A massive thank you to Nurse Kat for spending her Friday night with Aaron and I, talking Arkells! Though none of us could be called hardcore Arkells veterans, our passion certainly came through. Since falling in love with the band roughly 18 months ago, Kat has seen Arkells 13 times. From New York to LA to Glasgow, she had a lot of cool stories to tell. Meanwhile, Aaron filled us in on the early years, as he saw them even before the Jackson Square debut album was out.
A common theme for this show was the power of music to connect with the human heart. Kat and I both had some pretty emotional experiences to an Arkells soundtrack. This is a band that really seems to have a direct line to the mind and soul.
I presented my Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Arkells songs (from the albums I own) and Kat provided some cool live clips and photos. We hope you enjoy!
Mike’s Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Arkells tunes:
11. “Savannah” from Morning Report – acoustic anthemic awesomeness.
10. “Passenger Seat” from Morning Report – what a falsetto! So much passion!
9. “Hung Up” from Morning Report – “The gatekeepers are keepin’ me out!” – what a hook!
8. “Coffee” from Michigan Left – Powerful lyrics with personal meaning.
7. “On Paper” from Michigan Left – killer chorus, powerful rock.
6. “Whistleblower” from Michigan Left – as hard as Arkells songs get, based on that riff.
5. “Michigan Left” from Michigan Left – “Decorations won’t be wasted” – one of their best choruses! And that percussion! Oh man.
4. “Come to Light” from High Noon – channeling 80’s Bowie? You be the judge.
3. “Leather Jacket” from High Noon – the song that got me to buy the album in the first place.
2. “11:11” from High Noon – so hard to narrow things down to only four songs from High Noon, but this one is just hook laden and nostalgic.
1. “Fake Money” from High Noon – This song is pure hooks, from start to finish, with an angry bent.
Honorable mentions – “Cynical Bastards”, “Crawling Through the Window”, “Book Club”, “Drake’s Dad”
Jen’s #1 – “Leather Jacket”
BONUS
Tune in 9:00 AM Saturday morning for an extra weekend live stream with Jex Russell! Cassette fans, don’t miss this bonus episode!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike, Aaron and Nurse Kat
Episode 25: Arkells Appreciation
25 episodes! We’ve had ups, downs and cancelled episodes, but we finally made it to 25. This week we celebrate with a band I’ve recently fallen in love with: Hamilton’s Arkells! Just what is it about this band that resonates with people? The music, lyrics, Canadiana, or something else? The natural charisma of Max Kerman is a big factor. I’ll be talking about all this and more with fan Nurse Kat. She’s seen them THIRTEEN times in a year, and has some merch to show. I will be listing my Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Arkells tunes.
Joining Kat and I tonight will be Mr. Books from the KMA, who saw the band once, leaving me as the only one who hasn’t!
Friday June 23 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy onYouTube or on Facebook!
“The show must go on.” That’s the saying, right? That’s what the most supportive wife in the world said to me tonight when I was debating whether to cancel Grab A Stack of Rock this week. Another seizure, another fall, thank God no broken jaw. We’ll have to fill you in on the details later.
An exhausted Mike (physically, emotionally, and mentally) relied on his co-host and guest, Harrison and Mr. Books, for carrying the weight. Jex Russell also stopped by with some rarities.
We looked at:
Rare bootleg CDs
Rare DVD
All my Maiden vinyl with stories to go with
Maiden beer, Maiden menu
Books
And some tangents.
A great show all things considered, and now I need to go take care of Jen. See you next week if all goes well.
Next week, the summer tour of 2023 rolls on with Nurse Kat and the Arkells!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 24: Grab A Stack of Iron Maiden
Harrison thought it was time to look at Iron Maiden again. After all, Iron Maiden was the subject of two of our most successful shows in the past. Enough time has passed that people will want to see our Maiden collections again. I’ve dug up all my vinyl, and I have plenty of action figures from Super Seven to show off, as well as other assorted Eddies!
Joining Harrison and I tonight will be Mr. Books from the KMA. It has been ages since he’s been on the show, so please give a warm welcome back to Mr. Books!
As always, we will start the show with “Ask Harrison” and some unboxings. Hope you can join us!
SPECIAL TIME!
Friday June 16 at 8:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or onFacebook!
Next week, the summer tour of 2023 rolls on with Nurse Kat and the Arkells!
That was a blast (as always!) By popular demands, Aaron returned! True to form, the man known as “Mr Books” presented…books! Leonard Cohen, Charlie Watts, a certain black guitar wielded by David Gilmore, and more! As for Harrison, he too had some books to show, as well as some interesting discs by Concrete Blonde and a smashingly cool lightsaber!
I unboxed the new Queen Miracle box set, a Black Sabbath Sabotage, and a Def Leppard From London to Vegas. We took a look at the contents of each. The Queen box set is suitably majestic, featuring a lovely hardcover book and loads upon loads of music to listen to.
“Ask Harrison” returned tonight, with questions from Lana (via Tee Bone) and California Girl, and a bit of a curveball “Ask Mike” as well. Warning: there could be more “Ask Mike” coming in the future!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK…with Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 7: Special guest Aaron KMA
Aaron‘s back! Due to popular demand, the big guy has agreed to return for another hour of rock. Tonight, I plan on unboxing my Queen The Miracle box set, and others with time permitting. I have two sealed Rush box sets (Hemispheres and Permanent Waves) and a sealed Metallica (Master of Puppets) that could be opened tonight. It’s up to you — whatever you want!
Harrison the Mad Metal Man and Aaron always have something interesting to show and tonight will be no exception. So let’s wait and see!
We also have the popular “Ask Harrison” returning tonight, with Lana (via Tee Bone) and MarriedandHeels offering up a pair of questions and a curveball. Hopefully we will learn a little about the elusive Australian madman and his homeland tonight.
Friday December 16 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy onYouTubeor onFacebook.
Tim Durling‘s Holy Grail this week was a serious rarity: Europe’s The Final Countdown (1986) on 8-track! It was worth the wait, seeing that unusual tape on that format.
We had a surprise guest: Aaron from the KMA, who showed some discs and books! And of course Harrison the Mad Metal Man had some interesting items on display. As for me, I unboxed the Thin Lizzy Rock Legends box set and an unassembled ZZ Top Eliminator model kit.
“OK guys!” I said as I put my coffee down on the table. “What do we have coming up for Tee Bone Man?”
Harrison officially began the meeting. “I believe you are next with your Deke-centric story, correct Mr. LeBrain?”
“That’s right,” I answered. “That will go up next week. That’s a very special one. For reasons we will see.”
Harrison smiled. He understood what was in store for Superdekes.
The 80s Metal Man spoke next, the newest member at the writer’s table. “And if I am correct, after your Deke story, I will go next month with my time travel tale.”
“Wahoo!” shouted Aaron.
“And after time travel,” answered Harrison, “I have my next story lined up. It is pretty epic and involves a lot of song references and a little bit of foreshadowing.”
“Awesome sauce,” I responded.
Snowman piped in next. “I have an idea for a space-based adventure.”
“Wahoo!” shouted Aaron.
“That sounds great, Snowman. Will there be an even bigger Gene Simmons box set in this one? 10,000 discs of outtakes this time?”
Snowman laughed, but declined to answer the question. “You’ll just have to wait and see. But since you all think I look like Richard Dreyfuss, it might be fun to do a Close Encounters homage with Tee Bone Man and Superdekes.”
Harrison spoke up. “I’m very much looking forward to doing the Lego art on that one, Snowman. Please keep me posted so I can get started on it as soon as possible.”
“Wahoo!” shouted Aaron.
“Hey Harrison,” I said. “How is it going with the Lego art anyway?”
“Very well thank you,” responded the mustachioed Australian metal madman. “But as you can see, it’s not simple artwork by any means. I’d like a month between story chapters in order to perfect the artwork for each.”
The writers at the table all nodded their heads in agreement.
“Wahoo!” shouted Aaron.
“How about you, Aaron?” I queried. “Got anything cooking for Tee Bone Man?”
“Wahoo! I mean, no, not at the moment but I am sure I can come up with another one,” answered Aaron.
“Give ‘er!” I responded, throwing one of his favourite sayings at him. “You’re always welcome to contribute. It would be fun if you included yourself in your next story. We all have.” The table nodded in agreement again.
“OK, so let me get this all straight, just to make sure we’re all on the same page.” I was very excited for how well this was all going, with this creative bunch of writers. “I’m next with my Deke chapter. Then Metal Man is on deck. Harrison goes after Metal Man. That’s the next two to three months of content right there. We are in good shape, I think.”
“I agree,” said Harrison. “And having read Metal Man’s chapter already, I think it’s good enough to break the multiverse.”
Metal Man smiled at the compliment. “Thank you,” he said. “I might have to write a sequel, I had so much story to fit in there.”
“You’re more than welcome to write a sequel,” I responded. “I’d also like to get some fresh blood in the writer’s room, see if anyone else has a good story to contribute.”
Breaking the fourth wall, Snowman spoke, to you the reader! “That’s right. Whoever is out there reading this right now, if you think you have what it takes, leave a comment below. There are lot of people that know Tee Bone and Superdekes, who could probably do a great job.”
A shudder came over Harrison. “But keep in mind, I can only do art for one per month.”
“And none of us want you to rush it,” I said. “But keep in mind the whole idea was for this to be a community effort.”
“COMMUNITY!” shouted Aaron.
The table nodded in agreement again. I sipped my coffee and continued. “I understand your concerns, and obviously we don’t want things to get bogged down too much.” Like Snowman, I then broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the readers. “We just all want you, the reader, to understand we want inclusivity. Maybe Lana can come up with a story. Who knows, maybe even Deke will have an idea. I just want people to know this is for all of us.”
I stood and walked around the table to address all the writers.
“You guys are all killing it. We already have some amazing chapters written and it’s only getting better. I want you guys to know how much I appreciate you jumping on this idea with me…” I noticed Aaron had his hand up to ask a question. “Yeah, Aaron? What’s up.”
“I can’t help but notice you’re not wearing pants,” he said flatly.
I looked down and saw he was right.
“Didn’t you get the memo from Tee Bone? It’s time to tell the world – Fuck Pants!”
On this Canada Day, please enjoy reading the exploits of Canada’s greatest superheroes: Tee Bone Man and Superdekes!
This series of fun, clever and witty rock and roll adventures is written by a collective of creators, and you can join too! But first, catch up on what has happened so far and what is to come.
As a caravan of Southern Ontario rockers travel north through Thunder Bay, they encounter a terror like none they have ever seen before. Far from home and out of their element, a “meaty man” and “brainiac” find themselves at the mercy of a legendary beast. Only with the sudden arrival of two mysterious superheroes do they even stand a chance of survival!
Devastating earthquakes threaten all humankind. Seemingly originating from the continent of Australia, Tee Bone Man makes his way south to investigate. Teaming up with a young “Man with the Moustache”, they soon realize the only way to stop the earthquakes and save the planet is to eradicate them right from their source — hell! But how to get there? Perhaps El Moustachio can help!
Continuing from chapter two, Tee Bone Man and El Moustachio enlist the aid of Superdekes as they battle the armies of hell! With action scenes straight out of Tolkien, our trio of heroes must defeat orcs, demons, dragons and far worse to stop the earthquakes. When the Man with the Moustache discovers a secret doorway, they meet the evil entity responsible. His goals will shock you!
In their strangest adventure yet, Tee Bone Man and Superdekes encounter a new foe unlike any they have dealt with before. Is it real, or just fantasy? Decide for yourself as Tee Bone Man wields a hockey stick instead of a guitar and tries to catch a rat!
This chapter takes us back on the highway to hell and its evil ruler, the great Satan himself! Never satisfied, the terrible red one now covets something truly unique. Sending new minions dubbed the Knights in Satan’s Service to Earth, they seek the one known as the Snowman! For he possesses the only copy of the Super Duper Vault, featuring 666 CDs of Gene Simmons outtakes. Satan wants it and will stop at nothing. Sounds like a call to Tee Bone Man and Superdekes is in order!
COMING SOON! What will happen to our heroes next?
Chapter Six: Tee Bone Man Goes to Camp(by LeBrain)
Well overdue for a vacation, Tee Bone Man treks to camp. But all is not as it should be.
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