A-Sides

In 2015, album release dates shifted from Tuesday to Fridays as the new standard to optimize music consumption on streaming platforms. Always one to buck trends, Heaven Below is releasing their new album, The Majestic Twelve, on Tuesday July 22, 2025. Patrick Kennison makes his fourth appearance on A-SIDES to share details on the album's creation, talks about the recent tour with Marty Friedman, d...

DETROIT - known for fast cars, loud rock n roll, pizza, and the soulful "Motown" sound. Episode 200 of A-SIDES takes a look at the bands and artists of this Midwest mecca, from Bob Seger to Iggy Pop, Grand Funk Railroad, and even lesser known acts like Death and Sonic's Rendezvous Band. Paul Tincher makes a return appearance on the podcast to share his favorite bands, venues, and stories of the ci...

In a 1985 episode of the original run of the GI-JOE: A Real American Hero cartoon series, COBRA created the fictional rock band, Cold Slither, to perform music with subliminal messages to control the masses. Forty years later, HASBRO and RPM have brought this band to life, with the Cold Slither album dropping on July 25, 2025. Episode 199 of A-SIDES features a conversation Gus Rios, who has brough...

An emerging hub for all things entertainment is Las Vegas, which is also the home base for heavy rock band Velvet Chains. Hot on the heels of their new single "Ghost In The Shell", bassist and founder Nils Goldschmidt shares his musical journey from violin to bass, sharing stages in South America with his heroes of rock music, his many tattoos, and more in this latest episode of A-SIDES! You can f...

Buckcherry dropped their 11th studio album, Roar Like Thunder, on June 13th on Round Hill Records. Frontman Josh Todd was not superstitious about the release date but he did share a few details behind the production of Roar Like Thunder, working with different producers over the years, newer fans embracing the band, and record collecting with his son on Episode 197 of A-SIDES. Buckcherry has a sla...

Coheed and Cambria recently released their eleventh studio album, Vaxis III: The Father Of Make Believe, which features a wide spectrum of blazing guitars in "Blind Side Sonny" to the introspective lyrics of "Goodbye, Sunshine." Frontman and songwriter Claudio Sanchez joined A-SIDES for Episode 196 to share details on the creation of the new album, as well as the origins of the band, gaining self-...

Since 2020, Jazz Sabbath has released 3 albums and toured worldwide; however, many don't realize that their music was stolen from them by the members of Black Sabbath. According to legend, long-suffering "Milton Keynes" had the music stolen from him and it has only recently seen the light of day. The real-world story goes that Adam Wakeman has re-imagined the music of Black Sabbath under the banne...

Ricky Warwick is a prolific songwriter, whether its in a band setting or under his own solo name, even recently releasing another solo effort this year, titled Blood Ties. Spring 2025 also saw him performing a run of acoustic shows in Illinois, which prompted this interview on A-SIDES. Ricky shares a few stories from visiting Illinois over the years, working again with The Almighty, performing the...

A band t-shirt is what ultimately sparked the discussion for this episode of A-SIDES. Jared Jones from the Tennessee-based heavy rock band EMERGE joins Episode 193 to discuss that particular t-shirt from the band REVIS, as well as his own band, sailing the high seas on the annual "Summer of 99" cruise, his first CD, music videos, and even road trip snacks. We run the gamut of Jared's interests and...

Sons of Silver appeared on A-SIDES late last year for Episode 180, with band members Peter and Adam teasing their upcoming album, Runaway Emotions, and their winter tour slot opening for Myles Kennedy. This time Peter returns to the podcast and brings along fellow guitarist Kevin to not only provide a tour wrap-up, but they also share details on what's to come for 2025, a glimpse into their songwr...

Framing Hanley recently dropped a new single, "Mean It (Photographs and Gasoline, Pt 2)", with plans for more music forthcoming in 2025. Nixon joined this episode of A-SIDES to share details on new music, touring this spring, navigating the music business, growing up in Tennessee, raising kids and sharing his hobbies with them, and even some pro-wrestling deep cuts come up throughout the conversat...

Episode 190 features not just one guest, but SIX different guests, all sharing their memories and stories of the rock n roll band, CHEAP TRICK! Denny Smith: Illinois record store owner and songwriter in The Great Affairs Corey "Rizzo" Rozzoni: Rockford IL-born and guitarist in The Great Affairs Ryan Waters: guitarist for LiV Warfield, Heart, and Roadcase Royale Nick Perri: from Silvertide to The U...

Described as "blue beat soul", Quinn DeVeaux's sound is a unique blend of soul, blues, and 70's rock, which really struck a chord with his 2024 album Leisure. It was exciting to have him as a guest on A-SIDES Episode 189, as he shared his upbringing in the Midwest, discovering new music and artists, his love of road trips, and performing around the world. Huge thanks to Quinn DeVeaux for sharing h...

John Massaglia is a Central Illinois-based musician and also a long-time fan of Dream Theater, which is celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band in 2025. We hear John's discovery of Dream Theater, several of his favorite tracks and concert memories, along with a discussion on their authorized bootleg series, Mike Portnoy's departure AND return, and even dip our toes into other progressive meta...

Jonathan Stoye (of Framing Hanley and The Infamous HER) returns to A-SIDES for Episode 187 as we look back at "The Year 2000." That year was chock-full of debuts from the likes of 3 Doors Down and Disturbed, to records from veteran rock acts like U2 and Iron Maiden, and the ever-present TRL pop music. Jonathan shares a few of his memorable albums from 2000, while also revisiting a few commercials,...

Episode 186 of A-SIDES welcomes Austin and Zach of Cole Hollow, hot on the heels of a show with Filter and Local H at the Castle Theatre in Bloomington IL. The guys recap the experience of performing to a packed house; their growth as songwriters and performers; maintaining a healthy mindset; and the future of the band heading into 2025. Huge thanks to Cole Hollow for sharing their story on the po...

This episode of A-SIDES was the perfect opportunity to catch up and get better acquainted with Henry Go, formerly the bassist of Nashville-based band, The Great Affairs. Henry not only shares his history within the Nashville music scene, but also his musical journey learning bass, drums, and even piano! Along the way are several concert stories, his current musical obsessions, and his role as a dr...

Alice In Chains has been one of the most enduring bands that broke big in the early 1990's Seattle "Grunge" scene, weathering line-up changes and loss of band members. For Episode 184, Corey "Rizzo" Rozzoni of The Great Affairs shares his love for Alice In Chains, which he lovingly refers to as his "spirit animal." He shares concert memories, favorite tracks, and even deep cuts from the 1990's era...

Starting 2025 with a bang, Brent rejoins the podcast for this latest episode of A-SIDES as we dive into one of the most enduring and polaring rock bands, Van Halen! We shared our favorite songs from both the Sammy and David Lee Roth-fronted eras, along with our thoughts on 1995's album Balance, replacement singers that also play guitar, even Crystal Pepsi gets a mention, and several hot takes on h...

For this year-end episode, Brent makes his return to A-SIDES as we recap the last 12 months on the calendar. 2024 was jam-packed with great albums from both emerging artists and veteran rock acts, so listen along as we share which made our lists, if any barely missed the cut, concerts we saw throughout the year, and the usual side-bars that get us off track. Thank you so much for listening through...

The ferocious rock band, The Midnight Devils, are hot on the heels of releasing their third full-length album titled So Hard It Hurts. Frontman and bassist Sam Spade joins A-SIDES to share stories from the road, meeting and learning from several of his rock 'n roll heroes, the business side of being in a rock band, and his connections to Central Illinois. Huge thanks to Sam for being a guest on A-...

2025 will start with a bang for the members of Sons Of Silver as their full-length album Runaway Emotions drops on January 10th, with a tour immediately following on January 17th! Band members Peter and Adam discuss these details and more together on Episode 180, sharing several of their favorite albums, influences, a shared history prior to Sons Of Silver, co-existing on the road and in the studi...

Episode 179 features a conversation with a musician who has been on-and-off my radar for several years, drummer and DJ and more, Jerry Pentecost. While he has most recently been seen performing with Soul Asylum, he has performed alongside artists such as Bob Dylan, Amanda Shires, and even Old Crow Medicine Show. Jerry shares his upbringing, the best donut in Nashville, raising his kids, and more!...

Released on August 17th, 1984 the band W.A.S.P. unleashed their self-titled debut record! Kenny Wright (of The Great Affairs) rejoins A-SIDES for a conversation dedicated to this album, their preceding "Animal" import single, seeing the band live on The Last Command tour, and even sidebars into Kenny's interest in Batman and James Bond movies. Huge thanks to Kenny for making his 6th appearance on...

Fresh from hitting the Midwest with the excellent Linkin Park Experience: In The End, guitarist Yohai Portal joins A-SIDES for a fun conversation. He shares how he transitioned from sports to music, moving to the USA, several of our favorite bands we have in common, concert highlights (and lowlights!), and even a memorable movie villain. Huge thanks to Yohai for his time and insight into rock musi...