Chip Chats

Michigander's debut, self-titled full-length album is packed full of hooky earworms with insatiable choruses that you'll be singing along with the first time you hear the songs.Michigander's Jason Singer is one of the greatest humans I've ever had the chance to chat with - and this is the third time we've had this opportunity. We talk about songwriting, working with co-writers, social media and podcasts in this episode.https://www.michiganderband.com/https://breakerbox.podbean.com/https://www.instagram.com/chipmidnight_journalist/

Members of the San Diego band Mrs. Henry drop by for a post-holiday discussion about their epic concept album, Keep on Rising, and discuss their The Band tribute act, Chest Fever. Guests: Daniel Cervantes, Blake Dean, Jody Bagley Music heard on this episode comes from Mrs. Henry's Keep on Rising - https://mrshenry.bandcamp.com/album/keep-on-rising Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chipmidnight_journalist/

With a new album - his first in 10 years - hitting streaming services and stores, Sebastian Bach joins me on this episode to talk about Child Within the Man, his vinyl collection, the inspiration for the song "Hard Darkness," his favorite new song ("(Hold On) To The Dream"), why he doesn't stick with a consistent band lineup and what fans should expect when they come to see him live. https://www.sebastianbach.com/

Stewart Copeland opens up about the influx of Police-related projects in 2023 — including two albums and a book — which he sees as an opportunity to create space for pursuing his other passions in the upcoming year. In this interview with the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer, Copeland delves into his deep affection for composing orchestral pieces, shares the emotions evoked when encountering The Police’s music unexpectedly, and discloses his keen interest in keeping tabs on the current endeavors of both Sting and Andy Summers. ------------------------------------------ For all things Stewart Copeland visit https://www.stewartcopeland.net/ Watch this interview on the CHIP CHATS YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/icVhAHPcEtQ?si=vjvALInJqQDX8QA1

With an illustrious five-decade, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career as one half of the Hall and Oates duo coming to an end, John Oates discusses how writing and recording his own material has made music fun again. Oates has a handful of sold-out tour dates to end the year and he shares what fans should expect from these shows, from how he'll tell stories behind the songs to what might be on the setlist. www.johnoates.com www.instagram.com/chipmidnight_journalist

A bucket list interview, I had the chance to chat with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Andy Summers of The Police on my birthday. Andy released a coffee table book of his photographs called A Series of Glances during the summer of 2023 and has spent time on the road doing a mixed-media performance including music, storytelling and sharing photos from his collection. For tour dates and more info, visit www.andysummers.com

For nearly 30 years I've been trying to find a recording of the March 9, 1994 Blind Melon concert at the State Theater in Detroit, Michigan. Lead singer Shannon Hoon spotted me in the crowd and said my name from the stage. Getting a copy of the show has been my white whale - I've been searching forever and never thought I'd find it until I interviewed Blind Melon guitarist Rogers Stevens on CHIP CHATS Episode 19 and he mentioned that, in the early days, the band recorded a lot of shows from the soundboard. Would I finally catch my white whale? Listen to the episode to find out.

Pop-punk veterans Samiam released their ninth album, Stowaway, in March. On this episode, guitarists Sergie Loobkoff and Sean Kennerly join me to discuss the making of the album, the challenge in keeping a band active for 30+ years, how they feel about pop-punk music in 2023, songs that remind them of certain specific moments in their lives, eating hot wings while drunk and more. Visit http://samiamband.com/ for more info on the band. Follow Samiam on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/samiam.band/ Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chipmidnight_journalist/

Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule joins this episode to discuss the music he grew up with, the band's new album, Peace ... Like a River, this summer's Dark Side of the Mule tour and more. Gov't Mule tour info and news: https://mule.net/ Gov't Mule live show downloads: https://www.nugs.net/govt-mule-concerts-live-downloads-in-mp3-flac-or-online-music-streaming-1/ Follow Chip Chats on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chipmidnight_journalist/

This episodes features a conversation with Tarek Jafar and Justin Tessier of the Canadian rock duo The Blue Stones. Having released their third album, Pretty Monster, in November 2022, the duo is finally getting the chance to do a headlining tour in the U.S. We chat about the tour, song inspirations, bands we've outgrown, merch, and what's on their camera rolls. The Blue Stones tour dates can be found at: www.thebluestonesmusic.com

Blind Melon guitarist Rogers Stevens and bassist Nathan Towne began writing songs together in 2017. During the pandemic, the duo continued writing and started recording those songs. In May of this year, the debut album from TOWNE & STEVENS dropped onto streaming platforms and is filled with classic '70s rock sounds. For more info on TOWNE & STEVENS check out: https://www.instagram.com/towneandstevens https://www.facebook.com/towneandstevens https://twitter.com/towneandstevens https://towneandstevens.com/ Follow Chip Midnight at: https://www.instagram.com/chipmidnight_journalist https://twitter.com/chipmidnight www.chipmidnight.com

Mike Portnoy's name is one of the most recognizable in the hard rock community. As the co-founder of Dream Theater (1989-2009), Portnoy's either recorded or toured with artists such as the Transatlantic, Sons of Apollo, Metal Allegiance, Neal Morse, and Avenged Sevenfold. In 2012, he hooked up with Richie Kotzen and Billy Sheehan to form the supergroup The Winery Dogs who released their third album, the simply titled III, on Feb 3, 2023. Learn more at: https://www.mikeportnoy.com/ http://www.thewinerydogs.com/

Guitarist Paul Crook joined Meat Loaf's band, Neverland Express, in 2003 and has been in the band ever since. When Meat Loaf's health took a turn for the worse in 2016, Neverland Express began playing shows, with Meat Loaf's blessing, with American Idol season 13 winner Caleb Johnson handling vocals. The band's purpose is to celebrate Meat Loaf's musical legacy while adding their own flavor to the songs that so many people have loved for decades. Neverland Express re-recorded Meat Loaf's debut, best-selling album Bat Out of Hell and released it with the title, Paradise Found: Bat Out of Hell Re-Ignited, as a gift to the fans who have been coming to see the band perform.  In this chat, Paul and I talk about how he discovered Meat Loaf's music, what his role was in the band, the time he spent as a guitar tech for Blue Oyster Cult, and his short stint in Anthrax. Paul Crook's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul.crook.music Neverland Express: https://batexperience.com/

I love talking about music. I love talking about music with friends. As a way to recap 2022 - from albums to concerts to things we're looking forward to in 2023 - I invited those friends that I love talking about music with to join me at the first ever CHIP CHATS roundtable. Featured on this episode: Jason Bodak Mike Lovins (The Reel Gay Movie Show Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/35bk9k8yqn2cy6WJh2pak8?si=a2e859e2d551443a) Brian Hake (Sports Wednesday Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/2ep2f3rJM95JiUsXVseAha?si=f1003de2981547e7) Matt Longley (Sports Wednesday Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/2ep2f3rJM95JiUsXVseAha?si=f1003de2981547e7) Christina Lautazi (Pop Periscope Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/52hSQDJ9F5ZlATP8kkFBh6?si=136a13e52b524c4f)

Armored Saint's John Bush joins me for this episode of CHIP CHATS from a tour bus somewhere in Texas. Armored Saint is in the midst of a nearly sold-out national tour with W.A.S.P. and things couldn't be going better for the band that formed in the early '80s. In this chat, John and I discuss setlists, meet-and-greets, John's appearance in the Huey Lewis and The News "The Heart of Rock and Roll Video," and playing the "rock star" card.

Joe Lekas and Ben Douglas of the Nashville, Tennessee band Palm Ghosts join me for this episode to talk about their new album, Post Preservation, writing lyrics, touring during the pandemic, the soaring price of concert tickets, the (un)importance of release day and much more. If you're expecting country music, you're in the wrong place - Palm Ghosts are way more influenced by '80s/'90s UK rock and post-punk than anything with a twang. Check out the extensive Palm Ghosts catalog at https://palmghosts.bandcamp.com/

On the eve of The Cult's eleventh album (Under the Midnight Sun), I have the chance to have a lengthy conversation with guitarist Billy Duffy who talks about splitting time between L.A. and the UK, playing new music on tour, The Cult's influence on grunge, classic rock radio and more.

This is why you should always interview the opening band! Had it not been for Soundgarden's publicist declining an interview request I made while as a college student in 1991, I may never have met Blind Melon. The friendship I made with those guys early on continues today as I just had the chance to hang out with guitarist Christopher Thorn who is now a member of The Afghan Whigs. While I have a lot of Blind Melon stories, this is the origin story and includes audio from the first interview I did with Shannon as well as the follow up a year later as part of a conference call with other college journalists. 00:00 - 06:45 - Intro and backstory about how I met Blind Melon 06:45 - 48:51 - 1991 phone interview with Shannon Hoon 48:51 - 54:46 - 1992 phone interview with Shannon Hoon

Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens recently collaborated with The String Revolution to honor Randy Rhoads' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by covering the Ozzy Osbourne song, "Crazy Train." It's a unique twist on the heavy metal classic involving string players and Stevens' Flamenco guitar work.  In this conversation, Stevens shares how he got involved with the project, what the early '80s were like living and playing music in New York City, making new music with Billy Idol, working with Ozzy and Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath, who he considers to be today's guitar heroes, Billy Idol's tour with Journey and whether or not he'll be part of the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack.  Listen to The String Revolution featuring Steve Stevens cover of "Crazy Train":  https://orcd.co/tsrsscrazytrain Learn more about Steve Stevens: https://www.stevestevensguitar.com/ Learn more about The String Revolution: https://thestringrevolution.com/

We were all surprised to learn of the passing of Bob Saget on January 9, 2021. Bob played America's dad as Danny Tanner on Full House and was a well-respected comedian whose stand-up performances are legendary. In 2019, I started a podcast at my day job where I asked employees to share personal stories with me. One of my co-workers, Jeff D'Anza, came on my podcast to share a story about meeting Bob Saget at a college bar. It's really a great story and one that left Jeff with a great memory.