The MetalThrashingBuddy Show: Recent Episodes
MetalThrashingBuddy
I’m Buddy! Or as seen on my socials, MetalThrashingBuddy. I’ve been a metal/rock/pop punk musician for the past 10 years and still going strong! This is my variety podcast where I talk to guests or have solo episodes about music, what musicians are up to, current events, anything that I find interesting or can help me learn along side all of my fans. Follow me and my life of music, parenting, and reaching for the American dream. This is a funny, light comedy, music based podcast, that also can get deep, and go anywhere my mind wanders! Follow and subscribe and never miss a new episode every week!
I'm back! After a nice month-long break, the show is back, and I get into what I've been up to since the July break, and how seeing Ghost live made me realize that they are absolutely the live act to see right now in rock/metal music. I dive into where they rank on my live shows list, and what makes their performance and production the top standard of live rock acts today.
On todays short and sweet episode, I finally weigh in on the Pantera "reunion" or better said, "Celebration" of the band. In the past year since the line up of original members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown, joined by Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante, have started playing shows as Pantera, of course without the iconic Abbott brothers Vinnie Paul and Dime, there has been reasonable speculation towards if this is a good thing for the band's legacy, the fans, and everything in between. I dive into what I think finally, how it has impacted me as a HUGE Pantera fan, and how this celebration impacts the lives of Pantera and metal fans alike. Enjoy, and comment what you think and how this whole celebration has made you feel!
Yesterday I proudly celebrated 3 years of sobriety! I thought it was only right that this week, I do a personal episode of the podcast about what I’ve learned so far in my journey of a lifetime of sobriety. I share any struggles, the many wins, the emotions, the physical gains, and everything in between. Getting sober changed my life, so much so for the better, that I always want to be open about it and always want to share my journey. I hope this episode is one you find some lessons in, some new knowledge, or just enjoy hearing about a human experience. Thankful for life today, and thankful for being able to share my experiences on this podcast!
A very special episode as I film this one for you to view on YouTube as well as listen to on all your favorite podcast streaming platforms! The headline says it all, the new Avenged Sevenfold album is great. It initially had such strong hate for it, but realized, hooks in the songs were stuck in my head, did I really hate it that much? I break down why it's actually great for metal, why obscure albums like this break awful musical cycles in the genre, and how bands with new horizons, yet reminders of their classic sound, maintain and continue such a strong presence and rewarding career. Special shout out to Hangman's Park once again, who inspired this episode with their unique and creative style as well. Thanks for the support, and stay metal.
Today I’m back with a very special 30th EPISODE! Joined by the amazingly talented and awesome Hangman’s Park. We dive deep into their new EP “The Concrescence” and I figure out where they got the inspiration, how the recording process went, how they came up with so many creative ideas, and what might be next after such a creatively cool, and technically impressive genre-bending EP. This new EP really brings together their fun personalities, with their impressive musical talent and I’m so excited they came on and let me break this down with them!
Today I reflect on how much I've been trying to focus on re setting my life and not working 24/7. As an artist/creator I think I have spent a lot of time working hard on all of my passions to eventually be able to do all of them for a living, but with that, lost some of the joy and relaxation I used to get from solely doing them for fun, not on a schedule, just on when it would make me happy and enjoy it. I talk about how I've been trying to get back to that nice balance of enjoying everything for fun of it, while giving time to relaxing, existing, and spending time with people. I think this is something that not only artists/musicians may feel, but something we all as busy professionals with bills, lives, families, homes, etc. may feel. I hope this is a thought-provoking episode, and you enjoy hearing about how we are all trying to find balance for a happy life and also surviving.
On this week's informative solo episode, I give insight to putting together your own efficient home studio! I recommend some gear I use/love, what I think is most effective/efficient, and what's most important, what gets me to create quickly! This is a great look into how to get your art created fast and effectively, with a super simple set up, and very little learning curve. Whether you're creating for fun, jamming, making video content, or are in a band and making demos/mixes, this is all info that I wish I would've had, that definitely would've jump started the creating from home process for me. I hope this is helpful to you, and thanks so much for the support and listening. Have a metal Tuesday!
On this very special episode, I switch things up by introducing the episode quickly, and letting you listen to our new song "Snakeskin" in its entirety. After that, I dive into what it was like to collaborate for the first time on a release with Dark harbor since joining, the message of the song, the artwork by Joseph, suggestions we had from James of Pine Box, and just overall, all of the hands we had contributing really to the final product you've heard. I shout out everyone specifically in this episode and I want to thank you all for making this an incredible release for us, and for all of the incredible feedback since the release. I also dive into the incredible collaborative effort between my band mates and I, and just how amazing it is to get to work with the people I do every week. Stream and Enjoy Snakeskin everywhere you listen to music, as well as Youtube, and thanks for listening to this special episode of the podcast.
This week I got to do my first ever listener question solo episode! I had a question on how I practice at home, get my ideas logged, sent out to band mates, and how I collaborate in general all from home. This was super exciting for me to do, and I hope that this becomes a regular thing! So feel free to DM me on my socials @metalthrashingbuddy on everything, or ask the question in the Q & A section below the episode, if you have any questions regarding anything you would like me to answer on a solo episode of the podcast, and this would be a super fun way for me to do solo episodes when I don't have a guest! On this episode I cover how I've gone about practicing at home, recording ideas at home, and sending those ideas out to my band mates, in both the most advanced way, and simple way! So, I hope this first ever listener question episode helps you all out in your creative journey! Stay metal!
This week Mr. Devin McCulloch of Gouged is back on a call with me to discuss how the VERY FIRST GOUGED SHOW WENT! Gouged is finally playing live and the whole scene is super excited as well as all the boys in the band. We get into how the show went, how great it is to see familiar faces at shows, playing with your friends, and we also dive into how excited we are about Cold Bloom Fest 2 being announced, which will be July 1st at El Corazone, and thrown by the very awesome Joseph Wafford ( who will be back on soon for an even more in depth look into the Festival), featuring Dark Harbor, Gouged, and a full day of other heavy PNW bands that we absolutely love. Shout out to Gouged, Devin, Hangman's Park, Primordial Atrocity, Joseph Wafford, my boys in Dark Harbor, Pine Box, Groundfeeder, and all the other amazing PNW bands we bring up in this episode and the people who make music so fun. Last but not least, THANK YOU TO THE FANS! Thank you for listening as always, and thank you for making my week always so metal and fun!
This week, my powerhouse, swiss army knife, jack of all musical trades of a band mate Jaden joins me in the studio. We discuss our histories of learning guitar, our resume's as musicians, all the great local bands, what it's like to dive into music production, his process as a musician and mastering engineer, and all of the awesome bands we had as influences on our musical journey. This was a fun episode to do in another part of this series where I dive deep into the life of band mates, and exactly what has made us who we are as musicians, and what it's been like to work with each other. Jaden is a wealth of knowledge in music and production, and is wise beyond his years, so listen in and get some good wisdom and enjoy!
This week felt like a good week to do a solo episode on what's the scoop on working a "normal job" while also trying to succeed in an art or passion, like a band. I've been trying to accomplish a lot outside of music, in my personal life, and also in music, and have been dealing with a lot of new experiences/stresses that have helped me learn about how to juggle the two, why you need a day job, musicians who have openly talked about their day jobs, and even some hopefully helpful tips on some little things that might help you succeed at "adulting" while still pursuing your dreams of ripping metal riffs in front of thousands of people. I hope this reflective episode on my experiences may give you some good thoughts on what you might do to make your life and music career easier, and work for each other, rather than drag you down.
Today I'm joined for the first time ever by one of My Dark Harbor band mates, our drummer, Michael Dean! We discuss his very early start in playing heavy music in bands when he was 11 years old, his previous bands, influences, his journey of learning the drums, how he ended up in Dark Harbor, what it was like when I auditioned for Dark Harbor, and he even goes into playing as a hired drummer in between bands. This was such a cool experience to sit back and just chat and dive into the life and background of one of my band mates. This is such a fun look into our processes as musicians and our lives, and is just the first of all of the fun Dark Harbor member deep dive interviews I will do!
This week I got to chat with the amazing Seattle homies in Pastel faces, to chat about their new single "No Requiem", their writing process, working together and not butting heads, the state of the local scene, their view on creating content and promotion, and how they improved their live performances and are staying so busy! Such a great, fun, light chat with this amazing band full of amazingly nice humans. I can't be a big enough supporter and fan of them and their style, and I'm so happy for them and their success so far and their success to come. Give their music a stream on all platforms and follow them on all platforms, this band is going big places!
Max Davis, Guitarist/Vocalist of Hangman's Park is my guest today and we discuss his band's unique style, their influences, the beginning of the band/him playing guitar, and their incredibly fun personalities in the heavy music scene. Max is such a kind and hilarious human, and Hangman's Park is such a creative and out of the box heavy band. I had a ton of fun talking and laughing with him about music and life, and you'll have a ton of fun listening in on this one!
Today Sean Wallner came over to talk in studio about how the heck we never actually crossed paths in the Olympia pop punk scene, what it was like to tour and play so many big shows so fast with Four Minute Mile, and how he fell out of performing music, and is working his way back to finding his passion with it. This is a great episode with a lot of insight on not giving up your love for music. Enjoy!
Vocalist of Gouged and great friend of mine Devin McCulloch calls in the show today and we catch up on what's new with Gouged, how recording the EP went with Nick Burgess, what their plans are for shows VERY SOON, and most importantly, we discuss the importance of relationships with both fans and musicians in the scene. Such a great episode as always, and we both shout out a ton of amazing local musicians and fans so listen in and enjoy!
On this cool, reflective, Solo-episode, I take a trip down memory lane and discuss how I fell in love with Hip Hop and Rap music as a kid, and how much it impacted the early beginnings of me writing music, inspired me with the honesty of the lyrics, and really overall, helped me become the musician and lyricist I am today. Hip Hop and rap music is still a major influence in my life to this day, ever since I became obsessed with it 20 years ago! I had a lot of fun reflecting on these roots in this episode, and I hope you enjoy!
Alexander Richter is an author, musician, and long-time friend of mine who was kind enough to come on and discuss what it's like to be an author, the creative process behind writing such extravagant stories, and how much writing helps him deal with what is going on in his life as well. This was an amazing conversation that taught me so much about what it is like to create on the side of writing and literature, and I hope you enjoy learning about it as much as I did! You can find his novels at the links on his writing instagram link tree @alexanderwrites_
Cece is back on for a laid back episode that's both hilarious, deep, and per usual, nothing is off topic. From destiny, to vampires, religion, mental health, and everything in between, we have a great chat and it is a WILD ONE.
The late winter is always a hard time for me with stress and being overwhelmed, and just overall mental health. This is a big reflective/therapeutic episode on some extreme stress I've had lately, and how important it is to talk openly about your mental health, and to first and foremost, be aware of yourself and take care of yourself! I hope you enjoy, stay metal, and stay positive. You've got this.
Today I sit down and go through some of my favorite bands who I think got better with a new singer! I reference a list compiled by ajournalofmusicalthings.com who I think absolutely nailed it! I also catch you up on all things my life/my band Dark Harbor. PLEASE comment on my instagram post or facebook post about this episode, what bands you think got better with a new singer! As always, follow, share, rate, and subscribe! Stay metal.
Scott Middleton is a producer, and the founding guitarist of Cancer Bats, playing with them for 18 years before starting producing full time. Scott was kind enough to share SO MUCH knowledge about his career in music, being a producer, guitarist, and gives great insight to what it takes to succeed as a musician, and some fun stories about Cancer Bat's hit album "Hail Destroyer". Be sure to check out everything he is doing production wise these days, he is one of the most knowledgeable and kindest musicians i've ever had the pleasure of meeting!
The MetalThrashingBuddy Show Presents: That one Time in Metal! This is a mini episode series I will be throwing in from time to time, in between guest interview episodes, where I do research, write up a small script, and dive into an interesting time in metal history! It may be on musicians, an album, a tour, or a crazy cool event in metal/hard rock/alternative music history. The first mini episode is on the Guns n Roses/Metallica riot, and if you haven't heard of it, strap on in for a cool in-depth look, on that one time in metal!
I sit down in studio with Zach Page, vocalist of Infernal Realm, and Countless the Dead. Zach and I go way back in the Olympia death metal scene, and we chat about his new band Infernal Realm, his creative process, getting older, the love of the Olympia scene, and even random life changes. Zach is a gem of a person and one of the best vocalists I know, ENJOY!
On today's episode, I get on a video call with crushingly heavy PNW deathcore band Gouged, and we discuss them going to record their debut EP this upcoming weekend, their influences behind it, how they mesh as a group, and how they are bringing a new level of heavy to the northwest music scene.
I asked on my socials for submissions of what you thought were the best albums of 2022, and I have decided! I go down the list of my impressions of all of your submissions, and I choose what I personally think is the best of 2022, the peoples champ (most submitted) and the honorable mentions of the albums who weren't submitted but were very great also! A very special thank you to making my podcast dreams come true, and thank you for being such supportive fans, and making me begin to live my dream being able to talk about metal/hard rock/alternative heavy music. I love you all and I can't for all of the wonderful surprises, guests, and amazing episodes I have to share for you already in 2023. I love you dearly. Follow, subscribe, rate, and like, and as always, rock on.
I sit down in the studio with Nick Cook, guitarist of legendary Olympia Metalcore band, Darkness Stole The Sky. We dive into shows, influences, writing, working, and more. He is a gem of a human with tons of amazing stories, and news on what's to come with his music. New episodes every week!
Dustin Larson, of Vultures Above Us, is my guest for episode 8 of the show, and I had such a great time picking his brain about the BIG new things Vultures Above Us have coming out soon. We discuss the little sneak peaks I got to hear of new material, their creative process, his amazing bass rig/set up, and even dive into the struggles men have with mental health and what it's like to overcome that, feeling healthy. Share, follow, subscribe, and check out new episodes every week!
I'm joined by the incredible entrepreneur/musician Joseph Wafford, who runs, and started Joseph Wafford media and Cold Bloom Clothing. He's been a long time musician, a long time businessman at this point, and I can say this is one of my favorite episodes I've done so far. We talk about being an entrepreneur, creating music, being genuine in business/music, and what it's like to put in the work to try to build your own brand from scratch, and work with only yourself and your close circle behind the scenes! If you need any music videos/music media/art-work done, please look up Joseph on his socials, and support his incredible businesses from one of the best people I know from the music industry, and know in general! Like always, THANK YOU! Follow, rate, share, and rock on!
This is a solo episode where I do a dive into my life in music! I go into detail about my roots in metal music, my supportive parents, when I learned guitar, and every band I have been in, from when I was in high school, to my band Dark Harbor, now. I also announce that I have 2 shows in January with Dark Harbor! Our first shows! You cand find that info on my Instagram! This episode was a lot of fun and very therapeutic to talk about, and to do a deep dive into my music career so far. As always, follow and subscribe, and share the heck out of this show! I love doing this Podcast for all of you, and thank you so much for the support. Rock on!
This episode I'm joined by one of my best friend's, Roman Alvarado, for a HILARIOUS episode of the podcast. He explains his side of how he met Cecelia and they got married so fast, what his marine corps journey was like, strip clubs, football players D-Size, and other hilarious things! We even get a little deep about what it takes to be in the military, and what being a veteran means to him! This is a big military deep dive episode, with tons of ridiculous drunken stories of traveling abroad and living a wild life! Share, Rate, subscribe, and follow The MetalThrashingBuddy Show, and don't miss a new episode every week! Follow all my socials to be updated as well, all at MetalThrashingBuddy.
SENSITIVE TOPIC EPISODE: This is a super deep and emotional Solo episode about me and my sobriety from alcohol! I dive deep into my history with alcoholism, my mental struggles from alcoholism, thoughts and feelings about struggles and wins in recovery, and I even go to reddit to find some interesting questions about being sober from alcohol, and some interesting stories people have shared bout their own personal recovery Journey! Thank you so much for listening, and like I say at the end, please be kind in the comments, or in general about this, THIS WAS A HARD EPISODE TO DO! But, I felt this was one of the best and most self-rewarding episodes to do. Please rate, follow, and share! New Episodes every week, and most importantly, if you or anyone you know are struggling with addiction, reach out to every resource you can to get help. You are not alone.
This week I have hilarious BIG concert talk episode with current Gouged guitarist Jacob Calica. Jacob and I go into what it was like to attend the first When We Were Young Festival, Three Days Grace signing his shoe, how cool Chris Jericho is, our most scary mosh pit experiences, what band we would want to play an instrument in, hot metal front-Women, and tons of hilarious stories while catching up. Please follow, rate, and share The MetalThrashingBuddy Show, and thank you so much for joining in this week! As always, follow me on all my socials at MetalThrashingBuddy.
I sit down for a relaxed episode with my good friend Cecelia Alvarado and things GO OFF THE RAILS! We talk about her insanely fast marrying my friend, Aliens are real, mermaids are real, scary movies, what catholic school is like, PNW mythical creatures, what my real first name is, the list seriously goes on! Such a crazy fun time and I can't wait to have her back on. Thanks so much for checking out The MetalThrashingBuddy Show, and please follow, like, subscribe, rate, review, and spread the word! As always, you can find me on all of my socials, as MetalThrashingBuddy.
On the first ever episode of The MetalThrashingBuddy Show, we have former bandmate and current Gauged Vocalist, Devin McCulloch! We catch up on life, our new bands, how to do brutal vocals, playing a warped tour date, getting stranded on the way to a show, almost quitting music, and the amazing talent of the Washington State metal scene. Follow for new episodes every Week! As always, follow my socials, Metalthrashingbuddy, on all platforms. Enjoy!