San Joaquin Sound

Episode 18: Loser Life - The Most Underrated Band of the 2000s

The most underrated band of the 2000s is Loser Life. It's fitting because they were an underdog band, in an underdog town in the middle of the desert in California. Back in 2005, they were the flagship band of the Munoz Boxing Gym home to other legendary Bakersfield bands like The Pine and The Contaminators. They take the feeling of growing up in Bakersfield in the early 2000s and distill it into 2 minutes of punk-infused Melodic hardcore. The lineup for most of the records was Steven, Bill, Bobby and Reuben. For Episode 18 of the San Joaquin Sound Podcast I interviewed drummer and vocalist Steven Koontz. In addition to Loser Life, Steven was the drummer for The Pine and Human Mess. In addition to Loser Life, he was the drummer for The Pine and vocalist for Human Mess. Don't miss this episode.

Sonny Anglin: He's A Truck Drivin' Pool Shootin' Son-Of-A-Gun and a Bakersfield Sound Legend

Bakersfield California is home to the greatest country music that ever was. Everyone knows Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. But in 1972, Sonny Anglin debuted his first record: Mrs. Olsen with Today’s Tomorrows Yesterday on the B side. He’s played all the classic spots like the Blackboard, Tex’s Barrel House, Trouts and even toured the US and headlined a show at the Sahara in Las Vegas. His most iconic song would have to be I’m a Truck Drivin Pool Shootin Son-Of-A-Gun. It’s been covered by Devyn Brinsfield, The Soda Crackers and the B-Side Sing Born To Lose has been covered by Shontice Marie. Sonny Anglin is a local legend and at age 87 he is still singing multiple nights a week around town. Listen to episode 17 of the San Joaquin Sound podcast to listen to a great interview with Sonny Anglin.

Ed Sanner: Mosrite Mastermind - Creator of Amps and Effects

Ed Sanner who is 88 years old and still working on guitars and making pedals. He worked at Mosrite, a legendary guitar company based in Bakersfield, California. For rock and roll, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Fred Sonic Smith from MC5, and Johnny Ramone of the Ramones played mosrite guitars. Mosrites were ubiquitous in surf music, most famously played the Ventures. They even had their own model. Mosrites were originally used in country music with Joe Maphis, Buck Owens, and Roy Nichols all having played Mosrite guitars at one time or another. At the peak of production in 1968, Mosrite was making an estimated 600-1000 guitars every month. Mosrite didn't just make guitars, they made amplifiers and pedals too. The main designer of those electronics was Ed Sanner. He was one of the pioneers of early solid state amps and created the Mosrite Fuzzrite fuzz pedal back in 1966. This pedal was made famous on iron butterflies Inna gadda da vida. and Don Rich even used it on Buck Owens song Whose Gonna Mow Your Grass? In this episode, we talk about a lot of different people involved with Mosrite, so let me give you a short explanation. Semie Moseley is the founder of Mosrite. He was a great guitarist and a master guitar builder that pushed boundaries with his designs. His brother Andy Moseley also worked in the factory. The branch manager who was in charge of running the factory and ordering all the parts was Ken Gilstrap. Ed sometimes refers to him as Bilstrap. I also want to give a special thanks to Chris Goodsell who you may remember from episode 9. He has been friends with Ed for years and without him this interview could have never happened.

Prohibition: Drunken Anti-Drinking Songs - A Chat with Liam & Cannon

Prohibition is a Powerviolence band from Bakersfield, California with ties to Oildale. They have released an incredible EP: PROHIBITION'S Greatest Hits Vol. 1 that injects a country influence into Powerviolence. This interview features Liam, lead vocalist and Cannon, Lead Bassist and Backing Vocals.

Doug Davis: Jazz Extraordinaire - History of the Bakersfield Jazz Festival

Did you ever go to the Bakersfield Jazz Festival in the 30 plus years it was running? If so, you have Doug Davis to thank. He ran the festival, booking artists like Dizzie Gillespie and Larry Carlton. And Local legends Mary Osborne and Mento Buru. In addition to running the festival, he was also a professor in charge of the Jazz Program at CSUB. Doug Davis is an incredible professor, amazing pianist, saxophone player, and award winning composer of classical music, Jazz, and even radio jingles. He has played hundreds if not thousands of concerts in Bakersfield and has even played in Paris, France and New York. Listen to Episode 14 of the San Joaquin Sound podcast to hear an interview with Doug Davis.