You Should Check It Out

We kick things off with a special guest this week. Nick’s youngest son, Charlie Kline, joins us to recount seeing his favorite artist, NF , in concert last week at CFG Arena. Charlie particularly likes his positive lyrics and was excited to share his favorite moments from the show. Songs: NF - “Time” NF - “When I Grow Up” Next up, it’s Heard It Through the GREGvine. The hardcore band, Knocked Loos...

After evaluating all possible options for the 250th episode of You Should Check It Out, Greg, Jay, and Nick landed on a good old fashioned hang out (plus Greg has a new “Tales From the Concert”). Thanks for listening! Songs: NF - “Hope” Frank Zappa - “Punky’s Whips (Baby Snakes)” IDLES - “Mother”

This week, Greg and Jay dive into the legacy of Steve Albini, the legendary recording engineer (which he preferred over the title “producer”) and musician who unexpectedly left us at 61. He was the audio engineer for Pixies 1988 Surfer Rosa , which was incredibly influential on alternative rock and grunge. His refusal of the title “producer” included refusal to accept royalties on the hundreds of...

We start with another News with Nick. UMG returns to TikTok, FKA Twig eloquently requests exclusive control of her own AI deepfake in Congressional testimony, and the New York Times explains the current legal definition of a song. Song: Vampire Weekend - “Classical” Greg digs deep into the current beef with Kendrick Lamar & Drake, which escalated considerably in the last week and a half. How d...

Back during the pandemic, our friends and fellow podcast Rockin’ the Suburbs hosted a weekly Zoom jam session for its listeners called the “Friday Night Hootenanny.” It was at those jams that Jay met our guest this week, Mike Wagner. Mike’s just released an album, as Total Strangers, featuring many of the musicians that joined those Friday jams. Songs: Total Strangers - “All Falling Down” Total St...

This year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are in and we see how we did with our picks from Episode #236. Jay regales us in a recap of the Martin Guitar factory tour he experienced last week in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. The custom order tour, made possible friend of the show, Keith Grasso, and two Island Music customers, includes the standard tour plus a look in Martin’s selections of rare w...

Greg catches us up on Coachella 2024, including Grimes’ unfortunate mishap on stage. Then, thanks to a an email from anonymous listener, Kresimir Tokic, we’re honored to welcome Victor Mitrani back to the show. Victor, recording as Little Oil, released his 2nd album, Twelve Songs , last month, He shares stories behind some songs and explains why he indulges humor when writing lyrics to to his song...

Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick. This week, Lizzo didn’t quit, Spotify raises prices again, and artists, on break from arranging the chairs on the Titanic, unite in opposition to AI. Song: Hiatus Kaiyote - “Everything’s Beautiful” Greg revisits Manor/Mijor, exploring popular songs altered from major keys to minor (or vice versa). This week features Smash Mouth, the theme to the X-Files, and...

Before we begin, we follow up on last week’s Ai, Ai, Ai with a special track from Suno.ai [YSCIO End Credits - https://app.suno.ai/song/14adf014-7265-4ab1-a9c4-c696e648dddc/] ————————- Jay brings us a review and discussion about Beyonce's new album Cowboy Carter . Songs: Mark Knopfler & Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes - “Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)” Beyoncé - “Sixteen Carriages” Beyoncé -...

Greg talks about the Germantown, MD band Clutch, whose album Blast Tyrant was released 20 years ago last week. Comprised of its original lineup since 1991, the hard rock band has developed a loyal fanbase nationwide. Songs: Clutch - “Worm Drink” Clutch - “Earth Rocker (Live)” Jay notes another milestone as the PBS program Austin City Limits is about to begin its 50th season. The live music experie...

Leading off, Nick updates the gang on Neil Young’s reluctant return to Spotify and then discusses YouTuber George Collier. A college sophomore, George posts his favorite music or musician’s videos from YouTube with the staff notated score as the video’s caption. He then offers the sheet music for free in the description. You can find his channel at @GeorgeCollier . Song: Deerhoof - “Scarcity is Ma...

Jay has a special public service announcement for anyone over the age of 35 about music the kids are listening to these days. Inspired by a Pitchfork article, titled “The Musical Age of Shitpost Modernism,” details ‘a new frontier of profane genius that walks the tightrope between cringe and cool.' Chock full of pop-culture references and inside jokes, this is absurdist music made by and for Gen A...

Greg found himself home in L.A. most of last week and decided to catch Extreme at The Bellwether. Living Colour opened the show. Tom Morello was in the crowd watching his childhood hero, Nuno Bettencourt. Mr. Bettencourt’s remains unaffected by time. It’s Tales From The Concert! Song: Extreme - “Get the Funk Out” Jay brings us two important remembrances. American sound and radio engineer Bill Heil...

Get ready for it, we kick things off this week with “News with Nick.” Brian Wilson’s conservatorship, Vultures 1 tops the charts, and four Beatles biopics are up for discussion. Song: Tapir! - “Unknown” Next up, Greg brings us “Three For Thursday.” Idles latest album Tangk is their first work with producer Nigel Godrich and the band, while staying true to form, delves appropriately deeper with the...

Keith Grasso joins Nick & Jay to co-host a special episode remembering Bill Higgins, the founder and owner of Bill’s Music in Catonsville, Maryland, who passed last week at the age of 81. First opened in 1965, the store has been a staple store for Maryland musicians for the last 58 years. Jay & Keith both landed a job at Bill’s around 2002 and left in 2007. Jay went into the audio/visual i...

If you take the extracted drums out of popular songs, can you still recognize the song? That’s the question Jay aims to answer with his latest game “Drums, No Chaser.” Song: John Hartford - “Joseph’s Dream” Nick presents the latest batch of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. This year, fifteen different artists are in contention for induction, with the ceremony coming later this fall. The guys...

Due to the torrential L.A. rains and a total lack of interest, Greg neither attended nor watched the Grammy Awards this year. He was, however, kind enough to cover the show for us this year. (Thanks Greg!) Songs: Jeff Beck - “Stratus (Live at Ronnie Scott's)” Jay brings a rare, feel good, bipartisan news story this week as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle lock arms to keep AM radio alive. With...

Love them or hate them, Pitchfork’s influence over the music industry for the last two decades is undeniable. When news leaked in mid-January that half the staff was let go and that the music review site was to be rolled into GQ Magazine, the internet lost it’s mind. But, does it matter? That’s what we’re talking about this week! Songs: Jet - “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is”

Coachella released the full lineup for its 2024 festival and, as the typeface grew smaller, so did Greg’s familiarity with the bands listed. He started wondering if the bands listed were even real. Then he realized this was all a great premise for a new game! “Marquee or Snarky” asks contestants to decide whether a given band can be found on the marquee, or whether Greg’s just being snarky. Song:...

Nick was invited by his brother, Alex, to see Tool CFG Arena in Baltimore. Unaware of this, Jay self-gifted himself a great floor seat to the same show. Today, they join forces for another round of Tales from the Concert. Nick’s Songs: Umphrey’s McGee featuring Huey Lewis & Jeff Coffin - “Let’s Dance” Tool - “Jambi” Jay’s Songs: Tool - “Rosetta Stoned” The Black Crowes - “Wanting & Waiting...

Jay leads off with a true “Three for Thursday,” which includes something old, something new, and something blue. After hearing Bela Fleck’s Drive recommended on another podcast, Jay’s been experiencing a bit of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon all week regarding Mr. Fleck. Also, Ryan Adams has released five full length albums so far this year. Songs: Bela Fleck - “Whitewater” Ryan Adams - “Shinin’ th...

Greg spent last week at home for the holidays and had the opportunity to hang out, catch up and jam with his brother. Austin. Having recently moved to Brooklyn to pursue his jazz guitar career, we listen to The Loman Brothers jam and some new material from Austin Loman Group. Next up, Greg found a story about Michiru Aoyama, a Kyoto based musician that has recorded and released an album a day for...

Happy New Year! Thank you so much for listening. We’re about to conclude another year of great music and conversations and we have some of our favorites to share. This year we’ve decided to each bring our favorite artist, album and show of the past year. We’d love to hear yours, please reach out on Facebook or Instagram if you care to. Album of the Year: Intercepted Message by Thee Oh Sees ( Nick...

While it may not be the extravaganza of years past, we are back again with our 4th Annual Holiday Show! This year we’re listening to some lesser known holiday songs and Greg takes on a classic Vince Guaraldi song, in theory. Thank you all for listening! We wish you a safe and happy holiday season! The Holiday Songs: Keith Richards - “Run Run Rudolph” Paul Simon - “Getting Ready for Christmas Day”...

Nick joins us in a fever state with a News with Nick. Twice the fun, half the accuracy! We learn about the sequel to Spinal Tap, celebrate TayTay as Time’s Person of the Year, and dig into a Senate Bill that may fix the concert ticketing problem (fever dreaming!). Song: The Dears - “Never Destroy Us” Greg’s version of “Three for Thursday” involves two songs, two other things and some follow up! Gr...