INTERVIEWS Archives - Rock Oracle

December 3, 2025 Jason Shrum

New Music from Cam Gallagher & The Tasty Soul

My newest medicine has arrived in the form of Cam Callagher. Music journalists often scribe about young artists having “old souls”, and if I had a better descriptor, I would write it differently, but I do not, so I’ll leave Cam’s elucidation there. Glenn Miller comes to mind when I think of Cam and what he brings to Nashville’s music scene and what he brings to the industry as a whole. He is not only an exquisite saxophone player, but he is a producer, songwriter, arranger, and band leader.

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July 15, 2025 Jason Shrum

Juke Box Jam II at The Basement East

The Basement East in Nashville was transformed into an old juke-joint/ sock hop with soul on Saturday night. The room was electric as people poured in, some donned in 1950’s and 60’s attire to watch a spectacular evening of beautiful music from the yesteryears. The stage was set with glittery streamers laced in a gold and red background, paper records looped around the venue, as a disco ball illuminated both floor and ceiling. There was an enchanting feeling that made me sense Michael J. Fox was about to blow up this “Under the Sea” monikered prom by ripping his cherry red Gibson ES-345 guitar and showing us the future of music.

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May 30, 2025 Jason Shrum

The Journey with Inclement Weather Department

I met Cam, Joey, Trevor, Brian, Connor and TJ before even knowing that they were a band. I co-owned a small batch brewery in north Seattle, in a neighborhood know as Ballard (don’t let anyone tell you it was Fremont). About 2 blocks up the road, in Fremont, sat an unmarked building, with no windows and no plaque out front even though it was once the home of Reciprocal Records until the early 1990’s. Why is that important? Well, it is where Nirvana, along with producer Jack Endino laid down the band’s first album, Bleach. Other bands like Soundgarden, Death Cab For Cutie, Green River and Tad, among others, would also record here. I didn’t know this at first and I soon realized that I near a pretty special place in music history.

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May 5, 2025 Cretin

RIP Mike Peters – Love, Hope, Strength Defined

I slipped “68 Guns” onto the turntable, and my musical life changed forever. The song is filled with slick guitars and powerful rhythms, but the key was this long-haired Welshman belting out the killer vocals. Mike Peters was it! Raw, passionate vocals that made the listener take notice, and the lyrics were great. I remember that moment in the dingy WUVT studio, and the power of that music as if it happened yesterday. Mike Peters and The Alarm helped me slip into this new Modern Rock / New Wave world where I soon dug into their peers: REM, The Cure, Pretenders, etc… I stuck with the DJ gig, and it made me a bunch of money, and directly led to me meeting my wife.

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April 23, 2025 Jason Shrum

Getting to Know Echo Pilot

We all met at varying times. Echo Pilot is the brainchild of Ryan Van Abeele (singer/rhythm guitarist) and was started in 2018. Andrew Stuart Howsmon (bass/backing vocals) auditioned and was brought on in 2022. Dan Russell (drums) was recommended by a friend and fan of the band and auditioned and was brought on in October 2023. Aaron Smith (lead guitarist) auditioned around that time as well and was officially brought on in January 2024. The name Echo Pilot was literally just thrown together by Ryan who thought the two words together sounded cool. There’s no awesome name origin story (laughter ensues).

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April 21, 2025 Jason Shrum

Sweet Mylo Just Got Sweeter

Sweet Mylo was a band I bumped into as I was just starting to check out the local Nashville music scene. I went to see my friend Ian Brice of Loose Bolts play in East Nash and this is where I met the duo. Sweet Mylo is an indie-pop band formed by husband-and-wife Kevin Jones and Grace Melody Jones. I was mesmerized by the group from beginning to end. This week they will be releasing a new album (officially their first, as I would learn). The band will also be playing a live show at the Historic Stonewall to promote the project. Historic Stonewall, in the heart of Gallatin, Tennessee’s downtown district, has been standing iconically since 1831. This architectural wonderment has been a silent spectator to the evolution of the community around it for almost 200 years and serves as an event space and music venue. Almost one year ago to the day I got to ask the band about their formation, their process and the future of Sweet Mylo. Enjoy!

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October 26, 2024 Jason Shrum

Meg Elsier Raises the Roof

I brought my niece, Becca, as my plus one guest and didn’t know what to expect when encountering this rising star. Meg Elsier is just 30 years old- as is my niece- and she is quickly rising up the ladder of stardom in the industry. Nashville Scene magazine just awarded her the Best Indie/Rock Debut Album by its writers a few days ago. Meg debuted her record, Spittake, in June. The album deserves any accolades that it gets. I had been listening to it on my playlist for about a month before I got the news that I would have a face to face with this Berklee School of Music prodigy.