…And the Circus Leaves Town: Parting Words From Monster Riff Founder Pat Schober

Thank you, dear readers. 

Thanks for reading. 

Thanks for subscribing. 

And thanks for being here. 

Listen: I started Monster Riff as a humble SEO side project back in 2019, and I was intimidated. 

I was a simple goober who knew nothing about music, a bit about SEO, and a lot about who I liked in Stoner Rock. 

But did I know enough to contribute something meaningful to a scene where I didn’t feel like I belonged?

I didn’t think so. 

Looking back, with five years between then and now, I realize just how naive I was. 

After publishing hundreds of articles and connecting with people from all corners of the world, I’ve learned how beautiful the fans of Stoner Rock really are. 

I have never found a community as kind, welcoming, and accepting. 

And that’s why it’s so bittersweet to say goodbye. 

Ever since my son was born back in July of 2023, I’ve struggled to keep up with my modest goal of one article per week. 

I’ve neglected Monster Riff, and it’s made me realize it’s time to give it up.

And although that’s a bummer, I’m pleased to say it’ll land in the very capable hands of Scott Spiers—the mastermind and Metal aficionado behind Clean And Sober Stoner—and Newbie Doomer, Julie. 

Scott has always inspired me to be better. His perspective, his energy, and his writing talents always pushed me to take Monster Riff more seriously—especially on those days I was just trying to get it out of the way. 

Plus, as you may already know, we’ve already collaborated a few times. 

Scott appeared on the Monster Riff Presents podcast…

…and I appeared on the Clean And Sober Stoner podcast. 

I know Scott and his team will do an awesome job of carrying on the Monster Riff tradition and do things I’ve probably never thought of. 

So here’s to Monster Riff. 

And here’s to Scott! 

My Top 5 Monster Riff Moments

Monster Riff created some unique opportunities I never would have thought possible.

The hard knocks and ironies of life have taught me to never gloat, brag, or boast, but I’m feeling retrospective.

And I’m proud of what I established with Monster Riff. 

So here are my five favorite moments from the last five years—in no specific order:

1. That time I covered Roger Waters for Consequence. Thanks to my review of a King Buffalo Pittsburgh show, Consequence took note of Monster Riff and asked me to cover the debut show on Roger Waters’ This Is Not A Drill tour. I got to cover one of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s most legendary musicians, and it was all thanks to this humble blog. You can read that article here. 

2. That time I interviewed John Garcia. John Garcia is one of my all-time favorite vocalists, so I was floored when he offered to sit for an interview (an interview he agreed to specifically because of the Monster Riff Presents episode where Kristy Bissell and I analyzed his approach to vocals). I was incredibly nervous for this one, but John was one of the gentlest, kindest people I’ve ever had on the other side of a microphone. 

3. That time I interviewed JP of Clutch. If I have one regret on this Monster Riff journey, it’s that I never had the opportunity to interview Neil Fallon. But interviewing drummer Jean-Paul Gaster was nearly as good—especially since we chatted about the collector’s edition of the legendary Blast Tyrant. I was too chicken at the time to put an interview of a guy like JP on the podcast, so that was a recorded interview I then transcribed for the blog. You can read it here. 

4. That time I outranked sites like Vice and Rolling Stone. Back in 2021, I got sick of the parade of reviews and decided to get back to my SEO roots. I wrote an article intended to rank for the search phrase “Is Rock Dead?” and it peaked at No. 1 in the search results, beating similar articles from household names like Rolling Stone and Vice. 

5. That time I stole traffic away from the Stoned Meadow of Doom. Clint Beed is—and I’ll say this in the nicest way possible—an absolute asshat. If you’re unfamiliar with his brand of bigotry, racism, and general asshattery, you can read my article on the Stoned Meadow of Doom. That same article, by the way, used to appear No. 2 in the search results when someone would look for “Stoned Meadow of Doom” on Google, and that made me incredibly happy. Fight back against the evil in the world, kids. 

Some Special Thanks

I also want to express my thanks and appreciation to some outstanding people I’ve met along the way. Here they are, in no particular order:

• Blake Carrera (Aiwass) – He was an early fan of Monster Riff and quickly became a dear friend. His encyclopedic music knowledge has also made him my personal sage in learning the larger history of Metal, and his contributions to Monster Riff articles and podcast episodes have been incredibly valuable.
• Ryan Foster (Slightly Fuzzed) – I was honored to have Ryan write both satire and serious content for Monster Riff—and to be a member of his Fuzz Club. While I certainly couldn’t keep up with him in the jokes department, I always appreciated his perspective on new music and art. (Oh, I should mention: He’ll continue writing content for Monster Riff after Scott takes over!)
• Todd White (King Volume Records) – Todd’s given me the opportunity to work in the background on some outstanding musical projects, and if you’re not following the bands on his record label, you’re missing out.
• Joop Konrad (The Doom Charts, The Stoner Hive) – Joop recruited me for my short stint in The Doom Charts. While I eventually dropped out because I couldn’t keep up with the workload, it gave me a renewed appreciation for the volume of high-quality work this scene generates each and every month.
• Kristy Bissell (Vocal Coach) – Kristy initially started as my music theory teacher so I could deepen my knowledge of music in general and provide more thoughtful analysis in my reviews. Eventually, she also earned the impossible task of teaching me how to sing. Deepen your own knowledge—hire Kristy!
• Nick Pipitone (The Third Eye) – Nick is the tireless writer over at The Third Eye, and he’s been an appreciated Monster Riff contributor over the years. He also has the distinction of writing Monster Riff’s most popular blog of all time: Top 11 Modern Psychedelic Rock Bands
• James Seabrook (Two Bodies of Water) – James is the sound guy behind the Monster Riff Presents podcast. He fixed all of my shitty takes and elevated the overall podcast quality from absolute garbage to something I could be proud of. Check out his business, Two Bodies of Water.
• Scott Spiers (Clean And Sober Stoner) – Like I said earlier, Scott inspires me to be better—as a writer, as a professional, and as a person. I’m honored to see him take over Monster Riff.

And finally, thanks to you, my dear, dear reader.

It’s been a terrific run. 

I hope I’ve left our little corner of the Metal community better than I found it. 

-Pat
Former Editor-in-Chief

P.S., if you’d like to stay in touch, you can reach me on Instagram: @patschober

Oh, and I never did find the ultimate riff. If you uncover it—whether inside an old, dusty vinyl sleeve of the bargain bin at your record store or in a humble WAV file on Spotify that was recorded in a hazy, lava lamp-lit basement—do let me know. I’d love to hear it.