Michael's Record Collection

Episode 30: Mike Connell of The Connells - Steadman‘s Wake

Guitarist Mike Connell and his brother David formed a band in 1984. The band that bears their name, The Connells, is set to release its ninth studio album, and the first one in 20 years! I spoke with Mike about this excellent new record, Steadman's Wake, some of the songs on The Connells' most well-known release, "Ring" (1993), and more. It was great talking with Mike and I can't wait until you hear this record.

Find out more about Steadman's Wake and The Connells at their website and purchase the album on LP, CD, or digital.

Become a Patreon supporter starting at only $2 per month (50 cents an episode...or less!) at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and check us out on Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

Episode 29: Nathan James of Inglorious - Heroine

England's Inglorious is one of the best hard rock bands in the business today and their 2021 album We Will Ride will be on a lot of "best of 2021" lists at the end of the year. But the band has just released its second album of the calendar year and it has a bit of a twist to it. Heroine is an album of cover songs with Inglorious performing tracks by women who have been an inspiration musically and/or vocally. Lead singer Nathan James joined me to tell me about this incredible album and how the band turned pop songs by the likes of Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, Avril Lavigne, and Miley Cyrus into hard rock tracks. The band also covered more obvious choices like Heart's "Barracuda" and Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You." Nathan was a blast to talk to and I enjoyed going through the album with him.

You can find out more about Inglorious and order Heroine at their website.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show for as little as $2 per month at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

Episode 28: Billy Livesay - Not What I Bargained For

Former Clarence Clemons guitarist Billy Livesay (pronounced "leh-vuh-see") is my guest for this episode and his band, The Livesays, have a great new album out called Not What I Bargained For. This should appeal to fans of Bruce Springsteen or Americana bands. Billy was kind enough to talk to me about the making of the new album (which just came out), working with Clarence, his influences as both a guitarist and a vocalist, and a whole lot more. I hope you enjoy this interview and I hope Billy will forgive me for referring to his excellent album opener "Two Sides" as "Both Sides" several times during this interview. 

For more information on The Livesays or to order the album, check out their website.

For information on Billy Livesay, check out his website.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show for as little as $2 per month at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

Episode 27: Chip Z‘Nuff - Never Enuff: Rarities & Demos and More

Enuff Z'Nuff was a band that got unfairly lumped in with the 80s hair metal bands but that wasn't really their blueprint. The band's music fused power pop with glam, psychedelic rock, and hard rock into a new concoction. The band rose to prominence with its self-titled debut release in the late 80s and the single "Fly High Michelle." I spoke with founder Chip Z'Nuff this week about the band's new rarities and demos box set which features songs from the band's earliest days which collects 40 previously unheard tracks and these don't sound like your garden variety demos or outtakes. Chip has a lot more going on, as well, with a Beatles tribute album set for release in the coming months, a solo album some time next year, and more. We also spoke about his influences, his first record purchase, and other topics. Please enjoy!

For more on Enuff Z'Nuff, visit their website here.

For more information on Donnie Vie, visit his site.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

Episode 26: Corky Laing of Mountain - Toledo Sessions, Charlie Watts and More

Sometimes unexpected things happen when recording podcasts, so when I lost my connection with legendary Mountain drummer Corky Laing in the middle of our conversation, I didn't panic. But I wasn't prepared for him to come back on the Zoom call with the news that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts had died. Aside from that shocking development, I enjoyed talking with Corky about him being on the road again, his recent Toledo Sessions release and his Pompeii The Secret Sessions release, writing "Mississippi Queen," and a whole lot more. Corky is an energetic and funny guy and it was a blast catching up with him.

To find out more about Corky's music and shows, visit his website here.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

Episode 25: Brad Gillis of Night Ranger - ATBPO

I'm very pleased to bring you my interview with guitarist Brad Gillis of the legendary 80s rock band Night Ranger. Brad was kind enough to tell me about the making of the excellent new album ATBPO (an acronym for "and the band played on," which is how Night Ranger responded to the COVID-19 pandemic last year). With live venues shut down, the band started writing via Zoom calls and eventually put together a killer record that just came out earlier this month. Brad also told me about his early guitar heroes, playing on the rock and metal famine relief record "Stars" by Hear N' Aid in the 80s, making videos, the gear he used on ATBPO, and more. Check out the new album and I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.

Find out more about Night Ranger at their website.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

Episode 24: Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway with Dave Kerzner

In this episode, I reached out to prog rock musician Dave Kerzner, who has worked with virtually everyone at some point, to discuss his projects and his favorite Genesis record. He chose the 1974 classic double concept album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Dave was the perfect person to talk about Genesis with (in general) and specifically about The Lamb. He's played that piece live for a special 20th anniversary performance at ProgFest '94 with Kevin Gilbert and Nick D'Virgilio — who went on to release his own Lamb tribute under the name Rewiring Genesis, and he played drums for Genesis on the Calling All Stations album. "Squids" Kerzner is working on his own Lamb tribute album with Francis Dunner of It Bites (among others), played in Sound of Contact with Phil Collins' son Simon, recently bought a bunch of Tony Banks' keyboard equipment, and has worked with Steve Hackett and famed Genesis producer Nick Davis. There's more, but I'll leave his credentials there for now. Dave and I walked through the album and he dropped in interesting anecdotes along the way. It was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy revisiting The Lamb with us and perhaps learning more about Kerzner's work. 

Learn more about Dave's music here.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

 

Episode 23: Jack Russell's Great White - Led Zeppelin Tribute

Jack Russell has had a long and storied career in rock, fronting the well-known band Great White. That band has since split and he now leads Jack Russell's Great White, which is working on a new studio album or original songs. But the band recently spent some time in the studio recording an album full of classic songs by the mighty Led Zeppelin and now Jack Russell's Great White is set to release Great Zeppelin II: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin. Jack was kind enough to tell me about the making of the album, his love of Zep, his history in music, and we covered a variety of topics. Big thanks to Jack for his time.

Learn more about Jack Russell's Great White at the band's website.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

 

Episode 22: Playlist Wars and Linkin Park's "Meteora"

On this bonus episode I welcome Alex Gomez from the entertaining and unique Playlist Wars podcast. They've got a fantastic show with good guests and an interesting premise and every episode brings something a little different. Gomez was kind enough to tell me how he and Brian Colburn got the show started and then we dive into his favorite record: Meteora by Linkin Park. This second album by the band came out in 2003 and is well outside my comfort zone, but I did enjoy exploring it to find what I liked about it and what other people see in this band. Thanks to Gomez for challenging me to step outside my usual wheelhouse.

To learn more about Playlist Wars, check out their website.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments or want to suggest a topic? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.

Episode 21: Walter Egan Discusses New Album "Fascination"

Walter Egan is a criminally underrated American singer-songwriter in what we now call the Americana genre. Many people will remember his 1978 smash hit "Magnet and Steel" with backing vocals by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, but not enough people know how deep and rich his catalog really is. That catalog got even deeper and richer in 2021 with the release of Fascination, an album that chronicles his romantic pursuit of former rock super-groupie Pamela Des Barres a few years back. Walter was kind enough to take some time to talk about the new album with me, as well as all of the stories that led to the songs on the record. He also discussed working with Buckingham and Nicks and he told me why he never gets tired of being asked about "Magnet and Steel." And lots of other topics were covered as well.

To learn more about Hookers & Blow, visit their Facebook.

I appreciate you listening! You can become a patron of the show at the new MRC Patreon page, with supporter benefits that escalate at each level, providing more value the more you support the show.

Please hit the like button and leave a rating/review on Apple Music if you consume this podcast on that platform. You can read my Michael's Record Collection newsletter for free by signing up here. Follow MRC on Twitter, like MRC on Facebook, and check out my Instagram. Have questions or comments? Hit me up at michaelsrecordcollection@gmail.com.