Always great to talk with David Ellefson. He has so much going on, as always! This guy has to be one of the busiest musicians in the country.
He talked about spending his birthday here in Detroit to see Metallica in early November. He talked as to why he was here, and seeing Metallica was only one part of it.
One of his many bands, Metal Alliegence turns 10 this year. He talked about how that project started and the guests that have joined him onstage throughout the years. They’ll be celebrating with a concert at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California on January 25th.
He also told me about the upcoming Nick Menza documentary “This Is My Life”. Will that see the light of day this year? David has an answer….sorta. You can see more about that project, here.
Speaking of Metallica, the topic of Lars Ulrich taking on Napster in the mid-90s was brought up. I asked him what he thought about that now, almost 30 years later. David had a lot to say about that moment in music history.
I recently saw an article where David picked the top five albums that changed his life. The funny thing is, four of them were from the late 70s/early 80s, and one from 2015, which kinda came out of left field. He told me why he picked that odd one for his list. I’ll be honest, it’s a band I really love as well!
Up next, it’s Gavin Rossdale from Bush. He was nice enough to call in to promote the upcoming Loaded: Greatest Hits Tour he’s embarking on with his band, Bush, along with Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains, and Candlebox. That show touches down here in Michigan at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheater on August 16th. Of course, keep it locked on the RIFF for your chance to win your way in.
I had to start out by sending condolences to his dog, Chewy. I actually met that little guy a couple of times backstage. He was a cute little dog that always had his backstage pass on. Gavin spoke to that and the funny reason why he wore it. He said that dog had seen more Bush concerts than his own children.
Gavin told me he didn’t tour with either one of these bands back in the day, although he has played with them recently. He said that Jerry is a bit of a gambler so that may be a win/loss for him. That lead us into talking about what they do to fill the time on tour.
Gavin was on the TODAY show Wednesday, and he talked about that with me. During that appearance, he spoke highly of his kids and their love of American football. Is he watching the playoffs? He answered that as well as his relationship with soccer legend, David Beckham, being that he’s a huge soccer fan.
Sounds like this is going to be another not-miss tour this summer. A big thank you to Gavin for the time, it’s always a pleasure to speak with him.