Guitar legend Steve Vai joins us on this episode of Sound Up! to talk about teaming up with Joe Satriani for the SatchVai Band, their project The Sea of Emotion, taking guitar lessons from Satriani, songwriting, recording, and much more!

Plus, Mark and Alan catch Ringo Starr live, Alan reviews Geese in concert, Mark shares his take on LP Giobbi, and we reveal our Songs of the Week!

In this Episode, Mark, Alan, and Roger discuss their show meeting and review concerts by Rush, Neil Young & Willie Nelson, Twisted Sister, and more. Mark talks about an early interview with Madonna, plus we have our picks for who owned the summer of 2026 and our songs of the week!

As we look back at some of our favorite episodes from the Sound Up! archive during the month of August, we honor the recent passing of beloved singer-songwriter Glen Hansard with a replay of a show from June 2025, when Oscar-winning duo The Swell Season - Hansard and Marketa Irglova—joined Mark and Alan to discuss "Forward," their first album together in 16 years. This episode also featured Alan's review of Paul Simon at the Beacon Theatre and a listener recap of the Kendrick Lamar/SZA tour.

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On this episode of Sound Up!, we offer up our last new show of the summer, catching up with listener emails. Alan reviews Tori Amos in NYC and offers some thoughts on the new Charli XCX album, and we have reports and questions from Pod Squadders in Austin, Cleveland, Ontario, and even Germany! New Music picks this week come from Lizzy McAlpine and Bob Seger.

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On this episode of Sound Up!, Mark and Alan welcome Ethan Millman, music editor of The Hollywood Reporter, to catch us up on the latest legislative efforts to combat ticket scalping. Mark recaps a rain-soaked Train/Barenaked Ladies/Matt Nathanson concert at Jones Beach and we get a listener review of LP Giobbi in Toronto. In music news, we discuss the much-talked-about halftime show at the World Cup Finals and note the deaths of Dave Kendall of MTV’s “120 Minutes” and Jennifer Finch of pioneering alt-rock band L7. Our new music picks this week come from Fiona Apple and Snow Patrol featuring Kylie Minogue.

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On this episode of Sound Up!, Mark and Alan welcome Thomas Dolby to talk about reforming his band The Lost Toy People for the Totally Tubular festival, as well as his history working with Joni Mitchell and David Bowie and his thoughts on music and AI. Roger reviews Bon Jovi at MSG and Alan has thoughts on the new Rolling Stones album. In music news, The Cure make a change in their touring line-up, Jennifer Finch from L7 reveals an illness, and the Michael Jackson movie—with a billion-dollar box office—becomes the biggest biopic of all time. Our new music picks this week come from Jack White and Nothing But Thieves.

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On this episode of Sound Up!, Mark and Alan welcome Grammy-winning songwriter and Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson to talk about making new music with the band and his remarkable history working with Adele, the Chicks, and so many more. Alan reviews a Suki Waterhouse underplay and St. Vincent with the New York Philharmonic. Music news, of course, is dominated by the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding - what we know (Adam Sandler officiated, Paul McCartney performed) and what we don’t (which Stevie Nicks song would be appropriate for the occasion?) - as well as the announcement of, and trailer for, the upcoming Oasis documentary. Our new music picks this week come from Michigander, Kiss (from 1976), and The Maine.

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On this episode of Sound Up!, Mark and Alan welcome filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine to talk about their new documentary “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man,” a chronicle of the life of the producer/manager and his unbelievable history with the Beatles, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and countless more. Mark has a review of Bleachers at MSG. In music news, Stevie Nicks (might be) playing at Taylor Swift’s (possible) wedding this week, Dua Lipa takes her book club to the next level, and HBO announces a new eight-part Jay-Z documentary series directed by Rick Rubin. Our new music picks this week come from beabadoobee, Tame Impala, and Beth Hart featuring Slash.

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