Talkin' Rock With Meltdown Podcast

The guys from Badflower were nice enough to swing by the station on their way through to Canada this week. They took a few minutes to talk with me about what they have going on, as well as plug their appearance for Riff Fest on September 23rd.  Joey, Anthony, Alex and Josh spoke to getting lost on the way to the station. That's a tough trick in this day and age.  They talked about the tour they're currently on with Incubus and Paris Jackson. They told a story of what they did on a recent day off, which the Incubus guys took care of.  What about new music from the band? They were somewhat tight-lipped about what they're working on, or when it will see the light of day, but let's say they are recording material. They eluded to the fact that they've worked on it for a while. Josh said finishing the music is the hardest. "Getting a song to 75% is the easiest part. Maybe even 80%. Going from the 75, 80, 90 to 100 % is like a steep climb." He said it's weird to be judged when they drop new music.  As far as reading what the fans write on social media, Josh reads all of the comments, even though he said that might not be a great idea. "It sucks, I shouldn't." He did admit there's many positive comments as well.  They passed along some bus rules, things they don't like about touring, and more.  -Meltdown- https://wrif.com/podcasts/talkin-rock-with-meltdown/  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Singer Eva Marie and guitarist Rob Lyberg join me for this episode of Talkin' Rock w/ Meltdown. It was super cool of the guys to swing by the station and talk all things Eva Under Fire. We discussed how they got the name for the band. Rob explained the long and short of naming the band. They've had a crazy few years. We talk about their very first tour with Buckcherry, and how they were treated on that run. Eva said "They were really, really cool guys.". She compared touring to camping by saying "You don't have a lot of amenities, but if you love it, you love it.". That's a great way to look at it. The thing about this band, is that they started to percolate around the start of the lockdowns. They were stalled a little bit, like many bands, but did happen to hop on some killer tours. If you didn't know, Eva was in the movie "The  Retaliators". Eva explained how the song "Blow" made the movie, and how Spencer Charnas from Ice Nine Kills ended up on the track. She also told the story of meeting him for the first time, a long time later.  They also have a lot going on for 2023, including a deluxe album which drops on August 4th. Eva talked about working with country artist Cody Marks on the song "Unstoppable" for the deluxe version of their album Love, Drugs & Misery.  A HUGE Thank You to Rob and Eva for coming by the studio to discuss the band and what they have going on.  -Meltdown-See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chad Gray from Mudvayne is on Talkin' Rock as they tour on their Psychotherapy Sessions tour. He talked about touring with Zombie last year as kind of a "feeling out" to see what could happen with the band. He talked about all the places in the world he'd like to hit on this tour. He told me about playing some different songs on this tour, that they hadn't played before. As far as their cover of the Police song "King Of Pain", don't expect them to be doing that one any time soon. "It just did not sound good....it sounds wonky" He explained that whole thing about the tuning of the song. It was really interesting talking about a conversation he had with the late Vinnie Paul, about how big Pantera was even though they hadn't played in a very long time. Chad said there's all sorts of fans seeing Mudvayne for the first time. From very young kids to "old guys like us." There's a lot of music talk with Chad, although he says he doesn't listen to much new music, he said he has his staples. "I just don't go searching for new music." He mentioned how music takes him back many year like a "Sonic Fountain Of Youth". Great line! What made Pantera so good? He talked about how they wrote songs. "Those MFers played to the song." He spoke to writing with V.P. during his time in Hell Yeah. He talked to meeting one of his heroes, James Hetfield of Metallica. He went on and on about what a treasure James is, and a little secret he gave him to help his performance as far as singing goes. All and all, a great conversation with Chad. Loved talking to him, as always. -Meltdown-See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jelly Roll is one of the busiest and hottest music stars today. I was lucky enough to grab a few minutes with him. What I got was a fun, candid, real conversation. I've never met or interviewed him before, so when the conversation starts out talking about the "Beer Olympics" I knew this was going to be a fun talk. We talked about the meteoric rise to success. He said while touring with Shinedown last year, he got to see and experience everything that it takes to go to the next level. "Dude, I was a sponge," he said. "I stood side stage every night watching every set." He said he learned so much by watching singer Brent Smith throughout the tour. As far as his music and live show, he said, "We believe that connection is the answer." Jelly Roll talked about his late blooming in the music industry. "I'm proof that it can happen," he said, as he talked about the chances of anyone being able to prosper in this business. He spoke to his underdog story and how he's risen from wild and oftentimes troubled youth. If you're unfamiliar with his past, Jelly Roll was featured in a recent Hulu documentary, "Save Me." Having seen the documentary and then hearing Jelly Roll talk about it was fascinating. He told me he was very involved in the development of the film. "The first time I seen it, I cringed," he said. He spoke to the rawness of the project during our interview. Jelly Roll also opened up about his plans for an upcoming album project. "I expect the next album to be more uplifting," he said. Jelly Roll said he's always writing, and that his next record could even be a return to rock, the genre Jelly Roll got his beginnings in. "I think we're going to surprise some people with some of the collabs on this...it's going to be different." Based on his comments, I wondered: is Jelly Roll "rock" or is he "country?" "I'm country rock, right?" he said. He went on to talk more about crossing genres and about some of his rock influences. "I'll never forget where I was the first time I heard Bob Seger," he said, noting that his songwriting philosophy is "three chords and the truth." Jelly Roll is one star who has risen fast. I asked him what has surprised him the most from the last year as he has been on this massive career growth journey. He name-dropped a lot of music heavyweights who reached out to support him: Garth Brooks, David Draiman (Disturbed), Ronnie Radke (Falling in Reverse) and others. He also spoke to his Detroit influences and places he's played here....everywhere! Enjoy!  -Meltdown- https://jellyroll615.com/ https://wrif.com/podcasts/talkin-rock-with-meltdown/  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

HARDY is my latest Talkin' Rock guest. You might be saying to yourself, isn't he a country guy? Well, you're half right.  His latest album has a lot of rock influence, including a guest appearance from Jeremy McKinnon on a shredder called "Radio Song". How was that collaboration born? "Dude, I just slide into the DMs...haha" He went onto tell me it was a simple as that. "I've got a song I'd love for you to hear...I sent it over and the rest is history." Personally, 'the mockingbird & The Crow' is one of my favorite albums of the year. We talked about the country/rock elements of the stuff he'd written. He explained to me how that idea of the split record was developed. How about meeting some of his rock heroes from his high school days. "Growing up a big rock n roll guy, it's crazy to become friends with some of the guys I grew up listening to." He talked about his "overnight" success, that took 8 years. "Man, I was grinding for a long time."  The single "Jack" was a #1 song on rock radio. "I still can't believe that I have one." He explained the song as well. Yes, it's a song about Jack, but much more.  He also has a resemblance to Detroit's own Kid Rock. Rock fed me a couple things to ask him.....he told me a funny story about a trip to Thailand.  Enkoy! -Meltdown- https://hardyofficial.com/ https://wrif.com/podcasts/talkin-rock-with-meltdown/  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Todd is the latest guest on Talkin' Rock, as Buckcherry is playing Uncle Sam Jam on July 7th. Before they do, they be at Rock City Music Company the day before doing a special meet and greet with fans. All the details are here.  Just like so many rockers, Josh is sober. Unlike so many rockers, he sobered up before his career took off. He told me about living "really fast" early in his life. There was a couple things that pointed him towards a clean life. When asked if he credits his career with his sobriety, he responded "Absolutely...number one on my list. Without that I've got nothing." He told me about the latest album, Vol 10. He talked about doing "guerilla writing sessions". As far as the writing process he said "We just do whatever's best for the song, ya know." referring to writing with the group and producer Marty Fredrickson. Josh talked about a few certain songs, and some dark places he was at while writing these songs. Why did they cover Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69"? He answers that question too. One song he said was there "Hysteria" from Def Leppard. He brought up perfect albums, so I asked him to name some of his favorites.  He also talked about racing go-carts, playing tennis, and the live version of "Crazy Bitch" they do, which is pretty cool.  Enjoy! -Meltdown- https://wrif.com/podcasts/talkin-rock-with-meltdown/ https://rockcitymusicco.com/  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What an honor to have Stewart Copeland on Talkin' Rock!  The new album 'The Police Deranged for Orchestra' comes out this Friday, June 23rd.  In a nutshell, he took massive Police songs and rearranged them with an orchestra and some singers. He talked about the process of making this album and what songs turned out the furthest from the original. He added that he can do this to these songs, because they're his. "I feel a sense of ownership, a sense of impunity. If we hired someone to orchestrate these, they would be very polite." He wasn't so polite. We talked about one of his soundtracks to a movie that was hugely inspirational to me as a young budding radio guy, Talk Radio. He gives away the ending, so skip that part if you haven't watched it. :) He talked about the Jeff Beck project he did about 23 years ago. I asked him if that will ever come out. "Probably not." He went into more detail on why that will never see the light of day. What's it like to play behind Sting and then switch to Les Claypool? "Oh, my God...very, very different." What about his relationship with Neil Peart. "He was a great man. A tower of strength and wisdom." He had some great stories of jamming with him and other legendary drummers.  We wrapped up the conversation by asking him about the band Scrantonicity from the TV show The Office. His answer was the most surprising of not only this interview, but of any interview I've done in recent memory.  -Meltdown- https://www.stewartcopeland.net/ https://wrif.com/podcasts/talkin-rock-with-meltdown/  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was so much fun to have Brock, Ava, Ben and Lucas from Frame 42 join me in studio, along with legendary producer, Toby Wright. We talk about what it's like for a young band to work with someone with the background Toby has. They tell me about their upcoming EP, some summertime plans, what their single "Ramona" is about and lots more. Toby talks about how hard working and talented the band was to work with and much more. Rock band Frame 42, in studio with Meltdown and Toby Wright... -Meltdown- https://www.frame42.com/ https://wrif.com/podcasts/talkin-rock-with-meltdown/  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The new album from Janet Gardner and Justin James is out. "No Strings" is their latest effort. Janet talks about the writing and recording process and much more. "We always like to do music that is relatable to people's everyday lives." She hopes they've  inspired and empowered people through their music. She said one song had 45 mixes!! "We're really proud of this album." She told me about how she does her vocals, by herself, which she loves. "I take the best part from each take and put it together." We talked about what she's doing now, parenthood. Plus, she told me about some of her vocal heroes. I love talking to Janet.... -Meltdown-See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Staind has a new record dropping this fall, and Mike Mushok was nice enough to hope on Zoom and tell me about it. Well, he told me what he could....you'll have to watch the interview to know what I mean. Mike talks about the connection Staind and Godsmack have had for decades, as they get set to tour this summer. He talks about the first national show they actually played here in Detroit opening up for a local music legend. We talk about the upcoming album, their first in 12 years. "Confessions of the Fallen" drops in late summer/early fall. Mike didn't have a specific date yet. He explained how the main lyric writer is singer, Aaron Lewis and that he doesn't even know what the lyrics are until far into the process. He told me about creating riffs and how he stores them in an 'ideas folder'.  As far as the record "I'm really happy with the way it turned out". He said it's a diverse album with more of an electric element to the new music. We talked about making videos, dropping more new songs before the record comes out and more. He also told me his thoughts on Aaron Lewis solo stuff. "I think whatever Aaron does is really good." He said that he had always hoped the band would get back together, but there just wasn't a plan. We discussed his thoughts when the band shut down, playing with Jason Newstead  and Saint Asonia filling the void. He said he wanted to write with other singers, which turned into Saint Asonia. We talked about touring in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic. Find out why he says he looks back on the lockdown sort of fondly. Always great to talk with Mike.... -Meltdown-See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.