When I heard that Lzzy Hale had signed on to help the Skid Row guys for 4 shows, I was stoked! I was excited for the band, excited for the people who would see her sing live, and excited for Lzzy!

After the first show was in the books, I texted Skid Row bassist, Rachel Bolan and drummer, Rob Hammersmith. Both of them were giddy with how the weekend went. That's when I decided to ask Rachel if he'd come on my Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast to talk about it.

"We had one rehearsal before the first show, and she blew us away." - Rachel Bolan

Rachel told me how the ball started to roll at producer, Nick Raskulinecz's birthday party. "I was like, "Hey, man, would you want to step in and do a few shows with Skid Row?" And she, you know, after we kind of cleared out what exactly the shows were because we, you know, I think she kind of thought we were just going to jam at like the Mercy Lounge or something. But, so when we cleared that up, she said, yes. "Let me talk to my, my, team and my people and I'll have an answer for you." And the next day or a couple of days later, I was like, "Hey, man, were you serious about that?" She's like, yeah, it's a go. And we were all excited."

"She unleashed that first scream, and we were all just like, whoa." - Rachel Bolan

Rachel went on to say that they only rehearsed once before their first show. Lzzy said that she was holding back a little as to not blow out her voice. Then it was time to take the stage. "When we took the stage, 'Slave to the Grind", she unleashed. Unleashed that first scream. I was just like, I'm actually getting chills thinking about it right now. I was we're all just kind of looking at each other like, whoa"

He couldn't heap enough praise on the Halestorm front woman. "You know, when someone is great at what they do, people appreciate it. They appreciated Lzzy because she is great. She's just freaking great!" He said the energy on stage was off the charts. "And you could you could feel the energy on stage. And, a few of my friends that said I've never seen you smile so much. You're always like the punk rock don't smile, guy. You know, like you're laughing up there, you're smiling and you're interacting, you know? So it was really cool, man. And we got two more. And I just feel like that's like another nine days and I'm like, climbing wall of, like, what do you know?"

The other two shows he's referring to are in Reno, Nevada, and Sacramento, California.

"Lzzy Hale is one of the best vocalists on the planet." - Rachel Bolan

When I commented that Lzzy is such a badass, Rachel agreed. "You know, you just said something that is, descriptive that everyone has been saying, and that's badass. Man, it's so perfect because she is a badass. She's a beast on stage, man. She's great."

This is such an interesting listen. I'd never met or interviewed Chris before. He was so much fun to talk to!

We talked about his new gig, at the University of Michigan. He's taking his lessons learned, and passing them on to a younger generation. 

Of course, we had to talk about his time in Nine Inch Nails. He talked about the song "Closer" and how Trent Reznor spit out the lyrics to the surprise of Chris and the producer. He spoke of being inducted into the Rock Hall, Johnny Cash covering "Hurt" and more.

There's so much we didn't get into, so Chris has promised to come back on in the future. This is a fun listen!

I had the good fortune to speak with Slayer's Kerry King about his new solo album, From Hell I Rise, which drops on May 17th. What I've heard has been a brutal onslaught, like you'd expect!

He told me why he chose that name for the album, there were other ones, but he picked this one, as it ends the album on track 13. He also told me about the flavor of the album. In case you haven't heard anything from it, I've included the two songs they've dropped from the album below.

We also discussed how he got the members for the band, which includes Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, HellYeah's Kyle Sanders, and Phil Demmel rounding out the band. He said this was his "A Team" and he got the players he wanted.

Kerry King On Turning 60

We also talked about his upcoming 60th birthday, which will be the first show in Europe. Over his 60 years, he's made lots of memories, some he can't remember....like a story of the early days of Megadeth that David Ellefson told me about.

Barry Kerch is up next. Shinedown has a lot going on this year, including a new hot sauce. Symptom Chipotle Garlic Sauce is their latest creation. Barry talks about how this came to be, and the fact that he's a big hot sauce fan. 

We also talked about new music from the band, the album he thinks best represents what they're all about, The Rock Hall, and more. 

It's always great to talk with Barry, even if this is my first time interviewing him solo..... video to come. 

Thanks for listening!

I've never talked with Stephan Jenkins from Third Eye Blind, so I can check him off my ever-growing list of rockers I've interviewed.

Right off the bat, we talked about touring, and how much he likes it. He commented on how concerts bring us together "That collective sense of feeling lets us know that we're not alone." You can see him and Third Eye Blind along with Yellowcard and A R I Z O N A on July 7th at Pine Knob Music Theater.

We talked about a recent unplugged performance he did at an Emo club. "It was fun, man, it was fun," he said about the impromptu show.

Third Eye Blind Teams Up With Detroit's Own Shinola

There are also a couple of other things we talked about, one is their collab with Shinola. Stephan talked about how he likes that the watches are Made In America and the local craftsmen who make them. They have a limited edition watch coming out. "It's super cool. It's obviously American-made". He said they'll be visiting the store when they come through, as well as Jack White's Third Man Records.

How Did His Life Change In The 90s?

His life changed in a huge way in the 90s when Third Eye Blind broke. As I asked him this, he paused for about 5 seconds before answering. He went on to talk about how he lived in an apartment with 6 roommates, one bath and he slept on packing foam. He spoke to the bands he started or joined that fell apart until the band finally broke. After massive tours with U2 and The Rolling Stones, he found himself driving home after two years on the road. "Tears streamed down my face because I realized where I'd gone to, this delineation of points," he said.

We wrapped our conversation by talking about how the thrash scene in San Francisco where he's from had any effect on his musical tastes.

Taylor Roberts from Taproot/Riding With Killers joins me on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. 

We started off talking about RWK. He explained how the band formed, talked about their debut record "Full Circle" and more. He said they've done some pretty big shows, but it's time to get that band out to the forefront. "We're really getting ready to launch this band in the right way," he told me. 

He talked to me about being a fan of Taproot, and finally becoming a member of the band. He spoke about how he ended up in Detroit through a member of the band, coming from Mississippi.

When I asked Taproot frontman Stephen Richards and drummer Jarrod Montague to give me some questions for Taylor, they did not disappoint. They told me to ask him about meeting the Kittie in Las Vegas. Apparently, he was a huge fan growing up as a teenager. 

They also told me to ask him about looking like Slipknot frontman, Corey Taylor. That was hysterical! I guess he's been confused for him several times. 

In Taproot, he plays guitar, but in Riding With Killers he's more upfront. "The challenge of putting myself in the lead singer spot, and then finally getting to write about things that have been on my mind and in my head and heart for years, is very cathartic and it's been honestly a great release".

It was great to have Taylor on Tallkin' Rock!

Kenny Wayne Shepherd has a lot going on. between concerts, family, and getting high-powered muscle cars delivered to his house, his plate is full!

I ran into Kenny a few weeks back in Nashville. I posted about that trip and a little about running into Kenny, here.

Onto what Kenny has going on. He'll be playing at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Detroit on May 17th. For tickets, click here.

Kenny doesn't always hang out in Nashville, his home, but he did a few weeks back. I ran into him two nights in a row, at two comedy shows, so we talked about going to those shows.

As far as his shows go, he's always playing somewhere. I asked him the longest he'd gone without playing, and the answer was pretty easy, during the pandemic.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Has Lots Of Music In The Can

He told me he already has four albums in the can! He says he's ready for the record label to ask him for new music. "Thankfully because I have all this material kind of stocked up, I haven't been under the gun to write lately, and that's kind of the point." He went on to say that he felt like he was constantly under pressure to write, and now he's relieved of that with these albums ready to go.

We talked about his monster hit "Blue On Black" and the latest cover of it from Five Finger Death Punch, Brian May, and Brantley Gilbert. He says he thinks a country artist could make a hit out of that song as well.

Kenny Wayne On Jimi Hendrix

He'll be heading out on the Hendrix Experience this fall with some great guitarists. He said the family of Jimi loves it. He's been a part of this since it became a thing in Seattle. "I've done a lot of Hendrix songs over the years and I feel that I do them justice."

Now, onto cars. He's a huge car guy, as am I. When I saw him a few weeks back, he was waiting for the arrival of his latest muscle car. Well, it came, and it sounds insane!

He got a Dodge Demon 170 1170HP. He did the "Jailbreak" program, with a one-of-kind paint job. He said there's a little more to it which we'll find out about soon.

Always great to talk with Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Don Jamieson's latest comedy album is No Sleep 'Til McSorley's. Once again, he's modeled his latest album after a famous rock record. This time around it's Motorhead's, No Sleep "til Hammersmith. He explains why he chose that pub, and how he got permission to use the famous album cover.

On the album, Don takes on many social and rock topics. It's a skill that he has where he can meld both worlds without sounding preaching or like he's taking sides. "Is there an underlying message to it? Of course there is" Don said. As far as who he takes shots at on the record, he said "Everybody gets it on the album". He said he gets a lot off his chest. 

We talked about how surreal it is that we have the good fortune of getting to know our childhood rock star heroes. Don flashed back to seeing the mighty Judas Priest as a kid, with the "Metal God" Rob Halford right in front of him. He said that he'll never forget that feeling, but he's never lost that fandom.

The record opens with Lemmy from Motorhead introducing it.....or is it him? He explains. You can order the album on vinyl here.

Don Jamieson On Meeting Lemmy From Motorhead

Don talks about meeting his idol, Lemmy several times. He said he tread lightly around the rock icon until he had his first drink with him. That was the time when he knew that he'd taken a liking to him.

Has Don ever been star-struck? He had a couple of experiences that he talked about, but it wasn't with anyone in the rock world. He also talked about a few of the classic musicians he's had the chance to meet. One from the Monkees and one from Led Zeppelin. 

Great to have my friend, Don Jamieson on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. 

What a pleasure to have James "JY" Young in the studio to talk all things Styx, and more. The upcoming "Renegades and Juke Box Heroes" tour features Foreigner and John Waite. They'll be playing Pine Knob on June 15th.

We talked about a lot of topics. Playing in the band with great musicians like Tommy Shaw, and Lawrence Gowen.

Where does Styx live in the music world...Rock or Progressive Rock? JY answers that question. "It's hard to define us because a lot of the stuff is prog. But, ya know, some of the ballads are pretty much straight-ahead rock ballads." That led to how JY got into music.

How did the Grunge era affect them? At first, he said "Zero" as far as the music was concerned.  But he did say that the band may have seen a dip in concert attendance, but that's passed and now they're selling lots of tickets.

Did the Beatles playing on The Ed Sullivan Show influence him? He said they did, but older siblings did too. He expanded on that.

What legendary guitarist did he see live five times? I'm not sure if I've ever met anyone who has seen the player so many times. "That's the most profound influence on my playing," he said of the guitarist.

I asked him his thoughts on the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame. "Well, I don't know. It's very East Coast-centric for people that have a vote. Styx probably deserves to be in there, but I'm not holding my breath." He didn't mention names, but at the end of the day, he said it's about the fans and music. He spoke of fans telling him about how Styx's music helped them through periods of their lives. "Music affects everyone differently, and we've made some great records."

It was a thrill to have JY, and the band's manager, George, in the studio with me. A huge pleasure.

Sebastian, Remington, and Emerson from Palaye Royale were nice enough to stop by the station before their show earlier this week. After playing three songs for the staff, they hopped into the studio with me to talk about the band.

I had seen on X that Remington said that Songs For Sadness was very personal to him. He spoke about how his mother's illness has really affected each of them, who are brothers. Being on the road, and leaving their mother is always hard. This was a very touching part of the interview. I wish nothing but the best for "Mama Royale".

The guys talked about the dichotomy of how Palaye Royale writes songs. Sebastian said Remington brings a lot to the lyrics, Emerson is good on the piano even though he's the drummer, and each of them bring something different. "We had eighty songs - for the upcoming album - so we narrowed them down to ten" Remington told me. He also said "If there's not a deadline, I will tinker with it" when talking about recording songs.

They also talked about the success they've found overseas. Over here in the States, they've opened for so many bands but they're looking to do a headlining tour of their own. As a matter of fact, they're playing Wembley Arena in November. Sebastian said Gene Simmons gave them some great advice early on, which they still use to this day.

The band actually started out on the Disney channel. They talked about the difference between playing Disney shows, and then going off on their own for shows. They went from big crowds to playing to empty rooms.

I was shocked to hear that the guys were hockey players, as their family has roots in Canada. I didn't think we'd be talking about that during this interview!

"It's incredible, man" is how Spencer Charnas from Ice Nine Kills responded to touring with Metallica. That's the last time he was in the Detroit area when that tour played Ford Field. Well, he's coming back this weekend to sign autographs and take photos with fans at Astronomicon. That happens in Livonia, Michigan April 12-14th at the Burton Manor.

He recalled the first show he saw from the Metal Legends back in Boston. He said they treat the band very well on tour. They have more Metallica dates left with them this year. "It's going to be quite a summer"

He told me the band is always writing and visual aspects for the band. "We're constantly in creative mode"

"Never" is how he answered the question of if he ever gets pushback for "using" some famous horror movie characters. He said he's become friends with some of the people responsible for these films and Ice Nine Kills is helping to promote the movies. I'm a horror fan so we did talk about some of the latest ones out right now. He also told me what sparked his love of the genre.

Believe it or not, even though they're from the same part of the country, he's never met Rob Zombie. He spoke to the love he has for his movies. "I think some of the stuff he does is truly brilliant".

Guitarist, Doc Coyle told me to ask him about the tuxedo place they get their suits from. He spoke to how Doc has stepped in and helped the band out. "He's an incredibly talented guy, and it was so good to have him out"

Spencer's appearance is sponsored by Rock City Music Company in Livonia.