Best James Kroeger Podcasts (2024)

1
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - His Upcoming Tour, The Stockpile Of Music He Has, A New Dodge And More 19:51

2d ago19:51

19:51

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 Perfo…

1
Rock Comedian Don Jamieson 28:21

5d ago28:21

28:21

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…

1
The Legendary James "JY" Young Of Styx on Talkin' Rock 25:23

24d ago25:23

25:23

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 …

1
Palaye Royale On Talkin' Rock 24:30

25d ago24:30

24:30

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 il…

1
Spencer Charnas From Ice Nine Kills On Touring With Metallica, Horror And More 25:01

26d ago25:01

25:01

"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…

1
John Bush And Joey Vera Of Armored Saint 32:43

1M ago32:43

32:43

Armored Saint singer John Bush and bass player Joey Vera, who are currently out on tour with Queensryche. They'll be coming through Detroit to play the Majestic Theater on April 14th. Joey said of touring with the QR guys, "It's always fun touring with friends, people you get along with." We talked about their experience on the Monsters Of Rock Cru…

1
Mike Kroeger Speaks About Hate To Love: Nickelback 37:17

1M ago37:17

37:17

It was great of Mike Kroeger from Nickelback to take so much time to talk about their documentary Hate To Love: Nickelback, which comes to theaters on March 27th and 30th. We also talked about a few specific songs, hockey, and more. He told me this documentary might help to dispel some of the things about the band that aren't true. "It's the fillin…

1
Singer Jeff Scott Soto On Art Of Anarchy, TSO, Queen And More 33:23

2M ago33:23

33:23

Great to reconnect with Jeff Scott Soto. The last time I talked with him was mere weeks after we met, I believe in 2018. He's one of these guys who you just like the first time you meet him. He's so easy to talk to, which you'll see in this conversation. He's coming through town playing the Token Lounge on March 27th with The Art Of Anarchy band. H…

1
Drummer Tommy Clufetos Talks Playing With Sabbath, His Detroit Work Ethic, And More 33:38

2M ago33:38

33:38

Honored to have drummer extraordinaire, and fellow Detroiter, Tommy Clufetos on Talkin' Rock. He's playing the Token Lounge coming up on Thursday, March 28th. Having seen him play there before, this is a show you're not going to want to miss. He said that was the only time he'd played there and he "Loved it!" His drumming is insane. Just check out …

1
The Other Side Of Mick Mars On Talkin' Rock 30:22

3M ago30:22

30:22

Such an honor to have Mick Mars on the show. His new album "The Other Side Of Mars" drops on February 23rd, and it's a killer record. The album really shows off different sides to Mick's musicality. It really takes you on a roller coaster ride. "Yeah, I wanted to see what happens. Lots of different styles, different things." He went on "I intention…

1
Godsmack's Sully Erna Talks About His Documentary, Their Famous Drum Battle, And More 20:28

3M ago20:28

20:28

Days after his birthday, Sully Erna from Godsmack called in to discuss what the band has going on, along with his "I Stand Alone - The Sully Erna Story", which you can watch now. He told me how the documentary started, after writing manuscripts for his book "The Paths We Choose". He says his story is about perseverance....that's an understatement. …

1
Sebastian Bach On New Music, Skid Row, And LOTS More 31:52

3M ago31:52

31:52

Sebastian Bach is my latest guest on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. He's dropping a new album, in his words, sooner than you think. "It's coming very, very soon." He talks about the first single "What Have I Got To Lose?" which you can see below. That song is co-written with Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge/Slash. He talked about joining up with him. D…

1
Black Stone Cherry's Chris Robertson On Talkin' Rock 18:18

3M ago18:18

18:18

Chris Robertson from Black Stone Cherry joins me on Talkin' Rock. They'll be hoping on the ShipRocked cruise starting February 4 through the 10th. Their latest album, their eighth, dropped last fall called Screamin' At The Sky. He tells me that he feels fortunate that they can put out new music and people still care, "You can't really ask for much …

1
Eric Bloom From Blue Oyster Cult On 2024, Their Songs In Movies, Spinal Tap And More 25:49

3M ago25:49

25:49

My guest on this episode of Talkin' Rock is Blue Oyster Cult's Eric Bloom. This is the first time we've talked and I found him to be very easy to speak with. For those of you in the southeast Michigan area, B.O.C is playing the Royal Oak Music Theater on February 25th. Eric is looking forward to the show, but he seemed happier to be coming to Detro…

1
Singer Carson Macc Of Detroit's Mac Saturn 19:36

3M ago19:36

19:36

Mac Saturn singer, Carson Macc joins me today, as their "Hard To Sell" record finally drops this Friday, January 26th, with a show to celebrate that night at the Fillmore Detroit. The process of making this record began long ago. Working with Al Sutton at Rust Belt Studios, they brought what they thought were solid songs, but they weren't. "We brou…

1
Talkin' Rock with David Ellefson and Gavin Rossdale of Bush 31:38

4M ago31:38

31:38

Always great to talk with David Ellefson. He has so much going on, as always! This guy has to be one of the busiest musicians in the country. He talked about spending his birthday here in Detroit to see Metallica in early November. He talked as to why he was here, and seeing Metallica was only one part of it. One of his many bands, Metal Alliegence…

1
Judas Priest's Richie Faulkner On The New Album And Lots More 23:15

4M ago23:15

23:15

Guitarist Richie Faulkner joins me today on Talkin' Rock. We started by talking about his latest birthday celebration on January 1st. We talked about his relationship with his father-in-law, guitar legend George Lynch. "George is an incredible player....not only incredible but a unique player," he said. I asked him if he's floated him any tracks of…

1
2024 Is Going To Rock For Tim Montana 18:26

4M ago18:26

18:26

Tim Montana is making 2024 the year of rock for his career. He'll be dropping a rock album, and going out on tour with Staind and Seether. I had a chance to talk with him about this upcoming year, the bar he co-owns with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, and lots more. Growing up very poor, Tim says he's had the good fortune to meet most of the people on the…

1
Scott Stapp Talks Higher Power and Creed Reforming 21:55

4M ago21:55

21:55

It's always great to talk with Scott Stapp. It's even better when he has a new solo album about to drop and a tour with the reunited Creed! We talk about all of this and lots more on this episode of Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. His new album is called Higher Power and comes out on March 15th. He told me about the album, how personal it is to him, an…

1
Biff Byford Of Saxon On Their Latest Album Hell, Fire And Damnation 20:36

5M ago20:36

20:36

The new album from Saxon, "Hell, Fire and Damnation" drops on January 19th, and frontman Biff Byford was nice enough to join me to discuss it, and lots more. "It's a monster title, isn't it?" Biff asked when I brought up the title. That it is! He told me what the title meant, it goes back a long way. "I don't know why we didn't use it before". He s…

1
Taproot's Steve Richards On Touring, The Year That Was And Lots More 25:17

5M ago25:17

25:17

Steve Richards from Taproot was kind enough to join me to talk to all things Taproot. I opened up the conversation by asking him what it's been like to be back out on tour with the band. "It's been really cool" Steve replied. He explained how their tour isn't a grueling grind, but one where they meet up on weekends. He also spoke to touring with ne…

1
Great White's Jack Russell On New Music, Working With Tracii Guns, His Health And More 34:58

5M ago34:58

34:58

A few weeks back, I took a trek to Buffalo, New York to hang with my friend Don Jamieson from That Metal Show. He hosted the night at the Showplace Theater with Jack Russell's Great White. It was great to reconnect with Jack afterward. I asked Jack if he'd like to come on the podcast and he didn't hesitate. Jack spoke of his current state of health…

1
Robert Trujillo of Metallica 27:55

6M ago27:55

27:55

Here's my two-part conversation with Robert from Metallica. This is condensed into one part for your listening pleasure! Part one..... We talked about the latest album, 72 Seasons. He said it was great to get back into a room and play with the guys after the pandemic. "You forget about those things and take them for granted, it was pretty special."…

1
Andy Summers On His Upcoming Tour, The Rock Hall & His Favorite Police Album 11:48

6M ago11:48

11:48

Andy Summers of The Police is about to embark on his The Cracked Lens and A Missing String tour, and he's here to tell me about it. He told me about when his love of photography started. He said it was many decades ago between female photographers when the band started around 1979 and as a teenager seeing arthouse films in England. "I loved them, i…

1
Bush's Gavin Rossdale Talks Greatest Hits, His Music In Films, Detroit And More 26:10

6M ago26:10

26:10

Gavin Rossdale of Bush joins me to discuss many things in his world, including the Greatest Hits: Loaded 1994-2023. He told me why now, and how it was something he didn't really want to do. He spoke to the latest single and video, "Nowhere To Go But Everywhere". In the video, he goes back in time to 30 years. I asked him if going back to the start …

1
Triumph's Rik Emmett Lays It On The Line 27:57

6M ago27:57

27:57

It's always a pleasure to talk with the Triumph front man. Rik Emmett's new book is out and it's a great read for any Triumph fan, or any music fan in general. "Lay It On The Line: A Backstage Pass to Rock Star Adventure, Conflict and TRIUMPH" is out now. Rik was, well, like an open book when I spoke with him. He told me that writing this book had …

1
Blues Guitar Legend Joe Bonamassa On His Current Projects, Jeff Beck And More 15:51

7M ago15:51

15:51

Joe Bonamassa was nice enough to join me last week to talk about his latest albums/projects, plus, his upcoming show at the historic Fox Theater on November 18th. He told me how much he loves that place. I actually made a separate story just for his comments on the Fox. Joe told me about his latest live album, Tales Of Time, which he recorded at th…

1
Jackyl's Jesse James Dupree "Never Gets Old" On Talkin' Rock 28:11

7M ago28:11

28:11

It's always great to talk with my friend, Jesse James Dupree from Jackyl. He's got a new album coming out on November 10th called, "Breathing Fire". He told me about the idea of the record, which was born out of good old fashioned Rock N' Roll. Brian Johnson from AC/DC helped to write some of the material. He said Brian called him out of the blue, …

1
Brad And Bobby From Saliva On The New Record, Passing Of Wayne Swinny And More 29:05

8M ago29:05

29:05

Always a blast to talk with my friends, Brad Stewart and Bobby Amaru from Saliva. If you're in the SE Michigan area, swing by District 142 on Monday, September 25th to see the show. Their new record dropped a couple weeks back called Revelations. It was an album written and recorded before the passing of original guitarist, Wayne Swinny. Bobby said…

1
Detroit's John 5 Talks Joining Motley Crue And Taking Chances 34:24

8M ago34:24

34:24

Great to catch up with John 5. We talked about first concerts. John's first show was a massive show at a Michigan venue that's no longer around. 5 told me about a documentary he's been working on for some time now. He said it's coming out soon, and he's fired up about it. He said he thought they decided to wait on releasing it after he joined Motle…

1
Guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal Talks Art Of Anarchy And Much More 30:57

8M ago30:57

30:57

Always great to catch up with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal. The dude is a beast on the guitar and a creative force! We talked about a project he did with Sons of Apollo bandmate, Derek Sherinian. He talked about playing with Queen's Brian May. "Such a wonderful guy, yeah." He went onto say "There's nothing not to love about that guy!" The reason for the c…

1
Prog Rock Legend Trevor Rabin Talks About His New Solo Album, YES, Scoring Movies And More 24:09

8M ago24:09

24:09

I'm a pretty big YES fan, so when I was contacted to speak to Trevor, I said, well, ummmm, "YES!!" immediately. His new solo album "Rio" drops on October 6th. Trevor talks about the new record, his first solo album since 1989. "Jesus I haven't done a record in so long, I must get into it." he said after speaking to working on music scores for movie…

1
Drummer Simon Phillips Talks About His Storied Career And Latest Live Project On Talkin' Rock 25:52

8M ago25:52

25:52

Simon Phillips is a drumming legend, whose played on hundreds of projects. His latest is a live show with keyboardist, Derek Sherinian, called Sherinian/Phillips Live. Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal plays guitars on the album, with Ric Fierabracci on bass. It's out now. You can order it here. We discussed drumming and even programmed drums, which Simon isn'…

1
Special Forces Green Beret Dan Fielding - Kid Rock's Head Of Security - Talks About His Book "The Asset Mindset" 28:36

8M ago28:36

28:36

I've known Dan Fielding for probably 4 or 5 years. He's one of these guys that you just respect from the time you meet him. He's served the country with great distinction, he's a solid guy and he's committed to his work and America. "The Asset Mindset: A Special Forces Perspective For Achieving Success" is Dan's book. You can order it here. Persona…

1
Joey Belladonna of Anthrax Talks Journey, Singing The National Anthem & More 12:30

8M ago12:30

12:30

My guest today is Anthrax front man, Joey Belladonna. He'll be playing the machine Shop in Flint on October 13th, which happens to be his birthday. Joey tells me about his latest project, as he tours with his Journey tribute band, Beyond Frontiers. He tells me how it started, what songs he loves to play on stage and if he's met any of the member fr…

1
Alice Cooper On The "Road" & Detroit Memories Plus Ex-Saliva Drummer Paul Crosby 31:32

8M ago31:32

31:32

Always a thrill to talk to a legend like Alice Cooper! People always say don't meet you heroes. I can assure you that Alice break that rule. Great guy! I started by asking him about the return of guitarist Nita Strauss. He said there's always a "Revolving door policy" when it comes to members of his band. "I think she missed the excitement of an Al…

1
Lzzy Hale Gives Halestorm Update, Talks Musical Collaborations, And Much More On Talkin' Rock 29:28

8M ago29:28

29:28

It's ALWAYS great to talk with Lzzy Hale. She's so easy to chat with and very candid every time we speak. She spoke to being a mid-state Pennsylvania kid, meeting and playing with her heroes. She mentioned that she grew up in a house that was built in the 1840's, so I had to ask her if she'd ever seen a ghost in that old home. Let's just say, she d…

1
Former Queensryche Front Man Geoff Tate On Touring, Travel, Music "It's A Good Life And I'm Very Grateful For It" 15:38

9M ago15:38

15:38

Geoff Tate, the legendary former Queensryche front man, is my latest guest on the Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast. Geoff is always thoughtful and enjoyable to talk with. We talked about what he's been doing this summer, which included a lot of time in Montana, fishing and hiking …

1
Filter's Richard Patrick Talks "The Algorithm", N.I.N. and Lots More on Talkin' Rock 31:35

9M ago31:35

31:35

Richard Patrick of Filter took some time out of his schedule to talk about what's going on in his world. Many people may not know this, but the first Filter album was mixed right here in Canton, Michigan, at Pearl Studio. Richard reminded me that he moved from Michigan when he was six or seven to Cleveland, Ohio. As for the new album, The Algorithm…

1
Wolfgang Van Halen On Playing With Metallica, Mammoth WVH 2, And The Most Nervous He's Ever Been on Talkin' Rock 13:52

9M ago13:52

13:52

Wolfgang Van Halen is my latest Talkin' Rock with Meltdown guest. The new album, Mammoth 2 is out, plus, he's on the road...a lot! Opening for Metallica might be nerve-racking for any band, then add in the enormous stage and venues, but Wolfgang says he's just about got it down now. He told me he doesn't get to move around the stage as much as he'd…

1
Jared Weeks of Saving Abel "I'm Really Proud Of What We Are, Who We Are, And Where We've Come From" 26:07

9M ago26:07

26:07

Great to talk with Jared Weeks from Saving Abel again. He spoke to the band being based in the Nashville area. Man, there's a lot of that these days! We talked about his crazy travel schedule as of late. The band's been playing all over the country. Plus, he made a trip to Mexico for family reasons. He said the band has been working hard, checking …

1
Oli Sykes Of Bring Me The Horizon Is On Talkin' Rock 20:56

9M ago20:56

20:56

It was good to catch up with Oli Sykes last week from Bring Me The Horizon on the latest episode of Talkin' Rock. Lots going on with BMTH. We talk about their latest tour with Fall Out Boy. "It's been sick." is how he summed up the tour. He told me why they choose to do a support tour "We've been going nonstop, and we're kinda on the verge of burni…

1
In This Moment Go Into Godmode - Heavier/Darker/More Progressive 26:27

9M ago26:27

26:27

Great to talk with Chris and Maria from in This Moment. They're currently out on the Dark Horizon tour with Motionless In White, From Ashes To New and Fit For A King. This fall they hit the road with Kiss Of Death tour with Ice Nine Kills, Avatar and New Year's Day. We talked about what got them into the theatrical side of rock/metal music. Chris p…

1
Badflower Talks New Music, Touring, And Lots More 14:37

9M ago14:37

14:37

The guys from Badflower were nice enough to swing by the station on their way through to Canada this week. They took a few minutes to talk with me about what they have going on, as well as plug their appearance for Riff Fest on September 23rd. Joey, Anthony, Alex and Josh spoke to getting lost on the way to the station. That's a tough trick in this…

1
Eva And Rob From Michigan's Eva Under Fire Are On Talkin' Rock 27:57

9M ago27:57

27:57

Singer Eva Marie and guitarist Rob Lyberg join me for this episode of Talkin' Rock w/ Meltdown. It was super cool of the guys to swing by the station and talk all things Eva Under Fire. We discussed how they got the name for the band. Rob explained the long and short of naming the band. They've had a crazy few years. We talk about their very first …

1
Mudvayne's Chad Gray Says He NEEDS Psychotherapy Sessions 36:05

9M ago36:05

36:05

Chad Gray from Mudvayne is on Talkin' Rock as they tour on their Psychotherapy Sessions tour. He talked about touring with Zombie last year as kind of a "feeling out" to see what could happen with the band. He talked about all the places in the world he'd like to hit on this tour. He told me about playing some different songs on this tour, that the…

1
Jelly Roll: Mulling Returning to Rock From Country for Next Album on Talkin' Rock 23:30

10M ago23:30

23:30

Jelly Roll is one of the busiest and hottest music stars today. I was lucky enough to grab a few minutes with him. What I got was a fun, candid, real conversation. I've never met or interviewed him before, so when the conversation starts out talking about the "Beer Olympics" I knew this was going to be a fun talk. We talked about the meteoric rise …

1
The 'Overnight' Success of HARDY "I Was Grinding For A Long Time" On Talkin' Rock 14:15

10M ago14:15

14:15

HARDY is my latest Talkin' Rock guest. You might be saying to yourself, isn't he a country guy? Well, you're half right. His latest album has a lot of rock influence, including a guest appearance from Jeremy McKinnon on a shredder called "Radio Song". How was that collaboration born? "Dude, I just slide into the DMs...haha" He went onto tell me it …

1
Josh Todd Of Buckcherry Talks Sobriety, Vol 10 And A Michigan Visit 19:50

11M ago19:50

19:50

Josh Todd is the latest guest on Talkin' Rock, as Buckcherry is playing Uncle Sam Jam on July 7th. Before they do, they be at Rock City Music Company the day before doing a special meet and greet with fans. All the details are here. Just like so many rockers, Josh is sober. Unlike so many rockers, he sobered up before his career took off. He told m…

1
Legendary Police Drummer Stewart Copeland On Talkin' Rock 11:11

11M ago11:11

11:11

What an honor to have Stewart Copeland on Talkin' Rock! The new album 'The Police Deranged for Orchestra' comes out this Friday, June 23rd. In a nutshell, he took massive Police songs and rearranged them with an orchestra and some singers. He talked about the process of making this album and what songs turned out the furthest from the original. He …

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