Marti Jones and Don Dixon

Lost Together is a new bi-weekly podcast featuring in-depth musical discussion and debate with special guest contributors and also conversations with artists, producers and music industry professionals. New and classic artists join Matt Wardlaw to share stories and insights regarding their musical process. Stay in touch on Twitter @losttogetherpod.

Our guests this week are a wonderful singer/songwriter couple, Don Dixon and Marti Jones. You will probably be familiar with Don from his work as a producer, working with bands like R.E.M. and the Smithereens. But you should know and be aware of both Don and Marti as terrific artists and songwriters and we’re going to put the spotlight on that area of their collective work on today’s podcast.

The interview was recorded in October of last year and both Don and Marti had put out new records that year. They were about to play a show here in Cleveland, so it seemed like a good opportunity to do an interview and at the same time, record it for a podcast and have them play some songs live.

My wife, Annie Zaleski, joins me for this interview. Both of us had previously interviewed Don and in fact, she did an extensive interview with Don to mark the 25th anniversary of the R.E.M. Murmur album a few years ago, so when she heard I was working on this, she stepped up and said, ”I want to do that one with you.”

We had a great chat that is split into three basic sections — we start out talking about Marti’s bossa nova-themed album, You’re Not The Bossa Me, which had just come out at the time. Then we move into talking about Don’s latest record, High & Filthy & Borderline, which had come out earlier that year. We wrap up by talking with Don about a couple of our favorite albums and projects that he’s been involved with. Throughout the conversations, there are some interesting side trips and unexpected moments.

(By the way, if you’re a fan of Dixon and Jones, you’re in luck — there have been a lot of Popdose posts over the years on both Don and Marti that we recommend as additional reading!)

Because the interview was recorded in late 2014, there are some shows mentioned that are now in the past. But they’ve got a few shows already booked for 2016 and we’ll run through those dates in the intro for the podcast. You can also stay up to date with their latest happenings via their official Facebook page, which you’ll find in the links below.

Enjoy!

Download or listen to this episode now:

Lost Together with Matt Wardlaw, Episode 3: Don Dixon and Marti Jones

Relevant Links:

Marti Jones and Don Dixon on Facebook

Marti Jones official website

Don Dixon official website

Albums Mentioned:

Marti Jones – You’re Not The Bossa Me

Don Dixon – High & Filthy & Borderline

Marti Jones and Don Dixon – Living Stereo

About the Author

Matt Wardlaw

Matt Wardlaw is a music lifer with nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. Of course you all have shoes older than that, but that's okay, Matt realizes that he's still a rookie. His byline has appeared in the Riverfront Times (St. Louis), Cleveland Scene, Blogcritics, Music's Bottom Line and Ultimate Classic Rock, among others. In addition to writing for Popdose, Matt also has his own music blog called Addicted to Vinyl where he writes about a variety of subjects including but not limited to vinyl. In his spare time, Matt enjoys long walks in the park, Cherone-era Van Halen and driving long distances to Night Ranger concerts.

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