Grab a Stack of Rock / LeBrain Train

Tonight! May the Rankings Be With Us: All 11 Star Wars films rated by our panel of experts!

The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano and Friends

Episode 108 – All the Star Wars films, ranked!

 

This is a show that has been in the works a long time.  A long time.  I understand you’re Star Wars fans yourselves!  Then you will love this show we have lined up for you tonight.

The Nigel Tugnel Top Ten list format — a top 11 — is perfect for cases like this.  Tonight our panel of experts (top men!) will rank all 11 films (9 Saga movies plus 2 spinoffs).  This is sure to get hairy (Wookiee style) due to the diversity of the panel:

  • Erik Woods – movie and soundtrack expert
  • Robert Daniels – movie and soundtrack expert
  • Harrison Kopp – young fella who grew up on prequels and Clone Wars
  • LeBrain – old fart

Note:  We are only counting the 11 live action theatrical films, not any made-for-video films, or the animated Clone Wars (which did have a brief theatrical run).  Oh sure, Harrison might try to throw a curve ball but the rules are clear.

At the end of the night, will we have consensus?  I sure hope not!  What I do expect is plenty of lively conversation with maybe a little trash-talk.

Friday May 13, 7:00 PM E.S.T.  on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!

Raise Your Fist and Yell for these Alice Cooper Deep Cuts

Thank you to Marco from the Contrarians for your awesome contributions to this week’s discussion: Alice Cooper Deep Cuts!  And thanks as always to co-host Harrison the Mad Metal Man!  Harrison really came out of the box with some obscure but still notable songs that you need to check out.  The thing about Alice Cooper is…he’s so prolific, and even on the albums you might not like as much, there are always a standout song or two.  I was surprised to find so much love for certain songs (“Roses On White Lace”, “Aspirin Damage”, “Make That Money (Scrooge’s Song)”, “Fresh Blood” and more).  Alice’s albums were well represented on these lists, with only a handful going unmentioned.  Even so, our runners-up lists covered the shadowy corners of the discography.

More thanks:  Holen & Buried On Mars with two more lists of great songs that need to be heard and appreciated more often.

If you watched this episode live, I appreciate you too!  Another great Friday night for the books!

Alice Cooper Deep Cuts – With Marco from the Contrarians, Harrison and LeBrain!

The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano and Friends

Episode 107 – Alice Cooper Deep Cuts – Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists

Tonight, please tune in to a list show over a year in the making!  Harrison the Mad Metal Man has been asking to do this theme for ages now, and we finally got the right trio to do it.  Marco from the Contrarians will be completing the panel tonight as we list off our Alice Cooper Deep Cuts.  No singles, no live concert staples.   Each of us will be listing 11 tracks for the full Nigel Tufnel Top Ten experience.

Think about it a minute.  There are all the classic Alice Cooper Band records, including the obscure opening duo of Pretties For You and Easy Action.  Not long after the classic run, the “blackout” albums that Alice doesn’t remember making.  The late 80s had their fair share of great deep cuts on Coop’s horror-themed Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell.  Then we have Cooper’s entire output for the last 30 years with plenty of hidden gems.  Add in some pretty cool soundtracks and B-sides.  Yes, there will be a wealth of Alice riches tonight.

Your live participation means all the world to us, so I hope you can make it.  Go Leafs?

Friday May 6, 7:00 PM E.S.T.  on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!

 

The Many Talents of Polychuck – A Special Saturday Interview

Today’s chat with Montreal’s POLYCHUCK revealed many insights to his music and career thus far.  It was a wide-ranging interview covering the following subjects and more:

  • His new single “Hero” and its personal meaning
  • The band on “Hero” and working with Derek Sherinian
  • Playing live and the complications of the pandemic
  • His next album that we can exclusively reveal is a concept record called She
  • Teaching (and a special question from Tee Bone)
  • Managing social media and how each platform has unique demands
  • Mixed martial arts
  • Cooking, yes, cooking!
  • And because we are Canadian…the weather

Support original talent like Polychuck!  The new single “Hero” is out now on all the usual platforms.  The next single drops in May, with the concept album in late 2022 or early 2023.  Keep your eye on this exciting new artist at Polychuck.com – all the links to his socials are there.

Also a special thanks to Tee Bone who wanted to co-host this episode but could not due to a natural disaster!  I used his questions and observations, which were excellent.

Tomorrow: Polychuck’s back!

The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano and Tee Bone

Episode 106 – The Return of Polychuck

Polychuck has remained busy since I last spoke to him back in July of 2021.  Since that time he’s released the EP Shadows Remain, and his current single “Hero” featuring Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater on keyboards.  We can’t wait to talk to him about the song, its important meaning, and the band he has backing him on it.  This talented multi-instrumentalist has been creating a catalogue of songs that defy categorisation.  As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also a mixed martial artist!  Polychuck literally and figuratively kicks ass!

We always like to support Canadian talent, and Polychuck hails from beautiful Montreal, where he also teaches music.  Truly, the guy is inspiring and if you don’t know that already, you will this Saturday at noon on the Train.  Please join myself, Polychuck, and special co-host Tee Bone for this sure-to-be awesome episode.

Special Time!

SATURDAY April 23, 12:00 Noon E.S.T.  on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!

 

 

Rapid Fire Friday with Rob, Harrison & Meat

A wonderful social gathering tonight with some rapid-fire action!  Robert Daniels stepped up to the plate at short notice to talk music, movies and TV.  We were joined by Harrison the Mad Metal Man, and Uncle Meat for some quiz fun.  It was an impromptu night of loose and entertaining chatter among friends.

Topics discussed:

  • Star Trek: Picard, The Original Series, and Animated
  • The new Ghost album Impera
  • Soundtracks
  • Van Halen, Roth & Easter
  • The Batman
  • And a random quiz of 11 questions that included audience participation answers!
  • Tons of fun!

We also played a bunch of music including the debut of a track called “Bones ‘N’ Clothes” by Plasticine, featuring Rob Szabo and Steve Strongman.  This song was very well received by our viewing audience and will definitely be heard again.

Thanks for watching!

Next week:  POLYCHUCK

 

Friday Music & Entertainment Chit Chat with Rob Daniels

Happy Easter weekend everyone! Without going into too much detail, Covid has upended plans here at LeBrain HQ, so we’re going live tonight instead. Don’t worry…as I write this, Jen and I are not sick, but people close to us are and as a result, I am not going away this weekend as planned. Instead it’s gonna be a LeBrain Train weekend.

Please welcome pinch hitter Robert Daniels tonight as he joins Harrison and I to discuss what we’ve been listening to and watching these last few weeks. Those who watch Rob’s mid-week live streams know he has been working his way through a couple of big projects. One is listening to all his soundtracks in alphabetical order. Another is watching all the Star Trek episodes (and series) in order. Huge projects, on a galactic scale!

We’ll be playing lots of videos (Max the Axe, Tee Bone and more), and deep-diving on some music and movies.

Friday April 15, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 358: Coney Hatch Retrospective w/ ANDY CURRAN

Thank you to Deke and Tim for my fifth sit down with Andy Curran! This time, we ran through all of Coney Hatch history for a special episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions.

This was the very last time Deke and I worked together.  You can see the tension.  We don’t really speak to each other.  Deke turned out to be a…very different kind of person.  He never thanked me for a Christmas present I sent him, and refuses to even acknowledge that I exist.  Now I just called him Dick.  It’s unfortunate he turned out that way.  He probably hates that I call his show a “spinoff”…but I calls ’em as I sees ’em!

 

Viva La Pranks: A Jackass Prank List Show with Chris Thuss

A night of hilarity, pranks and Jackass appreciation!  Thank you to long time pal Chris Thuss for joining tonight, and to Michael Morwood as well for your list!

Tonight’s show had three main phases:

  1. Stories and reminiscing pranks
  2. The original 2020 prank calls made to the show, and Michael’s role in them
  3. The Jackass lists and appreciation!

As an added bonus, we received prank calls live on the show from some naughty viewer!  And we even had a special drop-in from a certain Meat Man.

 

Next week I’m taking a break but we will definitely be back by April 23 for a special interview with Polychuck!

Top Five Pranks: The April Fool’s Day LeBrain Train featuring Chris Thuss

The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano and Chris Thuss

Episode 104 – The April Fool’s Day Episode

It’s April Fool’s Day and I already got in my morning prank!  Tonight, in tribute to the new Jackass movie, Jackass Forever, long time pal Chris and I are counting down our Top Five Jackass Pranks.  You know those guys did some legendary pranks over the years and they made us laugh, hard.  We will be joined by a pre-recorded Michael Morwood with his own list of pranks.

This will not be just a simple Cinco de Listo show, however!  Michael, Chris and I will also be reminiscing about different pranks we did to each other over the years.  I’ll be running clips of the first prank calls phoned into the show back in March and April of 2020 and getting the inside scoop from one of the parties responsible.

Please join Chris and I tonight as we count down our favourite pranks.

Friday April 1, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!