Aston Stealth powers Heavy Hooks

UPDATE! - January 2023

Ollie Winiberg’s Aston Stealth-powered podcast, Heavy Hooks, returns for a second season! Resounding thumbs-ups to the program have propelled it to the top 10% of most globally shared podcasts on Spotify.

Series 2 features Dream Theater’s James LaBrie revealing some behind-the-scenes secrets around the band’s ‘The Alien’ Grammy win, and Nic Collins on his band, Better Strangers, and the realities of being the son of one of the biggest names in rock, drummer and vocalist Phil Collins.

Heavy Hooks retains its mix of exclusive anecdotes and insights into the lives and work of some of music’s big-hitters, with advice from said luminaries for those wanting to make their way in the music industry.

“Alongside all these stories, what’s important to me is that these legends share their advice and wisdom to aspiring musicians about ‘breaking it’ in a very turbulent 21st century music industry,” explained Ollie. “The aftermath of COVID is still impacting the emerging scene so much that I wanted to create a platform where anyone could acquire tips from some of the best in rock music.”

The program can be streamed exclusively on Spotify and some videos are available on YouTube.

The show is also available on iHeartRadio (for those based in America, Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand).

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A new Stealth-propelled podcast has launched on Spotify, celebrating “both emerging and iconic rock, metal and everything in between.”

The Heavy Hooks Show is the love child of rock guru Ollie Winiberg, already known to millions as the former presenter of BBC Radio One / BBC Music Introducing.

An Aston Stealth-wielding Ollie uses his inimitable, irreverent style of questioning to coax previously unheard tales of life in the limelight from some of the biggest names in heavy music. Highlights of the first few episodes include Padge (Bullet for my Valentine) getting stranded in a strip club, how a hotel escape by besieged members of the band Europe was thwarted by their van breaking down, and some Spinal Tap-esque moments for Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess. Aaron Pauley (Of Mice & Men) shares how the band were able to pursue and produce one of the most commercially successful Pink Floyd covers of all time.

But alongside these stories, Ollie explained; “what sets this show aside from anything else is that the artists share their time on air giving musicians bits of advice on how to climb the ladder to success.”

To cater for people looking to get into the industry elsewhere, Ollie also interviews people behind the scenes to inspire the next generation of band managers or festival organisers.

“From Jarle (head booker for Oslo rock festival ‘Tons of Rock’) to band manager titan, Andy Farrow who has looked after the likes of Devin Townsend and Opeth, the mission is to help the emerging rock scene around the world understand how they can take the next step in their career.”

 Ollie cleverly uses Spotify to feature both music and speech, so alongside the interviews there’s an international array of in-vogue rock bands to discover.

The Heavy Hooks Show is powered by music sync and management company, Music Gateway and recorded exclusively using Aston Stealth mics.

Check it out here:

The Heavy Hooks Show | Podcast on Spotify

With its choice of four world-class voices, active/passive modes and a built-in Class A preamp, Ollie’s go-to, the Aston Stealth, could just be the ultimate podcast microphone.

Find out more here.