Michael's Record Collection
135 episodes - English - Latest episode: 22 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsLet's listen to records (or CDs, or mp3, or whatever you've got) together! I share stories, artist interviews and reviews from the world of music with an emphasis on rock, prog, metal, pop (especially 70s and 80s), indie, or whatever else is floating my boat at any given time. Support the show at:
patreon.com/michaelsrecordcollection
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Episodes
Episode 84: Carmine Appice Returns!
November 03, 2022 04:38 - 49 minutes - 113 MBLegendary rock drummer Carmine Appice returns to discuss the remastered re-release of the original Vanilla Fudge lineup's Led Zeppelin covers. The album, released in 2007 as Out Through the In Door, has gotten cleaned up, a new name (Vanilla Zeppelin), and a new track order and has recently been released. I spoke with Carmine about covering Zeppelin and then the conversation meandered to many other projects he's got in the works, including new King Kobra, new Carmine Appice & Fernando Perdom...
Episode 83: Tommy Cain of Dead City Ruins Discusses ”Shockwave” Album
October 27, 2022 13:30 - 42 minutes - 97.6 MBEvery now and then I discover a band that's got a few albums out but I'd never heard of them and their music quickly captures my heart. That's what happened with Dead City Ruins and their new album, Shockwave. The band is heavily influenced by 1990s hard rock and grunge, but the band has a knack for writing catchy and sometimes anthemic songs with great hooks and the musicianship is top notch. Guitarist Tommy Cain joined me from Brisbane to discuss the making of the new record, his musical b...
Episode 82: Arthur Brown - Monster’s Ball
October 20, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 191 MBThe legendary God of Hellfire himself, Arthur Brown, is still going strong at age 80. Arthur is releasing a new album Oct. 21 called Monster's Ball. Just in time for spooky season, Brown's latest album mixes humor and terror and features a host of fantastic guest musicians. He was kind enough to spend some time with me to talk about the new release, how he came to choose some of the songs, his work with such artists as Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, the Alan Parsons Project, and Carl Palmer,...
Episode 81: Steve Overland - Kings of Mercia
October 13, 2022 13:30 - 43 minutes - 99.8 MBBritish vocalist Steve Overland is best known for his work with rock outfit FM, but he's teamed up with Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos on a new melodic hard rock band called Kings of Mercia. The band, which includes Matheos' Fates Warning bassist Joey Vera and legendary drummer Simon Phillips, has just released its self-titled debut album on Metal Blade Records. It's an outstanding blend of what Matheos and Overland are best known for and the album is full of catchy, well-crafted songs ...
Episode 80: Chez Kane - Powerzone
October 06, 2022 13:00 - 45 minutes - 103 MBI'm very excited to bring you my interview with Welsh singer Chez Kane, who is part of the band Kane'd with her two older sisters. Chez is about to drop her second solo album, Powerzone, a follow-up to her 2021 self-titled debut. Once again, Crazy Lixx vocalist/guitarist Danny Rexon heads up the project, writing, playing on and producing the songs. Chez talked about the process a bit, her musical influences, why she likes this style of melodic rock, and much more. To find out more about Chez...
Episode 79: Dean Friedman - American Lullaby
September 29, 2022 13:00 - 1 hour - 203 MBSinger-songwriter Dean Friedman isn't a one-hit wonder. His best-known song in the U.S., "Ariel" charted back in 1977, but he's had follow-ups do well in various other countries. Dean was gracious enough to join me this week to talk about his self-titled debut album, which came out 45 years ago, his musical background, some of the books he's authored, and his latest album, American Lullaby, which dropped last year. American Lullaby is a time capsule of the last six years, including the 2016 ...
Episode 78: Swedish Rockers Ström Discuss Debut Album
September 15, 2022 13:30 - 43 minutes - 99.1 MBStröm is a new band out of Sweden that wear their classic 70s hard rock influences on their sleeve. The band is set to release its self-titled debut album on Sept. 23 and Zdravko Zizmond (vocals) and Johan Siljedahl (guitars) were kind enough to tell me about the record, which was necessary because unlike many rock bands in Scandinavia, Ström lyrics and vocals are not in English. Ström sings in Swedish, which ironically sets them apart even in their home country for their chosen genre. Big t...
Episode 77: KISS - Love Gun with Shout It Out Loudcast
September 08, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 188 MBIf you grew up in the 1970s in the midwest, you were practically issued your KISS Army uniform. We were weaned on KISS albums like Alive!, Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, Double Platinum, and, of course, Love Gun. That album turned 45 years old this calendar year, so I thought it was a good time to discuss it. Joining me to do just that, and to tell me how they started their excellent podcast, is Tom and Zeus from the outstanding Shout It Out Loudcast. We shared our KISS origin stories and we...
Episode 76: Pink Floyd - Animals
September 01, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 173 MBI've been wanting to talk about Pink Floyd for quite some time. One of my favorite bands of all time, Pink Floyd had an incredible run of albums in the 1970s that were the whole package...music, lyrics, production value...it all worked. As 2022 is the 45-year anniversary of the album Animals, which is one of my favorites, I though that would be a good place to start. I enlisted the help of my friend Joel Craig, a former internet DJ who hosted the show Interstellar Overdrive at ProgRock.com a...
Episode 75: John Mitchell Talks New Lonely Robot Album
August 25, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 154 MBThe talented John Mitchell joins me in this episode to discuss his latest album under the Lonely Robot moniker, A Model Life, which drops Aug. 26. This new record is Mitchell at his most vulnerable and introspective and it's brilliant. He also discussed the upcoming Arena album, the rise and fall of The Urbane, starting Kino, joining It Bites, how he became a member of Frost*, and much more. John was one of the most candid and honest interview subjects I've had over these 75 episodes. Fin...
Episode 74: Robert Berry - SiX BY SiX
August 18, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 138 MBIt's been a little over a year and a half since I had California-based multi-instrumentalist Robert Berry on the show to discuss the Third Impression album he released under the name 3.2 as part of the trilogy of his work with Keith Emerson. Robert is back with a new power trio, alongside Saga guitarist Ian Crichton and Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler in SiX BY SiX. This new band rocks its guitar-based music on its self-titled debut release and Robert was gracious enough to tell me how the band...
Episode 73: Talking Iron Maiden’s ”The Number of the Beast” with Uncle Steve
August 11, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 159 MBI've been wanting to talk about Iron Maiden for some time, and outside of the band itself, who better to do that with than the host of the excellent Uncle Steve's Iron Maiden Zone podcast? Steve joined me to give me his Iron Maiden origin story and to tell me a little about his show. We then dove into a discussion of Maiden's iconic classic The Number of the Beast, which turned 40 years old this year from start to finish. You can find Uncle Steve's Iron Maiden Zone wherever podcasts are avai...
Episode 72: Stephan Lill - Vanden Plas Live & Innocent
August 04, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 147 MBThis week I had the pleasure of speaking with Vanden Plas guitarist Stephan Lill. The German progressive metal masters have a new live CD, LP, and video release coming out Aug. 12 called Live & Immortal, which captured a full concert performance on the band's Chronicles of the Immortals tour. Stephan discussed why the band seldom tours, takes a long time between albums (especially live albums), how he got into rock music, and much more. For more info on Vanden Plas, visit the band's websit...
Episode 72: Stephan Lill - Vanden Plas Live & Immortal
August 04, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 147 MBThis week I had the pleasure of speaking with Vanden Plas guitarist Stephan Lill. The German progressive metal masters have a new live CD, LP, and video release coming out Aug. 12 called Live & Immortal, which captured a full concert performance on the band's Chronicles of the Immortals tour. Stephan discussed why the band seldom tours, takes a long time between albums (especially live albums), how he got into rock music, and much more. For more info on Vanden Plas, visit the band's websit...
Episode 71: Mary Fahl - Can’t Get It Out of My Head
July 28, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 155 MBFormer October Project vocalist Mary Fahl has had a solo career as unique as her voice. She's got a new album out called Can't Get It Out of My Head, which is made up of her early favorite classic songs that became part of her musical DNA. Mary was kind enough to talk about the making of the album, how she reimagined the songs to put her own spin on them, how she ended up doing a song for an Anne Rice audiobook, how she got dragged back into music, and much more. For more information on Mar...
Episode 70: Ryo Okumoto - The Myth of the Mostrophus
July 21, 2022 13:00 - 45 minutes - 104 MBKeyboardist Ryo Okumoto (Spock's Beard, ProgJect) joins me to discuss his upcoming solo album, The Myth of the Mostrophus, which drops July 29. It's his first solo release in 20 years and it's amazing. He enlisted the help of his Spock's Beard and ProgJect bandmates on an album that is cohesive, progressive (in all the right ways), and fun. Ryo also talked to me about his background, how he ended up in both of his main bands, and much more. Learn more about Ryo Okumoto's work and order his ...
Episode 69: You Asked, I Answered
July 14, 2022 13:30 - 52 minutes - 120 MBWhat does a podcaster do when he starts to get actual email questions that he's been asking for but forgets to answer those on his shows? Well, in my case, I wait a couple more weeks, get a few more questions, and go ahead and do a whole show about them. Thanks to everyone who has been sending in questions via email ([email protected]) or to me on Twitter (@MikesRecords). This show covers concerts, albums, bands, and even this podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode, which is...
Episode 68: Talking Pat Benatar’s ”Precious Time” with Playlist Wars
June 30, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 199 MBFor this episode I welcome back to the show Brian Colburn, an Americana artist from New Jersey and the co-host of the popular Playlist Wars podcast. Brian and I have a shared love of the Precious Time album by Pat Benatar. With the 1981 album serving as our favorite Benatar record, we took the opportunity to spin it a few times and go through it track by track. To learn more about Playlist Wars, head to their website. Be sure to visit Brian's Ba...
Episode 67: Maiah Wynne from Envy of None
June 23, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 220 MBThe delightful Maiah Wynne from Envy of None (and a terrific solo artist) was kind enough to talk to me about her career, her musical background, working with legendary Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and Coney Hatch's Andy Curran in Envy of None, the stories and meanings behind the songs on the band's self-titled debut album, and so much more. To learn more about Envy of None, visit the band’s website and to learn more about Maiah Wynne, you can visit her solo website. Reminder: You can suppo...
Episode 66: The Tangent’s Andy Tillison Discusses ”Songs from the Hard Shoulder”
June 16, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 220 MBFor this week's episode, The Tangent's Andy Tillison joined me to discuss his band's new album, "Songs from the Hard Shoulder." Andy dove into the stories behind the songs on the record and other topics include: his intro to music, how he came to love Close to the Edge by Yes, some of the thoughts behind some of The Tangent's top songs, and much more. Find out more about The Tangent at www.thetangent.org and follow the band's Facebook page. Reminder: You can support independent podcasting ...
Episode 65: Weird Al’s ”Dare to Be Stupid” with the Beer’d Al Podcast
June 09, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 174 MBMusic comes in all kinds of forms and some of them are funny as well as pleasing to the ear. In my opinion, that perfectly describes "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1985 classic, Dare to Be Stupid. Joining me to dissect this excellent slice of mid-80s pop culture is Lauren Carey from the outstanding Beer'd Al Podcast. Lauren and her brother combined their two favorite things, craft beer and the music of Weird Al, to create a unique and entertaining show. In addition to discussing Dare to Be Stupid, we...
Episode 64: Billy Joel Drummer Liberty DeVitto on ”The Nylon Curtain”
June 02, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 225 MBI couldn't wait to get this episode out because I spoke with longtime Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto. I've always been a big fan of Billy's music and part of the reason for that is his outstanding band, highlighted by DeVitto's work behind the drum kit. With Billy's The Nylon Curtain album set to celebrate its 40th anniversary in September, I wanted to talk to Liberty about a record which is very special to me. But we didn't just talk about the album. We also spoke about his autobiograph...
Episode 63: Gentle Giant’s Derek Shulman - ”Civilian”
May 26, 2022 13:30 - 57 minutes - 131 MBDerek Shulman, founding member of Gentle Giant and successful record executive, is my guest for this episode. We're here to talk about the remastered and reissued "Civilian" release that just dropped. Derek also talked about his musical beginnings, ending the band, his transition from musician to record executive, his new endeavors in the music documentary space, and what other releases Gentle Giant fans can look forward to in the near future. Big thanks to Derek for his time. Reminder: Yo...
Episode 62: Renan Zonta of Skills on ”Different Worlds”
May 20, 2022 13:30 - 41 minutes - 94.6 MBMelodic hard rock fans have another new supergroup to check out and it's a good one. Skills is a project that partnered guitarist Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, The Winery Dogs, Sons of Apollo), drummer David Huff (Giant), and Brazilian vocalist Renan Zonta (Electric Mob, Brother to Brother). The band just released its debut album, "Different Worlds," and it's a really good one. I had a blast speaking with Renan about how Skills came about, the making of the reco...
Episode 61: Jonathan Mover of ProgJect
May 12, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 166 MBFor this week's show I checked in with drummer Jonathan Mover, the founder of the progressive rock homage band ProgJect. Jonathan has worked with some of the biggest names in music: Aretha Franklin, Alice Cooper, Joe Satriani, and the Tubes to name a few. He was briefly a member of Marillion in the 1980s and he helped Steve Hackett and Steve Howe form GTR. Jonathan was kind enough to tell me about how the ProgJect idea came about, how the tour went, and what's next for the band. He also disc...
Episode 60: Talking The Who in Concert with Records Revisited
May 05, 2022 13:30 - 43 minutes - 99.4 MBBen Montgomery from the Records Revisited podcast became the first repeat guest in the history of Michael's Record Collection in this episode. I spoke with Ben because we both made the trip from Orlando to Tampa last week to see The Who on the band's "The Who Hits Back" tour. I didn't just want to compare notes on the show with Ben, but I also wanted to talk about how going to see bands live affects our music listening habits both in the leadup and aftermath of the show. Ben also gave a valu...
Episode 59: Crashdïet - Automaton
April 21, 2022 13:30 - 40 minutes - 91.6 MBFor this episode, I spoke with Martin Sweet and Peter London of Crashdïet, a melodic rock band out of Sweden. The duo make up half of the band and they were kind enough to spend some time with me to discuss their forthcoming album, Automaton (out April 29). The album is sure to please fans of 1980s and 1990s hard rock with its catchy, anthemic choruses and standout musicianship. We also talked about the history of the band, their backgrounds in music, and even a new beer that will share a na...
Episode 58: Imminent Sonic Destruction - The Sun Will Always Set
April 14, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 142 MBMichigan progressive metal masters Imminent Sonic Destruction are about to release their third album, The Sun Will Also Set. The band already has two standout albums in its catalog and the third one may be the best of all. I spoke with guitarist/vocalist Tony Piccoli about the making of the album, the band's origins, his early influences and a lot more. Despite my promo tracks being in the wrong sequence, it was still a great listen and I've since fixed the problem with Tony's help. Find o...
Episode 57: Nazareth Bassist Pete Agnew
April 07, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 139 MBRock and roll doesn't get much more old school than Scottish legends Nazareth. The band is still going more than 50 years since releasing their first album. Their 25th album, Surviving the Law, is coming out in mid-April, and bassist and founding member Pete Agnew was kind enough to tell me how this fresh new take on the Nazareth sound has come about. Pete and I also spoke about his introduction to music, switching from guitar to bass out of necessity, and (of course) that classic album Hair...
Episode 56: Robin McAuley - Black Swan’s ”Generation Mind”
March 31, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 138 MBLegendary Irish rock vocalist Robin McAuley has been a busy guy and the former McAuley Schenker Group frontman is about to have his second release with his newest band, Black Swan, drop in early April. Robin and I spoke in depth about the new Generation Mind album, his background, having his first hit song with a "Stairway to Heaven" cover, joining M.S.G., his successful Las Vegas show ("Raiding the Rock Vault"), and even a new upcoming solo album. It was great catching up with Robin and the...
Episode 55: Oliver Wakeman - Collaborations, Yes, and More
March 24, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 225 MBI caught up with composer and keyboard maestro Oliver Wakeman this week to discuss the release of his newest box set, Collaborations. This three-CD set contains new reissues (with bonus tracks) of his The 3 ages of Magick collaboration with Steve Howe and his Ravens & Lullabies album with Gordon Giltrap. There's also a disc of previously unreleased live material with Giltrap and vocalist Paul Manzi (Sweet, ex-Arena). We also spoke about his background, coming from a family of famous keyboard...
Episode 54: August Zadra - Guiding Star
March 10, 2022 14:30 - 1 hour - 183 MBDennis DeYoung's guitarist August Zadra has been in the music business a long time. Aside from playing with the legendary Styx front man for the last 12 years, August has been in several tribute bands and has played with some of the greats in rock music. Now he's put together his first solo project under the name Zadra and released his first album, Guiding Star. I spoke with August about this excellent, melodic, AOR album, as well as his influences, how he met Dennis, working with Jeff Scott...
Episode 53: Journey - Escape
March 03, 2022 14:30 - 1 hour - 158 MBThis week's show is a little different. I'm discussing Journey's iconic 1981 "Escape" album with David Rohe and we're giving out song rankings from the album. Dave was the very first Michael's Record Collection Patreon supporter and I've known him for many years. We had a great time dissecting a classic record from the early 80s track by track and then ranking the songs to see how our lists compared. Reminder: You can support independent podcasting by becoming a Michael's Record Collection...
Episode 52: Kevin Gilbert’s ”The Shaming of the True” with Wayne Perez
February 24, 2022 14:30 - 1 hour - 225 MBThis week's show discusses a criminally unknown album by a criminally unknown artist. Kevin Gilbert may not be a name you recognize but you've likely heard his work. If you don't know his bands Giraffe or Toy Matinee, you may be familiar with Sheryl Crow's debut album, on which Kevin co-wrote the majority of the songs and played multiple instruments. Kevin passed away at the young age of 29 in 1996 and his posthumous classic The Shaming of the True is an album worth owning. Here to talk me t...
Episode 51: John Payne Celebrates Asia, Aqua
February 17, 2022 14:30 - 53 minutes - 122 MBIt's never easy to replace a popular band's original lead singer and it's twice as hard when that singer is John Wetton. But that's what John Payne did, carving out his own niche as the lead singer and bassist of Asia through the 1990s and beyond, appearing on eight studio records with the band. John is hitting the road with Asia Featuring John Payne to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band's self-titled debut album and the 30th anniversary of his first release with the band, Aqua. I sp...
Episode 50: Legendary Drummer Carmine Appice
February 10, 2022 14:30 - 1 hour - 141 MBThe one and only Carmine Appice is this week's guest! Carmine has been a force with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Blue Murder, King Kobra, and several other bands and side projects and he's played with nearly every big name in rock music. I spoke with Carmine about a historic new release. A recording of the first ever Cactus concert was unearthed and released as The Birth of Cactus - 1970. It's a terrific document of the band's first live appearance. We also spoke about ...
Episode 49: Lana Lane - Neptune Blue
February 03, 2022 14:30 - 58 minutes - 135 MBLana Lane has just released her first album in a decade with the outstanding new Neptune Blue. The queen of symphonic and melodic rock has taken a little of the complexity out and made more or less an album-oriented rock album that is accessible enough for the masses but with enough technical musical flourishes by her excellent contributing musicians to satisfy the progressive rock fans. I spoke with Lana about the making of this record, some of her guest vocal work, having her first vinyl r...
Episode 48:Talking Duran Duran’s Rio with Author Annie Zaleski
January 27, 2022 14:30 - 1 hour - 162 MBAuthor Annie Zaleski literally wrote the book on the seminal 1982 album Rio by Duran Duran. An album that began with sluggish U.S. sales turned into an iconic juggernaut on the strength of its songs, heavy rotation of hit singles on MTV, and the talent and sheer willpower of the five young men who made the record. Annie talked about how she got started as a writer, how she fell for Duran Duran's music, how she ultimately came to write about Rio for 33-1/3 Books, and what she learned along th...
Episode 47: Saga Frontman Michael Sadler Discusses ProgJect
January 20, 2022 14:30 - 57 minutes - 131 MBMichael Sadler has one of the most unique voices in music. His work with Saga has been stellar through the years and he pops up periodically on releases by other artists. His newest endeavor is joining a band called ProgJect: the Ultimate Progressive Rock Experience. ProgJect pays homage to the progressive rock masters and the five-piece group is set to hit the road across the U.S., bringing prog rock to the people. It's God's work, really. I spoke with Michael about how he got involved with...
Episode 46: Talking Cheap Trick at Budokan with Pat Francis
January 13, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 177 MBPat Francis from the excellent Rock Solid podcast is like the godfather of music podcasters. His show is in its 11th year and is going strong with its best guests ever. Pat's show has a rotating format. One week it's an interview, the next it's a roundtable between Pat and his friends discussing an album track by track. This week, I was delighted to welcome Pat to this show to talk about Rock Solid, hunting down autographs after concerts, and (most importantly) about our shared love for Chea...
Episode 45: Best Songs and Albums of 2021
January 06, 2022 14:30 - 1 hour - 216 MBIt's the first annual Michael's Record Collection awards! For this episode, you're stuck with just me (no guests) as I walk through the songs and albums that stood out to me over the 2021 calendar year. Play along at home and tell me what I got right and wrong. I have a list of albums and songs below in case you want to check out any you're not familiar with, so if you don't want to be spoiled about the podcast, stop reading after the next two paragraphs. Reminder: You can support independe...
Episode 44: Terry Ilous - Land of Gypsies
December 30, 2021 14:30 - 40 minutes - 92 MBTerry Ilous isn't exactly a household name but he's an artist that has had some success across multiple genres. He fronted his band XYZ in the late 1980s and early 90s, spent more than eight years as Jack Russell's successor as the lead singer of Great White, and has done a lot of Latin-influenced and Flamenco-type music as well. Terry's new project, Land of Gypsies, released its self-titled debut album Dec. 10 and it pays tribute to some of the great bands of the 70s, such as Bad Company, H...
Episode 43: Genesis - The Last Domino Tour with Matt Wardlaw
December 23, 2021 14:30 - 1 hour - 161 MBI'm changing things up a little for this episode as instead of discussing a new or classic album, I enlisted Matt Wardlaw from Ultimate Classic Rock to compare notes on our recent experiences seeing Genesis on The Last Domino? Tour. Genesis is my all-time favorite band, so there was never a question of whether I was going to see them, so much as a question of where and how often. Matt and I saw them about a week apart in different cities but in similarly located seats. We broke down the setl...
Episode 42: Vinnie Moore of UFO Plays Pink Floyd
December 09, 2021 14:30 - 37 minutes - 86.5 MBVinnie Moore is a guitar master. He's carved out a great career for himself as a solo artist, a guest musician, and as a guitarist in the legendary hard rock band UFO since 2003. Vinnie recently joined a group of well-known musicians who took part in a great tribute record called Animals Reimagined - A Tribute to Pink Floyd. Playing on the album's best track, "Dogs," Vinnie was joined by ex-Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet, ex-King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto, Kasim Sulton from Utopia, and ...
Episode 41: Chuck Wright on New Solo Album, Quiet Riot, Giuffria & More
December 02, 2021 14:30 - 37 minutes - 85.2 MBBassist and composer Chuck Wright may not have a name you instantly recognize, but you've heard his music before. Chuck was in Quiet Riot and played and sang on some of that band's biggest hits and albums. He was also in the band Giuffria, which had a major hit single in the mid-80s called "Call to the Heart." He's played with everyone from Alice Cooper to Gregg Allman to John Waite to Eddie Money, as well as members of Guns N'Roses, Dream Theater, KISS, Skid Row, and Mr. Big. Now Chuck has ...
Episode 40: Talking The Cars - Heartbeat City with Brian Colburn
November 23, 2021 14:30 - 1 hour - 205 MBIt's a bonus episode of MRC this week. It's Thanksgiving week and I'm thankful to all the supportive folks out there who have downloaded Michael's Record Collection, streamed my videos on YouTube, subscribed to the MRC newsletter on Substack, and supported the show on Patreon. I'm also thankful to have met some great friends along the way while doing this show. One of those is Brian Colburn, a New Jersey musician who also happens to co-host the excellent Playlist Wars podcast. You may recall...
Episode 39: Leslie Hunt - Ascend and Descend
November 18, 2021 14:30 - 1 hour - 141 MBChicago-area singer/songwriter Leslie Hunt isn't a household name, but she should be. The lead singer of progressive rockers District 97 and a top 10 finisher on the women's side in Season 6 of American Idol, Hunt is a talented musician and writer with a fantastic voice. She's released two seven-song EPs this year, Ascend and Descend. They're companion releases but each have their own sound. Both are filled with short, catchy songs that reward repeat listens. Leslie was kind enough to spend ...
Episode 38: Talking Def Leppard - Pyromania with Def Lep Pod
November 11, 2021 14:30 - 1 hour - 226 MBNeil Poole hosts the excellent Def Lep Pod, a podcast that takes a deep dive into the music of Def Leppard in a humorous way. Neil treats Def Leppard's music with the utmost respect but each episode is a fun adventure through some aspect of the band's music, whether that's a song, an album, or a chat with a guest. I asked Neil about the origins of his Def Leppard fandom and his show and then we embark on a discussion of my favorite of the band's albums, Pyromania. You can find Def Lep Pod ...
Episode 37: Dec Burke - Life in Two Dimensions
November 04, 2021 13:30 - 1 hour - 149 MBIrish-born progressive rocker Dec Burke is known for his time in Frost* and his former band Darwin's Radio. But he's a talented and respected solo artist as well, and he just released his fourth album, Life in Two Dimensions, in late September. It's chock full of guitar heroics, with a modern sound and production, but it retains Dec's melodic sensibilities, which he places first and foremost. Dec was kind enough to take a deep dive into the album with me and also talked about his influences,...
Episode 36: Talking Rush - Signals with Something for Nothing Rush Fancast
October 28, 2021 13:30 - 1 hour - 202 MBSteve and Gerry host the excellent Rush-centric podcast Something for Nothing: A Rush Fancast each week, informing and entertaining fans of the band Rush and converting new ones. I had them on to not only tell us about their show and how they got started, but also to talk about my favorite Rush album, Signals! In the first part of the show we talk about Something for Nothing, its origins, and how Steve and Gerry became the huge Rush fans they are. Then we get into the 1982 album Signals and ...