The Rehearsal Room

Record Store Day or RSD, if you're into the whole brevity thing started off as a great idea, to get people's attention back into supporting independent record shops and luckily for us, this also helped bring about the resurgence of vinyl and vinyl collecting a couple of decades ago. But as with every good idea, doesn't always stay as pure as the intent might have been? We do a little digging around and add our collective two cents into the conversation of whether this biannual event is worth it for the consumer and the locations hosting these events. Plus catch up with what we've been watching and listening!

This week's topic is "cancel culture". We know, we know… There are no other phrases that might deter people quicker than a heart attack. Well maybe "tax season" or maybe "doctors visit "and a favorite "visiting our parents house". Anyway, we don't just start naming people and listing off all the bad things they did even though we kind of do but also we try to get into the thought process of what people mean by cancel culture because it's not just one thing and it hasn't been one thing for a long time. A very long time as you'll find out. And you'll also maybe find out that it's not actually about cancellation since nobody really gets canceled but we've already said the word cancel a whole lot so just listen to the episode. Plus catch up on what we've been listening to and watching!

Chances are, we've all gate kept something we've enjoyed as an entertainment at some point or another. Maybe some of us are thinking we are doing it with the purest of intentions and maybe some of us do it just to be complete jerks but in this episode, the fellow talk about some of the examples they've experienced, some examples of gatekeeping that they themselves have done in the past or maybe continue to do and they try to get into why exactly this weird phenomenon of trying to be selective about who gets to enjoy what keeps coming back up in every facet of every subculture we've experienced. Plus catch up with what we've been listening to and what we've been watching!

Well, well, well… Look at what the cat dragged in! Our first ever repeat guest! And look who it is! Dan Kaufman of such bands as Mindrot, Dystopia, Eyes of Fire, Destroy Judas and now also Master's Ashes! We talk about the upcoming album, the two singles available now on the bands Bandcamp and how he got involved with this new project. Then also regales us with stories of bands past and some of the tours he went on. Believe me, it's always great to hear these stories especially about Southern California musicians and their experiences out in the musical world, so tune in and check this out! Also, catch up with what we've all been watching and listening to!

The topic of being mainstream or too popular or even lack of popularity has been an evergreen conversation since time began, or ever since we started taking joy in the forms of entertainment that we do now. But what does being popular or even mainstream mean really? In this episode, we took a look at some of the numbers going back all the way to when it began… That is, 1970 when Black Sabbath released their debut album. What do you folks think? Is metal popular? Is it mainstream? Tune in to see what the fellas talk about and where they land as well as catching up with what they've been watching and listening to!

In this installation of our favorite director deep dives, we tackle the drama genre! We didn't realize what a task this actual category would be, and while some of our names might be repeats from past categories, you might be none to surprised to find out that both Aaron and Nick share some of their faves in the exact same ranking. Tune in to see who was left out and who was mentioned as we tackle our top 10 favorite drama directors! Plus, what have we been listening to? Find out!

You know how it goes, if you're part of any collective group that's taking part in some form of entertainment, you have a mental idea of do's and don'ts, an invisible set of guidelines that would probably benefit everyone being entertained at the same time as you so that you can all collectively enjoy what's happening around you but real life unfortunately isn't always willing to play along. In this episode, we get up on our "old guys yelling at clouds"soap boxes and kind of go over stuff we wish were the norm. Basic respect that shows? Yes please! Some of these might seem like basic things, but you'd be surprised, especially once other factors are involved. Check it out to see exactly what changes we'd make when attending a show, and if you agree with any of these or disagree even, let us know! I mean, it's not like there's an actual etiquette rulebook out there for people going to show shows or anything, or is there? 

Ever wonder exactly what makes up his supergroup? And this episode, we kind of sort of try to find out and in doing so, talk about some of the earliest super groups and what's some of our our recent favorite ones might be. Also, check out what we've been listening to and watching!

If you know the name, you know what we're about to get into! You know his bands: The Misfits. Samhain. Danzig. A decade-spanning career in music and actually in other formats that we completely left out, those being comic books and movies. But since we first discovered him musically, we started with our introductions to that music and what kept us coming back year after year, album after album, until well, when it got a bit tougher to keep coming back. This is our look back at Glen Danzig's music as incredibly loyal fans… Or fiends, as it were.

Well folks! 2025 has come and gone and left a path of destruction in it's wake. However, it's also left a bunch of music, movies and a lot of books that we enjoyed over this past year. Tune in as the fellas go over some of the highlights and take a bit of their retrospective look at this past year and see if anything stands out for you as well to check out. Check it out and see you next year!

In this, our most current foray into albums that both of us enjoy, we decided to look at a double whammy of releases provided by the one majestic darkness brought to our meager ears by the most talented Chelsea Wolfe! Taking a listen to 2010's "The Grime and the Glow" and also 2011's "Apocalypsis", we once again trip all over ourselves talking about exactly what hooked us in those early albums and early performances we managed to catch, and how stoked we are, and the continued success of this amazing and most provocative musician. Take a lesson as we also catch up on what we've been watching!

In this episode, our paths just so happened to cross with one of the masterminds behind Irish Voodoo/Black Voodoo Records... the man, the myth, the Megadeth fan: Daniel "Danny" King! As you'll be able to tell, Danny is a fan of music from all over the place, but he's a person who likes to put the spotlight on some of the local talent around him. For this, I'm pretty sure some of the bands that have been chosen to be amongst the elite within the ranks of BVR releases count themselves lucky! Tune in to hear him talk about what his process is, how he selects the bands he decides to work with, and what Corey Feldman might be up to. Believe us, it'll make sense once you listen! Check it out!https://blackvoodoorecords.com/

Returning to our world-famous top 10 lists, and continuing on our journey to document our favorite directors, this time we take on our favorite comedy directors! We keep saying this is tough, and it really is because it's incredibly easy to overlook something that is a favor, and it's also incredibly easy to have recency bias, but I think we did all right. Check out what we both overlapped on and what we both re-introduced, plus catch up on what we've been listening to!

What better way to ring in the spooky season than with the following guest! He's not just one of our great friends; he's also an accomplished musician, and for those paying attention and for those looking to expand their music listening powers, he's also the soul mover and shaker behind the record label Baneful Genesis! Kevin Chan has incredibly familiar beginnings, and when you hear about his adventures as both a musician and a label owner, you know there is a lot of hard work going into the entire process, and Kevin's integrity shows the entire way through. Listening as he opens up about what it's like running a label, what it takes to get his attention or maybe anybody else's attention when it comes to working in a band, and because it is the spirit of the season, we share some scary stories and catch up on what we've been listening to and what we've been watching!Please make sure to follow and support Baneful Genesis!https://www.instagram.com/banefulgenesis?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==https://banefulgenesisrecords.bandcamp.com/Vinyl Command https://vinylcommand.com/?srsltid=AfmBOor7uZAVEz-IAbLa3lmRIeZxR58anJjDg-KDXoid6beDp3rl30oz

As we all know, nowadays there's a ton of streaming platforms for whatever your taste might be. Whether it's movies or music or even video games, there's an option for pretty much everything. Since we mostly talk music, we're going to pit some of the streaming platforms we kind of know about to see what works best for us and may be introduce you to an alternative if you should ever need one.

Coming up in the music scene as the fellas have, they were always aware that three albums always had the tendency to split fan bases apart. These would be: Entombed's "Wolverine Blues', Carcass' "Heartwork", and Sepultura's "Roots". We know there are tons of others, but this is where our conversation starts. Plus, we catch up with what we've been listening to and what we've been watching, check it out!

There's this weird affliction that tends to hit people and the only real symptom of it is they collect things. Whether it's out of habit, therapeutic or for some other weird reason, a lot of us do it and a lot of the people we know do it. So what do we collect here? Primarily it's music and then it can go over to movies books and even toys. So what got you collecting? Here's some quick information as to what started us down this path and extra special bonus, listen all the way to the end where special friend of the show Brian from the band Skyeater drops in as he's also helping us video this show! Check it out!

Ozzy Osbourne. You know his name and you know his work, which has now become his legacy. His passing didn't catch us by surprise, but it was still a shocking thing to find out nonetheless. Everyone's got their own way of processing things, and here's our way of starting to say goodbye to the man who gave so much to the musical world. Rest in peace to the Ozzman

Everyone's got an origin story. Everyone. On this episode, the fellas detail some of what started them off on their musical journeys. Probably as expected, a lot of details overlap for both of them, and of course, it led them down this glorious path on discovering the next great album to listen to. Listen in as they divulge some of the lore behind what made them the fans of music they are today

Another list? Yeah that's right, this time around it's our top 10 adventure movie directors. Let us tell you folks, this is tougher than you might think because once we start thinking about what adventure movies we like, we're inundated with so many options, but these are the ones the fellas keep coming back to time and again. And while folks might be tired of hearing about lists at the moment, this one's pretty fun, we promise! Check in with the fellows to see what their selections were, and maybe you might agree or disagree with some of them!

Way back in the before times, when we were all still finding out what exactly going online even meant, a program popped up that facilitated the uploading and sharing of music. The program? Napster. It had a couple of offshoots and maybe in the very beginning, some good intentions but as with everything that's released onto the public unfettered, it went crazy real quick. Well, the fellas here had some experience with this program. And you could download a pair of pants and then bet them that they had feelings about it, so check it out and see exactly what they felt then and maybe what they feel now about programs like these.

Well, look at this! The big 2-0! That's right folks, our 20th episode and what better way to celebrate them to dive deep into one of the albums that both the fellas rank 10/10, that being the 2005 self titled album by Lurker Of Chalice! This album was put out by one person, Jef Whitehead a.k.a. Wrest, which some might know from his other band Leviathan or his participation in the super group Twilight but rest assured, this album is nothing like anything those other two might have put out. This album is a journey into a very personal point in Jef's life. Perhaps and unfortunately a very painful moment in his life but one that was captured beautifully into the music contained within. This isn't an album that you could just put on and forget it's on, it's one that commands attention and it's one that you'll be glad you paid Attention to because it is rich with emotion, musicality and you'll be surprised that even after the 200th listen there will still be something new for you to enjoy. Come check out this episode as the followers do what they normally do when they dive into one of their favorite albums and talk about how they came upon this magnificent beast and their feelings about it. Check it out!

That's right, this one's about Ryan Coogler's latest offering, "Sinners". Aside from the obvious, that being that the fellas really enjoyed this movie, there's gonna be spoilers and there's gonna be a whole lot of them. You know why? This movie is jam-packed with references to moments in real life, and it's presented in such a way that even trying to write about it won't do it justice, so just listen to this episode. Believe me, we try our best to interpret a lot of what we took in, and maybe we missed a bunch, even still, but we did really enjoy this one! Check it out!

In the mid-80s, American moral panic numero dos would make things a bit interesting. The Parental Music Resource Center, aka Tipper Gore and her stooges, raised such a clamor that musicians everywhere needed a savior by the looks of it. Three heroes from parts unknown came to our defense. Frank Zappa, Dee Snyder, and John Denver… WTF? Come and check in to see if the fellas can make sense of this or not.

If you found yourself around during the 1980s, specifically in North America, you might have experienced something collectively called the satanic panic. This was a wild wave of fear and concern, the fear irrational, the concern rational, that took over a lot of people's mindsets and, unfortunately, resulted in a lot of people incarcerated to this day. But where did it start? While the fellas try to make sense of it, we also highlight that some of the topics brought up are incredibly serious, but the way a lot of people went about fixing these topics was energized by the lack of information and the fear of the unknown.

When Bill Haley and the Comets seemingly created rock 'n' roll, little did they know that just 40 years later, the question of whether rock is dead would also come up, and that question has been asked, apparently, since the 90s all the way up until now. Well, in this episode, the fellas shoulder the amazing task of tackling this question head-on. Is this a topic with some merit, or is this simply something "rock purists" just can't get over? Check it out!

They aren't the biggest secret in the doom world, but many people are still unaware of this band. Certainly a case of 'if you know, then you certainly goddamn know'! On this latest album deep dive, the fellas glaze up none other than the Bay Area's doom metal masters, Asunder! Focusing their praise on the equal parts of beautiful, equal parts crushingly heavy; 'A Clarion Call'

On this episode, the fellas welcome Pete Majors! You might know him from his bands, some of which have been Harassor, Hater of Man, Actuary, Dargar and Qaalm to name a few, or you might know him from his all to memorable beard either recommending or buying some choice cuts when it came to vinyl at perhaps the biggest record shop in Los Angeles. Or you just might actually know him from some of the great cat pictures he posts on his social media, but either way, Pete's got a long history both in music and in Southern California, and now he's even putting together a music festival over in Idyllwild, California. This will be the second installment of the Idyllwild Experimental Music Fest, which is looking like it'll be a great one this year, as it was last! Check in and listen in as we all talk vinyl records, record shops and playing music, and how accomplishing it can be!

To be or not to be! No, wait… That's not it. Oh yeah, as the title says, let's talk about it! Check in to see where the fellas land with their thoughts on this often asked, many times debated topic!

Well, would you look at that? A listener recommendation! So for this episode, the fellas jump into trying to decipher what the A24 movie "Heretic" might be trying to get across. Tons of spoilers and tons of opinions abound, but if you wanna know what we ended up thinking about this movie, tune in and check it out! And, keep sending those recommendations!

Listen in as the fellas use their limited intelligence to discuss artificial intelligence! We are pretty sure it's used in many other fields aside from what we mentioned, but because the creative fields are what affect us first and foremost, those are some of the areas we consider with regard to the use and misuse of AI. How do y'all feel about it? Knowing about its real-world ramifications, would you still use this as normally as you might now?

Hey, check it out! It's our first interview! We decided to jump into this with one of our favorite Southern California musicians, Daniel Kaufman! You might know him from one of his many bands listed here: ex-Mindrot/ex-Dystopia/ex-Eyes of Fire/Destroy Judas/Masters Ashes/Destroyer of Judas. Dan was nice enough to come into the studio and talk about how it started and basically, how it's going. Check it out for anybody interested in the roots of some of the heavier side of music that came from Southern California! And please remember, look for any of these bands online, support them directly via Bandcamp, and follow them on whichever platform they happen to be on! And should any of these come to a town near you, go to their shows and support them directly by buying merchandise!

In this next foray of many to come, the fellas dive deep into one of the most well-known Floridian death metal bands! Morbid Angel, everybody knows them, everybody loves them! Their first album, "Altars Of Madness," is for sure a landmark, and in this episode, we get to fanboy about how we came to this album, but also the band, as we praise everything we like and love about the music contained therein. Also, what are you watching segments with a bit of a tribute to the late, great Val Kilmer! Join the convo!

In this go-around, the fellas discuss one of the age-old questions about what they enjoy: is it the lyrics? Or is it the music? Or maybe it's both? They share some personal anecdotes about what hits them the most when they listen to music they enjoy. We'll most likely revisit this conversation at a later date, but join in their jumping-off point in this latest episode, and check it out!

We are all fans of something or other out there, right? To what degree totally depends on everybody out there, but recently, somebody in the music world had a pretty negative experience with some of their fans. Specifically, Chino Moreno of the Deftones had one of these types of interactions that may have left a sour taste in his mouth. Since there are no guidelines for being a fan, the fellas discussed a few examples of negative fan experiences and some of their own more positive experiences. And we get it, people shouldn't have idols, etc., etc., but we all admire what somebody else is doing, regardless of how we express it. So, join in the conversation and let us know if you have had any negative or positive experiences with anybody whose work you've admired. And as usual, what are you listening to/what are you watching segments, where we catch up!

Early on, when Aaron and Nick met each other, one of the things they bonded over, as many others have done, was their love of music, but also their love of many of the same bands. When talking about specific groups, they would constantly ask each other, "Did we just become best friends?" And the answer was, yes, they did. One of the thousands of bands that they love happens to be High On Fire. So it was no secret that when they opted to do a deep dive into one of the albums they both enjoyed immensely, it happened to be HoF's "Blessed Black Wings", an album that turns 20 this year! Join in the geeky conversation as they both fanboy out on this masterpiece, as well as catching up with everything else they've been listening to and watching!

Ever wonder what older musicians and rockers do when they decide to hang it up and call it a day? Well, some of them don't go out so gracefully, some instead opting to go out like the stubborn brats they are, and thanks to the wild, wild West known as the Internet, we recently heard of a couple of our favorites doing either one or the other. We discussed this like the amateur professionals that we are, or is it professional amateurs? You decide. This and a few other things on this week's episode!

We had the bright idea of starting a series of episodes where we list off our top 10 favorite directors in any given genre. This time around, it's action movies. This was actually a lot tougher than we anticipated, but was also ultimately incredibly fun to go back and revisit some of the works from some of our selections. No surprise there were more than one repeat on each other's lists, and no surprise, some of our reasoning also matched up. Plus, our usual "what are you listening to/what are you watching" catch-ups, and we say bye-bye to Gene Hackman, Roberta Flack, and David Johansson.

We yelled at the sky about the 2025 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame nominations, how we feel about the entire thing, and if we absolutely had to, how our rankings would go. Plus, as usual, what are you watching/what are you listening to as we try to get a handle on recording this stuff.

In this episode, we muse over the slimy antics of a certain master of business administration and exactly how that made us feel. Plus some more of what we've been listening to and watching!

As we stumble into the new year, we go over our thoughts on a most glorious vampiric remake as well as some of the most recent bands we've been listening to and rounding it out with our tributes to a damn fine director.