The Itch Rock Podcast

This week, we're scratching The Itch to catch up! September is always a busy concert month for The Itch, and it often puts us a bit behind on talking about everything we saw. But what we saw was worth talking about! First, in a rare opportunity to see a huge band in a less-than-huge venue, KC catches a pair of past guests on an unusual but satisfying bill pairing hit-makers Shinedown with The Itch...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to welcome back a friend: Joey Varela of VRSTY , who's about to drop his new album, icon .  A lot has happened since we last had Joey on the show three years ago. His life changed drastically. He lost his dog, some dear friends, and his desire to make music. He took on a different job and started going to therapy. And somewhere along the line, he learned t...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a bonus episode! Aaron already recorded a series of videos for our socials explaining his picks for Riot Fest 2027, so why not give them to the podcast audience as well? Tune in to hear his picks for fresh faces, throwbacks, international acts, bands to bring back, album plays, odds and ends... and a few surprises. And then let us know who you'd add to next...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to level up! For the first time, The Itch was official press at Riot Fest in Chicago. Aaron was on site seeing shows, interviewing bands, and trying to survive the elements. It was a trial by fire (or mud) as, for the first time, he stepped out from behind his Zoom screen and talked with artists in person, on camera, and on his own. Check in for his report on t...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to break new, muddy ground! Aaron was on-site as official media at Riot Fest, and he came back with a trio of interviews and some shoes that may never be clean again! Not only did he get to speak with a couple of Riot Fest artists, but the first ever in-person, on-camera guest in Itch history was a bloodthirsty alien with a chainsaw for an arm! Sawborg Destruct...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to clear the slate! September is full of live music for The Itch, and we're starting strong with a Concert Catch-up that takes us (and some friends) to some very ... uncharted territory. First, KC and Dan cheer on our friends Eva Under Fire as they continue leveling up, opening for Five Finger Death Punch on a huge amphitheater tour that includes a stop in St....

Read transcript This week, we're scratching The Itch to have The Last Word ! Or at least to have the man saying that word as our guest. Elias Soriano of Nonpoint joins us to talk about the band's new album and why he considers it the best work they've ever done. Elias is as real as they come, so this is no platitude. And The Itch had a very unique opportunity to hear the album for ourselves... and...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to get cinematic! Our guest, Bear McCreary , is the man responsible for scores of scores for films, shows, and games. He created music for The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, Black Sails, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, God of War, and literally 100 other projects. And somewhere in all that work, he also found time to assemble an all-star team of col...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for festivals ... sort of. Aaron didn't attend Lollapalooza, but he did check two artists off his wish list by seeing Ecca Vandal 's Lolla Aftershow with Scattrbrain and Momma 's Q101 Lounge-a-Palooza set. Meanwhile, Dan and KC caught a show stacked with past Itch guests as DED , Dropout Kings , VRSTY , dead7 , and Omissions took over Pops, with our friend Retr...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a triumphant return! Des Rocs first appeared on The Itch over four years ago to discuss his debut album A Real Good Person in a Real Bad Place . Since then, he's toured the world, dropped his excellent second album Dream Machine , and even sailed the seas on Shiprocked. And we've covered his live show on the podcast at least half a dozen times. Now he's bac...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to Bloom ... and so are our guests! Mike, Joe, and Dip of King Falcon join us in this episode ahead of the release of their new EP and man, do they have some stories and some spicy hot takes. Coming to us live from a freshly repaired van parked off a highway exit mid-tour, the guys had plenty to share about their journey, which has led them from a label to inde...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for some Southern spirit! Dylan Turner and Megan Kane of Parker Barrow Hold the Mash on their new album because, well, you don't really need it when you've got so many bangers. The adorable couple behind the band joins us to talk about how their love of bands like The Black Crowes inspires their music, how solidifying their lineup evolved their creative process...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a beginning! For the past couple of years, Father of Peace has been amassing a following across social media with their quirky songs, styles, and videos. Now, the trio of Avshalom Ariel , Tom Bolllig , and May Alpert have finally taken their music on the road... and across the world. After collectively moving from Israel to Los Angeles, they announced not o...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for an ending! For the past 13 years, '68 has blessed the world with their unique brand of chaotic, avant-garde, two-man noise rock. This year, Josh Scogin and Nikko Yamada announced that the time had come to close the book on the band. After releasing their final album, They Are Survived , the band embarked on their Farewell Tour. The Itch wasn't able to see t...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a homecoming! KC and Dan caught a couple of St. Louis shows, including Itch guest Sam Bam Koltun returning to play for his biggest hometown crowd ever as part of Godsmack ! And if you remember him from his work with Dorothy , she was on the bill too, alongside 90s rock legends Stone Temple Pilots! Plus KC confirms that the Parker Barrow hype is real as he c...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to be dangerous! Brayden and Ryan of Fury in Few are back to answer the question How Bad Do You Want It? on their outstanding debut album. The guys take us on a track-by-track journey through the record, exploring their methods of adding "character" to songs, stretching themselves sonically to make the music they truly want, and how they're making soc...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to get Villainous ! Amanda Lyberg of Eva Under Fire returns to give us an exclusive track-by-track breakdown of the band's highly anticipated new album . From the opening song that tells the story's last chapter to the record's particularly violent end, Amanda is making it clear that she's laying claim to her identity, regardless of what anyone has to say about...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to head out West! Aaron takes a dream vacation to Colorado see not one, but two shows at Red Rocks, and along the way runs into not one, but two Itch guests! Join us to hear the story of the feminine metal energy on display as Kittie , Gore. , and Thousand Frames rock the Ogden Theatre in Denver. Then travel to the beautiful Red Rocks for back-to-back shows! Fi...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a two-for-one deal! Ekoh and Lø Spirit have spent years forging unique paths as independent solo artists. But a collaboration a few years ago led to the realization that, well, they love collaborating. They formalized their alliance this year with a new band, Ninth Key , and put themselves on the map (and the charts) immediately with their debut single, &qu...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to get amphibious and delirious! We saw some toads, some frogs, and some excellent bands, and now it's time to talk about it. First, Aaron pivots his original plans in favor of an impromptu free (or suggested donation) street fest performance by Lip Critic and Delivery Boys . Will The Itch become fans of yet MORE New York acts? Then he sees some familiar faces...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a class reunion! The Itch's Favorite Punk Band™ Winona Fighter is about to head out on the idobi Radio Summer School tour with Honey Revenge, South Arcade, Games We Play, and Chase Petra. And just in time to hit the road, they dropped a new single, " Bombs Away ," their first new music since both versions of last year's Itch Album of the Year My A...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to ride the wave! Wave Day II in Santa Ana, California is only days away, and our boys in Aurorawave are so excited about it that the whole band stopped by to talk about their signature show, which also features Lexi Layne , Playuh , and the live solo debut of Sonny Dread of P.O.D. ! And of course we've got to cover their instantly legendary Shiprocked experien...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for etiquette! The guys caught a trio of VERY different shows with one thing in common: concertgoers in need of friendly reminders about how to act. But that's what we're here for, right? That and giggles. First, it's an early Father's Day as Dan takes his dad to see Itch guest Kenny Wayne Shepherd on his Ledbetter Heights 30th anniversary tour, where nostalgia...

This week, we're scratching The Itch to get charmed! Our guest is drummer Mark Reznicek of Toadies , whose long-awaited eighth album The Charmer is out now. It's been nine years since their last album, but given the wild story of how their follow-up to 1994's platinum-selling Rubberneck was delayed all the way into the nu metal era, they're a band that understands the benefits of patience. Their e...

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a youth movement! Our guests are Chaya and Nyrobi Beckett-Messam, collectively known as ALT BLK ERA . They're sisters who grew up with a passion for music that led them to start creating at a young age. With strong family support and a penchant for engrossing themselves in various genres, they put their individual personalities and styles together to releas...