Couch Riffs

This episode our guest is Klaus Eichstadt, lead guitarist and co-founder of Ugly Kid Joe. Ugly Kid Joe rocketed into the spotlight with a back-to-back hits in the early 90s and rode the wave until breaking up in 1997 under friendly circumstances. In 2010 the band reunited and has been going strong since, touring Europe and the UK regularly. In May/June 2023 UKJ will be touring the United States for the first time since 1995. I had a great time talking with Klaus, catching up and getting him to share some of his story here in this conversation for you. I hope you enjoy!  If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast please support us on Patreon. Your support is what makes this podcast happen and is very appreciated. Thank you so much!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://uglykidjoe.net https://varietycoffeeroasters.com

Our guest this episode is Jarrod Goon, one half of the guitar firepower duo for the Australian punk rock band, Clowns. We met Jarrod and his bandmate Cam Rust in the summer of 2022 on tour and playing together at Hellfest in Clisson, France. We reminisce here at length. But, Clowns will be playing shows across mostly German-speaking countries in the summer of 2023 and you should go check them out if you're near and able. What a fun, killer band. I'm so happy that I stumbled upon finding them that day and connected. I hope you enjoy this podcast!  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast or our covers song videos please support us on PATREON. Patreon support is the lifeblood of Couch Riffs! Thank you so much for making this possible.  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://clownsband.com  

Our guest this episode is the extremely talented and cool Guy Davis, bassist for Kultur Shock and bassist/banjoist/vocalist for Guardian Alien, Sage, Ban Jovi and who has previously worked with Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam. This conversation was extremely fun and full of revelations despite knowing Guy for nearly 3 decades. I hope you enjoy. If you are in Europe please go check out Kultur Shock on tour NOW through May 1, 2023. You will NOT be disappointed! If you are enjoying Couch Riffs Podcast or our cover song videos and you want to make sure you see more and better content from us, please support us at PATREON to help us do just that. Patreon has a number of levels you can support at. Thank you so much! https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://kulturshock.com https://varietycoffeeroasters.com https://thecutby.com https://kulturshock.com

Our guest this episode is Keith Carne, drummer of We Are Scientists and Communipaw and all-around gentleman & scholar of the musical and drumming worlds. Keith is a drum educator, touring/session player, and has been working on some solo music that should release this year. Very exciting! At the time of this podcast's release Keith will be on tour with We Are Scientists in Europe. Catch them if you can! I hope you do enjoy this conversation. Keith is a champ. If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or our accompanying cover song videos please support us on Patreon. Patreon is the only place you can download hi-quality audio files of the cover songs we produce. Your support at Patreon is what makes Couch Riffs possible. Thank you so much for your support! https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com http://www.keithcarne.com  

Our guest this episode is drummer Matt Covey of Such Gold, Zombie Apocalypse, and veteran touring & recording player from New York by way of Connecticut. Matt played on a Couch Riffs video that will be (or was) released very soon after this episode is/was released and absolutely crushed it. He was a pleasure to hang with and learn about, as well. Catch him on tour after the release of a new Such Gold album to be announced soon! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast or if you like our cover song performances please support us on PATREON. This is the only way we gain the resources to make Couch Riffs happen and we truly appreciate your support! We would like to thank Variety Coffee Roasters and Middleton Hair Co for their support of the podcast. You can also support us by supporting them. https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://www.couchriffs.com https://varietycoffeeroasters.com https://thecutby.com  

Our guest this episode is Stephen Chopek, multi-instrumentalist/drummer who has toured and recorded with the likes of Charlie Hunter, John Mayer, and Mike Doughty to name a few. Stephen has been writing and recording his own original music as well as some covers and has built quite a beautiful collection of tunes to his credit. Most recently he released a single, a cover of the Pogues song, Five Green Queens and Jean which will very soon be released as a part of an EP, Songs of Shane Part 2. Stephen recently played drums and percussion on a Couch Riffs cover of For My Lover by Tracy Chapman, as well! Please go check it out. I hope you enjoy as much as I did hanging with Stephen.  If you're being entertained by Couch Riffs please consider supporting us on PATREON. Patreon support is the single way that Couch Riffs is able to gain resources to put all of the content creation in to action. Thank you so much for your support!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://www.stephenchopek.com

Our guest this episode is Paul Kehoe, drummer of Peter Hook and The Light and former drummer of Monaco. Paul is a lifelong Manchester resident and a handsome and talented lad who I had the great pleasure of touring alongside in 2022. I'm very pleased to have had the opportunity to catch up with him and gain more insight into his musical history here. I hope you enjoy this episode!  If you're enjoying Couch Riffs Podcast please support us on Patreon. Patreon support is what allows Couch Riffs to grow and helps us set our sites on new, bigger and better goals for the content we create for you to enjoy. Thank you for your support!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com  

This episode we are very pleased to host Todd La Torre, vocalist of Queensrÿche AND lesser known as the killer drummer that he is! In fact, Todd tracked drums on the 2019 Queensrÿche album, The Verdict in the absence the band's original drummer, Scott Rockenfield. Couch Riffs was lucky enough to get him to lend his incredible voice to an upcoming cover song, too. Stay tuned! Todd joined Queensrÿche in 2012 and has been steadily showing the world that the band can be better than ever at this point in their career. The band is touring the US in March 2023 and Todd's solo album, Rejoice In The Suffering, will be getting a vinyl release in the EU/import this month on white with blood splatter vinyl! See the link below to pre-order. Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast please support us on PATREON. Patreon support is what propels Couch Riffs and enables us to finish the cover song videos. Thank you so much for helping us make this happen!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchrif

Our guest this episode is Benjy Johnson, owner operator of Earthtones Recording in Greensboro NC, is a grammy nominated producer as well as a fantastic musician himself who is to release a collaborative album with partners Mike Watt (Minutemen/fIREHOSE), Kawabata Makoto (Acid Mothers Temple) and Scotty Irving (Clang Quartet) under the name Spirit of Hamlet. The album, Northwest of Hamuretto will be released on March 17, 2023 on Broken Sound Tapes. We cover a lot of how Benjy got started in music and developed his recording chops in our conversation and end on a long riff about guitars. Straight out of the gate I was pleased to be speaking about 80s hair metal guitarists! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  If you're enjoying Couch Riffs please support us on PATREON. Your Patreon support is what makes possible the long hours of booking, recording, editing and mixing on the podcast and our cover song videos. Thank you so much!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://benjyjohnsonmusic

Our guest this episode is Carl Raether, bassist for Crashing Wayward and Max Fite as well as a session and gig man about town. Max has lots of touring experience under his belt and cut his teeth van touring out of the DC music scene before relocating to LA and finally Las Vegas most recently. His band Crashing Wayward is working on its debut album and is performing a number of shows coming up. Be sure to check them out if you have the chance! I hope you enjoy this episode. It was a pleasure to host Carl on Couch Riffs.  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast please consider supporting us on PATREON. Thank you so much for enabling Couch Riffs to grow and thrive through your support.  https://couchriffs.com https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://crashingwayward.com  

Our guest this episode is Lincoln Barr. The former frontman of Red Jacket Mine released his third solo album in late 2022, Forfeit The Prize, a beautiful collection of heavily orchestrated jazz-leaning pop songs with a definite classic vibe. I had a fantastic time catching up with Lincoln in this conversation and learning about him quite a bit more deeply despite us knowing each other for nearly 20 years. Be sure to check out Lincoln on tour next month (2/23) through the midwest. Check the link to his website below! I hope you enjoy. If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or our accompanying performance videos please support us on Patreon. Your Patreon support is what allows Couch Riffs to exist, grow, and thrive. Thank you so much for your patronage! https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com http://lincolnbarrmusic.com  

Our guest this episode is the talented Adam Johnson aka Adam Patrick Johnson. Adam is a musician, content creator, music business coach and a hell of a nice guy. You can check out his personal YouTube and social accounts at Adam Patrick Johnson and be sure to check out his podcast Cover Band Confidential, as well. And, of course direct yourself over to his website linked below. If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast please consider supporting us at PATREON. Your support helps us grow, improve and diversify our content and we appreciate you! Thanks so much. https://couchriffs.com https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://adampatrickjohnson.com

Our guest this episode is Angus Clark, a massively talented guitarist/composer and geniunely kind and awesome human. Angus has played with the likes of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Cher, Kitaro, Daredevil Squadron and many other bands and musicians. He is a guitar instructor on TrueFire.com and manages Song Division in America, a music-based experiential corporate team building organization. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Keep your eyes peeled for a couple of appearances from Angus in upcoming Couch Riffs videos, as well!  Thanks for listening. If you're enjoying Couch Riffs please consider supporting us through PATREON. Your support not only keeps the podcast moving forward but helps us plan and plot our growth which includes lots and lots of new video content. Thank you for your support!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://angusclark.com  

Our guest this episode is the wonderful Ricky Warwick of Black Star Riders, Thin Lizzy, The Almighty and for a short time the guitarist for New Model Army. In our conversation we do our best to cover Ricky's decades-long career and get up to speed to talk about the Black Star Riders album released on 1/20/23, Wrong Side Of Paradise. The band will be on the road in the UK and Ireland in late Winter '23. Be sure to check them out!  I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Ricky is a top-shelf class act fella. If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast please consider supporting us at Patreon. Your support enables us to record and release an ever-improving series of podcasts and performance videos and the ambitious vision we have for Couch Riffs' future relies on your support. Thank you!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://blackstarriders.com

Our guest this episode is Keith Lowe, a fantastically talented bassist from Seattle who is releasing his first solo album of his career on 1/20/23, an EP of beautiful ambient music textured almost entirely with upright bass performances. Keith has had an incredible career performing and recording with the likes of Fiona Apple, Bill Frisell, Brad, Wayne Horvitz, David Sylvian and Larua Veirs among many others. He currently teaches bass at Seattle Drum School and performs regularly with Teatro Zinzani in Seattle.  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast please support us on Patreon. Your support helps keep all of the pieces moving forward to help bring Couch Riffs to the full vision we have for it. Thank you so much!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs httsp://couchriffs.com  

Our guest this episode is Dennis Sanders, frontman for LA band Spirit In The Room. Dennis and the band released an EP in the summer of 2022 entitled Flamingo and it happens to be my favorite release of last year. Highly recommended for fans of 90s heavy/alt rock a la Jesus Lizard, Failure, Deftones, etc. In this conversation we cover Dennis' youth, his early years in music, as well as Flamingo and things happening in his current life. I hope you enjoy. Please do go and check out Spirit in The Room! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast please consider supporting us on Patreon. Your support there helps us maintain our monthly expenses and enables us to grow, improve, and develop the Couch Riffs output. Thank you so much! https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://spiritintheroom.bandcamp.com/music  

Our guest this episode is Mike Varney, guitarist and record label icon. As the young founder of Shrapnel Records, Mike Varney helped elevate the shred guitar movement as it grew and flourished through the 80s and gained niche celebrity throughout the guitar world through his labels and a column he wrote called Spotlight which highlighted local guitar heroes from around the country and world. Many of the artists Varney as worked with remain active to this day and are some of the biggest names in guitar music. Malmsteen, Gilbert, Friedman, Howe, Macalpine. The list goes on much further but when you're feeling in the mood go check out some of the releases from Shrapnel Records and later International Blues Bureau and Tone Center. You'll most certainly fulfill your guitar fix. I hope you enjoy!  If you are enjoying Couch Riffs please support us at PATREON. Patreon support is what we rely on to create, sustain, and grow Couch Riffs into a podcast and video platform that gets 100% of our creative focus. Your suppor

This episode our guest is Rev Jones, an incredible bassist and vocalist who has worked with the likes of Leslie West and Mountain, Michael Schenker, Paul Gilbert, Steelheart and many others. Last year he released a solo album, In the Key of Z, which showcases his over the top and explosive bass talents. Rev was a great hang and has loads of stories to share and I hope you enjoy this conversation like I did! And, by all means, go check out some video footage of Rev performing live. He's a monster! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or our performance videos please support us on PATREON. Your support is what makes these things happen and the greater support we gain the more we'll be capable of. Thank you so much! https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com https://revjones.com  

Our guest this episode is Frank Grocholski aka Frankie G, a talented guitarist currently living in Texas. Frank grew up on the east coast cutting his teeth on multiple styles, picking up the guitar very young and gigging early. He's currently playing with the band Cowboy Mouth as well as doing various other session gigs. Frank recently appeared in a Couch Riffs video for Ain't It Fun and crushed it! It was a pleasure to get to speak with Frank and hear his story and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  If you are enjoying Couch Riffs please consider supporting us at PATREON. Your support helps perpetuate the podcast, our performance videos and all of the unrealized concepts for Couch Riffs' future! Thank you so much!  https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com  

Our guest this episode is Richard Shaw, former guitarist of Cradle of Filth and touring guitarist for King 810. Richard is a massively talented guitarist performing and recording for many projects both on stage and in the studio as well as teaching. If you're looking to bone up on your theory or improv chops reach out to him and schedule some time. He's the man! I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I enjoyed being involved in this conversation. If you're enjoying Couch Riffs please consider supporting us at Patreon! Your Patreon support is what makes this and our cover song performance videos happen and as Patreon grows so will our abilities to create bigger, more exciting content for you to enjoy. Thanks so much! https://patreon.com/couchriffs https://couchriffs.com