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By Andrew Bansal

Following the breakup of supergroup Black Country Communion, the talents of Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham once again come together to form a new band called California Breed, and along with the efforts of young guitarist Andrew Watt, Hughes and Bonham are setting out to present their musicianship in a raw, unabated, power-trio form. California Breed’s self-titled debut album comes out on May 20th via Frontiers Records, and the band is set to make their live debut at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood CA on May 28th, followed by a show at the Gramercy Theatre in NYC on May 31st. Yesterday on May 8th, I spoke to Glenn Hughes about the formation of this band, among other things. Enjoy the enthusiasm and humbleness of Glenn Hughes through the conversation below. Continue reading “Glenn Hughes Discusses New Band California Breed + More”

By Andrew Bansal

Italian instrumental cinematic progressive rock veterans Goblin concluded the third leg of their first ever North American tour last week, and played a fantastic show at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood CA on Saturday May 3rd as part of this leg. Before the show, I sat down with keyboardist Maurizio Guarini for a chat about the tour, the band’s set list, plans for the next album, movie soundtracks and more. Watch the 9-minute conversation below. Continue reading “Video Interview With Goblin Keyboardist Maurizio Guarini”

By Andrew Bansal

American heavy metal stalwarts Iced Earth are currently on a North American headline tour supporting their latest LP ‘Plagues Of Babylon’ and presenting the best of their past to fans across the continent, along with excellent support from Sabaton and ReVamp. They rocked the House Of Blues Sunset Strip last Friday May 2nd for what I consider as the best show of the year so far (and I’ve seen a LOT of shows this year already). Before the show, I sat down with guitarist/mastermind Jon Schaffer to get his ever-insightful and candid thoughts on a variety of subjects such as touring, the new album, and fans’ reaction to Iced Earth opening for ‘junior’ bands, among other things. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer Talks Touring, ‘Plagues Of Babylon’ + More”

By Andrew Bansal

Los Angeles-based hardcore punk supergroup OFF! was founded in 2009 by longtime friends Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks) on vocals and Dimitri Coats on guitar, and once they had recruited the services of Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) on bass and Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket From The Crypt/Hot Snakes) on drums, they went about their simple mission to release a set of songs they had already written. Five years later, they’ve just put out their third LP ‘Wasted Years’ via Vice Music and the band has become a much larger entity than they’d have ever imagined. Starting with a great record release show at Amoeba Music on April 8th, they embarked on a run of US dates to play this new material live and bring the energy of this musical style onto stages nationwide. Yesterday on May 1st, I had a detailed conversation with Dimitri Coats about all things OFF! Enjoy it below. Continue reading “In Conversation With OFF! Guitarist Dimitri Coats”

By Andrew Bansal

Putting an end to the seven-year gap that followed the 2006 full-length release ‘Revolutions Per Minute’, Skid Row rediscovered their creative appetite in 2013 and started writing new music, which resulted in the release of ‘United World Rebellion: Chapter One’, the first in a series of EPs. They’ve completed work on Chapter Two, which is slated for release on August 5th this year via Megaforce Records. Just coming off a Japan/Australia/New Zealand run, the band is currently gearing up for a US West Coast headline tour, including select dates with Black Star Riders. On Tuesday April 29, I spoke to vocalist Johnny Solinger to discuss the new music and lots more. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “In-depth Interview With Skid Row Vocalist Johnny Solinger”

By Andrew Bansal

Chicago death metal veterans Broken Hope reunited in 2012 following a decade in the wilderness, signed to Century Media Records and released their sixth studio album ‘Omen Of Disease’ in 2013, the first since the 1999 effort ‘Grotesque Blessings’. Headed by guitarist/principal songwriter Jeremy Wagner, the rejuvenated Broken Hope also comprises Damian Leski (Goregasm) on vocals, Chuck Wepfer on guitar, Shaun Glass on bass and Mike Miczek on drums. They just completed ‘The Best In Brutality’ North American co-headline tour with fellow Chicago extreme metal band Oceano, and during this tour they visited the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood. A few hours before they took the stage and treated the audience with a solid dose of unadulterated death metal, I sat down with Shaun Glass for a candid conversation. Read it below. Continue reading “Interview With Broken Hope Bassist Shaun Glass”