This week I had a chat with Francois and Junior from the Canadian hard rock band Atomik Train, who discussed their band's origins, current activities, and upcoming debut album release. The guys shared details about their album launch plans, including physical and digital releases, limited edition merchandise, and upcoming tour dates across Canada and the US.

In this episode I talk with veteran bassist Matt Bissonette, known for his work with legendary acts such as Elton John, Ringo Starr, and Rick Springfield. We discussed the formation and evolution of his band, The Squirts, including their musical influences, songwriting process, and recent album release. They touched on technical aspects of music production, such as digital audio workstations, and explored the thematic content, highlighting their lighthearted approach and influences, of the band's latest album. The conversation also covered future plans for touring, vinyl releases, and where fans can find The Squirts' music online.

In this conversation, Chandler, a member of the Foreigner tribute band Double Vision, discusses their new album of original material, which was released on July 11th. The band's journey into original music was driven by their goal to establish Double Vision as a benchmark for tribute bands, with half of the album co-written by a Swedish songwriter. Chandler explains their approach to balancing tribute shows with original work, discusses the challenges of competing with the original band Foreigner, and shares insights about their performance style and online presence.

Black Note Graffiti's Kris Keller discussed the band's history, their latest album "Resist the Divide," and musical influences in this conversation. The album's theme revolves around life's struggles and the importance of resilience, drawing from the band members' personal experiences. Kris also shared details about their upcoming performance at the MileOfMusic.com Festival and hinted at future shows to be announced on their website.

Musician and songwriter Rachel Lipsky and I discussed her experiences with Armed Forces Entertainment tours and discussed her career in the music industry, including her songwriting process, challenges as an independent artist, and musical influences. She highlighted her work with the Charlie and Hazel Daniel Veterans and Family Center at MTSU and discussed upcoming music releases and dream collaborations.

This week I speak with author and editor Gary Graff about his recently released book "501 Essential Albums of the '80s." We discuss the process for creating this book, along with "501 Essential Albums of the '90s," including the challenges of selecting albums and organizing the content. The conversation also covers Gary's career as a music journalist.

Here's an apology and a quick update about why I've been absent lately.

Selena discussed her book about Alanis Morissette's groundbreaking album "Jagged Little Pill," which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. She explored the album's creation, Alanis' background as a pop and child star, and the album's massive success with 33 million copies sold worldwide. Selena revealed that she was surprised by Alanis's love for the movie Grease and her experiences and challenges as a child star, which she believes influenced her later work. We also briefly discussed the challenges faced by other child stars like Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes.

In this episode I talked with Aaron Camaro about CHW Pro Wrestling and his career in the wrestling entertainment industry, including his experiences as a ring announcer, commentator, and writer. We explored the art of professional wrestling, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, character development, and engaging narratives in creating successful wrestling events. Aaron shared insights into his writing process, challenges faced in producing wrestling shows, and the growth of CHW Pro Wrestling. Aaron talks about a couple great wrestling storylines as well as talking about one that didn't have the anticipated the impact. The episode concludes with an announcement of an upcoming CHW event.

My concert buddy Bryan Harris and I discuss our recent trip to Beaver Dam, Kentucky, to see The Gene Simmons Band with openers The Iron Maidens. We also shared our thoughts on the venue (Beaver Dam Amphitheater), each band's set list, as well as Gene's music career and merchandise sales.