the nine singles he's dropped since, Michael's growth and maturity as a songwriter is all on display. Those nine singles are combined with three new tracks for a new album called The Rock Garden Recordings and it's Michael's best collection of songs to date. Every song is performed by the...
BECCA MURRAY: Killer sounds from indie pop to classic rock
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Becca Murray just doesn't have a good appreciation of the music she plays—she understands it. After stints in synth-pop band Ultra Key and rockin' out with 90-Proof, she's gone solo (well, in a manner of speaking) with her first EP. Skating By contains six well crafted original indie pop songs that display writing and playing chops that most first efforts lack. Becca writes from her own point of view as a woman in her upper twenties, but her lyrics will connect with a br...
GRACKLES: Incredible vintage sounds blended together, served up neat
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There are some bands that come along and you can't help get excited about them. Grackles from Austin, TX is one of those bands. When their music is described as “dark blues rhumba with country ballads” and “singer-songwriter aesthetics meet blazing guitar solos and danceable 12 bar tunes,” you know this is a band you should pay close attention to. Frontman Noah Lit is on hand this episode to tell us all about Grackles, how they get their rootsy, organic sound, and how being based in Austin has opened up myria...
AUSTIN SKALECKI: A singer-songwriter bringing vivid imagery to life through his music
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Austin Skalecki is a wanderer, a free spirit, and one who knows how to take life experiences and encounters and turn them into songs that bring the listener into those scenarios. He calls the Door County peninsula of Wisconsin home, but he's journeyed all over and his travels have provided him with inspiration for lyrics that are vivid word pictures set to music that are easy to get lost in. Sit back and take a listen to Austin's story and music. You might just find yourself on a li'l journey...
GALE BIRD: A trio reshaping alternative country
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Gale Bird is the trio of husband and wife Joshua and Melissa Gale and friend Sean Monahan. Hailing from Charleston, SC, they combine lots of stacked vocal harmonies and southern grit with a lot of heart in their uplifting original songs. Their influences are quite varied and include the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Rascal Flatts, Need To Breathe, Coldplay, and Alan Jackson. Along with those there are shades of jazz, soul, and straight up rock and roll in their music. They say they're "reshaping alternative...
THE MIDWEST COUNTRY MUSIC ORGANIZATION: promoting original music and giving back to the community
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The Midwest Country Music Organization was founded in 2017 by Paul "PT" Thomas as a way for independent country artists to connect and expand their networks in order to more effectively promote themselves and their music. Eric Salisbury joined the Midwest CMO team a few years later and he's focused on growing membership throughout the Midwest and beyond. Both Paul and Eric are on hand to kick off season five of Into The Music to discuss how the Midwest CMO helps artists, teaches them how to give...
INTO THE MUSIC's 2025 Year End Wrap: 12 great tunes from the past year!
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What a great year in music and we have a dozen fantastic tunes dropped in 2025 to wrap up the year with!
The Tom Thiel Trio – "The Company I Keep"
The Mascot Theory – "As I Lay Here"
Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts – "Waiting On The Rain"
The Terra Surfers – "Haboob"
Kela Sako & Sandollar – "So Dangerous"
The TimothyPaul Band – "Traveling Heart"
Eric W. Krueger & the SHEESH – "Unsolved Mysteries"
Eric Hagen – "Accuse M...
INTO THE MUSIC HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA 2025!
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It's the holiday season and Into The Music has cooked up another Holiday Extravaganza to help make your yuletide bright. And merry. And happy. Etc. The 2025 edition brings guests like Rob's wife, the lovely Nancy, along with Brad Bordini, Erik Kjelland (The Mascot Theory), Tyler Sj., Kate Voss (Sundae + Mr. Goessl), Ryan Thomas (Son Reis Project), and Andrew & Ivy Summers (TUK) and music from Loch Mhor, Natural Satellite, Strategic, ...
MARC BONILLA: World class guitarist, teacher, and composer. (Special Extended Episode)
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Marc Bonilla has enjoyed one of the most comprehensive careers any musician could wish for. And after close to four decades in the business there is simply no quit in him. He is a world class guitarist, an accomplished teacher of music, a remarkable composer, and simply an appreciator of beauty in art and life. And he's a proud nerd with a deep love of things like superheroes and Star Trek. He allows what has been to inform the possibilities of what can be all the while staying very true...
KELA SAKO combines Hawaiian vibes with classic sounds to create captivating music
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Kela Sako is a vocalist out of the San Diego scene and she's a name you need to keep an eye on. She's on an upward trajectory and already making herself known by releasing her debut EP, being nominated for the San Diego Music Awards' Vocalist of the Year, recording a double A-sided single with The Tourmaliners, and now garnering her first production credit for Sun Sets, Vol. 1: An Acoustic Session, a new album she recorded in collaboration with Sandollar. Her original music is...
