Av Freeman better known as honestav, dropped by the KROQ studios in Los Angeles this week to talk with host Megan Holiday about his song "I'd Rather Overdose (ft Z)" which has become a massive hit on social media as well as a recent add on the station.

Born and raised in a small town outside of Springfield, MO, Av Freeman has been steadily releasing music online since 2021. As honestav, he shares personal tracks dealing with addiction, loss, and healing informed by a blend of Indie-Folk, Hip-Hop, and Pop influences.

“Ever since we made this song, yeah it's been a whirlwind. It's crazy,” honestav tells us. “I wrote this song, I think like late last year or the very end of last year, and then recorded it early January.” Once the single dropped, “People related right away,” he adds. “People played it on the Internet a lot. It kind of became a trend of people telling their story.”

“Oh, gosh, if you've ever seen the trend, it's hard to watch because people's stories are so touching,” he explains, “and I hate to say sad, but kind of sad. I think it just kind of related with a lot of people. Right away it kind of got some attention and, here we are.”

“I was in a really tough spot when I wrote this song. My dad just passed away,” honestav tells us of the song’s inspiration. “ I knew my dad had addictions and stuff… After he passed away, I started learning about his addictions and how he really battled with them silently. My mom growing up battled her addiction, she's in recovery as well though. So, I've seen addiction my whole life. My brother died in his addiction. All my mom's boyfriends, every relationship… addiction ruining people's lives.”

“I've struggled with my own addictions," he continues, “I've seen it my whole life. There's parts in the song where I'm talking about myself, and things that I've put other people through from my own addictions or my own problems. And then the hook, I'm basically just kind of talking to my dad.”

Once he saw how people gravitated to the message, “that's really when it kind of hit me,” he admits. “First of all, it's really cool that I'm not alone in this… to hear other people be like, ‘I went through the same things,’ or ‘I myself am addicted,’ or even people might say, ‘Man, I heard this song and I'm trying to get clean now,’ or ‘the song is helping me through a moment,’ -- that right there, it gives me goosebumps saying that. That's really what makes the song now. It started out as therapy for me, but the fact that it's turned into something for other people like that… that's everything right there.”

Don’t miss Megan Holiday’s full chat with honestav above and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Megan Holiday

Av Freeman better known as honestav, dropped by the KROQ studios in Los Angeles this week to talk with host Megan Holiday about his song "I'd Rather Overdose (ft Z)" which has become a massive hit on social media as well as a recent add on the station.
Born and raised in a small town outside of Springfield, MO, Av Freeman has been steadily releasing music online since 2021. As honestav, he shares personal tracks dealing with addiction, loss, and healing informed by a blend of Indie-Folk, Hip-Hop, and Pop influences.
“Ever since we made this song, yeah it's been a whirlwind. It's crazy,” honestav tells us. “I wrote this song, I think like late last year or the very end of last year, and then recorded it early January.” Once the single dropped, “People related right away,” he adds. “People played it on the Internet a lot. It kind of became a trend of people telling their story.”
“Oh, gosh, if you've ever seen the trend, it's hard to watch because people's stories are so touching,” he explains, “and I hate to say sad, but kind of sad. I think it just kind of related with a lot of people. Right away it kind of got some attention and, here we are.”
“I was in a really tough spot when I wrote this song. My dad just passed away,” honestav tells us of the song’s inspiration. “ I knew my dad had addictions and stuff… After he passed away, I started learning about his addictions and how he really battled with them silently. My mom growing up battled her addiction, she's in recovery as well though. So, I've seen addiction my whole life. My brother died in his addiction. All my mom's boyfriends, every relationship… addiction ruining people's lives.”
“I've struggled with my own addictions," he continues, “I've seen it my whole life. There's parts in the song where I'm talking about myself, and things that I've put other people through from my own addictions or my own problems. And then the hook, I'm basically just kind of talking to my dad.”
Once he saw how people gravitated to the message, “that's really when it kind of hit me,” he admits. “First of all, it's really cool that I'm not alone in this… to hear other people be like, ‘I went through the same things,’ or ‘I myself am addicted,’ or even people might say, ‘Man, I heard this song and I'm trying to get clean now,’ or ‘the song is helping me through a moment,’ -- that right there, it gives me goosebumps saying that. That's really what makes the song now. It started out as therapy for me, but the fact that it's turned into something for other people like that… that's everything right there.”
Don’t miss Megan Holiday’s full chat with honestav above and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Megan Holiday

Listen to the latest audio from KROQ on-demand.

Listen to the latest audio from KROQ on-demand.

KROQ Audio On-Demand

Honestav talks with Megan Holiday

Coldplay’s Chris Martin joined Audacy hosts Klein and Ally along with a room full of KROQ listeners in his Malibu studio to talk about the band’s brand new album, Moon Music, giving fans an up-close look at the writing and recording process behind the new offering, now available everywhere.

Chris tells us he hasn’t felt any of the earthquakes that have occurred in the Malibu area lately; it’s been nothing but good vibes in this space he’s invited us into to hear and discuss  Coldplay’s brand new album Moon Music. “This is where I work every day. This music was recorded here and in so many other places too on tour. But yes, all the sort of nerdy stuff happens in this room,” he explains.

We think it’s probably well known by now that Chris doesn’t necessarily need a studio to create his art, using his phone to save sounds and voice memos wherever he may be, and holding onto those ideas for a later date. Even before welcoming us into his space he says, “This morning something came through. I woke up and it was a song called ‘Trillionaire.’ And I'm like, ‘I can't sing a song called ‘Trillionaire,’ but I had to record it anyway. It might never get used, but that's a pact I made to myself that if an idea comes, I'll record it.” In this case, he explains, “It's a dance song, and I guess it's trying to say, ‘If I could value your worth in terms of love and beauty... If that equaled money, I'd be…’ But I was like, ‘This is just terrible.’”

“But I've told you now, on KROQ,” he jokes, though admits, “I don't think that song will ever even make it to the rest of the band.”

Now on their 10th studio release – with a promise of two more before calling it quits from dropping albums – Chris acknowledges that although the band is not as “novel” as they were in years past there may be “no reason really for anyone to go and seek out a new Coldplay album, except that this one's really good. These are songs that we really love and have collected over the last few years, and all I can say is it's something we need to make. I don't know if anyone's going to like it, but we needed to make it.”

Back to the ideas swirling around his head, which have sprouted songs with Pop, Rock, Alternative, R&B, and Hip-Hop flavors throughout Coldplay’s almost 30-year tenure, Martin admits there have even been some Country-fied musings. “Well, Beyoncé did hers, didn't she?” he asks with a hint of longing. “An idea did come through for a Country song yesterday,” he admits. “But that wasn't very good either.”

Quickly noticing one of the attendees in the studio, Chris pointed out, “What I'm so grateful for in 2024, amidst all the troubles of the world, is that most of the community of Earth is coming together. For example, you're wearing a Limp Bizkit t-shirt -- in Coldplay’s studio -- and it's totally great. That's the world I dream about,” he says. “For real… when we first played in America, the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, the idea of someone being fans of both of those bands at that time was really weird to people, and now it's just not. And that is proof, in my world at least, that things are moving in such a lovely direction in a lot of places, not everywhere, but…”

Another positive direction that Chris and Coldplay have been trying to nudge the world is one of sustainability, making sure during their touring schedule to drastically reduce their carbon footprint and help plant millions of trees across the globe “The truth is that's not us being any different to any other human who just wants to try and clean up the workplace,” he says. “What we've been so lucky with on this tour is that we've invited and then attracted lots of people who come up with these brilliant ideas.”

“A lot of our vinyl this time,” he explains, “we're only making a limited amount, but a lot of it was picked up in rivers in Indonesia and Malaysia where we own these boats called ‘River Clean Up Boats.’ They were invented by this guy called Boyan Slat, this young Dutch guy who also has made this thing called The Ocean Cleanup. So, we're not doing anything except just helping someone else do what their idea was. That's what I feel our job is right now, is to just help uncover brilliant people and put them in front of other people.”

Before diving into some questions from the KROQ listeners in the room, Chris noted, “I’d just like to say one thing; I apologize because in America, everything is so compartmentalized in terms of radio categories. We are, we've never been a Rock band and I'm very grateful to KROQ for pretending that we have been this whole time because we're just not. So, thank you all you Rock people for allowing the softest of rockers onto KROQ.”

Listen to Klein/Ally Show's full interview with Coldplay's Chris Martin above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy. Plus, follow our Coldplay Infinity Station and more on the free Audacy app.

Coldplay is on the road right now, bringing their celebration of 2021's Music Of The Spheres to every corner of the globe, including their home of the U.K. as well as Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab your tickets HERE.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Klein/Ally Show

Coldplay’s Chris Martin joined Audacy hosts Klein and Ally along with a room full of KROQ listeners in his Malibu studio to talk about the band’s brand new album, Moon Music, giving fans an up-close look at the writing and recording process behind the new offering, now available everywhere.
Chris tells us he hasn’t felt any of the earthquakes that have occurred in the Malibu area lately; it’s been nothing but good vibes in this space he’s invited us into to hear and discuss  Coldplay’s brand new album Moon Music. “This is where I work every day. This music was recorded here and in so many other places too on tour. But yes, all the sort of nerdy stuff happens in this room,” he explains.
We think it’s probably well known by now that Chris doesn’t necessarily need a studio to create his art, using his phone to save sounds and voice memos wherever he may be, and holding onto those ideas for a later date. Even before welcoming us into his space he says, “This morning something came through. I woke up and it was a song called ‘Trillionaire.’ And I'm like, ‘I can't sing a song called ‘Trillionaire,’ but I had to record it anyway. It might never get used, but that's a pact I made to myself that if an idea comes, I'll record it.” In this case, he explains, “It's a dance song, and I guess it's trying to say, ‘If I could value your worth in terms of love and beauty... If that equaled money, I'd be…’ But I was like, ‘This is just terrible.’”
“But I've told you now, on KROQ,” he jokes, though admits, “I don't think that song will ever even make it to the rest of the band.”
Now on their 10th studio release – with a promise of two more before calling it quits from dropping albums – Chris acknowledges that although the band is not as “novel” as they were in years past there may be “no reason really for anyone to go and seek out a new Coldplay album, except that this one's really good. These are songs that we really love and have collected over the last few years, and all I can say is it's something we need to make. I don't know if anyone's going to like it, but we needed to make it.”
Back to the ideas swirling around his head, which have sprouted songs with Pop, Rock, Alternative, R&amp;B, and Hip-Hop flavors throughout Coldplay’s almost 30-year tenure, Martin admits there have even been some Country-fied musings. “Well, Beyoncé did hers, didn't she?” he asks with a hint of longing. “An idea did come through for a Country song yesterday,” he admits. “But that wasn't very good either.”
Quickly noticing one of the attendees in the studio, Chris pointed out, “What I'm so grateful for in 2024, amidst all the troubles of the world, is that most of the community of Earth is coming together. For example, you're wearing a Limp Bizkit t-shirt -- in Coldplay’s studio -- and it's totally great. That's the world I dream about,” he says. “For real… when we first played in America, the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, the idea of someone being fans of both of those bands at that time was really weird to people, and now it's just not. And that is proof, in my world at least, that things are moving in such a lovely direction in a lot of places, not everywhere, but…”
Another positive direction that Chris and Coldplay have been trying to nudge the world is one of sustainability, making sure during their touring schedule to drastically reduce their carbon footprint and help plant millions of trees across the globe “The truth is that's not us being any different to any other human who just wants to try and clean up the workplace,” he says. “What we've been so lucky with on this tour is that we've invited and then attracted lots of people who come up with these brilliant ideas.”
“A lot of our vinyl this time,” he explains, “we're only making a limited amount, but a lot of it was picked up in rivers in Indonesia and Malaysia where we own these boats called ‘River Clean Up Boats.’ They were invented by this guy called Boyan Slat, this young Dutch guy who also has made this thing called <a href="https://theoceancleanup.com/">The Ocean Cleanup.</a> So, we're not doing anything except just helping someone else do what their idea was. That's what I feel our job is right now, is to just help uncover brilliant people and put them in front of other people.”
Before diving into some questions from the KROQ listeners in the room, Chris noted, “I’d just like to say one thing; I apologize because in America, everything is so compartmentalized in terms of radio categories. We are, we've never been a Rock band and I'm very grateful to KROQ for pretending that we have been this whole time because we're just not. So, thank you all you Rock people for allowing the softest of rockers onto KROQ.”
Listen to Klein/Ally Show's full interview with Coldplay's Chris Martin above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy. Plus, follow our Coldplay Infinity Station and more on the free Audacy app.
Coldplay is on the road right now, bringing their celebration of 2021's Music Of The Spheres to every corner of the globe, including their home of the U.K. as well as Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab your tickets <a href="https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ9171izV/coldplay-events">HERE</a>.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Klein/Ally Show

Coldplay's Chris Martin with Klein/Ally Show

Everclear's Art Alexakis joins Marci Wiser during KROQ's '90s at Noon.'

Everclear's Art Alexakis joins Marci Wiser during KROQ's '90s at Noon.'

Everclear's Art Alexakis with Marci Wiser

Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale joined Audacy’s Nicole Alvarez in Los Angeles this week to help host KROQ's 90's at Noon, and give fans an update as the band winds down their 2024 Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour.

LISTEN: Gavin Rossdale helps Nicole Alvarez with KROQ's '90's at Noon'

On the road since mid-July on their Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour, Bush will be wrapping it all up at L.A.’s Greek Theater on September 15. “It's literally one of my favorite venues,” Gavin tells us. “It's older, it's sort of got that wooden frame to it. You're nestled in, in Griffith Park.”

“I mean, music just has to be transcendent,” he explains. “It has to transcend us to somewhere different, and when you're in an environment like that, it just lends itself to just an explosive night of music.”

Getting into his DJ duties with Nicole today, Gavin chose to kick off the music portion with Bush’s classic, “The Chemicals Between Us.”

“First off, I'd say that it's not very English of me to present my own song first as my favorite… but I appreciate the fact you're playing it,” he laughs. “Anyway, what was weird about this song, I was thinking about it, was having done ‘Razorblade Suitcase’ and having really kind of explored that whole, really raw side of capturing the band that we did the record with Steve Albini -- that we should talk about as well because we love Steve -- something about ‘The Chemicals Between Us’ was this was one of the first attempts at trying to go somewhere different, and electrify it in a different way, and get away from the more raw approach… whether it worked or not.”

With the help of GRAMMY-winning producer Tom Elmhurst, “we just crafted something sort of a bit less raw, and just trying to make it go in a different direction. I called it ‘beeps and whistles’ at the time, but it was just a different vibe and still with a weird kind of concept about chemicals between people.”

Looking back on his history with KROQ, Gavin tells us, “They always say that it just takes one person or one entity to believe in you, you know, and all the naysayers can fall away.” After Bush’s 1994 debut, Sixteen Stone, dropped he says, “I was happy with it because I'd been an unsigned musician for a while and it was like, my legacy.” For months however, the album saw zero distribution.

“I was back at work, and I worked for four months,” Gavin remembers. “I was back painting, decorating, and doing all that… I painted 11 dentist offices in the west end of London, all the color of magnolia. In November, I got a call that my then record label said KROQ have picked up the song, this was ‘Everything Zen.’”

Back to his day job today, another choice pick from Gavin and his crew was Garbage’s “Stupid Girl.”

“You know, the best thing in music is attitude,” he explains, “and Shirley Manson, when I was asked to pick some songs from the ‘90s and who was one of the most important artists, I thought of Shirley and I thought of her power, and I thought of this song. I love this band.”

Alice In Chains also made Rossdale’s list, featuring his friend Jerry Cantrell, or “Cantr-Elvis” as he calls him. “First off, I got to say that when I had been in two bands before Bush, and the second band, I didn't play guitar in it. The guitar guy was a really good guitar player and he wanted to play guitar. Anyway, that band kind of went away, he left me,” Gavin says, “and I gotta just say how much that ‘Man In the Box’ was such a lighthouse for Rock music for me for just what was possible.”

“If you weren't going to be in a hair metal band, you know, where those guys sang, I didn't feel connected to them,” he explains. “But something about ‘Man In the Box’ had all that post-punk… really, just an amazing sound and that just set a template for so many of us that we're all in debt to that song.”

Gavin continues, “I hear it every night because he's on the road with me now, and I've actually sang on this song. When I was on tour with Alice In Chains, I sang this song and it was so cool because I'd be in the dressing room talking to people and they'd be saying something, I’d say ‘Listen, I gotta go, I gotta go sing for Alice In Chains,’ my favorite line. I’d just go around to stand next to people so I could say that to them.”

Reflecting on the past few months, “I'm super excited to have had the ‘Greatest Hits’ because I really learned that it's all about celebrating that time,” Gavin tells us, “and to be here now on this full circle thing is really incredible.”

“Something that for me personally, as a creative person, was important to me was, before we went on that tour, was to try and do a record, so that we weren't creatively bankrupt at the end of the tour,” he adds. “So, we did the record,” Gavin reveals. “I think it's called ‘I Beat Loneliness.’ I might change my mind but for now, that's what it is, ‘I Beat Loneliness’ and I'm so excited about it. It's just like a further continuation of our journey and trying to get better and sort of understand, I don't know, just get to the core of everything. It's a lot about people and interpersonal relationships and how we navigate all these mad challenges that I think that everybody is suffering a lot of the time and I find that writing songs that have a cathartic sort of release, and people find that, as I said before, that transcendence.”

Lastly, in honor of late Chicago music icon and producer Steve Albini, Gavin adds, “I just wanted to sort of pay homage to a great friend and an incredible recording engineer as I think he would like to be known as… he just passed away in November. It's been a terrible few months and it's just very upsetting, and I'm so happy we made a record with him. I'm so happy. I had a long friendship with him and I maintain a friendship with his wife Heather, and I'm just saying that so many musicians owe him such a debt.”

“I spoke earlier about Alice In Chains," he says, "but there's also the Pixies, 'Bone Machine' [from the Albini-produced Surfer Rosa]. Those records were the most informative records… just too many bands to choose from. So anyway, I love Steve and I wanted to pay my respects to him."

Don't miss Nicole Alvarez's full chat with Gavin Rossdale above -- and follow along with Bush More Than Machines Radio and more on the free Audacy app.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Nicole Alvarez

Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale joined Audacy’s Nicole Alvarez in Los Angeles this week to help host KROQ's 90's at Noon, and give fans an update as the band winds down their 2024 Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour.
LISTEN: Gavin Rossdale helps Nicole Alvarez with KROQ's '90's at Noon'
On the road since mid-July on their Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour, Bush will be wrapping it all up at L.A.’s Greek Theater on September 15. “It's literally one of my favorite venues,” Gavin tells us. “It's older, it's sort of got that wooden frame to it. You're nestled in, in Griffith Park.”
“I mean, music just has to be transcendent,” he explains. “It has to transcend us to somewhere different, and when you're in an environment like that, it just lends itself to just an explosive night of music.”
Getting into his DJ duties with Nicole today, Gavin chose to kick off the music portion with Bush’s classic, “The Chemicals Between Us.”
“First off, I'd say that it's not very English of me to present my own song first as my favorite… but I appreciate the fact you're playing it,” he laughs. “Anyway, what was weird about this song, I was thinking about it, was having done ‘Razorblade Suitcase’ and having really kind of explored that whole, really raw side of capturing the band that we did the record with Steve Albini -- that we should talk about as well because we love Steve -- something about ‘The Chemicals Between Us’ was this was one of the first attempts at trying to go somewhere different, and electrify it in a different way, and get away from the more raw approach… whether it worked or not.”
With the help of GRAMMY-winning producer Tom Elmhurst, “we just crafted something sort of a bit less raw, and just trying to make it go in a different direction. I called it ‘beeps and whistles’ at the time, but it was just a different vibe and still with a weird kind of concept about chemicals between people.”
Looking back on his history with KROQ, Gavin tells us, “They always say that it just takes one person or one entity to believe in you, you know, and all the naysayers can fall away.” After Bush’s 1994 debut, Sixteen Stone, dropped he says, “I was happy with it because I'd been an unsigned musician for a while and it was like, my legacy.” For months however, the album saw zero distribution.
“I was back at work, and I worked for four months,” Gavin remembers. “I was back painting, decorating, and doing all that… I painted 11 dentist offices in the west end of London, all the color of magnolia. In November, I got a call that my then record label said KROQ have picked up the song, this was ‘Everything Zen.’”
Back to his day job today, another choice pick from Gavin and his crew was Garbage’s “Stupid Girl.”
“You know, the best thing in music is attitude,” he explains, “and Shirley Manson, when I was asked to pick some songs from the ‘90s and who was one of the most important artists, I thought of Shirley and I thought of her power, and I thought of this song. I love this band.”
Alice In Chains also made Rossdale’s list, featuring his friend Jerry Cantrell, or “Cantr-Elvis” as he calls him. “First off, I got to say that when I had been in two bands before Bush, and the second band, I didn't play guitar in it. The guitar guy was a really good guitar player and he wanted to play guitar. Anyway, that band kind of went away, he left me,” Gavin says, “and I gotta just say how much that ‘Man In the Box’ was such a lighthouse for Rock music for me for just what was possible.”
“If you weren't going to be in a hair metal band, you know, where those guys sang, I didn't feel connected to them,” he explains. “But something about ‘Man In the Box’ had all that post-punk… really, just an amazing sound and that just set a template for so many of us that we're all in debt to that song.”
Gavin continues, “I hear it every night because he's on the road with me now, and I've actually sang on this song. When I was on tour with Alice In Chains, I sang this song and it was so cool because I'd be in the dressing room talking to people and they'd be saying something, I’d say ‘Listen, I gotta go, I gotta go sing for Alice In Chains,’ my favorite line. I’d just go around to stand next to people so I could say that to them.”
Reflecting on the past few months, “I'm super excited to have had the ‘Greatest Hits’ because I really learned that it's all about celebrating that time,” Gavin tells us, “and to be here now on this full circle thing is really incredible.”
“Something that for me personally, as a creative person, was important to me was, before we went on that tour, was to try and do a record, so that we weren't creatively bankrupt at the end of the tour,” he adds. “So, we did the record,” Gavin reveals. “I think it's called ‘I Beat Loneliness.’ I might change my mind but for now, that's what it is, ‘I Beat Loneliness’ and I'm so excited about it. It's just like a further continuation of our journey and trying to get better and sort of understand, I don't know, just get to the core of everything. It's a lot about people and interpersonal relationships and how we navigate all these mad challenges that I think that everybody is suffering a lot of the time and I find that writing songs that have a cathartic sort of release, and people find that, as I said before, that transcendence.”
Lastly, in honor of late Chicago music icon and producer Steve Albini, Gavin adds, “I just wanted to sort of pay homage to a great friend and an incredible recording engineer as I think he would like to be known as… he just passed away in November. It's been a terrible few months and it's just very upsetting, and I'm so happy we made a record with him. I'm so happy. I had a long friendship with him and I maintain a friendship with his wife Heather, and I'm just saying that so many musicians owe him such a debt.”
“I spoke earlier about Alice In Chains," he says, "but there's also the Pixies, 'Bone Machine' [from the Albini-produced Surfer Rosa]. Those records were the most informative records… just too many bands to choose from. So anyway, I love Steve and I wanted to pay my respects to him."
Don't miss Nicole Alvarez's full chat with Gavin Rossdale above -- and follow along with Bush More Than Machines Radio and more on the free Audacy app.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Nicole Alvarez

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