What's better than talking to Dorothy? Talking to her on Valentine's Day! It was nice of the singer/songwriter to give me some time to talk about her upcoming album 'The Way'. The album comes out on March 14th, but the buzz is already building as she's released a few down-and-dirty blues-based rockers off of it.

As far as the title is concerned, Dorothy said, "The name came to me, and I highlighted it when I was reading (the Bible). That's the title track, and that's the name of the album." She said that song is a beautiful ballad that ends the album.

She spoke about how the album starts with the song "I Come Alive". She said she went off with her vocals. "Let me express myself!" she joked about the record's vocal beginning, sort of in a Pink Floyd-esque way.

There is a story that goes through the album - Salvation. She spoke of getting saved in rehab. "Life imitates art, it's giving me a sense of purpose. It's made this musical journey a lot more meaningful." She said she hopes the album is uplifting for anyone who listens to it.

In the end, the album is Rock! "We stayed true to being true. What's in the D.N.A.? Rock!" She went into the theme of some of the songs on the album.

Dorothy On How She Got Slash To Play On The Record

Guitar legend Slash appears on the song "Tombstone Town". How did that come about? She's known him for a while through producer Mike Clink. Dorothy sent him a bunch of tracks, but she really wanted him on this particular song. And, yes, she got him to wear his iconic hat in the video.

It's always a treat to talk with Dorothy...she's one of my favorite people!

You can see Dorothy live in concert in Michigan at the Machine Shop on April 22.

Marty Friedman is playing the Token Lounge on Friday, January 31st, but first, he spoke with me on numerous topics.

His latest book is called Dreaming Japanese. In the book, he talks about the highs and lows of playing in a monstrous band like Megadeth, leaving and starting over in a foreign land. He said he read other autobiographies to give himself a clearer look at what he wanted his to be like. “I got a feel as a reader of what I wanted to read myself. And as a result, I wound up being flat honest and talking about embarrassing things about myself, and I didn’t always paint myself in a good light.” As he puts it, talking about the good things he’s done might read more like a resume, not a personal behind-the-scenes look that he wanted to give the fans. He said, “I’m definitely not the hero in all of these stories.”

As far as leaving Megadeth went, he said he’d never really talked about it before. ” Once I left Megadeth, I stopped doing interviews about the band completely.” He told me that the venues he played at, weren’t allowed to promote the show with anything Megadeth. Now he wants to talk about the relationships and the inner turmoil as he decided to exit the band. “I feel really bad about the way I left the band, and the situation I left them in, and you can in the book why it turned out that way…and there’s no excusing what I did. It wasn’t going to happen any other way.”

He said that joining the band on stage for two concerts in 2023 closed the chapter on that part of his life, which was still open. ” Yeah, especially the Budokan show in Japan. That was one thing that was hanging over, ya know.” He spoke of wanting to play at that venue from an early age. Now, he’s played it several times, but there was a need to play that place with Megadeth. He called it “unfinished business”. When we (Dave Mustaine and him) had the chance to play there, it was a big celebration.” He said that even though they went down different paths to meet up at that gig over the years, it was like a love letter to the fans when it was all said and done. “It was definite closure!”

He also spoke to the massive popularity of the band in the early 90s. “What led up to it was more interesting than actually getting there. The suffering part of the career. It reads better in the book.” He then describes it as taking a “massive dump”. Yes, you need to hear him talk about the rise of the band with a bowel movement analogy.

I think it’s been about 26 years since I last spoke with Marty. Great to have him back on Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown.

Two gifted singer/songwriters are on Talkin' Rock this week.

Up first it's Hardy. His new album "Live From Red Rocks" drops on February 7th. As he told me, it's a career-spanning live look at his career.

We also talked about his early musical influences, which included a lot of nu-metal bands from the early 2000s. He also told me about one rock legend he'd love to work with...and it's a great choice!

Count me as a fan of Hardy's and the second guest on the episode in Chris Daughtry. An excellent dude with a mountain of talent.

There's lots happening in 2025 for Daughtry. He'll be touring with Disturbed and Creed, plus, possibly dropping new music. Part two of "Shock To The System" is in the works, as he told me they have about 6 songs completed.

How has the rock world treated him? He answered that question and spoke to some of his good friends in the business.

Thank you for listening!

Kicking off 2025 with an interview with John Gallagher of Raven. They have a new EP coming out on February 14th. It features five new songs and three live tracks, all from different decades. He told me about the songs, and one he said is the heaviest song Raven has ever done.

John also told me they're well into working on new music, so it sounds like they have a lot of material ready to go.

We discussed their early tours, taking Metallica on the raid, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the bands they influenced. As far as the NWOBHM was concerned, that era didn't last long, but it did produce some legendary bands.

You can watch this interview on the RIFF TV section of wrif.com to see some of John's classic basses, as he pulled a couple of them out.

It's a great way to kick off 2025 on Talkin' Rock!

It's another packed episode, thanks for listening!

Ace Frehley starts us off. He's playing Soaring Eagle on the 29th, the last gig of the year for him. That show is with Stephen Pearcy of RATT.

He told me he's working on his next album, Origins 3. We talked about the crazy drones flying around by his house. We also talked about the days of KISS and how big they were here in Detroit and Michigan.

Ace is so much fun to talk to. Legend!

Bumblefoot is up next, with his new album dropping on January 24th. It's called Bumblefoot...Returns. It's his first instrumental album in 30 years! He's got some heavy-hitting guests on it as well. We talk about the video game surrounding the album, how it's coming out on vinyl and cassette, and more.

To say he's one of the most talented guitarists out there is an understatement.

Oscar and Alyse from a pretty new band called LYLVC join me next. They formed during the pandemic and have been making some real noise lately. Their latest song is out, called "XXX". They've had the chance to work with some great producers making new music, which we discussed. Alyse tells me about her appearance on the TV show Don't Forget the Lyrics. They're playing the Machine Shop in Flint on December 20th.

Speaking of the Machine Shop, Jackyl played there on Thanksgiving Eve. Before that, I spoke with Jesse James Dupree. He spoke of his friendship with Travis Tritt, the only hockey game he'd attended, his home studio and the legends who've recorded there, and his connection with Harley Davidson.

Thanks for listening!

The guys from Three Days Grace dropped a new single today called 'Mayday'. That's the start of what they have going on. Drummer, Neil Sanderson joined the show to discuss the single, bringing Adam Gontier back into the band, and more. He also told me about the record label he co-owns with producing legend, Howard Benson.

Wolfgang Van Halen is up second. He came through Detroit with 3 Doors Down and Creed, so we talked for a few minutes before soundcheck. He told me about playing at the Rock Hall induction ceremony last month. Insane that he got to jam Ozzy's 'Crazy Train' with so many rock legends. We talked about opening up shows, working on new music, and his first year or marriage for starters.

Thanks for listening!

Again, lots happening on this episode of Talkin' Rock with Meltdown.

Jerry Horton of Papa Roach is first. We discuss their 2025 plans. Tour, new music, and more. He speaks to playing Detroit, trouble the band may have gotten into on tour, and playing with a marching band on stage in Columbus, Ohio. That's just for starters.

Michael Starr has the honors next. "Feel The Steel" is 15 years old and the band is celebrating. They're heading back out on tour and playing a song they wrote with Chad from Nickelback. He talks about that experience, as well as the addition of Spyder to the band, Superbowl predictions, and more.

We wrap it up with Eric Bass of Shinedown. The guy does it all, including writing, producing, and playing an entire solo album. Eric Bass Present: I Had A Name drops on February 28th. He tells me this project has been done for a while. We talk about his depression, a hero he lost who taught him a ton around the recording studio, and questions from bandmates Barry, Brent, and their head of security, John.