Rally in the Alley
Two neighbors discuss music, movies and other current events as if they were in the alley behind their urban townhomes in downtown Houston. Pour yourself a drink, grab a lawn chair, and join in.
Episodes
Ever hear a popular song that just makes you cringe? The listening public loves it, or so the Billboard chart says, yet the song just turns you off. Well, there’s no accounting for taste. In this episode we explore what we consider to be the worst #1 Billboard hits of all time and try our best to explain their success. Spoiler alert, we fail most of the time.
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That's right, MTV finally pulled the plug on airing music videos, which means that we get to revisit our favorite trilogy. Back in episodes 14 to 16 Cary and Chuck explored the birth, success and the impending death of MTV. In this fourth and final MTV episode we mark the passing of music television with some of our favorites from what we deem to be the network’s golden era, the 1990's. So let's all jump in the way back...
What, another episode where your favorite podcast talks about The Beatles? Yes that's right, but this time we put a unique spin on and talk about musicians you may have never suspected are influenced by the Fab Four. We are quite sure some will be a surprise. So turn on your mind, relax and float down stream with a little help from your friends, Cary and Chuck.
In this our first episode for 2026 we build on Quentin Tarantino's list of his twenty favorite movies since the year 2000 and add a few of our own. We are joined this time by our special guest and Friends of The River Oaks Theater member Lisa Cohen. Join us as we discuss, defend, and critique our favorites and Quentin’s in a spirited game of 5-card draw movie-style.
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Do you like broccoli now but hated it as a kid? How about jazz? Never really thought much about it as a kid but as an adult you’re like, now "I get it"? Join us as we explore why our musical tastes change across different stages of our lives and how we discover old stuff that becomes “new to me.” Remember "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players".
Always a bridesmaid but never a bride. It seems the old saying rings true for some of our favorite musicians and actors who have never received any awards, be it Grammy’s, Oscars, or hall of fame inductions. In this episode we dive head first into some prime examples of massive talents who never took home a trophy, and also pay tribute to Val Kilmer and the godfather of heavy metal, Mr. John Michael Osbourne.
Happy Saint Valentine's Day. Yep that’s right, we spend this episode getting a little sappy and play some of our favorite love-themed songs and discuss some movies as well. Don't worry, there are still some jokes and weird ones thrown in. Chuck and Cary might have a soft spot, but we never get too serious. Heck we may even ring that Beatle bell a time or two.
Ever heard a song and thought, wait it's that other song? Well since hip hop came on the scene in the late 70's the chance that a portion of another song is being lifted are pretty darn good. In fact some song hooks are so catchy they have been used in thousands of other pop, rock and hip hop material. In this episode we visit some of the most heavily sampled songs in history as well as visit a few of our favorites.
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With the opening of the Sphere in Las Vegas, music acts have certainly raised the bar for showmanship on the stage, but is this really a new phenomenon or just a return to vaudeville roots? Join Cary and Chuck for their diamond jubilee episode in which they discuss early innovations in light, sound, and live performance, and what the future may hold for the ultimate concert experience.
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Join Cary and Chuck for our bi-annual tradition of reviewing the best new music we’ve discovered, this time for mid-year 2024. Lots of new punk, shoegaze, rap, pop, metal, alt-country, and even classic 60's lounge. It's a real musical potpourri scene, man!
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/episode-74/pl.u-PDb44ZpTMKxLZ
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Remember when you were a kid and you could go out and buy a soundtrack to remember your favorite movie? In the days before home video and streaming that was our way to relive the movie experience, and those soundtracks did not disappoint. They were some of the best ways to get compilations for your parties without having to create a mix tape. What happened? Those multiplatinum soundtracks seem to have been replace...
Why is “crossover” a dirty word in the music world? Texas girl Beyoncé grew up in Houston, performed at the Rodeo, and loved horses, but some people got royally torqued when she recently released a country record. Why are people annoyed by genre switching, and are there more insidious issues at work? Join us as we explore this conundrum and also play some of our favorite "crossover" examples.
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Okay I know we’ve all played the game where we ask ourselves “You're trapped on a desert island and you can only bring X". In this case we pick and justify our ten albums that we would listen to for the rest of our lives...or at least until we get off this damn island. We might even throw in a few songs we think should be thrown in the ocean and never heard from again. So sit right back and hear a tale, a tale of a fate...
Does it take a large catalog of work to be famous and revered? We don't think so, and in this episode we sing the praises of the small catalog. Whether in music, film, television, or literature, these artists, authors, and short-lived series prove that size doesn't matter.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/episode-70/pl.u-ZmblVLoCKY40l
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Sometimes the room where you go to see the band is even more iconic than the band itself. On this new episode, Chuck and Cary travel the country and cross the seas to visit some of the most famous concert venues throughout history. From the piss-stained floors of CBGB to the judo temple Budokan and the historic Apollo Theater, we hit some famous examples and discuss their relevance today.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist...
Reunited and it feels so good...yeah but how does it sound? You ever notice how some bands just can't keep it together, only years later to reunite—some for money and some for...oh hell, it's mostly for the money. In this episode we break down some of the most famous reunions in rock history, starting with the most recent news from Rage Against the Machine. Join us for some of our favorite examples and odds ...
In this second part of our year-end review of the best new music in 2023 we hit some of the bands that maybe didn’t score as high on the critics’ lists but who made a big impression on us and some of you guys out there as well. We also tackle new releases from some of the most established bands on the planet and discuss whether they’re still worth a listen this late in the game.
https://music.apple.c...
Join Cary and Chuck for the first of our two-part, year-end review of the best new music in 2023 according to us and the NME, Pitchfork, Consequence of Sound, and Rolling Stone lists. As usual, we play a bit, critique, and compare and contrast with similar hidden gems of the past. No Tay Tay this time, she's too busy wrecking the Chiefs, but Olivia Rodrigo gets some play.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist...
You ever notice how some bands might be on the scene for years before ever hitting it big? What was the catalyst for success? In many cases it was the addition of a key member. In this episode we explore our favorite examples of how some new blood sent these bands into the stratosphere. Spoiler alert, Chuck and Cary may have a soft spot for Genesis.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/episode-65/pl.u-BNA6rKJtGvM16
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The most common Thanksgiving theme for Hollywood is the dysfunctional family. Living up to family expectations can be a stressful time, and we will spend this episode reflecting on both the good and the bad vibes of Thanksgiving songs, movies, and tv episodes. Come on over and let us stuff your Rally bird.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/episode-64/pl.u-leyl1BeU52ejd
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