The red carpet at events can offer plenty of insight to a wide array of projects and the recent Bowl for Ronnie gave us a chance to check in with a number of rockers and get the low down on where they are with new albums and music. Here's a little bit of what we learned:

- Tenacious D's Jack Black was a jack of all trades for the upcoming Post-Apocalypto album (due Nov. 2). Not only did Black sing on the disc, but he's also responsible for the drawing the animation for the Post-Apocalypto video series, which can be viewed on YouTube. "I drew like a couple thousand drawings. It was a real labor of love and you can see all those episodes for free on YouTube," says the singer. "We’re really proud of it and it is in many ways the best thing we’ve ever done. We were born to make this project happen. It’s like a post-apocalyptic Wizard of Oz musical comedy. It’s fucking weird, sexy, violent, exciting and funny as hell. I want people to see it."

- Sons of Apollo just wrapped touring for their debut album, but singer Jeff Scott Soto tells us it won't be long before they tackle their follow-up release. "We are taking the next two months off because I’m taking off for Trans-Siberian Orchestra next week. I get back Dec. 31 and we’re in the studio like a week later for the next album," says Soto. "Derek [Sherinian] has a bunch of ideas and Bumblefoot has a bunch of ideas, but we’re not writing and sending each other stuff.  We’re just gonna keep adding to the catalog of ideas and like the first album, we’re just going to get together and carve it out in person."

- Otep will be hitting the road this fall in support of their Kult 45 album, a disc that finds singer Otep Shamaya as socially on point as ever with her music. The singer says of the "Art of Dissent" tour, "I think especially with how things are progressing in this country and the evil that seems to have been given the go-ahead to exist openly, I think it’s important for us to show an opposition, to show a resistance so people can sing along with it and have an anthem that they can stand strong with and that’s part of what we wanted to do." The vocalist also praised support act The World Over, stating, "They’re really amazing, female fronted band. Tiaday is her name and they’re fantastic, a lot of fun, and also a member of the LGBTQ community.” Dates can be found here.

- The Dead Daisies' Doug Aldrich is finishing out the year with the band playing the KISS Kruise this week, followed by their "Winterland" European trek. The guitarist revealed that it's his intent to bring back his long-running band Burning Rain in 2019. The band last released the Epic Obsession disc in 2013. "It’s just been something that’s close to my heart, but I’ve always been busy with Whitesnake or Dio and now Dead Daisies, but it hasn’t been able to get off the ground. We’ve had offers but I’ve always been busy, but in 2019 I’m gonna make it a priority," says Aldrich.

- Dio Disciples' drummer Simon Wright told us of their highly anticipated new album, "It got put back a little bit. I think it might be towards the end of next year. Craig [Goldy] has ideas and I have some things and we’re tossing ideas around at the moment, taking our time ... but there will definitely be something out next year." This will be the band's first offering of original material, after devoting their time to honoring Ronnie James Dio's legacy in recent years. "We need to create something new, so the inspiration we take I think comes from a long time ago because we’re just trying to be ourselves. Obviously there will be an influence of Ronnie, but other people as well," says Wright. The drummer is also honoring a bit of another of his past bands, taking part in the upcoming Let There Be Rock orchestral AC/DC tribute production. Wright's Dio Disciples cohort Tim "Ripper" Owens is also involved, as are several other Australian musicians and a 30-piece orchestra. “I’ve heard a mock up of it and those songs have never been treated that way before and they sound amazing. It’s epic,” says Wright of the production that will start in Australia.

- While many acts are gearing up for new music, Richie Kotzen tells us he's excited for a bit of a break. After releasing the solo album Salting Earth in 2017, Kotzen will wrap touring for the disc this week in New York, at which point he intends to return to the new home that he just bought and do some handiwork getting the new place to his liking. “I need that balance. More than anything I like to create and write songs, and I can’t write songs if I’m doing the same thing every day. I’ve got to do some different things,” says Kotzen. When asked about The Winery Dogs, his band with Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan, he offered, "Keep your eyes and ears open. It may be happening sooner than you think."

- Budderside are quite anxious for 2019 and with good reason. A new album is en route, featuring some name special guests. Singer Patrick Stone told us that the band, who are with Motorhead Music, has one song that's an homage to Lemmy that features a guest turn by Phil Campbell. “The words are just a perspective from his point of view, but it stands up for a lot of things he believed in. The lyrics are really a play on maybe him singing it.  Phil came in and did a solo on that and we had a full symphony come in for the middle of the song.“ Another song, "Amber Alert," was written about Stone's now girlfriend. "We came in for our first day of recording and I was lacking lyrics for one of the songs, and she walked by and I was taken in. I didn’t know her but a fantasy started twirling in my head and then before I knew it the lyrics were completely written," says Stone, who then had Butcher Babies' Carla Harvey guest on the track. "Carla and I have been friends for a really long time and she said she wanted to collaborate on a really sexy song and that was really the only song on the record we had about sex and it was a fitting one to do. She sounds great on the song. It came out great and it’s super awesome." The album, which is being produced by Jay Baumgardner, also finds the band utilizing a symphony and a children's choir on other tracks. Stay tuned for release details.

- Beasto Blanco are in the home stretch for their next album. Calico Cooper confided, "Our new record is getting mastered right now," stating that she feels everyone has stepped up their game. "We really sat down and said, ‘What are we capable of?’ We’ve done what we’re actually good at, but what are we capable of. How good of a guitar player are you? How much can I belt out on this? How good of a stage show can this be? I think we’re really pushing ourselves to the limits right now and I’m really excited to just let it rip," says the vocalist.

- Classless Act are ready to make their mark. The band, which includes Slash's son London Hudson, made their live debut this summer and some new music is on the way. Guitarist Nico Tsangaris told us that their new EP is set to arrive in the next month or so. "It’s going to be called Just a Taste. It’s going to have some of the first songs that we wrote as a band."

- Energetic songstress Sonia Harley has been back in the studio of late working on her next studio album. Harley also has had a number of recent song placements in TV and film, while also filling her time on the side doing jingles for Maybelline, Pringles and Budweiser.

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