On Episode #79 of Sound Up!, Mark Goodman and Alan Light recap all the events of music’s biggest weekend, starting with the all-star FireAid benefit on Thursday night and culminating in Sunday’s Grammy Awards. With the help of Shirley Halperin, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Hollywood Reporter, we look at the highlights and memorable moments from those two mega-events, plus the MusiCares concert honoring the Grateful Dead and Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy gala—and how it all played out against the backdrop of LA’s recent tragic wildfires.On top of all that, Beyonce announced her “Cowboy Carter” tour, and our New Music picks this week include songs from Grammy winner Doechii, Momma, Lord Huron (featuring Kristen Stewart) and Tunde Adebimpe.

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On Episode #78 of “Sound Up!,” Mark Goodman and Alan Light welcome Damian Kulash, frontman of OK Go, to talk about the band’s new single and first album in ten years, as well as their history of groundbreaking music videos. In music news, performers were announced for this week’s Grammy Awards and MusiCares tribute to the Grateful Dead; Timothee Chalamet dug into some Bob Dylan rarities on “SNL,” and Aaliyah gets her own Barbie. Our new music picks include Sam Fender, Larkin Poe, Kesha, and mehro.

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On Episode #77 of “Sound Up!,” Mark Goodman and Alan Light dig deep into music news, with an update on the mega-benefit concert coming up to aid those affected by the Los Angeles fires, on Def Leppard’s first performance of 2025 - without guitarist Vivian Campbell, recovering from cancer treatment - and lots of Bob Dylan news, including an auction of his manuscripts and memorabilia and his decision to join TikTok. Alan reviews a club performance by Jesse Malin, and a listener checks in from Tulsa with recaps of a concert and a movie. This week’s new music picks include tracks from Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket, Jason Isbell, Coheed & Cambria, and the Wiggles!

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On Episode #76 of “Sound Up!,” Mark Goodman and Alan Light welcome Rick Springfield to talk about his experiences in the Los Angeles fires and about his upcoming “Greatest Hits, Volume 2” collection. Mark reveals how his own visit to LA last week was impacted by the fires, and we take a look at the ways the disaster is affecting the music community, from the Grammy Awards ceremony to preliminary plans for a benefit concert. We respond to some email questions from the Pod Squad, and our new music picks for the week include The War & Treaty, Blondshell, Shakey Graves, Bishop Briggs, and Beach Weather.

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On Episode #75 of Sound Up!, Mark Goodman and Alan Light welcome Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos,” “The White Lotus”) to talk about his band ZOPA and the new single “A Still Life” from their upcoming album, “Diamond Vehicle.” We take a look back at the music headlines over the holidays—including Beyonce’s NFL halftime show and the opening of the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”—and look ahead to the most anticipated albums of 2025. In music news, Flavor Flav took a turn as a sports mascot and Neil Young announced plans for both an unreleased album from the ‘70s and a new record. New music picks for the week come from Sault, SZA, Best Friend, and Bleach Garden.

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Episode #74 of Sound Up!, the final show of the year, is a dive into the mailbag, where Pod Squad members sent Mark Goodman and Alan Light questions on a wide range of topics—favorites from 2024, predictions for 2025, some Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inquiries, best interviews, concert etiquette, and more.

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Episode #73 of Sound Up! is the second of our two special year-end retrospectives. This time, Mark Goodman and Alan Light focus on the best songs, biggest albums, and defining artists of 2024, including their choice for the Artist of the Year. We consider the commercial and creative powerhouses, from Beyonce to Billie Eilish, as well as breakthroughs and comebacks by the likes of Chappell Roan and The Cure. Plus, we look at the remarkable figures the music world lost in 2024.

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Episode #72 of Sound Up! is the first of two special year-end retrospectives. This time, Mark Goodman and Alan Light welcome Madison Vain, digital director of Esquire magazine, to look back at the biggest, most shocking, jaw-dropping music stories of 2024. Together, they discuss scandals and triumphs from the Diddy case to the Eras Tour, the Oasis reunion to the Kendrick/Drake beef, from the breakthroughs of Chappell Roan and Charli XCX to the flops from Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry. Plus, a quick look at some of the memorable responses to our latest Throwback Thursday social media question: What was your first concert?

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In episode #71 of Sound Up!, Mark Goodman and Alan Light welcome singer, songwriter, and Foo Fighter Chris Shiflet to talk about the new season of his guitar-centric podcast “Shred with Shifty,” including an episode featuring bandmates Dave Grohl and Pat Smear. We review the upcoming official Led Zeppelin documentary, and in music news, Jay Z is accused in the Diddy case, Nicko McBrain retires from Iron Maiden, Matthew Sweet gives an update after suffering a stroke, and Taylor Swift finishes the Eras Tour. This week’s New Music picks include Lucinda Williams, Sky Ferriera, Slash and Duff, and Thursday.

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In episode #70 of Sound Up!, Mark Goodman and Alan Light welcome singer/songwriter/actor Yola to discuss her new music and her recent starring role on Broadway. Roger recaps the all-star Jesse Malin benefit concert with guests including Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, and Little Steven, and we have a listener review of HBO’s Yacht Rock documentary. In music news, AC/DC announce US tour plans, Elton John faces a health crisis, Snoop Dogg and Sting revisit a Police classic, and The Cure have a live album on the way. This week’s New Music picks include Bright Eyes, Yuna, and Runaway June.

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