Mark Kendall Of Great White Speaks To New Music, New Lead Singer, And Much More
Great to catch up with Mark Kendall from Great White! They’re playing Smugglers Run in Wyandotte on May 5th.
We talked about some of his guitar and rock heroes. He told me some great advice he got from Scorpions Rudolph Schenker after a sub-par show “Mark, you have to play hard out there…kick ass!” Words to live by in anything you do!
He spoke of meeting Ted Nugent and a story of a show they played with him. Again, he told me about the great mid-west rock fans.
Great White has a new singer in 26 year old Brett Carlisle. As far as the first shows he played with the band “He blew us away!” He talked about working on new material with the band. “It’s killer!” He said the kid is very mature for his age and has fit in with the band perfectly. He told me about new music and the demos they’re working on.
As far as newer bands are concerned, he mentioned Michigan’s own, Greta Van Fleet. He liked the rawness of their sound and the casual nature of the guys. We talked about bands using tracks, and also trying to be prefect in the studio.
That’s just for starters….enjoy!
-Meltdown-
Slaughter Opens Up National Shows At Smugglers Run In Wyandotte
The last time I was in the venue that’s now Smugglers Run, was June 12, 2009. Why do I remember that date so specifically? Because that’s the date the Red Wings lost to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. I remember I could practically see the Joe Louis arena from their outside patio. I had a sinking feeling for days to come after that loss.
Time to make new, better memories at the bar along the river, and it started last night with Slaughter headlining the bar’s first national act show. I went up onstage around 9:25 to do an announcement with Donielle Flynn from our sister station WCSX. That was a first. LOL! Shortly after, Slaughter took to the stage and ripped through their set, playing all the hits and then some. They also featured a drum solo from the newest member, Jordan Cannata, which kicked ass! Good to see an old-fashioned drum solo at a show again.
A special thanks to the staff at Smugglers, including Kim Holmes Naccashian for taking great care of us. Also, thank you to everyone who came up and said Hello. I love meeting you guys and talking rock, hockey, motorcycles or whatever you guys bring up to me. Always fun!
Thanks to the Slaughter guys and their tour manager, Jeff. I know we kept him a little later than he wanted to stay. He did his best job to corral the boys…LOL. Thanks Jeff!
Incase you missed it, I talked with Mark earlier in the week. Check it out here.
-Meltdown-
Meltdown started on the mighty WRIF on the evening of Halloween, 1995. Technically, his first on-air shift was the morning of November 1st. Moving to the Motor City from Buffalo, N.Y., he has built a career and family. Over his almost three-decade stint at RIFF, he's had the privilege to work with some of the biggest personalities in Detroit radio history. He boasts of being just the second-afternoon drive jock in the station's illustrious 53-year history.
Along with his love for rock music and attending concerts, he's also an avid Harley-Davidson enthusiast and hockey player. He plays year-round and manages to squeeze in a few charity games throughout the year. Meltdown writes about the Detroit Red Wings, rock music, and Detroit concert venues.
