September is the gateway to autumn; leaves changing, kids in school, football on the weekends.....and a ton of strange holidays. America continues its downward spiral into over-thinking everything and Chris and Aaron use it to their advantage this week as their song choices are inspired but some of the nutty holidays that take place in September.  September 5th is Cheese Pizza Day in the United States. Chris' choice of a track from Motley Crue's 1989 Dr. Feelgood album hits the spot. September 2nd is Labor Day. While this one isn't wacky at all, it was too good to resist using as inspiration for Aaron's pick from Motorhead's Snake Bite Love album. September 16th is Working Parents Day in America. While there were lots of choices that could have been made, Chris throws a curve ball with his mother-ly choice of a song from Dope's Life album. September 6th is Fight Procrastination Day. Putting things off is a common trait for many people and this holiday surely hits home for lots of people. Aaron's choice of a pick about the hope of love on the near future from KISS' 1980 Unmasked album is an interesting one. September 17th is Constitution Day. While laws and rights are all about what make up America's number one document, Chris goes across the ocean for a pick from Hardcore Superstar's 2013 C'mon Take on Me album. No look at important dates in the month of September hold more weight than September 11th. This date is burned into the minds of all that witnessed it and the guys had to address it in this episode. Aaron's choice of a track from LA Guns' Waking the Dead album is a fitting tribute to some of the heroes from that fateful day. Continuing on a serious note is Chris choice of a song to celebrate September 13th; Fortune Cookie Day. Just kidding. It's actually quite a stretch but well worth it to spin a track from Thin Lizzy's legendary Bad Reputation album from 1977. September 13th is Blame Someone Else Day. This day is probably popular in Washington. Either way, Aaron picka a track from Poison's debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In. September 23rd is Dog in Politics Day. What does this mean? We have no idea but it was enough impetus for Chris to pick a track from Krokus' new album Dirty Dynamite. The video is a must-see. We close out the show with Aaron's pick of a track from Ugly Kid Joe's America's Least Wanted album that helps celebrate September 28th; Good Neighbor Day. Buy Music! Motley Crue Motorhead Dope KISS Hardcore Superstar LA Guns Thin Lizzy Poison Krokus Ugly Kid Joe Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below   Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 342-3351

Aaron and Chris return this week to talk about their favorite subject...themselves! This is the official self-congratulatory episode of the Decibel Geek podcast. The reason for this? The guys have finally reached triple digits! In this week's episode, Chris and Aaron take a look back at the past 100 episodes and discuss some of the highlights, lowlights, and technical problems that have been a part of everything that makes up the Decibel Geek podcast. In this episode, you'll hear Chris recount the circumstances that led him to start a podcast, the producer that was here one minute and gone the next, and Aaron Camaro's introduction to the show. The guys also recount some of their favorite moments including favorite interviews, guests, and topic discussion of the past 100 episodes. Aaron and Chris also play numerous voice mail recordings left by listeners, past guests, rock legends, and fellow rock/metal podcasters. Closing out this 100th episode celebration is Chris and Aaron listening and commenting on Episode Zero - An Introduction that Chris recorded by himself back in April of 2011. Lots of comedy here at Chris' expense.  For those of you that have been with us along for the ride as well as those of you that are new to the show, we'd like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all of you. This show doesn't exist without the support and passion of great people like you. We look forward to invading your ears every week to bring you more rock/metal talk and music to make your week brighter. We hope you'll stick with us for the next 100. Thanks again! Chris & Aaron

We're back this week to celebrate the second half of 1985 as we dissect July through December. There was a ton of music released in the second half of 1985 and Chris and Aaron are back to bring you some of the best tracks from the year. Without further ado, here are the stories, the people, and the sounds that made 1985 an interesting year for Decibel Geeks:   July: July 13 – The Live Aid concert takes place in Wembley Stadium, London, UK and Philadelphia, USA. The headlining acts at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment. Rough Cutt – Take Her (Rough Cutt)  August: August 31 – Richard Ramirez, the serial killer known as the Night Stalker, is captured in Los Angeles. Metal Edge Magazine is Launched. Pantera – I Am the Night (I Am the Night)  DIO - Fallen Angels (Sacred Heart)  KIX – Sex (Midnight Dynamite)  September: September 6 – Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for $47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, whom he is bidding against. September 19 – The Parents Music Resource Center's (P.M.R.C.) United States Senate hearing on rock censorship begin in Washington, D.C. Heavy metal singer Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, rock star Frank Zappa and country singer John Denver testify against the P.M.R.C. September 22 – The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA. KISS – Who Wants to be Lonely – (Asylum)  Slayer - At Dawn They Sleep (Hell Awaits)  Vandenberg – All the Way (Alibi)  October: October 18 – The first Nintendo home video game console in United States is released by the Nintendo Entertainment System. ZZ Top - Planet of Women (Afterburner)  The Cult – Rain (Love)  November: Aerosmith – Let the Music Do the Talking (Done with Mirrors)  Twisted Sister - Kill or Be Killed (Come Out and Play)  Dokken - The Hunter (Under Lock and Key)  King Kobra – Shadow Rider (Ready to Strike) WASP - The Last Command (The Last Command)    December: December 23 - Two young fans of Judas Priest in Sparks, Nevada shoot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's records. A lawsuit is brought against the group in 1986 claiming that they were compelled by backwards subliminal messages hidden in their music. Bands Formed: Britny Fox, Dream Theater, Drivin and Cryin, Roxx Gang, Guns N Roses, Jane’s Addiction, LA Guns, L7, The Mr. T Experience. Band Breakups: Diamond Head, Hanoi Rocks, Mercyful Fate, The Power Station, Quarterflash, Scandal Births: Orianthi, Reggie Bush, Bruno Mars Deaths: Nicolas Colasanto (Coach from Cheers), Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch), Rock Hudson (AIDS), Orson Wells, Ricky Nelson  Buy Music! Rough Cutt Pantera DIO KIX KISS Slayer Vandenberg ZZ Top The Cult Aerosmith Twisted Sister Dokken King Kobra WASP Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below   Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 342-3351

When preparing for this year's KISSMAS in JULY episodes, we wanted to dig in and talk to some people that were first-hand witnesses to KISS' rise to stardom. This week's guest not only witnessed it; he helped make it happen. Peter Oreckinto, or "Moose" as he's known in KISS circles, was brought into the KISS family very early in the band's history. Having a background in theater, as well as pyrotechnics, Oreckinto was tailor-made for his job as a member of the early KISS road crew; and what a crew it is. Setting up and tearing down a KISS show these days is a task of military precision, with a military-sized crew handling the job. But back in the early days of the band, the KISS road crew were a tight-knit group of guys that worked tirelessly to help assemble the ladder that the band would use to go on to bigger success. The amount of blood, sweat, and tears that went into working for KISS in those early days is not to be underestimated.  In this discussion, Oreckinto shares what it was like barnstorming the country with a group of 4 struggling New Yorkers that were out to see the world for the first time. It was doubly hard for KISS' crew in those days due to the ridicule they would endure from rival crews as well as the attitudes they would run into due to KISS routinely blowing the headliners off the stage with their wild stage shows. It's well-known that Bill Aucoin financed a lot of KISS' early road expenses on his American Express cards. What you may not know is there were other forms of financing for the band in those early days; and not at all in the cleanest sense. During this conversation, Oreckinto reveals some "family" ties to the KISS organization and how not keeping a certain promise led to some near-death incidents that threatened the lives of the band and their crew. KISS' early tours were scatter-shot affairs that were known as "dart board" tours due to the crazy nature of travel routing. In this discussion, Oreckinto shares what it was like to cover thousands of miles between gigs, crisscrossing the United States on very little money, and even less sleep. KISS also had to tour with a wide variety of acts for different reasons including being thrown off tours for upstaging the headline acts. During our Conversation, Moose shares his recollections of the numerous acts that KISS toured with; including some heated exchanges with acts such as Black Sabbath and Lyrnyrd Skynyrd and even a knife fight with members of Aerosmith's road crew. We only get to scratch the surface in this discussion but there's plenty of interesting conversation about the early days of the Hottest Band in the Land. We thank Peter "Moose" Oreckinto for his time. It's truly an honor. Stay tuned for Part 2 and submit your questions through any of the contact methods below! Buy Music! KISS Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below   Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 342-3351

With KISSMAS in July just around the corner, we'll be knee-deep in the Hottest Band in the Land when Independence Day rolls around but we still wanted to celebrate America's birthday. We decided to do our Patriotic duty and spin some rock songs about America this week.  Before we get down to business, we name Jay Hardman Geek of the Week for his hilarious response to a "Pick Your Poison" question on the Decibel Geek facebook fan page that pertains to some of Metallica's more "experimental" projects. Chris attended the Geoff Tate-led version of Queensryche's performance at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. In this review, you'll hear his thoughts on the band's performance, concert attendence (or lack thereof), and his memories of the meet & greet after the concert.  We kick off our ear-bleeding tribute to America with some love for the USA from a Canadian as Sebastian Bach performs 'American Metalhead' from 2007's Angel Down album. The Offspring are well-known for their tongue-in-cheek, silly tracks from the 90's. However, there's more to this band if you dig a little deeper. We take a listen to the title track from 1998's Americana album. Only in America would someone name themselves Jizzy Pearl. Love/Hate remains a criminally underrated gem of a band from Hollywood. We feel it our patriotic duty to give Jizzy and company their just due and spin the title track from 1992's 'Wasted in America' album. Next up is a track about America that got this British hard rock band in quite a pickle during a festival show in England. British metalheads took it upon themselves to shower Def Leppard with bottles of urine during their performance at the Reading Festival in England. We take a listen to 'Hello America' from the On Through the Night album. Before we get back tot he music, Chris reads some hilarious Letters to the Editor from a 1989 Hit Parader magazine.  Up next is another rock artist that doesn't get near enough attention from the music buying public. Lizzy Borden has been doing his shock rock show for 30 years. We take a listen to 'American Metal' from 1985's Love You to Pieces album. We go from Def Leppard telling America 'Hello' to Blackie Lawless and WASP bidding the Land of the Free adieu with 'Goodbye America' from 1995's Still Not Black Enough album.  It wouldn't be a patriotic Decibel Geek show without a little KISS. To get you primed for next month's KISSMAS festivities, we spin 'All American Man' from the studio side of Alive II. In 90 episodes (so far), we've never played anything by The Runaways. That changes this week as we take a listen to 'American Nights' from their 1976 self-titled debut album. A true transplanted American is Lemmy of Motorhead. Always a fixture of L.A.'s Rainbow, Lemmy has written a number of songs about America. We spin 'Stone Deaf in the U.S.A' from 1987's Rock n Roll album. Closing out the show is the lyrical genius of one, Alice Cooper. 1982's DaDa album has gone down in history as a piece of work that is not in Mr. Cooper's memory banks due to the high volume of alcohol consumption going on at the time. Aside from that, he had a spark of brilliance when he penned a patriotic song that extols on the joys of wonder bread, the A-team and waitresses that love to flirt. A perfect way to cap off our tribute to America.  Buy Music! Sebastian Bach The Offspring Love/Hate Def Leppard Lizzy Borden WASP KISS The Runaways Motorhead Alice Cooper Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below   Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 342-3351

It may not be well-known but, according to the National Eye Institute, May is Healthy Vision Month. We thought we would help spread the word and enjoy some good music at the same time. Here's what the National Eye Institute wants to tell you: "Millions of people living in the United States have undetected vision problems, eye diseases, and conditions. HVM is designed to elevate vision as a health priority for the Nation by promoting the importance of early detection and treatment, as well as the use of proper eye safety practices, in preventing vision loss and blindness. One of the most important things people can do to protect their vision is to schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam. In this painless procedure, an eye care professional examines the eyes to look for common vision problems and eye diseases, many of which have no early warning signs. A comprehensive dilated eye exam can detect eye diseases and conditions in their early stages, before vision loss occurs. Early detection and treatment can help to save your sight." With that said, we thought we'd celebrate Healthy Vision Month by spinning some songs that refer, in the title, to sight/vision is some form. Here we go. After deciding on the title for this episode, Chris' first choice came very easily. From 1977's Draw the Line album, we kick things off with Aerosmith performing 'Sight for Sore Eyes.' Aaron starts his sight-related picks with a track from the oft-overlooked 1995 release from Dokken; Dysfunctional. This album marked the return of George Lynch. We spin the opening track, 'Inside Looking Out.' Electric Six Chris decided to do some digging in research for this episode. A nugget was found in the vast space that is youtube with his choice of the track 'Night Vision' off Electric Six's 2005 release Switzerland. Aaron's next pick is 'Eyes of a Strager.' Wait, before you think it's the well-known Queensryche track, think again. This great sing comes from the appropriately-titled Visual Lies album from Lizzy Borden and is a great addition to the show. We return from break one with a selection from Motley Crue's debut album Too Fast for Love. While filled with lots of great hook-y songs, Too Fast....sports one track that fits in with our vision-themed show as we spin 'Starry Eyes.' Up next is Aaron's choice of a bonus track from Ozzy Osbourne's iconic Blizzard of Oz release. Featuring some seering Randy Rhoads guitar work, 'You Lookin' at Me, Lookin' at You' is a testimony to the strength of material being created by the gone-too-soon guitarist and the Prince of Darkness. Chris keeps the Crazy Train on track as we segue into a double-dose of Ozzy with his choice of 'Looking for Tomorrow' from the classic Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album from 1973. One band that doesn't get nearly the amount of recognition it deserves is Turbonegro. We try to alleviate that problem with Aaron's choice of 'If You See Kaye' from their Party Animals album. We close out the show with Chris' choice of a KISS track that appeared on two different albums in the band's catalog with different personnel. 'See You in Your Dreams' was selected from Rock and Roll Over and features some powerful drumming from Peter Criss and a great solo from Ace Frehley. Playing things out this week is a fantastic cover of a sight-related classic that's all about focus. Aaron's choice of At Vance's version of 'Eye of the Tiger' is a motivating way to finish things off. Buy Music! Aerosmith Dokken Electric Six Lizzy Borden Motley Crue Ozzy Osbourne Black Sabbath Turbonegro KISS At Vance Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below   Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 342-3351 

We're back this week to discuss the first half of a very transitional year in music history. 1979 was a true crossroads for rock music fans; with the genre splitting into multiple sub-genres and another genre that ruled the world becoming passe. The "Year of the Child" kicked off with the Music for UNICEF concert featuring pop tarts such as ABBA, Donna Summer & the Bee Gees performing sets on January 9th. Any chance Chris & Aaron decided to spotlight any of those artists this week? If you said yes, welcome new listener. We cover January with a track by alt-rocker Joe Jackson that would go on to become one of the more well-known tracks from thrashers Anthrax. Also included for the first month of the year are clips from the debut album by Accept & a track from UFO that will leave you with palpitations. February saw the passing of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious due to a heroin overdose the day after being released from prison. We listen to a clip of Sid of vocals for the Pistols from their Great Rock & Roll Swindle album. Also featured in February are tracks from Scorpions' Lovedrive album as well as a very Cheap Trick-like track from Angel's Sinful album. We return from the first break a news clip from the Three Mile Island nuclear power disaster that took place in March of 1979 set to the soundtrack of Van Halen's D.O.A. from their II album. Representing the third month of the year is a track from Motorhead's Overkill album that is more no-frills greatness from Lemmy and co. Spring of 1979 shows upbeat picks of song clips from Thin Lizzy's Black Rose album, Journey's Evolution, and New England's Paul Stanley-produced self-titled debut. Quite a month for melodic rock and roll. We head into May with KISS' sharpest left-turn to date with the release of the much poppier Dynasty album. Featuring the disco hit 'I Was Made for Lovin' You,' we spin a track from Gene Simmons that ponders the question on every narcissist's mind. Also included from May of '79 are overlooked tracks from Riot's Narita album & Ted Nugent's State of Shock. Since this is just part 1 of our 1979 Year in Review, we finish off the first half of the year in June with three very unique tracks. Paul McCartney will most likely be remembered for his gentle ballads and melodic numbers. But, the choice of track from his Back to the Egg album will give you a much edgier impression of Macca. Also included from June of 1979 is a track from the pre-KISS Bruce Kulick/Michael Bolton project known as Blackjack and a show closer that's definitely not obscure but still rocks plenty enough to get us amped up for part 2 next week. We hope you dig the music and, if you do........ Buy Music! Joe Jackson Generation X Accept UFO Angel Van Halen Motorhead  Journey Thin Lizzy New England KISS RIOT Ted Nugent Paul McCartney & Wings Blackjack The Knack Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below   Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 342-3351

That's right everyone it's time for another "Radio Sucks" episode of the Decibel Geek Podcast because as you know, radio sucks. So once again Chris and AAron put on the DJ hats and spin some great music that you probably will not hear on your radio dial. So just sit back, relax, open your ears real wide and say "give it to me straight Decibel Geek Podcast. I can take it!" Chris' pick of Heaven's Basement performing "I Am Electric" is a testament to how important you, the listener, are to this show as a suggestion from listener Devin Fox impressed us so much that it took the place of one of our previously picked songs. This is a great, energetic track from their debut album Filthy Empire that starts the show off right. Dig it! Up next is "Tomorrow Never Comes" from Saints of the Underground, the heavy metal super-group featuring members of Ratt, Warrant, Alice Cooper. From the 2008 release "Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner" this would be Jani Lane's last full length album release, he passed away on August 11th, 2011. Bruce Kulick released his BK3 album in 2010 and he utilized some "friends" as guest vocalists throughout the album. "Ain't Gonna Die" is one of those tracks that featured the vocal stylings of Gene Simmons. A great little rocker that you won't hear on your local radio station. Nu Metal band turned straight ahead rockers, Papa Roach are "Still Swinging" from their 2012 The Connection album. This may seem like an unorthodox pick for the Decibel Geek podcast but we think you'll agree that this group has definitely matured their sound since their earlier days. In 1993 Kerrang Magazine voted Earth vs. The Wildhearts, the debut album from The Wildhearts as the number #1 album of the year. A band with quite an interesting and unpredictable history, Chris and AAron spin "TV Tan" from their debut album. Also in 1993 producer Tom Werman (Motley Crue, Cheap Trick, Poison, Nugent, LA Guns, etc.) was at the helm for Pariah's To Mock a Killingbird" album. An amazing album featuring the tune "Love To Turn You On" but the band was dropped by Geffen records. Swiss band Shakra formed in the late 90's and have released 11 albums including 2013's Powerplay album. Turned on to the Decibel Geek Podcast from the Talking Metal podcast, "Back On Track" is the title track from their 2011 album on AFM Records Up next is 100 Watt Opera - "Servant" from their self titled 2005 album. This is a band that AAron recently discovered right in his backyard of Nashville. Veterans of the Nashville club circuit, 100 Watt Opera are an impressive group of Music City rockers that deserve your attention. Closing out the show this week, you wanted the best, you got the best! The hottest band in the world.....KISS! If your hungry and you need a meal you can always call for a little "Room Service" from their 1975 Dressed to Kill album. Buy Music Heaven's Basement Loudmouth Saints Of The Underground  Bruce Kulick Papa Roach The Wildhearts  Pariah Shakra 100 Watt Opera KISS  Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

After taking a 2 week long look at 1986, we're taking a detour back to Bizarro World with our third installment of Bizarro Covers. What are Bizarro Covers, you ask? Basically, these are songs that were not originally considered hard rock/metal (mostly) and are being covered by, you guessed it, hard rock and metal bands. There's no shortage of strange cover songs out there and we're happy to share, what we think, are some of the best.  We start things off with Yngwie Malmsteen's take on an ABBA disco classic. Of course, Yngwie shows complete restraint; letting the song breathe and allow lots of open space to take in the lyrics.....NOT. Either way, it's an interesting approach to this sugary pop number. Next up is a case of Germany covering Australia as power metal veterans Sinner cover the Midnight Oil 80's classic Beds Are Burning. We keep the German theme going with power/speed metal legends Blind Guardian's 1996 cover of the 1954 Chordettes sugary Mr. Sandman. Not quite as snuggly as the original. Keeping with the old-school vibe, Aaron pulls out The Misfits covering the 1960 Drifters hit This Magic Moment for their Project 1950 album. Jerry Only in fine form on this one. We break new ground coming out of the first break with a cover of a Lady Gaga track! Before you hit the 'unsubscribe' button, give us a chance to expose you to a great performance of Bad Romance by Halestorm. Being the KISS nerds that we are, we couldn't help but pull out a great version of 1977's Plaster Caster from the Love Gun album performed by grunge forerunners The Lemonheads. We really go deep into Bizarro World with the next track being a cover of A-ha's 1985 hit Take on Me from Italian progressive power metal band Vision Divine. You get extra cool points if you've heard this track before. In keeping with strange cover versions, Aaron's choice of Mindless Self Indulgence's cover of Rush's Tom Sawyer will have you looking at the song in a whole new way. Paul Stanley really created a monster (no pun intended) when he penned a song titled Hide Your Heart in the late 1980's. Originally a rejected song from the Crazy Nights album, Stanley put the song on the open market and it was snapped up by a number of different artists including Bonnie Tyler, Molly Hatchet, and Ace Frehley with Frehley's version being the only one that could compete with KISS' release of the song for their 1989 Hot in the Shade album. We take a serious listen to Ace's version of the song from his Trouble Walkin' solo release.  Closing out the show is a Doro Pesch cover of Procol Harum's 1967 timeless classic A Whiter Shade of Pale. A definitely more rocked-up version of this Summer of Love number. We hope you've enjoyed this visit to Bizarro World! If you did...... Buy Music! Yngwie Malmsteen Sinner Blind Guardian Misfits Halestorm The Lemonheads Vision Divine Mindless Self Indulgence Ace Frehley Doro Pesch Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

Continuing our journey through 1986, Chris and Aaron jump right into their spandex pants and get things rolling. Chris gets the shredding started with his first pick, Vinnie Vincent Invasion's "Do You Wanna Make Love?" Not just one former Kiss guitarist was busy in 1986. The same year Vinnie Vincent invaded, Mark St. John also released new music with White Tiger. The self titled debut album also featured Mike Norton (Mark's brother) on bass and David Donato on lead vocals. Aaron's pick from the album is "Runaway". Keeping in line with the Kiss Guitar Tri-fecta, next up is a band produced by Gene Simmons and featuring future Kiss guitarist Tommy Thayer. Black n Blue release Nasty Nasty and the title track is chosen as the third pick of the show. Always room for Motorhead "Built for Speed" from 86's Orgasmatron album is Aaron's next pick. Although with such a heavy, awesome album it was tough to choose just one. Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album released in 1986 would go on to be the best selling album of 1987. The hits from this album are still played every hour on mainstream radio so Chris chooses to spin "Social Disease" one of the few songs from this album not normally heard on the radio. Aaron's pick, "Face the Day" comes from Great White's second album Shot In The Dark. This album was an independent release and was the catalyst to them signing with Capital Records. The mighty Iron Maiden released Somewhere In Time in 1986 and Chris chooses "Sea of Madness". Up the Irons!! Aaron's up next with "Slip of the Lip" from Sunset strip rockers Ratt. Ratt's Dancing Undercover album was their third release and although it didn't fare as well in sales as their previous release it did reach #26 on the US charts. 1986 was a banner year for thrash metal and of course Aaron chooses to assault our ears with some Slayer. Reign in Blood, some say the prototypical thrash metal album and Aaron spins "Raining Blood" After the onslaught of pure evil, Chris gets melodic and a little spiritually uplifting with Styper.  "Calling On You" from the To Hell With The Devil album is about as far from Slayer as you can possibly get but goes to show how diverse metal can be. Right back into the thrash scene, Megadeth released Peace Sells But Who's Buying in 1986 as  Dave Mustaine continued his personal war with Metallica. "Wake Up Dead" is Chris's choice from this metal masterpiece. Blackie and the boys in WASP release Inside The Electric Circus. The last album to feature Steve Riley on drums as he would leave to join LA Guns. Aaron chooses "The Rock Rolls On" for your dining and dancing pleasure. One of Canada's greatest exports the Killer Dwarfs are busy in 1986 releasing Stand Tall and going on the road with Iron Maiden. "Believe In Me" is Chris's next choice as we start to wind down this incredible year of music. One band that definitely embraced past influences and created a sound that would help mold the alternative movement of the 90's was Bad Brains. In 1986 they released I Against I, their 3rd studio album. Chris' choice of Secret 77 is a marriage between early 80's punk-meets-reggae and what would become the genre of grunge a few short years later. Aaron's last pick of the night is Tesla's "EZ Come, EZ Go" from 1986's Mechanical Resonance album. A dirty, gritty no-nonsense rock band, Tesla seemed far removed from much of the spandex and hairspray of the day. And with that, 1986 is in the Decibel Geek books! Vinnie Vincent Invasion White Tiger Black n Blue Motorhead Bon Jovi Great White Iron Maiden Ratt Slayer Stryper Megadeth WASP Killer Dwarfs Tesla Bad Brains Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

Jerry Gaskill, longtime drummer for King's X, was in Nashville this week to resume his work with friend/producer/collaborator D.a. Karkos of Underdog Studios; work that had started in January of 2012 but was delayed for a few reasons. Jerry and D.a. were both kind enough to sit down with Decibel Geek Podcast host Chris Czynszak to discuss it all. On February 26th Gaskill suffered a massive heart attack and briefly died before being saved via emergency surgery. In this conversation, Jerry shares what he went through during this time as well as how the presence of his then-fiancee Julie most certainly is the reason he is still alive today.  After news broke of the heart attack, fans of Jerry from all over the globe pitched in in the form of donations and benefit shows to help out the legendary drummer during his road to recovery.  With his body healed, Jerry and Julie tied the knot in Las Vegas just before King's X went back on a brief tour with Kansas in September. Things were looking up.....until October.  Jerry, Chris, D.a. In late October, Superstorm Sandy made landfall along the East Coast and devastated many along the New Jersey shore; the Gaskill's rented home and its contents among them. Once again, fans of the drummer marched into action to raise more funds to help the couple recover from the tragedy. In this discussion, Jerry shows an amazing sense of grace and perseverance. He shares what steps he's taken to continue to move forward with his life and his music. This long-form discussion also has Gaskill sharing his memories of childhood; becoming influenced while watching the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show as it happened live and going on to play his show at the age of seven. Gaskill first crossed paths with future King's X bassist/vocalist Dug Pinnick in 1979. Shortly thereafter, Ty Tabor entered the picture and King's X was born. During this talk, Gaskill describes the early days of the band, the Christian ideals and labels that were attrributed to them, and how he feels about that description today. King's X was widely considered one of the highlights of the 1994 Woodstock festival; with the band gaining new exposure in front of the 300,000 audience members as well as the millions that watched at home. In this conversation, Gaskill recalls the feeling of playing to such a large crowd, how it compared to the original festival, and the night of excess a few days before that threatened to affect King's X perfromance at the show.  As stated before, Gaskill was in Nashville this week to continue working with Karkos as well as legendary producer Michael Wagener at his Wireworld Studio to get more drum sounds for the upcoming solo album. Jerry and D.a. are playing it close to the vest when it comes to describing what fans can expect but they do give a quick glimpse behind the curtain with a story about the unorthodox utilization of a trash can in the studio.  With expectations of a 2013 release, Gaskill seems optimistic about the future of his music as well as his life. His positive attitude and motivation to press forward regardless of his obstacles are a testament to him and the love he receives from his fans. We hope this conversation gives you a fuller perspective on Jerry Gaskill. Contact Info: Jerry Gaskill Underdog Studios Buy Music! Jerry Gaskill King's X D.a. Karkos Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

We hope you are strapped and and have checked your tire pressure because this week we put the pedal to the metal (and rock) with volume 1 of Camaro's Cut Out Bin.  What is Camaro's Cut Out Bin? Decibel Geek co-host Aaron Camaro is like a bloodhound when it comes to tracking down good tunes at a low cost. He's amassed an enormous collection of music from garage sales, yard sales, thrift stores, and used book/record shops and this week you'll hear some of the results.  To go in depth about every artist played this week would take forever. In truth, most of these groups, you've never even heard of. So, with that said, here's a list of what is played in this episode: Krokus - Round 13 (1999) – Phonag RecordsSong Clip – “Blood Comes Easy” The Panic Channel – One (2006) - Capitol RecordsSong Clip – “Left to Lose” Drama Queen Die – Self Titled Debut (2003) – Independent ReleaseSong Clip – “One Thing or Another” Nerf Herder – Self-Titled Debut (1996) – My RecordsSong Clip – “Van Halen” King Missile – Happy Hour (1992) – AtlanticSong Clip – “Detachable Penis” Bobaflex – “Apologize for Nothing” (2005) – TVT RecordsSong Clip – “Bullseye” HardRoad – Miles (2010)Song Clip – “Headed Home” Buckra – So Many Weapons (2003) – Detonation LabsSong Clips – “Shake Your Baby Fat”   Asphalt Ballet – Pigs (1993) – Virgin RecordsSong Clip – “Weeds” Voodoo Pharmacology – EP (2009) – Jam House Productions Song Clip – “Minnesota” Flipsyde – We The People (2005) – Interscope RecordsSong Clip – “Revolutionary Beat” Loudmouth – Self Titled Debut (1999) – Hollywood RecordsSong Clip – “Not Free” It’s Revenge – Rock N Roll Retribution (2005) – Man Made Monster MusicSong Clip – “Nothing to Lose” One of these albums was good enough to be the winner of volume 1 of Camaro's Cut Out Bin. Which one was it? You'll have to listen to find out! If you dig it.... Buy Music! Krokus The Panic Channel Drama Queen Die Nerf Herder King Missile Bobaflex HardRoad Buckra Asphalt Ballet Voodoo Pharmacology Flipsyde Loudmouth It's Revenge

We know, we know; a Best of year-end episode is not very original and many of our podcasting brothers-in-arms have done or are doing the same but you've gotta admit, 2012 was a great year for rock/metal music! LA Guns returned to form in 2012 withe solid release of Hollywood Forever. Produced by the legendary Andy Johns, the album is, in essence, a love letter to the Sunset Strip scene that launched the band over 25 years ago. Aaron's choice of a track from this solid release is a natural choice. While we start the show with a band with a serious amount of work in its canon; Chris' choice of a track from Sweden's Eclipse comes from just their sophomore album. We can thank YOU the listener for this as this band was suggested to us throughout the year and has gone on to become one of our favorites. Great, melodic hard rock with a metal tinge. We follow Eclipse up with a pair of tracks from some hard rock and metal legends respecively. First, Aaron spins a track from the fantastic new album by Overkill, The Electric Age. Following that is a track from, if you believe lead singer Don Dokken, Dokken's Broken Bones album that features some great fretwork from John Levin; filling in for the departed George Lynch. If there's one band that doesn't know the meaning of subtlety it is Jackyl. The band hailing from Kennesaw, GA has a long history of saying exactly what it feels and Aaron's choice of a track from their new Best in Show album is no exception. It will have you rethinking your dining habits, for sure. Chris' next pick of a track from In This Moment's Blood album is all due to the power of podcasting; becoming a favorite of his after hearing it on two other great rock/metal podcasts. Aaron Camaro recently enjoyed a night out on the town, checking out Local H's recent stop in Nashville. His choice of a track off of their 2012 release Hallelujah! I'm a Bum is a tongue in cheek barnburner that takes it's inspiration from a classic Beatles tune; sorta. As any good Decibel Geek is more than aware, KISS released Monster in 2012; taking things up a notch from 2009's strong showing on Sonic Boom. Was this Chris or Aaron's favorite album of 2012? You'll have to listen to find out but we think Chris' choice of track from this album will definitely have you shouting to the heavens. Pantera released new music in 2012.......really. While the idea of new music from Pantera seems pretty far-fetched since it's missing a very key ingredient, they did release a shelved track from the Vulgar Display of Power sessions in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its release. We give you some relief from the long wait with this awesome tune. Closing things out is a track from the long-awaited return-to-Roth version of Van Halen. A Different Kind of Truth was released early in 2012 and it still resonates as loudly at the end of the year as it did in the beginning. The combination of Roth's lyrical gymnastics and Eddie's amazing guitar tone and shredding leads makes this not only a great release of 2012; it's a great release...period. We close out the show with a reminder to keep your cool in the new year. The Decibel Geek podcast, writers, and contributors want to wish you all a Happy New Year in 2013 and we look forward to providing more entertaining shows, articles, interviews, and commentaries to help you rock out all year long. You deserve it! Buy Music!   LA Guns Eclipse Overkill Dokken Jackyl In This Moment Local H KISS Pantera Van Halen Ugly Kid Joe Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

Since the world didn't come to an end last week (check out our Songs for the Apocalypse episode), we are thrilled that we can celebrate Christmas with you all! Since the very beginning of the Decibel Geek Podcast, we've received an increasing number of requests for a Motley Crue special. So, with this being the season of giving, this week we decided to have A Very Motley X-mas. In this episode, Chris & Aaron randomly select albums from the Crue's 30+ studio discography and spin one song they'd like to share with the listeners from each. You'll hear songs from the 1981 debut, Too Fast for Love, all the way through 2008's Saints of Los Angeles. Also included in this episode are a couple of our famous Deep Thoughts With....segments; this week including one from Nikki Sixx and one from Tommy Lee. Thought provoking stuff, indeed. With Motley Crue, controversy is never far away and their press headlines tend to overshadow a lot of great hard rock music. With that in mind, we made a conscious effort to stay away from all of the off-stage drama and focus squarely on the music as this is a celebration, not an expose. We solicited some listener picks through our Decibel Geek Fan Page as well as from the die-hard Crue heads over at the Motley Shout boards. Did some of their suggestions make our list? You'll have to listen and find out. We hope all of you Motley Crue fans enjoy this audio look back on their career.  As for the future, Nikki Sixx revealed in a Facebook response that there definitely will be a new Motley Crue record and it will be "the best one yet." Former Motley Crue front man John Corabi has recently released an all-acoustic album entitled John Corabi Unplugged on Rat Pak Records.  The album features renditions of songs from his days with Motley as well as  his pre-Crue band The Scream and post-Crue band Union. It also includes 5 new songs and an interview. Go to www.johncorabi.com to check it out and buy it. And if this episode inspires you to want to beef up your Motley Crue collection.....go Buy It Here! Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

When we did our Library of Loud episode in September, our special guest that week was Tales from the Stage author Michael Toney. During that conversation, Michael mentioned that he had recently started managing guitarist Jeff Duncan. Immediately, gears started turning in our heads to get the Odin/Armored Saint/DC4 guitarist on the show. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Toney, we're able to bring you our conversation with Mr. Duncan this week. Jeff Duncan started playing guitar at the young age of 10 after being inspired by his professional musician-father. In this discussion, Jeff shares how he was exposed to a variety of music through his father; from 1950's do-wop to 60's-era singer/songwriter styles such as Cat Stevens. But, it was Jeff's discovery of Black Sabbath that put him the path to hard rock and heavy metal that he would embark upon.  With the formation of Odin in the early 1980's, Jeff Duncan quickly became a staple of the burgeoning Sunset Strip rock music scene. After a number of years of paying dues in small clubs, Odin had gathered enough of a following to attract the interest of Hollywood mainstay and "godfather" of rock and roll, club owner Bill Gazzarri. Gazzarri gave Odin prime exposure on the main stage of the venue bearing his name; exposure that culminated in the band's appearance in the Penelope Spheeris-directed documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. Jeff Duncan shares his memories of the band's rise on the Sunset Strip and describes the experience of being in the film. Odin Also in this discussion are Jeff's recollections of a difficult period of transition; one in which he witnessed the breakup of Odin, was involved in the short-lived Lostboys, and his recruitment into metal legends Armored Saint. All of this change took place in the brief period of 2 years.  Jeff Duncan's blistering guitar work on Armored Saint's 1991 release Symbol of Salvation was a strong addition to a band in the midst of tragedy, with original guitarist Dave Pritchard passing away of leukemia just before recording. In this conversation, Jeff explains the emotions that he, and the rest of Armored Saint, were going through as well as reflecting on his friendship with Pritchard. Armored Saint Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Armored Saint knows about lead singer John Bush's departure in 1992 to take over vocal duties in Anthrax. This departure led to the disbanding of Armored Saint until 1999 when the band reunited to record the 2000 Revelation release. Jeff Duncan shares with us what it was like disbanding Armored Saint on the heels of such a successful album and the status of his friendship with Bush through all of this transition.  During the hiatus from Armored Saint, Duncan started DC4 with brothers Matt & Shawn and guitarist Rowan Robertson. Releasing albums Mood Swings and Volume 1 in 1995 & 1998 respectively; DC4 has methodically built a rabid fan base and has since released 2009's Explode and 2011's Electric Ministry. Featuring a gritty hard rock and metal sound; DC4's brotherly chemistry shines through and in this conversation Duncan shares what it's like working in a band with family and how his new turn as a lead vocalist took shape. We close out the show with a track off of the aforementioned Electric Ministry album from DC4. To check out more DC4 and keep up with Jeff, go to www.dc4rocks.com Buy Music! DC4 Odin Armored Saint Lostboys Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

After the great response we received from Part 3 of our Vinnie Vincent special with special guest Robert Fleischman, we decided to round things off with Part 4 this week. First up is Chris' conversation with Hirsh Gardner. Hirsh is most well-known as the drummer for late 70's band New England. New England's first album was produced by KISS' Paul Stanley and the band opened for KISS on their 1979 Dynasty tour. What many people may not know is that Hirsh was creatively involved with Vinnie Vincent in projects that predate his involvement with KISS as well as the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Hirsh Gardner 1980 In this discussion, Hirsh recounts his memories of being introduced to Vinnie through Gene Simmons, demo sessions with Vinnie on some songs that wound up later being used by Invasion as well as KISS, his admiration for Vinnie's underrated vocal ability, and his memory of Vinnie telling him that he was offered the lead guitarist slot in KISS. Hirsh also shares his memories of reconnecting with Vinnie during a KISS tour stop in Boston which sparked another musical collaboration when things went sour between Vincent and Simmons & Stanley. This collaboration came to a sudden halt when Vinnie, according to Hirsh, uprooted the project and jetted back to Los Angeles to form what became known as the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Hirsh also recounts the legal steps he took in trying to get what he felt he deserved which included having the Invasion's equipment seized before a show in Boston. Hirsh Gardner Today Through all of the drama, Hirsh seems to still have good memories of working Vincent on a creative level and his stories were very interesting to us, as fans. You can keep up with Hirsh at is official website of www.hirshgardner.com. Up next is a brief discussion with Tom Silver. Tom was a National Marketing Representative for Chrysalis Records in the 1980's while Vinnie Vincent Invasion was on its roster. In this conversation, Tom remembers his experiences of working with the members of Invasion, albeit limited. Tom Silver (far right) w/Vinnie Vincent & Dama Strum There have been rumors for decades about conflict between the Invasion and Chrysalis Records during this period and no one from the record company has publicly spoken about it. We ask Tom for his take on the theories that Chrysalis was showing favoritism of Mark Slaughter and attempting to squeeze Vinnie out of the band during the promotion for All Systems Go. Tom Silver Today Tom also shares his memories of working with Slaughter as they formed from the ashes of the Invasion. Tom is now a certified hypnotherapist and has appeared on many major network television shows. More information on Tom Silver can be found at www.tomsilver.com. This will, more than likely, be the final installment of the Vinnie Vincent Special. For a full explanation of this decision, please check out the Humanity Wins Out blog post that is available on the official Decibel Geek website. We hope you've had a shredding good time listening to these specials! Buy Music!  New England  KISS  Vinnie Vincent Slaughter  Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

We were all set to release a very big interview-based episode this week with producer/engineer extraordinaire Toby Wright until we discovered that the week of Thanksgiving (here in the U.S.) is not particularly kind to podcasts as many listeners are on holiday and podcasts, by nature, are consumed by a large number of listeners while on the job. With that in mind, we wanted to make sure our conversation gets the exposure it deserves so we are pushing it back by a week. In the meantime, this week we give you a music-based taste of the massively impressive Toby Wright discography. Episode 60 - The Wright to Rock gives you a heaping helping of Rock & Metal to tide you through until next week. We open the show with a kicking track from Corrosion of Conformity's 1994 Deliverance album before seguing into System of a Down recording a blinding Black Sabbath cover for 2000's Nativity in Black II album. One of the most interesting stories that will be revealed in next week's conversation with Toby Wright will be that of the controversy surrounding Jason Newsted's bass sound (or lack thereof) on 1987's ...And Justice for All. With a good primer for that discussion, we give you a track that is truly to die for from this landmark album. We follow that up with a rare track from a rare band, Cats in Boots, that was an American/Japanese hybrid. Toby Wright was an assistant engineer on this 1989 release. Coming back from the break we relax things a bit with a great tune from Alice in Chains from their massively successful EP, Jar of Flies before cranking things into overdrive with a Slayer cover of a Steppenwolf tune from a NASCAR-themed release. How's that for digging deep?! We travel back to 1991 to spin a track from the first album that Toby Wright produced by Canadian-bred band Brighton Rock from their Love Machine album before spinning a track of a much-discussed, controversial KISS album that never got the exposure that it deserved. Korn reached overwhelming mainstream success in 1998 with the release of Follow the Leader. In next week's discussion, you will hear about the circumstances that led to Toby Wright being the producer of this album that showcased a fuller, thicker guitar sound. In the meantime, we give you a deep cut that will certainly get you fired up. It's rare that a tacked on "new" track on a greatest hits compilation can stand up to the hits that it's sandwiched with but we finish off today's Toby Wright-themed episode with a track that is every bit as worthy as its competitors-in-song from Motley Crue's 1991 Decade of Decadence album. We think you're gonna love next week's discussion with Toby Wright and hope this week's music-themed episode helped get you in the mood for it. Happy Thanksgiving! Buy Music! Corrosion of Conformity Black Sabbath Metallica Cats in Boots Alice in Chains Slayer Brighton Rock KISS Korn Motley Crue Contact Us!   Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

This is not a test! We have "jammed the transmission" and taken over the Decibel Geek Podcast. Consider this the Hostile Hoser Hijack as this week your favorite podcast has been taken hostage by CANADIANS! Consider this episode as a sequel to the previous Radio Sucks - Canadian Edition show but this time broadcast from the pirate studio in the Great White North. Chris and Aaron get to take the week off whether they expected to or not! Your hijacker hosts, Wally Norton and Rich Dillon dig through some of their Canadian Cd's in hope of turning on the Decibel Geek Army to some new sounds from north of the border. Things get rolling with Automan.ca a new Canadian band featuring a familiar name. Front man Darrell "Dwarf" Millar (Killer Dwarfs) has stepped out from behind the drums and exercises his vocals with "Back in the Sun" Wally dedicates his first pick to Aaron Camaro who mentioned Slik Toxic on the last Canadian episode. From the "Doin the Nasty" album comes "Cheap Nicotine". Slik Toxic's vocalist can be now heard fronting his new band Famous Underground with a new album just released not long ago. Slash Puppet is up next, with "When the Whip Comes Down" probably one of the greatest Canadian bands to never get signed back in the day. Up here though, they burned bright with some great tunes and kick ass live  shows. Up next, something almost unheard of on the Decibel Geek show is a ballad. In what Wally describes as the greatest rock ballad ever written, we have Gypsy Rose and "Don't Turn Your Back On Me Now" from the Gene Simmons produced Prey album. "One Way Ticket" is a tune from a great young band out of the Hamilton area, 40 Sons. This tune proves that there is hope for the future as these kids are writing some really melodic, kick ass rock tunes. Fraze Gang, featuring Greg Fraser and Stevie Skreebs of Brighton Rock have just released Fraze Gang 2 and "Saint or Sinner" the lead off track is Wally's pick to kick things into overdrive. With a real Judas Priest feel, the guitar work on this track is truly smoking! Some Decibel Geeks might know of the television police drama Flashpoint. What you may not know is that Hugh Dillon who plays Officer Ed Lane on the show is also the front man for Canadian Punk rockers The Headstones. Rich spins the high octane "Reno" off the Smile and Wave CD. The Decibel Geeks have already been introduced to Carl Dixon and Coney Hatch. This time we turn to Coney's bass player Andy Curran and his solo band Soho 69 with the track "Scatterbrain". Next up Rich chooses the song "Pine Valley" from the obscure Canadian band Mushroom Trail. A bluesy little rocker from a band so obscure that he even stumped his co-host. Closing out this Canadian metal feast, after all the back-bacon and beer. We have a real treat, West Memphis Suicide rocking out a crunchy version of Kiss's "War Machine". This track can be found on the new Kissin' Time - Canada's Tribute to Kiss CD. This Cd was just released on Halloween 2012 with all proceeds going to Sick Kids Hospital here in Toronto. If you dig any of the songs played this week.... Buy Music! Back In The Sun - Automan.ca Cheap Nicotine - Slik Toxic When The Whip Comes Down - Slash Puppet Don't Turn Your Back On Me Now - Gypsy Rose One Way Ticket - 40 Sons Saint Or Sinner - Fraze Gang 2 Reno - The Headstones Scatterbrain - Soho 69 Pine Valley - Mushroom Trail War Machine - West Memphis Suicide Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

Few things are more synonymous with Rock and Roll than drinking. Like peanut butter needs jelly or carrots need peas, Rock and Roll tends to go down easier with alcohol. Of course, no one probably ever woke up hungover in a stranger's bed after eating vegetables. But, we digress. This week, Aaron and Chris pick their Top 5 Drinking Songs. With the huge plethora of choices out there, this was a pretty tough list to put together and there are tons of other choices that could have been made but who's to say this subject won't be revisited in the future? Things start off on a humorous note with a track from Buckcherry's Black Butterfly album that describes the frustration that many of us of the male persuasion have endured due to excessive imbibing of substances crossed with an opportunity for companionship.  Next up is a track from Guns N Roses' legendary debut album that speaks from a directive point of view and also predicts a hazy night ahead. That track segues into a tune from Thin Lizzy's 1979 Black Rose album that was clearly coming from the songwriter's realization that you can lean a little too heavily on the good times and wind up drowning your sorrows with the same solution. A cautionary tale for sure. Before we head to the break, we hear from a drinking all-star with a track from Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society that is matter of fact in kicking your ass. We return from the break with one of the all-time classic drinking songs and certainly a no-brainer for the Decibel Geek Podcast. This is the song that fully inducted Chris into the KISS Army and sounds just as fresh today as it did on 1975's Alive! album.  One band that knows a lot about having a good time is Ugly Kid Joe as their song history bears out. This week we decided to include a track that will remind many listeners of high school parties while the parents were away.  Alice Cooper was at the height of his drinking dependence in 1977, releasing the Lace and Whiskey album and assuming the fictional role of a hard-drinking PI; not exactly a stretch for him at the time. The album was a success but his drinking had become too much to bear and was his last material released before entering a sanitarium for treatment. He wouldn't, however, be done with his battle with the bottle for several more years. Our inclusion of the title track from this album is a must for its quirky, yet dark, tone at the time. We return from the break with the second contribution from alcohol-consumption expert Ace Frehley with a track from his 1978 KISS solo album that will leave you as blind as a skunk before spinning a ZZ Top track that is so intoxicating it's been covered by a slew of other great artists. We had to go with the original 1973 track though for authenticity. Closing things out is a track by WASP that celebrates getting hammered in the state where everything is bigger. We think you'll like it. And if you do...... Buy Music! Buckcherry Guns N Roses Thin Lizzy Black Label Society KISS Ugly Kid Joe Alice Cooper ZZ Top WASP Connect to Us Rate, Review, & Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

After having a great time discussing the first half of the Year 2000,  we're back this week to finish it off as we cover July through December of Y2K. We lead things off with some stories from 2000 including the AOL (remember them?) merger with Time Warner, the first season of Survivor, and the Elian Gonzalez custody drama that had America on the edge of its seat. Jumping into July, we discuss Rage Against the Machine's free concert outside the Democratic National Convention in protest to the two-party system. If you've paid attention since then, not much has changed but they get an "A" for effort.  We spin a variety of artists in our coverage of July and August of 2000 including clips from newer groups such as Jack Off Jill and Mudvayne as well as tried and true rockers such as UFO and Motley Crue. We also include a track that slipped our mind during part one but was too good not to include. September saw Rage Against the Machine back in the headlines as bassist Tim Commerford is arrested for climbing on the set of the MTV Video Music Awards after losing the award for Best Rock Video to Limp Bizkit. Who could blame him? We spin polar opposite tracks from David Coverdale and Suicidal Tendencies during this segment (how's that for diversity?) In October, the aforementioned Limp Bizkit released the nausea-inducingly titled Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, selling over a million copies in its first week. My how things have changed since 2000. Covering October, we spin tunes from Fozzy, Hammerfall, Megadeth, Slash's Snakepit, and Over Kill. No Linkin Park being spun on this show. We return from the break to close out the year with a controversial tune released by ever-controversial Marilyn Manson in November. December saw the Backstreet Boys racking up 1.6 million sales in its debut week with Black & Blue. To properly react to that stat, we share a clip from Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 that sums up our thoughts nicely. Closing out this episode is a great song (one of many other great songs) from the Iommi album that was released in October of 2000. We dug deep once again to give you a nice variety of rock and metal that you may have missed in 2000. If you dig something that you heard on today's show, remember to...... Buy Music! Jack Off Jill UFO Motley Crue Halford (hed) PE Mudvayne Hair of the Dog Suicidal Tendencies David Coverdale Fozzy Hammerfall Megadeth Slash's Snakepit Over Kill Marilyn Manson Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 Tony Iommi Connect to Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below Direct Download

We're back this week with a second helping of our live recording at the recent Nashville Comic & Horror Festival and this time we have some company. Our good friends from the PWA Show dropped by to help us create an all-covers show that is certainly like no other that we've done. We're sure that some of the choices today will either make you want to jump for joy or want to reach through the ipod and strangle us. Either way, we don't think you'll be bored.  The PWA Show is hosted by Dave and Korey and posts new episodes, like us, every week. What do they cover on the PWA Show? Well, just about anything. Their off-the-cuff, stream of consciousness conversations are pretty interesting and give you a fly-on-the-wall feeling when listening. Check them out and give them a listen. We consider them our brothers-in-podcasting.  We kick things off with Chris' pick of a industrialized version of a Zeppelin classic before going to Dave's pick of a KISS classic covered by a group of Alternative pioneers from Minnesota. Korey makes his first selection of a White Stripes cover with a Tennessee connection before Aaron shifts things back heavier with his choice of a controversial frontman covering a Maiden classic. We return from the break with the first country artist to ever be spun on the Decibel Geek Podcast and it's a great cover of a Catman-sung KISS classic from the 1970's. Coming off of that, Dave selects a Marilyn Manson cover that helped the shock rocker break through to the mainstream. Korey's second choice of the song that is arguably the birth tune of rap-rock runs completely counter to Aaron's choice of Tesla covering a killer track by Alice Cooper. Next up is Chris' choice of Pearl Jam jamming out a live version of one of the best arena rock anthems of all-time before Dave chooses a cover performed by another Seattle-formed band performing a David Bowie classic from MTV Unplugged. We finish things off with The Man in Black delivering a painful rendition of a wrenching Nine Inch Nails song from 2002 and end things on a heavy note with Aaron's pick of W.A.S.P. covering a rollicking Who track. Send all hatemail regarding Korey & Dave's picks to thepwashow@gmail.com and......... Buy Music! Trent Reznor The Replacements KISS White Stripes Sebastian Bach Garth Brooks Marilyn Manson Run DMC Tesla Pearl Jam  Nirvana Johnny Cash W.A.S.P. Connect to Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us Comment Below

On Saturday October 6th, the Decibel Geek podcast ventured out of the bat cave to meet a large contingent of fellow Geeks at the Nashville Comic & Horror Festival. With a ton of amazing folks wearing wild costumes and special guests including Ernie Hudson in full Ghostbusters gear, it was a bit distracting recording on-location but we still want to share the experience with you in this week's episode; Radio Sucks Radio Show volume 8! Our mobile producer Marc Bullard joins us on the mic this week as the three of us select a truly eclectic mix of tunes are you are not likely to hear on your payola-funded corporate radio station. We kick things off with Marc's pick of a track from Skid Row's Slave to the Grind album that will make you go ape followed by a gut-wrenching track from Alice in Chains' Dirt album. Aaron spins a celebratory tune from The Donnas before coming out of our first break with Marc's pick of a newer track from Extreme followed by a more recent tender-loving song from Motley Crue's Saints of Los Angeles album.  Before heading into the break, Chris spins a track from Iron Maiden that ponders the idea of toying with crazy people. We return from break #2 with the strangest grouping of songs you'll never hear anywhere else. We segue from Aaron's choice of a powerful track from Paul Stanley's 1978 KISS solo album into a track that Marc picks in honor of Aaron performed by The Dead Milkmen.  If that wasn't strange enough, Chris serves up a long jammified track from King's X that will surely make you want to never attempt to play guitar again. Closing out today's show is a track from End of the Century by The Ramones that Chris loves in all it's different incarnations. We hope you dig the tunes you hear today. If you do....... Buy Music! Skid Row Alice in Chains The Donnas Extreme Motley Crue Iron Maiden KISS The Dead Milkmen King's X Ramones

While our Year in Review shows tend to have a great response each time out for the wealth of information that we try to squeeze in each time and numerous song clips that we attempt to shoehorn in; we've also plenty of folks tell us that they like when we spin more than 1:00-1:30 length clips of songs and prefer to hear more music. This week's show is our attempt to satisfy that contingent....with a twist! Instead of just a typical show spinning songs from the chosen previous Year in Review, we decided to explore a new option of entertainment with a Decibel Geek episode from 1991! We dug through the archives and dusted off this episode of a very young Chris and Aaron and you'll get to hear where their minds were at (when not "using" the Sears catalog) and their opinions of the bands of the day as well as the changes in the ever-shifting music industry. We hope you will enjoy this rare look back to a simpler time in our lives and some great music that we were digging on in those days. Thanks for joining us on this time warp back into history with Radio Revisited 1991! *Editor's Note* - All content contained in the "flashback" portion of this episode is not, in fact, from 1991 and is meant purely for comedic purposes. Anyone taking offense or feeling misled by this scripted error should contact the offices of Decibel Geek attorney Uneedto Getalife (he's foreign).  Buy Music! Skid Row The Cult Over Kill Fishbone Ugly Kid Joe  Pearl Jam Guns N' Roses Ozzy Osbourne Anthrax  Metallica Connect to Us! Rate, Review, & Subscribe in iTunes Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us

After a great week of getting Ugly with Whitfield Crane, we return to fill your head with loud, auditory goodness. Radio Sucks Radio Show vol 7 is here! This weeks Geek of the Week is Dan Miles! Dan is the host of the Friends of Dan Music Podcast and we're thrilled to call him a friend as his podcast features some great in-depth conversations with some real insiders of the music industry. He recently talked to Simpsons music composer Alf Clausen about his 40+ years in the industry and we highly recommend his Jim Morrison episode that features the Lizard King expressing himself between takes while in the recording studio. Dan is a great supporter of the Decibel Geek podcast and we thank him this week by bestowing this great honor on him ;-) We've got a ton of diversity for you this week for the 7th edition of the Radio Sucks Radio Show. We start things off with a great track from the Sabbath w/Dio era album Mob Rules before launching into a track from Warrant that could easily be described as everything that Cherry Pie is not; and we're thankful for that. Chris has been trying to dive headlong into the Cheap Trick catalog after much cajoling from fellow KISS fans about the many treasures inside and he unearths a power pop masterpiece from 1977's self-titled debut album that will please anyone with a rock and roll sweet tooth. We come back from the first break with an ode to the demise of a serial killer from a Wisconsin-born band that you'd never expect to hear on our show. Our Fresh Blood pick for this episode is The Treatment from the UK. Currently opening for KISS and Motley Crue on The Tour, this group of fresh-faced Brits sports a serious classic rock influence and solid, raw sound that we think you will most certainly dig. If you are attending The Tour, this act definitely seems to be worthy of showing up early. Aaron gets super-obscure with his pick of a Faith No More song from the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack that is woefully under-appreciated before launching into a choice cut from Baltimore's own Clutch. Queensryche has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons as the band has recently split from singer Geoff Tate and lawyers are busy running up hourly fees while firing lawsuits back and forth. We discuss the current wranglings before Chris' pick of a track from Operation: Mindcrime that is aptly titled in regards to the current situation. Shotgun Messiah was a band that largely got swallowed up in the early 90's scene-changeover that affected so many bands but bassist Tim Skold would go on to success in a number of other projects; notably his work with Marilyn Manson. Aaron picks a powerful track off their 1992 sophomore album Second Coming. We return from the break with the king of shock rock with Chris' pick of a great anthem from the 1975 Welcome to My Nightmare album that never gets old and feels as fresh today as it did back then (except maybe for the Donny Osmond reference). Closing out volume 7 of our Radio Sucks Radio show is a wickedly evil pick of a Monster Magnet tune from their Powertrip album. We've got tons of big stuff planned for the near future and hope that you enjoy these tunes as we ramp things up for a very busy Fall season. Rock on! Buy Music! Black Sabbath Warrant Cheap Trick Violent Femmes The Treatment Faith No More Clutch Queensryche Shotgun Messiah Alice Cooper Monster Magnet Connect to Us! Join the Fan Page Follow on Twitter E-mail Us

It's no secret to fans of the Decibel Geek Podcast that we, especially Aaron Camaro, have a great affinity for Ugly Kid Joe. Born out of suburbia (ie. Isla Vista, CA) in 1990, Ugly Kid Joe showed up in the middle of a power shift in the rock world with a sound that didn't fit into the glam rock style that was on its way out nor with the dirge-like sound emanating from the grunge underbelly of Seattle that would soon take over the world.  Named on the spot as a spoof of California hair-farmers Pretty Boy Floyd, Whitfield Crane and best friend Klaus Eichstadt formed the initial lineup of the band and released the breakthrough EP, 'As Ugly As They Wanna Be.' The album broke through to mass audiences with the success of the track 'Everything About You' and would go on to become the first EP to be certified multi-platinum by the RIAA. In this long-form discussion, Whit Crane shares the stories of how the band was formed, what the musical climate was like at the time, and his opinion of Pretty Boy Floyd. Ugly Kid Joe would climb the rock ladder in 1992 with the follow-up album 'America's Least Wanted' which featured the considered-by-WalMart-offensive cover depicting Lady Liberty giving the finger. Featuring a guest vocal from Judas Priest's Rob Halford on the track 'God Damn Devil,' the album solidified Ugly Kid Joe in the public consciousness with the release of their cover of Harry Chapin's 'Cat's in the Cradle' and, to a lesser degree, the opening track 'Neighbor.' A long period of touring the globe would ensue throughout the following years including opening slots for Ozzy Osbourne and Def Leppard as well as headliner status of their own. Along with lots of touring, Ugly Kid Joe was on a non-stop treadmill of appearances, interviews, award shows, and other assorted promotional activities (also LOTS of partying with such legends as Eddie Van Halen and Lemmy). Crane reflects on how crazy the lifestyle was and what memories remain with him to this day. 1995 saw the release of 'Menace to Sobriety' which featured the lineup of Crane, Eichstadt, guitarist Dave Fortner, bassist Cordell Crockett, and drummer Shannon Larkin. Featuring a tighter, heavier sound, the album received rave reviews. After disappointing sales for the 1996 release 'Motel California,' Ugly Kid Joe disbanded the following year. The members went on to other projects and bands with Larkin becoming the drummer in Godsmack and Crane doing a stint with Life of Agony as well as work with Medication and reuniting with Larkin for Another Animal. In this conversation, Crane reveals the emotions and motivations behind these projects and reflects on what he takes away from those experiences. After 15 years apart, the 1995 lineup of Ugly Kid Joe have released their new EP, 'Stairway to Hell.' Featuring a bold production from guitarist/production genius Dave Fortner, the album has all that one would expect from Ugly Kid Joe and more. We get Whit's thoughts on our impressions of the album and if he agrees or not. Aaron also gives a heartfelt testimonial to Whit on behalf of all Ugly Kid Joe fans before we wrap things up with a special preview of the upcoming single from 'Stairway to Hell.' We thank Whitfield Crane for giving us his time, attention, and reflections on a career that has rocked and shows no sign of stopping.