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00:00You have to have your guitar set up a certain way to play a slide guitar and I don't have a guitar
00:03that's set up for that and I don't have a slide. I literally practiced it with a socket like a
00:08socket wrench. Jesus really? Yeah I was a nice. What size? Yeah good question. No um but uh luckily
00:14when I got there they had all the right stuff to do that so made it a lot easier then. Rock, metal,
00:20frog and everything in between. Welcome to this episode of Talkin' Rock with Meltdown. Don't
00:27forget to follow the audio only Talkin' Rock podcast on all podcast platforms. And now it's
00:32time for today's conversation. Here's Meltdown. Hey guys Meltdown back here in the studio with
00:38Sammy Bowler and Josh LeMay from Citizen Zero. They've put the band back together. Welcome
00:43to the station guys. Thank you for having us. Yeah good to see you guys. A lot of things
00:48happening in your life here Sammy this year. It's been a crazy summer. Yeah we'll get into
00:53more of that coming up here in a little bit. I don't want to ruin the surprise yet. No surprise
00:56I guess everybody knows exactly what you've been doing. But uh Josh how you doing brother?
00:59I'm good brother. How are you? Good. So what have you been doing for the last few years?
01:03I have been waiting and dreaming of uh getting back together with the voice. Uh no uh uh in
01:09the production space. So I'm uh still in the in the industry but kind of on the other side
01:14of the uh the backstage area doing sound and lighting and all that kind of stuff. For for
01:18where? Uh anywhere and everywhere for big the big three in town here and then also uh doing
01:25stuff for uh uh major festivals like around the country like as well audio and video.
01:28So that's fun. Yeah yeah different side of the business. Yeah kind of kind of where I started
01:32actually. Yeah I was gonna say and you get to uh connect with uh certain people too. Sure do yeah.
01:37Yeah I made some good friends along the way here over the last you know almost decade now that we've
01:42been kind of having the first record out and yeah it's been an interesting road for sure. Yeah it's
01:47cool and uh Sammy uh you you've been doing so much but I will talk about that in a few minutes but
01:51uh the show coming up here at Machine Shop. Tell me about that. Yeah we're uh we got the band back
01:56together. Yeah we're doing a reunion show um uh November 14th at Machine Shop. So yeah it's good
02:02to it's good to uh be coming back home. That's we kind of grew up playing there. So um yeah getting
02:07back together for the first time uh with with some friends is gonna be it's gonna be a great night.
02:12Yeah so tell us who else is playing that bill. Yeah Bill. Our friends the Wholesome Boys. It's our
02:17friend Frank's band. Uh he toured with us a lot back in the day and then a great local band called
02:22Moravian's playing as well. Oh Moravian. I've heard those guys. Yeah they're awesome. They're working
02:26at the Rust Belt Studios where we kind of grew up recording too so. Okay I was gonna ask you about
02:30that here because uh before we started you said that you're doing some new music and I thought that
02:33maybe you might have been uh working with uh Al. Is Al have anything to do with anything you're doing?
02:37Nothing right now. Al did our first record. Right. Um and we worked with him a lot kind of growing up but uh
02:42we're actually working we're heading to the studio in a couple weeks uh in LA. We're working with a
02:46producer named Jim Kaufman. So he's a good friend of mine and uh he just he just kind of had a breakout
02:52hit with uh Return to Dust um but he's worked with a lot of great bands over the years so. Yeah those are
02:57the guys that just played uh Riff Fest and by the way um full disclosure uh sometimes when I'm walking
03:02around the Royal Oak area because I have a friend that lives right down the street from Rust Belt I will text
03:06Alan and say are you here and he will say yeah and then sometimes I leave not as sober as I did when I
03:11walked in. Yeah we grew up with that a little bit but uh yeah I still we we still work at Rust Belt a
03:17lot so yeah Al's great. He's a great friend of ours. Awesome guy and he's always he's always got a
03:21cocktail for me so I do like that. So uh Josh tell me about some of the new stuff. Man we're excited we uh
03:27you know what we left a lot on the kind of the table when we stopped sort of playing uh just kind
03:31of getting burned out from the road and all sorts of different things but we left so much music kind of
03:35left unheard right so it was a kind of exciting Sam and I ran into each other
03:39sort of at PJ's Logger House one uh fateful night and uh just started coming up with a plan to kind
03:45of re-release these things and um and then one thing led to another right you start kind of
03:49bringing up old stuff and kind of reminiscing about old times and then all of a sudden that sort of
03:54inspires new things so uh you know this kind of next chapter is sort of um something that I've been
03:59looking forward to personally for a long time and then come to find out when we kind of rekindled and
04:03sort of relit the flame between all the boys and Citizen Zero everybody kind of felt the same way
04:07uh so it kind of like poetic that it would come together in a chance meeting after so many years
04:14apart and now uh now hitting the we always had a thing no plan b and all gas no brakes so we really
04:22kind of adapted that again I fell right back into it so so when was this this was I don't know man
04:29beginning of the year yeah probably six months ago seven months ago something like that so
04:32PJ's Logger House I've never been there that's right down the street here right
04:35Corktown Corktown yeah oh it's down down that far yeah yeah gotcha that's a small
04:39little house or something it's small yeah but our friend Frank's band was playing and he's playing
04:44at our reunion show but um yeah Josh and I hadn't seen each other in years but it was just like oh
04:48man you know it's like why why aren't we still playing you know it's like small venues it's so
04:54loud it turns into like a tuning fork you know what I mean yeah just watching stuff rattle on the
04:58walls and bar glasses slide across the table yeah so have you guys kept in touch or was or was it
05:04you said it was a chance meeting you guys just both were there we kind of we'd had we had always
05:09sort of just on the periphery everybody's so busy right or busy and we'd always kind of talk about
05:15some sort of something that we want to come back Sammy's been so busy with other projects and same
05:20thing with Johnny drummer um Sam and I have always been together kind of so we've always we've always
05:25been in each other's orbit but never really put a lot of emphasis on it for for some reason or
05:29another and um really that fateful kind of PJ's uh speaking of cocktails you just have just enough
05:36to you know sort of hit the tipping point where you're just like say the thing you're nervous to
05:41say or say the thing you're you really want and like whatever so that actually happened between the
05:45two of us and it was just sort of one of those things where it was just became kind of like an
05:49obvious calling sort of like gotta do this gotta gotta lean in yeah it's like uh having enough
05:54cocktails texting your ex I get it yeah exactly the same yeah so Sam you have done a lot of things
05:59uh since since the band uh disbanded or whatever so you play with Scott Stapp correct yeah yeah I've
06:05been playing with him uh the past few years yeah you know um you know it's funny um Scott has this
06:10reputation and I think that some of it might be deserved but I have to tell you that I don't know
06:15exactly what happened to him in the past 15 years but he is one of the nicest people to interview
06:20and one of the one of the best dudes at least from my perspective you know if you don't want to say
06:24anything you don't have to of course but uh he seemed to have he seems to has almost changed since
06:28the first time I met him uh oh Scott's great man yeah I met Scott originally we were opening for him
06:34uh when our record first came out maybe in 2016 but uh we were on the same label as Creed back in the
06:39day oh yeah wind up records yeah so that's how we met initially and um Scott and I just kind of
06:44kept in touch and then uh after the band disbanded um yeah he just kind of reached out to me to do a
06:50couple things and I've been playing with him ever since but I I love Scott man he's he's an amazing
06:55performer and just a great great dude to be around so yeah I've yeah I can't say enough good things
07:00about him he always treated me really well what other projects have you worked on uh I've been doing
07:04a lot of instrumental music kind of like like solo uh guitar music and touring on that and um
07:10the most recently I just got home I I kind of referred to it earlier but uh I just did a tour
07:15with the Goo Goo Dolls which was really cool yeah that's great so um so let me get this straight
07:19so the Goo Goo Dolls were already on tour correct correct yeah and what what you get the call how
07:24did how does this happen um actually another friend of mine originally from Detroit Dave Friedman
07:28is the one who got me the gig he's a really well-known amplifier designer and uh amp maker but uh
07:35their guitarist Brad Fernquist uh he was dealing with like a shoulder injury like a nerve
07:39thing in his shoulder so he got out on the road and and kind of had to leave the tour
07:43but uh it happened really fast man I got called um the day before the first show I played with them
07:49so it was very stressful uh so where was the first show in Cleveland so I I spent the day before
07:56trying to learn all I had a YouTube video to learn all this stuff and did they make it for you or
08:01then no it was like a cell phone video on YouTube from somebody so they sent me that and said like you
08:05know hey can you learn this their manager sent it to me and uh so it was very very stressful to say
08:11the least but you hadn't um you hadn't met Robbie or Johnny or anything I didn't meet him I met I met
08:16Robbie earlier in the day of the show we kind of rehearsed the stuff at soundcheck and then I met
08:21John maybe like a half hour before we played no kidding what does he say to you he was he's super
08:25cool man you know I mean you know them obviously from Buffalo you guys have some history together
08:28um but uh but I mean as a performer like what is you meet Johnny a half hour before he goes on as
08:34he say hey man just have a good show just be loose what did he tell you that's yeah that's how he was
08:38yeah he was just like look I know I know it was super last minute but you know I appreciate you being
08:41here let's just let's have some fun you know and uh yeah I was I was I didn't really sleep it took
08:47all night to kind of like put everything together so I'm sure I looked like a mess you know and I was
08:51stressed out but um it was amazing it was an amazing experience playing with them man like they're such an
08:56amazing band and um yeah just kind of play those songs I mean those songs are so incredible some
09:01of those songs like iris's stuff I mean it's well written just and and I just want to see the
09:08mailbox money they got from the Deadpool movie that used it that that just happened correct yeah like
09:13the past yeah the past couple years it was a big part of the uh Deadpool movie you know um but uh so
09:19how many shows did you play with them um I think it was around 20 and we have a I have a couple more
09:24things with them throughout towards the end of the year here that's killer man so when you played
09:28here in Detroit because we were texting what what number show is that uh it was pretty early I was
09:33still kind of learning the stuff it was like I think it was the fourth or fifth show of the tour
09:37so and by the end did you pretty much have it down yeah yeah I mean I the way I learned it it was so
09:42kind of cram you know like cram learning for an exam or something like that it's different than like
09:46if you actually had time to prepare for a tour so but yeah by the end I was definitely a lot more
09:50more comfortable with the music and kind of just could be in the moment a little bit more
09:54but um and this is something I always think about it's like because I'm not a musician obviously but
09:57you're on stage with these two guys that have been together for you know 30 plus years and there's got
10:03to be that like that respect element you don't want to step on their toes you don't want to go too far
10:07forward you know there's probably all that stuff in the back of your mind right absolutely yeah um
10:11so how do you how do you like remedy that like like it's just a feeling out process yeah you feel it
10:17out I mean I I I've always loved their band you know so I think yeah it takes it takes a few shows
10:25no matter what you're doing to kind of get a feel of everybody on stage and know like when to you
10:29know step out or take you know take the reins or whatever but um they were just so cool I mean they
10:34just made it so comfortable and like everybody on their crew was super nice and supportive so it makes
10:39it makes it easier you know and especially they could tell like like it was such a last minute thing
10:43it was it was a tough thing to walk into so they were they were cool about it well here's the thing
10:47like I saw Axl Rose with ACDC and I don't know if you guys saw that a few years ago and Axl Rose to me
10:52I mean legend right and he kind of took a really a back seat to Angus Young like he like it was almost
10:58like almost too respectful it's like dude you're Angus you know you're you're Axl Rose you know you
11:02should be a little bit more upfront so I guess that's where the it's like where the give and take goes
11:06with something with something like that yeah I mean they're it's it's their show you know so you want to be
11:11more of a supportive role that's the way I looked at it at least but yeah there are moments like
11:15their guitar solo and iris and stuff where it's like you have the spotlight but um and that's
11:20with a slide right slide guitar yeah I don't really play slide guitar so I was very stressed about that
11:25I didn't even own one I don't think I even told you this yeah so when uh yeah when I was like
11:30obviously that was a big moment you know in the show oh my god yeah the biggest song right yeah and
11:35like I don't I know I don't know if you play guitar or not I do not okay so you have to have your
11:39guitar set up a certain way to play slide guitar and I don't have a guitar that's set up for that
11:43and I don't have a slide but uh the night before um I was like all right so this is one thing where
11:48you can't mess this up or else it's going to be on tiktok the next day you know and then your life's
11:52over so um but I I literally practiced it with a socket like a socket wrench Jesus really yeah it was
12:00what size yeah good question no um but uh luckily when I got there they had all the right stuff to do
12:06that so made it a lot easier then made a big difference so what was that first sound check
12:11like did were you on the stage for quite a while it's kind of yes yeah it was it was stressful
12:15for me I mean they were all so nice about it but I only had time to write the stuff out I didn't have
12:20time to actually play through any of it um and what about like between like you got your set list in
12:24front you taped to the tape to the stage or whatever is is there any did they just go song to song or
12:29or was there any parts where it's like you know kind of a sustained leads to another part or
12:33is it all pretty much cut and dry well with them it's all different than the album none nothing is
12:39like the album you know for the most part so super helpful yeah exactly so luckily I had like some of
12:44their live stuff to watch but um uh there there's not a ton of transitions but the arrangements of the
12:50songs are a lot different on a lot of them so and just knowing your role like John Resnick plays
12:55guitar on everything obviously so he when there's two guitar players in a band you kind of have to pick
13:00your parts to make sure you're not playing the same thing stuff like that so it was a learn it was a
13:04learning thing for sure I feel like I'm I definitely learned a lot from it and I'm a better musician
13:07because of it you know now I remember interviewing Paul O'Neill years ago and uh he's from Trans-Siberian
13:13Orchestra yeah I'm familiar and and he told me he goes he goes yeah the the people in Germany wanted
13:18them to play this festival so for for so long and I don't know you know in European tours European
13:24festivals they got two stages next to each other and while one stage is playing they're setting up the stage for
13:29the other guy and so Paul says I'll tell you what we will play your festival if we can use both stages
13:34and then that that poses the issue of they practiced in different rooms because there's no visual cues
13:41right interesting and so were you using visual cues with with Johnny a lot on stage as far as the guitar
13:47parts and stuff uh a little bit yeah for sure like when when a lot of times like he plays a lot of lead
13:52guitar too so like trading solos and stuff like that so he'd kind of like wave me to the front when it
13:56was my turn or whatever stuff like that but uh I did have charts on the floor for a lot of it just
14:00because it was so last minute but uh they would just bring him out and tape him down you know yeah
14:04I always think about that scene in uh in Spinal Tap where where you know Nigel is off to the side and
14:10and David St Hubbard's just just nods for him to come back on stage yeah dude yeah it's fine the new
14:15Spinal Tap is like pretty funny how accurate it is just like the first one I don't know if you've seen
14:19I've seen it twice the new the newest one yeah that's pretty good have you seen it yet or no no
14:23yeah it's good you'll like it that's on my list now yeah it's good I think the uh I've talked about
14:28this before but the uh the ending gag which of course refers to the first the first movie I was
14:33in hysterics the first time I saw it and I was in a theater by myself at like one o'clock in the
14:39afternoon on Friday that's awesome so but no I really liked it so well no it's really interesting
14:43dude I'm really happy for you I wanted to ask you about this the Goo Goo Dolls thing because it always
14:47fascinates me when you know you don't know these guys they they just they just call you up out of
14:52the blue and say hey you know did you have plans for that week or something also you got to change
14:56everything I did we our original recording session was that week no work in LA yeah so we had to kind
15:02of reschedule it for coming up here but uh it was one of those things where it's like a once in a
15:06lifetime sure opportunity so obviously everybody's super cool about it do you think you might join him
15:11like next year I don't know yet I don't know we have some we have a couple things coming up uh this
15:15year but I honestly the way I was looking at it it's where it's just you know one day at a time
15:19try to appreciate every second of it because it's I don't know just getting to play that music was a
15:23a real blessing for me so no dude that's uh that's super cool man this business is great the music
15:28business is unreal man like one one phone call changes can change everything you know yeah I've
15:32always liked that about you know about playing so well as we were talking about before we started here
15:38um I got called and they said why don't you come to Detroit well I'm not doing anything now so I
15:43might as well go exactly and here we are all these years later so so anyways uh anything else
15:48happen to the citizens here we should know about you said you're recording uh the one that does
15:52that start of you guys going into the studio locked and loaded with a bunch of songs or you have
15:55anything worked out yet or what yeah starting next week uh we're literally heading out there next week
16:00to start getting in the studio and try to finish up as much as we can within the schedule that we have
16:04right now and then um uh might try to get in before the end of the year finish a record and then
16:09come out in 2026 with a new music new record and tour dates and all sorts of different things do you
16:15have any uh tours lined up or anything I mean you probably can't talk about it but is there something
16:19lined up in the works yeah okay they're opening for the goo goo dolls yeah yeah oh my god let me
16:27send a couple texts no that's great so uh will we hear any new stuff uh on november 14th at the
16:33machine shop perhaps yeah yeah we'll have some new music out before the show and will you tease
16:38iris to start playing i don't see why not we got the guy i never know we got okay we have some
16:44surprises yeah well johnny show up highly unlikely never know never say never no that's really great
16:54so uh anything else you guys want to plug anything else you want to promote mainly just the show right
16:58now yeah yeah november 14th machine shop that's the only show you guys have lined up so far yeah
17:02that's all when we first reconnected that was kind of like the plan it's like all right let's just do
17:06a show and have some fun but once the band started hanging out and like you know we started hanging
17:11out again like we used to when we were kids yeah so it's like all right man we got to do some new
17:15music so one one thing at a time but that's great i think i think that we're we i think you actually
17:20texted me about doing you know doing an interview and plug in the the machine shop show months ago and
17:25all of a sudden then you hopped on that goo goo dolls tour it's everything kind of got pushed back a
17:29little bit yeah it's been a crazy summer but it's all good no that's really cool man really really
17:33happy for you like i said really happy for both you guys uh putting the band back together and some
17:37new music in 2026 and a world tour with uh we don't know yet so it's all a secret so well thank you
17:46guys so much for uh coming in and we look forward to seeing you november 14th at the machine shop
17:50i'll be there with my i'll bring a guitar please do come on up love your sockets and a socket
17:56i can't believe i said that great dude if i show up with a socket that means my car is broke down
18:03good to see you guys thanks for coming
18:06you
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