Over the weekend, WRIF hosted our annual Riff Fest at Pine Knob. I interviewed the three main stage bands before the show that night.

Up first, it's Ben Burnley from Breaking Benjamin. Ben's fun to talk with. We discussed his influences, yacht rock, new BB music, his home studio, and more.

Matt and Adam from Three Days Grace are next. It's the first time I've had the chance to speak with both singers. We talked about the new album, hockey, and that's just for starters.

Finally, it's the band Return To Dust. If you're a fan of the grunge music of the 90s, this band is for you. Their set killed! The guys told me how the band started, with two of the guys hailing from Texas and two from Southern California. Keep an eye on these guys in the future.

Meltdown

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It's Friday, and another episode of Talkin' Rock.

Chris Daughtry is up first. Part 2 of Shock To The Stem dropped last week. We talk about that, including the latest single "The Bottom". We discuss playing in front of his peers, singing Journey with Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, and more.

Tommy Buoy from Yachtley Crew is next to wrap up the episode. I'll admit, it's a little bit out of the realm of what I do, but I'll also admit that I'm a sucker for a good Yacht Rock classic. This interview was fun, as you'd expect. We talked about their new album “Seas the Night”, which includes yacht rock staples and a new track. What does Motley Crue think of the thier name? Tommy tells me...that's for starters with Tommy Buoy on Talkin' Rock.

Meltdown

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On this week's episode, I talk with Billy Sheehan and Mike Krompass from The Fell, along with Jake Diab and Joe Coccimiglio from Autumn Kings.

The Fell is a band that Mike founded 10 years ago. They've dropped two singles, Killswitch and Face Out - the title track. They have an EP coming out in October, with the full-length album coming out in 2026.

How does one go about getting Billy Sheehan in the band? What legendary artist's album did Billy just play on? Billy just played a giant show in Indonesia with Bumblefoot and Steve Vai, among others. I asked him about the last time he played with Steve, who he played with in the David Lee Roth band. That's just for starters with this conversation.

Up next, it's Jake and Joe from Autumn Kings. The boys recently played a string of shows in Europe. We talk about that and some special guests who came to see them on tour. Is there new music coming from AK? Yes. When? Well, they couldn't say exactly, but they gave us a hint.

They're playing Riff Fest on September 20th at Pine Knob.

Enjoy and thanks for listening!

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It's great to reconnect with the guys from The Funeral Portrait. All the boys came by: singer Lee Jennings, guitarists Cody Weissinger and Caleb Freihaut, with bassist Robert Weston, and drummer Homer Umbanhower. Their album Greetings From Suffacate City is about to turn one on September 13th, and it's been a whirlwind year for the boys. From a tour with Five Finger Death Punch and Marilyn Manson, to this summer's tour with Ice Nine Kills.

Before their show locally, they swung by the station to speak with me about everything TFP. You can watch the conversation in the link above. I met the guys for the first time last year as we visited Eloise Insane Asylum. You can hear the audio that was captured here.

New Music From The Funeral Portrait

"A little baby bit...we have less than a handful of stuff" was how Caleb described the progress on new music from the band. He said that they've been pounding the road so hard they haven't had a chance to start on anything new. "We have a small amount, but what we have is exciting." He went on to say it has to be bigger than "Greetings". Lee chimed in, "It has to be next-level because of the tours we've done." He said they're playing to so many new people each night that new fans are discovering the album.

Working With Ivan Moody on "Holy Water

The song 'Holy Water' was released as a single pre-COVID. When they went to re-release the song earlier this year, Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch told the guys he wanted to be on the track. "It just so happens that Ivan liked the song. And he wanted to be on it. It was kind of a magical, weird moment of him being "I want to help this band out. I like them. They're cool, they're different, they're young." Kind of like a torch passing moment, and it just worked."

The guys were nice enough to bring their guitars, so they busted out two songs for us. Their next single is "Dark Thoughts" and "Holy Water". 

They also talked about how welcoming the INK band and their fans have been to them. And get this, they're heading off on a European tour this fall. I want them to take me with them!!

The boys have had an amazing year, and I wish them nothing but the best moving forward! I'm a fan!

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Typically, when I post the artists I have on the show, I also include the band they're in. For this episode, that's not necessary. 

Up first, The Metal God, Rob Halford, joins me to talk all things Judas Priest, and their upcoming tour with Alice Cooper. He talks to me about his relationship with the theatrical legend. The topic of Ozzy's passing came up. Rob said he couldn't believe it. He curled up in a ball and bawled his eyes out for hours. He shared some memories with Ozz and what he'd want everyone to do in his absence. 

Rob's a GREAT guy that I've had the privilege to speak with several times. He's one of my favorites for sure. 

Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden starts his solo tour today (August 22nd), so he came on to speak about fencing, the tour, and his solo career. He says the band he's playing with is solid and great to be around. He talks about playing theaters versus stadiums. 

Does he play new solo music for his Maiden bandmates? He answers that question, plus playing Maiden songs on the upcoming tour. He said he's playing a song they've never played live. 

Oh, he does answer the question about cowbell on stage....LOL

Enjoy!

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It's another two-for-one on Talkin' Rock!

Up first, drumming legend, Mike Portnoy. He and Dream Theater are about to kick off their fall tour, with a stop at the Fox Theater on September 21st. 

We discussed his love for the Beatles, his relationship with Neil Peart, and the multiple bands he is a part of. He shared his thoughts on the passing of Ozzy and the only time he ever met the legend. Great to interview Mike for the first time after I'd met him a few times before. 

Next, it's Alice Cooper band bassist, Dennis Dunaway. The Revenge of Alice Cooper is out now. He told me they had a lot of material to choose from. So much they could've recorded many more albums. He shared some Detroit stories, a stage prop that didn't work as planned, and much more. 

Thanks for listening!

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An honor to have two of my faves on this week's episode of Talkin' Rock. Tom Keifer and Brad Gillis' music has been with me practically my whole life.

Tom Keifer is up first. We discuss what's on tap for his band, with a date at the Royal Oak Music Theater on September 4th. What about new music? Tom answers that question, too. He also told me stories of the 1989 Moscow Music Festival, as he did press sitting next to Ozzy Osbourne himself. We also got into the writing process he uses, and it's different than most. 

Brad Gillis is up next. I had the pleasure of meeting with Brad a few weeks ago here in Detroit. He let me hold and pose with his famous 1962 Strat that he's had since the 70s. His "work horse," as he calls it. He's played that on every Night Ranger album and Ozzy's Speak of the Devil record. He told me about getting the gig with Ozzy, how he scored a killer Harley-Davidson, and tons more. 

Great to catch up with these two rock legends....on one non-award winning podcast! 

Meltdown

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It's a jammed-packed episode of the non-award-winning Talkin' Rock podcast. 

The legendary Steve Jones is up first to discuss his upcoming tour. He told me how much he loves touring with this band. We talked about the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, are there any "rock stars" left, and lots more. Really cool to talk with him for the first time. 

Mr. Big's Eric Martin is next. Yes, he has an Ozzy story also from decades ago. We discussed his vocal idols, the final Mr. Big tour, and more. I love talking to Eric. He's so easy going. 

Eric has two Michigan shows coming up in Paw Paw on August 7th, and Ludington on August 8th. 

Mark Kendall from Great White wraps up this episode. He told me about getting stranded here in Michigan last week—a true Spinal Tap moment. Yes, we also discussed the upcoming part 2 of that classic movie. Mark also told me about the passing of Jack Russell. He said he and Jack had never gotten in an argument. He went into depth about what he thought was under Jack's addiction., It was truly a touching, heartfelt moment as Mark talked about addiction. 

Mark and the band are playing the Motor City Casino Soundboard on August 7th with Slaughter. 

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This conversation began as a discussion about the Back To The Beginning concert. David and I recorded it on Monday afternoon, while he was doing some stuff in London. With the passing of Ozzy on Tuesday, I shelved it until now. David was kind enough to call in and talk about the Prince of Darkness on my show Tuesday, so I incorporated it into today's conversation. 

David talks about the big concert, comparing it to Live Aid, as far as feel and vibe. He told me about the best parts for him and his chance to play on the big stage. We also talked about Megadeth, and where he thinks the band peaked out and was hitting on all cylinders. 

It's been a crazy week, I hope you enjoy this chat!

Meltdown

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Always great to catch up with drummer Tommy Clufetos, and this time was no different. He played in Ozzy's band for the Back to the Beginning concert, so I had to ask him about that. I mean, the chance to play Ozzy's last concert is an unreal assignment. 

Tommy talked about being there with fellow Detroiter Chad Smith, who also played during the day. He said he and Chad watched Black Sabbath from the side of the stage. 

We also talked about his new music, which smokes! Straight-aheads no BS rock! It'll be on full display when he does shows with Ted Nugent throughout Michigan in August. 

Oh, and don't forget about his other band, The Dead Daisies, which he'll play shows with in August as well. The guy is a machine!

Enjoy!

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