ElectraCast Records announces the second EP in Jeff’s series of covers of songs that he and his friends Tim Plaehn and Ben Barton have discussed on their ElectraCast “50 Years Of Music with 50 Year Old White Guys” podcast. Jeff’s first volume in 2023 focused on rare 1966 Bob Dylan songs. This volume focuses on songs from 1967-1973, and again digs deliberately deep into classic arTsts’ catalogs.

The “50 Years of Music Podcast,” at almost 200 episodes, has talked about thousands of songs, so Jeff has a lot of choices. “I’m choosing tunes that one of us has loved enough to menTon, and in the end the ones that make it are ones I can make into something a liWle new. I tried out about two dozen tunes for this volume from ‘67-‘73, and these were the ones that bubbled up.”

Jeff recorded this volume of The Deep Dive with Gawain MaWhews, who manned the board for Jeff’s debut “riverrun.” Jeff and Gawain handled all the instruments, and Megan Slankard, with whom Jeff played for 20 years, adds lead and backing vocals. “It was a family reunion,” says Jeff. “Working with Gawain is telepathic, and Megan is absolutely the best singer I’ve ever stood next to.”

Track one is “Sleeping Dog,” an electrified rave-up of a forgoWen Pete Townshend acousTc demo recorded in 1970. “Who fanaTcs know this song, but it’s super obscure. I saw Pete play this in 1993 in Berkeley on his solo tour—Eddie Vedder was four chairs over from me bootlegging the show on a Walkman. I’ve always wanted to give this song its due. It’s such a simple, lovely senTment, and it never got a chance in a full band arrangement.” Listen for the “Pinball Wizard” shout-out in the bridge and outro.

Track two is a version of The Kinks’ “Two Sisters.” “This is one of Ray Davies’ perfect songs about middle class English life—I put it on a mixtape for Ben in the 90s and his wife loved it. I always thought the original arrangement was too drowned in Harpsichord and 1967 frilliness, and like “Sleeping Dog,” I saw Ray play it solo in 1996 and it just floored me, so I wanted to do the version I have always wanted to hear,”

The final track is a medley of two songs from Richard and Linda Thompson’s I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (which is also the inspiraTon for the EP’s cover). Megan sings lead on the first track, and Jeff on the second, and Gawain shows off his mastery of all things stringed on electric, acousTc, mandolin and dobro. “Richard Thompson is a hero of mine, and I have loved

this record since I first bought a copy in 1985 when it was finally back in print. It’s so Tmeless and lovely and otherwordly, and I always thought these two songs were two sides of the same coin and wanted to be medleyed together. Plus, I wanted an excuse to duet with Megan. Gawain plays his ass off all over this one, and a few of those guitar breaks are actually me—it’s some of my favorite playing I’ve ever done.”

The Deep Dive will be released on August 29th on ElectraCast Records.