Henrik Bath of Darkwater

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Lead singer/guitarist Henkrik Bath of Darkwater checked in with Hardrock Haven to discuss the creation of their brand new studio album Where Stories End; why they titled it thusly; specific songs like “Breathe” and “Into the Cold;” the making of the video for “Breathe;” upcoming tour plans and if we will see them in the States this year; the addition of ex-Pain of Salvation bassist Simon Andersson; and a whole lot more.

 

Darkwater is one of the most talented Heavy Metal bands out there, and Where Stories End picks up right where Calling the Earth to Witness left off. Tune in now to get to know the singer behind your new favorite band, and pick up Where Stories End immediately thereafter.

Online: http://www.myspace.com/darkwaterofficial 

(If the embedded player doesn’t populate, click here to stream the interview in a stand alone player.)

Jesse Damon of Silent Rage

by Alex Barbieri
Staff Writers

L.A. AOR gods Silent Rage are stirring again. Lead singer and songwriter Jesse Damon took a break in the studio to talk about his upcoming solo album, the Rage’s plans for 2011, what we can all learn from Gene Simmons and whose chest is on the cover of their melodic rock masterpiece, Don’t Touch Me There.

HRH: Jesse, thanks for taking a moment and giving the Hardrock Haven audience an update on what you and SR are up to. Is there a new Silent Rage album in the works?

JESSE DAMON: It’s my pleasure to talk to Hardrock Haven about the latest news from the Rage camp. We are performing one more date this year on Nov. 20 in Los Angeles with Gilby Clarke and Little Caesar on the same bill. We’re also writing new material and stockpiling songs, but first on the agenda is to record two bonus tracks for our Don’t Touch Me There CD reissue, plus have it remastered. Then we plan to continue recording for a possible fifth studio album. No word as to a tentative release date or record label involved yet. One thing I can say is that we’ve been talking about having Paul Sabu (Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Shania Twain, John Waite, Heart) involved with producing it. We’re also planning a short trip to Europe for a festival in Italy, along with a string of dates in several countries Feb. 2011. We’ll be issuing a press release soon.

HRH: You’re halfway through recording the new Jesse Damon solo album, as well. Do you have a title yet, and are the songs a different style and sound than Silent Rage?

JD: No I don’t have a title yet. I left off from where I was at with my last CD, Rebel Within. It’s an extension of that album or a part two, if you will, and yes I think it does sound close to Silent Rage material. I have a lot of songs in my head and only so many can make it on to a Silent Rage album, so I record some of the other songs that could very well have been slated for an SR album.

HRH: You’ve said you like to go camping. Does nature inspire your songwriting?

JD: Absolutely, I love to go camping in the mountains, on a cove at a lake, or at the ocean shoreline. Being outside in the elements inspires me to write and motivates a lot of creativity, and sometimes literal stories and lyrics.

HRH: Who is in Silent Rage now and do you plan on playing live? Does the band have a following in Europe and Asia? What is the hard rock scene like in other parts of the world?

JD: The three original founding members EJ Curse, Mark Hawkins and myself, and our drummer Rodney Pino who’s been performing and recording with us since 2002. Yes, as I said before we are planning a Europe trip next year, along with more live dates in the states in 2011. Yes, we have a fanbase in parts of Europe — predominantly in the U.K., Italy and Germany, but it continues to grow. When we went to Switzerland last year, we picked up more fans, as well as in Japan when Frontiers Records licensed our last studio album “Four Letter Word” there in 2009.

HRH: Looking back at ’89, what was it like to write and record with Gene Simmons? Is he very directive in the studio? What did you learn from him about music and life that has stayed with you and you can pass on to fellow musicians?

JD: It was the best of times and it went by very fast. To meet Gene, then work with him as our record label president, personal manager, co-songwriter, and eventually with KISS was an eye opening experience of which you listened and took in all you could from Gene’s advice, experience and stories. He has a lot of them. He has definite directions at times and a lot of ideas in the studio. He wanted me to push myself so I’d never fall into settling for less than I knew I could do. He always told me to come prepared and to deliver the goods. You have to have an arsenal of ideas when working as an artist in the studio as well as co-writing a song with somebody like Gene Simmons. He was bold and straight forward, but also like-able and generous in nature when it came to advice, business decisions and life in general. I wouldn’t have traded that experience for anything! He’d say, ‘Jesse, enjoy the moment, here’s to the good life.’

HRH: How did the name Silent Rage come about? Was it inspired by the name Quiet Riot?

JD: Was it inspired by the name Quiet Riot, yes… and Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, etc. We started out as a band called Rage and within a few years we found out there was an east coast Rage band with an album in the works, so we wanted to make it better and add something to it such as Silent, without losing all of our fan base we had worked hard to build up as Rage.

HRH: Ok, whose chest is on the cover of Don’t Touch Me There, and did he become popular with the ladies after the album came out?

JD: That would be EJ Curse’s chest on the cover of DTMT. EJ has always been very popular with the woman, he’s a blessed man!

HRH: What are some of your wildest memories of the late ‘80s Sunset Strip scene? What is your favorite live gig of your musical career?

JD: I remember seeing all these people running down the street after a semi flat bed truck with Dokken jammin’ on it loud as hell in full regalia and back-line. Silent Rage had just finished performing a concert at the Whiskey A Go Go on the Sunset Strip and I thought, what the hell is all the commotion about as I stepped outside the front door of the Whiskey. All of a sudden, this wave of hundreds of people were coming at me and I got caught up in the mess. Before I knew it, I was right in front of The Roxy watching Dokken perform “It’s Not Love” (for the video shoot). It turned out to be pretty damn cool!

As for what was my favorite gig of my musical career, I’d have to say opening up for Black Sabbath at the New York Palladium to 8,500 screaming fans!

HRH: Give us your first thought that comes to mind on the following names and words:

Gene Simmons: Unique achiever, great eye for marketing.
Paul Sabu: Mentor, great ear for music
Bob Ezrin: Creative talent, with natural ability.
Melodic rock: My fave.
The music industry: A dog- eat-dog kinda world.
Silent Rage fans: Loyal, fanatical, and very kind people.

HRH: What music are you listening to lately, and is there a book you’ve read recently and would recommend?

JD: I love the blues, so occasionally I’m listening to Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Because of my love for the blues, I like listening to some country artists as well like Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Trace Atkins, Gretchen Daniels, Carrie Underwood — all the hitmakers, ‘cause you learn a lot from them and their songwriting. But of course, I like some contemporary and classic rock mixed in, from Stone Temple Pilots to Nickelback, Ratt and Whitesnake, and of course Sabbath and Kiss!

HRH: Do you have any thoughts on the passing of Ronnie James Dio? If so, any memories you’d like to share.

JD: I miss Ronnie James Dio. I got to see Heaven & Hell at the Forum in Los Angeles a couple years back and he was great to see and watch and listen to. What a nice gentleman. I also met him briefly at Los Angeles International Airport. He was coming in from Russia and I was heading to England. I walked up and said hi and we exchanged pleasantries, a handshake, smile and a laugh or two. I asked him how the fans were in Russia, and he said they couldn’t have been nicer. He wished me well for England and good luck, and I said, ‘Thanks, Ronnie!’

HRH: Tell us something we don’t know about Jesse Damon. What do you want to say to the world?

JD: I also have a big in interest in Hollywood set lighting. I’m a third generation union member of I.A.T.S.E. Local 728. My Grandpa was the Set Lighting Chief Department Head at Desilu/ Paramount Studios in Hollywood. My Dad and brother were also set lighting technicians, best boys and gaffers in their careers. As for me, I’ve managed to hold a tandem career in both music and set lighting for over thirty years!

HRH: Thank you, Jesse, for your time and openness. We’re looking forward to hearing your new solo album and new Silent Rage. Stop by anytime and keep us posted.

JD: Thanks Alex for your kindness and support for not only my career, but for all AOR melodic rock in general! See ya on the road all you rebels!!!

Visit the official Jesse Damon website at http://www.jessedamon.com/

Friend Jesse Damon on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jesse-Damon/652523872

Rex Brown

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer

“Success or no success, for me to play great stuff that I couldn’t have played on another record, gives me a chance to broaden my horizons a bit,” Rex Brown says when describing his new project The Arms of the Sun. “I’ve been blessed with two great bands and it’s come around full circle. I think that the more people you jam with, the more insightful and more spiritual your music becomes to you.”

From playing jazz at high school, to being captivated by the Beatles, the Doors and 70s rock in his late teens, to becoming one of the founding fathers of a new genre of heavy metal, to playing country music in his spare time – Brown has always been driven by things that lay outside the box – something which gave him confidence to experiment and allowed him go beyond the routine. While he says that metal as a genre at times seemed limiting to him, you suspect that this, in the end, turned out to be a good thing, inspiring Brown to venture outside of existing methods, and to contribute to taking Pantera as a band – and metal as a whole – onto a new plane in early 90s. This open-minded approach, as this writer would later find out, drives Brown as a musician to this day.

While Pantera’s legacy still resonates throughout the contemporary music scene, Brown is the first one to emphasize how much Pantera’s music is different from that of Down, and how both are different from The Arms of the Sun. But while The Arms of the Sun is still very much a new venture for Brown (and the one for where he is still shopping around for a record deal) Down has been an on-going concern for 15 years now – with three critically acclaimed studio records behind their collective belt.

A new live CD / DVD package titled Down VI: The Diary of a Mad Band has been released earlier this month, and presents the band from a different angle – at its rawest, most uncompromising, warts-and-all best, faithfully relaying the vibe and the feel of a hearty, vigorous, hard-hitting Down show. Recorded during the band’s 2006 European tour, it presents its tracks in chronological order – a song from each show as the tour goes on – starting in Hamburg, Germany, and ending in Donnington, UK.

The band’s gritty energy and stamina, juxtaposed with brooding, overcast moments indeed take the music miles away from the Pantera vibe. If anything, this record shows that not only metal as a genre, but also individual musicians can grow, mature and change, at the same time illustrating the fact that – if sincere – the true core of any musical personality always retains its inimitable character. Down is not Pantera, and their expanded emotional range is not only the result of the passage of time, but of the band’s ability to see and function beyond the pre-set rules and outside of what many have before considered their members’ comfort zone.

This willingness to experiment and to broaden one’s horizons is what takes Rex Brown even further. The dichotomy between Down’s raw-edged energy and more traditional stance Of The Arms of the Sun, which is rooted in the classic rock (and which Brown likes to describe as “Beatles on acid”) presents an interesting, contrasting angle from which to consider Brown both as a bass player and as a rock personality of his generation.

Brutality versus introspection, dejection versus poetic-ism, and strong temperament versus rational insight are all equally telling when you follow his career up until now. This, as well as details of the new Down live release became just some of themes of this writer’s interview with the legend. Astute, insightful, and invariably fun, Rex Brown remains one of the best interviewees a rock journalist can wish for – straight and honest, but never forsaking his penchant for an occasional wicked joke.

Hardrock Haven: Rex, thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us, we really appreciate your time. And congratulations on the release of the new live CD / DVD package.

Rex Brown: Thank you.

HRH: Are you happy with the way this release has turned out?

RB: Yes, but I am also frustrated because we wanted it to come out about a year ago. That’s the only thing. The politics of the business really stepped on this thing, but we are happy to have it out. It’s a true-to-fact piece of work. Every little thing that we do is kind of chronicled on there, and it’s for a real die-hard fan.

HRH: It’s interesting you say it’s true-to-fact, because I was just going to ask you about the touching-up that this live material has undergone in the studio. How much, if at all? Because to me it sounded like none, like the live atmosphere was so perfectly captured, with all the rough edges and the live vibe so accurately preserved.

RB: It’s harder to get that sound in the studio than you would think. For most live bands it’s really hard to get a real live sound like they have on stage on the record. So this comes pretty close to it. Other than that, like I said, we are really glad to have it out. We try to make records as live as possible, that’s our forte. But it’s kind of hard to beat when you have this, when you have to top this. So there you go.

HRH: What was the criteria for selecting material for this CD and the DVD? Because you have mentioned in other interviews that you had tons of footage from that tour. How have you decided which song from a particular show would make it to the album?

RB: It was basically Pepper going through all the songs. We played 21 times and finding the best ones basically, and then putting it in a chronological order, so it sits with were we are going. We tried to get the best take out of each scene. It takes a painstakingly long period of time when you listen to the set list and select the song that sits out. It really took a lot of effort and time listening, and this is what Pepper has done in the studio, he’s really good.

HRH: As American musicians, how did you see Europe on that tour? Did all the different audiences in different cities stand out for you and shown their own character? Could you, for example, with your eyes closed, tell, “Oh, this is a German audience”, or, “This is an English crowd”?

RB: No, not really. Every place that we played was kind of different in the way that the crowds interact. Of course, if you are playing in Germany at some of the beer halls, it’s just non-stop – you close your eyes and you get hit by a beer. Or a beer can. Or a beer bottle. Or whatever. It was our first trip as a band over, so it was enlightening in terms of performance – not knowing what would go on with the audience. And that was the fun of it. We kicked ass every night, but we had to start walking, and we did little baby-steps first to get to were we are in the video where it really matters. So different places, different people, and, for example, in Amsterdam it’s a little more laid back, very much laid back, which is fine, because the place is [inaudible] rock anyway, for a better word.

It’s just chronicles of what we’d done in that year of VI, and it was like an old rusty car that you build for the road, and all of a sudden it turns into a Hot Rod, you know? And that’s what we’ve built it into.

HRH: Do you ever get surprised when you are listening back to what has been recorded live? Are there moments when you are listening back to live material, and think, “Oh, I didn’t expect that from myself”, or, “I didn’t know there was this aspect to my character”. Does that ever happen?

RB: Nah. Because we’ve done it all our loves, do you know what I’m saying? It’s still with us. We are trying to give it the best we can. There are certain shows when we go, “Wow, that was really magical,” or, “That one really sucked,” but the ones in between are us trying to find the magic. When the magic really kicks in on stage, it’s truly powerful.

HRH: But what elements, do you think, need to come together for a great live show to happen?

RB: It depends on the mood of the band, on the mood of the singer, on the crowd – how long they have been sitting out there waiting, are they all drunk having sat there waiting all day, or are they fresh – just got the club and just had a couple of beers. Because we feed off the crowd. And the crowd feeds off of us. It’s an interplay that I think works really well with this band. We feed off of that, and if they give us the attention that we want, we go back and forth. And if not, we start making fun of the fun-looking dudes in the front row.

HRH: Ha-ha!

RB: We do! Like, “Look at that dude with the hair-cut, look at that dude!” – “Which one are you talking about?” – “That goofy-looking dude in the second row!” So we add a little humour to it, and that’s how you make it more fun for yourselves – the goofy-looking bastard in the fucking front row! (Laughs).

HRH: Are you yourself a fan of music DVDs? Are there bands or artists whose live performances you like to watch on your screen at home?

RB: Yes, I have a bunch of old stuff that I like listening to. There is one in particular that stands out – Tom Petty was playing at the Fillmore, he was paying 24 nights in a row in 1996, and this is like the 21st show or something like that, and it’s magical, just incredible how he commands the crowd. Then, of course, I’ve got all the Zeppelin stuff – that’s a given.

HRH: Let’s talk a bit about your other band – The Arms of the Sun. It has been announced that Vinnie Appice has joined you on the drums. How did that come about and how long have you known each other?

RB: He joined for about 30 minutes.

HRH: Oh!

RB: We decided yesterday that it’s not going to happen and we are going to use the original drummer that we had here. Vinnie and I are working on another project in LA, another heavy kind of project, I can’t really throw up the names yet. It’s really good stuff. Vinnie was going to play. I said to him: “I need some help on this. I need a drummer, if you would come down and see if it would work.” And so he came down and it really took a lot for him to… It’s really not his cup of tea. I talked to Vinnie yesterday and he bowed out gracefully out of the whole thing. But he is such and nice guy. We are really good buds and we thought we’d do the best for all parties involved.

HRH: But you have 12 tracks recorded already – that’s what you’ve been saying in your other interviews, and you are also planning to take the record on the road and hopefully come to England. When do you expect that to happen?

RB: As soon as I get a deal.

HRH: Are you shopping around for a deal at the moment?

RB: Shopping as we speak. So it will probably be next year sometime. I would like to come to England and play there first.

HRH: We’d love to see you up here.

RB: I want to break it over there before I break it in the States. We are going to devise a plan and see what happens. It’s really good stuff, I really worked hard on it, and it took a long time. I had to re-mix it twice, so I put a lot of heart, a lot of soul, and a lot of money (Laughs) into it. But it’s killer and I’m really proud of it.

HRH: How long did it take you to write the material – to go from initial snippets of musical ideas to the finished album?

RB: We did it in stages. Some of the stuff was for production music that we did. It wasn’t a project for me, but I’ve been asked if I had any material that I wanted to put on a soundtrack, or any songs to use on whatever, and I was like, “No, but I have a band and here are some of the songs.” We started picking songs out with the singer / songwriter I’ve been jamming with and we used it for production music, some of the songs. Some of the songs on the record are going to be used also, but a lot of it is for TV, movies, and other media. And so we took that and all of a sudden it started becoming a band sound, and became this monster that just started rolling. We came back and wrote five more tracks, it was really cool. I can’t emphasise how cool it is. We had five more songs, and my next door neighbour has a state-of-the-art studio next door to my house, so it was just me waking up, having a cup of coffee, going to hear what he was doing. Waking up every day, walking next door to see what was going on. So this is my first real production credit.

HRH: When you first started The Arms of The Sun, could you anticipate or predict your audience in advance?

RB: No, not really. The songs were just so good, that’s what it is. Just the songs that are really, really good.

HRH: How do song ideas come to you? Do you have to set a mood, lock yourself in a room, or do they come to you as you go about your daily business?

RB: Usually the singer has everything down as far as what the melody is going to be. There is one song I wrote – all the harmonies and everything, the main track – that I helped him out with. It just came naturally, we were sitting in a studio, and I said, “Well, give me some lyrics and I will come up with something.” I’ve done it with Crowbar before and it worked out really well. That way when the singer is stuck and is freaked out because he can’t figure out what he wants to sing there, you can always just bring some ideas to the table: “OK, let’s try THIS and see what it will turn into.” A lot of the stuff that I do is arrangement stuff. I’m pretty good at arranging material and stuff like that. I think when I get a good song riff, I always put it down on the guitar, like if I was sitting here right now and something came to me, I’d sit with my acoustic next to me and put it down that way. And then put it down to my Pro-Tools here.

HRH: But you’ve always had wide musical interests outside of metal – from playing jazz at school to the Beatles, and the Doors, and 70s rock, and country music. Did you ever feel stylistically limited during the Pantera days playing just heavy metal?

RB: I think so. I think it was one of those forbidden rules – you can’t go play with anybody else. And Phil stepped out of that picture when he started playing with Down, and it just started from there. Once I got out of the band, I really started playing different stuff. Down sounds nothing like Pantera. Just because Phil is singing isn’t the reason why it should sound anything like it. The music is totally different. I’ve been blessed with two great bands and it’s come around full circle. I am playing some of the parts on this stuff that I would never had a chance to play anywhere else. It’s more melodic, more sing-along-ish, but at the same time heavy on the bottom, it just gives me full circle being a musician, and that’s really what it’s all about. Success or no success, just for me to play with these guys and to have the opportunity to play some really great stuff that I couldn’t have played on another record gives me a chance to broaden my horizon a bit, and I’ve been very blessed. I think that the more people you jam with, the more insightful and more spiritual your music becomes to you.

HRH: Do you think that being a rock bass player as a profession has changed in any fundamental way since the time when you were growing up? Not in terms of recording technology, or changes in the industry, or distribution, but in terms of pure craft. Do you think there are more expectations now from rock bass players, or less, or has it changed in any big way?

RB: There’s a lot less. I think it’s less than there is anything. I think that there is only a handful of us left that are really original and do what we do. Mike Inez has been very true to his bass, I think Rob Trujillo is exceptional… I’m trying to think… You know, there are a lot of other bands, and I hate singling out people, those are just a few who really… We are all around the same age, you know? We grew up on the same kind of stuff, and there are a lot of other kids who are trying to get it, but just not getting it – playing along with the guitar the whole time, when you can’t play with the guitar the whole time. You can base your roots around that, but you can’t play with the guitar the whole time. And that’s what a lot of bass players do these days, and that’s what I didn’t do. One thing I made sure that I didn’t do in Pantera, even though there was a lot of it, but that was just because that was the main riff. But there are other parts where you hear me and Vinnie playing against Dime.

HRH: What would be your advice to anyone who is starting out these days?

RB: Just get a really good drummer. This is something that you got to have. Someone who can keep a really good beat and someone who enjoys the same music that you do. And just stick it out. It’s not an easy business.

HRH: Talking about Vinnie, do you ever see yourself on the same stage again?

RB: I never say never, but I don’t ever think so, no. The world is crazy, the world is just insane. So maybe there is something down the road, but right now I really don’t think so. You never know – tomorrow is another day. Today – no. Tomorrow – maybe.

Mike Trash of The Erotics

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Guitarist/vocalist Mike Trash of The Erotics checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about their brand new CD Today the Devil Tomorrow the World; specific songs like “Anything” and “She Sucks the Life;” upcoming tour plans; the video for “Today the Devil Tomorrow the World;” and a whole lot more.

The Erotics are one of those bands you should have been a fan of 5 years ago, but it’s not a bad idea to start now. Tune in now to hear what the hubbub is all about, and pick up their new album immediately thereafter.

Online: http://www.eroticrocknroll.net/

(If the embedded player doesn’t populate, click here to stream the interview in a stand alone player.)

Ricky Phillips of STYX

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

One of the greatest hard rock bands that helped define the classic rock era Styx is currently performing on The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight Tour performing both albums track by track in their entirety. Catchy melodies, power ballads, and a combination of progressive rock, and stellar musicianship are Styx’s strongest forte. Styx emerged out of the Chicago area inspiring many hits including, “Lady,” “Babe” and ”Come Sail Away.”

In 2010, there seems to be a whole new generation of fans discovering the band for the first this. This prompted the re-recording of six of the bands greatest hits in a new album release available at the bands concerts entitled REGENERATION, VOLUME 1. The EP also contains one new song entitled “Difference In The World.”

Hardrock Haven had the privilege of speaking with Styx bassist Ricky Phillips after the opening night of The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight Tour. In this exclusive interview Ricky gives the readers a detailed look into the making of one of the most anticipated tours of the season.

HRH: Ricky, Thank you for checking in with Hardrock Haven. Styx recently kicked off The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight Tour. How did opening night go? What were some of the highlights?

Ricky: The highlights were remembering the songs. (Laughter) We are actually doing a lot of material in the set that we haven’t played in ages, and some stuff that Styx that has never performed. We have got such a comfortable place in our set where we are running around jumping off the drum riser, summersaults all kind of crazy stuff onstage. Now all of a sudden we got to stop and think there are moments when I got lead boots and I am just standing there going oh my God what is next? But it gives it a great energy. I have to say last night’s show had such an undercurrent of intensity that we talked about afterwards that we got offstage. There is a very cool vibe. There is a different type  of audience coming to this. More of the audio file type of audience and we like that. It is fun to see and fun to feel. It is not so immediate of people just jumping up and down and rocking out for no apparent reason. It is people who are checking it out and us out in the process. It was a great show and good fun.

HRH: Do you find there is a whole new generation of Styx fans out there? Does it feel like you are performing the hits all over again for the first time with the new audience attending the concerts?

Ricky: Some of them yes. Some of the immediate gratification songs, I would say like ”Come Sail Away” and “Fooling Yourself”, you say oh yeah. Some of the stuff is a slow burn and it pulls you in. You are right, there is sort of the Styx army building over the years who have discovered the band . Some of them through their parents or grandparents and also some of them just in a search of music and what became before. It is kind of the same way I discovered Howling Wolf and Albert King and a lot of the people through the British musicians that was re-introduced back to the Americans back in the 60s. So whatever way they get there as long as they get there. It is fun to look at and see young faces in the crowd.

HRH:What inspired the band to play these albums back to back in their entirety?

Ricky: A lot of the credit goes to Charlie Brusco our manager.  We have been doing  a lot of shows. We are on the road 280 days a year. He figured we needed something to spice it up for us. Even though we have a 2 hour set or 70 minute set, we change up what material goes with that format. He could see us getting to a point where we needed to do something a little bit different. We do get a lot of fan mail people requesting this song  or that song . The sweet spot seems to be The Grand Illusion or Pieces Of Eight albums. He said why don’t we do this. This is a new concept this is a theater tour. Why don’t we do Grand Illusion take an intermission come back and do Pieces Of Eight that simply. Nobody said anything, we just kind of looked around the table and thought that is a great concert cool idea. Other bands have done it. I remember Cheap Trick doing three nights at the House Of Blues in LA each night with a different album. So it was a very cool thing. What we are trying to do is recreate the  album experience and bring the album experience where you bring the album experience where you play a A side and a B side in such a way that it is sequenced. We are playing it exactly in order of the album. The live show is normally put together very differently. You start with an opening  big number and you build your set back up to a frenzy till the end of the encores. When you released the album, you stack  heavy on the front side because you want people to hear songs that you feel are your best songs and so they will buy the album. So we will come out on “Grand Illusion” and open with “Grand Illusion” and then go straight into “Fooling Yourself”, and “Come Sail Away.” Big songs on the front side and then it gets a bit introspective and works towards that last song on the A side where you walk over and flip the vinyl over and you start the new experience of the side B. It is tricky. It is a whole different way of listening. It is a whole different experience. It is a different way of going through each catalog from both records. For us it is as different as was it was the audience.

HRH: Tell us about the stage show? It is elaborate or are you just concentrating on the music?

Ricky; I don’t really want to give away the stage show. There are a couple of things that we are doing I can’t see because I concentrating on what is coming up next. There is a lot of vocals and things coming up next. It is not just bombastic music hitting the audience over the head. There are those moments where it chills way down and because a little more of a moodiness that comes to the show. There are different plateaus and different levels. I think for the theater it  has been a sit down audience for one night I think it has proven so far to be very interesting. It is kind of just like going to the theater. It stresses the theater format.

HRH: In 1977 the breakthrough album The Grand Illusion hit the airwaves. Then the following year you had Pieces Of Eight and all of the hits including “Renegade.” How would you say those albums differ musically in style?

Ricky:  I think that Grand Illusion is an album that is very well put together. Opening with Grand Illusion and kind of building up this different time signatures and complexity rhythms that develop in a song. Although it may appear to be a very melodic song there is a long going on. Each song seems to graduate to the next up until the last song which is the grand finale. It is very well put together. There is a lot of thought put into the  creation of Grand Illusion. Then as you see as you see as you go into Pieces Of Eight a little more looser  format  a little bit more the performance of the musician. The songs get a little bit more looser in the sense the musicianship that is displayed takes it to another level. I always think about when I saw The Beatles perform “She Loves You” to Sgt. Pepper. Where is gets a little bit crazier even though there is great production and great techniques used it starts to get “Wow” these guys are serious. It is kind of that progressive.

HRH: Styx has a brand new album Regeneration, Volume One. Six songs that are re-corded and one brand new song entitled,” Difference In The World.” Tell us what you were striving for in the studio when you were recording the six hits that are going to be displayed on the new album?

Ricky: I think what we were striving for is not to change the songs. That wasn’t the reason for going in and doing Regeneration. It kind of came out of Guitar Hero and Rockband wanting tracks from us for our games. You go back and try and find the original recordings and you wonder does the record label have them? Are they in storage?  When you find them are they in good enough shape to be played. Some of these things have to be baked. There is a process where they seriously have to be heated up before they can get a playoff. They try to digitally try and record what is left and the tape disintegrates basically. So there was an actual reason for us re-doing them. And then we thought we do get fan mail from some of the younger fans who say wow we come and see this power packed band and we go buy the records and we don’t sound the same like the same band. Well some of the people are not the same. But we do respect highly the original recordings. They were meticulously put together with great due respect, we are not trying to come up with new licks or new arrangements nothing like that. It is basically, the band as musicians they mature  They get better, and recording techniques get better. So we are just trying to get good representations of the band today playing those tracks. “Difference In The World” which is a new track that Tommy Shaw wrote, I am a huge fan of that song. When Tommy first wrote it, he played it for me and I flipped. I said dude that has got to be a Styx song. I didn’t want him sending it off to another artist or having them have a hit with it or be in a movie if it wasn’t us playing it. Everyone else seemed to agree. The next thing I knew it was going to be a bonus track or a piece of new information on Regeneration.

HRH: Well the release is perfect timing for the new fans and it also showcases the evolution of the band too. Do you agree?

Ricky: Yes, exactly and that was specially the point.

HRH: How would you say Styx has evolved since the heyday?

Ricky: I was first onstage with Styx in 1979 and they were a strong unit then. I was in a band called The Baby’s and they were always a strong unit. It is basically things just changed. For something to thrive and stay alive and to get better and to grow there has got to be change within. Some of those elements have changed and some of those happen to be members. Unfortunately Johnny, the drummer for Styx passed away John Panozzo. Todd Sucherman came in. He was also a Chicago drummer. He was also voted World’s best rock drummer in Modern Drummer in the readers poll last year. All of the people who have come in Lawrence Gowan who came in on keyboards who is a huge star in Canada was basically one of those magical finds in a magical fit to come and fill the keyboard spot and also be able to sing the way he does and perform the way he does. He has got his own bevy of fans. He is a dynamic performer and singer. Each of them who have come in, I don’t want to take away anyone who has come before in the band because there is great respect for anyone who has been in Styx. The way it is formed, the way it has grown and the way it is now is an a place where it is probably at it’s highest intensity. We are tough on each other. We are a band of brothers but we care enough about the music to always discuss it at the end of the night. If something isn’t right or a tempo isn’t right we jump on it then and there. With that in mind and with that intent the band has been able to grow and flower.

HRH: It is amazing. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “Babe” on the radio this week.  What would say the secret of the longevity of Styx is?

Ricky:  I think any good song. I think if you are 17, 18 or 19 and a song comes out on the radio and reflects a relationship you are in or reflects your life and the melody repeats itself where you can hang on to it and it grows and grows and grows. There are certain songs that just land at the right time. I was a huge Led Zeppelin fans and remember buying Physical Graffiti and played it once. I said what the hell happened to my band? It is terrible. Well it ended up becoming my favorite album of all time. There was so much meat to it. It  took a second, third or fourth listen. There is so many ways of things growing and becoming as big as they may become. I think that every generation has its music and sound. There are very subtle differences. Sure you might be able to take a song and play a song from the 60′s with an 80′s type production and boom it becomes a hit if it is good song within. But there is a lot of color that goes in to creating records. That is one of the things that is kind of cool about this experience that we are doing right now with Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight Tour. We are re-visiting those things and maybe just us playing them updates the songs just a bit.  We are not trying to it is not intentional. It is just the development and growth within a band.

HRH: How long will this tour run? Will it go into next year? Will you add another leg to it? Do you think?

Ricky: I think it is too soon to tell to be honest. It could happen. We were going to do eight shows and now it grew to 22 and we said stop. We need some time off. We need some time off. We have already been out and did three tours this year. Now we are adding this fourth one. We need a break. Everybody needs to go back to their families and chill a bit. I do believe if this 22 run of the theaters catches on  and people seem to like it, we will do it again at some point.

HRH: You are such an established bass player. You have also performed with The Baby’s, Bad English, Coverdale/Page. What were some of the highlights from those days?

Ricky: Well, I think The Baby’s days were a pure time in music. There has always been trends but it wasn’t so cookie cutter of the bands from the ’60s and ’70s didn’t sound like the next. The ’80s began to get homogenized. The Babys was a band that we were all trying to be Humble Pie and The Rolling Stones. We were all little brothers of what became before and we spit it out in our style. We loved fashion and we loved good tumble rock and roll songs. We loved Led Zeppelin. When Bad English came along we were at a time when bands had the same haircuts and clothing designers. All songs sort of sounding similar. Productions styles were similar. But in Bad English we were all accomplished musicians. That is kind of how we came together. A couple guys from Journey, a couple guys from The Baby’s. we were trying to be more of a musical band. Then to get radio airplay in those days, you kind of had to be the flavor of the month. The record tried to pressure you to do tracks. What we would do we would record all the songs the record company would throw at us. We tried to beat them by writing songs. They would all fall to the wayside. generally, it would come down to the bands material. But that was something a real battle that every band had to follow in those days to get airplay and to keep a record deal. Then when the Coverdale/Page thing came along that came out of Bad English touring with Whitesnake. We were the same management as well. David said I hear from management that you guys are splitting up and I am going to be doing this project with Jimmy Page. It might be a super group it might be just the two of us we don’t know? Would you be interested in working with us? So that is how my involvement in that project started. At the end of the four or five month period all of a sudden I had a plane ticket and I was flying to a little mountain in Vancouver, Canada where we ended up cutting the record. That just a great time for me because I was a huge Led Zeppelin fan and became a huge fan of David Coverdale. I had been a fan of his since he was in Deep Purple. I had never seen the process of what it was like to work with a guy like Jimmy Page in the studio in production and writing and creating arrangements. I played all of the keyboards on our demos. Most of my keyboard parts ended up getting copied and performed by more proficient keyboard players for the record. I was deeply invested in that project from the very beginning. I learned a lot of stuff from both David and Jimmy.  We had a blast.

HRH: Is there anything  else that you want to say about the Styx Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight Tour? I know you are hitting the  area up in Lowell, Mass at the Tsongas Arena on November 3rd.

Ricky: Yes, we are just looking forward to everybody coming out and checking out this experience. If you want something that you may not expect. A little something different, a introspective but still exciting and fun and a lot of hits. C’mon out because it is maybe a one time thing. We don’t know at this point. But if anything to gauge it on such as the first show, it has proven to be a little bit bigger than we expected. We are having a blast doing it.

Paul Shortino

by Alex Barbieri
Staff Writer

Singer Paul Shortino—one of the iconic voices of the ‘80s Los Angeles metal scene—spoke to Hardrock Haven about his “Secret” desires for the new King Kobra album; his personal memories of living and recording with Ronnie James Dio; the new KK song, “Monsters & Heroes;” and a whole lot more.

 

Look for the new King Kobra album on Frontiers Records January 2011 and visit the official Paul Shortino web site at http://paulshortino.com.  

(If the embedded player doesn’t populate, please click here to stream the interview in a stand alone player.)

Andy Brewer of Taddy Porter

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

Hot off the heels of performing this Summer at Rock On The Range and most recently opening for Slash this Fall, Stillwater, Okla. quartet Taddy Porter are putting the “classic” back in Metal. If you are a huge fan of guitar solos, you will love this band. Taddy Porter has a sound reminiscent of Lynryd Skynyrd meets the Black Crowes. On June 29, Taddy Porter released their debut self-titled album with first single “Shake Me” landing at Number 3 on Active radio. The band’s latest single “Big Enough” was dropped Sept. 21.

I had the opportunity to talk with singer Andy Brewer when he was in Boston with his band Taddy Porter performing at the House Of Blues opening for Slash. The South has risen again and it is good to see guitar solos once again taking over the radio airwaves. Hardrock Haven is proud to present an exclusive interview with Andy Brewer, lead singer of Taddy Porter.  

HRH:  Andy, Thank you for checking in with Hardrock Haven. We first met in Boston at your show at the HOB. The band recently kicked off a Fall tour with Slash in Toronto. What was it like performing in Toronto?

ANDY: It was our first time to ever be in Canada. We got such a great reaction from the crowd and we have never been there before. I hate to say it, but they have a stronger love for rock and roll music maybe? The shows have been amazing. Unfortunately, we only have two more shows with Slash. The shows have been sold out. It has been a great crowd.  Our style of music is very similar with big guitar solos and long hair and stuff. It is great to play in front of a crowd that loves Slash.

HRH: The bands second single dropped on Sept. 21 called “Big Enough.” Tell us about the song.

ANDY: We are excited about it. It conveys more of a message than “Shake Me” did which was a good time more of a song. “Big Enough” is more of expression as a band. The song starts of about a girl who only feels better when she cries. It is pretty much saying try something different. Are you big enough to try something like love? Are you big enough to try and talk to somebody and get out of your comfort zone sort of thing.

HRH: How would you describe the song-writing process for this album? Do you write all the lyrics?

ANDY: I write the lyrics. Whenever it comes to riffs and things. It is shares between all of us. Sometimes it is me, or Joe, or Kevin. Once we get a pretty good solid idea of what we want to do. We will pretty much run with it. That is when we come together and iron out the tough spots. Something it is Joe just riffing.  Sometimes it is just me singing a melody that we turn into a guitar riff. Sometimes it is just the rhythm that Joe and Kevin come up with. There is a bunch of different ways that we get our songwriting done.

HRH: What is it like having two brothers in the band?

ANDY: It is funny, we are getting used to it now. They will fight with each other more than with any of us because they are brothers. Whenever they get into their little tiffs, I like to call them. It just sounds like a bunch of kids arguing sometimes. Sometimes it is just funny to listen to them. Joe and I will play the peacemaker. It never causes any big problems. We haven’t had any fistfights yet.  Knock on wood. It is funny because bands like Oasis and Kings Of Leon have brothers in the band and The Black Crowes. Those guys were the main writers in the band and they had such rivalry. It is spread out evenly with us. There is no overbearing. It works.

HRH: I heard the great response from the audience when you performed in Boston. Taddy Porter is putting the classic back in metal with huge guitar solos. I can hear some definite Led Zeppelin roots. Who are some of your influences?

ANDY: We get compared to The Black Crowes a lot. Led Zeppelin, at any time in the day I will put on Led Zeppelin Two. I have never got tired of it. I am a big fan of Free with Paul Rogers and Humble Pie. These bands kind of started this energetic rock music. I have modern influences like Wolf Mother, Jet. Bands like that we really dig.

HRH: Taddy Porter was recently voted band of the month by Gibson. Was this an honor for you?

ANDY: It was great being recognized for playing our music. It started out as a hobby. We are very happy. We can’t wait to start playing some new guitars by Gibson and sample their products.

HRH: I read that Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey uses one of your songs for a warm-up. Are you a huge baseball fan?

ANDY:  I am a huge baseball fan. I grew up playing baseball. Baseball has been in my family for a long time. My grandfather was a pitcher for the Dodgers. My dad is actually a pitching coach in the Mets organization. I play college baseball. I had a chance to play minor league baseball but I decided to go a different way and I am glad I did because I wouldn’t be able to talk to you now.

HRH: ,Yes, and you are touring the world. The band is heading home for a big show in Tulsa on Nov. 27 at Cains Ballroom.

ANDY: Yes, they have it every year in Tulsa. It is called the Cancer Sucks. It is raising money for the charities around Oklahoma. It is awesome; I have been going to do that for a while. Now we have the chance to headline the show.  We are glad to be going home.

HRH: Before that you are going on the road opening for Finger Eleven in October.

ANDY: Yes, all the bands we having been touring for have been huge.

HRH: Is there anything else that you want to say to the fans here at Hardrock Haven?

ANDY: Look us up. If you go to www.taddyporter.com that will direct you to all our social networks. We have numerous songs to start working on next year. Right now we are focusing on spreading the word.

HRH: Andy, Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule. Be sure to check out Taddy Porter on the road this October.

Visit the band @ www.myspace.com/taddyportermusic.

Fireball Ministry

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Rev. James Rota II of Fireball Ministry checked in with Hardrock Haven to discuss the making of their recent self-titled fourth studio album; why they went with “Butcher, Faker, Policy Maker” as the first single and video; if he likes Bowling for Soup; if videos are still a valid investment for bands; if he’s a social network geek; his work in The Company Band; tour plans; and a whole lot more.

If you aren’t a Fireball Ministry fan, then you are not a music fan. Tune in to get to know the enigmatic guitarist/frontman of Fireball Ministry, and pick up their new CD immediately.

Online: www.fireballministry.com

(If the embedded player doesn’t populate, click here to stream the interview in a stand alone player.)

Marcie Free of Unruly Child

by Alex Barbieri
Staff Writer

On the eve of the release of the new Unruly Child album, Worlds Collide, Marcie Free — one of the premier vocalists in melodic rock — talked to Hardrock Haven about the new album, why she feels it is divine providence that U.C. is back together, being transgender in a hard rock world, how she defines success and much more.

HRH: The new Unruly Child album, Worlds Collide is set for release Oct. 15 in Europe and Oct. 26 in the U.S. on Frontiers Records. Are you excited about it, and will we have a chance to see you and Unruly Child live at some point?

MARCIE FREE: I am extremely excited about this record. It’s a very important album for me. I have been getting sober now for over two years, and that led me to developing a close personal relationship with God, or my higher power as some people like to call it. Many wonderful miracles have been happening in my life since then. One of them was during my morning prayer one day in May 2009, shortly before Bruce Gowdy called me to ask me if I would be interested in signing with Frontiers.

That day, I realized that we are all blessed by God with certain gifts when we are born and  how important it is for us to get in touch with those gifts so we can develop them and give them back to God so to speak, in order to make life more enjoyable for our fellow man and for ourselves as well. We all have them. It could be as simple as loving to knit, or work as a journalist or a librarian. Whatever it is, you do it because you love to and you are good at it because that is what God intended you to do.

I realized how incredibly gifted God made me and how selfish I had been by not using that gift. I made an oath to God that if another musical opportunity ever came along, I would take responsibility and stand up and accept it as a way of doing my part — uphold my end of the contract so to speak. I believe it is divine providence that Unruly Child are back together again after all these years.

HRH: There is a YouTube video with you signing the Unruly Child contract to Frontiers Records. Was it a difficult negotiation? What were your demands or concerns before signing on the dotted line?

MF: No, not at all.  Frontiers was very fair with us, and it only took about three months as we started talking in June and were finished in late August. It would have taken a lot less had we all been living in the same country, I imagine. I hope you don’t mind, but I am not comfortable talking in public about our private or contractual affairs. Please forgive me?

HRH: The first single “Very First Time” sounds incredible, and will likely be on many hard rock fans’ top 10 of 2010 lists. You sing “Your eyes like home to silent prayers of love.” Are you religious or spiritual, and is that where the emotion in your voice and songs comes from?

MF: I am deeply spiritual, though not what I would call religious as I don’t necessarily belong to any church group. I do believe getting together with like-minded people is very important, so in that way I support the idea of a church group. As I spoke of in the beginning, I felt I was moved by my higher power to come back into music and give back what I feel God has blessed me with, as a way to show appreciation for my gift or talent. I prayed every single day and night while making this album for God to give me the inspiration, strength and courage to complete the tasks of recording it. So I suppose you could say that is where my appreciation comes from. My life has been filled with much pain and heartache (up till recent times), so it is easy for me to tap into that emotion when I need to.

HRH: In the new video for “Very First Time,” the band is seen smiling throughout the song. Does the band get along well, and are the internal relationships different from “back in the day?”

MF: I feel as if Bruce, Guy, Jay, and Larry are my brothers in rock. I love them as much as I love my own family.  I would gladly sacrifice my life for theirs if I had to. When I was in the band years ago, I was still hiding and dealing with my gender issues. Having been involved in drugs and alcohol throughout my life to deal with the pain really makes a person act and feel crazy or not themselves, so yes, things have greatly changed for the better now days.

HRH: You have a rich recording history, from King Kobra to Signal to Unruly Child, two solo albums and extensive fill-in studio work. What are some of your favorite recording moments and memories?

MF: I recall a moment when I was in Berkley, California making the Signal record.  I was in the studio singing the song, “You Won’t See Me Cry” while my then wife Laurie watched in the control room from behind the glass.  It was a very moving experience for me. Of course there were many great times. I love being in the studio  Recording our new song, “Talk To Me,” was also moving as I could hear it taking shape as I recorded it. It was if I could see the whole world reacting positively to it as I sang it.

HRH: Most people don’t know how tense things can get when recording an album. Any interesting meltdown stories in the studio?

MF: No, I cannot think of any particular meltdowns as you say. I really am a very mellow person. Although during the recording of Unruly Child’s debut record, Nate Winger did make me very angry the day he came in to do some background vocals with me. We were in the room singing when suddenly and without provocation he thought it would be funny to hit me in the leg as hard as he could, giving me an instant charley horse. He stood there laughing while I thought of how much I would like to murder him.  I may have, had I had my Glock 19 with me that day. But then I wouldn’t be talking to you right now :-).

HRH: You’re one of the finest singers in melodic rock. Much like Steve Perry, you have a perfect blend of tone, control, melody and grit. How have you kept your voice in shape over the years? Any tips for other singers out there?

MF: Thank you, Alex. I quit smoking. That was probably the best thing I have done for my health and for my singing over the years. I do scales in the car while driving to and from work and drink lots of water, as the body tends to dehydrate quicker when you reach my age.

HRH: You’ve been very open about your transition and being transgender. Do you feel you have helped opened the doors of acceptance for other transgender people, as Rob Halford has done for homosexuality? Any advice for people out there struggling with their sexual identity?

MF: I hope so. In the beginning when I came out, so to speak, it was hard for me. I was already in the public eye and didn’t want to take the responsibility for being the “poster child.” Now, if I can be of hope and help to those who are suffering with transgender issues, I am honored to do so. I would plead to them to please don’t suffer in silence as I did for 40 years. There are many wonderful professional people and gender clinics out there today who are willing to help you. And please remember: With God, all things are possible. My strength lies with Him. We love, because He loved us first.

HRH: How do you define success these days, how does that definition differ from the past, and what will make Worlds Collide a success in your mind?

MF: My faith in God comes first and foremost. That is how I define success today. I didn’t have that when I was young, destroying myself with drugs and alcohol to hide my shame and agony. I call this record my gift to God because He was with me every step of the way. When you think of it in that way, how can it not be a success?

HRH: Do you have any thoughts on the passing of Ronnie James Dio? If so, any memories you’d like to share.

MF: Ronnie and I first met at a Christmas party back in 1985. Carmine Appice introduced us. I will never forget how blown away I was at how much of a kind gentleman he was.  Many so called “rock stars” are not as real and down to earth as he was.  He was always like that.  I miss him dearly.

HRH: Anything else you’d like to promote or say to the Hardrock Haven audience?

MF: Just that we appreciate all your love and support so much. We are asking everyone to please visit us on our website, www.unrulychild.net. We will be making every effort to get this band out on the road touring the world to hopefully get a chance to meet all of you someday.

HRH: Thank you, Marcie, for the pleasure of interviewing you. You’re bringing some much-needed glamour back into the hard rock scene! I speak for many fans when I thank you for making the world a better place with your talent and strength. All the best to you and Unruly Child.

MF: You are most welcome Alex. It has been wonderful speaking with you and thank you for all the fun and interesting questions. God bless you and all the readers!

Watch Unruly Child’s new official video for “Very First Time” on YouTube.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5SKtuuKAcQ.

Visit the official Unruly Child website at http://www.unrulychild.net/.

Friend Marcie Free at http://www.myspace.com/markmarciefree and http://www.facebook.com/marcie.free.

Branko Zugaj of Overlord

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Overlord bassist Branko Zugaj checked in with Hardrock Haven to discuss the release of the brand new album Back Into the Dragon’s Lair; the band’s history since 1983 including multiple lineup changes and being on the cusp of success but fate intervening along the way; their history on the Canadian metal scene; the band’s new lineup and upcoming new recording and tour plans; and a whole lot more.

Overlord’s new CD is on Heaven and Hell Records Lost Relic series, and like the band Ritual, you should not have missed them the first time around. Tune in now to get to know the band Overlord, and pick up their new CD immediately thereafter.

Online: www.myspace.com/overlordcanada

(If the embedded player doesn’t populate, click here to stream the interview in a stand alone player.)

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