Rock 'n' Roll Grad School

Alan Niven has seen a lot. As manager for Guns n Roses as they made their ascendancy into music superstardom, Alan saw it all. And in his book, "Sound n Fury," he tells it all. "Sound n Fury" is available June 24th wherever you get your books.

You may not know the name, but you know his sound. From his work as a member of Lipps, Inc, to producing with Prince to bands like Fine Young Cannibals and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, David Z has created a sound that, literally, everyone has danced to.  For more information on David and his fascinating career, check out his website .

We talked with guitarist Jock Bartley when Firefall released their first "Friends & Family," and he's back to talk Vol 2. And, sure we talk about the record, but there's so much more to discuss.  "Friends and Family, Vol 2" is available right now. For more information, check out Firefall's website.

Gary Graff has done it again. With a cadre of writers, Gary pulled together a list of 501 albums that he feels are the most indicative of the 1980s. (We talked with Gary before about his list of albums of the 90s.) And, while we don't get as heated as we did then, there is still some lively debate to go around- and that's the point. 501 Essential Albums of the '80s: The Music Fan&ap...

In the 1960's Bob Dylan changed the world. How? And in what ways are we still dealing with the monumental changes that the future Noble prize winner kicked off? Sean Egan has written a new book about Dylan called "Decade of Dissent- How 1960's Bob Dylan Changed the World." It's a fascinating look at the creation and evolution of one of the world's most important artis...

Monique Powell and her band Save Ferris are back out on the road. (When are they not?) And on top of that, they have a new single, "Get Dancing," which, on top of being a fun song is good life advice. To find out when they are playing near you, check out their website .

Toby Sebastian is a multi-hyphenate artist. And with his new album, he adds another chapter to an already impressive body of work. Yeah, he's an actor, but this is all about his talent as a singer and a songwriter. "Eyes Light Up" is available right now. For more information check out Toby's website .

You may know Peter Holsapple from his work with the great db's. Or you know him from his work with R.E.M.. Or you know him from his really great and smart songwriting. In case you don't, he's got a new record out, so you can get to know him.  The Face of 68 , is available right now wherever you get your records.  For more information, you can follow Peter on Instagram.

Musician Talia Keys knows of which they speak. As a fierce advocate for people buying music before streaming it, their new album,  From the Ashes is available on vinyl for over a month before streaming. The idea of supporting musicians shouldn't seem revolutionary, but, it kind of is. To get your own copy of  From the Ashes , check out their website .

Paul Rappaport has had a fascinating career in the music industry that has led him to crossing paths with some of the most important musicians of the last century. Folks like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.  Now Rapp (as he's known to his friends) tells all the stories with his new book "Gliders Over Hollywood," and it's one fun ride...

Queen's fourth record, "A Night at the Opera," was the one that set them apart from the rest. A rock album unlike any others, with all the various tricks and treats that have become part of the Queen style, is now celebrating it's 50th anniversary. Author Gillian G. Gaar has written a great new book, filled with fascinating information about the making of the album and brimming...

This is a special one for Heidi. She talks with Jon Magidsohn, author of a new book about her favorite band- Crowded House. Part of the "On Track" series by Sonic Bond Publishing, Magidsohn does exactly what is says on the cover- break down every Crowded House song. (And he does so with the help of an interview with Neil Finn to provide some of the answers.) "Crowded House: On Track...

This week, we talk with one of the members of Sex-O-Rama. (What's his real name? What's his band name... we find out!) The group was originally formed to create fake porn music for folks to enjoy and, shockingly, things got out of hand and now they're onto volume 5. Sex-O-Rama volume 5: Invaders from the Pleasure Planet is available wherever you get your music. For more information,...

Don Airey is metal royalty. He has played with some of the greatest artists ever and on songs you've heard thousands of times. With his newest solo record  Pushed to the Edge , Don gathered some of his incredibly talented friends to make a real blast of a record that shows his great skill as a writer and, most importantly, as a musician. Pushed to the Edge comes out March 28th. For more infor...

You know how we feel about the Mael brothers and their band Sparks. So it was with great delight that we heard about Chris Sutton's new book, "Sparks 1969-1979: Every Album, Every Song" from Sonicbond Publishing. In the book, Chris takes a detailed look at the first decade of this incredibly influential band. For more information, check out the Sonicbond Publishing website , and ord...

Ellis Mano Band is a Swiss band, who have been making music in various guises for decades. With their most recent album, they again use their skills to craft quality rock. (And it's not just us saying that- they opened for Deep Purple last summer.) Their new record  Morph is available now wherever you get your music. For more information, check out their website. "M

This week it's another installment in "Tribute: A Tribute to Tributes," where we discuss another tribute album. This time it's one of the most 90's tributes ever made- featuring Liz Phair, Sublime, Sponge, Matthew Sweet and the Butthole Surfers, "Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits."

LA-based prog band Final Gravity has released a new EP and are promising a 2025 full of music. We talked with Mike Clark about the recording process and the love of prog rock bringing everyone together. You can download the new EP, Stormchaser , as well as their other releases on Band Camp and you can follow the band on Facebook .

We get to sit down again with the great John McCutcheon. On top of being an amazing song writer, John is also a fascinating guy to talk with. We talk about the writing of his newest record, "Field of Stars," and new songs he's written about all sorts of things including Hank Aaron and the MS St Louis. For more information including tour dates, check out John's website .

It's our annual Christmas celebration, where we exchange gifts, complain and play music you probably haven't heard in a while. Enjoy!

Here's an episode that we originally released on our sister show, Why? but if this isn't Grad School , well, we don't know what is. If you're like us, you need more Cheap Trick in your life. Thankfully, Ross Warner is here with his new book, American Standard: Cheap Trick from the bars to the Budokan and Beyond . It's a look at one of the great American bands and tries to...

This is one that is some time in the making. The legendary band Redd Kross started in the early 80’s when Steven McDonald was just 11 years old. Along with his big brother Jeff, Redd Kross has been carving their own unique path through rock music. They've just released their 10th album (a double album), a memoir (Now You're One of Us) and a documentary (Born Innocent). We talked with Jef...

The last time we talked with Roger Street Friedman, he was talking about his most recent album, produced by Larry Campbell. Now with his new record, "Long Shadows," Roger has taken over the producer role and emerged with an incredibly personal record that resonates. For more information, check out Roger's website , or follow him on Facebook .

2L0T is a fascinating collection of musicians, each with a unique set of skills all coming together to create fascinating music together. Their debut album, "Entropy," is available right now. For more information, you can check out their website.

We sit down with Philly Ocean and Sailor Hawkins to talk about Yachtley Crew's newest EP,  Seas and Greetings- because what goes together better than Yacht rock and Christmas? For more information, you can check out the band's website, follow them on Facebook , or purchase the album from Earache Records .