Beyond Radio Presents

Well, Part 3 of 8Trax with Chris Morin isn't the last part of the interview. Because of the length of the final section, I decided to break it down into parts 3 and 4. Part 3 finishes up our discussion of Chris's music. We get to hear several songs not amongst the 6 that we originally selected. As with the previous episode, the range of styles is dramatic. We get to hear a lot about his Flash In B...

As we get into the real premise of the 8Trax episodes, each of the first 4 songs we explore come with their own set of musical influences. From '70s pop, folky jam band stylings, a post-grunge sound that Jeff likens to the actual local Boston music scene, and early '80s new wave, each of the song picks are uniquely different from the previous one. The end of the episode takes another left turn tha...

The next 3 episodes feature an interview with my friend, singer-songwriter Chris Morin, that we did back in April. It is another 8trax style interview where we bring 3 songs from the artist to the table for discussion, and the guest does as well. It becomes a springboard to talk about more of their music. The final 2 songs are from a different artist that each side wants to present to the other. I...

After teasing it at the end of Episode 1, we finally unveil my #2 and #1 songs of 1975. The spotlight leans heavily on #2—an unexpectedly rewarding rediscovery that hit me in a way I didn't see coming after nearly 50 years. There's a lot going on beneath the surface, and we dig into it. From there, we jump ahead 16 years to a song that doesn't immediately feel connected—but give it a minute. It ti...

After nearly 8 years, we've reached an incredible milestone worth celebrating! This episode will be the first of at least three parts, kicking off with a wild holiday story that takes up about a quarter of the show—stories are a big part of this podcast, and I love to weave in music behind them. From there, the spotlight shifts to two earworms that have been stuck in my head for the past five mont...

This is probably the longest episode that we've put out, but a reason for that will become evident as we move through this one. Before I focus on this year's music party, we must talk about Yungblud (again) and a fun Uber ride. Once we get to the party, the first song we discuss revolves around my friend Chris Morin, whom we have mentioned numerous times over the years. He is a singer-songwriter a...

The British band Sleep Token and related bands take up much of the first half of this episode. How do Whitney Houston, Outkast, and Billie Eilish factor in? You'll see. Sleep Token and another band from the genre perform a feat that has not happened since 2013, relating back to the protagonist of the last episode. It takes a long time to get to why 3 of the featured songs are connected, especially...

The summer hiatus is over. Coming back with a new trilogy of episodes, the first begins with honoring the passing of Ozzy Osbourne. This is a packed episode, focusing mainly on a trio of artists and featuring a brief aside at the end. In all 45 songs/artists are highlighted or mentioned. There are strong connections between Ozzy and Yungblud, as well as unexpected connections linking all three art...

Oh, what a way to end an arc! Tom and I are blindsided by the connection the first song has to Jeff's daughter Eva - something potentially under our noses, but we were completely unaware of. We kind of rabbit-hole the band in question, and I unearth how the mastermind of this outfit was responsible for a slew of Euro-Dance and Pop of the '80s and '90s (one startling connection!). Next up, a relati...

Part 2 of our conversation with Tom begins in concert territory. Unfortunately, we miss one that is happening that day. Jeff becomes intrigued with a video playlist that Tom and John (mostly) contribute to. From there, we revert to music from our youth, connected to our siblings, once annoying and now not so much. As we move on, a musical family spans from opera to a folky skunk, and an interestin...

Castlist 15 is a trio of episodes that all revolve around one afternoon of music at our house in March. Our friends Tom and Tony were over as they often are. Tom is a music junkie in a different way than me, and all four of us, my husband John included, connect to music deeply in various ways. I had a playlist on, which is typical, but the way the afternoon unfolded, that was put by the wayside, a...

Wow, it's been a while since I put out an episode under 30 minutes. Don't be fooled, it's packed with lots of great stuff. The final thought in the Songs of the Summer, 2024 edition, includes 3 songs that piqued my interest back then. It starts with a country artist doing a collab with a prolific alternative artist. Jeff couldn't even get through 3 seconds of a song that was more indicative of his...

We still have our guest, Jeff's daughter Eva, for the first part of this episode. They introduce me to a song by 100 Gecs and then we get into the meat of the matter, the summertime explosion of Chappell Roan, We pretty much mention almost half of her phenomenal album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess". From there it's an actress who can sing and how she connects to an '80s classic and a tr...

After the playlist misstep at the end of the last episode, we resume with the real playlist. This episode features a great Uber story, the most bizarre of my 8 year history. A long defunct band surfaces with a new song, appropriate for the discussion. This begins the rabbit hole and a prolific  singer/songwriter/producer touches a lot of artists and songs I love. Through this I discover a 2006 son...

It's taken a while to finally get this episode out. Circumstances in the fall delayed a conversation with Jeff and then the holiday season did its usual thing. Before we even get to the first song a story about my sister and her car takes center stage, along with Thanksgiving catch ups. Once we get into my first contender for Song of the Summer, Jeff says he has not much to offer on the songs from...

We continue the discussion of some dance tunes, 1 new and 2 old ones that are associated with 2 great stories, one about my husband and the other from an Uber ride. A concert coincidence comes up and I torture Jeff for a moment (which I always like to do).   Primary songs discussed Honey Boy/Purple Disco Machine Libertine/Kate Ryan I Specialize In Love/Sharon Brown Intro Song, Disco Night (Rock Fr...

In this episode, we start off with a dance collaboration that unexpectedly showed up on the music party countdown and I reveal this year's top 5. Somebody has 2 songs in the top 5 and I feel one of the artists could win Best New Artist at next year's Grammys. One of the artists in the collaboration brings an instrumental to the mix that harkens back to 30 years ago. What does it remind me of? Well...

Summer stories will be the bulk of Castlist 014. First off a tie back to an artist from a recent episode. Then I'm in concert mode with 2 great shows. The second concert artist ends up tying into the discussion of the next song, just another universe connection that always seems to be part of the process. The annual music party comes into the picture and we end on an obscure song from the mid-'90s...

A continuation of our discussion about Jobriath's music, this episode features a trio of his songs that other major artists have recorded. Two artists are prominent in this episode, Def Leppard and Kylie Minogue. Joe Elliot from Def Leppard was very connected to 70's glam as a youth and fascinated by Jobriath. While Kylie Minogue has no connection to Jobriath, she does have a connection to the ove...

This episode focuses on early '70's glam, a few well-known artists, and an obscure one who has an amazing and crazy story behind him. The lead singer of one of the bands featured gets a lot more time on the clock than I expected but it is well deserved. There is a saxophone having an aneurism, a woman on a rant, and a Broadway show run amok. Primary songs discussed Suffragette City/David Bowie All...

This episode continues the discussion of the Canadian band Mother Mother with the fun and playful side of the artist. I felt the song "The Stand" was a no-brainer for Jeff to enjoy and I was right. We also explore how their most streamed song came about 12 years after its release. We up the flamboyance factor with the next song by the Scarlet Opera. The band is full of glam and disco which leads i...

This playlist starts with one of my favorite songs from 1974 that came to me while I was sleeping. The episode has a lot of energy, music spanning from the 60's through today, a couple of fun Uber stories, a French songstress, hardcore punk, and 3 versions of the same song (twice!). You'll also find out who wasn't a big fan of Cher, how the mother of one of the biggest voices of our lifetime facto...

On this episode we explore an Australian band that came together over 20 years ago and a duo that produced one album in 1990. Jeff definitely had differing opinions on each. I find positive qualities from both artists.

If you know where that lyric is from, I love you! This episode starts with another artist that we talk about their evolution. This band went on to be one of the premiere alt/dance acts of the last 40 years. The transition to the next song was a jarring one for Jeff (of course that was on purpose) and he didn't get the connection between the songs :( but that is OK. This song is a very important so...

I am dedicating this episode to my high school classmate Thomas Campbell who recently passed away. He was a huge music enthusiast and musician plus an occasional listener to the podcast who has corrected me on occasion (which I appreciated). We were not close in high school though if we had been my music knowledge and diversity would probably have come sooner than it did. I also think he would hav...