Videos

VIDEO: That Time Rob Daniels Gave Me Girls, Girls, Girls

The poster appears to be a reprint but the generosity of Rob has ensured that it will live on in my music room!

 

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 25: Visions of the Beast featuring Bob Cesca from Camp Chaos

50 Years of IRON MAIDEN episode 25:  Visions of the Beast featuring Bob Cesca from Camp Chaos

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK #124

Back in 1999/2000, a little video called “Napster Bad!” went viral.  You know it, you shared it, you loved it.  Well, not Harrison because he was not born yet.  Bob Cesca (founder of Camp Chaos) created that video and many others, including official music videos for bands such as Motley Crue, Yes, and…Iron Maiden!

Bob is a talented jack of many trades, and also a massive Rush fan.  In this effortless interview, Bob tells us everything you wanted to know about him and Iron Maiden.  2003’s Visions of the Beast double DVD was a massive collection, and Camp Chaos did six music videos for it.  These videos mixed animation with the original familiar music video footage.  We break them all down in detail, including how to access the Easter Eggs.  How was he contacted by the Maiden camp?  How much input did Iron Maiden have on his creative process?  Why did he choose certain Eddies and settings, and how did he decide what to edit out of the originals to make way for animation?  It is a fascinating trip back in time, as current events impacted some of the videos, even though the songs themselves were oldies.  Hey…are there 10 ME-109s out of the sun…or not?

Bob also answered all our non-Maiden questions, such as why James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich have no noses in “Napster Bad”?

After Bob had answered all our questions, Harrison and Mike took a deep dive on the rest of the contents of the DVD set.  If you owned Visions of the Beast back in the day, own it now, or not yet…you will want to pop it in after this episode.

Please welcome Mr. Bob Cesca to Grab A Stack of Rock, and 50 Years of Iron Maiden!  Join us at the premiere in the comments tonight – we love interacting with you!

A big thanks to Tim Durling for introducing us to Bob!

Friday November 7 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.  Enjoy on YouTube.

Past episodes:

Handy YouTube Playlist:

Grant’s Rock Warehaus: Convert the Critic: Bon Jovi – Crush (2000) and Bounce (2002)

I was honoured to be asked to join Grant and company for his ongoing Bon Jovi series – Convert the Critic.  Our task was to convince Grant on two latter day Bon Jovi albums:  Crush and Bounce.  I had all my albums and singles ready, and I also listened to some demos from the Bon Jovi box set 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong.  Grant was open minded and listened to all of our arguments.  Grant’s panel:

  • Grab A Stack of Rock
  • The Parish of Rock
  • The Elder of Rock
  • David Alpizar

Yes it was another “Of Rock” episode on Grant’s Rock Warehaus!  A good time was had by all, some good songs were discussed, and some cheesy lyrics were dissected. Thanks for watching if you caught it live, and if you didn’t, you can catch it below!

#1223: The Creative Process and Why I Love Editing (The new and improved Grab A Stack of Rock show intro video)

RECORD STORE TALES #1223: The Creative Process and Why I Love Editing
(The new and improved Grab A Stack of Rock show intro video)

Funny thing about creativity:  Sometimes size does matter.

The size of your canvas, that is.

I love editing videos, and my pet project for three years now has been the theme video for my YouTube show, Grab A Stack of Rock.  In those three years, I have created over 100 revisions.  I have spent countless hours at my deck working on them.  My old PC’s fans used to groan in protest when loading the files.

Ever since the old LeBrain Train days, I wanted an opening theme song video that include every guest who had ever been on the show.  When we started over from scratch, that was still my goal.  Now we have had 50 guests and the old theme song video was getting cramped.  Tim Durling extended it a long time ago by looping a chorus, so I came to him for help once again.  Creatively, Tim added a guitar solo to extend the song’s length even further.  Modestly, Tim said “It should be apparent to anyone listening that a professional guitar player I am not, but it sure was fun.”  Hey man, it’s good enough for rock and roll, and it gave me a much larger canvas to play with.

When I had the much shorter video, it was always painful for me to edit when we had a new guest to add to the show.  What do I cut, in order to fit the new person in?  There were some parts of the video that were synched to the song and were set in stone – Paul Shortino’s cameo, for example, my laugh at the end, and so on.  I love editing; it is one of my favourite parts of the creative process.  I can sit and edit all day and not realize how much time has gone by.  I always pay for it later in cramps.

Thanks to Tim and this ever-expanding song I now have more canvas, and I’ve been playing with it even more.

“It needs more Dan Chartrand,” I said at first, and so I added more Dan, and just for kicks, more Jex too.  Game Show Host Jex, with the jacket.

There was also one shot in the original video that always bugged me.  It’s one of the oldest shots, but it is from a Christmas show that included Brian Richards as a guest – his only show as a guest.  But it was a static shot and always stood out for that reason.  It hasn’t looked right for a long time, so I took this opportunity to replace it with a moving shot of Brian waving.  I also wanted more Nurse Kat, since she did two episodes with us, and more Archie Gamble since he did three.  In a fun happenstance, I got one shot of Archie synched up to the chorus, so it looks like he’s singing Grab A Stack of Rock.  I also wanted more Davey Cretin, so a chose a shot from our Brave New World episode that has me holding stacks of Maiden during the chorus.

I hope this brief glimpse of a day’s work gives you an idea of why I love working on editing videos.  There is almost always something you want to fix, but the process of doing so either becomes so impossibly tedious that I say, “That’s it, this work is done.”  Not done – abandoned!

I have been working in the video medium, as an amateur, for 36 years.  I like editing to music.  I like placing my edits at key moments of songs, or at least with the beat.  It gives me a framework and enhances the visuals.   I’m obviously just a hack; this isn’t a “how-to”.  I’m just expressing what I love and why I drink my coffee until it is stone cold, sitting here trying to perfect that magical “final” edit.

And then I wait, because now I can’t wait for the next guest to arrive and be added to the showcase.*  We still have several more to come!**

One day I’d like to do some more animation, but that is mostly an outdoor summer activity for me.  For now, I will continue to enjoy doing this for myself, because at the end of the day, nobody else notices all the minute little tweaks and changes I make to my passion projects.

 

 

 

*We’ve already added Lana Teramae, and another new addition, Bob Cesca, will join us this week on 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

**Two more guests are coming on 50 Years of Iron Maiden:  Ryan Murphy from RushFans, and D’Arcy Briggs from darcyska.  We also have plans with author Robert Lawson, and an interview with a musician that I am not ready to disclose.

 

 

 

Written by Mike Ladano, Jen Ladano, and Tee Bone Erickson.  Recorded and performed by Tee Bone, guitar solo and remix by Tim Durling

  1. Blaze Bayley
  2. Harrison Kopp
  3. Mike Ladano
  4. Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller
  5. Aaron KMA
  6. Tim Durling
  7. Rob Daniels
  8. John T Snow
  9. Marco D’Auria
  10. Grant Arthur
  11. Brian Richards
  12. MarriedandHeels
  13. Kevin Simister
  14. Dr. Kathryn
  15. Jen Ladano
  16. Grace Scheele
  17. Jex Russell
  18. Spencer “Spenny” Rice
  19. Nurse Kat
  20. Peter Kerr
  21. John Clauser
  22. Erik Woods
  23. Jason Drury
  24. Pierre-Luc Allard
  25. Len Labelle
  26. Reed Little
  27. Metal Roger
  28. John the Music Nut
  29. Mike Slayen
  30. Pete Jones
  31. Todd Evans
  32. James Kalyn
  33. Angie Moon
  34. Ryan Gavalier
  35. Chris Preston
  36. Dan Chartrand
  37. Glen “Archie” Gamble
  38. bicyclelegs
  39. Davey Cretin
  40. Melissa Nee
  41. Sidney Cini A
  42. Ashley Geisler
  43. Martin Popoff
  44. Bert Blotto
  45. F Lee Harvey Blotto
  46. Bowtie Blotto
  47. Broadway Blotto
  48. Jake Not From State Farm
  49. Bob Cesca (Camp Chaos)
  50. Lana Teramae
  51. and (briefly) Max the Axe

Plus Daisi the Dog, Gimli the Cat (RIP) and Galadriel the Cat

 

 

🅻🅸🆅🅴 In-Costume Celebration: Top Five Band Costumes & A Tribute to Ace Frehley tonight!

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

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 123:  Happy Halloween – Top 5 Band Costumes & A Tribute to Ace Frehley
With Mike, Harrison, Johnny Metal and Rob Daniels – IN COSTUME!

Happy 3rd birthday to Grab A Stack of Rock (Oct 28 2022)!  We have a special show tonight.  Not only do we have an excellent panel of returning guests, but we have a fun, Halloween-themed gimmick-laden episode to satisfy!  And of course, for the physical media crowd, we will have lots of CDs (rare, imports) and some music merch to look at!

The show topics tonight are three:

1. Our panel will be dressed in costumes!  Some many be dressed in two costumes!

2. Mike will run down his top Ace Frehley songs of all time, from his Kiss, Comet and Solo careers.  Knowing Mike, expect deep cuts and non-album tracks.

3. Top Five Band Costumes from the panel.  Any band, any costume qualifies.  Literally anything from the matching Beatles suits to Gwar.

Don’t miss this special episode, coming to you LIVE on YouTube.  Join us in the comments – we love to interact!  Best of all, we plan to be done in time for you to catch the World Series game tonight.

 

Friday October 31 at 7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

#1222: Replacement Ruko

RECORD STORE TALES #1222: Replacement Ruko

Earlier in 2025, I was sent a new drone to test.  I was very excited to receive my U11Mini 4k drone from Ruko, but struggled to keep it flying straight.  I crashed it once in the summer.  I thought my issues were due to user error, weather, or bad calibration.  I didn’t think it was due to a faulty drone.  I tried it once more in early October.  The flight started well enough, but I lost control of the drone during the return. It started veering to the left and losing altitude. I managed to bring it back to the beach and land it in the sand, but I thought for sure it was going to hit the water or trees.

I figured three strikes and you are out – I didn’t plan to fly the Ruko again, despite its awesome 4k camera and ability to hold a level image even if the drone is flying on a 35 degree angle.  I packed it up.  My dad talked me into changing my mind.

“Why don’t you just contact their customer support?” he asked.

“Because this drone was a free review copy,” I answered simply.   “I did the review and gave it a passing mark.”  As a creative individual, I like to make my own videos, and edit them how I please.  Working with Ruko, they encouraged me to film different landmarks and objects from the drone.  I prefer working independently on my videos, so I didn’t really want to go back to them.  Yet, my dad was right.  What harm could come from submitting a ticket for customer support?

Ruko came through.  All they asked for was the flight log for the most recent video where I encountered troubles. You can see in the video below, I flew fine and straight for the outbound flight. Upon my return, the drone started veering off to the left, and losing altitude. I could not control it, but barely managed to land it in the sand without hitting the water, rocks, or trees. Ruko had a look at the flight log and determined that it was not user error. They offered to send me a new drone!

“Just the bare drone,” they said, and I agreed.  I didn’t need new batteries, a new case, or a new controller.  Just the drone itself.

Two days later, there was a parcel!  And it wasn’t just the bare drone.  It was the whole package – cables, case, batteries, controller, and everything else you need.  I now had two complete drone sets, one that didn’t work and one that was brand new out of the box!

The only unfortunate thing is the time of year.  I let Ruko know that in Canada, it was fall turning into winter, and the window for good flying days was over.  They said “no problem”.

While I still have not had a chance to test the new Ruko drone, I can give their customer service a 5/5 star rating.  Fast, hassle-free and helpful.  Hopefully I will get a chance to fly again before the spring.  If not, thank you Ruko and we’ll see you next year!

 

CRASH!  Language!

My Music Corner: Monday Night Metal & Ghost Stories 10/27/2025

John Clauser is back with his Monday Night Metal chat!   Tonight we will be telling ghost stories!  Halloween is near and spooky season is upon us!  All of us will take turns telling some fun stories that are not too dark.  Just right for your hot chocolate by the screen tonight.

Joining Johnny this episode:

  • Dan Chartrand from Off the Charts
  • Sidney Cini from Slogan’s Rock and Metal Extravaganza
  • Jake Not from State Farm
  • Metal Roger

Enjoy this episode!

Monday Oct 27, 6:00 PM EST at the link below.

Grab A Stack of Rock theme video – extended version with Blaze Bayley and guitar solo

Music & vocals by Tee Bone, remix and guitar solo by Tim Durling.  Writting by M Ladano, J Ladano, T Erickson

Not including myself, 50 people have been on Grab A Stack of Rock to date.  We started this show on October 28 2022 – happy three years to us!  50 guests in three years – two of which you have not officially met yet! Can you spot them in the new video? Their appearances on 50 Years of Iron Maiden are coming soon.

I know I’m a luddite when it comes to software.  My computer friend Brian, who assembled my new PC for me, has probably been ripping his hair out trying to make sure all my tastes for outdated software (and hardware) are satisfied.  As such, I still use Windows Movie Maker as my sole video editing software.  And it’s glitchy.  No question it’s glitchy.  I put about 5 hours’ work into this video this week!  Tim Durling came to the rescue at the last minute with a lost file of his guitar solo for the song.  You see, so many people have been on the show that we cannot squeeze all 50 guests into it any more.  It has now been extended twice to accommodate all the guests.  This new version will last a long time as now there is plenty of room for more.  And more are indeed coming.

Thanks for watching Grab A Stack of Rock.  Happy Three Years to us!  Cool things still to come.

 

  1. Blaze Bayley
  2. Harrison Kopp
  3. Mike Ladano
  4. Eric “Uncle Meat” Litwiller
  5. Aaron KMA
  6. Tim Durling
  7. Rob Daniels
  8. John T Snow
  9. Marco D’Auria
  10. Grant Arthur
  11. Brian Richards
  12. MarriedandHeels
  13. Kevin Simister
  14. Dr. Kathryn
  15. Jen Ladano
  16. Grace Scheele
  17. Jex Russell
  18. Spencer “Spenny” Rice
  19. Nurse Kat
  20. Peter Kerr
  21. John Clauser
  22. Erik Woods
  23. Jason Drury
  24. Pierre-Luc Allard
  25. Len Labelle
  26. Reed Little
  27. Metal Roger
  28. John the Music Nut
  29. Mike Slayen
  30. Pete Jones
  31. Todd Evans
  32. James Kalyn
  33. Angie Moon
  34. Ryan Gavalier
  35. Chris Preston
  36. Dan Chartrand
  37. Glen “Archie” Gamble
  38. bicyclelegs
  39. Davey Cretin
  40. Melissa Nee
  41. Sidney Cini A
  42. shley Geisler
  43. Martin Popoff
  44. Bert Blotto
  45. F Lee Harvey Blotto
  46. Bowtie Blotto
  47. Broadway Blotto
  48. Jake Not From State Farm
  49. Bob Cesca (Camp Chaos)
  50. Lana Teramae
  51. and (briefly) Max the Axe

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Spinal Tap II: The End Continues with Uncle Meat and Dan Chartrand

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

🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode

Episode 122: The End Continues with Uncle Meat and Dan Chartrand

In September of 2024, Marco D’Auria, Dan Chartrand, and Uncle Meat joined us to celebrate 40 years of This Is Spinal Tap.  This comprehensive and loving analysis needed a followup episode once the sequel, The End Continues, had come out.  Now it has, and we have all seen it.  Dan and the Meat are back tonight to discuss the sequel, and the sequel soundtrack!  Tonight we’re gonna rock ya tonight!

Though we have not had 40 years to study up like we did last time, we have done our homework and will be addressing the below topics and more:

  • What were your hopes and fears going into this movie?
  • Where and when did you see it?
  • The new drummer – our impressions.
  • Favourite scene.
  • Favourite cameo / callback.
  • Soundtrack thoughts:  New songs, old songs, and CD vs the movie.
  • The big question:  Did it live up to the Spinal Tap legacy?

Please join us live tonight in the comments.  There will be blood to let!

Friday October 24 at 7:00 PM EST, 8:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

CONEY HATCH “Anniversary Edition” 2 CD set has arrived!

Thanks Chipster PR for this brand new Coney Hatch CD sent by an unusual courier!  This new remastered 2 CD anniversary edition includes the original album, with hits like “Monkey Bars” and “Hey Operator”!  It also doesn’t exclude the  three bonus tracks from a prior edition, but also includes 10 tracks live at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland 1982.

Get yours now…you can’t go wrong!