Chuck Shute Podcast

Episode 80 - Steve Riley! Steve has played the drums for Steppenwolf, Keel and W.A.S.P. Of course he is most well known for being the drummer of L.A. Guns for over 30 years. In this episode we do a deep dive into Steve’s whole amazing career with all his bands. We’ll also talk about the new album he has out called “Renegades” with founding LA Guns member Kelly Nickels. He also explains why there are two versions of the band. He discusses some exciting movie projects he has coming out as well. And I get his reactions to the comments his ex bandmate Phil Lewis recently made in the press about Vince Neil. All this and more! 00:00 - Intro01:00 - Early Days with Frank DiMino02:40 - Early Musical Inspiration 03:45 - Todd Rungren & Roadmaster06:35 - Touring with Steppenwolf 07:20 - The B'zz, Keel & W.A.S.P. 11:58 - P.M.R.C. & Censorship15:15 - Wishing W.A.S.P. Stayed Together Longer16:50 - Guns 'n Roses & L.A. Guns 20:25 - Peak of Popularity of L.A. Guns21:55 - Break from L.A. Guns & Session Work (92-94)24:40 - Classic L.A. Guns Lineup Breaks Up & Two L.A. Guns 28:38 - Phil Lewis & Tracii Guns Not Getting Along 29:53 - Changing the Name "L.A. Guns" 32:48 - Steve's Reaction to Phil & Tracii's Mud Slinging 35:12 - Phil Badmouths Vince Neil 37:05 - Forming Steve's Version of L.A. Guns40:04 - Mick Cripps, Jizzy Pearl, Michael Grant, Stacey Blades 41:35 - New Album as a Promotional Item 43:10 - "Renegades" New Album & Songs 45:14 - Kelly Nickels Singing & Pissing Off Phil 48:45 - Horror Movie "Rightful" 50:00- Documentary on 90s Grunge Singers 52:05 - Possible W.A.S.P.  Reunion? 53:35 - Promotional Items & Autographed Drumhead 55:35 - Future Live Shows 56:35 - City of Hope Charity 57:20 - Wrap Up L.A. Guns Website:https://www.laguns.netCity of Hopehttps://www.cityofhope.orgChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 79 - All or Nothing! I found this band while doing research for Beau Lastavich and True Villains. They performed with him and have also shared a stage with Puddle of Mudd and Broken Rail. They describe themselves as high energy and no frills. I really like the music they’ve put out so far and more music will be coming out soon. I think they are an extremely talented band, nice guys and fun to chat with! Hear all about living in the south, performing for Vince Neil & Johnny Galecki, and what they made Jacob do for a band initiation!00:00 - Intro01:11 - Band Member Introductions01:45 - Life in Alabama 02:52 - Traveling Out of Alabama 03:48 - Rock Influences 04:46 - Connecting to Music 06:35 - Learning to Play Music 07:05 - Early Bands & Crowd Surfing08:45 - Cover Songs09:28 - Band Formation 10:45 - Band Initiation 13:45 - Dedication to the Band 14:52 - All or Nothing Logo & Name 17:32 - Mauled by Jackalopes 18:25 - One Big Party,  Freakshow 19:50 - Napalm & Getting Heavier21:00 - True Villains & Beau Lastavich 22:11 - Broken Rail & Trapt 23:33 - Puddle of Mudd 24:03 - Thunderstruck 24:45 - Vince Neil, Badflower & Johnny Galecki 28:33 - Short Film "I Remember It Raining"30:19 - Trolls & Social Media Comments 33:50 - College Football in Alabama 35:45 - Future Shows37:22 - Kevin Langley - Producer37:58 - Strategy to Grow the Band 38:50 - Save the Music 39:42 - Wrap UpAll or Nothing Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/officialallornothing/Save the Musichttps://www.savethemusic.orgChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 78- David Ellefson and Drew Fortier!!!! David Ellefson is the bass player for Megadeth, one of the biggest rock bands in the world. With the band he has toured the world, sold 38 million records and won a Grammy. Drew Fortier was the guitar player in Bang Tango and also made a great documentary of the band called “Attack of Life.” Together David and Drew have a few new projects in the works. They wrote a book called “Rock Star Hitman” about a musician who is also a killer. They also have a band called “Lucid” along with Vinnie Dombroski (Sponge) and Mike Heller (Fear Factory). Finally, they also made a found footage horror movie called Dwellers that will be out next year as well. Hear all about these projects and much more! 0:00:00 - Intro 0:01:35 - Drew's Musical Background 0:02:30 - Meeting the Bang Tango Singer 0:05:03 - "Attack of Life" Bang Tango Movie 0:11:17 - Chuck Mosley (ex Faith No More singer)0:12:40 - "Dark, Depressing & Hilarious" Book 0:14:40 - Drew Proposing to Wife On Set 0:16:25 - Welcome David Ellefson! 0:16:50 - David Meets Drew 0:18:20 - Moving to L.A. & Meeting Dave Mustaine 0:22:00 - Formation of Megadeth 0:26:02 - Tenacity of Staying in Megadeth 0:28:22 - Dimebag Darrell & Slash in Megadeth? 0:32:34 - Sobriety & Addiction 0:34:20 - "Countdown To Extinction" & Vic 0:36:05 - "The Killing Road" Song0:37:17 - Break from Megadeth & Peavy Job0:44:09 - New Megadeth Album 0:44:53 - "Rock Star Hitman" - Book 0:48:16 - "Dwellers" - Movie 0:48:53 - "Lucid" Supergroup 0:53:03 - Work Ethic & Juggling Projects 0:57:02 - Ellefson 'No Cover' Album 0:58:06 - David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation 0:59:10 - Mental Health 1:01:10 - David Doing Interviews 1:03:18 - Toys For Tots 1:04:20 - Zen From Mars 1:08:04 - Book, Music & Movies 1:10:30 - Wrap Up David Ellefson Website:https://www.davidellefson.comDavid Ellefson Youth Music Foundation:http://ellefsonyouthmusicfoundation.orgDrew Fortier Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/drewfortier/Toys for Totshttps://www.toysfortots.orgChuck Shute Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 77- Vinnie Dombroski of Sponge! In this interview I discuss Vinnie’s whole career. He grew up in Detroit and started out playing the drums. He eventually switched to singing and formed Sponge. The band’s debut album Rotting Piñata went gold and spawned 3 singles on rock radio including “Plowed” and “Molly (16 Candles Down The Drain).” The band went on to make a lot more great music and has a new album coming out soon. Vinnie has also been part of two supergroups- Spys4Darwin with members of Alice In Chains & Queensryche as well as a new band with Dave Ellefson from Megadeth. We’ll discuss all of in the interview plus the meaning of their hit song "Plowed", Howard Stern and more! 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - Growing Up In Detroit 02:00 - Early Musical Influences 04:41 - The Cryptons - Prog Rock Duo06:15 - LoudHouse 09:10 - Sponge vs Electric Cattle Gods10:15 - Recording First Album 12:28 - "Plowed" Song 16:46 - "Molly (16 Candles)" Song 20:05 - Lollapalooza 23:07 - Playing with Kiss & Alice In Chains 24:45 - Crossing Paths With 80s Bands 27:02 - Touring With Iggy Pop 29:20 - Original Members Leaving Sponge 31:20 - Spys4Darwin Supergroup 32:35 - Destroy the Boy 34:15 - Licensing Songs 35:00 -"Orbitsuns" Honky Tonk Band36:10 - Cover Songs 36:53 - New Sponge Record Coming Out Spring 37:21 - Performing on Howard Stern 40:48 - Leaving Germany Mid-Tour 44:40 - Drinking Alcohol & Health 48:44 - Price For Success 50:35 - Side Project - "Lucid" 52:10 - Censorship 54:50 - Social Media 55:35 - Pope Francis Center 57:05 - Wrap UpSponge Website:http://www.spongetheband.com/#storePope Francis Center:https://popefranciscenter.orgChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 76- Of Limbo! I have 3 of the 4 members of the band on this episode - Jake Davies (singer), Luke Davies (guitarist) and Rob Graveley (bass). Drummer Christopher “Bug” Bristol is the fourth member. Together the band had done shows with Blue Oyster Cult, Wolfmother, Hinder, Filter, Adelita’s Way, Joyous Wolf and more. Their latest EP - "Nothing But Now" - was recorded with producer Mike Pepe at Barefoot Studios in Hollywood. The band has a nice eclectic range of songs that showcases their exemplary songwriting and musical talent. Besides their musical talent they are hilarious and I think you will enjoy this episode. Hear all about how the band came to be, how they almost met their demise in a van crash, winning over Blue Oyster Cult’s sound guy, conspiracy theories and much more!00:00 - Intro01:30 - Band Introductions 02:15 - Covid and Doing Shows 03:10 - Early Beginnings 04:11 - Michael Jackson & Eclectic  Influences 05:45 - Rock Music Scene 06:49 - Tall Poppy Syndrome & Music Scene in Australia 10:52 - Berklee School of Music 11:37 - Forming "Of Limbo" 13:00 - On Stage Antics 15:25 - Rob's Theater Background & Wardrobe 18:42 - Opening for Blue Oyster Cult 22:26 - Big Shows & Little Shows 24:50 - Surviving a Van Crash in Oklahoma 28:03 - Perseverance & Band Growth 30:10 - Social Media 33:00 - Producer Mike Pepe 36:15 - "Nothing But Now"37:18 - Songwriting Process 38:04 - Covid Restrictions 39:03 - Potential Band Tours41:30 - TV & Movie Poster Design 45:10 - Conspiracy Theories 47:16 - Golden Earring "Twilight Zone" Cover49:03 - St Jude's Children's Hospital  50:02 - Wrap Up Of Limbo Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/oflimbo/St. Jude's Children's Hospital: https://www.stjude.orgChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 75 - Beau Lastavich, singer of True Villains! Beau grew up in the small town of Big Lake, Minnesota but eventually moved to Nashville to join the True Villians. The band has a couple new killer songs out with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains) and plan to release more soon. Hear all about Beau’s journey including his American Idol try out, breathing fire on stage and much more!00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Welcome Beau!01:41 - Big Lake, Minnesota 02:30 - Piano to Guitar & Rock 03:13 - Influenced by Kix 04:38 - Stephen Pearcy from Ratt 05:23 - Vocal Range 07:07 - Parents Influence 08:18 - Dirty Circus & Ivy Stone09:10 - American Idol Tryout 13:30 - Moving to Nashville 18:13 - Joining True Villains 20:05 - Look & Logo of the Band 21:05 - Attitude & Range of Singer23:15 - Fire Breathing On Stage 24:20 - Opening for Steel Panther 26:22 - Songwriting 27:57 - Nick Raskulinecz as Producer 29:12 - True Villains' Songs 32:35 - Doing Cover Songs 35:20 - Balancing Work with Music 37:55 - Deal with Producer 39:50 - Future of the Band 42:35 - Newer Bands 46:35 - MusiCares48:53 - Wrap Up Beau Lastavich Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/beaulastavich/True Villains Website:https://www.truevillainsnashville.comMusiCares:https://www.grammy.com/musicares/donationsChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 74- Nick Reese from Joyous Wolf! Joyous Wolf is a newer rock band and while they may have some older influences, do not call them a throwback! They are a modern rock band with a very complex sound that is still evolving as the band continues to grow. The band has toured with Deep Purple, Slash and Fozzy and also done many large festivals. While their cover of Mississippi Queen has over 2 million listens on Spotify, the original music they’re putting out is brilliant and quickly gaining ground as is the band as a whole. I’m so thankful to Nick for doing this interview now because in a few years this band will be huge and he likely will be too busy! 00:00 - Intro 01:18 - Welcome Nick! 02:08 - Socially Distanced Shows02:40 - Nick's Early Influences 05:43 - James Brown 08:23 - Making Way Through Musical Decades 09:25 - Meeting Drummer Robert Sodaro in Middle School 12:00 - Meeting Guitarist Blake Allard at Guitar Center 13:40 - Adding Bass Player Greg Braccio 16:10 - Coming Up the Name "Joyous Wolf" 17:08 - Pay to Play 19:20 - Playing with Bad & Good Bands 21:20 - Playing Festivals 22:23 - Being Signed to Roadrunner Records 23:20 - Cover Songs & "Mother Rebel" 29:45 - Modern Rock & Rival Sons 32:20 - The Term "Throwback" 34:55 - Stage Moves 35:31 - Sia & Voices That Express Emotion 36:50 - Making New Music 40:40 - New Shows Planned or Potential Tours 42:02 - Take on Chris Jericho Vs Sebastian Bach 43:10 - Singing Deep And High 44:17 - New Rock Bands 46:50 - I Support ANYONE Playing Rock Music 48:54 - St Jude's Children's Hospital 50:38 - Wrap Up Joyous Wolf Website:https://motherrebel.joyouswolf.comNick Reese Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/justnickreese/St Jude's Children's Hospital:https://www.stjude.orgChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 73- Keith Coogan! Keith is the grandson of legendary actor Jackie Coogan, one of the biggest child movie stars of all time and also played Uncle Fester in The Addam’s Family. Keith was quite the legend in his own right however, guest starring in almost every big TV show of the 80s including Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Growing Pains, Knight Rider, Chips and my personal favorite Silver Spoons. He went on to star in feature films including Adventures in Babysitting, Fox & The Hound, Toy Soldiers and of course Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead. It was a blast chatting with him about his amazing resume and working in Hollywood. He is down to earth, funny and has great insight and stories!0:00:00 - Intro0:01:04 - Welcome Keith! 0:01:39 - Making People Laugh & Stand Up 0:03:18 - Keith's Grandfather Jackie Coogan 0:06:10 - Deciding To Be An Actor 0:10:45 - River Phoenix0:12:36 - "Silver Spoons" 0:14:34 - Working On TV Shows, Fans & Trolls 0:15:46 - Teen Magazines 0:16:34 - Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Child Actors 0:19:45 - "Fox & Hound" Voice Role 0:22:54 - "Stand By Me"  & Will Wheaton 0:25:30 - Being a Kid On Set 0:27:30 - Working on Sit-Coms With Live Audiences 0:28:28 - "Adventures In Babysitting" & Bad Words0:33:45 - Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" 0:34:25 - Role In "Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead"0:36:15 - House & Set on Don't Tell Mom 0:39:15 - "Toy Soliders", Sean Astin & Will Wheaton0:42:19 - "Tale Of The Two Coreys" & Corey Feldman 0:46:33 - Friends With Jake Busey 0:49:03 - Reboots 0:50:18 - "Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead" Reboot0:51:20 - Current Projects 0:53:25 - Comi-Cons0:54:34 - Bobcat Goldthwait 0:56:24 - "The Dishes Are Done, Man" 0:59:13 - Reading is Fundamental1:04:25 - Wrap Up Keith Coogan Website:https://keithcooganonline.com/index.htmlReading is Fundamental:https://www.rif.orgChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 72: Rick Ruhl - singer/songwriter from Every Mother's Nightmare.  Rick has fronted EMN since 1987. The band had videos on MTV, tours with Cheap Trick and Van Halen, and even an appearance on the Joan Rivers Show. When the music scene changed Rick fell on hard times, but now he’s back with a new album- “Resurrect The Faithful.” The latest single “Breathe” currently has over 175,000 views on YouTube and both the new single and album are getting rave reviews. 00:00 - Intro01:07 - Welcome Rick & Musical Background 02:33 - Life in Nashville 04:05 - Shit On Shingles 04:48 - Every Mother's Nightmare in Memphis 05:48 - Clive Davis 07:49 - Self-Titled Debut Record & Music Videos 08:47 - Tora Tora & Other Memphis Bands 09:32 - Opening for Cheap Trick 10:36 - Opening for Dream Theater 11:31 - Van Halen & David Lee Roth 13:25 - Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P.  Gets Mad at Rick 15:07 - Appearing on the Joan Rivers Show 16:34 - Trouble At The Playboy Mansion 18:03 - Second Record "Wake Up Screaming" 20:15 - Touring Off The Second Record 21:15 - Motorcycle Racing 21:52 - Crystal Meth 24:01 - Doing Side Work to Pay the Bills 25:15 - Grind EP With Shinedown & Saliva Members 28:34 - Bill Chavis Pulling Rick Out of a Bad Spot 30:55 -" Resurrect The Faithful" New Album 34:55 - New Single "Breathe" 40:28 - Haven't Been Paid for Touring 42:15 - Country Record, "Truck Stop Love" 43:34 - Tour Dates Lined Up 44:09 - Wounded Warriors 47:44 - Wrap Up Every Mother's Nightmare IG:https://www.instagram.com/emnband/Wounded Warrior Project:https://www.woundedwarriorproject.orgChuck Shute Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

Episode 71- Rich Redmond! Rich has been the drummer for Jason Aldean for the last 21 years. In addition to working with Jason he has also worked with Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Ludacris, Joe Perry, Chris Cornell and many more. Besides music he also does acting, appearing in many short films and some feature length films. If that wasn’t enough he also does motivational speaking and has a written a book about his success titled “CRASH.”  We discuss all and more! 00:00 - Intro01:15 - Welcome Rich Live! 02:01 - Early Background 03:05 - The Police & Van Halen 05:02 - Transcribing Songs06:15 - Texas Tech & North Texas University 08:22 - Side Jobs & Variety of Bands09:19 - Trisha Yearwood & Moving to Nashville 09:55 - Playing In 27 Bands at the Same Time 10:46 - Meeting Jason Aldean & Early Years 15:55 - Ludacris, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Cornell & Joe Perry 19:15 - Use of Drum Machines in Studio & Live 22:28 - Best Drummers 25:30 - Backstage Celebrities 26:40 - Vegas Tragedy & Higher Power 28:40 - Performing on SNL 30:15 - Writing Songs 32:55 - Acting Inspirations & 3's Company 35:45 - Improv Comedy 37:40 - Short Films & Auditions 40:20 - Secret to Success 41:50 - The Secret & Avoiding Negativity 43:11 - Haters, Enemies & Trolls 44:28 - Playing the Drums With Emotion 47:10 - Falling In Love With Rejection 49:30 - Breast Cancer Can Stick It!50:20 - Wrap Up Rich Redmond Website:https://richredmond.comBreast Cancer Can Stick It! https://www.breastcancercanstickit.orgChuck Shue Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuck_shute/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!