The UCR Podcast

Zakk Wylde is with us to talk about writing with the late Ozzy Osbourne, how he paid tribute to "the Boss" on the new Black Label Society album, Engines of Demolition, Black Sabbath and lots more. Speaking of that new BLS album, Zakk gives us plenty of dirt on that as well. Don't miss Black Label Society and Zakk Sabbath on tour now! Details at www.blacklabelsociety.com.

Former Marshall Tucker Band drummer Paul T. Riddle joins Matt to talk about his exciting new band that pays homage to the songwriting of his former MTB bandmate, the late Toy Caldwell. Riddle is joined in the lineup of Toy Factory Project by Marcus King, Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr, Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Company), Josh Shilling (Mountain Heart, Wynonna Judd plus Billy...

Thomas joins Matt to discuss the innovative show he's taking out on the road starting in April. They talk about the secret project he's been previewing at some of the gigs and Thomas digs into a number of other topics, including his experiences working with Mutt Lange, collaborating with members of the Grateful Dead and some war stories about his own career. Visit Thomas' official website at www.t...

Sebastian Bach is with Matt to discuss his upcoming tour, The Party Never Ends, which will begin in late February. Baz gets into other things as well, including his thoughts on the Triumph reunion, Motley Crue, the latest additions to his Kiss collection and Diamond David Lee Roth. Keep up with all things Sebastian at his official website, www.sebastianbach.com.

Slash joins us for his first UCR visit of the new year to talk all things Guns N' Roses, including "Nothin'" and "Atlas," plus the upcoming tour. We discuss other things as well, including Brian May and a brief recollection regarding GNR's first tour in 1985. Find more information regarding all things GNR at www.gunsnroses.com and thanks for listening!

Zak Starkey...Who? That's the name of the new one-man show that Zak Starkey will bring to the Gramercy Theatre (www.thegramercytheatre.com) on Feb. 20, for the first time anywhere. Zak joined Matt to discuss what fans can expect from the show and also shared a number of stories from across his career with the Who, Oasis, a missed connection with Iggy Pop and many more! He's a character and you'll...

As the final Megadeth album hits the shelves today, we've got a conversation with Dave Mustaine to talk about a number of subjects, including the story behind the record and also, the new film, Megadeth: Behind the Mask, which debuted last night (01/22) and will have some additional screenings on Saturday (01/24). Find showtimes and ticket information at megadethfilm.com. Dave tells Matt some stor...

William joins Matt to talk about "Black Horizon," his debut with Metal Allegiance and the first new music from the hard rock supergroup in eight years. We also discuss his experience working with Metal Allegiance founder Mark Menghi in King Ultramega and their explosive cover of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage." Plus, William gives us the origin story of how he met and started touring with Jerry Cantrel...

UCR's Gary Graff joins Matt to reflect on the news of the passing of Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. They dig into a number of topics including the many interesting layers of the Dead as a band, some of the things that influenced Bob as a player, the unexpected moment when the band had success with "Touch of Grey" in the '80s, thanks to radio and MTV -- and a song that's a polarizing moment in the...

The Black Crowes revealed release plans for their 10th studio album, A Pound of Feathers on Friday (Jan. 09) and shared two new songs from the upcoming record. Guitarist Rich Robinson joins Matt to discuss how the new LP came together, plus some additional anecdotes regarding Jimmy Page, Guns N' Roses and more! You can order A Pound of Feathers (out Mar. 13!) in a number of different configuration...

Aerosmith released their first album this week in 1973, so we're cracking the seal on a conversation you haven't heard yet with legendary producer Jack Douglas. He started working with the band beginning with 1974's Get Your Wings and shares the story of what he learned listening to their debut record and how the future Boston legends evolved in those early years. Along the way, Douglas also share...

In the new year, Jon Anderson will once again team up with the Band Geeks to present an evening of Yes Classics and Epics...and beyond. He's got a new album (his second with the Geeks) that will land in 2026 -- and he's making progress on an additional project beyond that. We get into all of it on today's podcast and it's always a pleasure to catch up with Jon. Enjoy!

Director Amy Scott is with Matt today to talk about her latest film, Counting Crows: Have You See Me Lately (now playing on HBO Max), which takes a look back at the time the San Francisco group spent working on their first two albums, August and Everything After and Recovering the Satellites. Amy shares the story behind how the movie came together as well as her own origin story as a fan of the ba...

Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore joined Matt on the eve of the tour announcement for Triumph's reunion tour to share the stories behind how the 2026 outing came together and also talk about how they're getting ready for the shows -- and how new band members Phil X (himself a Triumph alum), Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz will be integrated into the performances. We discuss a number of different sub...

An expanded box set for The Replacements' Let it Be album is due out in November, so it was a lot of fun to talk to Chris Mars to revisit his memories of how the album came together. We dug through a lot of different Replacements-related topics, but also plenty of other subjects, including his time working with Golden Smog, his solo work, his artistic endeavors with painting, drawing and video and...

On the heels of the recent Mule-o-Ween concerts, Warren Haynes returns to the podcast to discuss putting together his latest musical tribute for those shows. He teamed up with Dirty Honey's Marc LaBelle -- and on the second night, Corey Glover of Living Colour -- for a special Mule set each evening featuring a dozen Aerosmith songs, both fan favorites and deeper cuts. He also details what fans can...

With Bad Company's Rock Hall induction happening this weekend, we got together with Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, a longtime fan of Free, Mott the Hoople and Bad Co. to get his thoughts and memories on being a fan of what Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke did both together and apart throughout their long career. He shares his happiness regarding the induction, telling us, "No band deserves it...

Cellist and composer Lori Goldston has had an incredible career, one which included a stint touring with Nirvana during their In Utero tour in 1993 and 1994. As a bonus to our current conversation with Will Hodge about Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York, we're introducing you to Will's Unplugged Revisited podcast and a discussion he had with Lori about that Unplugged performance and other topics,...

Nirvana's classic MTV Unplugged in New York album was released on Nov. 1, 1994, almost a year after it was originally recorded in November of 1993. Will Hodge of the Unplugged Revisited podcast joins Matt to look back at what was an interesting night, both for Nirvana and the continued evolution of the Unplugged series. They dig into the highlights from the episode and also discuss the emotions, b...

Jeff Pilson joins Matt to discuss a number of subjects, including the new music they've been working on with Lou Gramm, the band's final concerts with Kelly Hansen earlier this month, new lead singer Luis Maldonado and he takes us back 20 years to look at how Mick Jones assembled a new lineup and started a fresh chapter of Foreigner.

On the heels of the sad news regarding the death of John Lodge of the Moody Blues last week, Matt gets together with author and UCR scribe Gary Graff (501 Essential Albums of the '80s) to talk about a new list of Lodge's musical highlights that Gary assembled for Ultimate Classic Rock. They dig deep into the Moody Blues as a band and also discuss recent rock news, including the reunion of Rush, Jo...

There's only one way to rock and if your answer to that statement is "Sammy Hagar," well, congrats, you are listening to the right podcast. The Red Rocker joined Matt in advance of his annual Birthday Bash concerts at Cabo Wabo to talk about his new live album, how he feels about the David Lee Roth era of Van Halen now, his recent collaboration with Chad Kroeger and Tommy Lee, plus stories behind...

It's the news that many of us never saw coming. Rush will return in 2026. Matt was in attendance last night at the private event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland where Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson announced their reunion plans and shared some great war stories. The events that followed that incredible night made a summit with Chuck Armstrong necessary to discuss a number of topics. We...

UCR comrade Chuck Armstrong is back with Matt to share a conversation he recently had with Yungblud about the forthcoming collaborative EP with Aerosmith, One More Time. Yungblud shares the story behind the new music as well as tales about his longtime friendship with the late Ozzy Osbourne and how the Prince of Darkness was an important and supportive mentor. The One More Time EP is out November...

David Gilmour is back with us again to recap the experience of the special concerts he played in support of his newest album, Luck and Strange. He's commemorated that outing with a new concert film, recorded live at the historic Circus Maximus in Rome. There's also a new live album, The Luck and Strange Concerts. Both will be available in a variety of formats starting October 17. We get into a num...