Rock 'n' Roll Grad School

Let's just take a minute to appreciate and savor the fact that Fishbone are still around and still doing what they do best. And if the band itself isn't a treasure, they've got a new record out this week. Stockholm Syndrome is classic Fishbone with a modern sound. Yes, it's that good.For tour dates and to get a copy of the record, check out the band's website.

Alan Niven has seen a lot. As manager for Guns n Roses as they made their ascendancy into music superstardom, Alan saw it all. And in his book, "Sound n Fury," he tells it all."Sound n Fury" is available June 24th wherever you get your books.

You may not know the name, but you know his sound. From his work as a member of Lipps, Inc, to producing with Prince to bands like Fine Young Cannibals and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, David Z has created a sound that, literally, everyone has danced to. For more information on David and his fascinating career, check out his website.

We talked with guitarist Jock Bartley when Firefall released their first "Friends & Family," and he's back to talk Vol 2. And, sure we talk about the record, but there's so much more to discuss. "Friends and Family, Vol 2" is available right now. For more information, check out Firefall's website.

Gary Graff has done it again. With a cadre of writers, Gary pulled together a list of 501 albums that he feels are the most indicative of the 1980s. (We talked with Gary before about his list of albums of the 90s.) And, while we don't get as heated as we did then, there is still some lively debate to go around- and that's the point.501 Essential Albums of the '80s: The Music Fan's Definitive Guide is available right now wherever you get your books.

In the 1960's Bob Dylan changed the world. How? And in what ways are we still dealing with the monumental changes that the future Noble prize winner kicked off? Sean Egan has written a new book about Dylan called "Decade of Dissent- How 1960's Bob Dylan Changed the World." It's a fascinating look at the creation and evolution of one of the world's most important artists. The book is available for pre-order, it comes out May 20th.

Monique Powell and her band Save Ferris are back out on the road. (When are they not?) And on top of that, they have a new single, "Get Dancing," which, on top of being a fun song is good life advice.To find out when they are playing near you, check out their website.

Toby Sebastian is a multi-hyphenate artist. And with his new album, he adds another chapter to an already impressive body of work. Yeah, he's an actor, but this is all about his talent as a singer and a songwriter."Eyes Light Up" is available right now. For more information check out Toby's website.

You may know Peter Holsapple from his work with the great db's. Or you know him from his work with R.E.M.. Or you know him from his really great and smart songwriting. In case you don't, he's got a new record out, so you can get to know him. The Face of 68, is available right now wherever you get your records. For more information, you can follow Peter on Instagram.

Musician Talia Keys knows of which they speak. As a fierce advocate for people buying music before streaming it, their new album, From the Ashes is available on vinyl for over a month before streaming. The idea of supporting musicians shouldn't seem revolutionary, but, it kind of is.To get your own copy of From the Ashes, check out their website.

Paul Rappaport has had a fascinating career in the music industry that has led him to crossing paths with some of the most important musicians of the last century. Folks like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. Now Rapp (as he's known to his friends) tells all the stories with his new book "Gliders Over Hollywood," and it's one fun ride. We sat down with Rapp to talk about all of this and, maybe get to the bottom of this whole Pink Floyd/Enigma thing?"Gliders Over Hollywood" is available April 15th, wherever you get your books. 

Queen's fourth record, "A Night at the Opera," was the one that set them apart from the rest. A rock album unlike any others, with all the various tricks and treats that have become part of the Queen style, is now celebrating it's 50th anniversary.Author Gillian G. Gaar has written a great new book, filled with fascinating information about the making of the album and brimming with amazing photographs from the era. "Queen & A Night at the Opera- 50 Years" is available right now from Motorbooks.

This is a special one for Heidi. She talks with Jon Magidsohn, author of a new book about her favorite band- Crowded House. Part of the "On Track" series by Sonic Bond Publishing, Magidsohn does exactly what is says on the cover- break down every Crowded House song. (And he does so with the help of an interview with Neil Finn to provide some of the answers.)"Crowded House: On Track" by John Magidsohn is available right now wherever you get your books. For more information, check out Sonic Bond Publishing's website.

This week, we talk with one of the members of Sex-O-Rama. (What's his real name? What's his band name... we find out!) The group was originally formed to create fake porn music for folks to enjoy and, shockingly, things got out of hand and now they're onto volume 5.Sex-O-Rama volume 5: Invaders from the Pleasure Planet is available wherever you get your music. For more information, check out their website.

Don Airey is metal royalty. He has played with some of the greatest artists ever and on songs you've heard thousands of times. With his newest solo record Pushed to the Edge, Don gathered some of his incredibly talented friends to make a real blast of a record that shows his great skill as a writer and, most importantly, as a musician.Pushed to the Edge comes out March 28th. For more information and to find out where to get a copy, check out Don's Facebook page.

You know how we feel about the Mael brothers and their band Sparks. So it was with great delight that we heard about Chris Sutton's new book, "Sparks 1969-1979: Every Album, Every Song" from Sonicbond Publishing. In the book, Chris takes a detailed look at the first decade of this incredibly influential band.For more information, check out the Sonicbond Publishing website, and order your copy wherever you get your books.

Ellis Mano Band is a Swiss band, who have been making music in various guises for decades. With their most recent album, they again use their skills to craft quality rock. (And it's not just us saying that- they opened for Deep Purple last summer.)Their new record Morph is available now wherever you get your music. For more information, check out their website."M

This week it's another installment in "Tribute: A Tribute to Tributes," where we discuss another tribute album. This time it's one of the most 90's tributes ever made- featuring Liz Phair, Sublime, Sponge, Matthew Sweet and the Butthole Surfers, "Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits."

LA-based prog band Final Gravity has released a new EP and are promising a 2025 full of music. We talked with Mike Clark about the recording process and the love of prog rock bringing everyone together.You can download the new EP, Stormchaser, as well as their other releases on Band Camp and you can follow the band on Facebook.

We get to sit down again with the great John McCutcheon. On top of being an amazing song writer, John is also a fascinating guy to talk with. We talk about the writing of his newest record, "Field of Stars," and new songs he's written about all sorts of things including Hank Aaron and the MS St Louis.For more information including tour dates, check out John's website.

It's our annual Christmas celebration, where we exchange gifts, complain and play music you probably haven't heard in a while. Enjoy!

Here's an episode that we originally released on our sister show, Why? but if this isn't Grad School, well, we don't know what is.If you're like us, you need more Cheap Trick in your life. Thankfully, Ross Warner is here with his new book, American Standard: Cheap Trick from the bars to the Budokan and Beyond. It's a look at one of the great American bands and tries to sort fact from fiction. And don't just take us for it- the book is making a lot of year-end best-of lists.American Standard: Cheap Trick from the bars to the Budokan and Beyond is available right now from Backbeat books.

This is one that is some time in the making.The legendary band Redd Kross started in the early 80's when Steven McDonald was just 11 years old. Along with his big brother Jeff, Redd Kross has been carving their own unique path through rock music.They've just released their 10th album (a double album), a memoir (Now You're One of Us) and a documentary (Born Innocent). We talked with Jeff and Steven about all of this. And which drummer would make the best hair dresser.For more information on everything, check out the band's website.

The last time we talked with Roger Street Friedman, he was talking about his most recent album, produced by Larry Campbell. Now with his new record, "Long Shadows," Roger has taken over the producer role and emerged with an incredibly personal record that resonates.For more information, check out Roger's website, or follow him on Facebook.

2L0T is a fascinating collection of musicians, each with a unique set of skills all coming together to create fascinating music together. Their debut album, "Entropy," is available right now. For more information, you can check out their website.

We sit down with Philly Ocean and Sailor Hawkins to talk about Yachtley Crew's newest EP, Seas and Greetings- because what goes together better than Yacht rock and Christmas?For more information, you can check out the band's website, follow them on Facebook, or purchase the album from Earache Records.

What records define the '90s as a decade to be remembered? Is it NSync? Nirvana? What about hip-hop?Thankfully, music writer and editor Gary Graff is here to muddy the water and start all sorts of disagreements with his new book, "501 Essential Albums of the '90s: The Music Fan's Definitive Guide," available November 5th from Motorbooks. 

Jovin Webb is a singer and songwriter who just put out his first album on the Blind Pig record label. He's also a former American Idol contestant. Neither of these things will give you a sense of how amazing his voice sounds."Drifter" is out now and available wherever you get your records. You can follow Jovin on Facebook or find him on Instagram (@jovinwebb)

The Cowsills evoke a certain time and place, but, as artists, they've continued to grow and develop their voices. And, when they decided to make a record together in the early 90's, they knew it would be the next step in their evolution. However, it didn't exactly work out that way. But now, Global, is coming out widely, available to everyone.For more information, you can check out the group's website, or follow them on Facebook.

Andrew Browning writes about human condition in all it's messy details. His most recent Love is a Beautiful Thing, is another deep dive into life. Love is a Beautiful Thing is available everywhere on November 22nd. For more information, check out Andrew's website, or follow him on Facebook.

As we celebrate episode 200, we are doing a second take on our Tribute: A Tribute to Tributes series. This time, we're looking at the 90's classic: Sweet Relief

Jim Lindberg is on the road right now with the legendary So-Cal punk band Pennywise, but he's also releasing brand new material under the Black Pacific name. Teaming up with producer Paul Miner, Lindberg offers a new batch of songs (some he's been sitting on for years) with the voice and attitude you'd expect.For more information you can find Jim on Facebook or you can follow him on Instagram, @jimlindbergpw.

You may know Iain Matthews from his time with Fairport Convention. Or, you may know him from all his other groups, projects and solo records. And he's about to add another one to the list. How Much is Enough is his newest. We talked with Iain in what turned out to be a master class on songwriting.How Much is Enough is out on October 25th via Sunset Blvd records. For more information, check out Iain's website.

This week we're talking ambient music with Kevin Keller. If you don't fully get the genre, we talk more about it and try to deconstruct what it is and how you make it.Kevin has a really engrossing and fascinating album out now called Evensong, available wherever quality music is sold. For more information, check out his website.

You know Rob McNelley's work. He's written with country music legends like Dolly Parton, Bob Seeger and Lady A. Now, he's putting out his own music and, surprise surprise, it's really good. For more information, you can follow Rob on Instagram, @rmcnelley.Plus, Heidi sees Bob Dylan for the first time and has her life forever changed.

Sadly, Screamin' Scott Simon from Sha Na Na passed away last weekend. Scott was very generous to sit down with us and talk about the group and his fascinating career. Enjoy this conversation and play some of Scott's music loud in his memory.

For music fans, the legend of the Grande Ballroom looms large. The room played host to important shows by band such as The MC5, The Who, Iggy and the Stooges and BB King. While it's not longer a music venue, the room is an iconic part of the history of Detroit music. We talked with Tony D'Annunzio, director of the documentary, Louder Then Love: The Grande Ballroom Story, which is screening as part of the Beaver Island Film Festival, September 21st, 2024.For more information on the film, check out the movie's website. And for more information about the Beaver Island Film Festival, check out their page on Facebook.

Carbon Leaf have been around since the 90's and their newest record, "Time is the Playground," is out on September 27th. It's everything you want in a great pop/rock record. We sat down with lead singer/songwriter Barry Privett about the record, what makes a great mix tape song and, of course, the satanic panic of the 80s.For more information, you can check out Carbon Leaf's website, or you can follow them on Facebook.

The last time we talked with 3 Pairs of Boots, we only got to talk with Andrew Stern, but this time we got both Andrew and his musical (and life) partner Laura Arias as well.The group has a new record, "Boot Scootin'," out September 27th. We talk about the song writing process, recording in the time of Covid (and after) as well as so much more. For more information, you can check out their website, or follow them on Facebook.

Save Ferris has something not a lot of ska bands have- longevity. They're back on the road and recording new music and bringing fans young and old into the band's orbit. We talked with lead singer, songwriter Monique Powell about reptiles, opera music and, of course, which Dead Kennedy's song they can't play for children. (Well, one specific song.)"Lights Out at the Reptile House" is available to stream wherever you find your music. And the band is out on the road, right now, bringing the good times to your city soon. For more information, check out the band's website, or follow them on Facebook.

You could say, oops, we did it again.This time we're starting a new music show, "Tribute- A Tribute to Tributes." Each episode, we'll break down and talk through another tribute record and decide whether it's worth listening (or re-listening) to. Here's our first episode, all about the Carpenters tribute record, "If I Were A Carpenter."

Did you know that The Professional Production Company makes other podcasts? We sure do. This week, have a listen to a music-themed episode of Famous Last Words, a study of the final words of some of the most fascinating people in history.The legend of Johnny Ace is unforgettable. A singer with an incredible voice, cut down in his prime, in the interest of making life on the road a little more exciting.For a full transcript and credits, check out our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and on Instagram.Famous Last Words is a proud partner of the Darkcast Network

This week we sit down with Monte Mallin, the host and moderator of the Sparks: Entertainment and Art podcast and Facebook page.We discuss the beauty and art that is the Mael brothers and their popular group, Sparks. You can watch Sparks: Entertainment and Art on their YouTube page and you can send a request to join the Facebook group.

You may remember seeing Kevin Sonny Gullage on American Idol a few seasons ago. But Sonny has grown and evolved since then. His new record is one of the first records on the rebooted classic blues label Blind Pig. What other endorsement do you really need? Go Be Free is available wherever you get your music on August 23rd.

Maybe you're closed minded and don't think cellos and the music of Metallica go together. Well, the folks who make up Apocalyptica, the all-cello quartet who first came to fame with their all-Metallica covers album are back at it with their newest release- a vol. 2 of Metallica songs. And this time they're even joined on one track by bassist Robert Trujillo.For more information and to order your copy of "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2," check out their website. Or you can follow them on Facebook.

What can you say about DownTown Mystic other than there music is straight ahead, fun rock music. And what better way to kick off the holiday weekend than with their new album, "Rock n' Roll 4 Soul?"For more information, you can visit their website or you can follow them on Facebook.Plus, we talk about the Outlaw Country Tour.

Marillion is one of the important bands in prog-rock and, they prove it yet again with their latest live album, An Hour Before It's Dark. Recorded at the band's annual weekend, the record shows the band at the peak of their power. We talked with keyboardist Mark Kelly about the making of setlists, the joys of performing live and whether or not he ever got to play the organ at the Royal Albert Hall.For more information or to order the record, you can check out the band's website and you can follow them on Facebook.

If you're looking for quality songwriting with impassioned singing and guitar playing, look no further than Joanne Shaw Taylor. Her most recent record, Heavy Soul, is available now. For more information you can check out her website, or follow her on Facebook.

You may not have heard of Noel, but if you listen to this show, you've definitely heard us sing the praises of two people who wrote and produced a record for her.Ron and Russell Mael from Sparks made "Is There More To Life Than Dancing?" for Noel shortly after completing their "No. 1 Song in Heaven" album.Noel's record is more of the same great dance music. (Good luck getting "Dancing is Dangerous" out of your head after you hear it.) Thankfully, the record is now available again on both CD and vinyl AND it's got bonus tracks.We talked with the rather private Noel about the whole experience and so much more in this fascinating interview. "Is There More To Life Than Dancing?" is available right now wherever you get your music, and you can order directly from the Sparks website as well.

If you're looking for some good rock music, look no further than Robert Jon and the Wreck. Their newest record, “Red Moon Rising,” is out now. It's a fun record that promises an exciting live show.For more information and to find out when they are playing near you, check out their website and follow them on Facebook.Plus, we see the Surfrajettes live and the Wilson sisters are not fighting. So, everyone wins!

Hard rock band Bullets and Octane are survivors. For the past 25+ years, they've been playing their brand of hard rock and touring regularly, including collaborations with Paige Hamilton from Helmet and Gilby Clarke from Guns n Roses. The band has been regularly releasing singles for the past 6 months, so, what comes next?We talked with lead singer Gene Lewis about the history of the band and what's next.  For more information, you can check out the band's website and you can follow them on Facebook.And if that isn't enough, Heidi reviews the Echo & the Bunnymen show she saw this past weekend and Luke takes the cocktail challenge.