The MT Alternative Podcast

Mike Tremblay /Tom Rowsey

The MT Alternative Podcast is where music nostalgia meets sarcasm, humor, and the occasional political rant. Mike and Tom revisit the past, argue about the present, and never take themselves too seriously.

  1. 20H AGO

    Porch Banter and Dr. Hook Spotlight

    Send us Fan Mail Gas jumps. War headlines get louder. Work is a mess because the crew is short. And somehow, on a quiet porch, we still find time to laugh about a bird trying to join the show. That is the vibe today: real life first, big news second, and a music rabbit hole that makes the heavy stuff easier to carry. We talk through rising tension around Iran and what it means when leaders start throwing around threats to hit infrastructure. Then we follow the money trail into oil markets and why gas prices feel like they are controlled by a “global market” no one asked for. Along the way we hit a few U.S. headlines, including military leadership shakeups and court rulings, and we share the blunt, unfiltered questions a lot of people ask when they are trying to make sense of it all. Then we shift gears into what we love: music. Tom spotlights Dr. Hook, from the early Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show days to the radio hits you already know, and the deep cuts you probably have not heard in years. We talk songwriting, genre swings, and why bands from the 1970s could be heartfelt one minute and completely unhinged the next. We also bring the laughs with weird Dr. Hook trivia, then close out with strange Easter foods and Easter traditions from around the world, including Finland’s “Easter witches” and egg races down hills. If you like conversational podcasts, classic rock stories, current events with zero pretense, and a lot of honest side commentary, hit play. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a review so we know what to tackle next. Support the show

    43 min
  2. APR 17

    “Misheard Lyrics, Porch Talk, and Music That Still Hits”

    Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever confidently belted out a lyric only to find out you were wildly wrong, you’ll feel seen here. We’re back on the porch with wind, neighbors, and the kind of unfiltered catch-up that starts with work, dehydration, and the small victories that actually matter, like finally getting disability and Medicare approvals that take pressure off the family budget. Then we head straight into music stories that stick. One of our favorites is a Clay Walker moment that sounds made up until you hear it: a random guy at the bar claims he can get an autograph, walks off with a dollar bill, and comes back with Clay Walker’s signature. It’s also a reminder of how much respect we have for performers who bring real energy to the stage while carrying serious health challenges. If you’re searching for Clay Walker live concert stories, this one’s for you. After that, we geek out on band history with Savatage, tracing their Tampa beginnings, their stylistic shift toward darker, more symphonic rock, and how that road leads to Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We close by playing in the best sandbox there is: songs that never say the title and the funniest misheard lyrics, mondegreens, and “wait, that’s not what they said?” moments across classic rock and pop culture. If you laughed or learned something new, subscribe, share this with a friend who sings the wrong words, and leave us a review so more music fans can find the porch. Support the show

    37 min
  3. APR 7

    From Porch Chairs to World Affairs

    Send us Fan Mail World news is heavy, and sometimes the only honest way to talk about it is from a front porch with a friend and zero pretending. We kick things off with what’s happening around Iran, the fear of escalation, the anger over violence against protesters, and the question nobody can dodge: how do you respond without signing up for another forever conflict. That spirals into a blunt border security debate, assimilation, and why “moderate” feels like a dying word in American politics. Then we turn the volume down and talk music like people who actually listen. We get into Blackhawk’s harmonies and why mellow, love-leaning tracks hit best in a playlist, not on repeat all day. We also check in on The Warning and their newer sound on “Kerosene,” from the bass groove to the poppier edges that can take time to grow on you. From there it’s rapid-fire modern life: doom spending, AI therapy chatbots, “silent walking,” streaming subscription fatigue, locked cases for deodorant, and fast food chains testing menu chaos. We finish with a deep dive into weird Lay’s potato chip flavors, a quick daylight saving time rant, and a few fresh band recommendations you can steal for your next Spotify run. If you like smart laughs, real opinions, and a show that can pivot from geopolitics to snack culture without losing the thread, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review so more porch people can find us. Support the show

    42 min
  4. MAR 22

    Porch Time

    Send us Fan Mail A coworker leaves after years and suddenly the day feels off, even if the work still gets done. That’s where our porch talk starts: the “missing piece” feeling, the way crews change, and how you can be happy for someone’s next move while still bracing for the chaos their absence might cause. From there, we do what we do best and follow the conversation wherever it goes. A loose wolf dog stealing attention during an Olympic event turns into a bigger riff on why sports are better when they’re simple, surprising, and shared. We also get into politics in sports, why it feels like everyone broadcasts their vote now, and why we miss the days when people could disagree without trying to burn every bridge. Then it’s weather whiplash, daylight saving time complaints, and a fast run through headlines and oddball stories: tariffs, a curling controversy, a pizza concept that raises questions, and a pickleball marathon record that sounds less like glory and more like punishment. We wrap with the kind of real-life comedy you can’t plan, including the mystery of shoes left outside for months and a detour into foot sizes and the little keepsakes we hang onto. If you like a funny porch podcast with sports opinions, weird news, and genuine small-town storytelling, hit play, follow MT Alternative Podcast, and share it with a friend. After you listen, leave us a message and tell us what topic you want us to argue about next. Support the show

    40 min
  5. MAR 10

    Two Friends Tackle Hypocrisy, Football Heartbreak, Sesame Street Lore, And Snack Oddities

    Send us Fan Mail The score said blowout, but it felt like a slow bleed. We kick off with a Super Bowl that hinged on field position, a pick six, and a defense doing the heavy lifting while the offense vanished—then admit the most compelling football might have come earlier, in a Rams vs. Seattle clash that had true championship energy. It’s a frank, funny, and slightly bruised debrief that any fan who’s lived through a flat title game will recognize. From there we push into the conversation so many shows dodge: voter ID and immigration policy, not as a shouting match but as a consistency check. We contrast broad public support for ID requirements with partisan resistance, then roll through a rapid-fire montage of past leaders calling illegal immigration “wrong, plain and simple.” The goal isn’t to pick a team; it’s to demand that principles outlast party jerseys. If you care about border security, voting integrity, and media narratives, this segment is catnip for your critical thinking. We lighten the mood with our recurring chaos agents, Pip and Squeak, who wage war on the Sesame Street theme and revisit the era when Snuffleupagus was only real to Big Bird. That absurdity opens a surprising window into childhood logic, shared imagination, and how stories teach us to see. It’s satire with a soft center—equal parts nostalgia and nudge. Music ties it all together. We trade playlists—Merle Haggard’s lived-in grit, Nightwish’s cinematic sweep, and the unapologetic fun of a party-rock set—while debating whether a singer needs the songwriter crown to be “king.” We also draw a line between art that preaches and art that moves, arguing for music that earns its message. And because ritual matters, we close with a world tour of outrageous game-day snacks, from gochujang wings to 47-layer dip, deciding where innovation ends and culinary hubris begins. A quick look at the UFL reminds us that the game always finds new life—and new players hungry for their shot. If you laughed, argued, or added a song to your queue, tap follow, share this with a friend who yells at the TV, and leave us a review—what’s the weirdest Super Bowl snack you’ve ever defended? Support the show

    46 min
  6. FEB 7

    From Snowed-In Shenanigans To Playoff Hot Takes

    Send us Fan Mail Snow piles up, the studio sits quiet, and we refuse to miss a week. We hit record across a phone line and dive straight into the heart of winter life: a weekend of football that swung from gripping to grueling, a city wrapped in powder, and the odd rituals that take over every grocery aisle and gas station queue. It’s unpolished, real, and full of the kind of moments that make you nod, laugh, and occasionally yell at your speaker. We start with the slate everyone watched and the matchup no one enjoyed. Denver vs New England gets a frank autopsy—sacks everywhere, a rookie who kept his head, and a backward pass that never should’ve left a hand. From there, we look at genuine season turnarounds and what a playoff run feels like when last year was all losses. Hopes tilt toward California, where the Super Bowl’s neutral ground is anything but neutral when corporate seats swallow fan noise. We weigh matchups, talk nerves, and admit that progress still matters even if the bracket doesn’t break your way. Then the snowstorm seeps into everything. We lampoon the milk–bread–eggs stampede, the 2 a.m. generator “test,” the candle drawer with zero lighters, and the neighbor who predicts 6.17 inches with total confidence and a 0 percent hit rate. The South gets innovative: leaf blowers moonlight as snowblowers, and powder moves with a push. Between punchlines, we trade real tips that save your back and your budget when winter tries to run the table. The tone turns serious as we wrestle with protest safety and policing under stress. We unpack training, the adrenaline myth of “shoot the leg,” and the risks crowds take when chaos ignites. It’s an honest, imperfect conversation about responsibility, restraint, and why binaries rarely help people get home safe. No grandstanding, just straight talk that respects the stakes and invites listeners to consider the hard parts most shows avoid. By the end, the thread holding it all together is simple: show up for your people. Remote recording isn’t pretty, but connection beats silence. We promise better audio next time, more of the music talk you love, and plenty of room for your stories. Tap follow, share with a friend who panic-buys eggs, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Got a snow hack or a playoff take? Drop a voicemail at mtaltpod.com—we’ll feature our favorites in the next show. Support the show

    35 min

About

The MT Alternative Podcast is where music nostalgia meets sarcasm, humor, and the occasional political rant. Mike and Tom revisit the past, argue about the present, and never take themselves too seriously.