What makes a song Halloween music? Is it ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night—or is it the creeping suspicion that Tom Waits is building something in his basement?

On this fifth Halloween outing, Steve and Keith go far beyond Monster Mash and Thriller to build the ultimate soundtrack to the gradual collapse of civilization, one record at a time. From Bauhaus, The Cure, and John Carpenter to King Gizzard, Phish, Hawkwind, Skinny Puppy, and the gloriously unhinged Igorrr, the guys explore the fine line between spooky atmosphere, psychedelic weirdness, industrial chaos, and music that might just clear the room.

Along the way, they debate what belongs on a Halloween playlist, celebrate the art of the perfectly timed musical descent into madness, and reveal why a great party mix needs more than a few novelty hits. You need pacing, menace, a little theatrical nonsense—and an emergency escape route back to The Time Warp.

So dim the lights, pour yourself something questionable, and join two dads with an unreasonable number of Halloween records as they venture from haunted glamour to musical sacrilege.

Listen responsibly. If you hear Bauhaus coming from an empty room, don't investigate. Just add the song to your playlist.

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What if the next Led Zeppelin album isn't made by Led Zeppelin?

This week, Steve and Keith tackle a question that sounds ridiculous today and inevitable tomorrow. From the first time Cleveland listeners heard Rush's "Working Man" and thought it was Led Zeppelin, to the rise of AI-generated music that can recreate almost any sound, we ask whether the world's most famous bands are ever really finished.

Along the way we discover that Ed Sheeran is worth how much?!? Then we follow the money to answer a deceptively simple question: how do musicians actually make a living in 2026?

Streaming royalties, touring, merch, VIP experiences, posters, limited-edition foil prints, and the strange economics of modern fandom all make an appearance. We revisit Radiohead's famous pay-what-you-want experiment and compare it to today's creator economy, where music itself sometimes feels like the least profitable part of being a musician.

Plus:

• Why a King Gizzard foil poster can cost more than a month of streaming revenue
• The enduring magic of The Fillmore poster tradition
• Whether legacy bands should keep making new music or simply tour the classics
• King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's seemingly impossible business model
• Who actually gets paid when you press play

Most importantly, Steve and Keith debate whether we're heading toward a future where every great band can release "new" albums forever.

Maybe the question isn't whether there's going to be a new Led Zeppelin album. Maybe it's who gets to make it.

Welcome to possibly our best episode yet.

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Did you know that The New Dad Rock has swag? Coffee mugs, pillow and t-shirts in a multitude of colors and arm lengths.

What happens when your favorite musician is... you?

This week on The New Dad Rock, Keith reveals a startling discovery: he's become the world's biggest fan of an artist who doesn't actually exist. Thanks to AI music generators, he's been creating songs tailored precisely to his own tastes—and then listening to them. A lot.

Steve, naturally, finds this deeply troubling.

The conversation begins with "The Ohio Afterglow Incident," where Steve's daughter mistakes one of Keith's AI-generated songs for Ed Sheeran, then mistakes a real artist for one of Keith's AI songs. Suddenly nobody knows which direction influence is flowing anymore.

From there, Steve and Keith wrestle with increasingly uncomfortable questions: If someone made the perfect song just for you, would you ever need another artist? If discovery disappears, does music become less meaningful? Is curation more valuable than creation? And at what point does Keith have to start paying himself royalties?

Along the way they explore the future of music, the Netflix-ification of culture, personalized nostalgia manufacturing, and whether infinite customization ultimately leaves us more isolated than connected. They also share the correct way to pronounce the band Hooveriii

For decades technology helped us find our tribe. AI might help us become a tribe of one.

Plus: CocoRosie, Ed Sheeran, monthly listener counts of exactly one, and the debut of a brand-new genre: Self-Rock.

Listen now before Keith releases another album and immediately becomes its biggest fan.

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Did you know that The New Dad Rock has swag? Coffee mugs, pillow and t-shirts in a multitude of colors and arm lengths.