2025 is proving to be an amazing year and I’d love to talk about some of the incredible projects you’ve already been involved, the accolades and some of the amazing things that are coming next. I’d like to start with your tour with Michael Monroe, standing in for bassist Sami Yaffa. Seeing the footage of the shows and all the comments that emerged on social media show without a doubt that this was something very, very special! Surely this was a bucket list moment. How did you come to get involved and what were your favourite things about this tour?

My connection to Michael goes all the way back to me being a teenager and first hearing Hanoi Rocks which had a massive impact on me. I saw them here in Las Vegas and it was mind blowing. I got to say hello to Michael in a very sort of fan kind of way, and then suddenly I’m in Slash’s band and we’re going to Finland where Michael Munro is going to get up and sing with us. And then on occasions we would be playing certain festivals together and Michael would end up on stage with us. We just sort of became fast friends over the years. Around 10 years ago, in 2015 I think it was, Steve Conte’s wife was having a baby and he had trepidations about doing a final run of Finnish shows in December. So Richard Jones, the guitarist, asked me if I would mind coming over and filling in on guitar for these half-a-dozen shows. And after checking my schedule with Slash, I said yes without hesitation. So fast forward to this year and when Sammy couldn’t come over to America I was asked if I could fill in on this run of dates and I said “Of course! Absolutely – let’s do it!“. It was really exciting, especially to see the reaction of the audience who were really hungry to see Michael Monroe. It was great to see so many young people showing up. Michael is one of the all-time greatest performers there is! There’s few people who can put on a show like that guy!

One of the most special things that I wish I’d been able to experience first hand was your solo acoustic tour of Italy. You do of course play many solo shows in your home city of Las Vegas (Vamp’d) but I know that being able to undertake a substantial tour is something you’ve always planned to do. You said that you had the most rewarding time and it’s the most exhilarating thing you do. Tell me what it meant to be out there playing to an audience that is there specifically to see you and how it felt to be doing a Todd Kerns tour?

The idea of doing an acoustic run had always been a longtime dream of mine, the sort of romantic idea of just taking an acoustic guitar and going off around the planet playing wherever they’ll let me play. The beautiful thing about acoustic guitar is that you feel like you can play anywhere: bus stations, train stations, busking. Having done acoustic shows throughout the US and across Canada a few times, they definitely lend themselves to a different experience entirely. When you go to a non-English-speaking country, there comes a challenge of like ‘Okay, so how does this work?’. Initially, I was cautious I suppose. I didn’t know how invested the audience was in my music so there was a certain degree of thinking ‘I’m just gonna do my thing’ but I had to find some way to support that with some cover songs, just to keep a flow or an interest because you know that regardless of how much your audience is wholly invested, there is a percentage of people who are perhaps just curious. What surprised me was that most people were quite invested and that the songs they wanted to hear were the ones that I have been a part of. It was the biggest eye-opener. It just seemed to be predominantly made up of people who were calling out my songs, even those I hadn’t played in awhile where I had to ask myself ‘Do I even know how to play that song?’ (Laughs!) It was very exciting! When I speak about the other exhilaration of doing something like this, it’s the idea that you live and die by your own name. It’s not a bad name that’s up there – it’s your name. It’s the name my mother gave me. You get up there and it’s one thing to say that the band wasn’t good or that the band failed, it’s another thing for it to be so personal with your own name there. So you get up there and you don’t have the mask or the wall of loud guitars and drums. It’s just you and your voice and an acoustic guitar. There is such a freedom to it that you get to guide the course of the show because sometimes you have a sense of what you’re going to play and you could always alter that. Sometimes songs can get truncated or elongated depending on how it’s feeling or how they are going over. I think at the end of my days I will definitely look back on being in that seaside town in Italy, playing a solo show and that it will seem like a great memory.

One thing we do need to talk about is the closure of Vamp’d Vegas. Music venues such as these are the lifeblood for bringing the opportunity for new bands to have a stage and for people to hear new music. You played your last show at the venue on 23 May and it was wonderful that you had your friend and fellow Canadian Sebastian Bach share the stage with you. That must’ve been a really bittersweet moment for you? Tell me what the venue has meant for you.

Well, the weird thing about it is that when we were booked to play, it was just like a random window of availability. We do it a couple of times a year, and this one wasn’t really booked as a sort of final Todd Kerns experience, but then the announcement came not long before, maybe a couple of weeks before, which suddenly exploded into the final show. And with that I gathered my friends because I didn’t know when we were going to get a chance to do this again. And then of course, Sebastian comes out of the woodwork as he does! (Laughs!) It’s like the bat signal goes up into the sky and suddenly he’s there! He’s ready at all times! You could probably wake him up from a dead cold sleep and he would just grab a microphone and be ready to go! The weird thing about Las Vegas, and I’ve been here 18 years now, is that I would tell stories about the 90s and I would tell stories about my first successful band and those stories would always end with ‘that venue isn’t there anymore’ (referring to music venues in general – Ed). I think we all have those stories: ‘Remember that place? That place was great!... There used to be in this venue called ‘this’…’ . It’s very much a part of the evolution of life really. It felt like Vamp’d Vegas became the equivalent of the Marquee in London, whether they intended it to be or not, because most things in Las Vegas exist within a casino construct. You know ‘There’s a great club and it’s in the Paris, or it’s in the Mirage or is the MGM’, But Vamp’d is different. It was Danny Koker’s place. He was known because he had a television show called Counting Cars. Initially, he partnered with Vince Neil and it was called Feelgood’s but it eventually became Vamp’d. I played there very early on when it opened. I then went off with Slash around the world 100 times but I would always come back to Vegas and Vamp’d was the place to be. All the rock ‘n’ roll stuff happened there, and eventually I just started to do my acoustic shows there for the Borrowing Trouble record. Like anything, you sort a take of these things for granted and Vegas is so unprecious about literally everything. In the time I’ve been here, classic casinos like The Stardust and The Riviera and The Frontier – all part of the original Oceans Eleven film – have shut down and been levelled and now we have these gargantuan mega casinos. If it’s not a forward moving entity, it’s got to go and that’s why the skyline in this city is ever changing. So there is a part of me that’s not surprised when something like this goes away because everything goes away. But I think the most wonderful thing about a place like Vamp’d is that it was for up-and-comers as well as established acts. When an established act like LA Guns comes through town, they do a couple of nights at Vamp’d and it’s a great turnout and it’s a great experience, but there are the nights of the week I can go and see these up-and-coming bands that are so cool. It’s so heartbreaking that Vamp’d is going away

One thing we have to talk about is the absolutely amazing news that you have been inducted into the Rock Godz Hall Of Fame! Congratulations, Todd! How did you feel when the news through?

I watched the Grammys this year and there were no rock bands. When I was a kid I knew Iggy Pop wasn’t going to be on the Grammys, the Ramones weren’t going to be and not even kiss would be on the Grammys, even as mainstream as successful as they were. It was kind of like ‘Look, we accept that you guys are selling records but you’re still not invited to this party’. I know lots of people get worked up about inclusions into things like the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame but there’s so many rock ‘n’ roll bands and so many rock ‘n’ roll singers and it also goes into a very wide demographic including pop and hip-hop and lots of different things. So they cover a lot of ground. So when people get bent out of shape about Deep Purple not being in there, I would certainly agree there is a huge argument that they should be. But they are going to be in eventually – it’s inevitable. But I don’t really take it too seriously other than the fact that this is something that more local people, or at least local within California and Nevada and the scene, have decided that I was deemed worthy enough to be amongst those incredible artists in the Rock Godz Hall of Fame. It’s one of those things where you’re like ‘Todd Kerns? Me? Are you sure? Who cancelled or declined?’ (Laughs!) I know I’m making light of the whole thing but I think it’s just the Canadian in me – that inbred humbleness that you just kind of feel unworthy of any accolade. But it is amazing! Thank you! My friend Jason Hook who used to be in Five Finger Death Punch, who is also Canadian, was also up and on paper he is much more successful than I am. But I appreciate it! I have this feeling that one day, and sooner than you think, you’re going to be 85 years old sitting on your easy chair telling stories that sound like you are lying out of your ass! With 2 grandkids who just go ‘What? No, seriously?’. (Laughs!) There’s a great line in the Kiss song, the original version which was done by Argent, God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll To You that says ‘If you want to be a singer or play guitar, man you’ve got a work or you won’t get far because it’s never too late to work 9-to-5’ and that rings so true with me because for every story of somebody who goes onto glory there are many stories of people who did remarkably well but fell off the other side into normalcy. So it just feels more like a notice of recognition that you were out there doing your best. It’s a good way to keep getting up every day and thinking you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Like this Triumph thing that’s got so much interest. I never envisaged that people would be so excited about it but I’m still getting messages about it and not just from Canadians. I’m really blown away! Bruce Kulick inducted me into the Rock Godz too so that was very cool. The first time I ever saw a Kiss show was with Bruce Kulick on guitar in a hockey arena full of people and all I wanted to do was what he was doing. We then find ourselves on stage in Las Vegas and it’s surreal! I lost my father a year ago and dad would’ve thought that this was pretty cool!

Let’s talk about some of the things coming next. The great news is that you are heading back to Europe with the fantastic Black Sonic Pearls in June supporting Steel Panther. What was it about the band that made you want to be involved and how much are you looking forward to this tour?

Well, in the context of Slash, we tour with so many bands and one-time Black Sonic Pearls was with us out on the road. I remember approaching them at breakfast at the hotel and being like “Hey, guys!” and then kind of having like a moment of where maybe they aren’t often approached by the headliner. But Brent (Fitz – drummer) and I both have this Canadian way of “Hey, what’s going on? Oh, you’re the guys from last night!”, and we just got to know each other. They’re a really cool bunch of guys. I watched their set and honestly the music is so much more challenging than what I normally do. I’m one of those sadists who falls for the idea that when someone says “Hey, do you want to fill-in Because we need a bass player?”, I go “Well, let me listen to this stuff” and I’m immediately overwhelmed and intimidated by how advanced, grown-up and ‘out of my wheelhouse’ the playing is. But I was just talking to a friend of mine the other night where I have this weird sort of ‘I can do this!’. It’s almost a challenge! If I say no to this, it would have to be because I don’t have time or my calendar doesn’t permit. It can’t be because I have to admit to myself that I can’t play this music or I’m unqualified to play it! (Laughs!) So you almost have this weird sense of ego, or a little devil on one shoulder that says ‘You little bitch! You can’t play this music!’ and the other one is going ‘You CAN do it!’. And then it just becomes the challenge of ‘Can I do this?’. I knew that I would have to do it on a 5 string bass and I don’t normally play one. I definitely can and I have used 5 string bases in my life but it’s not my comfort zone. I just said to myself ‘I think I want to try this, I think I want to challenge myself’. I’ve said this about a Slash. Slash could’ve just stopped advancing as a musician in 1992 and said ‘I’m just going to ride this out’. It’s kind of like if he was a chef and he kept delivering the same meal but it’s the same meal that people absolutely love. But the beautiful thing about Slash is that he’s always growing and he’s grown in the time that I’ve known him. Anastasia would not have been a guitar part he would’ve come up with unless he’d had this time to stretch out as a guitar player, as a musician and as an artist. So when things like this come along, I just think that I want to try it. I think I want to challenge myself. There are elements with Heroes and Monsters that are very much out of my comfort zone and on my record with Tracii Guns with Blackbird Angels. If your immediate reaction is ‘Oh, I don’t know‘ then you need to explore your trepidation. You can be a little fearful of the challenge but you have to go ‘You know what? It’s okay to be challenged – it’s what makes you stronger and makes you a better player’. So when it comes to Black Sonic Pearls, it’s kind of like you’re upping a belt in karate and now you’re a purple belt! But it’s about finding a way to do it as I do it because I’m not suddenly going to become a different type of kind of Todd Kerns. It’s more like there’s a level-up version of Todd Kerns what I’m going to do but I’m going to do as Todd Kerns would do it. When you’ve established who you are, and most of us don’t even realise what we’ve established is our style, and then you have to adapt to something like Black Sonic Pearls you go ‘Okay, here we go. Now Todd Kerns can play a five string bass and play way more challenging stuff than I normally would’. And inevitably it’s something I will probably bring to the Conspirators or Toque or whatever else I do because this other part of my brain has been unlocked.

You’ve mentioned Toque and this is a band that’s very special to you because it’s about your Canadian heritage and a gang of friends – brothers really - that have come together to deliver the most infectious music. This summer sees you play the Rockin’ Thunder stadium shows for what must be the year’s hottest ticket (if you weren’t going, surely you’d be buying a ticket), with Def Leppard, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Foreigner and Bret Michaels as well as others. How did you feel when the news came through and also what do you expect these shows will do for Toque? Do you see them as a launch pad to the next level?

That’s the most interesting thing about that band, that we started with the best of intentions of playing at charity shows and playing classic Canadian music that we grew upon, and it’s just sort of evolved into what it is now. There’s a sort of weird feeling that when things like this come along that it should be a great deal of surprise that we’re actually included in this, but with this is coupled the idea of like, ‘yes of course we should be involved’ but not in an ego way. I feel like we have a lot to contribute to this day because what we do. We celebrate Canadian music and where better to do that than in the homeland? As time has gone by, the big focus has been on our own music and we have a new single coming out on July 9 (Fighters - Ed). It’s this feeling that we want to go out and do a victory lap but that we’re also humble enough to say ‘Let’s just make it a great day!’. At the end of the day it’s about a Def Leppard and Joan Jet and everybody else. We are there to support but we feel like it’s important that we should be a part of the celebration, a celebration of what we do and what we’ve always celebrated. It’s going to be really exciting! As far as what it will do for the band, I don’t know. I think it does elevate us to a certain degree but at the same time it’s all music, it’s all fun and it’s all rock ‘n’ roll. Toque has been a big focus, regardless of how busy everybody gets with all the things we do, we do have such a huge outlet for the music we have been making together and the celebration of that music that we grew upon and we love. We are going to keep on doing what we do because we love it and if it pans out to be a massive success story then that’s great. At the end of the day, if it’s all positive, it’s all love and it’s all fun, then it doesn’t matter what we do. We just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other and it keeps on leading to cool places. We just do our best and sometimes when you’re just doing your best it leads to good things.

Also, you are finishing off the new Slash ft Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators album. How far along is the process and what can you share about the direction of the music?

Referring to the recording process, is this again being recorded live in the studio or have more remote and digital methods been chosen?

The last record was really an experiment and literally recording live. We literally captured vocals on the fly. So generally, for people who are sort of uninitiated, there’s so many ways to record and there’s no real right or wrong way to write or record a song. A lot of our favourite records have been recorded in multiple different ways. Often a band will be in a room and the focus is to capture the drums and the drum performance. So the band is there, the singer is normally in a booth, the guitar amps are usually in other booths basically just to keep the sound away from each other, and the singer is in the room singing, usually with nothing more than the idea of directing traffic: ‘OK, here’s the pre-chorus, now into the chorus…’ and you’re playing the song . The funny thing about SMKC is that we often don’t have this luxury because for example Myles might be off on a solo tour or with Alter Bridge or whatever is going on, so we’re just very accustomed to the rest of us being in the room bashing it out and Myles will send over his demo ideas and we’re sort of sitting in a lab concocting! The beauty of the remote kind of world is that it can be so direct. I can’t imagine the idea of taking a box of 2 inch tape and having it flown around the world for Myles to work on. It just wouldn’t work like that. These days everything is handled so quickly. During the 4 record which we did in Nashville, it was during Covid and we all got Covid. The record was pretty much live until Myles got sick in the middle of the recording and had to finish his vocals after the fact. But this record is more of a hybrid. What I love about Slash most is that he has no interest in making records where we’re all doing different parts in different places. We need to be together and we usually go to Slash’s studio where we rehearse. And when I say rehearse that means that a song we start on Monday is markedly different by Friday. The arrangement of the song is ever evolving until we’ve committed it to tape. In rehearsals, Slash is working on his solos and his intention is to capture as much of his performance live, including the solos. So with 4 it was a success story in terms of that kind of experiment but this time it is more of a hybrid where we try to do it as live as possible but with all of those other elements as well. When I’m playing my bass parts, my intention is always to keep it. I have worked my bass parts from the ground up so in the rehearsal room I have a pretty much solid idea of what I’m going to play before I even go into the studio. I’m ready to go. That doesn’t mean that sometimes things won’t change or evolve, especially if arrangements are being messed with. But doing it with Michael ‘Elvis’ Basquette it’s familiar ground. We’ve done World On Fire and Living The Dream with him, both of which are in my opinion some of the best we’ve ever done. And Elvis is a very good friend, he’s a very big part of the family. Slash is a very accomplished pedal steel guitar player - and that is a bizarre sentence to say for a guy who went to Nashville and suddenly fell in love with the pedal steel guitar! So that would not have happened had he not done that. You’re going to see some of that materialise on the new record. But again, this is a guy who has nothing to prove. He could’ve stopped evolving in 1992 and we all still think he’s awesome. But he’s continuing to evolve to the point where he has stumbled on another instrument entirely, one of the most challenging instruments there is, and he’s challenging himself. When you talk about the hardest working guys there are, he’s up there. So now with this record the music is all finished and recorded and SMKC, we are all doing different things at the moment. But we’re going to get together again in August, sing the record and be finished. I’m very excited for everyone to hear the new SMKC record because it’s some of the best stuff we’ve ever done. I feel it’s very easy for an artist to say that and I feel like as a KISS fan I heard that phrase every time they released a new album. And I believed them every time! (Laughs!) But I am really excited for people to hear this – it’s going to be great!