Room Tone

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with legendary singer/songwriter John Waite. Growing up in Lancaster, England, John went to art school there and a secession of bands led him to his first big time break with The Babys, a band that hovered at the edge of stardom. Then as a solo artist, John hit it big with "Missing You", a worldwide hit and a staple of radio to this day. Forming the band Bad English in the late 80's with members of Journey and The Babys, John delivered two albums and another worldwide hit. Making new music to this day, hear John's story as two old friends have a kitchen table chat. 

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with entertainment industry executive, lawyer, two-time Grammy nominee and social entrepreneur, Paul Katz. After working at EMI London in business affairs, Katz joined the fledgling entertainment company Zomba, eventually landing in NYC as a leader of Zomba's US operations. There, he grew the record label Jive, with groundbreaking signings in rock, rap, hip hop, R&B and infectious pop. As founder and CEO of Entertain Impact, Katz pairs the power of celebrity and causes for what he calls "cause entertainment". With his love for music, humanity and a Rolodex to die for, Katz is able to help affect real and positive change in the world, from eradicating the world of polio to, with the help of Beyonce, saving children's lives at a small hospital in Haiti.

a ROOM TONE EXTRA: To find out how the music was made for HBO's hit TV series Vinyl, ROOM TONE's William Garrett gets the scoop from veteran bass player Sal Maida, who plays on tracks by the show's fictional band, The Nasty Bits, fronted by James Jagger, Mick's son. Vinyl's producers (including Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger) put an amazing team together to create an authentic 70's rock sound that includes Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth, producer/guitarist Don Fleming, John Doe, Charli XCX, Alison Mosshart of The Kills and many more. Get an inside look at the music on Vinyl in this ROOM TONE EXTRA!

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with super talented, always hilarious and charming DJ/Producer duo Peking Duk. Hailing from Canberra, Australia, Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles met as skateboarders and formed a musical alliance that has gone on to top the Australian charts. Conquering the world with sets at festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza, headlining clubs worldwide and releasing chart topping singles, listen in as they talk of their career path with equal doses of humility and humor, and learn the real meaning of their name, Peking Duk!!

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with legendary recording engineer and producer Al Schmitt. A twenty three time Grammy Award winner, Al has a mind blowing list of credits and has recorded the soundtrack of the last sixty years. At 85, he is still that humble guy from Brooklyn, currently working with the likes of Bob Dylan and Michael Bublé. In this ROOM TONE conversation Al shares some highlights from his amazing career including insights on his longevity and the need to give back. In this voice of experience you'll hear the soul of a kid that just loves making music.

a ROOM TONE EXTRA: How does it feel to win (or lose) a Grammy Award? ROOM TONE's William Garrett unearths some interesting Grammy facts and speaks with a winner and a non winner (loser is to harsh!) on their experience at the Grammys in this ROOM TONE EXTRA. 

William Garrett's ROOM TONE Interview with Hollywood Super Agent Louise Ward. Getting her start on FM radio in Boston, Louise craved a path through Hollywood to become one of today's top agents. She's a terrific storyteller and also a serious advocate for her clients and the industry. With clients like Channing Tatum (Burt Gurney in Hail Caesar) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron in Star Wars) Louise Ward is at the top of her game.

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with The Borough President of Queens NY, Melinda Katz. Borough President since 2014, Katz is the lead advocate for New York's largest and most diverse borough. From a very creative and civically active Queens family, she brings a cultural and creative prospective to the office that helps to shape a bright future for the Borough of Queens. And she sings too!!

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with guitarist, composer and voice over artist Eric Schermerhorn. An elite sideman to stars like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, SEAL and Lucinda Williams to name a few, Eric talks about his musical career and how, weary of the road, he made a successful career switch to an in demand voice over talent while still remaining a force in the music world. A fun, relaxed and insightful conversation between old friends.

a ROOM TONE EXTRA - Guitarist and elite sideman Eric Schermerhorn talks to ROOM TONE's William Garrett about how working with David Bowie and the band Tin Machine, changed his career path and started him on the road (literally) for stints with music greats Iggy Pop, Lucinda Williams, SEAL, THE THE, Paula Cole and many more. Check out Eric's incredible story in his full interview on ROOM TONE.

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with The Bangles co-founder, singer/songwriter and all around creative force, Susanna Hoffs. From an intellectual and enlightened family from LA, she grew up surrounded by Hollywood's creative elite.  Hoffs discovered punk rock in college, then co-founded The Bangles and made music history with worldwide hits. Solo records followed and a host of side projects including the band Ming Tea, the origin of Mike Myers's character Austin Powers. We cover lots of ground in a great conversation with a self described "go-getter"!

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with artist, musician and digital media entrepreneur Bob Holmes. Holmes shakes his family's judicial past, studied art at Rhode Island School of Design and was a founding member of the Grammy nominated 80's country punk band Rubber Rodeo. From there to producing tracks with the likes of David Bowie and KD Lang, Holmes is now the CEO of digital media agency Sudden Industries. From drawing naked ladies to creating digital environments for major companies, Holmes has been "failing upwards" all the way to the top.

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with musician, music educator and author Warren Zanes. Zanes joined the Del Fuegos at 17, then jumped back into school earning two masters and a PhD. A VP at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Zanes now is Director of Steven Van Zandt's Rock and Roll Forever Foundation. Zanes's latest project is his new book, Petty:The Biography, an unvarnished version of rocker Tom Petty's life so far.  

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with Candace Stewart, legendary recording studio manager and den mother to the LA recording scene. Candace followed her trio of recording engineer brothers from Charleston SC to LA and joined the vibrant LA music scene. For over 30 years she has facilitated and been a witness to music history. Candace tells some great Rock N' Roll stories, talks about saving one of Hollywood's most legendary studios and her devotion to the craft of recording and those who make the records we love.

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with art and music critic, curator and poet Peter Frank. As art critic for the Soho Weekly News, The Village Voice, The LA Weekly and The Huffington Post, he has covered the art world on both coasts and beyond and as a curator, mounted shows at the Guggenheim Museum, PS/1 and many other museums and galleries. In this conversation we discuss his unique path of learning that included his parents, schools, and even summer camp, a move to Los Angeles in the midst of disillusionment with the New York art scene, the value of cultural criticism and connecting the dots in the increasingly crowded digital universe.

William Garrett’s ROOM TONE interview with JC Chandor, Oscar nominated Film Director and Screenwriter. In five short years JC has written and directed the films Margin Call, All is Lost and A Most Violent Year, with Hollywood’s top actors bringing his scripts to life. Garrett and Chandor discuss his earliest films made with the family video camera, how dyslexia hones other skills like memory and observation that serve a writer/director well, how a brief stint in Hollywood sent him quickly back east and trying hard not to screw up a pitch meeting with the legendary Robert Redford.

Check in with ROOM TONE's William Garrett for audio clips of this falls upcoming ROOM TONE interviews including Director/Screenwriter JC Chandor, Art Critic Peter Frank, Hollywood Super Agent Louise Ward, Record Producer/Engineer Ed Stasiun and the band Session Americana.

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with Vince Donovan, photographer, writer and computer systems/big data specialist. We talk about Vince's legendary store San Francisco photo studio, store and gallery Photobooth, discovering creativity through a childhood friend, the birth of the internet and how the puzzle pieces of our lives don't necessarily have to fit together.

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with Composer and Filter Theater co artistic director Tim Phillips. Tim talks about his musical journey from Terrace, British Columbia to London, NYC and Hollywood. Listen in and hear about flying 1000 miles for guitar lessons, scoring one of England's biggest TV shows, scoring star studded films and the next great plays and musicals destined for the London stage.

William Garrett's ROOM TONE interview with singer/songwriter Jesse Harris. The 2003 Song of the Year Grammy winner talks about penning hits for Norah Jones and others, post Grammy expectations, collaboration and co writing, and the realities of the modern music business.