The Rock is George Podcast

George Dionne interviews drummer DAVID WHITE and guitarist PHIL CUSIMANO of THE QUESTION about their latest release ‘Much!’.  The compilation features classic tracks, alternate versions, and unreleased music from the 80s and 90s.  ‘Much!’ is out now through Oglio Entertainment.  “We were big in [Los Angeles], and I think for some reason that satisfied us. Maybe hiding behind all that was, a fear that we would never be big anywhere else. - David WhiteHighlights include:  -Finding the lost music material-Restoring and touching up the demos-Why THE QUESTION released very little music-Not having the right manager -How did they fill a night, will so little material-Releasing the material 10 years after re-discovering-How they describe the band’s sound-Signing with Oglio Entertainment for the release-How a robbery led to Cusimano joining the group-How White and Tony Rugolo formed THE QUESTION-How the band decided on their name-Memorable gigs, disastrous gigs-NO DOUBT referencing them at their Sphere residency -Recent and future live performances-Where life took them during the band’s hiatus -Has visiting the past led to writing new music-And much, much more!

George Dionne interviews director, producer, screenwriter, and author CRAIG A.WILLIAMS about his latest documentary, IF THESE WALLS COULD ROCK.  Discover the torrid tales of the infamous Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, California, from the musicians and entertainers that survived them.  Based on his 2013 book, If These Walls Could Rock: 50 Years At The Legendary Sunset Marquis Hotel.  “Yes, we obviously have stories about getting laid and parting, and throwing TVs out the window…but the heart of the place is really about the sense of community and connection, and allowing these people to be themselves.” - Craig A. Williams CRAIG A. WILLIAMS also co-produced I WANNA ROCK: THE 80s METAL DREAM series on Paramount Plus, and is the author of ‘Mom Have You Seen My Leather Pants’.IF THESE WALLS COULD ROCK features interviews with: Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Slash, Morrissey, Dave Grohl, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Gibbons, Nancy Wilson, Gene Simmons, Chris Robinson, Sheryl Crow, Roger Daltrey, Joe Elliott, Sharon & Kelly Osbourne, and more.Available for streaming at www.ifthesewallscouldrock.com, Amazon Video, and Apple TV.  Highlights include:-How his 2013 book became a documentary-His favorite celebrity story from the hotel-Hearing about the Grand Marquis for the first time-Why Billy Bob Thornton was the voice of the film-Openess of the storytellers-Securing Springsteen after filming-What musicians turned them down-Were some stories too outrageous -How the film & his book differ-Owners George & Mark Rosenthal’s difficult relationship-Album art, videos, and interviews from the Marquis over the years-The Marquis not as crazy as it used to be today-Modern musicians discovering the hotel for the first time-His old Sunset Strip band ONYXXX-Future music documentaries & scripted docs-Revisiting his cancelled bio-pic about Vince McMahon (WWE)-Scripting animated feature films-And much, much more!

George Dionne interviews Progressive Rock act REFESTRAMUS and their producer IAN BEABOUT, about their latest album ‘Morri’s Rock Boutique’.  REFESTRAMUS features songwriter Derek Ferguson on drums, Jan Christiana (OCTARINE SKY)  on vocals, keyboards, and guitar, Dyanne Potter Voegtlin (OCTARINE SKY) on keyboards and vocals, and Mitch Lawrence on saxophone and clarinet.“Part of the reason I’m into Prog, as opposed to other forms of music, is that you just really can’t do much on drums in most other forms of Rock” - Derek Ferguson  Highlights include:-The origins and proper pronunciation of the band’s name-How the project originally formed -Thematic elements throughout ‘Morri’s Rock Boutique’-How the band members approach Ferguson’s material   -Producer Ian Beabout tying it all together-Guest spots by members of VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR, CRACK THE SKY, and KANSAS-The real ‘Morri’s Rock Boutique’ in Paraguay -Bonus material on the CD version of the album-Challenges in bringing the studio material to a live setting-Prog drummers vs, keyboardists-Recent festival performances -Playing live with David Jackson (VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR)-Beabout’s work in the studio & YouTube venture- Their 2024 song “DMK”, inspired by ‘Night Of The Comet’-Actress Catherine Mary Stewart’s endorsement-Jan & Dyanne’s work in OCTARINE SKY with Simon Phillips (TOTO)-Future music from REFESTRAMUS-And much, much more!

George Dionne Interviews ASIA vocalist HARRY WHITLEY about their latest album ‘Indigo’.  The album is set for release on November 6, 2026 through Frontiers Music.  ASIA features founder Geoff Downes on keyboards, Virgil Donati on drums, and John Mitchell on guitar.  ‘Indigo’ features guest musicians Steve Howe (YES, ex-ASIA) and Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER). ”I try to ignore [criticism] for the most part, but I am somebody who…I read all the reviews, I look at all the comments, because it eats me alive if I don’t.” - Harry WhitleyHighlights include:  -How did the opportunity to front ASIA came about-When the writing process began -Using music pieces the late John Wetton left behind-Building lyrics off of song titles-Stories behind the singles-With so many nods to the past, why doesn’t the album start and end with an “A”?-Brining in Mike Portnoy on one of the tracks-2027 touring plans-Recording every live show-Difficulties recreating the studio sound live-Dealing with gatekeepers and online criticism-Fans getting attached to original line-ups-What Whitley did prior to joining ASIA-And much, much more!Photos by @scruffybearmedia

George Dionne interviews THE CRYSTAL TEARDROP front woman ALEXANDRA ROSE about their sophomore album ‘Love You More’.  The album is out now through Rise Above Records / Popclaw.“We had the total sum of three whole band practices before we had our first gig.” - Alexandra RoseHighlights include:  -How the band formed-Their songwriting process-Stories behind the singles-1st female vocalist to cover “I’m Rowed Out”-Recording in a traditional studio-Utilizing vintage instruments-Alex’s go-to Vox Teardrop guitar-Signing with Rise Above Records-Upcoming live performances-Unique band merch-Opening for The Molotovs-Their appearance on ‘Clowns & Jugglers: The Songs of Sid Barrett’-Being under the gun to finish their song-Her Reverberation, London DJ gig-And much, much more!

George Dionne interviews THE CALLING frontman ALEX BAND about their comeback album BEFORE THE WORLD TURNS TO DUST.  The album is out now through TLG | Virgin Music Group. “THE CALLING (in 2001) was never like a band, I just hired people…This is actually the first time that I have band members that are contributing.” - Alex BandHighlights include: -Why now was the right time for a new album-Roadblocks and delays along the way-Maintaining their early 2000’s sound-Recovering from symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease-Working with producer John Fields again-Cutting down the amount of songs written over the years-Stories behind the singles-Recent & future live performances-25th anniversary of ‘Camino Palmero’-Signing with RCA Records when he was 15 -THE CALLING’s first major tour-One billion Spotify streams of "Wherever You Will Go”-Changes in the industry since THE CALLING’s last album-What ended THE CALLING back in 2005-Why he didn’t release the current album as a solo album-Not following his father Charles Band into filmmaking-And much, much more!

George Dionne interviews musician JAMIE JAMES about his ‘Stepping Back’ series of albums, chronicling unreleased material from 1988-2009. The albums are available now through Oglio Entertainment. JAMIE JAMES was a member of the NEW STEPPENWOLF, fronted THE KINGBEES, played with actor HARRY DEAN STATNON’s band, and was a key member of DENNIS QUAID AND THE SHARKS.”[THE KINGBEES] toured for a long time, out there beating a path that had not really been forged yet, for what we were doing. Radio stations didn’t know what to do with us…after two or three years of that, I was done with the spotlight” - Jamie JamesHighlights include:-How the ‘Stepping Back’ series came to be-Where had all this unreleased material been-Recording music and demos for fun back in the day-Working with engineer Warren Dewey (KISS, BOSTON, SAMMY HAGAR)-How each release differs from the other-Actors and musicians-Preferring to collaborate over being in the spotlight -His time in THE KINGBEES-How they got their record deal with RSO-Appearing on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand-The impact his open heart surgery had on his songwriting-Other gems found in addition to the ‘Stepping Back’ material-His time with PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY (PCH)-An un-released LINDA PERRY produced movie he worked on-First time meeting HARRY DEAN STANTON-Collaborating with DENNIS QUAID for the first time-His time in the NEW STEPPENWOLF-Working recently with Blues artist PEACH-Local unheard bands and the heart of music-And much, much more!

George Dionne interviews vocalist LEE-LA BAUM and drummer DAVE TRAINA of THE DAMN TRUTH about the Deluxe Edition release of their 2025 self-titled album.  The album is out now through Frontiers Music and was produced by Bob Rock (BON JOVI, AEROSMITH, METALLICA, THE CULT).““Be Somebody” has become a defining track in [our] shows.  It sets the tone.” - Lee-La BaumHighlights include:-Why the album got the deluxe edition treatment -Working with Bob Rock over two of their albums-Recording at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver -Is Rock laid back or strict with his production style?-Extra material included on the re-release-Stories behind the singles-The vinyl experience-Their recent tour with CROBOT-Opening for EUROPE and meeting them ahead of it-THE DAMN TRUTH in the USA-Working on new music for the next album-The origins of the band’s name-And much, much more!*Photos by Rob Blackman & Phil Honley

George Dionne interviews LED BY VULTURES mastermind BRIAN TICHY about their self-titled debut album. The album is out now through Deko Entertainment. Tichy has played drums for such Hard Rock luminaries as WHITESNAKE, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, and SASS JORDAN. He is currently performing with the GENE SIMMONS BAND.”It’s no fun to get excited about an original piece of music and have it sit on a hard drive as a demo” - Brian TichyHighlights include: -How the project came to be-Handling all parts except keyboards-Derek Sherinian pushing him to release his music-“Waves” becoming an unlikely single-Mixing older ideas with newer ideas-Fronting a band back in the ‘90s-The story behind “Massivity”-Avoiding AI in his music-LED BY VULTURES live plans-His current gigs with the Gene Simmons (KISS)-Appearing on the next ONE MORE SATELLITE album-How did he settle on the name LED BY VULTURES-And much, much more!

George Dionne interviews PAUL LAINE about his first solo album in over 30 years, ‘The Long Road Back’.  The album is set for release on September 25, 2026 through Frontiers Music.  Laine is also the current frontman for the Canadian Rock act TROOPER and the Melodic Rock trio THE DEFIANTS.  He also fronted DANGER DANGER from 1993-2003.For me, this is a follow up to ‘Stick It In Your Ear’, because the “Can’t Get Enough’ record was just a record of a bunch of demos.”  I never got to produce that album, or have too much involvement with it.” - Paul LaineHighlights include:  -His return to making music as a solo artist-Writing fresh instead of mining old material-Not knowing what the first single would be-His longtime friendship with Bruno Ravel   -Getting the gig in TROOPER-Large crowds and having fun on stage-Possibility of new music with TROOPER-Planning live shows to support his solo album-Working on new music for THE DEFIANTS-Writing and scoring music for television & movies-Creating the music without seeing the product-And much, much more!*Photo by Dee Oliver