A-Sides

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,...

Everclear reached a milestone of 30 years in 2022, which is being celebrated with their first ever live album from the historic Whisky A Go Go on September 8th, 2023. Ahead of this release and a big fall tour with The Ataris, Art Alexakis spoke with Andy for this episode of A-SIDES. While Art shared a few anecdotes from a previous album, The Vegas Years, and performing alongside Cheap Trick, it's...

For this special episode of A-SIDES, Andy turns back the clock to 1989, the year Warrant went went to Number 2 on the Billboard Charts with their debut album, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich. Frequent guest Denny Smith (of The Great Affairs) lends his expertise as they discuss the first four studio albums from Warrant, several times when Denny performed on the same bill as the band, their music...

Following a week packed full of concerts, Brent and Andy sat down to not only share stories from those shows, but also their personal "Top Five" Janet Jackson songs for Episode 124. The duo traveled to Moline, IL for a concert headlined by one of Brent's childhood favorites, Ugly Kid Joe, with Fozzy and Pistols At Dawn performing as well. Then Brent attended a jam-packed amphitheater show featurin...

Episode 123 of A-SIDES features special guest Ace Von Johnson. The intent of this conversation was to chat about collecting vinyl, but it quickly descended into the depths of fandoms, from Danko Jones to Danzig, and recent metal band Unto Others. Ace shares his interactions with several musical heroes, the facade of gatekeeping, making connections, and more!   As much as Ace is enthusiastic about...

With Alice Cooper celebrating his 75th birthday this year, it sparked the idea behind this episode of A-SIDES. Andy reached out to Acey Slade (from such bands as Dope and Murderdolls) to discuss his history with the "Godfather of Shock Rock", from performing as an opening band to launching an Alice Cooper line of coffee through his Catfight Coffee brand. Acey also shares several of his favorite so...

Much like movie franchises explore their roots with a prequel, this latest episode serves as a precursor to the beginning of hosts' Brent and Andy's friendship prior to A-SIDES. For Episode 121 they discuss early 1990's power pop darlings Jellyfish, exploring their favorite songs, the differences between Jellyfish's two albums Bellybutton and Spilt Milk, bonkers lyrics, as well as Brent's least fa...

Multi-talented musician Nikki Stringfield is the latest guest on A-SIDES! She not only discusses her upcoming solo album titled Apocrypha, but also her work with The Iron Maidens, as well as with her husband Patrick Kennison in Heaven Below. Nikki shares a few of her early musical favorites, artwork, and even her love for horror films, including an experience when she was behind the scenes on a mo...

Talented guitarist and vinyl enthusiast Tony Higbee makes his second appearance on A-SIDES' Episode 119. He previously spoke with Andy for Episode 21, in which they barely scratched the surface of his massive collection. This time the two dive deeper to discuss hunting for elusive albums, protecting your records, essential records to own, and his love for Power Pop. Huge thanks to Tony for sharing...

Musician and pop culture enthusiast Danny Lopez joins A-SIDES for Episode 118. Danny is currently performing with several LA-based tribute bands for System of a Down, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and Linkin Park. He shares his origin stories with those projects and how they weaved together, discovering music as he grew up, and staying prepared for what comes his way. You can follow Danny at @heydannylo...

A-SIDES Episode 117 features a conversation with multi-talented vocalist Cris Hodges. Just as he was about to embark on a months-long tour with Pistols At Dawn, Cris shares how he joined that band, singing for In The End: A Linkin Park Experience, solo music, staying fit on the road, his fitness routine, and mental health. You can follow along with Pistols At Dawn at their website and stay up to d...

Following up on past episodes which featured John Massaglia, we welcomed him back to A-SIDES to discuss The Truth Council's latest EP, The Perfect Wheel. After that discussion, we shifted gears to share our favorite bassists, encompassing a variety of styles from Jazz to Prog Rock and Heavy Metal. See! Whose lists will overlap! Witness! Brent's fury over the music of Styx! All this and more in our...

Jarred Pope joins A-SIDES for Episode 115 to discuss all things rock n roll. He shares his many influences, his background growing up in California, how he joined the bands for both Damon Johnson and Tom Keifer, a few of his favorite venues, and his passion for the art of music. You can keep up with Jarred on the road by visiting the websites for both Damon Johnson and Tom Keifer . Huge thanks to...