Shows
Don’t Scratch The VinylTom Petty And The Heartbreakers: Southern AccentsSmack dab in the middle of Ronald Reagan’s Presidency, Tom Petty wanted to remind the world that even though he had moved to California in the mid 70’s to pursue a music career, he was born a rebel in Gainesville, Florida who grew up with a southern accent.
The sixth installment of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers was released on March 26th, 1985. Southern Accents showcases Petty coming to grips with his southern heritage. This album dives into the complexities that arise when sharing the pride you have in your homeland with outsiders who will not always appr...
2026-01-0149 min
The Work-Life EquationFrom Cost to Competitive Edge: Walmart's Child Care Investment w/ Meghan KlostermanWhat if child care wasn't just a benefit but a game-changer for employee loyalty, engagement, and even talent attraction? In this episode of The Work-Life Equation, we talk with Meghan Klosterman, Senior Manager of Child Care Programs at Walmart, about the launch of Little Squiggles Children's Enrichment Center, a groundbreaking initiative designed to support working parents at Walmart's headquarters. Meghan shares how her personal journey as an educator and mom shaped the vision for a center that's more than just child care, it's a strategic investment in employee well-being, retention, and loyalty. Whether you're an HR leader...
2025-11-1124 minDon’t Scratch The VinylNo Doubt: Tragic KingdomNo Doubt was dripping with talent, creativity, and attitude. Trying to put the Anaheim band in a genre box was as difficult as trying to pin a simple label on David Bowie. They used horns, keyboards, guitars, pianos, drums, bass, vocals, and spirit to express themselves. No Doubt could be classified as Ska, Punk, Alternative, Pop, depending on who you ask. But regardless of whichever distinction you choose, the term “unique” must accompany said description.
In October of 1995, No Doubt invited the world on a tour through a Tragic Kingdom. Armed with a myriad of songs; some pump...
2025-10-2949 minDon’t Scratch The VinylGreen Day: DookieIn April of 1993, the Bay Area trio known as Green Day made the jump to the big leagues when they signed with Warner Brothers. The band was ready to unleash their sound under the backing of a major label They wanted to harness their live energy on an album and share it with the world. What followed was one of the most important albums of the 1990s and the record that finally launched punk rock out from the underground doldrums and into the bright lights of mainstream music.
Dookie premiered on February 1st, 1994 under WB’s R...
2025-10-011h 01Don’t Scratch The VinylBob Dylan: Highway 61 RevisitedIn early 1965, with already four folk records under his belt and enough critical praise to satisfy even Axl Rose, Bob Dylan was preparing one of the great Zags in music history. In March, the folk community was waiting with bated breath for another acoustic centric, poetic album from Dylan.
But instead, he threw a curveball and electrocuted his audience by batting "Subterranean Homesick Blues" leadoff for Bringing It All Back Home. The record’s title was a red herring, as Dylan was leaving his humble folk cabin for a rock n’ roll high rise.
For the...
2025-09-1052 minDon’t Scratch The VinylThe Offspring: SmashOne of the most potent albums to come from a 90’s California group sold over 11 million copies despite being distributed on Epitaph Records, an independent label. During this time, the voice and leader of these Garden Grove punks was a white guy with braids who had earned two biology degrees from the University of Southern California. Their lead guitarist was an elementary school janitor whose nickname was, and still is, Noodles. And the band’s name was inspired from a 1987 horror film titled, The Offspring they were born to kill.
In April of 1994, the Orange County foursome came...
2025-08-2050 minDon’t Scratch The VinylAerosmith: Toys In the AtticIn 1975, Aerosmith pulled out all the bells, whistles, and harmonicas for their third studio album. Toys in the Attic is riddled with tracks that were destined to grace classic rock radio until the end of civilization. The record also contains a slew of numbers that would assist in cultivating Aerosmith’s diverse catalog. The Bad Boys from Boston's footprint on 70’s culture was set in stone, but this record ensured Aerosmith would forever be considered rock n’ roll royalty.
2025-08-0657 minDon’t Scratch The VinylNirvana: MTV Unplugged In New YorkOn November 18th, 1993, Nirvana was primed to bare their sensitive sides in an intimate setting. Armed with acoustic guitars, well placed microphones, a cello, flowers and candles fit for a funeral, a surprise musical guest, cigarettes, tea, an office chair, and a set list woven together from a potent combination of cover and original songs, The Grunge God's were set to create one of the defining cultural documents for the last decade of the 20th century.
Kurt Cobain’s last album with Nirvana was released posthumously on November 1st, 1994. While it would have been a haunting record wi...
2025-07-2255 minDon’t Scratch The VinylVan Halen: 1984By the time the mid 80's rolled around, Van Halen was ready to push the envelope and expand the band’s sound. Led by Eddie Van Halen, and his trusty Fender Stratocaster guitar, nick-named “Frankenstein”, the mad scientist rocker went into his laboratory. To crescent his new home studio, 5150, Eddie kick started Van Halen’s next project. And, along with charismatic front-man David Lee Roth, the golden voiced bassist Michael Anthony, his bombastic drummer of a brother Alex, Eddie concocted Van Halen’s 6th studio album. 1984 became an era defining rock record that masterfully fused synthesizers with guitars, drums and sugges...
2025-06-3058 minDon’t Scratch The VinylDon't Scratch The Vinyl: Introduction EpisodeHello, I am Chad Jones. Welcome to the introduction episode for "Don't Scratch The Vinyl." For the first show, I dive into the format of my music history podcast and share about myself. This show will be centered around me, sometimes solo and sometimes with a guest, breaking down an album song by song. I will be discussing the context of when the record was released, why it mattered in real time, and what music fans can take from the record today.
2025-06-1144 min