Videos

2023 in Review with Jason Drury, Rob Daniels, Mike & the Mad Metal Man

‘Twas a warm and cozy gathering of film-addicted friends, reminiscing upon favourites in the year 2023.  With Jason Drury joining from the UK, Harrison from Australia, and Mike & Rob in Canada, it was a a truly intercontinental show.

We took a look at some new musical arrivals (signed Blaze Bayley, Rock Candy Ronnie James Dio, some sweet soundtracks on CD) and some books as well.

Though we always try to promote the physical media on Grab A Stack of Rock, the thoughtful conversation was what made this episode special.  Specifically, we went down the Doctor Who rabbit hole and touched on what is happening with the show today.  We also praised Ray Stevenson in Ahsoka, and lambasted a few of the Marvel products out today.  Saved from the hot seat was Loki Season 2, which Jason and I both thought was a high water mark for the franchise.

Controversially, Jason weighed in on UK fish & chips vs. their Canadian counterparts.

Happy new year my friends, we’ll see you in 2024.  Next week:  Down For the Count, with Tim Durling and Jex Russell.

 

Return of the Drury: Film and Soundtrack Experts Jason Drury and Robert Daniels on Grab A Stack of Rock for 2023 in Review

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 45:  Return of the Drury

Tonight, film and soundtrack expert Jason Drury is back on the show from five time zones away!  All the way in Ramsgate UK, Jason will be burning the midnight oil with Robert Daniels, Jex Russell and Harrison Kopp tonight.

Tonight we will just be catching up with friends, talking everything that we enjoyed in 2023.  (I will be saving my Top Five albums list for January 1.)  It’s a casual show and those are often the best kind.

Please join us tonight and welcome Jason back on the show!

LIVE Friday Dec 29 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Twitter!

First Time Listener to Prince – Purple Rain – Rock Daydream Nation

I am so proud of this episode of Rock Daydream Nation with Peter Kerr.  The story goes something like this:

(Australian accent) – Hey Mike, how would you like to do a show on Purple Rain by Prince?

(Canadian accent) – I’ve never listened to a Prince album in my life, are you sure you want me to do this?  Because I would.

(Australian accent) – Yes that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

So I went into this very curious, since I have heard the praises of Prince sung by many that I respect.  I listened to Purple Rain eight times in the week leading up to this show.  As for how it all went?  You’ll just have to watch and see.  This is how Peter describes it:

First time listener to Prince “Purple Rain” – Rock Daydream Nation featuring Mike Ladano…The premise of this show is that Mike has never listened to a Prince album. We have remedied that situation and have assigned Mike to listen and appraise the 1984 album ‘Prince and the Revolution “Purple Rain”‘. This was a fun, meaningful show that reviews the music of Prince but also looks at the historical context of Purple Rain – the album and the movie.

Peter, thank you so much for inviting me to do this show.  It’s my favourite Rock Daydream Nation yet!

Your Christmas Music Is All Set For Today! MERRY CHRISTMAS from Max and the Arkells

Merry Christmas one and all!  Whether you celebrate or not, I wish you all a merry December 25!  I hope you are not working today, and I wish you true joy on this morning.

If you’re sick of all the shows on TV, and tired of your Christmas albums, the Arkells have just what you need. The Hamilton band have their “Fireplace Channel” all set on YouTube. You can listen to acoustic renditions of all their hits from the Campfire Chords record, while Max hangs stockings and brings you cookies.  Put it on a loop and enjoy with your tea and gifts!

Please drop a comment and let me know how you’re doing on this Christmas day.  I value every one of you.

 

Mike

 

Evil Christmas? Unboxing a Care Package from Evil Elvis!

A huge thank you to K.C. of Evil Elvis fame, for this care package.

One thing I am passionate about is doing my small part to promote music I love.  I have always felt strongly about that, and now that I have a couple platforms to do it, I’m happy to tell the world about artists like Evil Elvis.  I recently reviewed the excellent Undead or Alive CD, and in gratitude, I was sent an early evil Christmas present.

Check ’em out at evilelvis.bandcamp.com and enjoy this fun unboxing video with a couple music clips for a taste of Evil Elvis.

The 1002nd Album – S2E3. Blue Rodeo – “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” (Mike Ladano)

I was honoured to be back on Geoff Stephen’s excellent show, the 1002nd album, to talk this time about a special song instead of an album.  I don’t know why I’m drawn to acoustic-based music when I’m with Geoff, but I know he loves a lot of those old Blue Rodeo songs.  I instinctively chose “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” from Five Days in July, a remarkable song from a spontaneously recorded album.  It captures the cold and loneliness of a Canadian winter, yet with the warmth that only acoustic guitars and electric bass can nullify.  But don’t let me spoil it for you.  Here’s Geoff and yours truly with our chat on “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” by Blue Rodeo.  My favourite.

Merry Rockin’ Christmas: Our Top Five Favourite Christmas Tunes & More on Grab A Stack of Rock

A bright end to a crummy week!  Jen is a trooper once again.  She may have taken a spill again, but as always, she insists the show must go on.  If she didn’t, then we wouldn’t have had this wonderful Friday night to remember.  Thank you Jen.

I need to thank my special co-host and guests tonight.  They all brought the lists, with Roger cheating a little bit (taking a bit from the Harrison playbook) and everyone adding a unique spin.

  • Tim Durling of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions proved to be the expert on all things Bob & Doug McKenzie, which came in handy on my #5 pick.  We also took a look at Tim’s new Y&T book, Down for the Count!  Please, get yourself a copy on Amazon.ca or your local version.
  • Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation provided an Australian pick and a number of familiar favourites.  Check out Peter’s channel for an interview with Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, and many awesome videos.  He is also one of the contributor’s to Tim’s new book.
  • John Clauser of My Music Corner surprised us all with some great picks, some obscure ones, and one very special #1.  I did not see this one coming.
  • John the Music Nut, Clauser’s co-captain, also provided some brilliant and unique picks this evening.  John recently contributed to Tim’s Y&T book as well.
  • Metal Roger went outside the box on a number of picks, and also provided comedy relief for pretty much the entire night!
  • Additionally, we have some excellent lists from Harrison Kopp and Uncle Meat.  These provided some great discussion topics.

As far as physical product goes, we saw some mail-order-only Marillion and a very cool lenticular album cover that I must acquire somehow.

Merry Christmas one and all!  This is the last show before the big day, as the 22nd is a night off for Jen’s birthday.  Don’t worry though – we have a re-run scheduled, of a great show from the summer:  Arkells appreciation with Aaron and Nurse Kat.

Enjoy!

A very special Christmas to my “forever” friend @manda_runs_and_swims.  Write me!

Merry Rockin’ Christmas: Our Top Five Favourite Christmas Tunes & More on Grab A Stack of Rock

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Episode 44:  Our Top Five Favourite Christmas Tunes

Are you ready for Christmas?  If not, our cast of characters will provide for you the Top Five best Christmas songs that you need to play this year.  We searched far and wide for the best of the best of the best, so please welcome our crew this week:

  • Special guest co-host:  Tim Durling of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions!  We will also be unboxing his latest book, Down For the Count, all about Y&T…who never recorded a Christmas song to my knowledge!
  • Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation
  • John Clauser of My Music Corner
  • John the Music Nut, Clauser’s co-captain and first timer on Grab A Stack of Rock
  • Metal Roger

There will also be surprises afoot!

Grab your egg nog and get ready to party with us.  We’ll bring you a jolly good time tonight.

LIVE Friday Dec 15 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

VIDEO: Christmas Comes Early, from Tim’s Vinyl Confessions

No show tonight – working on a taping with Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation.  Enjoy this video instead!

Tim Durling is one of the most generous souls I know. I’m sure 3/4 of my collection of 8-track tapes have come as gifts from Tim. This time, he outdid himself. Watch the video and see what he sent this time. One of these tapes is in my Top 3 Albums of All Time (often finding itself in the #1 spot) and the other is another beloved, timeless favourite.

We also got a sneak peak at some pages of Down For the Count: The Y&T Album Review by Tim Durling and a few special guests!

Check out the video below, and see if you can guess what Tim sent this time.  I am truly blown away.  Thank you Tim Durling.

Six Horsemen Bring Their Top Five Metallica Deep Cuts to Grab A Stack of Rock

Metallica deep cuts?  What are the rules then?  Well, rules didn’t matter at the end of the day; we just picked a bunch of tunes we liked a lot.  Your panel was:

We had some brilliant thrashers, a few curveballs…and definitely a couple surprises.  I feel everyone defended their choices ably, however I was the recipient of a bit of roasting in the comments section.  Repeatedly.  Did I deserve it?  Probably.

We also took an “Ask Harrison” question from Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation, and did some very cool unboxings.  There was a bit of “repetition” tonight, but a good time was had by all.  Thank you for watching.

A week off next week — super secret regal recording with Peter Kerr instead!  We’ll be back December 15.