Mikey In The Pit

Muscatello Media Network
Muscatello Media Network
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Music
  • Updated Weekly

Mikey In The Pit is for people who still hit shows, blast loud music, and actually care about what’s going on in the scene. Hosted by Mikey—a fan with a mic, a press pass, and just enough access to pull back the curtain it’s concerts, festivals, band news, interviews, new music, and behind-the-scenes stories from rock, punk, metal, and everything loud. No ego. No industry BS. Just real talk for real fans. Follow @mikeyinthepit and join the Pit Crew wherever you get your podcasts. RSSVERIFY

Episodes

  1. Aug 21

    I Became a Talent Buyer. What the F*ck Am I Doing?

    Three months ago, I had never bought talent for a concert. Now I’m negotiating guarantees, calculating break-even points, chasing local support, obsessively refreshing ticket counts, and pretending words like “backend” have always been part of my vocabulary. After more than 25 years in radio, I thought I understood the music business. I interviewed the bands, hosted the shows, covered the festivals, stood backstage, stood side stage, and occasionally drank somebody else’s beer. Then I became a talent buyer for The Boardwalk in Orangevale, California—and discovered an entire side of live music I had never seen. In this first episode of the Mikey in the Pit podcast, I explain how getting fired from radio eventually led to Muscatello Media, my relationship with The Boardwalk, and the completely unexpected career turn that put me in charge of booking concerts. I’m not starting this podcast two years from now and pretending I had everything figured out from the beginning. I’m documenting it while I’m learning: the shows that sell, the ones that eat shit, the negotiations, agents, bands, ticket counts, mistakes, and the economics of keeping a small independent music venue alive in 2026. Fans think tickets cost too much. Bands can barely afford to tour. Venues are struggling to survive. Nobody is wrong so where the f**k is the money going? Talent buyer, concert booking, independent music venues, live music industry, booking bands, concert promoter, venue booking, talent buying explained, concert guarantees, artist backend deal, local support bands, music venue economics, touring costs, The Boardwalk Orangevale, Sacramento live music, Mikey in the Pit, Muscatello Media.

    I Became a Talent Buyer. What the F*ck Am I Doing?

  2. May 1

    Titan Fest: Ryan Brown’s DIY Answer To Aftershock

    Ryan Brown from Titan and Titan Fest jumps on Mikey In The Pit and basically pulls the curtain back on how this shit actually works. From a Halloween house show with 300 people and no cops, to a full multi‑day Titan Fest and playing Aftershock, he’s fronting costs, teaching himself design, and bleeding for a festival he refuses to hand over to suits. We get into why “pay‑to‑play” is trash, how his ticket model actually gets local bands paid, guarantees that make zero sense, and why your favorite big bands are grinding reels just like locals now. Ryan talks about networking without being a leech, dealing with haters who say Titan “didn’t deserve Aftershock” but still beg for fest slots, his parents helping build stages, and what it looks like to turn Titan Fest into a traveling, Warped‑style thing tied to mental‑health nonprofits. If you’re in a band, book shows, or claim to care about the Sacramento scene, this is one you probably need to sit with. 🎟️ GET YOUR TITAN FEST TICKETSRyan isn’t just talking about building a DIY festival, he’s out here fronting the costs and giving local bands real ways to get paid. If you’re anywhere near Sacramento and you support this scene, show up in person. ▸ Tickets, lineup, and info: https://titanfest.live▸ Direct ticket link: Eventbrite – Titan Fest▸ Follow Titan Fest for updates and presale links:  Instagram – @titanmusicfestival  Facebook – Titan Music Festival Grab your pass, tag the band that sent you, and go support the people actually building something for Sacramento heavy music instead of just complaining online

    Titan Fest: Ryan Brown’s DIY Answer To Aftershock

  3. Mar 28

    Oleander Is Back: From Woodstock ’99 to Aftershock '26

    Thomas Flowers from Oleander jumps into The Pit with Mikey to talk about the band’s Sacramento come‑up, playing early Aftershock, and having their first show outside Sac be freaking Woodstock ’99.  They get into hustling radio with donuts, getting ‘Why I’m Here’ into heavy rotation, landing songs in American Pie and Dawson’s Creek, and why the band is finally having fun again.  Thomas shares plans for new Oleander music, their Aftershock 2026 hometown return, and why they’d rather hit blue‑collar secondary markets than grind 5‑month tours.  They also rant about AI‑slop rock, nostalgia festivals, and what it really takes to stick around in this business. If you grew up on Oleander, Papa Roach, Deftones, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Creed, Sublime, and that whole late‑90s wave, this one is straight nostalgia and real talk. Follow the show, drop a rating, and share this episode with a rock friend who needs it. Oleander Thomas Flowers Oleander interview Mikey In The Pit rock podcast music podcast 90s rock bands Sacramento rock scene Aftershock Festival Aftershock 2026 Woodstock 99 American Pie soundtrack Dawsons Creek soundtrack Why Im Here Oleander Februarys Son alt rock interview nu metal era Sacramento metal rock music stories band comeback rock band reunion rock festival interview podcast with musicians rock and metal podcast

    Oleander Is Back: From Woodstock ’99 to Aftershock '26

  4. 10/25/2025

    This Week in the Pit – Oct 25, 2025

    🧨 Foo Fighters might crash Aftershock. Maiden’s bringing the nuclear heat. Sam Rivers is gone. And Ian Watkins? Still dead — now with bonus arrests. This week’s pit report hits harder than Gary Holt’s guitar tone: Foo Fighters drop stadium tour dates, new music, and a suspicious gap around Aftershock 2026 👀 Iron Maiden’s 50th birthday meltdown is official — Megadeth and Anthrax are joining the firestorm EXODUS wraps a brutal new record, and Gary Holt’s back foaming at the mouth Five Finger Death Punch "write" a few songs and drop a solid collab with BABYMETAL Slash calls b******t on the Vegas Sphere RIP Sam Rivers — the soul of Limp Bizkit Ian Watkins finally bled out, and four inmates might get charged for doing what karma couldn’t 👂 All that, plus guitar giveaways, festival speculation, and rock’s weirdest headlines. 📢 Follow Mikey in the Pit for music news, festival updates, backstage interviews, and chances to win free concert tickets.🎧 Available on all major platforms #MikeyInThePit #RockNews #FooFighters #IronMaiden #LimpBizkit #Aftershock2026

    This Week in the Pit – Oct 25, 2025

  5. 10/22/2025

    Spineshank Returns From the Ashes of Nu Metal | Ep 3

    OG nu-metal survivors Spineshank sit down backstage at Aftershock 2025 to talk about their first run of shows in decades, old-school OzzFest chaos, upcoming tours with Drowning Pool and Head PE, and why this scene still hits harder than your Stepdad. If you’re into real music news, raw festival coverage, band interviews, and your shot to win free concert tickets follow the show. Mikey In The Pit brings you backstage, in the dirt, and face-first into the loudest shit that actually matters. No BS. No industry handjobs. Just music, mayhem, and the people who live it.

    Spineshank Returns From the Ashes of Nu Metal | Ep 3

  6. 10/18/2025

    This Week In The Pit - 10.17.25

    Death. Delusion. And a goth Christmas tree. 🪦🎄 Ace Frehley’s gone. Mudvayne’s calling themselves classic rock. Ian Watkins finally met karma. Spineshank rose from the grave. And apparently, Christmas now wears black eyeliner. It’s a hell of a week in rock. Follow @mikeyinthepit for the loudest rock news, festival coverage, and artist interviews every week.

    This Week In The Pit - 10.17.25

  7. 10/16/2025

    Paul McCoy Talks Sobriety, Screaming, and Starting Over | Ep 02

    Paul McCoy of 12 Stones is back — and he’s got a lot more to say than just “wake me up.” In this episode of Mikey In The Pit, we talk about everything from surviving melanoma to ditching the 9-to-5 grind and getting back on stage. Paul opens up about sobriety, mental health, his love/hate relationship with the industry, and why this isn’t some cute little comeback story — it’s about purpose. We also get into: Touring with Evanescence (and the weirdness) Getting mislabeled as a Christian band Screaming again after 24 years Playing Aftershock and getting thrown into the crowd What 12 Stones sounds like in 2025 And the real reason he came back Whether you’re a longtime fan or just here for the truth behind the voice, this one’s real, raw, and worth the full listen. Follow the show, leave a 5-star review, and check out more interviews, music news, and rock-fueled nonsense https://linktr.ee/mikeyinthepit

    Paul McCoy Talks Sobriety, Screaming, and Starting Over | Ep 02

  8. 10/11/2025

    Aftershock 2025 Just Made History | Ep 01

    164,000 people. 115 bands. Four days of noise, sweat, and total mayhem. Aftershock 2025 was the biggest one yet and I somehow survived. From Blink-182 and Good Charlotte to Korn, Rob Zombie, Manson, Chimaira, and GWAR… this year hit different. This episode covers everything you didn’t see on the livestream: Thursday’s pop-punk flashback Friday’s food poisoning blackout Saturday’s pit insanity, the record-breaking group photo, and the best f**king corndog I’ve ever had Sunday’s crowd-surfing chaos, a surprise Manson comeback, and one poor girl who got absolutely dropped during Rob Zombie Plus: how Sacramento gave DWP a literal award, what’s changing next year, and what’s coming for Mikey in the Pit. If you were there, relive it. If you missed it, fix that next year. Follow the show. Join the Pit Crew. Instagram | TikTok | Facebook @MikeyInThePit New content dropping all week.

    Aftershock 2025 Just Made History | Ep 01
  • 8 Episodes

About

Mikey In The Pit is for people who still hit shows, blast loud music, and actually care about what’s going on in the scene. Hosted by Mikey—a fan with a mic, a press pass, and just enough access to pull back the curtain it’s concerts, festivals, band news, interviews, new music, and behind-the-scenes stories from rock, punk, metal, and everything loud. No ego. No industry BS. Just real talk for real fans. Follow @mikeyinthepit and join the Pit Crew wherever you get your podcasts. RSSVERIFY

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