I talked with Martin Popoff about his new book, Metallica Album by Album. Martin explained the book's format, where he moderates discussions with various musicians and journalists about each Metallica studio album, including side releases like EPs. He described the process of organizing the panelists and the challenges of scheduling big-name contributors. Martin shared insights from the book, such as his increased appreciation for Metallica's later albums and the band's evolution after Cliff Burton's death. He also discussed his other recent and upcoming books, including titles on Ian Gillan and Aerosmith, and mentioned his YouTube channel and podcast. The conversation touched on the decline of print magazines and the changing music industry.

In this episode I talk to Canadian author Tim Durling about his latest book "On Record: The April Wine Album Review," which is his seventh book and his first focused on a Canadian band. Tim explained that the inspiration came from wanting to cover a band from his home region of the Canadian maritime provinces, as April Wine is one of the few Canadian bands from that region to achieve worldwide success. I also went off-topic and asked his advice about writing books as an indie author.

Jonathan Joseph from the Pittsburg band "Guides" joins me on this episode to discuss their new single "Drain," which is their first new music release since 2023. The song represents an elevation in production value and sonic quality compared to their debut EP "When Everything Reverses." He explained that the song was inspired by personal experiences about emotional growth and maturity, particularly observing how not everyone chooses to grow up at the same rate, which impacts relationships and causes people to grow apart. Jonathan described Guides' musical style as blending the textured aggression of nu metal with the emotional depth of post-hardcore, similar to bands like Taproot, Finch, and AFI, with the bass carrying much of the melodic structure. The band plans to release another single called "Failure Defines" on June 17th and have a third single coming out in July, with plans to return to the studio in the fall.