After the Encore
Intimate Conversations with Music Legends
Shane Christopher Neal
Something of a “greatest hits” compilation, After the Encore is a collection of engaging interviews culled from the personal archives of Canadian radio host, podcaster, musician, and entertainment personality Shane Christopher Neal.
A page-turner for certain rock-crazed enthusiasts, After the Encore is crammed with conversations with an array of celebrated music biz names that have been featured throughout the seven seasons of Neal’s popular Industry 45: From the Drum Throne podcast.
“This book really is about some of the artists I have interviewed and bands that I have admired over the decades,” says Neal. “Getting to understand someone’s WHY or what motivates and influences them — that’s what drives my passion for these conversations.”
From members of such iconic ’70s combos as Grand Funk Railroad, Styx, and Journey, to ’80s arena rockers including Warrant, Autograph, and Night Ranger, to ’90s kingpins the Black Crowes and Slaughter, Neal’s timeline is expansive. And he shows more than a lil’ lovin’ for artists from his home country of Canada, including members of Triumph, Glass Tiger, and Coney Hatch. As an accomplished drummer, Neal also chats up such big-name session cats as Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Thommy Price (Billy Idol, BÖC), and Deen Castronovo (Black Sabbath, Journey).
But After the Encore offers more than interviews with notorious musicians. Neal also revisits fascinating conversations with such industry insiders as one-time MTV host Riki Rachtman, famed music artist manager Vicky Hamilton, and legendary record producer Tom Werman. Truth be told, it can be argued that those are some of the interviews that packed the greatest payoffs. In fact, for me, Neal’s interviews with pioneering MuchMusic VJ Erica Ehm and renowned rock photographer Mark Weiss shine as a couple of the book’s best and brightest highlights.
Another cool component of After the Encore is that Neal has set up each chapter with its own QR code that directs readers to the original (full) audio interview. As a result, for enthusiasts who crave even more of Neal’s compelling content, it’s merely a click away. Talk about savvy!
