John Agnello & Stewart Lerman

Gear Club Podcast

Music EN ↓ 100 episodes

Gear Club Podcast is hosted by engineer / producers John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) and Stewart Lerman (Patti Smith, St. Vincent). Each episode of the podcast features an interview with a key player in the audio industry, and also offers tips and guidance to the next generation of engineers and artists. The podcast is an informative, yet irreverent, look at the art of recording by leading practitioners of the art.

Author

John Agnello & Stewart Lerman

Category

Music

Podcast website

www.gear-club.net

Latest episode

Jul 7, 2026

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Episodes

Record of the Week: Peaches en Regalia 07.07.2026

In this Record of the Week, John and Stewart dig into "Peaches en Regalia" by Frank Zappa, the opening track from his 1969 masterpiece Hot Rats. They break down the recording techniques Zappa used across the album and how those techniques shaped one of the most celebrated instrumentals in rock history. Along the way, John shares his own story of accidentally reinventing the same trick decades late...

Record of the Week: Fat Old Sun 26.05.2026

Here's Record of the Week, where we listen to records that inspire us and made us wonder, how did they do that? This week: Fat Old Sun by Pink Floyd. John & Stewart hone in on production techniques used to create the piece, and dissect the wacky, experimental nature of this song in Atom Heart Mother in comparison to later Pink Floyd albums.

Record of the Week: Fat Old Sun 26.05.2026

Here's Record of the Week, where we listen to records that inspire us and made us wonder, how did they do that? This week: Fat Old Sun by Pink Floyd. John & Stewart hone in on production techniques used to create the piece, and dissect the wacky, experimental nature of this song in Atom Heart Mother in comparison to later Pink Floyd albums.

#103: Pearl Jam, Lollapalooza, and Life in the Studio with Tom Beaujour 06.05.2026

In this episode we talk with author, producer, engineer and musician Tom Beaujour. Tom's career started as a writer for Guitar World Magazine, going on to found Revolver magazine and Guitar Aficionado, and most recently co-writing The books Lollapalooza and Nothin' But a good time, Oral histories of two pivotal moments in rock music. In tandem with his writing Tom has been recording and producing...

Record of the Week: Out of the Blue 09.04.2026

This week on Record of the Week, we dig into one of the most overlooked and mysterious songs connected to The Band: "Out of the Blue," tucked away on The Last Waltz Suite. Robbie Robertson's lead vocal, the unusual arrangement, and the lack of clear information about who actually played on the track all make this song a real puzzle. John Agnello and Stewart Lerman sit down with David Mansfield - v...

#102: Rick Chertoff: The Producer Behind Cyndi Lauper, Joan Osborne & Decades of Hit Records 08.03.2026

In this episode John and Stewart sit down for a chat with friend and mentor Rick Chertoff. Rick is a Producer and songwriter whose career started in A&R for Clive Davis's newly minted Arista records in 1974. From there, he went on to be senior VP of A&R at Columbia records, started his own Blue Gorilla record Label at Polygram, and all the while produced songs and albums for Cyndi Lauper, The Band...

#101: Tad Kubler: In the studio and on the road with The Hold Steady 29.01.2026

In this episode John, Stewart, and myself sit down with Tad Kubler, best known as guitarist and songwriter for the best bar band in the world, The Hold Steady. John and I have both made records with the band and it was awesome to catch up with Tad about gear, guitars, and all things Hold Steady. We also got into Tad's production and engineering work, his burgeoning home studio, and his writing and...

#100: 100th Episode Extravaganza: Shocking Moments with Lennon, Prince, Bob Dylan and Studio Legends 04.12.2025

For our centennial episode, we took a trip down memory lane and revisited all the interviews we've shared over the years. We gathered some of our team's favorite moments—stories that inspired us, moved us, and reminded us why we love making this show. We're incredibly proud of everything we've created together, and we hope you can feel that joy and gratitude in this special episode. Thanks for bei...

#99: From Taylor Swift & Lauryn Hill to Helping Brooklyn Artists | Lorenzo Wolff at Restoration Sound 06.10.2025

In this episode, I sit down with Grammy award-winning producer, engineer, musician, studio owner, and cool name having Lorenzo Wolf. Lorenzo has worked with artists such as Taylor Swift, Randy Newman, Lauryn Hill and and just about every musician local to New York City. Lorenzo owns and operates the recently expanded and renovated Restoration Sound in Brooklyn, New York, featuring a main tracking...

Record of the Week: Every Picture Tells a Story 12.09.2025

This week on Record of the Week, we dive into Rod Stewart's classic song Every Picture Tells a Story. We break down what makes it so memorable, how the band works together, the production choices that make the song stand out, and why it still rocks hard, even 45 years later. If you love classic rock or just want to hear what makes a song timeless, this episode is for you!

Updating Punk Classics: Ed Stasium Talks mixing the Ramones, Talking Heads Using Eventide Plugins 11.08.2025

Recently, we caught up with Ed Stasium about remixing classic albums from The Replacements and Talking Heads and his dive into the world of immersive audio. In this clip, Ed walks us through remixing the Ramones catalog in Atmos and how he used Eventide's immersive plugins to both stay true to the original recordings and bring them to new life in the spatial audio arena.

Michael Imperioli's band Zopa on Making Art, the Chaos of Rock, and The White Lotus 09.07.2025

Hey everyone! Recently, we had the band ZOPA over to the studio for a listening party! Their new album, Diamond Vehicle, was produced, engineered, and mixed by our very own John Agnello. We had Michael Imperioli on the show in Episode 89 where he talked about his own creative process and the history of the band. In this episode, John sits down with ZOPA to listen through the album and give us a be...

Record of the Week: Waterloo Sunset 01.05.2025

In this Record of the Week, John and Stewart dig into Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks. With its dreamy atmosphere, raw mono mix, and Ray Davies' poetic storytelling, the song captures a fleeting moment of beauty in 1960s London. Because of its lo-fi charm, Waterloo Sunset stands as one of the most emotionally resonant and sonically unique recordings of its era.

Ketchup with Ed Stasium 08.04.2025

We first interviewed producer and engineer Ed Stasium in Episodes 80 and 81, where he spoke with John and Stewart about recording some truly seminal albums with Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Ramones, Talking Heads, and Living Colour, as well as his pivotal role in the design and construction of the Power Station in NYC. These episodes offer a fascinating inside look into music history— we highly r...

Record of the Week: Ogre Battle 18.03.2025

Take a closer look at Queen's epic song with John and Stewart. With aggressive guitars, rich vocal harmonies, and an over-the-top premise, the track is classic Queen. Ogre Battle also marks a pivotal moment in the band's evolution, as their recordings reached a new level under the guidance of producer Roy Thomas Baker.

Ketchup with Kevin Killen 06.03.2025

In this episode, I sit down with Grammy winning producer and engineer Kevin Killen. We first interviewed Kevin in episodes 46 and 47, where he talks about his career in recording studios from Dublin to NYC, and working with Peter Gabriel, Kate bush, U2, Elvis Costello, and a host of others. If you haven't already, go check 'em out. Since then, Kevin has moved to his personal studio, and is teachin...

Record of the Week: The Left Banke's "Walk Away Renée" 14.02.2025

Everyone at Gear Club was saddened to hear of the passing of The Left Banke's Steve Martin Caro, singer of Walk Away Renée. Eventide co-founder Steve Katz worked with The Left Banke back in the 60's and related some details of Walk Away Renée's recording to Gear Club. This episode is a reprint of that Song of the Week, followed by Steve Katz's memories and insights into the recording!

Record of the Week: David Bowie's "Life on Mars" 12.02.2025

David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" stands as perhaps the pinnacle of his theatrical ambitions - and it's this week's Record of the Week. Join John and Stewart and learn about the impressive band behind the recording - Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Woody Woodmansey plus Yes's Rick Wakeman on piano! If you've seen "The Life Aquatic" with Steve Zissou, then you're in for a treat as Stewart reminisces about...

#98: Working for Prince 16.01.2025

In this special episode, we pay homage to an artist who's a Member of the rock and roll hall of fame, has won Seven Grammys out of 38 nominations, sold over 150 million albums worldwide, with three of those in the Grammy hall of fame. In their almost 40-year career they've played almost 1500 concerts, released 38 albums, have a supposedly endless vault of unreleased material, and have nonetheless...

#97: Paul Prestopino: The Heart of New York's Record Plant 17.12.2024

Paul Prestopino was a musician, inventor, and technician with a long and varied career. From 1970 until its closure in 1989, Paul was a technician at the Record Plant in NYC, a venerated studio that helped produce an endless stream of hit records and launched dozens of careers for the engineers and producers that worked there. While working at the studio, Paul, known to everyone as "Presto," was c...

#96: "Forget the Notes, It's Your Frequency": Doug Wimbish on Jaco Pastorius, Sugar Hill Records, and the Birth of Hip-Hop. 04.10.2024

Our guest is Doug Wimbish, one of the most renowned bass players of all time, known for his work with a wide range of artists, including Living Colour, Tackhead, Sugarhill Gang, Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, and many more. He is also the founder of WimBash, a series of community-based charity events supporting music education. In this episode, John and Stewart talk with Doug about his extraordinary j...

Working with Bob Dylan – On Stage and In Studio 23.05.2024

To celebrate Bob Dylan's birthday, we've compiled a special Gear Club episode that offers a behind the scenes look into Dylan's Life and music. Bob has been described as a shape-shifter, a song and dance man, and the Shakespeare of our time. Over his 60 plus year career, he's written more than 500 songs that have been covered by over 2,000 artists. He's played nearly 4,000 concerts. He's won 10 Gr...

Ketchup with William Wittman 09.05.2024

Producer and Engineer William Wittman was one of our early guests in 2017 with a two parter, Episodes #15 and #16 , where he discussed making seminal records with Cindy Lauper, Joan Osborne, and The Outfield, his time coming up through NYC recording studios, and his work/prank relationship with our very own John Agnello. In this episode, I catch up with Bill about making records with his band Too...

#94: The Gear and The Garage with Mitch Easter 29.03.2024

In this episode, John and Stewart sit down with producer, engineer, musician, song writer, studio owner, and the Godfather of Jangle Pop, the one and only, Mitch Easter. Mitch has always been and continues to be a staple of the Indie Rock scene in North Carolina and beyond. First operating out of Drive in Studio located in his parents' garage, and in 1994 moving to his current studio, the Fidelito...

Ketchup with Russell Wedelich 29.02.2024

In 2018 the H9000 Harmonizer®, Eventide's flagship multi effects processor, won a TEC award for best signal processing hardware. We had the team behind the H9000's design and development on the podcast in Episodes #66.1 , #66.2 and #66.3 to talk about the process of designing, building, and testing the latest in Eventide's revered Harmonizer line. Now we're back to talk about what's new at Eventid...

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