Dan Chartrand

Off The Charts: Mike’s Top Ten Hair Metal Album Opening Tracks

It was my delight to guest on Dan Chartrand’s Off the Charts to discuss my Top Ten Hair Metal Album Openers!  This popular series is one I am proud to take part in!  Premiering June 8 2026, see below!

 

🅻🅸🆅🅴: Feel Good Friday Afternoon! 1:00 PM EST – Top Five Albums that Make Us Feel Good! With Dan @OffTheCharts

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

Special 🅻🅸🆅🅴 Episode at a Special Time – Good Friday Afternoon! 1:00 PM EST 

Episode 141: Top Five Albums that Make Us Feel Good! With Dan @OffTheCharts

We’re back!  It’s the Fourth Annual Good Friday Afternoon show on Grab a Stack of Rock!   We have done this every year since 2023, and this one is a special one for us!  It is a little different from past Good Friday episodes.  This time it’s less a hangout, and more a list show with lots of physical music!

Episode 141 trailer – Top Five Albums that Make Us Feel Good

We decided to bring the sunshine by talking about music that makes us feel good.  Top Five Albums.  Some of the greatest music we’ve ever heard in our lives.  We’ll also be playing a song from each our lists:  music videos of great songs that make us feel great!

Special guest Dan Chartrand will be joining to discuss our Top Five lists.  As always you can count on physical product on all three major physical formats:  Cassette, CD and LP.  These formats are the tangible versions of the music that brought smiles to our faces so many times over the years.   We’re talking music that goes back with us for decades in some cases.  Other music is newer.  What you will get from us this afternoon is going to be pure love for the albums that always bring us joy.

This is a show about physical music!  We will also be doing a MASSIVE, $550 unboxing – stay tuned!

Please join us 🅻🅸🆅🅴 for this annual tradition.  There will be music, videos, and surprises in store!


Friday April 3 at  1:00 PM EST, 2:00 PM Atlantic.  Enjoy on YouTube or Facebook.

Happy Birthday Dan! Off The Charts: Dan’s Birthday Live Stream

Happy birthday to my friend and collaborator, Dan Chartrand from Off the Charts.

Though February 22 is his birthday, Dan celebrated online last night with a listening party full of friends.  I was happy to be invited, and so I joined Dan, Steve Deluxe and a couple new friends for some songs.  Each guest picked a song to play that had some kind of connection with Dan.  Of course, having interviewed Rick Hughes of Sword with Dan, it made sense to pick a Rick song from his new album Redemption.

Thanks for inviting me Dan, and happy birthday.

 

Off The Charts: Our Musical Tribute to Catherine O’Hara

It was with great sadness last week that we learned of the passing of Canadian icon Catherine O’Hara.  From first seeing her on SCTV as Lola Heatherton and many more great characters, through to Home Alone, Beetlejuice, all of the Christopher Guest films, and Schitt’s Creek, Catherine was part of our lives through every stage.

Please join Dan Chartrand and myself, on OfftheCharts, for our musical tribute to this Canadian treasure.  She will be terribly missed by fans and friends alike.

 

 

REVIEW/VIDEO: Rick Hughes – Redemption (Japanese CD) with Dan @OfftheCharts

Please join Dan from OfftheCharts and I for this review and unboxing!

RICK HUGHES – Redemption (2025 Deko/Rubicon Japanese import)

Rick Hughes of Sword fame is back with some of his most personal music to date.  In short:  it rocks!

Highlights:

  • “Dead End Road”
  • “The Real Me”
  • “Will of the Gun”
  • “Someday”

The Who cover “The Real Me” features Ozzy’s Speak of the Devil band!  Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Whitesnake), Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake) and Brad Gillis (Night Ranger).  This smashing version destroys other cover versions you know.  Meanwhile, “Someday” is not really a cover of an Aldo Nova song.  It is a Rick song he has reclaimed as his own.

There are more guests such as Lee Aaron and Robby Krieger (the Doors), and not one weak song in the batch of rockers, ballads, and soulful swingers.

Check out the video below, where Rick explains the origins of “Someday” while we take a good look at the Japanese CD and compare to the domestic vinyl.

4/5 stars

#1231: 20 Years Ago, I Left the Dream “Record Store” Job (With Dan @OffTheCharts)

Expanding and retelling Record Store Tales Part 320: The Last Day

RECORD STORE TALES #1231: 20 Years Ago, I Left the Dream “Record Store” Job 

I woke up on Wednesday, January 4 2006 knowing it was the last time I’d be opening that Godforsaken record store.  The job I once loved so much that I’d show up an hour early to review new stock had become my nemesis.  It was like a chain, pulling me down every single day.  I looked forward to the end so badly.  The day truly flew by.

It started with the management putting out a statement that, after 12 years at the store, I was leaving.  Shocked messages flooded my inbox.  I was considered an original, a “lifer”.   Many people thought I’d never leave.  Those truly close to me knew the time was coming, but when the announcement was made, the shockwaves rippled through cyberspace.  That warmed me up a little bit on that cold winter day.

The boss took me out to lunch.  East Side Mario’s, if I recall.  Memories of this are of a good final talk, but it also reminds me that I never truly felt comfortable around him.  Never felt like I could be myself.  He talked of parenthood and what that was like, and I just felt tense even as I tried to relax.

It wasn’t a memorable day otherwise.  I have no journals from that day about customers throwing pencils at my head, or throwing other varieties of hissy fits.  I handed in my key, walked out the front door at 5:00 PM, and I was a private citizen once again.  No more discount.  And they lost all the power they held over me.

I was given a giant “goodbye card”, which I kept.  There are sentiments inside that I found surprisingly angering today.  Comments about “cheese metal” and unflattering nicknames.  Good intentions, but proof that very few people that I worked with for years truly knew me.

But you can see for yourself.  For this special 20 year look back, I made a video.  Please join Dan Chartrand and myself for this look back at that fateful final day, 20 years ago.

 

 

Off The Charts: Least Favourite KISS Songs Per Album

It started with Joey Suto, and our awesome list of Top KISS Songs from every album!  Then Peter Kerr suggested worst KISS songs, and I ran with it, and wrote a controversial list.  Dan Chartrand picked up the ball, and decided to make a video on the subject.  You’ve read my list, but now you can watch an entertaining video list from Dan and Sidney from Slogan’s Rock and Metal as well.

No surprises here – my list is unchanged.  I did however have quite a few questions and comments as to “why” I made my list the way I did.  These are finally addressed in this video.

Slick and fast, we raced through the KISS studio albums in an hour.  A great viewing.  Don’t miss this one.

What’s coming up on Grab A Stack of Rock? And why is Dan wearing his lifeguard hat?

A quick conversation between Mike and Dan…what’s up with the hat??

 

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.

🅻🅸🆅🅴 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.