Stan and the Fan Podcast

Today on Stan and the Fan, we're joined by guitarist Mark Chatfield, a musician whose career has touched some fascinating chapters of American rock and roll.

Mark first made his mark in the 1970s with The Godz, the hard-rocking Columbus, Ohio band that earned a reputation for its powerful live shows and no-frills, turn-it-up-loud approach to rock. Their second album, Nothing Is Sacred, brought Mark together with Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer, who produced the record.

Mark later became a member of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, putting him onstage with one of the biggest touring acts in American rock and adding another remarkable chapter to a career that has spanned decades.

But Mark's story goes well beyond the bands he's played with. He developed a lifelong passion for vintage guitars, eventually turning that passion and his knowledge of rare instruments into a business. It's a world where music, history and craftsmanship all come together—and Mark has become as comfortable talking about a great old guitar as he is playing one.

Along the way, he's been a guitarist, songwriter, producer, studio owner, collector and businessman, giving him a perspective on the music industry that extends from the stage and recording studio to the instruments themselves.

We had a great time talking with Mark about The Godz, Don Brewer, Bob Seger, vintage guitars, life on the road, and the twists and turns of a career spent making a living in rock and roll.

So turn it up and join us for our conversation with Mark Chatfield.

When you mention the name Michael Shrieve, there's one image that immediately comes to mind: a 20-year-old drummer sitting behind an enormous drum kit at Woodstock, delivering one of the most electrifying performances of the entire festival with Santana.

It's an iconic moment in rock history—and one that would be enough to define most musicians' careers.

But Michael Shrieve's story is much bigger than Woodstock.

After helping Santana create some of the most groundbreaking music of the early 1970s, Michael made a decision that would shape the rest of his life. Rather than simply following the path that fame and success had laid out for him, he left Santana and began exploring music—and himself—in an entirely different way.

That journey has taken him around the world and across musical boundaries, collaborating with an extraordinary range of artists and exploring jazz, rock, electronic music, improvisation, and the musical and spiritual traditions of other cultures.

That lifelong curiosity can be heard beautifully on his recent album, Drums of Compassion, a deeply personal project that brings together musicians and musical traditions from around the world. In many ways, it feels less like another chapter in Michael's career than the culmination of the journey he began more than fifty years ago.

And now Michael has put another part of that journey into words with his book, Invisible Rhythms.

It's not simply a rock-and-roll memoir. Michael writes about intuition, creativity, spirituality, ambition, success, and the importance of recognizing those moments when something inside us is telling us that it may be time to change direction—even when the road ahead isn't obvious.

Those ideas help explain why a young man who had already achieved something most musicians could only dream about chose to leave Santana and take the road less traveled.

And you don't have to be a musician to appreciate that story. There are lessons in Invisible Rhythms for anyone who has ever wondered whether success means continuing down the path you're already on—or having the courage to discover where another path might lead.

Today we're going to talk about Woodstock, Santana and some remarkable music—but we're also going to talk about the journey that came afterward.

Stan and the Fan is honored to welcome Michael Shrieve.

Chuck Morris Our guest today goes way back with Stan—to the early days of the Colorado music scene, when a remarkable collection of musicians, clubs, promoters, and producers was beginning to put the Rocky Mountain region on the musical map.

Chuck Morris became one of the most influential figures to emerge from that scene. Over the years, he developed a reputation for recognizing talent early and helping turn promising artists into major acts. His career has crossed paths with an extraordinary list of musicians, and his fingerprints are all over the history of Colorado rock and roll.

But for us, this one is especially fun because Chuck knew Stan before the hit records, the big tours, and all the craziness that followed. They were both there when the Colorado music scene was still finding its identity—and Chuck went on to help discover and develop some of the biggest success stories to come out of it.

So today we're going back to where it all started: the clubs, the bands, the characters, and probably a few stories that Stan hoped Chuck had forgotten.

Welcome to Stan and the Fan—Chuck Morris.

Don Brewer is a founding member, drummer, and vocalist of Grand Funk Railroad, one of the biggest American rock bands of the 1970s. Known for his powerful, hard-driving drumming and unmistakable vocals, Brewer sang lead on the band's #1 smash "We're an American Band" and co-wrote many of Grand Funk's best-known songs.

From the band's legendary 1971 Shea Stadium concert to a string of gold and platinum albums, Brewer helped create the muscular, distinctly American sound that made Grand Funk a staple of classic-rock radio. He has also worked with artists including Bob Seger and remained a driving force behind Grand Funk Railroad for decades.

In this episode of Stan and the Fan, Don joins Grant and Stan Sheldon for stories from more than five decades of rock & roll—including the records, the road, and the remarkable history of one of America's most successful rock bands. Plus, Stan meets Sweet Sweet Connie while tripping on acid.

Our guest today is one of those musicians whose career seems to intersect with just about every corner of American rock, soul and R&B.

Long before most of the world knew him as Max Carl, Max Gronenthal was part of the fertile Midwest music scene of the late '60s and early '70s—including a stint right here in Lawrence with the Fabulous Flippers.

Then came a connection especially important to this show. In the early 1970s, Max joined the remarkable Tommy Bolinin the band Energy, where he played keyboards and sang alongside a bass player our listeners may have heard of before—Stanley Sheldon. That put Max and Stan together at ground zero with one of the most gifted and adventurous guitarists of his generation.

But that was only the beginning.

Max went on to become one of rock's great blue-eyed soul voices, singing and playing on recordings with an extraordinary list of artists including Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Dusty Springfield, Bette Midler, Rod Stewart and Kenny Loggins. His songs have been recorded by artists ranging from Joe Cocker and Aaron Neville to Huey Lewis and Tower of Power.

He co-founded the acclaimed R&B band Jack Mack and the Heart Attack, and then joined .38 Special, where he co-wrote and sang one of the band's biggest hits—and certainly one of its most distinctive—"Second Chance."

And if all of that weren't enough, Max spent more than a quarter century fronting Grand Funk Railroad, carrying the music of one of America's quintessential rock bands to audiences around the country before retiring from touring earlier this year.

Somewhere along that remarkable road, Max even shared the stage with the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown—and that's a story we're definitely going to ask him about.

So today we've got Tommy Bolin, .38 Special, Grand Funk, James Brown, decades of great records—and, most importantly for us, a couple of old bandmates with plenty of history to talk about.

Max Carl, welcome to Stan and the Fan.

Today's guest is one of the most respected and distinctive drummers of the rock era—a musician whose playing has been heard on some of the most iconic records of the past five decades.

Andy Newmark first made his mark as the drummer for Sly and the Family Stone, and from there built a remarkable career playing with an extraordinary list of artists, including John Lennon, David Bowie, George Harrison, Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Eric Clapton, and many others.

He played on Lennon's Double Fantasy, Bowie's Young Americans, and Carly Simon's classic "Anticipation"—which means Andy is also partly responsible for an entire generation of Americans staring impatiently at a bottle of Heinz ketchup, waiting for the damn stuff to come out.

That may not be the most prestigious entry on his résumé…but it might be the one most deeply embedded in our subconscious.

His style is tasteful, economical, and unmistakably musical. And behind all those legendary sessions are some incredible stories about the people, the records, and a period in music history that will never be repeated.

We're thrilled to have him with us today.

Welcome to Stan and the Fan—Andy Newmark.

Today's guest is singer, songwriter, guitarist, and one of the leading voices in keeping classic country and rockabilly alive, Chuck Mead. As the founder and frontman of BR5-49, Chuck helped launch the 1990s roots music revival and has gone on to build an acclaimed solo career.

He's also served as Musical Director for the hit Broadway and touring production Million Dollar Quartet, helping bring the legendary 1956 Sun Records jam session of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins to life for audiences around the world.

Chuck also has deep roots here in Lawrence, Kansas, where he grew up, making today's conversation even more special. From hanging out with William Burroughs to seeing a naked Jerry Lee Lewis in bed eating bacon, Chuck's got all the stories. Enjoy!

Today's guest is Smilin' Jay McDowell, a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the acclaimed country-rock band BR5-49. Known for his infectious energy, sharp musicianship, and unmistakable stage presence, Jay helped revive classic honky-tonk and rockabilly for a new generation while earning a loyal following around the world. He's shared the stage with countless legendary artists and continues to write, perform, and keep the spirit of American roots music alive. We're excited to welcome Smilin' Jay McDowell to Stan and the Fan.

Today's guest is one of the most respected and influential bass players of the last half-century. Jimmy Haslip is best known as the founding bassist of the Grammy-winning jazz fusion band Yellowjackets, where his innovative six-string bass playing helped redefine what the instrument could do.

Over the course of an incredible career, Jimmy has performed and recorded with an astonishing range of artists, including Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Lorber, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Joe Cocker, Anita Baker, Robben Ford, Gino Vannelli, Bruce Hornsby, and countless others. Whether it's jazz, rock, pop, fusion, or R&B, Jimmy has earned a reputation as a musician's musician—someone whose creativity, tone, and musicality are admired by fans and fellow players alike.

He's also crossed paths with many of the legendary musicians that Stan has worked with over the years, so we're looking forward to hearing some stories that you won't hear anywhere else.

Welcome to Stan and the Fan!

Our guest today is a true rock-and-roll veteran whose career has put him behind the drums—and alongside—some of the biggest names in music history.

Joe Vitale has played and recorded with legends including Joe Walsh, the Eagles, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Peter Frampton, and many more. He was a key member of Barnstorm, co-wrote the classic "Rocky Mountain Way," and has spent more than five decades collecting the kinds of stories that only someone who was actually there can tell.

Today, we get to hear some of those stories firsthand, and the stories Joe and Stan tell from their humble beginnings should not be missed!