Mix Tape Mafia: Recent Episodes
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The Mix Tape Mafia decides the best songs to fit a certain theme, and delivers an incredible playlist each episode. Along the way, hosts Jason Papagan and Anthony Pisch nominate songs back and forth, crack wise and determine which songs make the cut, and which end up on the cutting room floor. Every episode is a musical and comical feast for the ears that results in a supreme "Mix Tape" playlist for the listeners to add to their Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Why are we the Mix Tape Mafia?... because we're paisans and what we say goes. Don't like it? send us a tweet and let us know. Strong opinions stir the stew...
It's a special episode all about Food! We're playing songs with food in the title AND we're stepping into the Pappy's Products test kitchen as we introduce and review FIVE new products inspired by various songs throughout the night. Grab your popcorn and your shopping list and get ready to crunch, munch, and dance!
We've got an awesome episode where we dive into the best songs where the title is NOT in the chorus or the hook of the song. Instead, the artist has "buried" the title somehwere deeper in one of the song's verses or elsewhere. This is one of those episodes where you only the Mafia can give you the proper deep dive that this Spotify mix tape deserves.
Tread carefully... Perhaps, we could have called this episode "Creeps & Peeps," since the majority of these songs ended up being creepy older dudes singing about their lust for underage girls. SO, we are by no means endorsing the messages behind some of these tunes. But we thought it would be interesting to explore some of the hit songs that we all used to like, but they certainly haven't aged well. It could be politically incorrect references to race or gender identitiy, or it could be, you know... grooming and statutory rape. Either way, you couldn't write these songs today. But we've got a tightly packed 37 minutes of comedy gold, as we lean into the cringiness of it all.
To kick off wedding week, the boys are in studio to curate the best (and worst!) dance songs that you're bound to hear at most weddings. They work through the bangers for you, building an incredible spotify playlist that includes both the dance floor fillers AND the dance floor EMPTIERS!
Did you ever hear a song and think it sounds exactly like a certain artist, but it's actually just some random singer or band you've never heard of? Well, we have a theory that nobody's disproven yet, so it must be true––the random singer was just part of the cleaning crew in the recording studio where the famous band played and just took it upon themselves to steal the sound, essence, or snippets leftover on the cutting room floor. They laid down their own record and voila! With that, we give you one of our greatest episodes... "Sweeping the Studio!"
Be Human. Be Kind. Be Both. We've got a tightly packed 35 minute playlist to put together for you of our favorite songs that contiain the word "human" in the title. Let us know if you agree on the "human nature" of this mix tape! Featuring: Michael Jackson, Human League, Billy Joel, The Killers, Van Halen, Christina Perri, and more!
We're back in studio and this time we're just taking it easy... quite literally. It's time for a playlist composed of all (what we deem to be) the best songs with the word "easy" in the title. If you like a little 80s duet from Phil Collins & Philip Bailey, maybe some commodores, a little Sheryl Crow, Jason Aldean, or the Eagles, you're going to enjoy this mix tape! This episode also features quite a bit of new tunes and hidden gems that you may not be familiar with, but will likely end up in your Spotify rotation.
¡Hola, el nación de gobsters! The Mafia is putting together a sneaky fun mix tape of our favorite songs that feature a foreign language word or phrase in the lyrics. The 80's will be heavily represented by the likes of Mr. Mister, After the Fire, and a debate over Madonna's best song that includes spanish words in it. We may also get a few guilty pleasures from the 90's and 2000's. Faisons du rock and roll!
The boys are back with another elegent entry into our array of episodes inspired by songs that feature a uniquely specific instrument. Violinterludes is an elegent colllection of our favorite songs that feature a violin or strings section. We'll hear from The Verve, U2, Dexie's Midnight Runners, Taylor Swift, Guns 'N Roses, Evanescence, and more!
It's the best songs with a cliché or idiom in ther title. We often get stuck between a rock and a hard place on these playlists but when all is said and done, you'll get the best of both worlds because you aint seen nothing yet.
It's a special 100th episode and it's a crossover celebration with the 200th episode of Cheesesteak & Chowder. We reflect on some of the great moments in the first 200 episodes of C&C, along with some of our greatest Mix Tape Mafia songs, playlists, and Titanium Jackets from the first 100 episodes.
It's one of your favorites... an "off the cuff" epsiode and we're day drinking to boot. Jason and Anthony dive into the best songs where they spell out words (or acronyms) in the lyrics. We hear from John Mellencamp, Aerosmith, Men Without Hats, BUSH, Aretha Franklin, and more! M.A.F.I.A.!
This is a mix taps with all the best songs where they sing "na na na," sha, la, la," "do, do, do..." and the like. Tears for Fears, Bryan Adams, Fall Out Boy, Bon Jovi, P!nk and lots more! Let's get stoopid with this nonsense.
Without "part threes" we might not have Return of the Jedi, Christmas Vacation, or Balboa and Creed jumping, splashing, and embracing on the beach in Rocky 3. Will the third and final installment of "Pre-Chorus" be the best one? Certain members of the Mix Tape Mafia may believe so! Dive back in for some Mike & the Mechanics, Night Ranger, Simple MInds, and a whole lot more from the 80's. Plus, some Bruno Mars, Fitz & the Tantrums, Bee Gees, and gobs of bangers.
As we said, the "Pre-Chorus" playlists are so epic, that you knew we'd back with more. Here's part 2 of 3 for some of the best songs featuring a great pre-chorus. We bring in a little Garbage, Meatloaf, Survivor, 38 Special, Van Halen, Tommy Tutone, Journey, and tons more.
It's been a while since we had a mix tape so epic that we had to split it up into multiple episodes. We give you part 1 of "Pre-Chorus," a playlist near and dear to all of our hearts, especially the interim producer! We nomiate and assemble the absolute best songs that feature a strong pre-chorus... that energetic component that departs from the verse, and builds momentum that leads into the chorus of a song. We've got MJ, Dua Lipa, Alanis, Van Halen, some Mix Tape Mafia faves, some new plays, and we even hand out a Titanium Jacket!
Jason and Anthony are joined by 2N Jenn and her daughter Tori, for a multi-generationsl epsiode of all the best sing-along songs. This is an exceptional mixtape of the best songs that everbody chimes and belts out together whenever they come on.
Jason and Anthony are rocking with the OG MTM to bring you an incredible playlist of the best songs affiliated with specific sports teams. Call them hype songs, anthems, victory tracks, whatevs. But we know wehter you're at the stadium, arena, park, or just reliving your favorite championship run, these songs will evoke all the feels of some of what makes sports great.
From Jet Airliner to Little Red Corvette, this is playlist that travels well, with all of our favorite songs that feature a vehicle in the title. Plus, as always, one (or two) shandys!
A banger playlist coming at you courtesy of Eddie Money, Leon Bridges, One Republic, a chick named Lavigne, a dude named Levine, and a whole lot more -- best songs with "Home" in the title!
The Mix Tape Mafia is back and we've got a great playlist that is actually 3 set lists in 1. Jason, Anthony, and Hunter have created their best 7-song playlist for their respective hometowns. Seven songs each from artists who hail from Boston, Philly, and New York, respectively. Then, everyone gets a "one-upper" play - one song to add for each of the other two lists.
We create the perfect mix tape with all the best songs about "making a change." Featuring REO Speedwagon, Sick Puppies, Chris Stapleton, Huey Lewis & the News, Augustana, Billy Joel, Exposé, and more!
We wish we could back and recover the lost recordings that were destroyed in the great coconut water incident of '23... but we can not. We've recently sent kids off to college and have been nostalgic about turning back time. Sooooo... here is a great episode constructing a playlist of all the best songs that talk about harkening back to the good old days!
What can we say about the mopiest of the breakup tunes? It's a re-record, so you get a shortened version, but listen along and we'll explain. Still a great mix tape of awesome mopy breakup tunes.
In what may be one of our sappiest episodes ever, we lean way into the heartstrings of the dads and grads season, as we come up on Father's day and all three of us as parents of high school graduates. This is the ultimate playlist for all those sappy songs that talk about sage life advice, parent-child relationships, regrets of lost parents, etc. etc.
We've got Dance Fever! NO, there's no Deney Terrio or Adrian Zmed on this episode, but we DO have a sneaky good playlist that we explore with all the best songs that feature the word DANCE in the title.
Do you like your mix tapes wit or witout? Well no worries (and no onions) here, because we've got both for you! We discuss, debate, and nominate the best curated songs that contain either "with" or "without" in the title.
It's the follow-up to our NIGHT Fever episode, with the best songs featuring the word "Day" in the titlej
Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Lane... you get the gist. It's the Mix Tape featuring songs whose titles contain a word for a street. Where we're going, we don't need roads!
We're back with storytellers part 2 - the sequel (act 2?) to our format-shattering episode that has everybody in gobster nation talking. It's the final half of our baker's dozen deep dives into the best songs that tell a story. We've got Heart, Harry Chapin, Meatloaf, Bon Jovi and more! Have a listen, it's a real page turner!
It's the first of an epic two-parter as we build a mix tap of the best songs that spin a tale or tell a story, if you will. We've got 12 grand slam bangers, but you only get the first 6 in part 1 because we need to take a deep dive into the lyrics and storylines of each one. We've got some strict criteria for this one. Not just any jabroni singing about the different people he sees in the park or at a bar is going to qualify. These are only the premium of the premium when it comes to tell a full story with a complete character arc through the lyrics of an unforgettable, emotionally charged song. Come on board for a tale of a tune with Brandy, Taxi, Same Old Lang Syne, The Gambler, The Coward of the County, and Escape (The Pina Colada Song).
In one of our cheesiest and guiltiest pleasure episode ever, we dive into all the best super cheesy duets from the 70's and 80's. As you can imagine, Peter Cetera is heavily involved. So is Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Kenny Rogers, and all kinds of super fun cheeseball movie love themes and the such.
To celebrate 75 episodes of Mix Tape Mafia, we selected some of our favorites of the first 75 episodes. Then we play two of the best from each of those episodes and try to determine THE BEST song from the episode. Quite a fun exercise and trip down memory lane for us and our loyal listeners in gobster nation. It's also a great entry in for any new listeneres out there who want to get acclimated with the magic of the mix tape mafia, and get some great suggestions for earlier episodes to go back and catch up on.
This one's sure to be a dark horse for one of our more underrated, yet exceptional episodes. The best mixtape of all songs that feature the word "dark" or "light" in the title. For those critics who claim we play too much boomer music from the 70's and 80's, well... there's still some of that. BUT, this episode also features a great mix of current and post-2000's jams, including some rendevous with Ellie Goulding, Katy Perry, Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, The Weeknd, Bishop Briggs, and Jason Aldeen.
It's Two Hit Wonders so we had to do 2 episodes. Plus, there were just too many good ones to squeeze into one. Who's the greatest Two Hit Wonder artist of all time? It could be the paisan, Gino Vanelli or it could be Gerry Rafferty, but does he actually qualify? Listen and find out!
Apparently, some cool stuff is happening with NASA's new telescope this summer and new pictures of galaxies and stuff. So, we decided to put together a playlist that's out of this world - the best songs that mention the sun, moon, stars, Jupiter, Mars... pretty much any celestial body or other junk you might find in outer space.
Just like the title implies - we're going to take you under the bridge because we are under pressure but there must be some misunderstanding because the search is over.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, I Touch Myself... it's our picks for the best collection of songs with the words "Touch" or "Feel" in the title.
Songs that mention an instrument in the lyrics! It could be right there in the title like "Piano Man" or it could be Steven Tyler calling out "Guitar!" right before Joe Perry's solo in Aerosmith's "What it Takes." We've got those plus another baker's dozen plus of gems for this fun mix tape.
The long-awaited episode is here - Toms and Marvins are all the lesser known or less successful relatives of other stars. We're looking at you, Frank Stallone and Dave Loggins.
The long-awaited (and talked-about) episode is finally here... songs with the best harmonies! If you love listening to harmonizing vocals in songs, and you love the Mix Tape Mafia, but you hate when we sing over the music... well, we have some very bad news for you. Enjoy!
Were we just trying to find a way to get our paisan, Gino Vanelli, a platinum jacket? Perhaps. But what came out of it was a tremendous episode! We play ping pong with "stop" songs and "go" songs, to create a tremendous playlist featuring some great 70's smooth ballads, some cheese ball 90's clubbin' music, The Offspring, The Cars, Matchbox 20, One Republic, and unfortunately, the worst Michael Jackson song in history. Nonetheless, a tremendous mix and as always, chicanery and shenanigans!
Are you Hungry (like the wolf) for another great playlist? Songs with animals in the title is on tap!
In the follow-up to the fan favorite "Let's Talk About Sax" episodes, we break it down with the HORNS!! An episode where we assemble the perfect playlist with all of our favorite tunes that feature a good horns section, solo, trumpets, trombones, BRASS BABY!!
Come on, baby! Soak in this sneaky good playlist of some great songs that feature the phrase, "Come On!"
It's time for a dreamy playlist of all the best (and a few of the worst) songs with DREAM in the title!
Hanging out at the club, the bar or the restaurant... cracking open a bottle of red, a bottle of white... or trying to figure out who we want to take us home tonight... You guessed it - it's all songs that take place at a restaurant, club, or bar. You don't have to go home but you can't pod here.
The mafia is back with a looooong collection of songs that all contain some sort of silent pause where the music drops out.
As THE Bruce Dickinson once said... "I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" It's been teased and talked about for a while, and we finally put it all together - the ultimate cowbell episode featuring our nominees for all the best songs featuring the cowbell. Doink!
Just a throuple of dudes, sitting by the fire, belting out three-part harmony to Jack Wagner and Brenda Russell. You asked for it, nay... you BEGGED for it. Well, here it is... our best and worst collection of GUILTY PLEASURE tunes!
We don't typically like to celebrate someone's demise, but in the case of our 45th President, we could help but do a "send off" episode featuring all the best songs that say "goodbye" in some way - take a hike, hit the road, scram... you get the idea.
In our final attempt to record MTM over Zoom, we bring you a super fun episode featuring all songs with the word "baby" or "babe" in the title. Apologies for the audio difficulties. Bear with it, there's some good stuff in there. AFter this, we move back outside into the outdoor studio on the Villa Papagna. IN the meantime, enjoy a little "oh baby" action, and another incredible Spotify playlist that comes of it.
In true Mix Tape Mafia fashion, we honor the greatest rock guitarist ever by picking out the best song from each of the 14 Van Halen albums. Pappy leads the way on this journey to honor his favorite band as he and Anthony are joined by the interim producer Hunter Piermont n the Villa Papagna outdoor studio. Come along on this journey through the David Lee Roth era, the Sammy Hagar era, and yes, sadly, even the Gary Cherone album. Eddie was the greatest.
We found a missing pre-COVID episode from earlier this year that never made it to air... and it's a blast - songs that sound eerily similar to other songs... that's right, it's the doppelgängers episode! Come back into the family of the MIx Tape Mafia as Jason and Anthony bring you along on a journey of delight for your ears, trying to match like for like and assembling an epic playlist along the way!
It's an all new episode with the best songs that feature clapping! Jason & Anthony (aka Cheesesteak & Chowder) are the Mix Tape Mafia, so remember, what they say goes. ;) It's a really good "mix tape" and Spotify playlist that comes out of this one, so we hope you enjoy the music, the banter, the debates, and the shenanigans... aren't you glad we didn't say "Coronavirus songs"??
The Mix Tape Mafia is back with a whole new awesome playlist of songs featuring the word "Never" in the title! Sounds a little odd, but once we dive into it, you'll totally get why this is one of the sneakiest cool mix tapes we've ever done. Be sure to find and follow the playlist on Spotify when you're done listening to the episode.
On this episode of the Mix Tape Mafia, we put together a unique playlist of songs that feature cameo back-up vocal appearances from famous singers. Did you know Michael Jackson sang on Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me"? or that Bryan Adams contributed on Glass Tiger's "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone"? These and a whole lot more surprises on this great episode!...
Lots of songs tell a story... love, heartbreak, angst, success... And then there are the songs that, well, they pretty much just list off a bunch of semi-random shit. Hence, we give you... The Laundry List songs!!
We're taking off on the Stairway to Heaven and the Highway to Hell... (if you believe in that kind of thing). What a fun episode as we put together a playlist for you that contains all our fave songs with Heaven or Hell in the title...
It's the follow-up to our super popular "Let's Talk About Sax" episode! There were so many more great songs with Sax in them that we had to do a part 2... you guys out in gobster nation just can't get enough SAX!!
We've got a full studio, including a first-timer! World marathon runner and friend of the podcast, Jenn Solomon joins us for this special episode to shake down all the best songs with the word "run" in the title.
Just like you guys in Gobster Nation like to drop our names into conversation on a daily basis, there are some artists who like to do it in their songs. This is an entire playlist that we assemble of songs that include mentions of other artists in the lyrics.
This is a high octane episode full of songs with "no foreplay", aka songs that immediately hit you with the title or the hook right at the beginning of the song. Don't worry, it's not too too music nerdy - just a bunch of great tunes, a super-solid mix tape Spotify playlist, and a whole lotta fun.
Exactly what you think it is... a spectacular MTM playlist assembly of what we might consider the best of the best songs that feature the SAXOPHONE!
All the best of the best bridges in songs that we forgot during the first two rounds. This may be the best collection of bridges yet!
We told you it was coming... we're back with a second helping of songs with awesome bridges! Dig in, because this one gets a little self-indulgent, but it's worth it.
This week it's all songs that feature a question in the title!... including a couple new members of the MTM Hall of Fame #3timers #platinumjacket
It's lengthy, but ooohhhhhh is it spectacular!! We get our music nerdism on and put together a playlist of songs with the best bridges. You're gonna love this one. Not sure what a bridge is in a song? Don't worry, we'll explain it at the top of the show. Enjoy...
We get a little crazy with, you guessed it... all songs with the word "Crazy" in the title. LOTS of good ones. We pick the best for you. You're going to really like this playlist. And if not, you must be crazy.
We're back with a whole new batch of Extreme Music Makeovers - covers of hit songs that have been completely re-imagined and re-arranged. Part 1 was such a big hit with our fans in Gobster Nation that we had to come back with more...
(All of our avid fans in) Gobster Nation should already know that we have a strange affection for songs with parentheses in the title. But why? We're not really sure. Maybe a better question is... why the hell are they there? Do we get to the answer? Listen and find out! We get to some damn good music though, I can promise you that...
It's time to explore the best songs from artists who left a band to go solo. Steve Perry, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Justin Timberlake, John Lennon... which solo efforts will ultimately make our Mix Tape playlist?
It's time to drill into some songs that have tie-ins to home improvement. Paint? Hammers? Tools? Lightbulbs?... you get the gist. If the title of the song mentions something you can get at Lowe's or Home Depot, you might here it played in this episode... with a few unexpected secret surprises!!!
It's an epic 90's concert festival, MTM style! We've put together our own festival with three concert stages - Jason is managing the "F*ck Authority" stage, Anthony's put a lineup together from beyond on the "Resurrection" stage, and our interim producer Hunter has assembled a set on his "Coming of Age" stage. Each lineup contains 7 bands - 1 song each. It's the Mix Tape Mafia, so as usual, it ends with an incredible 21-song Spotify playlist.
Back by popular demand!... it's the next (but probably not the last) go round of smooth 70's tunes!! Many Dans are heard from (Dan Hill, Dan Fogelberg, Dan Seals...) along with many more surprises that you love, but you may not have realized that you loved! Our interim producer @theHunterGames is in the house, along with guest paisan Mike Rizzo. Plus, we kick off the episode with a couple new tunes from Jason's girl Bishop Briggs and Perfect Circle for New Music Monday.
You won't hear the Elvis classic "Blue Christmas" but you will get a very BLUE episode full of Christmas tunes. Apologies up front but we get a little rowdy with extra Paisans joining us in studio - Rizz and @theHunterGames - for a mix tape full of our favorite Christmas tunes plus a few we despise. Buon Natale!!
Quite possibly our most controversial episode yet!! This week we explore songs about secret love affairs, cheating, lovers' revenge and more. Sounds a little cynical but as we've said, agony breeds creativity. There are some great tunes about this topic and no hidden messages!! WE are simply doing what we do... serving the listeners and creating a mix tape playlist...
On this week's episode, it's a collection of two-fors... doubleshots, if you will. Pairs of classic songs that are almost always (or should be) played back-to-back. Queen, Led Zeppelin, Green Day, INXS, and The Beatles all make an appearance. Plus, one band even slides in with a HAT TRICK - a three-for. Can you guess what it is?
Are you ready for the softer side of the Mix Tape Mafia? Get ready, because we are serving up the CHEESE in this long-awaited episode!! You know you made a "Love tape" for your girl or guy back in high school. And we know almost every cheese ball song that was on there. Here we go...
It's Halloween time so we got in the spirit by dressing up as our favorite dynamic harmonizing duo from the 80's... Daryl Hall & John Oates!! We run through the Mt. Rushmore of Hall & Oates tunes before diving into the best and worst Halloween music of all time. Hello Thriller, goodbye Monster Mash and much more.
As promised, the next installment in our "human body" series - all songs that feature HEART in the title. This is a great playlist that we put together for you, with several decades covered. As always, a little cheese, and plenty of goodness. Mix it up...
It's time for the first of our "body parts" series, kicking off with all songs that feature EYES in the title. Some cheese, some classics and some new music you probably haven't heard before. We bring it all to you here on the Mix Tape Mafia. Take a peek (and a listen)...
It's finally here! - Our first smooth 70's episode! Hunter is in studio to sit in on this one. We've been teasing it for a while and we finally bring you the first 21 tunes from the Smooth 70s annals. There will be more to come in future episodes, but these are some of the hall of famers - the best we can throw at you. Sit back on a cool fall night by the fire, loosen up the turtleneck, swig another pour of brandy from the snifter and enjoy the smooth sounds...
It's a special emergency Hurricane Florence episode! We've got Hunter in the studio, aka @theHuntergamesNYC to help us crack wise about the storm of the century, including "If We Ran It," "Why are you still in my life?," and "Who Sucks More?" It's also a crossover episode with Mix Tape Mafia as we run through an add-on to our recent "Makin' it Rain" playlist with some extra strong Hurricane tunes. Finally, we end it with a tease for our next "Smooth 70's" episode of the Mix Tape Mafia as we throw out a couple of our faves to whet your appetite...
In honor of all the rain we're getting this weekend, we bring you the first of two "hurricane-themed" episodes from the C&C podcasting network. This is a great Mixtape episode we recorded last week featuring all of our favorite rain/storm themed music. Makes for some great soundtracking for your hurricaning party! And look for the follow-up C&C episode dropping soon on the eve of Hurricane Flo...
If you have a little patience, we're going to get your heart pumpin' blood as we take you on a joyride of the best ten songs that feature WHISTLING!! (plus a few bonus ditties)... Might sound ordinary, but you may be surprised, like us, at how spectacular and re-listenable this playlist actually turns out!
Did you ever wonder what your favorite cheesy 80's song might sound like if it were re-invented as a slow jazz emo ballad? Or perhaps some gangsta rap sung as an acoustic coffee house ditty? Well, there are some artists who did just this, and we're bringing you our favorites for our latest mix tape. This is a special kind of episode - covers from a different dimension. And remember, we're the mafia, so what we say goes...
It's new music someday and we kick things off by introducing you to our new favorite rock band, Greta Van Fleet - a Led Zeppelin sound with a new rock vibe. Then we dig into this week's Mix Tape - Title Trax - our favorite songs that also share the name of the album they are on - the best Title Tracks.
Our theme this week is songs that feature talking or spoken parts! Think Vincent Price in "Thriller" or Prince at the beginning of "Let's Go Crazy." As you can imagine, it's a tough one to whittle down to a top 10 playlist, but we give it a valiant effort...
In this week's episode, we come up with the Top 10 songs that contain the name of a city, state (or country!) in the title. Spoiler Alert: Despite their call out in the epsiode's title, Missing Persons' "Walking in L.A." just missed the cut.
It's a fresh new playlist debate for the Mix Tape Mafia. This week's theme?... Songs that contain a woman's name in the title! We span 5 decades on this one, bringing you some obvious blue chippers and some hidden gems. And as expected... the vetoes come out! Do you agree with our offerings?
Our premiere comes to you as the spinoff episode of Cheesesteak & Chowder. This also dropped on our flagship podcast on the C&C network, and serves as a crossover and introduction of the new Mix Tape Mafia podcast. We kick things off by explaining the genesis of the new podcast and dig into some "Sloppy Seconds", aka the 2nd best song from every artist.