Host

PAT FRANCIS

Pat Francis should be no stranger to you if you are a listener of Never Not Funny. The unofficial “third chair” of the show, he frequently participates in their live performances and yearly Pardcastathon. Prior to his “retirement” Pat performed stand-up comedy around the country and did audience warm-up for National Lampoon’s Funny Money (the game where big laughs get you big bucks (then get you cancelled).

Pat has hosted Rock Solid since its inception, currently with a rotating set of co-hosts. Pat holds an incredible passion for both music and comedy, which comes out clearly in each episode. From his killer impressions of Paul Stanley and Bruce Springsteen, to his undying love of Cheap Trick, Kiss, and Pretenders, among many others, Pat Francis remains 100% devoted to making Rock Solid the best it can be.

Producer

KYLE DODSON

Kyle Dodson is the current producer for Rock Solid. He is a comedian and a writer, as well as Pat Francis’ nephew. Formerly known by the nickname “The Silent Partner,” Kyle would sit in on various episodes of the show, remaining, well, silent. It wasn’t until original producer Matt Belknap left the show in late 2013 that Kyle became the show’s producer. Ever since, Kyle has broken out of his silent shell and has brought his unique sense of humor to the podcast, usually when making snappy remarks at Pat’s awful song choices.

Co-Hosts

APRIL RICHARDSON

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, she moved to Los Angeles after graduating from college (later than most people do). Growing up, she never realized you could get paid for being obnoxious and disruptive until she moved to L.A. and got a job on E!'s hit show Chelsea Lately!

She's published her own photocopied zine since the age of 14, and has kept a blog since 1997. She ALSO used to work for MTV and regularly contributed pop-culture pieces like these ones right here.

Oh, and check this out: The Frisky thinks she's one of the 15 Up-and-Coming Comediennes You Should Be Laughing At!. Also, the wonderful Mary Van Note put her in some incredible company in her list of the Best Comics of 2009 You Probably Don’t Know.

April Richardson is an awesome person. She's funny, she's smart, and she bears a huge love of music. April definitely fits in as a rotating co-host for Rock Solid, which she joined in late 2013.

Along with Rock Solid, April also hosts the “Saved by the Bell” themed podcast Go Bayside!

Episodes Featuring April

MIKE SIEGEL

Mike Siegel is a professional stand-up comedian, host and actor. He can be seen nationally every week hosting TBS network's "TBS Movie EXTRA", HGTV's "If Walls Could Talk", and Fine Living networks' "What You Get For the Money" (which also airs on HGTV). He has also hosted the Game Show Network's "GSN Live". But his television appearances hardly stop there. He began his TV career as a VH-1 on-air personality, and followed up as host of the NBC hidden-camera special, "Payback".

Mike has performed stand-up comedy on numerous television shows, including "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" (CBS), "Late Friday" (NBC), "Comedy Showcase with Louie Anderson" (NBC), "Stand-up, Stand-up" (Comedy Central), and "Friday Night" (NBC). He as also been a repeat panelist on the hit late-night talk show on E!, "Chelsea Lately". Mike's also been seen on the small screen as an actor. He was a recurring guest star on the CBS drama "JAG" , and had supporting roles in such shows as "24" (FOX), "Prison Break" (FOX), "Less Than Perfect" (ABC), "Eve" (UPN), "Strong Medicine" (Lifetime), "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" (FOX), and "Sabrina" (WB).

Mike made his transition to movies with a bang by landing a role in the highly acclaimed Steven Soderbergh drama Traffic , starring Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. He had a scene-stealing supporting role in the independent feature The Godfather of Green Bay, starring Lauren Holly, and another in Freeloaders, directed by Dan Rosen. Mike also played a lead in Inside Out, a short film directed by L. Zane. When not plying his showbiz trade, Mike enjoys foreign travel, good food, good wine, and playing just about every sport. He's also recently taken up running and finished his first marathon. A Chicago native now based in Los Angeles, Mike continues to support all his Chicago teams - no matter how painful that may be at times.

Mike Siegel came aboard Rock Solid in late 2013 as a rotating co-host, after previously appearing as a special guest (in an episode centered around songs with special guests, coincidentally). Mike is quick-witted, knows his way around the music pantheon, and is an overall awesome member of the podcast.

Mike is also the host of his own podcast Travel Tales with Mike Siegel.

Episodes Featuring Mike

CHRISTY STRATTON-MANN

Christy is a writer/producer best known for her work on “King of the Hill”, “Awkward”, and a decent number of unproduced pilots and screenplays. She has a super fun blog about hoarding, though - likemotherlikehoarder.com and has written a piece on hoarding on Jezebel. She also wrote and directed a web-series, Everyone's Crazy But Us, starring Janet Varney and Diedrich Bader. Special skills: roller skating, wine tasting, accumulating expensive hair products.

There’s no other way to say it: Christy LOVES music. Ever since she first appeared on Rock Solid as a special guest, Christy has brought an enormous amount of enthusiasm to the show, sharing her deep love of The Cars, Dire Straits, Bee Gees, and more. When she became a rotating co-host in late 2013, there was no doubt that Christy would only make Rock Solid better than it already was. And she has.

Episodes Featuring Christy

MURRAY VALERIANO

Murray Valeriano is a brilliant comedian, writer and human sponge. This Tennessee native and preacher’s son found his comedy calling in California and soon began a successful career in stand up and writing.

Murray has appeared in clubs and theaters all over the country. He has been seen on Comedy Central, NBC, FuelTV and More. He is also a regular guest of Bill Engvall’s Blue Collar Comedy on SIRIUS/XM and has been heard on the 5 O’clock Funnies in Los Angeles. He has opened for George Lopez, Kevin Pollack, Christopher Titus, Orny Adams, Brad Garret and many more… including the late Robert Schimmel. As an award winning writer, Murray has written for the Tonight Show, Bill Engvall’s Here’s Your Sign Awards and Ridiculousness to name a few. He has also written for comedians such as Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert and Dennis Miller.

First appearing as a special guest, Murray Valeriano became one of the rotating co-hosts on Rock Solid in late 2013. He brings a great collection of music to the show, along with his excellent comedy mind. Oh, and he HATES Kiss.

Murray is a captivating fellow that possesses a remarkable wealth of pop culture knowledge and experience and it shines through on his popular Road Stories podcast, ranked “New and Notable” on iTunes.

Episodes Featuring Murray

Curators

JOE VAN OVERBERGHE

Andrew Rich was the longtime curator (a fancy word for writer, editor, and all-around groundskeeper) of the Rock Solid Guide. He took over the role from Jason Wilcox, the originator of the site, in March 2014. Andrew’s love of writing, music, and comedy, as well as his ability to translate Rock Solid’s audio shenanigans into coherent sentences, made him a worthy successor. George Carlin, professional wrestling, and Deep Purple are just a few of his favorite things. He currently resides in his hometown of Boston. He has his own podcast Music of the Mat.

ARTISTS

GLEN K. AMO

Glen K. Amo is an artist/comedian who lives in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada with his wife, his 2 dogs and his cat. Glen has been making art since he was a child and is only now getting good at it. Glen loves you and hopes you are having a great day. Glen is not good at writing his own bio.

ERIN GOULD

Erin Gould is a writer/director/musician and sometimes designer for Rock Solid.  His company Minimum Wage Entertainment is responsible for the critically acclaimed web series CASTERS which was nominated for an Indie Soap Award.  Check out his website to see his short films, music videos, promotional trailers as well as a bunch of other things that he can’t think of right now.

JOSHUA TABACK

Joshua Taback is a veteran Director, Animator, and Character Layout Artist. He worked for many years on The Simpsons television show, as well as Family Guy. Josh was also a Director on Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja for Disney and Dawn of the Croods for Dreamworks Animation TV.  Currently he is directing on an upcoming series slated for release in 2017 for Dreamworks Animation TV. He began seriously drawing at the age of 13, taking classes at the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art and went on to receive a BFA in Animation/Film from University of the Arts.  Upon graduating, his thesis film "It's a Wanderful Life" helped him win the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences internship and 2nd place in the student Emmy awards - kickstarting a rewarding 20 plus year career in the industry.

For more information on Josh, visit his personal website at www.joshuataback.co

JAMIE WHITLOCK

Jamie Whitlock is a middle-aged Canadian who loves The Tragically Hip, Bruce Springsteen and Alexander Hamilton (the man, not the musical). When not making “brownies" or reciting Trump twits, Jamie enjoys stroking his beard and sipping on overpriced craft beer. Jamie spends his days being reminded by his teenage children that he is balding and overall, slow. His lovely wife tries. He has been a graphic designer in various fields for over 20 years.

Andrew Rich was the longtime curator (a fancy word for writer, editor, and all-around groundskeeper) of the Rock Solid Guide. He took over the role from Jason Wilcox, the originator of the site, in March 2014. Andrew’s love of writing, music, and comedy, as well as his ability to translate Rock Solid’s audio shenanigans into coherent sentences, made him a worthy successor. George Carlin, professional wrestling, and Deep Purple are just a few of his favorite things. He currently resides in his hometown of Boston. He has his own podcast Music of the Mat.