Ben Vaughn

Musician, producer, composer, and radio host Ben Vaughn is launching a podcast series reflecting on his life in music, titled Straight From The Hat With Ben Vaughn. Releasing bi-weekly on Thursdays starting January 22, the podcast details key collaborations, experiences, and partnerships throughout Ben’s varied career, spotlighting the many colorful characters he’s encountered along the way. 

Successive episodes will air on these streaming services: https://lnkfi.re/SFTH Feel free to share this link.

Hear the first three episodes here: https://s.disco.ac/gglchfecmefr – this link is provided for your editorial use, please do not post or share.

The podcast itself proceeds from an unlikely partnership: Vaughn’s collaborator and co-host, Laura Pochodylo, a Nashville music industry professional and radio DJ who is much younger than him, but shares a similar passion for all things popular music.

“I’m excited about bringing something new to the world of music podcasts. Instead of talking about history or opinions on albums, Laura and I wanted to focus on the people I’ve worked with and their stories as humans, not just the music they made,” Ben explains.

At the beginning of each episode, Laura reaches into the Hat that the series is named for and selects several names for Ben to relive his stories—no pre-planning, no filter—just telling it like it was, straight from the hat. From Jonathan Richman to Arthur Alexander and Willie Nelson to Nancy Sinatra, a wide range of artists and genres are covered. Also discussed are Vaughn’s collaborations with bands like Ween and Los Straitjackets, as well as his time working as a composer on award-winning TV shows like That 70’s Show and 3rd Rock From The Sun. Each episode concludes with a performance of one of Ben’s original songs.

“It has been fascinating to work with Ben on this project,” Laura said. “We planned to make a podcast about Ben’s life in music and it ended up as a much larger reflection of what it means to be a performer, an artist, and a music fan. There’s truly something for everyone in each episode, and they went places we weren’t expecting.”

On January 22, Straight From The Hat launches with its first two episodes. The podcast will be distributed widely and available on your podcast platform of choice, as well as on straightfromthehat.com. New episodes arrive bi-weekly on Thursdays. straightfromthehat.com also features additional content related to each episode, including a companion playlist.

Episode One | Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gene Pitney, Duane Eddy

Ben’s time in blues harmonica bootcamp leads to a moment in the superstardom sun with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ben meets up with Gene Pitney backstage at Carnegie Hall to talk about new technology. The sound of Duane Eddy’s guitar reaches Camden, New Jersey and changes a life forever.

Episode Two | Attila, 3rd Rock From The Sun

Finding himself in the 1970s counterculture scene, Ben learns to trust his instincts when faced with heavy rock group Attila, featuring the then-unknown Billy Joel. Ben unexpectedly finds himself thrown into the world of mainstream Hollywood success while working on his first TV show, 3rd Rock From The Sun. 

The first season of the podcast will run through April. The podcast arrives as a timely retrospective as Ben enters the next chapter of his musical career with a new studio album of original songs backed by a successful indie rock band on the way in 2026.

Broadcasting and storytelling are not new to Ben, who hosts a weekly syndicated radio show on over 30 radio stations nationwide and beyond– including WXPN Philadelphia and WEVL Memphis. An eclectic mix of rock, blues, jazz, folk, soul, R&B, country, Bossanova, movie soundtracks, easy listening and more, fans of his radio show will find the same variety on his new podcast.

Ben continues to perform live in the United States and Europe. Ben will also be releasing a series of vault recordings digitally on streaming and Bandcamp throughout the year as a celebration of the podcast, digging up rare live recordings and previously unheard material to share with fans.

Join us for Season 1 of Straight From The Hat With Ben Vaughn by subscribing wherever you listen to podcasts. Fans can also receive updates on the podcast and new releases from Ben’s email newsletter.

EARLY PRAISE

“Ben Vaughn, always a colorful raconteur, has been stockpiling his amazing and humorous music biz war stories for decades, just waiting for the perfect medium to finally spill his beans. The Straight From The Hat With Ben Vaughn podcast is simply too good, too entertaining, and too engaging for a music geek like me to keep under my hat.”

—  Jeff Feuerzeig, Director, The Devil and Daniel Johnston

“A must-listen music podcast for both casual fans and knowledgeable obsessives.  In an illustrious career, Ben Vaughn has crossed paths with an amazing cast of rock & roll characters– from massive artists to the influential anti-heroes that shaped the sound of modern music. Slide into the booth at the all-night diner and join Ben and Laura for amazing insider stories about the surprise guests they pull Straight From the Hat.”

—  Greg Harris, President & CEO, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame & Museum

ABOUT BEN VAUGHN

Ben Vaughn is a south New Jersey–born musician, songwriter, composer, producer, and radio host based in Los Angeles. He hosts the weekly syndicated radio show The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn and performs regularly in the U.S. and Europe. Vaughn is known for producing artists such as Ween, Arthur Alexander, and Charlie Feathers, and for collaborations with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton. As the leader of The Ben Vaughn Combo and through his solo albums—including the cult classic Rambler ’65, recorded entirely in his car—he has built a devoted following in his native Philadelphia and beyond. His songs have also been recorded by artists including Marshall Crenshaw, The Morells, and Deer Tick.

For more information on Ben, visit benvaughn.org. 

ABOUT LAURA POCHODYLO

Laura Pochodylo is the Director of Marketing and Strategy for Sun Records in Nashville. She is the host of Runout Numbers, a weekly all-vinyl radio show on Nashville’s WNXA-LP FM (101.5 FM). 

For more information on Straight From The Hat With Ben Vaughn, visit straightfromthehat.com.