Holly and Barry Tashian exemplify the best in the music industry - people who truly love the live music experience, and whose love of music conveys to their audience wherever they perform.  They went to high school together in New England before marrying and performing music together. Barry's band The Remains opened up for The Beatles in 1966 on their final U.S. tour.  After The Remains split up, Barry recorded with Gram Parson and Emmylou Harris. Later, both Holly and Barry performed with Harris, leading to a long and fruitful collaboration.  Holly and Barry now live in Nashville, and their recordings showcase their spectacular harmonies and songwriting.

Shel Talmy produced records that set the templates for hard rock and punk rock.  After growing up in Chicago and learning the art of sound engineering in Los Angeles, he began his career as a producer in London in the early ‘60s.  The list of the records he produced is staggering - singles by The Kinks (“You Really Got Me”, “All Day And All Of The Night,” “Sunny Afternoon”), by The Who (“My Generation”, “The Kids Are Alright”, “I Can’t Explain”), and even David Bowie’s debut single.  He also produced the great “Friday On My Mind” by the Easybeats, and he worked with Manfred Mann, Pentangle, The Creation, and The Damned.  In this interview, Talmy discusses his unique approach to music production, how he helped the Kinks get the guitar distortion on “You Really Got Me,” and the advice he gave The Who’s Keith Moon about playing drums in the studio.  

(Note: Many apologies for the poor sound quality - the interview took place by phone, and unfortunately the recording software left much to be desired. However, close listening will be rewarded, as Shel knows the history of rock music as few others have.)