By the time Master of Puppets came out on March 3rd, 1986, Metallica was truly ready to make the jump to the big time. For 6 months that year, they were the opening act for Ozzy Osbourne. It would be the last time the band played second fiddle to anyone on tour.

Metallica's third studio album grabbed mature concepts and meshed them perfectly with gripping, emotional, and vibrant instrumental play. The album sounded even more operatic and larger than live compared to the group's two previous records. Themes of war, the system, and losing hope were at the heart of one of the most important rock records of the 1980s.

Metallica had been building to this for years, and it led to the band pushing themselves and the metal genre into untreaded water. But unfortunately, 1986 was also the year a tragic incident forever altered the band’s very foundation.

The first time I attended KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas, I arrived holding sweaty resumes while riddled with anxiety. Just two years later, the lead singer of The All-American Rejects was telling me he recognized my face from social media.

This past December, I attended 106.7 KROQ's 34th annual Almost Acoustic Christmas as a member of the press. I was excited to see bands like Rise Against, Social Distortion, Third Eye Blind, and others on that bill in person. It was an experience I will never forget.

This episode includes an update on the program, including what has been happening at the start of the year and what albums the show will discuss in 2026.

Smack dab in the middle of Ronald Reagan’s Presidency, Tom Petty wanted to remind the world that even though he had moved to California in the mid 70’s to pursue a music career, he was born a rebel in Gainesville, Florida who grew up with a southern accent.

The sixth installment of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers was released on March 26th, 1985. Southern Accents showcases Petty coming to grips with his southern heritage. This album dives into the complexities that arise when sharing the pride you have in your homeland with outsiders who will not always appreciate your culture. Taking in this collection of songs feels akin to enjoying a conversation with the rocker himself.

No Doubt was dripping with talent, creativity, and attitude. Trying to put the Anaheim band in a genre box was as difficult as trying to pin a simple label on David Bowie. They used horns, keyboards, guitars, pianos, drums, bass, vocals, and spirit to express themselves. No Doubt could be classified as Ska, Punk, Alternative, Pop, depending on who you ask. But regardless of whichever distinction you choose, the term “unique” must accompany said description.

In October of 1995, No Doubt invited the world on a tour through a Tragic Kingdom. Armed with a myriad of songs; some pumped with adrenaline, others sprouting sun beams, and a few dripping with emotion, Gwen Stefani and the lads were primed to catapult into the music stratosphere.

In April of 1993, the Bay Area trio known as Green Day made the jump to the big leagues when they signed with Warner Brothers. The band was ready to unleash their sound under the backing of a major label They wanted to harness their live energy on an album and share it with the world. What followed was one of the most important albums of the 1990s and the record that finally launched punk rock out from the underground doldrums and into the bright lights of mainstream music.

Dookie premiered on February 1st, 1994 under WB’s Reprise Records. At the time, it acted as a fresh way to introduce punk rock to a starving clientele who received some morsels of the genre through other artists. In the years that followed, the record would serve as a significant influence for the upcoming rendition of rock bands. And for people searching for a punch from the alternative neighborhood, well, Green Day’s Dookie has always been more than happy to supply the fist.

In early 1965, with already four folk records under his belt and enough critical praise to satisfy even Axl Rose, Bob Dylan was preparing one of the great Zags in music history. In March, the folk community was waiting with bated breath for another acoustic centric, poetic album from Dylan.

But instead, he threw a curveball and electrocuted his audience by batting "Subterranean Homesick Blues" leadoff for Bringing It All Back Home. The record’s title was a red herring, as Dylan was leaving his humble folk cabin for a rock n’ roll high rise.

For the first time, he brought in an assortment of musicians for an album. While he had some assistance in the studio before, this collection was not going to just be focused in on Dylan and his 6 acoustic strings.

While the record would still include some pulls from his old bag of tricks, such as the endearing “Mr. Tambourine Man,” it was clear Dylan was taking his career in a different direction…down Highway 61…

And on August 30th, 1965, Bob Dylan unleashed Highway 61 Revisited to the masses. It became a defining cultural document for Dylan, rock, folk, the 60s, and anyone who ever took a left because everyone wanted them to take a right.

One of the most potent albums to come from a 90’s California group sold over 11 million copies despite being distributed on Epitaph Records, an independent label. During this time, the voice and leader of these Garden Grove punks was a white guy with braids who had earned two biology degrees from the University of Southern California. Their lead guitarist was an elementary school janitor whose nickname was, and still is, Noodles. And the band’s name was inspired from a 1987 horror film titled, The Offspring they were born to kill.

In April of 1994, the Orange County foursome came out with their 3rd album, titled Smash. In an era where rock bands were tapping into mainstream fame on major labels, The Offspring were going at things the old fashion way: word of mouth, local radio play, and dynamite music.