Picture a 1970s American teen, dressed as Frank N. Furter from Rocky Horror, interviewed on local TV outside a suburban cinema. That fearless teen grows up to be Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M., the first alternative band to achieve global commercial success, from its origins in tiny Athens, Georgia. On this episode you'll learn:

• How Athens, Georgia became the unlikely spawning ground for several successful bands.
• How R.E.M. created a memorable sound by combining punk, pop music, southern rock and R'n'B
• Why Pearl Jam and Nirvana cited R.E.M. as a major trailblazer, and influence on their sound
• How an onstage near-tragedy changed the band forever...
• The college radio strategy the company employed to build its credibility and momentum
• Why R.E.M. turned down the offer to write a theme song for the popular TV show Friends

The first alternative band to experience mass commercial success, R.E.M. occupies an influential position in music history, inspiring many bands with their fiercely independent spirit and sound. Astonishingly, the band first heard on 1980s college radio went on to sell 90 million albums.

Guest Bio - Peter Ames Carlin, author & journalist
Peter appeared on our Bruce Springsteen episode. In addition to writing a best-seller about Springsteen, he's chronicled Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and Paul McCartney of The Beatles. His new book, The Name of This Band is R.E.M., has just been released.

Follow Garage to Stadiums (GTS) on social channels

• Share this episode with this link
• Follow GTS on Apple or Spotify podcasts
• Download our official killer playlists for each performer on Apple or Spotify
• Follow GTS on Instagram
• Follow GTS on LinkedIn
• Sign up for the Garage to Stadiums e-newsletter to get more bonus content

Listen to how a true California sound was born… from musicians who didn’t even come from California. In the late 1960s, four young artists arrived in Los Angeles from completely different corners of America. Blending country, rock, and soaring harmonies, Eagles captured the spirit of the American West and helped launch a new musical movement. Over the decades they would sell more than 150 million records and secure 2 of the top 4 spots in album sales in history. This is their journey from the garage to stadiums. In this episode, you'll learn:

1. How their childhoods shaped the music they would create
2. The superstar who gave Eagles their first big break in Los Angeles
3. The personality clashes that simmered behind the harmonies
4. Why the band deliberately changed their sound at their peak
5. The onstage threat of violence that foreshadowed the band’s breakup
6. Who shaped their sound - and the artists they went on to influence

Guest Bio
The guests for this episode are the authors of Eagles: Up Ahead in The Distance Eagles are our two guests, Steve Caparelli and Rick Forgo. They have authored a trilogy of books chronicling the incredible rise of this quintessential band.

Want to learn more music history?
Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

A top 5% of podcasts in the world, Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists: their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between.

Why are we different? In each episode host Dave Anthony features guests who know their stuff and bring real insights from their time with the performers — from respected rock journalists to documentary filmmakers.

If you want smarter music commentary and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else, subscribe now and get your backstage pass to music history.

This is an astonishing story of the human spirit. Travel back to early 1960s Motown when an 11-year old child prodigy mysteriously appeared on the scene. Stevie Wonder rose from deep poverty, a fractured home and a significant physical disability to become one of the most influential musicians of all time. As you will hear, he was also a master of innovating new sounds, producing hits across many musical genres - soul, R'n'B, rock, reggae, pop, funk and more. In this episode you'll learn:

1. The incredible story of Stevie's birth and difficult family life
2. How Motown records was formed by an unexpected source, and then discovered Stevie
3. The ultimatum by a young Stevie that changes his economic situation
4. How a knock on a random door in New York resulted in Stevie's greatest albums
5. How a terrible accident changed Stevie forever
6. About his diverse set of hits from various genres

Want to learn more music history?
Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Guest Bio
Paolo Hewitt has followed Stevie's career for decades. Paulo was a writer for UK music magazines, New Musical Express and Melody Maker, where he both interviewed Stevie Wonder and reviewed several of his albums. Paulo has also written extensively about the hiphop scene and has authored books on several artists. He appeared on two very popular Garage to Stadiums episodes to discuss the careers of David Bowie and Oasis.

Experience the improbable ascent of The Band — five road-worn club musicians from forgotten rural towns who for years played beer-soaked barrooms, drove endless highways and dragged battered amps across borders. And then fate intervened for these four young Canadians and one Southerner. The result: the music they invented was the opposite of the psychedelic rage of the late ’60s — blending country, blues, R&B and story-telling into songs that reshaped rock’s future, leaving its mark on Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Eagles, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. In this episode you'll learn:

1. How relentless touring of bars and clubs forged their otherworldly chemistry

2. The incredible accident of timing that launched them from bar gigs to the global stage
3. Their controversial world tour that changed modern music
4. The internal challenges that began to hinder The Band's chemistry
5. How one member went on to be the musical architect of several famous Hollywood movies

For more music history...
Subscribe to our Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Guest Bio
Craig Harris, is the author of The Last Waltz: The Full Story of The Band, a musician who has performed with a member of the band and the host of the Craig Harris show on WAMU-FM, Bluegrass/Country.

Rewind to the early 1990s, when a high school dropout from Aberdeen, Washington, turned his angst into anthems. This is the story of Nirvana—a band that took Seattle-based grunge from garage floors to global stages - with a rebellious yet melodic sound that resonated with a generation. In this episode, we uncover:

• How Kurt Cobain felt like a fish out of water in his small-town upbringing
• The two legendary bands that inspired Nirvana’s signature sound
• A hidden clue about Kurt in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video you likely missed...
• A previous surprising clue about Kurt in their first-ever demo single
• Bassist Krist Novoselic’s unheralded backstage role in the band's success
• How Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl became Nirvana’s seventh—and final—drummer
• Who the hit song About a Girl was really written for....

About our Guest
Michael Azerrad is the author of The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, an extensively illuminated version of his classic 1993 Nirvana biography Come as You Are, named as one of the 50 greatest rock books ever written by the UK's prestigious music magazine Q. Michael was also a former contributing editor for Rolling Stone, and he wrote the famous Rolling Stone cover story on Nirvana from 1992 in which Kurt wears a homemade T-shirt that says "Corporate Magazines Still Suck".

Garage to Stadiums resources & bonus coverage:
Experience our bonus Garage to Stadium content across a variety of social + web channels

Tom Petty has one of the most popular and recognizable song catalogs and a legion of fans of all ages. Hear how Tom climbed his way to the top despite a difficult childhood, a series of heartbreaking music failures, and even a lawsuit that ended up changing the entire music industry forever. In this episode:

• How Tom overcame a difficult home life in Florida
• How Tom participated in events as a teenager with Lynryd Skynryd and The Allman Brothers Band
• The details behind the groundbreaking Petty lawsuit that changed the music industry forever
• Why Tom was chosen by Bob Dylan & George Harrison into a supergroup
• How Tom's relationship with Stevie Nicks turned into a successful music formula
• The interesting second career as a cartoon voice on a popular show
• The details behind Tom's battle with a heroin addiction

For more music history, subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Guest Bio - Warren Zanes

Warren is the author of Petty: The Biography, a New York Times bestseller. He is also an Oscar-winning and Grammy-nominated producer of music documentaries. Earlier in his career, Warren was a member of the Del Fuegos rock band, recording three albums with Warner Brothers. The band served as an opening act for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on a few tours.

After his time in music, Warren earned a PhD in Visual and Cultural Studies and now teaches at NYU. He has also served as Vice President of Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was a producer on the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, which explores the lives of backup singers. His book on Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album is the basis for an upcoming biopic starring Jeremy Allen White, where Warren also serves as a producer.

Witness the rise of Pink Floyd from 1960s psychedelic early architects to experimenting with grand, cinematic soundscapes, deeply philosophical themes and live shows that felt more like journeys to the human mind than concerts. Prepare for an absolute roller coaster ride from the London Underground clubs to global domination, heartbreaking losses and dramatic fireworks from within. You'll learn:

1) How university students who could barely play instruments became a global phenomenon
2) How an early tragedy involving their primary song writer nearly derailed the band
3) The staggering evolution of sound this band executed
4) The interpersonal drama that produced incredible albums and significant tension
5) The final battles that ended up in litigation

Want to learn more music history?
Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social, podcast & web channels

Guest Bio
Pink Floyd is one of the most successful acts of all time, selling over 250 million albums, and here to tell their story is our returning guest Mark Blake, acclaimed rock journalist and author of books on Queen, Fleetwood Mac and his latest book, Pink Floyd Shine On: The Definitive Oral History has just been released. Welcome to garage. Welcome back to garage. To stadiums. Mark