Fans With Bands

When I moved over to Substack to host the Fans With Bands podcast, I was limited to 100 episodes. This means that the beginning of the podcast is not here on Substack until NOW! Enjoy this episode from Oct 26, 2020 (the very FIRST episode!)Show Notes:A chat with Clint the vocalist for the Lansing, Michigan extreme metal band Recorruptor and Nick a fan of band. On this episode, we talk about Nick’s first experience with the band at Mac’s (a classic dive bar in Lansing) and picking up Recorruptor’s “Some Shit” demo. This launched Nick into following Recorruptor through their “Bloodmoon” and recently released “Funeral Corridor” albums.We also delved into the gateway bands of Slayer and Lamb Of God that pulled Nick and Clint into more extreme forms of metal. A big shout out to the godfather of the double kick drum, Dave Lombardo! Nick was curious as to the drinking routine for load in and we got into Clint’s 21st with Goatwhore, Black Fast and Acid Bath. Hilarity then ensues :)Our talk gets a bit cerebral when we discuss the calming and cathartic aspect of metal music. While some may find the blistering chaos of Black Dahlia Murder beyond the pale. Extreme metal fans find the blasting power releases the tension from the day and leads to a blissful zen.Check out Recorruptor’s music on BandcampFollow Recorruptor on Facebook, Twitter, InstagramFans With BandsSubscribe to Fans With Bands on your favorite podcast service such as Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Audible, or Amazon Music. Be sure to rate the show and please send us feedback. We would love to hear from you.You can also follow Fans With Bands on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and BlueskyFor samplings of music by artists featured on Fans With Bands, check out our playlist on Spotify Get full access to Fans With Bands at fanswithbands.substack.com/subscribe

Chuck and Nuno are back to discuss their earliest memories of music videos, the golden era of MTV, and legendary concert footage. We share stories about discovering heavy metal and rock bands on late-night TV, the evolution of music video production, and the sometimes comedic (and dangerous) history behind classic shoots.Episode Highlights* Catching Up: Nuno fills in Chuck on his busy season at work and his shift toward writing reviews on his Substack: instead of producing content for YouTube.* Early MTV & Music Video Memories: We reminisce about the early days of MTV, highlighting A-ha‘s “Take On Me” and the dangerous windmill scene in Duran Duran‘s “Hungry Like the Wolf” video. We also note the massive impact of Van Halen‘s “Hot for Teacher” and the cinematic length of Michael Jackson’s epic “Thriller” video.* Headbangers Ball & Metal Favorites: Chuck shares his ritual of recording Headbangers Ball to catch heavy videos like “Betrayer” by Kreator. Nuno recalls watching Portuguese TV specials featuring Iron Maiden and Sepultura.* Megadeth vs. Metallica: We take a deep dive into the intertwined history of Megadeth and Metallica. They discuss Dave Mustaine’s early writing credits on “The Call of Ktulu” and “Fight Fire with Fire,” as well as the speed differences between “Mechanix” and “The Four Horsemen”. Nuno also praises Metallica‘s “One” video and Megadeth‘s “Wake Up Dead” and “Peace Sells”.* Live Concert Experiences & Surprises: Nuno recounts seeing Israeli band Orphaned Land open for Fear Factory, noting that they later recorded an album produced by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. They also laugh about Portuguese band Moonspell terrifying children by performing a death metal version of a kids’ song on live TV.* Tour Talk & Extreme Metal: Chuck laments that the upcoming tour with Forbidden, and Heathen won’t be stopping in Detroit this time around. Nuno shares his love for Napalm Death‘s live DVDs and their surprisingly melodic Tiny Desk concert, while acknowledging the band’s diverse influences such as Cocteau Twins.* Covers and Late-Night Discoveries: Chuck remembers discovering AC/DC on The Midnight Special. The conversation wraps up with a discussion on great cover songs, including Voivod covering Pink Floyd, White Lion covering Golden Earring, Heathen covering Sweet, and Mötley Crüe covering Brownsville Station.* Honorable Mentions: The duo briefly touches on legendary home videos from Pantera, music from King’s X, and the visual aesthetics of Cannibal Corpse, Quiet Riot, and Accept.Fans With BandsSubscribe to Fans With Bands on your favorite podcast service such as Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Audible, or Amazon Music. Be sure to rate the show and please send us feedback. We would love to hear from you.You can also follow Fans With Bands on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and BlueskyFor samplings of music by artists featured on Fans With Bands, check out our playlist on Spotify Get full access to Fans With Bands at fanswithbands.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Fans With Bands, we sit down with Kevin Kay (Detroit Music Collective) to analyze the results of the recent Greater Detroit Music Census. We were joined by singer-songwriter Julianne Ankley, who shared her perspective as a working musician in Detroit.The conversation dives into the financial realities facing local artists, venue shortages that cause touring acts to bypass the city, the perception of elitism in the local scene, and practical initiatives underway to strengthen the region’s 10-county music ecosystem.Key Census Highlights & Data PointsTotal Survey Response2,500+ respondents across 10 counties (75-mile radius around Detroit) - unique in that this was all done with grassroots effort.Music-Generated IncomeAverage music income is $20,000/year, well below the poverty line, while average total income is $88,000.Primary Employment68% of musicians rely on non-music jobs for their primary income.Out-of-Pocket InvestmentLocal musicians spend $16.2 million annually out-of-pocket to support their music careers.Venue PerformanceDetroit averages 64 events per venue per year, compared to Cleveland/Columbus (96–97) and Nashville (172).Artist Retention Flight Risk74% plan to pursue music in 3 years, but only 48% plan to stay in Detroit.Perception of Scene54% view the scene as elitist, spiking to 87% among 18–24-year-olds.Discussion Topics* Grassroots Power vs. Lack of Civic Support: How community partners pulled off the census without city government backing or major press support, outperforming larger markets on a per-capita grassroots basis.* The Missing Mid-Sized Venues: Why touring bands skip Detroit on Midwest runs between Chicago and Cleveland due to a shortage of venue capacities and a lack of a local Independent Venue Association chapter.* Recording Dollars Leaving Michigan: How artists often travel to cities like Nashville for streamlined studio workflows, and what Detroit studios can do to capture local talent and keep production capital in-state.* Treating Musicians as Small Businesses: Why municipal and county economic development programs need to view independent musicians as small businesses deserving of tax write-offs, resources, and streamlined event permitting.* Rebuilding the Scene’s Infrastructure:* Master Events Calendar: Developing an automated, scraped region-wide calendar for all live shows and cultural events across the 75-mile radius.* Student PR Network: Partnering with local university journalism/PR programs (e.g., Oakland University, Wayne State) to give students portfolio-building experience covering local bands and shows.* Master Industry Directory: Creating a comprehensive resource listing area studios, equipment specs, rates, and session musicians.* Sponsorship Models for Independent Venues: How small venues can boost revenue and support artists by tapping into local business sponsorships and cross-promotions.Key Quotes“We don’t have a talent problem here. We have an infrastructure problem.”— Kevin Kay“An artist is a business... If the Greater Detroit metropolitan area truly believes that music is an important industry to this area, we have all got to work together to help strengthen and grow that.”— Kevin Kay“The minute I left town, all of a sudden I was more valuable here. That’s got to change too... There’s so much talent here that it would be nice to see it promoted from within.”— Julianne Ankley“Rising tide lifts all boats... Working together is critical. There’s got to be a consensus among everyone within this community to start valuing artists and their music.”— Kevin Kay & ChuckGreater Detroit Music Census ReportWebsiteCheck our the reportCheck out the census data dashboardFollow on Facebook, Instagram, YoutubeKevin KayCheck out the Detroit Music CollectiveFollow on Facebook, InstagramJulianne AnkleyCheck out her musicFollow on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, SpotifyFans With BandsSubscribe to Fans With Bands on your favorite podcast service such as Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Audible, or Amazon Music. Be sure to rate the show and please send us feedback. We would love to hear from you.You can also follow Fans With Bands on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and BlueskyFor samplings of music by artists featured on Fans With Bands, check out our playlist on Spotify Get full access to Fans With Bands at fanswithbands.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I Ryan, Don, Brandon, and Victor from Void The Light. Their latest album, Speaking With Gods, is an amalgamation of heavy riffs, progressive vibes, and flat out hard hitting tunes. We spent some time talking about their approach to music, what inspires the storyline that runs through their sound. As always, we can’t help but talk about pizza too.Void The LightCheck out their musicFollow on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, SpotifyFans With BandsSubscribe to Fans With Bands on your favorite podcast service such as Apple, Youtube, Spotify, Audible, or Amazon Music. Be sure to rate the show and please send us feedback. We would love to hear from you.You can also follow Fans With Bands on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and BlueskyFor samplings of music by artists featured on Fans With Bands, check out our playlist on Spotify Get full access to Fans With Bands at fanswithbands.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Chuck and Nuno are talking about 1984. Not the dystopian novel by George Orwell, but the Metal Storm listing of top metal albums for 1984. We worked our way from the bottom to the top provide our commentary and metal memories along the way .1984 - Metal Roundup* #20: Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead* A long-time favorite of Chuck and a new edition for Nuno. A great heavy album which leans into doom territory.* Kick ass cover art by Michael Whelan which is from the Michael Moorcock fantasy book Bane Of The Black Sword which is near and dear to Chuck’s heart (Check out Battalion playing Bane Of The Black Sword)* #19: Queensrÿche - The Warning* The last album before the band turns up the progressive jams and storytelling such as 1986’s Rage for Order and the highly acclaimed Operation: Mindcrime.* We share some laughs about the video “Take Hold of the Flame” which is pretty cheesy, but we love it..* #17: Q5 - Steel the Light* Neither of us had a clue about this band. Evidently, Floyd Rose was in the band.* We gave it a quick listen. Nuno compares them to bands like Quartz, Sword, Y&T, and Praying Mantis—groups that often fell into that hazy middle ground between heavy metal and hard rock.* #17: Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers* A damn fine rock album by Deep Purple featuring Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, and Ian Gillan.* It features some of their biggest hits, including “Knocking at Your Back Door” and “Perfect Strangers,” alongside underrated tracks like “Under the Gun,” “Mean Streak,” and “Wasted Sunsets”.* We get off track chatting about the album Burn and the killer drumming of Ian Paice.* #16: Van Halen - 1984* Both of us dig the album, beside the lame ass tune: “Jump”. “Panama,” and “Hot for Teacher,” are great hard rockers. The album also features fantastic deep cuts like “Top Jimmy,” “Drop Dead Legs,” and “I’ll Wait”.* Nuno shares some trivia: The closing track, “House of Pain,” was actually reworked from early demos produced by Gene Simmons when the band first signed to Warner Brothers.* Nuno (a fountain of trivia) also shared that many songs on their later reunion album, A Different Kind of Truth, were also built from older, unreleased demo riffs that David Lee Roth wrote new lyrics for.* #15: Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction* Both of us never got into this band, so there you go.* #14: Manowar - Hail to England* This is Nuno’s favorite Manowar album.* Standout tracks for Nuno include “Blood of my Enemies,” “Each Dawn I Die,” “Black Arrows,” and “Bridge of Death”.* Chuck is not really into Manowar, but to each their own.* #13: Trouble - Psalm 9* This band rules and this album is quintessential doom metal putting them alongside bands like Saint Vitus and Witchfinder General.* #12: Omen - Battle Cry* Sure they sound a bit like Maiden, but still a damn fine album. Although Nuno digs The Curse a bit more.* #11: Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force* An album we both agree changed the face of metal guitar playing.* Chuck shares the time he saw Yngwie live around 1984 or 1985 in a room packed exclusively with “guitar nerds”. It was a sweaty sausage fest.* #10: Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry* The album that put Twisted Sister on the map with “I Wanna Rock” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It,”. Great tunes, but don’t forget “Horror-Teria,” “Burn in Hell,” and “The Beast”.* #9: Scorpions - Love at First Sting* A decent album, but it’s not Blackout.* The album has some massive hits like “Still Loving You” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” alongside tracks like “Bad Boys Running Wild,” “I’m Leaving You,” and “Big City Nights”, but it’s still not Blackout* #8: Warlord - And The Cannons of Destruction Have Begun* Neither of us were really familiar with this band. We’ve put it on our “Listen To Later” list.* #7: W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P.* You either dig this band or you don’t. Chuck isn’t a fan, but Nuno can get behind a few tunes.* #6: Dio - The Last in Line* Dio with Vivian Campbell kicks ass. “We Rock”, “Egypt”, and “I Speed at Night” kick ass. Although this album doesn’t quite have the punch of Holy Diver.* #5: Metal Church - Metal Church* Metal Church! What more do you need! A classic line-up and still a killer album.* #4: Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith* It’s Priest, but sort of lacks consistency and punch. The song lyrics are a hoot. Check out Rob Halford’s autobiography Confess for the inside scoop.* #3: Mercyful Fate - Don’t Break the Oath* We both agree this album is fine, but doesn’t hold a candle to King Diamond’s Abigail* #2: Iron Maiden - Powerslave* We both agree this is Bruce-era of Maiden at their best.* #1: Metallica - Ride the Lightning* A tough call for both of us on whether this or Master of Puppets is the very best Metallica album. There is no doubt that you can listen to this album anytime and get whiplash. Get full access to Fans With Bands at fanswithbands.substack.com/subscribe