Show Topic: The Monkees - Celebrating 60 Years & the M60 Convention

This Monday, August 31st, 2026, we’re celebrating The Monkees as we get ready for a very special weekend marking the group’s 60th anniversary. We’ll be featuring the music of Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones while looking back at the songs, television series, personalities, and lasting legacy that turned The Monkees into one of the most beloved pop-rock groups of the 1960s.

We’ll also preview the upcoming M60 Convention, taking place September 4th–6th, 2026, at the Clarion Inn in North Haven, Connecticut. The convention brings Monkees fans and special guests together to celebrate six decades since The Monkees television series and the music that became an essential part of 1960s pop culture. It promises to be a memorable weekend for longtime fans as well as those who continue to discover the group today.

Joining us are four guests with their own connections to the Monkees story. We’ll hear from drummer Rich Dart about performing with the Monkees and continuing to play with Micky Dolenz; archivist and author Joe Russo about his remarkable collection of rare Monkees material and his book The Monkees: Smoke-Filled Dreams; and Connecticut musician Mick Lawless, who will share his memories of the group and his musical tribute to Michael Nesmith with Loose Salute to Nez.

New Jersey musician Scott Ringle will also join us to share his perspective on the Monkees and their place in the classic pop and rock music of the era.

From “Last Train to Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer” to the group’s deeper catalogue and the distinctive songwriting and musical vision of Michael Nesmith, there’s much more to the Monkees story than television and Beatlemania-era pop.

Mark your calendars for Monday, August 31st, as we celebrate 60 years of Monkees music, memories, and fandom—and get ready for the M60 Convention in Connecticut.

Don’t miss it!

Guest(s) for our show:

Date: Monday, August 31st, 2026

🥁 Rich Dart

Rich Dart is a drummer who has provided the backbeat for numerous bands throughout his career and has a special connection to the Monkees story. He toured with The Monkees and continues to perform with Micky Dolenz.

Rich will share some of his experiences performing the music live, working with Micky, and being part of the continuing Monkees legacy as fans prepare to celebrate the group’s 60th anniversary.

📚 Joe Russo

Joe Russo is a longtime Monkees fan, archivist, and pop-culture historian who has assembled an extensive private collection of rare and previously unpublished materials documenting the history of The Monkees.

We’ll discuss his hardcover photo book, The Monkees: Smoke-Filled Dreams: The Unseen Archive of Joe Russo, which opens his remarkable archive to fans. Joe is also the host of The Monkees Pad, a YouTube show and podcast devoted to exploring the group’s music, television history, and cultural legacy through conversations with musicians, authors, historians, and other special guests.

The Monkees Pad on YouTube

🎸 Mick Lawless

Mick Lawless is a Connecticut-based singer-songwriter and musician with a longstanding appreciation for The Monkees and their music.

Mick will share some of his Monkees memories and discuss his particular appreciation for Michael Nesmith, including his work with Loose Salute to Nez, a musical tribute celebrating Nesmith’s songs and distinctive contribution to The Monkees and beyond.

🎤 Scott Ringle

Scott Ringle is a New Jersey singer and musician whose repertoire spans pop and rock favorites from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. A former member of the Blue Meanies, Scott continues to perform at local venues, libraries, community events, and private gatherings throughout New Jersey and surrounding areas.

Scott joins us to talk about The Monkees, their music, and the enduring appeal of the songs that helped make them one of the most recognizable groups to emerge from the 1960s.

Scott Ringle on Facebook

Show Topic: Rock Music Spotlight – From 50s Rock & Roll to the Beatles, Garage Rock & The Monkees

This Thursday, August 27th, 2026, we’re back with another Rock Music Spotlight, featuring great music and stories from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. We’ll travel through the golden decades of rock and roll, with a mix of classic rock, pop, folk rock, garage rock, psychedelic sounds, and some of the artists and movements that helped shape popular music.

This week’s four guests give us plenty to talk about. We’ll revisit the excitement surrounding The Beatles and the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago, explore the Pacific Northwest rock scene and the remarkable career of former Paul Revere & the Raiders member Jim Valley, and head back into the psychedelic garage-rock era with Peppy Castro, founding member of the Blues Magoos.

We’ll also turn our attention to The Monkees as their 60th anniversary approaches. Peppy Castro will share memories of the 1960s, the Blues Magoos, garage rock, and his appearances at Monkees conventions, while Charles Rosenay will preview the upcoming M60 Convention, celebrating 60 years of The Monkees over Labor Day weekend in North Haven, Connecticut.

From the British Invasion and American garage bands to folk rock, Beatles fandom, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Blues Magoos, and The Monkees, we have a lot of rock and roll history to cover. Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 27th, and join us for the music, memories, and stories behind some of rock’s most colorful decades. Don’t miss it!

Guest(s) for our show:

Date: Thursday, August 27th, 2026

🎥 TVRabbi Doug

Chicago-based TVRabbi Doug is an interviewer and television personality whose work with Chicago and Suburban TV can also be found on YouTube. His interviews cover entertainment, personalities, events, and live music performances throughout the Chicago area.

We’ll talk about his experiences covering rock music and especially the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago, where generations of Beatles fans, musicians, authors, collectors, and special guests come together to celebrate the enduring legacy of the Fab Four.

TVRabbi Doug on YouTube

🎸 Jim Valley

Jim Valley is a folk-rock singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and important figure in the history of Pacific Northwest rock and roll. His early career included the Viceroys and Don and the Goodtimes, and he wrote and recorded the Northwest garage-rock favorite “Little Sally Tease.”

In 1966, Jim joined Paul Revere & the Raiders during one of the group’s most successful periods, associated with classics including “Kicks,” “Hungry,” “Good Thing,” “The Great Airplane Strike,” “Ups and Downs,” and “Him or Me – What’s It Gonna Be?” After leaving the Raiders, Jim continued as a solo singer-songwriter before eventually establishing a remarkable second career creating and performing children’s music through his Rainbow Planet project.

We’ll discuss his experiences during the golden age of Northwest rock, his time with Paul Revere & the Raiders, his evolution as a songwriter and performer, and music from his own catalogue, including albums such as Hidden Gems and Toward the Sacred.

jimvalley.com

🎤 Peppy Castro

Peppy Castro is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and one of the early pioneers of the psychedelic garage-rock era. At just 17 years old, he became a founding member of the legendary Blues Magoos, whose success placed the band at the forefront of the emerging psychedelic rock movement of the 1960s.

Peppy’s career later took him to Broadway in the original production of Hair, while his songwriting has reached far beyond his own recordings, with songs recorded by artists including Diana Ross, KISS, and Cher.

We’ll talk about his memories of the 1960s, the rise of garage and psychedelic rock, his years with the Blues Magoos, and his appearances at Monkees fan conventions, including the M60 celebrations.

peppycastro.com

🎙️ Charles Rosenay

Connecticut-based Charles Rosenay of Liverpool Productions is an entertainer, DJ, producer, author, and tour organizer with decades of experience producing fan events and celebrations centered around classic music and entertainment.

Charles will preview the upcoming M60 Convention, celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Monkees. The event takes place September 4th–6th, 2026, at the Clarion Inn in North Haven, Connecticut, bringing together fans and special guests for a weekend celebrating the music, television history, and enduring cultural legacy of The Monkees.