Our exclusive interview with L.A. Guns drummer Steve Riley!

Rock N Roll Experience interviews Joey Tempest from Europe!

An Interview with Ethan Brosh

Ethan Brosh is a guitar virtuoso who’s toured alongside Yngwie Malmsteen & Jake E. Lee recently. I had the opportunity to chat with Ethan just before he took the stage on December 20, 2014 at Fish Head Cantina opening for Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel. Ethan is a soft spoken person and his love for music was obvious while we chatted.

An interview with Paul Figueroa from CROBOT

 

An interview with Laura Wilde!

 

Rock N Roll Experience: What made you decide to play Rotting Pinata in it’s entirety on the current Sponge tour?

Vin: We get a ton of requests for songs from that record at shows. Over the years we’ve had tons of request but quite frankly we’ve had so many new records out we were just focusing on the new stuff and there’s obviously some of the bigger songs that we play but we get requests for songs that are more obscure like “Miles” or Nena Menasha” perhaps or “Candy Corn” and people wanna hear these tunes so we thought, what the heck, we’ll get out there & we’ll not only play those songs but we’ll play the whole record!

Rock N Roll Experience: Did you contemplate trying to get some of the original members back in the band to perform “Rotting Pinata” in it’s entirety?

 

OTEP will play Baltimore, Maryland at Ram’s Head Live on August 21, 2012 and I had the chance to catch up with the bands namesake.... and the interview that follows is interesting, weird & I’ll be upfront with you, Otep was not happy with my questions, she came off nasty, militant & in no way did I mean to offend her.

The Interview below is verbatim, as it happened & in it’s entirity...you can tell when she was offended by what I said & in no way did I mean any harm, my interview style is to the point, nothing’s held back & I ask what I care about....Otep viewed my questions as insulting but I give her credit because she did answer my questions regardless.

 

When Iced Earth rolled through the Maryland area on July 19, 2012 I had the opportunity to go backstage and interview Jon Schaffer. What I will tell you about this interview is that I don’t know if he really cared to talk to me or if he just didn’t like my questions, but when the interview was over I asked him if I could take a photo of him backstage to use with the interview and he said sure. I showed him what the picture looked like so he could approve it and he replied, “Honestly, I don’t care man, it doesn’t really matter!” and that’s the nature of this interview...

 

UK based The Treatment are a 5 piece rock band who recently got named as the official openers of “The Tour” which features KISS & Motley Crue.

The Treatment are a throw back to old school riff rock & they will be tearing up stages all across the USA this Summer. To wet your appetite for the opening night of “The Tour” which kicks off on July 20, 2012 in Bristow, VA, here’s an interview with The Treatment’s drummer Dhani.

Acey Slade is all things rock n roll and through his career he’s been a part of many great rock bands (Dope, Murderdolls, Joan Jett, Amen) as well as fronting his own acts (Trashlight Vision & The Dark Party).

Acey is currently on the road but took the time to answer a few questions for Rock N Roll Experience.

Rock N Roll Experience: Is Trashlight Vision officially done & over or is there a chance the band might come back?

Acey Slade: I always like to give myself room to backpedal, but I don't see it happening. We got together last year as a benefit for Jonny Chops, our drummer who suffered a brain tumor. But that wasn't so much a 'reunion' as it was a way to help our friend out.

 

KYNG is a rock band from California comprised of 3 members. Singer/guitarist - Eddie Veliz, Bass/vocals - Tony Castaneda & Drums - Pepe Clarke.

The music KYNG creates as a unit is an interesting mix of riff rock & stoner rock which is psychedelic at times with varied themes and various emotions that style the music KYNG create so perfectly.

I had the chance to chat face to face with bassist Tony C. prior to the bands performance opening for Danzig on June 4, 2012 at the Fillmore in Maryland and the interview went like this:

 

Puscifer is one of several side projects for Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. The band is a cast of rotating players with the core being Mat Mitchell & Maynard as it’s 2 constant members.

I chatted with Mat prior to the start of the Puscifer 2012 tour which kicks off on June 9 @ the Bonnarroo festival

New Years Day is a good rock band I got turned on to recently via the bands latest EP “The Mechanical Heart” which is a 6 song adventure in dark pop/rock music. The music is heavy with staples of emo while the vocals are held down by Ms. Ashley Costello who’s voice is as interesting as her looks!

I had a chance to chat it up with Ashley from New Years Days when the band was in town on April 26, 2012 opening for Blood On The Dance Floor. Ashley is a tad shorter off stage than you’d expect, her looks, voice & persona make her larger than life and in reality she’s actually a petite girl with really cool hair & the funny part of this interview is that when we finished up Ashley asked me what shampoo I use and we both agreed that shampoo is hit or miss and that it’s all about the conditioner!

 

 

The Pretty Reckless is a vehicle that actress Taylor Momsen uses to express her musical side and what’s sad about the project is the fact that the musicians in her band are relatively nameless & faceless.

I sat down with Pretty Reckless guitarist Ben Phillips on the band’s bus prior to The Pretty Reckless show and I conducted an interestingly fun yet odd interview with him. The topics were varied, the banter was part joking, part serious & I’ll give it to Ben because he admitted before we started the interview that he knew I probably didn’t care about him and that I was there to interview Taylor. Due to scheduling issues...supposedly, Taylor bailed on us so I found myself on The Pretty Reckless tour bus with the entire band sans Taylor Momsen.

 

Mike Dean on bass/vocals, Reed Mullin on drums/vocals & Woody Weatherman on guitar...the original 3 piece version o' COC are back in action sans Pepper Keenan & the current version of COC is leaner, meaner & a bit angrier than the Pepper era o' the band which leaned more towards a hard rock/southern rock sound.

Prior to Saxon's set I conducted an in-person interview with Biff Byford aboard the bands tour bus & Biff was super mellow, super nice & he gave me great responses to every question I asked...it's also noteworthy to point out that this was the last night of the bands US tour & they not only changed the set up a bit but they also replaced the water in the opening bands water bottle with Vodka as an end of tour prank!

Michael Monroe is the last true glam rock superstar left on earth! That's how I view him & it's simply because he's maintained the same status for over 2 decades...he's managed to stay out of trouble, he can still sing just as well today as he did back in the day, he's been consistent when it comes to releasing quality music over the years

Paul Barker is best known as the former bassist for Ministry & he created what would be the architecture of the band alongside Al Jourgenson up until his departure from the band.

EDITORS NOTE: THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED/CENSORED FOR CONTENT BY HIGHER POWERS....SORRY, BUT IT HAPPENS SOMETIMES & SUCH IS LIFE.

Never let it be said that I don't risk life & limb to bring my readers the inside scoop....I won't deny the fact that I held it together just enough to do this interview & review this show despite having a nasty cold & not feeling good; this particular interview ended up being bumped back 2 hours from it's original slated time and for anyone who's ever worked in the rock n roll world you have to expect that NOTHING runs according to schedule and it was one of the things I joked with the Army of the Universe guys about prior to the interview.

OH NO FIASCO are a fun pop/rock band that blends equal parts of Bjork & Muse with Flyleaf & Paramore...naturally a few of those comparisons are simply because of the bands exuberant lead singer, Lindsey Stamey, who's female presence is immediately obvious not only by her looks but by her lyrics & her strong presence in each song.

Lita Ford interview conducted at the 2011 M3 Rock Fest!

 

Gary Cherone interviewed at the 2011 M3 Rock Fest!

Our Exclusive Interview with Billy Sheehan conducted at the M3 Rock Fest 2011

Eric Griffin is best known as the bassist in what is referred to as the "Popular" version of the Murderdolls.

Shauna Reynolds was born June 6, 1966 in North Carolina & it's an odd coincidence that she has 666 in her birthday because Shauna is best known as White Zombie bassist Sean Yseult!

Sean & Rob Zombie created a band that would define a sound, a genre & the music/art the 2 created forged a bond between them that not only made them artistic partners but also lovers who shared a long term relationship which sadly collapsed over the course of the monster that was White Zombie.

"Rock N Roll Never Dies..." An Interview with STYX bassist Ricky Phillips

On October 6, 2010 I had the opportunity to conduct an in-person interview with Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo in the back lounge of the bands tour bus & guitarist Jeff Henneman joined in for a minute as well.

When I entered the bands bus the first thing I heard was a John Bonham drum solo...they were blaring some loud & live Led Zeppelin...Henneman was in the front of the bus being mellow & enjoying the Zep while Lombardo was in the back area signing a HUGE stack of Slayer posters.

Ever have a night that was just incredibly...WEIRD?!!?

To try and sum up how the Train Wreck show went on September 20, 2010 it's best described as an "experience" like I've never gone through in the rock n roll world until this very night.

I had the chance to interview Wednesday 13 backstage at the 2010 Mayhem Fest & our chat went long...very long! We got so wrapped up in our conversation that all the scheduled interviews ended up being late because Wednesday & myself were talking about alot o' stuff & when the interview was finished Wednesday told me that he enjoyed talking with me because I talked about stuff he hadn't talked about in a long time & when I asked Wednesday if he would take his sun glasses off for a picture he replied, "No way man, I'm like Burt Reynolds...Burt only takes off his glasses for pussy!"

An interview with shock rocker Lizzy Borden!

Initially my interview was to be with Blaine but then I was told Blaine was sick so then I was supposed to get Jeremy, then when I was escorted to the bands dressing room I ended up chatting with the entire band

Megadeth's Chris Broderick interviewed by Rock N Roll Experience

An interview with Carlos Cavazo on the opening night of the RATT 2010 world tour in Baltimore!

An interview with Jon Norum from Dokken / Europe

An interview with Don Dokken!

Slunt is rooted in the tradition of Sleazy rock ala AC/DC musically & Motley Crue Content wise, the band is a raw & natural mix of what rock music is lacking today...attitude, style, fun & a little debauchery!

A vintage interview with Rob Halford (Judas Priest) from 11/18/93

An interview with Devin Townsend

An interview with Kip Winger!

An interview with Stephen Pearcy from Ratt!

I sat down with Geoff Tate, lead singer for Queensryche, for an in person interview when Queensryche Baltimore, Maryland on November 5, 2006. Geoff is a very well spoken, very smart & very intellectual guy who has alot to say, & if you ask him the right questions you can walk away with one helluva interview!

 

Interviews with Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley from KISS!

Guitarist Duke Ericson from the band Garbage

Veruca Salt are a band that is probably best known for their hits, "Seether" & "Volcano Girls"...the latter of which, is where the band SEETHER actually got their name from! Veruca Salt is a band that mixes the Pixies with AC/DC style hard rock to create a unique & original style of rock music that is written from a female point of view via Louise Post. Louise is the core of Veruca Salt & when I found out that the band was playing the Maryland area on October 27, 2005, I immediately put a plan in motion to cover the show & try to arrange for an interview with Louise, so when I got everything squared away it was actually a thrill to me, because I've been a fan of Veruca Salt's music for many years & this is the first time that Rock N Roll Experience was able to interview Louise Post, so without any further rambling..here's the interview!

Tommy Victor is the main man behind Prong, he's the voice, the guitar & he's also been a member of 2 of the rocks most respected bands, Danzig & Ministry, he's worked with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie in the studio, & to put it mildly, Tommy Victor is a man who's been in the rock world for many years, he's a heavily sought after player, his guitar tone pioneered a sound in metal & hard rock that acts like Static-X, Pantera, & Disturbed definitely borrowed from to some degree, yet Prong still remains an underground favorite!

Despite having moderate success back in the bands heyday, being signed to a major label, having videos shown on MTV, having a moderate rock hit like, "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck", Prong are still underground darlings, they never really hit that peak, that stride, the point where serious money was being thrown their way, thus explains why Tommy put Prong to rest for several years & took higher profile gigs as axe slinger for more established acts.

Saliva have been out on the road for almost a year now & this was actually the third time the band played the Baltimore area this year. The band played a kick ass show at Rams Head Live in Baltimore & they were opening for the band Puddle of Mudd this time around.

Norma Jean lead singer Corey Putnam spoke to us prior to the Norma Jean set on 10/17/06

On 10/11/2002 when Skid Row played Thunderdome in Baltimore, Maryland. Rock N Roll Experience was allowed to watch the band do a soundcheck, which included a complete version of "Piece of Me" (which sounded awesome!) & a piece of "I Remember You", & then after their soundcheck, we said hello to the entire band, & then a few minutes later were escorted to a separate room where we had a one on one interview with Dave "Snake" Sabo.

I had the rare opportunity to interview Scott Mitchell AKA Daisy Berkowitz, former guitar player for Marilyn Manson...I have to say that I was intrigued by his answers & think you will be amused too!

I had the opportunity to conduct an in-person interview with Alex Kane, mastermind of Antiproduct before the show & all I can say is, thank you Alex for being so kind & taking the time to talk with me...you don’t read many AP interviews here in the USA & if you ever get the chance to interview Alex, or even talk to him, he’s a very cool, down to earth guy that tells it like it is & he was telling me before we started the interview that the bands had an uphill battle on this tour so far..they had some problems with their transportation & they had to go through alot of shit to get things situated, & no one even knows how much hell they had to endure to just make the tour work

Trivium are a band that's played on both Sounds of the Underground & Ozzfest...they've seen their debut CD sell through the roof, & the interesting thing about Trivium is that they are bringing back the metal with shredding guitar solo's...so many bands in the nu-metal genre either couldn't play solo's, or just didn't include them, & Trivium are carrying the torch that was lit by bands like Judas Priest, Pantera, etc., & when the band came through town I had the opportunity to sit down with bassist Paulo & conduct an interview...here's what he had to say:

An Interview with Al Jourgenson

An interview with Dale Crover from The Melvins

I have to preface this review/interview by saying that I left with PLENTY of time to spare, BUT, unbeknownst to me, Bruce Willis was in town filming a new "Die Hard" movie & they are filming a block up from Sonar, sooooo, the traffic was horrendous & it was HELL getting there! What usually takes about 40 minutes ended up being 90 minutes! One word...Gridlock! Anyways, when I got to Sonar, I had to wait a few minutes since other interviews were scheduled, but I had to opportunity to chat with Unearth guitarist Buz pre-show & here's what he had to say:

Powerman 5000 is an interesting band that's been around for a little over 10 years now & I hate to bring it up again, but for anyone not in the know, Spider, the bands singer is Rob Zombie's brother, & the band itself has gone through numerous changes over the years

Trouble is a twin guitar attack of pure rock fury that burst onto the rock scene in the mid 80's & throughout the bands history, the key members have always been Bruce & Rick, the bands exceptional guitarists. Singer Eric Wagner sings on all of the bands CD's, but in the past year, Eric split with the band & has been replaced with former Warrior Soul singer/activist/conspiracy theorist, Kory Clarke. When I read that Kory Clarke was to be the new frontman for Trouble, my immediate reaction was, COOL!

An interview with Jonathan Davis from KORN!

Ace Frehley is the legendary lead guitarist from KISS, he's the Space Ace, the man known for his space make-up, his Gibson Les Paul, his moon boots, his great laugh/cackle, & what can I say, when I was offered the opportunity, in a one day notice, Ace Frehley had an open slot in his interview schedule for Thursday, August 20, 2009 @ 4 PM, I jumped on the chance to interview Ace...he's a legend, he's a rock icon, it's f**kin' Ace Frehley for christ sake! There's no need to hype this, everyone knows who Ace Frehley is, so here's what he had to say!

I had the opportunity to interview Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo in Camden, New Jersey & I was given 5 minutes with the man, so I fired off as many questions as I could...here's how the interview went!

Rock N Roll Experience interviews Marq Torien from the Bulletboys!

 

On 7/14/09 Rock N Roll Experience spoke with Shooter Jennings at the Warped Tour and the most interesting topic of the interview was Shooter Jennings on Marilyn Manson...

Dez is an interesting guy....to look at him, he's a heavily tattooed guy who looks like he might be a total drill sergeant, he comes off slightly intimidating, hardcore & angry when he's onstage, but offstage, the man is a very pleasant, articulate, smart, very driven character who's artistic beyond belief, there's quite a few sides to the man that you would never suspect if you didn't chat with him & take a moment to get to know the man behind the music.

An Interview with Christopher Thorn from Blind Melon!

Neurosonic literally took the stage about 10 minutes after they got to the venue...Jason was telling me that Bullets & Octane would not switch set times, so if they got there late they could not play & Jason was determined that they would play their set, so there was no time to check things, the band literally got there, unloaded, stormed the stage, & played a tighter than tight 35 minute set that included their little "tribute" to Ashlee Simpson!

Anberlin is a Florida based emo-core band that I first got exposed to through The Warped Tour...their music is touching & cryptic, the bands singer has amazing hair, & when they played Baltimore on June 21, 2009 opening for Taking Back Sunday I had the opportunity to spend some time with the band, check out their show & bring back a very cool piece for you, the Rock N Roll Experience reader!

MINISTRY - definition - “that which serves as a means; agency” The word Ministry is usually used as a religious connotation, BUT, ask most industrial metal fans & they will tell you it means Al Jourgenson, & I would tend to agree, because for many, many years, Al Jourgenson has been creating a genre that is as ground breaking studio wise, as it is live wise! If you’ve never seen Ministry live, you are missing one of the most intense & powerful shows you will EVER see! The current touring version of Ministry consists of Mike Scaccia & Tommy Victor (Prong) on guitar, Joey Jordison (Slipknot/Murderdolls) on drums, & Paul Raven (Killing Joke) on bass, & it goes without saying that Al is the centerpiece of the outfit, who sometimes plays guitar, screams through megaphones, & leads this band through a very strong 90 minute + set! I caught the band on June 20 when they were playing Sonar, in Baltimore, Maryland on the “Masterbatour Tour”

I'm always looking for what I find entertaining, whether it be on Television, real life, or Music, & with the band Mudvayne, I think you'll agree with me that this is a band of vibrant new talent that borrows from the old school theatrics of KISS, Marilyn Manson & Alice Cooper, but mixes it up a bit with a Slipknot style twist. The band is violent, their music is aggressive & they are primed for success, so Here's an exclusive interview with lead singer Kud from the band

 

 

For this interview, I was one member short since bassist Trish was too sick to be on this tour, so this interview took place on Kittie’s bus with Morgan, Mercedes & Tara. Morgan joked that she was comfortable enough around me, since we’ve done many interviews, that she wore her glasses instead of putting her contacts in, & in all honesty, I can’t remember exactly how many interviews I’ve done with Kittie

An interview with KILL HANNAH's Mat Devine!

If you read Rock N Roll Experience on a regular basis, you know that we are big KITTIE supporters & we've been covering the band since the "Spit" CD & we've been lucky enough to interview KITTIE several times throughout their career! It's easy to understand why we enjoy interviewing KITTIE...the girls are smart, quick witted, easy going rock stars, that have no attitudes, & are alot of fun to interview!

I had the opportunity to talk with Burton Bell & I warn you, this interview is no frills and cut to the chase, Burton said what was on his mind & whether you love him or hate him he tells you the truth.

I have to admit that the absolute highlight of the night, atleast for me was, when I was interviewing Chris, I asked him if they were playing “Say Hello To Heaven” & he said they had done it a few times but not often & Chris goes, “Would you like us to play it tonight?” & of course I said, “YES!” & I kinda thought that he was messing with me, because other bands have said this before & never played the song I asked about, BUT, sure enough, midway through the set, Chris says, “I Met a guy today who asked me to play this song” & the band started “Say Hello To Heaven” which happens to be my personal favorite off the Temple of the Dog CD & for that, I can’t thank you enough Chris, you gave me a story I can talk about for the rest of my life!

An interview with UDO from Accept!

A little known fact is that Rock N Roll Experience was the first publication outside of Seattle to EVER interview the band Candlebox!

I received an advance copy of the bands debut release & was so impressed with it that I set up interviews with all 4 members of the band because I wanted to break them first & I did. Here is the very first interview the band ever did outside of their home state!

 

An interview with X-Factor from Warrior Soul!

Airbourne: Interviews with Joel & Ryan!

Billy Howerdell is best known as the guitarist & mastermind behind the band A Perfect Circle, although the spotlight is often on Maynard from Tool, more so than Billy, Billy is the man responsible for the music & brilliant concepts that A Perfect Circle created, & now Mr. Howerdell has a new project entitled Ashes Divide, & the band is a moody, artistic expression of Billy’s feelings, attitude & personality!

I interviewed the two guitarists for Lacuna Coil, Cristiano Migliore and Marco Biazzi when they played the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC as openers for Rob Zombie, & to set the scenario a bit...it was a little after 4 PM on a Sunday afternoon, & there was already a small line formed to get the prime spots inside the standing room only 9:30 Club.

Irony is always interesting...the last show I was set to cover at the Recher Theatre, in Towson, Maryland, was plagued by a pending snow storm, which actually delivered a more than healthy dose of snow & ice & overall bad weather. The day prior to the Children of Bodom show the National Weather service issued a chance of a snow storm with possible ice & bad driving conditions. I find this ironic, because I was talking to Children of Bodom's publicist & we both made a joke about the bad weather the last time I had a show set up through them & I started thinking, geez, is this same scenario gonna play itself out again?

On March 9, 2006, I had the opportunity to interview The Hellacopters & Nebula prior to their show & both bands are really great, down to earth guys that have no rock star attitudes, & they know how to deliver a high energy, killer rock n roll concert!

Jason Slater, mastermind behind the band Snake River Conspiracy, & several other bands...he's produced including Earshot, & he's a really nice guy to chat with. I'm not gonna over hype this guy, I think the interview will speak for itself, but I do wanna add a little sidenote that he told me....do you know why the band Earshot sounds so much like Tool & A Perfect Circle? Because Troy & Josh from A Perfect Circle played on that record! I omitted the Stephen Jenkins stuff from this interview, because it just was.....well, the truth hurts, Stephen is a jerk, end of story!

After the departure of original guitarist & co-founder Daisy Berkowitz AKA Scott Mitchell, Chicago dweller ZIM ZUM was appointed to the position of guitarist after a long process of elimination. ZIM ZUM's guitar style is more technical & slicker than anything Daisy ever would or could have played.

I had the opportunity to interview Corey from Trivium after they finished their set opening for Slipknot in Baltimore...this interview was done last minute, after their set & Corey even commented that it was something he never does, an interview after the show, BUT, he was very nice & understood the complications of the day & did the interview regardless, so here's my chat with Corey from Trivium:

When I arrived at the venue at my designated time which was 7:15 PM, one of the first people I ran into outside was a make-up-less Dani Filth who was waddling around near the bands bus...I was originally slated to interview Mr. Filth, but I got a message the day of show that Dani's voice was in bad shape & he wanted to preserve it for the show so I would be interviewing another member of the band...my interview ended up being Charles Hedger who is the bands most recent addition on guitars. Charles was a very nice, down to earth guy & the interview I conducted with him went very well....Charles commented that he liked the interview we did, that he enjoyed my questions I asked him.

Hinder is a sleazy rock n roll band band from Oklahoma that started in 2001 with drummer Cody Hanson, guitarist Joe "Blower" Garvey, and singer Austin Winkler. Their lead single off their first release was "Get Stoned", an ode to...well, partying & getting stoned, but the bands big break came via the breakthrough ballad "Lips of An Angel" which is a touching love song about a guy who dreams of an ex-girlfriend while he's with his current girl...it's a twisted love song that radio picked up on fast & the song quickly made Hinder a household name!

If you're a regular reader of Rock N Roll Experience, you're probably familiar with our great working relationship with Zim Zum, former Marilyn Manson guitarist & leader of Pleistoscene. Pleistoscene is a very vivid, bold new musical entity that incorporates standard elements of rock with technology to create a new standard that casts a very large shadow for others to follow. I've said it before, & I will say it again...if you've never had the pleasure of dealing with Zim Zum on a personal basis; he is one of the nicest & most sincere people you will ever meet or deal with & that is rare in the music business which is very rare. Pleistoscene has a new version of their web site up, 1 full length song available on their site & many snippets of new songs hidden on their site that will surprise you.

The Donna’s are a kick ass, straight up, no bs, all female, rock n roll free-for-all, that’s, in all honesty, really simple, but then again, the simplest things are usually the most amazing & interesting...The Donna’s rock is a passion, they don’t over complicate things, & they’ve really developed their sound since their early releases! The band is currently out on the road with The Hives & I recently had the opportunity to interview Brett, the bands lead singer when they were in DC on 3/8/08.

I had the opportunity to do a pre-show interview with Saliva members, Jonathan (guitar) & Dave (bass) & I have to set this up by saying that this was one of the most fun interviews I could ever ask for....lots of joking, lots of fun, & you really had to be there to understand what I mean..these guys are so nice & down to earth..no rock star ego's, no attitudes, & they like to have fun!

I had the opportunity to sit down with Dean De Leo before the Army of Anyone concert and Dean is a soft spoken, very down to earth guy who shows compassion for people, life, & I hate to say it, but he kinda reminds me of Tom Petty, just in his vibe, & that's REALLY cool!

On February 28, 2006, I got the opportunity to do an in-person interview with Flyleaf members Pat Seals (bass) & Sameer Bhattacharya (guitar).

Valentine's Day...the day for lovers, & at Sonar, in Baltimore, MD, Lennon Murphy & Shannon Curfman rolled into town to play the club stage at Sonar. If you've never been to the club side of Sonar, basically, it's like seeing a band play in a basement with a bar. The walls are black & there are a few scattered chairs & sofa's, & the vibe is very dank & the sound is not nearly as good as the main stage side at Sonar.

Scott Ian commented that he recalled the old days of playing at the old Hammerjacks, & the bands set included EVERY song post John Bush era that you would ever wanna hear! They even played "Skeletons in the Closet" which hasn't been played in years! "Indians", "Anti-Social", "Madhouse", "I'm the Man"...the band really covered every area of the original line-ups best songs, & they ended the night with "I am the Law"! It was actually really beautiful to hear the crowd singing "NFL" & "Anti-Social", because almost everyone there knew almost every word!

Wow...how can I possibly set up this interview? To give you some rough insight into it, I was scheduled to meet the band at their bus/van contraption for a 7 PM in-person interview on June 29, 2005 & I arrived about 5 minutes late, which is always a sign of true rock n roll clique, because no one in the rock n roll world is ever on time, & when I knock on the door of the Scum mobile that is the bands home, I am greeted by a grimy, dreadlocked guy who turns out to be Riggs.....

Ozzfest 2004, the heavy metal caravan that's going all across the USA this Summer features the almighty Slayer, among others, & I was lucky enough to score an interview with the quite guy in the band, mr. Jeff Henneman. Do I really need to hype this anymore? You know who he is, so here's the interview as it happened!

I had to opportunity to interview Mr. Josh Todd prior his show on March 8, 2004, & I got to say hello to his entire solo band, hang out on the bands RV, & wander the backstage area (if you wanna call it that!) at the venue. David, his tour manager was very cordial & polite, as was Josh, the band, & even his merchandise man/RV driver! After I interview was over Josh said to me that I reminded him of his old guitar player Paris from Slamhound, which I thought was really cool!

2 Vintage interviews from 1996 with Dave Murray & Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden!