Pariah Burke's Hard, Heavy & Hair: THE INTERVIEWS

Pariah Burke

Interviews from the Hard, Heavy & Hair Show with Pariah Burke. Hard, Heavy, and Hair with Pariah Burke is a world-wide syndicated radio show featuring 2 full hours of heart-pounding, guitar-crunching, horn-throwing Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, and Hair Bands from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and all the way up to today. Airs on 5 continents on FM, AM, and Net stations. New show every week! Website: https://PariahRocks.com read less
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Episodes

Ray West (SupaFly, Spread Eagle)
Jan 31 2024
Ray West (SupaFly, Spread Eagle)
Pariah Burke talks once again to Ray West, lead singer and lyricist for new modern Rock project SupaFly and O.G. New York street metal band Spread Eagle, SupaFly, a new sound, and a much more dynamic way of singing for the guy who sang "Switchblade Serenade" and "Broken City." We discussed the evolution of Ray's voice from that "vicious", raspy falsetto of the 22-year-old Spread Eagle singer to a more mature chest singer who still hits what he calls "the bullet points" of Spread Eagle songs. In between the usual interview topics--appearances, new albums from SupaFly and Spread Eagle, what's next--we chatted about Aerosmith's heaviest music, great Rock singers, U2, the current state of the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, and when Ray West attended a party in New York with Prince jamming all night. Topics Discussed: - the origin of SupaFly - When the debut album drops - Exclusive! The next single from SupaFly revealed! - SupaFly's music was so personal, it almost wasn't released - That "vicious", raspy falsetto Spread Eagle singer grows as a singer and as a man - the importance of following your passion - being addicted to music - Singing from the chest and things to watch out for - Behind-the-scenes of Spread Eagle recording - Hitting the "bullet points" of classic Spread Eagle songs like "Broken City" and "Devil's Road" - The bottle-and-straw singing practice technique - The problem of (maliciously) recording concerts live on cell phones - The industry secret behind live albums - Preparing for the scary Monsters of Rock Cruise - Spread Eagle's first appearance on MORC - Pariah's safety tip about Danger Danger's Ted Poley at sea - Why would anyone pay $1,000 to go see a band?! - Prince jamming for 3 hours at a New York after hours party - Ace Frehley's makeup should have been retired like a jersey number - Band splits and politics - U2 - Aerosmith's heaviest music - Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath - The joy of Greatest Hits albums - The Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame... isn't - Great Rock singers - Spread Eagle's increased appearances - The new Spread Eagle album - SupaFly opening for Spread Eagle? - Spread Eagle's unusual live set list --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pariahrocks/message
Steven St. James (Rough Cutt, Sarge, Kagny and the Dirty Rats)
Aug 26 2021
Steven St. James (Rough Cutt, Sarge, Kagny and the Dirty Rats)
More info at https://rockn.me/stevenstjames" target="_blank">https://rockn.me/stevenstjames Steven St. James has a soulful singing voice that has taken him from Motown's Hard Rock band Kagny and the Dirty Rats with a pre-BulletBoys Marq Torien, to the band Sarge where he cowrote some of what would become Rough Cutt's hits with guitarist Chris Hager, to, finally, just in the last couple of years, reuniting with Hager and fronting Rough Cutt itself with a revitalized lineup. His voice brings back to Hard Rock a soulfulness, a vulnerability, but also a street corner toughness, that's lacking from many bands these days. Steven's singing ability is big and beautiful and outdone only by his humility and kindness. I first met Steven at the first performance of the current Rough Cutt lineup in 2019. We've been friends ever since. It turns out, Steven is the only member of Rough Cutt I haven't previously interviewed, so we decided to rectify that in what became part-interview, part-hangout. We talked about his time with Motown, the new Rough Cutt song "Black Rose," which he co-wrote, his singing and songwriting career, how he gets along with original Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino, and more. BourbonSinging in 118-degreesUrgent L.A.Why Steven trained for, but didn't become, and EMTControlling his angerSteven's long history with Rough Cutt before joining Rough CuttForming the band Sarge with Chris Hager, who was fresh out of RattRecruiting Matt Thorne and other Ratt membersMotown seeks out StevenMotown demands exclusivityHanging with Ronnie James DioRecruiting Marq Torien for Kagny and the Dirty RatsReconnecting with Chris Hager of Rough RiotA singer who helps with load-in!Impressing Rockin' Dave AlfordJoining Rough Cutt (before he knew he joined Rough Cutt)2019: "I know Chris [Hager] and Dave [Alford] reached out to Paul [Shortino]" and the other former members of Rough CuttThe other Rough Cutt's songs and crediting songwritersThe classic Rough Cutt lineup then Rough RiotHow could "those other guys" not know about the 2019 Rough Cutt new lineupThe perplexing press release by Shortino, Thorne, and DerakhAn impromptu review of Rough Cutt IIIRough Cutt vs. Rough CuttSteven reaches out to Paul ShortinoWho is everybody really mad at?Turning off the controversyWho's going to change their name?Joking about new band namesRough Cutt CDRC/DCWho couldn't have known about the new Rough Cutt over the last 2 years?!Mutual respectWho actually wrote "Black Rose"/"Bed of Black Roses" and who claimed credit?Steven co-wrote Rough Cutt's most famous song... without creditWorking past thingsSarge songs reworked to Rough Cutt songsMatt Thorne went "full on scorched earth on ASCAP"Pariah looks up the actual legal songwriting and royalty creditsThe fight quiets downThere is no comparison... unless you want to create a conflictSteven St. James and Paul Shortino are two different singers \ Butting heads, but making a way to work together"Eventually the water's just going to be red."Paul Shortino apparently won't talk to PariahRougher CuttKeeping his voice in shape during the lockdownAdvise for other singersSinging with Smokey Robinson, Jimmy Walker, and Mary ClaytonSupporting the bandsSteven's bands' websites --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pariahrocks/message
Ray West (Spread Eagle, Weapons of Anew)
Aug 20 2021
Ray West (Spread Eagle, Weapons of Anew)
More info at https://rockn.me/raywest | https://PariahRocks.com/Interviews Spread Eagle is the sound of New York Street Metal. Their 1990 debut album is one of the best Glam Metal debuts of all time, right up with Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, and Skid Row. Their 2019 comeback record is equally celebrated. Pariah had a great conversation with original and still Spread Eagle frontman Ray West about the band, their music, and so much more. Topics: - Ray West's career before Spread Eagle - The founding of Spread Eagle - A&R reps coming to them - The debut album - Quitting Spread Eagle - Drugs and getting sober - Becoming Ray Fucking West - On track to Subway to the Stars - Subway to the Stars and COVID - The 80s transitioning into the 90s - New York Street Metal - A rat in the Spread Eagle soundboard - Stepping in poo... and it squeals - Boston and New York - Sports - Rock N' Roll has changed - What really happens backstage now - Ray's sobriety - His solo album - Teaching at School of Rock - Ray's advice to the next generation of rockers - The business of being in a band - Split sheets - The one thing every band needs for it to work - "The business doesn't want assholes any more." - The business/fun relationship - Ray's unexpected reaction to the day they signed their first record deal - The Music Cemetery of America - Guns N' Roses blazing a trail - The silliness of the 80s - Getting real - Spread Eagle was caught between the grey area and the grey area - The band girls could bring home to their mothers - "I got to go to the party for a little while." - Backing tracks - The Book of Rock 101 - Auto-tune - Keeping their edge - Spread Eagle's first road gig - New York, NY to Portland, OR One night in 1990, at the pinnacle of 80s Hard Rock and Glam, the safety of the suburbs was shattered with the switchblade screech of Paul DiBartolo's guitar and Ray West's back alley wailing that sounded like gunshots and screams on a Brooklyn summer night. Spread Eagle had broken out of New York and brought the raw, grimy feel of America's largest, most dangerous city with them. Their record company didn't know what to do with them, but their debut album consistently ranks up with Appetite for Destruction, Skid Row, and Too Fast For Love as among the greatest Glam and 80s Metal debut records with tracks like "Switchblade Serenade," "Scratch Like a Cat," "Hot Sex," "Through These Eyes" and "Suzy Suicide." Their sophomore album, Open to the Public, was released at the nadir of 80s Metal and the apex of Grunge, prompting the band to call it quits. 26 years later, in 2019, they released their third album, Subway to the Stars, proving that you can take the Metal boys out of New York, but not the New York Metal out of the boys. The minute my conversation with Spread Eagle lead vocalist Ray West started, we both felt like we'd been friends for years already. We talked about the history of Spread Eagle, Subway to the Stars, the new album the guys are working on, how their record label didn't know what to do with them, Ray's sobriety, and some truly sage advice for the current generation of Rock musicians. More info at https://rockn.me/raywest | https://PariahRocks.com/Interviews --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pariahrocks/message
Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio, Last in Line, Resurrection Kings)
Jul 8 2021
Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio, Last in Line, Resurrection Kings)
Vinny Appice is one of the biggest Metal drummers and songwriters in the world, and is in the Hall of Heavy Metal History for his contributions to Heavy Metal drumming. As a teenager he played on a John Lennon album, and drummed for Lennon during the former Beatle's final live performance. Vinny replaced Bill Ward as Black Sabbath's drummer during the Dio years, and then joined Ronnie James Dio in founding and defining the sound of the band Dio. Vinny co-wrote all your favorite Dio songs, which he still performs, along with new songs, with a mostly reunited Dio under the name Last in Line. Vinny is part of Joel Hoekstra's 13 and the supergroup Resurrection Kings, whose latest album I was ready to ask him all about, but Vinny's surprising response to my first question about the record made me change tact. Listen for yourself in the Hard, Heavy & Hair interview with Vinny Appice. We talk about: - The new Resurrection Kings LP Skygazer and what Vinny doesn't like about it - Find out who Vinny is talking about when he says, "either they're deaf or they don't know how to mix." - Drumming on the latest Joel Hoekstra's 13 album, Running Games. - Playing a perfect set with people he met only 2 hours before. - The upcoming third Last in Line album. - The Last in Line writing process. - Vinny's advice to younger musicians. - That time Jimmy Bain got into the wrong tour van. - When the smoke machine exploded behind him during a Black Sabbath concert. - Where you can catch Vinny this summer for an autograph and drum clinics. More info at https://rockn.me/vinnyappice | https://PariahRocks.com/Interviews --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pariahrocks/message
Rough Cutt (Rockin’ Dave Alford and Chris Hager)
Jun 10 2021
Rough Cutt (Rockin’ Dave Alford and Chris Hager)
Rough Cutt is one of the original Sunset Strip heyday bands, playing with, and often trading members between, Ratt, Dio, and other bands of the era, though Rough Cutt never quite achieved the same level of success as some of their peers. In 2019, they were still around, though in the process of merging into a group called Rough Riot with members of Quiet Riot. When Rough Riot finalized its lineup change in the summer of 2019, now called Carlos Cavazo's Rough Riot, it was with Paul Shortino, singer of Rough Cutt, Amir Derakh, one of two Rough Cutt guitarists, White Lion's Greg D'Angelo on drums, Sean McNabb from Quiet Riot on bass, and guitarist Carlos Cavazo, also from Quiet Riot. Rough Cutt's Rockin' Dave Alford and Chris Hager, not a part of Rough Riot, decided to continue on with a new lineup of Rough Cutt. Alford, along with Shortino, was a founding member of the band, and Hager and Derakh, though not strictly founders, joined very early on, before the band recorded its first album. Alford and Hager auditioned and eventually hired musicians to fill in the missing three band positions. They publicly debuted their new lineup in November of 2019 during a live show in Portland, Oregon, which is the first time Pariah Burke interviewed the band. Leading up to, and in the year and a half since, that new lineup debut, Rough Cutt has aggressively marketed themselves, letting the world know about the new Rough Cutt, now including Steven St. James (Sarge, Cagny and the Dirty Rats) on vocals, second guitarist Darren Housholder (Shrapnel Records recording artist, Love/Hate), and bassist Jeff Buehner (The Loyal Order). Slowed by the pandemic, they spent most of 2020 using social media to connect with Rough Cutt fans, while not able to finish and release their first single together until March 2021, when they simultaneously dropped the single and music video for it with plenty of pre-release press and fanfare. According to the Alford and Hager, they never heard from their former Rough Cutt and Rough Riot bandmates; in fact, Alford's and Hager's attempts to contact them went unanswered. Which is why they were so surprised when, yesterday (June 8th, 2021), their former bandmates released their own album as Rough Cutt, including their own version of the single Alford's and Hager's lineup put out in March. The new album, titled Rough Cutt 3, because, other than a best of anthology, it's only the third studio LP released under the Rough Cutt band name since 1985. The release of the album, which had no pre-release announcement or marketing, was accompanied by a press release asserting that the trio calling itself Rough Cutt--Paul Shortino, Matt Thorne (aka Matt Thorr), and Amir Derakh--are "the three main men of Rough Cutt" and are "arguably the three most important members of Rough Cutt." Further, without naming them, Alford and Hager were accused of making "false accusations" and lies about [the others]]. Within minutes of the release of the album by DDR Music Group, formerly Demon Doll Records, I reached out for comment from both versions of the band. My message directly to Paul Shortino went unreturned, though the owner of DDR and producer of Rough Cutt 3, Lance V, said he would pass along my request for an interview to Shortino. Hager immediately agreed to an interview, and brought along Alford. This is my conversation with Rough Cutt founding members and apparent torchbearers Rockin' Dave Alford and Chris Hager the day after Shortino, Thorn, Derakh, and DDR Music Group issued Rough Cutt 3 and its accompanying incendiary press release. More info at https://rockn.me/roughcutt | https://PariahRocks.com/Interviews --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pariahrocks/message
Reality Suite (Kimmii, Brian, Joe, and Antonio)
Jun 1 2021
Reality Suite (Kimmii, Brian, Joe, and Antonio)
Reality Suite is a four-piece New Jersey Hard Rock band making waves far beyond the Garden State. Although they have yet to tour outside the Northeastern United States, they have fans all over the world. Their last two albums--a concert LP Live at Alpha Wave Studios and the deluxe edition re-issue of 2018's Awaken EP--have spun their way across the globe, inspiring, and being inspired by, music fans everywhere. Reality Suite's songs--and especially their music videos--are powerful messages wrapped in driving beats, blistering guitar solos, and catchy lyrics. Play any of their songs and you'll find yourself rocking out and singing along long before you realize the lyrics are about YOU and people you care about. It's introspective, soul-minded lyrics woven into Hard Rock delivered by Kimmii Heart's smooth as top-shelf bourbon voice; the crunchy goodness, undulating riffs, and hypnotic solos of Joe Padula's guitar; Antonio Valenti's gorilla chest-pounding basslines; and, driving the others' passion up notch after notch while taking control of listener's feet and raised fists, is Brian King's drums. I've been playing their music on the Hard, Heavy & Hair Show for years, and I thought it was about time I sat down and talked with this dynamic quartet. In between a lot of laughing, we chatted about Reality Suite’s latest album, the heart wrenching story behind one of their best songs, where their inspirations come from, duking it out over who got to write “Kiss the Ring,” what’s next for the band, and more. More info at https://rockn.me/realitysuite | https://PariahRocks.com/Interviews --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pariahrocks/message
Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns, Sunbomb, Brides of Destruction)
May 15 2021
Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns, Sunbomb, Brides of Destruction)
Tracii Guns, who gave his name to his band L.A. Guns, and, earlier, Guns & Roses before Slash joined as lead guitarist, rose to the top of the Sunset Strip music scene in its early-80s heyday and has never slowed down since. If you've ever seen Tracii play a guitar solo, it's difficult to recognize where the instrument ends and the man begins. The intensity with which Tracii Guns plays guitar, the way he melts out of our dimension and into a world of sound, is awe inspiring. He writes and records with nearly the same intensity and speed that he plays guitar. After 10 studio albums with L.A. Guns, two with Brides of Destruction, a supergroup he cofounded with Nikki Sixx, and 8 other records, Tracii is a tireless guitar player and songwriter. And now, he's got a brand new collaboration with Michael Sweet of Stryper, a completely new sound, in the very Heavy Metal, often Doom Metal-influenced, debut record of the project called Sunbomb. Pariah Burke recently spoke with Tracii Guns about: His unadulterated feelings about settling the lawsuit for the L.A. Guns name against former bandmates Steve Riley and Kelly Nickels who were also performing and recording as L.A. GunsWhether singer Phil Lewis owns part of L.A. GunsThe "laziest guy in the world"Who is "too old to play the new stuff"Why Kelly Nickels was really hiredWhy Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is a good musicianWhy Sunbomb is "the sh*t"Working with Stryper's Michael SweetThe 2 new L.A. Guns albums on the wayTurning the mess of the Veep Cocked & Loaded concert into something positiveSocial DisorderMore! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pariahrocks/message