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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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:
Of course, Mike and the Mad Metal Man (Harrison Kopptulu)
And a special guest list from Uncle Meat himself.
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.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 43: Top 5 METALLICA Deep Cuts
It is finally time to do Metallica some Justice!
We planned to do a Metallica show back on May 5, but regular readers know what happened that day. I had to cancel, and deal with a former co-host instead. There always seems to be something getting in the way of Metallica. This week we lost my dear Uncle Paul, but the show will go on, and I will pay tribute to this great man on Friday night.
Cinco de Listo is back! We wait with baited (Motor)breath to see what Top Five Deep Cuts our expert panel will be presenting this time! On hand will be:
Of course, Mike and the Mad Metal Man (Harrison Kopptulu)
Plus a special guest list. A Meaty list.
We are going simple with the rules. A “deep cut” in this case simply means a non-single. There will be lots of complaints I’m sure, but let’s focus on the great songs instead! Hopefully we will name some tunes you absolutely need to hear.
Will Justice be done? Our Merry Band of Metal Fans will do out best tonight at 8:00 PM sharp, Eastern Standard Time.
A week off next week — super secret regal recording with Peter Kerr instead! We’ll be back December 15.
LIVE Friday Dec 1 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy onYouTube or onFacebook!
Three cheers for the Mad Metal Man! For over a year of co-hosting Grab A Stack of Rock, he has earned the right to pick his own show topic! His punch card is full, witness below and see for yourself! And what did he pick with his full punch card? He picked Blaze Bayley! And he doubled down. Foregoing the rules (again), Harrison didn’t pick a Nigel Tufnel Top Ten. No, Harrison technically picked 22 songs. All Blaze or Blaze Bayley-branded versions.
I chose songs from all three eras of Blaze: Wolfsbane, Iron Maiden, and solo.
Harrison and I only had one song in common. That means combined we have given you 32 songs to check out. Harrison and I also provided a lot of context and background to our picks (Harrison more so than I!) and we hope that this episode is in-depth enough for the Blaze diehards. And we know there are Blaze diehards out there.
We also took a look at some physical rarities: Two Iron Maiden X Factor Japanese CDs, an X Factor singles box set, two lenticular Virtual XI CDs, a “Holy Grail” live album, one CD that Mike needs, one CD that Harrison needs, and a Wolfsbane cassette.
I sincerely hope you take the time to watch this passionate, insightful episode about a singer that deserves more of your attention, Blaze Bayley.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 42: Top 11 of the Silicon Messiah, Blaze Bayley!
This time Harrison’s not here by contractual obligation only. The Mad Metal Man is in the driver’s seat for one of his favourite artists of all time: Blaze Bayley!
From his time in Wolfsbane, to his two underrated Iron Maiden platters, and his exceptional solo career, tonight we’ll be talking all things Blaze! There will be a Nigel Tufnel Top Ten tunes, and as an added bonus, Harrison will break down all the Easter eggs in his amazing Blaze Bayley show art. How many can you spot? Leave them in the comments, and check out the show tonight to see if you were right.
Blaze Bayley has two studio albums with Iron Maiden, plus a double greatest hits compilation. As a solo artist he has released ten studio albums and seven live albums. Wolfsbane did five studio albums and a number of singles and EPs. He has toured with Paul Di’Anno, Geoff Tate and Ripper Owens. There is a lot of music to choose from.
WARNING: There will be shenanigans.
Blaze Bayley – “Born as a Stranger”, yet sharp as “Steel”! Long may he reign. Appreciate the man and the music with us tonight on Grab A Stack of Rock.
LIVE Friday Nov 24 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!
RECORD STORE TALES #1095: Mental Health Plan: Gutterballs! (Jen Kicks Mike’s Butt at Bowling – with video)
Part of my mental health plan this winter is getting out more. Movies, dinners, that sort of thing. Jen loves bowling, so she took me out bowling for the first time in many years. Five pin bowling is her jam. Her lanes at Towne Bowl just closed, but Victoria Bowl isn’t far. We rolled in to roll, right at noon.
Now, it’s no secret I’ve been having problems with my right arm. You’ve seen it on Grab A Stack of Rock all wrapped up in braces and Tensor bandages. There’s some serious pain going on there and sometimes even working on a mouse all day can leave me in agony. So, this was a big test for me. Can I bowl for an hour? Is this a viable option for spending time in the winter?
The answer to both questions is yes (sorta), and yes. Sorta, because though I could bowl for an hour, I got noticeably worse after about 30 minutes and Jen proceeded to kick my entire ass.
Jen had the best score of her bowling career to date. I started strong, but pulled one of my worst scores on my last game.
We had a lot of fun. Because we were so early in the day, we had a whole side of the place to ourselves. We were at ease and because there was nobody else around, I filmed a bit of it. I’m always at my happiest when I can be creative, and I was able to bring that side of it into the game.
My elbow is paying for it now, and my right hand and wrist are a bit rough, but that’s how you build up strength and get past this stuff. Next time I’ll stretch first, though – that was a mistake. My thighs….
But we did it, and we had a great time doing it. Mission accomplished.
Kicking winter’s ass one pin at a time. Let it begin.
mikeladano.com 