A-Sides

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...

Episode 114 of A-SIDES features another deep dive into the KISS discography, this time focusing on the era when the band removed their make-up. For our third episode on KISS, we highlighted our ten favorite songs released between 1983's Lick It Up and 1997's Carnival of Souls. Along with our favorite songs, we also discussed seeing KISS live in 2020, the new members that joined KISS in this era, c...

Notable Kerrang! magazine collector Kenny Wright (of The Great Affairs) returns to A-SIDES for Episode 113, this time discussing "The New Wave of British Heavy Metal." Kenny and Andy discuss the roots of "The New Wave of British Heavy Metal", also known as NWOBHM, which includes bands such as Judas Priest and Motorhead. They also touch on several notable bands from within the genre, classic albums...

Fellow metal-head and musician Patrick Kennison (of Heaven Below) joins A-SIDES to discuss his favorite cover songs, plus several covers recorded on Heaven Below's most recent album, Rest In Pieces- A Tribute To The Departed. Patrick shares the ideas behind covering his favorite artists on Rest In Pieces, what inspired him to pick up a guitar, Bob Rock albums, sports, and his plans for Heaven Belo...

A-SIDES is back for the first episode of 2023! Brace yourself for this deep dive into 'Guilty Pleasures', or better yet, 'Guiltless Pleasures'. With songs ranging from Cher to Bobby Brown to Richard Marx, Andy and Brent share their reasons for why they love these songs, as well as the stories for why they've been made to feel guilty about them. Thank you for listening to this episode and joining u...

Its time for the annual 'Year End Favorites' list from A-SIDES. Brent and Andy sit down to share their favorite albums from 2022, plus concert memories, and other nonsense that you'll find from A-SIDES on Episode 110. Several albums discussed are from Ghost, The Cult, The Afghan Whigs, Ozzy Osbourne, and more. Throw another log on the fire, grab a beverage, and enjoy this toasty episode of A-SIDES...

Speaking with Sam Koltun for Episode 106 put his band Budderside onto Andy's musical radar, so he sought out founder and vocalist Patrick Stone for a future episode. The release of this episode also coincides with the release of Budderside's newest single, "Joker". Patrick speaks on the subject matter behind their latest single, along with inspirations behind his lyrics, album artwork, and the ban...

Andy and his guest Kenny Wright of The Great Affairs set the wayback machine to 1982. KISS' Creatures Of The Night was released in the Fall of '82 amongst a slew of heavy rock records, and we discuss the impact this had on Kenny at the time, as well as how the album still holds up decades later. We touch on Kenny's favorite tracks on Creatures, a few of the highlights from within the new box set,...

Fire up Episode 107 of A-SIDES, as we hand-picked our favorite songs from Aerosmith's classic era, starting with their 1973 debut album through 1982's Rock In A Hard Place. Along the way we shared an honorable mention or two, discussed our entry points into the band, which albums we've bought (and re-bought!), if we saw them live, and even touched on the recent Midnights album from Taylor Swift; w...

Sam Bam Koltun (Dorothy, Faster Pussycat, Budderside) joins Andy for Episode 106 of A-SIDES! They discuss his roots in the Midwest and several bands that influenced him growing up, what it's like to sleep and eat on the road as a touring musician, the Jurassic Park movies, and more! You can follow Sam as a patreon and gain behind-the-scenes access and other exclusives here . You can also check out...

Episode 105 features a dive into the horror-punk band, Misfits, as we countdown our top ten favorite songs. Not only do we share our favorites, but we also sample the latest Catfight Coffee flavor "Crimson Roast" (which is a nod to this episode's band), you'll learn our opinion on the manliness of "Man Caves", suggest songs for your next home improvement project, and Brent gets a little too fired...

Steve Perry fronted Journey across multiple decades and released 8 studio albums during his tenure with the band. This newest episode of A-SIDES features returning guest Shane Tassart (of The Hot Summers) giving a singer's perspective on Journey, as well as sharing his discovery of their music, his connections with the band, taking care of your voice, and even shares his fandom of the Halloween fi...

Scream for me, A-SIDES!! Episode 103 is dedicated to the most metal vocal moments, as Brent and Andy select their favorite screams from singers such as "The Metal God" Rob Halford and Sebastian Bach. They also try out a beer from Surly Brewing Company in Minnesota, discuss the latest album from Ozzy Osbourne, vintage clothes shopping, and as much nonsense as they can fit into an hour podcast. Than...

For Episode 102 of A-SIDES, this could be considered another "bucket list" guest for Andy, as he spoke with Torkjell Rod, also known as "Toschie", from the heavy metal band Audrey Horne. Toschie discusses the origins of the band, the creation of his lyrics and artwork, how he became a tattoo artist, and more! Huge thanks to Toschie for being a guest and thanks to everyone who listens. You can find...