by Alexandra Mrozowska
— Senior Columnist —
There’s something incredibly difficult and challenging about a moment when an artist who co-founded a band and kept on contributing significantly to its artistry and songwriting process is now out of it – for whatever reasons. For the genius songwriter Jim Peterik, it must have been 1996 when he left Survivor for good. And although this perpetually busy artist still keeps moving forward, he still recalls that moment – immortalized in a song “Your Independence Day” of 2015 Scherer/Peterik album Risk Everything. It’s because it was what indirectly led Peterik to start the all-star studio and concert project World Stage. 2021 brings yet another installment in World Stage’s discography, but this time the formula is given the refreshing twist because it showcases a wide range of female music talents, singers and instrumentalists. Hardrock Haven was privileged to catch up with Jim Peterik to discuss Tigress: Women Who Rock the World, music, songwriting, feminism, fashion, charity… and more!
Hardrock Haven: Tigress: Women Who Rock the World is set to be released via Frontiers Music SRL on November the 5th. As it’s not the first time you release a studio album as Jim Peterik and World Stage – when releasing the first album under this moniker back in 2000, did you actually expect this project to continue for the next two decades, or was it supposed to be a one-off idea?
Jim Peterik: You know – things develop as they go and you never know what the future is gonna hold… But for me and World Stage, when I left Survivor in ’96 [it was like] – what to do now? And I decided it would really be nice to bring together a lot of stars on the same stage, and that’s what I’ve been doing since then. Every year, I do at least one World Stage concert and it’s been very successful franchise. But a year and a half ago, I called up Serafino [Perugino, Frontiers Music SRL’s President] and he says, “Maestro” – he calls me Maestro (laughs) – “it’s time for another World Stage album.” And I go, “Yeah, but I just did a Pride of Lions record and I love Toby [Hitchcock, Pride of Lions’ lead singer] and all that, but…” Then I was like, “What about an all-female World Stage?” And he thought for a few minutes, and then he goes – “Sounds good.” So he green-lighted it – and I started rounding up the troops and called some of my favorite people like Jennifer Batten, who of course was the Mohawk-ed diva behind Michael Jackson and Jeff Beck, or Cathy Richardson of Jefferson Starship who I actually mentored when she was only eighteen years old, or Leslie Hunt – same story there… and people I really admired, like Janet Gardner of Vixen [in 2019, Gardner left the band and was replaced by Lorraine Lewis, previously of Femme Fatale]. And I was trying to match the songs I write for this album with the personalities of the girls that have been some of my heroes through the years… And I demoed a song “Lazarus Heart” for Janet and she said, “Jim, you nailed it. You captured what I’m all about.” And that was just a huge compliment.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely! And in general, how different is working for the World Stage project from working with a regular band, like the Ides of March or Pride of Lions – or like you used to do with Survivor?
Jim Peterik: Well, a lot of similarities – but a lot of differences. The band that you hear on Pride of Lions [albums] is basically my World Stage band: Klem Hayes on bass, Ed Breckenfeld on drums, Mike Aquino on lead guitar, Christian Cullen on keyboards… They’re all amazing – they really are. But the Ides of March is a whole different thing, you know. We’ve been together now for fifty-eight years, which is just insane (laughs), but in a good way. The original four guys… Larry Millas, a guy who does my tech work, is also an amazing producer and co-writer, etcetera etcetera… He actually discovered me (laughs). No, I mean, we met in the third grade, and we started putting a band together in about the eighth grade, and that one became the Ides of March. So that’s a whole different thing then, a stable four men line-up that we add [to]… like we added Scott May on keyboards thirty-two years ago. And of course, you know, Survivor was the amazing part of my career even though I left in ’96 so I could really do other things. That was kind of a tight ship, you know, where certain people in the band didn’t want to do anything outside of the band – and I really wanted to expand my horizons. So I left the band in ’96 and never looked back. So it’s been good.
Hardrock Haven: So, having said that female artists included on Tigress were actually heroes of yours – who would you call your favorite female artist of all time? And yes, I know it’s a difficult question…
Jim Peterik: Yeah… I actually tried to get a couple of my heroines, if you will, but they were unavailable. To me, probably one of the greatest Rock singers of all time is Ann Wilson of Heart – she’s just a goddamn thing! I also tried to enlist Stevie Nicks in – that didn’t work schedule-wise. But that’s fine, because I found so many amazing singers like Kate French or Rosa Laricchiuta [Black Rose Maze, Trans-Siberian Orchestra], as well as amazing fiddlist Abigail Stanshmidt, who plays the fiddle on “Tigress”… And it’s just a great assortment of female talents, not only with singers, but also with instrumentalists, like the bass player Ashley Reeve, who’s just tremendous. Or Jennifer Batten – I don’t have to tell you a thing about that, ‘cause she’s just one of the best guitar players on planet.
Hardrock Haven: So apart from these already mentioned, were there any other singers who you thought about initially but eventually they couldn’t make it, for example due to some other obligations?
Jim Peterik: Yeah, sadly there was a couple, but I try to forget them (laughs). No, they were very polite, but we couldn’t get our schedules to meet and I was very disappointed in a couple of people, but I’m not gonna go there (laughs).
Hardrock Haven: Right, so let’s leave it as it is… So with the album basically revolving around women – women in music, women in Rock music – would you say women are still somehow underrepresented in Rock, especially Melodic Rock?
Jim Peterik: Women are underrepresented in every musical genre I can think of, sadly. In the Country market especially… I mean, it’s a boys’ club – it’s starting to change, thank God, but in Rock’n’Roll… I mean, the radio playlists are still largely male-dominated, and when a female artist tends to break through, it’s like, it’s a miracle! (laughs) And that’s not right. It’s a boys’ club, and it’s gotta change, man. But the problem is, a lot of the record company people are males, and a lot of the [music] industry people are males… So they’re gonna have to start changing their ways because as soon as they realize there’s a lot of money to be made with females, they’re gonna start changing their tune (laughs). I mean, money is just one consideration of success, but truly there’s a market hungry for female talent.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely! You were quoted as saying that – when writing the new material – you needed to switch to more female perspective as a songwriter. How much of a challenge was it?
Jim Peterik: I grew up with two sisters – one is ten years older than me and one is twelve years older than me, so you know, I was their little plaything. And I’ve learnt a lot from them as far as the feminine ways and style… I think I owe my sisters a debt of gratitude because there was the three of us in the backseat of our old ’52 Chrysler going down to Florida every year, strumming ukuleles and singing really corny camp songs (laughs). Then I’ve learnt the feminine side of things and it was a very valuable lesson.
Hardrock Haven: There’s also generational difference – did you keep the age of particular singers in mind, or are some experiences and emotions simply universal? You’ve mentioned the singers’ personalities, but what about the age factor?
Jim Peterik: Yeah, I see a common denominator in all the girls I’ve worked with. But there’s something about, for example, Rosa Laricchiuta being very fiery… And everyone’s a little bit different. Lindsay Kent, who sings “Dear Life,” she’s twenty-one years old and you can feel the fire that she has… You’d just really need to see Lindsay grow – I’ve known her for many years, since she was, like, fifteen… and now she’s so excited about this Tigress record, as am I. Leslie Hunt – I’ve been working with her since she was fifteen two, and now she’s thirty-three or whatever… She wasn’t quite ready to soar yet, but man, she’s now one of my favorite singers on this record. Mindi Abair on saxophone – she plays on the last song on the album, “Brave Is Beautiful.” And it’s really a spiritual anthem to the woman, because so many of them have been put down and under guys’ thumbs and “Brave Is Beautiful” [is that] you gotta stand up to your oppressor. So many women get abused – mentally, verbally or otherwise – by males, and that’s gotta stop, and that’s what “Brave Is Beautiful” is all about… standing up to this kind of people… to the bullies.
Hardrock Haven: Definitely! So with this perspective that you have as a songwriter, would you call yourself a feminist in a way?
Jim Peterik: Absolutely! Like I said, growing up with sisters made me see both sides of the story and I’m definitely a feminist and I’m proud to say it. But mostly it’s women are really brave and strong. If you’re on this record, you’ve made it. You’ve made it through the initial gates – and proudly. And everyone that I’ve worked with on this album was so confident, and they weren’t afraid to say this or that – like, you know, “this song could be better” or “I don’t like that line”… And I was like, “Fine, let’s change the line.” It’s fine with me.
Hardrock Haven: So, with so many exceptional guests on the album, can you take us through it track-by-track?
Jim Peterik: Well, “Tigress” is the title track of course. And it’s really a groove song – it’s like jungle drums and you picture this tigress in the jungle… And [there’s] Jennifer Batten, Abigail Stanshmidt – and of course Kate French who rules it. I don’t know if you’re familiar with her – she’s really a Metal singer… Have you ever heard her with the Heavy Metal bands that she’s been with through the years?
Hardrock Haven: Not really, but I’ll keep it in mind to check her stuff out!
Jim Peterik: Yeah, look her up – it’s a totally different voice (imitating the raspy manner of singing). You know, Heavy Metal voices. And I said, “Can you sing regular?”, and she said, “I think so” and boy, she killed it. “Prom Night In Pontiac” – that’s Chloe Lowery from Florida, recommended to me by Joel Hoekstra who had worked with her on this Frontiers’ album from 2016 [what Jim means is probably Joel Hoekstra’s 13 album Dying to Live released in October 2015 and reviewed here. On the aforementioned album, Chloe Lowery sings a duet with Jeff Scott Soto on “What We Believe.”] This girl played Janis in Canada [touring with Janis Joplin’s legendary band Big Brother and the Holding Company]. That’s just a super talent. And [alongside] Chloe, there’s Anika Nilles on drums – she’s from Germany – and Ashley Reeve on bass. “A Cappella” is a new video… Probably not the last video, by the way – “Tigress” will be the third lyric video alongside “A Cappella” which has came out already – and that’s Chez Kane, who’s just amazing singer…
Hardrock Haven: Definitely! She was our guest some time ago.
Jim Peterik: Yeah! “Living for the Moment” is my dear friend Cathy Richardson, Jennifer Batten on guitar and Linda McDonald on drums… Another discovery is that Jennifer Batten was a good switch forager as she knows everybody. She recommended Linda McDonald and boy, she was right. “Against the Grain” is Rosa Laricchiuta – I’ve told you about her already… Just a tremendous, fiery, sexy singer. “Strong Against the Wind” is again Kate French – it’s her second song on the album. “Full Moon Crazy” is with Cathy Richardson and Jennifer Batten. I wrote that in Nashville with a fellow named Tommy Yankton who loves this version. He hasn’t really made it yet and he’s so thrilled to be a part of this. Just a great, great songwriter that I co-wrote this one with. “Lazarus Heart” and Janet Gardner… Like I said, she made me feel so good that I kind of captured that Vixen thing. Next are “Taller” with Leslie Hunt and “The Best in Us” with Cathy Richardson and Kimi Hayes. Kimi Hayes is not a household name perhaps – she lives in Chicago and she’s a big deal. She plays all the clubs and she’s just a tremendous, tough singer. She does a great duet with Cathy on this song. “Dear Life” is Lindsay Kent, who we talked about, and Sina on drums. Sina is an Internet star, playing drums and every other instrument in the whole room. I really was impressed with her drumming and I got a hold of her manager, who’s her father, and I said “I really want Sina on this record.” He said, “Oh, she should be honored.” And then I asked, “How much will she charge?” and he goes, “Oh, nothing.” (laughs) I said, “Okay, but why?” And he goes, “Because she loves the opportunity of working with music professionals like yourself” and I said, “Wow. That is really so generous.” “Music in the Aire” is another Chloe Lowery [song], and in “Sin to Believe A Lie” we’ve got Cathy Richardson and Madden Klas on drums – an amazing, very young drummer… just a nineteen or twenty year old, out of New York… She really, really impressed me and she was so sweet, you know, [asking] “Are you sure if it’s good enough?” And I said, “Yeah, all right”, but she was like, “Let me do that again” (laughs). And she did it again – and it was even better! (laughs) “Stronger at the Broken Places” is a great Canadian singer Marine Lacoste and B3 player the Ides of March’s Scott May recommended to me – he’s a Hammond representative, and Marine is one of his endorsees. She came into town and just knocked me out – fiery red hair and really attractive… So she sings “Stronger at the Broken Places”. And there goes the last track we already talked about – “Brave Is Beautiful” – with Leslie Hunt and Mindi Abair on sax and harmony vocals… And it’s just a really touching song about the strength that a woman has – or anyone really, for that matter, but it’s really, really about women.
Hardrock Haven: Right. Another 2021 album you’ve contributed to is Dennis DeYoung’s 26 East, Vol. 2. While commenting upon your collaboration, he was quoted as saying you convinced him to do this album and also the previous one, Vol.1. Was it so indeed?
Jim Peterik: Oh yeah (laughs). He didn’t really want [doing an album]. He said, “Jim, why would I do another album…? It’s not gonna sell anyway.” (laughs) And he was like, “Times have changed and now everyone’s downloading, and blah, blah, blah…” And when I was sitting there with his wife and my wife, I said, “Dennis, people want Dennis DeYoung. It doesn’t matter if you sell forty copies or forty thousand copies – or four hundred thousand copies… When you were in high school, you weren’t worried about the mathematics of how many copies are you gonna sell. You did it ‘cause you had to do it, ‘cause it’s in your DNA.” And you know, it really made sense to him. So, I was in Italy doing a show for Frontiers and I was walking through a graveyard, which I love to do because it’s so peaceful. No one will bother you (laughs). And there’s so much beauty around, with plants and everything, and gravestones… And I started writing this song, and it’s called “Land of the Living” ironically (laughs). And I’ve sent Dennis just a real rough iPhone demo and he loved it, and it pulled his chain and started him going, so we didn’t look back. And I love both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of 26 East… He’s one of my heroes. And literally, we’ve become such dear friends – I mean, back in the day we were almost like friendly rivals, you know, when Styx was rising up the charts and Survivor was struggling up the charts… Sometimes they have had a #1 and sometimes we have had a #1, and it was all in good fun and we’re really, really close now, almost like brothers.
Hardrock Haven: And as Dennis brought up this argument of music not selling decently these days, would you agree or argue with it? With all your experience under your belt, what do you think about the business side of making music these days and the current situation of artists?
Jim Peterik: Well, there’s always gonna be the artists that break through the glass ceiling and show everybody that music is still a viable source for downloads – to some extent, for CDs as well, for commercials… Still, if you make a great record, you’re gonna break through the glass ceiling. And there’s gotta be stars!… I love people who keep reinventing themselves, like Bruno Mars for example. A brilliant artist. He’s amazing because he respects his past and respects the roots that he came from, the old style R&B. And you’re seeing him live, and he’s dressed in the duds and the songs are like Motown or like Thom Bell used to do with The Stylistics… I love that!
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely! And in general, when you write, does the songwriting process differ from project to project or album to album in your case, or is there one method you always follow?
Jim Peterik: Well, that’s such a great question! I think every project I approach separately and specially, depending on who I’m working with. When I was writing with 38 Special, I could always count on them for, you know… (playing the Southern Rock-esque riff on the guitar) …some really great riff that I could take off and then I would go crazy with the lyrics and the melody. And with Sammy Hagar, the same thing. You know, I’ve never met Sammy Hagar before, but when we got together, I had my guitar on my neck and he said, “You know, my manager said there’s this new movie coming out, an animation called Heavy Metal… and we should write that.” And I said, “Write what?” And he goes, “We should write the theme song for Heavy Metal.” And I said, “I’m game!” We picked up the guitars and we’d just go (playing the riff to “Heavy Metal” and singing), “Headbangers in leather/Sparks fly in the dead of the night…” And in the matter of just three hours we’ve had the song, we sent it to the manager and he said, “This is gonna be the title track to Heavy Metal, I guarantee you.” And it was, and we’re still very good friends with Sammy, and almost every show he encores with “Heavy Metal”, which makes me really happy.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely, it’s an anthem of sorts. Also when writing, do you keep a vault of ideas and revisit it to recycle older concepts when needed, or do you always write with a particular album in mind, for a specific purpose?
Jim Peterik: I try to keep that open, you know. Keep it open – and fresh. Anything can happen, when you’re co-writing especially, you hear, like, musical tofu – you just gotta take in the flavors of the room. And you gotta keep your antenna up for ideas. If it wasn’t for me listening really close to Don Barnes and their [title] “Hold On Loosely” and Jeff [Carlisi] with his guitar riff, you wouldn’t have [the song “Hold On Loosely”]. You have to be an open page. You have to be very open to other people’s ideas, and then you add your own. And then you have something, you have musical stew that can be really, really good.
Hardrock Haven: Definitely. And being one of the most prolific songwriters in history, have you ever experienced writer’s block?
Jim Peterik: (laughs) Yeah. If you go to my basement – which you won’t, ‘cause it’s nothing pretty down there and it’s a mess (laughs) – but I have bookcases full of notebooks [gathered] through the years. And they’re all dated, you know. And they probably started back in 1968 or even before that. And sometimes you can start a song, but you don’t have the wisdom to finish it – and then I just close my eyes and grab a notebook I’ve been shelving in my basement for many years – and maybe by this time… You know, I’m almost seventy-one and maybe I’ve lived long enough and maybe I’ve had enough experience to really know how to finish that song… So it’s almost like collaborating with yourself – and that’s kind of my gimmick around writer’s block.
Hardrock Haven: The last time I’ve had the privilege of interviewing you for Hardrock Haven, it was 2015 – right when Peterik/Scherer album Risk Everything was released. Two years later, we’ve had Scherer/Batten collaboration you were also involved in. Will your collaboration with Marc continue?
Jim Peterik: That’s funny, ‘cause only about three weeks ago I brought Marc over to the studio and Larry and I worked with him on a couple of new songs and I didn’t really have a master plan for where these songs are gonna go. I just wanted to work with him again. And it reminded me of how great he is as a singer. And of course Jennifer [Batten] loves working with him. So I think there could be a future there, with another Scherer/Batten or Scherer/Peterik or something, but he’s too good of a singer and too good of a guy not to do that.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely. You’ve mentioned mentoring some of the singers who now sang on the Tigress album, and also as a member of the Ides of March you’re involved in a charity scholarship fund called Vehicle For Education. How important is it to you personally to support young talents, including the support through charity?
Jim Peterik: Well, this is my sixth year of Vehicle For Education and it’s been really rewarding, ‘cause every year we grant a young man or woman from our high school – Morton West [in Berwyn, Illinois] – with a good sizeable chunk of money to further their career in music or the Arts. And there’s always a concert where the Ides of March do two or three songs on stage for the audience and then we award a person with their money. It’s been very successful and very rewarding for the band and for the high school.
Hardrock Haven: And do you think it’s actually the obligation of more established artists to pass on the knowledge and the experience onto the young talents? Maybe there should be more charity scholarship funds like that?
Jim Peterik: I think it revolves in a circle. I think you receive by giving, and just the way it makes us feel to help a talented person – it comes back to us in ways one can’t even imagine. So I would say it’s a great thing. Charity work is a very rewarding [experience] in itself, so I think more people could do it and really enjoy the process – and help the world too.
Hardrock Haven: And you also happen to work with your son, Colin, in various projects. What kind of experience is this for you to combine the role of a music collaborator with this of a father?
Jim Peterik: (laughs) Well, it’s mainly he’s so talented. And he’s a self-starter – I’ve never pushed him into music, because that’s the worst way… or maybe, the best way of turning off your kid is to [say], “You should be a Rock star” (laughs). That doesn’t work. And a kid’s gotta find it themselves, which my son did. I mean, when he was four years old, he got up at a birthday party and played “Happy birthday” flawlessly. And I went, “Well, this kid’s got the gene.” But he really had to find his career himself and now he’s thirty-two, he’s finally ready to release his first official Colin Peterik album. He’s got a manager and he’ll release the record, he’s got a booking agent and he’s performing… I’m really, really proud of him. But he found it his own way in his own time. It’s not daddy pushing him. It’s him.
Hardrock Haven: And would you say you’ve learnt something from your son while working with him?
Jim Peterik: Absolutely. You know, I have trouble not stealing his music (laughs). It’s so good. It’s like, I’ve been working on something and then, “Oh no, that’s in Colin’s song. I can’t do that!” (laughs) So it must be pretty good stuff. But I gotta be careful. I don’t wanna steal from my own son.
Hardrock Haven: And one of the interesting non-musical facts about you is that you have your own fashion line and you co-design your outfits together with Richard Kickmunter, who I believe is an immigrant from my homeland Poland. Do you think it’s empowering to have a say when it comes to your stage image?
Jim Peterik: Absolutely (showing off the latest of his and Richard Kickmunter’s creations to the camera). I do help him… it’s a really collaborative kind of a thing. But I knew I wanted stripes and the laces… we collaborate. It’s been a great collaboration. And I think it’s important for a performer to have an identity of some kind. You know – my hair isn’t naturally purple, for instance (laughs). But it’s a gimmick. It’s a hook. And as a performer you wanna stand out and you wanna be different. So Richard has been a great piece of that puzzle.
Hardrock Haven: Definitely. Now, for many Melodic Rock listeners one of the most accurate songs released in 2020 was your song “Empty Arena.” Now that the world opens up, although not without some significant troubles and halts along the way, what are your plans for the future? You’ve already mentioned the new songs with Marc Scherer…
Jim Peterik: Well, what happened is that right now I’m working with the group Chicago on a new Chicago album. And that’s great, because you know, when I was just coming up with the Ides of March, with the brass, it was a few bands like Chicago and Lighthouse, to lesser extent… But we were all about that big horn sound, so to write with Robert Lamm is like a big deal for me. So I’m excited about that. Possibly some more writing with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys too… Larry and I actually co-wrote with him and Joe Thomas a song that was very popular in 2012 called “That’s Why God Made the Radio” which made a big splash and went to #1 on Billboard… so I’m hoping that happens again.
Hardrock Haven: So with these collaborations, would you say that in spite of being a music hero and inspiration to many, you’re still also a music fan – and remain one?
Jim Peterik: That’s what I am. More than anything else, I’m a fan. You know, you can’t help growing up with Elvis Presley and the Beatles and not being the eternal fan of music. And I always look up to these people – I’m never as good as that guy over there or that guy over there (laughs) and I think that’s what keeps a person hungry. It’s always striving to improve and be better than – or as good as – some of your heroes. And that’s always my mindset.
Hardrock Haven: And is there anything you’d like to add in the end?
Jim Peterik: My guitar’s out of tune (laughs). And besides that – I’m just really proud of the Tigress record. I’m anxious to see what it does in the marketplace. I think America’s really gonna embrace it – as well as the world, hopefully. But I think it’s got a really American vibe with “Prom Night in Pontiac” which is almost a Country song. Almost (laughs). It’s Country Rock, let’s say. And I hope to get some airplay with this song and the others. But I just did wanna say that it’s coming out on November the 5th, as you know, as a download and as a CD, but in the mid-December it’s gonna be released on double orange vinyl, like the tiger color. That’s exciting, because I still love vinyl and my turntable downstairs is warming up and ready to go. It’s all about putting the needle on the groove. It’s very exciting to me. But I think you covered a lot Alexandra, and I really appreciate the interview!
Hardrock Haven: Thank you so much!
Visit Jim Peterik online: Official Site | Facebok | Instagram
Check out videos off Jim Peterik and World Stage’s Tigress: Women Who Rock the World:
“Prom Night In Pontiac” feat. Chloe Lowery, Anika Nilles and Ashley Reeve
“A Cappella” feat. Chez Kane:
