Lots going on with this episode of Talkin' Rock. Teemu Mäntysaari starts us out by talking about his year in Megadeth, how he became a member, how his life has changed, hockey, and more. Chris Jericho's Rock N' Wrestling Rager At Sea Cruise will be in early 2025. Chris talks about the cruise's success and how it started. We also discussed the Jane's Addiction brawl, the new Vince MacMahon documentary, and a little hockey talk. P.J. and Steve from Trixter are up next. They're out on tour and stop...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 23 min
It's always a great conversation when Barry and myself get together. This week we discussed.... Their series of Hot Sauces. The band working on new music. A drummer who changed the way he played, thus, saving his career. Questions from their head of security about Krampus and a Hell Fest show years ago. ...and more. Enjoy!
Sep 05, 2024•31 min
I am wrapping up the week with a new episode of Talkin' Rock with Ian Hill from the Priest and Stephen Richards of Taproot. First, Ian Hill talks about all things Judas Priest. Does he like touring or recording more? Has he read Rob Halford's book? We talk about the careers of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath and their overlap. Plus, he talks about how they brought "Ripper" into the band, and questions from bass players Frank Bello and David Ellefson. Stephen Richards from Taproot called in this w...
Aug 30, 2024•30 min
It's another big week on the Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast. John 5 is up first. We discuss his latest signature guitar, being part of Motley Crue's legacy, and a paranormal experience he had. That's for starters with 5. Steel Panther's Michael Starr is next, as they kick off their tour this week. He tells me about Corey Taylor playing on past Panther songs, burying the hatchet (or not) with rockers who aren't SP fans, and more. The dude is always hysterical! This week, we wrap up the episod...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Three guests from different rock genres are on this episode of Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. First up, it's Brandon Boyd from Incubus. We discuss their upcoming tour, and why it's in arenas instead of outdoor sheds. We talk about how he approaches writing lyrics, traveling the world, horror movies, and more. Jason Hook from Flat Black is next. He tells me about his Canadian upbringing, about the band and how he put it together, and working with Corey Taylor. That's just for starters. Finally, it's...
Aug 16, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Thirty Seconds To Mars is playing Pine Knob on Tuesday as their Season World Tour makes a stop in Michigan. Jared Leto was nice enough to take a few minutes to speak with me about the band, his vast movie career, and much more. I had to ask him about scaling the Empire State Building in New York City to announce the tour. "That was quite the experience," I asked him if he thought it was a bad idea. "Definitely. The first night, it was about 4 or 5 a.m., 40 degrees, 40 mph winds, and freezing col...
Aug 02, 2024•17 min
Great to catch up with Pop Evil singer Leigh Kakaty. He said the band has a lot going on, including writing and recording new music. "We're constantly writing, new single, obviously coming here and we're just excited, man." We talked about the newest member of the band, drummer Blake Allison, and bass player Joey Walser. "Every new person's different, you know? And, obviously, Haley was great. She was amazing, for us for a long time. But Blake now and obviously his relationship with Joey, who pl...
Aug 01, 2024•31 min
Dorothy is my latest Talkin' Rock with Meltdown guest. She's such a badass and a great talent. The talk of streaming came up early. "It should be 50/50," Dorothy said regarding the lack of money artists get from streaming services. Dorothy recalls a fight she got into at a Steel Panther show many years ago. That's a crazy story, but she would top that story later in the interview. Dorothy 'The Way' Her new album 'The Way' drops in the fall. We talked a lot about the album and the process of maki...
Jul 31, 2024•30 min
The ladies from PLUSH are bringing their show to the Token Lounge on Saturday, August 3rd. I was lucky enough to catch up with the band, for the first time since their appearance at last year's RIFF Fest. We discussed a lot of topics with Moriah, Bella, Ashley, and Faith, including Moriah's addiction to fishing. "It's really peaceful and relaxing to me," she said. It's the opposite of the 'band life'. We talked about the tour they did earlier this year with Disturbed. Moriah spoke up first "That...
Jul 26, 2024•16 min
Lots to talk about with Josh and Alex of Badflower, although Josh does most of the talking. LOL They have a new single out called "Teacher Has A Gun" off their upcoming album, but they also told me about a song called "Detroit". The song isn't about the Motor City but was written here. They told me about that and how some Detroit voices will end up on the song. We talk about Josh's fear of preforming live, his farmhouse outside of Nashville, a possible name for the upcoming record, and lots more...
Jul 16, 2024•36 min
Lots to get into with Myles and Sonny on this episode of Talkin' Rock. First up, Myles Kennedy talks about his upcoming solo album. He tells me what the name, The Art Of Letting Go refers to, the musical mission of the record, and more. That album drops on October 11th. He talks about jamming with the Led Zeppelin guys, the first time he met Slash, as well as Eddie Van Halen. People think he looks like Kevin Bacon all the time. He tells a funny story of going to see his band play live....that's ...
Jul 01, 2024•40 min
Everyone knows Chris Jericho from the world of wrestling, which he's still in, but he's also the frontman of Fozzy , and his KISS cover band Kuarantine. You'll be able to see the band on July 5th at the Diesel Concert Lounge in Chesterfield. Chris talks about how the band came about and what they play. Chris Jericho On A Classic Wrestling Moment Of course, we had to talk wrestling. Jericho and Detroit's own, Rhino go way back. I asked him about being gored through the Titan Tron. "Yeah, it's a c...
Jun 21, 2024•21 min
What an honor to talk to Geezer Butler, the legendary bass player from Black Sabbath. His book " Into The Void - From Birth To Black Sabbath And Beyond " is out now and it's fantastic. There are some great stories and tales that Geezer gets into. He told me why he wrote the book "I always wanted to write a memoir for my grandkids, to give them a better understanding of my life beyond what they read in the press." Geezer Butler On Sabbath's Heavy Sound Geezer talked about the heaviness of Black S...
Jun 14, 2024•24 min
My latest Talkin' Rock with Meltdown guest is none other that Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P.. It's always a treat when I get to talk with Blackie. He's a great interview, and also the force behind one of my favorite bands of the era. Lots was discussed including his health. After undergoing surgery to ease his back last year, he's on the mean. "But, you know, we had surgery on it about ten months ago, and, you know, I'm on the mend and everything's cool, you know? So, you know, we should be ready f...
Jun 11, 2024•29 min
Ed Roland is one of those guys that's just easy to talk to and we talked about a lot of things. When the band broke in 1994, they broke big time! That year they played Woodstock, as they did in 1999 too. He told me they are one of only 5 acts to play both concerts. His brother, Dean, has been in the band the entire time as well. I asked him about sharing this journey with him. "Well, I mean, it's it's family. It's been a blessing for me. And I'd like to think he thinks the same because it's fami...
Jun 07, 2024•24 min
The new Dead Daisies album is dropping in September, so it's good to get Doug Aldrich from the band on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown to tell us about it. Plus, they'll be playing the Machine Shop on June 11th, in Flint, Michigan. As far as song ideas for the new album, he said everyone chipped in. "We all, all we all were, brought different parts in different song ideas. And that's generally what we do with The Dead Daisies is we'll bring in ideas and then, you know, in this situation, Marty Fredri...
May 30, 2024•34 min
Mr. Big is on their "Big Finish" tour and makes a stop in southeast Michigan at District 142 in Wyandotte on May 30th. Mr. Big From The Start Eric told me the entire story of how the band started after his solo career had seemed to fizzle out in the late 80s. He spoke of meeting Billy Sheehan, a guy who he didn't know about. It was interesting to hear how the pieces came together. New Mr. Big Drops On July 12th Eric had a lot to say about the upcoming album. Their 10th record Ten drops on July 1...
May 29, 2024•35 min
When I heard that Lzzy Hale had signed on to help the Skid Row guys for 4 shows, I was stoked! I was excited for the band, excited for the people who would see her sing live, and excited for Lzzy! After the first show was in the books, I texted Skid Row bassist, Rachel Bolan and drummer, Rob Hammersmith. Both of them were giddy with how the weekend went. That's when I decided to ask Rachel if he'd come on my Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast to talk about it. "We had one rehearsal before the fi...
May 22, 2024•20 min
This is such an interesting listen. I'd never met or interviewed Chris before. He was so much fun to talk to! We talked about his new gig, at the University of Michigan. He's taking his lessons learned, and passing them on to a younger generation. Of course, we had to talk about his time in Nine Inch Nails. He talked about the song "Closer" and how Trent Reznor spit out the lyrics to the surprise of Chris and the producer. He spoke of being inducted into the Rock Hall, Johnny Cash covering "Hurt...
May 21, 2024•39 min
I had the good fortune to speak with Slayer's Kerry King about his new solo album, From Hell I Rise, which drops on May 17th. What I've heard has been a brutal onslaught, like you'd expect! He told me why he chose that name for the album, there were other ones, but he picked this one, as it ends the album on track 13. He also told me about the flavor of the album. In case you haven't heard anything from it, I've included the two songs they've dropped from the album below. We also discussed how h...
May 14, 2024•26 min
I've never talked with Stephan Jenkins from Third Eye Blind, so I can check him off my ever-growing list of rockers I've interviewed. Right off the bat, we talked about touring, and how much he likes it. He commented on how concerts bring us together "That collective sense of feeling lets us know that we're not alone." You can see him and Third Eye Blind along with Yellowcard and A R I Z O N A on July 7th at Pine Knob Music Theater . We talked about a recent unplugged performance he did at an Em...
May 10, 2024•20 min
Taylor Roberts from Taproot/Riding With Killers joins me on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. We started off talking about RWK. He explained how the band formed, talked about their debut record "Full Circle" and more. He said they've done some pretty big shows, but it's time to get that band out to the forefront. "We're really getting ready to launch this band in the right way," he told me. He talked to me about being a fan of Taproot, and finally becoming a member of the band. He spoke about how he e...
May 07, 2024•23 min
Kenny Wayne Shepherd has a lot going on. between concerts, family, and getting high-powered muscle cars delivered to his house, his plate is full! I ran into Kenny a few weeks back in Nashville. I posted about that trip and a little about running into Kenny, here . Onto what Kenny has going on. He'll be playing at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Detroit on May 17th. For tickets, click here . Kenny doesn't always hang out in Nashville, his home, but he did a few weeks back. I ran...
May 03, 2024•20 min
Don Jamieson's latest comedy album is No Sleep 'Til McSorley's. Once again, he's modeled his latest album after a famous rock record. This time around it's Motorhead 's, No Sleep "til Hammersmith. He explains why he chose that pub, and how he got permission to use the famous album cover. On the album, Don takes on many social and rock topics. It's a skill that he has where he can meld both worlds without sounding preaching or like he's taking sides. "Is there an underlying message to it? Of cour...
May 01, 2024•28 min
What a pleasure to have James "JY" Young in the studio to talk all things Styx , and more. The upcoming "Renegades and Juke Box Heroes" tour features Foreigner and John Waite. They'll be playing Pine Knob on June 15th. We talked about a lot of topics. Playing in the band with great musicians like Tommy Shaw, and Lawrence Gowen. Where does Styx live in the music world...Rock or Progressive Rock? JY answers that question. "It's hard to define us because a lot of the stuff is prog. But, ya know, so...
Apr 12, 2024•25 min
Sebastian, Remington, and Emerson from Palaye Royale were nice enough to stop by the station before their show earlier this week. After playing three songs for the staff, they hopped into the studio with me to talk about the band. I had seen on X that Remington said that Songs For Sadness was very personal to him. He spoke about how his mother's illness has really affected each of them, who are brothers. Being on the road, and leaving their mother is always hard. This was a very touching part of...
Apr 11, 2024•25 min
"It's incredible, man" is how Spencer Charnas from Ice Nine Kills responded to touring with Metallica. That's the last time he was in the Detroit area when that tour played Ford Field. Well, he's coming back this weekend to sign autographs and take photos with fans at Astronomicon . That happens in Livonia, Michigan April 12-14th at the Burton Manor. He recalled the first show he saw from the Metal Legends back in Boston. He said they treat the band very well on tour. They have more Metallica da...
Apr 10, 2024•25 min
Armored Saint singer John Bush and bass player Joey Vera, who are currently out on tour with Queensryche . They'll be coming through Detroit to play the Majestic Theater on April 14th. Joey said of touring with the QR guys, "It's always fun touring with friends, people you get along with." We talked about their experience on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise. "Yeah, they're fun. You always see a lot of people you know." Joey said. The guys told me about going to Anthrax's Scott Ian's 60th birthday in ...
Mar 29, 2024•33 min
It was great of Mike Kroeger from Nickelback to take so much time to talk about their documentary Hate To Love: Nickelback , which comes to theaters on March 27th and 30th. We also talked about a few specific songs, hockey, and more. He told me this documentary might help to dispel some of the things about the band that aren't true. "It's the filling in of a few blanks and maybe telling some stories that no one knows." He said the band hasn't shared that much, and that may be their own fault, bu...
Mar 22, 2024•37 min
Great to reconnect with Jeff Scott Soto. The last time I talked with him was mere weeks after we met, I believe in 2018. He's one of these guys who you just like the first time you meet him. He's so easy to talk to, which you'll see in this conversation. He's coming through town playing the Token Lounge on March 27th with The Art Of Anarchy band. He spoke about how he joined the band, which was somewhat defunct, with the help and through his friendship with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal. The new album i...
Mar 14, 2024•33 min
