The Darkness are going on a World Tour this year to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Permission to Land - get your tickets here: www.thedarknesslive.com/tour-dates/
Justin - Allow me to share a tale with you of yesteryear. There was a period several moons ago where I was living just off of Hollywood Boulevard in a youth hostel, but I was unemployed and struggling at the time. I used to go see Richie play with his trio at a tiny club called The Baked Potato. They were literally some of the genuinely finest, most intimate gigs I’ve ever experienced. Richie touches upon the fact in this interview that he would have no specific plan or pre-conceived set list whilst performing these shows, so he would literally get to the end of a tune and then look around at his band mates saying “What should we play now?” I remember yelling out “SO COLD!” and he just looked me straight in the eye and busted straight into the riff. For me, that moment was like the closest thing hypothetically to being in the same room as Hendrix, and him playing you a request. Surreally euphoric. But bare with me - Here’s the 2nd part of the story which relates more to something you said in this interview…. Richie’s daughter August had a band at the time called “The Suits”, and I got a facebook notification one day that they were doing this small last minute gig at a hotel which was just around the corner from where I was staying. I walk into this place and Richie is sitting at the bar, recognises me from having met him several times at previous gigs, and warmly greets me saying “Hey man! How’s it goin’?” Now, at the time Richie was having problems with nodules on his vocal cords, and he’d decided at the time (probably through doctor’s orders) to quit drinking at the time. My drinking was getting a bit out of control myself at the time, and I told him he’d actually inspired me to lay off the drink for a while myself. I mentioned a particularly poignantly emotional song he’d written many years ago called “I Would” which is all about addiction struggles and has really always connected with me on a deep level. He looked really genuinely flattered, and next thing I know a couple of weeks later, he’s busting out this same random fairly obscure song from his back catalogue on a live FOX TV broadcast. 🥲 There’s a studio (original album) version, and also version from absolutely stellar stripped down “Acoustic Cuts” album, which just so happens to be my particular favourite… You talk a bit in the interview about how one of your favourite musical devices is when a major changes to a minor chord of the same key - Well - You might wanna check this tune out… 👊😎
Come back to New Zealand. Would love if you played at Spark Arena, Auckland!Keep rockin Justin. Love ya❤ . Hopefully us Kiwis get to see you on our shores again soon.😎
Richie Kotzen is literally a musical genius. He has damn near 25 solo albums and for the vast majority of them he writes everything, plays everything and produces. And every album has hints of hard rock, pop, jazz fusion, blues, soul...the guy can do it all. Which often means that he's outside of my wheelhouse, but I can appreciate his limitless skill.
Kotzen is without a doubt the most underrated guitarist/singer/songwriter combo out there. Even ignoring the Winery Dogs and Smith/Kotzen he has SO MUCH phenomenal solo stuff. In a world where Grammys were awarded to people with actual talent, this guy would have 40 or 50 of them.
Justin, I'm a huge Richie Kotzen fan, and this is probably the best interview with Richie I've ever seen. So great to see him at ease in an interview and the long-form approach gave him the space to tell all the stories! Great interview!
Richie is the best! About 9 years ago I shot a bunch of videos for them for their self title album (on Loud and Proud Records). Richie was so humble and mellow, but oh shit can he rip! Hearing him play and sing blew me away. That guy is the real deal. I recently ran into him at my friend’s show (DogStar) and it was so cool to reconnect. Hanging out after the show, I learned that Richie was actually in DogStar for a minute, and is on their first album! Total Legend of a guy and this interview rules!! Here’s one of the videos I shot for them with a few good pals: ua-cam.com/video/Gzs4xisNAcc/v-deo.html&feature=sharea
Agreed. Justin gave him the space other interviewers don’t. I’ve seen Justin twice from right in front of the stage and have great photos. I’ve been trying to see Richie since the plandemic. ☮️🤞🏼☮️🤞🏼☮️🤞🏼
I love Richie Kotzen. I have every album he’s ever made or played on. He’s so underrated. Not only is he an amazing guitar player, but he also plays every instrument, has an amazing voice, and is a great songwriter!
Richie’s voice is insane. Particularly, Winery Dogs version of Fooled Around and Fell In Love. Also wish I had a signature Cornford amp (my surname). Love the channel Justin, thanks for the content.
I am so glad that Richie is starting to get the recognition that he deserves. I have followed his career through his solo albums and every band that he has played with. Like others have already said, Richie is a musical genius. Great interview Justin 👍😁
To leave out the songwriting aspect of his talent is almost a disservice. Very eclectic, prolific, and original yet oddly familiar at times. He has some sleeper albums that he's not directly credited for that took me a few years to locate. Wilson hawk and forty deuce are a couple awesome side projects hiding out there.
And his production ability. He's got a great ear for the mix and style of a track. I love how all the tracks he has done since he took his own production over are so much fuller and louder than the average track you'll hear from the same era. Much more pronounced on the CD format than digital.
@@jopshua4703You’d have to be familiar with him on a certain level to know that though. You can tell he’s a good singer and guitar player after watching him for only seven seconds.
@@KickflipGnasty absolutely, I've been a fan for about 8 years now and listened to the entire collection but it's so cool how long you can still discover new (to you) things he's done over the years.
After beeing a fan for 30 years i can say that this is the most sincerely interview, the most relax, the most real richie kotzen i've seen. This is the guy you meet after his shows outside completely relaxed. It is good thing to see him like this. Open for conversation, packed with good stories. Lovely guy.
Same here! I'm 55 now and I have everything he's ever recorded including all the old Shrapnel stuff. I've seen him play with Poison, several times as a solo act and this past year with the Winery Dogs. Still waiting for my chance to see him with Mr. Big. In my opinion Kotzen is a rare talent that is far too underappreciated.
@@667neighbourofthebeast Richie has been on the scene since he was a pup and has not really stopped recording and touring since. You really can't be young to have followed him his whole professional career.
62 year old female head banger from Philly suburbs. Richie is yummy aside from crazy talented. Never seen him live but I’ve seen The Darkness twice. We ALL have great taste. ☮️🩷🌸🙌🏼
Last night I watched the Ritchie Kozen in Japan DVD on UA-cam. There is much more to him than I anticipated - he is much more than just ripping rock, with the soulful bits really winning me over. And this interview has revealed so much more. I have always reckoned that with a great producer he could rule the world. He and Glenn Hughes (they had done things together) are similar in that they are massive talents that somehow don't quite get it right when it comes to delivering their goods. Jeff Beck also intermittently suffered that fate. I like to think Ritchie will gain numerous new fans as a result of your very considered (and considerate) questions and ability to let him relax and respond so naturally. You both appeared to have a fine time, as did those of us on this side of the screen.
Thank you guys for such an honest conversation about death and emotion and songwriting. My music had died 12 years ago when I lost my grandmother and then my Dad....in May I lost my father in law and then my husband died May 22nd from undiagnosed hypertension....I haven't stopped singing writing and picked up my guitar again....I am devastated but music is literally the only thing that is getting me through this. We renovated our old house listening to Ritchie.. we love Winery Dogs, have followed Darkness since they hit the express train. I booked Monsters of Rock for me and my older brother for March so I can't wait to see you both and Vixen cause inspiration ❤️
Excellent interview, sir (more a lovely conversation). I love his latest collaborations with Adrian Smith (Smith/Kotzen) simply wonderful! Classic rock is alive and well🤘 ❤
This is the first Richie Kotzen interview I've seen. His persona is one of the rarest kind in a f'n good way. He is not just a very intelligence and creative person but a true and honest person as well. The title for the interview is perfect. Justin you did a brilliant job with this Interview! ... kinda like always^^
Having just become a listener of Richie had to chime in here. Surprisingly I chose a blues Rock essential playlist one day and after some live ZZ top played this epic number called "Help me" starts in, well I must say I was totally moving my body to this bass and drum intro but then the voice and the guitar come in and WOW, I must have listened to it like 6 times trying to figure out who it is because there was no description of the bands on the playlist, wtf, well I searched and finally found out who it is, and now I'm hooked, thanks Richie for finally bringing funk and rock back to the Masses, Bravo 👏👏👏
Great interview, with two talented musicians talking life, music and everything in between. Well guided by Justin. Richie really comes over as a grounded, sensible guy. More of this.
Longtime RK fan, what a delightful surprise! I saw Richie and his band play a little club in Seattle on a rainy Monday night in 2018. Unfortunately only about 75 people were there. I was able to stand right in the front, seeing Richie play, so close that I could see the veins on his fingers! Love love love his solo work.
My listening share is almost 100 percent Richie Kotzen❤️i listen to something else and immediately long for his composition, his voice his riffs and solos. There SIMPLY has never been Anyone like him in my listening life and probably never be again 😍
Awesome interview, Mr Kotzen, feel on skin what is about be a musician, and everyone ignore you and got no any hope to carry on,We make music because we got in our blood , and many time we got chits because we trust....and put us in a position leave our innocence to die....also to hear about his private life with his wife, this guy is very logical, is a person i really wanna have as a friend, he is real, and sound as no ego...great interview !
This is my favorite interview with an musician ever! I am a retired master licensed electrician working full time in music because while raising a family I didn't have the time to spend on music and writing. I find both these guys very inspiring in my musical adventures. I am a drummer with 10 guitars. I am looking for more guitars and just discovered Fender last year. I thought I was a Gibson guy but find myself loving on my tele more than any other guitar. Very weird discovery. I am just being me in the writing department. It is art, take it or leave it.
I’m a fairly new Richie Kotzen fan, this interview filled in so many gaps in my understanding of his musical journey and I I’m just so glad I got into him, which was through Mike portnoy really after I got into other music he’s Involved in. Richie has so much passion and ability. Thanks Justin you were fantastic at download last year. You still got it. Plus I love that you love Mark Knopfler, he’s probably my number one first influence from back in the 80’s, keep up the great work guys. 🎸🎸🎸
That was so good! Been following Richie's career since the Shrapnel days and had the pleasure of hosting him and his solo trio about ten years ago at a Tampa music venue I managed. Absolutely no rock star pretense offstage and his completely KILLED it come showtime. For the gear nerds, his amp at the time was an 18-watt Marshall 1974X stack and he was just riding his guitar's volume knob for the rhythm/lead. What Richie said about getting a similar sense of accomplishment from home improvements and maintanence as with songwriting and recording really resonated with me. I like to say "I don't enjoy mowing the lawn but I really like having mowed the lawn"...same with music making.
Awesome Interview Justin. Richie Is a class act! Was fortunate to see his trio play live here in Melbourne a couple of years ago and met him after the show. Absolute Legend.
That Poison album is by far the best album Poison ever did. I saw that tour in Atlanta back in the day. Great show. I also met Kotzen in LA back 2003. My buddy and I helped him carry his gear out and put it in a pickup truck his dad was driving. Very cool dude. Very humble guy. Absolute musical master.
Excellent discussion! You and Richie are absolutely fantastic musicians that I admire immensely. I appreciate very much your dedication to support the player in every session you do. Much Love and appreciation Always!! x
Thanks for this Justin. Ritchie is my favorite guitarist one of my favorite singers. This interview was brilliant and you both seem to get along great. Would love to see a collaborative musical project with you both.
I literally started playing guitar because of Richie.....was huge in to Poison as a little kid so of course when Native Tongue came out I bought it instantly and it absolutely blew me away. That shit was the sound in my head. Been a massive fan ever since
Fantastic interview, Richie is a real favourite of mine, his solo albums are amazing and I adore The Winery Dogs, he is an incredible songwriter, guitarist and singer, He's got it all, I'm not jealous at all !! LOL 😂
I remember when Ritchie’s first Shrapnel records album came out, we’re both the same age 53, also a guitarist too, but damn he was a monster on that release, the song unsafe at any speed was bananas. Lol what a brilliant player and songwriter as well. I really loved this conversation in this video, this is my favorite episode on Justin’s channel. Ritchie seems like a really cool guy and he seems to have very good attitude towards life in general and I can tell he is very grateful as well. I really enjoyed Justin and Ritchie’s back and forth about music. Now I have to listen to the Winery Dogs. Thanks for this wonderful video Justin. Cheers from Chicago 🙏
Brilliant interview Justin! So much fun to watch. It shows what a great person Richie is, beyond being a fantastic guitarist and musician. I enjoyed this conversation very much!
A wonderful chat by these two greats! Richie is legend and it`s very interesting knowing about his creative process and everything else you talked about here.
My favourite episode thus far !!! Richie is truly a blessed, humble human being and loved every stories he shared and the whole conversation was brilliant. I can’t wait to hear “ Boys just want to have fun “ 🤘🎶🤘
Great talk! It was super organic, natural, and casual. Thanks, Justin, for that. It's always great to hear different experiences in life. Ritchie, please keep sharing your thoughts in more of these conversations. It was fantastic to hear your perspective and get to know you better. You're a very interesting person, and I truly enjoyed listening to your unique worldview. Congratulations, guys!
This was an amazing interview. I've been lucky to live in Northern California, make the drive down state to see Richie and the great musicians he surrounds himself with quite a few times in the last 10 years. Small venues like The Siren in Morro Bay, Ventura, Yoshi's in Oakland, Santa Cruise...
Very nice! It's great to see a multi facettes artist who's articulate, who's got a wide range of interest (outside of music) and who's honnest about his craft. Nice way to get to know Richie Kotzen. I'll go listen to his work now. Great interview Justin! Thank you.
Wow, what a blast. Always a blessing to hear from Richie. Interesting hearing how different techniques such as flamenco inform his technique and style….and who would have known he loves DIY!
I absolutely love Richie, Winery Dogs, Smith/Kotzen, and his solo stuff, when I work on one of my guitars I put on his playlist, "I'm No Angel" (and other tunes he does) ,are badass to the bone. Thanks for this post Justin. Fantastic interview, makes me feel closer. All the questions here were fantastic, and Richie's view on life is also mine, my wife would say, "quit your whining and grow a pair", I laugh and say...."honey, you're right, thank you"...I'm going to check out your stuff Justin, thanks man
Kotzen is just AMAZING. Have had the joy of seeing him solo live and with Winery Dogs in the last year+ and he's just phenomenal. Awesome, awesome interview.
That was awesome!! Absolutely love how down to earth Ritchie kotzen is. He’s been such a guitar influence on me for such a long time and I’m so glad he’s still rocking and writing new music. Definitely a very cool guy.
Amazing scoop Justin. Love Richie Kotzen. What a great interview. Meeting you back in New Zealand with The Darkness was a highlight being a big fan and then seeing you interview Richie was epic 🫡🤘🏻🙏🙏What he said about being depressed and trying to ‘turn off the art’ is exactly what I struggle with. It’s crazy because that is the actual vernacular I use. Much love and respect
This was thoroughly enjoyable, thanks so much to both of you! Nice to see Richie just wandering from topic to topic - more interviews should be like this!
Great interview. Especially love hearing that being creative doesn't always have to be about music but also the joy of creating a deck or anything else along those lines. Totally agree. 👍
You two are my favorite singers/artists. I had so much joy watching this. Excellent content. Thank you very much. The idea of you working together in something is exciting. You boys should just have fun!
Justin, thank you so much for this (and all the others) great interview! I agree with many of the folks commenting here....RK is absolutely fantastic.....he does it all! He writes great songs, his voice is magically unique and his guitar playing is out of this world and so versatile! Winery Dogs is amazing.....those guys (each the best at what they do) together is out of this world.....its like the new version of Cream (but on steroids).
I watched him with the W.Dogs weeks ago in Rock Imperium (Spain-Cartagena) and they blew me away. What a band, what a performance. Great artists. Very nice interview :)
He also is one of the only vocalists who can cover a Chris Cornell song and actually do it justice. Love the guy, a truly talented individual and good guy.
@@PublicNuisance2K24 no i'm just tired of hearing this. Sound Garden is its own thing and Cornell was great but come on... Richie is not made for that. y'all have to take that off your head. look at his reaction in this interview it's says it all. it's not on his wish list and he has a way to do things that wouldn't get along in an established band. he wants to make his own stuff freely and he's right. he's fantastic like this. he MUST continue like that. end of story.
Richie Kotzen is to me a modern John Fogerty. Writes everything, plays everything, sings like a rock legend and plays skilfully with alot of heart and soul.
The whole interview resonated with me. I found Ritchie during covid when his signature guitar came up when looking for a telecaster. I deep dived into all his stuff and loved it. He's a top bloke too, and love all of his interviews.
this man is such a great musician the fact that he plays the drums & bass as well as he does is impressive . but then you have to hear his vocal harmonies & lead vocals together his background vocals are all his 🤯 it’s hard to believe on top of that he wrote all the songs but he produced it as well. And i’ll add a curve ball - his first two lp’s were just shredding & then he shifted out - he learned vocal singing while he was in his recording career. he’s a natural singer 😳
Great episode! Richie is a brilliant musician. We need another one to discuss his approach to playing all the instruments and vocals... that'd be super interesting!
Can't remember the last time i actually watched a whole hour and half long video! But as soon as I saw you had Richie on it had to be done! Thanks for this.
Kotzen's voice nowadays is like a smokier,blues-ier version of Chris Cornell( the gold standard of rock vocals)Plus the dude absolutely shreds.....Killer stuff.
I recently just came across The Winery Dogs and absolutely love their music. Richie definitely has a Chris Cornell tone to his vocals and is great guitar player. Then he's also backed by the solid rhythm section of Mike Portnoy & Billy Sheehan an awesome trio!
I dug Richie the first time I met him at Prairie Sun Recording studios! Very nice guy with mind-blowing talent. His homemade demos sounded fantastic too! It was a real treat to be around the studio for his first two solo records with Shrapnel!🙏❤️
Great interview! It's nice to see another hometown hero from Berks County, PA get some love! He's from the same area as Taylor Swift but he doesn't get the recognition that she does or that he deserves. Super talent! Funny that his parents are friends with my in-laws too.
The Darkness are going on a World Tour this year to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Permission to Land - get your tickets here: www.thedarknesslive.com/tour-dates/
a world tour with no TX dates? surely, you jest.
Justin - Allow me to share a tale with you of yesteryear. There was a period several moons ago where I was living just off of Hollywood Boulevard in a youth hostel, but I was unemployed and struggling at the time. I used to go see Richie play with his trio at a tiny club called The Baked Potato. They were literally some of the genuinely finest, most intimate gigs I’ve ever experienced. Richie touches upon the fact in this interview that he would have no specific plan or pre-conceived set list whilst performing these shows, so he would literally get to the end of a tune and then look around at his band mates saying “What should we play now?” I remember yelling out “SO COLD!” and he just looked me straight in the eye and busted straight into the riff. For me, that moment was like the closest thing hypothetically to being in the same room as Hendrix, and him playing you a request. Surreally euphoric.
But bare with me - Here’s the 2nd part of the story which relates more to something you said in this interview….
Richie’s daughter August had a band at the time called “The Suits”, and I got a facebook notification one day that they were doing this small last minute gig at a hotel which was just around the corner from where I was staying. I walk into this place and Richie is sitting at the bar, recognises me from having met him several times at previous gigs, and warmly greets me saying “Hey man! How’s it goin’?”
Now, at the time Richie was having problems with nodules on his vocal cords, and he’d decided at the time (probably through doctor’s orders) to quit drinking at the time. My drinking was getting a bit out of control myself at the time, and I told him he’d actually inspired me to lay off the drink for a while myself. I mentioned a particularly poignantly emotional song he’d written many years ago called “I Would” which is all about addiction struggles and has really always connected with me on a deep level. He looked really genuinely flattered, and next thing I know a couple of weeks later, he’s busting out this same random fairly obscure song from his back catalogue on a live FOX TV broadcast. 🥲 There’s a studio (original album) version, and also version from absolutely stellar stripped down “Acoustic Cuts” album, which just so happens to be my particular favourite…
You talk a bit in the interview about how one of your favourite musical devices is when a major changes to a minor chord of the same key -
Well - You might wanna check this tune out… 👊😎
South America?
Canadian dates?
Come back to New Zealand. Would love if you played at Spark Arena, Auckland!Keep rockin Justin. Love ya❤ . Hopefully us Kiwis get to see you on our shores again soon.😎
Richie Kotzen is literally a musical genius. He has damn near 25 solo albums and for the vast majority of them he writes everything, plays everything and produces. And every album has hints of hard rock, pop, jazz fusion, blues, soul...the guy can do it all. Which often means that he's outside of my wheelhouse, but I can appreciate his limitless skill.
Facts
If there ever was an artist deserving more recognition, it's Ritchie!! His guitar playing alone is legendary!!
@@ESP77769💯
No doubt about it - what a musician!
Absolutely right about him, it’s kinda cool that he’s not that mega popular when introducing his music to other people 👍😎
Kotzen is without a doubt the most underrated guitarist/singer/songwriter combo out there. Even ignoring the Winery Dogs and Smith/Kotzen he has SO MUCH phenomenal solo stuff. In a world where Grammys were awarded to people with actual talent, this guy would have 40 or 50 of them.
Ritchie is not underrated. Grammys is OVERRATED.
@@montauta He's incredibly underrated regardless of how garbage the Grammys are.
Well said!
Underrated is an over used term IMO. I don't think RK is underrated by anyone who has heard him.
@@pgrove underrated by whom? Maybe the word is "unknown" by the "mainstream""
Justin, I'm a huge Richie Kotzen fan, and this is probably the best interview with Richie I've ever seen. So great to see him at ease in an interview and the long-form approach gave him the space to tell all the stories! Great interview!
Richie is the best! About 9 years ago I shot a bunch of videos for them for their self title album (on Loud and Proud Records). Richie was so humble and mellow, but oh shit can he rip! Hearing him play and sing blew me away. That guy is the real deal. I recently ran into him at my friend’s show (DogStar) and it was so cool to reconnect. Hanging out after the show, I learned that Richie was actually in DogStar for a minute, and is on their first album! Total
Legend of a guy and this interview rules!!
Here’s one of the videos I shot for them with a few good pals:
ua-cam.com/video/Gzs4xisNAcc/v-deo.html&feature=sharea
Agreed
100%
Richie is my fav guitarist/ singer of all time! He is so underrated. I call him the white Jimi Hendrix. I think he is the best alive.
Agreed. Justin gave him the space other interviewers don’t. I’ve seen Justin twice from right in front of the stage and have great photos. I’ve been trying to see Richie since the plandemic. ☮️🤞🏼☮️🤞🏼☮️🤞🏼
I love Richie Kotzen. I have every album he’s ever made or played on. He’s so underrated. Not only is he an amazing guitar player, but he also plays every instrument, has an amazing voice, and is a great songwriter!
You can tell how much Mr. Hawkins loves doing this podcast. So much fun to watch.
Richie’s voice is insane. Particularly, Winery Dogs version of Fooled Around and Fell In Love. Also wish I had a signature Cornford amp (my surname). Love the channel Justin, thanks for the content.
Almost Chris Cornell level
Apart from Sheehan completely butchering the bass line. Wish Kotzen would record or perform his own version of Fooled.
@@deepzepp4176 totally agree! 😂😂
A top ten track for me
Richie is crazy talented. An absolute BEAST on guitar and vocals.
He is Chris Cornell on a higher level literally! His guitar playing is super crazy.
I was a huge poison fan as a kid. And when Native Tongue came out, I was blown away. To this day it’s one of my favorite records ever!
"We signed up for the rollercoaster, we didn't sign up for the tea-cup ride" - I can relate to this! Great interview. Love Richie Kotzen!
I am so glad that Richie is starting to get the recognition that he deserves.
I have followed his career through his solo albums and every band that he has played with.
Like others have already said, Richie is a musical genius.
Great interview Justin 👍😁
What an EPIC Surprise! The Winery Dogs' self-titled record should have won several grammy's and went platinum! Richie is the King!
The Grammys mean nothing at this point.
Damn after the concussions he seems to be doing great!!!! Rock on Kotzen
Richie Kotzen is top of the pops. Absolutely insane vocals and top tier guitarist to boot
To leave out the songwriting aspect of his talent is almost a disservice. Very eclectic, prolific, and original yet oddly familiar at times. He has some sleeper albums that he's not directly credited for that took me a few years to locate. Wilson hawk and forty deuce are a couple awesome side projects hiding out there.
And his production ability. He's got a great ear for the mix and style of a track. I love how all the tracks he has done since he took his own production over are so much fuller and louder than the average track you'll hear from the same era. Much more pronounced on the CD format than digital.
@@jopshua4703You’d have to be familiar with him on a certain level to know that though. You can tell he’s a good singer and guitar player after watching him for only seven seconds.
@@KickflipGnasty absolutely, I've been a fan for about 8 years now and listened to the entire collection but it's so cool how long you can still discover new (to you) things he's done over the years.
RICHIE!!!! Such soul. Love the no use of plectrum and that voice. Oh my. Love everything he has done. Leather pants go alright on him too!!
These interviews are so damn good. Great chat! Thank you, Justin and Ritchie. 👍
After beeing a fan for 30 years i can say that this is the most sincerely interview, the most relax, the most real richie kotzen i've seen. This is the guy you meet after his shows outside completely relaxed. It is good thing to see him like this. Open for conversation, packed with good stories. Lovely guy.
Been a fan since I was 14, I'm 47 now and it's been an honor to watch his career.
Same here! I'm 55 now and I have everything he's ever recorded including all the old Shrapnel stuff. I've seen him play with Poison, several times as a solo act and this past year with the Winery Dogs. Still waiting for my chance to see him with Mr. Big. In my opinion Kotzen is a rare talent that is far too underappreciated.
47!? 55!? Dang that's crusty!😅
Some time in 2008 or so I found Richie.
I'm so stoked Justin has talked with him though, I love the guy.
@@667neighbourofthebeast Richie has been on the scene since he was a pup and has not really stopped recording and touring since. You really can't be young to have followed him his whole professional career.
62 year old female head banger from Philly suburbs. Richie is yummy aside from crazy talented. Never seen him live but I’ve seen The Darkness twice. We ALL have great taste. ☮️🩷🌸🙌🏼
YES! Loving this interview. Kotzen is a HERO.
Last night I watched the Ritchie Kozen in Japan DVD on UA-cam. There is much more to him than I anticipated - he is much more than just ripping rock, with the soulful bits really winning me over. And this interview has revealed so much more.
I have always reckoned that with a great producer he could rule the world. He and Glenn Hughes (they had done things together) are similar in that they are massive talents that somehow don't quite get it right when it comes to delivering their goods. Jeff Beck also intermittently suffered that fate.
I like to think Ritchie will gain numerous new fans as a result of your very considered (and considerate) questions and ability to let him relax and respond so naturally. You both appeared to have a fine time, as did those of us on this side of the screen.
Thank you guys for such an honest conversation about death and emotion and songwriting. My music had died 12 years ago when I lost my grandmother and then my Dad....in May I lost my father in law and then my husband died May 22nd from undiagnosed hypertension....I haven't stopped singing writing and picked up my guitar again....I am devastated but music is literally the only thing that is getting me through this. We renovated our old house listening to Ritchie.. we love Winery Dogs, have followed Darkness since they hit the express train. I booked Monsters of Rock for me and my older brother for March so I can't wait to see you both and Vixen cause inspiration ❤️
Excellent interview, sir (more a lovely conversation). I love his latest collaborations with Adrian Smith (Smith/Kotzen) simply wonderful! Classic rock is alive and well🤘 ❤
This is the first Richie Kotzen interview I've seen. His persona is one of the rarest kind in a f'n good way. He is not just a very intelligence and creative person but a true and honest person as well. The title for the interview is perfect. Justin you did a brilliant job with this Interview! ... kinda like always^^
Having just become a listener of Richie had to chime in here. Surprisingly I chose a blues Rock essential playlist one day and after some live ZZ top played this epic number called "Help me" starts in, well I must say I was totally moving my body to this bass and drum intro but then the voice and the guitar come in and WOW, I must have listened to it like 6 times trying to figure out who it is because there was no description of the bands on the playlist, wtf, well I searched and finally found out who it is, and now I'm hooked, thanks Richie for finally bringing funk and rock back to the Masses, Bravo 👏👏👏
Richie is one of those amazing musicians / guitar players who just keeps getting better and better. Always learning, always evolving! Inspiring!
i loved this episode and the music talk!
Great interview, with two talented musicians talking life, music and everything in between. Well guided by Justin. Richie really comes over as a grounded, sensible guy. More of this.
Longtime RK fan, what a delightful surprise! I saw Richie and his band play a little club in Seattle on a rainy Monday night in 2018. Unfortunately only about 75 people were there. I was able to stand right in the front, seeing Richie play, so close that I could see the veins on his fingers! Love love love his solo work.
My listening share is almost 100 percent Richie Kotzen❤️i listen to something else and immediately long for his composition, his voice his riffs and solos. There SIMPLY has never been Anyone like him in my listening life and probably never be again 😍
Awesome interview, Mr Kotzen, feel on skin what is about be a musician, and everyone ignore you and got no any hope to carry on,We make music because we got in our blood , and many time we got chits because we trust....and put us in a position leave our innocence to die....also to hear about his private life with his wife, this guy is very logical, is a person i really wanna have as a friend, he is real, and sound as no ego...great interview !
Wonderful to see Richie on your channel!!!
Love the in-depth conversation, thanks for bringing this to your audience!
This is my favorite interview with an musician ever! I am a retired master licensed electrician working full time in music because while raising a family I didn't have the time to spend on music and writing. I find both these guys very inspiring in my musical adventures. I am a drummer with 10 guitars. I am looking for more guitars and just discovered Fender last year. I thought I was a Gibson guy but find myself loving on my tele more than any other guitar. Very weird discovery. I am just being me in the writing department. It is art, take it or leave it.
I’m a fairly new Richie Kotzen fan, this interview filled in so many gaps in my understanding of his musical journey and I I’m just so glad I got into him, which was through Mike portnoy really after I got into other music he’s Involved in.
Richie has so much passion and ability. Thanks Justin you were fantastic at download last year. You still got it. Plus I love that you love Mark Knopfler, he’s probably my number one first influence from back in the 80’s, keep up the great work guys. 🎸🎸🎸
That was so good! Been following Richie's career since the Shrapnel days and had the pleasure of hosting him and his solo trio about ten years ago at a Tampa music venue I managed. Absolutely no rock star pretense offstage and his completely KILLED it come showtime. For the gear nerds, his amp at the time was an 18-watt Marshall 1974X stack and he was just riding his guitar's volume knob for the rhythm/lead.
What Richie said about getting a similar sense of accomplishment from home improvements and maintanence as with songwriting and recording really resonated with me. I like to say "I don't enjoy mowing the lawn but I really like having mowed the lawn"...same with music making.
Awesome Interview Justin. Richie Is a class act! Was fortunate to see his trio play live here in Melbourne a couple of years ago and met him after the show. Absolute Legend.
Great Interview !
Cheers 😎👍🌴☀️🔥🎸
Thank you for this interview!! It’s always amazing to watch him and listen to his stories about his particular career!
That Poison album is by far the best album Poison ever did. I saw that tour in Atlanta back in the day. Great show. I also met Kotzen in LA back 2003. My buddy and I helped him carry his gear out and put it in a pickup truck his dad was driving. Very cool dude. Very humble guy. Absolute musical master.
Man that was an amazing interview. Ritchie is amazing!! Thank you
Absolutely awesome interview. Richie is a top bloke. My favourite guitarist at the moment. Love this channel
this is the kind of interview of Richie kotzen I would have loved to listen to 10 years ago
That was a great interview.So awesome to see Richie Kotzen artist in their comfort zone speaking freely .
Excellent discussion! You and Richie are absolutely fantastic musicians that I admire immensely. I appreciate very much your dedication to support the player in every session you do. Much Love and appreciation Always!! x
Thanks for this Justin. Ritchie is my favorite guitarist one of my favorite singers. This interview was brilliant and you both seem to get along great. Would love to see a collaborative musical project with you both.
I literally started playing guitar because of Richie.....was huge in to Poison as a little kid so of course when Native Tongue came out I bought it instantly and it absolutely blew me away. That shit was the sound in my head. Been a massive fan ever since
Absolutely fantastic interview. I was lucky enough to see Richie on the Smith/Kotzen tour and the recent Winery Dogs shows. He's just an amazing guy.
Took my son to see the Winery Dogs at the Manchester Academy 2 the other night. Great performance, wonderful musicianship and just a terrific night.
Fantastic interview, Richie is a real favourite of mine, his solo albums are amazing and I adore The Winery Dogs, he is an incredible songwriter, guitarist and singer, He's got it all, I'm not jealous at all !! LOL 😂
I remember when Ritchie’s first Shrapnel records album came out, we’re both the same age 53, also a guitarist too, but damn he was a monster on that release, the song unsafe at any speed was bananas. Lol what a brilliant player and songwriter as well. I really loved this conversation in this video, this is my favorite episode on Justin’s channel. Ritchie seems like a really cool guy and he seems to have very good attitude towards life in general and I can tell he is very grateful as well. I really enjoyed Justin and Ritchie’s back and forth about music. Now I have to listen to the Winery Dogs. Thanks for this wonderful video Justin. Cheers from Chicago 🙏
Brilliant interview Justin! So much fun to watch.
It shows what a great person Richie is, beyond being a fantastic guitarist and musician.
I enjoyed this conversation very much!
A wonderful chat by these two greats! Richie is legend and it`s very interesting knowing about his creative process and everything else you talked about here.
My favourite episode thus far !!! Richie is truly a blessed, humble human being and loved every stories he shared and the whole conversation was brilliant. I can’t wait to hear “ Boys just want to have fun “ 🤘🎶🤘
Great talk! It was super organic, natural, and casual. Thanks, Justin, for that. It's always great to hear different experiences in life. Ritchie, please keep sharing your thoughts in more of these conversations. It was fantastic to hear your perspective and get to know you better. You're a very interesting person, and I truly enjoyed listening to your unique worldview. Congratulations, guys!
This was an amazing interview. I've been lucky to live in Northern California, make the drive down state to see Richie and the great musicians he surrounds himself with quite a few times in the last 10 years. Small venues like The Siren in Morro Bay, Ventura, Yoshi's in Oakland, Santa Cruise...
Very nice! It's great to see a multi facettes artist who's articulate, who's got a wide range of interest (outside of music) and who's honnest about his craft. Nice way to get to know Richie Kotzen. I'll go listen to his work now. Great interview Justin! Thank you.
Wow, what a blast. Always a blessing to hear from Richie. Interesting hearing how different techniques such as flamenco inform his technique and style….and who would have known he loves DIY!
I absolutely love Richie, Winery Dogs, Smith/Kotzen, and his solo stuff, when I work on one of my guitars I put on his playlist, "I'm No Angel" (and other tunes he does) ,are badass to the bone. Thanks for this post Justin. Fantastic interview, makes me feel closer. All the questions here were fantastic, and Richie's view on life is also mine, my wife would say, "quit your whining and grow a pair", I laugh and say...."honey, you're right, thank you"...I'm going to check out your stuff Justin, thanks man
I know Richie from his 1991 instructional VHS "Rock Chops", I still have the little tab book and still learn from it. Thanks Richie
Another great interview Justin! Loving these. Thank you for introducing me to Seed of memory...What a record!!
Super Super great Interview Justin!!!! Thank you for this and for being Real and Rock n Roll! Kotzen is one of my favorites by far. Awesome Artist👌👌👌
Kotzen is just AMAZING. Have had the joy of seeing him solo live and with Winery Dogs in the last year+ and he's just phenomenal. Awesome, awesome interview.
Dude! Thanks for featuring Richie, absolutely great interview!
Can't Save Me, literally saved me. Big thanks to JH for this interview.
Loved it Justin!!! My two rock and roll heroes of all time!! Thank you for this!!!
That was awesome!! Absolutely love how down to earth Ritchie kotzen is. He’s been such a guitar influence on me for such a long time and I’m so glad he’s still rocking and writing new music. Definitely a very cool guy.
Amazing scoop Justin. Love Richie Kotzen. What a great interview. Meeting you back in New Zealand with The Darkness was a highlight being a big fan and then seeing you interview Richie was epic 🫡🤘🏻🙏🙏What he said about being depressed and trying to ‘turn off the art’ is exactly what I struggle with. It’s crazy because that is the actual vernacular I use. Much love and respect
Man, this was amazing! Such a great, entertaining interview. Long time Richie fan and you guys were great together. Well done!!
This was thoroughly enjoyable, thanks so much to both of you! Nice to see Richie just wandering from topic to topic - more interviews should be like this!
Great interview. Especially love hearing that being creative doesn't always have to be about music but also the joy of creating a deck or anything else along those lines. Totally agree. 👍
I bought Richie Kotzen’s Inner Galactic Fusion Experience in 95 and just lost myself in his playing and his voice. Love that album.
You two are my favorite singers/artists. I had so much joy watching this. Excellent content. Thank you very much. The idea of you working together in something is exciting. You boys should just have fun!
Justin, thank you so much for this (and all the others) great interview! I agree with many of the folks commenting here....RK is absolutely fantastic.....he does it all! He writes great songs, his voice is magically unique and his guitar playing is out of this world and so versatile! Winery Dogs is amazing.....those guys (each the best at what they do) together is out of this world.....its like the new version of Cream (but on steroids).
Absolutely fantastic! This is the first long interview I have seen with him and I loved it
definitely one of the best RK interviews! thanks Justin!
Gotta be one of my all time favorite interviews. Well done!
In a league of his own, one of the most versatile artists I’ve heard in my lifetime. Inspiring would be an understatement.
That was fantastic!!! Love Richie and you are wonderful ❤
Ritchie Kotzen is more than a player, he's an artist. It's aways a pleasure to listen to him speak and of course perform. Long live RK !!!
I watched him with the W.Dogs weeks ago in Rock Imperium (Spain-Cartagena) and they blew me away. What a band, what a performance. Great artists. Very nice interview :)
🎶Ehhhhh... Cartagena!🎶 (Kiss cover mode of "La Macarena"😂😂😂)
Hope they'll come back soon👍
How on EARTH did I miss this when it came out? I LOVE RK!!!
Just fucking Brilliant!!. Thanks so much for sharing Richie with us. He is my favourite guitarist and artist.
I’m so lucky to see him play in Jakarta, Indonesia last month. What a blast! His guitar could give you eargasm
He also is one of the only vocalists who can cover a Chris Cornell song and actually do it justice. Love the guy, a truly talented individual and good guy.
Sound garden needs to hire him!!
Most definitely. Have you seen the UA-cam video of Ritchie singing "Cochise"? My gosh, he is absolutely amazing and sounds like Chris.
y'all need to stop with that comparison with Cornell. they're nothing alike. Richie sings vastly better and i find that really stupid to compare them.
@@jiboo6850 someone hurt u? 😅
@@PublicNuisance2K24 no i'm just tired of hearing this. Sound Garden is its own thing and Cornell was great but come on... Richie is not made for that. y'all have to take that off your head. look at his reaction in this interview it's says it all. it's not on his wish list and he has a way to do things that wouldn't get along in an established band. he wants to make his own stuff freely and he's right. he's fantastic like this. he MUST continue like that. end of story.
This is the best interview ever. Simply love both of these guys. Thank you for this❤
Thank you Justin, thank you, thank you, thank you! These Podcasts are soooo cool!
Richie Kotzen is to me a modern John Fogerty. Writes everything, plays everything, sings like a rock legend and plays skilfully with alot of heart and soul.
This such a great interview. Ritchie is super amazing. God blessed him with incredible talent!
Success is measured by the amount of freedom YOU have, to do what YOU want to do.
Awesome find, thx for sharing (CD ordered). There's a "War on Drugs" kind of vibe to it. Looking forward to discovering more of her songs.
The whole interview resonated with me. I found Ritchie during covid when his signature guitar came up when looking for a telecaster. I deep dived into all his stuff and loved it. He's a top bloke too, and love all of his interviews.
this man is such a great musician the fact that he plays the drums & bass as well as he does is impressive . but then you have to hear his vocal harmonies & lead vocals together
his background vocals are all his 🤯
it’s hard to believe on top of that he wrote all the songs but he produced it as well. And i’ll add a curve ball - his first two lp’s were just shredding & then he shifted out - he learned vocal singing while he was in his recording career. he’s a natural singer 😳
Great episode! Richie is a brilliant musician. We need another one to discuss his approach to playing all the instruments and vocals... that'd be super interesting!
Can't remember the last time i actually watched a whole hour and half long video! But as soon as I saw you had Richie on it had to be done! Thanks for this.
He’s such a solid dude. An incredible vocalist and guitarist. And he built his house!
Kotzen's voice nowadays is like a smokier,blues-ier version of Chris Cornell( the gold standard of rock vocals)Plus the dude absolutely shreds.....Killer stuff.
He could join Soundgarden if they ever want to tour.
I recently just came across The Winery Dogs and absolutely love their music. Richie definitely has a Chris Cornell tone to his vocals and is great guitar player. Then he's also backed by the solid rhythm section of Mike Portnoy & Billy Sheehan an awesome trio!
He is also an incredible bassist
Yeah, I guess you could call Sheehan and Portnoy "solid"...
They are INSANE live🔥
Yay! My favourite rock guitarist of the past 20 years - seen him 3 times in the UK. Absolutely monster player and singer - and even better live!
I dug Richie the first time I met him at Prairie Sun Recording studios! Very nice guy with mind-blowing talent. His homemade demos sounded fantastic too! It was a real treat to be around the studio for his first two solo records with Shrapnel!🙏❤️
The Smith/Kotzen album has some fine guitar playing..fantastic vocalist.
Great interview! It's nice to see another hometown hero from Berks County, PA get some love! He's from the same area as Taylor Swift but he doesn't get the recognition that she does or that he deserves. Super talent! Funny that his parents are friends with my in-laws too.