Toad’s place was rocking this week as Hinder brought the freak show to New Haven. Just in the starting leg of their tour promoting their new album Welcome to the Freakshow, Hinder invited along metal/rock group Nonpoint as well as young rockers Acidic to support them as they covered the U.S.

I got a chance to catch up with Acidic’s lead singer Michael “Goss Boss” Gossard before the show for an interview.

Gossard said got the nickname “Goss Boss” back in high school. “I went to an all-boys high school and the guys were giving everyone nicknames, all they could come up for me was Goss Boss because of my last name. The fans love it though! It just kind of stuck,” Gossard said.

Before I even sat down with Gossard, I ran into him outside greeting every single person on line, joking about his cold hands and how it would be a bad night to be a proctologist. “When I went to shows I always loved talking to the openers when they shared their music outside the venues. I love getting out there and talking to the fans,” he said. Even as we spoke, he was stopping to give hugs to anyone and everyone who came by. He’s so grateful of the lifestyle he’s living and I absolutely loved seeing that.

Acidic has seen a lot of hype in the past few weeks, they recently got signed to SONY/RED through Megaforce Record, and Nikki Sixx chose their new single “Copper Man” to be one of his Sixx Picks. “The night we found out about it we went horse, man,” Gossard said. “I mean to have someone of that caliber, that we put on a pedestal, say such great things about our music is unreal.”

Copper Man has seen rave reviews both online and in the audience; it probably got one of the best responses out of the whole set. Acidic has set their album release for March 19, and they say it is going to be different from the rest.

“Copper Man sounds like Green Day and Jane’s Addiction had a baby…and Of Monsters and Men was the milkman!” said Gossard. I don’t think there’s any way to go wrong with that kind of formula!

Gossard also talked about touring with Hinder. “They have taken such great care of us,” he said. “If we’re ever in their position we’d take care of them just the same. They make sure we’re well fed and comfortable and we’re so thankful for that.”

One fun fact I couldn’t help but bring up was that bass player Ted “The Blur” Dubrawski recently made a cameo performance on the Glee episode “Naked,” where he played in a shirtless backup band with some rather portly gentlemen. “I would totally be on national television,” Gossard said, “but until we hit it big I think they would decline my offer.”

We also bonded over our love of cooking and how he loves making dishes out of whatever he can find. When asked to impart some wisdom on the UNH music community he simply said, “If you keep your music to yourself, that’s how it’s going to stay. Oh, and stay in school because I didn’t and some days I think I should have.”

Watching Gossard on stage, I couldn’t help but think of a young Billie Joe Armstrong with a voice like Andrew Volpe of Ludo. He had a whole lot of stage presence. He even ran through the crowd dancing and singing while they covered The Beatles’ “Come Together.” One thing I really loved was that he called out two girls in front of me that were having no fun and practically sleeping at the barricade. That really took guts, and I was happy to see him trying to get the crowd going because they deserved it.

Nonpoint and Hinder put on equally amazing shows, too. Singer Elias Soriano and the guys of Nonpoint had the whole place up off their feet after telling everyone to “take the guy next to you by the collar of his Justin Beiber T-Shirt if they’re not jumping to the next song.”

Hinder really brought a great set, showcasing their newest album “Welcome to the Freakshow,” while sprinkling in their older hits. Singer Austin Winkler really wooed the ladies with his suave dance moves and seductive eyes during “Ladies Come First.”

I didn’t know what to expect from the band I hadn’t listened to since middle school, but they really rejuvenated my fan status.

Overall, this show was full of surprises. Gossard and the rest of Acidic are amazing, laid back guys (who give pretty awesome hugs if I do say so myself), and I am confident we will see them headlining tours soon. They have a classic sound with a fresh face in the industry that will get them far. The year 2013 has big plans for Acidic, and I can’t wait to see how i t unfolds.