Everything Went Black Podcast

I discovered Trivax from listening to the excellent podcast Into the Necrosphere hosted by my brother Jackie Smit; ITN is THE best extreme music that you will ever hope to find, I’ve discovered so many great bands as a result. Trivax is one such band. Though they have been in existence for over a decade, I am a new fan. Jackie was kind enough to put me in touch with Shayan, the founder and driving force behind Trivax. We had a deep conversation, so check it out! Intro: Everything Went Black Theme Song – composed and recorded by Mike Hill Outro: “Into the Void” - Trivax

This week, Jade Willow, adult entertainer, visual artist, podcaster and appreciator of all things macabre, joins us. I was recently a guest on her podcast, Shedding the Skin, and we had such an interesting conversation that I thought it would be cool to have her on Everything Went Black. Intro: “Everything Went Black Theme” – Composed and recorded by Mike Hill Outro: “Cruel Lover” – The Devil’s Blood

It was destined to happen. It was only a matter of time before Ralph and I spent an entire episode talking about comic books. Fortunately, now is probably the best time to do such an episode with all of the various Marvel and DC film and TV projects in the works. Unholy Passion Theme composed and recorded by Mike Hill Outro: “Weathered Statues” - TSOL

Love him or hate him, it’s undeniable that Andrew “Dice” Clay has, along with Eddie Murphy, has made an impact on comedy, film and popular culture. In light of the current climate of sensitivity and the overall thin-skinned nature of our society today, Randy and I decided it was time to do an episode of Road to Ruin on Dice’s milestone album “The Day the Laughter Died,” one of the most uncomfortable nearly two hours of comedy ever produced. Intro: “Problem Child” – AC/DC Outro: “Antisocial” - Anthrax

I’m working on the second decade of my friendship with Dre Black, road warrior supreme. I met her back in the early part of the millennium out on the road. At the time she was tour managing, driving and doing pretty much whatever needed to be done to keep a band on the road. Over the years, She’s played guitar in a multitude of bands including Howl, Storm of Light and more recently Race Traitor. It was great to catch up with Dre as the world begins to re awaken and if all goes well, we’ll both be out on the road again. Intro: “Eighteen is Over the Hill” – The West Coast Pop Art Experiment Outro: “A B Side” – Manfred Mann

Drew Murphy, bassist for Tombs and Hammer Fight (among others) joins us this week to talk about his comic book work on Fuzzy Stick: Master Assassin, his printing company Colossal Customs and how difficult I am to work with. Drew and I spent the entire day in the hot sun at Monster Mania in Phoenixville, PA. Just a heads up: I recorded this episode in a hotel room, so we had some audio challenges like air conditioning and various dudes comin in and out of the room. Nonetheless, we had a blast hanging out. This was my first expedition out into the larger world after getting vaccinated, it was a little intense being around this many people at one time. Intro: "Target Acquired" - Hammer Fight Outro: "Gods of Rock 'n' Roll" - Hammer Fight

This week, Ralph and I give our reflections on the 1991 remake of Cape Fear. Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, the film demonstrated a shift in Scorsese’s career who was coming off of the success of the Mafia epic Goodfellas from the year before. The move features an all star cast including Jessica Lange, Nick Nolte, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don “Walking Tall” Baker, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck who were in the 1962 original. Scorsese’s version gave us the Southern boogie man, Max Cady, one of the most terrifying characters of the era. Intro: “Unholy Passion” – Samhain Outro: “Sore” - Buzzoven

If we can take anything away from the last 15 plus months is that friendship and family are probably the most important aspects of being human. We’ve all dealt with loneliness, despair, anxiety and fear and having a good base of people is crucial. I mention this because Champ Morgan, this week’s guests is an old friend, a good friend that I have often times leaned on in times like this. I’ve known Morgan for a long time (more years than I care to recount) and I’ve had the opportunity to observe the long list of bands that he has been part starting with the might Kill the Client to Derelict Satellite, BLK OPS, and most recently his blistering grind band Triage, who just recently deployed their debut album. Check out it out. Intro: “Armageddon Worship” - Triage Outro: “Methlehem” – BLK OPS

I’m really stoked about this episode. Randy and I got together with our brother Jeff Caxide for the first time in years, face to face, not Zoom, no WhatsApp. We had a great time hanging out. Jeff reminisces about his years playing in the legendary, genre-defining band Isis. Intro: “Wavering Radiant” Outro: “Hand of the Host”

I’ve known Ryan Patterson for close to a quarter century; time surely flies doesn’t it? Over the course of our quarter century friendship, I’ve witnessed his creative evolution over the trajectory of several bands from National Acrobat, Coliseum and his current efforts with Fotocrime, so it’s timely that he comes back on the podcast for an update. We had an EPIC conversation covering a myriad of topics outside of music as well as the creation of Fotocrime’s most recent recording endeavors. Intro: "South of Heaven" Outro: "Always Hell"

Ralph Schmidt and I are back for another episode of Unholy Passion. Continuing our expedition back to the 90’s, we discuss Soundgarden’s “Badmotorfinger” the record that pretty much established them as a major hard rock band that helped define an era. Intro: “Unholy Passion” – Samhain Outro: “Room A Thousand Years Wide” - Soundgarden

This week we’re joined by my old friend David Castillo a man who wears many hats: promoter, one of the main men at Saint Vitus, vocalist in several bands including Primitive Weapons, White Widows Pact and now his one-man electronic tour de force Confines. Check it out! Intro: “Slur” – Coil Outro: “A Root Casket” – Circle of Ouroborus

Closure on the Plague Diary series. In the wake of my second vaccination, I wanted to drop this episode. Intro: "Artichristo" - Dalek Outro: "Fuck the Universe" - Craft

Honestly, I’m not sure why we decided to do this episode; apparently, it was my idea. Randy and I did something different this week. We’re expanding our scope to include film discussion, so instead of talking about a film that resonates with the typical person, we selected Werner Herzog’s wild “re-imagining” of Abel Ferrara’s gritty classic Bad Lieutenant. Intro: “Friends of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – Easy Action Outro: “Jack Ass in the Will of God” - Eyehategad

This week, Reid Bateh of Bambara joins us. Reid is the front man of Bambara, a relative new discovery for me. Their last two records, 2018’s “Shadow on Everything” and last year’s “Stay” have been on constant rotation here at my Garden State Fortress of Solitude. If Birthday Party, Gun Club, Swans or Crime and the City Solution is your thing, definitely check out Bambara; dark, haunting, with lyrics heavy with narrative about drifters, down-and-out loners and heartbroken reprobates in a Southern Gothic style. Intro: “Dark Circles” Outro: “Stay Cruel”

Ralph Schmidt joins us for another episode of Unholy Passion, our monthly show. This week, we walk about Fair No More's "Angel Dust" record and discuss the band's overall importance in the development of heavy music throughout the 90's and into the new century.

Most of me probably know that Randy and I into the band Keverra based in LA. What some of you may not know is that my friendship with Mateo, their drummer goes back several years when Tombs did a short tour with 16 who he was playing drums for at the time. We had a great talk, covered a lot of ground and answered a lot of questions that I've always wanted to ask.

Randy and I get together in person for the second episode of the our recurring, monthly show. It’s easy to dismiss GG Allin as purely shock, but we dig, unapologetically into his creative output and develop the argument that he is a crucial element in “extreme” culture. Intro: “Outlaw Scumfuc” Outro: “Carmelita”

This week, we have an interview with one of the raddest ladies that I know, CeCe Loessin of the infamous Zucchini Kill Bakery in Austin, TX. We met way back when I drove and tour managed Wormrot; CeCe was driving Phobia and eventually ended up playing guitar for them. Anyway, we kept in touch over the years and I was stoked when she announced that she was opening Zucchini Kill Bakery, a vegan haven for treats, sick music, and good coffee. CeCe shares some of her experiences as an independent business owner during the 2020 pandemic as well as the Texas Utilities Disaster.

Welcome to a new regular show on Everything Went Black. If you've been listening to Everything Went Black for a while or Metal Matters at Gimme Metal, you will recognize my "brother from another mother" Ralph Schmidt from the fine bands Ultha and Ropes of Night. Check out our flagship episode.

My good friend Jackie Smit returns. He is the host and producer of Into the Necrosphere, my favorite extreme music podcast. He may also be familiar to you from his appearances on this podcast as well as Metal Matters. We pay tribute to the legendary LG Petrov of Entombed, talk about Jackie's bout with Covid-19 and go off on the usual tangents. Intro: "Demon" - Entombed Outro: " Carnal Leftovers" - Entombed

Thanks for tuning in to the first episode of Road to Ruin, the new show featuring me and Randy Larsen. For those of you who listened to Meta Matters, you will recognize us as the Classic Records team. We’ll be doing these shows every month, covering of different records and music-related topics. This first episode can be an “Origin” story where we talk about how we met, some cool memories and how we both got onto this Road to Ruin. Intro: “Life of Crime” – Laughing Hyenas Outro: “Me and Bobby McGee” – Kris Kristofferson

Time marches on, I hope everyone is doing well. This is a quick episode to reveal some news about the podcast and what is in store over the next few weeks. Intro: "Shadow" - Chromatics Outro: "Swallow" Deth Crux

Time goes on and I talk about closing one door so I can open another. Intro: "All the Gold in California" - Nick Cave Outro: "Hour Before Dawn" - The Gault

This week we find out some answers about the future of the show. Intro: “End Fly Liberation” – Moss Icon Outro: “Catapult” – R.E.M.

Lizard people, the hidden hand, Q Anon and some cool news about the future of the podcast. Intro: "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" - Public Enemy Outro: "Talk is Poison" - Talk is Poison

Happy New Year? Man, we're off to a crazy start; we've officially entered the Black Mirror. Intro: "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" - Geto Boys Outro: "Ceremony" - Galaxy 500

This will most likely be the last episode of 2020...maybe. It's been a rough year, on a multitude of different levels, so I might kick back for the remaining days of the year. With so little going on in the present, I've been diving deep into the past. Intro: "Prone Mortal Form" - Only Living Witness Outro: "Dance" - Sam Black Church

Another day in the dystopian reality of 2020 America. I hope everyone is well, enjoy the stories! Intro: "White Girl" - X Outro: "Eternally is Here" - G8n Club

Thanks to everyone who checked out the new Tombs record, Under Sullen Skies. I feel grateful to be able to make music in the midst of all of this. I answer some questions, talk about some obscure music and complain about journalists. Intro: "Alley Cat Blues" - Starfighters Outro: "Cocksucker Blues" - Beasts of Bourbon

Finally some good news after 4 years of ignorance, humiliation and darkness. Find out about my latest Covid-19 test and much more. Intro: "Chase the Dragon (live)" - Beasts of Bourbon Outro: "The Low Road (live)" - Beasts of Bourbon

Happy Halloween! Musings from beyond the threshold. Intro: "Halloween II" - Samhain Outro: "Mother of Mercy" - Samhain

If you listen to Metal Matters, the podcast I host for Gimme Metal, you probably heard the Classic Records episode I did for Circus of Power's LP "Vices" a few weeks ago. I cut in excerpts from a longer interview with Al Mitchell, the singer and front man of the band to add some color to the narrative of the band. Our talk was so cool that I wanted to present the whole thing to you guys. A few weeks have gone by since the Metal Matters thing, so I figured it's a good time to drop this. Intro: "Save the American Wolf" Outro: "In the Wind"

Sad News this week, we lost Eddie Van Halen, one of rock music's most important contributors. Intro: "Mean Streets" Outro: "D.O.A."

Jackie Smit, host of Into the Necrosphere joins me this week for a sprawling discussion of the Paul Thomas Anderson epic THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Be sure to check out Jackie's podcast Into the Necrosphere available on YouTube, Apple Podcast or wherever you stream your media. Intro "Cleaved Asunder" - Diocletian Outro "Fresh Cut Lips" - Dead and Gone

More ranting, raving and war stories from the edge of nowhere. Cold steel in the hour of chaos. Intro: "Carry Home" - Gun Club Outro: "In the Wind" - Circus of Power

Another week, more facts and figures. Intro: "Pears of Anguish" - Deth Crux Outro: "Primitive and Deadly" - Earth

Another week goes by. Intro: "Munich" - Editors Outro: "Friends of Rock 'n' Roll" - Easy Action

Internal landscapes, self-reflection and addressing ghosts; these are all part of the grind of making it through these trying times. Intro: “Sistinas” – Danzig Outr0: “Friends are Evil” - Jesu

Waxing about Gun Club, moonlit drives and past heartaches. I'm coming at you with another end times transmission. Intro: "Moonlight Mote" - Gun Club Outro: "Realization" - Today is the Day

News on the new Tombs record, my second Covid-19 test and being composed in the hour of chaos. Intro: "Cenotaph" - Bolt Thrower Outro: "Deadheads" - Breach

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the world is on fire. I ruminate on life in quarantine, reflect on the tragic violence against people of color and share some of the daily happenings such as the new tombs record and the various books and movies I've been checking out. Intro: "Jose Tries to Leave" - Bambara Outro: "Bone Furnace"

Jeff and I are back with another Plague Diary. It's a long, rambling episode that get dark at times. Intro: "Glowing Red Sun" - Goden Outro: "TormentORR" - Gehenna

Another week in lockdown. On this episode, I talk about my move to New Jersey, some fun facts about Richard Matheson, my current listening habits and a little MMA talk. Intro: “TormentORR” - Gehenna Outro: “Circle of Salt” – The Banner

My good friend and Necromaniacs co-host, Mike Scondotto, joins in for this episode of Plague Diary. We talk a little about the movies and books that we’ve getting into but our conversation veers off into our ideas about how the next few weeks and months are going to play out here in New York and the surrounding areas. Anyway, stay safe and stay healthy. Intro: “Shattered” – Paradise Lost Outro: “Inner Conflict” - Carnivore

Time marches on and we’re all hanging in there, doing what we need to do to make thru this thing. My friend Mike De Guzman, Muay Thai coach, fitness coach and co-owner of Raktan Muay Thai in Long Island City, NY joins us for this episode. Mike is recovering from the Covid-19 virus and has shared his experiences dealing the virus and has also shared some of his thoughts and ideas about the severity of what we’re up against. Apparently, around the time this episode, there is a growing opinion that this whole ordeal is part of a global conspiracy. I’m not surprised that some people believe this, conspiracy theories about contagious disease and pandemics are nothing new. If you believe this, fine that’s your freedom, but please continue to stay home. Don’t become a statistic! Intro: “Alarma” – Breach Outro: “Would” – Alice in Chains

More reflections on life indoors during quarantine. Intro: "Wither" - Skinyard Outro: "Bed of Roses" - Screaming Trees

More thoughts and impressions from behind the cast iron wall of isolation. Intro: "Circle of Guilt" - Kreig Outro: "Angel Blake" - Necrophagia

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. Like most of you, I have more time on my hands than I'm accustomed to so I'm going to put up these entries while we push through this thing. If any of you have any of your own stories or comments, please feel free to send them to me as mp3's or wav files and I'll cut them into the next episode. Intro: "Alarma" - Breach Outro: "Untitled" Der Blutharsch

Jeff and I get together to talk movies amidst all of the chaos and disinformation surrounding the Corona Virus Pandemic. What better movies to talk about than 2011's Contagion and the Terry Gilliam classic 12 Monkeys from 1995.