Talkin' Rock With Meltdown Podcast

I mean, how cool is it that I get to talk to a guy like Alice Cooper. Pretty Cool! The Rock City Music Company event with Alice is sold out, but that doesn't mean you can't buy his latest book Devil On My Shoulder. He told me about the idea behind the book and the process that made it happen. "It's unbelievable", Alice said about the popularity of the book a couple weeks after its release. "It's me writing the book, but Alice who I play on stage keeps interrupting me"

Of course, he had to shout...

I love talking to Gil Moore from Triumph. As a kid who grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. I was inundated with Triumph music from an early age through local radio. All these years later, it's always a thrill to talk to anyone in the band.

As you know, the band reformed with the help of Phil X, Brent Fitz, and Todd Kerns to bring the music to the people. How did it go? "The response was so powerful from the audience" is just one comment of positivity from Gil. "The band is having a blast. The...

Mark Kendall is back to talk about his improving health, his upcoming book, and more.

Mark's been fighting a cancer battle and, by all counts, winning! Great to hear the news as he keeps the fans updated on his fight.

He's been working on an autobiography, Soul of a Man. He worked on it with a ghostwriter for 16 months. After shopping it around to several different publishing companies, he landed on a company, and now the book will be available next fall. We talked about some of the stories in the book, including his relationship...

Dirty Honey is dropping a new album to start off 2027. Catch My Butterfly is coming out on January 15th. Marc LaBelle was kind enough to join me and talk about the album, two songs of which have been released. "Lights Out" and "Butterfly" are out now. Marc talked about the very personal nature of "Butterfly", a song he was somewhat afriad to share with his bandmates. We discussed the album artwork, their upcoming tour plans, and, of course, NHL hockey. Listen to find out who he thinks will hoist the Stanley Cup at the end of the season.

Three great guests and one mediocre host are on this episode of Talkin' Rock.

Joel Hoekstra is up first. Since he's a sports fan, could he become the G.M. for the Red Wings? All joking aside, we discuss TSO hitting the road again and the production they may bring with them. We talk about Whitesnake, with a great question from fellow guitarist Bumblefoot. That's for starters, with Joel.

Don Jamieson and his friend Jim Florentine have dropped Terrorizing Telemarketers 8. Don's also put out his latest album, Comedy is Killing Me, a take on a...

Two monstrous metal/rock musicians are on Talkin' Rock.

Wolf Hoffman is up first. The new Accept tribute album is out now. Teutonic Titans 1976-2026 has 50 guest artists covering 19 classic Accept songs. We talk about the process of starting this project, the massive rockers on it, whether any former members were a part of the album, and more. What's in Accept's future? Does he see an end to the legendary band? These questions and more will be answered.

Davud Ellefson is next. The bassist is now part of Metal Church, a band he's loved for...

I spoke with Rik Emmett earlier today and thought it was so good I didn't want to wait to post it. Yes, I know I posted an interview already today (with Gene Simmons), but it's my podcast, and I make the rules!

Obviously, I had to ask Rik about the tour and putting the band back together with some help from Phil X, Brent Fitz, and Todd Kerns. He was all about talking about that, Mike Levin not playing any of the shows, and the "Summer of Canadian Rock Trios" with Rush getting back on the road...

It's always a thrill to talk with "The Demon" Gene Simmons of KISS. The dude is a rock icon, and he's coming to UWM Field in Utica on September 20th, along with Derek St Holmes and Kaliedo.

Gene was gracious with his time as we spoke for thirty minutes about his upbringing, recently turning 77 years old, his solo band and KISS, and lots more.

What's the best non-musical financial decision he ever made? How have he and Paul Stanley remained so tight over all these years? How much unreleased KISS material remains in the vault...

Battle Axes: A Hard Rockin' History Of Pointy Guitars is the book out now by Canadian author/musician Sean Kelly.

Talking with Sean was a blast! I'm not a guitar player, but I've seen a few in my life. Many with "pointy" guitars. Sean briefly dug into the history of how guitars got pointy and who played them. He showed off some of his own (the video will be posted next week) and his favorites.

Sean is a Canadian musician who's played with the likes of Nelly Furtado, Cooney Hatch, Honemoon Suite, and many more...

Great to reconnect with Phil Collen of Def Leppard. If you didn't know, he has some other projects outside of his main band. One of them is a band called Man Raze. Back in May, they dropped their Lock, Stock & Barrel (Complete Recordings 2008-2011) Phil tells me about that, along with another project he's in called Crossbone Skully with Tommy Henriksen of Alice Cooper, and the great Mutt Lange.

As he brought that up, I had to ask him about the impact that Mutt had on Def Leppard. Let's just say that Phil gave Mutt a LOT...

Legendary drummer Matt Sorum joins me to promote the live album honoring Paul Rodgers and Geezer Butler. Here's the list of rockers on the record, Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Charlie Starr (BlackBerry Smoke), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Stevie Salas (Mick Jagger), Mike Mangan (The Cult), and Paul Ill (Alicia Keys). And let me say, the record sounds as good as this line-up!

Matt told me about forming the Adopt the Arts Foundation...

Tyler Connolly and his band Theory of a Deadman are hitting the road for the Dead/Seven tour, touching down in southeast Michigan at the Fillmore on August 23rd. First, though, Tyler and I have a fun conversation about all things Theory.

The boys are releasing an E.P. titled Part 1: Funeral Songs. Three songs have been released from the album already, with three unreleased so far. He told me about the plan to drop the second part next year.

We talked about Abby Road, early NHL predictions, navigating today's crazy music listening habits of...

Great to speak with Rikki for the first time. He and his band Rockett Mafia are coming to the Token Lounge on August 29th to play your favorite Poison songs, including the entire Look What The Cat Dragged In album for its 40th anniversary.

I didn't know it, but Rikki is a big paranormal fan, as am I. We talked about that as he has a YouTube series called Legend Tripping, where he takes you to scary places across the country.

We discussed his upbringing in mid-Pennsylvania, the beginning of Poison, moving to Hollywood, and...

Wow! This is a fun interview. As a matter of fact, we had so much fun that we're going to do it again because we barely broke the surface of the band's rise to fame.

Bones tells great stories of gigging around the metro Detroit area. How did Jimmie get started, and what influenced his love of music? "Well, way, way, way, way back, man, long before you were born, I saw this band on the Ed Sullivan show debut, and they were called the Beatles. And I kind of, I think I was maybe five years...

As Night Ranger gets set to play the Motor City Casino Soundboard, drummer/singer Kelly Keagy was cool enough to take some time to talk about the band's history and what they have going on now.

I had to comment on his resemblance to our very own Chad Smith, who looks a lot like Will Ferrell. "See, all those guys, they're younger, so they look like me." Too Funny!

He told me about playing the famous Harpos Concert Theater years ago when they were first starting. An experience for any young band.

They're...

Frank Hannon of Tesla is up first. The band is about to hop out on tour with Extreme and Motley. As a matter of fact, they're sandwiched right between both bands. A little bit of heavy lifting to be sure. He told me they've never really had the chance to meet or tour with the Extreme guys.

We discussed the debut album, which turns 40 this December. They recorded it in upstate New York. He also told me why the band covered the song "Little Suzi", which some people probably don't know that it's a cover song.

Ted Nugent is never at a loss for words, and this episode of Talkin' Rock is no different. He's playing some shows in July, and you don't want to miss the 77-year-old flame-thrower. You can see him in Lexington, Michigan, on July 7th & 8th, then in Sterling Heights at Freedom Hills on the 10th, and in Paw Paw on the 11th. 

 "How lucky am I?" Ted says to the fact that he's rocked people for seven decades. He brought up the Paw Paw, Michigan show last year. I was there, and the show was something special. "I am...

Rocker Tim Montana has a new record dropping on July 31st. Jam-packed with special guests including Jerry Cantrell, Billy F. Gibbons, Slash. Charlie and Martin Sheen, Royal Lynn, and Robert Patrick. Yes, all those special guests!

The song Break Me Down mentions "Ghosts in the basement", so I had to ask him if he'd ever had a paranormal experience. As with most people, he does. He also told me about a UFO sighting he had. I didn't expect that.

We discussed the new album, Entire State Of Tim Montana. That's a name Charlie Sheen gave...

Great to get Chris back on the podcast. He's been out of Slipknot since 2019, but he's got a lot to keep him busy.

On this episode, we discuss his relationship with Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward. "He's like another father to me. That guy's amazing." He said they talk just about every day. He tells me about his friendship with the late Phil Campbell of Motorhead, golfing with Alice Cooper, and his massive baseball card collection.

What was it like playing those earlier Ozzfest gigs as Slipknot was climbing the mountain of metal success? He...

The Brutal Devine is the name of the new Spread Eagle album. It drops on Friday, June 12th, and the guys are here to tell me about it.

The album contains 10 tracks. Produced by Rob, and written over the course of the past few years, the guys love this album. Rob said, "We made a fantastic record that we know our fans are going to like. So far, the reviews are off the charts." Ray chimed in, "It's a really well-written record, and we're really proud of it. It's solid."

1. Flat Earth Vultures

2...

Kenny Wayne Shepherd returns to Talkin' Rock. He's got a validictorian in his household! That led to a conversation about his own school days. He told me his longing to make it in the music business may have taken away from his own academics, but it's turned out OK for him.

Kenny came to Detroit last summer for the Road Kill Nights event. That was a fun day! He's all about the muscle cars, and so am I.

You might notice that there aren't many KWS dates this summer. He explains why they're few and...

What a privilege to talk with rock royalty like Ian Gillan. Deep Purple's 24th studio album drops on July 3rd, called Splat! Ian and I talk about his love for making new music, working with legendary producer Bob Ezrin, and a newfound energy in the band. That energy? Guitarist Simon McBride. Ian reaped praise on Simon for bringing a new spirit to the fold.

Besides talking about the new "heavier" album, I had to relay a story to Ian about the time brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul told me about the first song they ever played...

It's always great to talk with John Bush, especially when his band Armored Saint drops a new album! Emotion Factory Reset dropped last week, and, as the kids would say, it's a banger!

He tells me about certain songs on the album. One that was very emotional and personal from a family point of view. I did ask him about a couple that seemed to be aimed at a particular person. He also spoke about the reason the album is fairly short, clocking in at about 48 minutes.

We talked about his career and if he'd...

It was great to connect with the legendary Mikkey Dee. This guy has been the backbeat of bands from King Diamond to Don Dokken, to Motorhead, to the Scorpions. Now you can add his latest band, Lex Legion, to that list. Made up of guys he played with in King Diamond's band, Andy LaRocque, Pete Blakk, and Hal Patino, then throw in vocalist Nils K. Rue, and you've got a band that delivers heavy-hitting, old-school rock/metal.

The Motorhead Years

We talked about his time in Motorhead, which lasted 25 years. He said if Lemmy were...

Pepper and Woody from C.O.C. came on to discuss their latest albums, Good God/Baad Man. It's an all-out guitar assault, and I recommend it!

I had to ask them about the Live Volume album, which was recorded on April 20th, 2001, at the local concert theater, Harpos.

We discuss the recording of the album. The initial process for the record began about 3 years ago. The boys were jamming guitars, drinking beers, and were off and running. Peper said they wanted to "cause a stink". LOL The guys said it was a fun record...

Operation Mindcrime is considered a masterpiece by rock fans. Geoff dropped OMC 2 a few years back, and now the completion of the story with Operation Mindcrime 3, which came out Sunday.

I had a chance to catch up with him before he plays Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit on May 9th.

What's it like to drop a new album nowadays? How many people had their hands in this project, helping him? He explained how he wrote the songs and how he let some of them marinate for months while he tweaked them to perfection.

...

Richie Faulkner is back on Talkin' Rock! This time, he tells me about the latest Elegant Weapons album, Evolution. The new album dropped on April 24th, and it rocks!

We discuss some of the guests on it, as well as some particular guitars he used. By the way, if you listen to YouTube, Richie has written descriptions of each song. Pretty cool to hear about these tracks right from Richie himself.

We also chatted about the upcoming Judas Priest documentary, The Ballad Of Judas Priest. That's played at some film festivals here and there, with...

What a thrill to meet the one and only Peter Criss! I'd never met or interviewed him before, and I found him great to talk with! His new solo album is out, and it's fantastic. The music covers the gamut of old rock n' roll, to the blues, to 50's rock, and much more. It's honestly one of the most diverse albums I've heard in a long time.

Peter talked to me about the album and the many players on it. This record has been in the works for some time, so it's great that it's out...

Wow! For a non-award-winning podcast, I get some cool guests!

Gene Simmons was in Detroit for the grand opening of the Rock & Brews in Royal Oak. We discuss that, look back on KISS putting their make-up back on and playing Tiger Stadium 30 years ago this coming June, and some questions from local Detroit icons.

Rachel Bolan from Skid Row drops a solo album in June. There are lots of rocking guests on it. Rachel tells me about that, the search for the next singer of Skid Row, some KISS memories, and more BS from the...

Two big rock stars, one non-award-winning podcast!

Maynard is up first, talking about Puscifer, the latest album Normal Isn't, the creative process, and more. He's spoken about being a self-doubter, which seems crazy, so I had to ask him if he gets stage fright. The answer might surprise you. What about seeing a show at the Sphere? Not so much, according to him.

He and his band play the historic Fox Theater on April 18th, with many more tour dates.

Then it's Canadian rock royalty in Rik Emmett. Unfortunately, I had technical issues...

What a non-award-winning episode! Yes, you read the title right.

Zacky Vengeance is up first to discuss his solo record, Dark Horse, which drops on April 3rd. The first song he released from it is called Lighthouse. He talks about that song and the rest of the album. He speaks to how different it is from the material from A7X. We discuss the writing process and how he played, according to him, about 95% of the instruments on the album.

He told me what's going on with the band, some surprising announcements coming up, and...

Craig Gass is touring the country, bringing the laughs to fans all over. This weekend, it's Detroit's turn as he plays shows at One Night Stan's in Waterford. To say he has some rock stories is an understatement. Not only does he have rock stories, but they're also funny as Hell!

On this episode, he tells me about meeting Lars from Metallica for the first time and opening for them! How about upsetting fans on a KISS cruise? Yes, he's done that too! Impersonations of Sebastian Bach, Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, and lots more. <...

The new Pretty Reckless album, called Dear God, drops on June 26th. She and the band played with AC/DC last April, but before that, it hadn't been since the fateful night of the last Soundgarden show. She discussed opening those major shows worldwide. As we talked, she was in Chile.

For I Am Death was released a bit ago, with the latest single called When I Wake Up. As with much of their catalog, it has a real throwback, classic vibe to it. She talks about that song, the album artwork, and a post about her...

Sebastian Bach is out bringing the Party Never Stops tour to fans all across the country. Our turn in the Detroit area happens on March 15th at District 142. Limited tickets remain.

Talking with him, we discuss his connections to the Motor City, and there are many. He also told me why he still uses a corded microphone. Of course, we talked about Twisted Sister. Well, I was allowed ONE question. To say he's fired up is an understatement. I cannot wait to see it myself!

Jim Breuer is up next. He's also touring all over...

Believe it or not, the Van Halen 5150 album turns 40 at the end of March! To celebrate, the guys are dropping a deluxe version of it on March 27th.

According to the press release, The deluxe edition not only contains a remastered version of the album, but also more than 90 minutes of previously unreleased recordings from their August 27th, 1986 concert at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut; a selection of rare seven-inch single edits; and extended 12-inch versions. 

There's also a Blu-ray containing a high-definition upgrade of the video of that show, w...

The Triumph machine is gearing up for a big return in 2026, and drummer Gil Moore was nice enough to come on the podcast and discuss where the band sits from a rehearsal, set list, and member point of view.

Of course, I had to ask Gil, a hockey fan, about the Winter Olympics and the fact that the United States and Canada could face off yet again for Gold. He's been busy getting Triumph back up and running, so he admitted that he hasn't seen a lot of it.

We did talk about rehearsals, the...

The new BLS album drops on March 27th. Zakk talks about the title, Engines of Demolition (sort of). So far, only a couple of songs have dropped from the album: Name in Blood and Broken and Blind. Zakk does talk about the final song on the record, Ozzy's song.

We discussed Back to the Beginning, Pantera, and the possibility of new music, as well as yacht rock, Super Bowl predictions, and more. Oh, and a funny story about Ozzy and Mr. Crowley.

Des Rocs is a guitarist from the Queens, NY area. He's up next...

It was a pleasure to speak with Rod for the first time in my career. He celebrated his 50th year as a professional drummer this past September. We discuss that and his latest project, Voices of Extreme.

Before we got to those topics, Rod shared some great stories of touring with Rush and the legendary Neil Peart. He spoke about what an average day was like on that tour, his personality, and more. I also gave Rod a chance to plug his Wing Thing drum tool. From what I've heard, many touring drummers and drum techs use...

Mark Kendall is an original member of Great WHite, and soon you'll be able to learn much more about him. His autobiography is in the works and is set for a spring release if all goes well. Mark talks about that, remembering things he'd long forgotten, writing about his friend Jack Russell, and lots more.

We started off the conversation with a health update. Mark is fighting kidney cancer and is winning! We're pulling for him and know he's got this!

We also discuss new music that the band is working on. He says they...

Geoff Tate kicks off a new year of Talkin' Rock episodes. The former Queensryche frontman talks about his upcoming tour (May 9th - Saint Andrew's Hall), as well as an update on Operation Mindcrime 3 that he says is going to drop this summer.

Did he think he'd be playing Operation Mindcrime in its entirety this many years down the road? Why did they play the whole album while touring on Empire in the early '90s? What project did he recently work on with Kurt Diemer? All these questions get answers with many more.

There's...