Michael's Mixdown

On today's episode of Michael's Mixdown, Kyle Decker, showrunner for Quest Friends! joins me for a discussion about actual play table top roleplaying podcasts. He and I compare notes on what makes our audio dramas different, as well as talk about what makes the actual play podcast scene so popular these days! Plus I put Kyle to the test and ask him to blindly react to which one of my dice towers sounds better! Find everything you need to know about Quest Friends! hereIf you're interested in my other show, The Custodians, you can find that hereMichael's Mixdown is a show primarily about the recording arts, so whether you heard it in the studio or in the stadium, you can hear about it here on Michael's Mixdown.

If you're a fan of the show, you know I love a good concept album. And when I found out there were local Indy prog musicians creating a concept album just down the road from me? I had to have them over to discuss it! This episode, I sat down with StarChaser, the medium-bending band led by the visionary Kara Tucker (vocals/guitar) and her husband Nick Tucker (bass/guitar). Dorian Phelps rounds out the trio on drums. More than just musicians, Nick and Kara bring together art, fashion, and storytelling to create a world around their music. Since Kara and Nick are locals, I actually got to have them over to the Michael's Mixdown studio for an in-person chat! In this conversation, they share how their artistic backgrounds shape StarChaser’s identity, from the bold visual aesthetics and stage presence to the deeply personal stories woven into their lyrics, and the music they love that inspires them. Whether you’re drawn in by the sound, the look, or the stories behind it all, this episode offers a closer look at the creative heartbeat of Indianapolis' own StarChaser.All the links!https://www.youtube.com/@JuJu_StarChaserhttps://starchaser1.bandcamp.com/album/tsars-of-the-universehttps://www.instagram.com/jujustarchaser/Find my other show, The Custodians, here: https://shows.acast.com/the-custodians

Ever wonder how the burgers get made over at Midnight Burger HQ? Tune into this episode of Michael's Mixdown to find out all about Joe Fisher, and how he makes his hit sci-fi audio drama series. We talk about the differences between how we make our respective shows, and discuss what goes into audio drama production from dialogue to sound effects. How many cores should your computer have to make an audio drama? Turns out, most of them! Joe discusses how Midnight Burger was formed, and how the community has grown since its inception. We discuss Indiana in media, cause that's where I'm from! We even talk about the in-person Burger Con and what else you can expect from the folks at Midnight Burger on their Patreon feed later this summer. Want to learn more about how Joe does his thing? Subscribe to the Patreon and stay tuned! Find everything Midnight Burger here: https://www.weopenatsix.com/Their TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@4diceharpiesTheir Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnightburgerpod/Support them on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/midnightburgerFind The Custodians, my audio drama here: https://shows.acast.com/the-custodiansSupport The Custodians (So Gross Productions) on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/So_Gross

We had a few... difficulties this episode. I've decided that "Black Hole Benny" the giant space cat must have been interfering with our transmission. Apologies in advance that the interview skips around a few times. We had a terrible time with the recording service, and people kept dropping out and having difficulty connecting. Bearing that in mind, this is still an excellent episode packed with tons of great insights into how this album was made!In today's episode of Michael's Mixdown, stop.drop.rewind rejoins me to discuss their newest release with their engineer and producer, Roye Robley! Their self-titled album hit the airwaves back in November, and has been a big hit for the band. We discuss how their success has grown over the years, how several of the songs were written and recorded, and what the guys have planned next!You can find prog-punk, Northwest Indiana-based stop.drop.rewind here:https://www.stopdroprewind.com/You can buy their music here:https://stopdroprewind.bandcamp.com/You can find Roye here:https://linktr.ee/royerobleystop.drop.rewind is a Midwest power trio that combines the energy and spirit of pop-punk with the colors and improvisational elements of jazz and soaring intricacies of progressive rock to bring forth a sound that is as unique as it is listenable. All music appearing in this episode from the album "stop.drop.rewind" and all music is used with permission.

Joining me today is Mikey from the podcast "The Crossover with Josh and Mikey." Josh is a buddy of mine, and you can hear more about him in episode 12. Anywho, Josh introduced me and Mikey and awhile after that he's jumping at the chance to be on my show! So today we're talking about Fleetwood Mac's classic album "Rumors." Sometimes you get a rare album where nearly every song is perfect, and many, if not all, of the songs from the album are successful hits. Equal parts drama, talent, and engineering goodness combine to give us one of the most successful and best-selling albums of all time. Join Mikey and I in a discussion that spans from 1977 to 1997 about Fleetwood Mac (and a few other bands maybe).  Find "The Crossover with Josh and Mikey" here: https://anchor.fm/thecrossoverwjam

This episode, I wanted to talk about all my favorite albums and songs that came out this year. There's no real order here, it's not a top 10 in any way. Just all my favorite things that came out this year. I discuss what I liked about these releases and how they got me through the year. And since I listen to a decent variety of genres, so there's a whole bunch of different stuff to listen to this episode! And at the end, I got some friends to chime in and tell me what their favorite stuff was this year, and what their music did for them in 2021!

Do you remember the 21st night of September? The day that American Idiot by Green Day was released to the public? And I'm pretty certain that no other significant musical history has to do with September 21st. Anyway, this episode is all about the album American Idiot, which was a huge hit for Green Day in 2004. This album brought them back to the scene, even though it was vastly different than what they'd done before. Full of political unrest and teenage angst, this album contains songs that helped to define my entire generation. This album was ubiquitous when I was growing up, and not Earth, nor wind, nor fire could stop it. Come take a listen to find out what made this album so special. 

I have loved this band since I was a kid, and it's one of the few bands that has stuck with me all my life. Join me in this episode where I talk about all the walks of life that have included Counting Crows. I ramble on about personal stories, times of doubt and hurt, and times where I felt inspired and mighty. Counting Crows has it all. This is probably the most personal I've gotten in an episode to date, so be open and have some feels with me.