Band Geek
104 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 59 ratingsI'm Richie Castellano, I play guitar and keyboards in Blue Oyster Cult. I also make YouTube videos, read comics, and play video games. Band Geek is a podcast where I get to combine all these things. We also have a house band that tackles songs requested by our listeners and jams with our special guests. As an added bonus, we also teach our listeners how to play some of these songs in bite sized lessons. If you like music, gear, movies, games, comics or anything in between, then get in here!
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Episodes
152 - Rise of Skywalker Review
January 06, 2020 17:23 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBYou knew this was coming... Check out our Star Wars Rise of Skywalker review, featuring Phil Castellano, Ray Magnuski and Jarrett Pressman via force face-time.
151 - Matt Beck
December 21, 2019 16:39 - 1 hour - 63.6 MBThis week's guest is Matt Beck, one of the most in demand guitarists in the business! Check out Matt's work with Rob Thomas, Matchbox 20, Gwen Stefani, Andy Grammer and many, many more!
150 - Mike Tirelli
December 13, 2019 17:00 - 49 minutes - 48.3 MBThe Band Geeks are joined by freak of nature Mike Tirelli, as he shares his incredible rock vocal talents. The guys discuss vocal techniques, metal festivals and of course...weddings.
149 - Rob Kipp
December 06, 2019 17:00 - 48 minutes - 47.5 MBOur buddy Rob Kipp joins us in the studio to record some tricky Genesis covers and to discuss prog rock and gigging.
148 - My Trip to Ohio State University
April 24, 2019 22:58 - 38 minutes - 39 MBRichie was recently invited to Ohio State University to headline their 42nd Annual Jazz Festival. Here's what went down.
147 - Geeking Out With Audio Dungeon
April 14, 2019 22:00 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBIn arguably the nerdiest episode ever, Richie visits recurring Band Geek guests Tony Hanson and Damian Scro on the high tech set of their brand new D&D inspired web-show, Audio Dungeon!
Band Geek 146 - 2019 NAMM Recap
January 30, 2019 22:52 - 1 hour - 80.2 MBRichie and Andy are joined by special guest Steve Sterlacci to discuss the recent Music Convention in Anaheim, CA.
Band Geek 145 - Band Geek Studio Tour
January 20, 2019 23:00 - 52 minutes - 48 MBBy popular demand (like 4 people) Richie and Andy take you through the Band Geek studio's unique blend of state-of-the-art and janky equipment that is responsible for creating the "Band Geek Sound."
Band Geek 144 - The Bohemian Rhapsody Opera Section: A Harmonic Analysis
January 13, 2019 23:00 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBWatch Richie and Andy trace Freddie Mercury's genius from "Mozart to Liberace" as they attempt to analyze what makes the opera section of Bohemian Rhapsody so incredible.
Band Geek 143 - 2019: New Year, Same Band Geeks
January 06, 2019 23:00 - 55 minutes - 51 MBRichie and Jarrett review the new Aquaman movie along with some ambitious fan films from Star Wars Theory and Galactic Battles. They also take some live questions from YouTube and Facebook.
142 - Bohemian Rhapsody Movie Review
November 11, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 59.3 MB“A little Bohemian Rhapsody gentleman?” By popular request Richie and Jarrett review the brand new Queen biopic. SPOILER ALERT… they really dug it! They talk about Richie’s brief encounter with the band, and Jarrett is all of a sudden proficient in guitar.
141 - Tinkerin' & Complainin'
October 07, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 80.9 MBRichie and Jarrett are back and they got a lotta problems and projects to share. In a previously recorded live stream Jarrett shows off his completed proton pack build, Richie displays his modded Les Paul Tribute, and find out that everything they hate is cause of Russian bots. They also answer some live fan questions to which the answers are yes, no, and it’s Kathleen Kennedy’s fault. Enjoy!
140 - Chris Clark
August 12, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 91.3 MBBrand X keyboardist Chris Clark knows all the Prog Rock! In this episode Chris schools the Band Geeks on gear and heavy duty music theory followed by a cover of the classic Yes opus, Close To The Edge!
139 - Solo (A Star Wars Story) Review
June 03, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 74.4 MBYou guys asked us to review Solo… so… uh… we did. Can we do it in less than 12 parsecs? Turns out it doesn’t matter. But hey… Khaleesi is in it! And Jarrett plays with his toys for your amusement. Also we learn the answer to a question Star Wars fans have been asking since 1977. Where did Han’s gold dice come from? Right? Haven’t they? Everyone should totally go see Solo.
138 - Angus Clark
May 13, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBKiller rock guitarist Angus Clark (Trans Siberian Orchestra, Kitaro, Joe Lynn Turner, Daredevil Squadron) joins the Band Geeks in the studio to discuss music, stage footwear, and his nerdy little secret. Angus also leads the band on some more Rainbow and breaks the record for most current song on Band Geek with a Demi Lovato cover!
137 - Avengers Infinity War
May 06, 2018 22:00 - 53 minutes - 52 MBIt’s here. The war to end all wars… or half the people in them anyway. It’s the INFINITY War! Richie and Jarrett with help from Phil, and newcomer Joseph Albano Feiger review the culmination of ten years of Marvel movies. SPOILERS but we discuss our favorite things… which there were A LOT! Even Jarrett liked things! PLUS we’re in the newly renovated studio! New paint, new equipment, new technical problems! Same Band Geeks. #ItsAMold
136 - Artemis Armada
April 22, 2018 22:00 - 51 minutes - 51 MBRichie and special guest Tony Hanson, debrief Jarrett on their recent trip to Artemis Armada IV in Cleveland, where they took part in a giant Sci Fi themed LAN party.
135 - Ready Player One
April 15, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 65.2 MBGrab your VR goggles and get ready to come with Richie, Jarrett, Ann Marie and Tony into the OASIS. You’ve asked and we are bringing you our review of the new film Ready Player One sans all of the RUSH. Give this episode a listen and find out why we needed more robots, less Simon Pegg, and for once… a fat man represented on the screen as a lead. Come on Hollywood. Get with it….
134 - Boat Geek
March 11, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBRichie brings Band Geek to the high seas with a live show from the Rock Legends Cruise VI. This show was recorded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and features guest appearances from Buck Dharma, Kasim Sulton, the Radino Family!
133 - Never Gonna Let You Go
February 12, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBTo celebrate Valentine's Day we take on Never Gonna Let You Go by Sergio Mendes. Richie, Andy & Ann Marie recreate the classic ballad track by track, while explaining the frequent key changes making this one of the most complicated love songs of all time!
132 - NAMM 2018 Recap
January 31, 2018 01:00 - 50 minutes - 49.2 MBRichie returns from the 2018 NAMM show, discusses new products, shares some stories and gets to jam with Gary Hoey!
131 - Encore's Back Twenty Eighteen
January 14, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour - 92.1 MBWALK!!! ...to this weeks replay of our first live stream of Encore for 2018. We get a little silly with songs about historical figures, see if opposites attract, and then get to break-a your stride!
130 - The Last Jedi Review
December 20, 2017 23:00 - 1 hour - 91.7 MBIt’s a porg filled movie review of the latest Star Wars installment, The Last Jedi! Richie decides Jarrett should always be on a view screen, we learn what Luke and his fish nuns have been up to, how important it is to free space horses, and who is the lastiest Jedi of them all! Also Richie, Jarrett, and Ann Marie met Gal Gadot and are still in shock!
129 - Live Band Karaoke with The Hole
December 10, 2017 23:00 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBIt’s a “Hole” lotta fun this week when we crossover with our RiotCast buds Rob Sprance and Chris Fortney from ‘The Glory Hole’. We get an incredible amount of information about Rob’s colon, go round the room with our go to Karaoke jams, and learn why macaroon’s are important for picking a wedding venue. Then Rob and Chris step it up with performances from some Fine Young Cannibals, Tom Petty, Matthew Sweet, and Weezer.
128 - Richie's Super Secret Project
December 03, 2017 23:00 - 39 minutes - 39.2 MBLast week, Richie launched a new series of live streaming shows. In this episode he takes us behind the scenes to share insight to the musical and technical aspects of the project.
127 - Justice League Review
November 22, 2017 23:00 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBMeanwhile…. at the Hall of Justice… Richie, Ann Marie, Andy, Jarrett, and Brandi review the latest DC film, Justice League! SPOILERS!!! We find out if it was worth the wait and where it ranks among the 5 DCEU flicks, who the heck Steppenwolf is, why Amazons giggle, if Gal Gadot looks better in IMAX, and what Superman’s safe word is…. btw… it’s Martha.
126 - Carry On Wayward Son
November 13, 2017 23:00 - 1 hour - 98.9 MBDuring a live stream, Richie & Andy recreate the classic Kansas song, Carry On Wayward Son, playing all the instruments and singing all the parts.
125 - Live Q&A with Richie
November 05, 2017 23:00 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBRichie spends the evening taking live questions and requests (including a few originals) from Band Geek viewers.
124 - Spinal Tap Halloween
October 27, 2017 15:30 - 20 minutes - 21.8 MBDressed as England's loudest band, The Band Geeks perform a 5 song set of music from our favorite film, This Is Spinal Tap. This is a VERY important movie for us so we took great care in getting it right, from the bad guitar solos, all the way down to the pelvic thrusts. Such a fine line between stupid and clever.
123 - Mixing a TV Show with Rusty Smith & Robert Edmondson
October 22, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBLA audio mix engineers Rusty Smith and Robert Edmondson talk to Richie via Skype and walk us through what it takes to mix an episode of the Marvel comics TV show, The Gifted, currently airing on Fox.
122 - Live Concert Reviews
October 15, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBThe Band Geeks have been making it a point to go see more live music and some of our viewers have requested our concert reviews, so here you go. Also, Jarrett and Richie get new toys.
121 - Vin's Birthday Encore Live
October 08, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBThis episode is a replay of our live stream from 10/3/17. We celebrated our keyboard player, Vin Innocente's birthday with a little Billy Joel, a Tom Petty tribute, and an epic game of Encore with the most people we've ever had in the Band Geek Studio!
120 - Empire Strikes Back at Lincoln Center with Lou Mannarino
October 01, 2017 22:00 - 22 minutes - 23.8 MBRichie goes to see the NY Philharmonic perform The Empire Strikes Back. His high school music teacher & former boss Lou Mannarino is the sound engineer for the gig. Lou gives a rundown of the process of mixing & designing a performance of this complexity.
119 - Superfan Request Show
September 24, 2017 22:00 - 35 minutes - 36 MBIn this episode of Band Geek, we play 3 very special requests from some of the show's SUPER-FANS! This is an eclectic mix of songs by Porcupine Tree, Budgie and even an old gem from our college band, Progeny!
118 - Emily Nacchio
September 17, 2017 22:00 - 47 minutes - 46.8 MBThis week's guest is singer Emily Nacchio. Emily is Ann Marie's sister!!! They cover some Black Sabbath and perform their own version of Valerie. Watch the full video for this episode at youtube.com/richiecastellano
117 - Encore's Back Live!
August 13, 2017 22:00 - 2 hours - 114 MBIn one of the best rounds yet, Band Geek's signature game Encore is back! Streamed live on 8/9/17 we get songs about pets, with the words way, cruel, God...zilla, and we even bookend it with some Whitney Houston and Rupert Holmes.
116 - Richie Goes To DC Comics, Music Man & Saberforge
August 06, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 77.2 MBRichie, after a very long recent run with Blue Oyster Cult, crosses three items off his bucket list by getting tours of DC Comics, Music Man Guitars, and the Saber Forge lightsaber showroom along with many other stops along the West Coast.
115 - Back from Europe Q&A with Richie
July 09, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 73 MBFresh off of a European Blue Oyster Cult tour, Richie Castellano streams a live Q&A session discussing BOC gigs, songwriting, guitar playing, gear and much more.
114 - Wonder Woman Review
June 18, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 93.2 MBWe're back with our long awaited and highly requested review of all things Wonder Woman! We talk about Ann Marie's love of Robin Wright's neck, Jarrett's best Amazonian accent, and how Diana is no longer wearing satin tights. Even Andy liked this movie!!!
113 - Live Q&A with Eric Bloom
May 14, 2017 22:00 - 56 minutes - 55 MBOn our recent live stream, Richie sat down with his Blue Oyster Cult band-mate, Eric Bloom, to discuss video games, TV shows, gear, road stories and more!
112 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Unplugged
May 07, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBRichie, Jarrett & returning geek Tony Hanson review our favorite Marvel franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. We've got several impromptu acoustic versions of the Guardians soundtrack including Mr. Blue Sky, Brandy, and Fox on the Run! We Are Groot!
111 - Richie & Andy Cover Rosanna
April 30, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 75.4 MBOn this week's live stream, our viewers requested that Richie and Andy record Toto's "Rosanna." It took nearly 5 hours, but they finished it! Here are the highlights from that session with an added bonus walk-through of the audio mix and post production.
110 - Tom Brislin
April 23, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 138 MBThe Band Geeks are joined by the incredible Tom Brislin for some prog rock and power pop! Tom has played keyboards for Yes, Meat Loaf, Renaissance, Debbie Harry and his band, Spiraling.
109 - Richie Goes To Star Wars Celebration
April 16, 2017 22:00 - 57 minutes - 54.5 MBRichie's back from Orlando and regales Jarrett and Phil with stories of Star Wars Celebration 2017. Dope cosplay? Yep! Waitin in lines? You bet! Lightsaber builders parties? The best! And to top it all off? Richie spends 23 seconds meeting the Skywalkers!
108 - Phil Moffa
April 09, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBRichie visits DJ/Producer/Composer Phil Moffa at his incredible studio, Butcha Sound Studios in NYC. They discuss software vs. hardware, their secret love of the Sopranos, Kung Fu, & they play a clip of the final project they produced back in college!
107 - Rehearsal With Kasim Sulton & Danny Miranda
April 02, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBRichie, Andy, and Danny are backing up Kasim Sulton on his April 2017 gigs in NY, NJ, and PA. This episode is an audio replay of the Facebook Live stream after our rehearsal on 3/28/17. Go to Richie's YouTube channel to see the video version.
106 - Logan, The CW, & Wonder Woman's Armpits
March 26, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBYou guys requested a review of Logan & here you go bub! With the help of filmmaker Corey Machado we cut deep down to the adamantium skeleton to see if superhero movies need big budgets, the state of heroes on TV, & how confusing the X-Men universe can be.
105 - Life In The Fast Lane
March 19, 2017 22:00 - 2 hours - 118 MBThis episode is an audio replay of Richie's live Facebook stream where he recorded all the parts to Life In The Fast Lane by The Eagles in under 2 hours! To see the finished split-screen video and the actual stream replay, checkout Richie on Facebook!
104 - Fan Appreciation Day
March 12, 2017 22:00 - 1 hour - 93.8 MBIt's time to give thanks to our biggest fans by rockin' their song requests. This also marks the first time we tackle The Scorpions, The Police, AND perform an original song! We also have a Skype chat with Australian musician & super fan, Joshua Batten!
103 - Encore Returns 2K17
March 05, 2017 23:00 - 2 hours - 122 MBGame night is back yo! We're joined on drums by first timer Mike DeConzo while live streaming our favorite game, Encore. Don't forget this was previously recorded. So if you yell answers at this episode from home... we can't hear you... probably...