Host Brad Steiner was joined by Louisville. KY-based band White Reaper and some of their biggest fans to get some burning questions answered on the Audacy app on the release day of their fourth studio album, Asking for a Ride.
LISTEN NOW: White Reaper on 'Asking For A Ride'
We got a chance to kick back with Hunter Thompson, Ryan Hater, and Tony Esposito of White Reaper for an exclusive live interview on the release day of the band's fourth studio album, Asking for a Ride, giving fans an opportunity to get into the finer details of the release and more.
In one respect, the band is feeling a little deflated now that the album is officially on shelves and streaming services, but that feeling subsides when they realize a tour is less than a week away. "It's been a while," Esposito admits, "so it's gonna be exciting to get back out there."
As fans can attest, the band's "infectious" live shows are where the magic truly happens. "We do this all for the love of the game," Tony continues. "We get paid in laughter and infections... the bills are not getting paid very fast, but we do laugh a lot. We all manage our expectations pretty heavily, so if we're not having fun it doesn't really make sense to do it. Because this is a fun little thing we're getting to do."
During the chat, we opened up the conversation to fans listening in on the Audacy app, where "Emily" wondered whether or not any of the band members would ever switch bodies with each other. "Would I switch bodies with Hunter for a day? Absolutely," says Tony. "The damage I would do!" Hunter agrees: "I'd roll around in it, f*** it. I've only had this one, I'll try on another pair of clothes!"
Now on their fourth studio release, Tony admits that through the ups and downs over the years there were definitely "dark and scary times" where the band felt as though they could have ruined it all. "There might be more to come frankly," he says, "but I think we keep it pretty tame. I feel like we haven't changed that much, our relationships have just kind of grown and evolved and we've become better friends and learned each other more. There haven't been any giant, crazy changes so I think it's pretty consistent; same train, same tracks, but it's going forward I think. It feels good."
White Reaper - Tony Esposito [guitar, vocals], Ryan Hater [keys], Hunter Thompson [guitar], Nick Wilkerson [drums, percussion], and Sam Wilkerson [bass] - have arrived as one of the 21st century’s preeminent rock bands. Ushering in a new era, White Reaper are unapologetically embracing their collective essence - musically sincere and uncontainable on stage. This time around, they directly channeled the energy of their live show in order to replicate that connection in the songs. On Asking for a Ride you’ll get the band’s signature chrome-plated riffs, mixed with thrash, stadium-made choruses, and blissful acoustic comedowns. This is five dudes churning out bangers like their lives depend on it.
Listen to the full interview above -- plus, log into the Audacy app and follow Audacy Music to get notifications whenever we're live - it's that easy!
Listen to Alt Now and more on the free Audacy app
Browse and follow even more of your favorite music on Audacy's Emo Kids, Alt Now, Rockternative, Drivin' Alt, New Wave Mix Tape, 90s and Chill, Alterna 00s, and ALT Roots stations -- plus check out our talent-hosted Kevan Kenney's Music Discovery, Megan Holiday's My So Called '90s Playlist, and Scott Lowe on the Go's Post Modern Music Box!
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram