Rock And Roll Confessional

Cover and tribute bands are part of today's musical ambiance. They pick up where the original bands left off. And as many original bands step out of the limelight, tibute bands carry on the music and more. And we thought we would highlight one of the biggest tribute bands in today's interview.

So today, we are stepping into a time machine and heading straight to the heart of Beatlemania. Our guest is not just a performer - he is an absolute master of musical illusion. We are talking with Ron McNeil of The Fab Four, univesally acclaimed at The Ultimate Tibute to the greatest band in rock history.

Founded by Ron McNeil along with Ardy Sarraf, this group has spent almost three decades elevating the art of the tribute band to historic heights. We're talking about an Emmy Award-winning ensemble that doesn't just play the music - they embody it. From their uncanny vocal harmonies down to the hyper-presice details, like bassist Ardy Sarraf completely teaching himself to play the bass left-handed just to perfectly mirror Paul McCartney? They've pack massive venues worldwide, starred in their own hit PBS special, and brought the magic of John, Paul, George & Ringo to entirely new generations.

Whether you're a lifelong fan of the lads from Liverpool or discovering the magic for the first time, get ready for an incredible conversation about gear, grit and what it takes to replicate perfection.

For the show notes and more, visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

In 2019, a chance encounter brought husband-and-wife duo Megan Kane and Dylan Turner together. Soon after, they hit the road full-time in an RV, chansing rock 'n' roll dreams and turning life on the highway into raw, unfiltered music. As Parker Barrow, they channel a high-stakes, ride-or-die energy - though they're chasing musical stardom rather than evading the law. Thier signature sound delivers heavy, propulsive rock grooves, gritty blues, powerhouse vocals, and a healthy dose of outlaw country swagger, drawing inspiration from titans like The Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers and Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Thier second album, Hold The Mash (recently released), catches the band at a major turning point. With Guitarist and musical director Alex Bender pushing the songwriting toward a tighter, heavier, and more deliberate sound, this is an album we instantly fell in love with. Both Rita and CW knew they had to bring this incredible band to your radar.

To see the show notes and more information on the band, please visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Few bands have defined the sound of American melodic rock quite like Night Ranger. From the soaring anthem of "Sister Christian" to the thunderous riffs of "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", and fan favorites like ("You Can Still) Rock In America" the new album's 'Best Of" collection captures the very essence of their decades-long career - now refreshed for 2026.

Hard rock legends Night Ranger are proud to announce their new 'Best Of' album, set for release on August 28th via Frontiers Music Srl. The album features newly remixed and remastered versions of classic hits spanning Night Ranger's illustrious career, alongside some standout tracks from the band's more recrent releases.

In this episode, we chat with founding band member, vocalist and drummer of one of the great rock bands of the 80's, Night Rangers' Kelly Keagy.

For show notes and more information; please visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

In 1997, during Styx's tour, Lawrence Gowan's band performed as a supporting act for Styx at Montreal's Molson Center and Quebec City's Colisee.

Tommty Shaw admired his talent and vibrant stage charisma and called him in May 1999 asking him to tour with them for 53 dates, temporarily replacing their lead singer, Dennis DeYoung who had fallen ill. Lawrence permaentaly replaced the lead singer after the tour.

Styx had long been plagued by differences in artistic inclination. DeYoung's absence created an opportunity for a more premanent restructuring of Styx. Lawrence subsequently became the band's permanent vocalist.

This year, Styx' current tour includes Cheap Trick and later this summer, the "Windy Cities" tour begins with Chicago and Styx.

As always for our show notes, please visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Also we ask that you rate and subscribe the podcast where ever you can.

Our latest guest is Martin Popoff who is the author of over 100 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting , bringing both archival depth and fan-first storytelling. Today we are speaking with Martin about his new book: "KISS '76".

KISS was formed in 1973, and was one of the hardest-working bands in rock, releasing three studio albums and their breakthrough Alive! album in 1974, setting the stage for a true breakthough into superstardom. Fifty years on, Marting frames the band's nonstop momentum in 1976 - two landmark studio albums, a relentless touring schedule, and the birth of the KISS Army fan club.

Written with the fan's eye and the historian's rigor, KISS '76 follows the band around the world into the studio, paring the detailed album analysis with on-the-road reportage and archival discoveries. As Martin puts it in the prolougue, "This is the Story of 1976 by someone with way too much KISS on the brain", A voice that gives the book its affectionate, insider engergy while nebver losing sight of the year's bigger picture.

Show notes and additional episodes can be found on our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Triumph formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1975 after a chance meeting led Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore to embark on a marathon jam session. They immediately decided to form a band and the debut album "Triumph" was released in 1976. With hits like: Lay It On The Line, Magic Power, and Never Surrender, The Canadian power trio stands out as a visionary with soaring melodies and exceptional songs with a postitive perspective and outstanding live shows which propelled vocalist/guitarist Rik Emmett, bas guitarist/keyboardist Mike Levine and vocalist/drummer Gil Moore to stardom.

It's been 30 years since the band has toured together and now, original founding member of the band, Gil Moore, joins us to talk about what it's like to reunite and get ready for this amazing upcoming tour. The band heads out to the East Coast and Canada mid April.

Show notes can be found on our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Over the last week, Southern California lost of the of the great DJs, "Uncle" Joe Benson. Uncle Joe was on KLSX, The Sound, Arrow and 95.5 KLOS. Rita and CW Both worked with Joe for many years. Unfortunately the mystery of life moved Joe onto different pastures in the past week. This is just a very brief show talking about how Joe includenced not only Rita and CW, but the radio listeners.

If you are interested in some of the other interviews we did with DJs that Rita and CW worked with, we suggest that you listen to our show with KLOS' morning show: Mark and Brian or our show with the legendary Steve Downes.

More radio shows can be found on YouTube or where every you find great podcasts!

As the executive producer of KLOS' legendary Mark & Brian Show, Ted Lekas' typical day encouplassed managing talent, publicists, reporters, promotions, researching news stories and celebrity gossip, coordinating ticket give-aways, website promotions and booking guests. He led a daily brainstorming seassion with the team, contributing ideas for new sketches, show segments and events.

The not as typical days were producing events including ten Mark & Brian Christmas Variety Shows, remote broadcasts and live Amphithetare shows that headlined the likes of Bon Jovi, Melissa Etheridge and Foreigner. As Mark Brian have said, "Ted is a world class producer, he solves problems before they happen, his attention to detail is unparalled, and he never gets flustered."

For this holiday season, we thought it would be fun to bring Ted into our studio and discuss his trails and tribulations of putting together the Mark & Brian Christmas Shows and talk about the ups and downs of the highly complicated holiday tradition.

And, as a special bonus, we have added a few Mark & Brian holiday bits to the end of the podcast. So stay through the credits for more fun.

Find show notes which include videos and photos of past Mark & Brian Christmas Variety Shows. plus links to Ted's website (where you can find the many of the live music performances) at: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Rita & CW also featuring Mark & Brian as past guest on the podcast. Listen to those episodes where ever you found this one!

We've got the scoop! First to record it, first to announce it. It's an incredible interview with Derek Smalls, former lead bass player formerly of the band formerly known as Spinal Tap. We have the official announcement! Spinal Tap, which had been together for over 40 years, officially has broken up. Derek is pursuing a solo career with the release of the first of 12 new songs - the first is: R.V.M. (Rear View Mirror). We also get an update on what has happened since the release of "Spinal Tap 2 - The End Continues", including the relationship between Derek and Elton John, the Glue Museum and how the band originally tranistioned from Pop to Heavy Metal. Plus we get to hear about the Saucy Jack musical, the soon to be released live performance at Stonehenge and why Derek, Nigel and David are no longer a band.

Side note: Derek mentions a few musicians that have been previous guests on our podcast, including: Mark Bonilla, Kipp Lennon and a few more. Find those recordings in our archives.

For more information and for show notes, visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Derek's site: https://www.dereksmalls.com

Marc Bonilla is a renowned guitarist, composer, and producer whose dynamic career spans decades across the worlds of rock, film, and television. He first gained recognition touring with Warner Bros. recording artists Toy Matinee and later released three critically acclaimed instrumental guitar albums on Reprise Records: EE Ticket, American Matador, and Celluloid Debris.

A versatile and south-after collaborator, Bonill has performed, recorded and produced with an impressive roster of artists including Asia, Ronnie Montrose, Gamma, Glenn Hughes, Eddie Jobson, Slash, Little Richard, Peter Frampton, Rob Halford, David Coversale, Paul Rodgers, Edgar Winter, Ambrosia, David Pack, Todd Rundgren, Robby Krieger, Don Felder, Sammy Hagar and Tesla, among many others.

In the Realm of film and television, Marc has composed and performed on scores for numersous major motion pictures such as The Bourne Legacy, Iron Man 2, Green Lantern, The Scorpion King, Falling Down, Waterworld, The Replacements, Spiderman 2, Bruce Almighty, ER and many more. He has collaborated with top Hollywood composers including James Newton Howard, John Debney, Joel McNeely, and Snuffy Walden, earning an Emmy nomination in 2001 for his work on David Milch's Big Apple.

For Show notes and more info, visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Also Marc mentions many of our previoius guests that you may want to hear those interviews, including Lee Sklar, Glenn Hughes, Kipp Lennon, Peter Frampton, Robby Krieger and more. Find those interviews where ever you found this one!

More info on Marc's site: https://marcbonillamusic.com/

Few Metal bands havwe achieved Iron Maiden's enduring success - across popularity, musical integrity, and live performance power. Daniel Bukszpan's new book, Iron Maiden At 50, captures this extraordinary five-decade journey in full. Equal parts biography and anniversary tribute, the book chronicles Maiden form inception to global metal juggernaut via 50 pivotal moments that shaped the band's influence and legacy. They story is told indepth, via the landmark albums, historic tours, line up shifts and behind-the-scenes decisioins through the decades.

Daniel's book is more than a timeline - it's a deep dive into Maiden's unmatched drive, evolution, and artistic conviction. From pub gigs to packed stadiums across six continents, Iron Maiden at 50 explores how a working-class band from London became one of the most influencital forces in metal.

For show notes and more information, visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

We also have two other interviews with Daniel in our archives including: his books: "Ozzy at 75" and "Rush at 50"

Original release date: September 20, 2025.

Jerry Harrison is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. He launched is professional career with the pironeering band The Modern Lovers, before joining the iconic new wave group Talking Heads as their keyboards and guitarist. In 2002, Jerry was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads.

One of the band's most celebrated achievements is Stop Making Sense, the groundbreaking 1984 concert film directed by Jonathan Demme and excutive produced by longtime manager Gary Kurfirst. Filmed over four nights at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood during tthe Speaking In Toungues tour, it remains a high watermark in live performance cinema.

Now, Stop Making Sense is back - newly restored in 4K and returning to the theatres with a special twist: each screening features a live appearance by Jerry himself. He kicks things off with personal insight and behind-the-scenes stories followed with a live audience QandA.

We had the incredible opporutnity to sit down with Jerry to talk about this exciting new tour, which just kicked off earlier this month.

For show notes and more information, visit our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Talking Heads fans, please see our previous shows, one which includes a great interview with Talking Heads drummer, Chris Frantz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRo9aDR3Ay0&t=86s

Today we are honored to share a rare and special conversation with one of Los Angeles' original punk icons - Exene Cervenka of the band X. As the co-lead vocalist, a core songwriter, poet, and artist, Exene has helped define a genre and inspire generations.

X Began shaking up the music scene nearly 50 years ago, and now, after decades of groundbresaking work, they're preparing to take their final bow. Their farewell album, Smoke & Fiction, dropped last year to critical acclaim - and now John Doe, Billy Zoom, DJ Bonebreak and Exene are hitting the road one last time with their final tour kicking off September 19th, joined by the legendary Los Lobos.

Side note: we have two other archived interviews featuring John Doe of X and Steve Berlin of Los Lobos.

Find our show notes and more information on our website: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

When people talk about the great rock vocalists of all time, several familiar and redundant names will always appear, like Ronnie James Dio, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Chris Cornell and others.

One name that appears on those same lists is Rock And Roll Hall of Famer, Glenn Hughes, known for his work in Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze, Black Country Communion, and as a solo artist.

We were lucky enough to speak with him about the new record, upcoming confirmed projects with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Joe Bonamassa, as well as what it was like to play Cal Jam I in Ontario and his thoughts on loosing his friend Ozzy Osbourne the prior week.

Original air date: August 1, 2025

First off, we highly reccomend that you listen to part one before you listen to this half of the interview.

If you've ever wondered what it's like to work in the rock and roll business at the highest level, this guest has the answers to all of your questions.

Paul Rappaport started out as just a regular guy from Southern California - someone who loved ledgendary concerts and played guitar in his own band. But as fate would have it, a recommendation led him to apply for a college rep position at Columbia Records, and he only moved up from there.

In the episode, Paul tells incredible stories about the Rolling Stones (Ron Wood & Keith Richards), Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Elvis Costello and more.

Paul just released his critically acclaimed book, "Gliders Over Hollywood" and he is happy to share many of those stories on this episode of our podcast.

For more information and to view the show notes, visit: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Original release date: July 17, 2025

If you have ever wondered what it was like to work in the rock and roll business at the highest level, our latest guest will be able to answer many of your questions.

Paul Rappaport was just a regular guy growing up in Southern California, who enjoyed seeing legendary concerts and even playing guitar in his own band.

As fate would have it, someone recommended that he apply for a job as a college rep for Columbia Records. He got the job and before long he was using his creativity and love for music to help elevate the careers of Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and even stalwart label mates, like Tony Bennett and Bob Dylan.

Paul just release is critically acclaimed book, "Gliders over Hollywood - Airships, Airplay and the Art of Rock Promotion". The book is available everywhere including Amazon and your local book stores!

For more information or to see the show notes, visit: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Original release date: June 19, 2025

Formed in Los Angeles' lengendary Sunset Strip in 1985, Guns N' Roses quickly rose from the gritty club scene to become one of the biggest acts in rock music - achieving massive commercial success and becoming a top live draw in under three years. Along the way, their meteoric rise was matched by no shortage of controversy, internal conflict, and headline-making moments.

In the book "Guns N' Roses at 40", acclaimed rock historian and author Martin Popoff explores 40 priotal moments that shaped the band's legacy - from their formation and breakout success to major tours, iconic releases, creative partnerships, internal struggles, and everthing in between.

We were thrilled to be speaking with Martin Popoff about his new book. With over 100 titles to his name on topics ragning from hard rock and heavy metal to classic rock and vinyl collection, Martin's work includes Rush" The Illustrated History, Led Zeppelin: Song By Song, Pink Floyd: Album by Album, Bowie at 75, AC/DC at 50, KISS at 50 and more. He also contributed to the award-winning docuemtaries Rush: Beyond the LIghted Stage and ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas.

For more information or to see the show notes, visit: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Original release date: June 3, 2025

This interview we welcome an old friend back into the studio - someone who's been part of the soundtrack of our lives for decades, It's JR Richards, fromerly of Dishwalla.

JR began his career as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the iconice alternative rock band Dishwalls. The bands' debut album "Pet Your Friends" dropped in 1995, and it didn't take long for them to make waves. In 1996, The Richards-penned 'Counting Blue Cars" hit #1 earning JR a Billboard Music Award for Top Mainstream Rock Track of the Year.

But that was just the beginning. JR has been producing music since the '90s not only for Dishwalla but also for this own solo projects and a slew of TV shows. You might've heard his work on series like One Tree Hill, How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds and he even contributed twenty songs to the reboot of Baywatch in 2017.

Now, JR is gearing up to release his 10th studio album (5th solo), "My Darkest Hour", expected in the next few months. So we're thrilled to sit down and talk about it, along with his journey through music and all the incredible milestones along the way.

For more information or to see the show notes, visit: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Original release date: May 1, 2025

A pioneer and one of the first aritsts ever inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, Dion DiMucci first rose to fame with his group Dion & The Belmonts, before becoming a solo sensation with iconic hits like The Wanderer, Runaround Sue and many more. His influence on American music spans more than six decades - and he's still going strong.

Earlier this year, Dion co-authored a powerful and deeply personal new book with his longtime friend Adam Jablin. It's titled: Dion - The Rock N Roll Philosopher: Conversations on LIfe, Recovery, Faith 7 music. In it, Dion opens up about his incredible journey - his struggles and triumphs, his faith, and his unwavering passion for music.

In our conversation, we'll talk about the new book, his decision to give up his seat on the plane with Buddy Holly, his path to sobriety, wisdom he gained from Sam Cooke, and the lessons He's leanred across a lifetime in music.

Check out our show notes at; https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks

Original air date: April 3, 2025

One of the greatest rock bands in our generation was REO Speedwagon. At the beginning of this year, we received word that REO was officially no longer. But that doesn't mean that guitarist, song writter and lead vocalist Kevin Cronin is stopping. We had the opportunity to speak with Kevin not only about his upcoming tour (with many of the REO family members), but we spoke about his dad being in World War II, why REO broke up, how Stephen Stills is one of his all time heroes and a hint of his new book.

For more information or to see the show notes, visit: https://www.rockandrollconfessional.rocks