The City's Backyard
The City's Backyard with Matt Zako. A Podcast For New York City's Backyard or any city's backyard across the world! Covering Arts, Entertainment, music and the community!
Episodes
387 episodes
The City's Backyard Ep 211 BLACK DOG:The Music of Led Zeppelin has local tour dates in the tri state area! We talk with lead singer Rob Malave about him meeting Robert Plant in New Jersey and Black Dog's tour dates!
Upcoming Events**********************JUNE 2026***************************************************WESTPORT VFW: Saturday, June 13465 Riverside Ave, Westport, CT(203) 227-6796 Doors open at 7:00pm*****************...
The City's Backyard Ep 210 Blues Rocker DAVEY JONES from Mississippi debuts a couple of tracks of his new album Ball Cap Blues! Davey Jones brings the rich musical heritage of the Deep South to every stage he steps on. A true multi-instrumentalist!
Born on June 3, 1982 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Davey Jones brings the rich musical heritage of the Deep South to every stage he steps on. A true multi-instrumentalist, Jones is best known for his searing guitar playing but also masters drums...
The City's Backyard Ep 209 The NORTH COUNTY BAND's Scott Smith talks about the band hitting the road this summer and why the band loves playing New England Country and Americana music with their new album Lay It On The Line!
We check in with Scott Smith from The North County Band! The North County Band delivers a distinctive blend of New England Country and Americana, pairing thoughtful songwriting with seasoned musicianship. Formed by a Chicago-born songwriter ...
The City's Backyard Ep 208 Paul McCartney & WINGS exhibit at The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame! Elizabeth Hines, widow of DENNY LAINE from WINGS talks about the opening debut in Cleveland where Laurence Juber and Steve Holley from Wings also attended!
This episode is about the debut of the Paul McCartney & WINGS exhibit at The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio! Liz Hines, widow of DENNY LAINE from WINGS talks about the opening debut since she was responsible for lendi...
The City's Backyard Ep 207 Eclectic Singer-Songwriter Fred Hostetler Channels Johnny Cash with Thought-Provoking New Single "A Man In Black" & has stories working with award winning producer Jack Douglas when Lennon's Double Fantasy was being recorded!
Fred Hostetler is an indie artist, American musician, singer/songwriter, and author who has worked with major artists including Johnny Winters, Graham Parker, the Knack, Billy Squier, Jeff Beck, and Grammy award winning producer Jack Douglas. A...
The City's Backyard Ep 206 Award Winning Rock Artist ROB ABRIOLA drops by to talk about his ROCK ART and days working at EMI Music in NYC!
If you love rock music you will love rock art from Robert Abriola! He is a multidisiplinary artist and designer driven by a lifelong pursuit of visual storytelling! Over a 40+ year career in the creative services industry he has worked across a...
The City's Backyard Ep 205 NEW YACHT CITY a Tribute to Yacht Rock tours The Tri-Sate area this Spring & Summer playing Toto, Christopher Cross, Steely Dan, The Doobies, Ambrosia, and more!
This week's guest is NEW YACHT CITY, a band that plays Yacht Rock! On this episode we chat with Manish Nag the keyboardist and leader of the band about what Yacht Rock means to it's fans! If you love Steely Dan, Toto, Christopher Cr...
The City's Backyard Ep 204 Hall of Fame Saxophonist CRISPIN CIOE (Rolling Stones Uptown Horns, B52's Love Shack, and sax solo on Living In AMERICA James Brown)drops by the backyard of New York City to talk about his music and role in different bands!
Biography of Crispin CioeSaxist/songwriter/producer Crispin Cioe has left an indelible imprint on American/ British roots and pop music, through his work as a soloist (viz. sax solos on James Brown’s “Living in America”, “Love & ...
The City's Backyard Ep 203 New York Comedians Jeffrey Paul & Joe Pontillo drop by to chat about comedy in the backyard and their show coming up in WESTPORT with Teddy Smith & John Kenneth!!
Comedy Night @ The VFW Westport - Friday April 24th! Doors at 6pm Show at 8pm! PLENTY of Free parking! Featuring 4 great comedians! Host Matt Zako from The City's Backyard Podcast, Jeffrey Paul, John Kenneth, and T...
The City's Backyard Ep 202 TOM "The Suit" FORST from BEYOND 1969 talks about the new album release called "Comin' Back To The Blues" out soon from the Blues Rock Band!
Get ready for some serious blues-rock, because BEYOND 1969 is dropping their new original album, Comin' Back To The Blues April 24th, 2026! This isn't just any blues album, it's packed with raw passion, thanks to the incredible line...
The City's Backyard Ep 201 JESSE & DEZ MONEY talk about The Eddie Money Legacy Tour, a tribute to their father playing his hits and some of their own music! Coming to Patchogue Theatre in Long Island, New York!
CARRYING on THE LEGACYGrowing up in the Money family, Jesse and Dez were immersed in music from the very beginning. Sharing the stage with their father wasn’t just a performance — it was an education, a bond, and a blueprint for what i...
The City's Backyard Ep 200 Drummer Corky Laing from MOUNTAIN, the group famous for the song Mississippi Queen talks about coming to back to WESTPORT, CT to play where he used to live for a special appearance!!
Our guest is classic rock legendary drummer "Corky" Laing from Mountain! Mountain was one of the last bands to play the legendary Fillmore East before it's closing and famous for their song Mississippi Queen! In this episode Corky talks a...
The City's Backyard Ep 199 ELIOT LEWIS ( Hall & Oates, Live From Daryl's House, Average White Band) talks about his Spring Tour with local stops in Norwalk and Westport, CT before going on the road across the country!
Eliot Lewis spent almost 20 years with Hall & Oates and is always a blast to chat with as one our favorite regular guests on the podcast...he was also on the TV show Live From Daryl's House playing with some of top artists in the music indu...
The City's Backyard Ep 198 OTIS plays more than Southern Rock with front man Lead singer/guitarist Boone Froggett who checks in to talk about their new song called I'm Wicked! ZZtop's Billy Gibbons endorsed this band!
While it would be easy to categorize the work of OTIS as Southern Rock, being from Kentucky, their musical background is much broader. In addition to being guided by the classic rock giants of the 1960s and 70s era, the members of OTIS draw ins...
The City's Backyard Ep 197 Blues Bassist James 'JB" Barnes releases his new album, My Mississippi Roots! Check out the title track and the delightful cover of Sara Smile!
The City's Backyard Ep 196 Elizabeth Hines, widow of DENNY LAINE from The Moody Blues and Paul McCartney & WINGS! Liz talks about her late husband Denny and the role he played in WINGS with Paul and Linda McCartney in MAN On The RUN on Prime!
Special Guest Elizabeth Hines the widow of the late Denny Laine from Paul McCartney and WINGS and earlier The Moody Blues talks about her take on the film and her late husband's career with WINGS. Man on the Run is a 2025
The City's Backyard Ep 195 Acclaimed singer-songwriter Matthew Curry with his new album ONE FOR THE RIDE! "A wonderful guitar player and great songwriter " - Steve Miller "Curry is the next guitar hero" - Peter Frampton
"A wonderful guitar player and great songwriter " - Steve Miller "Curry is the next guitar hero" - Peter Frampton Acclaimed singer-songwriter
The City's Backyard Ep 194 MAY PANG, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's personal assistant and production coordinator during the 1970's drops by to chat about The Lost Weekend Documentary and her 2026 May Pang photo exhibition tour!
May Pang is our guest this week on The City's Backyard Podcast! Few people knew John Lennon as intimately as May Pang. Pang was Lennon’s lover during the infamous “Lost Weekend” which lasted 18 months. During this creative time for Lennon, Pang...
The City's Backyard Ep 193 MULLETT the 80's tribute ROCKS Connecticut, Rhode Island, PA, and more! Dan Halen talks about the 80's bands, Mullett's upcoming shows and more!
We check in with our friend Dan Halen from MULLETT! He talks about what makes this 80's tribute band fun and why they stand out from other tribute bands out there! They are playing locally in Old Saybrook, CT and Norwalk, CT soon!Since 2...
The City's Backyard Ep 192 PROGNOSIS: The American Pink Floyd's keyboardist Rob Russell talks about their upcoming show in Westport, CT "Journey Through The History of Pink Floyd" plus some local dates in New York!
Prognosis The American Pink Floyd has been performing the music of Pink Floyd with incredible album accuarcy for 15 years both in the USA and internationallyKnown for their elaborate lights, lasers, and video projections Prognosis The...
The City's Backyard Ep 191 The BURRITO BROTHERS front man CHRIS P. JAMES talks about the bands long history and brand new album The Magic Time Machine of Love!
We are going out to TENNESSEE to chat with Chris P. James is their front man. He plays keyboards and guitar and harmonica. Writes great songs too. He wound up with the Burrito Brothers in 2009. He was offered and accepted a record deal to...
The City's Backyard Ep 190 LOVE or Fear is in the air as Comedians DAVIN & AUTUMN HARVIST drop by to chat about the world of comedy and their upcoming show in WESTPORT, CT on Friday the 13th, Valentines Day Weekend!
Comedy Night @ The VFW Westport - Friday FEB 13th! Doors at 6pm Show at 8pm! PLENTY of Free parking! Featuring 4 great comedians! Paul Taro, Autumn Harvist, DAVIN who is the headliner and JOE PONTILLO!...
The City's Backyard Ep 189 BEYOND PURPLE paying tribute to Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow, & Dio! Singer Mike Gill and guitarist Jimi Bell chat it up about their show at Mohegan Sun in CT and more!
BEYOND PURPLE performs a showcase of the biggest hits from Deep Purple and Whitesnake, as well as Rainbow and Dio; all born out of the Deep Purple family tree. The band faithfully re-creates the vivid experience of live, high-energy music from ...
The City's Backyard Ep 188The Year 2025 In Review...Best Of Part 2:Jackie Martling, Eliot Lewis (Hall&Oates), Melissa Newman(Paul Newman), Greg Walker(Beetle Bailey), Rob Fraboni Sound Engineer, Carmine Appice(Rod&Ozzy) Rosie Flores(Robert Plant tour)!
2025 was a great year at The City's Backyard Podcast! We had so many great guests in the arts from musicians to comedians to actors it made it hard to narrow them down to THE YEAR IN REVIEW Part 1 and Part 2 "Best Of" episodes. We loved all our...
The City's Backyard Ep 187 The Year 2025 In Review...The Best Of Part 1: Steve Fossen from HEART, Lee Rocker*STRAY CATS, Corky Laing*MOUNTAIN, Bruce Sudano*Musician/Husband of the late DONNA SUMMER, Jim McCarty*THE YARDBIRDS, Dennis Dunaway*ALICE COOPER!
2025 was a great year at The City's Backyard Podcast! We had so many great guests in the arts from musicians to comedians to actors it made it hard to narrow them down to THE YEAR IN REVIEW Part 1 and Part 2 "Best Of" episodes. We loved all our...