David Ellefson and his Kings of Thrash are making three stops in Michigan. October 23rd at the Venue Events Center in Cadillac, MI., followed by a stop at the Machine Shop in Flint the next day, then The Token Lounge on the 25th.We obviously had to discuss the passing of Ace Frehley. As many know, David is a huge KISS fan. He spoke about some memories he had with the Spaceman over the years. Ironically enough, he has never been to Cadillac, which just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the visit from KISS in 1975."Ace Frehley's passing was on the level of Eddie Van Halen's passing. I mean, different players, but they made us want to be musicians." David said. "Not only musicians, but rockstars!" Isn't that the truth?He said he didn't know Ace that well, but well enough. "You know, so Ace and I became friends, not close friends. I mean, we have each other's cell phone. I'd usually text him every year for his birthday. And me and Frank Bello would text him because he played a solo on our Altitudes and Attitude record."David speaks to the tour, the numerous gigs he has coming up, including the Monsters of Rock Cruise, where he'll play with Jeff Scott Soto, and tons more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Tesla's Jeff Keith and Steelheart's Miljenko Matijevic, along with John 5 on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown
THREE great guests, one podcast!I've spoken to and met Jeff Keith a bunch of times. Great guy! I've never talked with or met Miljenko Matijevic from Steelheart, so this was cool that I got to speak with him as well. You might be asking why I talked to them together? Well, they just released a cover of the classic "I Just Want To Make Love To You!. They told me how the ball got rolling to cover the song and the approach they took.We also talked about Tesla's upcoming residency in Vegas, if the guys from Foghat heard the song, cover songs Tesla has done, and if Miljenko heard the version of their monster hit "I'll Never Let You Go" done by Moriah of the band Plush.John 5 is next on this episode. His new album, The Ghost, is out now. Yes, 5 has had a paranormal experience. We talk about the recent Motley residency in Vegas. John said he was very happy to see Vince Neil, not only on stage again, but killing it!We also talked about the final Ozzy show. He had some great things to say about the fallen legend, and also revealed that he was contacted to play the Back to the Beginning show.Enjoy!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Talkin' Rock with TSO's Joel Hoekstra and Sammy and Josh from Citizen Zero
Another two-for-one on Talkin' Rock. First up is guitar virtuoso Joel Hoekstra. The TSO machine is about to fire up for the holiday season, and Joel answers my questions about rehearsals (which is super interesting), the accusations of using backing tracks, his solo material, and lots more. Then, it's Sammy and Josh from Citizen Zero. Sammy had an eventful summer touring with the Goo Goo Dolls. He talks about how that came about. Plus, the guys talk about putting CZ back together, some shows coming up, and big things in 2026. Thanks for listening!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Talkin' Rock with Par from Sabaton and Bilmuri
Two great guests...one mediocre podcast!On this episode of Talkin' Rock, Pär Sundström of Sabaton joins me first to talk about their upcoming album, Legends. They'll be touring the States and beyond in 2026. We also talk about their new record deal, breaking in America, history, and more.Next up, it's Johnny Franck. His "band" Bilmuri is pumping out new music, with a comic tilt. His latest album is American Motor Sports. Is he a NASCAR fan? I asked him. He's currently working on a ton of new music, as he prepares to go on tour with Bad Omens.Enjoy....MeltdownSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Talkin' Rock with Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Return To Dust - RIFF FEST Episode
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. MeltdownSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The biggest names in rock music are Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown. From Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame members to bands just starting out, Meltdown takes rock music fans behind the scenes to find out what these talented musicians are really about. Come along for the ride as Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown invites you to find out more than you ever thought you knew about all genres of Rock from Classic to Prog to Grunge and everything in between.
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