Interviews

Billy Joel’s biggest fans know Jon Small as the drummer for The Hassles and Attila, the bands the two played in as teenagers and young adults in Long Island.  Some may even recognize Small’s further contributions to Billy’s career as the director or producer of virtually all Billy’s music videos and concert movies. But, his

Late night television has been an important showcase for musical talent for well over half a century. The casts and crews make producing these shows seem effortless. But the truth is that it takes split-second timing and a tight knit team to get each episode on the air. In this two-part series, we’re exploring Billy

We often record way more than we can release on our bi-weekly episodes. That’s why we always save the last episode of the year for odds and ends It’s our collection of outtakes and diversions that made for great conversation but wouldn’t find a home in the episode we were recording. This year we’ve got

Since joining the Lords of 52nd Street in 2021, Dan Orlando’s post as piano player and lead singer has become much more than a job, albeit a crucial one, in a legacy act. The group features the music of Billy Joel played by Liberty DeVitto, Richie Cannata and Russell Javors, who played live and in

Fall of 2024 is upon us! What is typically time for our next playlist installment, we’re adjusting the title and format of the series slightly and are happy to announce the Glass Houses Side Quests. Expanding the concept of the playlists, the options are limitless from more music concepts to long form conversations with friends,

There’s an often-overlooked part of Billy Joel’s rise to fame as a recording artist: His track record as a songwriter for others.  Before he was a superstar, Billy’s songs were covered by dozens of performers from around the world. The trend arguably peaked in the late 70s with multiple renditions of his now-classic songs New

Go behind the scenes of Billy Joel’s ‘River of Dreams’ with drummer Zachary Alford, plus touring with Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, the B-52s and more.

With 2023 coming to a close, we’re taking a look back at our year of podcasting and what’s happened in the world of Billy Joel. As always for our last episode of the year, we’re bringing some leftovers to the table: Odds and ends that didn’t quite make it into other episodes.  Don’t worry, they’re

For over five decades, Billy Joel’s illustrious career has produced a wealth of media, capturing his journey as one of the 20th century’s most celebrated songwriters.  Enter John Jackson, Billy’s full-time archivist, tasked with collecting and organizing artifacts that range from photos and newspaper clippings to studio outtakes and raw video footage. Some items become

Here at Glass Houses – A Billy Joel Podcast, we’re not just Billy Joel fans. We’re also fans of other podcasts.  Since setting up shop in early 2020, we’ve connected with other podcasters with shows about music. Some of them have had us on as guests, and now we’re happy to return the favor.  For

Sometimes the best part of a big meal is the leftovers. There’s nothing like taking a little bit of everything from the night before, heating it up, and settling in for a second round. And, for the second year in a row, just in time for the holidays, that’s what we’re doing here at Glass

There are more than just musicians behind a great-sounding album. No matter how well they play, or how good the songs are, it doesn’t mean much if the recording doesn’t capture them the right way.  And, when it came to many of Billy Joel’s most iconic albums, the person responsible for shaping much of their

This fall, an often-overlooked live Billy Joel release is getting a second lease on life.  The 1990 video release Live At Yankee Stadium is getting a makeover with remixed and remastered sound, an extra song, and a brand new edit. And, after a limited run in theaters, it’ll be available on Blu-ray along with a

The Covid-19 pandemic and quarantines of 2020 caused disruptions in the music industry that we’re still feeling a few years later. But while we’re fortunate that the lack of live music will fade into memory, the releases of quarantine albums may very well add up to an interesting reflection of these unprecedented times.  With no

If you’ve gone to one of Billy Joel’s Madison Square Garden residency shows, saw one of his concerts near your hometown, or picked up any of his reissues or box sets over the past decade plus, then you’re familiar with the work of Edward O’Dowd.  Since 2008, the graphic designer and art director has created

Spread over three days in Cuba, the Havana Jam ‘79 featured Columbia recording artists alongside native musicians and bands. It was a monumental, historic event that hardly anyone knows about anymore.  But Ernesto Juan knows the story. And, he’s been trying to tell it for the past decade.  The Cuban-born journalist, documentarian and translator became

What changes when other piano players perform Billy Joel’s music? What elements shine through? What’s it like to be tasked with performing music written by one of the most popular recording artists of the 20th century?  This is the second installment of our two-part series where we talk with piano players who have been tasked

Billy Joel is no stranger to awards shows and other accolades. Following 1977’s The Stranger, he’s won a handful of industry awards, was nominated for plenty more, and gave a few memorable — and in, one case, literally show stopping — performances. And, when you’re tracking award show appearances over three decades, you also start

After 1993’s River of Dreams, fans waited and wondered if Billy Joel would ever release another pop album. The answer, as we know now, turned out to be no. But, nearly a decade after that release, we saw a new development for Billy’s music.  The first years of the new century saw three new releases

This may be the beginning of 2021, but this installment marks the end of our first 12 months of episodes. So, we decided to do something special for the occasion.  We’re hosting a round table with some of the biggest Billy Joel fans we know. It’s an opportunity for us all to chat about the

We’re kicking off 2021 with a look back and a look forward at Billy Joel’s work, his fans, and the music industry in general. This episode features two sets of interviews. The first is with Mikhail Pivovarov and Billy Ruegger from the online music collective Love Raptor. We’ll go behind the scenes of their funk

When it comes to Billy Joel’s most successful run of albums, you can’t talk about the man behind the piano without also talking about the man behind the board: Phil Ramone.  By the time Phil and Billy teamed up, Ramone was already a renowned engineer and innovator in the recording studio. His discography included landmark albums