Michael's Record Collection

Australian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sean Timms has had a charmed 2023 as part of four progressive rock releases this year. His new albums with Unitopia and Southern Empire came out a few weeks apart and have captured a lot of attention among prog rock fans this year. Both albums could end up on several "best of 2023" lists by the end of December. Sean was kind enough to tell me about b...

Greetings, dear listeners. This episode could not be more different than the others. Rather than having an interview or an album discussion, I wanted to talk about how to choose an album to listen to when you're indecisive, like me, or simply aren't in the mood for any one particular thing. Many of us have sizable music collections and it can be difficult to make a decision when looking at your sh...

Swedish progressive rock masters The Flower Kings are back with a new album, Look At You Now, which drops here in the U.S. on Sept. 8. I was fortunate enough to catch up with Roine Stolt to discuss the new album, his songwriting process, the band's current lineup, his musical background, how he ended up in Kaipa and Transatlantic, and much more. To keep up with Roine and his band, visit roinestolt...

Dokken and Lynch Mob legend George Lynch is my guest to discuss a new album he put together with ex-Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson. Heavy Hitters II is the duo's second album of cover songs, done as heavy rock tracks. This time out, the two former bandmates enlisted the soulful Bernard Fowler, backup singer from the Rolling Stones, to lend his voice to the proceedings. The new record pulls from severa...

It was a treat to talk to the legendary Carlos Cavazo, who rose to prominence in the 1980s playing guitar for Quiet Riot as the band brought heavy metal music to the top of the Billboard charts. Carlos is now in Carmine Appice's 1980s band, King Kobra, and they've got a new album out called We Are Warriors. Carlos talked about how he joined forces with Carmine Appice and company, the making of the...

In my opinion, not enough people know about the excellent music career of Simon Collins. The son of Genesis legend Phil Collins, Simon is a talented musician and songwriter in his own right, both collaboratively and as a solo artist. I spoke with Simon about his musical origin story, going on Genesis tours as a child, the rise and fall of the outstanding progressive rock band Sound of Contact, his...

It's a banner year for Enchant, as the band's 1993 debut album, A Blueprint of the World, turns 30 years old in 2023 and their 2003 Tug of War album turns 20. So, for this episode I spoke with guitarist Doug Ott extensively about both albums, his musical background, band personnel changes, searching for his guitar tone, and much more. I'd love to have your support for this independent podcast. You...

David Cousins of the Strawbs returns to MRC! A guest way back on Episode 7, David joins me to discuss the new Strawbs album, The Magic of It All. The band's new record was recorded in Cape Town and has a decidedly South African flavor running through it. David was kind enough to tell me about the recording of the album, how the idea of recording in South Africa came about, the origins of some of t...

On June 28, the legendary Cheap Trick was the first band to headline a new outdoor concert venue in Clearwater, Florida, called The Sound at Coachman Park. I was fortunate enough to attend the show with my friend Ben Montgomery from the Records Revisited Podcast. Ben joins me for this show as we review the concert, which was his first time seeing Cheap Trick and my first time seeing them since 198...

Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jim Peterik (Ides of March, Pride of Lions, ex-Survivor) joins me for this episode and I crammed as many topics in as I could while still trying to do justice to his excellent new Pride of Lions album, Dream Higher. Jim was a fantastic interview and has collaborated with some of the biggest artists in rock history. He not only co-wrote the iconic rock anthem "Eye of...

Here's an interview I've been wanting to do for a long time! My guest is the legendary Neal Morse, founder of Spock's Beard and currently a solo artist, a member of The Neal Morse Band, Flying Colors, Transatlantic, and D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings. I spoke with Neal about many topics, including his two upcoming releases, An Evening of Innocence & Danger: Live in Hamburg by The Neal Morse Band, an...

It was a real treat for me to talk with guitar legend Joel Hoekstra, who is probably best known for having been in Whitesnake for nearly a decade. He's also a member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Revolution Saints, and Iconic. He's played on Broadway in Rock of Ages, toured with Cher, and is a former member of Night Ranger. Joel's solo project, Joel Hoekstra's 13, has a new album dropping soon call...

If you like Record Store Day, like I do, you look forward each year to seeing what titles will be available and strategizing for the big event. But what goes on behind the scenes? How do the record stores deal with RSD? I questioned Sandy Bitman, owner of Orlando, Florida's Park Ave CDs to find out more about Record Store Day, record store ownership, and more. It was a fun conversation, and a bit...

Well, I can't say that these tribute shows are getting any easier, especially when we're remembering an artist as legendary as the incomparable Gordon Lightfoot. Joining me to talk about Gordon's talent, legacy, and vast music catalog is Sly Dog from the Sly Dog Music-Cast. We share our experiences of how we became Gordon Lightfoot fans, discuss his underrated work, and try to process his loss. Be...

This week's episode is a special one as I spoke with Journey drummer Deen Castronovo about a variety of topics, including the new album, Eagle Flight, by his other band, Revolution Saints. It's the band's fourth album and features a new lineup that includes guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and bassist Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, Black Swan, ex-Dokken), with Deen on drums...

I'm joined by IZZ bassist/vocalist/guitarist John Galgano to celebrate the supremely talented multi-instrumentalist Ray Shulman, a founding member of progressive rock legends Gentle Giant. Ray passed away on March 30 at age 73 and his death hit me hard, as he was one of the first guests I had on this show, back on Episode 12, when we discussed the making of the Free Hand album. John was the perfec...

They may not be a household name, but if you're a rocker, many of your favorite bands know King's X. The band has been recording and performing for decades and in this episode, we're celebrating where it all started. I'm joined by bassist/vocalist dUg Pinnick to discuss the debut album by King's X, Out of the Silent Planet. The album turned 35 years old on March 28 and it's time to reflect on such...

Guitarist Stephan Lill returns to the show, but this time he's not talking (much) about his usual band, Vanden Plas like he did on Episode 72. This time he's got a new project called All My Shadows, which just released its first album, Eerie Monsters. The songs are shorter and more hook-laden than Vanden Plas' usual progressive metal offerings, but the presence of Lill, vocalist Andy Kuntz, and dr...

I have another treat for you this week as I got the chance to speak with Yogi Lang, the front man and keyboard player for the excellent German progressive rock band RPWL. The band has a uniquely German-flavored brand of atmospheric prog rock that is heavily influenced by Pink Floyd. Yogi discussed the band's new album, Crime Scene, which drops March 17. The record explores some dark themes and biz...

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Hubauer and Dave Buzard from the Pennsylvania-based We Came From Space about their new album, Overlords. This progressive rock release has the musicality that will satisfy prog fans and infectious hooks and soaring harmonies that any music fan would enjoy. In addition to giving me the story on making Overlords, the guys also talked about their ea...

It's the 100th episode of MRC! Joining me for this milestone show is Jerry Sahlin and Ola Andersson from the Swedish progressive rock band A.C.T. These guys are not your typical prog band, leaning heavily into melodies and harmonies inspired by the likes of ELO and the Beach Boys. If you threw songs by Saga, Dream Theater, and Jellyfish into a blender, the resulting music might sound like A.C.T. J...

I jumped at the chance to talk to one of my favorite drummers for this episode. I've been following Mike Portnoy's career for 20-odd years and he joins me this week to discuss the new album, III, by The Winery Dogs. This is a brilliant collection of technical blues-based rock featuring Portnoy, the incomparable Richie Kotzen, and bass legend Billy Sheehan. In addition to discussing the making of t...

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! You may notice this week's show dropped a couple of days early. That's because I wanted this episode about great love songs to go live on Valentine's Day. What could be more appropriate? I'm joined by Jon Lamoreaux from The Hustle Podcast and Ben Montgomery from Records Revisited and we each selected five of our favorite love songs to present to you on this holiday...

Canadian musician Kelly Nordstrom is half of a duo called eMolecule with Simon Collins, the drumming and singing son of Genesis legend Phil Collins. Kelly and Simon are dropping a new concept album called The Architect on Feb. 10 and it's a good one. This modern take on progressive rock is grounded in guitars, big drums sounds, electronics, atmosphere, mood, rock, and pop, all wrapped up in a mode...

J.P. Moser and Rob Alley of the excellent Great Song Podcast joined me this week to explore a unique topic. The three of us all selected five songs that were the second singles released from their respective albums that we loved more than that record's first single. The caveat to the topic was that us liking that first single was a requirement. This turned out to be a lot of fun and I think we got...