Interview with Stand Up Comedian and Podcaster Jen Kirkman for Zoiks! Online.

Eddie Trunk is the premiere rock journalist. He’s got three radio shows, he co hosts “That Metal Show” and he has “The Eddie Trunk Podcast.” It’s rough out there for rock bands right now but it’s equally as rough for rock journalists. Eddie and I have a great conversation about “That Metal Show,” a potential Guns n Roses reunion and the state of the rock music industry.

Today I got the chance to sit down with my first rock hero, Joey Tempest of Europe to talk about their new album “War of Kings.”

Recently I got the chance to sit down with Steve Zetro Souza of Exodus.

One of my favorite interviews that I’ve ever done is with Burton Cummings of The Guess Who. The man is such a story teller and he’s got great stories. Unfortunately shortly after doing the interview my computer crashed and I lost everything including this interview. I had emailed it to a couple of people but I couldn’t find it, finally almost a year later my sister found it buried in her email. So this email is a little dated, but it’s one of the best interviews I’ve ever done. Growing up my dad was a huge The Guess Who fan. If you asked my dad who the best guitarist of all time he’d say Randy Bachman, the best singer was Burton Cummings and the best piano player wasn’t Elton John or Billy Joel, it was Burton Cummings. I’ve become a fan myself. The stories that Mr. Cummings has are spectacular. You need to hear his story about driving Jim Morrison around all night long the first time he stepped foot in Los Angeles.

My first guitar hero was Joe Perry from Aerosmith. I was turned onto the band in Jr. High. “Get a Grip” had just come out and I had heard them play “Dream On” with Michael Kamen’s orchestra on MTV. I bought the “Greatest Hits” and from there fell into a deeper and deeper appreciation for Aerosmith’s music. My favorite album of all time is Aerosmith’s “Rocks.” Joe Perry recently released his memoir “Rocks: My Life in and Out of Aerosmith.” i was predestined to love this book. That said Joe Perry went out of his way to knock himself off of the pedestal I put him on. This book doesn’t glorify the sex or the drugs and it’s not about throwing Steven Tyler or anybody else in his life under the proverbial bus. It’s just Joe Perry telling his story, this could have been anybody’s story it just happens to be his. Fans can purchase “ROCKS: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith” here: Amazon.com – http://amzn.to/WiG3qm Barnes & Noble – http://bit.ly/1twTeSY BAM – http://bit.ly/1Belzi2 Indie Bound – http://bit.ly/Yfg4ln Audible.com – http://bit.ly/1xgPRSx    For more information, visit: joeperry.com

Shaman’s Harvest is a great new rock band. Currently they’re about to go out on the road with Fozzy to support their new album “Smokin’ Hearts & Broken Guns.” I personally cannot wait to catch these guys live later this month. I got the chance to chat with frontman Nate Hunt and I had a great time. This guy was diagnosed with throat cancer during the creation of the album. Currently he’s in remission with a great album under his belt.

I got the chance to cover this years Uproar Festival tour in Peru, IL which featured rock heavy weights Seether. Seether has been around a long time and you could hear their influence on nearly every young band that played before them. Seether are veterans at this point who rely on their songs and playing ability live. They’ve got a new album out called “Isolate & Medicate.” Recently I got a chance to chat is drummer John Humphrey about Uproar, the new album and the state of rock n roll.

I’d never head of the band Leaving Eden before, but when I was turned onto them I fell in love. These guys are right up my alley. They have elements of classic rock, metal, pop, this band has it all yet they don’t sound like anybody you’ve heard. They have a new album out called “Welcome to my World.” Check them out at www.leavingeden.com. I got the chance to chat with guitarist and song writer Eric Gynan.

Progressive Rock icons Yes are back with a brand new album “Heaven and Earth.” I haven’t had my whole life to sit on this album like I have “Fragile” and “Close to the Edge,” but I did enjoy what I heard. Only time will tell if these songs stand the test of time. As a guitar player I was always irritated when I’d look at the best rock guitarist of all time lists and see that Steve Howe either wasn’t on them or barely cracked the top 100. Steve Howe is a guitar God in my opinion and not enough people understand that. I grew up with the music of Yes, my dad literally played the music to me while i was in the womb. Yes is one of the best bands of all time and recently I got the chance to chat with one of my heroes, Mr. Steve Howe.