The Neon Eon (Thomas Mooney)
Explore every episode of The Neon Eon
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Jan 2021 | The Neon Eon - Teaser | 00:07:25 | |
Welcome to The Neon Eon! The Neon Eon is a '90s-centric country music podcast. Interviews, commentary, and stories about and with the superstars, songwriters, one-hit wonders, pickers, and players of country music from The Neon Eon (86ish-2001ish). Hosted by music journalist Thomas Mooney. | |||
| 06 Jan 2021 | 001: Clay Walker | 01:21:38 | |
Welcome to Episode 1 of The Neon Eon. We kick off the podcast being joined by country music star Clay Walker. During this episode, we talk about Walker's early roots and rise out of the blossoming Beaumont/East Texas scene in the late '80s, signing on to Giant Records, being a young writer, finding his lane, and hear some of the stories behind some of Walker's biggest hits such as "Live Until I Die," "Dreaming with My Eyes Wide Open," "This Woman and This Man," "Live, Laugh, Love," and "The Chain of Love." | |||
| 13 Jan 2021 | 002: Pam Tillis | 01:09:22 | |
Welcome to The Neon Eon. For Episode 002, we're joined by of the era's greatest, the legendary Pam Tillis. During this episode, we hear some of the stories behind some of Pam's biggest hits like "Let That Pony Run," "Spilled Perfume," and "Where Have All The Good Ones Gone," writing songs with the likes of Dean Dillon, being a young staff writer during the late '80s, and regional (and more diverse) radio markets. | |||
| 20 Jan 2021 | 003: Gretchen Peters | 01:12:19 | |
Welcome back to The Neon Eon. On Episode 003, we're joined by singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters. During this episode, we talk about her journey as a songwriter in Nashville during the era, finding her voice as a storyteller, why she wrote at her best solo, some of the stories behind some of her biggest hits like "Independence Day" and "Let That Pony Run," and recording her debut album, the 1996 gem The Secret of Life. | |||
| 27 Jan 2021 | 004: Porter Howell of Little Texas | 01:17:09 | |
Welcome back to The Neon Eon. On Episode 004, we're joined by Porter Howell of Little Texas. Howell was one of the founding members of the '90s country outfit starting out as the outfit's lead guitarist and one of their chief songwriters. During this episode, we talk about moving from Texas to Nashville, attending Belmont University during the '80s, how their label pushed them to write early on, the band's dynamics and chemistry as performers & songwriters, and some of the stories behind some of their biggest hits like "What Might Have Been," "God Bless Texas," and "Some Guys Have All the Fun." | |||
| 03 Feb 2021 | 005: Terry McBride (McBride & The Ride) | 01:13:32 | |
Welcome back to The Neon Eon. We kick off February being joined by singer-songwriter Terry McBride. McBride began making a name for himself as a bass player playing for the likes of Dale McBride (his father), Delbert McClinton, Rosie Flores, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and others down in his native Texas before bursting onto the scene as the lead vocalist and chief lyricist of the trio McBride & The Ride. Later, he'd be recognized as a hit songwriter for the likes of Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire. During this conversation, we talk about those early Texas roots, establishing McBride & The Ride, hanging out with Guy Clark, recording the breakout album Sacred Ground, hitting it off with Ronnie Dunn, writing "If You See Him/If You See Her," and making his way back to recording albums once more. | |||
| 10 Feb 2021 | 006: Larry Stewart of Restless Heart | 01:05:25 | |
This week on The Neon Eon, Larry Stewart of Restless Heart stops by to talk about the band's '80s roots, their quick rise in country music, Restless Heart's longevity and consistency all these years later, their string of #1 hits, why radio helped make them successful, being country's soft rock band, and Larry's underrated '93 solo album Down the Road. | |||
| 17 Feb 2021 | 007: Clint Black | 01:24:46 | |
This week on The Neon Eon, I revisit an older episode of New Slang, an interview with country music legend Clint Black. During this hour-plus conversation, Black gives incredible insight, detail, and perspective on his storied career. We go back and talk about his breakthrough debut album Killin' Time (which last year was its' 30th year anniversary), how being in the public eye changed his songwriting, how he and guitarist Hayden Nicholas formed an unbeatable songwriting & creative team, writing & collaborating with the likes of Merle Haggard, how "going electric" helped shape and expand his artistic process, and his latest album, Out of Sane. | |||
| 03 Mar 2021 | 008: Sara Evans | 01:01:33 | |
This week on The Neon Eon, I'm joined by country music superstar Sara Evans. We talk about breaking into the industry and forming her sound, embracing her Missouri roots and singing songs about small-town life, writing and/or recording massive hits like "Suds in the Bucket," "Born to Fly," and "A Real Fine Place to Start," why country music thrived when unique and distinct accents and voices were supported on radio, album deep cuts, and why she felt it was essential to record songs like Lori McKenna's "Bible Song" early in her career. | |||
| 11 Mar 2021 | 009: Tracy Lawrence | 00:36:15 | |
On this week's episode of The Neon Eon, we're joined by country icon Tracy Lawrence. During this one, we talk about music videos for songs such as "Texas Tornado" and "As Any Fool Can See," find the right outside cuts, the process of cultivating a sound for an album, having an identifiable sound being a calling card, and how he's progressed as a songwriter over the years. | |||
| 15 Apr 2021 | 010: Marty Raybon of Shenandoah | 01:20:56 | |
On this week's episode of The Neon Eon, we're joined by Marty Raybon of the legendary country band Shenandoah. During this one, we talk about their early Muscle Shoals roots, signing onto a label, touring with the likes of Randy Travis, having to essentially start their career over mid-career, smash ballads like "Moon Over Georgia," the legacy of "Two Dozen Roses," and their latest album, Every Road. | |||
| 07 May 2021 | 011: BJ Barham of American Aquarium | 01:07:34 | |
On Episode 11, we're joined by our first present-day and new artist, BJ Barham, the lead vocalist and chief lyricist of American Aquarium. The North Carolina-based Barham and AA released a surprise album today--the aptly titled Slappers, Bangers & Certified Twangers, Vol. 1--the band's ninth full-length studio album and first covers record. As you expect the 10 songs found on Slappers are an ode and tribute to the music, songwriting, and artists of the early '90s. | |||