179: RFR CATCH-UP | JEFF SLATE/Singer-Songwriter, Guitarist, Author

Published: Feb. 15, 2021, 11:30 a.m.

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Jeff Slate is an ASCAP award winning singer-songwriter from New York City.\\xa0He co-founded the 1980\\u2019s mod/punk band the\\xa0Mindless Thinkers, who were mainstays on the Northeast college circuit.\\xa0In the mid-90\\u2019s he released\\xa0The Townshend Tapes, on which\\xa0The Who\\u2019s Pete Townshend\\xa0acted as executive producer, and opened for\\xa0Sheryl Crow\\xa0on her \\u201cTuesday Night Music Club\\u201d tour.\\xa0

In 1997 he founded the band\\xa0The Badge, who released three albums and countless singles, EPs and live \\u201cbootleg\\u201d sets, two \\u201cbest of\\u201d compilations, and went on to become darlings of the UK/European \\u201cmod\\u201d scene in the 2000\\u2019s.\\xa0In 2010 Slate released the single \\u201cDreamtime,\\u201d which featured\\xa0Earl Slick\\xa0(Lennon, Bowie) and\\xa0Carlos Alomar\\xa0(Bowie, Lennon), as well as other alums of\\xa0David Bowie\\u2019s bands.\\xa0

Birds of Paradox, his first solo album of original material, was released in 2012. It was followed in November 2013 by\\xa0Imposters & Attractions, and his contribution to the Pete Quaife Foundation\\xa0Kinks\\xa0tribute album\\xa0Shoulder To Shoulder\\xa0in 2015.\\xa0His 2016 album\\xa0Secret Poetry\\xa0was another all-star affair, lauded by critics and fans alike. A video of the song \\u201cLetter From Paris (Showed Me The Way)\\u201d featuring Slate and Slate, and directed by Patrick McGuinn, was streamed over 1,000 times on the day of its release. His music has appeared in advertising and films and on television, including the hit show\\xa0Gossip Girl.

Slate is a regular contributor to the\\xa0Wall Street Journal,\\xa0The New Yorker,\\xa0Esquire,\\xa0Rolling Stone, and many other media outlets, writing about music and culture, and has appeared on television and radio numerous times, including on former-Sex Pistol Steve Jones\\u2019s Los Angeles drive time show\\xa0Jonesy\\u2019s Jukebox, and\\xa0SiriusXMs Volume, where Slate is also a guest host, as well as the\\xa0BBC\\xa0numerous times.

He is the co-author of the 2017 book\\xa0The Authorized Roy Orbison, written with the legend\\u2019s sons, and has written liner notes for albums by Orbison, the\\xa0Small Faces, Shawn Colvin, for the\\xa0Stax Records\\xa060th anniversary reissue series and for\\xa0The Beatles\\u2019 50th anniversary edition of\\xa0Sgt. Pepper\\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 2018 Slate wrote the 10,000+ word essay included in\\xa0Bob Dylan\\u2019s\\xa0More Blood, More Tracks, the 14 edition of his long-running\\xa0Bootleg Series.

In 2019 Slate appeared onstage at the first\\xa0World Of Bob Dylan\\xa0conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, sponsored by the\\xa0Bob Dylan Center\\xa0there, where he interviewed The Byrds\\u2019 Roger McGuinn and performed with the legend. Slate proudly plays a\\xa0Martin OM-28E Retro Acoustic Guitar\\xa0with\\xa0Martin Strings, as well as\\xa0Hofner\\xa0basses and\\xa0Vox\\xa0amps. More info at\\xa0www.jeffslatehq.com.

Today\\u2019s episode is sponsored by Lensrentals. Use the code ROADIE15 for a 15% discount when you check out.

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