My Weekly Mixtape: Music Discovery & Nostalgia

This week, I’m skanking my way through 10 ska punk cover songs for you to sink your checkerboard Vans into. From ska punk bands reinventing pop hits, to up-and-coming acts taking swings at ska and punk classics — it’s all stitched together by that unmistakable upstroke rhythm and pure “pick it up” energy. From basement-show singalongs to Warped Tour staples, ska bands have been flipping familiar songs on their heads for decades — and somehow making us love tracks we already knew even more. Sometimes the covers land with a tongue firmly planted in cheek. Sometimes they’re heartfelt love letters. And sometimes… they flat-out replace the original version in our brains.So stretch your calves and lace up tight — it’s time to skank through a full-tilt celebration of ska punk cover songs. The pit awaits!Thank you to mixtaper Joe for emailing in this weeks’ suggestion!Photo Credit: Jens Thekkeveettil🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

There’s a story behind the name Parker Barrow — and it’s not just a nod to Bonnie and Clyde.This week, Megan Kane and Dylan Turner join me to unpack how that outlaw-inspired identity connects to a very real journey — one built less on romance and more on survival. From living in an RV and scraping by, to finding clarity and momentum as a band, this is a conversation about what it actually takes to build something that lasts.We get into Hold the Mash, a record that balances grit, humor, and some surprisingly heavy themes — and why that contrast matters. Megan and Dylan also open up about the pressure of modern validation culture, the push-and-pull of social media, and how songs like “Blinded” challenge the very system artists are expected to succeed in.Along the way, we talk about growth since Jukebox Gypsies, the band’s extended studio take on the Black Crowes’ “My Morning Song,” what’s changed on the road, and the moment things started to feel real — not just hopeful.If you’ve ever wondered what happens between the struggle and the spotlight — this is that story.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

This week, I’m digging into 10 songs that all run 10+ minutes — and somehow never feel like it. These are the tracks that keep unfolding, shifting, and pulling you forward just enough that the clock stops mattering. No meandering. No “this could’ve been trimmed” moments. Just long songs that know exactly what they’re doing.Spanning the rock spectrum — classic rock, metal, punk, prog, and alternative — this episode moves from slow-burn epics to full-on journeys that reward patience without testing it. Whether it’s a riff that refuses to wear out, a story that keeps adding new chapters, or a structure that constantly reinvents itself, these songs make a strong case that length isn’t a problem — it’s whether the music earns every minute.If you’ve ever looked down at a track timer and thought, wait, that song was how long? — this episode’s for you.Thank you to mixtaper Jenn for emailing in this weeks’ suggestion!🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

There are moments in life that feel too strange to be real — the kind you replay just to make sure they actually happened. This is one of those stories.On Saturday, June 17, 2000, during Poison’s Power to the People tour at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, I went from the crowd… to on stage with Poison.One minute I’m watching a rock concert. The next, I’ve got Bret Michaels’ microphone in my hand, singing KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” in front of thousands of people.It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t staged. It wasn’t something I ever thought I’d experience at a Poison concert.Since this was before everyone had a camera in their pocket—I have no footage, no photos, and no proof in the modern sense of proof. Just an unused Rikki Rockett drumstick… and one witness who was there with me.In this episode, I’m telling the full story of what it was like to end up on stage with Poison, how it happened, and why moments like this don’t quite fit inside normal memory — especially when it comes to live rock concert stories.If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like when the line between fan and performer disappears at a rock show… this one’s for you.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

This week, we're revisiting my feature-length interview with Tom Keifer, legendary Cinderella frontman, as he reflects on the band's enduring legacy, his acclaimed solo career, and the challenges that nearly ended it.In this in-depth conversation, Tom shares the stories behind his critically acclaimed solo albums The Way Life Goes (2013) and Rise (2019), offering insight into his songwriting process, musical influences, and the transition from Cinderella frontman to solo artist. He also opens up about his long and difficult battle with vocal cord paralysis—a challenge that nearly ended his career—and the determination it took to rebuild his voice and return to the stage.We also dive into the story behind the 2017 re-recording of Cinderella's iconic hit "Nobody's Fool," featuring Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, along with so much more from across the Cinderella catalog and Tom's ongoing musical journey.Honest, thoughtful, and full of great stories, this conversation is a deep dive into resilience, reinvention, and legacy—or, as Tom would say—one for rock and roll.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

There’s a moment every parent (or anyone who’s been around kids long enough) recognizes — a song that gets played over and over again… and somehow doesn’t wear out its welcome. That space — where something clicks for kids and doesn’t lose the room for the adults — is harder to pull off than it sounds. And it’s exactly where Laurie Berkner has lived for decades.This week, she joins me to talk about her new album, Walking With The Penguins — her first full collection of original songs in five years — and what it actually takes to make music that connects with kids without ever talking down to them.We get into the push and pull behind songs that invite movement (especially when kids are being told to sit still), how interactivity becomes part of the songwriting itself, and why the best children’s music often works on a level that goes way beyond what people expect.But what really stuck with me is something you don’t always think about — her audience is constantly changing. Kids grow up, new ones come in, and the cycle just keeps going. We talk about what that feels like as an artist… and what it means to create songs that live in someone’s earliest memories, even if they age out of them later.It’s a conversation about craft, longevity, and a kind of musical impact that doesn’t always get talked about enough.Photo Credit: Jayme Thornton🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

Most people remember their first concert. I’ve talked about mine more than a few times — David Lee Roth and Poison on the 1988 Skyscraper tour. But the second one hits differently for a lot of people.For me, it was Aerosmith and Skid Row on the Pump tour in 1990. I was 12, standing there completely wide-eyed, when Skid Row tore into “Piece of Me” and something just clicked — that bass line. That moment revealed how much attitude and power could live in the low end, and it played a big role in me picking up a bass.This week, I’m joined by Rachel Bolan of Skid Row to talk about his debut solo record Gargoyle of the Garden State. We get into the DNA of the album — how it leans into his punk influences while still reflecting decades of defining Skid Row’s sound — and what punk really means when you strip it down to attitude over genre. We also talk about creative freedom after years in a band with a defined identity, and what it means to step outside that without losing your voice.The conversation also covers collaboration, as Gargoyles features appearances from Corey Taylor, Nuno Bettencourt, Danko Jones, Steve Conte, Damon Johnson as well as contributions from fellow Skid Row bandmates — and how outside voices can either elevate a track or shift its intent. And, as a longtime obsession of mine, we dig into cover songs, ranging from Skid Row’s “Psycho Therapy” to Bolan’s take on Oasis’ “Rock & Roll Star,” and the balance between honoring an original and making it your own.A conversation about influence, identity, and the long arc of music that started with a bass line in 1990 that still echoes today.Photo Credit: Anabel DFlux🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

Upbeat dance classics, pop anthems and heavier rock songs give you one feeling — but what happens when you slow them down, strip them back, and see what lies beneath the surface? This week on My Weekly Mixtape, I explore why slow cover songs often hit harder than the originals, taking familiar pop, rock, and dance hits and reshaping them into something far more intimate.Across 10 mellow cover versions, I look at how tempo, space, and vocal delivery can completely transform the meaning of a song you thought you already knew. Does a feel-good pop anthem still work when it’s turned into a ballad? Can slowing things down turn energy into vulnerability, or nostalgia into an emotional gut punch?Whether it’s the power of hearing lyrics without a driving beat, revisiting songs from a different stage of life, or discovering new emotional weight in familiar words, this episode dives into how slowed-down covers create intimacy, expose hidden emotion, and in some cases become the definitive version.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

Can you narrow 25 years of dance classics into 10 songs? Nice try if you say it's easy!This week, Jay Sweet joins me to dive into the tracks that kept crowds moving from the early 2000s straight through today — ten songs that shaped twenty-five years of parties, playlists, wedding receptions, late-night drives, and every moment in between.We’re looking at the hooks, the beats, and the cultural waves that turned these songs into staples, exploring how dance music evolved over the last quarter century. Whether you’re chasing nostalgia or discovering these eras for the first time, this countdown is your guided tour through twenty-five years of pure energy.Get ready to hit the dance floor with two guys who couldn't dance if we tried!🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

Is there such a thing as a Rush deep cut? To the diehards, absolutely not — but that shouldn’t stop us from trying! As the band gears up for their long-anticipated Fifty Something anniversary tour, I am throwing back to an episode where I was the guest, and joined Steve & Gerry on the Something For Nothing: A Rush Fancast.In this discussion, we set out to celebrate the overlooked corners of one of the most iconic catalogs in rock history, and wrack our brains to come up with five not-so-popular-but-definitely-should-be Rush songs each — tracks that may not dominate classic rock radio but reveal the band’s depth, ambition, and evolution.No hits. No concert staples. From early prog explorations to later-era experimentation, this episode dives into underrated Rush songs, forgotten fan favorites, and deep album cuts that showcase the brilliance of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Whether it’s intricate musicianship, storytelling, or emotional weight hiding beneath the surface, these songs remind us why Rush’s legacy continues to grow fifty years on.Whether you’re a lifelong Rush obsessive, gearing up to see them on this tour, or a newer listener curious about what lies beyond the hits, this episode is a love letter to Rush deep cuts — the riffs, the risks, and the moments that still reward close listening decades later.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

Few artists soundtrack the open road quite like Tom Petty. From radio-dominant anthems to overlooked gems hiding deeper in the catalog, his songs feel engineered for long stretches of highway, glowing dashboards, and miles that slip by unnoticed.This 10-song Tom Petty road trip playlist brings together the familiar hits you instinctively reach for and the lesser-known tracks that hit just as hard. It’s the natural extension of the idea I first teased in my “Moonlit Miles: 10 After-Hours Songs to Fuel That Solo Late-Night Drive” episode — trading isolation for motion, and reflection for momentum.Whether you’re driving solo after dark, chasing daylight across state lines, or just craving music that understands the pull of freedom and restlessness, this mix is built for the journey. Press play, settle in, and let Mr. Petty handle the miles.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

Thirty years after Ledbetter Heights first introduced Kenny Wayne Shepherd to the world, we circle back — not just to revisit the songs, but to understand what happens when you’ve lived with them for decades. From the raw instinct of a 17-year-old finding his voice to the perspective that only time, touring, and life can bring, this conversation digs into how those early recordings hold up — and where they’ve evolved.We get into the musicians behind the music — both then and now — and the subtle ways one can reshape something familiar without breaking what made it connect in the first place.There’s a closer look at how certain songs have grown onstage, why some moments are better left live, and what it means to revisit that youthful energy all these years later.And for anyone who found their way in through “Deja Voodoo,” “Born With A Broken Heart” or “Why We Cry,” or has spent years with the entire album in rotation, this discussion is about more than just a milestone — it’s about how music lives within us, and why some records never really leave us.Photo Credit: Jim Arbogast🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

Working in network radio in the early 2000s was a nonstop rollercoaster—long, unpredictable hours, the constant pressure of a 24/7 operation, and a news cycle that could reshape your entire life in an instant. But on the flip side, it also meant crossing paths with the biggest names in music, movies, and television as they moved through studios to appear on stations across the country.This is one of those moments.It’s the story of my brush with greatness—the time I almost backed into B.B. King, who happened to be moving between studios holding his guitar, Lucille. What happened next was a split second interaction that I’ll never forget, and a reminder that legends don’t just exist on stage—they carry themselves that way in real life, too.B.B. King has always been a musical icon to me, but on this day in 2000, he became something more: a living legend, right in front of me.And Lucille was every bit as glorious in person as you could ever imagine.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/

It’s been a few years since Amanda Lyberg of Eva Under Fire last stopped by — and this time, the stakes feel different.This week, we dig into Villinous, a record that doesn’t just evolve the band’s sound, but reframes it — leaning hard into identity, perception, and what it really means to take back labels that were never meant to empower.A big part of that conversation centers around the title track, featuring Maria Brink of In This Moment — and how her presence doesn’t just elevate the song, but adds a whole new layer of intensity and perspective to its message.Across the album, you can hear the tension between individuality and expectation — how personal reflection collides with social media, pressure, and a world that rarely lets you slow down long enough to process any of it.We also get into the band’s sonic shift — what changed, what didn’t, and how those choices show up in the music — along with a really honest look at balancing life as both an artist and a therapist, and how that dual perspective shapes the songs in a way you might not expect.There’s a lot packed into this one — introspection, real-world perspective, and the kind of behind-the-scenes insight that gives these songs much more weight once you hear them.🎙️ LEARN MORE🎵 Hear the Playlists / Browse the Catalog:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com⁠💬 Join the Mixtaper Community (Patreon):⁠ https://patreon.com/myweeklymixtape⁠🌐 Connect on Social:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/social-media⁠📧 Email the Show / Contact:⁠ https://myweeklymixtape.com/contact⁠👕 Shop MWM Gear: https://myweeklymixtape-shop.fourthwall.com/