The Mayor of the Pittsburgh music scene, Jeff Betten, owner of Hellbender Vinyl, joins Style in an exclusive interview to discuss the story behind Hellbender, Jeff’s journey in running record labels and pressing vinyl, growth, and the local music scene! Check out the full interview below, be sure to check out Hellbender Vinyl for your next project, and tune in to WSRR Radio!
Interview from (06/06/26)
To kick off February 2026, let’s get straight to the point in knowing and supporting local artists played here on WSRR. Let’s ROCK OUT!
To kick off their new EP “Talking To The Walls,” Ellis and the Warning Signs will tie you up, strip you naked, and play you some of that sweet 6/8 time that is impossible to stay still to. This seductive groove will get even the greasiest Reddit moderators confident enough to speak with a woman and touch grass for once. The lead singer’s “fuck what you say” lyricism, accompanied by this badass band, is a perfect way to start an EP. This is what the Rebel Radio is made for!
The title song of the album and the finisher of this EP, “Talking To The Walls” is like going 180mph down the interstate on a hot pursuit with the police: fast, electric, and adrenaline-pumping. If you have a 25-minute commute to work, this EP is perfect for starting your drive and sticking your middle finger to all the trials and temptations of the world.
The newest single of the band, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” was released on January 23, 2026. Imagine this: you’re John Wick in the famous club scene from the first movie, and you’re about to beat some Russian ass. This song is the soundtrack to said ass-kicking. The incredible vocals of the lead singer are the first thing you hear, roping you in and trapping you with the killer groove of the instrumental accompaniment by the band.
The newest release, as of when this blog was posted, “Cruel Hands,” takes you underground to the depths of the NYC tunnels. This track showcases the overall love and experience this band has playing together. Everything fits in with the other. The powerful drums lay the foundation of a mountain collapsing, the deep and rumbling bass emulating a storm, the guitar giving a glimpse into something chaotic and otherworldy sets the tone for an amazing ethereal vocal lead. The song will act as a storm on the sea with waves rising and lowering, calm melodic guitar switched in an instant to barreling overdrive, finishing with a long exhale of electricity. This band is a must for anyone into “Indie rock dark pop new wave whatever,” as stated in their Spotify about page.
For anyone into Midwest rock, Luke DePietro is the guy for you. His sound first emerged at Kent State University and depicts the vibe of the Midwest and East Coast better than any big hit billboard musician can dream of. “Ohio Weather” is like taking a longboard down the coast of any of the Great Lakes. A vibe known by few but loved by any those who experience it.
Take a deep breath, lie down on your bed, and relax. The final title song of Luke’s album will take you through the hazy skyline of your memory, imagined through a polaroid lense. The clean guitar tone and vocals seem simple to the naked eye, but as a guitarist myself, this song is a poetic and technical masterpiece.
Inspired by indie bands of the early 2000s and 2010s, this song is an immediate head-bobber. Upbeat instrumentals led by amazing vocal vibrato give the listener a sense of longing for nostalgia and adventure. This song also features an unexpected saxophone solo and tempo change mid-song. Applying the philosophy of Miles Davis, “Don’t play the butter notes.”
The newest single of the band, “I’d Like To Go Home Now,” takes you down memory lane and nostalgia of a life you never lived, taking the phrase “I was born in the wrong era” to heart. This song features an amazing groove and killer vocals with a very catchy chorus and tasty guitar fills.
Keeping the punk scene alive on WSRR, Dearest Friend’s “Blood On Your Hands” is explosive, melodic, witty, and exactly what we are looking for here on the station. It is not easy to be a 3-piece band and to release consistent, unique bangers. To those who have never really dived into the punk scene, you can easily distinguish this band from other local musicians. Not an easy feat, and I have the inkling that we are going to be seeing way more Dearest Friend in the future.
If anybody likes Green Day or Blink-182, I already know that you will like this song. fast strumming power chords, explosive bass, powerful drumming, and extremely high-energy catchy lyrics. “Dead Romance” will just spawn a skateboard in your hand and a Walkman at your hip. The punk scene is ALIVE BABY.
A technical masterpiece, bringing ska, punk, prog rock, emo fusion, and grog to Illinois, “Midwest” hooks you immediately with its almost “surf rock” guitar melody. It continues to take you through the clouds with its entrancing vocal lyricism and Midwest groove. Being in a world filled with constant gratification, one can easily pass up the technical difficulty and complexity this song gifts us with. Take a second and listen to the technicality of this piece, and you’re guaranteed to want to come back for more.
Not to be confused with Cormac McCarthy’s book of the same title, “The Road” by Spirit Oh Spirit offers quite a contrast to that book’s atmosphere. Where the book is about a suicidal man and his son after a devastating apocalypse, this song is more like cruising down the highway with a convertible and a fine babe as a passenger. The airy vocals and guitar allow the world around you to breathe as you escape this apocalyptic dystopia of the modern west.
While on that roadtrip, you enter the desert southwest, and the cosmic wonder of the desert sky entrances your soul. This song plays as a result. One of my favorite genres of music, “Son of an Outlaw,” is an amazing example of pinnacle Psychedelic Western. A steady drum beat, minor, clean guitar chords, and rhythmic lyrics capture the feeling of the Southwest better than any other style of music. It’s entrancing and immediately draws anybody in.
Opening for ZZ Top in August 2025, STIL RUNNIN offers everything hair metal wants you to have. Killer guitar riffs and amazing vocals. “Velvet” is keeping energy and showmanship alive. A must-see band live. You won’t be let down. So get out your old leather pants, your denim jacket, and rock that perm to STIL RUNNIN!
WSRR is proud to announce the release of WSRR: Star Christmas, a brand-new holiday sampler album featuring ten original Christmas tracks from some of the hottest local and independent artists regularly heard on WSRR. Inspired by classic radio promo discs, Star Christmas showcases the diversity and creativity of the regional music scene, blending heartfelt ballads, alternative rock, genre-bending anthems, and off-beat holiday originals from Judelyn, Gavin Michaels, Silver Dollar, Zoloft, Jet Star, Andrew Myers, SL.AP, and The Whole Damn Affair.
WSRR: Star Christmas is now available for purchase exclusively through the WSRR website.
This project was funded entirely out of pocket by WSRR, with the intention of giving local artists a platform during the holiday season and offering listeners something fresh beyond traditional Christmas standards. All proceeds from album sales will go directly toward offsetting CD production costs and keeping local, independent music on the air.
Star Christmas reflects the heart of what WSRR is all about: Community, creativity, and supporting artists who don’t have the backing of a major label! We hope you will continue to support local music and spread some holiday cheer with WSRR: Star Christmas!
As another year at WSRR Radio is coming to a close, we want to thank all of the loyal listeners who helped spread local and independent music nationwide by playing, sharing, and posting about WSRR. This was a major year of growth for WSRR and local music alike, with a rise in listenership, artists, the launch of the WSRR Radio App, and going completely free from network advertising! WSRR has never been a business, Non-Profit, Corporation, 501c3, or any corporate entity. Music is an incredibly personal relationship we all share across the globe, regardless of race, sex, religion, political ideologies, or any boundary of the corporate world. Because of this, we have remained what we always have been, a group of friends and creatives working together under the WSRR branding. It’s because of our loyal listeners, our amazing sponsors who support the station, and, of course, the talented local artists across the globe that we are able to do what we do. With that said, it’s time to find out who has been the breakout artist this past 2025! Fan voting is now open below and will continue through December 31st, where we will name the WSRR Artist of the Year as voted on by YOU! Continue to share the love for your local music scene and your favorite independent artist by voting below and sharing the poll! Best of luck to ALL of our one-of-a-kind artists on WSRR!
The purpose of the following is to provide complete transparency and public access to the release of the Epstein documents. This is NOT a political piece or commentary. It is NOT intended to draw conclusions or make assumptions about any real-life events beyond what has been officially documented. The validity of these materials can only be confirmed through the official sources that have published them. We are not making any additional accusations, implications, or rhetoric. The sole purpose of this post is to provide clarity, transparency, and information.
As many of you know, WSRR Radio was started off the back of The Rebel Podcast, initially as StylesRebelRadio.com, simply as a home page for show information and news updates. Over 5 years later, WSRR has become your home for local and independent music across the nation. From college radio to podcasting to other stations, to starting our own, you’ve watched The Rebel Radio Show grow and evolve over 283 live shows. We cannot begin to thank you enough for the immense support you have shown and the trust in us you had to create something so much larger than just one weekly show. Thank you to the countless guests we’ve had on for joining us for two hours at a time for pure nonsense, and our incredible sponsors who all work tirelessly to support local music and business. They have and continue to keep WSRR and local music on your radios! We want to send a special thank you to WSRR artists Year of October, who had previously provided us with the use of Watselands Pt. 2 to use for our conspiracy series, and of course, The Daze for allowing us to use their songs Trash and Falling for Nothing as our intro and outro, respectively, for the past few years. While this is bittersweet, it is far from the end. The finale of The Rebel Radio Show symbolizes the start of an exciting new era in WSRR programming! The finale will be released as a special two-part podcast in the following weeks to give anyone who missed it live a chance to hear the full send off. Additionally, The Rebel Radio Show replays will continue to run at 5pm Eastern as part of your weekday afternoon drive block. The WSRR website has already undergone some new updates we encourage you to check out, one of which is The Rebel Radio Show page, which now features a gallery of past shows! Again, we thank you all so much for the years of support you’ve shown and look forward to you joining us in the exciting future of WSRR Radio!
-Julez, Shayne, Style
From a remote set up in Nashville, TN, Echo Pilot’s Ryan and Aaron join Style and in an exclusive interview to discuss the story behind the band, New Music, growth, and the local music scene! Check out the full interview below, be sure to stream Notion, and tune in to WSRR Radio!
Interview from (09/19/25)
Live during the 12-hour WSRR Rebelthon, Ohio’s own Jet Star joins Style and Evan in an exclusive interview to discuss what she’s been up to since they last spoke, New Music, growth, and the Cleveland scene! Check out the full interview below, be sure to stream one of her latest singles, Blackberry Brandy, and tune in to WSRR Radio!
Interview from (07/26/25)
Breaking the news on the final half hour of the WSRR Rebethon, Shayne E. and Style both divulged some very major updates regarding their presence on the station, shows, and more!
Shayne E. broke the news that he and his wife will be expecting a baby to kick off the 12th hour of The Rebelthon! First and foremost, we all want to congratulate the happy expecting couple and wish them all the best in the coming months and future! Because of this, Shayne explained that he will be stepping back from his responsibilities as co-host for The Rebel Radio Show to focus on starting his family. Shayne explains that his departure will happen on the last Monday of September 2025, LIVE on air. However, Style followed this news with some of his own. Following Shayne’s departure from weekly radio, The Rebel Radio Show will also be retired. Claiming “The Rebel Radio Show IS the three of us” Style would elaborate that it is not possible and unwanted to continue without such a core element of the show. The countdown to the final Rebel Radio Show begins as we enter August, with two additional detours along the way, with the first two Mondays in September already being scheduled for PreTapes. As we draw closer to the end of September, Listeners are encouraged to submit any topic to The Rebek Radio Show that may not have been covered within the last 6 years. Long-time listeners will know that The Rebel Podcast, the predecessor to The Rebel Radio Show, launched what would become WSRR in 2019 from a simple offshoot podcast. This simple show has grown into the flagship of an entire radio station built on its back. We are beyond grateful for all of the loyal listeners and supporters who have been the backbone of The Rebel Radio Show and WSRR Radio. We are assured that this is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new chapter in WSRR Radio as we continue to grow!
In addition to stepping back from his role as Co-Host of The Rebel Radio Show, Shayne will also be stepping back from hosting Off Air. However, as we learned during The Rebelthon, Off Air will continue to air with Jake Underwood taking over as show host from Shayne E. While Shayne expressed his desire for Jake to take over however he’d like and change whatever he would like, Jake reassured listeners he would like to keep the programming true to its roots. Shayne also stressed that because he is stepping back from his host position does not mean he plans to be entirely finished with the show, expressing to Jake and Style he would still love to join in on recordings whenever he is able to. Off Air will continue to run as scheduled and release regularly until 9/2/25 with the original cast featuring specialty programming from The Rebelthon.
With the departure of the live Rebel Radio Show on Monday evenings, this leaves an opening for another Live program to find its weekly home on Monday nights. Style announced during The Rebelthon that since he will no longer be hosting The Rebel Radio Show, he will be bringing After Midnight back to air on Monday nights at 12:05AM Eastern (Technically Tuesday morning). For those unaware, After Midnight is a LIVE radio show where Style directly interacts with listeners via the rebel text line to discuss Conspiracy theories, cryptids, and the paranormal. The show also features select music from local and independent artists to set the score for the late-night, eerie feeling. According to Style, After Midnight should be expected for October 2025, as it will also fill the void of typical Conspiracy Programming. While the show is still a little while away, listeners can already submit conspiracies and stories to 216-859-8699 as well as under the Conspiracy tab in the WSRR Radio Discord.
Style also hinted at other future programming already being in the works, as well, one of which being more frequent morning music broadcasts from Evan “The Pige” Sinarski! Whether it be talk or music format, WSRR Radio is excited to enter this next era of programming and looks forward to all the potential opportunities to continue to grow and expand! As Shayne explains, WSRR is always looking for new artists, shows, hosts, and contributors as well, so if YOU have an idea for a show or program, feel free to reach out today!
Live during the 12-hour WSRR Rebelthon, Ohio’s own deadly Confessionals join Style in an exclusive interview to discuss their journey in music, Band roles, lyricism, Local Music, and prison stories! Check out the full interview below, be sure to stream their single, Pieces, and tune in to WSRR Radio!
Interview from (07/26/25)