The Sonic Road Podcast

Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein of DOWN talk Volume V (Nuclear Blast, Nov 20), King Diamond on "Merciful Fate," and five two-inch reels from the NOLA sessions that still need to be baked and digitized. They aren't sure what else is on them. Volume V is DOWN's first full-length since 2007, and they made it the old way: two rhythm guitars tracked live in one room, no click track,...

Rival Sons drummer Michael Miley is back for a long conversation about drumming, jazz, and what's ahead for the band. Rival Sons drummer Michael Miley is back for a long conversation about drumming, jazz, and what's ahead for the band. Michael Miley Patreon drum course: https://www.patreon.com/cw/mileyondrumz Rival Sons tour dates: https://www.rivalsons.com/home/#jump Rival Sons Official:...

Use AI as a tool, not a crutch. That's the line at the center of this no-guest episode of The Sonic Road Podcast — a conversation about making real art in the AI age and why the analog world is set to come back stronger because of it. In this episode: The "barbell" idea — letting AI handle the admin and spreadsheet side so artists can protect the creative side — and what goes wrong w...

Mr. Bison — the Italian four-piece from coastal Tuscany — join The Sonic Road Podcast to talk about their new album The Garden of Forgotten Dreams, out September 25th on Heavy Psych Sounds. In this episode: How the band formed as a trio in 2009, lost their bass player after a year, and spent two or three years playing as two guitarists using an octave-split solution — a setup built for the Clutch...

Juan Montoya (ex-Torche) and Evan Diprima (ex-Royal Thunder) of Moon Destroys join The Sonic Road Podcast to talk about the band's new album Omni, out September 4th on Blues Funeral Recordings, and the new chapter that came with adding Zach Amster of Abrams on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. In this episode: How meeting Zach Amster on the road in 2025 changed everything, and why Omni is shorter...

Chris and Conner Poole — the two brothers behind Nashville DIY heavy psych duo Materializer — join The Sonic Road Podcast to talk about their debut album As the Body Flies, out October 2nd on Bandcamp. Materializer is the next chapter after nearly nine years as The Swell Fellas. This episode traces the whole arc — from playing Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath covers in Ocean City, Maryland bars, to bo...

Becky Franzel officially joins The Sonic Road Podcast as co-host, and she and host Beau open up about what led to this new chapter. They talk about building a real community around music conversations, the shift from Zoom interviews to in-person recording, and how Becky's ties to Milwaukee's rock scene will bring fresh stories to the show. It's the start of a new era for this stoner ro...

Concert ticket prices are up 41% since 2019, tours are getting canceled across the country, and unsold seats are showing up on Ticketmaster maps everywhere. John Gist — founder of Vegas Rock Revolution and creator of Planet Desert Rock Weekend — is building the opposite of all that. John spent years running marketing departments for Marriott and Wyndham before leaving the corporate world to promot...

Jadd Shickler — founder of Blues Funeral Recordings, director of Magnetic Eye Records, and lead vocalist of Blue Heron — joins The Sonic Road Podcast for a career-spanning conversation about a life in heavy music that goes all the way back to the beginning of the stoner rock scene. Jadd has been shaping the heavy underground for nearly thirty years. In this episode he walks through the entire jour...

Nick DiSalvo — vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of Elder — returns to The Sonic Road Podcast for a full conversation ahead of the band's seventh studio album Through Zero, out May 29th via Blues Funeral Recordings in North America and Stickman Records in Europe.  Topics covered: twenty years of Elder and what it actually feels like from the inside, life in Germany while working for a E...

Host Beau sat down backstage at The Roxy at Mahalls in Lakewood, Ohio with Pepper Keenan, Woody Weatherman, and Bobby Landgraf of Corrosion of Conformity hours before their May 10th show for a half-hour deep dive into Good God / Baad Man — out now on Nuclear Blast Records. Topics covered: why the album sounds like a COC greatest hits record and why that was intentional, the heavy underground surge...

Returning guest and Milwaukee author Becky Franzel joins host Beau  to break down the best rock, metal, and alternative albums of 2026  so far — including The Black Crowes' A Pound of Feathers,  Corrosion of Conformity's Good God / Baad Man, Elder's upcoming  Through Zero on Blues Funeral Recordings, All Them Witches' House  of Mirrors, Weedpecker, Handsome Jack's Barn Burners,...

ABRAMS guitarist and vocalist Zach Amster joins The Sonic Road Podcast to  break down Loon — the Denver heavy rock band's most aggressive and  emotionally raw album yet, out April 17th on Blues Funeral Recordings. 🎵 ABRAMS "Loon" — Out April 17th on Blues Funeral Recordings Order the album here: Blues Funeral Recordings (US orders): https://www.bluesfuneral.com/products/us-orders-ab...

How does a multi-platinum rock band capture their live energy in the studio? Ewan Currie of The Sheepdogs joins The Sonic Road to discuss the making of their new album, Keep Out of the Storm. In this episode, Ewan Currie shares an inside look at the songwriting and production philosophy behind the band's latest release. We explore their decision to record at Taurus with engineer Tom Darcy, uti...

"It’s such a beautiful sound... I don’t know why more bands don’t do it." Ewan Currie  joins  The Sonic Road  to break down the technical and melodic appeal of the "dual lead" guitar style. While many modern rock acts have moved away from complex arrangements,  The Sheepdogs  continue to make vocal and guitar harmonies a centerpiece of their songwriting and live shows. Currie c...

Ripple Music: CEO Todd Severin on Heavy Music and His New Novel 'Deadly Vision' | EP. 29 How does a glaucoma surgeon build one of the most influential stoner rock labels in the world? Join us as Todd Severin, CEO of Ripple Music, breaks down the state of underground rock and his 30-year journey to publishing his new novel, Deadly Vision.  ✅ SUPPORT RIPPLE MUSIC: https://ripplemusic.bandca...

In this exclusive episode of The Sonic Road , Jay Buchanan (lead singer of Rival Sons ) joins host Beau to discuss his deeply personal solo record, Weapons of Beauty . Jay details his three-month writing retreat in an underground Mojave Desert bunker, where he forced himself into a sparse, reductive sound centered on vocal melody. Follow Jay Buchanan on Instagram: @jaythebirdthatsings Listen &...

The new Handsome Jack album is finally here. Join host Beau on The Sonic Road as the band breaks down "Barnburners" track-by-track ahead of the February 6th release on Alive Naturalsounds. ✅ Find Handsome Jack HERE: http://www.handsomejackmusic.com/        Order Barnburners HERE: https://www.bompstore.com/alive/ 🎸 Follow The Sonic Road Podcast: https://linktr.ee/thesonicroad?utm_source...

What were the best albums and books of 2025? Join host Beau and independent author Becky Franzel on The Sonic Road for a deep-dive review of the media that captured us over the last year. In an era dominated by AI and algorithms, we’re celebrating the human artistry, physical media, and DIY communities keeping the heavy music underground alive in 2026. In this episode, Beau and Becky share their d...

High Desert Queen frontman Ryan Garney joins The Sonic Road Podcast to discuss the band's latest album "Palm Reader" and the massive growth of Ripple Fest Texas.   In this deep dive, Ryan breaks down the creative process behind their latest release on Magnetic Eye Records , his shift toward analog recording , and the raw energy of tracking a rock band live on tape . Find High Desert...

In this exclusive episode of The Sonic Road Podcast, drummer Zach Wheeler from the Nashville rock/metal band Howling Giant dives deep into their sound, process, and new album! Their highly anticipated new record, 'Crucible and Ruin,' releases on October 31, 2025, via Magnetic Eye Records , making this essential listening for fans of modern stoner metal. Zach details the band's evolutio...

Watch our full interview with  Arvid Hällagård , the incredible frontman for the Swedish stoner rock band  Greenleaf  and the creative force behind  POOLS . We take a deep dive into the  songwriting  and creation of Greenleaf's latest masterpiece,  "The Head & The Habit,"  discussing his dual role as both the lyricist and the album's graphic artist.

In this full-length interview, we sit down with Arvid Hällagård , the voice of the legendary Swedish stoner rock band Greenleaf . Arvid gives a raw and honest look into the songwriting for their new album "The Head and the Habit," exploring the powerful themes of mental health that shape his lyrics and creative vision. Follow The Sonic Road Podcast on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook & X:...

In this highlight from our full-length interview, Nick DiSalvo (and/or Jack Donovan) of the progressive rock band Elder shares his insight on the creative process and the realities of the modern music industry. The full conversation covers everything from Elder's songwriting process and the evolution of their psychedelic sound to their incredible experience touring with the band Tool and Nick&...

Go behind the scenes with Nick DiSalvo and Jack Donovan of the progressive rock band Elder in this full interview on their creative process and musical evolution. We take a deep dive into their songwriting, their experience touring with the band Tool, the challenges of the music industry, and Nick's work with the iconic Stickman Records . In this conversation, Nick and Jack discuss the band&#3...