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40 shows · 1,463 songs · new every Friday. Dive in anywhere.
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Search covers every track list and appendix — songs, artists, show themes, beers.
Ep. 040 · · 36 tracks
Mood music for the lab bench: 36 tracks to run a column by. Lou Reed's great adventure and a sedated Ramones up front, Scarlet Begonias and an acoustic Watching the Wheels in the middle stretch, Patti Smith doing Teen Spirit and Warren Zevon's Life'll Kill Ya on the way out, and Joe's Garage to close. Appendix: Barfly, Bukowski, Just Kids, and four beers.
Ep. 039 · · 40 tracks
Even more bagels in our baker's dozens: the near misses and omissions. 40 tracks with no unifying theme, just songs that deserved a spin -- two Stolen Cars, a run of touches, a stretch of rain, Nowhere Man to Ramblin' Man, and a Dylan send-off from Frank Turner, Diarrhea Planet, and Wilco with Fleet Foxes.
Ep. 038 · · 34 tracks
34 tracks, all Dylan -- originals, covers, and curveballs. From William Shatner's Tambourine Man and Song to Woody through the legendary Manchester "Judas" Like a Rolling Stone, with Pittsburgh's own Duquesne Whistle along the way -- released at last with The Band, and a French-language Fairport farewell.
Ep. 037 · · 44 tracks
44 tracks of girls and women. From the Beastie Boys' Girls through My Girl, Jessie's Girl, Cinnamon Girl, and September Gurls, the girls grow into American Woman, Gold Dust Woman, and Black Magic Woman -- ending Just Like a Woman with Dylan.
Ep. 036 · · 41 tracks
41 tracks of boys and the men they become. From Motown Philly through Mannish Boy, tambourine men, magic men, miracle men, and sons of preacher men -- growing up at last with Neil Young's Old Man.
Ep. 035 · · 42 tracks
42 tracks from behind bars. Folsom Prison, Jailhouse Rock, cell blocks, chain gangs, and great escapes -- doing hard time from Was (Not Was) until They Might Be Giants finally get Out of Jail.
Ep. 034 · · 38 tracks
38 tracks under every phase of the moon. Moondance, Marquee Moon, Neon Moon, Harvest Moon, a Man on the Moon, and one Bad Moon Rising -- through the Eclipse and tucked in at last with Andy Williams and Moon River.
Ep. 033 · · 33 tracks
33 tracks of rain, wind, thunder, and flood. From an Emotional Weather Report through hard rain, hurricanes, and a live Texas Flood, riding the storm out until Nanci Griffith finally clears the air.
Ep. 032 · · 42 tracks
42 tracks planted, weeded, and harvested. Gardens, flowers, corn, scarecrows, and good honest dirt -- from the Village Green to Maggie's Farm, with stops in bloom along the way, closing with a heaping plate of Green Onions.
Ep. 031 · · 42 tracks
Coloring outside the lines: 42 tracks in every shade of the spectrum. Reds, golds, pinks, blues, purples, and blacks -- from Purple Rain to Paint It Black to Tangled Up in Blue, ending somewhere over the rainbow with Judy Garland.
Ep. 030 · · 35 tracks
35 tracks working the five senses overtime. Touch, sight, sound, smell, and every flavor of feeling -- opening with Rocky Horror's invitation to touch and traveling through the numb, the blind, and the hurt before closing colorblind with Counting Crows.
Ep. 029 · · 41 tracks
41 tracks for the lab coat crowd. Robots, rockets, chemistry, lobotomies, and DNA -- from Carl Sagan's glorious dawn through a live 1968 Dark Star, ending with Thomas Dolby blinded by science itself.
Ep. 028 · · 37 tracks
37 tracks of outlaws, detectives, restraining orders, and getaway cars. Been caught stealing, fought the law, shot the sheriff, took the money and ran -- until a Psycho Killer closes the case.
Ep. 027 · · 39 tracks
39 tracks about the places we come from, pass through, and can't quite leave behind. From Downtown to Small Town to Ghost Town -- every song has a town in the title. Opens with a Pittsburgh Grateful Dead classic and closes with David + David.
Ep. 026 · · 37 tracks
The sequel to Episode 13's baker's dozen -- 37 more tracks with no unifying theme, just great songs. From Black Flag to Bob Marley, with a serious middle stretch of numbered songs and some deep-cut brewery recommendations.
Ep. 025 · · 34 tracks
A bipartisan Fourth of July salute for America's 250th birthday. 34 tracks from Elvis to Sam Cooke that argue, celebrate, mourn, and dance their way through the American experiment. Democracy's collapsin' but these wieners be slappin'.
Ep. 024 · · 38 tracks
37 tracks from the wild kingdom -- monkeys, dogs, cats, horses, wolves, and lions. From Nellie the Elephant to a NIN closer, this one's got teeth. Sequenced into an animal parade you didn't know you needed.
Ep. 023 · · 40 tracks
41 tracks for Father's Day -- songs about dads, by dads, and for dads. From Cat's in the Cradle to A Boy Named Sue, with a pre-credit bonus track and a whiskey toast at the end. Happy Father's Day.
Ep. 022 · · 41 tracks
The family reunion continues. 41 more tracks from siblings, spouses, parents, and offspring who made music together -- from the Kinks to the Carliles, the Staple Singers to Van Halen. Closing with John Prine and his family singing "Paradise" live.
Ep. 021 · · 37 tracks
37 tracks counting their way from "Kiss Off" to a thousand dances. Every song has a number in the title -- sequenced from 1 to 1,000 and beyond, with a few wild cards thrown in for good measure.
Ep. 020 · · 25 tracks
Other artists cover the Grateful Dead. 25 tracks of Dead songs filtered through Los Lobos, Bob Dylan, Midnight Oil, Molly Tuttle, and more -- plus a time machine back to 1982 and a birthday surprise. The second installment of the Freaky Friday series.
Ep. 019 · · 34 tracks
34 tracks celebrating bands bound by blood, marriage, and the occasional sibling rivalry. From the Everly Brothers to HAIM, the Cashes to the Thompsons -- proof that the family that plays together stays together (mostly).
Ep. 018 · · 31 tracks
Bruce covers other people's songs, other people cover Bruce's songs, and everyone meets somewhere on the Turnpike. 31 tracks of Springsteen from every angle -- originals, tributes, and role reversals. Part I of the Freaky Friday series.
Ep. 017 · · 44 tracks
43 tracks by women who shaped rock and roll, timed for Mother's Day but built for any day. From Patsy Cline to Waxahatchee, Joan Jett to Brandi Carlile -- bookended by two very different songs about mothers.
Ep. 016 · · 37 tracks
37 tracks celebrating the medium that started it all. Songs about radio, by radio people, for radio people -- from the dial to the satellite and everything in between. Long live the airwaves.
Ep. 015 · · 34 tracks
34 tracks steeped in the spirit of New Orleans Jazz Fest -- from brass bands and zydeco to covers, collaborations, and the kind of songs that sound best in the Louisiana heat. Laissez les bons temps rouler.
Ep. 014 · · 39 tracks
42 tracks that walk every block of the five boroughs — from the Bronx to Brooklyn, Harlem to the Lower East Side, with TV theme medleys and subway songs in between. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Ep. 013 · · 40 tracks
Lucky number 13 calls for a baker's dozen of reasons to reconsider everything. 39 tracks that argue, plead, dance, and testify their way through love, politics, and the open road. No theme, all feel.
Ep. 012 · · 34 tracks
Saints, sinners, and everything in between. 34 tracks exploring rock's long, complicated relationship with religion -- from drop-kicking Jesus to chillin' on the beach with him. Salvation not guaranteed, but a good time is.
Ep. 011 · · 41 tracks
A musical road trip across America and beyond — from Pittsburgh to London, Memphis to Graceland, and everywhere in between. 41 songs that wear their geography on their sleeve, proving that the best music always knows where it comes from.
Ep. 010 · · 39 tracks
Belly up to the bar for an evening of songs about drinking, bars, and the bittersweet moments before closing time. From barstool blues to morning-after regrets, these are the songs that soundtrack our nights out and the long walks home.
Ep. 009 · · 35 tracks
Part two of our celebration of musical partnerships – more legendary duets, unexpected collaborations, and harmonies that prove two voices are better than one. From Neil Young with The Band to Noah Kahan with Hozier, these are the songs that soar when voices unite.
Ep. 008a · · 35 tracks
Part one of a two-part celebration of the magic that happens when voices come together – legendary duets, unexpected collaborations, and harmonies that transcend. From Marvin & Tammi to Cash & Fiona Apple, these are the songs that prove two voices are better than one.
Ep. 007 · · 35 tracks
A Black History Month celebration – Mike and Kerry trace the roots of rock through the Black artists who created, shaped, and revolutionized American music. From soul to funk, reggae to rock, this is a journey through the sounds that changed everything.
Ep. 006 · · 35 tracks
The flip side of Valentine's Day – heartbreak, jealousy, and the ache of love gone wrong. Mike and Kerry explore the songs that soundtrack our worst romantic moments, from bitter breakups to quiet goodbyes.
Ep. 005 · · 37 tracks
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Mike and Kerry dive into the messy, beautiful, complicated world of love songs. From tender ballads to raw declarations, this one's for the lovers, the heartbroken, and everyone in between.
Ep. 004 · · 30 tracks
The perfect song at the perfect moment. Mike and Kerry explore the art of the needle drop – those unforgettable music cues in film and TV that elevate a scene from great to iconic. From Shaft to The Sopranos, Fight Club to Ted Lasso.
Ep. 003 · · 35 tracks
Hit the road with Mike and Kerry as they explore the great American tradition of songs about cars, trains, and the open road. From llamas to Cadillacs, magic buses to fast cars – this one's for everyone who's ever felt the pull of the highway.
Ep. 002 · · 28 tracks
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mike and Kerry explore the power of protest music – from civil rights anthems to modern-day calls for change. Music that speaks truth to power.
Ep. 001 · · 24 tracks
The inaugural broadcast. We establish the ground rules and immediately break them as rules are for fools and we will not be stopped, constrained nor contained. We provide a musical mission statement of sorts and try to figure out what this whole thing is about together.
