31 - Steve Wynn - The Dream Syndicate & The Paisley Underground (Los Angeles)

31 - Steve Wynn - The Dream Syndicate & The Paisley Underground (Los Angeles)

Author: Rock n Roll Book Club October 2, 2024 Duration: 58:19

Steve Wynn joins us to tell us all about his time with the Dream Syndicate, the formation of the band & the Paisley Underground scene. Steve's new book is out now on Jawbone Press & his latest record Make It Right is out on Fire Records.



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The Dream Syndicate formed in 1981 with Kendra Smith, Karl Precoda & Dennis Duck joining Steve in the band. Steve briefly had another band with Sid Griffin who later formed the Long Ryders but chose to concentrate on what became the Dream Syndicate.


The band comes together remarkably quickly with a demo, first show & a band name all within 3 weeks of forming - their debut EP followed shortly after & sold out its initial pressings immediately.


The scene that builds becomes known as the Paisley Underground & also includes The Bangs (later The Bangles), Salvation Army (later The Three O'Clock) & Rain Parade. Other bands including Green On Red & The Long Ryders are described by Steve as 'Paisley Adjacent'.


The band sign with LA label Slash Records & release their debut album The Days of Wine & Roses in 1982 which is an instant success.


The Dream Syndicate's first national tour follows & features a stop at the 9.30 Club in Washington D.C. & the legendary Maxwells in Hoboken & a missed show at the Danceteria in New York. Prince (allegedly) attended the bands show at First Avenue in Minneapolis.


Kendra Smith leaves the band shortly after the tour & with that the first phase of the Dream Syndicate comes to an end.



Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell

Written & Produced by Simon Cardwell

Edited by Andy Maxwell


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The Music Maps Podcast from the Rock n Roll Book Club isn't your typical music show. It's an audio expedition where geography is the guide. Every episode starts with a specific location-a city, a venue, a forgotten roadside attraction-and uses that place as a launchpad to explore the sounds, stories, and scenes connected to it. You might find yourself deep in the blues clubs of Chicago one week and tracing the underground punk threads of a small European town the next. The conversations are wide-ranging, connecting the dots between iconic artists and obscure movements, all anchored to a point on the map. Listening to this podcast feels like adding a new, richly detailed pin to a global atlas of musical influence. It’s about the context behind the chords and the cultural soil from which genres grow. The result is a continuously evolving, deeply human portrait of how music and place are inextricably linked, one fascinating destination at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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