Big Al's Rockin' Podcast
Hosted by Allen "Big Al" Tate, Big Al's Rockin' Podcast brings you interviews with musicians from multiple genres, book authors, comedians, actors, and other forms of entertainment. Along with interviews, he will also offer occasional reviews of concerts, books, newly released albums, and more.
Episodes
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, ...
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 websit...
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 be...
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 fa...
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 o...
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 touc...
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 collectio...
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, in...
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 re...
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...
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 ...
Anthony White is the singer and songwriter for the band Generation Landslide. In this episode we discuss how the band got its name. We also discuss their most recent album RULING THE STREET SCENE. You can find more about them here: https://www.facebook.com/people/Generation-Landslide/100076124659223/
Jennifer Benson is the singer and songwriter for the Chicago, Illinois band Ignescent. On this episode we discuss their debut album FIGHT IN ME, coming out on November 10, 2023. We talk about the inspiration for the album title along with stories behind some of the song on this album. You can find more information about their album, tour information, and merch by visiting https://ignescentmusic.com/.
Jean Beauvoir is a Haitian-American singer, bassist, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and entertainment executive. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with the punk group the Plasmatics and went on to work with Little Steven, Kiss, the Ramones, and as a solo artist. On this debut episode we will be discussing his 2022 book "Bet My Soul on Rock 'n' Roll: Diary of a Black Punk Icon" along...
Popular Podcasts
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!