Talkin' Rock With Meltdown Podcast

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Dirty Honey's Marc LaBelle & Jack Underkofler of Dead Poets Society Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

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.

To wrap up this ep., it's Jack Underkofler of Dead Poets Society. They also have a new album coming out. Monarch drops on October 2nd. He tells me about the thought process for the videos he directed. They have a certain feel that he talks about. We discuss his upbringing in Boston and Virginia, his time at the Berklee College of Music, and much more.

Thanks for listening!

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Joel Hokstra, Don Jamieson, and Jake from O.N.I Are On Talkin' Rock Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

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 Type O Negative classic. Of course, we talk rock, his podcast, and more hilarity.

Then it's Jake from the band O.N.I. to wrap up the ep. They've got a cover of R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion out right now, and it's heavy! Jake talks about his upbringing, sobriety, musical influences, and much more.

Thanks for listening!

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Wolf Hoffman Talks 50 Years of Accept and David Ellefson of Metal Church on Talkin' Rock Sep 10, 2026

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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 years and is happy to be a part of. David says his focus has been on the band and not so much on other ventures as he's done in the past. We discuss his favorite Megadeth album, whether he'll stick around to see his former band play when they share the stage at Louder Than Life next week, and much more.

David's been a friend for years, and I'm glad to see him loving what he's doing on and off the stage.

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Rik Emmett of Triumph and Classic Limp Bizkit on Talkin' Rock Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

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 in 2026.

Then, it's a classic interview with Fred Durst and Wes Borland from Limp Bizkit from 2010. This interview aired on WRIF but was never posted online, so here it is. It's cool to go back and listen to how the guys split and got back together. There are also some other cultural references, including a social media interaction with Neil Diamond. You may or may not recall that.

Enjoy these two interviews.

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Gene Simmons Of KISS is on Talkin' Rock Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

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? Those are some of the questions Gene answered along with his thoughts on his son's band, Stanley/Simmons, touring with RUSH, and much more.

Give the interview a listen, then grab your tickets to see Gene at the USPBL Fall Music Classic at UWM Field in Utica, Michigan.

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Author/Musician Sean Kelly Talks "Battle Axes: A Hard Rockin' History Of Pointy Guitars" on Talkin' Rock Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

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. He's been around a guitar or six, and tells great stories of getting some meg-rock stars to contribute to the book, some misses, and everything in between.

This is a fun conversation. Go grab the book wherever you buy books; it's out now!

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Def Leppard's Phil Collen returns to Talkin' Rock Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

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 of credit for their success.

We talked about new music, upcoming tours, residencies, and lots more.

Thanks to Phil for the time and to you for listening.

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Drummer Matt Sorum Talks Adopt the Arts Foundation Live Album And More On Talkin' Rock Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

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 and what it's meant to him. He was thrilled putting the musicians on stage, and more excited after hearing the finished product. So much so that he decided to put it out on vinyl. You can pre-order the album now with the info below.

In the intro, I accidentally said the album is available for pre-order on the 13th. That's false; it started on the 3rd. Get yours today!

PRE-ORDER ALBUM HERE

Title: Sound & Vision Live

Format: Limited-edition all-star double vinyl album

Pressing: Limited to 2,000 copies

Price: $99.98

Pre-Sale Begins: August 3, 2026

Record Release Celebration: September 13, 2026

Online Availability: Exclusively through Experience Vinyl

Beneficiary: Adopt the Arts Foundation

For album information and online ordering, visit Experience Vinyl.

For event and foundation information, please visit Adopt the Arts.

We did talk about his time in Velvet Revolver, GNR, and The Cult as well. Matt's an open book as we discussed many topics, and he's very easy to talk to.

Go grab a copy of this killer album...let's sell it out for the kids!

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Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman Returns to Talkin' Rock Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

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 the fans, and lots more. One thing I found fascinating that I'd never heard before was how the song Bad Girlfriend became a single. After all these years of knowing the guys, I learned something new.

That's just for starters on this episode of Talkin' Rock!

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Poison's Rikki Rockett is on Talkin' Rock Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

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 the early days. He told me about times in the band when the grunge movement took over, as well.

He's got a new book coming out in September called Ghost Notes-My Life In Poison. Rikki told me about that and that fact that publishers wanted them to write a book similar to The Dirt from Motley Crue.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

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