Singer Gwen Stefani recently joined host Kevan Kenney at KROQ in Los Angeles to give us a preview of her brand new, fifth solo album, Bouquet, set for release on November 15.

Gwen Stefani’s forthcoming 2024 album Bouquet is scheduled to drop on November 15, the former No Doubt frontwoman’s first release since 2017's You Make It Feel Like Christmas featuring the previously released singles "Purple Irises” (a duet with her husband Blake Shelton) and "Somebody Else's."

“It's weird because I know everyone's like, ‘Oh, it's been so long,’ and it has -- but it went so fast,” Gwen says of the break between albums. “There was so much destruction that happened about 10 years ago in my life and that takes a lot of healing, a lot of picking up the pieces. You know, then there was COVID, and during that time period I felt like I got really inspired, like, I really wanted to write a new record, and I wanted to make something joyful and happy.”

Looking back she says she thought at the time, “‘I'm going to make a Reggae record,’ ‘I'm going to make a Ska record.’ I was getting nostalgic because I think we all went through that COVID brain, like ‘What's happening?’ It was really a game changer for our lives.” Towards the end of the pandemic, it was fellow singer/songwriter Kelly Clarkson who finally kicked Gwen into high gear. “Kelly was texting me all these songs she'd written and I was like, ‘Hey, you're getting me jealous. When do you write these?’ She has the babies, I'm like, ‘When are you writing?’”

Kelly said she simply stays up all night to get the work done, “Meanwhile,” Gwen adds, “I'm doing home school, trying to do the whole thing… making the bread, all the stuff we were doing, but I ended up going to the studio. I think I was really chasing the wrong direction, like not knowing how to not repeat myself, or even trying to find the right room, with the right collaborators.”

“I finally wrote ‘Purple Irises’ and that was crazy,” says Stefani, “because I went in the room with this young girl,” an L.A. artist called Nico, she explains, whose mom she said used to listen to No Doubt. “It's just so interesting to meet a girl that's an artist, a songwriter, that's so confident and so open to letting me be myself, and it was just like a safe place with her. When we wrote that first song together, I was like, ‘OK, she's letting me have space in the room.’ It just landed finally, and I knew sonically where I wanted to go.”

“I had written a lot of songs before I landed and picked these songs for ‘Bouquet,’” Gwen adds, “because I wanted it to be honest, and I wanted to be pure, and I wanted it to be not competing with me, not competing with everyone else that's happy. I just wanted it to be an art piece -- so I feel like I got there. It's really emotional because just sharing it is another level because when you write the songs, they're speaking back to you in that emotional way. Now when I hear it, I hear it like it's therapy, and then when you share it and then someone else responds the way you want them to…  it's just so healing. Music is so cool.”

“This record has been going on forever,” Gwen admits, “But I was like, it doesn't matter because it's art. If it takes that long then it doesn't even matter if it never comes out really because the process is what I needed.”

Don't miss Kevan Kenney's full chat with Gwen Stefani above -- plus, listen to No Doubt Radio and more on the free Audacy app.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Kevan Kenney

Singer Gwen Stefani recently joined host Kevan Kenney at KROQ in Los Angeles to give us a preview of her brand new, fifth solo album, Bouquet, set for release on November 15.
Gwen Stefani’s forthcoming 2024 album Bouquet is scheduled to drop on November 15, the former No Doubt frontwoman’s first release since 2017's You Make It Feel Like Christmas featuring the previously released singles "Purple Irises” (a duet with her husband Blake Shelton) and "Somebody Else's."
“It's weird because I know everyone's like, ‘Oh, it's been so long,’ and it has -- but it went so fast,” Gwen says of the break between albums. “There was so much destruction that happened about 10 years ago in my life and that takes a lot of healing, a lot of picking up the pieces. You know, then there was COVID, and during that time period I felt like I got really inspired, like, I really wanted to write a new record, and I wanted to make something joyful and happy.”
Looking back she says she thought at the time, “‘I'm going to make a Reggae record,’ ‘I'm going to make a Ska record.’ I was getting nostalgic because I think we all went through that COVID brain, like ‘What's happening?’ It was really a game changer for our lives.” Towards the end of the pandemic, it was fellow singer/songwriter Kelly Clarkson who finally kicked Gwen into high gear. “Kelly was texting me all these songs she'd written and I was like, ‘Hey, you're getting me jealous. When do you write these?’ She has the babies, I'm like, ‘When are you writing?’”
Kelly said she simply stays up all night to get the work done, “Meanwhile,” Gwen adds, “I'm doing home school, trying to do the whole thing… making the bread, all the stuff we were doing, but I ended up going to the studio. I think I was really chasing the wrong direction, like not knowing how to not repeat myself, or even trying to find the right room, with the right collaborators.”
“I finally wrote ‘Purple Irises’ and that was crazy,” says Stefani, “because I went in the room with this young girl,” an L.A. artist called Nico, she explains, whose mom she said used to listen to No Doubt. “It's just so interesting to meet a girl that's an artist, a songwriter, that's so confident and so open to letting me be myself, and it was just like a safe place with her. When we wrote that first song together, I was like, ‘OK, she's letting me have space in the room.’ It just landed finally, and I knew sonically where I wanted to go.”
“I had written a lot of songs before I landed and picked these songs for ‘Bouquet,’” Gwen adds, “because I wanted it to be honest, and I wanted to be pure, and I wanted it to be not competing with me, not competing with everyone else that's happy. I just wanted it to be an art piece -- so I feel like I got there. It's really emotional because just sharing it is another level because when you write the songs, they're speaking back to you in that emotional way. Now when I hear it, I hear it like it's therapy, and then when you share it and then someone else responds the way you want them to…  it's just so healing. Music is so cool.”
“This record has been going on forever,” Gwen admits, “But I was like, it doesn't matter because it's art. If it takes that long then it doesn't even matter if it never comes out really because the process is what I needed.”
Don't miss Kevan Kenney's full chat with Gwen Stefani above -- plus, listen to <a href="https://go.audacy.com/w-listen-live-nodoubtradio">No Doubt Radio</a> and more on the free Audacy app.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Kevan Kenney

Gwen Stefani with Kevan Kenney

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

Gavin Rossdale talks with Nicole Alvarez

Guitarist and co-vocalist Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park dropped by KROQ in Los Angeles Friday -- hot on the heels of the band's major announcement of new music and new bandmates -- to give host Nicole Alvarez a rundown on the new LP era.

Linkin Park just made their 2024 return with a special livestream event on Thursday (9/5) unveiling new vocalist Emily Armstrong (formerly of Dead Sara) and drummer Colin Brittain to fans -- as well as their first new music in seven years, “The Emptiness Machine,” off of the forthcoming album FROM ZERO set for release on November 15.

When Nicole spoke with Mike at the beginning of last year during the band's Meteora 20th anniversary celebrations, he had just shared their archived track “Lost,” featuring late singer Chester Bennington, which at the time led fans to wildly speculate about an imminent reunion.

“What's important to know here is that we didn't have like a moment where we said, ‘Hey, let's get the band back together,’” Shinoda explains. “We didn't have a moment where we said, ‘Let's try out singers.’” People had made a few suggestions, he admits, his favorite being an ‘American Idol’ voice style competition. However, that would have been “the opposite of what we felt was the right thing,” he says, “because our band is built on natural chemistry and relationships… it's just very important.”

At the start of the year he explains, the rest of the band had started talking more often, even approaching ideas like beginning to make some music again. “It doesn't have to be Linkin Park,” he says of those early discussions. “Let's just get together and be creative and have fun -- and that's what we did. It was more about just spending more time together, and then the more time evolved into songs, and the songs evolved into, ‘Let's invite some other people in and see how that feels.’”

Eventually, the band landed on Emily Armstrong, and “the stuff we make with her is special,” he says. "I don't know why it's special, it just feels special, and even though the things we've made are good, I bet we make stuff that's great with her if we just do it more often.”

“We also met Colin [Brittain] who’s playing drums for us now,” Shinoda adds. “Colin is a writer and producer that I met in a session, like some random session a few years ago, and just instantly clicked with him. So, once the six of us all started to get together with Brad and Joe and Dave, it was like, it just slowly came into focus.”

In the process of working on new music with Emily, an older track was resurfaced, “The Emptiness Machine,” with the intention of getting her to learn the words and see how it sounded. “She came in and crushed it,” Shinoda says, “and we were like, ‘That's like Linkin Park!’ You can't listen to that song and say it's anything else. At that point too, we were considering, ‘Should we call this a different band name?’ And when she was singing on certain things, it sounded so much like the band it's just, for me, I was just like, ‘That feels good.’"

As far as the critics go, “We've all talked about it with each other and with her a million times and we're still talking about it. One difficult thing that people are experiencing is just that they've heard Linkin Park for so long with Chester's voice and the idea of somebody else being in that role feels really different. I know that, in the context of the music that's not released yet, I know that I love it. I think her voice is incredible.”

“The best thing for people who have such a strong connection to Chester to know,” he explains, “is that Chester was a one-of-a-kind person and a one-of-a-kind-voice and Emily is also a one-of-a-kind-person and a one-of-a-kind voice. She's not trying to be him. She's trying to be her, and it so happens that I think she, singing on these songs, sounds like Linkin Park.”

Don't miss Nicole Alvarez's full chat with Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda above and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Nicole Alvarez

Guitarist and co-vocalist Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park dropped by KROQ in Los Angeles Friday -- hot on the heels of the band's major announcement of new music and new bandmates -- to give host Nicole Alvarez a rundown on the new LP era.
Linkin Park just made their 2024 return with a special livestream event on Thursday (9/5) unveiling new vocalist Emily Armstrong (formerly of Dead Sara) and drummer Colin Brittain to fans -- as well as their first new music in seven years, “The Emptiness Machine,” off of the forthcoming album FROM ZERO set for release on November 15.
When Nicole spoke with Mike at the beginning of last year during the band's Meteora 20th anniversary celebrations, he had just shared their archived track “Lost,” featuring late singer Chester Bennington, which at the time led fans to wildly speculate about an imminent reunion.
“What's important to know here is that we didn't have like a moment where we said, ‘Hey, let's get the band back together,’” Shinoda explains. “We didn't have a moment where we said, ‘Let's try out singers.’” People had made a few suggestions, he admits, his favorite being an ‘American Idol’ voice style competition. However, that would have been “the opposite of what we felt was the right thing,” he says, “because our band is built on natural chemistry and relationships… it's just very important.”
At the start of the year he explains, the rest of the band had started talking more often, even approaching ideas like beginning to make some music again. “It doesn't have to be Linkin Park,” he says of those early discussions. “Let's just get together and be creative and have fun -- and that's what we did. It was more about just spending more time together, and then the more time evolved into songs, and the songs evolved into, ‘Let's invite some other people in and see how that feels.’”
Eventually, the band landed on Emily Armstrong, and “the stuff we make with her is special,” he says. "I don't know why it's special, it just feels special, and even though the things we've made are good, I bet we make stuff that's great with her if we just do it more often.”
“We also met Colin [Brittain] who’s playing drums for us now,” Shinoda adds. “Colin is a writer and producer that I met in a session, like some random session a few years ago, and just instantly clicked with him. So, once the six of us all started to get together with Brad and Joe and Dave, it was like, it just slowly came into focus.”
In the process of working on new music with Emily, an older track was resurfaced, “The Emptiness Machine,” with the intention of getting her to learn the words and see how it sounded. “She came in and crushed it,” Shinoda says, “and we were like, ‘That's like Linkin Park!’ You can't listen to that song and say it's anything else. At that point too, we were considering, ‘Should we call this a different band name?’ And when she was singing on certain things, it sounded so much like the band it's just, for me, I was just like, ‘That feels good.’"
As far as the critics go, “We've all talked about it with each other and with her a million times and we're still talking about it. One difficult thing that people are experiencing is just that they've heard Linkin Park for so long with Chester's voice and the idea of somebody else being in that role feels really different. I know that, in the context of the music that's not released yet, I know that I love it. I think her voice is incredible.”
“The best thing for people who have such a strong connection to Chester to know,” he explains, “is that Chester was a one-of-a-kind person and a one-of-a-kind-voice and Emily is also a one-of-a-kind-person and a one-of-a-kind voice. She's not trying to be him. She's trying to be her, and it so happens that I think she, singing on these songs, sounds like Linkin Park.”
Don't miss Nicole Alvarez's full chat with Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda above and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Nicole Alvarez

Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins joins us on the release day of the band’s brand new album, ‘Aghori Mhori Mei,’ to give us some insight about the making of the record, his idea of not being able to go home again, and plenty more.

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins joins us on the release day of the band’s brand new album, ‘Aghori Mhori Mei,’ to give us some insight about the making of the record, his idea of not being able to go home again, and plenty more.

Billy Corgan on getting back into the ‘90s mindset for The Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Aghori Mhori Mei’

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

Honestav talks with Megan Holiday

As our country faces unprecedented times in the heat of an election year and remains more divided than ever, there’s one individual who has restored unity. Her name? HalieyWelch, better known as, “hawk tuah girl.”

Welch went viral earlier this summer while visiting Nashville with her friend and making a sex joke on a vlog that was polling random people in the downtown area. “You gotta give him that hawk tuah and spit on that thang,” Welch said in the original video when asked what makes a man go crazy in the bedroom every time. “You get me?”

The Tennessee native’s response has since gone completely viral and her life went from small town living and working a minimum wage, factory job to big-time fame as she now makes high-profile public appearances, has hundreds of songs about her, her own merchandise, and gets marriage proposals on the regular.

“I actually had guy last week at one of my appearances propose to me with a ring pop.... It’s hard to turn down,” Welch told KROQ’s Klein/Ally Show. before detailing just how much her life has changed. Welch appears to be embracing the fame and new-found attention well as she went from not being on social media at all to almost 2 million followers and the ability to quit her minimum wage job on a whim.

“I really didn’t even plan to quit,” she explained of recently putting in notice at the spring factory she worked at. “The day I quit, I had no intention of doing it, but I was like, ‘Well, I might as well. I’m fixin’ to start traveling a whole lot.’ It’s a factory, so you got points and stuff like that you can use when you’re calling out and I was running out of points,” she laughed.

While she is embracing new opportunities and cashing in on being in what she described as “the wrong place at the wrong time,” Welch is also staying true to her humble roots and making sure she never forgets where she came from. “I know this is probably all a mind, brain fog with all this stuff going on — cash in as much as you can, but you need to get back home with your grandma,” a caller named Ken shared while calling in during Halley’s segment on KROQ.

“I agree completely, I’ll be there with her soon,” she responded. “Don’t you worry.”

Hear more about how Welch plans to handle her new-found fame, some relationship advice she had for listeners and exactly what she remembers from the night she gave the response that would change her life forever by checking out her entire conversation above.

As our country faces unprecedented times in the heat of an election year and remains more divided than ever, there’s one individual who has restored unity. Her name? Haliey Welch, better known as, “hawk tuah girl.”
Welch went viral earlier this summer while visiting Nashville with her friend and making a sex joke on a vlog that was polling random people in the downtown area. “You gotta give him that hawk tuah and spit on that thang,” Welch said in the original video when asked what makes a man go crazy in the bedroom every time. “You get me?”
The Tennessee native’s response has since gone completely viral and her life went from small town living and working a minimum wage, factory job to big-time fame as she now makes high-profile public appearances, has hundreds of songs about her, her own merchandise, and gets marriage proposals on the regular.
“I actually had guy last week at one of my appearances propose to me with a ring pop.... It’s hard to turn down,” Welch told KROQ’s Klein/Ally Show. before detailing just how much her life has changed. Welch appears to be embracing the fame and new-found attention well as she went from not being on social media at all to almost 2 million followers and the ability to quit her minimum wage job on a whim.
“I really didn’t even plan to quit,” she explained of recently putting in notice at the spring factory she worked at. “The day I quit, I had no intention of doing it, but I was like, ‘Well, I might as well. I’m fixin’ to start traveling a whole lot.’ It’s a factory, so you got points and stuff like that you can use when you’re calling out and I was running out of points,” she laughed.
While she is embracing new opportunities and cashing in on being in what she described as “the wrong place at the wrong time,” Welch is also staying true to her humble roots and making sure she never forgets where she came from. “I know this is probably all a mind, brain fog with all this stuff going on — cash in as much as you can, but you need to get back home with your grandma,” a caller named Ken shared while calling in during Halley’s segment on KROQ.
“I agree completely, I’ll be there with her soon,” she responded. “Don’t you worry.”
Hear more about how Welch plans to handle her new-found fame, some relationship advice she had for listeners and exactly what she remembers from the night she gave the response that would change her life forever by checking out her entire conversation above.

'Hawk Tuah Girl' Haliey Welch

Pro skater Paul "P-Rod" Rodriguez talks about the upcoming X Games Ventura with host Megan Holiday.

Pro skater Paul "P-Rod" Rodriguez talks about the upcoming X Games Ventura with host Megan Holiday.

Paul "P-Rod" Rodriguez talks X Games Ventura

This week Sublime founding member Eric Wilson and the band’s new frontman Jacob Nowell -- son of the late Bradley Nowell -- dropped by the Klein.Ally.Show at the KROQ studios in Los Angeles, bearing gifts including an exclusive spin of their new song, “Feel Like That,” featuring both Bradley and Jakob's vocals.

Now a full member of Sublime, Jakob remembers, “I was definitely a very small child when he passed away but you know, growing up with so much of the interesting culture that Sublime created, it was sort of always there in the background of my life.”

“Having been in and out of bands the last 10 years just trying to toil in obscurity,” he says, “It's so crazy,” getting to work so closely with his uncles, and especially now hearing his and his late father’s voices side by side. “It's totally eerie,” he admits, “but it all came together in such an organic way of us just jamming with people that we like that it feels really natural.”

“I think the universe put it together for us pretty much,” Eric adds.

“It's only gonna keep getting better,” Jakob says of his involvement with the band. “I try to take the gig super seriously and just learn it as best to my abilities, and also try to portray the music faithfully and have fun doing it. That's the main thing when I'm up there with these guys. We’re just having a blast.”

“To be back with my brother Bud [Gaugh] is fantastic,” Eric says of the reunion. “You know, I miss him to death and we weren’t getting along for a long time, but now I'm just so thankful.”

Jakob’s contribution, he says, “Added to his dad's vocals because he's been doing this stuff… building his band… and then so he came out with us. He's put his time in.” Turning to Jakob, Eric asks, “How long have you been listening to Sublime now?”

“I mean, it's always been there when I was a little kid, but actually listening, man, just since we started jamming again. Before the [benefit for Bad Brains frontman HR], I went and actually listened to all the records all the way through because it's like, it was hard for me. I never sought it out because it's kind of emotional hearing a passed family member's voice. It kind of tugs at you, but for this right reason, it just felt totally right.”

“I never thought I'd do something like this track and I think it's the lyrical content, the sound of it -- It's kind of perfect for the era we're in,” Jakob says of their 2024 track “Feel Like That.”

“All the music means so much to me,” he says. “It's been so many years this music has meant so much to so many people, it's so cool to kind of usher in a new era here.”

It’s worth mentioning that Bradley Nowell’s vocals featured in the song are his actual vocals, not AI-generated, a concept the guys are both absolutely opposed to. “It kind of cuts out our job, doesn't it?” Jakob asks. Although he does admit that since the day he started singing he sounded similar to his father. “There's certain things,” he says, “it'll come out almost when I don't even think about it, when I don't try to.”

“It's almost like the less I try to, the better,” he explains. “You know, I could do it one-for-one and try to sound exactly like him, and there'd still be people who would be like, ‘Well, now he doesn't have enough…’ You're never gonna please everybody by doing things one-to-one, so I try to hit things in a genuine way. I think that a lot of times what made my dad's talent so cool is it appeared so effortless, and it appeared so fun and just in the moment, and improvisational. I try to keep that in mind in the spirit of everything we do.”

Don't miss Klein and Ally's full interview with Sublime above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Klein.Ally.Show

This week Sublime founding member Eric Wilson and the band’s new frontman Jacob Nowell -- son of the late Bradley Nowell -- dropped by the Klein.Ally.Show at the KROQ studios in Los Angeles, bearing gifts including an exclusive spin of their new song, “Feel Like That,” featuring both Bradley and Jakob's vocals.
Now a full member of Sublime, Jakob remembers, “I was definitely a very small child when he passed away but you know, growing up with so much of the interesting culture that Sublime created, it was sort of always there in the background of my life.”
“Having been in and out of bands the last 10 years just trying to toil in obscurity,” he says, “It's so crazy,” getting to work so closely with his uncles, and especially now hearing his and his late father’s voices side by side. “It's totally eerie,” he admits, “but it all came together in such an organic way of us just jamming with people that we like that it feels really natural.”
“I think the universe put it together for us pretty much,” Eric adds.
“It's only gonna keep getting better,” Jakob says of his involvement with the band. “I try to take the gig super seriously and just learn it as best to my abilities, and also try to portray the music faithfully and have fun doing it. That's the main thing when I'm up there with these guys. We’re just having a blast.”
“To be back with my brother Bud [Gaugh] is fantastic,” Eric says of the reunion. “You know, I miss him to death and we weren’t getting along for a long time, but now I'm just so thankful.”
Jakob’s contribution, he says, “Added to his dad's vocals because he's been doing this stuff… building his band… and then so he came out with us. He's put his time in.” Turning to Jakob, Eric asks, “How long have you been listening to Sublime now?”
“I mean, it's always been there when I was a little kid, but actually listening, man, just since we started jamming again. Before the [benefit for Bad Brains frontman HR], I went and actually listened to all the records all the way through because it's like, it was hard for me. I never sought it out because it's kind of emotional hearing a passed family member's voice. It kind of tugs at you, but for this right reason, it just felt totally right.”
“I never thought I'd do something like this track and I think it's the lyrical content, the sound of it -- It's kind of perfect for the era we're in,” Jakob says of their 2024 track “Feel Like That.”
“All the music means so much to me,” he says. “It's been so many years this music has meant so much to so many people, it's so cool to kind of usher in a new era here.”
It’s worth mentioning that Bradley Nowell’s vocals featured in the song are his actual vocals, not AI-generated, a concept the guys are both absolutely opposed to. “It kind of cuts out our job, doesn't it?” Jakob asks. Although he does admit that since the day he started singing he sounded similar to his father. “There's certain things,” he says, “it'll come out almost when I don't even think about it, when I don't try to.”
“It's almost like the less I try to, the better,” he explains. “You know, I could do it one-for-one and try to sound exactly like him, and there'd still be people who would be like, ‘Well, now he doesn't have enough…’ You're never gonna please everybody by doing things one-to-one, so I try to hit things in a genuine way. I think that a lot of times what made my dad's talent so cool is it appeared so effortless, and it appeared so fun and just in the moment, and improvisational. I try to keep that in mind in the spirit of everything we do.”
Don't miss Klein and Ally's full interview with Sublime above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Klein.Ally.Show

Jakob Nowell and Eric Wilson on the future of Sublime

Listen to the latest audio from KROQ on-demand.

Listen to the latest audio from KROQ on-demand.

KROQ Audio On-Demand

Kai Neukermans joins Klein and Ally to talk about his performance with Pearl Jam, filling in on drums for Matt Cameron.

Kai Neukermans joins Klein and Ally to talk about his performance with Pearl Jam, filling in on drums for Matt Cameron.

18-year-old Pearl Jam fill-in drummer Kai Neukermans

Nick and P-Nut of 311 join Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival

Nick and P-Nut of 311 join Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival

311 | Beachlife Festival

Brian Bell of Weezer joins Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival.

Brian Bell of Weezer joins Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival.

Weezer | Beachlife Festival

Mark McGrath joins Nicole Alvarez at the Beachlife Festival.

Mark McGrath joins Nicole Alvarez at the Beachlife Festival.

Mark McGrath | Beachlife Festival

Cold War Kids talk with Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival.

Cold War Kids talk with Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival.

Cold War Kids | Beachlife Festival

Cannons joins Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival.

Cannons joins Megan Holiday at the Beachlife Festival.

Cannons | Beachlife Festival

The legendary Danny Elfman joins us backstage at Coachella.

The legendary Danny Elfman joins us backstage at Coachella.

KROQ Audio On-Demand

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