Gig Nightmares

About Gig Nightmares

Picture your favorite band. What does their average day on the job look like? They show up to the gig, play the show, then go home.. right? Trust me, we wish it was that simple. The untold stories of gigging musicians and other professionals within the music industry, interviews conducted by Max V Bolton (https://maxvboltonmusic.com/). Past guests include members of Iron Maiden, John Oates (Hall & Oates), Survivor, The Trammps, Alcatrazz, Galactic Empire, New England, Jag Panzer, Millie Jackson, etc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Max V Bolton

Category

music · music

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

26 Jun 2024

Latest episode

21 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

41 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Jan 2026

   EP 40: Livin' the Dream

   Michael “Beenz” Boyles is a rock guitarist from the Northeast Pennsylvania area. From 2020 to 2023, he and I played together in the hard rock cover band Livin’ the Dream. During this formative time in my musical upbringing, we played all around the tristate area and opened for respected acts including Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses, The Four Horsemen, Bark at the Moon, Sapphire, and Roughhouse. In today’s episode of GIG NIGHTMARES, Beenz and I reflect on both good and bad times we had with the band, including heat stroke in the middle of a gig, conflicts over guitar tunings, and a fill-in “singer” disaster that nearly took place at the band’s final show. We tell all the stories of the band, but censor some names to protect identities. This was a special episode for us to record and be able to honor our dear departed friend Tim Eckert. Special thanks to Gener McGeehan for his cameo at the start of the episode with a story from a recent Another Day Dawns gig. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   7 Jan 2026

   EP 39: Sing It, Shout It

   Richie Ranno is an American rock guitarist best known for his work in the 70’s bands Starz and Stories. He’s toured and performed alongside other legendary acts of the era such as Kiss, Pat Travers, ZZ Top, Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent, Foghat, Blue Oyster Cult, Bob Seger, Aerosmith, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Black Oak Arkansas, Johnny Winter, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Angel, Jeff Beck & Jan Hammer, just to name a few. He was one of three guitarists invited to audition to replace Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist Randy Rhoads after his tragic death in 1982. In today’s episode of GIG NIGHTMARES, Richie reflects on record label mismanagement, disillusionment with a "producer"’s drug habits in the studio, radio airplay payola, and how a disastrous music video shoot may have changed the course of Starz’s career. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   17 Dec 2025

   EP 38: Throwing Meat & Sardines at the Audience

   Micke Mansfield is a bassist from Connecticut. In the 80’s & 90’s, he held down the low-end for the New England-based hardcore bands Chronic Disorder and Big Gulp. From 1996-2020, he led the cover band Kick everywhere from the Atlantic City boardwalk to Madison Square Garden to the Las Vegas Strip. He’s played alongside acts like Duran Duran, Green Day, Reel Big Fish, Filter, Staind, Moby, Allman Brothers Band, Molly Hatchet, Dave Mason, Descendants, Social Distortion, Blackfoot, GG Allin, Biz Markie, Don Felder, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Blackberry Smoke, and Suicidal Tendencies, just to name a few. On today’s episode of GIG NIGHTMARES, Micke tells stories of gigs getting shut down by police, getting banned from the University of Connecticut for life, being offered to NOT play gigs, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Who has been a guest on Gig Nightmares

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Rosie Thorn
• Mark Newman
• Matti Frost

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 27 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

41

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Gig Nightmares

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.