Decibel Geek Podcast

For a certain segment of the population, April 20th is a very significant day. If you don't partake of a sticky green plant that has certain psychological stimulating qualities, you don't know what I'm talking about.   This week Aaron and Chris celebrate 420 in the most fitting Decibel Geek way; by spinning some of their favorite rocking songs that pay tribute to the enjoyment of ganja (aka marijuana). Tracks from Bulletboys, Enuff Z'nuff, Ace Frehley, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath and more are included. Light 'em up!   Buy Music! (click artist name to purchase!)   Motley Crue Enuff Z'nuff Steppenwolf Bulletboys Ace Frehley Rush GWAR Jimmie's Chicken Shack Great White Black Sabbath   Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Facebook Fan Page Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram E-mail Us Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351   Support Us! Shop on Amazon!---------->>>>>>>>> (a percentage of sales from that link to the right goes back to supp

Every year, the high seas get rocked a little harder during this time of year and 2014 was no exception. The Monsters of Rock Cruise featured around 40 Decibel Geek-worth artists performing rotating sets in the Bahamas aboard the massive MSC Divina cruise ship and our very own Rich "The Meister" Dillon was on board to take it all in.   Rich "Meister" Dillon came through Nashville on his way back from the Monsters of Rock cruise to join Aaron, Chris, and Decibel Geek writer Andy Lafon for a discussion of all of the music, atmosphere, and debauchery that took place on the high seas. Underscoring this conversation is music from artists aboard the ship such as Cinderella, Killer Dwarfs, Winger, Red Dragon Cartel, and a bunch more. Dig it!   Monsters of Rock Cruise Official Website Monsters of Rock Cruise Offical Facebook Page Monsters of Rock Cruise Official Twitter   Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below     Call us on t

If you're anywhere near America during this time of year, the term "March Madness" seems to permeate the air. The NCAA basketball tournament becomes the sports centerpiece for the entire month of March and sports and non-sports fans escape into office pools of their own brackets in an attempt to prove their sports knowledge. The musical equivalent of this takes place on (crappy) radio stations across the land; with stations assigning bands in the bracket spots and letting listeners vote on who should be crowned the champ.    This week Aaron and Chris take a rock band bracket list and go head-to-head in a discussion/argument over what happens when you pit these bands against each other. Some of these matchups and picks will anger you, make you laugh, question our sanity. Either way, it's a fun, laid-back talk between Aaron and Chris and more indisputable evidence that radio absolutely, positively sucks.   Geeks of the Week: Facebook: Matt Ashcraft, Todd Cunningham, Chris Karam, Rick Shaw, Derik Novak,

We're back this week with part 1 of our 2 part 1994 Year in Review. In this episode, Aaron and Chris take a look at the facts, figures, cultural events, and new stories that shaped 1994 with an excellent soundtrack as a compliment. Lots to cover!   Click artist name to purchase on Amazon!   Intro Song: Buckethead– Welcome to Bucketheadland – Giant Robot   Geeks of the week: Facebook: East Side Gamblers, Derik Novak, Matt Ashcraft, Jason Thomas Broadrick, Gino Ames, Chris Karam, Union, Heavy Rock   Twitter: Steve, MusicMagsAndWax, theprettyfilth, John Corabi, Collins Facts & Figures: Average Monthly Rent $533.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas$1.09 Loaf of Bread $1.59   January: January 6 – In Detroit, Michigan, Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband. January 11 - The Superhighway Summit is held at UCLA's Royce Hall. It is the first conference to discuss the growing information superhighway and is presided over by

We teased last week that we'd be doing a year in review this week. Unfortunately, time and sickness played factors in us getting our research finished in time. The year in review shows take a lot of preparation.   This week, Aaron and Chris bring you volume 16 of the Raido Sucks Radio Show as they spin new tracks by Winger, Heavy Tiger, and The East Side Gamblers alongside rocking tracks from KISS, Betty Blowtorch, Union, Hair of the Dog and much more.   Buy Music! (click artist name to purchase!)   East Side Gamblers Union Winger Hair of the Dog Santa Cruz Betty Blowtorch Heavy Tiger Sugar Ray KISS Skid Row   Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below     Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The winter of 2013-2014 has been absolutely brutal in the United States and outlying territories. Worse than that, if feels like it's never going to end! March is here and there are still places that have plenty of snow on the ground. It's enough to make even the most cheerful of Decibel Geeks feel depressed and cry out "Winter Sucks!"   This week we're joined by guest host Mitch Lafon for a discussion of some of our favorite Winter-themed songs (ie. songs with words like "cold", "ice", "frozen" in the title). In this hour-long discussion, Aaron, Chris and Mitch discuss and spin tracks by Cinderella, Aerosmith, Rainbow, London, LA Guns, Metallica and much more to help remedy your cold weather blues. Mitch also shares his reasoning for recently leaving the popular Three Sides of the Coin podcast and lets us in on his plans for the future.   Mitch Lafon on Facebook Mitch Lafon on Youtube   Buy Music! (click artist name to purchase!) Tora Tora Rainbow Cinderella David Lee Roth Aerosmith Van Halen

After two weeks of discussing a British Invasion, we decided this week to discuss another kind of British Invasion and Chris and Aaron are joined by Tim Henderson from Bravewords.com for an in-depth discussion of the entire catalog of heavy metal legends Judas Priest.   In this long-form discussion, Aaron, Chris and Tim discuss the recorded output of the iconic Judas Priest catalog; starting with 1974's Rocka Rolla and chronicling each album through 2008's Nostradamus and their hopes for the upcoming album currently being created.   There's a lot of twists and turns in this conversation with each host bringing a different perspective due to differing levels of Priest fandom. We hope die-hard Priest fans enjoy this trip down memory land and we also hope this coversation helps turn on listeners not as familiar with Judas Priest's catalog and hisotry to pick up and discover one of metal's most iconic bands. Enjoy!   Visit Bravewords.com for the best in rock and metal news!   Buy Music! (click album ti

This week the Decibel Geek podcast stays Fab as Aaron and Chris spin some of their favorite Beatles songs covered by some of the favorite rock & metal artists.   The Beatles - Covered in Metal is an hour plus of  rock and metal artists putting their own spin on some Fab 4 classics. Tracks from Kip Winger, Type O Negative, Me First & the Gimme Gimme's, Tesla and more!   Buy Music! (click artist/album title to purchase!)   Whitesnake - Trouble   Tesla - Real to Reel   Jeff Healey - Cover To Cover   Butchering the Beatles: A Headbashing Tribute Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah Gilby Clarke - Hangover   Running Wild - Victory   Type O Negative - World Coming Down   Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below     Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the majority of the world celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles landmark first performance on the Ed Sullivan show, Aaron and Chris decided to dip their toe(s) into this renewed Beatlemania.   The guys discuss and spin some of their favorite 'heavy' Beatles tracks from albums such as The White Album, Yellow Submarine, Sergent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road and more.   We also hear from Podkisst host Ken Mills with his picks for favorite heavy Beatles tunes. If you didn't already know, Ken hosted a fantastic look back at the Sullivan show appearance in a special entitled Beatles Invade America. We highly recommend it!   We hope you enjoy this look/listen to The Heavier Side of the Beatles.   Buy Music!   The Beatles   Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below     Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a wild couple of weeks of going behind the KISS curtain, we're back this week to kick back, have some laughs, and spin some awesome cover songs. This week we bring you Under Covers 2, a collection of kick-ass hard rock and metal cover songs. Some of these are just great takes on the original and others are more rocked-up versions of less rocking songs. Covers by bands such as Bobaflex, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, Ronnie James Dio, Halestorm and Nantucket covering songs by great acts like AC/DC, Styx, Alice Cooper, Simon & Garfunkle, and Hall & Oates (weird, I know). Hope you enjoy! Buy Music! (click artist name to purchase) Bobaflex Jizzy Pearl Me First and the Gimme Gimmes John Corabi Nantucket Ronnie James Dio Stevie Rachelle Halestorm Skid Row Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone

General music listeners tend to state that there's no good music being produced these days. But, true Decibel Geeks know that isn't the case and this week Aaron and Chris are out to prove it as they share some of their favorite tracks from albums released in 2013. Also included in this discussion are the top picks from the Decibel Geek website writers. You'll learn through this hour-plus episode that a ton of great music was put our in 2013 by classic rockers you love as well as newer upstarts that have something to prove. Tracks from LaValle, Volbeat, Hardcore Superstar, Black Sabbath, Stryper, Motorhead, and more give you plenty to think about as we head into the new year. Buy Music! Michael Monroe - Horns & Halos Stryper - No More Hell to Pay Heaven's Basement - Filthy Empire Motorhead - Aftershock Black Star Riders - All Hell Breaks Loose The Bronx - The Bronx (IV) Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork LaValle - Lavalle - Dear Sanity Black Sabbath - 13 [Deluxe Edition] Fates W

With this week containing that festive holiday that goes by many names (Christmas at DBG headquarters), Aaron and Chris decided to spread some seasonal cheer by spinning some notable songs that fit such a jolly time. BUY MUSIC! (click artist name to purchase) Teenage Casket Company - One Thing You Don’t Need ThisChristmas  E'nuff Z'nuff – Happy Holiday Twisted Sister – Oh Come All Ye Faithful AC/DC – Mistress for Christmas Tom Keifer – Blue Christmas Dio, Iommi, & Appice – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Brighton Rock – White Christmas Wednesday 13 – Buried by Christmas Dokken – Santa Claus is Coming to Town The Donnas – Christmas Wrapping Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After getting through the whirlwind that was the first half of the year, Aaron and Chris return to tell the second half of the story in this week's 1978 Year in Review Part 2. This week, Aaron and Chris discuss the people, places, events, and music of the rest of the year. Stories include the over-saturation of KISS-mania, the poorly received Sgt. Pepper movie, and the Texxas Jam. Tracks from bands including Boston, Ramones, Black Sabbath, KISS, Gillan, Rush, and Rose Tattoo among others. We also include some interesting television commercials and promos from the year that was 1978. Buy Music! Boston - Dont Look Back The Who - Who Are You Styx - Pieces of Eight KISS - Ace Frehley KISS - KISS Gene Simmons KISS - Paul Stanley KISS - Peter Criss Ramones - Road to Ruin Black Sabbath - Never Say Die Ted Nugent - Weekend Warriors Gillan - Gillan Lynyrd Skynyrd - Skynyrd's First And...Last Rush - Hemispheres Judas Priest - Hellbent for Leather Alice Cooper - From the Inside Rose Tattoo - Ro

We're going back in time this week to an era of disco, bellbottoms, and great rock n' roll as we present the first installment of our 1978 Year in Review.  Aaron and Chris had a lot of great music to choose from for this episode and you'll hear it along with all the pop culture discussion you've come to expect from these audio time capsules.  January through July of 1978 was a busy time for hard rock and early metal acts and Aaron and Chris present plenty of song clips and discussion of artists such as Judas Priest, Rainbow, KISS, AC/DC, Journey, Angel, Starz, Cheap Trick, and much, much more! Buy Music! (click album title to purchase via Amazon) Judas Priest - Stained Class Rainbow - Long Live Rock & Roll Ringo Starr - Bad Boy KISS - Double Platinum Tom Petty - You're Gonna Get it AC/DC - Powerage Foghat - Stone Blue Rolling Stones - Some Girls Journey – Infinity Starz – Attention Shoppers Angel – White Hot Van Halen – Van Halen Generation X – Generation X Bob Seger

If there is one band that truly defines having a "good time" it's Van Halen. Formed in 1974 in suburban Pasadena, California, brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen were joined by bassist Michael Anthony and vocalist David Lee Roth and set forth in creating music history. Blessed with other-worldly talent, Eddie quickly redefined the art of hard rock guitar playing via two-handed tapping and whammy bar dive bombs. Alex's drumming, rooted in the influences of Ginger Baker and Buddy Rich, was an aggressive undercurrent to the band's sound. Michael Anthony's rock solid bass playing was only overshadowed by his angelic backing vocals. And David Lee Roth's ringmaster routine; featuring high jumps and other assorted acrobatics, rounded out a band that would marry classical influences with Harlem soul to create the combustible mix that was the Roth-Era of Van Halen. After 1984, it seemed that the spirit of original Van Halen was lost forever with Roth embarking on a long solo career and the brothers starting to w

The holidays are fast approaching and Chris and Aaron are as busy as ever getting some great episodes and interviews together to bring to all of you Decibel Geeks. This week, the guys stop to take a breather and give you a taste of what they've been listening to. There's a lot of variety in this new edition of the Radio Sucks Radio show. Brand new tracks by The Black Spiders, Michael Monroe, The Dead Daisies, and Hardcore Superstar fit in nicely with some awesome covers performed by Vince Neil, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Damone. There's even more but you gotta listen! Michael Monroe – Stained Glass Heart – Horns & Halos   The Dead Daisies (ft. Slash) – Lock N’ Load –The Dead Daisies   Black Spiders – Balls –This Savage Land   Mr. Big – The Whole World’s Gonna Know –Bump Ahead   Hardcore Superstar – C’mon Take on Me –C'Mon Take On Me   Tesla - Children's Heritage -Gold   Damone - Everybody Wants You –Everybody Wants You   Randy Castillo/Tracii Guns/Stevie Rachelle – Too Late for Lo

Decibel Geek is much more than just a weekly podcast. If you don't already know, there are a TON of great articles being put out consistently by our dedicated staff of writers; giving you more hard rock and metal stuff to geek out on on the days between episodes. Many of the articles are inspired by song choices from Aaron and Chris that are featured on the episodes. There are also a number of reviews of some of the best new and classic albums being put out regularly. This week Aaron and Chris shine a spotlight on the great articles being written by the Decibel Geek staff. All song choices were inspired by an article written by a particular staff member. There's quite a bit of great variety in this episode and we hope this will help turn you on to some great new/classic music. Click on writer's name to read the original article that inspired the song choice.  Click on the album title to go to Amazon and order! Andy Lafon: LaValle – Don’t Cry –Dear Sanity   The Meister: Arch Rival - In The F

Every once in a while in the past, Aaron and Chris would break out a track that's from an up and coming act that has an old-school vibe that fits within the Decibel Geek methodology. They would usually call this a Fresh Blood track. Upon further investigation, there's a TON of great new rock and metal being made these days and Chris and Aaron are in the fortunate position to bring you full volumes of this Fresh Blood series and we kick it off today!  We hope you enjoy this new batch of ear candy! Click Artist name for more info.  Click track/album name to purchase on Amazon Wyldlife - The Time Has Come to Rock & Roll [Explicit] Revolution Riot - "Ashes of Dreams", Untitled (TBA) Scorpion Child – Polygon of Eyes – Self-Titled (2013) Hammering Process - "Kachina"- Hammering Process [Explicit] (2012) Monster Truck – The Lion – Furiosity (2013) Robot Lords of Tokyo - "Hell Will Have to Wait"- Virtue & Vice (2013) Impera – Beast Within –  Pieces of Eden (10/18/13) 210 To Lowell - "Dead Jimmy", Dirtie

With Halloween fast approaching, we felt this week was the best time to go ahead and take a look into the history of Shock Rock. It's time for Shock Rocktober! In this hour-plus episode, Aaron and Chris Go back to the earliest days of Shock Rock with Screamin' Jay Hawkins all the way through Lordi today and along with some acts you may have missed the first time. Before we get to the music, we're proud to announce a special prize giveaway brought to you by the Decibel Geek Podcast and Michael Wagener. We're giving away a free slot to Michael Wagener's upcoming 7-Day Production Workshop at Wireworld Studio near Nashville, TN. The week-long workshop begins on December 1st. The normal cost of this 7-day workshop is $2450.00. In this workshop, you'll learn hands-on technique in the birth of a song all the way through recording, mixing, and mastering. It's a unique chance to work with a music production legend in an intimate setting. To enter the contest, simply e-mail a letter to us along with an mp3 samp

Whether you know the name Michael Wagener or not chances are, if you're a fan of this show, he's had a major impact on your life. A cursory glance at the discography of this German-born music production legend will leave you stunned due to the number of pivotal hard rock and heavy metal moments he helped create and shape.  This week Aaron and Chris head to Wireworld Studios for a long-form discussion of some of the many highlights of Michael's career. In this discussion, you'll hear about his early roots in Germany as he helped form Accept and then made the jump across the pond to begin his storied career on a ready-to-explode Sunset Strip. One project led to another and within just a few years Michael had worked with acts such as Dokken, Motley Crue, Metallica, Poison, Stryper, White Lion, and Skid Row just to name a few.  In this talk, Michael also shares his take on the evolution of the recording industry and the changes that have taken place due to the digital divide. It's a solid hour of insi