Doc welcomes guest, Ben Umanov aka Vince Neilstein, co-founder and content creator for MetalSucks.net. They talk about Doc's early involvement as a writer on MetalSucks, Ben's early years working for Atlantic Records, how Matt and he came up with the idea to start the blog, where the confrontational and unapologetic tone of the site comes from, the divisiveness and negativity in the metal scene, the site's evolution to become more outspoken politically and how it's affected the audience, and Doc...
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 73
Doc welcomes Black Veil Brides drummer, Christian "CC" Coma, and they talk about his early days playing for Silent Civilian, what went wrong with that band and why he quit, the thought process behind Black Veil Brides' image, how he has dealt with finally achieving success in the music industry, what it was like to work with super-producer Bob Rock, and the future of the band. This episode features the song "Martial Law" by The Human Extinction and "The Outsider" by Black Veil Brides. Follow CC ...
Nov 01, 2018•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 72
Doc welcomes Mike Mowery, podcaster, owner of Outerloop Management and record label, as well as co-owner of Jabberjaw Media, the podcast network that The Ex Man is a part of. They talk about Mike's trip cross-country, his time in Los Angeles, weigh the pros and cons of being too honest in the podcasting field, how the Jabberjaw Media podcast network came together, the state of the heavy music industry in the streaming age, his recent challenges in dealing with adversity with his business and per...
Oct 15, 2018•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 71
Doc welcomes Breaking Benjamin guitarist and backing vocalist, Keith Wallen, to the show, and they talk about the idiosyncrasies of their long summer tour, Keith's time playing with Adelita's Way, how he joined Breaking Benjamin, grinding it out in the early days with his old band, Copper, dealing with the attention that comes with joining a very big band like Breaking Benjamin, share their love and stories about Metallica, how he has enjoyed the monumental success of their new album and tour, h...
Sep 26, 2018•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 70
Doc welcomes famed hardcore bass player, Mike Couls as his guest and they talk about Mike booking God Forbid's first ever tour in Detroit, how losing his father at a young age led him to find solace in the hardcore scene, dealing with the violent backdrop of Detroit and joining local legends, Cold As Life, breaking out into the bigger metal world with Sworn Enemy, tells some amazing Ozzfest stories, why he left Sworn Enemy to move to NJ and join the much more melodic Agents of Man, becoming a jo...
Sep 19, 2018•2 hr•Ep. 69
Doc speaks with Revocation vocalist and lead guitarist, Dave Davidson, about the band he played in previously called Cryptic Warning, the early days coming up in Boston DIY metal scene, the intellectual curiosity that led him to become a student of metal and eventually going to Berklee College of Music, how Revocation secured a record deal with Relapse, the slow but steady progress of the band's success. signing with Metal Blade Records, and how he has gone about developing his personal brand as...
Sep 11, 2018•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 68
Doc speaks with his bandmate and bassist from Bad Wolves, Kyle Konkiel, about his stint doing his own podcast, Tour Bus Confidential, getting started in the LA metal scene with the band Grimefield, how he got the gig to play bass for In This Moment, the personal difficulty of dealing with getting kicked out of the band and starting over, the ups and downs of joining Scar The Martyr, how and why the band changed their name to Vimic, why he left Vimic to join Bad Wolves, and what it's been like to...
Aug 30, 2018•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 67
On the latest episode of The Ex Man Podcast, Doc welcomes Jonny Hawkins, vocalist for the eclectic hard rock band, Nothing More. They talk about his methods for maintaining sanity on long tours, how he got into fitness and how it fuels his performance, the early years of Nothing More when Johnny was the drummer of the band, how they got their record deal with Eleven Seven, his process learning how to become a lead singer, and the creative risks they took on their new record to distinguish themse...
Aug 23, 2018•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 66
Doc speaks with Tom Bejgrowicz, also known as Tom B, the guy who originally signed God Forbid to a record deal with Century Media records, about getting started in the music industry with Caroline Distribution and working bands like The Misfits, what he originally saw in God Forbid that made him want to sign the band, his obsessive passion that saw bounce between an A&R career and his life as a graphic designer, helping found the genre and coining the term "New Wave of American Heavy Metal",...
Aug 09, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 65
Doc welcomes guest, Nelson Blake II, Guitarist of NYC-based metalcore band Locked In A Vacancy and professional comic book artist. They talk about Locked In A Vacancy's recent reunion, the old New York hardcore scene, dissect the complexities of modern black culture and the difficulty going against societally forced identity roles, the psychology behind the toxic aspects of Twitter, get into some NY Knicks and basketball talk, how his career as a visual artist progressed and eventually being hir...
Jul 31, 2018•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 64
Doc welcomes guitarist, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur, Eyal Levi, on the show to talk about growing up around classical music with his father being a conductor, how in music college he stumbled upon creating the music that would become Daath, how their music progressed and why he thinks Daath didn't succeed, how he leveraged the connections he made with the band into becoming a producer, making the Levi/Werstler album, why Daath ultimately became inactive, discuss when and why to quit a...
Jul 24, 2018•2 hr 29 min•Ep. 63
Doc speaks with world renowned singer and vocal coach, Melissa Cross, about coming up with her techniques to teach how to scream properly, her early years studying acting, piano, voice, and performance, being attracted to heavy music and discovering the punk scene, missing her opportunity as a solo artist due to drug use, discuss the ins and outs of vocal technique, and how she got involved with the metal scene and developed the course work that would ultimately become the instructional video se...
Jul 11, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 62
Doc speaks with Shinedown guitarist, Zach Myers, about filling in on bass with Saliva, how he joined Shinedown, getting his start as a teenage phenom musician, how Shinedown's sound evolved over the years to getting heavier, what it's like being in the radio world, why he thinks Shinedown has had such big success, their writing process and good relationship with their longtime label, Atlantic Records, and wrap up talking hoops and the NBA. This episode features the song "Carry The Torch" by Dead...
Jul 03, 2018•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 61
Doc speaks with Prosthetic Records A&R guy, Steve Joh, about getting started in the music industry working at Caroline Distribution, getting hired by Century Media to run Noise Records, eventually taking over the A&R job at Century Media, explains what an A&R person actually does, the enthusiasm of the early years at CM, leaving the label and touring with God Forbid, his thoughts on the changing music industry, leaving CM to join Prosthetic Records, and gives some thoughts on God For...
Jun 26, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 60
Doc speaks with Ra vocalist, guitarist, and producer, Sahaj Ticotin, about how he got his start playing music, his philosophy on producing new rock bands, starting the band Ra and landing a major label record deal, the difficulty of dealing with the pressure of a big budget and trying to crack active rock radio, hitting a wall on Ra's sophomore album, "the Ra curse", struggling with the touring lifestyle, transitioning into becoming a producer and songwriter for other artists, debate the future ...
Jun 15, 2018•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 59
Doc speaks with guitarist Mike Mulholland about filling in for deathcore titans, Thy Art Is Murder, his time playing in Emmure, rant about guitar playing and gear, his original band Recon and Emmure bringing a nü metal and breakdown-heavy sound to metalcore, rant about Hatebreed, why he left Emmure, taking a "radical sabbatical" and enjoying time off after the band, rant about action movies, and starting his new band, Painless, with the other ex-members of Emmure. This episode features the song ...
Jun 06, 2018•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 58
Doc speaks with Godless, the former host of excellent heavy metal themed podcasts, Podcast Metal and MetalSucks, about his background in the music industry as a manager, booker, and promoter, how he met Chuck and got into podcasting, studying to become a high level interviewer, debate what being a nerd means, Godless interviews Doc a bit on God Forbid's career and downfall, the current state of the metal scene, and wrap up discussing politics. This episode features the song "Half-Duplex" by Jade...
Jun 01, 2018•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 57
Doc speaks with Five Finger Death Punch bassist, Chris Kael, about what attracted him to picking up the bass as a teenager in Lexington, KY, his background as a lead vocalist, moving to Las Vegas and playing with the pop-punk band The UTMoST, bartending in Vegas and almost quitting music, the audition process to get in the 5FDP, adjusting to being in a very popular band, what he thinks the secret to their success is, and contemplate running for office with Doc as his running mate. This episode f...
May 24, 2018•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 56
Doc talks with prolific guitar player, Steve Smyth, about what makes the bay area such a gold mine for talented metal musicians, how he got his professional start with Vicious Rumors, getting his big break as a touring guitarist with Testament for 5 years, playing with Eric Peterson's black metal side-project, Dragonlord, the ups and downs of joining Nevermore and to contributing to the classic This Godless Endeavor album, working with Forbidden on Omega Wave, and launching his own band, One Mac...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 55
Doc does his first-ever live Ex-Man show with Stone Sour drummer, Roy Mayorga, about coming up in New York City with punk band Nausea, jumping around as a hired gun with bands like Shelter and Crisis, how doing remixes for Sepultura opened the door to joining Soulfly, the inspiration behind the style of the first Soulfly album, his philosophy on rhythm and being a drummer, leaving Soulfly, moving to LA and playing with bands like Medication and Abloom, his time filling in for Sepultura, how he g...
May 08, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 54
Doc speaks with drummer, Justin Graves, about joining A Life Once Lost and developing their sound on the breakout record, A Great Artist, working with producer Eric Rachel, the organic nature of the recording process, dealing with the Djent uprising despite being an earlier innovator, releasing the Hunter album and enjoying some success with big tours, A Life Once Lost losing steam due to deathcore taking over the scene, quitting the band, life after the band, and starting his new band, Vexes. T...
Apr 27, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 53
Doc speaks with E-Town Concrete frontman, Anthony Martini, about being a unique band rising up in the New Jersey hardcore scene, how their music and image reflected urban life, making business mistakes and perhaps missing the boat for mainstream commercial success, hitting their stride with The Renaissance but also hitting the wall of a changing music scene, E-Town breaking up, getting into the industry as an artist manager, transitioning from the metal to hip hop world, achieving big success as...
Apr 17, 2018•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 52
Doc speaks with Dress The Dead guitarist, Craig Locicero, about starting Forbidden Evil which became Forbidden in high school with Robb Flynn, what made the bay area thrash scene so special and prolific, taking an old-school, organic approach to recording, his time as a touring guitarist for Death, how his changing music tastes led to him leaving Forbidden and starting Manmade God, getting signed by Rick Rubin and experiencing a disappointing album rollout, the Forbidden reunion, and the story b...
Apr 10, 2018•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 51
In this very special 50th episode of The Ex Man podcast, Doc welcomes legendary guitarist, Tosin Abasi, as a guest to discuss Afro-Futurism, the conflict in the metal world between commercialism and credibility, how he became such a prolific guitar player, coming up in the Baltimore hardcore/metalcore scene, how the band Reflux with Ash Avildsen came together, the genesis of Animals As Leaders through meeting Misha Mansoor, cultivating the Djent sound, political identities, the unexpected succes...
Apr 03, 2018•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 50
Doc is joined by this week's guest, Ryan J. Downey, who talks about his time as the vocalist of Indiana hardcore band, Burn It Down, why the band broke up in midst of their ascension, moving to California to sing for Time in Malta, how he almost joined Throwdown, how he almost started a hardcore label imprint through Century Media records, his crazy story fake-auditioning to be a VJ at MTV led to him actually working for MTV, getting into artist management through the band Bleeding Through, and ...
Mar 26, 2018•2 hr 11 min•Ep. 49
Doc speaks with Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy lead guitarist, Marc Rizzo, about coming up in the New Jersey extreme metal scene, the story of how El Niño became Ill Niño, the experience of having early success with Ill Niño and eventually quitting the band, how he joined Soufly, what it's like to be in a band with Max Cavalera, how Cavalera Conspiracy came together, the secret to his tireless work ethic, and his solo guitar career. This episode features the song "Seismal" by Headcrusher from t...
Mar 19, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 48
Doc speaks with Judas Priestess vocalist and solo artist Militia Vox about how the topic of race has been unavoidable as it relates to her music career, her upbringing in a very unique and progressive section of Maryland, her rebellious years in performing arts school, getting involved in the industrial music scene and joining her first band in Boston and New York, her years as a touring background singer for big pop stars like Taylor Dayne and Cyndi Lauper, how she decided to start her own solo...
Mar 12, 2018•2 hr 34 min•Ep. 47
Doc speaks with Unearth guitarist, Ken Susi, about his early years coming up in the New England hardcore scene, how Unearth developed their trademark sound, what it felt like to break out and experience real success, the pitfalls of the "rockstar" lifestyle, the reasons why Unearth has persevered and carries on to this day, how he got involved with the Fishman pickup company, and his new grunge band, Swivel. This episode features the song "Stutter" by Zombie Eating Horse and "Clueless" by Swivel...
Mar 06, 2018•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 46
Doc gives his thoughts on Black Panther, and speaks with Fire From The Gods vocalist, AJ Channer, about coming up in Virginia with his first band Sic Seed, going to school in Africa, discovering heavy music through Rage Against The Machine and Slipknot when he came back to the US, leaving music to become a stockbroker on Wall Street, getting back into the scene with Ashes Within through a Sumerian Records band contest, and finally breaking through with Fire From The Gods. This episode features t...
Feb 27, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 45
Doc has a debate with All That Remains frontman and 2nd Amendment advocate, Phil Labonte, about the recent uproar focused around gun rights following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. This episode features the song "Hold On" by All That Remains. Follow Phil on Instagram and Twitter @philthatremains Follow Doc on Instagram and Twitter @DocCoyle Support our show sponsor and buy official band merch at Rockabilia.com. Use the code PCEXMAN for 15% off. Listen to more great podcasts like this ...
Feb 23, 2018•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 44
