The Great Song Podcast

Two powerhouses unite for a double-bill tour, and their first stop is The Great Song Podcast! Edwin McCain and Jon Ondrasik AKA Five For Fighting chat with Rob and JP about the joy of full-band touring, the danger of local beef jerky, the greatness of Van Halen, and so much more.

It's JP's birthday, and we're celebrating with a special episode covering one of the single-most legendary rock tracks in all of history--oh and maybe Rob forgot to do his research.

Random episode drop to celebrate a couple of blues legends doing something very cool together. You'll enjoy their chemistry just as much as ours. Check out "Young Fashioned Ways" available now, and enjoy the shenanigans!

Bad Company and Free drummer Simon Kirke joins us to wrap up the Winter Explosion and this iteration of The Great Song Podcast. Plus: Our rock and roll fantasies, and the "Beautiful Nightmare" that is David Lee Roth.

Rob and JP chat with a recent discovery artist who's fast become a favorite. Plus...Fantastic Cat, Adam Duritz, and sad bananas!

A legendary artist with a massive impact over a minuscule amount of time--Jim Croce finally gets his due on The Great Song Podcast. Episode 4 of our Winter Explosion EP.

Get your feels ready, because Max Carl and .38 Special are coming for ALL of them. Rob and JP chat with then-.38-Special-now-Grand-Funk frontman Max Carl about the song that made the biggest commercial success for the band, why rewrites are a good thing, and his career of amazing work.

Rob and JP gush over one of the most underrated guitarists and songwriters in the world, and chat with the Alvarez-beating, acoustic-slinging madman known as Monte Montgomery.

Back for a good time, but not for a long time--the boys are back and kicking off a new EP season with an absolute smash from one of the greatest rock bands of all time--AC/DC's "Thunderstruck." The man behind the pounding beat of the "Razors Edge" era sits down with us to talk about his time with Angus and Malcom Young and company, his latest release with the Chris Slade Timeline, and much more. Enjoy!

Alright alright alright! Your favorite Guitar Hero track brings our 5-episode EP run to a close--we're talking all things "Slow Ride" with Foghat's Roger Earl! Thanks for hanging with us for a short run of episodes. See you--soon? Your friends, Rob and JP

25 years from the landmark release of her mainstream debut Kansas, Jennifer Knapp returns to the source to release Kansas 25, a re-envisioning of the CCM classic. And she's here to tell us all about the process, her holy grail guitar, and her amazing gas station snack food of choice. Episode 4 of our special 5-episode July 2024 run.

One of the great supergroups and classic rock acts of all time breeds one of our greatest side conversations of all time, and we talk Cream and legacy with Malcolm Bruce, son of Cream's legendary bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce. Episode 3 of our 5-episode limited 2024 EP.

Matt Sorum of Velvet Revolver, Guns 'n Roses, and a million other amazing bands joins us to talk about VR's signature hits, trying to outdo Slash, playing to the song, and his gas station snack food of choice. This is episode 2 of 5 in our limited-run EP return.

The yellow and black attack kicks off our limited-return EP with a holy fury, and we've got frontman Michael Sweet to tell us all his favorite stories about Bible projectiles, angry protestors, and being a shy guy in a loud industry. Enjoy it while it lasts--GSP is back for 5 episodes only!

Surprise!

This is it. After 6+ years, 11 seasons and 275 episodes, the boys are putting the record back in the sleeve. And what better way to say farewell than do wholly dive into one of our longest-running references and in-jokes, Dio's absolutely epic and iconic "Holy Diver." In this nearly two-hour series finale, we'll squeeze the delicious juice from Ronnie James Dio's signature hit, get into his time with Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and more. We'll also dig back into our own history and do all the things one should do when closing up shop--we'll reminisce, hear from a few favorite friends (and a couple new surprises!), and present the Top Five songs we should have ended the show with. What else can we say? Thanks for listening. It's been fun. Share some memories and say goodbye on Facebook or Instagram.

It's the Summer of '99 all over again, and we're shredding your memories with the one and only Mark Tremonti! He's talking with us about his pinball obsession, his new Christmas project, why he abuses his nose live, and of course his favorite gas station snacks. Enjoy! Join us on socials for extended play fun.

One of the greatest rock songs of the 1990s, Everclear's "Santa Monica" gives us shivers of joy every time we hear it! And we've got frontman and songwriter Art Alexakis to chat with us about the song, his favorite rock album, his life of recovery, and much more. Plus: - Unfortunate last names - The Art Alexakis "Yeah" - And our usual shenanigans. Enjoy! facebook.com/greatsongpod instagram.com/greatsongpod

Your favorite new rock band is The Effect, and we can prove it! Fresh off a debut single and moments before a follow-up, we chat with Trev Lukather (yep, son of Toto's Steve) and Nic Collins (yep, son of Phil) about getting together on this next-gen collaboration. You'll hear about using live tracks responsibly, loving work that didn't necessarily end well, and what songs of their progenitors you should be more familiar with, including the Steve Lukather+Eddie Van Halen collaboration that got buried by a record label.

The most overwhelming American Idol winner in history sits in with the boys as our official kickoff of the home stretch of episodes before we call it a day. Phillip Phillips' "Gone Gone Gone" is an energetic frenzy of emotion, and so are we! Buckle up for a deep dive and our usual shenanigans. facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod instagram.com/greatsongpod

We're feeling sentimental as we come toward the end of the show, so we wanted to dedicate this week to our incredible wives (mostly in hope that they'll listen to an episode). And what better song to do it than the syrupy-sweet classic, "You Are The Woman" by Firefall? We'll dig deep, you'll learn about a Moose Call, and in a great interview, Jock Bartley of Firefall will tell us (among other things) about a really grim reality of the record industry we've never heard about before. facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod instagram.com/greatsongpod

One of the all-time "traveling down the dusty old road" songs, a fixture of classic rock radio and biker gangs everywhere, Blackfoot's "Highway Song" has a feel that just won't quit. And we've got Blackfoot founder and long-time Lynyrd Skynyrd lead guitarist Rickey Medlocke to tell us all about it. A great storyteller and affable guy, he'll tell us all about his history with Blackfoot and Skynyrd, his beef with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the importance of honoring his Indigenous heritage, and much more.

Mount Rushmore country group. Mount Rushmore Gospel group. Mount Rushmore beard. What more can we say but Happy Halloween! Enjoy this early drop as you walk random neighborhoods with your kids tonight, and enjoy our coverage of the Oak Ridge Boys classic, "Elvira!"

Fresh off an album release and listening party experience, Rob and JP sit down with favorite guest artist Dave Barnes, who just dropped his Beatles-infused album, Featherbrained Wealth Motel, for one last romp before we close up shop. We'll get all the insight, have all the laughs, and as a bonus, we're each bringing our Top 5 Pop Choruses to the table for debate. facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod instagram.com/greatsongpod davebarnesmusic.com

This episode has it all. Tragedy, Seinfeld, Playgirl, the Addams Family—dripping with gold 'til the very last second. Country music star Darryl Worley joins us for a trip down memory lane and at least one other side road as we dig into his hit, “Awful, Beautiful Life.” He talks with us about 20 years of “Have You Forgotten,” the impact of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the Nashville songwriting community, *that* infamous photo shoot, and much more. facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod

Yacht rock royalty on the show this week, as we dig into one of the sunniest jams of the genre! Pablo Cruise's resident maestro Cory Lerios talks with us about the band's signature hit, scoring a bazillion episodes of Baywatch, and much, much more. Plus we listen through all our favorite things love will do! 

It's our 6th Anniversary episode, and we're diving deep into one of our favorite shows and favorite fictional bands--California Dreams! Not only that, but we're partying with frontman and lead guitarist Jay Anthony Franke, aka the lovely and talented Jake Sommers!

One of the most singable (and covered) pop songs in history, Dancing in the Moonlight has a story much darker than you might imagine. We'll get into all that and much more with King Harvest's Rod Novak!

It's back-to-back TG's with another absolute legend, T Graham Brown, who is an icon not only in country music, but maybe the most prolific jingle artist of all time! We'll talk to him about those earworm Taco Bell ads, get real about his addiction and recovery, and much more in a fantastic interview from a real pro. Plus our usual shenanigans! Thanks for listening! greatsongpodcast.com patreon.com/greatsongpod facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod

Country legend TG Sheppard joins us to talk about one of his many signature songs, his amazing #1 streak, changing his name to keep from getting fired, and getting a bus from Elvis. Plus sexy country time, and we guess what TG really stands for.

A Patreon exclusive, now released to the world! Dr. John is one of the most instantly recognizable voices and most colorful characters in pop music history! (And you won't believe what he got arrested for, but that's another story.) Video version exclusively on Spotify!

The Righteous Brothers classic "Unchained Melody" draws the ire of your humble hosts in this Us vs. the World Rivalry Week episode! Favorite guest Joey Abbott joins us to roast a classic, and we also learn about: - Why it's called "Unchained Melody" to begin with - Whoopi Goldberg's non-eyebrows - The UK absolutely CANNOT get enough of this song ------- Visit greatsongpodcast.com for archives, merch, and more! Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @greatsongpod, and join the Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod. Patreon Producers: Andrea Konarzewski, Brad Callahan, Ari Marucci, Michael Conley, Peter Mark Campbell, David Steinberg, Randy Hodge, Chaz Bacus, Juan Lopez, Jason Arrowood, Howard Passey, Micah Murphy, Tim Jahr, Christopher Cudnoski, Pete Kim, and Jason Rak

One of Joe Walsh's biggest songs landed on both the Eagles' Hotel California follow-up and the soundtrack to a true cult classic, The Warriors. This week we've got Joe Walsh's drummer and co-writer Joe Vitale to talk all about his time with Joe, with Crosby, Stills and Nash, and of course Eagles. And a bonus special guest drops in to make some time and try to guess the plot to The Warriors. Enjoy! --- Visit greatsongpodcast.com for archives, merch, and more! Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @greatsongpod, and join the Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod. Patreon Producers: Andrea Konarzewski, Brad Callahan, Ari Marucci, Michael Conley, Peter Mark Campbell, David Steinberg, Randy Hodge, Chaz Bacus, Juan Lopez, Jason Arrowood, Howard Passey, Micah Murphy, Tim Jahr, Christopher Cudnoski, Pete Kim, and Jason Rak

Movie Month continues with this legendary '90s AC track from the movie Now and Then, Sophie B. Hawkins' "As I Lay Me Down." We'll talk with Sophie about being a commanding leader who knows what she likes, fighting record companies who wanted to over-bake her songs, and of course our usual shenanigans as we cover the track as only we can. Plus: “I’m falling and I’m naked and I’m gonna land on my teeth!”

Tom Cruise's teeth, fast cars, tarot cards, Japanese cherry blossoms--this episode has it all. The Midnight's Tyler Lyle talks with us about appreciating art in the light of death, creating modern nostalgia, and more, and we dig into Days of Thunder, both  the song and the movie. Enjoy!

Mervyn Warren, multiple award-winning writer, arranger, and producer, founding member of accapella mega-group Take 6, joins us for our latest dive into Movie Month! His arrangement of the iconic closer to Sister Act 2 incorporates maybe the most well-known hymn in history, the breakout single from Naughty By Nature, and a classic track from Janet Jackson--all in one incredible main course! We'll dig into it all, including "O.P.P." and "What Have You Done For Me Lately," plus some Lauryn Hill, War and Treaty--whew! Buckle up and praise the Lord, it's Sister Act 2 kicking off Movie Month!

Cody Fry's epic appearance on the show is back for a Greatest Hits refresh, complete with previously unreleased material. Enjoy!

From "Night Owls" to "Reminiscing" to "Cool Change," there's 8,000 miles and 50 years of Little River Band hits to drool over, and we're talking about them this week with lead singer and bassist Wayne Nelson! We'll chat about the difficulty of maintaining a vocal band, breaking into the US as an Australian band, travel woes and much more, plus: - The Outback Steakhouse/Mount Rushmore debate - Real or fake Aussie artist - So much bleeping!

The fateful first meeting of the Great Song Podcast and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld of Hootie & the Blowfish. It's love at first sight, and one of our most popular episodes to date. Enjoy this Greatest Hits episode, with previously unreleased material!

Some Atlanta boys took off with a happy, heavenly rock song in the height of the grunge era, and the rest is rock history! Collective Soul's indelible mark on rock music started with their quintessential hit, "Shine," and Collective Soul's Will Turpin is here to talk with Rob and JP about it. Enjoy! instagram.com/greatsongpod patreon.com/greatsongpod

One of the biggest songs in American music history--you know we had to put our spin on the ins and outs of a classic like this. And who better to talk about it with than the man behind the song, Don McLean. Enjoy this Greatest Hits episode from Season Six, and maybe go enjoy a barbecue with fireworks somewhere this week.

It's a celebration episode, and we're diving deep into one of our personal favorite bands, the kings of CCM hard rock in our books, the legendary Disciple! We have a great conversation with frontman Kevin Young about being on the front end of modern rock in the Christian music space, keeping it real when it means turning down upward mobility, never growing up, and more, including:- The Art of the Scream-  Massive Stump the Genius collapse- “Rock and roll is a sport.” Join us for more fun on Instagram or the Facebook group 🤘🏽 Special thanks to our Patreon Producers! Andrea Konarzewski Brad Callahan Ari Marucci Michael Conley Peter Mark Campbell David Steinberg Randy Hodge Chaz Bacus Juan Lopez Jason Arrowood Howard Passey Micah Murphy Tim Jahr Christopher Cudnoski Pete Kim Jason Rak

Pre-save Stewart's new album "POLICE Deranged for Orchestra" here! What can we even say? This week is the 40th anniversary of one of the most iconic rock albums of all time, and we've got one of the most iconic drummers from the iconic band, and did we mention STUFF IS ICONIC?? The Police's Stewart Copeland joins us to celebrate Synchronicity and give us an absolute firehose of insight. Hold on tight--let's get sync'd up! Plus: - What exactly IS synchronicity? - 12-bar phrygian blues in 7 - “Today, I’m gonna make Sting happy.” - Winning a Grammy back-to-back years for the same album! - The habit of remembering love  Join us for more fun on Instagram or the Facebook group 🤘🏽 Special thanks to our Patreon Producers! Andrea Konarzewski Brad Callahan Ari Marucci Michael Conley Peter Mark Campbell David Steinberg Randy Hodge Chaz Bacus Juan Lopez Jason Arrowood Howard Passey Micah Murphy Tim Jahr Christopher Cudnoski Pete Kim Jason Rak

It's our first foray into a certain style of early 2000's rock scene, and we've got one of the shining gems of that era to dig into--Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry" with lead singer and writer Wes Scantlin! Plus: - Some real music theory nerdiness - Bach and Flack, and you can keep that Hall and Oates nonsense - Random WWE results and JP’s most random sports stat ever. Special thanks to our Patreon Producers! Andrea Konarzewski Brad Callahan Ari Marucci Michael Conley Peter Mark Campbell David Steinberg Randy Hodge Chaz Bacus Juan Lopez Jason Arrowood Howard Passey Micah Murphy Tim Jahr Christopher Cudnoski Pete Kim Jason Rak

We're reaching all the way back to our Season 4 finale for this Greatest Hits episode--it's big, it's long, and it's epic, just like any great Meat Loaf song. Relive the great stories behind the song, the man, and that oh-so-spicy guest vocal on "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That). Special thanks to our Patreon Producers! Andrea Konarzewski Brad Callahan Ari Marucci Michael Conley Peter Mark Campbell David Steinberg Randy Hodge Chaz Bacus Juan Lopez Jason Arrowood Howard Passey Micah Murphy Tim Jahr Christopher Cudnoski Pete Kim Jason Rak

Hootie and the Blowfish's Jim "Soni" Sonefeld joins us in-studio for a deep dive into the Allman Brothers Band--their history, their hits, and their heartbreaks.  Duane, Gregg, Butch, Warren, and company have created classic moment after classic moment, and we have a blast digging in. Plus: Are you LEAD drummer or RHYTHM drummer? Rob is a Level Nine Idiot Foot-Shootin’ Blues Connect on Instagram, and join the Facebook group for lots of fun and laughs. Special thanks to our Producers: Andrea Konarzewski, Brad Callahan, Ari Marucci, Michael Conley, Peter Mark Campbell, David Steinberg, Randy Hodge, Chaz Bacus, Juan Lopez, Jason Arrowood, Howard Passey, Micah Murphy, Tim Jahr, Christopher Cudnoski, Pete Kim, and Jason Rak

Singer-songwriter-legend-best guy Dave Barnes returns to the show to break down a feel-good classic, ripe with utmost possibility, England Dan & John Ford Coley's signature hit, "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight." There's a warm wind blowing, and it's making us wistful. You'll laugh, you'll live, you'll love. Plus: Our traditional 10 minutes of hot takes and shenanigans with Dave Rob’s worst hot take! Twinkies, roaches, and Sting Mustache snare Seals, Seals, and seals (feat. Seal) --- Join us on PATREON for early access, extended interviews, weekly reaction mini-sodes, full bonus shows, and more ways to be part of the show! patreon.com/greatsongpod Visit greatsongpodcast.com for archives, merch, and more! Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @greatsongpod, and join the Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod. Special thanks to our Patreon Producers: Andrea Konarzewski, Brad Callahan, Ari Marucci, Michael Conley, Peter Mark Campbell, David Steinberg, Randy Hodge, Chaz Bacus, Juan Lopez, Jason Arrowood, Howard Passey, Micah Murphy, Tim Jahr, Christopher Cudnoski, Pete Kim, and Jason Rak

From all the way back in Season Four comes one of our favorite personal episodes, our coverage of the underrated Steve Miller and his signature hit, "The Joker." Stick around 'til the end to hear one of our all-time most beloved bits.

Fact 1: It's a mouthful to say "Family by David Guetta feat. Bebe Rexha, Ty Dolla $ign and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie." Fact 2: It's a perfect song for The Great Song Podcast, and a more than perfect song for the Fast and the Furious (which we're pushing for). Fact 3: It's written by a country group! Track 45 aka Ben, Jenna, and KK Johnson, and you're gonna meet them and love their family vibe and harmony. Plus: The fairy tale-level story of Ben Johnson’s first song cut Mixed-modal melody! --- Join us on PATREON for early access, extended interviews, weekly reaction mini-sodes, full bonus shows, and more ways to be part of the show! patreon.com/greatsongpod Visit greatsongpodcast.com for archives, merch, and more! Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @greatsongpod, and join the Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod. Patreon Producers: Andrea Konarzewski, Brad Callahan, Ari Marucci, Michael Conley, Peter Mark Campbell, David Steinberg, Randy Hodge, Chaz Bacus, Juan Lopez, Jason Arrowood, Howard Passey, Micah Murphy, Tim Jahr, Christopher Cudnoski, Pete Kim, and Jason Rak

An absolute smash soundtrack from an all-time nostalgic '80s classic, Rocky IV, produced this enduring hit. Plus a really fantastic interview with the man himself, Robert Tepper. These are all ingredients for a solid gold episode, and that's exactly what this is. Tepper time! --- Join us on PATREON for early access, extended interviews, weekly reaction mini-sodes, full bonus shows, and more ways to be part of the show! patreon.com/greatsongpod Visit greatsongpodcast.com for archives, merch, and more! Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @greatsongpod, and join the Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/greatsongpod. Patreon Producers: Andrea Konarzewski, Brad Callahan, Ari Marucci, Michael Conley, Peter Mark Campbell, David Steinberg, Randy Hodge, Chaz Bacus, Juan Lopez, Jason Arrowood, Howard Passey, Micah Murphy, Tim Jahr, Christopher Cudnoski, and Pete Kim