The Jay Franze Show: Music - News | Reviews | Interviews

Episódios

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  Asayda (Mark Frye) 07.09.2026 1h

  Cincinnati is full of rooms where a band can level up fast, but only if you know where to look. We talk with hard rock artist Mark Frye from Asayda about the Cincinnati live music scene as a real map of neighborhoods, venues, and crowds, and why the city feels like a “big small town” for musicians. From Bogarts to Annie’s Music Center to Ludlow Garage and Riverbend, we compare what each space rewards, what it costs to be close to the stage, and what makes a show feel electric when the band is...
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  Ivey Leighton 31.08.2026 32min

  A debut single is never just a song. It’s ten years of drafts, late-night voice memos, and learning how to trust your own taste long enough to hit release. We sit down with Tennessee pop rock recording artist Ivy Leighton to unpack the real work behind her first official drop, “Good Girl,” out September 1st, 2026. Ivy shares the moment she got serious about songwriting at 14, the mix of influences that shaped her sound (Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Paramore, Wet Leg, Radiohead), and why she keeps...
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  Tom Rentz, Concert Photographer 24.08.2026 1h 14min

  Three songs. That’s the window most concert photographers get to capture an entire night of energy, emotion, and chaos and somehow deliver photos that look like they belong on a tour poster. We sit down with Ohio concert photographer Tom Rentz to talk about what really creates a signature look in live music photography, from tight portrait framing to the decisions you make before you ever lift the camera. Tom breaks down the craft behind the “lucky” shots: studying performances ahead of time...
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  Archers Gate 17.08.2026 49min

  A heavy song doesn’t start as a finished riff and a perfect hook. It starts as a feeling, a voice memo, a half-built demo, and a band willing to tear it down and rebuild it until it finally hits. We sit down with Ohio rock band Archer’s Gate for a deep, practical talk about collaboration, vocal harmonies, and the real behind-the-scenes work that turns an idea into a release you can blast in the car. We get specific about their songwriting process, from who brings the first spark to how they ...
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  Life After This (Matthew Fritsch) 10.08.2026 51min

  A great heavy band does two jobs at once: it punches you in the chest with sound, then pulls you closer with truth. Jay Franze sits down with Ohio recording artist Matthew Fritsch, vocalist for Life After This, to talk about the moments that shaped his approach to modern metal and hard rock, starting with the impact of Papa Roach. We get into what “stage energy” really means, how crowds become one unit, and why the most powerful lyrics are often the most direct ones. Matthew breaks down his ...
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  Les Jansson, Musician (Steve Augieri) 03.08.2026 42min

  One scoop of vanilla ice cream after dinner sounds harmless until it turns into a band tradition, and it’s the perfect opener for a conversation that quickly gets real about what a working musician’s life actually looks like. We’re joined by Les Janssen, a New York bassist with deep roots in rock, a love for great feel, and the kind of touring experience that forces you to think about everything from stage sound to airport baggage claims. We talk about playing at Daryl’s House and why consis...
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  Trey Calloway - 7/20/26 27.07.2026 1h

  You can hear it in Trey Calloway’s voice: the grind is still there, but something has shifted. The work feels more focused, the circle is tighter, and the next steps look a lot more like a real Nashville plan than a hopeful guess. Jay Franze sits down with Trey to talk through the behind-the-scenes moves that actually change a country artist’s trajectory: signing with manager Jerry Hines, learning how to lead with confidence, and building a team that believes in you when you are tempted to do...
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  David Chatfield, Founder and CEO of Harmony Records 20.07.2026 51min

  Streaming promised unlimited music, but it also trained us to treat songs like disposable wallpaper. We sit down with Harmony Records founder and CEO David Chatfield to talk about what that shift costs artists and listeners, and why he thinks the next wave is about bringing music back to being an experience you choose, not noise that happens to you. David walks us through building a record label from the ground up, from the early 1980s world of $125,000 recording budgets and indie dist...
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  Tropidelic 13.07.2026 52min

  A band that adopts a highway, cleans it with fans, then goes straight back to building a tightly synced live show is the kind of story we can’t stop talking about. I’m joined by Rex Larkman, drummer for Tropidelic, for a conversation that moves from Cleveland pride to the real mechanics of modern touring, with plenty of laughs and hard-earned lessons in between. We get into the Cleveland music scene and how a “Lake Erie ocean” mindset can fuel a band whose sound blends reggae rock, fun...
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  Kate Stanton - 7/6/26 06.07.2026 38min

  One email, a few MIDI files, and a shared obsession with atmosphere can turn into a finished single that sounds huge. We sit down with Ohio singer-songwriter Kate Stanton to talk about “Rise,” a track inspired by the Greek idea of mania, the kind of love that looks a lot like limerence and fixation. Kate walks us through how the song came together, from early synth sketches to deep vocal layering, and why making music that feels immersive sometimes matters more than showing off flashy parts. ...
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  New Tours Announced, Favorite Hair Metal Band, and Music News 01.07.2026 1h 11min

  Empty seats can cancel a tour faster than bad reviews, yet rock touring is still printing money. We start with a rapid-fire rundown of newly announced rock and metal tours and quickly end up doing what real fans do: clicking past the headline to check official artist sites, compare dates, and figure out whether these runs are truly “fall tours” or just a handful of shows with a catchy label. From there, we dig into the live music economy: major tour earners, the reality of Ticketmaster seat ...
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  Jerry Hines, Manager (Craig Morgan, Trey Calloway) 29.06.2026 55min

  You can learn signal flow in a classroom, but you only learn touring when the bus doors close and the clock never stops. We sit down with Jerry Hines, a Tennessee-based tour manager turned artist manager, to unpack the behind-the-scenes reality of building a career in live music production and artist development. Jerry shares how a single phone call in 2004 launched him from side jobs into the deep end as a monitor engineer, then into production, front of house, and eventually the high-accoun...
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  Paul Sidoti, Musician (Taylor Swift) 24.06.2026 1h

  Rock mythology is fun, but what does a real working career look like after the posters come down? We’re joined by guitarist Paul Sidoti for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the exact moment KISS flipped a switch in his five-year-old brain and stretches all the way to the day he can email his heroes and actually get a reply. Along the way, Paul shares what those early influences gave him: the drive to learn parts by ear, the hunger for great sound, and the patience to keep getting ...
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  CMA Fest Recap 22.06.2026 1h 7min

  Nashville during CMA Fest is a choose-your-own-adventure where every decision has a cost: stand in a line, catch a set, make a meeting, or follow a last-minute invite that turns into the best story of the week. We take you with us from the “question of the day” energy to the real CMA Fest play-by-play, including what it’s like navigating Broadway crowds, building a schedule with the CMA Fest app, and still getting surprised by who walks into the room. We start strong with a private party at ...
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  The Dreamboats 15.06.2026 47min

  You can feel it when a band isn’t just playing songs, they’re building a world. Johnny from The Dreamboats joins us to explain how a modern rock and roll revival band takes 1950s and 1960s oldies covers and turns them into a full-throttle live performance people cannot stop filming. We talk about the real difference between touring Canada versus the United States, from endless drives between small markets to packed schedules across dense regions, and what it means to uproot your life and land...
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  Stephen Quinn 10.06.2026 45min

  Three hours. That’s the kind of clock Nashville can put on a recording session, and it forces you to learn fast or get left behind. We sit down with country music recording artist Stephen Quinn to unpack what it really felt like to walk into a Nashville studio for the first time to cut “Get It Girl” with seasoned session musicians and a producer who actually cared about getting it right. If you’ve ever wondered how professionals can hear a song once, chart it, and deliver a finished track at ...
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  Stephanie Rabus - 6/3/26 03.06.2026 54min

  A leaky heart valve. A brand-new piece of medical tech called a Harmony valve. And a country singer who’s back on Broadway faster than most of us would return to the gym. We’re joined by Tennessee recording artist Stephanie Rabus, and she tells the full story, from being born with a serious heart murmur and having open-heart surgery at 11 to facing pulmonary regurgitation decades later and choosing a transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement instead of another long recovery. From there, we zo...
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  ACM Award Recap, Bands That Had You From the Start, and Music News 25.05.2026 1h 3min

  Ella Langley didn’t just have a good ACM Awards night, she turned it into a full-on statement. We’re breaking down the 61st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards from Las Vegas with Shania Twain hosting, Cody Johnson grabbing Entertainer of the Year, and a wave of winners that makes you ask what country music is rewarding right now. We talk through the biggest moments, the funniest bits, and the kinds of wins that feel like the format finally caught up to the fans. Then we zoom out into the...
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  Karen Waldrup 20.05.2026 53min

  One great co-write can change a career, but only if you understand what actually happened in the room. We sit down with Louisiana country music recording artist Karen Waldrop to get specific about the songwriting process behind “Me Again,” including what it was like writing with hit writer Danny Wells, how the melody and structure came together, and why the best collaborators know when to lead and when to get out of the way. If you’re a songwriter, an indie artist, or just a listener who love...
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  Albums That Used to Be Considered Metal, Opening Acts That Stole the Show, and Music News 18.05.2026 1h 15min

  You know that feeling when the “opening act” walks onstage and suddenly the headliner has a problem? We chase that exact moment from every angle, starting with a listener question that turns into a pile of concert stories, strong opinions, and a few names that surprised us. If you’ve ever left a show talking more about the first band than the main one, you’re going to have a list by the time we’re done. We also rewind the genre clock with a fun argument about 1970s rock albums that used to b...