Talkin' Rock With Meltdown Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Funeral Portrait on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

It's great to reconnect with the guys from The Funeral Portrait. All the boys came by: singer Lee Jennings, guitarists Cody Weissinger and Caleb Freihaut, with bassist Robert Weston, and drummer Homer Umbanhower. Their album Greetings From Suffacate City is about to turn one on September 13th, and it's been a whirlwind year for the boys. From a tour with Five Finger Death Punch and Marilyn Manson, to this summer's tour with Ice Nine Kills.

Before their show locally, they swung by the station to speak with me about everything TFP. You can watch the conversation in the link above. I met the guys for the first time last year as we visited Eloise Insane Asylum. You can hear the audio that was captured here.

New Music From The Funeral Portrait

"A little baby bit...we have less than a handful of stuff" was how Caleb described the progress on new music from the band. He said that they've been pounding the road so hard they haven't had a chance to start on anything new. "We have a small amount, but what we have is exciting." He went on to say it has to be bigger than "Greetings". Lee chimed in, "It has to be next-level because of the tours we've done." He said they're playing to so many new people each night that new fans are discovering the album.

Working With Ivan Moody on "Holy Water

The song 'Holy Water' was released as a single pre-COVID. When they went to re-release the song earlier this year, Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch told the guys he wanted to be on the track. "It just so happens that Ivan liked the song. And he wanted to be on it. It was kind of a magical, weird moment of him being "I want to help this band out. I like them. They're cool, they're different, they're young." Kind of like a torch passing moment, and it just worked."

The guys were nice enough to bring their guitars, so they busted out two songs for us. Their next single is "Dark Thoughts" and "Holy Water".

They also talked about how welcoming the INK band and their fans have been to them. And get this, they're heading off on a European tour this fall. I want them to take me with them!!

The boys have had an amazing year, and I wish them nothing but the best moving forward! I'm a fan!

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Talkin' Rock with Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

Typically, when I post the artists I have on the show, I also include the band they're in. For this episode, that's not necessary.

Up first, The Metal God, Rob Halford, joins me to talk all things Judas Priest, and their upcoming tour with Alice Cooper. He talks to me about his relationship with the theatrical legend. The topic of Ozzy's passing came up. Rob said he couldn't believe it. He curled up in a ball and bawled his eyes out for hours. He shared some memories with Ozz and what he'd want everyone to do in his absence.

Rob's a GREAT guy that I've had the privilege to speak with several times. He's one of my favorites for sure.

Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden starts his solo tour today (August 22nd), so he came on to speak about fencing, the tour, and his solo career. He says the band he's playing with is solid and great to be around. He talks about playing theaters versus stadiums.

Does he play new solo music for his Maiden bandmates? He answers that question, plus playing Maiden songs on the upcoming tour. He said he's playing a song they've never played live.

Oh, he does answer the question about cowbell on stage....LOL

Enjoy!

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Talkin' Rock with Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy, and Dennis Dunaway from the Alice Cooper band Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

It's another two-for-one on Talkin' Rock!

Up first, drumming legend, Mike Portnoy. He and Dream Theater are about to kick off their fall tour, with a stop at the Fox Theater on September 21st.

We discussed his love for the Beatles, his relationship with Neil Peart, and the multiple bands he is a part of. He shared his thoughts on the passing of Ozzy and the only time he ever met the legend. Great to interview Mike for the first time after I'd met him a few times before.

Next, it's Alice Cooper band bassist, Dennis Dunaway. The Revenge of Alice Cooper is out now. He told me they had a lot of material to choose from. So much they could've recorded many more albums. He shared some Detroit stories, a stage prop that didn't work as planned, and much more.

Thanks for listening!

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Talkin' Rock with Tom Keifer and Night Ranger's Brad Gillis Aug 08, 2025

Show notes

An honor to have two of my faves on this week's episode of Talkin' Rock. Tom Keifer and Brad Gillis' music has been with me practically my whole life.

Tom Keifer is up first. We discuss what's on tap for his band, with a date at the Royal Oak Music Theater on September 4th. What about new music? Tom answers that question, too. He also told me stories of the 1989 Moscow Music Festival, as he did press sitting next to Ozzy Osbourne himself. We also got into the writing process he uses, and it's different than most.

Brad Gillis is up next. I had the pleasure of meeting with Brad a few weeks ago here in Detroit. He let me hold and pose with his famous 1962 Strat that he's had since the 70s. His "work horse," as he calls it. He's played that on every Night Ranger album and Ozzy's Speak of the Devil record. He told me about getting the gig with Ozzy, how he scored a killer Harley-Davidson, and tons more.

Great to catch up with these two rock legends....on one non-award winning podcast!

Meltdown

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Talkin' Rock with Steve Jones, Eric Martin, and Great White's Mark Kendall Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

It's a jammed-packed episode of the non-award-winning Talkin' Rock podcast.

The legendary Steve Jones is up first to discuss his upcoming tour. He told me how much he loves touring with this band. We talked about the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, are there any "rock stars" left, and lots more. Really cool to talk with him for the first time.

Mr. Big's Eric Martin is next. Yes, he has an Ozzy story also from decades ago. We discussed his vocal idols, the final Mr. Big tour, and more. I love talking to Eric. He's so easy going.

Eric has two Michigan shows coming up in Paw Paw on August 7th, and Ludington on August 8th.

Mark Kendall from Great White wraps up this episode. He told me about getting stranded here in Michigan last week—a true Spinal Tap moment. Yes, we also discussed the upcoming part 2 of that classic movie. Mark also told me about the passing of Jack Russell. He said he and Jack had never gotten in an argument. He went into depth about what he thought was under Jack's addiction., It was truly a touching, heartfelt moment as Mark talked about addiction.

Mark and the band are playing the Motor City Casino Soundboard on August 7th with Slaughter.

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Remembering Ozzy Osbourne with David Ellefson on Talkin' Rock Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

This conversation began as a discussion about the Back To The Beginning concert. David and I recorded it on Monday afternoon, while he was doing some stuff in London. With the passing of Ozzy on Tuesday, I shelved it until now. David was kind enough to call in and talk about the Prince of Darkness on my show Tuesday, so I incorporated it into today's conversation.

David talks about the big concert, comparing it to Live Aid, as far as feel and vibe. He told me about the best parts for him and his chance to play on the big stage. We also talked about Megadeth, and where he thinks the band peaked out and was hitting on all cylinders.

It's been a crazy week, I hope you enjoy this chat!

Meltdown

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Drummer Tommy Clufetos Talks Back To The Beginning And More On Talkin' Rock Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

Always great to catch up with drummer Tommy Clufetos, and this time was no different. He played in Ozzy's band for the Back to the Beginning concert, so I had to ask him about that. I mean, the chance to play Ozzy's last concert is an unreal assignment.

Tommy talked about being there with fellow Detroiter Chad Smith, who also played during the day. He said he and Chad watched Black Sabbath from the side of the stage.

We also talked about his new music, which smokes! Straight-aheads no BS rock! It'll be on full display when he does shows with Ted Nugent throughout Michigan in August.

Oh, and don't forget about his other band, The Dead Daisies, which he'll play shows with in August as well. The guy is a machine!

Enjoy!

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Drumming Legend Vinny Appice and Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage are on Talkin' Rock with Meltdown Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Two great artists, one mediocre host - it's Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. I just realized I opened by saying this is "the final" episode of Talkin' Rock. That's because I'm on vacation next week. There will be more! Sometimes my brain doesn't work right when I'm staring down the barrel of 10 days off! Ok, here we go....

Up first, it's drumming legend, Vinny Appice. You can catch him live at Uncle Sam Jam on July 11th with his band, Sabbath Knights, which we discussed.

We talk about his time in Black Sabbath and how it changed his life. I didn't know that he did a small tour with the original members, including Ozzy Osbourne. He told me why he's not involved in the Back To The Beginning concert taking place this weekend, as well as his thoughts on Ronnie James Dio not being in the Rock Hall.

We also discussed the passing of Rick Deringer, Joel Hoakstra's project he plays on, the anniversary of the album Last In Line, and much more.

Then, it's my first time talking with Jesse from Killswitch Engage, and we covered a lot of topics. From his birthday plans, the famous 80s rocker with whom he shares a birthday, to his love for 80s rock, and his musical influences.

Jesse told me how his wife thought their latest single, "I Believe" was bound to be a hit. It carries a certain message, which all of their music does. We spoke about his voice-over work, an upcoming documentary he's in, and the summer tour - Summer of Loud.

We wrapped up our conversation with some talk about the influence Ozzy and Black Sabbath played on him and music, as the last show takes place this Saturday, as well as his experience on tour with Iron Maiden.

Enjoy!

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Talkin' Rock with Wolf Van Halen and John Jackson of the Bon Scott Estate Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

Wolfgang Van Halen returns to Talkin' Rock. We discuss is latest song and video, The End. It's horror-themed, so we had to talk about horror movies a little bit. He told me why he isn't going to the final Black Sabbath show, how he works on his music in the studio, and more.

To close out the episode, it's John Jackson from the Bon Scott estate. It was interesting talking to John about how he got his job, working with the legendary AC/DC, seeing some recent shows, and a special concert coming up to celebrate Bon's 79th birthday. Yes, there will be some very cool guests who will be in attendance to honor the late singer.

Thanks for listening!

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Talkin' Rock with Creed's Scott Stapp, Eric Vanlerberghe from I Prevail, and Badflower's Josh Katz Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

It's a triple bill of singers on this episode of Talkin' Rock.

Scott Stapp starts us off as he talks about Creed hitting the big stages again. He spoke about how it was for him personally and professionally. His latest solo album is stellar, and he just released a new single called 'Deadman's Trigger'. He says something cool is coming from the single in the future. We also talked about their trip to the Indy 500, being a grandpa, and more.

Next, it's Eric Vanlerberghe from I Prevail. What's it like to be thrust into the spotlight after Brian Burkheiser left the band? He answers that....talks about the latest single 'Into Hell', the writing process for the upcoming album, playing shows at their hometown venue of Pine Knob, and more.

Finally, singer Josh Katz of Badflower. Their new album No Place Like Home is out now. As with their other records, this is another personal album for the guys. One song in particular speaks to losing a pet. Josh said it was an emotional day of interviews. for him.

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