Grant’s Rock Warehaus

#1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 2)

RECORD STORE TALES #1092: Grab A Stack of Rock (Recap 2)
A recap of all our shows to date as we gear up for the first anniversary

It has been a heck of a year…but it has been a year already!  Grab A Stack of Rock debuted with no name, on October 28, 2022.  It was an impromptu decision to go live, and fortunately Harrison and Uncle Meat were on board.  This week, we are celebrating one year of Grab A Stack, with a special list show and special guests.  More on that later.

We recapped the first ten shows earlier this year, but let’s look back at everything since!

Coming off the biggest show we ever did, Show #10, which has over 1200 views currently, we decided to get nerdy next!

Show #11, Jan 13 2023, saw Rob Daniels, Tim Durling, and Kevin “Buried On Mars” Simister beamed down with Harrison and I to talk Star Trek!  It was Kevin’s first time with the new format, and he really brought the Trek. Tim and I were both in uniform, and Harrison had some cool MAD Magazines to show. This was a really fun episode to do, even though that uniform isn’t very comfortable!  Soundtracks, books, action figures and much more were shown!

Show #12, Jan 20 2023 was the debut of Dr. Kathryn, and what a debut it was!  This was a Karate Kid / Cobra Kai talk, with Rob Daniels and Harrison Kopp.  Dr. Kathryn blew everyone away with her expertise on the subject, while showing off some cool stuff including a video from actor Sean Kanan.  The stories that night were absolutely incredible.  Any fan of Cobra Kai needs to check out this chat!

Show #13, Jan 27 2023 was a brainchild of Tim Durling:  Reissue record labels!  You know that Tim is a format head, and one of his passions is comparing different printings of albums.  Many record labels make their fortunes on reissues.  Rock Candy, La-La-Land, Sony Legacy, and so on.  We took a good look at some cool things from our collections.  Rob Daniels and Harrison Kopp were on hand once again!

Show #14, Feb 3 2023 was MarriedandHeels episode 2.

I took a couple weeks off, but did some informal mini-episodes (un-numbered) while I rested and recuperated after several weeks without a break.

Feb 11 2023 featuring the debut of Jen on Grab A Stack of Rock!  I wanted to get her more involved within her abilities.  She can’t look at a screen for very long without feeling some effects from it.  In this short episode, we unboxed my Marvel Legends T’Challa (Black Panther) figure, just for fun.  Jen was a natural! This was a test stream to see how it would work with two of us on one computer, and it worked great!

Feb 19 2023 was another fun mini-episode.  I had just received the excellent cassette, Landings, by Grace Scheele.  An instrumental concept cassette (cassette!) about the moon landing, Grace hand-packaged each one in aluminium foil.  I had to unbox it live, and I had to have her on hand when I did it.  Thanks for coming to hang with me, Grace!  People, check out this episode and see what love and care looks like when it goes into a physical product.

Show #15, Feb 24 2023 was monumentally important, for it featured a new guest that would have a huge impact on Grab A Stack of Rock.  This was the foreshadowing of a new era, because Jex Russell (or the “Friendly Frenchman” as I called him back then) came on board for the first time.  Nice to meet ya!  We had John T. Snow back on, for the first time since 2022.  Tim and Harrison also returned for this musical gathering of fans.

Show #16, March 3 2023 was MarriedandHeels episode 3, with Harrison Kopp.

March 10…now, that was a night.  I had my guests lined up.  Jex and Harrison were coming back to do a test stream.  Streamyard added a new feature, allowing guests to stream the show to their own social media.  About 30 minutes before showtime, I barfed.  10 minutes later, I barfed again and cancelled the show!  I barfed seven more times that night and drank about four large things of Gatorade.

Show #16.5, March 24 2023, was not an official episode.  We did the test stream, successfully!  John Snow, Rob Daniels, Jex Russell and MarriedandHeels joined in.  We unboxed some Japanese imports, and we covered Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Star Wars, and more.  Most importantly, we successfully streamed to the guys’ Facebook pages for the first time.

March 31 was a week off.  Why?  Because apparently when we went live on March 24, I had Covid!  You certainly could not tell!  Watch that episode and tell me if I look like a guy with Covid.  The following morning, I felt tired and scratchy, so I tested myself.  Yep:  positive!  While I never really got sick (just tired), Jen sure got it bad.  I was negative the following week, and back at work.

Show #17, April 7 2023, was the final MarriedandHeels episode, with Jex Russell.

Though her shows were excellent for views, I didn’t pick up new readers or viewers.  It was a failed experiment, like putting a big round peg in a little square hole.  At least I tried.

I took April 14 off so I could do an excellent discussion on the Neurotic Outsiders, with Grant Arthur, on his show Grant’s Rock Warehouse.  We also opened the cottage that weekend, meaning the first ever front porch shows on Grab A Stack of Rock were about to happen!  Following this, we took April 21 off.

Show #18, April 28 2023 was the cottage show I had been waiting all year to do!  It was another simple one:  new arrivals.  Kevin the Mars Man was back, as was John T. Snow and Harrison Kopp.  Thankfully those guys carried the show, because I was checked out that night.  And everything came to a head the following Friday.

Show #19, May 5 2023, was supposed to be Metallica with Kevin, Tim and Harrison.  I was going to show off my Black box, but the show was cancelled last minute when drama finally exploded into its inevitable conclusion.  The “heels era” was over, and we were about to get serious about music.

Show #19, May 12 2023, was the first of the new era!  New life was breathed into the show on this day.  My planned co-host (see above) crapped out and didn’t show up, but thankfully Jex Russell did!  I also invited Grace Scheele back on, because we did a demo of her cassette!  I had a whole box full of treasures that I picked up from Max the Axe’s garage sale, including a Kenwood tape deck.  Grace’s cassette sounded awesome on it.  Additionally, this was a test of a new time slot:  3:00 PM on Friday afternoons in the summer.  To my utter disbelief, views were high!  The show went on for two whole hours, as I spun classic Max the Axe videos.  It was a fantastic show, and the time slot worked.  I was worried I could not get enough viewers on Friday afternoons.  I was wrong…very gladly wrong!  From this point forward, most cottage shows would be in the afternoon, and Jex would co-host them.  I called it the “no more heels tour of 2023”, and it was off to a hell of a start.  We even had a chipmunk sighting on camera!

May 17, 2023 happened when I received the new Van Halen Right here, right now live album on vinyl.  I had taken the afternoon off work, and I thought, why not go live?  Dare I say why not?  It was a mini-episode unboxing, and it too was a success despite the fact that most of you should have been working!

Show #20, May 19 2023, was another first for the show:  our first star interview!  Spencer “Spenny” Rice of Kenny Vs. Spenny fame agreed to talk wresting, and talk we did!  Co-host Marco D’Auria really rocked this one, with his encyclopedic knowledge of so many eras of wresting.  Spenny may have been the star, but Marco was the star!   All I could do was sit back and enjoy!  Thank you Spencer Rice for doing this, and thank you Marco for killing it.  It was an honour for me to share the screen with you.

 

 

To be continued…

Grant’s Rock Warehaus: Helix – Part Three: Rock It Science w/Tim Durling & Mike Ladano

And finally we come to the present of the Helix saga, currently right up to the “Brother From A Different Mother” single. Thank you Grant for allowing us to bring the world up to speed on Helix. The Trailer Park Boys had a huge impact at this time, and though Helix suffered numerous lineup changes in this period, they also had some triumphant reunions with classic Capitol era members. It also featured some successful collaborations with Sean Kelly among others.

Please enjoy the third and final Helix special on Grant’s Rock Warehaus!

Part two can be found here

Grant’s Rock Warehaus: Helix – Part Two: Back for Another Taste w/Tim Durling & Mike Ladano

Here’s one of the super-secret tapings I’ve been talking about! Helix – Part One was the Capitol Years with Martin Popoff and Tim Durling.  I twisted Grant’s arm and talked him into covering the rest of the Helix story.  In Part Two, Tim and I joined Grant to discuss everything Helix from Over 60 Minutes With… to Live in Buffalo.  There’s a lot of story there, from Paul Hackman’s unfortunate death to the lineup changes that followed.  Some great music too:  Back For Another Taste, It’s A Business Doing Pleasure, Half-ALIVE and B-Sides being some of the highlights we discussed.

In Part Three we’ll finish the story, going from Rocking In My Outer Space to “Brother From Another Mother”.  We will also discuss the first two Helix albums in detail since some killer reissues fall in these years.

Gimme an R and check out Grant’s Rock Warehaus!

#1079: How To Take the Weekend Off Guilt-Free

RECORD STORE TALES #1079: How To Take the Weekend Off Guilt-Free

Out of necessity, I’ve leaned back into live streaming hard this summer.  It was survival and I have to thank Jex Russell and Harrison Kopp for helping me make this happen.  Jex was there for me when all plans went out the window and along with Mr. Kopp and an array of awesome friends, we have managed to put out some of the best shows, and most popular to date.  The Canada Day show was a raging success.

I’ve also been busy recording projects behind the scenes some of which haven’t even been released yet.  I did a couple with Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, one with Grant’s Rock Warehaus. and one with Rock Daydream Nation, among other projects.  It’ll be cool for me to watch these as they finally drop, as we had good times talking controversial rock topics!

In order to enjoy what’s left of summer, and some earned time off, there will be no Grab A Stack of Rock tonight.  In fact, for the remainder of the season, if I’m at the cottage there won’t be a night show.  The sun is setting earlier, and there’s no wasting daylight around here.  And so, we’re taking this weekend off guilt-free.

It’s not easy, but sometimes in work, in life, and even in friendships, you have to prioritise yourself.   That’s OK; and you have to tell yourself that’s OK.  Get all your work stuff together so all your responsibilities are taken care of.  Make sure you’re good to go.  And then go!

There’s only so much time left before the leaves start changing, and this time, I’m going into autumn with a new attitude and new strategies.  No more making my plans around other people.  This time it’s about me – guilt free.

 

Birthday Bonanza on Grab A Stack of Rock with Harrison, Tim, Aaron & Grant!

Thank you Grant, Aaron, Tim & Harrison for celebrating my birthday with me!  We did a Nigel Tufnel Top Ten – Mike’s favourite birthday years.  We showed off all his gifts this year, and looked at photos and gifts from years past.

Tim treated us to a guitar solo, and the guys had cool stuff to show us as always.  Aaron’s signed Mystique poster was a highlight!

Lastly, Mike unboxed the new Grab A Stack of Rock theme song picture disc by vinyart.co.  Tee Bone Erickson’s first vinyl.  Now I need him to sign it!  Thanks for celebrating everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1981

  • Lego Technic Bulldozer set #856 from 1979 – “best present ever!”

1984

  • Michael Jackson – Thriller
  • Culture Club – Colour By Numbers

Transformers – Skywarp and Windcharger – my very very first two!

MOVIE:  Saw The Last Starfighter for Bob’s birthday.

1985

Transformers – Slag (Dinobot)

GI Joe Dragonfly, Cobra A.S.P.

1987

  • All four KISS solo albums
  • Ozzy Osbourne – Tribute
  • AC/DC – Who Made Who

1988

  • Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
  • Judas Priest – Ram It Down
  • Scorpions – Savage Amusement

MOVIE:  Saw Spaceballs for my birthday.

1989

  • The Cult – Sonic Temple
  • Kim Mitchell – Rockland

1990

MOVIE:  Saw Total Recall for my birthday.

1991

  • Extreme – Pornograffitti
  • Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

1992

  • Queensryche – “Anybody Listening?” CD single
  • The Cult – Live at the Lyceum cassette
  • Faith No More – Angel Dust

1993

  • Spock shirt
  • Ozzy Osbourne – Live & Loud (grille cover)

1994

  • Alice Cooper – The Last Temptation
  • Alice Cooper – Nobody Likes Me

1999

  • The entire Max Webster studio album discography

2001

  • The complete Stanley Kubrick DVD collection

The Stone Gods and Hot Leg rocked Grant’s Rock Warehaus!

This was a lot of fun.  If you missed it, you can catch up below.  Grant and I discussed Hot Leg and the Stone Gods – the two bands that emerged from the Darkness split in 2005-2006.  Grant had a favourite of the two, as did I.  Can you guess who picked what?

 

Grant’s Rock Warehaus: The Darkness Spinoff Projects – Live Stream TONIGHT 7:00 PM E.S.T.

Tonight, I’m with the band! Whichever way you wanna give it, I’ll take it! Tonight with Grant Arthur on Grant’s Rock Warehaus! Let’s burn the witch!

Neurotic Outsiders on Grant’s Rock Warehaus TONIGHT!

Tonight I will be LIVE on Grant’s Rock Warehaus to discuss a forgotten 90s supergroup: the Neurotic Outsiders!

The 90s were a weird time.  For all intents and purposes, one of the biggest bands in the world was gone:  Guns N’ Roses.  We had to settle for solo albums from Duff, Slash, Gilby and Izzy.

Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan teamed up with Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, and John Taylor from Duran Duran, to form the punky supergroup Neurotic Outsiders.  They made one album.  One and done!  But what an album it was.  We’ll be discussing all this and more tonight on Grant’s Rock Warehaus!

7:00 PM EST

Musical Hauls! With Mike, Harrison, Grant, Rob and Brian!

Awesome musical treasures tonight!  Thanks to Grant Arthur, Rob Daniels, Brian Richards and Harrison the Mad Metal Man for spending a Friday night showing off some amazing hauls.  Some highlights:

  • A couple very interesting vinyl versions of Creatures of the Night.
  • A look at the Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion box set and a rant about Axl Rose.
  • A beautiful hand-stitched piece of Star Wars art.
  • Avro Arrow…shoes?
  • Some pretty killer Lego sets.
  • Kim Mitchell rarities from Grant.
  • A guest video from Tim Durling with his musical hauls.
  • A signed Bruce Kulick bobblehead.
  • Much much more!

Thank you friends for hanging out tonight, and thanks for watching!  See you next week.

Grant’s Rock Warehaus – THE DARKNESS – With Mike Ladano and Tim Durling

What a fun night!  Grant Arthur and I went through our favourite Darkness tracks, album by album and single by single.  Then Tim Durling showed up and the rocking really began.  An absolutely fun night, educational, and a total love affair for Dan, Justin, Frankie, Rufus, Richie, Eddie and Emily.  We also delved into Hot Leg, the Stone Gods, and British Whale.  Get rocked!