A-Sides

Episode 99 is another deep dive into the discography of Prince, covering his studio albums from 1985's Around the World In A Day to 1994's Come. Not only do Brent and Andy share their favorite songs, but Brent reveals a musical anecdote from his past, we find out about a cruise ship obsessed with The Gold Experience, Gene Simmons vs Prince and their sexual conquests, along with the usual off-topic tangents. Thank you for pressing play on another episode of A-Sides!

Nearing the 100th episode of A-Sides, this episode features returning guest, Shane Tassart. He not only shares the details about the recording of the long-awaited debut album from The Hot Summers, but also delves into a few stories from his past about interacting with Gene Simmons, the brotherhood he shares with fellow songwriters Denny Smith and Mick Sweda, and possibly busts the myth about KISS' blood being used in a comic book! You can follow The Hot Summers on Facebook and find their music on your favorite streaming service. Huge thank you to Shane Tassart for making his second appearance on A-Sides and a big thanks to everyone who listens!

Returning with the second installment in our journey through the KISSOLOGY, Episode 97 of A-Sides tackles the "dark era" of KISS. During this era from 1979 to 1982, the band lost two founding members, ventured away from their typical brand of hard rock, and even wore capes, but managed to find their way back with the help of several outside songwriters (including Bryan Adams!) Brent and Andy share their favorite songs, but also pinpoint who was the weakest link in KISS, make the case for Creatures of the Night being a worthy successor to Destroyer's expansion of their "sound", and debate the quality of 1981's concept album, Music From The Elder. Thank you for pressing play on the newest episode of A-Sides!

For Episode 96, Andy spoke with Joshua Ketchmark, ahead of his forthcoming studio album titled Blood. The album's release will be on July 8, 2022 and it takes inspiration from Joshua's background in the Midwest. They not only touch on this new release, but also several past albums and EP's, the benefits of having a home recording studio, our expectations when attending concerts, and which member of KISS still owes him 6 bucks. It was a pleasure to chat with Joshua and don't miss out on his new album, Blood. You can find his catalog on all streaming platforms and follow along with Joshua online here.

For Episode 95, Andy is joined by Arnela Moore of the power trio, The Rumours. Known for their high energy shows, The Rumours are about to hit a run of West Coast dates, called "The Filthy Bathroom" Tour. Andy chatted with Arnela ahead of this tour about picking up the bass, joining The Rumours, what inspired the tour's name, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, swearing, KISS, and our mutual friendship with Bob Long. Thanks for pressing play on Episode 95. You can find Arnela's pre-loved thrift shop online here- Pre-Loves or follow The Rumours on Bandcamp. 

Episode 94 of A-Sides features a topic that has been brewing since the early days of this podcast; covering the music of Prince. With his discography reaching nearly 40 albums, the only option was to break his career up into "era's", with Episode 94 tackling his first 6 albums from 1978 through the release of Purple Rain in 1984. As a longtime fan, Brent shares his background with Prince, while Andy shares his unique impressions as a newer listener. They also discuss Prince's influence on other artists, ponder the formation of a band with all bass guitar, and debate Purple Rain vs Thriller as the album that defines the 1980's. Thanks for pressing play on Episode 94 of A-Sides!

Episode 93 features a deep discussion on the power trio King's X, with friends Freddy Herrera and Corey Rozzoni returning to the podcast. The guys not only share their favorite albums, but also discuss various side projects and solo albums, sneaking into concerts (Kids don't try this at home!), the struggles of making it in the music industry, and cuckoo clocks! Huge thank yous to Freddy and Corey for taking the time to share their stories and thanks to everyone who listens!

After 3 long years and 91 episodes under their belts, Brent and Andy are finally devoting an entire episode to KISS! This episode dives into the original era of the band, featuring a discussion on the first 6 studio albums, from their self-titled album through 1977's Love Gun. They share their favorite songs, rank the albums, trade Paul Stanley impressions, highlight several underrated performances, and even jump ahead to their appearance on MTV's Unplugged. Reach for some cold gin and enjoy this episode of A-Sides! Thanks for listening!

For Episode 91, we chose to dive into our favorite Foo Fighters' songs. With the band's career spanning over 25 years, 10 studio albums, numerous Grammy Awards, and even a recent horror comedy movie titled Studio 666, there's a lot to cover in this episode. We not only share songs, but discuss the origins of a "foo fighter", seeing the band in concert, Brent's obsession with destroying dry wall, and also detour into a brief Nirvana rabbit hole. Thanks for pressing play on Episode 91!

Ahead of her upcoming shows in Illinois, Liv Warfield spoke with Andy on Episode 90 for a quick chat about her background in Peoria IL, finding her voice through karaoke, recording a live album at New York City's Cafe Wha?, and her favorite places to eat back home. If you are able to catch her electrifying live shows, you can get tickets at The Scottish Rite Cathedral or The Space in Evanston. If you cannot see her live, you can follow along with her on her website. Huge thanks to Liv for taking the time to chat, to Erika Tooker for her assistance, and to everyone who listens.

Episode 89 features Matt Andersen of The Great Affairs, as he chats with Andy about his life from growing up in Kentucky to working and performing in Nashville, TN. Matt shares stories about working his first show in the rafters, performing as an opening act for various 80's legends, and the best spring break ever in 1997. You can follow along with Matt and The Great Affairs through their website - https://dennysmithmusic.com/. Thanks to Matt for taking part in this episode, also Corey Rozzoni for his production skills editing this episode.    

Frequent guest Corey Rozzoni makes his 4th appearance on A-Sides to chat with Andy in this special 88th episode. They revisit a Facebook post that Rizzo made, which he asked friends to rank their favorite bands of the "Grunge" era. Not only do they break down Corey's favorites, they also try to define the "Seattle Sound", and debate which pizza toppings make the best pie. You can follow Corey on his website, https://coreyrozzoni.com/home, where you can hire him for your next musical project or follow along with his current projects. Big thank you to Corey for guesting and producing this episode, and thanks to all for pressing play on this newest episode of A-Sides.

Building from previous discussions reminiscing on car trips as kids and music from our dads' record collections, we came up with the idea to discuss our favorite songs from yesteryear, dubbed "Our Dads' Mixtape." Episode 87 features of wide range of songs from country artists to Motown, with a dash of blue-eyed soul. They reminisce, they laugh, and Brent even shares a story about a death trap coffee table! Thanks for checking out the newest episode of A-Sides!

For Episode 86, Denny Smith of The Great Affairs makes another guest appearance to discuss the classic era of Dokken. Denny and Andy begin with their debut album Breaking the Chains, then analyze Jeff Pilson's impact on the band, along with the many wardrobe changes and hair styles, live performances, and also touch on a few of their splinter groups and side projects. Huge thanks to Denny Smith for sharing his stories and fondness for Dokken. You can follow his group The Great Affairs on their website- https://dennysmithmusic.com/

This long overdue 85th episode of A-Sides features a deep dive into arguably one of the greatest metal bands of all time, Metallica! Brent and Andy share their introductions to the band, along with their 10 favorite songs, the various points of contention where Metallica "sold out", experiencing Metallica live, their ever-changing setlists, and also discover that Metallica makes the perfect soundtrack for a pick-up basketball game. Thanks for pressing play on another episode of A-Sides'ah!

John Massaglia returns to A-Sides to discuss his band, The Truth Council, following up on his previous appearance on Episode 16. John shares a few updates from the studio as well as inspirations behind their second EP, Green Planet, before diving into his wide range of musical influences.   You can follow John and The Truth Council on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/thetruthcouncil and find their music on your favorite streaming platform. Big thanks to John for guesting on Episode 84 of A-Sides!

For Episode 83, Brent and Andy tackle the biggest band in music history- The Beatles! After sharing their introductions, they dive into their favorite songs, discuss the recent Beatles' documentaries, explain how a "less is more" approach can be effective, and Brent even makes a striking comparison between an iconic song of the 80's and one from The Fab Four. Grab a cold beverage, press "play", and enjoy the newest episode of A-Sides. Thanks for listening!

Episode 82 features a conversation with Adam Wakeman, which touches on his recently released classical album, A Handful of Memories. He also shares stories from the road, the time he attended an interesting "speed dating" version of songwriting, and he dives into the genesis of Jazz Sabbath. Jazz Sabbath is an instrumental recreation of some of Black Sabbath's most beloved songs, which Adam will be performing live throughout the UK in the autumn of 2022.   Huge thanks to Adam for being a guest on this newest episode of A-Sides! Thanks for listening to this newest episode and to all for listening throughout 2021.    Many of Adam's recent musical projects can be played and purchased through Band Camp: https://adamwakeman.bandcamp.com/   You can find news about Adam and his recent tour by visiting his website: http://www.adamwakeman.co.uk/

2021 continued the trend of surprise albums and massive back-catalog reissues, while vinyl sales continued to rise and pressing plants experienced even greater delays. We definitely bought more than our fair share of vinyl this year, so we sat down to discuss our 5 favorite albums of 2021. The discussion also includes our favorite reissued albums, annoying album packaging, our next tribute band idea, and an unusual record that Brent received in the mail. Throw on your ugly holiday sweater, grab your favorite frosty beverage, and fire up this newest episode of A-Sides. Thanks for listening and happy holidays!

Mt Rushmore features the sculpted heads of four great Presidents of the United States of America. For Episode 80, Brent and Andy shared which 4 iconic guitar players would make their own personal Mt Rushmore. Brent came at the topic with his own personal influences that have inspired his playing and guitar tone, while Andy approached the topic through a fan perspective, and also took it a bit literally. They also share some frustration with the recent delays with vinyl hitting stores shelves and mail boxes, before diving into the topic. So raise your goblet of rock, press play on this newest episode of A-Sides, and big thanks to everyone for listening!