This Week in the Pit – Oct 25, 2025

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 TICKETS Ryan 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 [https://titanfest.live/] ▸ Direct ticket link: Eventbrite – Titan Fest [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/titanfest-2025-tickets-1124698376119] ▸ 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

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

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 bullshit 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

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.

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.