Happy 50th episode to us! This was a special episode to me. Watching it back now, what made last night’s show really special wasn’t so much the cassettes. Rather, it was the stories! The memories came flooding back as we looked at piles of cassettes from ages past. With Dr. Kathryn’s recently exhumed cassingle collection on hand, we were joined by Jex Russell and John T. Snow for a nostalgic evening.
Playing “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle at a fancy wedding.
Buying cassingles by Van Halen in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
The value of Bryan Adams’ live B-sides.
Collecting a rare Cult cassette box set with all the extras.
Bands that Kathryn has seen live and owns on cassette, such as Roxette and Rod Stewart.
A US version of a Def Leppard single vs. the Canadian.
Songs/version that are still exclusive to the cassette format.
Whitesnake every Christmas.
Collecting bonus tracks on cassette and throwing temper tantrums when the CD didn’t have the bonus track.
Summery memories of Bon Jovi, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, Britny Fox and Poison.
Ratt, Dangerous Toys, “Digalog”, “Q-Sound” and more.
We also took a peak at Tri-Con in Kitchener, where Dr. Kathryn met members of the Degrassi cast, Rob Daniels, and some Mandalorians. She had much praise for the Degrassi folks, and you’ll have to make sure you don’t miss this segment at the end.
Congratulations to Marco D’Auria, last week’s special guest, for the nomination of his film Mystique: Standing on the Firing Line at the Canadian Independent Film Festival! The DVD is on sale all February.
Stay tuned for John Snow’s “The Collection” starting February 20.
Bonus: We unboxed the recent reissue of the rare Starchild album Children of the Stars (featuring Greg “Fritz” Hinz of Helix), and a recent Rock Candy reissue of Europe’s The Final Countdown with more bonus tracks than before.
Apologies to Facebook; the Streamyard streams have not been working on Facebook at all and their team is still looking into it.
See you again next week for Too Much Music Part 2!
Welcome to the 50th episode of Grab A Stack of Rock! Special occasions require special guests.
Dr. Kathryn recently dug up her 80s cassette collection. Like her brother, she was interested in collecting rarities and B-sides on singles. We will see a number of cassette singles from the pop rock realm including Bryan Adams, Cheap Trick, Glass Tiger, and more. John Snow, Jex Russell and I will also be bringing the vintage cassette tapes for this special show & tell.
Additionally we have a slideshow from Tri-Con at the Museum in Kitchener last month, where Dr. K met some celebrities from Degrassi Jr. High, and saw some cool props from Doctor Who and Star Trek. There may have been some Mandalorian sightings as well!
Tune in tonight and take part in the comments with our special guests and cool collectibles from the 1980s.
Friday Feb 9 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube,or Facebook!
Creative relationships are something I have always craved in my life. In these pages, we’ve shared the stories of the legendary Bob Schipper, my childhood friend with whom I created so many adventures, games, characters and art. Our media was written, it was drawn, it was recorded to audio and even video. Any way we could create, we did. We made music videos, documentary style videos, comic books, audio skits and so much more. When childhood came to its inevitable end, a hole in my life broke open. I had no creative partner anymore, and I still craved to express myself with someone. As many friends came into my life, I failed to find someone who wanted to sit down and write or record.
In 2023 I met a new friend named Jex Russell. We “officially” became friends on social media on February 5 2023. Even though there’s quite an age difference between us, we get along well and have great creative chemistry. Although distance defies us, we have managed to make some fun videos together, and have also collaborated with the written word. He reminds me a lot of Bob Schipper. Like Bob, we’ve invented some of our own gibberish.
Bob Schipper example: when we were kids, around 1983, Bob created a character named Ooja. Ooja was a monster we had to defeat. In our winter adventures, a giant snowbank worked as an Ooja monster we could pummel. That kept us going for an afternoon. I found out later on that the name Ooja was based on the Ouija board that Bob found in his basement. It once belonged to his older brother or sister. He didn’t know how it was pronounced, so he called it “Ooja”. That became a word for us to use.
Jex Russell example: upon our first works together, Jex began co-hosting episodes of Grab A Stack of Rock with me. On his first real co-hosting gig, he was on his way to his parents’ place to stream from their house that weekend. He sent me updates via videos of his travels that day. Passing theough Haute-Aboujagane, New Brunswick, I had a giggle at the name of the place. It sounded funny to me. I sent a message back to Jex: “What was that place called, Oojaboojagan or something??”
Jex found my mangling of Haute-Aboujagane to be funny in return, and suddenly, we had our own word: “Oojaboojagan”.
You may have heard us use this word before if you’ve been paying attention. Once again, I twisted it around and gave it a new meaning. I started calling Jex “my Oojaboojgan”, meaning “brother” or “friend”. Now, he’s my oojaboojagan. A creative partner that I value for friendship and the ability to collaborate with my scattershot mind.
Check Jex out at Jexcalibur.wordpress.com, and tell him that Oojaboojagan sent you! You’ll be seeing more of our creative uniqueness in 2024.
GRACE SCHEELE – landings (2023 EP – cassette side two – bonus tracks)
Last year we reviewed Grace Scheele’s concept tape about the moon landing called, bizarrely enough, landings! Today we listen to the three bonus tracks that make up side two of the tape. For your convenience, the original cassette review is included below.
Grace loves the cassette format and understands the desire to own physical music. Therefore, she was wise to include bonus music on side two. If you want to hear this, you have to be one of the folks who own a cassette, of which I have two. There are three bonus tracks on the B-side. Check out these titles:
1. “- – – – – – – – – -” (10:16)
2. “pu-sil-lan-i-mous” (7:46)
3. “cachinnate” (3:48)
The first bonus track (I’m gonna call it “lotsa dashes”) features flute-like keys to open it. This relaxing piece is enjoyed best with eyes closed. The time actually flies despite its length. This is vastly different from the music on the A-side which largely featured soundscapes and space sounds. This is just notes: pure music, and it sounds largely improvised. It’s like a lovely backdrop to a quiet night, drifting along to a book of your choice. (Something science-y would be good.)
Bonus track #2 “pu-sil-lan-i-mous” is in a completely different direction from the first. This time, the harp takes its time entering the scene over some gentle keys. But that harp ain’t gentle at all! With an abrasive scream, the calm is violently pierced by an instrument you do not associate with violence. It continues to tickle the ear in unexpected ways. A bassline underlines the music while Grace makes her harp speak, and even sound like feedback.
Percussive sounds introduce the third track “cachinnate”, and strings pluck away satisfyingly while loops ebb and flow. This is the most “traditional” sounding harp piece on the tape, but electronics take it to another unexpected level.
This music is for those who want to be challenged every once in a while. This is for the curious, who want to hear the lengths to which you can take a musical instrument without breaking it. Grace Scheele’s landings is a remarkable release, perfect for open ears or ears that wish to be opened!
The original review for Side A is below.
From Grace’s bandcamp page:
“landings” centres on the real and imagined experience of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon; wielding bowed harp, electronic fx, and sampling from speeches, newsreels, mission audio, and NASA’s own interviews with those present at the historic newscast. Ranging from the ethereally ambient to grinding, jarring industrial noise, the seven tracks across this debut EP represents an imagined journey into the darkness of space.
I’d call it a concept EP, based on that alone. It’s a real listening experience, with elements that remind me of Pink Floyd, Star Trek, and War of the Worlds. Some of the speeches and dialogue will be familiar, others will be novel. There are sounds that, in my limited experience, I didn’t know you could make with a harp. At 22 minutes, is easy to digest in a single sitting, and the download comes with a “gapless version” that enables just that. The layers of harp, samples, and electronic sound build, painting a sonic picture. You can feel the tension of the launch! I bet this sounds great with headphones.
The track “pomposity” has been getting some exposure, so if you only check out one track, try “pomposity” for a taste of what this is like.
Each tape comes in chromed silver with white printing — absolutely stunning! They also come hand-wrapped in aluminium foil, and packed with personalized goodies. Mine came with stickers, hand-drawn art, and even a package of Pop Rocks candy.
4.5/5 stars
Tune in this Friday on Grab A Stack of Rock for a special cassette episode with one of Grace’s teachers, Dr. Kathryn Ladano!
Regardless of some decent rare scores this weekend, I was very disappointed with the old Record Store I used to manage. I have an advantage here, since I know the rules and everything the staff should and should not have been doing. We ended up having to go twice. Here’s where they failed:
Nobody greeted us at the door (twice) – this was compulsory.
Nobody asked us if we wanted help (twice) – also compulsory.
Two guys just chatted behind the counter, never once came onto floor on either visit.
Sold me two discs without CDs in cases, forcing me to return and pick up the CDs.
Put price tags directly on cardboard sleeves of rare Marillion 3″ singles. This tore the cover art upon removal attempt. Damaged packaging thanks to shoddy pricing work.
Added kick in the nuts: Chris from Encore contacted me to tell me that my Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast vinyl is almost $10 cheaper at his store. Why do I still go back to my old haunt? Standards sure have fallen in 20 years.
RECORD STORE TALES #1107: Dark Clouds &; Silver Linings: CD & Vinyl Haul, and Grab A Stack Of Rock spotted on WWE Wrestling
Jen has experienced a few health setbacks. Last week, she took another hard fall. It wasn’t a seizure this time, but a pothole in the sidewalk. She took a tumble, busted her expensive therapy glasses, and ended up with a bruise on her forehead that became its dominant feature. During a moment of levity, I dubbed her Mikhail Gorbachev, which she took to heart with a comedic post on Facebook about her resemblance to the former Russian president. You have to laugh sometimes. Despite this, all the setbacks have taken a toll on my own health, and I really have not been doing well either.
One night last week, I was so stressed out that I slept for 10 hours and still woke up feeling like a zombie. My head banged and every limb ached. I really struggled to come down after some of the recent events and scares.
However, as always, there are good things amongst the rest.
I took Jen to the eye doctor after her fall, and killed some time at the local Record Store. They had a bunch of cool Marillion and Fish in stock, so I snagged all of it.
Marillion – “Incommunicado” 5″ CD single – damaged packaging, but this is a duplicate CD and will be donated to a worthy friend
Marillion – “Freaks” (Live) 5″ CD single
Marillion – “Hooks In You” 3″ CD single
Marillion – “Uninvited Guest” 3″ CD single
Fish – “Big Wedge” 5″ CD single
Fish – “A Gentleman’s Excuse Me” 5″ CD single
Boston – Greatest Hits CD
Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast 40th anniversary LP
I’ve been wanting a complete collection of classic 80s Derek Riggs Iron Maiden on vinyl, so why not. I remember when Sam the Record Man had Powerslave, brand new, for $5.99. Beast was $39.99. Holy moly. The total haul was $92.
New music is good for the soul, so this haul, expecially the 3″ discs, was especially satisfying. I did notice a few things about the Record Store.
Back in my day, there was a “not hats” rule. That was hard and fast. I had bad hair a lot of days and couldn’t hide it under a hat. On this visit, one guy had a touque, the other a baseball hat.
Neither guy asked me if I wanted any help. That also used to be a hard and fast rule. You had to ask every single person who walked in the door. Give ’em a minute, and ask. Neither guy bothered. Things sure have changed in the last 20 years.
I had to laugh at a couple things though. An older man came in and asked about a movie on DVD. The guy at the counter told him the movie was still new in theaters. I remember having that very conversation in my days at the Record Store.
I also observed people coming in with boxes and tubs full of CDs, movies and videos games, reminding me of my busier Saturdays in the days of yore. I really didn’t enjoy buying used CDs by the tub, but in came the discs regardless! By the tub, bag or box, the CDs came in a never-ending stream of media. I spotting a woman bringing in a Tragically Hip Phantom Power CD from 30 feet. I still got the skills.
I think I did well at the store today. I did even better after. Cooler than a CD haul at a Record Store though, was the surprise that Johnny Clauser had for me.
John Clauser, from My Music Corner on Youtube, is one of my favourite music people. He was off to a televised WWE event, Road to Wrestlemania Smackdown, in Birmingham Alabama. Johnny had ringside seats. Rumour had it that Dwayne “The Rock Johnson” was going to be there that night. He was.
On national television, John Clauser can clearly be seen, wearing his Grab A Stack of Rock shirt. It’s there for the world to see.
When the Rock enters, it appears he sees the shirt, and stares at it for a few seconds. John says he was staring directly at the shirt…the Grab A Stack of Rock shirt! You can see it happen on video.
Regardless of the rumours, John planned two weeks in advance on wearing my Grab A Stack of Rock shirt to the event. I didn’t know of his plan until he started sending me pictures from ringside. By the next day, people were sending me screenshots and video clips of John at ringside, on national television.
John, I cannot tell you how much this means to me. To see my shirt on your chest on national television. To have this image of the Rock and my shirt together…it is beyond words. I cannot express my gratitude to you. It’s beyond measure, sir. I’m sure John has plenty of shirts. Thank you sir, for making my day a little sunnier.
As it turns out, the sun came out Saturday for the first time in many days. It was glorious to behold.
Spring is closer and closer. Better days ahead. I smell the what the future is cooking!
In a word: passion! Marco D’Auria is a creator with a passion for fulfilling his artistic drives. Since his youth, he had a passion for his uncle Ray D’Auria’s band, Mystique. He loved the music. He loved the history. He wanted to bring that story to the world, and he achieved it. The accolades are wonderful, but holding the DVD of Mystique: Standing On The Firing Line in his hands is the real reward.
In this hour-long interview, co-host Jex Russell and I quizzed Marco on the following subjects:
Getting the band back together for the interviews
Editing down over four hours of film into 1 hour 39 minutes, and finally 95 minutes
Unseen footage of Martin Popoff and other interviewees
Unreleased music
Awards and movie festivals
Getting the new version of the film out there for you to see
The Mystique story is compelling. The music justifies itself. This band had potential. There was magic happening. The big break never quite took shape, and this film is the story of what might have been. Nobody seems to have any regrets. The film is warming to watch, and I recommend you check it out while the February sale is on.
Thank you Jex and Marco for an awesome Friday night. Check Marco out at the Contrarians on Youtube!
Feb 9 – our 50th show! – Doctor Kathryn returns with Jex Russell and her cassette collection from the 1980s!
Feb 16 – Too Much Music? 2 (pre-recorded)
Feb 23 – LeBrainless with Jex, Harrison, Roger, John Snow & Aaron
Episode 49: MYSTIQUE: Standing On The Firing Line with filmmaker Marco D’Auria
We’ve spoken to this fine gentlemen about this excellent film a couple times, so why is Marco back to talk about Mystique: Standing On The Firing Line? The new cut of the film is in, and it is turning heads. The new version of this rockumentary has been making the festival circuit and picking up awards! (Couch Film Festival 2023, AltFF Alternative Film Festival 2023.) Director Marco D’Auria is eager for you to see this film, and talk about what he has coming next.
Mystique was a Hamilton heavy metal band that released some iconic independent music such as Black Rider and I Am the King back in the 1980s. The band never “made it” and faded into obscurity by 1989…until their old records and tapes started commanding insane prices on the collector’s market.
Why? What is that made Mystique special? We will delve into this with co-host Jex Russell tonight. Marco will explain what is new about this recent cut of the film, and what he hopes to do for a re-release. Tune in tonight!
Friday Feb 2 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 9:00 P.M. Atlantic. Enjoy on YouTube,on Facebook!
Feb 9 – our 50th show! – Doctor Kathryn returns with Jex Russell and her cassette collection from the 1980s!
RECORD STORE TALES #1106: “The Entire Population of the World Can Fit in the State of Kansas”
Not all of us have been this lucky. I had a fortunate and free childhood. I was allowed to listen to whatever I wanted to: AC/DC (oh no, “Anti-Christ/Devil Child!”), Kiss (“Knights in Satan’s Service!”), Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest…all the bands that the TV shows said were bad influences on kids. They would lead us to drink, drugs, violence, and worst of all…Satan.
I went to a Catholic grade school where wearing a Judas Priest shirt to class earned scornful glares and harsh words. I also had several friends in highschool from other religions with strict views on dress, music, movies, and TV. I knew how good I had it at home. I never had to hide my Guns N’ Roses tapes from my mom. I didn’t have to crop my hair short like a couple of the highschool kids. There was a family though…oh, there was a family across the street. And this is a story about those strange characters that I loathed, then and now.
Now, keep this in mind: I have no issues with faith. I do have issues with dogma and assorted silliness. So if you’re offended, I am sorry. I’m cool with Jesus but not so much with strict, outdated thinking.
With that in mind, let’s push play on Ghost’s Opus Eponymous CD and dive on in.
Let’s call these people the Davids. Mr. and Mrs. David, and their two kids, Boy and Girl.
Mr. David was a teacher. I have rarely encountered such a dumb educated person in my life. Maybe dumb isn’t the right word. Airheaded? Scatterbrained? Moony? Oblivious? I once saw him pull out of his driveway, realize that he forgot something, stop his car in the middle of the road, run in to get whatever he forget, and get back in his car. He used to park on our side of the road because he liked our shade tree, but he would park his car backwards against traffic, which drove me nuts to no end. I would purposely park as close to his bumper as I could get without pissing off my own parents.
They had embargoed all kinds of fun stuff in their house. One day we were out tobogganing. Mrs. David was driving a car full of kids. I was talking about how much I loved Doctor Who, in particular the villainous Daleks. They may have looked like little pepper pots with a plunger sticking out, but their cries of “EXTERMINATE!” rattled the bones of every kid. They were awesome! Mrs. David simply said, “We are not allowed to watch the Daleks in our house.” Ouch! Talk about a buzz killer. What the hell did she have a problem with? Intelligent science fiction with badass villains, I guess.
In 1984 they all went to go see Bruce Springsteen. His music was allowed. Helix was not. I can remember Boy David coming over and watching the Pepsi Power Hour with Bob and I on television. He was absolutely terrified from the “Rock You” music video. I seem to remember him bailing and running home when it came on.
‘Twas Mrs. David who spied my MAD magazine and was so offended by the cover story about “Damien Lucifer“, lead singer of “Antichrist”. She reported the offending magazine to my mother, who asked me about it. I laughed and took great joy in telling my mom that Mrs. David thought a MAD Magazine was real. Mrs. David was a child psychologist. She fell for an obvious parody. Directly below the Damien Lucifer picture was a contest, with the prize being getting trampled at a Motley Crue concert. There was a “six page fold-out” of Gene Simmons’ tongue. I mean, come on.
The weird thing is this. About a decade later, Boy David was blasting Savatage’s “Hall of the Mountain King” from his front window so loud you could hear it around the corner. Banning music didn’t really work for the David family.
Through the years, my parents have maintained suffering contact with the David family. They always come home bitching about them, but haven’t been able to completely get themselves away. I sense that they wouldn’t mind if they never had to socialize again, but don’t want to be the ones to make the break.
One night while I was still working at the Record Store, my parents came home from dinner with the Davids, and my mom immediately started with the stories. The things these people would say! My parents would sit in stunned silence, sipping drinks and nibbling food, but not really reacting.
“You wouldn’t believe what Mrs. David said at dinner tonight,” began my exasperated mother.
“You’re going to like this one Michael,” nudged my dad as he walked past.
“Tell me!” I squealed in delight.
My mom set up the story. Mrs. David was on about the state of the world, natural resources, overpopulation, and lord knows what else. Malthusanists, they were not! You see, they adhered to a particularly hard (but traditional) interpretation of God’s infallibility. Because God is incapable of error, the Earth that He created is flawless and perfectly made for us to use. Hard-core Catholics used to believe that extinction was impossible, due to this perfect intelligent design. Equally impossible is overpopulation. God told us to “go forth and multiply,” did He not? Therefore, overpopulation is absolutely impossible.
“You know, the entire population of the world can fit in the state of Kansas?” asked Mrs. David to my stunned mother and father.
“How the hell did we get on this topic?” they thought to themselves as they concentrated on their food. My mother told me this in the kitchen that night, and I just laughed uncontrollably.
“Sure, if you packed them in like sardines! What is wrong with those people?” I asked.
“I do not know,” said my mother in a flat, tired tone.
The last time I saw anyone from the David family was in the 1990s. I’d like to keep it that way.
mikeladano.com 