Listen Now

 Music lovers, we renew our prescription with Rock RX this time around! I'm joined by Quinten and Kirsten, the guitarist and one of the singers, respectively, for the band. I'm super excited to have my very first female rock star on the show, and get a little different take on the life of a weekend rocker. On today's episode, we talk about the importance of putting on a good show (which is a recurring topic that's near & dear to my heart), what it's like to be a female rock star, the importance of a music community that supports each other, and I think we get a really good look at what it's like to be a new band. So get ready for another hour of talkin music and a whole lotta laughs, on this week's edition of Regionally Well-Known!

 Music lovers, I have a great show for you this time around! (Much better than listening to me talking alone for an hour for damn sure!) My pal Paulie Cohen joins me for the longest RWK podcast yet, and it is worth every second of the listen, I promise! Paulie has just released his first solo project, Senery, and the story of how this album came to be is nothing short of amazing! This is the story of how a musician, father, and husband took a cancer diagnosis and turned it into the motivation to write, perform, record, mix, and promote the concept album he's been thinking about for almost ten years! Usually, me and my guest talk about a lot of light and fun stuff, laugh a bunch and just kind of goof around for your entertainment for an hour. This time around, it gets pretty heavy sometimes, but I promise you, this is one great story about one amazingly good album. So get settled in and join me for a talk with today's rock star next door, Paulie Cohen, on this 80's concept album, cancer can suck it, edition Regionally Well-Known!

 RWK turns 10! Well, 10 episodes that is, and in honor of this milestone, I'm turning the spotlight on... well... me! I reached out to all you music lovers via social media and asked you to submit your questions for me, and boy, did I get some great ones! I was thinking of doing this totally scripted – write out the whole thing and read it to you – but then I realized my guests don't get that opportunity, so we're just gonna role tape, read a question, and see what I say! So, let's get to it and find out all the things you wanna know about me, Bryan Fischer, former weekend rock star turned podcaster, and formerly... Regionally Well-Known!

It's a double fistful of hair today, music lovers! I got the chance to talk with Jim and Paxton of the band Hair Mania! The guys brought a little taste of their stage show to the interview, in the fact this was a lot like talking while at at party! We talk about the difference between being a cover band and a tribute act, how the band got started, where to buy spandex, how to build a set list, the importance of a female-heavy crowd presence, being a rock star on and off stage, and whole bunch of other stuff. So get your hair spiked up high, grab a pair of your favorite day-glo spandex, put on a little guy-liner and man-scara, and get ready to go back to the best decade in rock – the 80's – on today's Aquanet-drenched addition of Regionally Well-Known!

 My first intergalactic guest joins me today! Jon Wan of the Space Angels is my guest. Jon and I met through Instagram a few months ago, and when I put out a call for guests, Jon was the first to respond with a “Hell yeah!” Jon is the band's guitarist, and today we talk about his local music scene, life on the road as an opening act, mispronounced band names, what it's like to be a band from outer space, playing in daisy dukes, and Surge soda pop. So get ready for a lot of laughs on this hillbillys from outer space edition of Regionally Well-known!

 On this episode of Regionally Well-Known, we are southbound, baby! I got a chance to talk with Andrew “Goosey” Hughes of the Atlanta band, Half Hot. Goose is the lead singer and one of the guitarists for the band, and he and I had a lot of laughs as we talked about the importance of putting on a show, Freddie Mercury, making a music video, dressing like a rock star, and the Atlanta music scene. I even learned some southern slang, so I got that going for me, which is nice. So grab a sweet tea or a nice bourbon, and let's get ready to meet today's rock star next door on this Hot 'Lanta edition of Regionally Well-Known!

Tai Drury, of Northern Michigan's The Marsupials, joins me today for this week's episode of Regionally Well-Known. Back in January of this year, I made a few resolutions/goals for the podcast. One was to interview at least five musicians that I didn't know personally. Tai is the first check that box, but we still have a number of close mutual friends – one being my son Zach, which is very cool and shows just how small this musical world can be. Today, Tai and I chat about his band, changes in the music industry, the “biz” part of the “music biz,” jam bands vs bands that jam, how a band is like a girlfriend, the Grateful Dead, and why John Mayer is the coolest. We also discuss the challenges of live streaming shows from a musician's perspective, how festivals are much better than bar gigs, and the Marsupials' writing process. So, get ready to listen to some great conversation from a younger musician on today's “getting to know all about my new friend” edition of Regionally Well-Known!

Today, I get to talk with a good friend of mine, Danny Oullette of Kalamazoo's Out of Favor Boys! Danny is a teacher on many different levels- he's an English teacher as well as a mentor to young musicians by way of late-night jams in Kalamazoo's thriving blues scene. If you listened to my interview with Tom Eldred, you'll have a bit of an idea of what I'm talking about. If you haven't heard that episode, be sure to check it out, as well. On this episode, we talk about Danny's start on guitar, how he and his college roommate learned to play blues the same way Danny has helped other new players, how the OFB came to be, Kalamazoo's blues scene through the past 3 decades, and lots of other stuff. So get ready to get all bluesed up on today's jam-packed episode of RWK! 

On this episode, I'm joined by long-time friend, James Reeser of West Michigan's James Reeser & the Backseat Drivers! By day, James is a master welder, and by night a master of the "Mississippi saxophone," the blues harmonica, or "harp." Today, we talk about ambush band names, the difficulties of laughing and playing a wind instrument at the same time, the importance of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and what it's like to be a regionally well-known musician with a real live recording contract. So get ready to learn all you never knew you wanted to know about blues harmonica on today's red hot, harp blowin' episode of Regionally Well-Known!

Two BMF Band members back-to-back, music lovers! On this episode of RWK, I get a chance to catch up with another close friend, and former band mate, Tom Eldred. Give a listen and learn about Tom's introduction to playing on stage as a 16-year-old high school student, the importance of what a keyboard brings to a band's sound, and how a Pitbull can try to take over a podcast!

Eric Busch is a great friend, former band mate, and amazingly talented drummer currently working with Kalamazoo-based blues/roots band Crooked Root. On this episode, he and I sit down to talk drums, our history together, musician dads and their influences, how blues jams can build a band, and the healing power of music. Find out how a late-night call changed not only both our lives, but a band as well, on this episode of Regionally Well-Known!

Dan Aaberg - front man for Kalamazoo-based rock cover band, "Rock RX," sits down with me for the very first RWK episode! **Disclaimer** we do experience a bit of "technical difficulties" early on, but we soldier through... just like a live rock show! Hear how two guys playing "Seven Nation Army" for a goof turned into one of West Michigan's up and coming cover bands! We talk about what makes a successful musician, the importance of putting on a show, oboes, "Executive" drum sets, and how a local band goes from conception to stage and the wild ride that can be. 

We all know stories about our favorite artists, but what do you know about your favorite local rock stars? Who were their influences? What was their first band's name? How did they get started in the music business? What makes them keep going to the bars and clubs every weekend to entertain us?This podcast focuses on the lives, personalities, and (sometimes) crazy stories of local musicians and artists. Because believe me, they have just as many cool stories to tell, just as many compelling tales from the road, just as many ups and downs, as any "major" star. My name is Bryan Fischer, and I was once, like my guests, regionally well-known.