Hi, everyone. This is Terrie Carr. You may know
me from my radio days and, of course, my new
Carr Stereo podcast. And I am so excited to be
on my weekly mixtape with my good friend Brian
Colburn talking about music. Brian's one of the
best guys to talk about music to. He always gets
my brain working a little bit. So super excited
to be on the podcast. And I hope you guys enjoy
it. What is going on, friends? Welcome to My
Weekly Mixtape, the show that takes the classic
mixtape approach to building a modern playlist.
I'm your host, Brian Colburn, and joining me
tonight is someone who I consider to be New Jersey,
New York rock, radio royalty, and someone who
sets the interview bar at heights that I aim
to achieve each and every week here on My Weekly
Mixtape. So it's my absolute honor to welcome
the one and only Terry Carr to the show. Thank
you so much for being here tonight. Brian, thank
you so much for having me. I'm a fan of you and
your interviews. I love the podcast because I
love to talk music and I love to hear when people
are talking about music. So I'm totally into
it. So I'm really honored that you're letting
me be a guest. It's so weird that I'm a guest
because I'm never a guest. I always have the
guest. So it's like so strange, you know, to
be kind of on the other side here. Well, then
I am going to start with the basics here. Okay.
What does the word mixtape mean to you? Oh, the
word mixtape has a bunch of different meanings
to me. It means to me being a little kid and
taping my favorite songs off the radio. It also
has a very romantic meaning because, you know,
back in the day, if a guy that you liked made
you a mixtape, I have mixtapes from many people.
that I dated, which is like really fun and nice.
So there's like a lot of very romantic connotations,
you know, and not just because you dated people,
but music is very romantic. So it takes me back
to a place where there was just romance in everything,
if that makes any sense. Oh, it makes total sense.
And what a perfect segue into tonight's topic,
because we are going to be talking about post
-2000 power ballads tonight. Ooh, okay. When
I hear people discuss power ballads, it usually
veers straight to that late 80s, put your lighters
in the air motif. Yes. But at its core, a power
ballad is a slow, heavy, anthemic rock song.
That never went away. Yet the term itself, to
me at least, feels frozen, kind of in the 80s.
How do you think power ballads evolved over the
last few decades? Well, power ballads are always
very emotionally charged. They're not always
down tempo. Some of them are kind of like a mid
down tempo. And I think the evolution has changed
from, you know, dare I say it, screwing your
favorite person to mental health issues. loss,
not just love loss, but losing a friend or losing
a parent. I think that as artists evolve and
get older, you're starting to experience more
death in your life and less sex, drugs and rock
and roll. So divorce, maybe losing a parent,
a child or something. So a lot of the power ballads,
I think, as artists get older and decades move
on, change. And I also think that there's a different
connotation. around mental health these days.
So you will see a lot of the post 2000 power
ballads starting to get some sprinklings in of
when people are going through struggles. And
I think that that's really come to the forefront
in the modern day powered ballad for sure. Yeah,
I'd have to agree. I don't remember a lot of
that being touched on in the late 80s, except
for the far extreme of. suicide like ozzy osbourne
and lita for close my eyes forever or kicks uh
don't close your eyes but the actual mental health
part of it was almost taboo even during the hairband
era because it didn't fit the sex drugs excess
and rock and roll vibe it was almost that era's
kryptonite in a sense especially for men like
men never talked about mental health it was something
that nobody ever spoke about And now it seems
to be just a lot more commonplace. So I think
that the evolution of music as a whole has embraced
this sort of different box that wasn't there
before. Well, before we start mapping out our
collective post 2000 power ballads, I'd like
to give a quick shout out to a few of the Patreon
mixtapers who chimed in with songs they feel.
should be on our radar this evening. And for
those out there listening, if you'd like to be
a part of that conversation, you could do so
over at patreon .com forward slash my weekly
mixtape. First off, Chad LaMassa chimed in with
the bruised power ballad. And yes, that's actually
a term for a subgenre of power ballads. I didn't
know that. I like that. I like that a lot. That's
Chad. Yeah, I never heard that term before, but
I had to do some digging on it. Me neither. Go,
Chad. I did not know this. How did I not know
this in all my years in radio? Chad is the freaking
man. Yeah, bruised power ballads are, and I quote,
lyrically more intimate, vulnerable, or often
self -destructive versus the traditional ballad
rooted in romance or breakup. Wait, Brian, I
may hit you up after for that because I may want
to write all that down. That is very impressive.
Chad, good for you. See, I learn something every
day. And the song he chose was Sorry For It All
by Dead Sarah. Oh, I love that song. Oh, Dead
Sarah is incredible. And I know Chad and I have
had many conversations about this because he's
a bit concerned because of Emily Armstrong's
association with Linkin Park now that Dead Sarah
might not. be anymore. And I keep telling them,
hold out hope. They never got what they deserve.
They really, really never got as a band what
they deserve. But I remember people telling me
they're going to be huge. They're going to be
huge. They're going to be huge. And there were
just so many mountains that they had to climb
and it just never, never happened. And such a
great, great band. And I think when Linkin Park
has downtime, I have a feeling they're going
to finally get there just due. Yeah, she'd be
crazy not to. Yeah. Sean Goff chimed in with
Butch Walker's aptly titled mixtape, Love Me
Some Butch Walker. And Tom Hutchinson chimed
in with a pair of tunes, so I guess one lighter
in each hand for this one, Hinder's Lips of an
Angel and Buck Cherry's Sorry. Oh, a little Buck
Cherry power ballad. I love that. And for those
out there listening, once again, if you want
to chime in on future My Weekly Mixtape episodes,
you could do so at patreon .com forward slash.
my weekly mixtape. All right, Terry, I'm going
to turn the mic over to you. What is the first
song that comes to your mind when you think about
post -2000 power ballads and why? I try to give
a little different list. I try to sort of think
of some of the power ballads that maybe people
didn't think of top of mind. And I'm going to
start with one of my favorite bands of all time,
and that is Seven Dust. Oh. An angel's son. Now,
2001 was when they released it on Animosity,
so it could be a little gray area here. Written
by LJ, LeJean Witherspoon, and Clint Lowry, mourning
the death of the lead vocalist of a band called
Snot. if you remember. And there was a tribute
album that actually came out to Lynn Strait of
Snot before that. And then all of a sudden, these
guys decided to put it on their record. And it
was a big hit for Seven Dust. I mean, I remember
when Seven Dust got signed, TVT, they were this
wild metal band. A couple of my friends worked
for TVT Records and said, you've got to check
this band out. They are just like the new face.
They were one of the first new metal bands and
one of the most amazing new metal bands. And
then we get this song from them. And LJ has a
whole different vocal approach on this song.
So I was able to actually hear his his ebbing
and flowing and all of his singing. And this
is just a really special song for me and a really
special song when you see the band in concert,
because as wild and amped up as the crowd is,
then they do Angel's Son. And you can hear a
pin drop and everybody just stops. And I think
the band that can get you on 25 and then get
you to just hear a pin drop and listen to every
word and feel it and people are crying and it
reminds them all of somebody that they've lost.
It's a very impactful moment. So that song, I
think, should always be at the upper list of
the post -2000 power ballads. I immediately think
of that original video with the members of Snot
when they were sitting on the beach. That was
for the Straight Up album. That came out my senior
year in college, right at the tail end of me
leaving college radio. Everybody sitting on the
beach, jamming that song in eulogy. I get goosebumps
just talking about it. Yeah, the video is incredible.
Just absolutely incredible. The band wasn't really,
nobody was sure what to do. you know, with that
song or with that video, LJ kind of said, you
know, we were coming up and we didn't really
know that many people who died, you know, died
in a car accident. So it was unexpected. And
the emotion in that is just, just crazy. Unbelievable.
And then obviously the version from animosity
where they bring the string section in and they
really put the seven dust sound on it. Now, to
me, this introduced people to a whole different
side of seven dust because the closest songs
you can find on their first two albums to Angel's
Son were maybe, and I'm really going out on a
limb here, My Ruin from the self -titled had
a bit of a mid -tempo vibe, but it was still
heavy as hell. And then if you even want to count
Insecure, which was just a one -minute interlude
on Home, this showed people the depth that Seven
Dust had. I don't think you would have ever gotten
the acoustic tours or the acoustic album if it
wasn't for Angel's Son opening up that dynamic
of this band. Yeah, yeah. And a big hit for them.
I think it went to number 11 on the charts. And
that was a big deal at that time because music
was kind of sounding the same -ish. And those
metal bands were not really charting, you know,
like they are now or like they can now. So that
was a big moment. For Seven Dust, for sure. So
huge stuff. Love that song. Love, love, love
it. I'm going to stay in this vibe. A little
bit of a darker way to start here. Because when
we started this episode, we talked about how
bands were opening up and being more vulnerable
post -2000. Something you didn't get in the 80s.
And I mentioned Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford's
Close My Eyes Forever and Kix's Don't Close Your
Eyes. Those were two that really jumped out to
me during that age. of songs that I hadn't heard
that touched on such serious topics. And I'm
going to go with something from Papa Roach that
came out in 2022 on their album Ego Trip, which
I'm going to piss some people off when I say
this, because I know everybody immediately thinks
Infest. And I had a chance to meet Papa Roach
when they were touring that album, opening up
for Eminem and Limp Bizkit as the opening act
on that tour. Ego Trip might be my favorite Papa
Roach album ever. It feels like they took all
of their eras over two decades and just honed
it all in. And they brought little pieces of
everywhere they've been musically. I agree. I
agree. I think Jacoby agrees with that too. He
felt that this was one of the best, if not the
best record that they made as a band. I think
there's everything. I often say this. It's everything
we love about Papa Roach. Those impactful lyrics.
that Papa Roach energy. And all right, so name
your song. I know what you're going to pick,
but name your song. I'm going to go with Leave
a Light On. How could you not? It's probably
the biggest and the best that we got in this
era. I thought about going with Scars from 2004
because that's more of the big power ballad,
the love song. But coming out of Angel's Son,
I feel like this is a fitting. Follow up to that.
And a monster song for them. I mean, then Carrie
Underwood came and cut a version. And again,
it's one of those songs where when I saw P Roach
at the Prudential Center. Incredible show. Were
you there? Took the whole family. Spirit Box
and Shine Down as well. What a show. Did you
see when they were doing Last Resort and then
Leave a Light On? It was exactly what I just
said, where the whole place is on fire. And then
all of a sudden. they're hanging on, you know,
Jacoby's every word during leave a light on and
the phones are up and the lighters are up. And
it was a really intense moment. That was like
some of the, one of the first times that I really
started bonding with my oldest on music. Cause
at the time they were both into the Taylor Swift's
and whatever the pop stars were. And I've tried
my best as a father to introduce them to as many
bands as possible. I've taken them to see everything
from Metallica to Blues Traveler to Lamb of God.
The latter did not go over as well as I thought
it would. Lucky kids. Holy crap. They are so
lucky. I figured if anything, they're going to
go off to college with a musical education and
they could go on whatever musical path they want.
But Leave a Light On was one of those moments
that I think both my kids really felt music.
And I think this is an important song to have
on this just for the fact that it's such an important
topic. Not everybody could be so big and strong
and powerful in one song and then admit that
we're all human and we all have our insecurities
and our vulnerabilities and it's not weak to
ask for help. And I think that's an important
message in a post 2000 power ballad. Yeah, that's
a special song. So that had to be on this list.
And I'm really, really glad that you included
it because some songs are great songs, but some
songs are just like special where you go. This
is a really special song. There's more happening.
I call it purposeful music. You know, there's
a purpose behind this song. And yeah, amazing,
amazing, amazing choice. Absolutely had to be
featured. All right, great. Is it my turn? Your
turn next. We go back and forth here. All right.
I have to give some of my ladies. you know, get
some of my ladies on this list because I'm a
big, big, big proponent of females in rock and
roll, you know, really talented women. And Dorothy
is on my list. Dorothy Martin, aka Dorothy. And
I'm going to go with Rest in Peace. Nice. She
came out with this song in 2022 from an album
that I think is so criminally underrated called
Gifts from the Holy Ghost. This song was written
by Dorothy. Scott Stevens, who is an amazing
songwriter and very good friend of mine. I got
to tell Scott to listen to this. Scott writes
for everybody and with everybody, Daughtry and
Shinedown. I mean, like you named the band and
Scott Stevens is somewhere. So he writes this
also with a guy named Blair Daly and Zach Malloy,
and they come up with Rest in Peace. But I remember
Scott telling me, I couldn't imagine anybody
else singing this song other than Dorothy. And
I didn't really even know her that well, but
I wanted her to sing this song. And there is
something about it. She said it's a song that
kind of rests her demons. I also think it's a
song that can rest a bad relationship. One day
I'll be dancing on your grave, taking it back,
the life you stole. Now, you know, like it just
the lyrics are so incredible. And it starts off.
with her just kind of getting you into the song.
And then the power of that ballad comes and then
she takes it back. And it's storytelling, modern
day power ballad storytelling at its finest.
So Dorothy, rest in peace on my list. Is amen
a good word to use to follow up that? The first
time I heard the cadence in the chorus of hallelujah,
I'm over you. Yeah. I was like, I am in, I am
sold on this. Now to me, gifts from the Holy
ghost was a bit of a musical pivot for Dorothy
because rock is dead. Lead very indie rock. Then
she had 28 days in the Valley, which was, she
was like hippie trippy, you know, very organic
kind of record. And that's what I love about
her. You know, the common thread with all of
her music is that incredible voice. Like that's
the music. That's the instrument that you're
listening to the most. She has a banging band.
And yeah, she just surprises me all the time.
You know, just when I think she's going to hear.
She goes here and a true artist. She's a true
artist. So I wanted to make sure she got some
love on this list. Couldn't agree more. And I
think everything she's done from gifts from the
Holy ghost into the way signals where she's probably
heading into the future. Cause I could just see
her moving up the charts to be there with groups
like the pretty reckless and hail storm who have
made that leap to the next level. I hope so.
Cause she deserves it. And I really want to see
her. get there. She's a hard worker, too. I've
seen her do stuff like where she's doing this
and she's doing this and she's doing this. And
she would be like, I'll come to the radio station,
even though it's a show day for me. Like she
works her ass off and really, really deserves
it. I think she's the new breed of rock star
and a quality artist through and through. Well,
I think to follow her up, I'm going to stay with
this female rock thing. As somebody with two
daughters, I have to represent the ladies as
well. Yes, yes. And this is a group that later
this year, I bought the tickets a year in advance,
but I will be taking my girls to see. And I can't
wait because my father was the biggest ACDC fan.
And in 2016, him and I went to go see them at
MetLife. And I made a promise to him that night.
that the next time ACDC came around, we would
take the whole family. Now, unfortunately, my
father is no longer with us, but he will be there
in spirit. And I kept my promise. He will be
there with us because I am taking the whole family
to see ACDC. However, I am just as excited to
see the opening act because it'll be the first
time I get to see the Pretty Reckless live. And
when it comes to power ballads, There are so
many that I could choose from from their repertoire,
but I'm going to go all the way back to their
first album, Light Me Up, and go with a little
bit of a deeper cut from them. And it's a song
that I think is criminally underrated, should
have been a massive hit. And it's the song that
I discovered them on. And it's just tonight.
And, you know, I get the fact that the way people
are now with TMZ and everything else, that she's
forever going to be followed by the fact. that
she was the actress that played Cindy Lou Who
in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, as well as
her role on Gossip Girl, and she's the quote
-unquote actress -turned -musician. But to me,
she's purely a musician. Yes, I understand she
can act, and I understand the stuff she's done,
but I discovered her more through her music than
I did through her roles in television and in
movies. Because at the end of the day, she slays
it, and she's got a bit of a bluesiness to her
voice. that comes out in this heavier rock, but
she could do a collaboration with Warren Haynes
on an album, but then bring this darker edge
to the spectrum where it's almost in this Soundgarden
vein. I know she toured with them. Kind of like
Dorothy, there's a little bit of a spectrum of
music that she brings to this band that's not
pigeonholed anywhere. But just tonight is that
punch -you -in -the -face power ballad. And I
get that we're staying on a little bit of these
darker tones like we did with Seven Dust and
Papa Roach and Dorothy. But here, this is a song
about a tormented relationship, a breakup. I
can't tell. Maybe there was a car crash involved.
But the vocal delivery is what I'm focused on
here. She delivers it in almost this more bluesy,
even almost in a dare I use the word sexy way.
She's trying to deliver this pain and torment.
It kind of brings back a little bit of that 80s
ethos. And I think it just works really well.
Coming out of some of the darker tones that we've
talked about already tonight. And I think on
that record, they needed that song to give that
record the diversity that she gives that band.
So, yeah, there's so many great. You know what
other song I love from them, too? I almost had
it on my list is 25. Oh, yeah. Which is another
phenomenal singing her heart out kind of power
about. It's almost like a love song to herself.
in a way, but I'm so happy that you've got Taylor
on this list because she so deserves to be on
it because she's a real torch song kind of rock
vocalist. She's got this whole torch songy, like
you said, bluesy, sexy kind of sound. Yeah, it's
almost like her voice is pole dancing. A little
bit. Well, we're about to close out the first
half of this playlist. And you get to choose
the last song for the first five. Okay. Let me
go Alter Bridge. I'm going to go Alter Bridge
and Blackbird. I love this song. It is very haunting.
I think it took the band from one place to the
next place. It's probably one of their longest
songs on a record. A clock's in close to, I think,
almost eight minutes. It's about a friend of
Miles Kennedy who Miles lost. There's this whole
big epic feel and vibe in the song. It's the
title track from the album. And it's just one
of those songs that when they sing it, if they
sing it live. There's just something very magical
about that song. And I've had people hit me up
to play that song on the radio for them. And
I'm like grabbing the CD to get the whole you
got to do the whole song. You can't do a radio
edit. There's no edit or anything like that.
You got to get the whole thing in because it
means a lot. It's a very impactful song for people.
And it is not maybe one of their. Most well -known
songs. But the Alter Bridge fans, they're a very
special group as well. And they know everything
this band does. It is a fan favorite. And one
of their epic kind of songs, you know, they started
then making more in the way of like epic sounding
songs with big giant imagery. And I think Blackbird
was one of those first songs that I heard that
did that for me. I love the pick. I had this
and Ghosts of Days Gone By on my list. Even though
Ghost of Days Gone By is slightly a little bit
more up -tempo during the verses and stuff, I
still feel that anthemic chorus. Because when
I think about an anthemic chorus post -2000,
it's very hard to not immediately think about
Miles Kennedy. His voice was built for that anthemic
chorus. And I think he's one of the, what I call
it, bridges to the old sound. of the 80s power
ballad like we were talking about at the top
of the episode because he hits those high notes
with just such effortless ease. And I know there's
a lot of people that talk about, well, Alter
Bridge is just Creed with a different singer.
Nah. I've never believed that because in this
universe, I cannot hear Scott Stapp singing Blackbird.
I really feel that even though the musicians
are... one in the same between the two bands,
and they share the two groups, I really feel
like they've carved out their own niche on each
side of that spectrum. And they do it in such
a way that it feels unique to each singer's strengths.
And Blackbird is something that, I'm sorry, as
much as Scott Stapp is an incredible vocalist,
that is Miles Kennedy's song. And that is their
universe. That is an Alter Bridge song. And Creed
has ones that I just don't feel that Miles would
do justice to because it needs Scott's energy.
And that's something that I've heard a lot of
people argue about. And it kind of drives me
crazy, to be honest with you. Yeah, I think the
feel of the bands are so different. And I hear
a different Tremonti in Alter Bridge than I hear
in Creed. Maybe that's just me as a Tremonti
fan. I hear a different rhythm section in Alter
Bridge than I hear in Creed. So, yeah, I agree
with you. I think that that is a Miles Kennedy
song through and through. I don't think anybody
else can sing the vocal gymnastics that are in
that song. And there's definitely just a different
feel for each band. And Miles is such an emotional
singer. When you see them perform that live,
when they perform that live, people are crying.
Oh, yeah. That song means so much to them. So,
yeah, I had to get an AB song on my list because
I'm such an Alter Bridge fan. Perfect way to
close out the first half of this post -2000s
power ballads playlist, which kicked off with
Seven Dust's Angel's Son, followed up by Papa
Roach's Leave a Light On, Dorothy's Rest in Peace,
The Pretty Reckless Just Tonight. and Alter Bridge's
Blackbird. Head over to myweeklymixtape .com
to hear all the songs we've discussed in this
mix through the playlist embedded on the episode
page. And now we're going to dive into the second
half of this playlist. And Terry, I'm going to
go with one that, a group that I actually got
to catch up with you in person last summer when
we both saw them live at their first ever headlining
Madison Square Garden show. And that is the one
and only Shine Down. And when I say the band
name, there are so many different songs I could
choose from here. I mean, Second Chance, I Dare
You, A Symptom of Being Human, Get Up. There
are so many that could work so, so well. And
I'm going to go with one that, for me, is extremely
important. Back in 2019, my wife and I... We're
lucky enough to get our hands on a pair of Primo
seats for the Attention Attention Tour up in
Guilford, New Hampshire. And when they broke
out, I'll follow you. It moved me to tears. I'm
there with my wife, who's somebody who's been
there with me now for over 20 years through thick
and thin, good times and bad. I mean, life has
thrown us everything, the ups, the downs, the
happy times, the sad times. And she has been
my rock through life. And it's a song like that,
that we got married a long time, you know, way
prior to this song ever coming out. And it's
one of those ones that thinking back, I'm like,
I see why people use this as their wedding song.
And it doesn't necessarily have to be about a
partner. It could be about a friend. There's
just so many layers of depth to this song that
Brent brings lyrically. I feel like they're a
band that, and I know this sounds weird to say
because they don't know me personally. But damn
it, they get me for some reason lyrically, if
that makes any sense. You're not the only one
that feels that way. I mean, that I think is
the magic of their fan base because they just
connect. They are a band that connects. I saw
that from the first minute I put them on the
air. I mean, when I was at WDHA, the first one
of the first stations they ever came to, if not
the first in the Northeast, was us. And I wasn't
even going to be there that day. I was doing
a live broadcast from a barbecue joint. So they
said, well, we'll come to the barbecue joint
and we'll play. And they were at Pop's Barbecue
in Madison, New Jersey. And I was doing the lunch
hour live and Shinedown is in there. And they
did four songs. They did Fly From the Inside.
They did 45. They did Burning Bright and Simple
Man. Of course. For this barbecue crowd, and
I saw it then, there's a connection that this
band makes with the fans that you just said it
perfectly. They get me. Everybody feels like
that. You could be a teenage girl or a 70 -year
-old man. It doesn't matter because their fan
base feels that way. This person is talking to
me. And that's the magic, man. Everybody wants
that, right? And that is not something that's
easy to pull off. No. I mean, you think about
a lot of the songs out there and you listen to
it lyrically and you're like, man, in my 20s,
I would have related to that. But now, eh, not
so much. For some reason with Shinedown lyrics,
no matter what it is, even a song like Adrenaline,
something as simple as that, they just get who
I am. Yeah. Yeah. Great choice, too. I'm glad
you chose that one because, you know, symptom
of being human. Everyone knows that one. So I'm
glad that you that you picked that one because
I think I think it's a perfect choice for the
list. Great. All right. Well, tossing it back
to you for track seven here. I have a prop for
track seven. OK. All right. I'm going with Hailstorm.
Nice. From their debut and familiar taste of
poison. This was a different side I saw of the
band. I love the video. It was almost like I
saw Lizzy as a leading lady. Like all of a sudden
I just saw all of the things that she could do.
And she was still very young. This was 2009 when
this came out. So I have this prop because Lizzy
dedicated the song to me and gave me a rose.
Wow. At PNC Bank Arts Center. And this is actually
like, you know, it's not a real rose, but someone
makes them in her camp. So she dedicated this
song to me. So that song is always very special.
I've always loved it. But then to have her dedicate
that song to me and then give me the rose was
very special. So I love it. So, yeah. That is
absolutely. I caught that 2009 touring cycle
several times up in New Hampshire, as well as
in New Jersey Starland Ballroom. I think they
were with. three days grace at the time. I think
you're right. I think you're right. I was at
that show. Yep. And seeing them on stage, I turned
to my buddy and said, these guys are going to
be huge. There is not a single doubt in my mind.
They have every bit of the it factor. Then when
I saw them that same year up in New Hampshire,
it was with Chevelle shine down and stained.
And again, You just knew. Everybody in the crowd
knew. They were commanding the audience from
what I call the sunshine slot, which is where
the sun is just beaming down on them. They don't
need lights because they're playing in the middle
of the day and they were still commanding the
audience like it was 11 o 'clock at night. And
that, I think, went through all of their albums.
I could have went with a ton of ballads from
them. Raise Your Horns, which is just Lizzy and
a piano. I know it's not a power ballad, but
the notes she hits and the gravel she screams
at the end of that song make a piano a power
ballad. And then I have to just give a shout
out to Here's to Us. I lost one of my closest
friends back in 2011, and I got a chance to,
I actually tweeted this out to Lizzy back when
this happened. One of the lines in the song,
if they give you hell, tell them go fuck themselves.
My buddy always said to me, they don't like it.
Tell them to go fuck themselves. And this song
came out months after he passed. I was on Route
46. I had to pull over my car so I could have
myself a good cry and look up and go, are you
kidding me? Her music, again, like Shinedown,
they've evolved. so much since 2009. And I think
their albums are getting bigger and more epic
and they're really pushing the boundaries. She
is a force to be reckoned with musically. She's
an escalator. I've called her an escalator for
women. You know, sometimes you get from here
to here and it takes slow and sometimes you get
from here to here. Lizzy's been somebody who
has been an escalator, who has helped women in
music because let's face it, the music business
is all about money. So people want to know we're
going to have a band and they're going to get
on the charts and they're going to have 10 number
ones and five number fives and we can put them
as a headliner and they're going to sell tickets.
And that's a big deal. And they never thought
much of women in music in the past is still very
male dominated. But Lizzie has been an escalator.
So when you say she's a force to be reckoned
with, she has done much more for. elevating women,
talented women who are making music than anyone
will ever know. I have to chime in on that because
one of the first guests ever on my weekly mixtape
was Amanda, the lead singer of Eva Under Fire.
And Eva Under Fire does a amazing cover of Separate
Ways, Worlds Apart, which came out about maybe
a year prior to Lizzy and Daughtry's version
of the same song. I remember that. And somehow
the two of them connected and did it live once
on stage when Eva Under Fire opened for Hailstorm.
And I feel like Hailstorm giving that light to
bands that are up and coming is so empowering.
And it's something that is infectious because
you see these bands continuing to try to raise
other bands up and show the community aspect
in music. And to me, that's a beautiful thing
because A lot of times at the really underground
stage when there's battle of the bands and who
can sell more tickets than who the whole pay
to play thing. Unfortunately, bands start to
lose sight of the fact that at the end of the
day, the local music scene and any music scene
for that matter is supposed to be a community.
Brilliant. And that's something that I always
carry with me. I feel like it needs to be. Hailstorm
is one of those bands too. I think somebody said
this to me. Everyone likes to tour with Hailstorm
and bands. Some bands don't like to tour with
other bands. There's a lot of that that goes
on behind the scenes. And a promoter said to
me, well, Hailstorm, I can put them on any bill
because everybody likes Hailstorm. They're just
that kind of a band. And I also want to make
a point. It's such a touchy subject because when
you sometimes talk about women helping other
women and stuff, people say, but now we have
to take that out of it because bands just want
to be bands. Well, I've got to tell you. Until
the women get the same respect, the same money
and the same everything as men, when you are
able to move a cause forward, take that. Take
those accolades because we need it. We're not
there yet. We're definitely not there yet. So
Lizzie is one of those people and she is so one
of those people who will help. Any band she's
a fan of, look what she did for Skid Row. Oh,
what a run. I wish that came to Jersey. Those
guys are super guys, and they just wanted to
get some of their tour dates complete for the
fans, for the band, for the promoters, for the
venues. And she was like, look, I'm a fan of
your band. I don't care what it pays, if it pays.
She didn't care. She's like, whatever dates you
have, I'm in. I'll do it. I just want to sing
in Skid Row. Because that's just how she is.
She's just a music fan. And man, we need those
people. It's a community. You're right. And before
I go too much onto this side, can I just say
how incredible Hailstorm's cover of Slave to
the Grind is from the Reanimate EP? Amazing.
When she hits those high notes in it, like that
is, oh my God, I love Slave to the Grind. Monkey
Business is my favorite Skid Row song, but Slave
to the Grind is such a monster. And when I heard
they were covering this, I'm like. You have my
attention. And when I first put it on, I'm like,
OK, one of my favorite bands now. Takes balls,
man. Takes balls to do that song. And she slayed
it. She killed it. And those guys love her. And
rightfully so. You know, she's just she's just
Lizzie's also just good people. She's just really
good people. Well, we're going to sway a little
bit away from the female side of things here.
And I'm going to go with a band that. I don't
know necessarily if they'll fit in the hard rock.
I consider them hard rock, but there's definitely
a glam element to this group. And I saw them
at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
It was either last year or 2024. It's a little
hazy. The last year and a half has been crazy
for me. With Cedar and Stained. Yeah, I think
that was my radio station show. Yes, it was WDHA.
Yes, I brought my youngest to that. And the struts
blew my mind. I've been a fan of them since I
first discovered their music in 2015. They were
still just a UK band, but they put out this little
EP on iTunes, and I listened to it for about
five hours straight one day. And then in 2016,
they released their debut album, Everybody Wants,
in the US, which is essentially the 2014 album
with some re -records and some extra tracks.
And on that album is a song called Merry Go Round.
And to me, this is a pure, tried and true 80s
power ballad done in the 2010s. His vocals, there's
a touch of David Bowie to it. There's a touch
of the hair band glam. And there's a touch of
Queen to it. And you kind of roll it all into
one and you get this sound that is so unique.
And I don't know if rock radio was ready for
the struts at the time. I think we were. I will
tell you off the record, well, I guess we're
on the record now. I think we were ready. I don't
think the band or the people around the band
knew what they wanted to do with that band. And
I would always ask about the struts. And I was
super psyched when we had them finally had them
on our show. I was like, oh, this is so cool.
And I thought they stole. Personally, I thought
they stole the show. They were incredible. They
stole the show. But I don't think anybody knew
because bands always have to be boxed. You know,
we're going to get here on the active charts
and here on the modern rock charts and here on
the mainstream charts. And they were a band.
And I don't know which camp it came from. Because
somebody said, yeah, well, they're going to end
up being more like a Maroon 5. And I'm like,
a Maroon 5? They're like freaking Queen. He's
not Maroon. Like, what are you talking about?
So I think there was that confusion. I think
rock radio, whether we knew it or not, was so
ready for a little bit of a different vibe and
a little bit of a different sound. And I thought
they could have taken that song to be a single.
And I thought they could have taken that. Banned
from the beginning to go the distance. So I agree
with you 10 ,000%. They're a rock band to me.
They're 100 % tried and true. Even though they
had body talks where they did a version with
just the band and then they brought Kesha on,
I think they were testing where they went. But
on Pretty Vicious, their last studio album, they
knew exactly where they were going. And that
is rooted in kind of like Too Good at Raising
Hell had that Rolling Stones, Dirty with the
horn section. then Pretty Vicious, you get that
late night drive swagger coming through in a
song. They are so unique. And I feel like they're
destined for greatness. And the thing is, on
the other side of the pond, they're already there.
The fact that it's taken nearly 12 years. What's
going on? I never understand it. I just don't
understand it. They should have been big five
years ago. Amen. They should monster. They're
big, but they should have been monster five years
ago. Five years ago. They're rock stars. We need
rock stars. People kind of forget sometimes.
I love good singers. We love good songs, great
live bands. We also need rock stars. Gotta have
some rock stars. And Luke Spiller is a rock star.
Amen. 100 % tried and true. And I'll say this.
I think their time is coming, and I think it's
coming very, very soon in the U .S. I hope so.
It's about damn time. So, Terry, we're down to
two songs left, one each. This is where it gets
really tough because we're kind of summing up
25 -plus years of power ballads, and we only
got two songs. Okay. So what is your last pick
for this evening? I have to go with one of my
favorite supergroups of all time. And that is
Velvet Revolver. Two of my all time favorite
rock stars, musicians, artists are in that band.
That's Scott Weiland and Slash. And Fall to Pieces
was a song that it was the third single from
Contraband. And when I first heard it, I said,
this band is going to be massively huge. I'd
hoped and prayed that we would get more music
and more music and more music and more music.
from the band there's something about that song
it's kind of an ode to scott with drugs and everything
that went on with drugs and he was sort of trying
to leave it behind issues in his marriage so
i think it's kind of leaving your demons here
and trying to put that relationship back together
and um It's just such an impactful song. His
vocal is beautiful on it. Slash's guitar is incredible
on it. And it was such a monster hit for the
band. I think it stayed at number one for weeks
and weeks and weeks. And it was on the charts,
you know, the rock charts for 11 weeks or 12
weeks, just like a massive hit for that band.
So I could not leave Fall to Pieces out of my
list because I think it's one of the most impactful
songs. of the 2000s, of that era. And, you know,
rest in peace, Scott. We had such a great band
with Velvet Revolver, so different than Guns
N' Roses. I don't know if Guns would have ever
gotten back together had Scott gotten everything
back together because they were so dynamic and
such a rock and roll band. Everybody in the band
was a rock star. It was just so cool. The term
supergroup sometimes gets thrown around loosely.
Velvet Revolver was every bit of the word super.
When you look at that lineup and you look at
the artists involved, the bar was set so high
for them. You're talking Guns N' Roses and Stone
Temple Pilots. On paper, when they first got
announced, I remember a lot of people going,
I don't know if this is going to work. And the
first time I listened to Contraband front to
back, I said, not only does this work, they've
carved out something special here. And I really,
it breaks my heart that we were not able to see
more from them. And I have to agree with you.
I don't know if you get a Guns N' Roses. Guns
N' Roses was still doing the Guns N' Roses thing.
Chinese democracy, that was all happening at
this time. And I personally think Velvet Revolver
eclipsed That era of Guns N' Roses. And I know
that's a big say to the GNR fans out there. It
was such a rock band. I remember thinking this
is what rock and roll needs right now. I saw
them at Starland Ballroom. It was still the best
show I have ever seen at the Starland Ballroom.
I mean, just watching Scott on stage was such
an experience. He was such a magical. Rock star.
I mean, you just got so swept up. You felt so
rock and roll after you left any show that he
was fronting. And then to have Slash there and
Duff there and Dave was just amazing. It was
just a really, really phenomenal band. That song,
too, has so much angst in it. His vocal performance
is so poignant and. Almost like we're hearing
things for the last time, you know, I felt very
lucky that I was able to speak with him. And
I don't want to say lucky that I got the last
interview, but I think I got his his last interview
ever. And it was a surprise to me as well. He
was playing the Wellmont Theater and they said
Scott Weiland is going to call. And it was it
was the day before Thanksgiving and to promote
the show. And look, I had. many experiences with
Scott. You couldn't always count on him to call.
So I remember thinking, he's never going to call.
And they said, he'll call, he's going to call
the hotline at 105. And I'm thinking, yeah, right.
Okay. I barely did any prep for it because I'm
like, he's not going to call me. So what's the
difference? And sure enough, at 105, the hotline
rang and it was Scott Weiland. And he was talking
about his show coming up and he was a little
slow in his speech. But he was so lovely and
wonderful and sweet. And I remember playing that
song after the interview because I felt like
playing fall to pieces. And it was almost like
a full circle moment for me where then he he
had passed away, you know, a couple of weeks
later. And I just have a very special feeling
for that song and that last interview I ever
did with Scott Weiland. There are no words. You
said poignant, I think, was the word you used
for his vocal delivery. I think it might be,
and he's got some incredible vocal parts throughout
all of Stone Temple Pilots' catalog. It might
be the most powerful chorus he ever hits. That
chorus, when he hits those notes, it's transcendent.
I think that's the word I'm looking for. It is.
It is. That song transports you. And it's one
of those songs where when the music is playing,
you kind of feel like you're almost above the
music looking down at it. I can't really explain
it. But yeah, that's that's how I feel that song.
And I feel him. So I think Velvet Revolver just.
underrated now. I mean, we knew how great they
were then, but then I almost feel like people
have forgotten about that because Guns has come
back and Stone Temple Pilots are kind of doing
their thing these days and stuff. And I think
about Velvet Revolver and I go, shit, what a
great rock and roll band. They were lightning
in a bottle a very short time. But what we got
was boom. I mean, just the greatest. Oh, man.
And I've got to. put a bow on these 10 songs
here and I'm torn right now. I've got two songs
that I could go to here and I'm not quite sure.
Okay. Okay. I got to give a shout out to the
song. I'm not going to use here because I think
it's important. Kind of like an honorable mention.
Go for it. And that is Cedar featuring Amy Lee's
broken from 2004. That was on my list too. And
then I said, let me go for some of these others.
But I think that is one of the most important
songs. So I'm glad you're giving that an honorable
mention. It has to. Their voices together. I
mean, now in this day and age, collaborations
and features like we had talked about with Carrie
Underwood and Papa Roach, they happen pretty
much with every deluxe edition album that comes
out. There's going to be a guest spot on a song
that's already been recorded. Back when Broken
came out, this was not the norm. And I know I'm
saying that and there's a little bit of an irony
in that because Evanescence's breakout hit had
a feature of Paul McCoy from 12 Stones and Bring
Me to Life, but there was something special about
the version on Disclaimer 2 and the Punisher
soundtrack with Broken that their voices together
is just, again, like you had said with Velvet
Revolver, it was lightning in a bottle. But...
That's looking back to 2004. And I think the
song I want to close out tonight, I think wraps
a nice bow on this episode. And it also looks
forward to the future of what the power ballad
can become as we move forward. And this is somebody
that you had the chance to have at Debonair Music
Hall for WDHA. And I am going to close this up
tonight with Mammoth's Take a Bow from 2023's
Mammoth 2. Guitar playing aside, I think it's
safe to say that Wolf is cut from the same cloth
from the Van Halen lineage, but he plays every
instrument on every mammoth album. And I don't
think people understand the complexity. That
goes on in these songs. And the first time I
heard the mammoth album, I listened to it in
headphones and I kept saying to myself, some
of these runs, this kid is special. He's another
level. And when I saw him open up for Metallica,
I said, there is going to be no nepotism with
Wolf Van Halen. Unfortunately in the wires and
in the rags, there is people saying that it's
all, Oh, the only reason he's famous. Shut up.
He is famous because he earned every last bit
of it. And Take a Bow is such a perfect song
to kind of close this playlist up. Not because
of the fact that he's playing his father's original
Frankenstein guitar through an original Marshall
head and a cabinet used on the early Van Halen
album. So just there alone for the music nerds
out there, that tone that you're hearing in the
guitar. Is him channeling his father literally
and figuratively? I love it so much. There's
such a beauty to that. And I felt bad because
I feel like he had to wait to do that because
everybody was judging him all the time. Right
from the start. Right from the start. And he
couldn't, he had to like put his dad over here
and then all of a sudden kind of got into the
groove and said, you know what? These people
are here for me. And this is my record and I
can do this now. And what we got was just what
you said, just a masterpiece. That song is a
masterpiece. The longest song Mammoth has ever
recorded as of now. And I am happy to say that
as of recording this, we are just a month and
change away. Of me taking my girls to their Christmas
present of the year, which is 11th row at the
wind Creek in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, beautiful
mammoth and 10 years. Because again, I need to
take them to as many different rock artists as
I can. And I think they need to see mammoth.
I think they need to experience that because
one day when he's playing stadiums, they're going
to say, I saw him when, and I'm going to say
that's because of me and take a bow. Just feels
like it's a nice close. lyrically and musically
for tonight's post -2000s power ballad playlist.
Yeah, and probably my favorite Mammoth song ever.
So yeah, and I'm a Mammoth maniac. I love Wolfgang.
I love everything that that whole band does.
They're just brilliant. And so I'm glad you picked
my favorite song from one of my favorite bands
to close out today. Well, that, folks, is the
second half of this post -2000s power ballad
playlist, which kicked off with Shinedown's I'll
Follow You, followed up by Hailstorm's Familiar
Taste of Poison, The Struts' Merry Go Round,
Velvet Revolver's Fall to Pieces, and Mammoth's
Take a Bow. Head over to myweeklymixtape .com
to hear all the songs we've discussed in this
mix through the playlist embedded on the episode
page. Well, Terry, that is a post -2000s power
ballad playlist for the ages. This was so fun.
Oh, my God. I had such a great time. I appreciate
you being here to talk power ballads with me
tonight. But more importantly, I also want to
talk about car stereo. Why don't you tell people
about the podcast and where they can connect
with you on social? Because like I said at the
top of the show. Your interviews have inspired
me to become a better interviewer over the years.
And I want my listeners to hear one of the best
in the business and how you do it over there
on car stereo. That is so sweet. Well, I figured
I would call my podcast car stereo, C -A -R -R
stereo, because I've been in people's car stereos
for more than 30 years. Crazy. So, yeah, look.
My terrestrial radio job fell by the wayside.
So I was not going to really let all of my history
and lineage in the business fall down the tube.
So I love all my rock and roll family. I have
great rock and roll connections with the artists
have always had really. incredible, impactful
conversations. So I wanted to continue that so
people can find me on YouTube, Spotify, Apple,
you know, wherever you get your podcasts. I have
my website though, and it's terricarr .com, T
-E -R -R -I -E -C -A -R -R .com. So if you just
click on my website, you can connect any way
that you would like to follow the podcast. Please
hit me up. You can email me. You can find me
on social media. I'm on Instagram at TCRockDog.
That's my previous handle i'm not giving that
up i'm at tc rock dog but please reach out i'd
love comments i will always get back to emailers
and um yeah hopefully you can subscribe like
the page and um you know let me know who you'd
like to have on car stereo podcast and i'll see
what i can do to get them on well this has been
an absolute honor terry thank you so much for
joining me tonight on my weekly mixtape thanks
for having me brian i'd love to do it again this
has been so much fun Open invite anytime you
want. Just say the word. And to those listening
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