Hitman Talks to Mike Mushok STAIND Saint Asonia

Mike Talks about the upcoming tour with Godsmack, their new album in 12 years plus if his kids are interested in falling in his footsteps..

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, what's going on? Itis hit Man with you and I have
on the phone right now. MikeMuschak from Stained Saint Asnia Newstead. Hey,
dude, how's it going good man? How are you? I'm doing
good. Where are you at rightnow? I hear you're on the road.
Well, I'm I'm at home basically, but yeah, I'm going to
driving to see my daughter. Ah. Well that's good, that's good.

(00:20):
How are the kids doing today?They're doing well. I mean summertime right,
everybody's home, daughters doing or thehorse shows every day and wow,
oh oh yeah, yeah, Ihear that you own a couple of horses.
Man, I just bought the thirdliterally today. Wow. That's crazy.
Well, of course Stained is backfor the first time in what about

(00:42):
twelve years. The new album,Confessions of the Fallen. It's coming out
in September. The new single Lowestin Me is out now. It's actually
in the top five and media baseright now. So congratulations on that and
thank you. Yeah, and youguys are going out. You did a
couple of shows. What you've onsome shows with Godsmack. You might be
going out maybe a little bit lateron, maybe in the fall, right

(01:04):
yeah, we have the Gods thatthey've starting in about a month or so,
and uh yeah, we went havesome dates later in the year figuring
it out, you know, stayingbusy. Yeah, yeah, it's it's
it's crazy how you know. It'sit's twelve year hiatus since the last album,
but it's it's your eighth album rightnow and it's doing great. But

(01:26):
in between those that those twelve years, you did some great stuff with a
new Stead and Saint Asnia, which, by the way, Saint Asnia is
actually coming with Skillet and and Theoryof a Dead Man here to Corpus Christie
later they are later on this year, so looking forward to that. But
of course you have the Staying tourthat's going on right So yeah, so

(01:48):
Troud this use of the art ofdying with scale, it's selling in for
me because they did dated a tourwith Theory and Skillet earlier this year.
I was unable to do as well. So he's doing a great job and
those guys are out there just killingit. Yeah. Yeah, it's it's
actually I got to see Godsmack recentlylast year in Vegas and they did they

(02:14):
did a show there in Vegas,like it was just a one off show
and they just killed it that night. The great yeah so and and of
course the thing that Sully. Youknow, we got a chance to talk
to Sully too, and of coursehe has two things on his goal right
now. One is he's trying toget nine number one singles off the new
album, which I think is kindof cool. But he also says that
this is actually the last album.They're still going to tour, but this

(02:36):
is the last studio album they're doing. What's going on with Stained? Is
this is this gonna be maybe thelast album? Or are you guys gonna
do another US or what's going onwith that? No, I don't know.
I mean I kind of to takeit out of a club right now.
It's okay, we're going to beplaying the rest of this year and
we're looking at from shows next year, and I'm really happy with the record.

(02:58):
Um listen, So you know,I mean that's the severy mean.
Did you see? He's super talented. He's a great writer. And I
know he says that, but Imean, I'm listened. I could be
wrong, and there's he's never saidthis to me. Well, I guess
he's gonna gonna write most songs.I want to put him out right.
I know he says that though,but I mean because like for me,

(03:19):
like I don't want to say thisis the last Danger record. I love
doing this, I love White Thick, and I love putting it out.
So I mean that's you know,a side of part of the process.
And I get really excited for youknow, like I was the new record.
I mean, I'm just I'm soabout it. I mean, you
know, when it gets done,I still listen to it and I'm real
proud of it. Can't wait forpeople to hear it. So yea,

(03:42):
yeah, So I don't know,I mean I kind of listen. I
didn't know it was gonna be twelveyears, and I'm just happy that we
haven't come it out, so we'llhave some kind of just you know,
see how it goes. Yeah,that's great, was it? I asked
the fans on Facebook to ask ifthere was any questions they wanted to ask
you, and one of the guysone of the one of the questions we
got asked was with the new albumthat came out, we know that you
know, Aaron writes some great songs, write some great ones and you do

(04:06):
the music for you know, allof them, and you're actually, to
me personally, a genius on thisman. You guys, you do some
great je do some great work.What's your favorite track on the new album?
Oh geez, I don't know.Um, you know, there's a
song on there that I really play. It's actually it's not it's not super
heavy. It's kind of this uhslower, but it's really came up pretty

(04:29):
cool from better days. I wentthat song a lot, um. You
know. The funny thing about it, And I got to tell you is
that, uh, when I comeup with the music, I give them
they're very random titles. Yeah,so they have something to go by,
right, And it wasn't until veryrecently that they got the names of the
song. So I don't even knowwhat some of the songs are called,

(04:50):
because like Lois and Me was calledlow harm and that's how I know that
song, you know what I mean, It's like, oh that's what.
So when I hear the real nameof the song, I don't even know
what song it is. Wow,that's crazy. Yeah, But I mean,
like I said, I mean,you guys, your guys songs,
I mean, they're very personal andI know it really relates to the audience.

(05:13):
So I mean, I think that'sone reason for you guys successes,
because you guys actually write songs thatpeople can relate to, which I think
is Yeah, listen, you knowAaron Aaron does I mean besides Aaron having
like one of the best voices ever, I mean, he just does a
great job. You know, allthat stuff he's got very deep down inside,
they're able to get it out ina way, you know, musical,

(05:39):
and people relates him. So Ithink he doesn't fantastic job when you
don't yeah, putting that together.So when you're going out on tour,
what is the one song you neverget tired of playing of that you love
to play every single time when you'reout on tour. Oh jeez, I
don't know. I mean, listen, I will say, I don't think
there's been a show you know,we've played since our first record came out

(06:00):
that we haven't played much shovel atit, right, So I mean,
I probably you know, and Idon't get I mean, people people react
to it, you know what Imean, They want to hear it.
Yeah, I'm just thankful that wehave songs like that that people you know,
want to hear I get excited tohere still, you know, so
see my my, my, mypersonal favorite that I that it never grows

(06:23):
old, it never burns on me, and I'm excited to see you guys
perform it live. Is mud Shovel. That song I swear I love Mudshovel.
That song is never grows old onme. Every time I hear it,
I turn it right up on theradio. Man. That to me
is a brilliant song. I lovethat song. So another question, another
question I want to ask you is, of course you've worked with a lot

(06:44):
of great people, and of coursethere's and I want to get your input
on this because I think it's it'skind of interesting. I've asked this to
a couple of other guys. Um, you know, there's a lot of
new bands that are coming out,like you know, bad Omens, I
Prevail, and many more. Isthere a new upcoming band that you really
are you know, curious about andinterested about, you know, see,
you know, seeing what how theirlife is going to go? No?

(07:06):
Sure, yeah, you know there'sactually a band that I heard on the
radio per day. I thought itwas a really big called Currents. Oh
really, and yeah, and there, and come to find out they're from
Charefield, Connecticut is where I'm drivingto right now. And yeah, yeah,
yeah, And it was just reallyguitar player or whatever, I mean,

(07:30):
really cool guitar parts, and itwas it was good, Betty and
I enjoyed a couple of songs.But I do need to check it out,
and I just haven't gotten further intoit. Wow. Wow, well
I got I got one. Wellhere's another one more question, of course,
with the kids. Talking about yourkids, you know, everybody of
course has been talking about how Wolfgangand his band Mammoth has been really doing

(07:54):
really really well now, and ofcourse he's the same thing. Yeah,
he's the son of Eddie Van Helen. Has your kids had any you know,
thoughts of maybe following in your footstepsand getting into the rock music and
stuff like that. I'll tell youa funny story. You know, my
son's kind of doubt and they bothtook piano for years, but during the
pandemic that that kind of fell bythe wayside. They never went back to

(08:16):
playing. You know, my daughtersit was they were both actually pretty good
at it um but no design atfact, I'll say we went on tour
with four in twenty twenty one,and and my son used to listen to
like hip hop, and you know, I didn't even know what it was.
He I came home, he hadhalf by guitars downing in his room

(08:37):
and was, you know, onYouTube and found all these established all these
songs and yeah, he plays,we got him electronics drum said, he
plays every day. Wow Linot.Yeah, it's you know, he comes
to shows. He'll probably be allof me the summer, a little gait'll
come out for a little bit,you know. So yeah, and he's

(08:58):
he's into it. Which is whichis meat? That's that's that's really cool.
I got. I got a funnystory my daughter when she was growing
up at the time, you know, when when I was doing rock radio
in another market and she started reallygetting into it to at the point where
I was kind of getting kind ofworried because she was listening to nothing but
corn, Slipknot, you know,Morbid More, Lamb of God, Morbid

(09:20):
Angel, you know, something likethat. And and but then all of
a sudden she found out about boysand next thing, you know, she's
a swiftie. She's listening to Taylorswift. Oh man, I was like
great, So yeah that tu gether slipnot record and give it to her
and say hey, yeah, youknow what her highlight was. I actually

(09:43):
got she got a chance to meetCorey Taylor and that was a big influence
to her. Corey Taylor, Iswear it is a great, great performer.
Man. It's yeah, he hada lot for where the kids so
talented, right, I mean he'sa thing. He's putting out great music
no matter what what he does.I think, yeah, yeah, he's
he's an amazing, amazing guy forShire. Yeah, well I got one

(10:03):
last question for you. So thatway you can concentrate on the road.
I don't want you to crash oranything like that. Uh. You know,
there's there's a lot of that's funny, h was it? You know?
Corpus Christie is a huge rocktown andthere's a lot of rock band There's
a lot of rock bands that arebreaking out of here in Corpus Christi.
In fact, Marcus, who isoriginally from this area, is now the

(10:26):
new lead singer of Ill Nino andhe's out also, yeah, he's on
tour. He's originally from here.So it and then of course I remember
the guys I actually saw the guysgrow up from the Roal Grand Valley called
Sons of Texas. Those guys MarkMark Morales and stuff like that that did
some stuff. Also with the guysfrom Lamb of God there, they have

(10:46):
a lot of you know, doinga lot of shows too. So do
you have any advice for some ofthe guys here in Corpus Christie there try
and take that next step to gointo like touring and recording music and stuff
like that. You have any advicefor him? Well, I mean,
listen, you know, you realize, I mean, like so for me,
and you'll learn the people that youlove and you'll learn how to play

(11:07):
to get your shops down. ButI mean, ultimately, you know,
the only place you're really going toget anywhere is writing, and you got
to find guys that you know,or if you're a wolf game you play
everything and saying it's amazing. Idon't know, but but you need to
find guys, you know. Likelike the day that I found Aaron,
I mean to this day and thevivoted yesterday when I heard him thinking for

(11:28):
the first time and I was like, this is what I've been looking for
you know what I mean. Andyou got to find that and and you
got to have the chemistry and andjust write as many songs as you can
play anywhere and everywhere you can't causeyou never know what it's going to lead
to. I mean, that's whatI mean. That's kind of what ultimately
let to us from you know,Western Massachusetts getting a record deal was you

(11:52):
don't playing with all these you gotan opportunity able to the biscuit because this
band that he used to go playingwith off they called the day you want.
I don't know what happen if youneeding kids, you know what I
mean. Yeah, I'd like tothink we so would have made but who
loos. I mean that that definitely, you know, change things. And
so you gotta be cool to onthe DAN and support each other and just
work on your craft and songwriting.That's really you know what I mean.

(12:15):
Uh, you gotta you gotta beall the right things that people are gonna
want to listen to your relates,but you have to you have to welcome
to first Wow. Well, I'mlooking forward to seeing you guys out on
tour again with God's Smack, andof course looking forward to hearing new music
from Santa Sonia very very soon.And uh and uh, you know,
be careful when you're going out ontour right now. Of course it's still
it's it's gonna be it's gonna bea crazy summer tour and trying to stay

(12:39):
cool. I know, it's it'slike around here. The heat in deck
is one hundred and twenty one degrees. It's gonna be honest hell out there.
Yeah, so be careful out there, and you know, say he
loa to the kids for me,and you know, I have a great
summer, dude, enjoy it.Thanks man, I appreciate that. Thank
you for all and support and uhyeah, looking forward again the focus Christie
again. Sometimes ship