The Downbeat

My guests this week are Brian and Chris of Connecticut metalcore band CURRENTS. Chris is already Downbeat alumni with his other band SHADOW OF INTENT, so we talk about balancing two very successful bands, as well as touring, the history of the band, accidentally stealing riffs, nando's and much more.

My guest on the podcast this week is actor Leigh Gill. You may know him as Gary from the oscar winning movie Joker, as well as his roles on Game of Thrones, The Witcher, and his latest movie Blitz. We got terrifically drunk and talked what it's like to work with Joaquin Phoenix and hang out with Al Pacino. Mental.

My guest this week is John Famiglietti AKA JOHNNY HEALTH from industrial/noise rock band HEALTH. With a career involving collaborations with NINE INCH NAILS and their chart-topping song 'Crimewave' with CRYSTAL CASTLES we had a lot to talk about as well getting into stuff like scoring numerous video games, Warhammer 40k...and letting fans sleep at his house (respectfully).  Great dude great band great chat.

My guests this week are the wonderful Courtney LaPlante and Mike Stringer of the band Spiritbox. We caught up in LA to talk about their Grammy nomination, working with Megan Thee Stallion, the creation their latest EP 'The Fear Of Fear' , and Courtney does a wonderful Mike Tyson impression. I love these people and I love this band.

My guest this week is Bad Omens Drummer Nick Folio and for the first time on The Downbeat, their soundguy and tour manager Matt Dierkes. Me and Nick catch up and talk about their new single V.A.N (with Poppy) while Matt provides a bit of insight on the many hats he has donned for the band.

My guest this week is Chris Turner - one of the best metal drummers in the world, both with Oceans Ate Alaska and with his solo stuff. We met for the first time to talk drums, practice, regretable early touring practices, and more. Check out Oceans Ate Alaska's new single and his lesson packs, merch, and solo stuff on spotify. He's an absolute freak.

My festive guests this week on Jesus' birthday are BRENDAN MURPHY of Counterparts, EMMA BOSTER of Dying Wish, JEREMY DEPOYSTER of The Devil Wears Prada and acclaimed photographer/videographer IMANI GIVERTZ. We got absolutely hammered in July and pretended it was Christmas. Enjoy. Thank you for the support over the most successful year of the podcast ever. Wishing you all the best (unless I hate you) in 2024, let's make it a good one.

My guest this week has the best, most calming voice of all time. Jake Smelley is the drummer for metalcore band Gideon and more recently he backs the singer/rapper/musician Zero 9:36. We talked about his love (and my hate) of country music, black magick, auditioning for one of the biggest music artists in the world...and much more.

My guest this week is Jerry Horton, guitarist and founding member of the massively successful rock band Papa Roach. We talk about their pivotal role in creating what is now known as ’Nu Metal’ and their resilience to that genre‘s somewhat bad connotations that has seen them remain successful and relevant for 30 (THIRTY) years. We also talk CARS, PRIMUS, METALLICA, and much more.

My guest this week is guitarist and frontman of Sylosis, and one of my personal  oldest friends Josh Middleton. We talked about their latest album A Sign Of Things To Come but mostly about growing up together (including his CRAIG REYNOLDS DOS AND DONTS sign for his room), a killer Anthony Kiedis impression, touring with Metallica, and much more. We also make eachother cry laugh at least twice. This episode is also the first episode on the new cinema cameras, thanks to the Patreon for making that possible.

My guest this week is Dan Tracy, drummer of genre-bending black metal band Deafheaven. We caught up before their blistering set at Core Fest to talk about the 10th anniversary rerelease of their seminal album Sunbather, one of my favourite albums of all time. We also talk metal's recent resurgence, Metallica, the devils lettuce, and much more.

My guest this week is one of my favourite people on planet earth Jeremy DePoyster. Jeremy is the guitarist/vocalist of iconic metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. We talked about the business of metalcore, our fledging bromance, the secret to their longevity in the scene, our mutual love for Sam Carter from Architects... and much more.

My guest this week is internet funny man and your problematic fave Brendan Murphy. Brendan is the vocalist of the metalcore band Counterparts and grind/math/doom/whatever band END. We talked about my sexy criminal past, the price of a costco hotdog, twitter's rebranding and its devastating emotional effects, and I guess we talk about his bands. Brendan episodes are the best.

My guest this week is Tom Williams, guitarist of my band Stray From The Path, as well as multi-band manager, father, businessman and one of my best friends. We talked about the risks we as a band took when preparing for our upcoming headline tour, as well as what bands should look for in a manager, the father life, what makes a drink 'cool' and much more.

My guest this week is the phenomenal Matt Garstka. Back for his THIRD episode. Matt is the drummer for Animals As Leaders and generally considered to be one of the best drummers of his generation. Back again, I got the chance to pick his incredibly ridged brain about the drums, working out, movies, and all the good stuff.

My guest this week is Emma Boster, vocalist of Dying Wish. We talked about the creation of their STUNNING upcoming album Symptoms of Survival (and our Downbeat exclusive vinyl variant) as well as a variety of topics from Britney Spears conspiracy theories to gender and much more. Check out the exclusive Downbeat variant of Symptoms of Survival with insane death metal artwork at https://www.dyingwishhc.com

My guest this week is Jay Weinberg, drummer for Slipknot. Coming from a musical background, (his Dad is Max Weinberg of The E Street Band) Jay is a super humble, hospitable human and phenomenal drummer. We talked about his time in Slipknot of course but also about learning 200+songs for Bruce Springsteen at 16 years old. We also chat about drums, tattoos, doom metal, and much much more. This episode of the Downbeat is the first of a trip to Nashville, which was actually born out of Jay himself expressing an interest in doing the show. Thanks to the patreon we were able to make it work. Enjoy

My guest this week is Connie Sgarbossa, vocalist of SeeYouSpaceCowboy. We talked about the creation of their upcoming as-yet-untitled new album as well as her history in the myspace-adjacent music scene and soundcloud rappers, volunteering in a vegan anarchist cafe, her struggles with addiction and experiences being a trans woman in heavy music, the earth being flat, radical politics and many more buzzwords that could not possibly annoy the comment section any more if I tried.

My guests on the podcast this week are Matthew Honeycutt (vocals) and Isaac Lamb (drums) of Kublai Khan. We talk the decline of chipotle, living in a trailer, movies, and much more.

My guests this week are Olli Appleyard (vocals) and Sam Ogden (drums) of Static Dress. We talked about the sometimes unfortunate downfalls of being unapologetically yourself, their recent signing to the prestigious Roadrunner Records, being invited to Bring Me The Horizon's Malta weekender...and much more. As they weren't on tour - accomodation for the guests on this episode of the podcast was paid for by the lovely people on The Downbeat Patreon. It's a quid.

My guests this week are Andy Cizek and John Browne from progressive metal band Monuments. We talked quite a lot about the increasing frustration around trying to make a living as a musician - including but not limited to merch cuts, streaming, the impact on mental health, and of course we spoke about their lovely and difficult-to-play music.

My guest this week is Paul Mazurkiewicz, drummer and founding member of death metal LEGENDS Cannibal Corpse. We spoke about everything from being asked personally by Jim Carrey to feature in Ave Ventura in 1994 all the way up to embracing technology to advance their live show in the 2020s and beyond...

My guests this week are Sabian and Mitch from Alpha Wolf. We talked about why their band is so good and heavy, why Australia leads the way in modern metalcore, and I ask Chat GPT to write a romantic fanfiction about the band.

I sat down with Steve Judd of Australian progressive titans KARNIVOOL to talk drums, how he has his eggs, passing off live mistakes as simply 'Jazz', pizza...and diabetes (unrelated).

My guests this week are Rou Reynolds and Rob Rolfe of Enter Shikari. We talked extensively about their new album 'A Kiss For The Whole World' which is out now, as well as how they like their (often plant-based) eggs, fans who wish they were heavier, fans who wish they were less political - and had a bit of a location argument about where to host their dream festival. Enjoy

My guest this week is Alexander Jones, vocalist of Rochester, NY Death Metal band UNDEATH. We talked on DAY ONE of their first european tour AT LENGTH almost EXTENSIVELY about everything death metal: the music, the history, the logos - as well as much more. The band is an amazing mix of old school death metal with a modern perspective. Check them out.

My guest this week is Nick Folio of hottest-band-in-the-world right now Bad Omens. We caught up about half way through their sold out UK/EU run to talk fishing, drums, motorbikes and having a tiny little logo on a tour poster.

My guests this week are Bryce Butler and Chris Wiseman of Shadow of Intent. I caught up with them on their mostly sold out FIRST time in Europe to find out why they're so bleeding good. Enjoy.

My guest this week is none other than Mario Duplantier of French metal titans GOJIRA. One of my favourite bands and drummers of all time, he spilled insane and humble knowledge about everything it takes to get to his level as a musician. We caught up before their INSANE show in support of their latest album Fortitude to talk about everything from drums and practicing to jamming with James Hetfield and stage fright. It was an inspirational chat and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

My guest this week is Jack Bergin, singer of Australian metalcore band Void of Vision. We talk about their series of EPs 'Chronicles' as well as the RIDICULOUS Downbeat variant of the vinyl, Jack's alopecia, the struggles of getting a US visa, as well as much much more. Pick up the RIDICULOUS DB variant of Chronicles at unfdstore.com/voidofvision

I catch up with Josh Smith and Jon Deiley of Australian prog-meets-industrial metal(core?) band Northlane. We talked about their latest album Obsidian and its writing process - as well as synthesizers, cats and of course their dream festival which takes place in an imagined post-war Neo-Bergen. Thumbnail photos by Kim Quint (he also loaned me the glorious camera lens as I broke one the day before. Lifesaver, thanks Kim!)

I catch up with Alex and Charlie of Malevolence to talk about their new album Malicious Intent, nicknames, being a diva and transgressing from their roots in the DIY hardcore scene to world metal domination.

I catch up with Matty and James Veck-Gilodi aka Deaf Havana to discuss where they've been and their new album 'The Present Is A Foreign Land', as well as the time I filled in for them with 48 hours notice and it ended up being like a scene from Scarface.

My guest on the podcast this week is Manuel Gagneux, mastermind behind Swiss avant-garde black metal band Zeal & Ardor. Z+A mix the style of European Black Metal (a genre notorious for it's link with racism) and elements of African-American Spirituals and Gospel and lyrically poses the question: What if the freed slaves had embraced Satan? We talked about the band's unlikely beginnings on the darkest parts of the internet, black magick, reappropriating Richard Wagner and as ever: Manuel's dream festival.

I sat down with Dan and Sam from Architects to talk about their new album The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit...and much more.

I caught up with Isaac from Knocked Loose after their US arena tour with $UICIDEBOY$ and ahead of their huge tour with Bring Me The Horizon to talk TikTok, hardcore, laptops in music, ramen - and everything in between.

I caught up with Matt Garstka at his home in Nashville to talk everything from fake drummers and lifting to the correlations between the intricacies of specialty coffee and progressive music.

I get drunk with Ali from Bleed From Within and Sylosis and talk about Bleed's new album Shrine, as well as what makes a perfect drum tech, the joys of Glasgow, beer, and much, much more.

I caught up with Andrew Hurley, drummer of Fall Out Boy and a billion other (heavier) bands to talk about his need to scratch the heavy music itch away from his main gig, CrossFit, soundchecking with Behemoth, our mutual love of Lars Ulrich and Metallica, Dungeons & Dragons - and much more…He also curates THE MOST INSANE dream festival yet.

My guest this week on is Pat Sheridan, guitarist of Fit For An Autopsy. I sat down with Pat before FFAA's show in Glasgow to bond about what it's like to work with the insufferable Will Putney (JK JK JK) as well as talking about everything from overcoming the anger of his youth and becoming the best father he can be - to Cardi B's leather pajamas. It gets heavy in a few places. Great dude, great chat.

I sat down with Wilkie and Josh from Malevolence to talk about the history of their band, what Sleep Token look like, 140bpm Sheffield bassline and also about their new album Malicious Intent (out May 20th). Their dream festival is a real party.

My guest this week is Josh Travis, guitarist of Emmure and more recently a solo artist with his new EP 'NO REST'. We talked about all those things, and mullets. It was very funny. He's the best. Enjoy!

My guest this week is Aaron Gillespie, drummer and clean vocalist of Underoath. We sat down for a chat on the last day of tour to talk about everything from music and its current trend of overproduction, to mental health and mushrooms. As well as being such a funny and insightful chat Aaron opened up on a lot of stuff I'm not sure he's previously spoke about. We barely knew each other before this tour but became good friends very quickly and as a result this is one of my favourite episodes of the podcast yet.

My guest on the podcast this week is Pac from Knocked Loose. He's a drummer, a baker, a candlestick maker. We ate dim sum. This episode was brought to you by the satanists over at Dark Arts Coffee. Use the code THEDOWNBEAT for 15% off. Enjoy!

My guest this week is GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING producer and guitarist of FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY and END: Will Putney.

A delicious little episode with comedian Ed Gamble, recorded LIVE from Signature Brew in London.

My guest this week is phenomenal drummer, coffee nut, instagram sensation and very HEALTHY man, Stan Bicknell. Enjoy

Answering your calls! To leave a message on the hotline go to www.thedownbe.at/podcast

I caught up with Brendan Murphy from Counterparts and END to talk about how we both caught COVID in Brooklyn, life after music, being gigantic divas, and which vocal warm ups he definitely does not do.

My guest this week is Milkie Way, bassist/vocalist of Wargasm. We talk live-streamed wardrobe malfunctions, visual art, and their modern approach to punk.

My guest this week is Mike Johnston, drummer and online educator. Probably one of my favourite people to talk to, Mike is a fantastic drummer and entrepreneur with his website mikeslessons.com kickstarting (and continuing to dominate) the online music education game. Mike's unbelievable work ethic is infectious and we had a great chat mostly about all things pertaining the the business of the drum industry, but a lot of Mike's wisdom can be applied to all aspects of life!

My guest this week is Emma Boster, singer of metalcore band Dying Wish. We talked about her sick band and their sick new album 'Fragments Of A Bitter Memory' as well as veganism, bacon people, and much much more.

My guest this week is Aaron Weaver. Co-Founder/Drummer of Atmospheric Black Metal band Wolves In The Throne Room. We talked their upcoming album 'Primordial Arcana', as well as earth magic, meditation and much, much more.

My guest this week is Hana Devore, fitness competitor, coach, and keen biohacker. I caught up with her to discuss everything from fitness and biohacking to relationships and strong ass weed. It was a great time!

My guest this week is Courtney LaPlante, singer of Spiritbox. Spiritbox is a metal band from Canada, and they are really, really good, possibly my favourite new band right now. As it turns out, Spiritbox are a fan of my dumb content too so we were basically just really nice to each other for 2 hours. Spiritbox's new album Eternal Blue is available for pre-order now!

My guest this week is Tobi Duncan, singer of Trash Boat whose new album Don't You Feel Amazing is available for preorder now. We talk about working in a call centre, Tobi's coming out as a bisexual man, his knee surgery (and his subsequent painkiller addiction) amongst other things. It gets a bit sexy. Enjoy!

My guest this week is Jesse Barnett. Jesse is a man of many talents and bands, including my personal fave hardcore band Stick To Your Guns, but I caught up with him ahead of his OTHER band Tradewind's new record release to discuss that for at least 10 minutes and then mostly talk about guns, communism and cereal.

My guest this week is Josh Smith, guitarist of Northlane. As well as playing guitar for the Australian progressive metalcore (?) giants, Josh is also a manager and keen cyclist. We talk about all of that, and a bunch of other stuff. Just listen to it. Peace!

My guest this week is Matt Halpern, drummer of Periphery and co-owner of GGD. Back again but this time to talk about many things including: his as-yet-untold worries about playing live, playing annoying parts guitarists have written, his new snare drum, NFTs, and much much more. Peace!

My guest this week is Justine Jones, vocalist of UK metal band Employed To Serve and co-owner of Church Road Records. I caught up with Justine at the end of last year to talk about the band's new album and new drummer Casey, our boring lives in lockdown and running a label with her husband Sammy. Peace!

My guest this week is producer, engineer, mixer, guitarist, bassist, and espresso master Adam "Nolly" Getgood. You may know Nolly from his work playing with Periphery or producing bands like Animals As Leaders, The Devin Townsend Project, Architects and many more. I pretty much explained the many strings to Nolly's bow in sentence one so obviously we spoke about those, as well as his VST instrument company GGD, our thoughts on drums, drum tracking and what makes a good drummer, as well as coffee and of course: his favourite bands.

My guest this week is glorious perfect human being Ali Dean, bassist of Architects. Ahead of the release of their new album For Those That Wish To Exist, we talked about nearly everything except that. Life living on his own in lockdown, his marathon training, old tours, PROJECT: REYNOLDS, as well as Tom and Dan's many affectionate nicknames for him. I can't even remember anything other than I laughed a lot and we both might have got a little tipsy. He's genuinely one of my favourite people in the entire world. Peace!

My guest this week is Johannes Persson, vocalist and guitarist of Swedish post-metal pioneers Cult Of Luna. We talk about the band's new EP 'The Raging River' as well as lockdown lifting (shock horror), working with Mark Lanegan, and how to deal with conspiracy theorists. Peace!

My guest this week is Drew York, singer of my own band Stray From The Path. He's back with more jingles and tales of his fresh move to France! He's ONE OF US NOW EUROPE! We also talk about staying sane during lockdown, working out, and we remember the worst place we ever slept on tour. Peace!!

My guest this week is my best bloody mate Sam Carter. General legend and frontman of Architects. We talk about their new (amazing) album 'For Those Who Wish To Exist', from its writing/recording to playing an empty Royal Albert Hall on a live stream. We talk about coping mechanisms through lockdown and a lot about mental health. I love Sam. He's the best.

My guest this week is Brendan Murphy, vocalist of Counterparts and END. He's back. We talk about nonsense, the future of touring, mental health medication, and his cat. Peace!

My guest this week is comedian and far-more-famous podcaster Ed Gamble. As well as being an immensely successful stand-up and TV comedian, Ed (alongside co-host James Acaster) also hosts one of the internet's biggest podcasts 'Off Menu' where guests share their dream menu. Unbeknownst to some Ed is also a keen metal fan, with a very surprising top 5 bands. I think he's more legit than me. Basically asked him what it's like to do comedy for a living, we talked about metal, and he made me a laugh a lot (LAL). Shout out to Sam Carter for facilitating this episode by telling his famous mates to come on. Peace!

A small solo podcast to update you with the my plans for the future. http://www.onlyflams.com

My guest this week is Aaron Marshall, virtuoso guitarist and better known as the brains/everything behind the musical group Intervals. Aaron started Intervals in Ontario Canada as an outlet for his musical creativity in 2011 and it has since existed in many different iterations. We talk about the band's beginnings and various line ups as well as his unlikely inspirations that draw from the unlikeliest of places. We also go deep on fitness, mental and physical rehabilitation, microdosing, supplementation and way more. It was a great chat.

My guest this week is Mat Welsh, guitarist/vocalist of While She Sleeps. WSS have just launched an ambitious crowdfunding campaign 'Sleeps Society', aimed at bringing fans a closer experience whilst also securing finances to support the future of the band during these uncertain times. Being old friends and touring buddies we talk a fair bit about that as well. It was a r8 laugh. That's Sheffieldish for 'It was very fun'. Peace!

My guest this week is Bryce Krawczyk. Bryce is a world record holding powerlifter and coach from Calgary, Canada. Bryce is the co-owner of the popular youtube fitness channel Calgary Barbell, where he provides amazing content for the lifting community. We spoke about many things, including how I can't get my MOJO back about the gyms reopening. He actually wrote me a back-to-basics plan which you can download on the Downbeat IG. As an avid fan of heavy music and tattoos, we also talk about those a bunch and bond over his incredibly heavy top 5 bands.

My guest this week is Matthew Heafy, singer and guitarist of the metal band Trivium and, King Of Streaming. Matt and Trivium have recently paved the way in the music industry's 'new-normal' of streaming. They recently completed the metal world's first (actual) paid live-streamed gig with 10k+ tickets sold and Matt himself has one of, if not THE biggest presence in the world of live music streaming. We talked about Trivium's plans to build a stream-ready aircraft hanger (!?) and also about his upcoming Japanese mythology inspired side project: Iburaki. Other than this I basically asked him how I can do something similar to his twitch and survive without having to sell you guys T-shirts. Enjoy!

My guest this week is Jordan Fish of Bring Me The Horizon. Jordan tells me in detail about how he came to join arguably the biggest heavy band in the world. We also talked about the band's unique writing process for their new single 'Parasite Eve', our lockdown FIFA tournament, and the time I barged into Bring Me's dressing room naked.

My guest this week is Bryan Garris, singer of Knocked Loose. Over the last few years Knocked Loose have exploded from small DIY hardcore shows to headlining over bands much their senior. I've always admired how humble they've remained through it all, and talking to Bryan this week was no different. We talked about the band's success, his unlikely ambition to be an English teacher, and more importantly which gas stations have the best food... amongst other things

CREGGY's ANTIVIRUS presents: The Metallica Episode. I caught up with Josh Middleton from Sylosis/Architects to talk about Metallica and nothing else for an hour.

It's me. It's a Q+A. Same old.

My guest this week is Andy Williams, guitarist of Every Time I Die and LITERAL pro wrestler. We talk about COVID-19's effect on his two jobs which obviously involve close contact, how he got started with wrestling in the first place, how he is staying healthy and working out but still maintaining his competition weight whilst self isolating, and much more. He's a great dude, I had a great time talking with him. Stay safe!

Back by popular demand and live from COVID-19 lockdown: diarreah enthusiast and tattoo artist Will Thomson. We talk about his plans to become Susan Boyle's toyboy and the troubles associated with having a ginormous pecker. It's very rude. Soz. Stay safe everyone.

My guest this week is Alex Rudinger, back for a second episode. Last time we spoke Rudi was somewhat without a gig and in a dark place. Now he is behind the kit with Whitechapel and although a lot is going on with the world, he’s in a better headspace so we talk about that a lot. We barely talked about drums, we basically caught up and discussed the crazy stuff going on in the world, how it affects his touring plans and generally just hung out for a few hours. Be safe everyone!

CONTENT FOR YOUR SELF ISOLATION.

My guest this week is Caleb Shomo, singer/songwriter of Beartooth. I caught up with Caleb in Nottingham on their sold out tour with The Amity Affliction. We (of course) talked about St Anger, as well as his time in Attack Attack, how he started touring at 14 years old, recording/producing bands and how that led to his initial solo project which would become Beartooth. Great chat, great dude. Peace!

My guest this week is Blake Richardson, drummer of Between The Buried And Me. Blake is without a doubt one of the best drummers doing it right now in progressive music. The band has massively evolved over time and so has Blake's drumming so we talk a lot about that as well as influences, practice routines etc but also about health and fitness. We also delve into the realm of perfect post-show food, and the time my dad spiked me with morphine at Christmas dinner.

My guest this week is Andrew Tkaczyk, drummer of The Ghost Inside. On November 19th 2015 TGI and their crew were involved in a horrific tourbus crash which resulted in Andrew losing his right leg above the knee. Against all odds, Andrew (with a little bit of help from his father's ingenuity) is back RIPPING the drums. We obviously talk about the crash, but also his father's invention that allowed him to relearn the drums, his solo project One Decade, and his unlikely friendship with Travis Barker. Andrew is an amazingly positive soul and I had a great time talking to him. I only nearly cried like once.

My guest this week is Aric Improta of Night Verses / The Fever. Aric is a true artist, everything he does exudes creativity and he's definitely one of, if not THE most original drummer out there. We first met at Meinl Drum Fest in 2017 where he play one 40 minute drum solo without breaks. The guy is a freak. We talk about art, music, touring weird places and what it was like to work with multiple Grammy award-winning producer Ross Robinson.

My guest this week is Eddy Thrower, a session drummer from the UK who currently plays with Busted, and was formerly a member of Lower Than Atlantis. Eddy has had his fair share of session work as well but has now found himself a home in the online education world with his website and hugely popular instagram account. One of the 'real' ones, he's a great sport and we share a lot of the same views on social media and 'performance' in general. We talk about finding your space in the online drumming world, the good old days of touring in vans and plenty more...

My guest this week is Josh Middleton, guitarist of Architects and guitarist/vocalist/everything of Sylosis, who are back with a new album 'Cycle Of Suffering' of Feb 6th on Nuclear Blast.

My guest this week is Andrew Dijorio who sings in my band Stray From The Path. We're currently on a US tour so we talked rubbish in a hotel room for a hot minute. We talk about touring, recording our new album Internal Atomics and there's also a lengthy section about Drew's alter ego: The Jingle Man. We also fail to decide what to have for dinner. Enjoy!

Hi it's me I'm back and the guest is me. Explaining a bit of what's been going on lately with me health-wise and some Q&A. Peace!

My guest this week is Alessandro Venturella, aka V-Man. V-Man plays the bass in a band called Slipknot. If you don't know who Slipknot are I don't think I can help you with this podcast. Me and V go back around 10-15 years so we spend a lot of time reminiscing about the UK scene from back in the day, our similarities as UK-based techs who are now playing in US bands, as well as HOW EXACTLY ONE JOINS SLIPKNOT. We also of course talk about the new Slipknot album 'We Are Not Your Kind' and its recording process.

My guest this week is Matt Garstka, drummer of Animals as Leaders; and probably one of the best drummers in the world. I met up with Matt on his tour bus in Manchester during AAL's UK tour. We talked about drums A LOT: warm ups, practicing, music education (we share a love of old Hudson Music DVDs and VHS) as well as his own instructional video series. We also talked about his signature line of Meinl Cymbals: the Equilibrium hi hats and china. Matt is a wealth of knowledge and his passion for drums really shines through in everything he says, I'm grateful we had the chance to meet and have this chat. Top 5 this week is Meshuggah songs (obviously).

My guest this week is Mike Johnston. Mike is the owner of the most popular online drum lesson resource mikeslessons.com. At a time when online drum education was not what it is today, Mike started his website (against the advice of many) and built an empire. Mike is truly an inspirational speaker and thinker and we had a great chat. We talked about finding your lane in whatever you do, his old band days, THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAVIS BARKER, the meinl family, and much more. It's very refreshing to see someone in the industry who can be so business savvy yet so humble and it not be a front or a marketing gimmick, and for that reason (and others) this episode is a great listen even if you don't play the drums. I also only swear twice in this episode because I'm trying to be professional.

Mh guest this week is Will Thomson aka @thomsontattoos. Will is the owner of Beacon of Hope tattoo in Brighton and we've been friends since we met at fellow downbeat alumni Dan Searle's wedding. As well as being a great tattooer he's also a flat earther and one of the most ridiculous humans I've ever met. We talk about how he got into tattooing, his new shop, the old deathcore scene and there's a couple of very funny anecdotes about his mum. This episode is barely about music and is very explicit. You have been warned.

My guest this week is Nic Pettersen from Northlane. Nic is a bloody good Australian bloke. And he's a bloody good drummer. A real ripper. I said all that stuff in an Australian accent. Enjoy

My guest this week is Matt Halpern, drummer of Periphery. Matt and I are good friends and have known each other for around 9 years. He's a fantastic drummer (obviously) but also an accomplished clinician and, as I discovered during this podcast, an innovative businessman in the world of drums. We talked about dicks, and some other stuff. Does anyone read this?

My guest this week is Daniel P Carter.We had a proper laugh on this pod. Dan is probably most well known for being the presenter of the BBC Radio One Rock Show, and his podcast Someone Who Isn't Me (SWIM) but he's also been a guitarist in bands like A, Krokodil, The Bloodhound Gang and loads of others. We had a proper laugh on this pod. Dan's a very interesting guy, he's a mystical, magickal entity filled to the brim of ideas and esoteric ramblings....which I like. He's done it all. He's a top lad. See ya!

My guest this week is Josean Orta, drummer of Fit For An Autopsy. Josean came to Brooklyn from Puerto Rico 8 years ago to find himself a band and it worked. He is an incredibly hard working drummer and a great dude who LOVES drums. We talk about DRUMS obviously but also about jazz, injuries, recording, microdoseing and much more. Bartender Drew from Stray pops in for a minute also.

My guest this week is Tom Williams, guitarist of my own band Stray From The Path. We talk about his crippling addiction to gambling and who is bigger out of Rammstein and Tool. We also talk about music a tiny amount and of course the PissGhost haunting Will Putney's studio. Will actually drops in to disrupt the podcast with Pat from Fit For An Autopsy and Steve Seid stars as guest 'Jamie from the Joe Rogan Podcast.' This paragraph makes no sense but who even reads this BYE.

My guest this week is Justin Nace from PVRIS. Justin is an accomplished session drummer and a great guy. Can't remember what we talked about cus I'm literally about to go on tour and recorded this two weeks ago!

My guest this week is Brendan Murphy, singer of Counterparts. He's the funniest person I know.

My guest this week is Sam Carter. Sam is the singer in Architects and a bloody legend. I caught up with him on their bus after their sold out show in Manchester. We talk about their new album Holy Hell, school, football, becoming a touring musician, how Sam is still good at drums after all these years of being a frontman - and how for some mental reason I have been ghosting Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech in my twitter DMs.

My guest this week is Anup Sastry. Anup is one of metal's most in demand session drummers. He has played for artists like Marty Friedman (Megadeth), Jeff Loomis (Nevermore) and Devin Townsend as well as being either a touring or recording member of bands like Intervals and Monuments. We talk about how someone gets in his position, his studio, his upcoming sample pack and of course we talk a bunch about drums. It was nice. Enjoy!

No guest! I am the guest! I did a Q&A on social media and so I've answered the best and funniest questions here as well as tell a few stories. Amongst other things I talk about how my life in music got started, my own personal top 5 bands, and of course the question on everyone's lips - whether or not I would sleep with a mermaid.

My guest this week is Kerim "Krimh" Lechner. Krimh is a fantastic Austrian drummer currently playing with Greek death metal band Septic Flesh. Prior to this he played with Decapitated, and has also sessioned for Behemoth which as we all know is probably the hardest death metal gig you could ever get.  We talk about his time in all of these bands as well as foot technique, tattoos, health/fitness and how it relates to drumming, food, blah blah all the normal stuff. I also tell the story of how I nearly got killed by actual hippos. Enjoy!

I'M BACK FROM TOUR. My guest this week is Kyle Brownlee from Counterparts. Kyle is an incredible, VERY precise drummer, and also obviously a great guy. We talk SO much about drums and touring (for once), including the insane story of how he got so good at drums. Our top 5 starts off as bands but then ends up Top 5 songs by The Black Dahlia Murder. Peace!

My guest this week is Will Putney. Will is a three-time grammy nominated producer working out of probably my favourite studio in the world, Graphic Nature. He is also the guitarist and main songwriter of Fit For An Autopsy. We talk about what drummers can do to make the studio a better experience for themselves and everyone around them. We also talk about gear a fair bit and near the end we discuss the famous Gralter Challenge, which is absolutely insane.

My guest this week is one of my most beloved friends AND the most requested drummer so far: Dan Searle of Architects. We try and talk about drums but mostly we talk about the good old days when I was his drum tech, borrowing snare drums from Napalm Death, and I guess we talk a bit about their upcoming album Holy Hell. I also hypothesise what Dave Grohl could do to get his edge back.