Eric Mills of the Fogelberg Foundation is the guy you want to speak with if you want to learn more about the fascinating career of Dan Fogelberg. Eric joined Matt for a conversation about Dan's life and career and how he and his team are working to introduce Fogelberg's music to new generations. They also discussed Friends and Legends, the upcoming weekend of events that will celebrate the opening of a new Fogelberg exhibit. You can find more details at www.fogelberg.rocks
Apr 10, 2026•42 min
The legendary Graham Nash is with us today to talk about his amazing career and the shows he's currently playing with his solo band -- and there's a lot of them! He shares a lot of stories as well as information on what's coming up, including the upcoming CSN documentary and the unreleased CSN music that he's been working to get ready to be released at the time the film comes out. He also tells us why the CSN album with Rick Rubin never came out, and there's a number of other topics as well. Fin...
Apr 09, 2026•26 min
Woody and Pepper of Corrosion of Conformity are in the house to talk about the new C.O.C. album Good God / Baad Man...or as album producer Warren Riker called it, Dark Side of the Doom. Here's the straight facts: It's been eight long years since the last C.O.C. studio album and the guys have come roaring back with more than an hour's worth of new music. Long overdue and very welcome. They share the story behind how the record came together, plus anecdotes about Judas Priest, their favorite music...
Apr 04, 2026•1 hr 1 min
Blackie Lawless joins Matt to discuss the upcoming 1984 to Headless tour that W.A.S.P. will embark on this fall. They also dig into Blackie's memoir, which he's been working on for five years -- and the guitarist/vocalist shares the title that he's planning to use for the book. As a bonus, we're including our previous conversation with Blackie from June 2024, which goes deep into the early years of the band and their first album. Find the latest information on W.A.S.P. at www.waspnation.com
Apr 02, 2026•54 min
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee Melissa Etheridge is with us today to talk about her new album, Rise! She tells Matt how the record came together and they also dig into other topics including songwriting, her collaboration with Chris Stapleton, jamming with Chuck Berry at the Rock Hall's grand opening concert in 1995, playing "Thunder Road" with Bruce Springsteen on MTV Unplugged and many other things! Go see Melissa on her tour, which just started last night! You can find tour dates at www.m...
Mar 28, 2026•28 min
Former Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate and his guitarist/collaborator Kieran Robertson are with us today to discuss the making of Operation: Mindcrime III. In two separate interviews, the pair take us through the process of working on the music for the upcoming record, which arrives May 3. Geoff also digs deep into the original Mindcrime album and other topics, including Ronnie James Dio! You can preorder Operation: Mindcrime III at Geoff's website at www.geofftate.com
Mar 22, 2026•1 hr 1 min
Legendary P-Funk guitarist Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton joins us to talk about his early days learning to play music, the important nuances that are buried within the grooves of "Maggot Brain" and how he got his head around the song --- and we also talk about his new music, which you can find at michaelhampton.bandcamp.com. It was a real pleasure to get some hang time with Michael and we hope that you enjoy this conversation!
Mar 20, 2026•31 min
Author Daniel Bukszpan is with Matt on today's episode to talk about his new book, Rush & 2112: 50 Years, which landed in stores this week as you're hearing this. We dig into the history of 2112 (50 years later!) and also discuss some of the things that make Rush fans upset (a hint: "Roll the Bones!"), his thoughts on the upcoming remix of Grace Under Pressure and how 2112 has often been traditionally categorized as a concept album. Check out Daniel's book and enjoy the deep dive he took int...
Mar 12, 2026•32 min
Zakk Wylde is with us to talk about writing with the late Ozzy Osbourne, how he paid tribute to "the Boss" on the new Black Label Society album, Engines of Demolition, Black Sabbath and lots more. Speaking of that new BLS album, Zakk gives us plenty of dirt on that as well. Don't miss Black Label Society and Zakk Sabbath on tour now! Details at www.blacklabelsociety.com.
Mar 10, 2026•26 min
Former Marshall Tucker Band drummer Paul T. Riddle joins Matt to talk about his exciting new band that pays homage to the songwriting of his former MTB bandmate, the late Toy Caldwell. Riddle is joined in the lineup of Toy Factory Project by Marcus King, Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr, Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Company), Josh Shilling (Mountain Heart, Wynonna Judd plus Billy Contreras (Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder) on fiddle and Jimmy Rector on additional percussio...
Feb 26, 2026•2 hr 5 min
Thomas joins Matt to discuss the innovative show he's taking out on the road starting in April. They talk about the secret project he's been previewing at some of the gigs and Thomas digs into a number of other topics, including his experiences working with Mutt Lange, collaborating with members of the Grateful Dead and some war stories about his own career. Visit Thomas' official website at www.thomasdolby.com for more information on the upcoming shows. You can also read our previous 2017 conve...
Feb 17, 2026•1 hr 3 min
Sebastian Bach is with Matt to discuss his upcoming tour, The Party Never Ends, which will begin in late February. Baz gets into other things as well, including his thoughts on the Triumph reunion, Motley Crue, the latest additions to his Kiss collection and Diamond David Lee Roth. Keep up with all things Sebastian at his official website, www.sebastianbach.com.
Feb 13, 2026•26 min
Slash joins us for his first UCR visit of the new year to talk all things Guns N' Roses, including "Nothin'" and "Atlas," plus the upcoming tour. We discuss other things as well, including Brian May and a brief recollection regarding GNR's first tour in 1985. Find more information regarding all things GNR at www.gunsnroses.com and thanks for listening!
Feb 05, 2026•12 min
Zak Starkey...Who? That's the name of the new one-man show that Zak Starkey will bring to the Gramercy Theatre (www.thegramercytheatre.com) on Feb. 20, for the first time anywhere. Zak joined Matt to discuss what fans can expect from the show and also shared a number of stories from across his career with the Who, Oasis, a missed connection with Iggy Pop and many more! He's a character and you'll love hearing him tell stories regarding his musical adventures!
Feb 03, 2026•41 min
As the final Megadeth album hits the shelves today, we've got a conversation with Dave Mustaine to talk about a number of subjects, including the story behind the record and also, the new film, Megadeth: Behind the Mask, which debuted last night (01/22) and will have some additional screenings on Saturday (01/24). Find showtimes and ticket information at megadethfilm.com. Dave tells Matt some stories about the early days of the band and also shares his thoughts on what might be next once he's do...
Jan 23, 2026•25 min
William joins Matt to talk about "Black Horizon," his debut with Metal Allegiance and the first new music from the hard rock supergroup in eight years. We also discuss his experience working with Metal Allegiance founder Mark Menghi in King Ultramega and their explosive cover of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage." Plus, William gives us the origin story of how he met and started touring with Jerry Cantrell as part of Jerry's solo band for the Degradation Trip album (before the album was even out!). He a...
Jan 14, 2026•39 min
UCR's Gary Graff joins Matt to reflect on the news of the passing of Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. They dig into a number of topics including the many interesting layers of the Dead as a band, some of the things that influenced Bob as a player, the unexpected moment when the band had success with "Touch of Grey" in the '80s, thanks to radio and MTV -- and a song that's a polarizing moment in the catalog. Matt and Gary also talk about the fan culture, the gateways into the group's music, some no...
Jan 13, 2026•57 min
The Black Crowes revealed release plans for their 10th studio album, A Pound of Feathers on Friday (Jan. 09) and shared two new songs from the upcoming record. Guitarist Rich Robinson joins Matt to discuss how the new LP came together, plus some additional anecdotes regarding Jimmy Page, Guns N' Roses and more! You can order A Pound of Feathers (out Mar. 13!) in a number of different configurations at the band's official website.
Jan 12, 2026•20 min
Aerosmith released their first album this week in 1973, so we're cracking the seal on a conversation you haven't heard yet with legendary producer Jack Douglas. He started working with the band beginning with 1974's Get Your Wings and shares the story of what he learned listening to their debut record and how the future Boston legends evolved in those early years. Along the way, Douglas also shares anecdotes regarding his experiences with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the Who and what he's up to the...
Jan 06, 2026•47 min
In the new year, Jon Anderson will once again team up with the Band Geeks to present an evening of Yes Classics and Epics...and beyond. He's got a new album (his second with the Geeks) that will land in 2026 -- and he's making progress on an additional project beyond that. We get into all of it on today's podcast and it's always a pleasure to catch up with Jon. Enjoy!
Dec 30, 2025•22 min
Director Amy Scott is with Matt today to talk about her latest film, Counting Crows: Have You See Me Lately (now playing on HBO Max), which takes a look back at the time the San Francisco group spent working on their first two albums, August and Everything After and Recovering the Satellites. Amy shares the story behind how the movie came together as well as her own origin story as a fan of the band's music. As a bonus, our May 2025 conversation with Adam Duritz of Counting Crows is included as ...
Dec 22, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore joined Matt on the eve of the tour announcement for Triumph's reunion tour to share the stories behind how the 2026 outing came together and also talk about how they're getting ready for the shows -- and how new band members Phil X (himself a Triumph alum), Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz will be integrated into the performances. We discuss a number of different subjects, with Rik offering insights on how the added three players will actually help them finally be ...
Dec 11, 2025•51 min
An expanded box set for The Replacements' Let it Be album is due out in November, so it was a lot of fun to talk to Chris Mars to revisit his memories of how the album came together. We dug through a lot of different Replacements-related topics, but also plenty of other subjects, including his time working with Golden Smog, his solo work, his artistic endeavors with painting, drawing and video and a good amount of conversation outside of all of that with Chris Mars, the music fan. Our thanks to ...
Nov 17, 2025•1 hr 30 min
On the heels of the recent Mule-o-Ween concerts, Warren Haynes returns to the podcast to discuss putting together his latest musical tribute for those shows. He teamed up with Dirty Honey's Marc LaBelle -- and on the second night, Corey Glover of Living Colour -- for a special Mule set each evening featuring a dozen Aerosmith songs, both fan favorites and deeper cuts. He also details what fans can expect for the New Year's shows and his annual Christmas Jam benefit concert. This year's Christmas...
Nov 11, 2025•49 min
With Bad Company's Rock Hall induction happening this weekend, we got together with Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, a longtime fan of Free, Mott the Hoople and Bad Co. to get his thoughts and memories on being a fan of what Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke did both together and apart throughout their long career. He shares his happiness regarding the induction, telling us, "No band deserves it more." We also talk with Joe about collaborating with Paul and Simon on a new version of Bad Compan...
Nov 07, 2025•42 min
Cellist and composer Lori Goldston has had an incredible career, one which included a stint touring with Nirvana during their In Utero tour in 1993 and 1994. As a bonus to our current conversation with Will Hodge about Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York, we're introducing you to Will's Unplugged Revisited podcast and a discussion he had with Lori about that Unplugged performance and other topics, including her experience being on the road with Nirvana. This special interview first debuted on De...
Nov 01, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Nirvana's classic MTV Unplugged in New York album was released on Nov. 1, 1994, almost a year after it was originally recorded in November of 1993. Will Hodge of the Unplugged Revisited podcast joins Matt to look back at what was an interesting night, both for Nirvana and the continued evolution of the Unplugged series. They dig into the highlights from the episode and also discuss the emotions, both before and during the performance that make it such an enduring classic. Will and Matt also disc...
Nov 01, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Jeff Pilson joins Matt to discuss a number of subjects, including the new music they've been working on with Lou Gramm, the band's final concerts with Kelly Hansen earlier this month, new lead singer Luis Maldonado and he takes us back 20 years to look at how Mick Jones assembled a new lineup and started a fresh chapter of Foreigner.
Oct 26, 2025•39 min
On the heels of the sad news regarding the death of John Lodge of the Moody Blues last week, Matt gets together with author and UCR scribe Gary Graff (501 Essential Albums of the '80s) to talk about a new list of Lodge's musical highlights that Gary assembled for Ultimate Classic Rock. They dig deep into the Moody Blues as a band and also discuss recent rock news, including the reunion of Rush, Jonathan Cain's pending departure from Journey -- and offer up a special birthday tribute to Sammy Hag...
Oct 13, 2025•53 min
There's only one way to rock and if your answer to that statement is "Sammy Hagar," well, congrats, you are listening to the right podcast. The Red Rocker joined Matt in advance of his annual Birthday Bash concerts at Cabo Wabo to talk about his new live album, how he feels about the David Lee Roth era of Van Halen now, his recent collaboration with Chad Kroeger and Tommy Lee, plus stories behind some of your favorite songs including "Humans Being" and "Rock Candy."
Oct 13, 2025•24 min
