This week on The Popcast, Tim sits down with Will Turpin of Collective Soul to talk new music, old influences and bringing one of Georgia’s biggest rock bands back home.

Collective Soul’s new album, Touch and Go, finds the band taking a turn toward the sounds of ’80s New Wave, drawing particular inspiration from The Cars while still sounding unmistakably like Collective Soul. Will talks about the making of the record, the band’s creative process and what keeps them excited about making new music more than three decades into their career.

They also look ahead to Collective Soul live at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater — “The Fred” — in Peachtree City, Georgia, Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 6:30 PM.

Collective Soul:

https://collectivesoul.com/

Tickets — Collective Soul at The Fred:

https://thefred.freshtix.com/

Direct AXS event page:

https://www.axs.com/events/1349579/collective-soul-tickets

Listen to / learn more about Touch and Go:

https://collectivesoul.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/collectivesoul/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/collectivesoul/

Tim Andrews welcomes Kevin Spencer, lead vocalist and guitarist for Electric Avenue, one of the country's premier '80s tribute bands.

Electric Avenue has built its reputation by going far beyond costumes and nostalgia, painstakingly recreating the sounds, arrangements and energy of the decade's biggest New Wave and pop records. The band performs more than 100 shows a year and brings together musicians whose careers have included work with artists ranging from Paul Simon and Lionel Richie to the B-52s, Collective Soul, Zac Brown Band and more.

On Saturday, August 15, Electric Avenue takes on something considerably bigger: The '80s Symphonic Experience at Atlanta Symphony Hall. The band will perform alongside the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, conducted by Michael Giel, bringing a full orchestral treatment to music from artists including Tears for Fears, Toto, Prince, Queen, Duran Duran, Phil Collins, David Bowie, George Michael, The Police, A-ha and more.

Tim and Kevin talk about Electric Avenue's origins, the band's obsession with getting the music right, the enduring appeal of the '80s, and what goes into transforming those familiar songs for a full symphonic performance.

THE '80s SYMPHONIC EXPERIENCE

Saturday, August 15, 2026 – 8:00 PM

Atlanta Symphony Hall

Electric Avenue with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra

Electric Avenue:

https://www.ElectricAvenueMusic.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ElectricAvenue

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ElectricAve80s/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/ElectricAvenueMusic

Tickets / Tour Dates:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/electric-avenue---the-80%27s-mtv-experience-tickets/artist/2660247

My guests this week are the director and performers from the Ovations Theater sketch comedy show, "My Dead Cat Rhonda" & we're talking all about their upcoming shows at Stage Door Theater in Dunwoody. Kelly Balzli, director, along with; Cole Kiker, Maya Kelch, Sam Lee & Kaley Strawn talk about their backgrounds and what to expect at the show.

Plus: Hey, I'm playing Trump in one of the sketches!

See it live, Saturday, July 25 - Friday, July 31 & Saturday August 1

TICKETS

Stage Door Theatre

5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody GA 30338

This episode features two guests:

Josh Gates is an adventurer, archaeologist, author, and the host and executive producer of Discovery Channel’s hit series Expedition Unknown. Armed with degrees in archaeology and drama from Tufts University, Gates has traveled to more than 100 countries, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua, participated in underwater excavations in the Mediterranean, and investigated mysteries everywhere from King Tut’s tomb to Chernobyl.

The new season of Expedition Unknown premieres Wednesday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel.

And comedian Bruce Bruce. See Bruce Bruce & Friends at City Winery Atlanta | July 10 and August 22 | Tickets Available NOW at CityWinery.com or BruceBruce.com

PLUS: Catch Bruce Bruce's Netflix Special: I Ain't Playin' streaming now.

Toy Story 5 is in theaters now. I had a few minutes to chat with Craig Robinson about his new character, which is NOT a Spirograph.

Joining me once again on the show is Atlanta writer, producer, director and co-creator of the popular Adult Swim show, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." He's also behind 12oz Mouse & Pastacolypse, not to mention a zillion other things, including his very cool YouTube series, "Meat Kingdom."

Next year is the 20th Anniversary of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters & he has a little info on the celebration and screening next summer.

Michelle Shidlovsky, creator of the Instagram account Forgotten Georgia, which has developed a devoted following by uncovering the hidden stories, abandoned places, lost communities, roadside oddities, and forgotten landmarks that most of us drive past every day without noticing. Also joining is Tony Guerrero, Michelle's partner and host of his own Spanish-language version.

Tim reconnects with fellow Mansfield, Pennsylvania native Tom Willner for the first time in nearly four decades. The two reminisce about growing up in the same small town before diving into Tom's incredible life journey. Tom discusses being diagnosed with cancer at age 30, how that experience reshaped his perspective on life, and the lessons he learned about resilience, purpose, and gratitude. He also shares how creativity and community helped him move beyond simply surviving and inspired him to found Now We Thrive, an organization dedicated to helping people live fuller, more meaningful lives after adversity. The conversation also highlights Tom's upcoming Thriving seminar and open house event on June 13, offering attendees practical tools and inspiration for personal growth, connection, and living life with intention.

Learn more about Tom and the June 13 event at https://www.tomwillner.com

This week's guest is Gabe Wardell, a filmmaker, film educator, writer, former executive director in Atlanta's film community, and the longtime producer who helped build the Atlanta 48 Hour Film Project into one of the most competitive cities in the world for the competition. After spending years helping creatives through organizations ranging from the Atlanta Film Festival to Coca-Cola Studios, Gabe is back at the helm for the project's landmark anniversary season, which kicks off June 12–14 and culminates with screenings at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/48hourfilmproject

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Atlanta48HFP

Website: https://www.48hourfilm.com/atlanta

This week on The Popcast, I'm joined by comedian Derrick Stroup — an Alabama native whose rapid-fire storytelling and Southern observations have made him one of the fastest-rising stand-ups in comedy right now. You’ve seen him on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, touring with comics like Nate Bargatze and Bert Kreischer, and now his brand-new Netflix special Nostalgic is streaming now — filmed at the historic Lyric Theatre in Birmingham and packed with stories about growing up a ‘90s kid in rural Alabama. Derrick also brings his first-ever headlining theater tour, the “Running Hot Tour,” to Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater on May 27th and 28th. Derrick, thanks for coming on, man.

Tickets: https://www.centerstage-atlanta.com/events/derrick-stroup/

PLUS: A preview of my new show, "The Sunday Show" with co-host, George Clark.

Trey Toler has lived enough lives to fill a book – which is exactly what he did. He spent his teens as an unlikely caregiver, navigating medical crises and adult responsibility before most kids had a driver's license. In his twenties, he found his footing on stage as a stand-up comedian, performing regularly at Atlanta's Laughing Skull Lounge and eventually running the shows there, along the way earning the mentorship of Margaret Cho and an internship at Turner Broadcasting's Adult Swim. He traded the mic for a career in media and advertising, where he discovered the same instincts that made him good onstage—reading a room, finding the truth that connects—made him good in recruiting and sales too.

"​​Good Damage is the debut memoir from Trey Toler about the messy, unscripted "after. “ After the illness, the loss, the burnout, and the exhausting performance of recovery.

The story begins with a Southern childhood governed by rules no one explains: sunscreen and flip flops are gay, and umbrellas are for women. Trey comes of age as the boy who could never quite get those rules right, raised in a church where the preacher says homosexual the way you say abomination (slow, careful, like the word itself could spread).

At the heart of the story is his mother—her fierce beauty, her harrowing brain surgery, and her eventual absence. Trey explores the deafening silence that follows when the person who made the world feel safe is gone, and the strange, delayed grief that refuses to arrive—or leave—on schedule."

https://ripples.media/books/good-damage/

Find him on Instagram and TikTok at @Toler_the_Trey and on Substack at @TreyToler1.