August 12, 2026 • 32 mins
Eric Stenman of The Barbarians of California joins. Eric talks their AWOLNATION roots, new "Megatons" album, losing drummer Isaac Carptener to Guns N' Roses, opening for GN'R, Duff McKagan in AWOL, and much more!
More info:
https://www.thebarbariansofcalifornia.com/
https://www.instagram.com/barbariansofca
Our website:
www.afdpod.com
More info:
https://www.thebarbariansofcalifornia.com/
https://www.instagram.com/barbariansofca
Our website:
www.afdpod.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the podcast Appetite for Distortion, Episode number five
hundred and seventy four. My name is Brando. Welcome to
the podcast from the Barbarians of California. Eric Stenman, how
are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I'm doing well about yourself. I'm doing well.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
A couple things off the bat am I I'm getting
you in transit. Are you're at McDonald's drive through? Well,
where you parked right now?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
You're in your car.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I'm just in a little side street next to a
post office studio.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
You know, we were never not in the studio, so
I'm in transit to the studio.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
This came together.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
I know we've been bouncing around scheduling ideas for this,
and I said, hey, if I if I can nail
it from the car, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
So I pulled over and here we are. Hopefully it's okay.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
No, it is, and I appreciate it for those because
this audio side and video side. So I always like
to set the scene. I mean, I'm in my apartment
here in Forest Hills, Queen's. Normally I have my three
year old son, Harrison running around, but him and my
wife are are out on vacation. My cat May jump
and disturb us at any point in time.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
So it would not be the first cat that appeared
in a podcast I've been a part of I can,
I can roll with it.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I love that we're hitting it off, hiding off great.
And we spoke briefly off the air about the correct
pronunciation of your last name, because I want to say,
I say, I mean, I'm from New York, right, And
I don't know if you could tell I really want
to say Steinman.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
I know it's not Steinman.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
My whole life, my whole life, I've gotten Steinman, and
then I've even gotten Stedman. You know, Oprah's the man
in Oprah's life. But no, it's a good, good Swedish
name from the north of Sweden. And I and you know,
when I visited it, there was more of a Steinman.
That's that they have a little roll to it if
you're in Sweden. Yeah, I probably really Steinman. Yes, I
(01:49):
don't do it service, but you know I'm doing my
best here as a California guy.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Right on, right on.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, I won't bastardize their beautiful language. I'll just say
Eric on the safe side, you.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Know, Yeah, yeah that works.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
I'm sure my full name Brandon Weisler. I'm sure somewhere
it's like vice law or something. I don't know, who knows.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, there's there's some harshness, probably.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
From the Austrian side of it of things.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Who knows.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
So yeah, anyway, lots to talk about. And I know
you're you're taking time out of your day and you're
being your car so I won't keep you here forever.
It's so cool because I was such a fan am
still a fan of a Wall Nation. And there's this
spinoff band, the Barbarians of California. Can you tell me
how this came together? Because you can correct me if
I'm wrong. You're more known as a producer, but you're
(02:33):
in the Barbarians of California. So how what made you
kind of go from you know, behind the scenes kind
of in front at least with this band, because I
know you're in the past.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Yeah, so you know, I got my start as a
fifteen year old kid trying to play music right before
any anything studio related, you know, as a possibility. So
the earliest days where you know, on the guitar player
bass players side. But yeah, for the past twenty two years,
I was strictly a producer, engineer, mixer, that sort of thing.
(03:06):
And but you know, my as as years went by,
my main occupation was all things A Wall Nation. So
I had worked with Aaron when he was very young.
We kind of drifted apart, came back together when he
formed A Wall and I've had a part in every
studio setting you know that that project's been involved with.
(03:27):
So uh, the genesis of Barbarians came from the fact
that at some point all over the years, I thought, well,
maybe you know, I'll do a little more guitar playing
and writing and probably no one will ever hear it.
But so before or after a Wall sessions, I'd come
in earlier, stay late, and you know, squirrel away a
few parts here and there, thinking maybe maybe that's all
(03:50):
it would ever be. And Aaron caught me a couple
times and he had some suspicions that I was compiling,
you know, some music, and so I finally, it's a
nerve racking experience and you know, kind of putting yourself
out there was something that no one in the world
has heard. So I finally played it for him and
it caught a spark of interest, and he said, let's
(04:10):
let's try a song, and one song led to more
and that was kind of the beginning of it. So
it definitely was birthed in the studio, you know, while
working on a Wall Nation tracks.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
That's really rat or I should say really really rat.
And the reason I mentioned that, I mean, you know,
but the new song, the new video is out. Now
we're going to get into that. We're going to get
into Mega Tons, the new album, which is out the
twenty first of this month. I just want to say,
fun fact, and I won't name any names, but Aaron Bruno,
That's not what I meant. Aaron Bruno of course here
(04:40):
for a wal Nation, but when I requested him, I
don't know if he was management or who whatever it was.
And this was before Isaac was in Barbarians, but Duff
was it. So like, I don't see the connection of
awal Nation being on a g in our podcast. Just
very interesting and all these years later a wal Nation
connection here on Appetite with.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
The story, well, did you know did you know that
Duff played with a wall several years ago?
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, so that was my pitch and they it's for
some reason they were like, a Now, this doesn't seem
like a good fit. I'm like, okay, thanks, hopefully you
change your mind someday.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
So that's funny. I wonder who in the chain, because
Aaron would have never said that.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
No, no, no, Aaron didn't say it.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
It was a request for yeah, somebody in the Yeah,
somebody in one of the suits.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You know, there's always the problem with the suits. It's
never the artist.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
It's never no, no no. That would have made sense,
but it makes even more sense now.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
So yeah, it does, it does.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
So, uh tell me, I guess about the really really
rad single because it seems like you guys are having
a lot of fun. I haven't seen Rollerblades since the nineties.
How fung was that the film?
Speaker 4 (05:48):
That?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And be honest, there were a couple of cuts where
you're on the rollerblades playing. It looks like you might
have fell right before the cut.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Did that happen?
Speaker 4 (05:55):
Well, so I can I can proudly say no, okay,
true falls never went all the way down flailing.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I had never been on roller blades until we went
on eBay and you know, track down five pair of blade.
It's for the five members of the band. I'd roller
skated as a kid, you know. Sunday nights at the
roller rink. When I was in my early teens, that
was a thing. But I've never been on roller blades,
and so you asked how much fun did did I
(06:28):
or did we have? I I would say fun is
not the word. It was more nerve wracking and just
trying not to embarrass yourself and not to also, you know,
leave out of there with a sprained wrist or wrist
or something. So it you know, hey, all, all's well,
that ends well, and it's a pretty funny you know,
sand and roller blades. It's I don't think it's been
matched up, you know, in a music video setting.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
So you know, we're just we're trying to break new ground.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And a school bus.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
It just seemed in helmets and shoulder pads and it
just seemed like it seemed like a fun time and
it seemed to kind of represents any correct if I'm wrong,
like your your stage presence, your stage obviously you don't
have roll with blades on stage, but just you guys
having fun performing. So it just seems like your personality
really came out just through the silliness.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Yeah, you know, the music, the music's pretty heavy, pretty aggressive,
so you know, we don't take ourselves too seriously on
the the visual presentation side, and so therefore, yeah, you know,
Aaron is always brainstorming for the next you know, silly
concept that we can make a video out of in
an hour and a half, and you know, try to
present something that maybe hasn't you know, at least a
(07:35):
combination of factors that haven't been put together yet.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So that's that's just the latest.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
How long did it take the put the new album together?
And and would it be fair too for those who
are new to you and you know they may be
a fan of a well nation, but you said music
is harder? Is it's been described as hardcore? Is that
the that the like that you like that term? Do
you like being labeled as a because I like hardcore?
Speaker 4 (07:59):
I don't know, it may be the most it's kind
of the go to genre, I guess to to say,
but we're definitely you know, plenty of other hardcore musicians
would not you know, would say we're not true to
form or whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So genres get tricky.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Right, even you know, within metal, within punk, you know,
everyone had their kind of division, you know, their dividing lines,
and so hey, if you want to call us a
hardcore band.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
We're fine with it.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
The new album probably leans more metal, you know, so,
but yeah, you asked, how was it, you know, how
how long did it take to make this record? What
was the process like? And what I would say is
it never really stopped from album one. We are self produced,
you know, we work out of our own, small, little,
(08:44):
modest studio, and therefore, you know, as long as the
inspiration's there, there's no reason to really ever go away
for six months and then come back on the next record.
You know, it's just like when the when the feelings there,
when the inspiration's there, we just kind of kept going.
And I would say there was a riffs left over
from the first record that I, you know, it'd still
kind of had in my back pocket, and if I
(09:06):
didn't catch anyone's interest with them in the first round,
I you know, presented them again and you know, and
so yeah, it was it was a pretty seamless process
just transferring from one album to the next. And you know,
we haven't been the type of band that's been on
tour for you know, eight months out of the year
or whatever, so we're just always we're studio rats and
we'll always be creating.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
We'll talk about some of the the being on the
road of course, opening up for guns or roses, past
and the future.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I wish I could have seen you guys.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I saw them in Saratoga, but I mean Public Enemy,
I can't complain there.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
But it's it's just so cool.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
And that's I guess what I wanted to get the
label out, you know, the conversation at at least because
I see a hip hop group opening a hardcore band
as country acts open up for guns and roses. So
it's just very cool to see how a collectic the
opening acts and it introduces me, I don't know, to
new bands, and I think that's that's a that's a
wonderful thing that they do nowadays. So they always done that.
(10:02):
They always like would like blind Melon, things like that. Sorry,
I'm getting off at a tangent. I've been off. I've
been I only had four hours sleep. I have no
kid here, and I'm like waiting for and then this
is the time I can't sleep. It's like, it's insane
how that works.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Well, it's that dad hypervigilance. Right.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
I haven't slept well since having kids because when they're
little I'm just worried that they're gonna, you know, somehow
get up by themselves and be climbing up something and
you know, jumping off. And so even now my kids
are now nine and twelve, but I'm still I'm in
your boat. I never sleep well and I never sleep
in so I'm just.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Like, they're not here. Why am I still being woken up?
I know I have a cat, But anyway, I digress.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
You're ready for action. You're a good dad.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
I try to be.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Maybe this is a good segue that I'm going toward
because one of the we move on to guns of
Roses and Eisen Carpenter being an original member of Barbarians.
Just because that the title stuck out of me. This
is shredical If that hasn't been submitted for any sort
of Nietscha turtlespovie or anything like that. I mean, it's
(11:05):
all it's California. I don't know if you notice my
California angels hat I wanted to be to feel like.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
I'm okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
You Are you a shredder? Are you a skateboarder? Or
is that something that you've always is a well the
California life.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Yeah you know, at this stage in my life, I
still ride the skateboard.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
I pull it out here and there.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
But that's how I got into music was actually as
a skater kid that realized I was never getting better
as a skater. And you know, like there's a dividing
line right when you're you know, everyone maybe when you're
ten is about the same, but by the time you're twelve, thirteen, fourteen,
some people are just getting really good at it.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
And others aren't.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
I was one of the ones that wasn't keeping up
with the friends of mine in middle school or whatever
that we're really starting to you know, do stairways and
you know, just kind of really kind.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Of take it to the next level.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
So I have a distinct memory of skating home from
this ditch that used to go to and thinking, Okay,
I need to buy a guitar because I need to
try something different because I'm just not gonna I'm not
gonna be the one to make it in this.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Well. But anyways, yeah, shredical.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I love the word.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
That's just a hey, you know, just this combining a
couple of classic Cali terms, right, and you know, and
and once again you could say we you know, The
other song then is gnarlycore, right, so we have two
on this album, or you know, maybe that's our genre
as gnarly core.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
I like that even really really rad. I used to
do this podcast because I work for iHeartRadio. But this
kind of like this Your thing is a spinoff this podcast.
Why shouldn't say a spinoff. It's a passion project. But
I used to do it from the studios there at
work and play at the same time, so I would
have like a button bar and I would save how
(12:49):
many guests I need because it's abut guns and roses.
So I interviewed a lot of people on the West Coast.
The word rad is used, and I think I made
I did make Brain former g and R Drum are
really self conscious about it because I wouldn't like Brad
Brad Brad. I would if I don't have it anymore,
so I can. I'll spare you so rad honestly, other
(13:10):
than nature turtles, I associate it with with the West Coast.
So it's a if I did as a New Yorker.
I trying too hard, you know, I can't say rad.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
I'm not cool enough. I say, how you doing.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
I guess I don't know. I'm like Tony Danza, I'm like,
how you doing.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
I can't talk like I'm on West Coast anywhere. I
digress again. I told you four hours of sleep, but
you want to miss this interview?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So how did I give you.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
The West Coast pass? Is a born and raised in Cali. Guy,
I'll give you the pass so you can say.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Brad, okay, thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
So how did the Guns and Roses thing happen? The
connection happened? I know sometimes it's through labels, but how
did you guys? I don't know meets, and I don't
know if I want to, I don't want to go
down a limb and say friends. But they're taking you
out again on some dates a couple of hours Missouri.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Well, hey, they sold our drummer, right, so maybe there's
some karmic retribution.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
You know. Look, having Isaac, Isaac got to.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Go and join the band of his you know, the
dream band of his childhood. You know, when he was
eight years old, Guns was his favorite band, and you know,
he got the call to go up to the big
leagues and so he took it. So definitely Isaac played
his part in getting us in these shows. We also
know we have some friends in their management side, and
then you know, Duff. Aaron and Duff have known each
(14:32):
other for a handful of years now, so I can't
No one has given me the story of exactly who
pulled the trigger on getting us in there, but you know,
we have a few paths that that I think I'll
just corresponded and all work together. So definitely a pinch
me moment, though, you know, it's not something you could
ever count on happening. And then as you mentioned, you
mentioned Public Enemy, you know, when this tour was announced
(14:55):
and our name got to go up alongside Public Enemy
and Black Crows and Ice Cube, and you know what
I mean, that's that's definitely pretty surreal as well. And
you know, I selfishly I wish I could tag along
and see one of the Public Enemy shows. I've never
seen Public Enemy live and so you know, hey, if
they were playing, I guess we wouldn't be, but I
(15:15):
wish somehow, you know, the City's had some crossover or something.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It was my first time seeing them, so it just
took guns and roses for me to to finally see them.
So I know, you guys are doing your own headlighting dates.
I think myself. I took them to see Guns of Roses.
I don't know if I could teach take them to
see Gnarli Corp. That might be too much for him.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
At three. We'll see, but I.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Agree, Yeah, we'll give him a few years. We'll give
him a few years. Five. Maybe you know what the
countdown is on.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Yeah, GNR.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I figured it was enough last year when Slash's Blues
Ball came to the city. We did not take them
to that. I thought that would be too loud. So
three was I don't know. It's it's all the lines
of demarcation I make, we make in our brains.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
So you kind of hit on.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Something I want to talk about, of course, is Isaac.
I don't know much about him obviously, of course, other
than being in the Great Anewal Nation and in Barbarians
of California.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
He doesn't own any shirts he has. I mean, why
would he?
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I mean if if I had my dad bond no, no,
I mean if I were him, I would be showing
it off too. So tell me about Isaac, A little
bit about him on personality and he makes me feel
good about myself, not just not because I don't not
better get the abs, the height. I feel like I
have was a short king in guns and roses now,
so I feel like I'm represented.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
So Isaac grew up in the central Washington state, the
Tri Cities area specifically. Look his stature I think plays
a part in what a monster he is on the
drum kit. Like I think that you know, maybe whatever
he's not gonna pull off on the basketball court, he
worked that much harder on drums, right, and you know
(16:53):
he's not gonna want me to spend time time talking.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
About this necessarily.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I know.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Yeah, I'll blame you. You sent us down this path, now
you can blame me.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I don't know's we can we can shift because I
don't know I related to Frank, the previous drummer, because
he's from New York. And that's how it is with
gn R or anything that I like, how do I
see myself in that? What do I connect with? And
I know it's silly, I mean, I'm not really, I'm
just being facetious. I don't know if he is, if
there's sensitivity there, but tell me about maybe how he
(17:22):
is as a as a person, because Obviously he made
a huge impression on Duff.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I mean that's they have.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
The friendship must have obviously continued, and he's as.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
He should have because Isaac.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Anyone who's paying attention has to know that Isaac's top
five in the world drummer wise.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
He is just he's a he's a beast.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Aaron and I talked about before this any of this
came to light, like Isaac's the type of guy that
you feel like there's kind of a ticking clock on
how long you get to have him in your world, right,
because he did just always seem destined for stadiums, you know,
and we you know, we were very active during the
(18:05):
time when he was secretly trying out, you know, and
he wasn't allowed to talk about it, and you know,
they tried out a few other drummers and there was
quite a process and uh, we could see the gears
turning in his head. But you know, Isaac drinks a
lot of coffee and he's a you know, he's a
he's a wiry guy. But he had even extra you know,
extra neurons firing don't during those few weeks. So anyways,
(18:29):
you know, it was it was hard to lose him.
Your drummer plays such a big part of you know,
the sound of any band.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
But you know, given this opportunity, no one's gonna question
or you know, find any reason to not understand why
he would go off to do it.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
But and he's a family man. He's married a couple
of small kids, and so you know.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Career wise, career wise and getting to play with your
idols from like I said, starting at eight years old,
I mean, how do you turn that down? How do
you how do you make any consideration otherwise?
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I appreciate you sharing that because those are the thoughts
that go through my mind. It's like I, like you said,
the big leagues, I consider you also the big leagues.
But I understand, you know, guns and roses.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Is there's a few, there's less several million, you know,
fair numbers that differentiate.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
All right, if we want to go that route, but
I'm sure short yeah, but without really anything personal, mean,
like what does that conversation like Is it immediately like
oh wow, dude, or is it like oh okay, you
got a process? Because but because I found that interesting,
you thought you always had that sense that you only
be with him for a little bit because he was
(19:38):
destined for great.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Well, even Aaron.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Aaron would have said that even before Barbarians, when they
were just playing together with Al Nation, I think he
always knew that there is a chance of someone trying
to poach Isaac up and out, and you know, but
you know, those guys had a lot of years together.
The Barbarians had our first probably that full year of
existing with I. You know, we made the whole first
(20:01):
record together. Definitely, he did jump out. I think it
was the week that we got offered our first tour,
which was the Deaftones tour, which was just you know,
an amazing, uh ridiculous thing to have your first tour
being Arenas with Deaftones. And I think we had that
offer and accepted the same week that he then dropped
(20:23):
the news of guns on us. So you know, that
was that was definitely a big up and then a
big down. But you know, roll roll roll along, keep
it going.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
And you guys are keeping it going. I appreciate you
sharing that. And just like with Public Enemy, I finally
got to see Isaac perform at Saratoga and yeah, he's
a he's a beast back there. He forgets, you know,
he has no height behind there, so it again. Sorry,
I know some people I was all my friends like
six foot whatever, So I guess I'm just used to.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
It, and I'm five six, you know I'm not.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Yeah, so it's it's about me.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
It's about me, me and me projecting my pro So
sorry about that.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
All good?
Speaker 1 (21:04):
What's your favorite part about touring? Do you enjoy the
opening for guns and Roses? I mean, obviouly you do,
But how do you compare that to headlighting your own show?
Is it you get the same kind of butterflies? Are
the same mindsets? You approach every show differently or is
there a different plan of attack?
Speaker 4 (21:23):
There's certainly similarities. But when you're playing for someone else's crowd, right,
there's a challenge there, you know. You what if you're
headlining a show, whether there's ten people there or ten
thousand people, you at least know in theory they're there
for you, right, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
So we did. We did Hollywood, Florida with guns.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
That was our first experience and definitely, you know, we're
walking into a crowded room of people where many of
them haven't heard us, or maybe maybe if they took
the time and saw you know, the billing on the show.
Maybe they went to Spotify and you know, checked something out.
But there's a there's a challenge there that's different, opening
(22:04):
for anyone, and especially opening for someone with a legacy
like Guns n' Roses. I mean, they're you know, one
of the most massive rock acts of the past thirty
forty years.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Right, So.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
But we welcomed that and their crowd was great. You know,
the Florida show was cool. We can't wait to take
it into these next couple of Missouri. It's funny that,
you know, we got these three scattered shows and then
two of them land in the state of Missouri, so
you know, go figure. But yeah, yeah, definitely, and definitely
playing these bigger places. You know, when we if we're
(22:38):
on our own, we're playing grimy, little rock clubs, you know,
where everything is much more right in your face and
it's hot and dirty, and it is what it is
playing with guns. You're in amphitheaters or arenas or even stadiums.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
It's it's a different thing.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
And you know, so that that makes it even in
some ways, feel more like a video game, right. You know,
It's like once you have the barricade and the separation
from the crowd, and you know.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
It's a look every every aspect of every type of show.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
You know, we welcome the challenge and look forward to it,
and so we're promped to get to do another one
of these in just a few days.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Yeah, right on.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
You guys are playing out Kansas City, and you are
also playing Ridgedale, not Saint Louis, so you may, I know,
the obvious riot joke is there, but still three days
in Missouri. So that's pretty cool for all those fans
down there. And I don't know if you can speak
to this because then you said you had some friends
and friends and nudge and our management. Vanessa Santos is
(23:36):
really cool because she's always posting a lot of awesome
pictures for US fans and things like that. I actually
did a story here on the podcast where she gifted
a fan, like like a nine year old he was
nine at the time. Security came out and because they
promised him to be able to go on stage while
they were performing, and that was all set up through
the family that Team Brazil.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
So like just very very cool.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
So she posts something on Instagram that's like, you know,
great times California and it was a picture of you
guys performing, and there was a picture of Guns of
Roses performing and that date was not announced. Your date
was there, but there was confusion that it was a
secret show and people who were actually gott onto your show,
like there was no Guns or Roses.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
What is this?
Speaker 1 (24:21):
There has been no word on what that was with
Guns and Roses, A private show, whatever it was. I mean,
if it's private, you can't speak to it. I understand,
of course, but I have to ask you why.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
I have you here?
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Yeah, No, sadly, there's no big story there. I think
it really was just her going through her photo role.
Vanessa's become a you know, she's such a cool person
and the energy she brings to any room is so fun.
And you know, we have we've been lucky enough to
become pals with her, and I think she just it happened.
My memory, and this could be wrong, is that Guns
(24:55):
did some sort of show in Houston, and then we
were on a separate tour. We played in hu the
next day or two days later, she was still in town,
came to our show, We hung out, and I think
she did some sort of posts and then the Yeah,
the rabid fan base of you know, Guns started doing
detective work and put something together and so no, that
was not a not was not a shared stage that
(25:16):
you know in Houston, but right Houston anyways, Yeah, yeah,
I think you know the watchdogs. Well, we'll have to
tell Vanessa that, you know, she she has to be
aware that, you know, this is.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Going to lead to two people wondering what they're missing
out on.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
I mean, I'm sure she knows because she was getting
bombarded with questions from not for me, from I leave
that to the other fans. My questions are basically here
where you're talk to you. So we just don't know
what that was with Guns and Roses, this private this
or whatever show in Houston, because that wasn't as far
as that information hasn't come out, but whatever whoever was
(25:51):
there there.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
At that And also honestly, I shouldn't even I'm not
even sure that the Guns side of things was in Houston.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
We were in Houston when.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
We linked up with her, right, and that led me
to believe that they had done something in Houston. But hey,
don't don't even you know, I don't want to. I
don't want to set this down a new pathway.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Under Yeah, yeah, no, understood.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Yeah, I know there's so many sluices out there and
all these uh difference, you know, mcgivers trying to figure
things out, so it's yeah, you have to be pretty
straightforward to a post. But no, I appreciate all her posts,
especially when she got that matching guns and rosa tattoo
with Isaac.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I thought that was.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Kind of a kind of funny. I always do these
what I call six degrees of g N R Bacon here,
and there's certainly plenty between guns and roses and Barbarians
of California. I love your name, by the way, the Barbarians.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
That's a mouthful, you know, thank you for that, and uh,
I do typing it out, you know, I got to
make sure I spell the barbarians.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Right, you know, you know you definitely to mat Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
And for people looking you on social media, it's usually
like Barbarians of and it's c a if people want
to look at it.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah. I forget whether it was X or Instagram.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
The screen name couldn't be as long as the full name,
and so we just found the shorter version and then
stuck without across platforms. But right, awesome Yeah, it's a
bit of a mouthful, but I thank you for saying
you're you're okay with it?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
No, I like it.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
It's part of this is my nerdom coming out if
it hasn't been out already, but it's why. One of
the many reasons why I like Guns n' Roses is
like something about the name before I even knew what
they were about, and watching that really really rad and
bring it around video, you're really punched in the face
right away, but I was sucked in the whole time.
And it's just a fun video, a really fun song,
(27:40):
a great opening act for Guns and Roses, a great
headline act. So if you guys are still doing it,
don't get any more drummer's pokes from you from other
big acts. And you make it to New York, I
hope to catch catch you guys live. You seem like
a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Yeah, it's a bummer. We haven't been able to play
New York yet.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
We've we've been hearing about it, you know, New York
and Phil we're always and Boston. We always got some
people chiming in on the comment section. So we're coming,
We're coming. We're figuring it out.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
We promise right on.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Well, at least we got Megatons coming out to August
twenty first. So congrats Eric and all these success and
I hope we get to do this again.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Thank you for your time.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
This was fun and I did want to I will
share quickly that I want to say, the first concert
video or concert film that I ever owned or in
some capacity and then especially that I rewatched was Guns
N' Roses at the Ritz, the famous you know, early
video that I taped off of MTV and I had
(28:40):
it on a VHS and I remember watching that and
just thinking the energy and the danger that those guys
were pulling off on stage.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
You know, it's really stuck with me. And so this
is just a full a cool, full.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Circle moment to you know this many years later, get
to play with those guys after analyzing, Like I said,
is you know, the first probably access I had to
something that I could at least watch and rewatch and
you know, know which song was coming next on the
set list.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Kids today will never know recording something off TV or
the radio.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
I saw.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Yeah, there's a special bond when you do take the
time to do that, you know for sure, that's cool.
I mean, were you I guess one question bouncing off that,
were you starstruck at all? Like when Duff joins a
wall or you're like, oh, that's the guy I've been
watching since I was a kid, or at that point
you're a professional, he's a professional, or how does that
(29:36):
relationship go at first? Now, I'm sure you guys all
play like UNO together and you're.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
All no, now, there's still Look, those guys are icons.
Like I I was there when so I think Duff
joined Awall when they played a k rock maybe acoustic
Christmas or one of those type of events. He came
in and I think he just played sale with a wall.
But he came to our studio we were working in
to do a rehearsal a day or two before. And no,
(30:03):
he's he's got a presence. You know, a guy like
Duff walks in a room. You know, I'm not gonna
be nonchalant about it. I noticed that, you know, he's
bringing the charisma in the room with him. So and
then when we played in Florida, I rode in the
elevator with Slash. I doubt he would remember that as
much as I did, But uh, yeah, you know those
(30:24):
guys are real guys, So yeah, you know, I'm cool.
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna, you know, not gonna
turn it, turn into a dork around them. But yeah, there,
you know, we all know who those guys are right on.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
That reminds me of I got a great one of
my former guests, actress of Pollyanna McIntosh. She's from The
Walking Dead and her there was like again six Degrees
of June, our Bacon Slash had submitted a song for
the Walking didn't didn't didn't get improved. She know anything
about that doesn't matter, but she's like, here's my Slash story.
Once I was in an elevator with Slash and that's it.
(30:58):
She remembers that you remember that, because yeah, these guys
have their presence and this is too perfect as far
as ending it, because it won't nation. I don't know
if you've ever seen the viral video of the beginning.
It's the beginning of Sale and there's a cat.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
On a real course.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Okay, yeah, one of the funniest things ever. So I mean,
maybe I'll queue up Sale if you give me permission,
because my cat's here.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
Oh, your cat has made the appearance that you you predicted.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
He's been here for like twenty minutes. Okay, chill, sorry,
I'm like messing things around.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
There we go.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
You can see him all right, Well, now make him
do the big jump, right, that's what you have to do.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Do you want to jump? Right?
Speaker 3 (31:36):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
He's all comfortable. I thought he was going to jump actually,
as part of his problem. Sorry if I'm making you
a car sick right now moving my camera. Uh, it's
it's funny anyway, carsick. I thought he was going to jump. Actually,
I had to do that. Right before we started the interview.
He started calling all over my equipment. I like, is
it gonna be one of these interviews? So thankfully it
(31:59):
wasn't that or a few of my awkwardness, but that's
always to be expected. Eric, again, thank you so much.
I hope we get to do this again.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah. Yeah, me too, And maybe I'll see you.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
I don't know, you're not going to make any surprise
appearances in Missouri, but you know, maybe you know who
knows what's ahead of us?
Speaker 3 (32:17):
I wish.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I mean, if I'm making the trip to New Jersey,
I'm skipping New Jersey this year to see guns and Roses.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Then my wife and son.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
We just took the weekend is Saratoga. That was the
choice that we made, one of these, not this time around.
It's I thought about moving there. One in Saint Louis.
It was there once, very beautiful sit Anyway, I digress
for four hours of sleep bringing around town. All right,
So Eric, thank you so much. And that does it
for this episode of Appetite for Distortion? When will we
(32:47):
see the next one? In the words of Axel Rose
concerning Chinese democracy, I don't know as soon as the word,
but you'll see it.
Welcome to the podcast Appetite for Distortion, Episode number five
hundred and seventy four. My name is Brando. Welcome to
the podcast from the Barbarians of California. Eric Stenman, how
are you, sir?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
I'm doing well about yourself. I'm doing well.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
A couple things off the bat am I I'm getting
you in transit. Are you're at McDonald's drive through? Well,
where you parked right now?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
You're in your car.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I'm just in a little side street next to a
post office studio.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
You know, we were never not in the studio, so
I'm in transit to the studio.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
This came together.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
I know we've been bouncing around scheduling ideas for this,
and I said, hey, if I if I can nail
it from the car, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
So I pulled over and here we are. Hopefully it's okay.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
No, it is, and I appreciate it for those because
this audio side and video side. So I always like
to set the scene. I mean, I'm in my apartment
here in Forest Hills, Queen's. Normally I have my three
year old son, Harrison running around, but him and my
wife are are out on vacation. My cat May jump
and disturb us at any point in time.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
So it would not be the first cat that appeared
in a podcast I've been a part of I can,
I can roll with it.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I love that we're hitting it off, hiding off great.
And we spoke briefly off the air about the correct
pronunciation of your last name, because I want to say,
I say, I mean, I'm from New York, right, And
I don't know if you could tell I really want
to say Steinman.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
I know it's not Steinman.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
My whole life, my whole life, I've gotten Steinman, and
then I've even gotten Stedman. You know, Oprah's the man
in Oprah's life. But no, it's a good, good Swedish
name from the north of Sweden. And I and you know,
when I visited it, there was more of a Steinman.
That's that they have a little roll to it if
you're in Sweden. Yeah, I probably really Steinman. Yes, I
(01:49):
don't do it service, but you know I'm doing my
best here as a California guy.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Right on, right on.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, I won't bastardize their beautiful language. I'll just say
Eric on the safe side, you.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Know, Yeah, yeah that works.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
I'm sure my full name Brandon Weisler. I'm sure somewhere
it's like vice law or something. I don't know, who knows.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, there's there's some harshness, probably.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
From the Austrian side of it of things.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Who knows.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
So yeah, anyway, lots to talk about. And I know
you're you're taking time out of your day and you're
being your car so I won't keep you here forever.
It's so cool because I was such a fan am
still a fan of a Wall Nation. And there's this
spinoff band, the Barbarians of California. Can you tell me
how this came together? Because you can correct me if
I'm wrong. You're more known as a producer, but you're
(02:33):
in the Barbarians of California. So how what made you
kind of go from you know, behind the scenes kind
of in front at least with this band, because I
know you're in the past.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Yeah, so you know, I got my start as a
fifteen year old kid trying to play music right before
any anything studio related, you know, as a possibility. So
the earliest days where you know, on the guitar player
bass players side. But yeah, for the past twenty two years,
I was strictly a producer, engineer, mixer, that sort of thing.
(03:06):
And but you know, my as as years went by,
my main occupation was all things A Wall Nation. So
I had worked with Aaron when he was very young.
We kind of drifted apart, came back together when he
formed A Wall and I've had a part in every
studio setting you know that that project's been involved with.
(03:27):
So uh, the genesis of Barbarians came from the fact
that at some point all over the years, I thought, well,
maybe you know, I'll do a little more guitar playing
and writing and probably no one will ever hear it.
But so before or after a Wall sessions, I'd come
in earlier, stay late, and you know, squirrel away a
few parts here and there, thinking maybe maybe that's all
(03:50):
it would ever be. And Aaron caught me a couple
times and he had some suspicions that I was compiling,
you know, some music, and so I finally, it's a
nerve racking experience and you know, kind of putting yourself
out there was something that no one in the world
has heard. So I finally played it for him and
it caught a spark of interest, and he said, let's
(04:10):
let's try a song, and one song led to more
and that was kind of the beginning of it. So
it definitely was birthed in the studio, you know, while
working on a Wall Nation tracks.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
That's really rat or I should say really really rat.
And the reason I mentioned that, I mean, you know,
but the new song, the new video is out. Now
we're going to get into that. We're going to get
into Mega Tons, the new album, which is out the
twenty first of this month. I just want to say,
fun fact, and I won't name any names, but Aaron Bruno,
That's not what I meant. Aaron Bruno of course here
(04:40):
for a wal Nation, but when I requested him, I
don't know if he was management or who whatever it was.
And this was before Isaac was in Barbarians, but Duff
was it. So like, I don't see the connection of
awal Nation being on a g in our podcast. Just
very interesting and all these years later a wal Nation
connection here on Appetite with.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
The story, well, did you know did you know that
Duff played with a wall several years ago?
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, so that was my pitch and they it's for
some reason they were like, a Now, this doesn't seem
like a good fit. I'm like, okay, thanks, hopefully you
change your mind someday.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
So that's funny. I wonder who in the chain, because
Aaron would have never said that.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
No, no, no, Aaron didn't say it.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
It was a request for yeah, somebody in the Yeah,
somebody in one of the suits.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
You know, there's always the problem with the suits. It's
never the artist.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
It's never no, no no. That would have made sense,
but it makes even more sense now.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
So yeah, it does, it does.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
So, uh tell me, I guess about the really really
rad single because it seems like you guys are having
a lot of fun. I haven't seen Rollerblades since the nineties.
How fung was that the film?
Speaker 4 (05:48):
That?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
And be honest, there were a couple of cuts where
you're on the rollerblades playing. It looks like you might
have fell right before the cut.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Did that happen?
Speaker 4 (05:55):
Well, so I can I can proudly say no, okay,
true falls never went all the way down flailing.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I had never been on roller blades until we went
on eBay and you know, track down five pair of blade.
It's for the five members of the band. I'd roller
skated as a kid, you know. Sunday nights at the
roller rink. When I was in my early teens, that
was a thing. But I've never been on roller blades,
and so you asked how much fun did did I
(06:28):
or did we have? I I would say fun is
not the word. It was more nerve wracking and just
trying not to embarrass yourself and not to also, you know,
leave out of there with a sprained wrist or wrist
or something. So it you know, hey, all, all's well,
that ends well, and it's a pretty funny you know,
sand and roller blades. It's I don't think it's been
matched up, you know, in a music video setting.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
So you know, we're just we're trying to break new ground.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And a school bus.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
It just seemed in helmets and shoulder pads and it
just seemed like it seemed like a fun time and
it seemed to kind of represents any correct if I'm wrong,
like your your stage presence, your stage obviously you don't
have roll with blades on stage, but just you guys
having fun performing. So it just seems like your personality
really came out just through the silliness.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Yeah, you know, the music, the music's pretty heavy, pretty aggressive,
so you know, we don't take ourselves too seriously on
the the visual presentation side, and so therefore, yeah, you know,
Aaron is always brainstorming for the next you know, silly
concept that we can make a video out of in
an hour and a half, and you know, try to
present something that maybe hasn't you know, at least a
(07:35):
combination of factors that haven't been put together yet.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So that's that's just the latest.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
How long did it take the put the new album together?
And and would it be fair too for those who
are new to you and you know they may be
a fan of a well nation, but you said music
is harder? Is it's been described as hardcore? Is that
the that the like that you like that term? Do
you like being labeled as a because I like hardcore?
Speaker 4 (07:59):
I don't know, it may be the most it's kind
of the go to genre, I guess to to say,
but we're definitely you know, plenty of other hardcore musicians
would not you know, would say we're not true to
form or whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So genres get tricky.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Right, even you know, within metal, within punk, you know,
everyone had their kind of division, you know, their dividing lines,
and so hey, if you want to call us a
hardcore band.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
We're fine with it.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
The new album probably leans more metal, you know, so,
but yeah, you asked, how was it, you know, how
how long did it take to make this record? What
was the process like? And what I would say is
it never really stopped from album one. We are self produced,
you know, we work out of our own, small, little,
(08:44):
modest studio, and therefore, you know, as long as the
inspiration's there, there's no reason to really ever go away
for six months and then come back on the next record.
You know, it's just like when the when the feelings there,
when the inspiration's there, we just kind of kept going.
And I would say there was a riffs left over
from the first record that I, you know, it'd still
kind of had in my back pocket, and if I
(09:06):
didn't catch anyone's interest with them in the first round,
I you know, presented them again and you know, and
so yeah, it was it was a pretty seamless process
just transferring from one album to the next. And you know,
we haven't been the type of band that's been on
tour for you know, eight months out of the year
or whatever, so we're just always we're studio rats and
we'll always be creating.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
We'll talk about some of the the being on the
road of course, opening up for guns or roses, past
and the future.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I wish I could have seen you guys.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
I saw them in Saratoga, but I mean Public Enemy,
I can't complain there.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
But it's it's just so cool.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
And that's I guess what I wanted to get the
label out, you know, the conversation at at least because
I see a hip hop group opening a hardcore band
as country acts open up for guns and roses. So
it's just very cool to see how a collectic the
opening acts and it introduces me, I don't know, to
new bands, and I think that's that's a that's a
wonderful thing that they do nowadays. So they always done that.
(10:02):
They always like would like blind Melon, things like that. Sorry,
I'm getting off at a tangent. I've been off. I've
been I only had four hours sleep. I have no
kid here, and I'm like waiting for and then this
is the time I can't sleep. It's like, it's insane
how that works.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Well, it's that dad hypervigilance. Right.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
I haven't slept well since having kids because when they're
little I'm just worried that they're gonna, you know, somehow
get up by themselves and be climbing up something and
you know, jumping off. And so even now my kids
are now nine and twelve, but I'm still I'm in
your boat. I never sleep well and I never sleep
in so I'm just.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Like, they're not here. Why am I still being woken up?
I know I have a cat, But anyway, I digress.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
You're ready for action. You're a good dad.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
I try to be.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Maybe this is a good segue that I'm going toward
because one of the we move on to guns of
Roses and Eisen Carpenter being an original member of Barbarians.
Just because that the title stuck out of me. This
is shredical If that hasn't been submitted for any sort
of Nietscha turtlespovie or anything like that. I mean, it's
(11:05):
all it's California. I don't know if you notice my
California angels hat I wanted to be to feel like.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
I'm okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
You Are you a shredder? Are you a skateboarder? Or
is that something that you've always is a well the
California life.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Yeah you know, at this stage in my life, I
still ride the skateboard.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
I pull it out here and there.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
But that's how I got into music was actually as
a skater kid that realized I was never getting better
as a skater. And you know, like there's a dividing
line right when you're you know, everyone maybe when you're
ten is about the same, but by the time you're twelve, thirteen, fourteen,
some people are just getting really good at it.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
And others aren't.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
I was one of the ones that wasn't keeping up
with the friends of mine in middle school or whatever
that we're really starting to you know, do stairways and
you know, just kind of really kind.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Of take it to the next level.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
So I have a distinct memory of skating home from
this ditch that used to go to and thinking, Okay,
I need to buy a guitar because I need to
try something different because I'm just not gonna I'm not
gonna be the one to make it in this.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Well. But anyways, yeah, shredical.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I love the word.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
That's just a hey, you know, just this combining a
couple of classic Cali terms, right, and you know, and
and once again you could say we you know, The
other song then is gnarlycore, right, so we have two
on this album, or you know, maybe that's our genre
as gnarly core.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
I like that even really really rad. I used to
do this podcast because I work for iHeartRadio. But this
kind of like this Your thing is a spinoff this podcast.
Why shouldn't say a spinoff. It's a passion project. But
I used to do it from the studios there at
work and play at the same time, so I would
have like a button bar and I would save how
(12:49):
many guests I need because it's abut guns and roses.
So I interviewed a lot of people on the West Coast.
The word rad is used, and I think I made
I did make Brain former g and R Drum are
really self conscious about it because I wouldn't like Brad
Brad Brad. I would if I don't have it anymore,
so I can. I'll spare you so rad honestly, other
(13:10):
than nature turtles, I associate it with with the West Coast.
So it's a if I did as a New Yorker.
I trying too hard, you know, I can't say rad.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
I'm not cool enough. I say, how you doing.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
I guess I don't know. I'm like Tony Danza, I'm like,
how you doing.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
I can't talk like I'm on West Coast anywhere. I
digress again. I told you four hours of sleep, but
you want to miss this interview?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So how did I give you.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
The West Coast pass? Is a born and raised in Cali. Guy,
I'll give you the pass so you can say.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Brad, okay, thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
So how did the Guns and Roses thing happen? The
connection happened? I know sometimes it's through labels, but how
did you guys? I don't know meets, and I don't
know if I want to, I don't want to go
down a limb and say friends. But they're taking you
out again on some dates a couple of hours Missouri.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Well, hey, they sold our drummer, right, so maybe there's
some karmic retribution.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
You know. Look, having Isaac, Isaac got to.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Go and join the band of his you know, the
dream band of his childhood. You know, when he was
eight years old, Guns was his favorite band, and you know,
he got the call to go up to the big
leagues and so he took it. So definitely Isaac played
his part in getting us in these shows. We also
know we have some friends in their management side, and
then you know, Duff. Aaron and Duff have known each
(14:32):
other for a handful of years now, so I can't
No one has given me the story of exactly who
pulled the trigger on getting us in there, but you know,
we have a few paths that that I think I'll
just corresponded and all work together. So definitely a pinch
me moment, though, you know, it's not something you could
ever count on happening. And then as you mentioned, you
mentioned Public Enemy, you know, when this tour was announced
(14:55):
and our name got to go up alongside Public Enemy
and Black Crows and Ice Cube, and you know what
I mean, that's that's definitely pretty surreal as well. And
you know, I selfishly I wish I could tag along
and see one of the Public Enemy shows. I've never
seen Public Enemy live and so you know, hey, if
they were playing, I guess we wouldn't be, but I
(15:15):
wish somehow, you know, the City's had some crossover or something.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It was my first time seeing them, so it just
took guns and roses for me to to finally see them.
So I know, you guys are doing your own headlighting dates.
I think myself. I took them to see Guns of Roses.
I don't know if I could teach take them to
see Gnarli Corp. That might be too much for him.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
At three. We'll see, but I.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Agree, Yeah, we'll give him a few years. We'll give
him a few years. Five. Maybe you know what the
countdown is on.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Yeah, GNR.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I figured it was enough last year when Slash's Blues
Ball came to the city. We did not take them
to that. I thought that would be too loud. So
three was I don't know. It's it's all the lines
of demarcation I make, we make in our brains.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
So you kind of hit on.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Something I want to talk about, of course, is Isaac.
I don't know much about him obviously, of course, other
than being in the Great Anewal Nation and in Barbarians
of California.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
He doesn't own any shirts he has. I mean, why
would he?
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I mean if if I had my dad bond no, no,
I mean if I were him, I would be showing
it off too. So tell me about Isaac, A little
bit about him on personality and he makes me feel
good about myself, not just not because I don't not
better get the abs, the height. I feel like I
have was a short king in guns and roses now,
so I feel like I'm represented.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
So Isaac grew up in the central Washington state, the
Tri Cities area specifically. Look his stature I think plays
a part in what a monster he is on the
drum kit. Like I think that you know, maybe whatever
he's not gonna pull off on the basketball court, he
worked that much harder on drums, right, and you know
(16:53):
he's not gonna want me to spend time time talking.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
About this necessarily.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I know.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Yeah, I'll blame you. You sent us down this path, now
you can blame me.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I don't know's we can we can shift because I
don't know I related to Frank, the previous drummer, because
he's from New York. And that's how it is with
gn R or anything that I like, how do I
see myself in that? What do I connect with? And
I know it's silly, I mean, I'm not really, I'm
just being facetious. I don't know if he is, if
there's sensitivity there, but tell me about maybe how he
(17:22):
is as a as a person, because Obviously he made
a huge impression on Duff.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I mean that's they have.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
The friendship must have obviously continued, and he's as.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
He should have because Isaac.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Anyone who's paying attention has to know that Isaac's top
five in the world drummer wise.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
He is just he's a he's a beast.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Aaron and I talked about before this any of this
came to light, like Isaac's the type of guy that
you feel like there's kind of a ticking clock on
how long you get to have him in your world, right,
because he did just always seem destined for stadiums, you know,
and we you know, we were very active during the
(18:05):
time when he was secretly trying out, you know, and
he wasn't allowed to talk about it, and you know,
they tried out a few other drummers and there was
quite a process and uh, we could see the gears
turning in his head. But you know, Isaac drinks a
lot of coffee and he's a you know, he's a
he's a wiry guy. But he had even extra you know,
extra neurons firing don't during those few weeks. So anyways,
(18:29):
you know, it was it was hard to lose him.
Your drummer plays such a big part of you know,
the sound of any band.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
But you know, given this opportunity, no one's gonna question
or you know, find any reason to not understand why
he would go off to do it.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
But and he's a family man. He's married a couple
of small kids, and so you know.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Career wise, career wise and getting to play with your
idols from like I said, starting at eight years old,
I mean, how do you turn that down? How do
you how do you make any consideration otherwise?
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I appreciate you sharing that because those are the thoughts
that go through my mind. It's like I, like you said,
the big leagues, I consider you also the big leagues.
But I understand, you know, guns and roses.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Is there's a few, there's less several million, you know,
fair numbers that differentiate.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
All right, if we want to go that route, but
I'm sure short yeah, but without really anything personal, mean,
like what does that conversation like Is it immediately like
oh wow, dude, or is it like oh okay, you
got a process? Because but because I found that interesting,
you thought you always had that sense that you only
be with him for a little bit because he was
(19:38):
destined for great.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Well, even Aaron.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Aaron would have said that even before Barbarians, when they
were just playing together with Al Nation, I think he
always knew that there is a chance of someone trying
to poach Isaac up and out, and you know, but
you know, those guys had a lot of years together.
The Barbarians had our first probably that full year of
existing with I. You know, we made the whole first
(20:01):
record together. Definitely, he did jump out. I think it
was the week that we got offered our first tour,
which was the Deaftones tour, which was just you know,
an amazing, uh ridiculous thing to have your first tour
being Arenas with Deaftones. And I think we had that
offer and accepted the same week that he then dropped
(20:23):
the news of guns on us. So you know, that
was that was definitely a big up and then a
big down. But you know, roll roll roll along, keep
it going.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
And you guys are keeping it going. I appreciate you
sharing that. And just like with Public Enemy, I finally
got to see Isaac perform at Saratoga and yeah, he's
a he's a beast back there. He forgets, you know,
he has no height behind there, so it again. Sorry,
I know some people I was all my friends like
six foot whatever, So I guess I'm just used to.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
It, and I'm five six, you know I'm not.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Yeah, so it's it's about me.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
It's about me, me and me projecting my pro So
sorry about that.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
All good?
Speaker 1 (21:04):
What's your favorite part about touring? Do you enjoy the
opening for guns and Roses? I mean, obviouly you do,
But how do you compare that to headlighting your own show?
Is it you get the same kind of butterflies? Are
the same mindsets? You approach every show differently or is
there a different plan of attack?
Speaker 4 (21:23):
There's certainly similarities. But when you're playing for someone else's crowd, right,
there's a challenge there, you know. You what if you're
headlining a show, whether there's ten people there or ten
thousand people, you at least know in theory they're there
for you, right, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
So we did. We did Hollywood, Florida with guns.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
That was our first experience and definitely, you know, we're
walking into a crowded room of people where many of
them haven't heard us, or maybe maybe if they took
the time and saw you know, the billing on the show.
Maybe they went to Spotify and you know, checked something out.
But there's a there's a challenge there that's different, opening
(22:04):
for anyone, and especially opening for someone with a legacy
like Guns n' Roses. I mean, they're you know, one
of the most massive rock acts of the past thirty
forty years.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Right, So.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
But we welcomed that and their crowd was great. You know,
the Florida show was cool. We can't wait to take
it into these next couple of Missouri. It's funny that,
you know, we got these three scattered shows and then
two of them land in the state of Missouri, so
you know, go figure. But yeah, yeah, definitely, and definitely
playing these bigger places. You know, when we if we're
(22:38):
on our own, we're playing grimy, little rock clubs, you know,
where everything is much more right in your face and
it's hot and dirty, and it is what it is
playing with guns. You're in amphitheaters or arenas or even stadiums.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
It's it's a different thing.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
And you know, so that that makes it even in
some ways, feel more like a video game, right. You know,
It's like once you have the barricade and the separation
from the crowd, and you know.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
It's a look every every aspect of every type of show.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
You know, we welcome the challenge and look forward to it,
and so we're promped to get to do another one
of these in just a few days.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Yeah, right on.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
You guys are playing out Kansas City, and you are
also playing Ridgedale, not Saint Louis, so you may, I know,
the obvious riot joke is there, but still three days
in Missouri. So that's pretty cool for all those fans
down there. And I don't know if you can speak
to this because then you said you had some friends
and friends and nudge and our management. Vanessa Santos is
(23:36):
really cool because she's always posting a lot of awesome
pictures for US fans and things like that. I actually
did a story here on the podcast where she gifted
a fan, like like a nine year old he was
nine at the time. Security came out and because they
promised him to be able to go on stage while
they were performing, and that was all set up through
the family that Team Brazil.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
So like just very very cool.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
So she posts something on Instagram that's like, you know,
great times California and it was a picture of you
guys performing, and there was a picture of Guns of
Roses performing and that date was not announced. Your date
was there, but there was confusion that it was a
secret show and people who were actually gott onto your show,
like there was no Guns or Roses.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
What is this?
Speaker 1 (24:21):
There has been no word on what that was with
Guns and Roses, A private show, whatever it was. I mean,
if it's private, you can't speak to it. I understand,
of course, but I have to ask you why.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
I have you here?
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Yeah, No, sadly, there's no big story there. I think
it really was just her going through her photo role.
Vanessa's become a you know, she's such a cool person
and the energy she brings to any room is so fun.
And you know, we have we've been lucky enough to
become pals with her, and I think she just it happened.
My memory, and this could be wrong, is that Guns
(24:55):
did some sort of show in Houston, and then we
were on a separate tour. We played in hu the
next day or two days later, she was still in town,
came to our show, We hung out, and I think
she did some sort of posts and then the Yeah,
the rabid fan base of you know, Guns started doing
detective work and put something together and so no, that
was not a not was not a shared stage that
(25:16):
you know in Houston, but right Houston anyways, Yeah, yeah,
I think you know the watchdogs. Well, we'll have to
tell Vanessa that, you know, she she has to be
aware that, you know, this is.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Going to lead to two people wondering what they're missing
out on.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
I mean, I'm sure she knows because she was getting
bombarded with questions from not for me, from I leave
that to the other fans. My questions are basically here
where you're talk to you. So we just don't know
what that was with Guns and Roses, this private this
or whatever show in Houston, because that wasn't as far
as that information hasn't come out, but whatever whoever was
(25:51):
there there.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
At that And also honestly, I shouldn't even I'm not
even sure that the Guns side of things was in Houston.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
We were in Houston when.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
We linked up with her, right, and that led me
to believe that they had done something in Houston. But hey,
don't don't even you know, I don't want to. I
don't want to set this down a new pathway.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Under Yeah, yeah, no, understood.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Yeah, I know there's so many sluices out there and
all these uh difference, you know, mcgivers trying to figure
things out, so it's yeah, you have to be pretty
straightforward to a post. But no, I appreciate all her posts,
especially when she got that matching guns and rosa tattoo
with Isaac.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I thought that was.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Kind of a kind of funny. I always do these
what I call six degrees of g N R Bacon here,
and there's certainly plenty between guns and roses and Barbarians
of California. I love your name, by the way, the Barbarians.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
That's a mouthful, you know, thank you for that, and uh,
I do typing it out, you know, I got to
make sure I spell the barbarians.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Right, you know, you know you definitely to mat Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
And for people looking you on social media, it's usually
like Barbarians of and it's c a if people want
to look at it.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah. I forget whether it was X or Instagram.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
The screen name couldn't be as long as the full name,
and so we just found the shorter version and then
stuck without across platforms. But right, awesome Yeah, it's a
bit of a mouthful, but I thank you for saying
you're you're okay with it?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
No, I like it.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
It's part of this is my nerdom coming out if
it hasn't been out already, but it's why. One of
the many reasons why I like Guns n' Roses is
like something about the name before I even knew what
they were about, and watching that really really rad and
bring it around video, you're really punched in the face
right away, but I was sucked in the whole time.
And it's just a fun video, a really fun song,
(27:40):
a great opening act for Guns and Roses, a great
headline act. So if you guys are still doing it,
don't get any more drummer's pokes from you from other
big acts. And you make it to New York, I
hope to catch catch you guys live. You seem like
a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Yeah, it's a bummer. We haven't been able to play
New York yet.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
We've we've been hearing about it, you know, New York
and Phil we're always and Boston. We always got some
people chiming in on the comment section. So we're coming,
We're coming. We're figuring it out.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
We promise right on.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Well, at least we got Megatons coming out to August
twenty first. So congrats Eric and all these success and
I hope we get to do this again.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Thank you for your time.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
This was fun and I did want to I will
share quickly that I want to say, the first concert
video or concert film that I ever owned or in
some capacity and then especially that I rewatched was Guns
N' Roses at the Ritz, the famous you know, early
video that I taped off of MTV and I had
(28:40):
it on a VHS and I remember watching that and
just thinking the energy and the danger that those guys
were pulling off on stage.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
You know, it's really stuck with me. And so this
is just a full a cool, full.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Circle moment to you know this many years later, get
to play with those guys after analyzing, Like I said,
is you know, the first probably access I had to
something that I could at least watch and rewatch and
you know, know which song was coming next on the
set list.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Kids today will never know recording something off TV or
the radio.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
I saw.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Yeah, there's a special bond when you do take the
time to do that, you know for sure, that's cool.
I mean, were you I guess one question bouncing off that,
were you starstruck at all? Like when Duff joins a
wall or you're like, oh, that's the guy I've been
watching since I was a kid, or at that point
you're a professional, he's a professional, or how does that
(29:36):
relationship go at first? Now, I'm sure you guys all
play like UNO together and you're.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
All no, now, there's still Look, those guys are icons.
Like I I was there when so I think Duff
joined Awall when they played a k rock maybe acoustic
Christmas or one of those type of events. He came
in and I think he just played sale with a wall.
But he came to our studio we were working in
to do a rehearsal a day or two before. And no,
(30:03):
he's he's got a presence. You know, a guy like
Duff walks in a room. You know, I'm not gonna
be nonchalant about it. I noticed that, you know, he's
bringing the charisma in the room with him. So and
then when we played in Florida, I rode in the
elevator with Slash. I doubt he would remember that as
much as I did, But uh, yeah, you know those
(30:24):
guys are real guys, So yeah, you know, I'm cool.
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna, you know, not gonna
turn it, turn into a dork around them. But yeah, there,
you know, we all know who those guys are right on.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
That reminds me of I got a great one of
my former guests, actress of Pollyanna McIntosh. She's from The
Walking Dead and her there was like again six Degrees
of June, our Bacon Slash had submitted a song for
the Walking didn't didn't didn't get improved. She know anything
about that doesn't matter, but she's like, here's my Slash story.
Once I was in an elevator with Slash and that's it.
(30:58):
She remembers that you remember that, because yeah, these guys
have their presence and this is too perfect as far
as ending it, because it won't nation. I don't know
if you've ever seen the viral video of the beginning.
It's the beginning of Sale and there's a cat.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
On a real course.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Okay, yeah, one of the funniest things ever. So I mean,
maybe I'll queue up Sale if you give me permission,
because my cat's here.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
Oh, your cat has made the appearance that you you predicted.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
He's been here for like twenty minutes. Okay, chill, sorry,
I'm like messing things around.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
There we go.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
You can see him all right, Well, now make him
do the big jump, right, that's what you have to do.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Do you want to jump? Right?
Speaker 3 (31:36):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
He's all comfortable. I thought he was going to jump actually,
as part of his problem. Sorry if I'm making you
a car sick right now moving my camera. Uh, it's
it's funny anyway, carsick. I thought he was going to jump. Actually,
I had to do that. Right before we started the interview.
He started calling all over my equipment. I like, is
it gonna be one of these interviews? So thankfully it
(31:59):
wasn't that or a few of my awkwardness, but that's
always to be expected. Eric, again, thank you so much.
I hope we get to do this again.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah. Yeah, me too, And maybe I'll see you.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
I don't know, you're not going to make any surprise
appearances in Missouri, but you know, maybe you know who
knows what's ahead of us?
Speaker 3 (32:17):
I wish.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I mean, if I'm making the trip to New Jersey,
I'm skipping New Jersey this year to see guns and Roses.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Then my wife and son.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
We just took the weekend is Saratoga. That was the
choice that we made, one of these, not this time around.
It's I thought about moving there. One in Saint Louis.
It was there once, very beautiful sit Anyway, I digress
for four hours of sleep bringing around town. All right,
So Eric, thank you so much. And that does it
for this episode of Appetite for Distortion? When will we
(32:47):
see the next one? In the words of Axel Rose
concerning Chinese democracy, I don't know as soon as the word,
but you'll see it.
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