Big Al's Rockin' Podcast

Selena discussed her book about Alanis Morissette's groundbreaking album "Jagged Little Pill," which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. She explored the album's creation, Alanis' background as a pop and child star, and the album's massive success with 33 million copies sold worldwide. Selena revealed that she was surprised by Alanis's love for the movie Grease and her experiences and challenges as a child star, which she believes influenced her later work. We also briefly discussed the challenges faced by other child stars like Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes.

In this episode I talked with Aaron Camaro about CHW Pro Wrestling and his career in the wrestling entertainment industry, including his experiences as a ring announcer, commentator, and writer. We explored the art of professional wrestling, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, character development, and engaging narratives in creating successful wrestling events. Aaron shared insights into his writing process, challenges faced in producing wrestling shows, and the growth of CHW Pro Wrestling. Aaron talks about a couple great wrestling storylines as well as talking about one that didn't have the anticipated the impact. The episode concludes with an announcement of an upcoming CHW event.

My concert buddy Bryan Harris and I discuss our recent trip to Beaver Dam, Kentucky, to see The Gene Simmons Band with openers The Iron Maidens. We also shared our thoughts on the venue (Beaver Dam Amphitheater), each band's set list, as well as Gene's music career and merchandise sales.

While at Nashville ROCKNPOD 2025, I took a few minutes and spoke with Alan Rueda of Stone Whiskey. He spoke a little about their second album "Scream for Rock," music videos on their YouTube page, musical influences, their upcoming show in June at the "Leather and Lace Festival" in Sparta, NC, and a potential 2026 event.

This week I had a chat with Nate "Bushy" Atchison from "The Plug Podcast" about our experiences at the recent ROCKNPOD Expo in Nashville. Bushy praised the event's organizer, Tracy McAndrew, for her successful first time in charge, while I praised the Christine Perry, who continues to do excellent work organizing the volunteers who work behind the scenes to keep things running seamlessly. We also discussed our podcasting and radio DJ activities, highlighting our passion for music and broadcasting. Bushy expressed surprise and delight at meeting Tiffany, a celebrity he had admired since his teenage years. He also mentioned that Tiffany was there to sell her clothing brand, Radical Reds, and was very friendly and accommodating.

I spoke briefly with comedienne Courtney Cronin at the recent RockNPod Expo in Nashville, TN. We talked a little about one of my TikTok videos gaining 23,000 views while the next one only received a few. Courtney shares about her dog, Rainey, while I talked about my dog, Buddy, and the challenges of dog-proofing my home. Courtney discussed some upcoming LA shows as well as the upcoming Mountain Music Festival. The conversation touches on my dad jokes on TikTok and Courtney's preference for writing over performing. We close out the conversation humorously discussing microphone covers and promotional items from past events.

Kevin Minnis, founder of Menace Guitars, shared his journey into guitar building, discussing his influences, techniques, and personal experiences. He emphasized the importance of learning from mistakes and encouraged others to pursue their passions in instrument crafting. The conversation concluded with plans for Kevin to lend Allen a prototype bass guitar and give him feedback as a musician.

Jaymi Millard, from the band Applehead, joins me in this episode to discuss the band's history, genre, and recent activities. We talked about Applehead's album releases, upcoming projects, and live performances, including a new song licensed for the Hot Wheels fan film "Hot Wheels AcceleRacers: The Fog Realm" and plans for future shows. Our conversation also covers Jaymi's various musical collaborations and his impressive collection of pink bass guitars.

Author Gillian G. Gaar discussed her book "Queen and A Night at the Opera: 50 Years," detailing her research process and the book's structure, which explores the band's creative peak and rise to stardom. She also touched on other Queen-related projects, including an updated version of a previous book and her experience attending a Queen concert with Adam Lambert. Additionally, Gillian mentioned her other works, including books on Elvis Presley, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Nirvana, and shared information about her current project on Tom Petty, which is expected to be released later this year.

MEGG, a musician with a background in musical theater and pop punk, shared her journey from studying at USC's Thornton School of Music to appearing on "The Voice" and recently moving to Nashville. She discussed her musical influences, style, and experiences in the industry, including her upcoming performances on the "Vans Warped Tour" and the release of her new single "The End." MEGG also shared her plans for future projects and recommended several female artists for Allen's radio show.

Stuart Corden from the Nottingham UK band Blitz discusses their new album 'Kicking Up A Storm' and the sound of the band. They aim to bring back the music that inspired them to play instruments. The album combines classic rock with modern twists and influences. Stuart describes the themes and songs on the album, including a tribute to a friend through music. The band plans to tour in the UK and hopes to expand to Europe and the United States. They are working on a new project to elevate their music further. Stuart highlights the importance of having a supportive team and mentions their social media presence on Facebook for fans to connect and access their music and merchandise.

Kenny Wilkerson is the bassist for Nova Rex, a kick ass rock band that formed in the mid 80s. In this episode we discuss the band's new documentary AIN'T EASY STAYING CHEESY, the follow up to the first documentary AIN'T EASY BEING CHEESY. We also discuss Kenny's cookbook ROCKIN' RECIPES FOR AUTISM, which is an excellent collection of recipes from rockers and others in the music industry. As a bonus, Kenny gives me his unsolicited thoughts on artificial intelligence and musicians turning themselves into avatars. Visit http://www.novarexrocks.com/ for more information about the band.

Anthony White is the singer and songwriter for the band Generation Landslide. In this episode we discuss how the band got its name. We also discuss their most recent album RULING THE STREET SCENE. You can find more about them here: https://www.facebook.com/people/Generation-Landslide/100076124659223/

Jennifer Benson is the singer and songwriter for the Chicago, Illinois band Ignescent. On this episode we discuss their debut album FIGHT IN ME, coming out on November 10, 2023. We talk about the inspiration for the album title along with stories behind some of the song on this album. You can find more information about their album, tour information, and merch by visiting https://ignescentmusic.com/.

Jean Beauvoir is a Haitian-American singer, bassist, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and entertainment executive. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with the punk group the Plasmatics and went on to work with Little Steven, Kiss, the Ramones, and as a solo artist. On this debut episode we will be discussing his 2022 book "Bet My Soul on Rock 'n' Roll: Diary of a Black Punk Icon" along with his recording of "Who Want's To Be Lonely" for the Maria Love Convalescent Fund, and some of the music he wrote and/or produced for other artists.

My name is Allen Tate and I'm pleased to be introducing my new podcast, Big Al's Rockin' Podcast. Don't let the name of the podcast fool you, there's more to this podcast than just rock music. This podcast will bring interviews to you from people from multiple musical genres, comedians, actors, artists, and anyone else that I find interesting. You can find information about me, this podcast, my radio show, and more at BigAlRocks.com. Thanks for giving me some of your time.