(2007 – 2016)
On a warm autumn day in Southern California over cold beer and YouTube videos, the members of Zechs Marquise talk of their recent boating experience. “It was a day off [during the RX Bandits farewell tour] and we all went to [Shasta Lake],” bassist Marfred...
In the late 90’s, Jeremy Hiebert’s main goal as a young musician was to play in a band that sold 10,000 records. “I wanted to be on the road,” he comments. “I love [going] to a city that I’ve never been to, and [walking around to...
On a day in 2003, Ian Fike received a phone call that changed his life: his Portland-based band Ever We Fall landed a deal with Rise Records. At the time a sophomore in high school, Fike found himself in the studio recording what would become the band’s debut EP,...
When The Faceless played the Whisky in 2004 with a D.C. band called Reflux, guitarist Michael Keene recalls a misfortune. “I remember [Evan Brewer] got robbed that night,” he laughs, reminiscing on a show that marked a turning point in the...
This Is Hell bassist Pieter Vandenberg insists that last fall’s run supporting Bring Me The Horizon and August Burns Red wasn’t just any kind of tour — it was a rock spectacle. “[Vocalist Travis Reilly] would get up on the mic… and would go...
When Scale The Summit played Prosthetic Records their four song demo in 2006, the label had little interest in signing instrumental bands. “[Prosthetic] said word for word: ‘[we’ll] never sign an instrumental band,'” guitarist Chris Letchford...
Le Butcherettes frontwoman Teri Gender Bender has little patience for unenthusiastic crowds, especially ones in Arizona. Hesitant to play the band’s Mesa show on their recent stint with Deftones, Gender Bender, raised in Mexico from age 14, made it a point to...
Five years ago, Animals As Leaders guitarist Javier Reyes auditioned for Periphery. “He didn’t make the cut!” jokes lead guitarist Tosin Abasi. As he laughs and shakes his head, Reyes defends himself, “They were 20 years old, and I was 26. I...
Ever wonder what band headlined the first Warped Tour in ’95? The answer: Quicksand, fronted by Walter Schreifels. “At the time I thought it was a budget Lollapalooza,” he recalls. As he sips on a cup of coffee at Bonnerhaus, the Ryan’s Rock...
It’s been a couple years since my last interview with Dredg, and within that time, I’ve become infatuated with Dan The Automator projects Handsome Boy Modeling School and Lovage. As I get reacquainted with Dredg vocalist Gavin Hayes and guitarist Mark...
Over a late afternoon lunch on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, Asking Alexandria guitarist Ben Bruce expresses his admiration for actor Charlie Sheen. “I just want to meet him. I just want to party with him. I wish he’d call me and say ‘hey, come to...
I was listening to Glassjaw’s Worship and Tribute album a few weeks back, and thought to myself: what’s former guitarist Todd Weinstock been up to lately? Weinstock — who had been a member of Glassjaw from 1996 to 2004, and appeared on all releases from the...
It’s Friday night in West Hollywood, and Periphery guitarist Alex Bois just picked up an unexpected souvenir. “We got a $100 ticket [for parking on Sunset Blvd],” he exclaims. “But it’s ok, it’s Friday night and we’re here in Hollywood.” Perhaps optimism like this is...
A lot can change in 18 months — especially if you’re Dance Gavin Dance. Since my last interview with the band in September 2009, the group has seen a number of lineup adjustments (most notably the return of original vocalist Jonny Craig and screamer Jon...
Given the current state of the music industry, it’s often hard to know if a band creates art, or if they’re a manufactured product designed to sell. Half of the time at shows, it’s hard to tell if a band is playing for real, or if they’re playing to pre-recorded...
I often wonder about the tipping point of bands. At what moment in any given successful band’s career — in conjunction with marketing, public relations, and relentless touring efforts — did they enter the forefront of public consciousness, and what caused...
What is the definition of a successful band? A band that graces the covers of mainstream magazines, or is success defined as consistent touring, playing in front of 20 kids per night? Trap Them vocalist Ryan McKenney has little concern for mainstream notoriety or...
A year ago this December, As Blood Runs Black posted a demo version of a song with a new vocalist, who ironically quit the band merely a few weeks after joining. Their next vocalist, who was introduced in February, left the band in August in the midst of a tour with...
The sun calmly sets over Southern California’s vast land, while security escorts me to Circa Survive’s green room. The dim silhouettes of transplanted palm trees against the starbust sun, gently swaying with arid Santa Ana winds, bid me farewell like...
Out of the hundreds of interviews that I’ve done for Ryan’s Rock Show, only a select few have truly been fascinating. While some bands may see a Ryan’s Rock Show interview as a cheap exchange of public relations, for me these interviews give first-hand insight into...
First week numbers are in for All That Remains’ new album For We Are Many — the record sold nearly 30,000 units in the first seven days of its release, landing at number 10 on the Billboard 200. That’s a pretty crazy number considering I don’t...
If you’ve been a Ryan’s Rock Show reader for a minute, you may remember the interview I did a while back with Death By Stereo. I got into a pretty long discussion with the dudes about the early Orange County punk scene, and how a small community of kids...
I’ve been really diggin’ this band called Orbs. So much to where my daily summer routine goes like this: wake up and listen to Orbs, pee, listen to Orbs while eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, post news on Ryan’s Rock Show and pick up hot...
Last October when I did this interview with Thursday, Geoff Rickly talked up Touche Amore and claimed that they were one of the best hardcore bands in LA. So the other night while I was watching “Blossom” reruns and getting drunk on Four Loko, I randomly...
I have a pet peeve with the term “music journalist”. I guess technically what I do for Ryan’s Rock Show is a form of journalism, but sadly my image of a music journalist is no longer Lester Bangs. To me, the term “music journalist” has...
Back in the prehistoric days when neanderthals like Geocities and MP3.com walked the net, Korn was the baddest band in the world. When I was in the 7th grade, I would go to my Catholic grade school non-uniform days strictly in Korn attire, and would scream...
You gotta wonder about the fate of some of these younger bands. Will majority of them just put out an album or two and vanish, or will some groups actually have the lasting power to stand the test of time? The “test of time” meaning that they’ll have...
Months leading up to the death of Michael Jackson I went through this crazed MJ obsession where I couldn’t stop listening to “Dirty Diana”. Literally, I was smoking that song in my iPod for at least 60 days straight. So one day after his passing I...
I was straight edge in high school. Not one of those snobby hardcore sXe kids that only ate vegetables and refused to hang out with anyone that smoked weed, but I was the poser that would sharpie my wrists and sign English tests “Ryan xxx”. I broke edge my...
Back when I was a wee lad, 15 or so, At The Drive-In was by far my favorite band ever. Even today their music is on my top all-time list of kick ass bands next to groups like Fugazi and Faith No More. I remember in my pubescent years always thinking, whoever got to...
It has been quite some time since I last sat down with the From First To Last gentlemen. In fact, my previous interview with the band was about Sonny Moore quitting the group, working with Ross Robinson on “Heroine”, and Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit filling...
They are one of the bands credited for pioneering the Gothenburg metal scene — a Swedish music community from the early 90s that influenced generations of heavy musicians worldwide. In fact, Dark Tranquillity is perhaps the longest standing band from the...
If you want to hear a crazy rock story, meet Andy Khachaturian. He was original drummer for System Of A Down and frontman for the now defunct Armenian-American quartet The Apex Theory — ever wonder what happened to those guys? If you were born after 1990, you...