Tales from the Green Room
Welcome to Tales from the Green Room - Backstage conversations from popular music venues around the country curated by Mount Tam Media. Buckle up and listen in, as host Dennis Strazulo and Mount Tam Media founder, Tami Larson, dig up conversations with artists - before and after shows - in the exclusive confines of the green room. Barriers are down with stories abound! Tales from the Greenroom Special Edition (Sweetwater Music Hall's 50th Anniversary Series) Mount Tam Media is thrilled to launch its Tales From the Green Room Podcast with a special series of episodes celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the iconic Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, California. The roster of artists that have crowded onto the club's little stages, first at the original Sweetwater location two blocks away, and now at the new location which opened in 2013, reads like a Who's Who of roots & rock music: Bob Weir, Aaron Neville, Big Mama Thornton, Carlos Santana, Elvis Costello, Etta James, Greg Allman, Van Morrison… the list of musical luminaries is endless. In the 80's, the Times of London hailed Sweetwater as one of the best nightclubs in America and the legacy continues! Mount Tam Media has been granted special access to Sweetwater’s green room during the venue’s 50th anniversary year to interview musicians, photographers, managers and the like, and capture their favorite moments and memories, preserving the untold secrets of what has graced these hallowed walls for half a century, before they are lost forever.
Episodes
In this episode, Tales From The Green Room presents their conversations with Joe Marcinek and Jeremy Hoenig recorded before their respective performances during Jazz Fest 2025 in New Orleans – featuring two musicians swimming in the same music circles in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally - and both connected with Melvin Seals! Marcinek joins the show before his stellar appearance leading Dead Funk Summit during ...
In this episode, hosts Dennis Strazulo and Tami Larson explore the journey of Sunshine Garcia Becker (Furthur, Sunshine Garcia Band) on her mission to curate an all-female Grateful Dead tribute band, with the purpose of expanding the involvement of women as key players in the live music scene. Sunshine is joined on the show by drummer Anna Elva (Smokedaddies, Mark Karan’s Buds, West Grand Boulevard, Stu Allen & Mars Ho...
In this episode of Tales From The Green Room - mixed with joyous reflection, levity, and emotion - drummer extraordinaire Danny Luehring discusses the origins and evolution of Danny's Live Dead, a weekly Grateful Dead show hosted by him every Wednesday at Peri’s Tavern in Fairfax, California. Danny shares insights into how the show started after the closure of Phil Lesh's beloved Terrapin Crossroads, the challenges and r...
In this episode of 'Tales from the Green Room,' the hosts engage in an enlightening conversation - and history lesson - with singer-songwriter, Cajun culture activists, and International recording artist, Zachary Richard. Richard first reflects on his deep ties with Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA - playing and hanging with Huey Lewis and Bob Weir - before musing on his touring experiences and unique cross-cultu...
Super-creative, virtuoso pianist, Holly Bowling joins the show in the first-ever podcast recorded in The Green Room at Garcia’s Chicago. Holly shares the etiology of her genre-crossing and improvisational style in between her two incredible debut appearances at this spectacular venue - playing the music of Phish and The Grateful Dead on solo piano! The episode delves into Holly’s classical training, influences, and balanci...
In this engaging episode restaurateur, music promoter, and local legend Chris 'Shaggy' Davis welcomes Tales From The Green Room and listeners to Day 2 of the 10th annual NOLA Crawfish Festival, a celebration that marries New Orleans' rich musical heritage with its vibrant culinary culture held at The Broadside New Orleans. The episode features an interview with rising star keyboard player/vocalist/singer song-writer, an...
Join hosts Tami Larson and Dennis Strazulo as they dive into the vibrant atmosphere of JazzFest 2025, with this episode recorded at The Broadside in New Orleans during the 10th Annual Crawfish Festival. In this episode, the first of several generated from JazzFest, the focus is on the experiences of the captivating, modern New Orleans funk band, The Rumble, authors of a sound they dub "New Orleans Mardi Gras Funk!" Specia...
In this episode of 'Tales from the Green Room,' we welcome the band Spafford in the green room at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA to discuss their origins, musical influences, and journey. The conversation covers the genesis of their unique band name, evolving from 'Officious Tortfeasor' to 'Spafford,' inspired by a close friend. Members, Brian Moss, Nick Tkachyk, Corey Schechtman, and Shon Gordon share personal a...
Celebrating 50 Years+ of Sweetwater Music Hall with Tommy Castro!
Tales From The Green Room redux! In Mount Tam Media's first drop of it's “one from the vault” series of never released episodes -recorded during Sweetwater Music Hall's 50th Anniversary celebration in Nov. 2022 - host Dennis Strazulo sits down with legendary blues musician, Tommy Castro. Castro reminisces about his deep connections with the iconic venue, i...
In this episode of "Tales From The Green Room" Sam Grisman Project mainstays Max Flansburg and Chris English visit with hosts Dennis Strazulo and Tami Larson backstage at Terrapin Crossroads' Sunday Day Dream Vol. 4 in San Rafael, CA. Max Flansburg shares his experience of visiting California for the first time, his musical beginnings in the Finger Lakes region, and joins the roster of stellar guitar players marveling at t...
In an insightful discussion on the "Tales from the Green Room" podcast, Reed Mathis provides host Dennis Strazulo and listeners with a detailed preview of his upcoming podcast series “The Gifts of Improvising” which debuts January 29, 2024 on the Osiris Media Podcast Network. Reed opens the door to a new, profound exploration of the role and challenge of artists as they navigate improvising the music of their heroes and le...
The Journey and Legacy of Sweetwater's Uncelebrated Icon - An Interview with the late Austin de Lone
In this interview, which took place in October 2022 before Mount Tam Media launched its Tales From The Green Room podcast, Austin de Lone sits down with host Dennis Strazulo to discuss his rich musical journey and his pivotal involvement with Sweetwater Music Hall, as the venue approached its 50th Anniversary. This is th...
Link to Tales From The Green Room Episode 27 Photography Gallery
In this bonus episode of Tales from the Green Room, hosts Dennis Strazulo and Tami Larson interview Jack Barton of Jack Barton Entertainment, discussing the behind the scenes operations running Grateful Guitars Foundation. Jack delves into his involvement with Grateful Guitars, sharing insights into its charitable work, including supporting music programs...
Link to Tales From The Green Room Episode 27 Photography Gallery
In this episode of Tales From The Green Room, Mount Tam Media takes listeners backstage at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco during the Grateful Guitars Foundation Second Annual Benefit. Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally shares some of his experiences with Jerry Garcia and his storied history with the band; David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) ...
Tales from the Green Room hits the road with its debut visit to the iconic Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York, sitting down backstage with Dark Star Orchestra lead guitarist, Jeff Mattson! Recorded in between DSO’s first two shows since the passing of Phil Lesh, Jeff reflects on his memorable interactions with Phil and how the band prepared for these memorable performances at one of his favorite venues. The episode ...
In this very special episode of Tales from the Green Room - recorded backstage at Terrapin Crossroads’ Sunday Daydream Vol. 3 in San Rafael, CA on July 21, 2024, on what turned out to be the late Phil Lesh’s final performance - hosts Dennis Strazulo and Tami Larson sit down with legendary musician Stanley Jordan, Greg Loiacono (Greg Loiacano and Stingray, Mother Hips, and Jerry Saracini (Forgotten Space) all who shared th...
Steve Kimock: Reflections and Revelations on Zero’s 40th Anniversary
In this special episode of Tales From The Green Room, Steve Kimock shares his insights and experiences backstage at the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his band, Zero. The conversation, recorded less than two weeks after Phil Lesh’s passing, delves into the weight Steve was still experiencing after that event, and touche...
In this episode of Tales from the Green Room, hosted by Dennis Strazulo and Tami Larson of Mount Tam Media, listeners get an exclusive look into conversations with members of Steely Dead backstage at the renowned Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, CA. The episode features lively discussions with band members Dave A'Bear, Matt A'Bear, Chris Sheldon, and Dylan Teifer as they share insights about their music, the etiology of Steely...
In this episode of 'Tales From the Green Room,' the hosts welcome guest co-host Paul McCaffrey ("Paulie Mac") - formerly of the 'Murph & Mac' morning sports radio show on KNBR - for an engaging and wide-ranging conversation with members of Boston-based band, Bearly Dead, Nick Swift, Michael "Butzy" Butler, and founder Tyler Brooks. Recorded backstage at the iconic Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, the discussion...
Mother Hips' Journey: Past, Present, and California Current
Join Greg Loiacono and Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips in the latest episode of 'Tales from the Green Room' as they discuss their journey, starting from the early days in Marin County to the release of their latest album, California Current. Recorded at The Junction in Mill Valley, CA, this episode covers the band's deep connection with their fan base, the evoluti...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!