Decibel Geek Podcast

Back in March of 2013, Decibel Geek writer Rich "Meister" Dillon attended the Monsters of Rock Cruise. But, his reporting on the events and artists of this tour-de-rock on the seas goes back further than that. Remembering how great a time he had on the 2012 Cruise, Meister started his "Views of the Cruise" series in advance, interviewing artists that would be aboard as well as giving previews of the bands playing. Of course, while on the cruise, Meister kept a diary and reported back to us at DBG headquarters. In all, the Views of the Cruise series swelled to 19 volumes! 

Aaron and Chris were so impressed with Rich's amazing documentation of the MOR Cruise that we wanted to give our listeners a first-hand account from Meister himself. So, Rich sent us his Monsters of Rock Cruise Top 20 Memories and we got him on the horn (ie. Skype) from Canada to recount his days of debauchery on the high seas. Below you will see the actual Top 20 that Meister sent us so you can read along with us as we recount his Monsters of Rock Cruise Memories.

20-The whole damn thing!

19-JSRG(Vixen)-The biggest pleasant surprise of the cruise. They were astoundingly awesome at the pre party show. I did not expect them to rock like that! Gina is an excellent guitar player and there was a decided absence of the keyboards that make the records kind of flaccid. Their pool stage set was the same although you could see they were tired (it was a 1am show). These girls kicked my ass!

18-The guy at the pool party who started at a $20 offer for my 20 year old Four Horsemen t-shirt and was up to $115 when his wife dragged him away. Talking to same guy at Saxon pool deck show, laughing about shirt I pass him a card and he stops and looks at me and says "are you The Meister? I've been following your blog!" Holy crap....lol

17-Helix-my fellow countrymen always put on a great show and they rocked the Zebra Lounge Set on the last day.

16-Keel-both of their shows aboard ship in the Theatre and Zebra Lounge. Awesome band live. Other performers often join the stage for Right to Rock-Zebra was Steve Riley and Lita Ford, theatre was Oz Fox, Brian Vollmer, Ted Poley and Jason McMaster. Many pics from all players too and autographed set list.

15-Making tons of new friends in the rock & roll party environment and meeting and chatting however briefly with performers like Jason McMaster, Share Ross, Nikki Blakk, Russ Dwarf, Brian, Kaleb and Fritz of Helix, Lorraine Lewis, Courtney Cox, Graham Bonnet, Nigel, Biff, Doug and Paul of Saxon, Dave Meniketti, Gina Stile, Georg and Brian of Rhino Bucket, Maz Mazza, Pat Fontaine and of course Ron, Dwain, Geno, Brian and Marc of Keel.

14-Alcatrazz-also a surprise. They were quite good both shows in the theatre and the Zebra. I would certainly go see them again if I had the opportunity.

13-TNT-their show in the theatre was surprisingly awesome. I was not sure what to expect and they were great. I caught a bit of their second set another day in the Zebra Lounge and they were not as good. Singer Tony Mills looked angry or drunk not sure.

12-My "in progress" sleeve tattoo-a guitar case with all my favourite band logos. Keel, Saxon, Russ Dwarf and Helix all took pictures of their logo and asked for pics when it's finished. Dave Meniketti looked unimpressed, but he was extremely drunk at the time.

11-Having the pleasure of introducing Dwain Miller (Keel drummer) to his hero, Nigel Glockler (Saxon drummer). A fun night drinking with Nigel and Biff and Doug of Saxon, Dave Meniketti, Ron, Geno and Dwain of Keel. Watching the two drummers chat and also watching Ron Keel interview Biff Byford for his radio show.

10-DangerousToys-closing the pool stage. Many are putting them up as the best show on the boat, incredible, yes but I think Saxon was better. I was distracted by beers and a young lady during this set however, so I may not have been paying full attention.

9-The Mojito Bar-on the top deck this is the spot to be late at night after all the performances as cruisers and performers alike drink until the wee hours, especially on the last night aboard ship.

8-Loudness-I only caught half to 3/4 of this show on the pool deck and I'm not a huge fan of their newer material, but they were unbelievably tight and Akira Takasaki's solos were blistering. They sounded awesome. Also a highlight-Akira Takasaki's hair!

7-Breasts-A young lady asking me to autograph her breasts before the first Saxon show. I don't know if she thought I was someone important, but I happily obliged. Also another young lady in a teal blue bathing suit exposing her magnificent breasts to a crowd of male onlookers during Cinderella and friends!

6-Y&T-their show the first night on the pool deck is something I have long looked forward to, tragically missing them last year. They were blistering and as their latest album says, Facemelting. Also leaning on front of stage for this show.

5-The AC/DC Beer Can Guy-this is a bit of nonsense, but still fun and a cool idea. AC/DC marketed a beer and this guy has started a FB page and is taking the empty AC/DC brand beer can to see the world. I met the can and had my pic with it. It has been as far as the south pole to date.

4-RhinoBucket-both of their shows in the small Zebra and Pigalle Lounges were flawless. Straight ahead rock, no gimmicks, call themselves "The last real rock & roll band". Got Forsythe pics and drumstick at Zebra show.

3-The island of Coco Cay-I'm not an overly "beach type" of guy, but this place was beautiful and quiet, private for our cruise ship. It was great to see stars like members of Helix, Keel, Queensryche, Wendy Dio, Loudness, Femme Fatale and others enjoying themselves on the beach.

2-Keel-riding in a limo with 3 of them to watch their rehearsal prior to cruising and singing a line of Speed Demon with Ron and later Right to Rock with Brian Jay. Totally incredible day!

1-Saxon-their show on the pool deck on Sunday-I was front row, leaning on the stage and lost my voice after that show. They were awesome, borderline erotic!

If you've been won over, book your spot on the 2014 Monsters of Rock Cruse HERE!

Monsters of Rock Cruise Official Facebook Page

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As most regular listeners know, we like to mix it up as far as themes/format on the Decibel Geek Podcast. Over the 2+ years of our existence one of our most popular formats seems to be our Bizarro Covers series where hard rock/metal bands perform songs that, shall we say, are not typical for what they would perform. 

We've had three very popular installments of this theme with many requests from listeners for a volume 4. With the glut of cover songs out there; many of which are not good, we sifted through and think we've pulled out some real gems that you'll enjoy. If not, it's some good comedy either way.

We start things off with the Revolting Cocks taking on a 1979 Rod Stewart classic and pondering  if you think they are sexy. Strange question coming from a band that's "revolting." You can pick this one up on their 1993 album Linger Ficken' Good.

While Michael Jackson had quite a history of r&b hits, the closest he ever flirted with hard rock would probably have to be 1982's 'Beat It" from the iconic Thriller album. Featuring a some strong riffage from Steve Lukather and a scorching solo from Eddie Van Halen, the song was massive all over the world. We hear a much harder (yet still true to the original) spin on this track as Raintime, an Italian progressive/power metal band, blast out their version from 2007's Flies & Lies album.

Nine Inch Nails converted a lot of people to a different type of rock (good or bad) in the early 1990's. A big part of that was the Pretty Hate Machine album. We hear a feminine vocal approach to 'Head Like a Hole' from Lullacry's Crucify My Heart album from 2003.

Closing out segment one of the show is a song by Danish metal genre-mixers Volbeat. This band has really started to break through into the mainstream consciousness with their new album Outlaw Gentleman & Shady Ladies. We take a look back, however, at their extremely creative cover of a Johnny Cash song that will grab you by the tongue.

One band that knows a lot about combining different elements of music under the metal umbrella is Anthrax. Their knack for taking hip hop foundations and building hard driving riffs on top has turned on fans of numerous genres to something they normally wouldn't tap into. We take a listen to their awesome update to a Beastie Boys track from the Beavis & Butthead Experience soundtrack. 

In the 2 years that we've been doing this show we never envisioned playing a montage song from a Rocky soundtrack. Actually, we did it a couple weeks ago but that was an obvious choice due to the vision theme of the episode. With that said, a show listener brought to our attention a fantastic cover performed by Bullet for My Valentine of a song from the Rocky IV soundtrack. We must break you.

Up next is possibly the strangest song that we've ever played on the show (until later). The Black Ingvars are a band that has been in contention for airplay on a Bizarro Covers special but haven't quite made the list....until today. If any song fits the Bizarro category, this Swedish dance-metal band covering the Backstreet Boys certainly qualifies. Please take it in a lighthearted form and don't unsubscribe!

Before we get to our next pick, we hear from listener Amy via our voicemail hotline (540) - DBGeek-1 if you'd like to call. Amy takes us to task for not including Dream Theater in our Epic Episode or our Big in Japan episode and asks if we have a personal beef with the band. We try to clear up any confusion as we spin a great Dream Theater cover of a Deep Purple song that will make us all closer.

Two stories going on in the world of rock include Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek passing away as well as the most recent breakup of Stone Temple Pilots. We decided to have both stories cross paths with a great Doors cover performed by STP in happier times.

Closing out today's show has to be the only song more Bizarro than the Black Ingvars offering. Stahlhammer is an Austrian metal band that's been around since 1992. Ironically, we spin a cover by the band of a song that was big right around that time in a much different world. Ever wondered what an Austrian metal band covering MC Hammer might sound like? Well, your wait is over. And we're outta time. See ya next week!

Buy Music!

Revolting Cocks

Raintime

Lullacry

Volbeat

Anthrax

Bullet for My Valentine

Black Ingvars

Dream Theater

Stone Temple Pilots

Stahlhammer

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While the Decibel Geek Podcast definitely caters to a worldwide audience, this week marks a very important holiday to Americans in Memorial Day. We thought we would put our own spin on this theme with our own memorial show in the vein of hard rock and heavy metal.

To make things crystal clear, we know that we will hear complaints about who was left out of this show and we assure you that we agree. The simple fact is, so many of our rock and metal heroes have passed that it's impossible to squeeze everyone deserving into an hour format. We will definitely do this theme again next year so head over to our facebook fan page and let us know who you nominate in advance.

Kicking things off is a track by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band from 1972's Framed album. With an odd image and progressive-meets-blues sound, the band never broke through commercially but this track surely shows you what an important cog they were in the British rock scene of the early 70's.

Next up is a track from Slaughter's album The Wild Life. Tim Kelly was a standout guitarist in the early 1990's and this track makes it clear why he was a big loss to the rock community.

It's hard to believe but it's already been 3 years since we lost Ronnie James Dio. The metal community is still not over the loss of this great vocalist and a void is definitely still there. We spin a track in his honor from 1984's Last in Line album that was written by Dio all on his own.

While the offstage drama is what seems to get the most attention, Enuff Z'nuff has a staggering amount of great music in their catalog; overshadowed only by the lack of attention that it receives. Guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Ricky Parent have both left the earth. We pay tribute by spinning a track from the Peach Fuzz album that is a good example of what they brought to the Chicago-born group.

Our next artist only recorded one full album, but it was a very memorable one. Mad Season was the 90's version of a supergroup. Formed by members of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Screaming Trees, they released Above in 1995. Featuring a sound all it's own, the album had a dynamic range of heavy emotion mixed with laid back tracks that served as a means for Layne Staley to convey is lyrics. Both Staley and bassist John Baker Saunders have since passed. In their honor we share with you a track that fits in nicely with this reflective week.

One of the most impactful losses in the metal world took place a few years ago when Dimebag Darrell was assassinated onstage at a club in Ohio. It's still difficult to wrap one's mind around such a tragic and senseless loss. We remember Dime in better times with a searing studio track that was included with the Official Live: 101 Proof album from Pantera's glory days.

Southern California's own Social Distortion has a musical history dating back to 1988. Their tight, punk-influenced sound has lasted through numerous fads and trends and the band is still performing to this day. Founding guitarist Dennis Danell died suddenly in February, 2000 from an apparent brain aneurysm at the young age of 38. We honor Danell with a track from the 1990 self-titled album.

One of the most popular episodes of the Decibel Geek Podcast, by far, was the Eric Carr discussion that we had with Eric's sister Loretta. To this day, Carr's reputation remains sterling as fans from all over the world continue to pay tribute to the former KISS drummer. We do our part with a shining example of his drumming power with a track from 1982's Creatures of the Night album.

A memorial episode wouldn't be complete without paying tribute to The Ramones. Sadly, the majority of the band members are all deceased. Their music lives on though and we pay tribute with a strong track from the Road to Ruin album.

Finishing things off is a song that Stevie Rachelle of Tuff recorded as a reaction to the death of the aforementioned Dimebag Darrell. Metal Heroes is a track that focuses on what this episode is all about; paying tribute to our heroes from the rock and metal universe. It only seemed fitting as a way to end this week's show.

This week's episode is dedicated to the memory of Slayer guitarist, Jeff Hanneman. 

Buy Music!

Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Slaughter

Dio

Enuff Z'nuff

Mad Season

Pantera

Social Distortion

KISS

Ramones

Tuff

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It may not be well-known but, according to the National Eye Institute, May is Healthy Vision Month. We thought we would help spread the word and enjoy some good music at the same time. Here's what the National Eye Institute wants to tell you:

"Millions of people living in the United States have undetected vision problems, eye diseases, and conditions. HVM is designed to elevate vision as a health priority for the Nation by promoting the importance of early detection and treatment, as well as the use of proper eye safety practices, in preventing vision loss and blindness.

One of the most important things people can do to protect their vision is to schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam. In this painless procedure, an eye care professional examines the eyes to look for common vision problems and eye diseases, many of which have no early warning signs. A comprehensive dilated eye exam can detect eye diseases and conditions in their early stages, before vision loss occurs. Early detection and treatment can help to save your sight."

With that said, we thought we'd celebrate Healthy Vision Month by spinning some songs that refer, in the title, to sight/vision is some form. Here we go.

After deciding on the title for this episode, Chris' first choice came very easily. From 1977's Draw the Line album, we kick things off with Aerosmith performing 'Sight for Sore Eyes.'

Aaron starts his sight-related picks with a track from the oft-overlooked 1995 release from Dokken; Dysfunctional. This album marked the return of George Lynch. We spin the opening track, 'Inside Looking Out.'

Electric Six

Chris decided to do some digging in research for this episode. A nugget was found in the vast space that is youtube with his choice of the track 'Night Vision' off Electric Six's 2005 release Switzerland.

Aaron's next pick is 'Eyes of a Strager.' Wait, before you think it's the well-known Queensryche track, think again. This great sing comes from the appropriately-titled Visual Lies album from Lizzy Borden and is a great addition to the show.

We return from break one with a selection from Motley Crue's debut album Too Fast for Love. While filled with lots of great hook-y songs, Too Fast....sports one track that fits in with our vision-themed show as we spin 'Starry Eyes.'

Up next is Aaron's choice of a bonus track from Ozzy Osbourne's iconic Blizzard of Oz release. Featuring some seering Randy Rhoads guitar work, 'You Lookin' at Me, Lookin' at You' is a testimony to the strength of material being created by the gone-too-soon guitarist and the Prince of Darkness.

Chris keeps the Crazy Train on track as we segue into a double-dose of Ozzy with his choice of 'Looking for Tomorrow' from the classic Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album from 1973.

One band that doesn't get nearly the amount of recognition it deserves is Turbonegro. We try to alleviate that problem with Aaron's choice of 'If You See Kaye' from their Party Animals album.

We close out the show with Chris' choice of a KISS track that appeared on two different albums in the band's catalog with different personnel. 'See You in Your Dreams' was selected from Rock and Roll Over and features some powerful drumming from Peter Criss and a great solo from Ace Frehley.

Playing things out this week is a fantastic cover of a sight-related classic that's all about focus. Aaron's choice of At Vance's version of 'Eye of the Tiger' is a motivating way to finish things off.

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Aerosmith

Dokken

Electric Six

Lizzy Borden

Motley Crue

Ozzy Osbourne

Black Sabbath

Turbonegro

KISS

At Vance

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One thing we've definitely learned in the 2 years that we've been doing this show is that there's a great big world out there beyond our United States. While America tends to latch onto trends for a few years and then throw those artists away like yesterday's garbage when the next one shows up; other parts of the world seem to have a long-lasting appreciation for good rock and metal music.

With that said, this week we bring you the Big in Japan episode; an hour plus of music and discussion of artists that truly rock but have not attained the Stateside success that they deserve. 

We kick things off with, quite possibly, the most underrated band of all time; Cheap Trick. It's no secret that Japan was an important factor in breaking the Rockford-Illinois born and bred band via their hugely popular breakthrough album Live at Budokan. Aaron's choice of a competitive rocker from Heaven Tonight is a great way to start off the show.

Chris' first choice is an extremely well-known band......if you live in Canada. When we solicited suggestions from listeners on our Facebook fan page, one band that came up numerous times was The Trews. With the large amount of Canadian listeners, we trusted their judgement and spin a track from their 2012 EP ....Thank You and I'm Sorry that exploits the good side of alcohol consumption.

One of Aaron's favorite active rock bands today is Queens of the Stone Age. While they have certainly gained recognition in America in recent years due to the extra exposure from their ties to Dave Grohl, Europe caught on much earlier. We present a track from the fantastic Rated R album that helps expose what makes them one of the premier rock acts of today.

One of the biggest crimes in the American music is the ignorance of the public to the sheer genius that is Ginger and The Wildhearts. If it wasn't for Aaron Camaro and a few choice rock podcasts, Chris would have never known about this amazing talent that gets wrongfully ignored on American soil. The Japanese bonus-track that Chris play from the 2009 !Chutzpah! album buries lead singles by many well-known rock acts. Ginger continues to not get his due but he gets it on this show. 

We return from the break with a very unorthodox choice by Aaron Camaro. You'd think that Chris would be the one to pick a song by Firehouse with his love for 80's and early 90's melodic rock. But Aaron did his homework this week and found a track off their 2003 Prime Time album that is deceptively heavy. Firehouse only had a couple peak years in America but are still a vital band in other parts of the world. This track shows you why.

One of the highlights of our 1979 Year in Review episode was the inclusion RIOT. This band was woefully unrecognized over the years in America and were on the brink of imploding back in the late 70's before British deejay Neal Kay started playing their tracks and, unintentionally, made them a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Chris' pick of a track from their Fire Down Under album features some searing riffs and powerful drumming.

A highlight for the Decibel Geek Podcast was getting to chat with Ugly Kid Joe's Whitfield Crane. In this conversation, Aaron Camaro made a plea with Whit to bring UKJ to the States rather than playing so much outside the country. Unfortunately, it hasn't panned out. So, with that said, we hope to motivate you to contact your local concert promoter/radio station/venue to bring them to the States as we spin a track from their 2012 EP Stairway to Hell.

One band that certainly got lost in the mix of the grunge transition was New York's Warrior Soul. Started on a bet from a promoter, singer Kory Clarke brought Warrior Soul to Geffen Records and have released 10 albums from 1990 through 2012. We check out a track from 1992's Salutations from the Ghetto Nation.

After the second break, Chris brings TNT into the picture. Formed in 1982, the Norwegian band has released 12 studio albums and gone through numerous lineup changes. We take a listen to a track from their successful 1987 Tell No Tales album.

Before we finish things off with Aaron's final pick for this week, we hear from Chiaki from the Metal Moment podcast. There's no better special guest for this episode as Chiaki is from Japan originally. He gives us his Top 5 Big in Japan bands with some tasty guitar work as well.

We finish things off with Aaron's pick from a band that stands tall among all others when it comes to the Japanese audience. Mr. Big is known, basically, as a one-hit wonder in America but in Japan they rival the Beatles with constant sold out arenas and large album sales. We close out the show with a track from their 2011 reformation album What If...

Buy Music!

Cheap Trick

The Trews

Queens of the Stone Age

The Wildhearts

Firehouse

RIOT

Ugly Kid Joe

Warrior Soul

TNT

Mr. Big

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Volume 12 of our Radio Sucks Radio Show came a little early but that's okay. We've been saving this one for a while. Why? Well, it could be any number of reasons (ie. a guest cancelled, a scheduling issue, we wanted a week off) but it doesn't matter because we're still back this week to provide you with some great music that the schmucks from corporate radio are just not giving you.

We start of with something brand new and Chris' pick of a track from the recently-released Motherland album by Pretty Maids. The inspiration to play this track comes from Chiaki of the Metal Moment podcast who spun a track from their previous album that got our attention. Pretty Maids is an outstanding band with a  large catalog of music that sadly doesn't get enough attention in the States. We hope to help change that with the opening track from their new album on Frontiers Records.

Aaron kicks off his choices with a great pick from Helmet's 1992 Meantime album. A band that truly deserved to be bigger, Helmet were ahead of their time and stuck in a strange time in the musical landscape that was very transitional. Listening back to this hard-hitting track helps one to appreciate how innovative Page Hamilton and crew really were.

It's no secret around the Decibel Geek offices that we love Russ Dwarf. After all, he was the first interview we conducted after Aaron joined the show and our Canadian writers have done a great job spreading the word about his endeavors. We tip our hat to our diminutive friend from the Great White North with a selection from his new Wireless EP that features acoustic takes on Killer Dwarfs classic. 

Another band that certainly didn't fit into their time period was Life Sex & Death (L.S.D.). Of course, any band fronted by a homeless person is probably not going to fit in to their scene. Led by the eccentric Stanley, Aaron's choice of a track from their Silent Majority album from 1992 showcases the quirky but talented band in a good light. We may not be able to pronounce the song title, but it's pretty clear that it rocks.

We return from the first break with a track that was recorded when Poison had the Blues....Saraceno, that is. Crack a Smile was an album that was recorded with the gifted plaid-clad guitarist replacing a replacement of an original guitarist. After CC Deville imploded from drugs and Richie Kotzen was shown the door after "relations" with a band members girlfriend, the L.A.-based glam band recruited Saraceno to provide his technical expertise to their next record. Unfairly ignored for years due to being shelved after it's 1995 recording; the album finally got a proper release in 2000 to little fanfare as Deville had returned to the fold by then. We spin a track off this highly underrated album.

Chris & Aaron usually see eye-to-eye on many of the artists featured on the Decibel Geek podcast but one artist that splits them down the middle is Gilby Clarke. Chris never liked him; Aaron does. Aaron tries to sway Chris' stance on Clarke with a track from his pre-GNR band Kill for Thrills. Will Chris change is his mind? Listen and see.

Not much needs to be said when it comes to the greatness of Van Halen's 1978 self-titled debut. It was influential, intense, and revolutionary. Chris' choice of a rarely-spun-on-radio track features everything that makes this early VH-era amazing; great harmonies, incredible guitar playing, and total charisma in a singer. Dream big.

If you asked many hard rock/metal fans what they thought of when they heard the name Weezer, you'd typically hear answers referring to sweaters, Buddy Holly, or living Beverly Hills. While the band is well-known for their ironic turns-of-phrases and poppy hooks, there's lots of harder edged stuff that many people don't know about. Aaron's track selection from their Maladroit album is a clear indication that Weezer is a band worth investigating.

Some of our most popular shows, without question, revolve around Vinnie Vincent. Listeners can't seem to get enough of the behind-the-scenes stories provided by some of our past guests regarding the troubled guitarist. While that stuff is interesting, we want to also show the most important side of Vincent; the amazingly gifted songwriter/guitarist that, behind all of the rumors and speculation, has penned some great rock music that deserves more notice. We spin a track from the All Systems Go album that proves that point.

Closing out the show this week is Aaron's choice of a song from Twisted Sister's mega-selling 1984 classic Stay Hungry. The album is certainly well-known enough based on its singles/videos but we give you a taste of a deep cut that is a monster in its own right.

Featured Artist:

Screaming Eagles

Buy Music!

Pretty Maids

Helmet

Russ Dwarf

Life, Sex & Death

Poison

Kill for Thrills

Van Halen

Weezer

Vinnie Vincent

Twisted Sister

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When KISS decided to drop their trademark makeup in 1983, many fans from the band's 1970's glory years were perplexed when they saw a diminutive figure sitting next to Gene Simmons and loudly questioned, "Where's Ace?!" 

For the general music-buying public, the once Hottest Band in the Land had become a niche curiosity with dwindling popularity. Ever-changing lineups and forays into different genres had watered down the band and turned off many in their core audience. It stand to reason that many of KISS' old school fans weren't aware that Frehley himself had grown disenchanted with the group's direction and left the previous year.

With KISS' unmasking in 1983, many fans started wondering what happened to their favorite Spaceman and what his musical plans would be for the future. Our guest this week was instrumental in what happened next.

John Regan is commonly known amongst KISS fans as the bassist for Frehley's Comet but his resume tells a much bigger story. John was nice enough to talk to Chris & Aaron this week about his 30+ year career in the music industry, working with artists such as Ace Frehley, the Rolling Stones, and Peter Frampton. 

We start in 1980 with Regan's first meeting with Ace Frehley while collaborating on mutual friend "Crazy" Joe Renda's Variable Speed Band album that featured the quirky Frehley-penned single 'Eugene.' Regan shares how Renda and North Lake Sound Studios in White Plains, NY would continue to be crucial in the advancement of his musical career.

In this long-form discussion Regan shares how he first started working with Peter Frampton in 1982 and the marathon 3 day cram-session to learn Frampton's entire live set. This would mark the beginning of a friendship and musical bond that would bring the two together numerous times over the next three decades.

1985-86 would see Regan working with legendary artists such as David Bowie and Mick Jagger. In this discussion you'll hear his recollections of recording with the two for their 1985 duet of 'Dancin' in the Street' as well as his memories of working with the Rolling Stones during the sessions for the Dirty Work album. 

A bit of recording and touring in 1984 with Frehley would lay the foundation that Regan would return to in 1987 as Megaforce Records picked up Frehley's Comet and backed the new lineup featuring Frehley, Regan, drummer Anton Fig, and gutiarist/vocalist Tod Howarth. John shares his memories of the recording process for the album and the difficulties that came up after Fig was given the full-time job as the drummer for David Letterman's band. 

Regan shares his memories of working with Jamie Oldaker as the legendary drummer took over the drum stool in the Comet. Some Comet fans throughout the years have expressed resentment that Oldaker didn't "fit" the Frehley sound and, in this discussion, you'll hear Regan's reaction to that criticism.

Also in this long-form talk, Regan shares his thoughts on Eddie Trunk and his place in helping get Ace Frehley back into the public consciousness. "I don't think Ace would have got signed if it weren't for Eddie being the real force behind it."  Regan shares how Trunk was adamant about Frehley's potential and swayed Megaforce president Jon Zazula to give the former KISS axe-man a shot. He also shares, later in the interview, how he heard that Trunk has been telling Frehley that a Comet reunion would not be a good idea.

Regan also tells us his opinion of Second Sighting and how he thinks the Live +4 album that was shoehorned in between it and the debut may have sabotaged the band's potential growth. John also notes that the absence of Eddie Kramer behind the board may have hindered the album's sound but how there are also some shining moments as well.

1989 saw Frehley release Trouble Walkin'. With Kramer back behind the board and Richie Scarlet replacing Tod Howarth on guitar, the album had a grittier feel than the earlier Comet material and also did not bear the Comet tag. Regan explains why Howarth may have left the group and what went into the decision to not bill this lineup as Frehley's Comet.

We also ask Regan his opinion of claims made by Gordon Gebert in his KISS & Tell book that involve Regan producing Frehley-related live & greatest hits packages as a method for recouping money owed to him by Ace. 

Other topics touched on in this hour plus interview include Regan's work with artists such as Michael Monroe and David Lee Roth. We also ask John some listener questions that were sent in. 

There's a lot to get to in this discussion and we barely scratched the surface. John was a great sport and we really appreciate him appearing on the show. We hope you enjoy this talk.

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Crazy Joe & the Variable Speed Band

Peter Frampton

KISS

Ace Frehley

David Bowie

Mick Jagger 

Rolling Stones

Michael Monroe

David Lee Roth

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No stories are more entertaining and thought provoking than war stories. The rock and roll equivalent to this is road stories. Our guest this week is a treasure trove of experience in the annals of rock history; especially KISSTORY as former KISS guitar tech Tom Harper joins us for a discussion that is a great look behind the scenes that most music lovers never get to see.

Tom is most commonly known among KISS fans as a guitar tech (Paul Stanley’s on the Dynasty tour) that was tasked with playing the bass track on the track Shandi from 1980’s Unmasked album. Before we get into what took place to lead Tom into replacing Gene Simmons on this poppy number, we go back to his roots.

Our discussion starts in Connecticut in the early 1960’s and Tom’s indoctrination into the world of rock and roll as he witnesses the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. The tv appearance that launched a million wannabe rock stars nabbed Tom hook line and sinker as he quickly joined a band that already had 40 original songs and was playing talent shows and local bars at an age where he should have not been allowed admission.

Tom shares stories of playing seedy clubs on the wrong side of New Haven, CT and witnessing bar brawls and stabbings while performing sets.

In this discussion, Harper also remembers seeing legendary performers such as Cream and Jimi Hendrix as they made their way through Connecticut on their ascent to the top of the charts as well as the image of seeing Hendrix light his guitar on fire first-hand.

In 1969 Tom’s musical interests shifted as he became seduced by the technical prog-rock sounds of YES and their dynamic bassist Chris Squire.

The early 70’s saw Harper join a hard-rock act named BUX and he shares his experiences of recording an album for Capitol Records with promise and seeing that promise dashed when their manager meets an untimely demise. This situation leaves Harper without a band or a job in the middle of New York City.

Through connections and a timely ad in the Village Voice, Harper winds up as an employee of SIR Rehearsal Studios in NYC. It would be through this job that his path would cross with the Hottest Band in the Land.

Soon after beginning work for SIR, Tom finds out that producer Eddie Kramer is enlisting the company to provide various Marshall studio heads for the Ace Frehley 1978 KISS solo album. Harper shares his recollection of how he ingratiated himself into KISS circles by providing top-notch maintenance for Kramer and Frehley during the recording process.

In this discussion, you’ll hear how Harper became friendly with KISS’ road crew and landed the job of being Paul Stanley’s guitar technician. You’ll hear about an awkward first meeting with the Starchild at the KISS Dynasty album cover shoot that made it clear that Harper would have to be on his toes while working for Stanley.

Tom also shares his memories of then-KISS road manager Fritz Postlethwaite and his chainsaw named Arthur that he would use to bring order in hotels on the road.

The KISS Dynasty tour of 1979 was a virtual city-on-wheels and in this discussion Harper shares how the pre-tour preparations and rehearsals had the crew on the brink of exhaustion. He also shares some interesting stories about some ill-fated laser effects that sounded great on paper but turned out to be a nightmare to execute.

The tour rolled through America with 8 trucks and a flying rig for Gene Simmons that was state-of-the-art. Harper shares memories of the massive size of the show as well as some problems that happened along the way as ticket sales did not live up to expectations for the tour.

Before we get to the Shandi discussion, we take a couple of interesting detours as Tom shares with us his memories of being the musical director for the Peter Criss Out of Control tour that wound up being cancelled due to poor album sales. A planned appearance on a famous late-night show was cancelled and the revelation takes us completely by surprise. Interesting stories about the Catman.

We also discuss Tom’s time working with Judas Priest; of whom he became friendly with as the opening band for KISS’ Dynasty tour. Great road stories of working with Priest over the years ensue and we ponder the question of just how Rob Halford could pull off 5 shows in a row with no rest for his voice on 1982’s Screaming for Vengeance tour.

We also briefly discuss Eric Carr’s KISS audition and Tom’s memories of the Carr as a drummer and as a person.

We finish things off with the Shandi discussion in which Tom tells us how he wound up playing on the track, his thoughts on KISS’ creative process, the poppy sound of the Unmasked album, and the professionalism of Vini Poncia. It’s a great story and one we’re thrilled to share with you.

As a special treat to our listeners, we outro the show with the basic track of Shandi as Tom recorded it that day in 1980. This version of the track features a guide vocal from Paul and a basic production and comes from Tom’s personal collection. We hope you enjoy this different sounding version of Shandi.

Tom Harper recently released an EP entitled Vintage UK. This 4 song EP features tracks that heavily inspired Tom in his musical journey from British Invasion artists of 1967-68 and is available at the links below. Clips from these songs were played throughout the episode. If you enjoyed it and want to hear more, pick it up!

Purchase on iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/artist/tf-harper/id395771038

Purchase on CDBaby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tfharper

Website for Vintage UK http://vintage-uk.com/Vintage_UK/Vintage_UK.html

Last week's look at the first half of 1979 showed quite a bit of variety inside the genre known as rock. The second half of the year would continue that trend. Some of rock's heavy hitters released albums in the second half of 1979. Some bands stayed the course and continued to churn out music that fit their sound and style while others attempted to capitalize on the radio success of disco and new wave.

Radio stations jumped all over the disco craze in 1979, relentlessly pushing more pop-oriented songs to the top of the charts while rock and metal continued to commercially take a back seat. But the general public was ready for change as we evidenced in July when Disco Demolition Night at Chicago's Comiskey Park quickly went from light-hearted promotion to all-out riot due to the overwhelming turnout of disco-hating music fans ready to destroy albums by the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, and many others.

We take a look at the list of big singles of 1979, talk about Disco Demolition and play musical choices from big albums released by AC/DC and a very different-sounding version of Rainbow.

August of 1979 saw Led Zeppelin performing their final British shows (until 2007) in a 2 night stand in front of nearly 400,000 people. We head into our first break with a clip from the divisive and experimental sounding In Through the Out Door album.

We head into September with the news that U2 heads into a local studio to begin their first recordings and Chris shares a funny story about an awkward fan interaction with Bono at a concert. 

Good rock and roll was coming from Canada in 1979 with bands like Helix & Trooper releasing albums. Aaron's choice of a track from Trooper involves using math to size up a girl's looks. Trust us, it'll make sense when you hear it.

Also included in our discussion of September is Judas Priest's Unleashed in the East album, Cheap Trick using more orchestration on their Dream Police album, and the Eagles releasing another massive album that flew off record store shelves.

October brought yet another release from Lemmy and co. as Motorhead brought forth the Bomber album. And they wouldn't be done as is mentioned later in the show. Also included from October is a bluesy selection from Whitesnake's Lovehunter album and a quick discussion about the arousing album cover.

Before we get into November of 1979 Aaron reads off a list of the top television shows of the year and helps cement the theory that there really wasn't as much competition as their is now for viewers. That said, the unintentional cheesiness of some of the shows lends a charm to the nostalgia.

November saw the release of The Soundhouse Tapes by an upstart band out of the UK known as Iron Maiden. This would mark only the beginning of a career that has spanned nearly 35 years.

Also in November, Pink Floyd's concept album The Wall hits the scene and provides the soundtrack to a new generation of jilted teens.

November also saw the release of Night in the Ruts by a very divided Aerosmith. Only featuring a partial contribution from guitarist Joe Perry, the album still manages to have a sizable selection of good material. We spin a track off this surprising album.

December of 1979 started with tragedy as 11 people were killed in a stamped at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum while trying to enter a Who concert. The band was not notified until after the show.

In December, The Clash released their smash album London Calling. Featuring a hybrid of rock, punk, reggae, and ska music London Calling spoke to an entire generation of young kids and has reverberated for decades since. Check out a great article about the album HERE.

We close things out with a relatively obscure band with a well-known guitarist. Electric Sun released Earthquake in December of 1979 and featured the guitar wizardry of former Scorpions member Uli Jon Roth. While Electric Sun didn't exactly set the world on fire, Roth's guitar work would go on to help inspire many 80's shredders such as Yngwie Malmsteen. This track that we go out on is a fitting way to leave 1979 and enter a bold new decade for music.

For articles about some great albums from 1979 that you probably haven't heard, check out BJ Kahuna's pieces HERE and HERE

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AC/DC

Rainbow

Led Zeppelin

Trooper

Judas Priest

Cheap Trick

The Eagles

Motorhead

Whitesnake

Iron Maiden

Pink Floyd

ZZ Top 

Aerosmith

The Clash

Electric Sun

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We're back this week to discuss the first half of a very transitional year in music history. 1979 was a true crossroads for rock music fans; with the genre splitting into multiple sub-genres and another genre that ruled the world becoming passe.

The "Year of the Child" kicked off with the Music for UNICEF concert featuring pop tarts such as ABBA, Donna Summer & the Bee Gees performing sets on January 9th. Any chance Chris & Aaron decided to spotlight any of those artists this week? If you said yes, welcome new listener.

We cover January with a track by alt-rocker Joe Jackson that would go on to become one of the more well-known tracks from thrashers Anthrax. Also included for the first month of the year are clips from the debut album by Accept & a track from UFO that will leave you with palpitations.

February saw the passing of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious due to a heroin overdose the day after being released from prison. We listen to a clip of Sid of vocals for the Pistols from their Great Rock & Roll Swindle album. Also featured in February are tracks from Scorpions' Lovedrive album as well as a very Cheap Trick-like track from Angel's Sinful album.

We return from the first break a news clip from the Three Mile Island nuclear power disaster that took place in March of 1979 set to the soundtrack of Van Halen's D.O.A. from their II album. Representing the third month of the year is a track from Motorhead's Overkill album that is more no-frills greatness from Lemmy and co.

Spring of 1979 shows upbeat picks of song clips from Thin Lizzy's Black Rose album, Journey's Evolution, and New England's Paul Stanley-produced self-titled debut. Quite a month for melodic rock and roll.

We head into May with KISS' sharpest left-turn to date with the release of the much poppier Dynasty album. Featuring the disco hit 'I Was Made for Lovin' You,' we spin a track from Gene Simmons that ponders the question on every narcissist's mind. Also included from May of '79 are overlooked tracks from Riot's Narita album & Ted Nugent's State of Shock.

Since this is just part 1 of our 1979 Year in Review, we finish off the first half of the year in June with three very unique tracks. Paul McCartney will most likely be remembered for his gentle ballads and melodic numbers. But, the choice of track from his Back to the Egg album will give you a much edgier impression of Macca. Also included from June of 1979 is a track from the pre-KISS Bruce Kulick/Michael Bolton project known as Blackjack and a show closer that's definitely not obscure but still rocks plenty enough to get us amped up for part 2 next week. We hope you dig the music and, if you do........

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Joe Jackson

Generation X

Accept

UFO

Angel

Van Halen

Motorhead 

Journey

Thin Lizzy

New England

KISS

RIOT

Ted Nugent

Paul McCartney & Wings

Blackjack

The Knack

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Join the Fan Page

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Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 342-3351

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