A Dirty Dozen with PETE BLASKO from KIKKER – April 2026

According to a recent press release: “Hard rock band KIKKER drops their self-titled debut EP via Pavement Entertainment. The EP was recorded at GD Ponderosa Studios in Lafayette, NJ. KIKKER brings hard hitting rock ‘n’ roll to the forefront of the music scene. This self-titled EP takes the listener on a journey, running the gamut of various themes throughout the songs, such as love, friendship, and survival. KIKKER is a four-piece all original American rock band based out of Morris County, NJ. The current lineup consists of Bruce McConnell on guitars and backing vocals, Pete Blasko on drums, Brian Ernst on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Metal Mike Brown on lead vocals.” We get drummer Pete to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our release is just straight forward rock and roll. I think that just the arrangements and the way we write songs, it just grabs peoples’ attention, their mood. The more they listen to our songs, the more they like them. We have had to leave our song “Without You I’m Free” off our setlist a time or two due to time constraints, and boy did we hear it from our friends and fans. We’ll never do that again, LOL!

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I got my first glimpse of drums at 11 years old. My neighbor had a snare drum in his house and two pairs of drumsticks. He gave me an empty shoe box, he took the snare drum. We banged away on the drum and shoe box not having a clue what we were doing, but we had so much fun!! I was at a local fair at the township middle school, I was 14 at the time. They had a band playing there called The Revolvers, and they were playing “Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas. They played it so well, and I was watching the drummer the whole time, he was so good! That’s when I knew I wanted to be a musician and play the drums!!!

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I used to listen to artists such as Jackson Browne, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath and others. I had their records on vinyl, and when the folks weren’t home, I’d put my records on their turntable, put on headphones and play air drums to the songs, haha!! Later on, my drumming influences became Bill Ward from Black Sabbath, Clive Burr and Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Scorpions and many other hard rock and metal bands. I just knew that hard rock and heavy metal were in my blood from then on.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Oh wow! This is a tough one. There are so many great musicians out there. But if I had to choose probably Zakk Wylde from BLS, Zakk Sabbath, and Pantera. He is just amazing in every way, has the coolest metal warrior look, the best sense of humor and just a great guy! Seems like he’d be fun to jam with.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour? What do you like to do to unwind?

First and foremost, my family and spending time with them. I’m also a diehard NFL fan, and my team is the Dallas Cowboys. So I follow the NFL year round thanks to the NFL Network.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Our album title Hard Hitting Rock & Roll, sums up what we’re all about. We have actually had a lot of good feedback so far. Several people have said our song “Fight to the End” has an early Iron Maiden feel to it, some have mentioned Motorhead and Saxon. So we’ve had a lot of good feedback.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

When we are at rehearsals, in the recording studio, or at any one of our shows, we just have so much fun together. We are friends first, musicians second.That’s why we get along so well as a band. When we are checking out the other bands we perform with, we are always hanging out together, we just enjoy each other’s company. I think that shows in our performances as well. If we have a long drive to a show, we usually go together.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

When I was 17 years old, I heard on my local radio station that the band Fastway were being interviewed. Myself and a couple friends scrambled to get over there and have our picture taken with the late Fast Eddie Clark, David King, and the rest of the band. Afterwards, my friends and I went to the Duncan Donuts next door for coffee, and all I could do is freak out because we just met Fastway, lol!!! Since then, I have met former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle and his son Chris because my band was playing with his band Pyle Tribe at an event. Not star struck this time, but he was the nicest gentleman you could ever meet.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

To me, the best part of being a musician is performing onstage and exchanging the energy back and forth with the audience, and all of the people and new friends you meet on your journey everywhere you play, there’s absolutely nothing like it!! I really never want to think of not being able to play music again, but if that happened, I would want to stay in music and promote bands or something along that line.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I’ve actually never been interviewed as of yet, so i honestly don’t know what I’d ask, and I never  get tired of any questions.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I look at any situation that I have encountered in my musical journey up to this point as a learning lesson that was turned into a stepping stone that helped me work towards being the best musician, drummer I can be.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

The one record I would have loved to be a part of the recording sessions for would be Iron Maiden’s 1983 Piece of Mind album. That album front to back is a complete classic, and the songs are masterpieces, so well written!

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Category: Interviews