No, that is not a typo. When I cracked open the July 2025 issue of Guitar World (Vol. 46, Issue No. 7), I initially read the headline as ‘Brian May’ and thought, “Wow, he has been getting a lot of press lately.” Upon closer inspection, I realized it actually said ‘McCartney’s Brian Ray’. It […]
The Doors were the hottest band in the summer of 1967. Like a lot of bands who record a massive breakout album, people assume they spontaneously appeared on the radio without really knowing their backstory. To me, a band’s backstory is key to how they get on the radio and become ‘the next big […]
AstroCal – July 2025 On the morning of July 1, 2025, Venus will be shining brightly in the eastern sky in the hour before sunrise. Shining at magnitude -4-4, it will not be hard to find. On July 4, the much dimmer object just 2.4 degrees above Venus will be Uranus. Jupiter (mag -1.9) […]
Late in May, I got a sonic treat of epic proportions when Gary Tanin, our friend at Daystorm Music in Milwaukee, sent us an early copy of Peggy James’ new album. First the disclaimer – I have had the opportunity to preview several of Peggy’s albums. With each and every one of them, I […]
On February 28, 1980, AC/DC played the last date of the tour that introduced both their album Back in Black and their new singer, Brian Johnson, to the world. It had been one year and a day since they played their last show with singer Bon Scott. The concert a few nights earlier, (February […]
Back in April of 2025, we presented some highlights of General Chuck Yeager’s exploits from his West Virginia childhood up through his historic flight that broke the sound barrier for the first time (FTV: Chuck Yeager 4-23-25). This condensed version of his story touched on his time as a fighter pilot and at the time, […]
From the Vaults: Knockdown Gigs When my high school band, The Twig, broke up the summer after graduation, I made the conscious decision to not get into another band until after my freshman year at Northern Michigan University. After working at the Huron Mountain Club in the summer of 1971, I knew working there […]
The Bangles had a lot going for them when they broke into the big time in the 1980s. One burden they did not have to carry was that of being the first all female rock band (see Vixen, The Runaways, The Go-Gos, etc). Earlier all-female rock bands were viewed as a novelty and most […]
Just a couple of housekeeping updates before we get to the task at hand – namely installing our new tower bays so we can get back to broadcasting off our tower. We will still be posting on the website while off the air until the All-School Reunion at the end of July, but feel […]
For the record, I hate ‘no shows’. You know, when a band decides to cancel a show for some reason. I have no problem if it happens because someone falls ill or is having a family emergency. Canceling a show due to a hangnail or slow ticket sales is another thing altogether. While a […]