Videos

REVIEW: Marvel Lego Spiderman Advent Calendar 2024 [24 VIDEOS Day-By-Day]

Merry Christmas!  Here is a special set of 24 videos, one for each day on Lego’s Spiderman Advent Calendar.

 

MARVEL LEGO SPIDERMAN ADVENT CALENDAR 2024

I used to enjoy candy Advent calendars as a kid, since they helped us pass the boring December days a bit.  As an adult, I enjoy them as something to look forward to during a December at the office.  Regardless of motive, I didn’t enjoy the Lego Star Wars calendars as much.  Too many fragile mini-ship builds.

I thought I’d give Spiderman a try in 2024, and I enjoyed this one a lot more.  There were a lot of parts and settings that might work well in future customs.  It could work as a “Christmas village” of sorts.  There were come cool minifigs and accessories.  Lots of webbing to play with, and a lot of spare parts.

As for value?  These packages are not cheap, so don’t expect a lot of parts for your money.  What you will get are some rarer minifig parts like an ugly Christmas sweater and a neat Spider-Gwen, not to mention her drum kit.

 

3.5/5 stars

MAX THE AXE – “Randy” – Live In Ontario! – Newly remastered audio (2024)

This great version of “Randy” is finally available on CD. Contact Max the Axe to get your copy now.

Max the Axe – “Randy” – Live at the Boathouse, Kitchener Ontario

Newly remastered audio. Newly edited video of live performance.

A Fun and Frivolous Top Five Albums of 2024 with Harrison, Tim Durling and surprise guest Uncle Meat

The best of 2024 in rock and pop was on showcase this week on Grab A Stack of Rock.  Tim Durling, Harrison Kopp and special surprise guest Uncle Meat brought their Top Fives and runners-up in this fun and action packed show.

What did you miss?  Well, shirtless Jex for one.  That one even scared off Peter Kerr, but did result in some pretty hilarious comments.

The comments section was lively, and if you want to catch Johnny Metal’s Top Five of 2024, his were in the comments section which I put on screen.  Meanwhile, there was some minimal repetition, and actually less than I expected.  Mr. Big, Deep Purple, Jon Anderson and Bruce Dickinson were among the artists who scored two hits on tonight’s lists.  There was plenty of love for other artists’ new albums such of Opeth, Paul Di’Anno, Blaze Bayley (of course) and Arkells.

We also took a look at three books that I enjoyed in 2024 – two of them by Mr. Durling!

A fun, passionate and laugh-filled 90 minutes of music appreciation awaits you below.

See you December 31 at 9:00 PM EST for a drop in New Years Eve party!

My list:

 

MR BIG – TEN

THE ARKELLS – Disco Loadout Vol 1

BRUCE DICKINSON – The Mandrake Project

JUDAS PRIEST – Invincible Shield

DEEP PURPLE – =1

 

Ranked: Top Five Albums of 2024 with Harrison and Tim Durling

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 82:  Ranked: Top Five Albums of 2024 with Harrison and Tim Durling

2024 was another fantastic year in music.  From new music from legacy bands, to great reissues and live albums, to new music by newer bands, we saw it and heard it all in 2024.

What were your Top Five Albums of 2024?  Leave them in the comments, or drop them in the live chat tonight, as Harrison, Tim and I talk Top Five Albums of 2024.  I am always personally limited by what I was able to buy and what I had to miss in a given year.  For example, last year I didn’t get Blame My Ex by the Beaches in time to make my list.  This year, unfortunately Blaze Bayley didn’t make it into my inventory in time, nor did the new live Ghost.  However, they may appear on other lists.

Join Tim, Harrison and myself tonight live at 7:00 PM EST to take part in the fun.  Spirits will be high, and I may be drinking alcohol.  We’ll just have to see what happens!  Remember to let us know your own Top Five in the comments section.

Let the fun begin!

Friday December 20 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

The Contrarians Live: They Swapped Covers! – Tonight at 7:00 PM EST!

Today’s challenge comes again from the mind of Martin Popoff.  Pick two bands – and swap their album covers!  For example, Martin went with Uriah Heep and XTC.   I chose two bands that are a little more similar.  This was by far the most challenging list to date.  We could do one way swaps, or two way swaps – I chose two ways, all the way.  I like a challenge.  It seemed do-able, so I went for it.

For those keeping track, this is my tenth week in a row on the Contrarians.  The subjects thus far have been:

Tune in tonight and comment!  Martin always tries to address the comment section.

THE CONTRARIANS – They Swapped Covers! – Wed. December 18 – 7:00 PM EST

Sad Wings of Destiny for Cross Purposes

  • Fairly obvious – the wings of the angel works for Sad Wings, and the angel on Sad Wings is holding the Judas Priest cross.

Black Sabbath for Angel of Retribution

  • The haunting woman on the Sabbath cover could be our “angel of retribution”.  Meanwhile, if that Priest angel had been on an album called Black Sabbath, I sure would think my doom was at hand.  His cross gesture with his arms works with the religious connotations of the word “Sabbath”.

Never Say Die for Hell Bent For Leather

  • The pilots outfits must have leather in them.  Meanwhile, the mask/face/helmet concept on Leather evokes a Never Say Die attitude.

Jugulator for Dehumanizer

  • Two robotic characters, who cares which is which?  The robotic reaper could be a Jugulator, and the Jugulator could be a Dehumanizer.  Who knows!

Paranoid for Stained Class

  • The sword in the head sure works for Paranoid!  Meanwhile, the sword guy is abstract enough that it could go with Stained Class just as well as a chrome head.

Technical Ecstasy for Turbo

  • Look at the turbo cover and tell me that’s not some technical ecstasy.  Meanwhile, the robots on the Sabbath cover could be turbo charged in a very 1970s way.

Hero Hero for Tyr

  • The barbarian on Hero Hero can surely represent The Battle of Tyr, from the Tyr album. He’s not a Viking, but close enough for heavy metal, right?  Meanwhile the Tyr cover is astract enough to be called Hero Hero, I guess.

Heaven and Hell for Point of Entry

  • Point of Entry – the sky is heaven, and that eternal strip of printer paper surely is hell!  Meanwhile, the angels are smoking – their point of entry to bad behaviour!

Forbidden for Ram It Down

  • The reaper on the cover of Forbidden needs to ram all those ghosts back down that hole!  Meanwhile, the fist pounding the Earth just screams the word FORBIDDEN to me!

Born Again for Redeemer of Souls

  • I’m really really stretching it here.  That baby definitely needs its soul redeemed.  And that redeemer of souls…if he’s redeeming souls, doesn’t that make them Born Again?

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 591: Sammy Hagar Deep Dive #10 (I Never Said Goodbye)

Today at 4:00 PM EST, join Tim Durling and I as we talk about Sammy Hagar’s followup to VOA:  I Never Said Goodbye, or just plain Sammy Hagar.  It all depends on when you bought it, but Tim breaks the story down for you in this episode.

We go through the album track by track, take a look at a rare B-side, and evaluate our favourites and least favourites.  A lot of this album still sounds great, some less so.  Have a watch.  Here’s what Tim had to say about this episode:

Grab A Stack of Rock is back! Mike and I talk about Sammy’s final studio album in ten years. As usual, our opinions converge and also diverge.

Purchase RED ON BLACK: The Listener’s Guide to Sammy Hagar: https://www.amazon.com/RED-BLACK-List…

The Contrarians Live: Favorite Bands… WORST Album Covers – Tonight at 7:00 PM EST!

Tonight’s topic comes from the mind of Martin Popoff.  The rock and roll wordsmith has plenty of good ideas, but 10 Worst Album Covers by 10 Favourite Bands is kind of a double whammy.  Not only does it give us a chance to showcase some bad album art, but it also allows us to list our 10 favourite bands.  This will be a fun, fun night.

For those keeping track, this is my eighth week in a row on the Contrarians.  The subjects thus far have been:

Tune in tonight and comment!  Martin always tries to address the comment section.

THE CONTRARIANS – Favorite Bands… WORST Album Covers – Wed. December 11 – 7:00 PM EST

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 589: Sammy Hagar Deep Dive #9 (VOA)

This week on Tim’s Vinyl Confessions: #8 in his Sammy Hagar Deep Dive video series.  This all coincides with a new book he has out, all about the Red Rocker’s discography.  V.O.A. is a special album for me personally as it was my first ever Sammy Hagar solo purchase.  I bought it for “I Can’t Drive 55” but I found a whole lot more.

What did Tim and I like, and dislike about this record? Find out today on Tim’s Vinyl Confessions.  Don’t Make Me Wait too long…the show will be up this afternoon!

 

Top Five Marillion Christmas Tunes featuring Todd Evans and the Debuts of bicyclelegs and Davey Cretin on Grab A Stack of Rock

Merry Christmas from Marillion! A happy Christmas present:  all the way from New Yawk City, Mr. Davey Cretin joins Grab A Stack of Rock as surprise guest!  Davey comes aboard with an already epic cast:  bicyclelegs, also in his debut, and the returning Todd Evans.  Together we broke down our favourites from a large pool of seasonal Christmas songs by Marillion.

Bicyclelegs has 26 Marillion Christmas releases, dwarfing my 19.  More Christmas albums than studio albums.  Though there was a little bit of repeat on some favourite tracks, there was also one clear winner.  You’ll have to watch to see which one.  There was also a bit of a discussion on a certain Christmas song made famous by Mariah Carey.  Who did it better:  Carey, or Marillion?  I’m sure you can guess my preference.

From carols dating back to the 1600s, to drunken covers and originals, we ran the gamut of styles.  Though there was levity, there was also clear passion for this band, their musicianship, and what they mean to each of us.

Next week, there will be a special live presentation of three older Grab A Stack of Rock shorts, with new intro and outro by me.  I hope you will check it out.  I even included an easter egg for you to find.  Meanwhile, I’ll be busy recording a super-fun episode with Peter Kerr at Rock Daydream Nation.

Check out the Marillion show below:

Marillion Christmas: Top Five Christmas Tunes by Marillion, with Todd Evans & bicyclelegs

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 81:  Top Five Marillion Christmas Songs with Todd Evans & bicyclelegs

Todd Evans is back to talk Marillion once again!  He brings with him Australia’s own bicyclelegs, with whom I’m covering favourite tracks from each studio album on his channel.  These two progressive rock professors will be joining me to discuss our favourite Christmas songs performed by Marillion.  The band have recorded both covers and originals, and tonight we’ll brief you on what we think are the cream of the crop.

I have 19 Marillion Christmas albums in my collection; for the physical media buffs, I will show you each one.  For simplicity’s sake, one could also use the compilation A Collection of Recycled Gifts, which in its extended format has 15 songs to choose from.

Please join us live in the comments section tonight for some progressive rock Christmas fun.  There may even be surprises.

Friday December 6 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!