GRAB A STACK OF ROCK…with Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 4: Special guestRobert Daniels
Fourth week of Grab a Stack of Rock! It’s already been a month! We’re doing something special tonight. This evening, Harrison and Mike are joined by one of the internet’s foremost experts on just about everything movie related, Robert “Visions In Sound” Daniels! What will he show off tonight? You’ll just have to tune in and see. Robert is in the midst of listening to his entire soundtrack collection in alphabetical order by movie title. Perhaps we’ll see where he is currently. As usual, it’s his choice how he spends his hour tonight and I can’t wait to find out.
Also, “Ask Harrison” will return as a new regular feature.
UPDATE:
If deliveries come in time, I will also be unboxing:
KISS – Creatures of the Night box set
QUEEN – The Miracle box set
PINK FLOYD – Hey Hey Rise Up CD single
Come on Amazon guy, don’t let us down.
Friday November 18 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook.
Super special guest John Snow showed up tonight with a stack of Japanese imports! Jeff Scott Soto, Danger Danger, Firehouse and more! Harrison also brought some Japanese action along with some assorted musical treats. I showed off some big Thin Lizzy and Kiss imports from Japan, and random stacks of whatever happened to be lying nearby. And when I say random, I do mean random!
We also took viewer questions for Harrison about his home country of Australia. If popular, this will become a regular feature of the show.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK…with Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 3: Special guestJohn Snow
Continuing to show off our collections, tonight Harrison and Mike are joined by the infamous John T. “Snowman” Snow for another hour of fun. What will we show off tonight? You’ll just have to tune in and see. We all know John’s collection is massive and loaded with rock. How will he choose to spend his hour tonight? Let’s find out!
We also have some surprise viewer questions for Harrison, and YOU can participate in the comments section! Join us, won’t you?
Friday November 11 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook.
Tim Durling‘s Holy Grail this week was a serious rarity: Europe’s The Final Countdown (1986) on 8-track! It was worth the wait, seeing that unusual tape on that format.
We had a surprise guest: Aaron from the KMA, who showed some discs and books! And of course Harrison the Mad Metal Man had some interesting items on display. As for me, I unboxed the Thin Lizzy Rock Legends box set and an unassembled ZZ Top Eliminator model kit.
It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but: tonight, please join Harrison and Mike, as we welcome special guest Tim Durling to our NEW chat show! It’s called Grab A Stack of Rock with Mike and the Mad Metal Man, and this is our unofficial episode 2.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK…with Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 2: Special guest Tim Durling
Here’s the gimmick. Each episode will feature Mike grabbing a pile of CDs and showing off parts of his collection! With Harrison the Mad Metal Man by his side, they will “show and tell” with toys, games and of course physical music! It’s unplanned, unscripted and will take up only an hour of your time. Uncle Meat suggested this as a new show format, and it was fun last week!
Please join us tonight when 8-track expert Tim Durling will show off some new acquisitions and one holy grail! Tonight…grab and stack of rock, and join us!
Friday November 4 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 1: Dio – Dreamers Never Die review with Uncle Meat
As I was leaving for work on Friday morning, I thought to myself, “You know, I wonder if Harrison or anybody would feel like going live tonight. Just shoot the shit for an hour. It might be a fun way to be social on a Friday night and it only has to be an hour.”
I messaged Harrison in Australia just as he was tucking in for the night, and he graciously agreed to get up early and join me for an impromptu live stream. Setting his alarm clock, Harrison prepared for our first live show since July!
A big thanks to Marco D’Auria and special surprise guest Martin Popoff, for schooling us on Mystique! From Hamilton Ontario, Mystique were a metal band with a riffy progressive rock bent. Though they later evolved into a more hard rock sound, their metal side seems to be what has stuck with fans and collectors over the decades. Their highly sought physical product commands high prices for original copies. In this interview we covered:
The starting point, and Martin’s role in the genesis of the film
Mystique, their sound, image, and rare releases
Exclusive clips from the documentary film Mystique: Standing on the Firing Line
Rare memorabilia
The Hamilton music scene
The future
See what the fuss was all about in Standing on the Firing Line: the Mystique documentary! The film will be premiering in September:
The Westdale 1014 King Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 1L4
Friday September 16, 7:30 PM
The band will be there, memorabilia will be on display in a “Mystique museum” of sorts. Martin Popoff will be on hand and Marco will be introducing the film in person. Tickets are still available. Get your tickets by clicking here.
Additionally, we made the difficult announcement that this episode will be the final LeBrain Train. Two and a half years ago, a pandemic changed everything about the way we interact socially. Now the world is changing again and I need to re-prioritise certain things in my life. I spent a lot of Friday nights in front of a screen talking to you, laughing with you, sharing with you and surviving a pandemic with you. Now I’d like to spend Friday nights looking at sunsets with Mrs. LeBrain.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege doing this for two and a half years, and I thank you all for making it possible!
Thank you to Meat, Harrison, Tee Bone, Kevin, Sarah, John, Geoff, Aaron, Marco, Tim, Rob Daniels, Robert Lawson, Max, Dr. Dave, Dr. Kathryn, James, J, Lana, Erik, Thussy, Dranovous, Michael Morwood, Mike Slayen, Brian, Brent, T-Rev, Scotty, Mom, and anyone I may have forgotten for coming on the show and bringing your own special sauce to the mix. And of course, to Chris Sarre who I could never get to agree to come onto the show, but was still part of the heart and soul of it anyway.
I love you guys. Truly I do. Towards the end of the show, we played a brand new Tee Bone song called “The Last Train”. It is a collaboration with Dr. Kathryn Ladano on bass clarinet. I think it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done.
The Last Train…wow that’s hard to believe. See you somewhere out there, some time, eventually!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike & Harrison
Episode 114 – MYSTIQUE – Standing on the Firing Line with Marco D’Auria
Canadian Filmmaker and Contrarian Marco D’Auria is back on the LeBrain Train tonight to discuss his new film Mystique: Standing on the Firing Line! Mystique was a progressive metal band that formed in Hamilton Ontario in the 1980s. They released a single, a demo, and an EP which today are highly valued collectables. Their image might have been more hard rock/hair metal, but their music was far more challenging than their look. Unfortunately the band never released their 1989 album, which was recorded but never properly mixed. Now Marco is bringing Mystique back to the attention of the metal masses with this documentary which will debut in September.
Harrison and I will be peppering Marco with questions about this band, their discography, and his film. It is something he is very proud of, and from what little I have seen so far, he should indeed be proud!
Marco will also be doing a giveaway! In other words – catch this one LIVE. This will be a special show, and we have more surprises up our sleeves. Clips from the film (including unreleased music) and more will be going down tonight. Seriously, don’t miss it. You know how we do things here. We like surprises. Expect surprises.
Everything you wanted to know about synthesizer but were afraid to ask! Thank you to the Seagram Synth Ensemble – James Reesor, James Dowbiggen and Dave Klassen whose No Moving Air album has provided many hours of listening enjoyment. Thanks also to Robert Daniels from Visions In Sound for cohosting tonight! And of course, special surprise guest Dr. Kathryn who had some comments and questions of her own.
Topics tackled tonight:
Starting out as students
Synths, maintenance, analog vs. digital, and more
The next gig (July 15 at TheMuseum in Kitchener)
Favourite players and influences
Formats such as tape and vinyl
Why No Moving Air was never released on CD
Who their favourite professor at school was and why
Top 3 science fiction films
And of course, their new single “Ephem”
“Ephem” is unique as a single, as it comes in a brand new format. It is a piece of art and a statement about the way we consume music today.
This was a fascinating interview for me and I hope you give it a watch.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano & Robert Daniels
Episode 113 – The Seagram Synth Ensemble
Please give a warm welcome to James Reesor, Dave Klassen, and James Dowbiggen — otherwise known as the Seagram Synth Ensemble! This trio of talented musicians first came to our attention with their excellent 2019 LP, No Moving Air. Not only did the vinyl look great, but it sounded amazing. No Moving Air is a soundtrack, or soundscape, of synth excellence, taking the listener on a journey.
Now the trio is back with a new (sold out!!) single called “Ephem” and, well folks, there’s no other word for it besides “innovation”. The guys have not only come out with a new song, but also a new format. It comes in the form of a small black box about the size of a guitar effects pedal. Plug in a 9-Volt battery and a pair of headphones, and you can hear “Ephem” …but not forever! It’s not just a song, but also a piece of art designed to make a point about listening with intent. Music is instant and disposable these days, so the guys decided to say something about it with this project. We will find out all about that, and much more tonight on the LeBrain Train.
Joining me for our first joint interview together will be Robert Daniels from Visions In Sound. I can’t wait to hear his thoughts on the Seagram Synth Ensemble.
mikeladano.com 