Life In The Stocks

We've reached the penultimate episode of Life In The Stocks Series Three, and joining me for Episode 299 of the podcast is one of my all-time favourite singers and long-time dream interviewees, the awesome & amazing Donita Sparks from L7. I've wanted to have Donita on the show for YEARS, so I'm very pleased we finally got to make it happen. And she did absolutely not disappoint. This is one of my favourite conversations to date. I hope you all enjoy it too! Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

A bonafide rock 'n' roll bad ass joins me for Episode 298 of Life In The Stocks. Tommy Stinson was an original founding member of The Replacements, one of the most influential and underrated rock 'n' roll bands of all-time. And when that band came to an end and Duff McKagan left Guns N' Roses, Tommy started playing bass with GNR, and he remained with the group from 1998-2014. So he's served extended tenures in two of the most iconic and awesome rock bands ever. And we get into all of it in this episode of LITS. We also talk about his friendship with Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. No big deal. (It's a huge deal. And Tommy is a bad ass.) Check out his new Cowboys In The Campfire record Wronger, which is out now. Replacements fans will love it. Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

As we approach Episode 300 of Life In The Stocks, I have members of a few seminal and incredible alternative rock bands lined up as guests, starting with this: Episode 297 with Greg Norton from Hüsker Dü. We talk all about the eighties alternative rock scene in America and Greg's time in Hüsker Dü. We also discuss his new band UltraBomb, and his time away from the music business working as a chef running restaurants, and the similarities between the music and hospitality industries. It's a great talk and Greg is a real gent. Enjoy!Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

OG punk legend and business man (those two antithetical terms are not, in fact, mutually exclusive) Shawn Stern joins me for Episode 296 of Life In The Stocks. Alongside his brother Mark Stern, Shawn co-founded Youth Bridge, BYO Records and Punk Rock Bowling, the annual gathering for punks of all ages in Las Vegas, Nevada.We talk about all of that and more in this episode, which is a great insight into not only the evolution of US punk but also live events and the music industry in general. I hope to get myself out to Punk Rock Bowling in the not-too-distant future - every year I see the line-up and I get so envious of everyone going.Enjoy the podcast! And please subscribe to the show if you aren't already.Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

I'm thrilled to welcome Warped Tour founder, college professor, philanthropist and all-round scene legend and gentleman Kevin Lyman onto the podcast this week. Kevin is someone I've always wanted to have on the show and it was so good to finally make it happen. Huge shout out to his daughter Sierra for linking it up. If you're interested in US punk rock, the inner workings of the music industry and the organisation of mass scale live events, Woodstock '99, Kevin's take on the whole Dickies debacle, why the Warped Tour came to an end, what he's up to nowadays and the future of punk music, this is an episode you DO NOT want to miss. Thanks to Kevin for taking the time out to do it. Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

It blows my mind that I can be 294 podcasts in and still be recording some of my favourite Life In The Stocks episodes to date. It gets me so excited about the future and what's still to come. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...joining me for Episode 294 of LITS is Spike Slawson from Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, the best covers band in the world, and his solo project Uke-Hunt - you see what he did there?!? This is a great chat. We discuss frontmanship (is that a word?) and show business, getting sober and the effect that has on your craft, censorship, creativity and the joy of discovering music, Pittsburgh and the socio-economic and political history of that part of the US, the history of American punk, the ever-evolving Gimmes line-up and so much more. Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

Brendan B. Brown from Wheatus joins me for Episode 293 of Life In The Stocks. And what a lovely man he is. We had a great conversation, from Teenage Dirtbag and Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden to Weezer, Bowling For Soup & the Noughties New York music scene, plus a whole lot more. Be sure to go see Wheatus on tour throughout the UK in September, October & November - there is no excuse to not see them, as they're literally playing EVERYWHERE.Dates and tickets can be found at wheatus.com/showsFollow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

Life In The Stocks Episode 292 is the audio from my Live Q&A with A frontman, songwriter & producer, Jason Perry. As always, a huge thank you to Terry and the rest of the team at the West Hampstead Arts Club for being such fantastic hosts and facilitating these live events. And thank you to Jason, Adam & Giles Perry for being a part of what was a very special, fun and enjoyable night. Thank you to everyone who came down as well. I hope to announce a couple more live podcasts before the year is over.Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com

The last couple of episodes have been very special to me - both last week's chat with Canadian broadcaster Strombo and this week's conversation with Rebecca Schnell. It's so nice to talk to people that I share professional common ground and passions with, and I think it makes for (hopefully) really interesting conversations - and something a little bit different to the typical musician interviews that I tend to do. It's always stimulating to step outside of that box and the last two episodes have been two of my favourites from the last seven years. Rebecca is a Monster Truck driver and someone that I get to work with on the annual Hot Wheels tours that I've been hosting in the UK for the last two years. She is also an emergency room nurse, and one of the most impressive and inspiring people that I know. I absolutely love this conversation and I know you're going to love it too, just like you're going to love her because she is an absolute superstar. Follow Rebecca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca.schnell_mtdriver/Follow me on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram: @mattstocksdjMy first two books (Life In The Stocks Volume One & Two) are also out NOW and available to buy from all reputable online book stores. Signed copies can be purchased direct from the publishers: rarebirdlit.com