Category: Interviews
3 Hard Rock Hideout’s Wicked Interview With Lita Ford
Its not every day when you get the chance to talk to the former Metal Queen Lita Ford, but we were happy to have the opportunity at HardRockHideout.com. After a long absence from the music scene, Lita Ford is coming back strong in 2009 with a new CD, Wicked Wonderland on October 6th, a new comic, and a role in an up and coming major video game release, and of course, a tour with Queensryche.
HRH: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do an interview with us today. It has been fourteen long years since your last album Black, and we are damn glad you are back.
Lita Ford: Thank you very much!
HRH: What have you been up to in your long break in between Black and Wicked Wonderland?
Lita Ford: Been living on an island with my husband and 2 boys. I focused on my family. Had tons of crazy wild sex with Jim – not much else to do on our island at night!
HRH: Your return to the music scene seemed to start with your duet with Dee Snider on Twisted Sister’s Twisted Christmas CD. Did this give you the itch to start playing live again?
Lita Ford: I’ve always had the itch! I was just waiting for our kids to grow up. I wasn’t going to drag them all over the world as babies! Now they’re a little older and they LOVE it as much as I do! We’re having a blast out there!
HRH: The songs on Wicked Wonderland are a bit of a departure from your sound in the late eighties and early nineties. “Crave” is a pretty cool rocker, and “Wicked Wonderland” almost has a club like vibe to it. That has to be one of the coolest Lita Ford songs in years.
Lita Ford: Thanks very much. I wanted to come back heavier than ever and I did! I wasn’t going to come back with sandals and hairy armpit music – I wanna ROCK!
HRH: How have the fans reacted to your new songs so far?
Lita Ford: It’s been incredible! Crave debuted at #2 in the US
A at metal radio! All the emails, posts, etc have been overwhelming – I’ve been blown away by the support of my fans.
HRH: What was the song writing process like for the new album?
Lita Ford: Me, Jim, and Greg Hampton wrote all the songs. When it came time to write lyrics, Jim and I would crack open a bottle of champagne and let it go.We unintentionally ended up writing pretty much the entire album about our crazy sex life! Hahaha?
HRH: What is the inspiration behind the new songs?
Lita Ford: My marriage with Jim – after 15 years we’re more in love, more in lust, and have an incredible love life. Jim’s the only man that’s ever sexually satisfied me. We’re soul mates that just happen to have a taste for kink! Sex Sex and Rock n Roll!
HRH: Back in ’95, you and Jim were working on a new project called Rumble Tribe. Did any of these songs from that project turn up on Wicked Wonderland?
Lita Ford: No that was a different animal. Great stuff back then – maybe we’ll release some of it one of these days. Wicked Wonderland is all brand new. We wrote all of it within the last year.
HRH: The artwork inside your booklet for Wicked Wonderland is pretty incredible. What can can you tell me about that?
Lita Ford: Piggy D and his girlfriend Carin did an AWESOME job for us! We absolutely LOVE the artwork! We wanted to go old school and make the artwork an important part of the package. We gave Piggy the lyrics and told him to go for it.
HRH: Bumblefoot from Guns N’ Roses, and PJ Farley from Trixter and Ra played in your band at Rocklahoma earlier this year. Who will be going on the road with you when you tour with Queensryche on the American Soldier Tour?
Lita Ford: Queensryche is my backing band!!!!How awesome is that?!?!?
HRH: What can the fans expect from you on this tour?
Lita Ford: We’ll I’m playing a few songs in the middle of their set. Geoff is going to sing Close My Eyes with me and then I’ll do a few new songs. I can’t wait to get out there!
HRH: You are playing a bunch of cities that haven’t seen you in years. Are you excited about hitting the road?
Lita Ford: Absolutely! My whole family is.
HRH: You have always been knows to play BC Rich guitars in your career. Have you added any new guitars to your arsenal?
Lita Ford: Oh yeah! Bernie Rico Jr. is making me some incredible new guitars. Bernie’s father started BC Rich! He passed away and Bernie is keeping the family craft alive! Can’t wait for you to see some of the new guitars.
HRH: We are big fans of the Playstation 3 at HRH, and are pretty excited about the up and coming game Brutal Legend that you are featured in. What can you tell us about the game?
Lita Ford: Well Jack Black is the male lead and I’m the Queen!
Ozzy’s in it along with Lemmy, Rob Halford…It’s good to be the Queen!
HRH: You also have a new comic coming out called “The Gillettes”: Family Business. What can you tell us about that?
Lita Ford: Very excited about that too! We get to kick a lot of zombie ass!
HRH: What are some of your fondest memories of your music career so far?
Lita Ford: Being nominated for a Grammy was pretty cool – BOTH times!
Having a platinum record….Those were pretty high on the list!
HRH: In closing, is there anything you would like to tell your fans?
Lita Ford: Thank you so much! You’ve been with me a LONG time and I hope you guys will be as blessed as you’ve made me! You’ve always been so good to me and now to my family!
It means so much to me.
KEEP ROCKIN’!
Lita
xx
3 Cockpit Rocks With Hard Rock Hideout
What do you get when you take four hot, wild, crazy ladies, thrown in some influences of Kiss, AC/DC, Motorhead, and Judas Priest, mix it up with some great songwriting and playing? Your answer would be L.A.’s Cockpit. If you think Cockpit is just another girl band you really need to pull your head out of the sand because these ladies are on a “Mission To Rock”, kicking ass and taking names along the way.
Skin basher Rachael Rine recently took the time to talk with Hard Rock Hideout about all things Cockpit.
HRH: For the readers that may not be familiar with Cockpit, who makes up the band?
Rachael Rine: Rachael Rine here and I beat the hell out of the drums for you. Alicia Blu is our shredding lead guitarist. Linda Lou is on pipes and rhythm guitar. Terrii Kiing is our wicked bass player holding down the low end.
HRH: Cockpit has been together since late 2003, how did the band get started?
Rachael Rine: I wasn’t finding any projects in Hollywood that I could really sink my teeth into. So I started rolling through girls as a cover band to see who fit. Linda moved here from Philly to join me and we immediately started writing songs. Shortly there after we found Terry on Craigslist. Over the next few years we went through a dozen lead guitarists who weren’t a perfect fit until we met our match…Alicia Blu. It was like playing with a kick ass muscle car in your garage for a few years and finally finding the ignition key. Time to let the machine out of its cage!
HRH: Judas Priest, Motorhead, Kiss, AC/DC are all influences of Cockpit, what are some other influences of the band?
Rachael Rine: We are highly influenced by fists pounding in the air in unison, screaming fans, and cruising down the freeway with the pedal to the metal. While at top speed you might catch us listening to Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Slade or the Stones. We just like good rock n’roll all eras all speeds.
HRH: You have a kick ass E.P. available right now called “Mission To Rock” , but for the people that are hard up for Cockpit when might we see a full album?
Rachael Rine: We are currently stowed away at a secret location writing and getting ready to record some new tunes. I’m not sure when it will be done. There might be some touring in between recording sessions. Once we have an idea as to when it will be released you will definitely hear from us!
HRH: Four ladies in a band…Do you have a hard time with people taking Cockpit seriously, especially being in a hard rock band?
Rachael Rine: It’s really not a problem for us. We are a far cry from a lot of the all girl novelty acts that are out there. Sometimes people are skeptical, but once they hear the tunes and see us play it’s pretty obvious we are a real rock band. Just like the boys, but we smell better on tour. People come out of curiosity and go home singing our songs, wearing our T-shirt, and telling all their friends about their new favorite band.
HRH: How long does it usually take to make people believers?
Rachael Rine: I’m not really sure, I’d guess one chorus? I do know that every show we play, we pick up a ton of new fans. The bottom line is that Cockpit fans are the best in the land! We love you all to pieces!
HRH: Every time I get a tweet or a message from you four, it seems like you’re in Hollywood raising hell on Sunset Strip. Everyone has heard the stories of Sunset back in the 80’s, but what is the music scene like there now?
Rachael Rine: We were wee babies in the ‘80s so we can’t really compare our experience to that. The strip definitely still has its moments. Wherever we are whether it’s Hollywood or Mankato, we make sure we are having a blast. Everyone around us is always invited to join in. If you’re going to buy the ticket, you may as well enjoy the ride!
HRH: What are some bands from L.A. you think we should be keeping our ears open for?
Rachael Rine: Cockpit haha! No one immediately comes to mind that you already don’t know about from LA. However, you should check out The Last Vegas from Chicago. We toured with them recently and let me tell you, those boys put on one hell of a rock ‘n’ roll show night after night.
HRH: Cockpit has the chance to open for any band active today, but only one. Who would the four of you pick?
Rachael Rine: That’s a tough one. There are so many bands we all love and would sound great with. We’ve also been lucky enough to play with a lot of our idols already. If forced to choose, and if they keep it together, I’d have to say Aerosmith. It’s kind of a rite of passage thing. So many great bands learned the ropes from Aerosmith or Ozzy.
HRH: So you got to tell us where we can find Cockpit online?
Rachael Rine:
www.reverbnation.com/cockpitrocks
Bonus Question: Do you think Cockpit would make a good house band at Fangtasia?
Rachael Rine: Funny you should ask, we’ve headlined there a couple times! It’s filmed at a bar here in California that we have blown the roof off of. However, “Cockpit- The house band at Fangtasia” has a nice ring to it. I hope the Vamps could handle us!! They’d have their hands full! So, when do we start?
0 Hard Rock Hideout Interviews Danger Danger’s Ted Poley
Ted Poley, THE voice of Danger Danger recently talked to Hard Rock Hideout about the upcoming release of Danger Danger’s new album “Revolve”, an album 5 years in the making and also his newest solo effort “Greatestits” which is a retrospective of his post Danger Danger career and a couple of glimpses of the future as well with the tracks “You Won’t See Me Cryin'” & “Tokyo Nights”
HRH: Ted, first of all thank you for taking the time to talk to us today.
Ted Poley: Thank You!
HRH: It’s been 5 years since it was first announced you had rejoined Danger Danger. How excited are you for all of D2s fans to hear the new songs on “Revolve”?
Ted Poley: Very Excited! In my opinion it’s the best D2 c.d. yet!
HRH: In my review of “Revolve” I described the sound as coming from an older more mature band with 20+ years of music business experience behind them. Would you agree with that description?
Ted Poley: Well, we are older but I am not more mature…I just released a Greatetits c.d. with boobs on the cover…(Laughing) The c.d. rocks that’s all I know.
HRH: When it was announced you were rejoining Danger Danger in 2004 it had been 11 years or so since you had played with Steve and Bruno. What was it like that first show back at the Sweden Rock Festival?
Ted Poley: I don’t remember, the photos look cool though. Actually it was my first day back and it was in front of the biggest crowd D2 has ever played for.
HRH: What was it like going back in the studio with them the first time to work on the new album? Did you feel nervous or more like you had never left?
Ted Poley: It was just another studio gig for me. It was great to work with Bruno because he is such a good producer and I knew he would make my vocals perfect, so I trusted him and just let him direct me in order to get exactly what he wanted. Some lines are first takes and some phrases he made me sing 20 times until I got just the right feel for him. I never argued with him once, I trusted him completely in the studio and it came out exactly as I expected, Killer.
HRH: I guess one question a lot of people would like to know is why did it take so long for “Revolve” to be recorded and released?
Ted Poley: No idea, that’s a question better left for my 2 bosses.
HRH: What songs are you looking forward to singing off of “Revolve”?
Ted Poley: I hope we play “That’s What I’m Talking About”, it would be a fantastic way to open the show. I also think that “F.U. Money” would be a great crowd sing along.
HRH: How many songs off the new album will you play live?
Ted Poley: Again, I don’t plan that stuff, it’s up to Westy & Bruno. I’m just the eye candy. (Laughing)
HRH: Speaking of playing live will D2 have a full fledged tour of the states or will it be more like pick and choose dates?
Ted Poley: It’s always pick and choose with us. When D2 is off the road (most of the time) I go out and tour the world as a solo artist. I have solo dates coming up in the USA, Brazil, UK, and Peru. Check my Myspace page for all tour dates, and please visit TedPoley.com to buy my new 2 c.d. set “Ted Poley – Greatestits”
HRH: Of course Danger Danger released 3 albums (Dawn, Four the Hard Way, and the Return of the Great Guildersleeves) with Paul Laine on vocals. It seems like most singers do not like playing songs off of albums they weren’t involved with. Are there any songs from those albums you would like to sing live or put your touch on?
Ted Poley: Not really, I really like “Grind” and “Dead, Drunk, and Wasted” and wouldn’t mind singing those songs. But I don’t really know anything from their other c.d.’s, I’ve never heard them I only have that one Guildersleeves c.d. But I do have a back catalog of over 40 D2 songs that I actually recorded so there’s plenty to choose from.
HRH: D2 played this year’s Rocklahoma in July what was the crowd’s reaction to the band?
Ted Poley: Well they looked pretty hot to me. It was way over 100 degrees and sunny. We didn’t play any of the new songs but the band and the crowd had a blast!
HRH: How did it feel playing with a heat index of 114 degrees that must’ve been hard?
Ted Poley: Hard, Yes! The hardest gig of my life, my mic was so hot that I had to keep switching hands! My new tattoos were fucking bleeding!! All of the ink from the session I had 4 days before Rocklahoma has to be redone, the colors faded and I sweated out all of the ink!! I had to keep pouring ice cold water over my head to keep from passing out, but it was fun. I would do it again, but hopefully not in the same time slot. It was the lethal 4:45 slot in direct sun with no shade and no place to hide!
HRH: What are the chances of the fans seeing a full reunion with Andy and Kasey coming back to play with D2?
Ted Poley: Nothing is impossible, but that is improbable. Personally I would love to see a reunion show with all of the original band members and film it for DVD release.
HRH: Since you returned to Danger Danger you have released 2 solo albums, a Poley/Rivera album, and a project called Pleasure Dome, and the newly released Greatestits Vol. 1 so you definitely haven’t been sitting around waiting. After everything involving “Revolve” slows down will we be seeing a new Poley/Rivera album or a new Pleasure Dome album?
Ted Poley: Pleasure Dome, great c.d. but nothing more is being planned, it was a one-off project. Poley/Rivera? Hell Yeah! We are already writing, upgrading the studio and getting ready to record the next one for a planned Fall 2010 release.
HRH: You covered a lot of ground musically with Greatestits Vol 1. What has the initial reaction to the album been?
Ted Poley: Completely amazing! Fans love it, it’s selling out fast though there are still a few available at TedPoley.com. It’s one of the most popular c.d.’s I’ve ever released, if you are reading this and you don’t have a copy yet. What are you waiting for? Come & get it!
HRH: One song that really caught my attention is “Wastin’ Your Luv” simply because it is the heaviest song I have ever heard you sing. What project was that initially recorded for?
Ted Poley: Many people have told me that! It’s my buddy Jack Frost. We did it for his really great solo c.d. He is one of the Gods of Metal and one of my best friends He has a ton of fans worldwide, please look him up and buy his stuff, that’s one of the reasons I made my “Greatestits” c.d. so fans could discover new things and go buy them.
HRH: Last year Andy Timmons and you played some shows together in Brazil for the first time in 15 years. What was it like playing with Andy again in a live setting?
Ted Poley: Well I find that playing in a live setting is better than playing in a dead setting. (laughing) No seriously, it was a total wet dream come true, Andy is a great guitar player and a great guy. I had fun with Andy at many Brazilian Churrascurias. We would eat Brazilian BBQ and drink red wine. Andy is quite the wine conneseur. I called him “Andy Winehouse”! He knows what he wants and “He knows how to drink it” (sung to the tune of Naughty Naughty)
HRH: He also co-wrote and played the solo “Yeah You Want It” on “Collateral Damage”. Is there any chance we could see the two of you working together on your next solo album or maybe a project together?
Ted Poley: I wish! If he ever needs me for anything I am on call! I was so happy when he played on that song, he wrote it along with Bob Held, it’s on my “Greatestits” c.d. available at TedPoley.com (laughing) seriously buy it now!
HRH: You were recently immortalized by C.C. Banana with the song “Ted Poley”, which is a parody of Kiss’s “Unholy”. For the people that may not know, what’s the story behind that song?
Ted Poley: One day, very early in our first tour with Kiss, I am backstage right after the D2 set and I am walking to my dressing room where my whole band was already waiting for me. I looked down the long typical white cinderblock arena backstage corridor towards my dressing room , and to my horror, there stood Paul Stanley, my ultimate hero, the Starchild, with his cool black Paul Stanley cowboy hat on, looking just as cool as fucking ice, walking in my direction. I knew at that point that it was inevitable. Our paths were going to cross. This was IT. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to leap out of my mouth.
This was my big chance, the chance I had waited for ever since i carved my first KISS logo into that first math desk. “in 10 seconds” I thought to myself, ” I am going to speak to Paul Stanley… and then, just as Paul walked past me – nothing!
Not one word would come out of my mouth. In the blink of an eye, all of a sudden I am Helen Keller. My mind just went blank and i put my head down and just kept walking. I fucking BLEW my big moment to say hello to Paul Stanley. I had shamed myself and my bandmates, none of who had met KISS yet and who all probably saw the whole thing.
I made it to the other end of the corridor, completely crushed and disappointed in myself…when all of a sudden at full volume, the corridor boomed with the Voice.
Yes, it was unmistakable. It was THE VOICE OF PAUL STANLEY. MY HERO. MY IDOL, MY REASON FOR BEING IN THAT HALLWAY IN THE FIRST PLACE.
And to the tune of “UNHOLY” he sang…”TED POLAAAAAYYYYY”
I heard it. My band heard it. But for a second, I still couldn’t believe it, until Westy said real loud, “Yeah, he knows you!” and everyone laughed, including Paul.
At that moment, I turned around to see Paul smiling at me with his hand out to shake mine…Paul Fucking Stanley, the coolest guy on Planet Earth.
He knew I was too shy to say hello. He had been watching my show, and I still don’t know how or why but he knew MY name and he sang it. I finally got a chance to say hello to Paul and life was finally complete.
I never made a million dollars but I wouldn’t have traded that moment for the million even if I had gotten it. I have seen Paul a few times at KISS concerts over the years since then as a fan and I still get the same thrill every time he says “Hi Ted”. So, to make a short story longer – Paul actually came up with the “Ted Poley” chorus…it was his idea 15 years ago and my buddy C.C. filled in the blanks.
HRH: When everything is said and done, musically what would you like to be remembered for?
Ted Poley: I guess being a good singer, a good live front man, making a lot of people around the world smile and releasing a c.d. called “Greatestits” with boobs on the cover.
HRH: You are on Myspace and tedpoley.com is there any other ways fans can keep up to date with you online?
Ted Poley: TedPoley.com, your one stop shopping spot for all things Ted Poley.
HRH: Ted, once again thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. Is there anything else you would like to tell the fans before we let you go?
Ted Poley: Yes! Thank you everyone for enabling me to continue to live my life long dream. I love you all and hope to see you on the road sometime soon. Oh! And please buy my “Greatestits” c.d. set at TedPoley.com
0 HRH “Livin’ Out Loud” with Johnny Lima
“Livin’ Out Loud” is the newest release from Johnny Lima and it is by far the best release in his 13 year career. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Johnny and he filled me on the new album, producing newcomers Dirty Penny, and getting the facts straight about working with Freakshow.
HRH: Johnny, First I would like to thank you for taking the time to talk to Hard Rock Hideout today.
Johnny Lima: And I want to thank you for all your support and the awesome review.
HRH: It’s been a little over 3 months since “Livin’ Out Loud” was released. What has been the reaction to it so far?
Johnny Lima: The reaction has been much better than I could had ever hoped for. I’ve only read a couple of bad reviews, but that’s expected. The majority of reviews have been outstanding to say the least. Most importantly to me, the feedback from the fans has been really positive. As long as the fans love it, than I’m happy!
HRH: What do you think is the biggest difference between “Livin’ Out Loud” and your past releases?
Johnny Lima: I think the biggest difference was that I felt no pressure when making this album. Mostly due to the fact that I wasn’t trying to meet any record company’s deadlines. I also think that I was more excited about making this album than any of the previous albums, and it shows.
HRH: Do you listen to your albums after they have been released or do you wait a while and then go back and listen to them?
Johnny Lima: Normally I don’t, but since I’m just about finished getting my band together, I’ve been listening to them more often. I need to decide which songs I want to play live and also, need to relearn them because I haven’t played a lot of these songs in years.
HRH: What would you say is your favorite track on the album right now?
Johnny Lima: It’s a toss up between Livin’ Out Loud, Caught In The Middle, and Hate To Say Goodbye.
HRH: I have to ask…Is the subject of “Caught in the Middle” a real life experience or just fiction?
Johnny Lima: (laughing) It’s both. I had a similar incident happen to me a long time ago, but the girl wasn’t married. It just so happened that her roommate was madly in love with her and didn’t like the idea that she invited someone over to bang her. He actually kicked down the door too. Scared the living shit out of me. Julia, if your out there, I hope you’re doing well. HAHAHAHA!!
HRH: Maybe it’s just me, but I can definitely hear some Bon Jovi and Def Leppard influences on “Livin’ Out Loud” What are some of the other bands that have an influence on your music?
Johnny Lima: I’ve been influence by a lot of music from the 70’s and 80’s. Bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Poison, Ratt, Motley Crue, Twisted Sister, and the list goes on and on.
HRH: You’ve been playing guitar and writing since you were 12. What band had the biggest influence on you in the beginning?
Johnny Lima: KISS!
HRH: It was 4 years between the release of “Version 1.2” and “Livin’ Out Loud” You spent some of that time producing Dirty Penny and Freakshow, among others. How did you get involved with the Freakshow project?
Johnny Lima: Well, first let me say that I only recorded and mixed the album for Freakshow. I didn’t produce it. I got involved with Freakshow because of my work that I did with Miss Crazy. Markus and I work really well together in the studio, so it was only natural that they’d record the album with me.
HRH: What was it like working with musicians the caliber of Frankie Banali, Tony Franklin, Jeff Lebar, and Markus Allen Christopher?
Johnny Lima: It was an absolute pleasure. I’ve already worked with Markus before, so I knew what to expect. However, this was my first time meeting Frankie and Jeff as well as my first time working with them. So I didn’t know what to expect. I have to admit, I expected the rock star trip. Attitude and Ego. I got none of that. What I got was two outstanding human beings that still love to make music and do so with the BIGGEST amount of professionalism. Not to mention that when you have musicians with that caliber, it’s easy to record. So for me, it was as easy as just pressing a few buttons. I didn’t get a chance to work with Tony as he recorded his bass parts in his own studio in L.A.
HRH: Any chance we could see you working with any of the Freakshow guys in the future on your own material?
Johnny Lima: That would be very cool. Never say never!
HRH: What is the difference in working with a new band like Dirty Penny and a group of veterans like Freakshow?
Johnny Lima: The biggest difference is the experience level. With Dirty Penny, I really have to sit down with them and work with them on their songs and their individual parts. With Freakshow, I just pressed buttons and moved faders. However, my role was different with each band. With Dirty Penny, I was the producer, so I was responsible for how the album came out. So that’s why I had a hands on approach with them. With Freakshow, that responsibility wasn’t mine, even though I was a big part in how that album sounded, I wasn’t responsible for picking the songs or making sure the songs were good enough to be on an album. It’s two totally different experiences, but I enjoyed both of them equally. I love producing, and it’s something that I’ll continue doing. I think I have a knack for hearing something that works, and knowing when something doesn’t.
HRH: Dirty Penny is preparing to release their second album “Young & Reckless” were you involved in that project in any way?
Johnny Lima: Yes, I Produced, Engineered, and Mixed that album as well as co-wrote 4 of the songs.
HRH: I think it is safe to say you are much better known in Europe than here in the U.S. European fans always seem to be ahead of fans in the U.S. especially when it comes to hard rock bands/acts. What do you think is the big difference between fans in Europe and the U.S.?
Johnny Lima: Well, I don’t think Europeans are “ahead” of Americans when it comes to music. I just think that they appreciate music more and don’t give a shit what’s on MTV or what’s “cool”. From my experience from knowing people on both sides of the pond, I came to the conclusion that Americans use music as a way to have background noise when they’re doing something. Be it, driving, cleaning the house, doing the homework, etc. Europeans are more passionate about music. They live for music. It’s a part of their life. Not just background noise. That’s just my opinion. As far as my career is concerned, yes, Europe is a better market for me. Europe is where it all really started. I think America is coming around though. Gives us some time. Eventually we’ll get bored of the Xbox and want to get back into enjoying music again.
HRH: Were you offered any slots at any of the big festivals (i.e. Rocklahoma, Rock Gone Wild, etc) that took place this past summer?
Johnny Lima: No I haven’t. It wouldn’t have been able to work out anyway since I don’t have my band completed yet (just need a keyboardist).
HRH: Are you planning a full blown tour to support “Livin’ Out Loud” here in the U.S. or will it be more pick and 
choose?
Johnny Lima: If by full blown tour you mean me getting in a van and playing in every dive bar across the U.S., leaving my family behind to fend for themselves while I go play rock star for little or no money, and come back home broke as a bum, the answer is no. HAHAHA!! I’m getting a band together, and my intention is to play close to home for now. If opportunities arise in other areas I’m not opposed to playing there, but I can’t play for free. I have a mortgage just like everyone else. So if it makes financial sense, I’ll play anywhere in the world.
HRH: What about European tour plans? We have a lot of readers from Norway at HRH so any plans for some dates there?
Johnny Lima: I’d love to play in Europe again. And I’m sure eventually I will. However, it all comes down to money. Who’s going to foot the bill for the show? I’m not. So if people from Norway want me to play there, the best thing to do is start telling all their friends to go out and buy the album. You can get it at my website, and I ship all over the world. If I’ve got great sales figures for Norway, I can approach a promoter with those sales figures and the chances of the promoter booking me after seeing great sales figures are pretty good.
HRH: Your first major band was called Attitude. Can you tell me a little about that band?
Johnny Lima: Well, I wouldn’t say that the band was major. We never got out of the Bay Area. It was a fun time and a great experience. Unfortunately, we were a little too late for the party. Just when things started going well for us, Grunge happened, and our drummer got in a car accident. It just wasn’t our time.
HRH: Did the band ever release any albums?
Johnny Lima: No we had a 10 song demo that’s now floating around the internet. So if anyone finds it, you have my permission to download it as it’s something that I will never release.
HRH: You are online at Myspace and JohnnyLima.com are there any other ways fans can keep up to date with what you’re up to? Facebook, Twitter, etc?
Johnny Lima: Facebook, Reverbnation are the only two other sites that I’m active in.
HRH: Johnny once again thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. Is there anything you would like to say before we let you go?
Johnny Lima: I would just like to thank you and the fans for all the support. And for those of you who haven’t bought my album, you can do so at johnnylima.com. Rock on!
0 HRH Dishes Out a Heap of Big Cock’s Dave Henzerling
I recently had the opportunity to talk to Big Cock guitarist Dave Henzerling not only about the future of Big Cock, but his past time in such bands as King Kobra, Keel, & Lizzy Borden, touring vs not touring, and a little bit about his days on Sunset Strip
HRH: I guess the first question should be with Robert Mason now the front man for Warrant when are we going to see a new record from Big Cock and will Robert be involved with the album?
Dave: BC is very much alive and well. Robert had a great opportunity to go play shows with Warrant and I think he totally kicks ass! Robert’s professionalism is something Warrant has really needed for a long time and I wish them the best. Like anything else, though, we each have our individual schedules and responsibilities to contend with, so we juggle all our musical projects the best we can. I have a bunch of new Big Cock material so it will have to rear its ugly head eventually. Not before next year, though, at the soonest.
HRH: Big Cock has released 3 albums so far but never really toured off any of them. Will there be any plans for a full fledged tour after the album is released?
Dave: Touring is just not economically feasible at this time. It’s a different story for legacy acts like Warrant, Ratt, etc. who can get booked because of their pedigree, but a new act just can’t make the money that would allow traditional touring. Even the acts I just mentioned do better just cherry-picking good-paying dates here and there rather than keeping an entire crew and support package out on the road. The per diem costs are astronomical and there would need to be supplemental support. This used to come from record companies, but doesn’t exist anymore. We are able to play when dates either justify the expense or we can afford to make the trip. How’s that for the brutally frank answer…?
HRH: How did Big Cock come together?
Dave: Did you just say “come together”…? Well, Big Cock “came together” out of the desire for a few old friends to make some music and have fun. The band happened really naturally and easy. Once you decide to call your band Big Cock, you definitely have an identifiable, focused theme with which to work from.
HRH: Do you guys have a hard time getting support from radio and others in the music business because of the band’s name?
Dave: My stock answer is that it’s been no more, no less. Traditional radio and record industry wasn’t going to play us or take us seriously anyway, even if we would have called ourselves “Knightwing”. The flip side is that the music and vibe has resonated with rock fans that look beyond traditional media for their rock fix. In that regard, we have been very successful selling CDs, merchandise, being played on Internet Radio and have had amazing word-of-mouth. Our YouTube video plays are in the hundreds-of-thousands, far more views than many, more mainstream bands. More visibility than King Kobra had, and we were on a major record label with a huge promotional budget.
HRH: You’ve had a pretty varied career playing Keel, Lizzy Borden, and of course King Kobra. Both Keel and Lizzy Borden played Rocklahoma. Did you get a chance to see them play or hangout with anyone from the bands?
Dave: I’ve stayed friends with or have been reconnected with all those bands in the last few years and have been fortunate to have made so many great friends. I saw Ron Keel this year at Rocklhoma, bump into Lizzy with some frequency and usually talk to Carmine a few times a year. We’re all thrilled to have played together and still have so much fun doing what we do. We take the time to catch up here and there and it’s always great seeing everybody.
HRH: How old you were when you first started playing guitar? How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a musician as a career?
Dave: My dad bought me my first electric guitar when I was 15. Yeesh, you’d think I would have been a better player by now…
I’ve always needed an outlet for creative release: when I was in grade school I used to want to be a comic book artist and so I drew all the time, making my own heroes and stories and distributing my own comics. When I got a little older and started playing guitar, I put down the pencil and never looked back.
HRH: You are one of the first people I’ve had the chance to talk to that was on Sunset Strip during its heyday in the 80’s. Was it as wild and crazy as people say?
Dave: Actually, yes – but it didn’t seem so at the time. It was so fun to see thousands of people out on the street on a Friday and Saturday night. The roads were littered with flyers from all the young bands out promoting their next Gazzari’s or Whiskey-a-go-go gigs. I even met my wife in the parking lot of the Roxy Theatre and we’ve been married 17 years. Who says you can’t find love in Hollywood…
HRH: How did you get involved with King Kobra?
Dave: I moved out to L.A. (from Arizona) to join Keel and when I got there, Ron told us he was auditioning to be the new lead singer of Black Sabbath so we might have to find another gig. I sent a tape to Carmine and got the job in King Kobra. Ron never ended up joining Sabbath, so he soldiered on with Keel.
HRH: Carmen Appice and yourself are the only members of King Kobra to play on all 5 albums the band released. Do you still keep in touch with Carmen Appice?
Dave: I still talk to Carmine a few times a year. In fact, we performed a benefit here in Phoenix together a few years ago and it was great playing with Carmine again. He’s such a great musician and drummer.
HRH: Have you had a chance to see his SLAMM project?
Dave: I have not seen it.
HRH: Do you keep in touch with any of the other members?
Dave: Coincidentally, I just talked to Johnny Rod last week after 18 years. He’s alive and well and living in St. Louis. Same with Mick Sweda. Mark Free, not so much.
HRH: Has there been any talks of a King Kobra reunion for any of the summer festivals?
Dave: None.
HRH: As I mentioned earlier you were at Rocklahoma this year and played two different sets one with Big Cock and one with Icon. How long have you been playing with Icon or was it a one off gig?
Dave: Rocklahoma was like a high-school reunion – lot’s of fun hangin’ with old friends. The Icon thing is a funny story. Way back in the early 80’s, Icon used to be called “The Schoolboys” and consisted of original singer Steve Clifford, bassist Tracy Wallach, guitarists Dan Wexler and myself, along with drummer John Covington (also the drummer in Big Cock). After I left to move to L.A. and join Keel, John Aqulino took my place on guitar, and Pat Dixon replaced John Covington on drums. They changed their name to Icon after they were signed to Capitol Records. Ironically, when I joined King Kobra after Keel, both bands ended up being label-mates at Capitol with the same A&R guy! Dan Wexler and John Aquilino reformed Icon last year and since we’ve always been good friends (all the way back to high school here in Arizona) I said I’d help out as a bass player while they were getting things back together. The chemistry was great and we just decided to keep on playing…
HRH: You played bass for Icon’s set is it hard switching back n forth between guitar and bass?
Dave: I love playing bass. It’s only got 4 strings, so how hard could it be?
HRH: Former Adler’s Appetite singer Sheldon Tarsha is now in Icon and sounded great. How did he end up in the band?
Dave: I saw Tarsha at an Adler’s gig in L.A. earlier this year and said to Danny and John – this is the guy. Icon’s high-register vocal style is incredibly challenging (a lost art, really) and it was surprising to see a young guy like Tarsha kick it old-school. He’s really a stellar vocalist and super nice guy.
HRH: You live in AZ so you are used to the heat, but the heat was pretty stifling in Pryor this year. You had to be glad you played night sets and not mid day sets.
Dave: Try living here where it’s over 110 degrees for weeks on end. Oklahoma was a piece of cake.
HRH: You were at Comic Con this year, was this for business or fun?
Dave: Definitely fun. As I said before, I’m a big comic book geek, but the Con is so much more now. It’s really a celebration of popular culture, with movies, graphic arts, games, and of course, comics. I got to meet a lot of my Twitter friends for the first time at the Con.
HRH: I’ve noticed that you and I like a lot of the same bands, one band in particular are the Poodles. What do you think of all 80’s inspired hard rock bands coming out of Sweden and Europe?
Dave: I think The Poodles are one of the better bands doing that sort of thing – very polished and professional. I hate to be a critic, but a lot of the 80’s-inspired bands these days are not doing anything different than their legacy counterparts, except the new bands aren’t doing it as well and lack originality and creativity. It’s one thing to dress up like Motley Crue, Poison or Gun’s ‘n Roses, but none seem to be able to play or write songs anywhere near as good as the bands they’re trying to copy. We need something to come along that’s reminiscent, but not overtly derivative.
HRH: What are some of the new bands out right now that you like?
Dave: I like a lot of different stuff from modern to classic. The new Halestorm CD is great, The Poodles, of course, AC/DC still kicks major ass, Slipknot, etc. I like the rock stuff.
HRH: Have you and your brother Dan (former Gin Blossoms drummer) ever played in a band together professionally or ever talked about putting a project together?
Dave: He doesn’t play much any more, but I have played with him a few times in the past when he had the band Gas Giants with Robin Wilson from the Gin Blossoms. Of course, when we were kids, we had a band that played nothing but Kiss songs.
HRH: You seem like a pretty busy man are there any other projects you want to tell us about?
Dave: I am currently busy finishing up a new project with Scott Hammons, the former Icon singer before Tarsha. I’m really excited about how it’s turning out. Scott has a great old-school, bluesy voice, very similar to Robert Mason’s (Big Cock, Warrant) but with more rasp. The music has a classic late-70’s, early-80’s hard rock feel that combines all the elements of the music I grew up on and always loved – Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Van Halen, Montrose, Crue, and Def Lep. I can’t wait for you to hear it…
HRH: I know you are pretty active online with myspace and twitter but for everyone else where can they find you online?
Dave: My MySpace is my main portal right now, so www.MySpace.com/henzerling. Also www.twitter.com/henzerheap (@henzerheap). I’ll be announcing more details about my new project through these outlets.
HRH: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Is there anything you would like to say before we let you go?
Dave: It’s been a pleasure to rattle on, Brian. Thanks to Hard Rock Hideout for the opportunity to talk and keep the rock-torch burning.
0 Introducing….The Poodles; Hard Rock Hideout’s Interview With Pontus Egberg
For those who have not heard the Poodles, you have no idea what an amazing band you are missing out on. The band has released two stellar albums in Europe “Metal Will Stand Tall” and “Sweet Trade”. With the release of their amazing new album “Clash of the Elements” the band hopes to finally break into the American music scene and once they do I think the sky is the limit for these Swedes. I recently had the opportunity to talk to bassist Pontus Egberg to tell me all about “the Poodles”.
HRH: For people that may not be familiar with the Poodles could you give us a brief history of the band?
Pontus: The band was formed in late 2005 when we had the opportunity to perform in the Swedish leg of the Eurovision Song Contest. For those of you who are not familiar with the Eurovision it is a contest for new music all over Europe, it’s a very big thing back home in Sweden, something like half the population of Sweden sit and watch the final on TV.
After the appearance in this contest the wheels started moving quite rapidly for The Poodles and in the spring of 2006 we released of debut album “Metal Will Stand Tall”. The rest of that year we basically spent on the roads in Sweden and in January of 2007 “Metal Will Stand Tall” was released all over Europe and we headed out on tour together with Hammerfall and Krokus, a trip that took us all over Europe with something like 31 shows in 35 days.
Back from that journey we started recording our sophomore album and with some touring back home in Sweden coming in between the album “Sweet Trade” was released in September of 2007. Right after the release we headed out on another journey through Europe, this time together with Swiss rockers Gotthard. During the spring of 2008 we hit the roads of Europe once again and this time as the headline act. The tour carried on through the summer back home in Sweden and after that we started the preparations for recording our third album.
“Clash Of The Elements” was released on the Swedish market May 20th of 2009, the early fall will see the European release and we really hope we will be able to officially release the album, or all of our albums, in the states really soon.
HRH: The new album is titled “Clash of the Elements” is there a story behind the title?
Pontus: No, not really, it actually came up when we were discussing the album cover design. Someone had the idea to use the old symbols for the four different elements, earth, water, fire and air, and to do something with that. Then the title “Clash Of The Elements” came up and it fits really well with everything we do. First of all we’re four musicians and when we clash together sweet music comes out and we’ve always liked to mix different styles and to use elements in our music may not be typical for our style of music so that can also be a clash of the elements that ends up in something great, hopefully.
HRH: This is the first album with Henrik Bergqvist and his playing is amazing. What was it like going into the studio with a new guitarist?
Pontus: It’s always a bit nerve wrecking, of course. We’d done two albums with our former guitar player and we weren’t sure what thing were going to sound like with Henrik but as you say yourself, his playing is simply amazing, he did a really good job. We weren’t that worried though, I must say, we had done quite a few live shows with Henrik and he had already blended in to the band in a fantastic way so we were pretty sure it was going to turn out great.
HRH: Was the band surprised when Pontus Norgren announced he was leaving the band to join Hammerfall?
Pontus: Yeah, we were all taken a bit by surprise I guess but now, a little more than a year later, when Henrik has found his place in the band we’re all really happy. Henrik fills the spot of guitar player in The Poodles in the best possible way and I talk regularly to Pontus and it seems like he’s really happy in his new band.
HRH: When it came time to find a replacement for Pontus did the band already have Henrik in mind or was there an audition process? If so how many guitarists did you audition before deciding on Henrik?
Pontus: Yes and yes. Henrik was one of the first names that came up but we had quite a few applicants for the spot so we sorted out the top four names, Henrik was one of them, and held auditions. After a day in the rehearsal studio playing with the different guys it was pretty clear that our first hunch had been right and Henrik was asked if he wanted the job and he accepted.
HRH: When I compare “Sweet Trade” to “Clash of the Elements” I can here a big difference and growth in the songwriting. What was the songwriting process like for the band with the new album?
Pontus: The song writing process actually looked pretty much the same as on our previous albums. We’ve always liked to work with different songwriters in order to try to get the best possible song on our albums. We all contribute and I guess you could say Jakob is the common denominator to all of it because he’s involved in most of the songs in one way or the other. Then we sit with a whole bunch of songs and are having trouble choosing the top songs for the album. It usually works out pretty well though, no big fights or anything like that.
HRH: Was Henrik involved in the writing process for “Clash of the Elements”?
Pontus: Yes, Henrik and I wrote a few songs together that we put in to the pile of music and one of them, Don’t Rescue Me, ended up on the album.
HRH: When I listen to “Clash of the Elements” as well as “Sweet Trade” and “Metal Will Stand Tall” I hear Queen and Gotthard influence. Are they influences of the band? What are some of the other bands that have influenced the Poodles music?
Pontus: We’re all pretty much brought up on the classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal of the ‘70s and ‘80s so I guess involuntarily we have a lot of influences from that style of music, bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, and many, many more. Queen is definitely one of those bands. Gotthard though I had personally never heard before we toured with them in 2007. It’s a fantastic band so I don’t mind if there seems to be some of them in our music but that’s definitely unintentional. Apart from that, as I mentioned earlier, we really like and listen to and take influences from a lot of different styles of music, pop, classical, anything.
HRH: I love every song on “Clash of the Elements” but “No Tomorrow”, “Don’t Rescue Me”, “Give Me A Sign”, and “Dream To Follow” are my favorites. What is your favorite song off the new album? What is your favorite song overall to play live?
Pontus: Thank you! I think you made some very good choices there. I guess I could add “I Rule The Night”, “Heart Of Gold” and “Too Much Of Everything”. Favorite song to play live varies a bit from one night to the other but I would say, personally, that my favorite is probably “Thunderball”.
HRH: What are the tour plans in supporting the new album? Is there any chance your fans in the U.S. will get to see you live?
Pontus: We are currently on tour back home in Sweden all through the summer and a tour of Europe is currently being put together and that is planed to start in October and will probably be a going on for a month or so. About the US, we would definitely like to come over and play for you guys and we are looking in to different options on how get our music properly released over there. If that falls in to place the way we want, who knows. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
HRH: How many songs off “Clash of the Elements” will the band try to fit into the live set this time around?
Pontus: We currently play five songs from the new album in our live set, “Too Much Of Everything”, “Caroline”, “Like No Tomorrow”, “One Out Of Ten” and “I Rule The Night”. During the European tour this fall we will probably add one or two more songs from “Clash Of The Elements”
HRH: When I wrote my review for “Clash of the Elements” I mentioned there was not an American A&R rep smart enough to sign the Poodles to an American recording contract. Has the band had any talks with U.S. record companies about getting your albums released here in the states?
Pontus: First of all let me say I really like that comment and yes, we’ve had talks and talks are still going on, right now as a matter a fact, and we really hope to get something together for the US this time around.
HRH: “Metal Will Stand Tall” and “Sweet Trade” are both available for download from I-Tunes and “Metal Will Stand Tall” is available as a digital download on Amazon. Any idea when “Clash of the Elements” will be available for download on I-Tunes or Amazon?
Pontus: No, actually I don’t. Real soon I hope.
HRH: Over the last few years the Swedish hard rock scene has just exploded to the point that it seems like there is a new Swedish hard rock band releasing an album practically every week. What do you think is the reason for the popularity of Swedish hard rock bands?
Pontus: I actually have no idea what the reason for this is but I love it, it’s a great thing and I think the popularity of this style of music is growing, not only in Sweden, but in a lot of other places as well and that is a really good thing for anyone who plays or just enjoys this kind of music.
HRH: Is there a lot of competition between the different bands or is there camaraderie between the bands?
Pontus: A bit of competition is just a healthy thing I think but mostly I would say everyone is supportive; basically we all have the same goal and the same mission. We all work hard to reach out with our music.
HRH: Did you know “Clash of the Elements” is the first and only album I have ever given a 10 guitar review for?
Pontus: No, I didn’t know this. Thanks a lot, I read the review and I’m still blushing. It’s really great to know that there are people on your side of the Atlantic who enjoy our music and it makes us want to come over there and play even more.
HRH: Is there anything else you would like to say to Poodle fans before we let you go?
Pontus: I would like to encourage you, if you like our music, to help us spread the word, talk to your local radio station or what ever and help us get The Poodles’ music out there. Then maybe some A&R rep will see things clearly and offer The Poodles a proper record deal in the States and we can come over and play for you all. We are certainly up for it.
HRH: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, we really appreciate it.
Pontus: It’s been a pleasure and thanks for the support!!!
1 HRH Interview With John Allen From Charm City Devils
Ever since I first heard the song, “Lets Rock-N-Roll” on the Cruefest Compilation CD last year, I have been anxious to hear more from the band formerly known as Chosen Son. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Charm City Devils front man, John Allen about their new CD, “Lets Rock-N-Roll’, their up and coming tour with Motley Crue and more.
HRH: When did you start putting together Charm City Devils? How long have you been together now?
John Allen: This lineup has been together, we just had our two year anniversary. Prior to that I was playing with my guitar player Nick, playing guitar and signing for about six months, maybe longer than that. I had to put the guitar down and be able to run around the stage like a crazy person and engage the crowd. Playing the guitar, I could only stand in one spot on stage, and stand in front of the mic stand. That is a drag. I want to rock out.
HRH: Did you play all of the instruments on your new CD?
John Allen: I played a lot of them. The real beginning of this project was me down in my basement studio messing around. I wrote “Burn Baby Burn”. I played all of the instruments on that one initially. I had a bass player come in and track an additional bass track on there for me at one point. A lot of the songs evolved that way. I would lay a drum track down, and then play guitars and stuff. Prior to this record coming out, I had guitar players go in and recut a lot of my stuff, so they had their flavor in there. Quite frankly, there stuff was better than mine was (laughs) I started out as a drummer for years. The whole band is on there in different places. Our drummer played on the last two tracks on the record.
HRH: The song “Burn Baby Burn” is a really catchy tune, and gets in your head. That is a perfect song for a single.
John Allen: Thank You. When I wrote that, that is the whole reason for this band. When I wrote that song, I thought that I might be onto something here. I am not sure what it is. But I think I may be onto something. That is the first song that started the whole ball rolling.
HRH: There is a video on youtube for Burn Baby Burn that has been out there since 2007. Did you did this prior to the band starting out? How did this video come about?
John Allen: Yeah, my idea originally was to put a video together, before I had a band together really. My hope was I guess to get an indie label to buy the record from me. My plan for world domination was, I was going to sell it off piece mailed to different territories around the world. It never happened. I would up working out the bugs, and learning how to be a front man, here in the region, beating my head against the wall in the clubs. Finally, once I had this lineup together two years ago. I played this show, and a local radio programmer happened to be out in the audience. He said “Lets Rock-N-Roll” sounds really great tonight. I am going to try to put this into rotation next week. I have been in the business for a while, and I thought it was really cool, but I never expected it to happen. Sure enough, the next week he called me and said hey man I need you to do me a favor. I need a copy of Lets Rock -N-Roll, we are going to add it this week. I said man, you need to learn the definition of a favor. That is not me doing you a favor, that is you doing me a HUGE favor. He put the song in rotation. He called me a couple weeks later and said “Hey man, I wanted to give you a heads up, but early indications are that the song is doing really well. I don’t have the final stuff back yet, but I just wanted to let you know.” So I was all fired up. I shot off some emails to people I know in the industry, but nobody hit me back. I sent an email to Eleven Seven, and I didn’t even know anybody. I sent it to an info@ email address. The next day I get a phone call back, “Hey we really like what we heard, we want you to come to New York to meet with us.” I thought somebody was punking me, but no one knew I sent this email. Ok, its real. A couple of weeks later I went to New York and had the meeting, at the end of the meeting, they said “Ok, lets do this.” I thought “you got to be kidding me, things don’t happen that way”.
HRH: So, things went really fast once your song hit.
John Allen: They really seemed to, then the lawyers got involved and delayed it a year. (laughs)
HRH: What station was it that broke “Lets Rock-N-Roll” ?
John Allen: 98 Rock here in town.
HRH: So you met with Eleven Seven, how did you meet up with Nikki Sixx?
John Allen: He was on the west coast at the time. It wasn’t until I talked 
with him on the phone a while later. It has been Surreal, a month or so later, I was on the tour bus with him and the Sixx A.M. guys on the first Cruefest. He said, I really dig your record, and maybe next year you will be on Cruefest 2. I said that would be awesome!
HRH: Are you pretty excited to be playing on Cruefest 2?
John Allen: Oh My God Yeah, to put it mildly. We are jumping out of skin. We can’t wait to play for the crowds and play in the amphitheater and arenas. I have managed to do it for a little while playing the drums and there is nothing like it. I have been playing in clubs for a long time. Clubs are fine and good and everything, but when you to an arena it is awesome, and to play with such great bands like Motley Crue, and Godsmack, Theory of A Deadman and Drowning Pool. It is such an honor.
HRH: You have played in front of a couple of large crowds already this year at Rock on the Range and The Preakness.
John Allen: Yeah, those were awesome shows. For me, fronting the band, it is so much easier to play for a large crowd. People are there to rock out. They love live music and are there to party. It is a great thing. There is nothing like it in the world to play music for people and see their instantaneous response right there.
HRH: I first found out about you guys when you had “Lets Rock’N’Roll on the Cruefest compilation CD. Your song was under the name Chosen Son at the time. You went through a couple of name changes before you settled on Charm City Devils.
John Allen: That name, I am adopted so, Chosen Son, it is kind of like, well my adopted parents picked me. I am forever thankful for that. I am very fortunate that those two adopted me, and have been supportive of me throughout my life and my career. It is also happens to be a motorcycle gang here when I was kid called the “Chosen Sons”. I thought they weren’t around anywhere. Right we we decided to keep that name, there was a news item on the evening. One of the leaders of Chosen Sons was killed by police. I though aww man, this is bad. We decided that it wasn’t a good idea to keep the name so similar as a motorcyle gang. They might get offended, and might not look at it as a tribute. I was on the phone with Nikki Sixx talking about it, and brain storming names. He called me back a week or two later and said “I got it!” Charm City because that is the nickname of Baltimore, and Devils, because you guys are a rock and roll band, and are a gang. I said “done that is perfect”.
HRH: You were recently in Motley Crue’s “White Trash Circus” video. What was that experience like?
John Allen: That whole week was so surreal. It was crazy. I got the call on
Monday around 10:00 A.M. from management saying congratulations you got the Motley Crue tour, Cruefest. We need you to cut the vocals for the chorus for White Trash Circus and have it back to us by 9:00 P.M. tonight or something crazy like that. That was fine I could go into the studio in my basement and cut the vocals real fast. You have to be on a plane to L.A. on Wednesday to shoot the video on Thursday. The whole week was an incredible trip.
HRH: You and Nick Kay were both in a really cool band called “Child’s Play”. Any chance you will work some Child’s Play music into your live set?
John Allen: Not right now, there is not a plan to do that. We were talking about dusting off “My Bottle” the other night. What would you like to hear?
HRH: The one song I like a lot is “Wind”.
John Allen: Yeah, that is a great tune our bass player Idzi wrote that tune. We only have a half hour to play on Cruefest. We will probably stick with the first record. If we have shows that we can break out to an hour or an hour fifteen, who knows what we will play.
HRH: Do you still keep in touch with Brian Jack (former singer from Child’s Play)?
John Allen: Yeah, he was just at our CD release party on the 29th. The night before M3.
HRH: Is there any chance you will re-release the Child’s Play CD’s Rat Race or Long Way?
John Allen: I doubt it. Rat Race was on Chrysalis Records. I am not sure of the legalities of the whole thing. I think the catalog is owned by EMI or Capital EMI. I don’t know what it would take to get that back out. I don’t know how much it would take to get that back out. Every once in a while I have people hitting me up to see if I have an extra CD, but I only have one.
HRH: You were a big part of SR-71’s CD “Tomorrow” as well as their Japanese disc “Here We Go Again”. You were the drummer, as well as the song writer and producer. How did you get involved with SR-71?
John Allen: It is a long convoluted story. I have known Mitch forever. I showcased with the band with their drummer was having some health issues, before they got a record deal. I appeared on the first album singing back up vocals on the song “Paul McCartney”, and then during the first tour, their drummer got sick again. He had mono or whatever. He couldn’t do two weeks worth of Christmas shows. I wound up filling in for him again. After that, they wanted to make a change. I joined the band right before they opened for Bon Jovi for the last couple of months. That is what I alluding to earlier, as far as getting to the arena level. Aw man, finally this is awesome!
HRH: Is SR-71 done now?
John Allen: Yeah, we never really said hey its done. Mitch came into town for the CD release party. I pulled him in to produce two cuts on the “Lets Rock-N-Roll” record, and we co-wrote one of those songs together. His song writing and producing career is really taking off and doing well. My time is pretty eaten up by this. We tried to get SR-71 a new U.S. deal. We thought after the success of the song “1985” that would be forthcoming, but that didn’t happen.
HRH: One of the songs that Mitch Allan produced, “Almost Home” really hit home with me. What inspired the lyrics for that song?
John Allen: My mother is a breast cancer survivor. So, the song, we don’t really let you know that. The song is about when we found out that she had a lump. She didn’t want to get a mammogram. She put it off forever. My old girlfriend really, really hammered her, you really need to do this. Your cousin died from breast cancer, and your aunt had to have a mastectomy. It runs in your family, you need to do this. When she finally did, my dad got the phone call from a doctor saying hey there is something here. My father didn’t know how to tell her. I wasn’t living at home at the time. That is what the song is about. Getting that phone call and having to break the news to your mom, its pretty heavy. The rest of the record, there is a lot of fun stuff on there, but that is a pretty heavy subject on that song. It is real. When I wrote it, I played it for my girl. We just sat there. Every time we would play it back we would cry. We were real fortunate. This was in 96 or 97. She is doing real well, getting check ups and stuff. She has a great doctor. I definitely advocate mammograms for early detection, I guess that is the key.
HRH: There was talk that Mitch was going to release a singer song writer album, called “Clawing My Way To My Middle”. Is that something you were involved with?
John Allen: Yeah, most of the tracks were stuff that were cut in my basement studio. I think his song writing and producing career in Los Angeles has slowed that down quite a bit. That has made this take a back seat. He is working with Kara Dioguardia. The last track for the two co-finalists on American Idol, he wrote that with Kara. He has some really great things going. Any help he needs with that, I would be glad to do. He has been so good to me over the years. I know a lot of fans would like to hear it.
HRH: With Charm City Devils it seems like you are getting back to your hard rock roots.
John Allen: Yeah, I think you are right. With SR-71 I was trying to fit in as my role as a drummer, and then trying to help out as much as I could on the song writing end. I wasn’t the main song writer in the band, Mitch was. There was only so far I could put my imprint on what we were doing musically. I think you are right. I think I have come full circle and I am back to the blues based hard rock where I got my start. I still think there is some raw elements and energy, and a little bit of the punk energy that gives it a little bit of a different flavor, but yeah, I would have to agree with you.
HRH: How big of an influence were AC/DC and Aerosmith on you?
John Allen: HUGE. Two incredible bands, both heavily blues based. Both bands have a lot of groove elements albeit both of them have a different take on groove and how they approach it. They are both two incredible bands that I have loved for most of my life from the point when I discovered them. I wear my influences on my sleeve I guess.
HRH: I think your CD is a good mix of classic and modern hard rock. It ought to appeal to a large group of rock fans.
John Allen: I appreciate that. There are a lot of modern guys that I like a lot too. The Hives have that high kinetic energy, punk, raw stripped down ethic. Jack White, White Stripes, he really plays a huge nod towards early blues men, Delta Blues. I really love that stuff too. I dig where he comes from. That stripped down garagey version of that stuff. Hopefully like you said, we can appeal to a wide range of listeners of rock music.
HRH: So what is next for you guys, Cruefest doesn’t start up until late July right?
John Allen: July 19th. We are going to head down south, and do some regional one off shows here and there. We are going to do some shows with Red and Framing Hanley just prior to Cruefest. We are trying to keep busy, and meet as many people as we can.
HRH: Is there anything you would like to tell your fans out there?
John Allen: Hit us up on myspace or facebook or whatever. Come up and say hello to us at the shows. We are very approachable, and we like to meet as many people as possible. Check out the record. We are getting a lot of positive feedback from people who have bought the record. Please pass the message along to others!
1 HRH Interview With Primal Fear’s Ralf Scheepers
In Europe the metal band Primal Fear has been been kicking ass for over ten years now. They have played for thousands of fans in just about every major music festival you can think of including Wacken Open Air, Bang Your Head, Sweden Rock, Metalmania, Monsters of Rock and a bunch more.
Ralf Scheepers, the singer of Primal Fear, has a voice that should be legendary amongst all metal fans. His multi-octave range has been delighting fans all over the world, but in the U.S.A. both him and his band are still largely unknown.
Hard Rock Hideout had the opportunity to speak with Ralf about Primal Fear’s up and coming U.S. tour, their new album 16.6 (Before The Devil Knows Your Dead) and some of the history of Ralf’s storied career. Enjoy!!
HRH: How old were you when you first started singing?
Ralf Scheepers: I first started singing when I was nine or ten years old. I noticed that when I sang along with the radio it wasn’t that wrong (laughs). I never intended to be a musician, it just came with birth. I tried out in a school band when I was sixteen years old also playing the rhythm guitar and singing which I couldn’t really do at the same time. In the end, I just put away my guitar and started singing in heavy bands in the area of Stuttgart. That is how my career started.
HRH: What drew you into heavy metal?
Ralf Scheepers: Actually when I was 16 – 18 it was exactly the age when New Wave of British Heavy Metal came up with bands like Iron Maiden Saxon, and Judas Priest. When I first heard Unleashed in the East the first time, I was totally knocked out. It brought me into heavy metal.
HRH: I have listened to some of your music with your band Tyran Pace, and was blown away with how good it was. It is a shame that not too many people got to hear that great band you were in.
Ralf Scheepers: Thank you. When I look back at it, I thought my voice sounded like a little kid of course a voice evolves. It was just the beginning of everything.
HRH: A lot of singers’ voices start to deteriorate as they age, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all with you. On your last couple of releases New Religion and 16.6, you are singing better than ever. Your voice hasn’t lost anything over the years. If anything, it has only gotten stronger. What are you doing to keep your voice in such great shape?
Ralf Scheepers: Thank You! I ask myself that too. I try to be healthy. I am 44 of yearsof age now. I need to warm up voice a lot more than I did twenty years ago. It is a pretty tough way we are singing. With the heavy metal singers belting it out every night. They really harm their vocal chords with the stuff they are doing. Everyone mostly sings too loud. That is the same with me. I really scream like hell. Nowadays the technique is really good when recording in the studio. I am really happy that I can record my stuff at home. When I am recording at home, it doesn’t mean that I have technical stuff which helps me. I take my time because I am a perfectionist. I don’t leave stuff on the hard disc. Maybe five years we would have left it on the hard disc. This way it it sounds better and more and aggressive the way I want it.
HRH: With the screams you have been cutting loose on your albums, you have one incredible instrument.
Ralf Scheepers: Thank you.
HRH: You recorded a bunch of cool albums with Gamma Ray back in the early 90’s. Why did you leave that band?
Ralf Scheepers: We were together for five years. I was living still in Stuttgart, also now. Gamma Ray is coming from Hamburg, the other members. The technology wasn’t where you could swap mp3 files and load your dat files into your sessions and compose your songs that way. That is the way we are doing it now between Sweden and Hanover. Back then it wasn’t possible, the technology wasn’t there. The guys wanted me to move to Hamburg. I couldn’t do that. I needed to work to pay for my way of life. Music wasn’t paying for it. That was one of the reasons we parted ways. The other reason is well known. I made the application to Judas Priest. I told the guys that I did it. They asked me what I would do if Judas Priest asked me to be the singer. I said I would go, without disrespect and everything. They understood, but in the end there was another factor. The feeling was not that good anymore. Before I made my application Kai and Dirk started singing their own songs, which is their own right of course. In the end it was a sign that they may not need a vocalist anymore.Everything came together within one month and we went our seperate ways. I was a short time of bad vibes for a couple of months. We are still friends. I don’t want to talk shit about Gamma Ray, and they don’t talk shit about me. It was a good time, it was a learning phase. I really appreciate the time. I don’t want to talk bad about it. It was only good.
HRH: So you still keep in touch with Kai Hansen?
Ralf Scheepers: Yes, we met in Norway at the end of April. They played the night before we played. We arrived one day early. We met them and had a good time. It is always a good time.
HRH: Tell me a little about you trying out for Judas Priest.
Ralf Scheepers: I didn’t try out. I sent demo tapes, CD’s, and live video from Gamma Ray. I got this letter back from the management from Jane Andrews that the guys were interested. There was a really long time that I had to wait. Glen Tipton was writing his solo album at the time. So many guys sent their application in they had millions of tapes to listen to. I understood it would take a long time. I got the promise I would be invited, but I never got invited to make the audition. From the view of now, everything is ok. I totally understand why they took Tim “Ripper” Owens. He is a really good vocalist, and a very nice guy. We now have contact with each other, we are musical friends. Everything is fine. Also with Judas Priest, when I met the guys KK, Glen and Rob. Everyone is nice and fine. We have respect for each other.
HRH: I have heard your cover of “Metal God” from the Primal Fear album “Metal is Forever”. I can’t believe you didn’t get the job.
Ralf Scheepers: Thank you. I am more satisfied with the”Exciter” cover with Gamma Ray. I am really happy with. I just came into the studio. It was a time that we were already separated. We still had a good time and were good friends. We said lets do this tribute thing, Exciter from Judas Priest. We all liked them. Everyone in the band liked the live version of it. I was signing it live and it was really amazing. We were having a good time and you can hear it. It was really good.
HRH: After Gamma Ray, you had a band called Just Priest?
Ralf Scheepers: Oh yes, It was just a time that I didn’t know if I might be the vocalist of Judas Priest. I was preparing myself a little bit, to go through all of the albums and learn the songs. Which I already knew before, but learned to sing it for the possible audition that never happened. We played some shows here and there in Stuttgart. It was no big deal behind it.
HRH: Was Just Priest the precursor for Primal Fear?
Ralf Scheepers: Yes, the thing is, there was one show where a couple of the guys of the cover band couldn’t do it. I invited Matt and Tom from Sinner to do it. As I sung in the studio for Sinner some lines. We had a good conversation. We said lets hook up and write some songs. Japan was waiting for material from me. They wanted to continue to work with me. I asked Matt and Tom to write some songs together. They did the Just Priest show, and we all became friends.
HRH: Moving foward to Primal Fear, 16.6 is your eighth album. You have maintained the same lineup with minimal 
changes over the years. Magnus Karlsson joined Primal Fear for the new album. You worked with Magnus briefly on New Religion right?
Ralf Scheepers: Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to say. We had some problems in the studio with the guys that we had back then, which really denied to play the guitar, and didn’t like the compositions and everything so. We invited Magnus to play some solos here and there and also Henny who is also a member now. The reason why Stefan left because his wife got pregnant again, he still had his daytime job which was getting pretty much for him. He said he in a friendly way that he couldn’t do it anymore, and we went our separate ways in a very friendly way. We immediately called up Magnus because he is an outstanding talent and a good composer and song writer. We called him up if he wanted to join Primal Fear. He was happy to do it. We didn’t know what was going to happen. It is pretty important for a band how a guy acts on stage, and he behaves on the tour bus, and if he can cope with everything in the end. He is one of the guys that can cope better than one of ours. He is great. He is fitting perfectly into the band both musically and personally. He is a nice guy. The thing with Henny, he was again taking the place for Tom Naumann because we had problems with him in the studio. We called up Henny because we had a good time in the Nuclear Fire era. We called him up. He was absolutely hoping to be the guitarist again. Hopefully we have our final lineup now.
HRH: What was it like working with Magnus on the new album? Was the recording process different for 16.6?
Ralf Scheepers: Yes, the difference was Matt, Henny and Magnus met up at Magnus house in Sweden to compose 80% of the album. They made a demo and preproduction there. The sent me the stuff into mp3 files, I extracted it and loaded it into Pro Tools sessions and bounced my ideas onto it. That is how we work now. Many of the lyrics and some of the vocal lines were already fixed by Matt, as he is a vocalist too, and Henny also made a lot of the melodies on the album. The rest of the 20% of was from my side on 16.6. Hopefully next time, I will have the time to team up with the guys to compose songs in one room together. It is still a good thing to compose songs in a rehearsing room or one room. It is good vibe if it has the original feeling behind it. There are also advantages in composing it in different parts of the world. You can take your time, and think on your own about your ideas. There advantages and disadvantages of both kinds of working.
HRH: The one thing Primal Fear has not done yet is conquer the United States. You are kicking off your first U.S.
tour starting with the Rock Gone Wild Festival in August. Are you excited to come play in a major festival in the U.S. in front of a bunch of new fans for the first time?
Ralf Scheepers: We are very excited. Everyone is looking forward to it. The thing with America to be honest is always to be honest the time of musicians was holding us back. Guys were still working like Stefan and Me. It was simple as that. I still have to work to keep my life standard. Music doesn’t pay for my family and my house and stuff. I have to go to work. In the end, everyone is looking forward to come to the states now. It is about time to bring good stuff over there to a tour, even if it is a small tour. Hopefully we picked the most important cities of the States, without being disrespectful to the other cities. We would like to come everywhere, but it isn’t possible.
HRH: 16.6 is doing pretty well in Sweden and Germany right now.
Ralf Scheepers: Yes, we are really lucky to be on the charts. We are at 46 in Sweden, 52 in Japan and 28 in Germany. We are hoping now for America. The album came out last Friday. Hopefully we will get the chance to hit the Billboards there. It is a dream of course.
HRH: Has piracy hurt Primal Fear?
Ralf Scheepers: Yes this is one thing that really made me a little bit mad. There is so much work with this stuff you know.. Of course I always understand both sides. The end result is very good media to have good advertising and stuff. It can also have a bad side where people download this stuff, even if we have this water sign in the audio files that is really dangerous. A guy can really get caught if he puts into torrent or wherever. You really get him it. It is a really expensive thing that the record companies do to prevent piracy. In the end, it hit us again.
There are always black sheep out there. We could give out any samples to whoever for magazines or whatever. I don’t want to blame anybody. Sometimes if the music goes to a friend, and he does it in the end. It is always a bnd thing when you see your album out there one week, or even one month before it is released. It brings you down a little bit.
HRH: It takes money right out of your pocket. That really has to hurt.
Ralf Scheepers: I want to explain that. The money thing is a hard factor to talke about. We aren’t doing this to be millionaires anymore. The eighties are over where musicians and rock stars were wealthy. Nowadays, rock stars are still having a day time job to keep their life going, and this is also coming from this piracy in the end.
HRH: Primal Fear and Sinner have new albums out now. Will you play all Primal Fear songs in your live set, or will you throw some Sinner songs in there now?
Ralf Scheepers: We will only do Primal Fear songs. We set the songs together. We rehearsed the stuff because Saturday we had the first show with four new songs in the set list. The festival set list was 60 minutes. But if we go on a big tour, we will have a 90 minute set list with six songs off of the new album. We are really looking forward to that. We have a good vibe, and I think we can really deliver the goods.
HRH: On several of your album covers you have had a metal eagle, and on 16.6, you have a dark raven like figure. What does the new figure represent?
Ralf Scheepers: We wanted to have a new shape again. We wanted to get away from the Seven Seals and New Religion shape. We wanted to keep the eagle at a Primal Fear mascot somehow. This time we chose this dark shape more because it really fits with the title. Of course, the word devil is not new to heavy metal. The sentence before the devil knows your dead is pretty strong as an album title. This is a good expression for a heavy metal album. We sent the idea off to our artist, and she sent this cover back and everyone was amazed. We thought it was great.
HRH: You just released a video Six Times Dead (16.6). Do you have any more videos planned for 16.6?
Ralf Scheepers: No, this is it. The videos are not played on MTV anymore or on Vivo here in Germany. I don’t know how it is in the States with all of the channels that you have, but here in Europe it is not played so much. We did this video so it could be played on Youtube and the homepage, and myspace or wherever. The fans are watching it online more than on television.
HRH: Where is the best place for fans to find out more information about Primal Fear?
Ralf Scheepers: www.primalfear.de and our myspace page www.myspace.com/primalfearofficial You can check our tour dates, videos become a friend and everything. (laughs)
HRH: Thanks a lot for your time today Ralf. I will see you at Rock Gone Wild in August.
Ralf Scheepers: Thank You! I am looking forward too it.
1 HRH Interview With Fernie Rod and Billy Rowe of Jetboy
The M3 Festival in Columbia, MD was a fun and very cool experience. Their was a ton of great music all day, and one of my favorite acts of the day was Jetboy. I have only been able to catch Jetboy live one other time. When the opportunity came up to see the band play again, and also to interview the band in the same day, I could not pass it up. The following interview is the conversation that I had with Jetboy guitarists Fernie Rod and Billy Rowe at M3. Enjoy!
Fernie Rod: A lot of people say we deserve certain things, we should be here, we should be there, and that is not reality. I agree. We are a band that is always going to work hard to get to, where we want to get to.
Since the last time you seen us we have eleven killer new tracks, we played three of them today. One of them “Going Down, Above the Clouds” is going to be our single. We have been writing, the magic between Billy and Mickey and myself is there and really is as good as it has ever been, if not better. We had a great crowd today, and we are making headway to get to the point were we be playing, and doing this feasibly a lot. Our idea is to be on the road 200 – 225 shows per year, that is the goal and we are getting there.
Rob Rockitt: That is good news, you don’t get to the east coast often enough!
Fernie Rod: I know!
Rob Rockitt: Have you been to the east coast since the 2007?
Billy Rowe: No not since the last time we saw you.
Fernie Rod: We still have to work out a lot of things. It is not easy. There are promoters that have heard of Jetboy, but it is not like promoters will give us three grand to play wherever we want.
Rob Rockitt: You have to work at getting your name back out there again.
Billy Rowe: Oh yeah, exactly.
Rob Rockitt: A lot of music fans here today are not familiar with Jetboy.
Billy Rowe: That is a good place for us to be actually. There is a fine line where we can move forward and be relevant at the same time.
Rob Rockitt: You have been together for over 25 years. Most bands that have been together as long as Jetboy start going through the motions and start releasing subpar material. Based on the new songs I heard today, you are writing the best songs of your career right now.
Billy Rowe: We picked up where we left off. We got cut short. We were on hiatus for a while.
Rob Rockitt: Was that due to the stuff with MCA?
Billy Rowe: Pretty much, yeah. It was the contract really. We were living off of the money. All of a sudden you have no money, and you have to go to work.
Fernie Rod: It is a tough life. If a band is fortunate enough early on their career to get a hit single where the record company, like Guns N Roses, Warrant, and Poison. If you can get that early shot where you can get that mass exposure, then you got a great chance to keep doing what their doing, year in and year out. There are a million other stories out there of bands…We know of so many bands that we love, that no one has ever heard of. It could be hit or miss. The good thing is, moral of the story is we are picking up where we left off. We are not a jaded band from the 80’s. The band is on fire, like you said and is writing the best songs ever. Now there is a new window of opportunity to get out there and get exposure. We have a manager and a publicist. When they hear the new songs the momentum is going to roll. The last time you saw us we didn’t have anything new yet, so we were still trying to push the older material.
Billy Rowe: We just decided to be a band again. We didn’t have a manager at that point. We didn’t have anything. We decided we would hop on the tour and lets go do it.
Fernie Rod: Now we have a ripping manager and a great publicist and seeing that the ball is rolling. All I can say is, we are aware of it, and all we can do is try. If the rock gods open the avenues and doors for us, we are going to walk through it. Now we can walk through it confidently. I would like to think at the end of 2009, 2010, 2011 you are going to see this momentum, there is the record, and then you will be seeing more and more stuff.
Rob Rockitt: When do you think the new CD will be done?
Fernie Rod: The goal is in July. With the music industry and the way things are now, we are still trying to decide what the best thing is to do. I have a feeling what we are going to do is release through the internet through ITunes and the website and what not. We are going to do this the best we can ourselves in the since that we are going to record three songs first. Release what we feel is a strong single “Going Down Above the Clouds” and then build off that. But still recording for the eventual album release. Its not that cheap to do a record these days. You can do a record, but if you want it sound good there has to be a little money back there behind that. We want to do good quality work. Its a juggling act. We are trying to do the best that we can. All of that is a very complex process, if you have a limited budget to work with. I think considering that we are doing the best we can. We are seeing the progress. Goal #1 get some new songs. We have surpassed that goal. We have eleven rippers!
Rob Rockitt: So you have eleven songs that are done?
Fernie Rod: We have about five or six that are completely arranged and ready to go. The others need to be condensed and fixed up. Essentially, we have eleven ready to go.
Rob Rockitt: What was the first new song that you played today?
Billy Rowe: Perfectly Wrong
Rob Rockitt: That song was a ripping track. It was unbelievable!
Fernie Rod: That is good. The response has been that way.
Billy Rowe: It has been really good.
Fernie Rod: This time around we recorded everything on a cassette player like the old days. Billy and I had a ton of song ideas, and we went down the mix together. If we could make it sound good on acoustic, it is going to translate on electric guitar five to ten times or more better. Everything you heard was done on acoustic guitars first. We recorded everything, we jammed everything, we did the vocals, we arranged everything on the acoustic, then we sat down with the rest of the boys and then put it through the electric and it came out a lot more intense. Our goal was to do it the old school way and do it that way. If it sounds good on piano or acoustic guitar, I am telling you what the great bands did. AC/DC and Aerosmith, a lot of those bands wrote on the acoustic and piano. If it felt right then, it gets magnified when it is electrified. So that is what we did.
Rob Rockitt: Looking back do you regret signing with MCA?
Fernie Rod: No, You know a lot of bands break up over those situations. We were very hurt. We felt like we got screwed over, but when we went through the history of bands, we saw it everywhere. There have been thousands of bands that have been dropped or had albums shelved, and screwed over and worse. There have been bands that have made a lot of money, but the band got zero.
Rob Rockitt: Kix is a perfect example of that.
Fernie Rod: I wasn’t going to say it, but exactly. That is even more painful. That is a jab in the heart. So fact that there still playing should tell you and everybody, they are not bitter. They were resilitant and here they are now. Otherwise if they were bitter and angry, there would be no band.
Billy Rowe: What are you going to?
Rob Rockitt: You have to move on.
Fernie Rod: You really, really do.
Rob Rockitt: Your first two CD’s Feel the Shake and Damned Nation, do you own the rights to those? Are you able to re-release those some how?
Billy Rowe: laughs
Fernie Rod: There are only a handful of bands in the world that own their publishing. That is not a common thing. The labels when they sign you, they give you the money, and will get you out there. We own the publishing and give you a percentage of it. There are only certain bands out there who own their songs. I think Motley Crue is one of the them, Barbara Streisand is another. It is not common. If you are interested in this material, come to the JetboyRocks site.
Billy Rowe: You can thank Ray Charles. The one guy that made a difference with that. Owning your own recordings.
Rob Rockitt: A lot of bands are trying to do things on their own now and trying to cut the labels out.
Fernie Rod: It is good and it is bad. The music industry is not unlike the car industry. After all these years, they are all about gone. The car industry is filing for bankruptcy. The business model of music, in the 70’s and 60’s and 50’s, unless you have incredible people behind you, the bands got ripped off. To this day, James Brown, Little Richard, The King of Rock and Roll, for years would get on interviews, “I got ripped off, I wan’t my money, GIVE me my money”. Everbody.. Aerosmith..everybody..got ripped off. All of that karma and that whole industry has almost fallen by the wayside. Now there is a give and take, now you can control what is outputting, but to get it out the mass public, the internet is one option, it is a combination of the internet and promotion and distribution. You know, TV is important if you can get your song into movies.
Rob Rockitt: You had a song in “The Burbs” a few years ago.
Fernie Rod: “The Burbs” and She’s Out of Control”.
Rob Rockitt: I forgot about that one.
Billy Rowe: We still get money off of that.
Fernie Rod: We are still signed to BMI, so anytime they show that movie on video, or TV anywhere in the world. BMI and ASCAP keeps track of that. Bands like Avril Lavigne and Ben Folds Seven (Billy laughs). A lot of their songs broke in video games. Kids are playing video games 100 hours a week or whatever. They are hearing those songs over and over and over again and getting a lot of mass exposure.
Rob Rockitt: With the fact that you have new songs coming out, have you talked to anybody about getting your 
songs into Guitar Hero or Rock Band? These games are huge for music right now.
Fernie Rod: We want to look into that. Its not like we can knock on the door and say hi were Jetboy, can we get a song into that. It is way more involved than that.
Billy Rowe: Its the same kind of thing. Be careful of what you sign. Little Richard did get ripped off. He didn’t read the paper. He didn’t read the fine print. None of us did. That is why we got fucked in a lot of ways. We didn’t read it.
Rob Rockitt: If you are a young band, and a label offers to send you all over the world, you are probably going to sign.
Fernie Rod: You are going to sign, and there are promises. If the labels would have been a little more diligent, we probably would have broke eventually with one of those songs. The label says sorry we are done, we are moving on. Grunge and hip hop are taking over. That has happened in the 70’s with the progressive bands and a lot of bands in the 70’s once disco hit. It is part of the business. If you happen to fall in the right spot at the right time, and all the stars align, you can make things happen. Guns N’ Roses and Poison for example. We were all signed at the same time. Frankly, I am about sick and tired of it of how many people have come up to me and said you guys should have been just as big. Yeah we should have but things happened that blocked it for us in certain areas. What are going to do?
Rob Rockitt: I would rather support a band like Jetboy who is wanting to create new music, instead of a band like Poison were Bret Michaels is spending more time on Rock of Love than writing new music. He is making a joke out of himself.
Fernie Rod: It is true. It is not easy to do. If you are not on top of your game, you can’t write material that is going to be good. Otherwise everyone could do it. It is not an easy thing to do. We live in an world now that there are artists and musicians, and if you are not careful, you become a celebrity. That is what Bret is. I am not putting him down or being angry.
Rob Rockitt: He has reinvented himself with that show, but I don’t think that is what he needs to do.
Fernie Rod: Not as a rock and roll musician. Like Slash, I read a couple of days ago, there is no Guns N’ Roses anywmore, so he needs to find something to do. He played guitar for that guy on American Idol.
Rob Rockitt: Speaking of Slash, I recently finished his book.
Fernie Rod: He got it all wrong.
Rob Rockitt: What do you guys think about what Slash said about Todd ( Crews, Jetboy’s former drummer)?
Fernie Rod: Guns N’ Roses and Jetboy were good friends. We hung out together, we did a lot of things together. He claimed they were really close friends. The reality, unfortunately, he got it all wrong. The bottom line was this we were all good friends, and part of the glam scene. He said in the book we don’t like that stuff, we had nothing to do with it. Jetboy is this and Jetboy is that. I remember us all sitting around and writing songs, jamming, supporting each other. Because Jetboy was thinking about our career we had to let Todd go. At the age of 23, he was already a drunk mess. If we would have kept him the band, we would have gotten dropped. We probably wouldn’t have been able to make a record. We had to let him go. Guns N’ Roses never forgave Jetboy. I still hear the phone call in my mind from Axl and Slash told me, what you guys did was wrong, we are all a family. We would never do that in our band to anyone. What did they end up doing?
Rob Rockitt: They did the same thing to Stephen Adler.
Fernie Rod: They never forgave us, and held hatred and a grudge toward us because of that to this day. They would have to go back on their word and save face. In that book Slash was trying to excercise his guilt. There was a lot of guilt. Todd didn’t die with us. He died in their presense with them. Slash may have been his friend, but he wasn’t a true friend. He was his friend, but they were dysfunctional. Drug addicts don’t make good friends.
Rob Rockitt: Tell me about your new drummer.
Fernie Rod: Doug Hovan was a friend and fan for the last 25 years. He used to play in some of the bands that opened for Jetboy back in the day. In the earlier days, when we played at the Mabuhay, the Stone, the On Broadway when we used to rule the roost back then. He was part of the scene and in different bands that used to play with us. We decided that we needed to part ways with Jeff (Moscone). We needed someone with a different mindset. He became available. He stepped into the role, and he is a beautiful guy. He expresses himself on the drums perfectly. We love him. He is ideal.
Rob Rockitt: You have a bunch of new pictures up on myspace. Your new pictures and design looks great.
Fernie Rod: A gentleman named Noel. He is a friend of Billy’s. He is helping us do all of our websites. Danny Valdez is a friend of ours, when the band first got back together went on the road with us and takes pictures for us. He has developed into a great photographer.
Rob Rockitt: You would expect pictures like these from a brand new band.
Fernie Rod: We are a brand new band. I think if we emphasize that, we are a brand new band. We are an old school, brand new band. Danny has a great camera and a great eye. He knows how to shoot the band. That was simple, that was easy. I wish everything was that easy.
Rob Rockitt: Thank you guys for the interview. It has been an honor!
0 HRH Interviews 7th Heaven’s Richie Hofherr
I was blown away by 7th Heaven’s USA/UK when it was released late 2008 so much so that it ended the year in my Top 15 list at #9 beating out a lot of better known bands for the spot. USA/UK is filled with 18 tracks of pop metal very reminescent of Def Leppard’s “Hysteria” era, not only do you get 18 tracks with USA/UK you also get 18 tracks in which every song could be released as a single as there is not a single filler song on the album. After a few scheduling mishaps on my part I was finally able to make contact with 7th Heaven’s producer/guitarist Richie Hofherr this past week for what turned out to be one of the best and most informative interviews we’ve had here at Hard Rock Hideout…Enjoy!
HRH: For readers that may not be familiar with 7th Heaven can you fill them in with a little history of 7th Heaven?
Richie: 7th heaven has been around since 1985. We are known to be one of the busiest band’s in the world. We play 250+ shows a year and have TONS of live experience. We have had greats highs and low lows. Our sound has been compared to a modern Def Leppard, which we are honored to be compared to. We are a AOR arena rock type of band. You can find a very detailed history of our band on our website under the “history” tab.
HRH: You released USA/UK in August of 08 what has the reaction been to the album so far?
Richie: Very good. It has already outsold our last release “Silver”, which did very well. We move most of our CD’s at our shows, and since we play so much our sales are consistent. We have placed a few songs in various media outlets. A few radio stations have picked up the CD and have us in heavy rotation, mainly ClassXRadio.com
We also have been getting great reviews on the CD, like MelodicRock.com‘s 93%
HRH: This is the band’s first album with Keith Semple singing how did the band find out about Keith and get him to join the band?
Richie: I actually was looking online for a new singer for the band and was searching for a certain type of quality that I thought would fit our band well. I also had to find someone who wanted to play a lot of shows. Keith had a myspace page and I emailed him and asked him what he was doing with music. Rather than respond to my email, he actually searched the band out and called and left me a message. Impressed with his desire, I made him the offer. After hiring Keith I then realized he won “Pop Stars” (the UK version of American Idol). Keith is a perfect fit for 7th heaven.
HRH: What led to the departure of previous singers Andrew Blake and Tony di Giulio?
Richie: The same thing that happens to all bands. Different visions or different agenda’s. 7th heaven is like a family, it always has been and always will be. Sometimes a member wants a break or wants to do their own thing. I don’t really take offense to that, in fact Tony and I still write together. 7th heaven is a very unique band. We run our business in a way that doesn’t really have a definitive path, add to that a style that isn’t the current trend, it makes for everyone to agree on business directions. In the end, we survive and hopefully the music we make is what really matters to people.
HRH: USA/UK has a very different sound compared to the last 2 7th Heaven albums, particularly “Faces Time Replace” was a conscious
effort by the band or more because of the way Keith sings?
effort by the band or more because of the way Keith sings?Richie: The way I like to produce is always surrounded by what I feel is the best direction of the voice. While that being said, all the singers that have been in 7th heaven have the ability to sing various styles. In terms of “Faces Time Replaces”, it was a reflection of the environments we were in at the time in terms of clubs we played. We have TONS of pop rock songs, but at the time if we played them they wouldn’t do well for us live. In fact our song “Right by your side” off “Silver” was actually a song we wrote in that “Faces..” era of writing, but it just didn’t fit. “War Machine” was from “Faces…”. Around 2002 we started getting festivals and they wouldn’t accept the heavy side of the band so we made a adjustment to the sound to keep the band busy.
HRH: USA/UK has gotten the band a lot of comparisons to “Hysteria” era Def Leppard not only as far as sound but production also is that a favorable comparison as far as the band is concerned?
Richie: I’m not sure how the band feels, but to me it’s one of the biggest honors I could ever get. I work for hours on mixes and try to polish my mixes. That’s the way I like to mix 7th heaven. But not all my mixes are that way. For example, when I produced Bill Beckett of “The Academy Is..” it was VERY different then 7th heaven. I grew up loving arena rock bands.. bands like Queen, Led Zep, Def Lep, Bon Jovi, Journey, Foreigner, AC/DC… they had a massive sound. So when I write songs and think about 7th heaven I think I want this band to sound like it belongs in a arena. The band can handle a arena stage. So I produce it that way.
HRH: There are 6 songs from Silver that were re-recorded for USA/UK with Keith is there a chance we could see some more of those songs re-recorded in the future? I would love to hear Keith’s vocals on Fall Into You, Invisible, and Everlasting Love among others.
Richie: The only reason why we recorded Keith on some of those songs was because when Keith got to America we were playing those songs (Cellophane, Gravity, etc.. ) in our set and new fans asked if they could get the song and then wanted it with Keith on it, so rather than re-record “Silver” with Keith I thought it was easier to add the tracks to a new CD, so to me that CD is a new CD os 12 songs with 6 bonus tracks.
HRH: When I compare the songs on “Silver” and “Faces Time Replace” to USA/UK. The songs on USA/UK seem like a more natural sound for the band would you agree?
Richie: Faces was for it’s time. Silver was my chance to make a record that I wanted to make and release various styles. and USA-UK is a methodical product for the band to sell in the environment we are within. The CD has a consistent sound on purpose and doesn’t sway too much away from that. We had a few very different tracks, but I wanted to work on them more and we needed a product to market ASAP. I think the CD is a good representation of where the band is today.
HRH: You guys have a reputation of being road warriors, how many shows has the band played since the release of USA/UK?
Richie: I think we are close to 500 shows with Keith. This year we should hit 260-275 shows. Our philosophy is that if a major
label or radio station won’t play us (or any rock for that matter) then we’ll bring our music to the people. I am blown away that the big wigs in the biz keep scratching their heads wondering why they are not making money in the business don’t open their eyes and see where the consumers are at. They are following ROCK acts… period. Look at the Pollstar (www.pollstar.com) and look to the right side at the top 50.. now look at the billboard (billboard.com).. see the disconnect. If I was a big wig, I would push all 50 of those artists and their products to people. The fans always dictate the success of a act. So because of this landscape, we survive by playing live shows.
HRH: Has there been any talk of the band playing any of the festivals like Rocklahoma or Rock Gone Wild this summer?
Richie: Rocklahoma would be cool, we have never been asked, mainly because the side stages are ran by indie labels and since we run our own label I’m not sure it will ever happen… Rock Gone Wild I am unaware of. All anyone has to do is ask us to play and we’ll be there. It’s not like we don’t like playing.. 🙂
HRH: What are the band’s summer tour plans?
Richie: We are booked for over 60 midwest festivals this summer. For June, July and August we play almost everyday, with many days with two to three shows. We have a solid summer booked.
HRH: When will the band start thinking about getting back in the studio to record the follow-up to USA/UK?
Richie: We’ll be working in the studio for various things over the next year. We have a HUGE surprise for 2010 when the band turns 25 years old. Something I don’t think that has ever been done before. Stay tuned.
HRH: 7th Heaven is also known for your 30 songs in 30 minutes medley how did that come about?
Richie: We were asked to play a family festival in 1991 and when we went there we played all originals for 90 minutes. The fest promoter said if we wanted to come back the next year we would have to play some covers so we went and made a 5 song medley. After that show we had a lot of people asking for it again. Then in 1993 I put a 80 song 120 minute long medley together to accomplish a few things; better my skills as a producer, work on arrangements and build our voices by having to learn all those different singers. We made a tape of that and it became very popular in the college markets, which then got us shows at colleges. So we cut the medley down to 25 minutes and started playing them in the clubs. We have made 11 different medleys and have played eight of them live. They make a great addition to our festival and college shows. We just created a new one that we are playing now.
HRH: Where can fans go to find out what is going on in 7th Heaven’s world?
Richie: www.7thheavenband.com
we update our website weekly and just added a new blogger to the website that we all chime in at. There’s also a news page that updated every month and our email newsletters are the best ways to stay up to date with us.
You can sign up by clicking the “Mailing List” tab on the website.
One cool thing we have going on is this:
We are shooting new video and wants YOU in it! We are shooting a music video for the song This Summer’s Gonna Last Forever and they want to use video footage of different fans from around the world showing them in their country in the background… something unique to your country (example: like standing in front of the Great Wall Of China or the Eiffel tower) they want to show the world that rock music is still alive and doing well around the world…
We want a video of you lip syncing the song and then the video footage to the band and it will be edited into the video.
– Prefer a mini DV tape or a DVD if possible and would like the video back to us by the end of April if possible.
Send it to: 7th heaven, PO Box 66473, Chicago, Il 60666.
If you want to make it a digital file and upload it to a server, that would be fine as well but it has to be uncompressed at 720 x 480. E-mail the band at: rich777@aol.com for more info with the subject “music video”.
The song can be downloaded here: www.7thheavenband.com/summer/.
HRH: Is there anything you would like to tell the fans and readers before we let you go?
Richie: We really appreciate all the fans and friends who have helped support our dream of creating and performing music.We will always strive to put 110% effort in everything we do! We are very accessible to our fans so get in touch with us. Thanks for all your support!!!
0 Straight From Badmouth HRH interviews Chris LeMon & Randy Joy
A few months ago I reviewed Badmouth’s debut here on HRH, and I’ve been a big fan ever since. Badmouth finished the year tied at #3 on my album of the year list, which I would say is pretty good for a debut considering the other 3 bands at the top of my list have all been around for 10 years or longer. If you haven’t heard Badmouth you are missing out big time because songs like “Pedal To the Metal”, “Last Train”, “And Take Your Toothbrush With You” are serious ass kickers. Of course when the opportunity came to interview bassist Chris LeMon and lead guitarist Randy Joy I jumped at it. In my opinion Badmouth is one, if not, the best new band of 2008 and I have a feeling they are going to be making a lot of noise not only in 2009 but in the years ahead too.
HRH: For the people that may not be familiar with Badmouth can you give us a little bit of the band’s history?
Badmouth: Well, it all started in the summer of 2007. 5 friends who wanted to make GREAT music, tired of the music scene of today. We wanted to write music close to our hearts…the kinda music we grew up on. We never discussed how Badmouth should sound it all came naturally. All 5 of us have different influences from Punk, Country, Powerpop to Heavy Metal…and all that mixed together became what you hear on our debut album.
HRH: “Rivethead” is my favorite song off the album and one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. Is there a story behind it?
Badmouth: The song is based on a book with the same name….but I guess people can relate to those lyrics in different ways.
HRH: Do you think it will be released as a single?
Badmouth: Yes, hopefully it will be released as a single in March/April.
HRH: I’ve been looking on youtube for videos from the album, but I haven’t been able to find any. Are there any plans to film any videos for the singles?
Badmouth: We haven’t done an official video yet. There is a “Heartbreaker” video in the making, our latest single (the cover of the Pat Benatar hit from 1979)…that will be a video just for the internet and hopefully it gets its release by the end of January…And then we plan do a video of “Rivethead” to be released as the same time of the single, a video that will also be released to the Music Television, so hopefully everything will work out and you got something to look forward too…
HRH: The sound of “Last Train” and “And Take Your Toothbrush With You” really remind me of Backyard Babies would you consider them an influence on Badmouth?
Badmouth: Backyard Babies are a great band, but wouldn’t say that they have influenced us directly. We’re the same age and have a lot of similar influences so guess that’s why you can hear that…also we live in the same town, Stockholm….influenced by the streets..lol
HRH: What are some other bands that have helped influence Badmouth’s sound?
Badmouth: Like I mentioned before we have a lot of different influences. I think the one band we all have in common is Guns’n’Roses…then also Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper,Elvis, Ramones, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash and Cheap Trick have probably influenced us all in different ways…
HRH: Paul Sabu produced the band’s album how did that partnership come about?
Badmouth: Paul heard some of the demos we recorded in the fall of 2007. He loved the sound and contacted us asking if we wanted to work togther…and we said..YES!!! Its been a great experience. Paul is a great, great guy and its been an honor to do this album with him, he really took the best out of our sound and made the album sound exactly like we wanted, and its an impressive career he has behind him and he has worked with a lot of our influences like Alice Cooper and David Bowie…
HRH: With so many Swedish bands getting attention from fans and record companies is it hard for a band to stand out and make a name for themselves?
Badmouth: Guess its the same whatever country you are from…its hard today to get the music out if you aren’t one of the big bands that can put millions into promotion. We’re doing this an independent way and working hard ourselves. I think a lot of bands sit back and relax just cause they have been signed by a label. Badmouth ain’t nothing like that! We’re working hard 24/7 to get the word of Badmouth out there…of course we hope our music will stand out. We don’t think we sound like anything else today, not saying that we sound original but we sound like Badmouth, we feel that on our album we have 10 different songs and sounds and not 1 song with 10 different titles…then of course it’s up to the listener to decide but hopefully they feel that way too..
HRH: A lot of the bands coming out of Sweden seem to be heavily influenced by the 80’s Hollywood Sunset Strip days is the club scene like that also?
Badmouth: No, I wouldn’t say so, but I think a lot of people would like it to be…actually the club scene for rock ‘n’ ‘roll in Sweden is pretty small and there are a lot of bands struggling to get gigs and attention…We’re trying to avoid the current “Sunset Strip Revival” cliche trend.
HRH: Do the bands support each other or do they keep to themselves?
Badmouth: A lot of bands support each other but also a lot of bands keep to themselves…guess its the same over the world…
HRH: What are some of the bands coming out of Sweden and Scandinavia you like or would like to go out on the road with?
Badmouth: There are a lot of great bands, well one band we talked about earlier of course, Backyard Babies..We have a great band in Sweden called Marvel…and a lot of other bands for example Fatal Smile,The Poodles, Bullet, Danger, The Scams, Hammerfall…And hopefully we will be on tour soon…We are READY!!
HRH: Badmouth is currently in the running to play at the Swedish Rock Festival can you tell us about it and how the fans can vote for 
Badmouth?
Badmouth: Yes, this is a contest called “The Nordic Challenge”. It’s being arranged by MySpace and Sweden Rock Festival…For people outside of Sweden, this is the biggest festival in the country with more than 35,000 in attendance, and its 90 bands playing over 4 days..and ofcourse Badmouth wants to play at this festival..So we entered this contest with the aim to win. And we made it thorugh the first round of voting which took place between december 12th til january 6th, a couple of hundred swedish bands were competing from start and now there are only five left, and Badmouth is one of them. The final voting round is between january 9th – 23rd So if you’ve got a MySpace account you can vote one time per day and myspace account, and if you dont have a account, sign up now, and if you got several accounts vote from them all!:) Its 5 bands from 5 regions in the finals (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland & International) and you can vote on one band from each region, so if you support another band from another region you can also vote on Badmouth and vice versa….
HRH: What are the band’s touring plan as far as the U.S. is concerned?
Badmouth: The plan is to play and tour as much as possible, right now we have nothing 100% confirmed but we wanna play everywhere! Hopefully we’ll be able to get to the States in the fall. We would love to come there and meet our American fans…
HRH: Are there any plans for Badmouth to play any of the festivals here in the states such as Rocklahoma, South Texas Rockfest, or the Rock Gone Wild Festival?
Badmouth: We would love to play them all…so the people doing the bookings for the festivals are more than welcome to contact us…and they will get a killer show from one of the rising bands from Sweden…And of course we are in discussion with a lot of festivals around the world, hopefully we will get something confirmed soon…Can’t think of a better way to spend the summer of 2009..
HRH: Is there anything you would like to pass on to the Badmouth fans?
Badmouth: Yes, THANK YOU!!! YOU FUCKIN’ RULE!!! We have the best fans and we are so happy to be doing this, and believe me…this is only the beginning…so help us spread the word of Badmouth, demand us on the radio and at the venues in your town…Can’t wait to meet you all on the road…2009 is the year of BADMOUTH!
Note: I received an email from Chris informing me that all voting for the Nordic Challenge has been suspended and the final bands winning the slots to play the Sweden Rock Festival would be selected by jury now instead.
2 HRH One on One with Saliva’s Jonathan Montoya
Last week HRH had the chance to talk to Saliva guitarist Jonathan Montoya before the band hit the stage at Sammy T’s in Huntsville, AL. I’d never talked to Jonathan before so I was a little hesitant about how everything would turn out. But it went great Jonathan was extremely easy to talk too with a funny sense of humor. Be sure and check out Cinco Diablo when it hits stores Dec 16th.
HRH: You guys are releasing Cinco Diablo on Dec 16th unfortunately the only song I have heard so far is “Family Reunion”. Can you tell me about some of the other songs on the album?
Jonathan Montoya: Yeah, they are a little darker, a little heavier. You know it is the classic Saliva sound, like “Family Reunion” is a classic Saliva staple sound. The rest of it we took a step towards the dark side, though not lyrically. Lyrically the songs are a lot more positive but the music is a little more darker, a little more Alice in Chains you know but it still Saliva. We’ve found our sound and we took the best of all our records and put them together.
HRH: What songs besides “Family Reunion” would you like to see released as singles?
Jonathan Montoya: There is a song called “How Could You” and one all the girls will love calle
d “Southern Girls”. It’s kind of in the vein of “Girls, Girls, Girls” it’s a strip club song.
HRH: Everyone is under the impression the title “Cinco Diablo” is because this is Saliva’s fifth album. But it is actually Saliva’s sixth album is there another story behind the title?
Jonathan Montoya: Well fifth major label release and and there are five members in the band so it could be both.
HRH: Bob Marlette has produced three Saliva albums did the band work with him this time around?
Jonathan Montoya: Yeah we did.
HRH: Is the recording process easier when you have worked with a producer in the past?
Jonathan Montoya: Oh yeah absolutely. I had worked with Bob before in a band called Full Devil Jacket
HRH: You joined the band before “Blood Stained Love Story” was recorded. Was it easier for you going into the studio with the band this time since you recorded and toured for the last album?
Jonathan Montoya: Yeah but I was in the band before, I filled in for Chris Dabaldo and they brought me in no questions asked. I had helped them get a record deal so when my band broke up they called me and we didn’t even have a tryout. Our first show was in front of 33,000 people. It was pretty crazy.
HRH: Were you able to have more in-put in the songwriting and the recording process?
Jonathan Montoya: Yeah absolutely, most of the last album was done when I got in the band. So this time I had a big part.
HRH: In the past Nikki Sixx has written a song for Saliva, does Cinco Diablo have any guest song writers?
Jonathan Montoya: Well John 5 from Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson wrote 3 songs with us but only one made the record. I just wrote 2 songs with DJ and Nikki for Sixx:AM.
HRH: I saw an interview with you on Dean Guitars website and you mentioned a song called “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” whatever happened with it?
Jonathan Montoya: It didn’t make it, man we had so many songs that some didn’t even get to be heard. But that was one that Josey and me really wanted to push but it’ll end up somewhere, sometime. We’re definitely going to record it cause me and Josey were talking about it yesterday and how we want to make sure that happens.
HRH: You’re previous band Full Devil Jacket was from Jackson, TN and the guys in Saliva are from the Memphis area. Did you know the guys in the band before you joined?
Jonathan Montoya: Yeah we did a bunch of showcases with them and actually Full Devil got signed first and I literally dug their c.d. out of the garbage at Capitol Records and gave it to our A&R guy at Island and said “Hey you might wanna check these guys out.” Next thing I know we were doing a show in L.A. and Josey was in the crowd and he told me they got a deal with Island.
HRH: I’ve heard where bands put new members through different initiations after they join. Did the guys do that to you?
Jonathan Montoya: (Laughing) No I think they got initiated not me.
HRH: The Memphis area has a pretty storied past in music history, what is the music scene there like now?
Jonathan Montoya: (Laughing) To be honest Shitty pretty much for all intents and purposes it is pretty terrible.
HRH: I read where you have another band called Supernova Syndicate and an album was recorded but never released what is the status of that project?
Jonathan Montoya: Well maybe someday, hopefully. I wrote or cowrote all the songs and sing, it’s not that much different from what I am doing now. It maybe a little more like Guns N’ Roses mixed with Saliva a little more raw. Still the same big arena rock chrous like Motley Crue. I sound like Marilyn Manson meets Axl Rose when I sing. It’s on myspace if anyone wants to check it out ( https://www.myspace.com/supnernovasin).
HRH: The first leg of Saliva’s tour just wrapped up and it featured Drowning Pool, Tantric, and Jet Black Stare. What was that leg like?
Jonathan Montoya: It went alright you know the first of it was a little tough but you could see as the songs got played more on the radio there were more and more people every night. Finally the last week of the tour we sold out so it’s like finally we’re getting some results.
HRH: The band announced dates for the second leg is the band line-up going to be the same or are there some changes?
Jonathan Montoya: Well right now we aren’t out with anyone, we are just headlining and playing with local openers and stuff.
HRH: Now days a lot of tours are going out with 3 or 4 bands on the bill. Do you think that trend is here to stay?
Jonathan Montoya: Yeah you have to with the economy, you have to pack the bill with known names.
HRH: In the interview on Dean Guitars website I was talking about earlier you said Pantera was a huge influence on you have you had a chance to read Dimebag’s biography that was recently released?
Jonathan Montoya: I’ve got it in the drawer right below me right now.
HRH: What are some of the bands out today that you listen too or would like to take out on the road with Saliva?
Jonathan Montoya: Jet Black Stare, I really like them. I can’t think of anymore that stick out in my head, that is why I don’t listen to radio anymore they don’t give new bands a chance, that is why I like Sirius so much you do get to hear something different.
HRH: What are some of the bands you would like to take out with Saliva?
Jonathan Montoya: Uh I don’t know…I know I would love to go out with AC/DC!
HRH: Saliva’s music has been used in everything from video games to wrestling soundtracks and theme songs and Sony promoted the heck out of the Playstation 3 with “Ladies and Gentleman”. Do you have some unique promotions planned for Cinco Diablo?
Jonathan Montoya: Oh I’m sure we do but we don’t have anything to do with that. Our management takes care of all of that.
HRH: Is there anything you would like to say to the fans before we let you go?
Jonathan Montoya: Yeah buy the record don’t download it!! Buy the record and help a starving musician out!!
2 Get To Know The Answer! HRH Interviews The Answer’s Cormac Neeson
If you have been a regular reader at HardRockHideout.com, you have heard me carry on more than a few times about this awesome new band from Northern Ireland called The Answer. Hard Rock Hideout recently had the pleasure of speaking with The Answer’s Cormac Neeson. We talked about the history of The Answer so far, the bands’ current tour with AC/DC, and their soon to be released album. Take a few minutes, and get to know The Answer!
The Answer is:
Cormac Neeson – Lead Vocals
Paul Mahon – Guitar
Micky Waters – Bass
James Heatley – Drums
HRH: Tell us a little about the history of the Answer. How long have you been together?
Cormac Neeson: We have been together close to eight years. We got together. Originally it was Paul Mahon’s idea to get a band idea together to play this hard rock like we are currently playing. They have been in out of different bands from fourteen years of age. They wanted to do it right this time. They got in touch with me. I was back in America at the time. I was working in a pizza place in New Jersey. They sent me a letter and said if you are coming home any time soon to look them up and get the band up and running. As luck would have it, I was heading home a month later to enroll in the University. As it turns out I was in the same class as Paul, which was quite a bizarre twist of fate. So we got a practice organized and got James on board on drums, and after that we haven’t really looked back since.
HRH: It almost sounds like it was meant to be.
Cormac Neeson: It sounds like it yeah, I am afraid so. (laughs).
HRH: Who are some of the key influences in your music?
Cormac Neeson: Key Influences would included a lot of late 60’s and 70’s rock and roll bands, like Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Rolling Stones and stuff like that, but also I suppose The Black Crowes and a lot of varying influences. Paul is into the 80’s metal. We all have different influences, but the music we play is kind of where we all meet in the middle.
HRH: Are you listening to any of the current artists that are out there today?
Cormac Neeson: I suppose today we are into bands like Queens of the Stone Age, The Raconteurs. Any bands that are playing the hard style of rock and roll we would be in to.
HRH: How do you think the music scene differs in the United States as compared to Ireland?
Cormac Neeson: I think there are a lot more choices in America. I think a lot of that has to do is the number of radio stations playing the different genres of music over here. At home everybody listens to two or three of the same radio stations and thats about it, you know. Definitely there is a lot more diversity, which is very healthy, I think at home. A lot of people kind of fall into specific categories that are heavily influenced by whatever radio DJ they are listening to. Over here you have so much choice. People tend to make up their own minds, which is a very good positive thing I think.
HRH: I first found out about The Answer when you won Classic Rock Magazine’s Best New Band of 2005. What was it like receiving such a cool award, and how has that affected your career so far?
Cormac Neeson: That was great. That was the first taste of success that the band had. We haven’t even released our first album at that stage, it was all based on a couple of EP’s that had been released before hand. I suppose more than anything else, it was a great boost and great encouragement, and obviously it got us a lot of positive press off of the back of it. It was a nice platform, from which to release our debut album and kind of take things from there. It was an enjoyable experience that I can look back on. I got to meet Jimmy Page that night. It was great.
HRH: Prior to your tour with AC/DC, you have played with Whitesnake, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, The Who 
and in front of 80,000 people with the Rolling Stones in Serbia. What has it been like playing with so many classic hard rock acts?
Cormac Neeson: It has been amazing. If I had to pick a favorite gig that we have played, that would probably be it. The sheer number of people, standing and clapping their hands. It was breath taking. It was as far as the eye could see. Up to this point, we haven’t managed to play for more than 80,000 you know. The fact that is was supporting the Rolling Stones you know, I mean The Rolling Stones and AC/DC are probably the two greatest rock and roll bands still currently touring. It was unbelievable and breath taking.
HRH: How have these bands reacted to your music? Have they given you any advice?
Cormac Neeson: Different bands react in different ways. Some bands like to keep to themselves. Other bands like to take us on, and take us in as part of the family. AC/DC is one of those bands. Brian Johnson is consistently coming in to the dressing room and making sure that we are all right, and having a good time. When we toured with Whitesnake we were made part of that touring family which was great, you know. A band is going to give you advice, it is always to keep our heads down, to not to do many drinks and drugs. The usual kind of stuff. It is nice to know we have friends in high places that keep an eye on our progress.
HRH: When did you find out that you landed the AC/DC tour, and what was your reaction?
Cormac Neeson: We found out literally, two weeks before we packed our bags and headed for America. It was a whirlwind. It was an unbelievable shock for the band, but obviously a great shock. One day we were in London recording B-Sides for a future single. He took us out for a pint and sat a paper face down on the table in front of us, and said boys, I have some band news. You can’t do the European tour that we had planned for you this November. I said “Why”, he said flip that page over and you will find out. There were 42 dates on the page with AC/DC for all of across America. It was a real cause for celebration. It happened so fast we really haven’t had time to step back and think about it all. We have a week and a half off at Christmas. We will take stock of where we are at. This is a great opportunity, and hopefully we will make the best of it.
HRH: You were supposed to go on tour with Black Stone Cherry before the AC/DC tour weren’t you?
Cormac Neeson: We were yes. That was the initial plan, but obviously you can’t turn down a band like AC/DC if they ask you to come on tour with them. Black Stone Cherry are a great band. We were very much looking forward to that tour, but it wasn’t meant to be.
HRH: How have the U.S. fans reacted to your live show?
Cormac Neeson: Very positively. I think the cold weather, the rain and the wind, helps get everyone into the arena. We are playing to 80 to 90 percent in arenas every night. We were told and warned in fact that the support slot for AC/DC is no easy task. They haven’t played here in 7 years or whatever it is. You expect crowds to be very impatient. We have been getting standing ovations every night, and a lot of hits on our myspace, and a lot of positive stuff. We seem to be really devolping a good solid fan base over here, which is great considering this is our first tour of America.
HRH: Last Christmas you performed with Paul Rodgers at the Planet Rock Christmas party, which you later turned into a live CD later on. How did that opportunity come together, and what was the experience like playing with Paul?
Cormac Neeson: It was a dream come true for myself. Paul Rodgers is probably my greatest influence as a singer. It all came together, just a lucky coincidence really. Paul Rodgers was supporting Led Zeppelin the night before our gig in London. He got word that we were playing, and said he wanted to come down. We suggested that he get up and do a song or two. He came down, and we rattled through “Mover” and “The Hunter” during soundcheck, and decided we would give it a go. We had a great gig from the offset, and the fact that Paul got up and did two songs with us was amazing. It was also great that we caught it on tape and could release it as an official bootleg. It was nice to have that part of history documented.
HRH: Why did you choose to release the Never Too Late EP instead of your CD “Rise” in the U.S.?
Cormac Neeson: Unfortunately we tried very hard to get our first album released over here, but we just couldn’t get the label to get a date over here in time to release it. By the time we released Never Too Late a few weeks ago, we have our second album ready to go with the released date of 17th of February. Rather than release two albums in such quick succession, we thought we will release an EP, and whet peoples appetites a little bit. Then we will hit them with a full album in February. People can always go back to Rise if they like what they hear. Our opinion is the second album is better than the first, so why not give America the best we have to start with. Then people can trace us back to our roots.
HRH: Do you foresee Rise getting a release in the United States at a later date?
Cormac Neeson: I am sure it will be released later on down the road. We don’t want to short change our audience. We will keep putting out fresh material. If there is a demand for it, we will put it out there.
HRH: You recently had a couple of your songs used in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour, and Pure for the Playstation 3. How did that come together?
Cormac Neeson: To be honest, I don’t really know, their must be somebody in the gaming industry that likes the band, and puts our songs in those games. That is an unbelievable opportunity to get our name out there. Guitar Hero sells millions and millions of copies worldwide. In fact on the AC/DC tour, coming in every day, I hear “hey man I was playing your songs on Guitar Hero last night, drinking beers”. Between that and that AC/DC tour, and our new album, it is all coming together nicely for us.
HRH: It sounds like 2009 could be a big year for the Answer.
Cormac Neeson: I have my fingers crossed. (laughs)
HRH: You have a new album coming out in February. What will the new album be called?
Cormac Neeson: The new album will be called Everyday Demons.
HRH: What was the writing process like for the new disc?
Cormac Neeson: It was very positive, and completely different from the process of the first album. Obviously, every bands’ first album is going to be a collection of tunes basically dating right back to the very beginnings of the band. In our case we had three or four years worth of songs to choose from. In contrast, this album was written in six months just before last Christmas. As a result it is a lot more consistent, and a statement that we are trying to make is a lot more fluent. The band is captured where we are right now in our song writing, musical ability and everything like that. It is a true statement where The Answer are currently at. It is good.
HRH: How long did it take you to record it?
Cormac Neeson: It took us two months. We did 5 weeks in L.A., we did a couple of weeks pre-production before we came to L.A. and then Paul did some more guitars in London for about a week and a half on the way back from America. It was very intense and very hard work and not a lot of breathing space, but the end result was well worth it.
HRH: With so many cool videos under your belt already, do you have videos planned for the new record?
Cormac Neeson: We actually just made a video for a song called On and On, which is the third track on the album. It is going to be the first single on the album. We had a gig in East Rutherford, New Jersey recently. We had the day off the next day, and went to Brooklyn to a big studio and set up a lot of different backgrounds, and shot a video for On and On. It was great you know. I got to a lot of work with a with a beautiful model which is never a bad thing.
HRH: Do you know when the single will be released?
Cormac Neeson: It is currently out there, I think the video we are planning to launch the video in a couple of weeks time.
HRH: What do you feel are some of the highlights of your career so far?
Cormac Neeson: Nothing is bigger than the current tour we are on, but as we already mentioned the Serbia gig with the Rolling Stones, we got to meet them as well, they are living legends you know, signing with Paul Rodgers and supporting Paul Rodgers in the Albert Hall was amazing. We always really enjoy getting out on tour for ourselves. We would like to be playing for an hour forty or an hour fifty minutes, getting to really entertain the audience for long stints of time. We did a couple of tours in Australia and Japan which was a great experience. It is always great to get back to Belfast at the end of a long tour to do homecoming gigs.
HRH: How long do you expect to be on the road with AC/DC?
Cormac Neeson: We honestly don’t know, we are hoping that they will give us some of the European bits. Nothing has been confirmed yet, so we can’t really presume that we are doing that. We are on tour with them until the end of January all across America. If that is all we get, we will be happy with that, but obviously if we get some more gigs, we will be even happier. (laughs)
HRH: If not, hopefully you can come back to the U.S. and do a tour of your own.
Cormac Neeson: Absolutely, as soon as we come off of tour with AC/DC, we are going to start having to do tours of our own in America, and Europe and Japan and Australia. It is going to be a very busy couple of years.
HRH: What would you like to tell all of your fans?
Cormac Neeson: I would like to say keep your ear to the ground, and don’t forget about us. Check us out. If you are into your rock and roll, we are a good honest hard hitting rock and roll band. I think you will enjoy us very much. I hope to see you very soon at a gig of our own, where we can entertain you for a couple of hours, and have a few beers with you after the show.
7 HRH Interview With Guitar Legend Yngwie Malmsteen
It isn’t every day when you get to talk to a guitar legend like Yngwie Malmsteen. I have listened to his music since I was a teenager, and never imagined that I would one day get the honor to talk to him. I have heard lots of unpleasant things about Yngwie over the years, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I interviewed him. What I found was a person who was very easy to talk to, and at times quite humorous. He was a total class act during our interview session. We talked about his new album “Perpetual Flame”, his history and influences, and his opinion on music today.
HRH: How did you start working with Ripper Owens?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Well, what happened was I did this album a little different than normal. Normally you have like a cycle where you make a record, you go on tour for that record, then you come home and start writing songs for a record and do another tour. This time around I was just writing songs as I was touring for the last album. I eventually had enough music to cut real songs. I went in recorded like 30 songs. Then I went back on tour and so forth. The songs all sounded different when I came back. Everytime I came back I wrote some guitars, I wrote some bass, I wrote some lyrics. Eventually the songs started taking shape so much that they had names and they were finished. Songs like Death Dealer and Live to Fight (Another Day) and so forth. I realized that the singer that I had at the time (Doogie White) he would not fit the new songs, so Tim’s name came up. I invited him down to Miami. I said hey do you want to come down and sing with me a bit. He came down, I showed him a couple of songs, and that was it.
HRH: You worked with him once before on the Bat Head Soup CD right?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Yeah, but that was different. I was in one studio and he was in another one.
HRH: Ripper’s voice really seems to compliment your style of playing. “Death Dealer” and “Red Devil” are two of the coolest songs I have heard by you in quite some time. What was the recording process like for Perpetual Flame?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Thank you. It was a little different because I needed drums. I went on tour. I came back, I had guitars and bass recorded and lots of lyrics. I came back again added keyboards. I had my Pro tools on my laptop and I was hanging out with a guy who had a string section who put some strings on it. All of the recording was done and Tim came in and just sang the lyrics I had written, and that was it. It was pretty simple. It was done in sections.
HRH: How does Ripper compare to past singers that you have worked with?
Yngwie Malmsteen: His voice really fits in with almost exactly what I hear in my head. When I write songs like “Death Dealer” and “Damnation Game” I know what I am looking for. That is why I decided Doogie wasn’t going to cut it. I feel that Tim fits right in.
HRH: This album is a lot heavier than the last couple of discs you have put out. Was that your intention when you were writing the music?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Not in the beginning, but the songs started coming together, and I knew that is what we were going with. In the beginning, I was kind of letting it flow . That was one of the reasons why I changed singers too, because the songs were starting to get so heavy, that there was no way that Doogie would have fit in.
HRH: You have a pretty large collection of guitars. Which guitars did you use while recording Perpetual Flame?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I used a lot of different ones. Fender Strats, and different bases of course and two Marshalls. The Fender guitars I used on this album from the late 60’s and the Marshall amps are also very old.
HRH: What are your Tour plans for the new album?
Yngwie Malmsteen: We have done Europe in the summer, not so much for the album, but we just toured. We did five weeks in America, by no long shot was this complete tour but it was good. We will be going to South America, Japan, Australia, America and Europe again. It is going to be a big tour.
HRH: There are quite a few festivals popping up in the United States. Do you see yourself performing at one of the new musical festivals like Rock Gone Wild, Rocklahoma or Rock the Bayou?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Yeah, sure why not, that is always cool.
HRH: The number of guitarists that cite you as an influence is pretty much endless. Who inspired you to pick up the guitar and make music such a huge part of your life?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I grew up in a very musical family. My older brother and sister they were very good musicians. I was the youngest. I got my first guitar when I was five years old. On the news they showed the day that Jimi Hendrix died. They showed him setting his guitar on fire at Monterey Pop. I saw him burn his guitar and I knew that is what I wanted to do. I started playing the guitar the same day. A year later or so I got a record from sister. She gave me the Deep Purple Fireball album. I thought it was very cool. When I grew up in Sweden there was nothing there. It was completely empty from rock and roll and music or anything like that. There was classical and Jazz, but nothing like what it was here. The impact of hearing Purple was very big on me. I really like that. The biggest influence on my music are Bach, Vivaldi and Niccolò Paganini. If you listen to my stuff you will hear it.
HRH: If you could give advice to any young guitar players out there, what would you tell them?
Yngwie Malmsteen: It all depends on what they want to achieve. If they want to achieve greatness and be like something that is out of the ordinary. It is a lot of hardwork. There are no shortcuts to that. Obviously, if they wanted to learn how to play, they can learn bits and things and carry on. It all depends on what they want to do. If they want to be serious, there is a lot of hard work involved.
HRH: There have been a lot of classic hard rock and metal acts reunite over the last few years. Ron Keel has recently announced the reunion of KEEL for several live shows next year. Can you see yourself doing a Steeler or Alcatrazz reunion in the near future?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I have been contacted a lot about that. I don’t know. I will never say never.
HRH: What is your opinion on the current guitarists of today?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I haven’t really kept track of them. I am so extremely busy with what I am doing myself. When I am not playing music I am usually doing other things. Playing around with my Ferraris and playing Tennis and things like that. What I understand there is a new group of kids that are very serious about playing which is great, I think that is a good thing.
HRH: Are you still a big Ferrari Fan?
Yngwie Malmsteen: (Passionately) Ohh Yeah!
HRH: Have you seen the new Spider Model that has just been released?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Yeah, but I am more into the vintage Ferarris.
HRH:Why do you think hard rock/metal was able to maintain it’s popularity in Europe and Asia but not here in the states?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I am not even sure about that. What I do know is Rock and roll and metal never goes away ever. It took the back seat in America in the 90’s. In Japan and South America it was still really big. I never followed trends so I don’t know the exact function of them. I think there must be somebody in league to changing things. When the glam metal thing of the late 80’s became to glammy, then instead of having two bottles of hair spray in your hair, it became better not to wash your hair at all. To me its all trend stuff. I don’t follow that stuff. I just do what I feel is the right thing. I don’t know what the reason is for that. Its not fashion.
HRH: Did your involvement in the G3 Tour with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai help get your music back out there in the U.S.?
Yngwie Malmsteen: It had some impact, sure, yeah. I think that it helped all three of us, but I think the most important thing now, that you can see nowadays are kids are being introduced to this music through video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. This seems to be a big influence on kids. Its a new thing to them.
HRH: What do you think about the new generation of music fans being introduced to hard rock and metal through games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band?
Yngwie Malmsteen: When we were younger it was Radio and MTV. It is just a different way of getting it. If they have a game that has rock and roll in it, that is going to introduce the kids to the music. That is good. It is cool.
HRH: Are their any plans for your songs to be added in future editions of the games?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I think so yeah. I am pretty sure that is happening right now. (A few days after our interview, it was announced that some of the songs from Perpetual Flame would be available for download in the game Rockband.)
HRH: Your son Antonio is 10 now right? Has he taken on your passion for music yet?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Yeah, Not in the same way that I did. When I grew up there was no TV, nothing. The guitar could be my whole life. The kids today have internet and TV and games and all that stuff. When he does pick up the guitar, he is a natural for sure. For sure he is going to play. I was so extreme, I was playing 24/7 all my life. That was bizarre anyway, kind of like a (laughs) a circus freak you know.
HRH: There is a new line of Yngwie Malsteen Play Loud tribute guitars from Fender coming out next week. What you can you tell us about those?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Fender had made my guitars for 20 years now. The model has been improved on and updated. It is just fantastic, that is why I love to play it. This is a special series of just 100 pieces that is an exact replica of the guitar that I brought with me from Sweden when I was a teenager. It has the exact same rust particle scratch, feels the same, smells the same. It is amazing. I have never seen anything like it my life. It is scary, it is frightening. It is limited to 100 pieces.
HRH: I saw how the even mimicked your bite marks on the guitar, and wondered how they did that.
Yngwie Malmsteen: I wondered if they had some witchcraft going on there. (laughs)
HRH: You were recently inducted to Guitar Center’s Rockwalk in Hollywood, what was that experience like?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Very Bizarre (laughs). I have time to reflect on it now. Apparently it is in the street already. The next time I go there I will see it. I remember walking those streets as teenager. Its amazing. I don’t know what else to say. Thank you, I am honored.
HRH: Is there anything you would like to tell your fans in closing?
Yngwie Malmsteen: I would like to say thank you. I would like everyone to check out my new record Perpetual Flame. If they have heard my stuff before they will dig it. If they haven’t I hope they will dig it. Thank you for the support for twenty years. God Bless You All! God Bless America!
1 Hinder’s Cody Hanson Goes To The Limit With HRH
Hinder is back and in a big way with their new release “Take It To the Limit”, which was released on Nov. 4th and rocketed into the Top 5 on the album charts. HRH recently had the chance to talk to Hinder’s skinman Cody Hanson not only about the new album but also, their upcoming tour with Motley Crue and the band’s love for Jaeger. With no one rushing us through the interview Cody and I ended up talking for close to 30 minutes so it is impossible to put everything we talked about down without it running for 3 or 4 pages. I have to say Cody is one of the coolest people I have interviewed, not only for HRH but going back to the days I worked in radio also. Enjoy!
HRH: “Take It To the Limit” is Hinder’s first album in 3 years, with the way the music scene changes so fast these days did the band worry about it taking so long to get the album out?
Cody Hanson: Actually yeah, that is always a concern whenever you are going in. But we were on the road so long and “Extreme Behavior” had so much life that we had to stay out on the road and tour on it as long as we could. But once we got finished we didn’t take a break except for maybe a week and a half if that, then we were writing and going into the studio shortly after so we definitely got it out there as quick as we could.
HRH: You worked with Brian Howes producing again. Did that make the process easier since you had worked with him on “Extreme Behavior”?
Cody Hanson: Oh definitely man! We work so well with Brian, he’s like our sixth member of the band. He’s one of our best friends and he’s amazing so anytime we can work with him it makes it a lot easier.
HRH: “Loaded & Alone” and “Far From Home” are two autobiographical songs. What are some other songs that came out of real life experiences?
Cody Hanson: Well, a lot of our songs are true life experiences, Almost every song on the album is an experience that one of us has had. Austin and I do the majority of the lyric writing but we pull things that we see happening to the rest of the guys as well or even some friends or family members.
HRH: You have a video for “Use Me” and have “Use Me’ and “Without You” on the radio. Are we going to see a video for “Without You” anytime soon?
Cody Hanson: Yeah it should be out already. I wanna say MTV2 just picked it up and Fuse might’ve picked it up I’m not sure. We shot it out in L.A. two or three weeks ago. We had Aimee Teegarden, from “Friday Night Lights” and Kellan Lutz from “Twilight” are both in it.
HRH: What are some of the other songs you would like to see released as singles?
Cody Hanson: Man you know what it is hard for me to say. I’m in love with the entire album, but “the Best Is Yet To Come” is my favorite song on the album so at some point I would definitely like to see that one released and “Up All Night” is another one I would like to see out there.
HRH: Everyone knows Mick Mars played lead and solos on the title track “Take It To the Limit” but he initially contacted you guys to write some songs together. What was your reaction when you found out Mick Mars wants to write songs with you?
Cody Hanson: It was pretty much holy sh*t you have to be f**king kidding me. All of us look up to Motley Crue and they are one of our biggest musical influences, so it is pretty crazy when someone you look up too like that calls and reaches out wanting to work with you, that’s pretty incredible.
HRH: Did anything come out of the writing sessions that we may be hearing in the future?
Cody Hanson: We actually never got a chance to write, but there is a good chance it might happen in the future we are going to be spending some time with them out on the road coming up pretty soon so we’ll see.
HRH: What do you think it is going to be like going out on the road with Motley Crue next year?
Cody Hanson: Um I don’t know man, I am not really sure what to expect because things are so much different then they used to be with those guys but I think it is going to be fun. It is going to be cool to get in front of Motley Crue fans, especially those that aren’t familiar with Hinder. It should be a blast for sure.
HRH: You guys are from Oklahoma City. When you were playing the clubs there did you ever think you would be hanging out with Mick Mars or Playboy Cybergirls, like the ones in the “Use Me” video?
Cody Hanson: I don’t know man I never really thought about it. We were just so focused on gaining new fans and doing what we had to do to get somewhere, at that point it was all business, of course we like to have a good time and stuff but we were really really focused on just getting our music out there. I definitely never thought it would be this way that is for sure.
HRH: You guys are out on the road right now with the Jaegermeister tour with Rev Theory and Trapt. How is that going?
Cody Hanson: It’s awesome we’ve been great friends with the Rev Theory guys for a long time so it’s always great to get back out on the road with them, live it up and have some good times. Of course Jaegermeister is amazing the company and the drink I think we drink more Jaeger than water so it’s great.
HRH: You installed a Jaeger machine on your tour bus so there has to be some wild road stories.
Cody Hanson: Yeah there are always stories, always good stuff going on. We actually just got one of the new pull styles machines and they gave us a road case for it so we can take it anywhere we want to go without it getting all messed up.
HRH: Your first album “Extreme Behavior” was out for a year before it actually hit big. Did the band get discouraged when it didn’t hit right off?
Cody Hanson: No not really, we knew it was going to be a very slow build like it is for any baby band. “Get Stoned” did really well for us, it got up to number 2 on the rock charts so we were moving some pretty good units off of that single alone and then of course when “Lips” hit things just got insanely crazy. We were just excited to be out touring and doing our thing.
HRH: “Lips of an Angel” was such a huge song. It is hard for a rock band to get respect when your first hit is a ballad?
Cody Hanson: Well I guess it depends on who you are talking about in the press and the reviews I read all the time there are so many people that just f**king hate us with a passion but all that matters to the band is our fans love the music that we write, if they pick up the album and the music touches them on some level and they come to the show ready to party then I don’t care what anybody else says.
HRH: Was there any pressure from the record company to write “Lips of an Angel 2”?
Cody Hanson: No it was pretty cool they were actually like nonexistent during the whole process. It gave us the chance to write the album that we wanted to write and record. I don’t know that they are so happy now but we’ll see.
HRH: AC/DC’s “Black Ice” was leaked weeks before the release date. How hard is it for bands to protect their music and make sure that doesn’t happen?
Cody Hanson: It’s pretty tough especially on the label end. Our A&R guy at the label keeps it on lock down, he is really careful about who he gives music too, he basically keeps it all to himself. We were able to have one version, he wasn’t even able to give it to everybody in the band that’s how careful they were.
HRH: Anything you would like to say before we wrap it up?
Cody Hanson: We are out on the road, so come see us and be ready to party and thanks to the fans that support us, we appreciate it they are the reason we do what we do.
4 Buckcherry’s Josh Todd talks AC/DC, politics, and Val Kilmer with HRH
A few days prior to the release of their latest album “Black Butterfly” I had an opportunity to talk to Buckcherry guitarist and co-founder Keith Nelson. Now almost two months since the release of the album I had the opportunity to talk to front-man Josh Todd not only about the new album and tour but also about his acting career and his opinion about President elect Barack Obama. I went into this interview with an idea Josh was a wild and crazy front-man but when the interview was over I was left with a completely different impression, in a good way.
HRH: Josh, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today.
Josh Todd: Sure, no problem
HRH: You guys are currently on the road with Avenged Sevenfold, Shinedown, and Saving Abel, how is the tour going so far?
Josh Todd: It was going great until we ran into a blizzard and couldn’t make it to our show tonight.
HRH: You played Billings, MT last night and were supposed to play Fargo tonight?
Josh Todd: Yeah last night was awesome.
HRH: Buckcherry.com has this line up of bands together till December. Who are some of the bands you are looking at taking out on the next leg?
Josh Todd: We are trying to figure that out right now as far as what we are going to do after the new year. But when we find out we’ll let everybody know.
HRH: What are the plans going into the new year for the band?
Josh Todd: Well we have this new album “Black Butterfly” and it has a lot of great songs so we are going to be putting in alot of time and effort to make sure everyone gets to hear the depth of this record like we did with “15” we toured two years and over 300 shows and we have already done 65 shows and the album hasn’t been out for two months yet. So we are just going to be touring and getting these songs out on the radio so everyone will know what’s going on here.
HRH: How many songs off of “Black Butterfly” are you able to include in the set?
Josh Todd: Let’s see, we play Rescue Me, Don’t Go Away, Too Drunk, and Cream so about four.
HRH: You have been covering “the Stroke” by Billy Squier live. Is that something we may see you guys releasing for maybe a soundtrack or a b-side?
Josh Todd: We don’t play the whole song, we do it as part of a medley with “Crazy Bitch” and the fans seem to like it.
HRH: Do you get to play any of the songs off of “You Made Me”?
Josh Todd: No
HRH: Are there any plans for another solo album?
Josh Todd: Not at the moment.
HRH: After 4 albums “Black Butterfly” is the first one to hit the Top 10. How big is that for the band?
Josh Todd: It is huge for us you know. We have been after this for a long time and that is something you dream about hitting milestones like that. We always want to elevate our game from record to record and that is what we try to do.
HRH: Buckcherry is on the third single and video with “Rescue Me” Are there plans to release more singles or videos from the album?
Josh Todd: Yeah everybody really loves “Rose” but right now we are focused on what we got going on with “Rescue Me” and “Don’t Go Away”. We’ll probably do something with “Rose” sometime after the new year.
HRH: When you release a new album is there a set number of singles that you plan on releasing or is it more of a wait and see approach?
Josh Todd: Sometimes we are clear on it, sometimes the singles change over the course of the album’s cycle. Songs we thought were going to be the one change because more people are hearing the music and we find out what everybody is really gravitating towards.
HRH: How much say does the band have in what songs are released as singles?
Josh Todd: Oh we have final say.
HRH: What other songs do you think might have been overlooked or didn’t get as much attention as they deserve?
Josh Todd: I personally like “All of Me” I think it is a masterpiece. Hopefully that will be a song, I mean there are already a lot of people that love that song but I think it is different for everybody.
HRH: I talked to Keith a few days before “Black Butterfly” release and he mentioned “Imminent Bailout” and “Cream” as two songs that were special on the album. What was the inspiration behind the lyrics of “Cream”?
Josh Todd: Cream is just about my love for music and being a music man and all the sacrifices you have to make to do this for a living. It’s my deepest love that is what it’s about.
HRH: You and Keith started Buckcherry because of a mutual love of AC/DC. Have you had a chance to hear “Black Ice”?
Josh Todd: I did I have the record, but I thought Stiff Upper Lip was a better record. But there are a couple of songs I really like, I like the first single “Rock-n-Roll Train” and there is another song called “Anything Goes” where Brian is singing with a lot more meoldy and I thought that was cool. As a whole I didn’t think the record was a great record but it is a good rock-n-roll record.
HRH: You are 37 now, can you see Buckcherry still together and performing when you are in your late 50’s early 60’s?
Josh Todd: No I don’t know why anyone would want to see that.
HRH: You were in a band called Slamhound prior to Buckcherry and I found a demo a few years ago at a record store in San Francisco. Will there ever be an “official” release of Slamhound’s music?
Josh Todd: No probably not that band hasn’t been together for years. I really enjoyed that band when I was in it but I doubt I’ll be putting anything out.
HRH: I want to change gears here a little bit if you don’t mind. Are you a political person?
Josh Todd: Nope
HRH: Do you have an opinion about President elect Barack Obama?
Josh Todd: I really like his energy plan that is something I really like but i’m not too excited about the taxes. But as far as what this guy is made of I just don’t think we know yet you know. As a whole as far as both candidates were concerned I just wish we had more choices, because I think a lot of people were on the fence with both parties. I think it is really to soon to see what is going to happen with Obama I mean we’ll see. He has to back all of his words I mean he’s got a very difficult job. I definitely wouldn’t want to be handling it. I congratulate him for his courage to take on this incredible task and hopefully he will do it with grace and really bring something to the office.
HRH: You recently had a part in the movie Eagle Eye and you have had parts in the New Guy and Salton Sea along with a couple of t.v. shows. Do you see acting as something you would like to get more serious about as far as pursuing some bigger roles or is it more of something to do when you have down time from Buckcherry?
Josh Todd: I would love to get a bigger role because I love challenges but we are never home. We tour so much that it is really hard for me to get gigs. When I’m home I get to do stuff here and there but I would love to be challenged with acting bigger than what I’v
e done.
HRH: What was it like working with Val Kilmer on Salton Sea?
Josh Todd: Wow Val is like, he is an incredible guy to watch, he is a great great actor and he really taught me a lot. He was very nice to me at that point in time, he understood my situation that it was the first movie I had ever done. He was very instrumental and kind of pushing me along and I am very grateful to him for that. I just thought he was a joy to work with.
HRH: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers before I let you go?
Josh Todd: I would just encourage them to go out and pick up a copy of “Black Butterfly” if they haven’t already and to check out Buckcherry.com to see where we are at and come out to the show and have a blast.
5 HRH Interview With Tesla Bassist Brian Wheat
2008 has been a pretty good year for Tesla. They have released a new DVD, “Comin’ At Ya Live” and a new CD, “Forever More“. When the opportunity came up to interview Brian Wheat from Tesla, I couldn’t pass it up. Tesla has been one of my favorite bands for a very long time now. Brian and I talked about Forever More, the current Tesla tour and more. Check out the interview below. Enjoy!
HRH: I have seen Tesla live a couple of times in the last year on the Real to Reel Tour. Dave Rude is fitting in well with the band. How did you guys find Dave ?
Brian Wheat: Frank found Dave on myspace. It is pretty well documented that we were having problems with Tommy Skeoch. When it came to start looking for someone to replace him, Frank started looking at myspace, and people in the Sacramento area. Dave is from Oakland, California so he was pretty close by.
HRH: Do you still keep in touch with Tommy Skeoch?
Brian Wheat: No, I don’t keep in touch with Tommy at all.
HRH: Forever More is the first album with new studio material with Dave Rude. What
musical influences does he bring to Tesla?
Brian Wheat: Dave likes Guns ‘N Roses, Tesla and Motley Crue. A Lot of the new stuff out there he listens to as well. He is 30 years old. Frank is 42 years old, I am 44. He brings a younger spark, and a lot of positivity to the band. He is a great guitar player. We all wrote the songs together on this album. He has a positive attitude and money can’t buy that.
HRH: What are some of the circumstances the band was going through that inspired the songs on “Forever More”?
Brian Wheat: There was a lot going on. People coming to life changing decisions. The general gist is that we didn’t want to put up with any more bullshit. We just wanted to move forward. Just like the song “I Wanna Live”. I wanna live before I die and I don’t want the world to pass me buy. “Breaking Free” is we are done with the negativity, lets get on with positivity.
HRH: When Tesla prepares to record a new album how many songs do you usually go into
the studio with and what happens to the songs that do not make the albums?
Brian Wheat: We go in with ideas for songs with bits and pieces. We brought in Terry Thomas for this record. Even with the ideas that we had, he stripped them down to their basic form and we rewrote them all. In the end it came out great. While we were doing it there were some growing pains. When it was all said and done the results came out brilliantly. The songs that didn’t make it on the album were ideas that we didn’t finish.
HRH: What songs are you current favorites on the new record?
Brian Wheat: I like “Falling Apart”, “I Wanna Live”, “Breaking Free”, “First Time”, and “Forever More“.
HRH: Who came up with the art work for the album? Are there any stories behind it?
Brian Wheat: We have a guy that works with us Dwayne Serfass. Frank(Hannon) had this idea that he wanted to call the album Eternity, and none of us are eternal and none of us were too keen on that. We had a song on the album called Forever More which much means the same thing. Once we agreed on the theme, Dwayne found this photo of these two bodies buried in Pompeii that was 4000 years old. They were buried together embracing each other. The photo is called the “eternal embrace”. That is where the skeletons come from. It is a well noted photo.
HRH: What songs from Forever More will you be performing on tour?
Brian Wheat: We are playing six songs. We will probably play each of them at one point in time. I can’t tell you which ones. We have only been on tour for a week.
HRH: How long will you be out on the Forever More tour?
Brian Wheat: The better part of this year and see what evolves with this record. We will probably do 4 or 5 legs in America. We will hit Europe, Japan and Australia and see what is left. We want to play everywhere we can. We usually do a month on and 3 weeks off, that way we don’t burn ourselves out.
HRH: Tesla played in a couple of big rock festivals in the U.S. this year, The South Texas Rock Festival and Rocklahoma. What was your Rocklahoma experience like?
Brian Wheat: That was great. Those guys do a really good job on that. They keep expanding and keep coming up with new ideas. It was a really nice festival that was reminiscent of the festivals we have played in Europe. There are a lot of festivals in the summer there. It was good.
HRH: Will you be playing in any U.S. Music Festivals in 2009?
Brian Wheat: In America? I don’t know. The question is do we do Rocklahoma two years in a row or do we wait a year. That is kind of the question that has been posed. There may be a Texas Jam next summer.
HRH: There is a new festival called Rock Gone Wild that will be in Iowa next summer, that has 5 or 6 bands lined up to play so far.
Brian Wheat: That will probably be something that may end up playing.
HRH: Your new video for” I Wanna Live” came out really cool. Do you have plans to do any more videos for Forever More?
Brian Wheat: Yes, absolutely. We are doing a lot more stuff in house. We have our art department, we have our own recording studio, we have our video department. We are pretty self sufficient. If we want to do something we can do it. If we were in a situation where we were on a major label, that might not have always happened.
HRH: You are current on the road with Pop Evil. How has the tour been going so far? How did you meet those guys?
Brian Wheat: A guy that works radio manages them. George Capalini, he sent us a disc, and we liked it, and we put them on the tour. They are out there promoting their record, trying to bring in new fans and young fans. They are good guys.
HRH: What is the status of the Tesla box set?
Brian Wheat: The Tesla box set is currently on hold. Until we and Universal can come to a mutual agreement and understanding of the box set, it is on hold. We wanted to get it out by our 20th anniversary, maybe it will be the 25th anniversary. We just don’t know.
HRH: Is there any unreleased or cover material in the box set?
Brian Wheat: There is some stuff. I just don’t know if we are going release more cover stuff. We did two records of covers. The box set will be material with Tommy Skeoch. We did release some additional cover songs on iTunes on “A Peace of Time”. There were two or three covers. The version of “I Love You” and the Bread song (“Everything I Own”), those two came out really good. Lets hope that we all see the box set. It is kind of in Universal’s court right now.
HRH: Is it easier to get music out to the fans since Tesla now has their own label?
Brian Wheat: Yes and no. It is young. How does your music get out there? Is out on iTunes yet? You have to look for it. The way most people find out about music is the radio. Some stations still think Tesla is really relevant and some stations don’t. It is hard because you have to convince them that band still is relevant. I don’t think that wouldn’t matter with a large label, or our a label of our own. You can’t buy radio time, its against the law. You just have to go out and swing the bat you have.
HRH: Do you have plans to signing additional bands to your label?
Brian Wheat: No, Tesla Electric Company is just for Tesla.
HRH: A lot of bands are releasing their music as downloadable content for sale in the
video games Guitar Hero and Rockband. Any chance the Tesla catalog will be made
available this way?
Brian Wheat: Absolutely, yes.
HRH: In closing, do you have anything you would like to tell your fans?
Brian Wheat: Go out and buy the new record, I think you will enjoy it. Come out and see us this year on the Forever More tour, if we play in your city or a city near you.
That was the way the interview closed. Brian had another interview call to make and we were a little over on time. Brian was very cool and easy to talk to. I am looking forward to catching Tesla on the road on the Forever More tour!
If you haven’t picked up a copy of the new album, click on the cover below to place your order today!
6 HRH Interview With Buckcherry Guitarist Keith Nelson
I don’t make it a secret that Buckcherry is one of my favorite bands out there so of course I jumped at the chance for the opportunity to interview guitarist Keith Nelson. I thought it was a great interview, there were a lot of questions I didn’t get to ask because there wasn’t enough time but that is ok I will save them for the next time. Here is what he had to say, Enjoy!
HRH: Buckcherry recently wrapped up the inaugural Cruefest, how did you think the tour went
Keith Nelson: I thought it was phenomenal, a lot of fun
HRH: What were some of the other bands on the bill that you watched when you had a chance?
Keith Nelson: Papa Roach they are a great live band and of course the Crue they were just over the top.
HRH: Do you think Buckcherry will go out with Cruefest next year?
Keith Nelson: Definitely if we get the chance.
HRH: Buckcherry did over 300 shows in support of 15 are you looking at the same kind of tour for “Black Butterfly”?
Keith Nelson: We were thinking of maybe 600 or 700. Just kidding, Yeah you know we are a live band and that is what we do so going out on the road and living out on the pirate strip as they call it and making rock-n-roll 6 nights a week is kinda what we do.
HRH: 15 was recorded in 15 days how long did it take to record “Black Butterfly”?
Keith Nelson: 21 days on this record
HRH: When it comes to writing is everyone involved or is it you and Josh?
Keith Nelson: Everyone is involved, every song ultimately ends up in the room with all 5 guys weighing in regardless of where it starts. A lot of times Josh and I will come up something, get it pretty much completed, take it in and start rehearsing it. I want to hear what the other guys in my band think of it and see if they have any ideas.
HRH: Is there a story behind the title “Black Butterfly”?
Keith Nelson: Not really, well I guess the only story is there was a song called “Black Butterfly” that we all loved but ultimately didn’t make the record. Not because it was inferior to anything else but in the big picture of the record that piece just didn’t seem to fit, we loved it and certainly it will see the light of day at some point. But when we were coming up with concepts for the cover the image of the Black Butterfly was kind of stuck in my head so I proposed that as the title of the record and everyone seemed to like it.
HRH: So far there are 3 songs available for the fans to hear with, Too Drunk, Rescue Me, and Don’t Go Away, what are some of the other songs you like off the album?
Keith Nelson: Well there is a song called “Cream” that ends the record that is a pretty special song. It was written and rewritten and left for dead and then rewritten again and that is one of my favorite songs on the record. There is a song called “Imminent Bailout” which I think is probably one of the best rock songs I’ve ever written as far as sheer rock-n-roll intensity. There are so many songs, there is a song called “Rose” that I think is a great stretch for us as far as sonically in our approach to songwriting. Man there is a lot of great songs on the record.
HRH: Was the band surprised by the reaction of “Too Drunk” when it was leaked?
Keith Nelson: You know it is crazy how that all went down cause we actually finished mixing the record on a Sunday and 3 or 4 days later we left to start Cruefest, while that was all kind of going on while we were out of the road. Obviously it is in our best interest to present our record in a very structured, you know thought out way and with all the songs being passed around to different people for mastering, remixing, and what not unfortunately that song leaked. In this day and age we just kind of make the best of what we got so once the song was out there we just kind of had to follow it but it wasn’t our first choice for what the single was going to be.
HRH: You always have extra songs on the singles and imports, has there ever been any talk of putting out a B-sides album?
Keith Nelson: Yeah, I mean there hasn’t actually been any talk but it’s funny because early on the B-sides were very much, well you could tell why those songs weren’t on the record and now the left over tracks are as good as anything on the record but you can only put so many songs on a record. You never know I’m sure at some point after we have more of a discography behind us there will be some more special stuff.
HRH: After “Time Bomb” Buckcherry went on hiatus and you and Josh end up recording some songs with the guys from Velvet Revolver. The story goes there were 10 or so songs recorded is there a chance they will ever be made available to the public?
Keith Nelson: Well what happened with those songs is they were actually live recordings that we would make in a rehearsal room, they were multi-tracked. We didn’t make a record but we did do a very detailed recording of them in a live situation. They do exist, I do have them but they will never see the light of day.
HRH: In the past you played with Huck Johns and now he is playing with JB, Devon, and Yogi in a project called Black Robot. Is that something you helped put together?
Keith Nelson: I have no knowledge of that and know nothing about it.
HRH: Legend has it that you and Josh started Buckcherry because you both love AC/DC. Have you had a chance to hear their new single yet?
Keith Nelson: No but I am so excited about the new AC/DC record you have no idea.
HRH: With Cruefest finished and “Black Butterfly” tour starting up who are some of the bands you are looking at opening for you?
Keith Nelson: Well we start this next leg of the tour in a few days with Avenged Sevenfold, Shinedown, and Saving Abel, which are all great bands that is going to be a fun, fun tour. Airbourne is awesome, I would love to have Airbourne and we are actually going to do some dates with those guys in Japan.
HRH: If you could put together a Cherryfest and you could have any 5 bands past or present on the bill who would it be?
Keith Nelson: Well we would have AC/DC close the show for us and we would go on right before them. Right before us or maybe flip flopping every night we would have Stone Temple Pilots and Rage Against the Machine and I would probably get Muddy Waters to start things off.
And with that we wrapped the interview up, like I said earlier I think it was a great interview, very relaxed and laid back Keith was extremely easy to talk too. I definitely look forward to talking to him again if and when I get the chance.
1 Q & A with Black Tide!
Hard Rock Hideout recently got the opportunity to do a Q & A with the band Black Tide. The band has a brand new CD coming out in March, called Light From Above. I have listened to it, and it is going to blow people away!
HRH: Tell us how Black Tide got its start?
BT: Well, we started out almost 5 years ago, when we were called Radio, playing at backyard parties and the one small local club in our area. We just practiced a lot in the garage and living room, always trying to write new songs and just play everywhere that we could. We played at the Florida Music Festival and kinda just got this buzz about our band running through the industry. We talked to a lot of labels and even singed a demo deal with Atlantic records at one point. After enough time had wasted, we moved on and signed a deal with Interscope Records.
HRH: How long have you been playing?
BT: I have been playing the bass for about 5 years now, I pretty much started the day I joined this group.
HRH: What are the ages of the members of Black Tide?
BT: Gabriel (singer and guitar) is 15, Alex (guitar) is 18, Steven (drummer) is 19, and I am also 19 (Zakk).
HRH: Who are some of your musical influences?
BT: My musical influences come from all over and I really have no preference about what I listen to. I listen to Van Halen, Drive-By Truckers, The Velvet Underground, Regina Spektor, and Lupe Fiasco. That’s what I’m listeneing to lately anyway.
HRH: What is one of the last concerts that you attended (that you did not perform at)?
BT:I think the last concert I attended was Stone Sour and Dirty Little Rabbits, and that was like 6 months ago. I wish I could just go to see more concerts but I never have time anymore.
HRH: What are some of the CD’s that you are listening to today?
BT: I’ve been really enjoying The Drive-By Truckers new album, Brighter Than Creations Dark. It’s just so all over the place and I can’t really get enough of it.
Southern Rock is what I’m in the mood for lately. I’m also listening to Velvet Underground’s amazing masterpiece The Velvet Underground & Nico.
HRH: In 2007, You played on the Ozzfest tour. What was that experience like?
BT: Waking up everyday and realizing that we were playing on one of the biggest traveling metal tours was insane! That tour was our introduction to real touring and we learned a lot from all the bands and crews.
What’s cooler than getting to say that we shared the stage with Ozzy and we aren’t even old enough to drink.
HRH: Do you have some good stories from Ozzfest that you would like to share? Did you get to meet Ozzy?
We don’t really have any crazy stories from the Ozzfest tour, we got hazed pretty bad on the last day, but nothing really amazing. We were kept on a pretty tight leash because of being underage. We sadly enough didn’t get to meet Ozzy, and we were pretty bummed about it.
HRH: You are currently on tour with Avenged Sevenfold. How is that going? How have the A7X fans reacted to Black Tide?
BT: Touring with A7X has been fucking great! The fans have been really open to us and are really into the music and what we are trying to accomplish. All the guys in the band have been really cool with us and their crew is fantastic.
HRH: You have already toured across the United States and Europe. What are your plans in 2008, when your tour with A7X concludes?
BT: Our plans are to just tour as much as humanly possible. That’s the only thing we really want to do anyway. I don’t really know any specifics at this moment but we should have something announced pretty soon.
HRH: Your new CD, Light From Above, will be released in March.What can you tell us about the new CD?
BT: I can tell you that every song is great and we took our time to make sure that each song was well crafted and as good as we could possibly make it.
HRH: Is there anything you would like to tell your fans?
BT: Thank you guys for supporting us and we can’t wait for all of you to hear our album and we hope to see you all soon!
The band has recently announced a tour with All That Remains in February and March! You can hear two of their new songs on their myspace page. Go Check them out today!
2 Kik Tracee – No Rules (Release Year – 1991)
One of my recent re-acquistions was the debut CD by Kik Tracee, No Rules.
This CD was produced by Slaughter’s Dana Strum. Not surprisingly, the band sounds like Slaughter, and at times a little like Guns ‘N Roses.
Steven Shareaux is a good singer, and has a sound that is somewhat unique. The band is quite solid as well.
No Rules is a CD that was a little better than some of the other offerings by many of the hard rock bands in the early 90’s. This CD, like many, was released to late in the game, and crashed and burned when Nirvana hit the music scene. The band hung around and released an EP in
1992 but then broke up and has not been heard from since.
Some of the stand out cuts on this disc are You’re So Strange, Trash City, Velvet Crush and the cover of the Paul Simon classic Mrs. Robinson.
Fans of 80’s hard rock are going to love No Rules! You can get low cost used copies of this CD at Amazon.com. Go grab one before they are all gone! You can hear more songs at Kik Tracee’s myspace page here.
Enjoy the video for You’re So Strange!
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Don’t Need Rules
2. Mrs. Robinson
3. You’re So Strange
4. Trash City
5. Hard Time
6. Big Western Sky
7. Generation Express
8. Soul Shaker
9. Tangerine Man
10. Lost
11. Velvet Crush
12. Rattlesnake Eyes
13. Romeo Blues
14. Fade Dunaway
Kik Tracee is:
Stephen Shareaux – Lead Vocals
Rob Grad – Bass Guitar and Background vocals
Michael Marquis – Lead and Acoustic Guitar and Background vocals
Gregory Hex – Rhythm and Slide Guitars and Background Vocals
Johnny Douglas- Drums, Percussion and Background Vocals
8 A Drug Fueled War Raged Inside Nikki Sixx
When Nikki Sixx sat down to write /The Heroin Diaries, a deluge of emotions rushed in. Nikki and Sixx:A.M. drew on those emotions and experiences from his diary to write the soundtrack to the book.
In episode 3 of the Heroin Diaries Podcast, Nikki explains that the honesty and drug-induced warring factions that raged inside him helped to inspire all of the tracks on the album. The Heroin Diaries soundtrack will be released August 21st with the book to following on September 18th .
Check out the Podcast here.
If you can’t wait for August 21st to hear Nikki and his new band Sixx:A.M., you can check then out now.
VH1.com is running a special listening party of The Heroin Diaries soundtrack. Go to VH1 to hear the album now.
Also check out Sixx:A.M. on Headbangers Ball this Saturday, 8/18 on MTV2 at 10p ET.
1 Dave Evans Podcast Interview
Former AC/DC Front man Dave Evans, has been rocking hard for over 30 years now, and yet people in the United States are just getting to know this talented singer.
I had the opportunity to interview Dave Evans last week.
We talked about his past with AC/DC, as well as some the other bands he has been with over the years, and his current plans with his band, “The Badasses”. Check out the Podcast below for the interview! Just click on the link to listen!!
2 Sophia Ramos Interview
| Hard Rock Hideout Feature Interview : Sophia Ramos |
Sophia Ramos is a vocalist that wont fit into your typical mold of a hard rock singer, but some molds are meant to be broken.
Sophia is one of the most power female singers that I have heard in years. She has the right look, attitude and most importantly, the talent that should take
her far in the music business.
In fact, Sophia has won the VH1’s best unsigned artist award, and still hasn’t earned the success she so right fully deserves.
Judging by the great sounds of her last disc, Her Majesty, Sophia’s amazing vocal talent isn’t going to allow her to stay undiscovered for long.
Sophia took some time out of her busy schedule for an Interview at the Hard Rock Hideout!
Rob Rockitt: Hi Sophia, How are you doing today?
Sophia Ramos: I am pretty swamped with work. I have been finishing up a bunch of interviews. Princess Tai Poe has been keeping me pretty busy.
Rob Rockitt: I would like to expose you and your music to the readers at the Hard Rock Hideout. I think your music is a great fit for that 70’s and 80’s Hard Rock sound that I keep my readers informed about.
Sophia Ramos: I take it as a compliment that people who like 80’s hard rock would even dig what I do. I think my stuff is more in line with 70’s hard rock. The tone of it is a lot warmer. I grew up on all that stuff, like Van Halen and the great music from the 80’s but my main influences came from Aerosmith, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
Rob Rockitt: I can hear some Janis Joplin style in your music.
Sophia Ramos: Most definitely. I think if you are a chick in Rock and Roll, and you want to perform with the big boys, Janis Joplin is your bible, or your starting point as a woman. To really see how a woman can get all blood guts and glory in her music. You have to give kudos to Janis.
Rob Rockitt: At what age did you start singing and recording music?
Sophia Ramos: I have been singing all my life. I discovered I could sing when I was 8 years old. I used to sing in church. I left home at 16 and
started doing gigs, and I first recorded when I was 17. It has been a lot of
fun.
Rob Rockitt: What drew you to Rock and Roll Music?
Sophia Ramos: I am just naturally rebellious and irreverent. Rock and Roll is the soundtrack for that type of personality. For someone who can see the hilarity in humanity and the sarcasm, but also the beauty and the rage. When you hear that guitar riff and the band is just thumping, and and you throw your hands in the air, and it just grabs your soul. That is what rock music has always done to me.
Rob Rockitt: I have been listening to your CD, Her Majesty, and have been enjoying it quite a bit. This CD rocks hard! I especially like the guitar riffs on Black Madonna and Esperanza. I think people will be blown away by the great tunes on your CD!
Sophia Ramos: I have been very lucky that I have had very positive reviews for Her Majesty. That powerful guitar riff was written by my producer and co-writer Billy White, who also had a stint in Don Dokken’s solo band.
Rob Rockitt: What kind of music are you listening to today?
Sophia Ramos: I listen to a lot of different stuff. Surprisingly, even though my music is hard rock, I like anything that is good. There haven’t really been a whole lot of new singers that made me go “Holy Shit”. I am listening to this R&B chick, Amy Winehouse, I love the quality of her voice. I am listening to this black rock band called The Family Stand, that is a mix between Bad Brains and Prince and Sly and the Family Stone. They are really great. There is this chick that has this incredible voice, that is a Country Western singer, Brandi Carlile that I have also been listening to.
Rob Rockitt: You were on tour with a bunch of rock bands on the 1996 Lalapalooza Tour. What was that experience like?
Sophia Ramos: My first instinct was I was going to have a sexual liberating experience but that didn’t happen. Rock stars are really shy, and not really as outrageous as they appear. I met all the guys from Soundgarden. I made friends with Joey Ramone and the Ramones. I made friends with Jason Newsted from Metallica, and the guys from Rancid and the Screaming Trees. I met Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. My favorite was meeting Rage Against the Machine. I have never seen that kind of audience response, in all the years I have gone to see concerts. I have never seen such a hypnotic response by a crowd. That was amazing!
Rob Rockitt: You recorded some songs with Jason Newsted on one of his projects.
Sophia Ramos: I love him. He is an incredible human being, a great musician and is very professional. When we met on the Lalapalooza tour and became friends. He invited me to jam in his studio in San Francisco. I went up there and we jammed and started writing on new stuff and co-existing stuff that he put down but didnt have any vocals on. He had some lyric ideas and I had some lyric ideas. We started recording some stuff, and next thing you know it became a 2 year project. We recorded about 10 – 12 songs. We had some interest from Elektra records. That all fizzled out because Jason had to get back on the road with Metallica. We are still friends. I hope one day he will still release it.
Rob Rockitt: Your band Sophia’s Toy was once signed to Sony’s Epic Records. What happened there?
Sophia Ramos: I almost don’t want to tell this story, because I don’t want to show myself in a negative image, that I don’t feel part of anymore. I don’t(Laughs) I got signed and it was a big deal, and all this hype. I did this really kick ass record. Before the record could come out, my A & R guy took me to breakfast and said they were not releasing the record. The marketing people felt that it was be too costly to market my record because I am a woman of color. We don’t think kids in Iowa will get who you are. I had to sit with that for a few years and it that was kind of devastating to me. I do realize that experience taught me a lot about the issues in this country that we still need to deal with. Nobody wants to talk about them. People get uncomfortable. I really do understand. I don’t feel like I subscribe to any of that. I do my music. I don’t care what my color is. The guys in my band don’t care what I look like. The audience doesn’t care what I look like. They care about the musical content. In the music industry in America and probably the world, your looks are what really defines you and not what you are saying or your content. That is kind of sad.
Rob Rockitt: Were you able to reuse any of that material that you recorded with Sony on Her Majesty?
Sophia Ramos: No, Her Majesty is all new material that I wrote with Billy White. I do have re-recording rights for the disc I did with Sony. You might really dig that. It was pretty heavy stuff mixed with some fusion.
Rob Rockitt: Do you have any intentions of re-recording that disc some day?
Sophia Ramos: No, but I have been in contact with Beau Hill who was the producer within the last month. We might have to see about releasing that material.
Rob Rockitt: What are some of your favorite songs off of Her Majesty?
Sophia Ramos: Oh Man, I really dig Kill Your Pain. It has one of the funkiest drum grooves, and the bridge is so rockin’. And then I love Torn Down. It such arena rock and roll. Black Madonna, because of the story that it tells. I like the last tune (Stay Here With You) because it is a very personal kind of song. I really put my heart into it when I was singing it.
Rob Rockitt: What is a typical day for you now?
Sophia Ramos: I am currently in Arizona doing this Love Janis show. It is a theater production of the life of Janis Joplin. It was all written by Janis Joplin by her and letters that she has written. I have one show left and will be going home to New York soon.
Rob Rockitt: What are you currently working on?
Sophia Ramos: I wanted to make another rocking album. I have gotten together with Billy White and recorded the album in Austin, TX. We wrote a bunch of songs together. It is a bit of departure from Her Majesty. There are some rocking heavy guitar based songs. We kind of went a little bit in another place, because we were just having fun. It was laid back, and we didn’t have the hectic New York City vibe that we usually have when we record. I noticed when I was writing and recording that there was a theme and the songs were tying together. The songs are about what was happening politically now in the world, what it is like to live in the modern age with the Internet, and Internet dating, and what it is like to live in a world that is not homogeneous to live in a society with all these different cultures. The second album is called Revelator. I don’t want to give away too much, but I hope you dig it.
Rob Rockitt: When do you expect Revelator to be released?
Sophia Ramos: It is 95% complete. I go back to New York next week to do some tweaking and remixing and master it. I don’t have the artwork and stuff ready. I am working with a great rock and roll artist, Justin Hampton We are trying to create something very unique for the record’s visuals. I am hoping by September that we can release it.
Rob Rockitt: On your new record, do you have any special guests?
Sophia Ramos: Me and Billy White recorded the tunes in Austin, and used some local Austin guys. My drummer wasn’t available. He is drumming on the new Chris Cornell record. We wanted to go kind of low-fi on this record. We wanted to get away from that bombastic sound. It is still hard driving rock and roll. There is more of an organic feel on this record. There is a vibe to this record that is really great. I do have a special guest, Kate Russo, she is the baddest rock and roll violin player out there. She kicks ass.
Rob Rockitt: Do you have plans to tour for Revelator?
Sophia Ramos: (Laughs) If I make any money! If there is a budget for it, for sure. I will let you know!
Rob Rockitt: Sophia, Thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to me today!
Sophia Ramos: Thank you for supporting me and my music!
