Nicholas Kobe

Interviews

WOUB Public Media •

WOUB Culture talks with Scowl's Kat Moss

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Friday, October 24, 2025ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – California hardcore band Scowl has burst onto the scene as one of the genre’s standout acts of the past five years. Formed in 2019, the band released a series of harsh, visceral singles that led to their 2021 debut, How Flowers Grow, which propelled them to become one of the few hardcore bands to play Coachella 2023.
This year, their second album, Are We All Angels?, showcases a more melodic and emotional direc...
WOUB Public Media •

Testament's Chuck Billy on 'Para Bellum,' AI, and the future of thrash metal

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Friday, October 10, 2025ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Thrash legends Testament are one of the most essential bands in the genre’s history.
Emerging from the same Bay Area metal scene as Metallica, Death Angel, Overkill, and Exodus, Testament helped define thrash’s blend of classic metal riffing and punk’s speed and social awareness.
The band launched their career with three classic albums: The Legacy, New World Order, and Practice What You Preach — before continui...
WOUB Public Media •

Drain’s Sammy Ciaramitaro only needs '30 minutes and I'll make them fans'

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Tuesday, September 30, 2025LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – Drain is your friend—and with all the fun the California hardcore band brings to every record and show, why wouldn’t they be? Every set is chaos: crowd surfing, stage diving, barricades be damned. Since forming in 2014 and releasing two albums, Drain has been a rollercoaster with no brakes. Now, with their third album, …IS YOUR FRIEND, they’re taking a more methodical approach to songwriting while st...
WOUB Public Media •

Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose talks with WOUB Culture

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Wednesday, September 17, 2025LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – From Kentucky locals to the face of hardcore, Knocked Loose has had an incredible journey since forming in 2013. They built themselves up through constant touring with Gojira, Counterparts, and Parkway Drive. Even with their growing popularity, few could have foreseen their meteoric rise after the release of You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To.
One of the most successful metal/hardcore records...
WOUB Public Media •

College, metal, and analog grit with Chained Saint

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Tuesday, September 9, 2025LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – Formed in 2022 while still in high school, Chained Saint combines the old-school analog production and grit of classic thrash with the frustrations of modern American youth, creating music that feels like a natural successor to Megadeth and Slayer. With help from Alice in Chains vocalist William DuVall, the band released its first LP, Blindside, in 2024.
With a new single, 1000 Tons, out this year and...
WOUB Public Media •

Black Veil Brides' Andy Biersack talks with WOUB Culture

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Wednesday, August 27, 2025LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – Black Veil Brides is one of the flagship bands of 2010s rock. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, the band brings back the theatrics, anthemic choruses, and eccentric looks of bands like KISS in a new, post-hardcore way. This larger-than-life stance has been the bedrock of the group to this day. With their forthcoming record, the band is diving back into their heavier side, most prominently heard on their...
WOUB Public Media •

Sammy Duet of Acid Bath talks with WOUB's Nicholas Kobe

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Monday, August 25, 2025LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – As “cult classic” as they come, rock band Acid Bath is considered one of the progenitors of sludge metal.
Blending psych, blues, and metal into a sound as sludgy as the Louisiana swamps they came from, Acid Bath released two albums, When the Kite String Pops (1994) and Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1996). The former became the driving force behind their lasting popularity, with eerie cover art by serial kill...
People.com •

Meet The Warning: Three Sisters From Mexico Who Have Been Rocking The World (Exclusive)

Hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, The Warning was founded by and remains as a trio of sisters; Dany (guitar and lead singer), Paulina (drummer) and Alejandra (bass) Villarreal. Founded in 2013, the band has exploded in recent years, with singles such as "MORE" and "Six Feet Deep."

For The Warning, there has never been a life without music, starting off with classical piano, before jumping ship to headbanging after being inspired by Rock Band. 

The sisters began posting covers on YouTube around...
People.com •

Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk of 'Hitmakers' Urge Importance of Uplifting Music's Unsung Heroes: Songwriters (Exclusive)

Songwriters Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk are behind some of modern music's biggest hits.

With notches on their belt ranging from K-pop to hip-hop, the couple is preparing to show the world what they’re capable of on Netflix's new reality TV show Hitmakers, now streaming. Luckily for them, their chemistry, both as a songwriting team and romantic couple, was as smooth as "Butter" — literally.

Andrews and Kirk met via Zoom during the pandemic as they were both hired to help write "Butter" for...
WOUB Public Media •

Charles “Ghul” Hedger of Mayhem talks with WOUB Culture

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Tuesday, April 8, 2025ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Mayhem is one of the most influential bands in black metal history. Riding on the coattails of bands like Venom and Bathory, Mayhem and bands such as Darkthrone and Emperor formed the “second wave” of Black metal, or “Norwegian Black Metal”.
This period is marred with controversy, including the burnings of multiple churches. Mayhem’s story is perhaps the most infamous of all, with the suicide of vocalist Per Yngv...
WOUB Public Media •

Rebecca Black on reinvention, finding direction for 'SALVATION'

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Tuesday, March 4, 2025ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Rebecca Black’s Friday took the world by storm in 2011, with its music video becoming one of the first viral YouTube sensations. The track’s popularity was sadly accompanied by a wave of hate towards the then 13-year-old Black.
Regardless, Black continued to release music throughout the 2010s before dramatically changing her sound and releasing a plethora of singles through 2020 and 2021. This included a hyperpop...
WOUB Public Media •

Obituary's Donald Tardy talks with WOUB Culture

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Wednesday, February 5, 2025COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOUB) – Tampa’s Obituary is one of the early pioneers of death metal.
Forming in 1984, Obituary came out swinging with their now iconic debut Slowly We Rot. The album’s title hints at the slower, sludgier, and groovier niche that Obituary would carve out. 
This formula was the key to success in their next few records Cause of Death and The End Complete. After a few more releases the band broke up in 1998, however...
WOUB Public Media •

MC5 collaborator William Duvall talks ahead of Rock Hall induction

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Friday, October 18, 2024CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOUB) – Detroit’s MC5 are among rock’s ultimate unsung heroes.
Their debut, Kick Out The Jams, released in 1969, captures the essence of the band in a live setting that sounds years ahead of its time. Despite their short discography and inconsistent touring, the MC5 had an immense influence on genres such as punk rock with their politically charged lyrics, and raw sound.
In the past few years, founding member Wayne...
WOUB Public Media •

Hanh Brown talks Kool & the Gang Rock Hall induction

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Wednesday, October 16, 2024CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOUB) – Kool & the Gang is one of the most influential groups of the ’70s.
Starting out as teenagers, and originally called the Jazziacs, Kool & the Gang developed their sound from jazz to funk to R&B and pop and everywhere in between. On top of hit songs like Celebration and Jungle Boogie, the band proved to be a huge influence on the emerging genre of hip-hop, as Kool & the Gang became one of the most sampled g...
WOUB Public Media •

Twin Temple talks vintage recording techniques, 2024 fall tour

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Tuesday, September 24, 2024COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOUB) – Since their 2017 debut, Twin Temple has captivated audiences by topping the melodies and hooks of ’50s and ’60s rock ‘n’ roll with lyrics about their ‘devout Satanist’ beliefs.
The married duo, Alexandra and Zachary James, began their climb as a consistent opener for theatrical Swedish gothic rock band Ghost before building a loyal following of their own. Their 2018 debut album Twin Temple Bring You Their...
WOUB Public Media •

Wolf Hoffmann talks adapting classic group to a modern world

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Thursday, September 19, 2024ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – German metal legend Accept is a key brick in the foundation of classic metal, right alongside other genre pioneers like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Saxon.
Releasing its self-titled debut in 1979, the band started off taking heavy influence from the likes of AC/DC. This quickly morphed into a heavier and faster sound as the band put out classic records through the ’80s like Balls To The Wall and Metal Hear...
WOUB Public Media •

Sami Kaiser of Gel talks recent EP 'Persona'

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Wednesday, September 18, 2024LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – Jersey-based band Gel has been pushing the boundaries of hardcore punk ever since they formed in 2018.
Initially an offshoot of the power-violence band Sick Sh*t, Gel was an outlet for the band to try a more traditional hardcore sound. However, Gel quickly grew beyond a simple side project, continuing to build that momentum in the last few years, which can clearly be seen in the online hype behind...
WOUB Public Media •

Anthony LaMarca of The War On Drugs talks with WOUB Culture

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Monday, September 16, 2024CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (WOUB) – The War On Drugs has carved out a distinct place in modern rock, blending heartland rock influences with expansive, ambient soundscapes.
Fronted by Adam Granduciel, the Philadelphia-based band has garnered critical acclaim for albums like Lost in the Dream and A Deeper Understanding, the latter of which won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. Their music explores themes of longing, isolation, a...
WOUB Public Media •

Bowling For Soup’s Rob Felicetti talks with WOUB Culture

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Monday, September 9, 2024PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WOUB) – As ’90s and ’00s nostalgia takes a tighter chokehold over the 2020s by the day, pop punk has risen right alongside it.
Be it celebratory tours from Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, and Green Day, or new music from Blink-182 and Paramore, it’s clear pop punk wasn’t just a phase.
When making the argument for the pure fun of 2000s pop punk, one needs no further example than Bowling For Soup. For 30 year...
WOUB Public Media •

Teen Mortgage drummer talks with WOUB before Louder Than Life

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Monday, August 26, 2024LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – Washington D.C. is best known for being the political epicenter of the United States. So, maybe it’s not so surprising that it’s also the birthplace of one of music’s most political genres: hardcore punk.
Often credited as the “founding fathers” of the genre is Washington D.C.’s Bad Brains. A band who’s self-titled LP combines blistering speed and harsh vocals with funk and reggae influences. Bands such...
WOUB Public Media •

Kerry King talks about assembling his thrash metal 'A Team'

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Wednesday, August 7, 2024CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOUB) – Kerry King, guitarist of the legendary thrash metal band Slayer, wasn’t exactly ready to hang up the hat after Slayer’s final album, 2015’s Repentless, and farewell tour in 2019.
Since the end of Slayer, King has been working to assemble an all-star lineup of metal musicians to return in spectacular fashion. These include singer Mike Osegueda (Death Angel), drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer), bassist Kyle Sander...
WOUB Public Media •

Bobby Vylan talks with WOUB Culture ahead of Louder than Life

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Wednesday, July 24, 2024LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – UK duo Bob Vylan is one of the modern champions of rap, punk, and rock’s ability to be a larger-than-life force of nature.
Combining the griminess of underground hip-hop and punk rock with extremely potent political messages, Bob Vylan stands out as a genre-pushing and ground-breaking band in the modern rock sphere  Made up of Bobby and Bobbie Vylan, the group was formed in 2017 and has been consistentl...
WOUB Public Media •

Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell talks with WOUB's Nicholas Kobe

By: Nicholas Kobe


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Monday, July 22, 2024CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOUB) – For decades British rock titans Def Leppard have embodied the over-the-top swagger of glam rock while creating a legacy of nearly universally celebrated music.
The band has produced some of mainstream hard rock and metal’s most successful albums, such as High and Dry, Pyromania, and Hysteria, the latter featuring seven songs that hit the Billboard Hot 100. They’re continuing the momentum with a new song, Just L...
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