Big Al's Rockin' Podcast

In this interview, Derek Shulman discussed his life journey from his Scottish upbringing to becoming a successful musician and later music industry executive. He shared his experiences with various bands, including Simon Dupree and the Big Sound and Gentle Giant, and detailed his transition from performing to working in A&R at Polygram Records. Derek reflected on the evolution of the music industry and advised emerging artists to focus on authenticity rather than fame, while also mentioning his upcoming book "Giant Steps" which explores these themes and the future of music.

This week I had a chat with Francois and Junior from the Canadian hard rock band Atomik Train, who discussed their band's origins, current activities, and upcoming debut album release. The guys shared details about their album launch plans, including physical and digital releases, limited edition merchandise, and upcoming tour dates across Canada and the US.

In this episode I talk with veteran bassist Matt Bissonette, known for his work with legendary acts such as Elton John, Ringo Starr, and Rick Springfield. We discussed the formation and evolution of his band, The Squirts, including their musical influences, songwriting process, and recent album release. They touched on technical aspects of music production, such as digital audio workstations, and explored the thematic content, highlighting their lighthearted approach and influences, of the band's latest album. The conversation also covered future plans for touring, vinyl releases, and where fans can find The Squirts' music online.

In this conversation, Chandler, a member of the Foreigner tribute band Double Vision, discusses their new album of original material, which was released on July 11th. The band's journey into original music was driven by their goal to establish Double Vision as a benchmark for tribute bands, with half of the album co-written by a Swedish songwriter. Chandler explains their approach to balancing tribute shows with original work, discusses the challenges of competing with the original band Foreigner, and shares insights about their performance style and online presence.

Black Note Graffiti's Kris Keller discussed the band's history, their latest album "Resist the Divide," and musical influences in this conversation. The album's theme revolves around life's struggles and the importance of resilience, drawing from the band members' personal experiences. Kris also shared details about their upcoming performance at the MileOfMusic.com Festival and hinted at future shows to be announced on their website.

Musician and songwriter Rachel Lipsky and I discussed her experiences with Armed Forces Entertainment tours and discussed her career in the music industry, including her songwriting process, challenges as an independent artist, and musical influences. She highlighted her work with the Charlie and Hazel Daniel Veterans and Family Center at MTSU and discussed upcoming music releases and dream collaborations.

This week I speak with author and editor Gary Graff about his recently released book "501 Essential Albums of the '80s." We discuss the process for creating this book, along with "501 Essential Albums of the '90s," including the challenges of selecting albums and organizing the content. The conversation also covers Gary's career as a music journalist.

Here's an apology and a quick update about why I've been absent lately.

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.