Take a closer look at Queen's epic song with John and Stewart. With aggressive guitars, rich vocal harmonies, and an over-the-top premise, the track is classic Queen. Ogre Battle also marks a pivotal moment in the band's evolution, as their recordings reached a new level under the guidance of producer Roy Thomas Baker ..read more

In this episode, I sit down with Grammy winning producer and engineer Kevin Killen. We first interviewed Kevin in episodes 46 and 47, where he talks about his career in recording studios from Dublin to NYC, and working with Peter Gabriel, Kate bush, U2, Elvis Costello, and a host of others. If you haven’t already, go check ‘em out. Since then, Kevin has moved to his personal studio, and is teaching as an adjunct professor at the NYU Clive Davis Institute and Steinhardt School. He’s also been busy working with the likes of Tony Levin and Cara Dillon, and recording drum sample packs for Toontrac ..read more

David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" stands as perhaps the pinnacle of his theatrical ambitions - and it's this week's Record of the Week. Join John and Stewart and learn about the impressive band behind the recording - Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Woody Woodmansey plus Yes's Rick Wakeman on piano! If you've seen “The Life Aquatic” with Steve Zissou, then you're in for a treat as Stewart reminisces about remixing "Life on Mars?" for the film.   ..read more

In this special episode, we pay homage to an artist who’s a Member of the rock and roll hall of fame, has won Seven Grammys out of 38 nominations, sold over 150 million albums worldwide, with three of those in the Grammy hall of fame. In their almost 40-year career they’ve played almost 1500 concerts, released 38 albums, have a supposedly endless vault of unreleased material, and have nonetheless remained an enigma. We’re talking about the one, the only, Prince. Listen in as we talk to the engineers who worked most closely with Prince in the studio on seminal albums across different eras of hi ..read more

Paul Prestopino was a musician, inventor, and technician with a long and varied career. From 1970 until its closure in 1989, Paul was a technician at the Record Plant in NYC, a venerated studio that helped produce an endless stream of hit records and launched dozens of careers for the engineers and producers that worked there. While working at the studio, Paul, known to everyone as “Presto,” was charged with the maintenance and care of the recording equipment, but he also played on dozens of albums for bands like Aerosmith, The Hooters, Alice Cooper, Slade, and Edgar Winter. He was also an int ..read more

Our guest is Doug Wimbish, one of the most renowned bass players of all time, known for his work with a wide range of artists, including Living Colour, Tackhead, Sugarhill Gang, Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, and many more. He is also the founder of WimBash, a series of community-based charity events supporting music education. In this episode, John and Stewart talk with Doug about his extraordinary journey through the music industry. They discuss topics such as his start at All Platinum Records, the birth of Sugar Hill Records, recording "Rapper's Delight", his life-changing encounter with Jaco P ..read more

To celebrate Bob Dylan’s birthday, we’ve compiled a special Gear Club episode that offers a behind the scenes look into Dylan’s Life and music. Bob has been described as a shape-shifter, a song and dance man, and the Shakespeare of our time. Over his 60 plus year career, he’s written more than 500 songs that have been covered by over 2,000 artists. He’s played nearly 4,000 concerts. He’s won 38 Grammys, an Oscar, and a Nobel prize in literature. But who is this guy? What’s he like to work with? Listen in as Chris Shaw, David Mansfield, Toby Scott, and Steve Addabbo share their recollections of ..read more

Producer and Engineer William Wittman was one of our early guests in 2017 with a two parter, Episodes #15 and #16, where he discussed making seminal records with Cindy Lauper, Joan Osborne, and The Outfield, his time coming up through NYC recording studios, and his work/prank relationship with our very own John Agnello. In this episode, I catch up with Bill about making records with his band Too Much Joy, drum mic techniques, the things we like about in the box mixing, and working at the famed Van Gelder studio in Englewood, NJ ..read more

In this episode, John and Stewart sit down with producer, engineer, musician, song writer, studio owner, and the Godfather of Jangle Pop, the one and only, Mitch Easter. Mitch has always been and continues to be a staple of the Indie Rock scene in North Carolina and beyond. First operating out of Drive in Studio located in his parents' garage, and in 1994 moving to his current studio, the Fidelitorium. Mitch has worked with a laundry list of seminal artists, including R.E.M., Helium, Pavement, Wilco, Ben Folds Five, Pylon, and Polvo. He’s also an active musician and writer, releasing music for ..read more

In this episode, we’re delighted to talk with industry legend, Thom Panunzio. Getting his start as an assistant at NYC’s Record Plant, Thom went on to work in every facet of the music business. He’s produced, mixed, and engineered albums for Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Joan Jett, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith just to name a few. He helped design The Hit Factory in NYC, A&M Studios in LA, and the Thom Thom Club in Santa Monica, and was the Executive VP for Universal Music and head of A&R at Geffen Records for many years. Thom talks with John and St ..read more