Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong surprise Kevin Ryder at KROQ

In a new video posted by KROQ, Linkin Park band members Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong are shown turning up at the KROQ studio in Los Angeles and surprising afternoon host Kevin Ryder (i.e. the Kevin from Kevin and Bean) with a visit live on air. Ryder recently made a grand return to the station earlier this month, after being dismissed from his decades-long stint as a morning host in 2020. He and KROQ have always enjoyed a strong relationship with Linkin Park, with the station having championed the band early on in their career.

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Shinoda and Armstrong begin their proceedings with a dramatic megaphone alarm entrance, before sitting down with Ryder for an impromptu interview that ends up being about half an hour. Linkin Park is kicking off a North American tour at the end of this month, and much of the interview covers that upcoming slate of shows, as well as the band's broader touring history. Shinoda and Armstrong reveal that 5-6 new songs are being rehearsed for the new sets - at least one, we can assume, is their latest single "Up From the Bottom" - and that the band will be traveling in a tour bus for the first time in a while. Armstrong also tells Ryder that she is especially looking forward to Linkin Park performing at the various festivals they are going to headline this year, noting that this iteration of the band has only done one festival slot so far.

The pair also delve into the process of integrating Armstrong and Colin Brittain as new members of Linkin Park. Shinoda explains that they add new influences and directions to Linkin Park's unique and always-evolving songwriting process. He cleverly compares the experience of writing a new album to adding "more tools in a toolbox".

You can watch the full KROQ interview here. As you do, spare a thought for fans of the LIVING THINGS track "LIES GREED MISERY", who will not get to hear that song at any Linkin Park shows in 2025.

Source: KROQ on Instagram