Grab a Stack of Rock / LeBrain Train

Unspooled! Author Tim Durling joins the LeBrain Train Friday at 7:00 PM

The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano

Episode 83 – Unspooled with Tim’s Vinyl Confessions

8-track tapes:  While many of us know what they are, very few of us have ever played one.  I still remember the clicky-clacky of the tape changing tracks!  So does Tim Durling, from Tim’s Vinyl Confessions.  But he’s not here to talk about vinyl tonight.  Tonight we talk 8-track tapes!

Unspooled:  An Adventure in 8-Tracks is the title of Tim’s forthcoming book, which you can help fund right now on Kickstarter.  Tim’s knowledge of the format, and his mighty collection, have enabled him to write a must-have book loaded with pictures of ultra-rare releases.  If you have ever been curious about this most intriguing of formats, then this is an episode that you do not want to miss!

Joining us for co-hosting duties will be Aaron from the KMA.  Tune in, won’t you?

Friday October 8, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook:  MikeLeBrain and YouTube:  Mike LeBrain.

Top 5 Album Openers, on the opening of the new LeBrain Train

Streamlined lists, and three of the most passionate rock fans on the planet came together last night for the relaunch of the new LeBrain Train!  The topic was Top Five Album Openers, and the guests were Uncle Meat and Harrison the Mad Metal Man! We call it “Cinco De List-O” and although the lists were shorter, we made sure we didn’t skimp on the analysis and appreciation.

Every one of the songs listed tonight deserve some time in your ears.  You can read the lists below, or have some real fun and watch the show!

Big thanks to my two co-hosts tonight, for what I think was a pretty damn good re-launch.  Let’s pour on the steam and this train a-rollin’ again.

Note:  Apologies to Max the Axe for playing the wrong version of “Pygmy Blowdart” at the top of the show.  I loaded the early cut into Streamyard.

 

 

 

Cinco De List-O: The New LeBrain Train

It’s back!

The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano

Episode α – Cinco De List-O – Top Five Album Opening Tracks

 

Welcome back to the show, everyone!  Break time has been fruitful, and working closely with the Meat Man, we’ve decided to set aside the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten for now.  In the effort of revamping and streamlining the show, as painful as it is, we have to let go the lists of 11 for the time being.  It was our gimmick, a gift from Uncle Meat, and it worked brilliantly. We did some amazing list shows over the last 18 months and we have the graphs to prove it.  But I need the episodes to run under three hours if I’m to come back to do this again.

Tonight is a trial run.  We’re going to try lists of five instead.  (This is something Martin Popoff suggested to us a year ago.)  Tee Bone calls it “Cinco De List-D” and that’s just too good to pass up so we’re going with it.  Harrison and Uncle Meat will be on hand to discuss our Top Five Album Opening Tracks.  What a great subject for “opening” this new era of the LeBrain Train.

Friday October 1, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook:  MikeLeBrain and YouTube:  Mike LeBrain.

Long Live the LeBrain Train

The weekly LeBrain Train has come to an end after 18 solid months.  I’ve done what I wanted to do — keep you entertained and connected during this pandemic.  I’ve not missed a week, but my fuel tanks need refilling and now’s the time to take a break.  But not to fear — as we announced, there is an alternative.

Darr Erickson said, “What about re-running classic episodes instead of going live?”  So that’s what we’re doing!  Special and well regarded past episodes will be repeated on Friday nights at the regular time and regular place.  The shows aren’t necessarily easy to find so we’ll do the searching for you, and play the best of the best one more time.

Next week tune in for the ZZ Top Deep Cuts episode, which made many lists tonight.

Oh right, the lists!  Joined by Harrison the Mad Metal Man, we listed the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten episodes of all time.  Lists submitted by:

  • Tee Bone (x 2)
  • Rob Daniels
  • Uncle Meat (x 2) – special cameo appearance
  • John T. Snow
  • Scotty Peddle
  • and me (x 2)

We also had plenty of special features!

  • Harrison’s Top Albums He’d Save From a Fire (0:08:00)
  • Brand new Tee Bone song “Ode to Darr” (0:29:00)
  • Special Sausagefest 20 highlights & video from Uncle Meat (0:31:15)
  • Lego LeBrain Train diorama & Easter Eggs with Harrison (1:01:30)
  • Not one but two new LeBrain train intros, adding new faces

Watch the video to learn who’s who in this Lego diorama by Harrison!

 

Discussion in the comments was lively and made me wonder if more people are still home on a Friday night than I assumed.  I hope you enjoy next week’s repeat of the ZZ Top episode.  With Dusty’s recent passing, it will be interesting in retrospect.

And we’ll be back with Superdekes on September 24 to talk to Storm Force one more time.  Our first interview was Storm Force so it’s full circle.  Stay tuned for plenty more list and theme shows.  The ideas flowed in the comments section so there is no shortage of potential themes!

‘Til next time….

A LeBrain Train Retrospective

Lego by the awesome Harrison

 

The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano

Episode 81 – A Retrospective

When you put as much into something as I have with this show, you eventually need a break.  I said I would keep doing this every week so long as Covid is keeping people stuck at home with nothing to do on a Friday night.  I think I’ve done that.  While not 100% of us are back to situation normal, it’s clear that most of us have had other things to do on the weekends.  And that’s awesome.

Given that the landscape has changed, and I’ve been at this for 18 solid months, changes are coming.  This show is to honour the past and look to the future.

Tonight, Harrison and I shall discuss our Nigel Tufnel Top Ten LeBrain Train Episodes of all time.  We’ll also run down the show’s history from its debut on March 20, 2020 to the present.  The fun, the ambition, the setbacks, the wins, the losses, and the memorable.  And what is to come!  We have something very, very cool planned.  You have Darr Erickson to thank.

I’ll be back September 24 with Superdekes to talk to Greg Fraser of Storm Force.  And we’ll be back again and again, any time a bunch of us want to talk about music on a Friday night.

As Ozzy would say, “Thank you, goodnight, I love you all.”

And you know about Ozzy and farewells.

 

Friday August 27, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook:  MikeLeBrain and YouTube:  Mike LeBrain.

 

Complete Show List

 

Awesome Show & Tell! Top Music We’d Save From a Fire on the LeBrain Train

Let’s have a huge round of applause for our awesome panel tonight!  Showing off all our most beloved treasures, this show was a bounty of beautiful musical mana.

We didn’t stick strictly to the idea of saving “albums” from a fire.  We just made it “music” and in some cases it was “musical memorabilia”.  All good — all valuable in their own way.  Some valuable in serious monetary ways!  Wait until you hear how much some of these things cost today!

Special features tonight included:

  • Tons of show & tell! – Gene Simmons’ Vault, Metallica’s Fan Can #4, autographs, vinyl, cassettes, CDs & VHS!
  • The return of “The Author Reads“, the first in over 16 months.  This time I read Record Store Tales Part 19:  “The Rules” which directly related to my #1 pick.  (2:55:00 of the stream.)
  • Great stories from Aaron about his awesome Nana and B.B. King.

 

Thanks for watching and the awesome comments.  See you next week!

 

 

FIRE! What Music Would You Save? Join the discussion on the LeBrain Train

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

Episode 80 – Nigel Tufnel Top Music We’d Save From A Fire

We’ve all heard the question while hanging with pals over a couple drinks.  “What albums would you save from a fire?”  Nobody even wants to think of it!  But as a fun exercise, tonight we’ll tell you our Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Albums We’d Save From A Fire!  Whatever gets saved, you can be you’ll hear about some treasures that are very near and dear to our hearts.

Your panel this week:

Expect lots of show & tell.  John owns The Vault… I own a Fan Can… will these items make our lists?  What will be left to burn?  Find out tonight.

Friday August 20, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook:  MikeLeBrain and YouTube:  Mike LeBrain.

SCHEDULE:

  • Greg Fraser of Storm Force returns!  Friday September 24 7:00 PM

 

LeBrain Train Update: In Case You Missed It

Hey all!  Just a quick update in case you missed it.  Friday’s show was four hours long so if you missed the flurry of details at the end, that’s OK.  This isn’t really an announcement; just an outline of what I’d like to do.

I’ve said since the beginning that I will keep going live every week to bring friends together and entertain you on a Friday night when you’re stuck at home doing nothing.  While the fourth Covid wave is officially happening now (thanks Delta!), most of you no longer seem to be stuck at home on Friday nights anymore.  I’ve been trying to find a time to wrap up the weekly show.  We’ve been doing this steadily every week since March of 2020 and a break would be nice.  However we’ll keep going as long as it’s necessary and I’m able.  I don’t decide; Covid does.

Viewership has started to drop compared to the peak in May 2021, so it’s obvious that some of you have got your lives back.  Others still need this Friday ritual.  Currently I’m looking at or around October 1 to do a finale.  We shall see; a lot can change between now and then.  When I’m no longer going live every week anymore, I’d still like to do it once a month.

And interviews are still happening!  We’ve already confirmed the first one of the fall which is Greg Fraser of Storm Force, back again to tell us what they have cooking.  This is very special to us because Greg was the very first interview that Deke and I did a year ago.  We’ve come full circle and Greg will be back on September 24 at 7:00 PM.  Once again thanks to Deke for lining this up.



In sum:

Hang on because we still have plenty of fun lined up for the foreseeable future.  But circumstances are changing and nothing lasts forever, not even Covid, so with any luck you can expect a LeBrain Train series finale in the fall.  If not…keep on keepin’ on, because I will.

The Best of 2021

A Very Animated Four Hours: An Epic LeBrain Train List Show

Going into this show, I didn’t know what to expect.  I’m not a big animation guy, as you’ll see.  But this was one of the most fun shows we’ve ever done in the umpteen months of this show!  The discussions were funny, insightful, and passionate.  The picks were diverse with some consensus on key animated films.  There was a little bit of CanCon and a little bit of Kiss.  And a lot of fun.

Thank you to our awesome panel this week:

I also did a an unboxing of the brand new RSD Triumph Allied Forces 40th anniversary box set (Canadian edition).  You gotta see this puppy.  Check that out right at the start of the broadcast.  After which, the lists commence!

Thanks for watching everyone, this was a blast from beginning to end!

 

The LeBrain Train Gets Animated Friday Night

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

Episode 79 – Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Animated films

 

I agreed to this week’s theme before I really thought it through.  When it came down to making my actual list, I realized how few animated movies I’ve seen.  However this show will not suck.  Rob and Erik know their stuff, and I’m sure Kevin, Lana and Harrison will bring it.  That’s your panel this week:

BONUS:  Unboxing!  You will not believe what Deke and I scored this time.  That will happen in the pre-show segment before 7:00.  Show up around 6:45 if you want to see the musical bounty we hauled!

We also need to update you on the upcoming schedule and future plans.  Stay tuned!

Friday August 13, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook:  MikeLeBrain and YouTube:  Mike LeBrain.

And next week…