This week, I’m joined by American Idol Top 20 contestant and New Jersey artist Jake Thistle to talk about his experience performing on one of television’s biggest music stages.

Jake shares what it’s really like behind the scenes of American Idol — from the strategy behind song choices (including his audition take on Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home”) to the pressure of performing original music in front of the judges and a national audience, as he did with his song “Sleep On Me.”

We also dive into his roots in the New Jersey music scene, the artists who helped shape his sound — including Tom Petty and John Hiatt — and the moment he realized music was his path in life.

Along the way, we preview his latest single “Alone, Together,” and Jake shares three songs he thinks deserve a spot on your musical radar.

Whether you’re already a fan of Jake’s music, an American Idol faithful, or simply curious about the reality behind televised music competitions, this conversation offers a candid look at the journey behind the music.

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This week, I’m joined by Weakened Friends’ Sonia Sturino to dig into Feels Like Hell, the band’s 2025 release that captures the emotional whiplash of modern life with biting honesty and melodic grit.

We talk about the mindset behind the album, how exhaustion, anxiety, and self-reflection shaped the songwriting, and why Feels Like Hell feels like both a breaking point and a breakthrough.

From loud-quiet dynamics to lyrics that don’t flinch, this conversation pulls back the curtain on how the band translated real-world pressure into a record that resonates deeply — especially if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed but kept moving anyway. Sonia opens up about trusting raw instincts, embracing honesty in songwriting, and how that vulnerability has deepened the connection with fans.

We also get into the nuts and bolts: working with Don Giovanni Records, the surreal collaboration with Buckethead on “NPC,” song dynamics across the record, the band’s cover of Ednaswap’s “Torn,” and why Feels Like Hell was built to be experienced as a full album — not just a collection of singles.

This episode is about survival, growth, and finding clarity on the other side of burnout. Then there’s the incredible music!

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Ever judge an album by its cover? This week on My Weekly Mixtape, Jay Sweet joins me as we flip through some virtual record crates to curate a playlist inspired by the most iconic album covers of all time. From legendary imagery to unforgettable records, we’re turning that visual inspiration into a killer mix of songs — and exploring what makes album art just as timeless, meaningful, and memorable as the music inside.

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Welcome to the launch of a new kind of bonus episode I’m calling Mixtape Moments — short stories sparked by a recent news item or an anecdote I haven’t yet found a place for in a full-length episode.

There’s no set timetable for how often these will appear, but the format opens the door to new ways of experiencing My Weekly Mixtape — including quick hitters when the moment calls for it, whether it’s reacting to breaking news, a surprise album release, or a story that simply can’t wait.

This premiere Mixtape Moment was inspired by this week’s news that Bruce Johnston is stepping away from The Beach Boys after more than six decades with the band.

So join me as I celebrate Bruce’s remarkable journey with the band, while sharing a personal story about how a simple act of mid-concert kindness — a bottle of FIJI Water — became an unforgettable memory for this longtime fan.

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This week, I’m sitting down with the legendary Warren Haynes to revisit Tales of Ordinary Madness — his debut solo album, now newly remixed and remastered more than thirty years after its original release. It’s a record that’s lived a long life with a lot of us, and hearing it again with fresh ears raises a bigger question: what happens when you return to deeply personal songs after decades of living, playing, and moving forward?

We talk about how the album found a home on Megaforce Records — yes, that Megaforce — and what it was like for Warren to re-engage with these songs from a distance he simply didn’t have in the early ’90s. From co-producing the original sessions with Chuck Leavell to hearing Grammy-winning engineer Jim Scott remix the album and fully unlock its timeless status, this conversation becomes less about revision and more about rediscovery — about what time gives you, and what it doesn’t.

There are stories between the songs, too. We dig into the long-lost “Tear Me Down,” finally restored to its rightful place in the album’s new sequence, and trace how “I’ll Be The One” quietly evolved from Tales of Ordinary Madness into Gov’t Mule’s Mo Voodoo rendition. Warren walks through what changed, what stayed the same, and why those distinctions still matter — musically and emotionally.

Along the way, we widen the lens. We revisit his legendary early-morning acoustic performance at Bonnaroo in 2004, talk about the mechanics of collaborations — what makes it work, what makes it last — and touch on his musical chemistry with artists like Little Milton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Grace Potter and Joe Bonamassa (just to scratch the surface). We also unpack the story behind that unforgettable slide guitar on Blues Traveler’s “The Mountains Win Again,” and how that moment unexpectedly helped shape the sound and direction of Gov’t Mule’s debut.

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This week, Outlier’s Joey Arena joins me to break down “(Rock) Superstar,” the band’s collaboration with Sen Dog and Hyro The Hero, reimagining one of the defining crossover tracks of the early 2000s. Long before “genre-fluid” became a buzzword, the original version proved that hip-hop, rock, and metal didn’t just coexist — they could thrive together. This new take taps into that same spirit, updating the sound without losing the attitude that made it hit so hard the first time around.

Anchored by Sen Dog’s unmistakable presence and Hyro The Hero’s raw, modern edge, this version isn’t simply for nostalgia’s sake — it’s a reminder of why taking risks mattered then, and still matters now.

Beyond the cover, Joey also opens up about where Outlier is headed next, digging into original tracks “Warrior (feat. Chris Motionless),” “Crown (feat. VRSTY)” and “Creature of the Night.” Each song pulls from a different corner of the band’s identity — defiance, confidence, and controlled chaos — while pointing toward the bigger picture of Outlier’s upcoming studio album. We talk about how these songs fit together, what they reveal about the band’s evolution, and why this next chapter is a statement.

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This week, we’re digging into one of the most important collision points in modern music history — the moment when rock and hip-hop first slammed into each other and changed the landscape forever. Using When Rock Met Hip-Hop as a guiding lens, I’m joined by legendary music journalist Stephen Blush to explore the artists, scenes, and cultural flashpoints that brought distorted guitars and breakbeats together long before genre lines disappeared.

These collaborations were risky, raw, and often controversial. From early experiments that raised eyebrows to landmark moments that rewrote the rules, we unpack how rock and hip-hop didn’t just influence each other — they challenged ideas around race, authenticity, rebellion, and what popular music was even allowed to be.

Along the way, we dig into the stories behind these crossover moments, the samples that became entwined in the sound’s musical DNA, the artists willing to take the risks, and why their impact still echoes today.

If you’ve ever wondered how we got from Run-DMC and Aerosmith to today’s genre-fluid musical landscape — or if you just love a deep dive into music history — this episode connects the dots. Because some of the biggest shifts in music don’t come from trends or algorithms — they happen when two scenes collide and refuse to move out of each other’s way.

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Power ballads didn’t disappear when the lighters went away — they just continued to evolve.

This week, I’m joined by Terrie Carr of Carr Stereo to explore 10 power ballads released after 2000 — songs that still build slow, hit hard, and aim straight for the chest, even if the glow in the crowd looks a little different now.

From massive choruses to emotional gut-punches, these are the songs that prove the power ballad never lost its place — it just traded Bic lighters for phone screens and kept going. No era restrictions, no genre snobbery — just big feelings, bigger hooks, and the kind of songs that demand you turn them up a little louder than you probably should.

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This week, we’re turning the headlights on & exploring 10 songs that provide the perfect soundtrack for a late night drive by yourself. Because let’s be honest: road trips in the sunlight and road trips under the glow of streetlights are two completely different experiences. One’s about destinations. The other’s about the space between them. Especially when it’s just you and the music.

There’s something about driving at night that makes everything feel a little more cinematic — fewer cars, quieter thoughts, and songs that seem to hit harder when the rest of the world is asleep. These are tracks built for empty highways, dashboard lights, and moments where you don’t necessarily need to get anywhere fast… you just need to keep moving.

This playlist leans into mood over momentum — songs that breathe, linger, and let your mind wander somewhere beyond the windshield.

To add another layer to the episode, I pull a complete 180 and create a daytime alternative mix, featuring different songs from the same 10 artists — a sun-soaked playlist designed for a completely different musical atmosphere!

Thanks to Patreon Mixtaper Sean Goff for sending in this week’s playlist concept.

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This week, we’re rewinding to one of the most charming quirks of the ‘90s CD era: the hidden track. You know… those sneaky gems buried after minutes of silence, tucked into track 99, or disguised so well you didn’t even know they existed until someone finally tipped you off.

I’m diving into the stories behind these secret songs, what made them so appealing, and the unforgettable moments that made discovering a bonus track feel like you’d unlocked a musical cheat code. Join me as we celebrate the lost art of the hidden track — one skip (or search) button press at a time!

P.S. You might want to listen carefully to this one.

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