For Back Door Slam, it all started with C-sharp.

Seventh grader and budding guitar prodigy Davy Knowles approached Adam Jones in their Isle of Man schoolyard and asked whether the young bassist could play in that key. Jones snickered and replied, “Of course,” and the rest will one day be history. Drummer Ross Doyle eventually joined his mates behind the kit, and now nearly a decade later, their Back Door Slam blues trio is touring thousands of miles from home to support their brilliant debut album, Roll Away.

BDS’ Davy Knowles at ACL 2007 — photo by Danfun

And even though “Back Door Slam from the Isle of Man” sounds more akin to the name of an XXX movie in San Francisco’s Castro District, they’re nonetheless building a solid name for themselves. The blues stars-to-be seem to constantly be on the road, headlining club gig after club gig and opening for more established [nostalgia] acts like REO Speedwagon, Styx and George Thorogood, earning their stripes the old-fashioned way by organically building an audience, rather than growing exponentially with hollow blog endorsements.

The precocious trio — think early Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble or Rory Gallagher — wrapped up another tour of the States last week, but they’ll be back here soon. They’re loving their growing slice of Americana so much that they’ll return for their fourth tour of the States later this month, a run that begins in Anaheim in late February and ends at the Beale Street Music Festival in early May.

I sat down with the three members of Back Door Slam before their recent show at New York’s Mercury Lounge, and since I try not to contribute to the delinquency of minors (only one of them is 21 years old, the other two are 20), we shared Cokes and Sprites as they shared tour stories and their impressions of the road to stardom. Read on after the jump for much more on the best young band of blues musicians on the road today…

You can excuse Martin Sexton for being a little tired these days. Sexton’s been touring these United States and the UK since April behind his latest album, Seeds. And aside from spreading good music, the singer/songwriter is also spreading environmental awareness by making the nine-month run a “green” tour.

On Friday, Martin will play the grand finale of the Seeds tour at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom, and we caught up with him as he prepared for the gig. We sat down to talk about life on the road, how NBC’s Scrubs came to use one of his songs, what makes a tour “green” and much, much more….

Scott Bernstein: What were some of the highlights of the Seeds tour?

Martin Sexton: A big one would be doing the whole Green thing: the biodiesel bus, organic posters, recycling everything and all of that was really successful and it make me feel great. It worked, and it wasn’t like pulling teeth; it was actually quite viable. Another highlight for me would be being part of the show on Earth Day last April. Just playing out there in that big beautiful park on a wonderful San Francisco afternoon on Earth Day.

Also I got to the UK for the first time. The reaction of the fans was wonderful. They really treat you well over there. It’s kinda different from in America. They treat you like an artist. I worked hard for what I have in America, and it’s a beautiful thing. But if I was new and up and coming in America, I would sure have a tough road to hoe. Read on for more from Scotty and Martin…

Assembly of Dust returned home from its most recent tour and found itself answering questions virtually no folk-infused rock band has had to answer. The buzz surrounding the eight-show run with JJ Grey & MOFRO wasn’t necessarily about the quality of the music or the sad frequency of collaborations, but rather the bizarre backstage skirmish that followed the band’s gig at The Roxy in Boston.

Photo by Adam Kaufman

If you’re picturing frontman Reid Genauer standing over the Roxy’s manager like Muhammed Ali triumphantly towering over Sonny Liston, repeating “That’s folkin’ rock, motherfucker, that’s the taste of singer-songwriter fists of fury” over and over, then, well, you’re probably alone. So for the real story, and for much more from the tour and beyond, Genauer and I both took some time from our day jobs to discuss Assembly of Dust’s mini-tour with JJ Grey & MOFRO.

The reported ‘fight’ was only a small part of the story, and in the course of a half-hour we discussed some more pertinent topics, including but not limited to Radiohead’s label-less album, the reunion of the original members of Strangefolk at their tour manager’s recent wedding, the experience of an asskicking in business school, the joy of fatherhood, the awesomeness of chick books and much more. It’s unabridged, so make yourself comfortable, but it’s a great read…

Over the past 10 years there’s been a steady migration of New York-based musicians and venues from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Subsequent to that trend, recording studios and rehearsal spaces are headed southbound as well. Enter Rough Magic Studios, a five-room studio and rehearsal space in Greenpoint.

Rough Magic is catching the attention of many acts with its musician-friendly vibe, laid-back atmosphere and professional staff. Albert Cohen, a partner in the studio, explains why bands appreciate it: “We’re not just trying to bring in people to make money; we really want people to feel comfortable in our space.”

Their client list reads like a who’s who of some top bands from the area. So far members of Soulive, American Babies, Beirut, and many others have recorded at the studio. Cohen explains how Soulive became a regular client: “We brought them in for a session, and they said it’s a really comfortable place and the vibe is good. So much so that now they rent from us.”

Recently Brad Barr and Sonya Kitchell stopped by Rough Magic to record a track. Barr is a founding member of The Slip, and Kitchell is an 18-year-old singer/songwriter who is currently on tour with Herbie Hancock. Brad Barr was kind enough to share some thoughts with us about recording with Kitchell at Rough Magic, other projects he’s currently working on and more. Read on…

Jennifer Hartswick is best known for playing with a variety of jambands, but that isn’t necessarily the style of music that’s always been true to her heart.

On True, her second album, Hartswick explores more traditional jazz music that more defines who she is as an artist. Jen’s voice combines power with polish, a formula that draws you in and makes you want to hear more. The new album features a mix of both familiar and a bit more obscure standards, plus a beautiful original love song entitled You Own Me.

Photo by Regan Teti

True is the first release on Rubber Jungle Records, a label founded by her old bandmate Trey Anastasio. The album is available now on Jen’s website, and soon it’ll be up for download on iTunes. We caught up with the Vermont native as she prepared for her first record release party to discuss the making of True…

Scott Bernstein: Why did you call the album ‘True’?

Jennifer Hartswick: Jazz is what I grew up listening to. This album features music that is true to who I am. The way that everything occured was real. There were no overdubs; everything is live. We never did more than two takes. I made sure to choose musicians who feel the same way about this music that I do.

Read on after the jump for more from Jen and Scotty’s conversation…

Middle school can be rough, a time when even the most well-adjusted kids are doing everything they can to look as cool as possible in the company of others. But some kids are just born that way, and the best thing they can do to look cool is just be cool. Sophie, Lucio and Izzy — Care Bears on Fire — are three such kids.

The three seventh-graders met in kindergarten, and since the fall of 2005, Sophie (guitar and vocals), Izzy (drums) and Lucio (bass) have been playing gigs in rock clubs, dances and parties under a moniker that’s far too clever for your average 12-year-old. Care Bears on Fire isn’t exactly breaking the mold and reinventing rock and/or roll with each show, but any power trio that can make a room full of adults grin from ear to ear and throw up the rock horns deserve at least a modicum of our undivided attention.

The pre-teen punk-infused power trio releases its first full-length debut album, I Stole Your Animal, on Tuesday, October 2nd, and the band will host a CD release party at Brooklyn’s Southpaw tomorrow night (the 29th). There you’ll be reminded of the teenage angst that once plagued your every thought, and you’ll most definitely smile along with the band as they throw down rockers like “Met You on MySpace” and “Five-Minute Boyfriend.”

Feel free to get sloshed on all the tequila you can stomach, but this is one show you should be careful not to offer anything to the band. Care Bears on Fire was kind of enough to answer a battery of questions for us, and our interview as well as the band’s debut video for Everybody Else follow after the jump…

After working hard on recording and then touring behind his first album, Page McConnell is ready to unwind a bit this fall. While McConnell doesn’t have any tour dates booked, he will be making his Carnegie Hall debut during an Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute on October 10th.

Photo by Adam Kaufman

Page was kind enough to speak with us about the Elton/Bernie tribute, personal highlights of this past year, and what’s next for the Chairman of the Boards…

Scott Bernstein: How did you get involved with the Elton John tribute?

Page McConnell: Initially Michael Dorf, who runs the series, asked Mike Gordon or maybe even Mike and Leo to do the benefit, but it isn’t something that he is doing right now. Through (Mike’s) people, I was turned onto it.

SB: Have you prepared for the performance at all? Do you know what you are gonna play?

PM: I do know what I’m gonna play…and you know what they say about trying to get to Carnegie Hall. Yes, I have been practicing. Practice, Practice, Practice. I’ll be playing Amoreena. Also I suppose there is the possibility for collaborations. I jumped at the opportunity because I’ve never played Carnegie Hall, and I’ve been an Elton John fan for my whole life. One of my very first concerts was Elton John at the Garden in ‘82. Read on for more of Scotty’s interview with Page…

The summer hasn’t been kind to Van Halen’s original bass player. First Michael Anthony found out that he was being replaced in the legendary group by a 16-year-old, then he watched as the band tried to re-write history by airbrushing his face out of old album covers on their website. MTV News recently interviewed Anthony, and you would think this would be the perfect opportunity for him to exact some revenge on the Van Halen family.

Instead, Anthony took the less-traveled high road:

“It’s not like it was totally unexpected,” he told MTV News during a recent interview, “only because of the strain from the 2004 tour and how everything’s been since then.” Anthony is referring to the band’s 2004 reunion jaunt with Roth replacement Sammy Hagar, which grossed almost $55 million before ending on a sour note (at the conclusion of the run’s final gig, guitarist Eddie Van Halen smashed one of his guitars and quickly walked offstage).

“That’s the one thing that’s really kind of sad,” Anthony continued. “It would have been cool to get onstage with Dave again, but I’m not going to whine about it, because that’s the way it is. Why waste my time trying to make a stink about it?”

The news isn’t all glum for Anthony, as he will be heading out with Sammy Hagar for the Other Half on October 19th. Read on for more from Anthony…

In the 10 months since our inception we’ve received albums from many artists, but none of them have caught my ear like New Monsoon’s latest release, V.

I’d really never heard New Monsoon’s music before listening to the album, but after one listen I grew most intrigued. What particularly struck me was the variety amongst the tracks, as each song seemed to be cut from a completely different fabric from the last. Some of the tunes on V are incredibly catchy, as I just can’t get Copper Mine out of my head. Legendary producer John Cutler of Grateful Dead fame produced, mixed and engineered the new album.

New Monsoon came into existence in 1998 when Penn State classmates Jeff Miller and Bo Carper reconnected in San Francisco. For the last few years the band has been extending its fan base further and further thanks to their dynamic live shows and multiple festival appearances each year. Miller was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about the V release:

Scott Bernstein: The first two tunes on the album have completely different sounds. Was that your plan?

Jeff Miller: It wasn’t necessarily “the plan,” but it seemed to be a great way to start the record. We wanted the first two songs to grab you and set you up for the rest of the record. We had compiled many different versions of the song order and felt these two tunes were best first.

SB: Did the songs on V develop in the studio or on the road?

JM: The songs developed mostly on the road. Our intention was to make a record of the the songs we felt were “road tested” but had yet to be given the proper studio treatment. It was a thrill to get inside these songs in the studio and make them sound how we envisioned them. I think we accomplished that.

Read on after the jump for the rest of our interview with Jeff Miller…

November 2006 brought us a Democratic victory in the midterm elections, Tony Romo throwing five touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving and Marco Benevento playing five Wednesday shows as part of his residency at the legendary former club, Tonic. As far as I know, that’s all that happened.

Benevento mixed the five shows into a three-disc set, and the must-get Live at Tonic debuted yesterday. Special guests on the live album include Mike Gordon, Steven Bernstein, Dave Driewitz, Reed Mathis, Matt Chamberlain, Bobby Previte, Sir Joe Russo, Mike Dillon, Scott Metzger, Claude Coleman and Brad Barr. We’re not shills, but this is a live release that will get much rotation on my iPod.

Our favorite bearded hipster pianist/organist agreed to answer a few questions for us about the new release, the closing of Tonic, the brake pedal on all things Duo and the awesomeness of Eggs Benevento in the morning — so here we go:

I had the pleasure of seeing three of the five Tonic shows during that Novemberstand, and it’s difficult for me to pick a favorite. Of the five Wednesdays in the residency, did you have a clear favorite, or a specific memory that stands out from the run?

Without hesitation I can easily say the trio night with Reed Mathis and Matt Chamberlain really stood out for me, which is pretty much what leads me here to Seattle — we just began a seven-day West Coast run. The energy of the three of us on stage is very visible; we’re totally in awe of how the music happens. It was and still is unexplainable! Every time Reed and Matt touch their instruments, they do it with wide-eyed wonder and excitement, which I’m a big fan of. The first disc of the “Live at Tonic” release features a lot of the trio, however, the second tune on the second disc “We’re Using Time For Fun” is one of my favorite improvisations of the entire run.

Read on for more on why Marco may be moving from NYC to a country farm…