Decibel Geek Podcast

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Episode 18 - Top 6 Favorite Bassists Jan 27, 2012

Show notes

Where There’s a Will (& Enough Alcohol) There’s a Way

For those of you that saw the post that was put up yesterday, you already know that Chris has had the week from hell and Aaron also had some rough news over the past seven days. But, have no fear, another episode is here!

We may be a day late but we’ve got all the bottom-end that you can handle and we’re not talking about Kim Kardashian (thanks for the extra hits Google Alerts). We’re picking our Top 6 Favorite Bassists today! Why 6 and not the requisite 5 that we always do? Well, you’ll have to listen to the episode to figure that one out but let’s just say that it was due to one of the hosts and it wasn’t the buzzed one.

The Joy of Hops & Bulletproof Vests

We eagerly anticipate a shitstorm of hatred from this episode since it’s about as subjective as it gets. What were our criteria? Well, this week Chris was going through so much that his criteria was basically, pick bassists that he digs and that are memorable. Aaron on the other hand did his homework and has plenty to say about his choices, why he made them, the mysteries of the universe, and a dissertation on the physics of mechanical resonance in pre-Industrial Age Manitoba. Actually, the beer flowed and lots of stuff came out so that’s our best guess.

Ear Candy to Shove in Your Head Holes

With so many different options to choose from on this list, we give you a plethora to think about and digest in this episode. No clues, no hints, just listen to the show and get your torches and pitchforks ready. Some of these you will agree with and some you will not. Either way, it’ll be a good distraction from traffic, treadmills, or bosses with bad breath. We hope you enjoy it and can’t wait to get the hate mail. Rock on folksies!

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Episode 17 - Van Halen Discussion Jan 18, 2012

Show notes

Diamond Dave & The Hype Machine

For anyone living under a rock or not named Sammy Hagar, the hype surrounding the recently-released single and forthcoming album from Van Halen has sparked loads of excitement and speculation whether the new tunes will cause us to break out our Rubik’s Cube and ponder the days of bellbottoms through Wall Street excess. The first album released by a David Lee Roth-fronted Van Halen since 1984; ‘A Different Kind of Truth’ promises to illicit reactions of all kinds on February 7th, when it’s released. The newly released single, ‘Tattoo’ has drawn mixed reviews as well.

The Car’s Out of the Garage & News You Can Use

We are without co-host Aaron Camaro this week, as he’s on assignment with one of his other ventures. Never fear though, we brought in guest commentator Mitch Lafon from Bravewords.com this week.

Before we delve into Van Halen, we have a few news items to discuss in the intro to the show. By the way, if you want to skip straight to the Van Halen discussion, it starts just after the 5 minute mark though I’d rather you listen to me prattle on about other stuff for a few minutes.

We’ve brought on a few new writers to the Decibel Geek website. Please welcome J Alexander, JB, and Andrew to the team! We’ve had some amazing articles and interviews posted in the past week since these folks came on board and I’d like to tip my hat to them. JB’s first articles will be coming very soon. J Alexander wrote a fantastic article about Why Boy Bands Aren’t So Baod (trust us, it’s not what you think) and Andrew Jacobs has been churning out tons of great interviews for us including Larry Harris (former Casablanca Records), Blair N. Bitch (Betty Blowtorch), and Patrice Zappa-Porter (sister of Frank Zappa). Many new articles and interviews are planned in the future for the show and the site as well as a full revamp of the site itself that will make it much more user-friendly and fun to visit so stay tuned!

Dave, Sammy, Gary, & The Gang – A History Discussion

Chris and Mitch first share their thoughts on Van Halen’s appearance at a cramped Café Wha? In New York as well as the then-sample of ‘Tattoo’ that was floating around. They also discuss the different lineups and albums released by Van Halen from the 1977 debut all the way to today. During the discussion, you’ll hear music from each album, some tracks you may have never heard before, and some entertaining (we hope) commercials and liners. There’s tons to discuss and we cram it all into an hour. Van Halen has seriously passionate fans and we are sure that some of our opinions will bring out some pitchforks and cause some bewildered looks but remember, it’s just our opinions. Feel free to use the comment section on the site or facebook or twitter or any of the other outlets we use to tell us how wrong we are. We like the attention.

www.dbgeekshow.blogspot.com

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Episode 15 - Do It Live! Jan 05, 2012

Show notes

It’s the New Style for the New Year

You’ll notice a change immediately during the theme song; an abrupt belch which is a sign of something new. We’re giving this whole live recording thing a shot and you’ll hear everything in this episode warts-n-all including Aaron and Chris stumbling over words, getting tongue tied, and sound effects going off without warning. It’s as unprofessional as it gets but at least it’s entertaining. Plus, Chris doesn’t have to play around with hours of editing so hopefully this will be a welcome change that will provide more content in the future.

We start out talking about what we got for KISSMAS including Aaron’s review of the Ace Frehley autobiography, ‘No Regrets’ and the cool new Rocksmith game.

We update Vinnie Vincent’s output for the holidays. Impressive!

Chris gives a shout out to Cassius Morris from the Creatures of the Net podcast who recently did an impromptu interview with Eric Singer who called in during his live stream. Cassius is only 13 years old but is already on his way to becoming a big name in podcasting. Congrats to Cassius!

Flashback Time

We share a cool radio commercial advertising the Sex Pistols tour of America in 1977 which leads to a discussion of the Sex Pistols impact in music as well as their reputation rubbing off on other punk bands like the Ramons. We also touch on a quick discussion of the G.G. Allin documentary Hated which documents all of the fecal-smearing, heroin-induced debauchery leading up to Allin’s death.

Ramones in Kindergarten

Chris shares his thoughts on a recent video that’s been sweeping youtube of a kindergarten class singing the Ramones’ classic ‘Judy is a Punk.’ It makes you feel all snuggly inside and gives hope to the world. There’s nothing that will renew your faith in mankind like a bunch of kids singing “perhaps they’ll die”….oh yeah!

Corabi Rocks for Tots & a Cinderella Story

Chris and Aaron reflect on their recent outing to see John Corabi’s Toys for Tots where they got to talk with Corabi as well as Jeff Labar from Cinderella; fresh off his hip-replacement surgery and filled us in on the possibility (or lack thereof) of new music from Cinderella. We recap the setlist and describe our trek over to a hipster bar invaded by metalheads with the strangest mix of songs from the jukebox you’ve ever heard.

Van Halen & the Little People

Chris & Aaron discuss the recent announcement of Van Halen’s new album and new single ‘Tattoo’ due next week. We’re totally excited to hear a song about the little guy from Fantasy Island (thanks to the guys from From Out of Nowhere for that joke). We also bemoan how much cooler this news would have been with Michael Anthony involved.

Shameless Self-Promotion 101 & The Days of Axl’s Life

The guys give their take on the recent induction of Guns N Roses to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a discussion of Eddie Trunk’s recent grilling of the CEO of Hall of Fame as well as the big question of who is going to show up for the ceremony. Will it be the old guys or the new guys? Or, will Axl’s ego be big enough on its own to fill the whole stage. They wind up rambling quite a bit so we hope you dig listening to these guys yack on and on about Axl and co.

Chris & Aaron make the announcement of their expanding roles in the podcasting world as they will be contributing members of Podkisst, the leading KISS podcast as well as some contributions to the great Mars Attacks podcast for their Class Albums series.

That’s our first foray into the recording live thingy. We promise we’ll get better at it. In the meantime, feel free to laugh at all of the mistakes.

Smell ya later!

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Episode 14 - Top 5 Early 90's Albums Dec 14, 2011

Show notes

We decided that we wanted to have a healthy dose of pissed-off listeners and were pretty sure that this episode is a prescription for just that. The early 1990s for us old folks that remember it was a strange and magical time for rock music. Lots of transition was taking place in the pecking order of rock musics hierarchy with the mass music-consuming public deciding to ditch the Aqua Net and makeup mirrors and adopt a lumberjack-chic style to go along with their newfound depression.

In a quest to try and come up with a tougher Top 5 list than our previous episode that involved Top 5 Non-Makeup Era KISS Songs we decided to try and pigeonhole 5 albums out of this crazy matrix of material that was being produced in this Gulf War era of change.

Full shownotes at www.dbgeekshow.blogspot.com

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Episode 13 - Nashville X-TRA Dec 03, 2011

Show notes

We hope everyone is over their tryptophan-induced coma. Thanksgiving was a great time for us at the Decibel Geek Podcast. We had a lot to be thankful for this year. We launched the show this year and added co-host Aaron Camaro. Our audience is growing and we love talking about music! In short, we’re thankful to YOU for listening to the show.

Today’s episode is a Nashville X-tra episode. We kick things off with a new Rage Against the Scene segment where Chris reviews some recent articles from the Nashville Scene and his reaction is not totally what you would expect. Could Chris be moonlighting as a hipster and disguising himself in skinny jeans, bad facial hair, and a bowler hat? Doubtful, but you’ll have to check out the segment to find out. Chris also has a bone to pick with 102.9 The Buzz. There’s been a lot of aggression building up over The Buzz in recent years and Chris is ready to let it all out. Hear his thoughts on their choice to constantly spin 90’s tunes and the complete degradation of The Buzz Around Town. Something smells rotten in Nashville and it has dollar signs all over it.

This episode we also announce Decibel Geek’s recent inclusion to Stitcher Radio. If the tedious task of pushing “download” is just too much for you and you have one of those intelligent phone thingy’s, you can now check out the show through the Stitcher Radio app. Simply download the app, search for Decibel Geek, and you’ll be up and running and listening to us bitch about bands in no time! Just go to www.StitcherRadio.com to try it out!

Next up Aaron & Chris intro a review of the new 3 Minutes to Live album. Well, I guess it’s not exactly new now since we drug our feet a bit on getting this up. Once we’re over this crack habit, the shows will be better (we think). Anyway, Chris gives a track-by-track review and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about this record. We promise, it won’t hurt a bit.

We finish off the show with some full tunes for your ear holes. We went for variety this time, so you’ll get Piranah, fORMER, and Fist of the North Star; something for ALL tastes. There will be more music-based episodes in the future so you’ll have a nice break for our droning voices. Hope ya dig it Nastyville!

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Episode 12 - Radio Sucks Radio Show Nov 18, 2011

Show notes

Another new episode already?? I know, it’s hard to believe but we just might be figuring out this whole podcasting thing and we’ve tried to cut back on the crack smoking in order to get some new material up for your ear holes.

In this, our 12th episode, the Decibel Geek Podcast proudly presents the Radio Sucks Radio Show. No, we’re not talking about two boom boxes giving each other head (although that is a stimulating idea). Corporate radio sucks ass. We know that you agree. Why else would you be checking out podcasts? With that thinking, we decided that we’d ignore our non-existent Program Director and play songs that we think are cool. You’ll actually get to hear stuff that hasn’t been drilled into your head for the past 30 years on a repetitive basis in order to fill a payola scheme for the sake of freebies and concert tickets.

This will become a regular feature on the Decibel Geek Podcast in the future; as long as we don’t get sued. We took pains to make sure that you hear the vast majority of these great songs but we are all about supporting the great artists that created this music. If you hear something you dig on the show, check out the links on the Decibel Geek website to purchase music from the artist so they know they are appreciated.

Aside from the great music being played in this episode, Chris Czynszak & Aaron Camaro touch on some recent rock topics such as Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna being tackled by security at his own show and Aaron’s priceless reaction to being forced to check out the Lulu album by Metallica & Lou Reed.

We don’t wanna spoil the surprise of what you’ll hear so all we’ll share is that you’ll hear tracks by Anthrax, Metallica, Wednesday 13, Killer Dwarfs, KISS, Skid Row, Motley Crue, & Double Virgo. And we’re NOT talking about the singles you’ve heard on corporate radio! So, kick back and get ready to crank some great rock and metal as Decibel Geek Podcast presents the Radio Sucks Radio Show!

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Episode 11 - Russ Dwarf Nov 09, 2011

Show notes

We enter the month of November with a guest from the Great White North. Russ Dwarf has been entertaining audiences for nearly 30 years. Best known as one of the founding members of legendary Canadian band Killer Dwarfs, Russ has seen it all in the music business and gives the Decibel Geek Podcast a taste of his extensive experiences.

In this in-depth discussion you’ll hear Russ’ recollections on such interesting moments as when Killer Dwarfs were sharing the same studio as KISS, the influence of Alice Cooper on Russ’ performance, opening for Iron Maiden with a buck naked drummer and why a healthy sense of humor can get you through some of the muck that you have to endure in the music industry.

Russ also shares his views on youtube, downloading, and what he thinks of the current generation of bands in comparison to the scene of the 1980’s.

Russ Dwarf is currently touring in Canada on an acoustic tour but is also involved with providing vocals for Canadian legends Moxy as well as the project Hard Road.

You can find out more by visiting www.myspace.com/russdwarf

Special thanks to Mitch Lafon at www.BraveWords.com for his help in arranging this interview.

Music Featured:

Intro Music: Manic Bloom – Push Off the Ground

First Break: Killer Dwarfs – Dirty Weapons

Second Break: Moxy – Sail On Sail Away

Third Break: Hard Road – Miles

Fourth Break: Killer Dwarfs – Doesn’t Matter

Outro Music: Mindset Defect – By the Way

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Episode 10 - Nashville Xtra2 Oct 28, 2011

Show notes

We’ve got a brand spankin’ new Nashville Xtra episode for ya jam-packed with some old interviews! Really, it’s more exciting than we make it sound. We start the show with Chris Czynszak & Aaron Camaro welcoming you back into the fold; the local rock & metal fold! The Decibel Geek Podcast is growing by leaps and bounds and is getting new listeners from around the globe but as some chick wearing red shoes once said “There’s no place like home” and we try to show that with these Nashville Xtra episodes.

We start things off with the premiere of Camaro’s Cut Out Bin; random ruminations on assorted albums, tapes, and demos that Aaron Camaro has recently checked out. Aaron reviews past cd’s by local acts of days gone by Lenny & Commander. By the way, if you are interested in owning the CD’s reviewed on today’s show, get in touch with us on www.dbgeekshow.blogspot.com and tell us you want it. We need to save the shelf space anyway. First come, first served.

Next we have a pair of interviews with two important cogs in the local music machine. We begin with a discussion with Andy Aquino of the Rutledge. Andy has quite a history in this town; performing in local bands over the years and booking bands in every nook and cranny in town before settling in at the Rutledge. He also doesn’t pull punches. In this candid discussion, you’ll hear Andy’s thoughts on topics such as what he looks for in bands that are trying to book a show as well as why the 16 different versions of L.A. Guns never seem to come here.

We finish things up with a quick talk with local concert promoter Jenny Jem George of Outrageous Productions. Jenny is constantly putting shows together in Nashville and works with a variety of rock groups. In this hard-hitting interview you’ll hear Jenny’s thoughts on why Skyline Chili sucks, why Nashville is a big step-up in comparison to the Cincinnati music scene, and why Chris should stick to sobriety. We also talk a little about music.

Before we go, we would like to get the word out about a very important charity to us at the Decibel Geek Podcast. Vince Liveri, a vocalist that was a well-loved veteran of the local rock and metal scene passed away recently. He was loved and admired by many in the local music community. It would mean a great deal to me if any of our listeners could find it in their hearts to make a small donation to a fund that’s been set up to help Vince’s family stay afloat and pay off the funeral expenses. If interested in helping out, please check out www.nashvillemetalbands.bigcartel.com to make your donation. We wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important to us. Hell, we don’t even ask for donations for ourselves so you know it’s important. So, just buy a 12 pack instead of a keg and give up some of that beer money to help out a family in need.

That’ll do it for this time. Until next time, we’re out like the Titans 53 million dollar running game.

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Episode 9 - Top 5 Non-Makeup Era KISS Songs Oct 19, 2011

Show notes

Another show centered around KISS? I know, you’re shocked. We’re fans. We love KISS. Deal with it. There will be lots of opportunity to discuss the merits of new, fresh bands like Britney Fox and Pretty Boy Floyd in later shows.

Chris Czynszak reminds everyone of his discovery of KISS on Dial MTV in 1987 and his brother’s reaction and guidance to the more ‘pure’ era of the band. But Chris still has a soft spot for that non-makeup era of the band. He also makes mention of the recent passing of Eddie Balandas, a close confidant of KISS during their heyday as well as the iconic intro voice on the Alive II album from 1977. He will be missed.

Aaron Camaro shares his memories of first listening to Animalize as well as his monthly pilgrimage to the local record store to build build his KISS album collection.

Obviously, we’re not going to reveal what Aaron & Chris’ choices were in these here show notes. That would be anti-climactic and stupid (I know, like this show right? Thought I’d go ahead and pre-insult us). Every non-makeup era album will be mentioned on the show but not every album will be represented in our Top 5. We aren’t including any of the compilations or live records from that time since Let’s Put the X in Sex is certainly not going to make either of our lists anyway.

The non-makeup era of KISS is largely ignored by the musical public but is beloved by those of us that discovered the band during this era. The albums they released during those years are snapshots of a simpler time in our lives and the concerts were some of the best nights of our lives. This episode of the Decibel Geek Podcast will cover the ever-changing state of KISS through the non-makeup era. You’ll hear thoughts on Vinnie Vincent’s huge contribution to the Lick It Up album as well as an update on his most recent musical output. Mark St. John gets a quick mention in this episode that probably lasts longer than his actual tenure in the band. Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer are discussed and, of course, no discussion of the non-makeup era is complete without mentioning Eric Carr. By the way, check out the new album released by the estate of Eric Carr titled Unfinished Business that features song very cool Eric-written tunes.

Chris & Aaron are both big KISS fans but they definitely have differing opinions on certain aspects of the non-makeup era. You’ll hear them debate what they loved and what they hated. This was a fun episode to put together and think you will enjoy it as well. If you don’t, you’re not out any money so whatever.

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Episode 8 - Nashville Xtra Oct 01, 2011

Show notes

We begin this week with an explanation of Aaron Camaro’s hobby of hanging out with big, beefy dudes that like to oil themselves up and roll around with each other. In other words, he’s involved in microphone work for professional wrestling in the Nashville area. Aaron gives us the lowdown on all of the relevant info that you need to watch hulking guys beat the snot out of each other and Chris calls him out for trying to turn the show into a roid-themed infomercial. Chris hasn’t been impaled by a turnbuckle….yet.

Next, we are proud to bring you the first entry of Rage Against the Scene. This segment was a popular written feature that Chris used to write that was enjoyed by the Nashville-area hard rock and metal crowd. We decided to bring this feature back as an audio entity so you can hear Chris bitch all about what he hates about the Nashville Scene (publication) as well as the local rock scene in general. No one is safe from the ranting and Chris lets the bile spew forth with rants about the recent Soundland festival and why he thinks it’s nothing more than a bunch of secret-handshake bullshit that ignores a multitude of talent in the local area. He also tears into the Scene publication in general for swinging from Jack White’s nuts, only promoting one local record store and mentioning Those Darlins & Jeff the Brotherhood for the millionth time as if they are God’s gift to the music industry and should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame immediately. Come to think of it, it would make sense since the Hall of Fame (ala Rolling Stone’s editorial staff) has about as much common sense and taste in music. Chris wraps up the segment by hinting at a future rant against 102.9 the Buzz in the future. Yes, his hate has spread to other avenues and modern rock is starting to fit in the crosshairs.

Our feature interview for this Nashville X-tra premier is Chris Higgins from Piranah. Higgins had plenty of interesting things to say including his opinion of the local Nashville rock scene vs. playing out of town, some stories from the bands trip to Illinois to open up for Soil and what it felt like to have a room with hundreds of people singing their song back to them. He also gives his take on whether Nashville has the ability to have a scene comparable to booms previously seen in Los Angeles and Seattle. With a tip of the cap to such local notables such as Ray LeGrand of Nashville Metal Bands, Higgins tells us what he thinks it might take to break Nashville as the next musical boomtown. We touch on some personal history with Higgins’ recollections of his travels from his move to L.A. in the early 90’s to his time playing R&B music in North Carolina, to his return to metal in Nashville and how he became the skin-basher for Piranah.

There’s lots more planned for future Nashville X-tra episodes including interviews with venue managers, promoters, and more local band members. To our Music City rock & metal brethren, keep your horns in the air and your shot glass full!

Music Featured:

Intro: Manic Bloom

All Breaks: Piranah

Outro Commercial: Mindset Defect

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