Episodes

For this special BONUS Patron-curated episode, we asked Patrons of the show to send in a song where the bass playing really caught their ear...and GOT THEM HIGH! Songs discussed in this episode: Big Bottom - Spinal Tap; Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin; Don't Look Any Further - Dennis Edwards; Iron Fist - Motorhead; Slow Hand - Three Mile Pilot; Psycho Killer - Talking Heads; Effort To Waste - Saccharine Trust; Rope Ladder To The Moon - Jack Bruce; Ageispolis - Aphex Twin; Bless The Weather ...

This week's guest, writer, director, producer, journalist and musician Gabriel Rotello, brings us the stunning debut studio album by Patti Smith, 'Horses'. Gabriel's latest book, 'The CBGB Conspiracy', is a gritty mystery novel set during the sweltering NYC summer of 1977, with Son of Sam on the prowl and the city rocked by the blackout. As both a musician who lived that scene and a longtime LGBTQ journalist, Gabriel's insight into this foundational punk landmark of a record is not to be missed!...

Returning guest and long-time friend of the show Tom Lawery brings us Sub Pop band (by way of the Carolinas) Band Of Horses and their second album, 2007s 'Cease To Begin'. Both evocative AND rocking, it's a record that delivers big riffs in a beautiful, indie-guitar pop package. Songs discussed in this episode: Luther (Kendrick Lamar and SZA cover) - Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell; Trinidad - Geese; The Funeral - Band Of Horses; One Big Holiday - My Morning Jacket; They'll Only Miss You When You ...

Technically Jeff Beck's seventh solo album - but only the second to bear only his name on the front cover - 1975s 'Blow By Blow' became a million-selling top-5 album, and proved once and for all there was truly nothing Jeff Beck could not do with a plank of wood and six strings. This week's guest, Filmmaker/Musician Peter Spirer (Rugged Entertainment), joins Rob as they attempt to unpack this instrumental classic. Songs discussed in this episode: Freeway Jam (Live, 1976) - Jeff Beck With The Ja...

His songs have been covered by HUNDREDS of bands over the years, and he's rightly been nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll". John Lennon may have said it best, "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." This week's guest, New Orleans musician Smitti Supab (Captain Buckles), brings us 'The Great Twenty-Eight' by the late, great Chuck Berry. "Hail, hail rock and roll!" Songs discussed in this episode: School Days - The Beach Boys (Live, Knebworth 1980), ...

For this special BONUS episode, Audio Engineer, Producer, Teacher and lead singer of Indiana's Zero Boys, Paul Mahern, brings us some of his favorite Teenage Tragedy Songs. Also known as Splatter Platters, Death Discs...etc, this style of songs lamenting teenage death scenarios - often in melodramatic fashion - peaked in popularity in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s but still pack a twisted punch today. Let the teardrops fall! Songs discussed in this episode: Last Kiss - Way...

We FINALLY dipped our toes into the George Clinton/P-Funk universe, as this week's guest Adrian Herrera - aka DJ Blacksmith - brings us 1976s 'Hardcore Jollies' by Funkadelic. "If you got funk, you got style You're funkin' and you're styling all the while When you got funk, you got class You're out on the floor movin' your ass" Songs discussed in this episode: Comin' Round The Mountain (Live, 1976) - Funkadelic; Pais Tropical - Jorge Ben Jor; Hell Before Sunrise - Oscar Herrera; Fuck Wit Dre Day...

In 1984, Michael Mann's crime drama Miami Vice hit the airwaves. Unlike the traditional police procedurals that came before it, Miami Vice drew upon 1980s pop culture and used contemporary rock and pop music as the background for its dark, often nihilistic storylines. Returning guest, poet and essayist Sarah Nichols, joins us as we unpack some of the songs - and musical guests - that made this iconic neo-noir television series pop. Songs discussed in this episode: Miami Vice Theme - Jan Hammer;...

For our FIRST Patron-curated episode of 2026, we asked Patrons of the show to send in a song from their parents record collection that stayed with them...and got them high! Thanks mom and/or dad!! Songs discussed in this episode: At The Balalaika - Nelson Eddy; I Can See For Miles - The Who; Before The Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender; Flowers On The Wall - The Statler Brothers; The Only Living Boy In New York - Simon & Garfunkel; Buzzin' Fly - Tim Buckley; Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In - Th...

Longtime Patron and returning guest Rory Cox Zoomed-in all the way from Slovenia to discuss Athens, Georgia band Drive-By Truckers and their incendiary 2016 album, 'American Band'. Overtly political - and as timely today as the day it was released - this is protest music with the guitars turned to eleven! Songs discussed in this episode: The KKK Took My Baby Away (Ramones cover) - Drive-By Truckers; Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd; Ronnie and Neil - Drive-By Truckers; Green Grass & High Tides - The...

Seattle singer/songwriter Robert Deeble brings us British band Mojave 3 and their 2003 release 'Spoon and Rafter'. Borne from the ashes of their previous band Slowdive, its core members Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon dialed-in the dream pop/folk with stunning arrangements and a feather-light touch. Songs discussed in this episode: Love From Room 109 at the Islander (Tim Buckley cover) - Mojave 3; Hi-Lo and In Between - Neil Halstead; My Life In Art - Mojave 3; Orphan Song - Ro...

Writer, comedian, musician Aug Stone joins us this week to unpack The Afghan Whigs and their stunning 1996 release: 'Black Love'. Leader Greg Dulli and company mine themes of vengeance, remorse and self-loathing on a record that manages to be both ferocious AND soulful. Songs discussed in this episode: The Bed (Lou Reed cover) - Afterhours (feat. Greg Dulli); Written In The Stars - Aug Stone & The Love Conspiracy; Premonitions - Damien Youth; Rachel On The Rooftops - Aug Stone; Debonair - The A...

This week, returning guest - and founder of Rochester New York's Carbon Records, Joe Tunis - brings us a subject near-and-dear to his heart: the music of the New Zealand underground. This essential compilation, 'Xpressway Pile=Up', is a great snapshot of the late 80s/early 90s New Zealand underground music scene and the artists involved. Songs discussed in this episode: Quiet In The Village - Eye; Anything Could Happen - The Clean; What Goes On - The Velvet Underground; Midnight Blue Vision - P...

What more can be said about the much maligned 1978 musical film 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' that hasn't been said already (11% on Rotten Tomatoes)? But this week's guest, multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter Robbie Gennet, contends that the movie - and especially its accompanying soundtrack - deserves a second look. Featuring the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, and a slew of guest artists covering Beatles songs (AND produced by none other than George Martin!), as well as a murderer...

For our first episode of 2026, we talked the New York Dolls and their eponymous 1973 debut with special guest Jerid O'Connell. As a Connecticut teen sneaking into New York City to see the Dolls play places like Club 82 and Max's Kansas City, Jerid - who eventually played drums in NYC band Rousers - was instantly smitten by their raw, high energy sound/delivery and never let go. Turn this episode up!! Songs discussed in this episode: Personality Crisis (New York Dolls cover) - Teenage Fanclub & ...

For our final episode of 2025, we asked our Patrons to send in their favorite - and unlikely - musical collaborations. As usual, they did NOT disappoint! Songs discussed in this episode: Wanted Man (Take 1) - Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash; Living Doll - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones; Mama - My Chemical Romance w/Liza Minnelli; Perfect Day - Lou Reed & Luciano Pavarotti; Don't Give Up - Willie Nelson & Sinéad O'Connor; Mad John - The Small Faces; Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & ...

When Grammy-nominated Louisiana Zydeco musician Corey Ledet offered to discuss Bruno Mars' multi-platinum third album '24K Magic', TRGMH host and part-time music snob Rob braced himself for a painful week. But Mars' tight, 9-song attempt to capture the sound of the 80s/90s R&B, funk and New Jack Swing he listened and danced to during his childhood - the same music Ledet listened to as a teen growing up in Houston, TX. - quickly won him over. Seriously, if this record doesn't make you feel a LITT...

Detroit-born artist Josh Hight - now based in Lewes, East Sussex - brings us The Cure and their enigmatic third record, 'Faith'. For this 1981 release, Robert Smith and co. reached deep down into their souls and produced an album of dark, melancholically bleak-yet-beautiful music. Songs discussed in this episode: Primary (The Cure cover) - The Dandy Warhols; Atrocity Exhibition - Joy Division; Plainsong - The Cure; In His Wake - PINES; Facing - IRONS; I Was Only Fifteen - PINES; The Holy Hour, ...

Poet/Songwriter Sara Mae Henke (The Noisy) brings us Japanese Breakfast and their 2021 album, 'Jubilee'. The third release by musician/author Michelle Zauner, it's a gloriously joyful slab of indie pop with a side-helping of catharsis. Songs discussed in this episode: Neckline (Deluxe Version), Twos, Tony Soprano - The Noisy; Chamomile - Larlene; Tropical Jinx - Little Big League; Everybody Wants To Love You, Paprika, Be Sweet - Japanese Breakfast; Nightshade - The Noisy; Kokomo, IN, Winter In ...

Renowned producer/engineer Larry Crane (Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, The Go-Betweens, Elliott Smith...as well as editor and founder of Tape Op Magazine) brings us Wire and their groundbreaking, highly influential third album '154'. A favorite of a diverse array of artists including Robert Pollard, Johnny Marr and Michael Stipe to name a few, this heady slab of post-punk vignettes rewards repeated listenings. Songs discussed in this episode: The 15th (Wire cover) - Mike Watt; Curl Up and Dy...

One of our favorite returning guests, Miami drag icon Shelley Novak (aka Tommy Strangie), joins us to once again explore his life-long obsession with all things Chrissie Hynde as we discuss The Pretenders and their third studio album, 1984s 'Learning To Crawl'. "Now come on, baby Get in the road..." Songs discussed in this episode: Absent Minded Me - Chrissie Hynde; Tommy Strangie - The Boas; Cuban Slide, Middle Of The Road - The Pretenders; Long Long Time - Linda Ronstadt; Back On The Chain Gan...

Named after the back seat of his family's car where he recorded the vocals to his early albums, Will Toledo's solo-project-cum-band Car Seat Headrest went from Bandcamp indie-darlings to headlining Coachella in a relatively short time. This week's guest, musician/songwriter Brendan Wright (Tiberius), brings us CSH's transitional 2014 release - and final one before signing to Matador - 'How To Leave Town'. Brimming with both existential doubt and unbridled wanderlust, the record works as a dark, ...

This week, we Zoomed all the way over to the medieval wine country of Romagna, Italy to discuss The Flaming Lips and their beloved 2002 release: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots with musician/artist Lucas Ward (The Silver Snails) "All we have is now All we've ever had is now All we have is now All we'll ever have is now" Songs discussed in this episode: Do You Realize (Flaming Lips cover) - Willie Nelson; No Name #3 - Elliott Smith; Evanessence, Galen's Song - The Silver Snails; Race For The Priz...

Arguably one of the most important groups of the 1980s, St Paul Minnesota punk rock trio Hüsker Dü paved the way for 90s indie superstars Nirvana and a host of others while never quite reaching anything close to that level of success in their short 9-year existence. This week's guest, Reno, NV musician and writer Mark Earnest (Kanawha, Manchild), joins us to discuss their sixth - and final - studio release, Warehouse: Songs and Stories. A sprawling, sonic battlefield between dual songwriters Bob...