A-Sides

This episode discusses the career of Lady Gaga, from her debut, The Fame, to her latest album, Chromatica. We touch on the A Star Is Born collaboration with Bradley Cooper, while also going into tangents ranging from the recent passing of Bob Kulick, the awkardness of meet & greets, and Andy's attempts to sound 'hip' using current slang terms. Grab a cold one and join us for the latest episode of A-Sides. You can also follow us on Instagram @asidespodcast and find us on Facebook.

This episode features special guest Shane Tassart, the voice of Best of Seven, Wicked Jester, The Hot Summers, and many more. Shane takes us on a nostalgic trip back to his youth in Central Illinois, shares how he transitioned from behind the drumkit into being a frontman, and where he fits in the KISStory of "The Hottest Band In The World." Hopefully one day soon Shane will be seen on a stage near you with his Journey tribute, Wheel In The Sky, which you can follow here. Thanks to Shane for sharing stories and thank you for listening!

Recapping albums from May 2020, including American Aquarium, Butch Walker, and Jason Isbell's Reunions, Brent and Andy have a reunion of their own. Possibly fueled by too much caffeine, not only do they touch on the albums, but other topics are Taylor Swift's ABC Special, guitar tones, coffee beer, just how judgemental Andy really is, and how many times they've seen Jason Isbell in concert. Grab your beverage of choice and enjoy this new episode of A-Sides. Thanks for listening!

Following up on conversations about record collecting and the creation of vinyl, I wanted to chat with Denny Smith, of Co-Op Records in Central Illinois. Denny takes a trip down memory lane and shares some stories from behind-the-counter, covering everything from 'midnight releases' to 'in-store appearances.' We even touch on the state of collecting and the decline of brick and mortar record shops. Thank you Denny for taking the time to chat with me. You can find Denny's music on Facebook as he's also a key component of the Nashville-based band, The Great Affairs! Thanks for listening to this episode of A-Sides.

Episode 24 features special guest, Daniel Dekay, host of Banger TV and guitarist for Exciter and Diemonds. Grab a cold one and hear some stories from him about his love for KISS and Megadeth, find out who controls the stereo in the tour van, and what he's been up to recently. You can find Daniel on all forms of social media, @daniel_dekay; watch him on BangerTV; and stay up-to-date with his band Exciter here.

Brent and Andy return to recap the month that was April 2020. This episode dives into new music from Soul Asylum, The Strokes, Incubus, Fiona Apple, and Danzig's Elvis cover album, while they also determine if Last Action Hero has one of the best rock n roll-centered movie soundtracks. Thanks for coming back for another round of A-Sides. You can find us and follow us on Instagram @asidespodcast and like us on Facebook here.

After diving into the hobby of collecting records, it seemed like a natural step forward to look at the overall design and production of what goes into making a vinyl record. Joining the show straight from "Detroit Rock City" is Scotty Hagen of Bellyache Records. Not only do we dive into the sweet origins of Bellyache Records, we ponder the probability of having Record Store Day in 2020, and discuss how Alice Cooper set the bar for creatively conveying the theme of an album. Take a look at the entire Bellyache Records catalog online, and satisfy your sweet tooth with this episode of A-Sides!

Joining the show this week for a special interview is Nashville native and guitar great, Tony Higbee. He currently plays with Tom Keifer, Damon Johnson, and leads the band- The East Side Gamblers. We chat his Illinois roots, his extensive record collection, and new music on the horizon. You can find The East Side Gamblers' recent EP, The Big Machine, here or stream them on your favorite app. You can keep up with their schedule and activities on Facebook. Thanks for listening!

Back with another selection of new music, as we cover releases from Brian Fallon, Pearl Jam, In This Moment, and Testament. Along the way we question the need for so many musical sub-genres, ask ourselves if Pearl Jam is the biggest 'cult' band in rock music, and Andy realizes he needs more Testament in his life. Pop open your favorite beverage and join us for another round of A-Sides. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and your favorite podcast app by searching for "A-Sides Podcast." Thanks for listening!

Since we can't escape discussing heavy metal on this show, we put ourselves to the task of ranking every Black Sabbath album featuring Ozzy Osbourne and listing our favorite songs of that era. Over the duration of this discussion we discovered some of Brent's parenting skills, Andy apologized to a coworker, a new phrase was created, and more self-discoveries were made. One thing's for sure is that Sabbath created the blue print for heavy metal. Like and follow us on Instagram at "A-Sides Podcast" and find us on Facebook here. Thanks for listening!

A-Sides is back to basics as we are covering several new releases from the month of March, including Sin Shake Sin, Mandy Moore, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, The Rumours, and Lucifer. There's also a discussion on the recent Beasto Blanco show we attended, the current state of the world, and heavy metal. It wouldn't be a proper episode without some heavy metal talk, as we dabbled in Dio albums before Andy broke our hearts by mentioning concerts we regret missing. So grab a beer, kick back with us, and forget about the world for a little while. Find us on Facebook, like and follow us on your favorite podcast app, and thanks for listening!

Let's rip!! A-Sides is back with another special guest, as we had the pleasure of sitting down with Brother Latham of Beasto Blanco ahead of their show in Moline, IL. We dipped into a little of Latham's background and what he's currently listening to, while the background music in the bar also played into our conversation. The band is currently out on the road and you can stay up to date on their tour dates here. You can also find their music on all streaming services as well. Big thank you to Brother Latham, Rascals Live in Moline, and Kenny for making this happen. 

We sat down with friends and musicians, John Massaglia, Brock Massaglia, and Jason McMichael, who comprise the new musical trio, The Truth Council. On the heels of their debut EP, 13 Degrees released on March 5, we gained some insight into their new songs, discussed the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus, a great venue called the Arcada Theater, what defines a millennial, and why musicians continue to cover songs from the 1980's. You can find The Truth Council here or on Facebook. 

Attention Rock N Roll Rebels! A-Sides has crossed over the mountain and traveled to the centre of eternity to pay tribute to the Prince of Darkness in our latest episode. With the release of his new studio album, Ordinary Man, we thought it best to use this as an opportunity to discuss his entire solo catalog, as we ranked his albums and discussed our favorite songs, although Andy tried his best to take this episode off the rails. Choose your favorite demon alcohol and join us for this salute to Ozzy. Thanks for listening!

Ahead of KISS rocking the Peoria Civic Center, we sat down to discuss several releases from the first half of February 2019- Green Day, John Moreland, The Cadillac Three, Stone Temple Pilots, Richard Marx, and Huey Lewis. We had our usual distractions along the way, including the non-make up era of KISS and vinyl vs CD collections. Pour yourself a glass of cold gin and enjoy this episode of A-Sides. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @asidespodcast. 

Unlucky or not, A-Sides is back for Episode 13 with a discussion on new releases from Breaking Benjamin, Theory Of A Deadman, The Drive-By Truckers, and Lordi. Special thanks to Pier Lorenzo for the Lordi recommendation. Thanks for listening and you can find us on Instagram at @asidespodcast, Twitter, and Facebook. As always, A-Sides is shaken, not stirred. 

Fresh off our conversation with Damon Johnson, Brent and Andy are back to business... and business is good. On tap for this round are albums from Halsey, Sons of Apollo, Marcus King, Beach Slang, and a gem that Brent unearthed from Argentina- a band called Motorbooze. Thanks for listening and giving feedback. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Hot off a show that melted the ice and snow when Damon Johnson and his power trio played Peoria, we sat down with the singer-songwriter to chat about his recent solo album Memoirs Of An Uprising. He gave us some insight on his song-writing process and also made some interesting parallels with Beyonce and David Bowie. Check out his website for tour dates and merch; also a big thank you to Damon, and Ben Owen for making this possible. Thanks for coming back for another round of A-Sides.

Backtracking a little to cover some late-2019 releases, Brent and Andy discuss music from The Who and Harry Styles. There's also a few detours ranging from A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody to sharing our 'New Year Resolutions.' Raise your glasses to more great music in 2020 and thanks for coming back for more A-Sides. Find us on Facebook, Instagram @asidespodcast, and leave feedback.

Not only does this episode welcome a special guest to A-Sides, we also spent too much time pondering the question of how hard it is to motivate a motivational speaker. Friend and musician Denny Smith joins Brent and Andy in wrapping up the year that was 2019 with our favorite songs and albums, also listing our personal albums of the decade, while drawing a parallel between Sturgill Simpson and Peter Criss' 1978 solo album. Pour yourself a cold one and join us for another round of A-Sides.