S04.E10 – Love Jones: Making Old School Sounds Cool Again

Charles welcomes Ben Daughtry and Jonathan Palmer of Love Jones to discuss the band’s return with a new six-song album, The Greatest Show on Earth (released February 2026), and their decades of blending lounge, soul, pop, and storytelling. They swap formative concert stories—both cite Van Halen at age 14—plus memories of Ted Nugent, Metallica’s Black Album tour, GWAR, Nine-Inch Nails, The Rolling Stones at a small NYC show, and more, emphasizing the power of live performance. The conversation traces Love Jones’ formation in Louisville (1990), move to LA (1992), and weekly Largo residency where Debra Winger and David Bowie sat in the audience and Tool's crew became regulars. They also cover their unexpected appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album Here's to the Losers. They describe writing new, longer compositions during COVID-era jam sessions with key collaborators and talk about their touring ambitions and their partnership with Whiskey Thief Distillery.