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A different backdrop, the same heartbeat. We took the year-end show to the patio and opened the door to a free-flowing conversation with friends—part celebration, part confession, all connection. Between mic tests, guest links, and a stubborn winter cough, we found a groove that felt like a living room: holidays recapped, family updates shared, and a few brave toasts to what’s next.

We zoomed out to see where the show traveled this year—six continents, 57 countries, and a surprising wave from Singapore—then zoomed in on who’s actually watching on YouTube. The data sparked a larger question: how do we build content for the people who show up, without losing the spark that drew them here? That led to plans for a bigger studio and a second show that explores politics and faith, giving the original program space to keep telling personal stories and spotlighting artists, authors, and everyday voices.

Our guests brought the heart. Larry walked us through his ambitious history series—every president and each year since 1776—reminding us why Prohibition, organized crime, the Dust Bowl, and civil rights aren’t distant chapters but living context. Pepper Ann shared two new book projects set in the 80s and offered sharp advice on writing memoir: start with your deepest passion and let that scene pull readers in. We detoured into baseball—catchers, pitch calling, Greg Maddux, and what leadership looks like when only one person sees the whole field. And we held space for grief and legacy as Larry honored his son-in-law and a final song recorded near the end, a story about copyright, distribution, and doing justice to the work before chasing a big name.

We closed with warmth and a little mischief—eggnog spiked, Irish toasts raised, and a call to make 2026 braver, kinder, and more creative. If this conversation moved you, subscribe, tap the bell, and share it with someone who needs a hopeful sendoff to the year. Leave a comment with your bold goal for 2026—we’ll be reading and cheering you on.

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Holiday shows should feel like a living room: a little noisy, full of laughter, and anchored by stories that matter. This Christmas special does exactly that. We start with a simple question—what does Christmas mean to you?—and follow it into memories of ping pong tournaments in the garage, first stereos with eight-track decks, and the shared magic of waking up to a tree that somehow made a whole year feel brighter. Then we read Luke 2 and sit with the humility and hope of a child in a manger, letting the season’s center settle the rest.

Music is our throughline. I share a top-10 Christmas list built for feeling, not clicks: MercyMe’s towering take on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé trading places for The Christmas Song, the Kinks’ irreverent Father Christmas, Bruce Springsteen’s joyful live Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Alabama’s Joseph and Mary’s Boy, and Kenny Rogers’ Carol of the Bells. Each track earns its spot for emotion, story, or sheer delight—perfect for your own playlist overhaul. We also dig into Advent, daily reflections, and why small rituals help us slow down when the world speeds up.

Two guests join the celebration. Country artist Olivia Harms checks in from a twinkling tree to talk last-show-of-the-year vibes, cookie deliveries by “sleigh,” and her favorite deep-cut carol, The Gift. Then author and energy expert Chris Skates calls from Washington with a surprising thread: how AI is driving a new wave of nuclear energy, and why grid reliability will shape our next decade. He shares D.C. holiday plans—Museum of the Bible, vintage department-store windows, and the National Christmas Tree—then tells a gripping Christmas Eve story of Washington’s crossing of the Delaware and the battle at Trenton. It’s a reminder that courage and sacrifice sit beneath the lights we hang each year.

We close with gratitude, a nudge to love your neighbors now rather than later, and a full reading of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. If you need a show that mixes faith, nostalgia, music, and a couple of tech hiccups we somehow survived, pull up a chair. Subscribe, rate, and share with someone who needs a little light this week—what’s your number one Christmas song?

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Rock deserves better than vague labels and fuzzy math. So we pulled up Billboard’s “50 Best Rock Bands” and put it under a bright stage light, testing every pick against a simple, honest standard: influence, longevity, catalog depth, cultural impact, and rock radio airplay. When “rock” balloons to include pop, funk, and industrial, the rankings break. We call out the genre creep, make the case for the true architects, and then rebuild the canon with a cleaner set of rules.

We move briskly through Billboard’s 50–1, pointing out the head-scratchers and the slam-dunks. Def Leppard buried below ska-pop? The Eagles in the 30s? Van Halen outside the top 20? Meanwhile, we recognize where they nearly nail it with Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles. Along the way, we explain why influence matters more than hype, why radio presence across decades is a real signal of staying power, and how a band’s catalog—not just one album—cements a legacy. Think Sabbath’s blueprint for metal, Van Halen’s guitar revolution, Metallica’s thrash made global, and The Beach Boys’ harmonies that still shape modern rock.

Then we present our objective top 10. It’s not a favorites list; it’s a criteria-driven canon that respects the builders and the innovators. We also spotlight the glaring omissions that any serious rock list must wrestle with—Hendrix, Deep Purple, Bowie, Elton, Chuck Berry—and show how their DNA runs through nearly every great act that followed. If you care about what makes a band truly great, you’ll find a fairer framework here and a better map for exploring rock’s past and present.

If this breakdown hits a nerve, good—rock should spark debate. Drop your top 10 in the comments, tell us who we overranked or missed, and make sure to subscribe, rate, and share so more people can jump into the fray. Your list next. Let’s hear it.

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Country music hits different when you hear the story behind the song. We welcome Southern California’s own Ashley Felton, a powerhouse vocalist who blends the heart of 90s country with a bold, modern edge—and a schedule packed with 150-plus shows a year. We talk about the real work of building a career today: how to win over a room with covers, invite them into your originals, and make the numbers add up when recording a single costs thousands and streaming pays in pennies.

Ashley opens up about her writing process—lyrics and melody arriving together in voice memos, car rides becoming mobile studios, and the moment a song proves it should be recorded only after it survives weeks of live testing. We get into the art and pressure of co-writes, why taking someone else’s song requires care, and how a playful track like Two Step became a dive-bar music video with a storyline fans love. There’s plenty of scene-building too: writers rounds with Nashville on the Coast, a supportive circle of independent artists sharing the playbook instead of gatekeeping, and the practical steps that led to bookings at the House of Blues, the OC Fair, and ticketed showcases like the Tiki Bar.

What stands out is Ashley’s grounded life and grit. She’s a mom and a special education teacher who still finds time to craft, record, and perform, bringing honesty to songs like From the Start—a tender, heart-forward single about learning to be loved through old scars. If you care about live music, original songwriting, and the truth about how artists actually make it work, this conversation will meet you right where you listen.

If you enjoyed this, tap follow, share it with a friend who loves country, and leave a quick review—your words help more listeners find the show.

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If you miss steel guitar, two-step tempos, and songs born from real work and long roads, you’ll love this one. We welcome Olivia Harms—a ranch-raised artist carrying the torch for true country western honky tonk—who opens up about life on a cattle ranch, the Bakersfield legends who shaped her ear, and why she proudly swims against the pop-country current. From Oregon roots to Texas bars, from George Strait shoutouts to Buck Owens sparkle, Olivia lays out how her sound came to be and why it connects on a Friday night dance floor.

We dig into her latest single, Sent From Above, a heartfelt nod to her California cowboy and the kind of love story that writes itself when the details are honest. Olivia also breaks down her writing routine—voice memos, fast-falling hooks, and the stubborn songs that take three sessions—and how playing more than 200 shows a year becomes the best A/B test a songwriter can ask for. Then the curveball: a phone call from Taylor Sheridan that led to The Road on CBS and Paramount Plus with Blake Shelton and Keith Urban. Olivia shares the whirlwind of being handpicked, touring by bus, performing originals for arena crowds, and finding the right fans in a sea of shiny distractions.

You’ll also meet her band, the Roadrunners, hear about life in tiny Vina, California, and catch a first-ever live performance on the show: This Ain’t My First Rodeo. It’s a window into her core—clean tele twang, straight-ahead storytelling, and a voice that rides the line between Bakersfield grit and Texas charm. If you came for tradition, you’ll leave with a new favorite.

If this episode hits your country-loving heart, tap follow, leave a five-star review, and share it with a friend who still believes in honky tonk. Your support helps more ears find the music that never went out of style.

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A firefight in a jungle clearing. A river turned to splinters by a Browning Automatic Rifle. A mountain trail threaded through rocks and rigged with explosives. Then months of hospitals, traction, and quiet miracles. That’s the terrain of our time with Mel Borden—101st Airborne veteran, Purple Heart recipient, husband, father, and man of unwavering faith—who finally tells the story he resisted for decades.

We trace the path from jump school to an ill-fated ceremonial drop in Iran, then into Vietnam’s humidity where Mel carried an M16 and a radio he never officially trained for. He walks us through ambushes, punji stakes, and the blast on March 22, 1966 that tore through his leg and scattered his unit. What follows isn’t just medical detail; it’s providence in motion—an unexpected monsoon that saved lives, a young intern who changed dressings nightly, and a long sleep that let healing begin. Mel doesn’t romanticize combat or pain. He shows how suffering can deepen conviction, and how the hardest questions—Why him? Why me?—can become an invitation to purpose.

The story widens into love and legacy. Mel meets Cher at a tiny Bible college, fights through uncertainty, and learns to listen when the Holy Spirit won’t stop nudging. That same nudge sends him years later to an old friend from the 101st—Jim—on the very night Jim is baptized. It’s a full-circle moment that ties foxholes to faith and friendship to redemption. Along the way, Mel shares the quiet work of rebuilding a life: study at Biola, a job under the basket at Phoenix Suns games, and the everyday choices that make a home where children and grandchildren thrive.

This episode is for anyone who wants a fuller picture of service, sacrifice, and the grace that threads through both. We honor veterans by listening carefully and by letting their stories shape the way we live—grateful, grounded, and committed to doing right by the freedoms we enjoy. If this moved you, subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with someone who could use hope today.

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The phones won’t stop ringing, the Malört keeps pouring, and somehow we still manage to time-travel back to the moment music met television and everything changed. We kick off with the Malört Challenge and a flurry of live calls, then pivot to a genuine, grounded tribute to veterans as we gear up for a special in-studio conversation with Vietnam veteran and author Mel Borden. Along the way, we share a programming note about country artist Olivia Harms, because good stories and great songs are always on deck here.

The heart of the episode is a spirited countdown of MTV’s first 25 videos from August 1, 1981. Expect a mix of nostalgia and fresh insight: Phil Collins’ shadow-soaked In the Air Tonight, Pretenders’ sly and scripted Brass in Pocket, REO Speedwagon’s arena-ready anthems, Iron Maiden’s early punch, and the lesser-known gems that filled those early rotations when labels were still experimenting with the format. We correct last week’s Pat Benatar mix-up and land on the most fitting opener in TV music history: The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star. From there, we honor the original VJs—JJ Jackson, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, and Martha Quinn—whose voices guided a generation through a new way to hear and see music.

It’s messy, it’s warm, and it’s real: community-driven radio energy blended with a love letter to the birth of music video culture. If you remember racing home to catch a premiere, this will feel like a mixtape made just for you. If you didn’t live through it, you’ll hear why MTV’s early days still ripple through playlists and platforms today. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves 80s music history, and drop your favorite launch-day video in the comments—we’ll shout out the best picks on the next show.

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Ready to drop into a very specific moment when radio ruled and MTV was just learning to crawl? We spin the clock back to November 1, 1981 and walk through the Billboard Top 40, blending chart facts with the stories, studio secrets, and memories that make these songs glow again.

We start by setting the ground rules—Hot 100 vs Top 40 vs AC—then dive straight into the countdown. Expect a wide-angle view: the Go-Go’s shaking up pop with Our Lips Are Sealed, Pat Benatar powering early MTV, and Earth, Wind & Fire bringing the funk with Let’s Groove. We unpack why ELO slipped French into Hold On Tight, how Foreigner’s Urgent turned a Junior Walker sax break into legend, and why Rod Stewart’s Young Turks signaled a synth-driven pivot from his 70s sound. Along the way, we pull on threads that connect the charts to real life: concerts, car stereos, and the way a single track can stamp a season.

The middle stretch leans into giants. Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty turn a Heartbreakers tune into a career-defining duet. Olivia Newton-John’s Physical holds the summit for ten weeks, reshaping her image with a laser-focused pop move. James Ingram’s velvet voice on Just Once and The Police’s bright pulse on Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic show how R&B and new wave shared space on mainstream radio. We highlight the unsung heroes too—session players like Steve Lukather and the Toto crew—whose fingerprints are all over this chart from Christopher Cross to Quincy Jones.

We close by climbing through the top ten: Eddie Rabbitt’s smooth country crossover, Rick Springfield’s Hagar-penned rocker, Little River Band’s late-night anthem, and Dan Fogelberg’s heart-on-sleeve songwriting. Then it’s stadium fuel with Start Me Up at number two and a movie moment at number one, as Arthur’s Theme floats on Bacharach’s craft and pristine studio work. It’s a love letter to a week where pop, rock, R&B, and country sat shoulder to shoulder—and to the memories these songs unlock the moment the first bar hits.

If this trip through 1981 hit the nostalgia nerve, tap follow, share the show with a friend who loves the 80s, and leave a quick review. What’s your favorite track from this chart, and which one deserved to climb higher? Tell us—we might feature your take next time.

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