Rock House Podcast

In this final episode of Season 4, Stephen shares 10 of his favorite songs released in 2018. This is a specially curated list of songs under 500,000 Spotify plays that you might have missed but should have heard. You can find the full list on our website: AllstonRockRecords.com/gems and on Spotify @LearsonPeak

June has been a very busy month of performances and celebrations. We made it back from a long weekend on Block Island and share our best memories. Stephen reflects on his keytar battle with Marc Scortino of Captain Nick's. Michelle learns an important lesson at Fete Music Hall and starts to work on the Space Unicorn music video. Learson Peak announces a show on July 28th for the launch of AERONAUT's beer garden in Arlington, MA.

We recap Boston Calling 2018 and highlight three biggest surprises. Michelle shares a tip on t-shirt designs. Stephen finds himself caught in the middle of an ongoing battle between local musicians and the Harvard Square Business Association

We share how we celebrated Mother's Day last Sunday and highlight a special photo from our drummer Jules Jenssen. Michelle talks about her new found ability and dilemma of launching an Instagram robot. We look forward to Boston Calling.

Stephen makes an apology and reads The Indobox statement about their final shows. Michelle recaps Dr. Dog and a revelation about foreign currency. We discuss the upcoming Green River Festival on July 13 and learn about the infamous 27 Club. Michelle starts to make new designs for Block Island 2018.

We update you on Stephen's birthday festivities, news from House of Blues Foundation Room and a short introduction to must-watch music documentaries. Stephen debuts his new video series - Synthesizer Show & Tell - with the Behringer Model D (a birthday gift).

Something new for you as we start off a fresh season - Michelle answers 4 questions each week about the progress of Stephen's new band - Learson Peak: 1. What went well for the band last week? 2. What didn't go so well for the band last week? 3. What is something interesting we learned? 4. What are we excited about next week?

We explore the first song off of the Learson Peak album - Burning Slow. Find out why Stephen wrote the song, and all the cool synthesizers he used to create the effects. Michelle gives us an update on the the past weekend and formation of the Learson Peak live band. Learson Peak is playing their debut show on Monday, Jan 15 @ Thunder Road in Somerville, MA. Hope to see you there. Photography Credit: Xinhua Zhou (Michelle's mom)

In this 2nd Annual New Years episode, Stephen shares 10 of his songs from Gems of 2017 plus 10 honorable mentions - a specially curated list of our favorite songs released in 2017 that you might have missed. You can find the full list on our website: AllstonRockRecords.com/Gems and on Spotify @LearsonPeak

Welcome back! To celebrate the new year, we are announcing the release of Season 3, coming to your ears in January 2018. Season 3 will bring to your ears a deconstructed view of each track on Stephen's new album - Learson Peak. Stay tuned for the Rock House Supernova.

In this special New Years episode, Stephen shares 11 of his songs from Gems of 2016 - a specially curated list of our favorite songs released in 2016 that you might have missed. You can find the full list on our website: AllstonRockRecords.com/gems

Karl Denson - an acclaimed singer, saxophonist and floutist - reflects on his journey in jazz and rock music. Karl has had a long career touring and recording with a wide variety of artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Soulive, and the Rolling Stones. He also leads his own successful project - Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Happy holidays everyone!

Michael League, leader of the Grammy award-winning band Snarky Puppy, reveals what it was like to write with David Crosby.

Ian Chang, a classically-trained drummer from Hong Kong, explains how his voracious appetite led him to the maximalist band Son Lux. We had a chance to speak with Ryan Lott, leader of Son Lux, as well as guitarist Rafig Bhatia. Special thanks to Adam Schatz (Landlady) and Justin Chang (Ascot Chang) for being guests on our show.

Turkuaz, a colorful 9-piece power funk band from Brooklyn, shares how the band originally formed, chose their name and grew their fan base. Singers Sammi and Shira read through a list of the band's rules of the road - which they break all the time, and we also get a chance to hear from Thor Harris, the original author of the viral list: "How to Tour in a Band or Whatever." Stephen gets to practice a fascinating vocal tip. Thank you to our sponsor Izotope for making our show possible. Special thanks to Stephanie Deluca Photo credit: Dani Brandwein

Jeff Apruzzese, former bassist for Passion Pit, reveals why he left the band and joined Berklee Popular Music Institute. We complete the Altamont story wtih Jeff Dorenfeld, our guest from Episode 2. Thank you to our sponsor Izotope for making our show possible.

Listen to our conversation with the former manager of the multi-platinum band Boston: Jeff Dorenfeld. He has tour-managed Sammy Hagar and worked as tour accountant for Ozzy Osbourne. Jeff is the mastermind behind the launch of the Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI), a new experiential program that taking students to large music festivals across the world. Thank you to our sponsor Izotope for making our show possible.

Season 2 of the Rock House kicks off with one of the most talented drummers in the music industry: Nikki Glaspie. Nikki has played with Beyonce, Chaka Kahn, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Maceo Parker, Destiny's Child and George Michael. In 2012, Nikki left Beyonce and started her own band, The Nth Power. In this episode, we were lucky enough to speak with Nikki as well as Nate Edgar (bass) and Nick Cassarino (guitar, vocals). Thank you to our sponsor Izotope for making our show possible Special thanks to Sounds of Berklee Podcast Photo Credit: Jeremy Scott

SURPRISE! We have a very special bonus track where we introduce Turkuaz - one of our feature bands for Season 2 of the Rock House. After the short preview, Stephen spends some time with his long-time piano teacher, Mrs. Elaine Friedlander of Friedlander Piano Studio. Michelle gives us an update on her Podquest.

In our Season 1 finale episode, we bring you a glimpse into the mysterious life of Brian J, lead guitarist and singer for the Brooklyn band Pimps of Joytime. David Bailis (bass / keyboards / synths) discusses the band's song-writing process and gigging thirty nights a month in Brooklyn while Kim Dawson (vocalist) shares her perspective on working with Brian. Stephen and Michelle prepare for Season 2.

Evan Friedell, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the electronic rock band Jimkata discusses pandas, failure and the future. Evan's brother, Russ, reflects on their childhood while Aaron Gorsch (synth & guitar) shares skateboarding memories, and Packy Lunn (drums) compares Russ and Evan's personalities. Finally, Stephen and Evan resolve some unspoken tensions.

How did Russ Friedell become the manager of Jimkata and Big Mean Sound Machine? How do you build your band's brand? Russ, founder of Levitate Artist Management, shares his experience with marketing, promotion and touring. Angelo Peters, Evan Friedell and Packy Lunn weigh in their thoughts. Stephen is evasive on his experience touring with Jimkata in 2015.

Grant is a well-known Brooklyn bassist who has performed internationally with an impressive list of artists such as Nina Persson (lead singer for The Cardigans), Alex Winston and Cymbals Eat Guitars. He's spending the first part of 2016 on tour with MS MR and the High Highs. Grant also records and produces his own projects which include Lazer Cake and Monuments.

Marie Kim is a Berklee-trained keyboardist, singer, songwriter, and sound engineer. An accomplished musician from Brooklyn, NY, Marie leads an original synth-pop group called Blank Paper. She has toured the world with bands such as MSMR, St. Lucia, and X Ambassadors. When she’s not on tour, Marie is the Front of House engineer at Webster hall – one of the largest venues in New York City.

Born in the woods of Connecticut and raised in the wilds of Boston, lespecial has established themselves as an aggressive death funk trio. Luke Bemand, the bassist for lespecial, talks about how the band was first created, the making of the lespecial's latest album - Omnisquid, and living in Allston rat city.

Mr. Vin Pugliese - a talented lighting designer, engineer, artist and juggler - shares his experiences with building video domes, mapping 3D projections, touring with The Hornitz, and cruising down the Charles in his motorboat. Stephen gets a chance to geek out about synthesizers.

Welcome to our METAL episode. You'll hear first hand from drummer Chris Narainen about what it's like to be a financier-turned-rockstar from the volcanic island of Mauritius. We'll also give you an update about our start-up podcast endeavors, Stephen's solo project, and Michelle's wedding plans.

Stephen and Michelle go home for the holidays and interview an old friend: Andy Vernon. Andy talks about growing up with the guitar, playing Nirvana and Green Day, and recounts an especially strange convention one night at the Holiday Inn.

Ever wonder what it’s like to manage a band? Forrest Chess is a seasoned manager, booking agent, production manager and craft beer connoisseur. Hear his views about the underground music industry in this 3rd episode of our Rock House Podcast. Feel free to drop us a line @rockallston on Twitter or via email: contact@allstonrockrecords.com to share your thoughts.

Mike Carter can really shred a guitar – but can he cast some pod? Find out in this second episode of the Rock House where we interview Mike about growing up in Scranton, playing with The Indobox, and performing with the Disco Biscuits at the House of Blue in Boston.

Jules Jenssen is a viking band leader, drummer, DJ and friend. Our very first episode features music from Ross Jenssen: Jules' new heavy futuristic instrumental project featuring powerful electric bass and drums.