MODERN MUSICOLOGY

This week we shine a spotlight on the timekeepers of the band, the heartbeat of the music, the THUNDER from the back of the stage .... it's all about those DRUMS!! Stephanie, Alan, Rob and Anthony each select five songs that begin with unaccompanied drum intros that we love. And the selections couldn't be more varied -- rock, pop, punk, classic jazz, electronic, Britpop to an all-out metal assault...

The legendary Paul McCartney has a very busy time lately, with a new album (The Boys of Dungeon Lane), appearances on Saturday Night Live and the final Stephen Colbert show, a new exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a recent book and documentary. Rob and Alan talk all about McCartney's goings on and review the new album, and get a little melancholy about aging and memory.  First, tho...

Saturday Night Live has concluded its most recent seasons on both sides of the pond! Both SNL US and UK broadcast their finales on May 16, which means it's time to find out what the best musical performances were on both shows. I'll count down my Top 10 selections from SNL Season 51 and the Top 5 from SNL UK Season 1, and play clips from some of the highlights from each season.  Before that, thoug...

We continue our examination of the year 1986 by talking about the albums that were released in the second half of the year. Metal and rap were reigning supreme with releases from Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer, and The Beastie Boys, but pop and rock offered up some really strong records as well with major releases from Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, Berlin, The Pretenders, REM, Huey Lewis and the News, an...

We’re diving headfirst into the first six months of 1986! Join us as we rewind to January through June and relive the music that made 1986 one of the most memorable years of the decade. It was a time when rock and rap were colliding, metal was still reigning supreme, the Minneapolis funk sound was coming into its own, and pop soundtracks were turning lesser-known bands into superstars!  We cover j...

This week we have the privilege of being visited by Giles Moon, the head of music curation at Julien's Auctions, who gives us the inside scoop of the upcoming Music Icons auction, which takes place May 29-30 at the Hard Rock Cafe Times Square in New York City. The sale features nearly 700 items from icons such as Johnny Cash (the guitar he played at his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1956), Ace Frehley (...

On April 18, 1981, I saw my very first all-day stadium show, billed the Rock Super Bowl, featuring Heart, Blue Öyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Firefall, and UFO. In this episode I give you a rundown of that show, share some memories from that amazing day, and play some of the songs that the band played that day.  Hope you enjoyed this episode. Did you happen to see this show? Drop us a line at modernmus...

We sure do love a list! And Loudwire has put out their list of 80s bands that should have been bigger! And we have a lot to say about this list -- the ones we agree with, the ones we don't really like, and the ones who may not have deserved to have been any bigger than they were. Plus we each list the 80s bands we love that we think should have been bigger.  But first we have some music news to co...

FIVE Killer Ace Frehley Songs! This month on Alan's Record Bin we celebrate the 75th birthday of KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley. We dig back through the record collection and focus on Ace's early career as a member of KISS and his subsequent emergence as a solo artist with FIVE (okay, SIX) killer tracks! Ace was just as much a force in KISS as Gene or Paul, and this show highlights some of his un...

AI is arguably the biggest technological revolution of our lifetime, but it's certainly not without controversy. For every positive application in medicine, science, engineering, etc. there are questions about how far AI should go. Most particularly, the use of AI in the arts is a hot-button issue. Can AI be used legitimately in music, literature, and visual art? Does it threaten to replace human...

Classical Music  Anthony and Stephanie are "on assignment," so Rob and Alan take the opportunity to discuss one of their shared passions: Classical Music. We talk about our mutual love of classical, how we first came to classical, some of our favorite pieces, and how a new listener can get acclimated to the music.  You'll hear about the music of Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovic and othe...

5 Forgotten AOR Songs This week Alan from Modern Musicology launches a new side-project! In this series of shows, I'll tell stories behind some of the albums in my collection. This week, we're talking about 5 Forgotten AOR Songs! These are tracks that got airplay on Album Oriented Rock radio stations back in the day but have mostly been left behind, frozen like a moment in time.  You'll hear about...

It's that time of year again! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has released its list of nominations for 2026. Sadly, we aren't amongst the 1200+ official voters who will be casting their ballots for this year's inducted class, but that won't stop us from discussing who we think should and shouldn't get in! And who should be nominated next! This year's nominees includes Billy Idol, the Black Crows, I...

The Music of 1976 This week we set the controls to the heart of 1976 to revisit some of the great music that came out that year! Of course, we cover the biggie, Frampton Comes Alive. We also report on three of the biggest movements of '76 -- Prog, Glam, and Disco. Along the way, we cover important debuts by bands like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Blondie, Bryan Ferry, Jon Anderson, and The Ram...

Super Bowl 60 was held on February 8, featuring a halftime show by Latin superstar Bad Bunny (with special guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin), and a pre-game performance by neo-punks Green Day. But in reaction against this, there was a second, independant "All American" halftime show featuring Kid Rock, Gabby Barrett, Lee Brice, and Brantley Gilbert. Both shows had their controversies and both are...

Heart's debut album, Dreamboat Annie, was released 50 years ago on February 14, 1976. This week we look back at the legacy and career of one of the most important and trailblazing American rock bands. Alan and Stephanie are joined by Marva Rodriguez, lead singer of the tribute band Heartisans, to talk about some of our best Heart memories, favorite songs and albums, favorite concert experiences, a...

The Police are back in the headlines—but not for the reasons fans might hope. A lawsuit involving the band members is nearing its conclusion, and this week Stephanie, Rob, and Alan dig into what we know about the case, unpacking the details of the suit and where each of the three musicians fits into it. That said, it’s not all legal drama. We also take a joyful detour through our favorite Police c...

DAVID BOWIE had a lenthy career, spanning from the first single he released in 1964 to his final album in 2016. January 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of his passing, and to commemorate the occasion we are joined by author Don Klees to talk about his book On Track: David Bowie 1983 - 2016, which covers every album and every single from the second half of his career. We discuss Bowie's works betw...

It's our final episode of 2025! It's also our Holiday episode, AND it's our 3rd Anniversary! This week we celebrate the musical traditions of the season! What makes a great Christmas song? What are some of our favorites? What are some of the best music-related Christmas gifts we've received in the past? We also impart some advice on gift-giving for the music lovers in our lives! And finally, we ta...

Everybody loves 80s movies, right? This week we are joined by author and film historiian John Malahy, whose new book Rewinding the 80s: Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War was released October 2025, to talk about the great soundtracks of the decade, from Top Gun, Flashdance, Lost Boys and Gorgio Moroder's weird new version of Metropolis, to the rise of pop star...

We've got a fun one for you this week! Stephanie leads the Modern Musicology gang in a discussion of our favorite TV Theme Songs! We each select five of our favorite themes, give a little story behind it, and say why we love it. Our discussion covers everything from sci-fi, police and medical dramas to game shows and kids shows, encompassing funk, rock, jazz, soul, orchestral, kitsch, and the abso...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held their 2025 induction ceremony was held on November 8, and Rob and Alan are here to review it all! The 2025 class of inductees are: Performer Category: Bad Company Chubby Checker Joe Cocker Cyndi Lauper Outkast Soundgarden The White Stripes Musical Influence Award: Salt-N-Pepa Warren Zevon Musical Excellence Award: Thom Bell Nicky Hopkins Carol Kaye Ahmet Ertegun...

Remember the days when you would sit around with your friends and play records for each other? Well, that's what we do on this week's Modern Musicology! To celebrate Anthony's 38th birthday, he shares with us 20 songs that he loves and gets our reaction to them. Anthony's tastes range from pop to metal, from prog to rap, with some kitsch and silliness along the way. We'll hear songs by bands that...

ACE FREHLEY On October 16, 2025 one of the most influential guitarists in the history of rock - ACE FREHLEY of KISS - passed away at the age of 74.  Court Lewis and Matt Alschbach of the Rock and Metal Profs Podcast join us to share memories of Ace and talk about his impact on the musical landscape. We share our favorite songs, favorite solos, favorite concert memories, and a few funny stories alo...

Rob, Alan, and Stephanie -- joined by our buddy JM Tuffley -- go on a bit of a passionate, cathartic rant about a topic that really gets under our skin: TICKET PRICES! Trust me, we have a lot to say on this topic! We rage against the machine on subjects like exorbitant prices, ridiculous handling fees, long wait times, server crashes, and we try to suss out the root cause of all of this. We feel s...