The smell of leather, sweat, and Jack Daniels fills the air as Thee Rock & Roll Residency takes the stage at Dan McGuinness Irish Pub. From the first chord, it is as if the Residency has just shot lightning into Frankenstein, with their Orange amps turned up to 11. The crowd goes crazy as a monster of Rock & Roll comes to life before their eyes.

While Classic Rock might seem nostalgic to some, it is like flesh and blood to the crowd here tonight. You see, Jeremy Asbrock and Philip Shouse are Rock & Roll John the Baptists, their guitars shouting, “Repent! For the world of Rock & Roll is at hand!” In Nashville, where every musician is more talented than God, Jeremy and Philip have managed to stand out and bring something special to Music City. In the not so distant past, a similar movement in Nashville called The Muzik Mafia focused instead on Country music. The Mafia ended up taking over arenas all across the nation. Thee Rock & Roll Residency could easily do the same with Rock & Roll. Thee Rock & Roll Residency too have gathered together for a common cause, and they deliver the authentic goods in every detail.

These two guys know a secret: you don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, you put your name on it and bring in your famous rocker friends as players. Theirs is world where Areosmith is sung by John Corabi, or Peter Baltes plays bass to “Balls to the Wall,” which his band made famous. It is a non-stop Rock & Roll circus, from T-Rex to Sweet, from Cheep Trick to Motorhead - all played with the same passion as the originals. At times, they feature at least one member from the group that made a song famous. Jeremy and Philip pull together more of the greatest professional rockers for a once-a-week show than any music fan visiting Nashville could ever hope to see.

So what do these two Rock & Roll disciples have to say?

What made you both want to start Thee Rock & Roll Residency?

We wanted to do something like what the Cathouse did in L.A. Philip and I are best friends. We have been playing in fun groups for a few years and had become friendly with Chuck Garric from the Alice Cooper band, who had recently moved here. We started thinking of all the cool rockers moving here, and how there’s plenty of Rock & Roll here. All you have to do is pay attention! I also wanted to aim our amps at music row and play stuff like the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Just Kidding….not really! (laughs) It has become much bigger than just Philip and I playing Rock & Roll together.

How do you feel about the Nashville music scene?

There is a scene for everybody in Nashville. I play with Rodney Atkins for my day job. I don’t want to slave or have regrets with music. A lot of people play original music to a crowd of three here. We get to play to a packed house and everyone has a great time!

I'm native. I've been playing clubs here since I was 16. It's as thriving as I've ever seen it. Sure, there is a certain style that occupies music row, but there is just so much more than that. Roger Glover from Deep Purple told me it reminded him of London in the 60s. For whatever that's worth... I say thumbs up!

Who shows up to play?

We have folks from our rock n' roll brotherhood like Damon Johnson (Alice Cooper, Brother Cane, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders), John Corabi (The Scream, Motley Crue, RATT), Peter Baltes (Accept), Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper), to Jimmy Herman (Carrie Underwood), Chuck Garric (Alice Cooper) and Lukas Nelson to name a few. We have rotating singers that we've had in our shows over the years Greg Mangus, Ryan Cook, Chris Cann, Deano Workman, Matt Farley, Dana Radford. It keeps it moving and entertaining.

How are people responding to this breath of fresh air called Rock & Roll?

The biggest reason I thought this would work is because I knew there were lots of Rock & Roll fans here. Rock musicians. Hell! Most of the musicians in so-called country bands are rockers. It was never even a matter of an audience not being there.

Thee Rock & Roll Residency started as a once a month show and now here we are. People really want to be entertained and listen to great songs. The response has been amazing!

How do you feel about the myth of Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll?

The myth is so passé. Everyone has sex, but playing great Rock & Roll.

Now there is a reputation that can be respected and for us it is an obsession!

Do you feel vinyl making a comeback?

Absolutely. Is it niche? Yes. But who gives a shit! It has made it a little harder to find cool stuff at bargain prices, but it would be silly to complain about something we’ve been preaching about for years to catch on.

I have always had a record collection and it is taking over my house!

If you could change one thing about the world what would that be?

I don’t want to change anything and I just let life happen. Although, it would be great to see general-admission seating at concerts with an affordable price.

I can't even figure out what I would get if I ever decided to get a tattoo, much less affect the entire world with one of my decisions! (laughs)