A-Sides

If there is one band to follow in 2024 - it's Beasto Blanco! As they are gearing up for the release of their fourth album Kinetica, A-SIDES welcomes back Brother Latham for another conversation. Latham discusses his guitar influences, filming music videos, surviving the pandemic, becoming ordained, and even missing props while on tour! It was fun to catch up with Brother Latham and hear what he's...

Central Illinois musician John Massaglia of The Truth Council makes another appearance on A-SIDES as the podcast reaches its 150th episode. John shares his current plans for the band in 2024, taking the band to Canada this fall, the reality of superhero movie fatigue, and gives a very poignant answer about what he wants more of in his life! Shout out to another Central Illinois musician Brian Lars...

The immensely talented Ryan Waters joins A-SIDES following a recent performance in St. Louis with LiV Warfield at City Winery. Not only is he a collaborator with LiV, he currently performs alongside Nancy Wilson and Heart, which he shares how their paths have weaved and intersected over the years. Ryan also discusses his favorite artists, growing up in the Pacific Northwest, songwriting post-COVID...

2024 is the "Year of the Beasto" on A-SIDES! Following up on Calico's recent appearance on A-SIDES, her Beasto Blanco bandmate Chuck Garric joins A-SIDES for Episode 148. Not only does he share a few details on Beasto's upcoming studio album titled Kinetica, Chuck also shares a few influences that have fueled Beasto's creation, touring with the Alice Cooper band, and more! Huge thanks to Chuck for...

Glam had bitten the dust, Grunge was king, but another wave of metal was breathing down it's neck. That was the year of 1994. Corey Rozzoni from The Great Affairs makes his 8th appearance on the podcast to discuss 1994's many highlights, including debuts from Weezer and Green Day, grunge classics like Superunknown, even The Lion King soundtrack, and Bob Rock's influence on several bands from this...

The year of 1991 was a melting pot for the rock genre, with Seattle bands claiming the throne at the top of the charts, Sunset Strip glam becoming passe, and the Bay Area metal bands getting caught in the middle. A-SIDES welcomes back Paul Tincher (previously on Episode 130) to discuss the bands on the Clash of the Titans tour, led by Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, and the intersecting rising rock...

After a chance meeting at Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding fundraiser in December, Andy welcomes special guest Daxx Nielsen for Episode 145 of A-SIDES. Daxx shares his earliest interest in music, growing up in the era of MTV, performing at Wrigley Field, recording and performing with Cheap Trick, and more! Huge thanks to Daxx for taking time to be a guest on A-SIDES and thanks to all who listen. Y...

Ahead of the upcoming fourth studio album from Beasto Blanco, Calico Cooper joins A-SIDES to discuss her history with Beasto and more! She shares how she first became involved with the band, touring Germany, playing small stages vs large arenas, her transformation with each Beasto release, family traditions, and even thoughts on the Barbie movie! Huge thanks go out to Calico for being a guest on t...

A-SIDES Episode 143 welcomes drummer Rich Beddoe, whose past includes roles in Finger Eleven and Saint Asonia. He shares stories from the road, what sparked his passion for drumming, his sobriety, and his newfound role as a father. We also talk about "gate keeping", learning to accept yourself, radio DJ's, and a surprising influence from Queensryche. Huge thanks to everyone who listens to this epi...

The worlds of music and pro-wrestling collide for Episode 142 of A-SIDES as special guest "Showtime" Eric Young discusses his passion for music. Describing it as the "ritualistic pleasure of vinyl", not only does Eric share how he developed his extensive record collection, he also discusses the positives and negatives of social media, a unique comparison of pro-wrestling and listening to a record...

Episode 141 of A-SIDES features special guest Janel Duarte, bassist and co-vocalist of Conquer Divide. They just released their sophomore album, Slow Burn, which has scored accolades from Metal Hammer, Sirius XM's Octane, and Loudwire. Janel shares her inspirations, favorite horror films, aspirations and goals, and looks ahead to more touring for Conquer Divide in 2024. Huge thanks to Janel and th...

A-SIDES previously took a look at the career of DIO on Episode 127, starting with the acclaimed 1983 album Holy Diver through 1987's Dream Evil. Returning guest and friend Corey Rozzoni makes a follow-up appearance here to dissect several albums from the later period of DIO, sharing stories about Lock Up The Wolves, Strange Highways, and Killing The Dragon. Corey and Andy discuss the differences i...

There was an era when releasing a live album was a launching pad for a rock band, for artists such as KISS and Cheap Trick. They were later released to commemorate tours like the Family Values Tour, OzzFest, and festivals like Woodstock '99. A-SIDES welcomes back Patrick Kennison of Heaven Below, as he shares his favorite live albums, from the 70's into the early 00's. He also shares a few stories...

Nashville-based rock band The Great Affairs dropped a smashing set of 10 songs (plus 1 original holiday song) this fall titled, Sleepwalker. Singer/songwriter Denny Smith, who also acts as my musical guide, joined A-SIDES for another appearance to discuss the new album, a few of his favorite soundtracks throughout the years, Paul Williams' catalog of hits, soothing sounds of the beach, and a certa...

With a chill in the air and leaves on the ground, there's not a better band to have on your stereo than the spooky sounds of Type O Negative. The band from Brooklyn, NY known as "The Drab Four" combined elements of heavy metal and goth with a dark sense of humor, and we paid tribute to them with Episode 137. We not only share our favorite songs but also our origins of discovering of Type O Negativ...

New heavy rock act Flat Black erupted onto the scene this summer, opening for Godsmack and releasing 3 ferocious singles, with their latest titled "Justice Will Be Done." Vocalist Wes Horton joined A-SIDES from a tour stop in Canada for a candid conversation about his vocal process and keeping himself in shape, cooking, and even being visited by rescue animals backstage! Stay updated with Flat Bla...

Returning guest and friend Freddy Herrera chats with A-SIDES about the recent Everclear live album, Live At The Whisky A Go Go. The release celebrates the band's 30 year history and also includes new studio recordings of "Sing Away" and "Year Of The Tiger." Freddy also shares his thoughts on discovering new music and hungry young bands, family life, as well as a few stories from the road. Many tha...

For many metalheads, a striking album cover is as integral as the music contained within, when debating classic albums. Episode 134 of A-SIDES features a conversation with one such artist, Marc Sasso, who has created amazing illustrations for Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, and more. We not only learn about his backstory and making connections in the art world, but also hear about his techniques, h...

A-SIDES Episode 133 features special guest Rico, guitar player/songwriter/singer with the Nashville-based band, The BraziLionaires. He grew up in Central Illinois, perfected his craft in California, and after returning to Illinois, formed a Latin-jazz fusion, The BraziLionaires. In addition to hearing about Rico's background, we also start this episode briefly discussing a historical theater in Pe...

Revisiting Aerosmith for A-SIDES Episode 132, we follow-up on a topic originally started last year in Episode 107. This time we hit their "comeback era", which started in 1985 with Done With Mirrors, but kicked into high-gear following an unlikely collaboration with Run DMC. Listen as we share our top ten songs, from album cuts to b-sides, Desmond Child's contributions, Liv Tyler vs Alicia Silvers...

Pistols At Dawn is a hungry new band in the world of modern rock, with a firestorm of momentum following several hot spring tours. Founding member and drummer Adam Jaffe joins A-SIDES for this episode to discuss their origins, his passion and drive for rock music, several favorite bands and inspirations, and also what the future looks like for Pistols At Dawn. Huge thanks to Adam for being my gues...

In our nearly 4-year history of A-SIDES we've featured many deep dives into an array of musical topics, but this latest episode might be the most definitive deep dive yet! Episode 130 welcomes notable Central Illinois music collector, Paul Tincher, along with returning guest and record store owner Denny Smith, to discuss the minutiae that goes along with collecting music. Buckle up as we dive into...

Extraordinary vocalist and Central Illinois native Liv Warfield is due to release her third studio album on September 15th, titled The Edge. For this second appearance on A-SIDES, we not only dive into the creation of her album, but also reflect on the powerful influence of Tina Turner, her tenure with Chicago's Cabaret ZaZou, live performances, and more! Huge thanks to Liv for taking time away fr...

Episode 128 feels like our biggest episode to date, as we attempt to define and share our favorite songs from the rock 'n roll genre known as "Power Pop." Taking its roots in the British Invasion of the 60's, the genre casts a wide net that includes 90's darlings Jellyfish, solo artists such as Matthew Sweet, and especially all-too-brief 70's bands Badfinger and Big Star. Hosts Brent and Andy shar...

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the heavy metal classic, Holy Diver, which fueled the discussion for this episode of A-SIDES. Andy welcomed Corey Rozzoni of The Great Affairs back to discuss heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, his namesake band DIO, the first four classic studio albums, as well as their favorite tracks, the ever-increasing usage of keyboards, Vivian Campbell's guitar playing,...