Another Cool Rock Podcast

Episode 8: Colin Gawel of Watershed - Stories of Rock n' Roll n' Resilience

Colin Gawel, is the co-founder, guitarist, and co-lead singer of WATERSHED, one of my favorite bands of the past 30 years. Hailing from Columbus, OH, Watershed blends loud guitars with big hooks, delivering raw, rootsy power-pop and down-to-earth rock 'n' roll—think Cheap Trick, The Kinks, Georgia Satellites, and Bruce Springsteen to name a few influences. Powered by a battered Fender Telecaster, Marshall amps, and a driving rhythm section, you'll be singing along after just one chorus, with lyrics that hit close to home, that often will remind you of someone, someplace, or some familiar, relatable situation. 
Colin shares Watershed's origin story—forming in elementary school (!), committing to the band in college, and their unwavering passion for making music together. He reflects on their journey through the major-label machine—signed to Epic Records, then dropped—yet always pressing forward, both on the road and in the studio, crafting standout records like their latest, Blow It Up Before It Breaks.
Beyond Watershed, Colin tells the tales of opening up for Insane Clown Posse (!), forming a Cheap Trick tribute band, his solo music, and Watershed's upcoming dates in Columbus this summer. You'll find all of Watershed's music at all the digital music  providers and at WatershedCentral.com. In addition to all that, be sure also to check out PencilStorm.com, where Colin and a crew of passionate writers dive into music, movies, sports, and more.  
 

Episode 7: Johan Bergqvist of The Genuine Fakes (incredible power pop from Sweden)

Johan Bergqvist is the founder, vocalist and guitarist of The Genuine Fakes, a fantastic  power pop band from Sweden. Their influences include Fountains of Wayne, Jellyfish, The Posies and Cheap Trick and naturally this really piqued my interest! Their long-awaited new album, 3, just came out at the end of April and is chock full o' crunchy guitars, bright melodies, amazing harmonies and hooks that stick in your head on first listen. 
We discussed how the new album came to be, various songs (be sure to check out track 10, "The Receiver" and you'll instantly be in a better mood), the power of great music, their unique way of releasing the album, Johan's songwriting and much more. 
You can get 3 on CD via their label's website, Kool Kat Music, and the individual Extended Play EPs that make up the album, at Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music and others. 
 

Episode 6: Tomi Julkunen, guitarist with Ginger Evil (a band you must hear!)

Tomi Julkunen is the guitarist and founding member of a band I can't stop listening to, Ginger Evil, and their debut album, The Way It Burns. We had a great conversation about the long path it took for Tomi and bassist Veli Palevaara to form the band, the good karma behind finding their incredible lead singer Ella Tepponen, the seven awesome videos leading up to the release of the album, and much more about their incredible music.
Be sure to check out Ginger Evil at their official website, as well as Facebook and Instagram, and The Way It Burns is available at Spotify, Amazon Music, You Tube and iTunes
 

Episode 5: Teaser Sweet - Awesome Hard Rock Band from Sweden

Terrific new hard rock is global - hailing from Sweden is TEASER SWEET. Think massive riffs, memorable hooks, and dynamic vocals, and you'll hear all that and more on their new album, Night Stalker. It was a lot of fun talking with vocalist Therese Damberg and guitarist Marcus Damberg - brother and sister who founded Teaser Sweet in 2013. Night Stalker is the evolutionary follow-up to Monster, released in 2020 and we talked about how the new album came to be, how quick they are in the studio, upcoming shows, and much more.
Ahead of that, some rock n' roll news: the 2025 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame inductees - let's hear it for Chubby Checker! Plus, the Joe Perry Project hits the road, with members from Aerosmith (in addition to Joe), The Black Crowes and Stone Temple Pilots. And David Lee Roth plays his first (public) show in five years - with a U.S. tour just announced. 
 
Be sure to check out Teaser Sweet at Spotify, iTunes, You Tube, Amazon, and follow them at Facebook.com/teasersweetband

Episode No. 4: Ross Warner, author of "American Standard: Cheap Trick from the Bars to the Budokan and Beyond"

There are few things I love talking about more than "my all-time favorite band of all-time," Cheap Trick, which is why I really loved having Ross Warner, author of "American Standard: Cheap Trick from the Bars to the Budokan and Beyond." Ross gives such a detailed account into the biggest, most exciting, and, and times, a very frustrating time in Cheap Trick’s career, when the out-of-left-field success of At Budokan – a live album that wasn’t supposed to be released in the U.S. – changed everything for the band, put them under the microscope in ways they hadn’t been before, and also delayed the release of the follow-up album, Dream Police. It was great talking to Ross about the book, his research, the band, and much more.
You can find American Standard at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org and other fine book retailers. 

Episode 3: Richard Turgeon - singer/songwriter, solo artist, screenwriter, and more

Richard Turgeon is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and a solo artist with 14 albums to his credit. His music can fit neatly under the power pop banner - its filled with crunchy guitars, terrific melodies, and hooks that stick in your head. Combine that with relatable and introspective lyrics and it’s all a perfect mix for me. Call it rock, call it power pop, call it really good!
Richard talks about his influences, his songwriting process, being a DIY artist, his new music, plus we took a terrific sidebar talking about Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, as Richard has optioned his first screenplay, Holy Man, about Wilson's relationship with Charles Manson.
Richard's new single is "Small Fry" and you can check it out at You Tube now. You can find more about him at RichardTurgeon.com and at his Bandcamp page.

Episode 2: An Awesome Time at Rock n' Pod and Some Rock News

Steve recaps the awesome Rock n' Pod podcast convention in Nashville, TN, which featured a slew of terrific podcasts panels and rockers. The weekend also included a killer rock show with Tuk Smith and the Restless Hearts, Leilani Kilgore and the hilarious Punchlines and Backlines featuring comedians Courtney Cronin, Hal Sparks, Craig Gass and Don Jameison. Plus, tour announcements from The Darkness, Judas Priest with Alice Cooper and Corrosion of Conformity and The Who sacks Zak (Starkey, that is)!

Episode 1: You Have To Start Somewhere

Welcome to the debut episode of Another Cool Rock Podcast! Under the axiom of "you have to start somewhere" your host Steve chats briefly about what this podcast will be about: talking about rock music, with the people who make it, produce it, write about it and more. Basically, talking with people who love rock n' roll as much as I do and love to talk about it as much as I do.
Above all, it's about awesome music, like the new album from Ricky Warwick, Blood Ties, and Steve gives a quick review of it (its killer, check it out in stores and online, now).