Episodes
Today (Nov 19th) marks the 7th Anniversary of the horrific bus crash which claimed the lives of two people and changed the lives of The Ghost Inside and their crew forever. In this exclusive episode, Stephen talks to Tim Irons, a crew member who was onboard the bus that fateful day. Tim talks about his love for music and following band’s such as Bleeding Through & Let Live that frequented the local California music scene growing up. As his friendship groups and connections expanded, Tim’s...
Published 11/19/22
Published 11/19/22
In this episode, Stephen talks to George Davison, a Tour Manager with over 25 years experience in the industry. George shares his early beginnings working with Nottingham metal legends Earthtone 9, before going on to work with a host of Welsh bands including Funeral For A Friend, Bullet For My Valentine, and most notably Lostprophets, overseeing their meteoric rise from a small town in Wales to global stardom. It's no secret how the Lostprophets train imploded in a way nobody in or around the...
Published 07/07/22
In this latest episode, Stephen talks to Simon JP Thomas, an Award-winning Front of House Sound Engineer with over 30 years experience in the industry. Detailing his career journey to date, Simon recalls his early experiences working with the likes of BB King, Gary Numan, Echo and the Bunnymen and Moby. By 2017 Simon had earnt his place as Front of House Engineer on US pop superstar Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman World Tour. After a string of dates across North America the tour arrived at...
Published 04/12/22
Surprise! We’re back! After what has been a horrendous year for Live Music and the super talented Crews and Technicians who look after your favorite bands, artists, and musicians, it’s a pleasure to bring you this very special episode of the podcast featuring the legendary John McMurtrie, a hugely talented British Music Photographer who has carved out a professional career photographing the biggest bands and musicians in the world for Metal Hammer and Kerrang magazines whilst contributing to...
Published 12/21/21
We promised you an amazing end to this season of the podcast and we have delivered it, by bringing you a unique, open, and intimate conversation with Chad Zaemisch, who, for over 16 years has been the Guitar Tech for James Hetfield of Metallica. Undoubtedly one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Chad is responsible for James's signature guitar tone and everything you hear from his amps when Metallica grace the biggest and best stages in the world. Chad also goes back in his career and...
Published 09/22/20
This week we are going down under to speak with Dan Hawcroft, who for over 8 years was the Road Manager and Personal Assistant to Ian Fraser 'Lemmy' Kilmister. We were honored to hear Dan's story of growing up in the north of England, attending local, punk, and hardcore shows, promoting gigs and working with bands such as Capdown, Kasabian, and Nick Oliveri's Mondo Generator before getting hired for what was surely a 'once in a lifetime' job of becoming Lemmy's Personal Assistant. Dan shares...
Published 09/15/20
This week Stephen is joined by New York's finest live sound engineer, Steve Lagudi. Steve is probably best known for his work with bay area giants Machine Head but has worked with bands such as Exodus, Ill Nino, Napalm Death, Vision Of Disorder, God Forbid, Possessed, 5FDP and many many more. He is a guy who takes no punches and candidly opened up to Stephen, telling the journey through his career, from being a Metallica superfan at a young age, all the way through to staying at Dimebag...
Published 08/31/20
This week our guest is the co-founder of Soundgirls.org, Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato. We go on a journey of her career to date beginning with early 90's American rock giants Spin Doctors and their rapid journey from small clubs to huge arena shows, and Michelle's equally successful progression to working with Styx, Mr. Big, Gwen Stefani, Melissa Etheridge, Goo Goo Dolls and many more. Most recently Michelle was working with the legend that is Elvis Costello when COVID 19 cut short her run...
Published 08/24/20
Having won two Knight Of Illumination Awards for his work with Nick Mulvey and Anna Calvi, it is an honor to have on this week's show Lighting and Production Designer Tom Campbell. Tom sat down with Stephen to talk through his fascinating career, which currently spans more than 15 years and begins on a journey of inspiration seeing Muse live at a young age and then learning his craft doing Theatre shows at the Bristol Hippodrome. This led quickly to the world of music and production touring,...
Published 08/11/20
On this week's show, we had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Armando Aguirre, a Guitar Tech and Stage Manager for over 15 years. Taking a chance opportunity back in 2004, Amando's epic career begins with finding himself hanging out in an Amsterdam Coffee shop with the original drummer of Guns N Roses, Steven Adler, only to be hired as his Drum Tech for the next few years. What follows is a journey of great experiences with bands such as RATT, Pop Will Eat Itself, Death Angel, and many...
Published 07/27/20
This week Stephen is joined by Frank Fanelli, who has not only been a professional Tour Manager and Merchandiser for over 14 years but is the co-founder of For The Nomads, a fundraiser focused on helping the touring music industry crews who are laid off of work as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as giving us a unique insight into how he started the fundraiser, Frank talks us through his early years in music, his career as a musician, and how he came to land his very first...
Published 07/06/20
Welcome to another must-listen episode of We Are The Road Crew where this week Stephen talks to Jon Burton, a Sound Engineer with many years of experience, working at the highest level. Included in a long list of prestigious clients, Jon has spent over 15 years working as chief Sound Engineer to electronic dance giants The Prodigy. We talk about his career with them, including focusing on some of the band's most iconic performances, as well his feelings on the tragic death of vocalist Keith...
Published 06/22/20
In this episode, Stephen is joined by Rishi-Louis Gowry, who talks passionately about his rise in the live music industry to becoming one of the top Promoter Rep and Tour Managers in the business. From humble beginnings crewing at MTV in London, to running festival stages and arena shows around the world, Rishi recalls working with British rapper Slowthai and American rock supergroup A Perfect Circle. The sometimes comedic pressures of running a podcast tour featuring Kevin 'Silent Bob'...
Published 06/11/20
Welcome back to the start of SEASON 2 of the We Are The Road Crew Podcast! It's been a long time coming, mainly due to the current world health situation we all find ourselves in, but we are battling on and are delighted to bring you this season's first guest, Stevie Firth who has been Guitar Tech for over 15 years with the likes of Cradle Of Filth, Napalm Death, The Wildhearts and Therapy? This is an episode not to be missed, as Stevie candidly discusses with Stephen growing up in and around...
Published 06/01/20
We are BACK! Thanks to all the great feedback we are back, to bring you a unique behind the scenes insight into the world of the backstage crew and individuals who are responsible for bringing you the best live shows, from some of your favourite bands and artists. Please Subscribe & Follow the 'We Are The Road Crew Podcast' over on Facebook & Twitter using the Handle/Tag @RoadCrewPod #RoadCrewPod
Published 05/01/20
Closing this first season of the Podcast is legendary Lighting & Stage Set Designer Paul Dexter, who joins Stephen remotely from Los Angeles to discuss his fascinating career to date, including his very first tour with Billy Preston, working with Elton John in the late Eighties and stories of the excess of being on the road with Motley Crue on the Theatre Of Pain & Girls,Girls,Girls tours. We get a first hand account of THAT bat story whilst working with Ozzy on the Diary Of A Madman...
Published 12/18/19
Joining Stephen this week in the studio is FOH/Monitor Sound Engineer & RF Tech, Hannah Brodrick who chats about her fascinating career so far working with the likes of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Raging Speedhorn, Carly Rae Jepson, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, PG.Lost and many more. She also discusses her pride in founding a European organisation and online community focusing on the growing number of women within the live music industry, called Women In Live Music. And we find...
Published 12/06/19
Our guest this week is highly talented live Sound Engineer Steven Carr who has worked with some of the biggest names in music over the past few decades, artists from the likes of Chris Rea, Katherine Jenkins, Goldfrapp, Birdy, Nick Mason, Agnes Obel and many more. Steve sat down with host Stephen Hill (Metal Hammer, Riot Act Podcast) and passionately talked though his diverse musical career highlights including his first show as a fan seeing British rock band Bush at Brixton Academy in 1995,...
Published 11/27/19
We celebrate Halloween this week with our very special guest, punk legend Andy Corrigan. Alongside being Managing Director of entertainment Visa specialists Viva La Visa, Andy was lead singer of British punk band The Meakons, and then spent the next 20 years working as a Tour Manager for the likes of Bow Wow Wow, New Order, ABC, Kim Wilde, Human League, Public Image Ltd and many more.. Andy shares his thoughts with Stephen on the Punk scene in Britain & beyond throughout the 1980's,...
Published 10/31/19
Episode 3 see's host Stephen Hill (Metal Hammer, Riot Act Podcast) chatting over Skype with Graham Wright, roadie with the greatest heavy metal band ever, Black Sabbath. Graham talks about seeing The Beatles live in concert, working with Sabbath throughout the 1970’s, meeting his future wife whilst touring America with UFO, designing the iconic Wall stage sets for Roger Waters and how fate played a part in him avoiding the tragic Eagles Of Death Metal show at The Bataclan on the 13th...
Published 10/17/19
This week, host Stephen Hill (Metal Hammer, Riot Act Podcast) chats with George Baker, Director of Visual FX company Encore SFX. George is a master of special effects including Pyrotechnics, Flames, Smoke, Lasers and co2, and is responsible for creating breathtaking moments within live events for some of the worlds biggest artists including Stormzy, Robbie Williams, Chain Smokers, Fall Out Boy and many more. George talks about how he first started out in his career, going to see Take That on...
Published 10/08/19
A fascinating and unique chat with Peter Hince, Head of the Road Crew with British rock band Queen between 1973 & 1986. In the first of this brilliant series, Peter sat down in the studio with host Stephen Hill (Metal Hammer, Riot Act Podcast) to discuss everything from his early years looking after Mick Ronson, meeting his future employers Queen for the very first time whilst working for British glam rockers Mott The Hoople, then all that comes with being 25 years of age and working for...
Published 09/23/19