Side Jams with Bryan Reesman

Tony Harnell is known for his soulful singing, personal lyrics, and soaring high notes. He has endeared himself to devout fans while enduring the changing trends of the music business for over 35 years in groups including TNT, Westworld, Starbreaker, and Lovekillers. Tony spoke with me via Skype from his new home base in Nashville to discuss his lifelong love of surfing and skateboarding. He also...

The singer and lyricist for Moonspell discusses his love for writing, reading, and editing poetry and books. He runs his own media company, Alma Mater Books & Records, and he has translated works by H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Richard Matheson into Portuguese. This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout her nearly 25-year recording career, siren singer Azam Ali has crossed the boundaries between the old and the new, blending Persian melodies and folk sounds with other international influences, medieval music, and even modern electronic instrumentation. She spoke with me via Skype from her home in Los Angeles to discuss her fine art composites with photography, admiration for writers, a...

For over 30 years, Hansi Kürsch has fronted German power metal band Blind Guardian, who have enthralled audiences with their epic sound, fantasy-inspired lyrics, and his majestic vocals. For episode 10 of Side Jams, we chatted via Skype to discuss his obsession with collecting 7” vinyl singles to play on his jukebox, along with his love for movies and books. It was relaxed yet lively chat about ar...

As the frontman for Dream Theater, James LaBrie is the distinct voice for one of the most influential bands in progressive rock and metal history. Beyond his globe-trotting day job, LaBrie loves to go camping and boating. I called James via Skype during Dream Theater's recent tour stop in San Antonio to talk about his love for the great outdoors. Our chat also moved into other territory, including...

A singer who paved the way for the Atlanta hardcore scene when he was a teen, William DuVall ascended to becoming the frontman for Seattle hard rock icons Alice In Chains and the side project Giraffe Tongue Orchestra. Beyond music, he enjoys reading biographies and books about history, a subject for which he has a great interest. I spoke with William in a conference room at the offices of Cheddar...

Guitar maestro Chris Caffery is known for playing with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Savatage, Spirits Of Fire, and on his solo albums. He is also involved with three outside enterprises. For nearly a decade, he has been a partner in the hot sauce company High River Sauces. He also sells art and jewelry that he makes from sea glass. And his stuffed animal mascot Wilbur The Metalphant is a social media...

As lead guitarist and co-founding member of Uriah Heep, the ever-jovial Mick Box has been a driving force behind the British rock icons for 50 years. Their latest album Living The Dream is a strong studio release with memorable tunes and insightful lyrics. Outside of music, Mick is a big fan of British football – or, as we call it in America, soccer – and since childhood, he has rooted for the tea...

Metal shrieker Dani Filth has traveled the globe for a quarter-century spreading the gothic black metal gospel of his band Cradle of Filth. The British group's latest album, Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay, is their best in a decade. On top of the unusual gifts bequeathed to him by devout fans, everything from homemade dolls to large animal skulls, Dani loves to collect toys, paintings, a...

Ash Costello and her New Years Day bandmates Austin Ingerman, Nikki Misery, and Frankie Sil mine a dark, heavy sound that has embraced a pop-metal approach on their solid new album Unbreakable. For this episode, we speak about their mutual love for horror movies as well as her advocacy for animal rescue. Conducted at the offices of RED Music in NYC, our conversation stretches from the singer's int...

Guitarist Alex Skolnick is known for his musical prowess in both heavy metal (Testament, Metal Allegiance) and jazz (The Alex Skolnick Trio). He also loves books, so I thought it would be fitting to meet him at the Strand Book Store in NYC to discuss all things literary. We wander the stacks, from fiction to pulp fiction to rare books, to discuss his favorite authors, titles, how he reads and even...

French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre has toured the globe, sold an estimated 80 million albums, and holds the Guinness Book record for largest outdoor concert attendance (3.5 million people). He's also a down-to-earth person who loves painting, sci-fi, and movies. In this episode, we discuss those Side Jams and how they relate to his career. He and I also explore how artists engage th...

Welcome to the debut of "Side Jams"! Joining me for this inaugural episode is Roger Craig Smith. You've heard this talented voice actor play many signature roles in animated shows, films, and video games over the years -- Batman, Captain America, Sonic the Hedgehog, Kylo Ren, and many, many more. When he's not cavorting with the voices inside his head, the L.A.-based actor loves to gaze at the sta...