Talk Toomey: The Metal Nexus Podcast

Mike Mushok of Staind and Saint Asonia joins the podcast this week to discuss Saint Asonia's latest EPs. Mike talks about the formation of the band, writing with Adam Gontier and his time in Newsted. Mike talks about growing up a shredder and playing guitar for hours at a time as a kid. The guys discuss the differences in playing huge fests with Staind and going out with Skillet with Saint Asonia. Joshua and Mike discuss their respective stories with Fred Durst in the 90s and Mike talks about getting Staind back together for festivals. Mike remembers getting the audition with Jason Newsted and joining his band.  He answers the question if he knew Aaron Lewis was going to go country.  The guys finish the talk with the futures of both Saint Asonia and Staind. photo: Trevor Williams Photography

Layne and Myles Ulrich stopped to talk to Talk Toomey Podcast at their recent stop at Louder Than Life. The guys discussed their track "As The Sun Sets" and being a 2-piece band. Joshua and the brothers talk about filling the stage with only two people on stage. Layne and Myles speak on being siblings and if they thought they would ever be in a band together. They also answer the topic of the other Metallica kids being in bands and seeing them also succeeding out on their own. *The audio drops during the last question.

Joshua and Chris start the show with some talk about their recent interviews with Justin Foley and Dave Ellefson, respectively. Chris gives a review of his audio purchase of the Metallica Zazula Benefit Concert. Pantera are now Funko Pops, the guys touch on the Metal Grammy Nominees and they breakdown a list of the 13 greatest strip club songs. Rob Halford talks being on stage with K.K. and should there be a Type O Negative celebration. Chris comments on a story about a man falling in a vat of molten iron and being immediately incinerated. The guys give some recommendations and preview some upcoming interviews. 

Justin Foley of Killswitch Engage joins the Talk Toomey Podcast to discuss his project, Lybica. The guys start the chat with some talk of Justin moving to Florida and dealing with hurricanes. Justin then talks about having three dummers by trade in the band and how they speak to each other in the writing process. He then speaks on his writing in Killswitch Engage and having a simple kit in such a heavy band. Justin remembers back in the day when he had a "Rush" kit and getting made fun of by the hardcore community. Joshua and Justin then talk about the recent Lamb Of God / Killswitch Engage tour. The guys talk about the revolving door of openers on the tour and how it was refreshing for the bands, Joshua touches on "Atonement" and Justin speaks on having his old friend Howard Jones back in the fold jumping on a song and on stage. The shift focuses back on Lybica and an all-instrumental band, tour plans and being cat people. Justin finishes the talk with some love for Metal Blade and where you can get the new

Toomey and Akin start the show with some talk about their recent interviews. Toomey discusses the behind the scenes of interviewing Apocalyptica at Louder Than Life. Akin then breaks down a recent Selena Gomez doc. The guys dive into the Sick New World lineup and trade some Coal Chamber memories. Toomey speaks on his love of System Of A Down and defends his stance to Akin. Chris gives his thoughts on Halford singing with Dolly Parton at the Rock Hall induction. The guys discuss the lack of comradery between KK and the other members of Judas Priest. They then talk a little about the tragedy with former Helix guitarist, Daniel Fawcett. Toomey and Akin get into the M. Shadows comments on "fan abuse" and multiple versions of albums. They end with talk about the Weird Al movie and it's greatness. 

Eicca Toppinen and Paavo Lötjönen of Apocalyptica join the Talk Toomey podcast at their recent stop at Louder Than Life. The guys discuss classical covers, the Metallica past with the group and 30 years of the band. They also talk about collaborating with vocalists and how they came to collaborate with Corey Taylor. Eicca and Paavo also speak on canceling shows due to covid and the process of making up the dates. Upcoming singles and album talk finishes out the chat. 

Joshua and Chris start the show with the news of John 5 joining Motley Crue. The guys then move on to James Hetfield dressing up for Halloween and his divorced dad vibes. Toomey and Akin talk about Amazon and the money they are putting into music content. They dive into the upcoming Headbangers Boat cruise. Worth Weaver of alltheprettythings joins the podcast to discuss the latest from the band. The guys then finish up with some recommendations and what they have been checking out. 

Nick Ghanbarian of Bayside joined Joshua Toomey and the Talk Toomey podcast at Louder Than Life. Nick and Joshua talk about the The Red EP and the upcoming release schedule for new music. Nick discusses being a band for 20+ years and their relationship with the fans. The guys speak on Bayside getting added to the When We Were Young Fest and being sold on playing with My Chemical Romance and the show being in Las Vegas. Nick talks about his Star Wars podcast, Thank The Maker, and loving the Disney years of the franchise. He ends the conversation with some talk about his Radio Radio show that gives some love to new bands. 

Daryl Taberski of snapcase is on the Talk Toomey podcast to discuss the 25th Anniversary of "Progression Through Unlearning". Daryl and Toomey start the talk with some history of the band and Daryl's switch from bass to vocals. Daryl discusses producer Steve Evetts wanting to take the band to next level and get that live feel on record. Daryl speaks on writing most of the record prior to the studio, but tells a story of writing the classic "Zombie Prescription" in the studio. The guys also talk influences, lyrical content and the concept of the album. You know they talk about that snare drum and the amount of time they took in the studio. Daryl talks Victory Records, The Pee Wee sample and touring the album. He speaks on meeting and touring with Deftones at the time and the pros and cons of The Warped Tour. They end the talk with the different 25th Anniversary bundles for the record, the Optic book and the upcoming Buffalo show. 

Toomey and Akin are back this week with some more banter about new football stadiums, virtual Ozzfest and Nia Strauss. Fieldy gave an update on his relationship with Korn and Shinedown can't make it to Europe. Dave Lombardo and Dave Ellefson are the latest to weigh in on the Pantera reunion. Stryper think they belong in the rock hall and Toomey still loves Beavis and Butthead. The guys also give an Ellefson-Soto review.

Björn Gelotte  of In Flames sat down with Joshua Toomey and the Talk Toomey podcast. Bjorn started the conversation with some tour talk and speaking on the other bands on the bill. He then got personal and talked about the pandemic putting things in perspective and felling useless with no purpose when the music business went on hold. Bjorn discusses "Foregone" and working with Howard Benson. He also speaks on writing with Anders Fridén and creating a hot sauce.

Gwyn Strang and Sean Bilovecky of Frayle join Joshua Toomey and the Talk Toomey podcast. Gwyn and Sean discuss filming their "Bright Eyes" video in Salem and their relationship with the city. The two then talk about their writing process, finding collaborators on Instagram and Gwyn speaks on lyrical inspirations. Sean talks about the visual side of the band and being a visual artist. They speak on meeting with Dez Fafara and working with his Oracle Management. They finish the talk with some talk of the rich musical history of Cleveland.

Terry Glaze of Evel Frehley and Pantera fame joins Joshua and Chris to start the show. Terry discusses the latest Evel Frehley tunes, his thoughts on the Pantera reunion (or not) and tells some classic Dimebag Darrell stories. Toomey and Akin then get into talking about the Zakk Wylde statement that he hasn't learned the songs yet and are we worried. Ivan Moody gets moody and announces his retirement plan from metal. The guys then talk about reunion tours versus bands sticking it out through the hard times. Akin gives his Clerks 3 review and Toomey talks about The Watcher. 

Cody Johnson & Ryan Ridley of Until I Wake sat down with Joshua Toomey and the Talk Toomey podcast at Louder Than Life. Cody and Ryan start the talk with some Buffalo Bills love. They speak on being super excited for their latest release, Inside My Head. The guys discuss working in the studio for months and vibing in the studio. Toomey and the boys talk about the butterflies before performing and the influences that got them into metal. They talk about Buffalo and the music scene there and give shoutouts to the forefathers! New album talk and more Bills Mafia to the end the conversation.

Craig Owens of D.R.U.G.S. joins Joshua Toomey and the Talk Toomey Podcast. Craig and Joshua discuss the latest D.R.U.G.S. record, Destroy Rebuild and the 11 year wait in between records. Craig speaks on this being a home for his heavier side and the guys go into the original lineup of the band being a bit of a Screamo Supergroup. Craig discusses his upbringing and singing in the choir at school. He then talks about not being worried about blowing out his voice with all the training he has had over the years. The guys then get into some Chiodos talk and what Craig thinks was/is the downfall of the band. Craig then talks about Emo Nite and the culture around the events. They also talk Flint Michigan and The Machine Shop. They wind down with Craig's history of working with Dr. Dre and how that came to be. Toomey asks about his favorite Chiodos song and they finish talk about Matt Cutshall and the Emo's Not Dead videos. 

Toomey and Akin start the show talking about their respective interviews with members of Skid Row. The guys discuss The Gang's All Here and is Skid Row back? They also talk about hanging with Pantera back in the day and getting served drinks from Dimebag Darrell. Joshua and Chris talk about Joshua's interview with Plush. The classic lineup of Biohazard is reuniting and that is amazing. Chris talks about the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and if Judas Priest will play with KK at the induction. Fat Mike is opening a punk rock museum and John 5 is out Rob Zombie. John 5 is rumored to be joining Motley Crue. Dave Mustaine said he was the only founding member of Megadeth.Talk Toomey on Facebook/Twitter @talktoomeytalk Subscribe to KNOTFEST YouTube for exclusive performances & in-depth interviews with the most exciting artists in aggressive music, deep dives into iconic artist's discography and more. Website: http://www.knotfest.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KNOTFEST Twitter: https://twitter.com/KNOTFEST Ins

Moriah Formica & Ashley Suppa of Plush sat down with the Talk Toomey Podcast at their recent stop at Louder Than Life. Moriah and Ashley talk with Joshua Toomey about early slots on festivals, women being represented in hard rock and metal and touring with their heroes. Moriah and Ashley also discuss the last few years of their lives and the whirlwind that has been the success of Plush. The ladies speak on what they have learned from touring with bigger bands and how the new drummer is working out on the road. Moriah talks about putting herself out there emotionally and fans resonating with the lyrics. Ashley talks about her solo work while Moriah lets everyone know about how she got the gig in the upcoming Trans-Siberian Orchestra run. 

Dave "Snake" Sabo joins Joshua Toomey and the Talk Toomey Podcast. Dave is on to talk about the new Skid Row album, The Gang's All Here". Snake and Joshua start the episode with some Jake "The Snake" Roberts and classic WWF talk. Dave talks about being at Wrestlemania 6 and hanging with the wrestlers until 5am. Snake tells the story of meeting Erik Grönwall and getting him in the band. Snake then talks about the rehearsals for the Scorpions shows and how well they went. Snake talks about getting a pass from metal fans that don't dig the hair era. Dave tells the story of Jon Bon Jovi giving him camcorders one year for Christmas and how the footage from those cameras became the Skid Row Home videos. He also talks about the Pantera reunion and taking them on tours back in the day. He speaks about one show on the tour where both Pantera and Soundgarden played together. He is proud that Skid Row can play with both Pantera and Megadeth and then play with Bon Jovi. He also quick hits on magazines vs podcasts, concer

Toomey and Akin start the show with some talk about their respective Wednesday 13 interviews. The Ronnie vs Bach vs Trunk saga continues. Mustaine talks wanting to write new tunes with Hetfield. Toomey has thoughts on the classic Megadeth cover of These Boots.  There is a study that shows extreme metal guitarists are more apt to impress other extreme metal guitarists. Bloodywood talks about coming to the states for the first time. Rage Against the Machine tour is cancelled due to injury. 

Monte Pittman of Ministry recently sat down with Joshua Toomey and The Talk Toomey Podcast at Louder Than Life. Monte talks about seeing Taepai Houston and sending video of their performance to his daughter. Monte speaks on joining Ministry and having fun in the band. Monte and Joshua talk about how it's always the perfect time for Ministry. He talks about how he always wanted to be a professional musician and how he teaches people to never turn down a gig. Monte recalls teaching Madonna the Pantera classic A New Level and working with Sporty Spice. Monte teaches guitar while out on the road, so make sure to hit up his Patreon and get some lessons!