Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling
3 More Great Interviews
Devon Allman
Robert Jon
Kissing Judas
Anthony Rosano
The Beatersband
Bob Marley
Del Castillo
Nonpoint
U2 and more!
Hello Rock And Blues International readers. I hope everybody had a great July.
Rock And Blues is happy to announce that we have now entered the era of Podcasts. We would really like you to check out our new Podcast Channel - Rock And Blues International - The Podcast. If you like the interviews we feature in our publication, then you will love our Podcast Channel as we feature those interviews in their entirety there. On our Podcast Channel you can actually hear those interviews as they were originally done. Our special guests so far are Garnet Grimm from Savoy Brown, Phil Lewis from L.A. Guns, Graham Russell from Air Supply, Robert Jon from Robert Jon and The Wreck, Selwyn Burchwood, J.W. Jones, Chris Henderson from 3 Doors Down, and Warren Haynes from Gov’t Mule. You can check it out on all the major podcast channels as well as at http://www.buzzsprout.com/2187498 or go to our website at http://www.rockandbluesinternational.com and tap the podcast button. We hope you enjoy them.
And now on to the August issue of Rock And Blues International. On the cover of this issue you can see The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling. Nick Moss has a new album out and it’s titled “Get Your Back Into It”. Nick talked to Rock And Blues International to deliver us all the information on his new release. We will also be having Nick as a guest host on the Rock And Blues International Podcast later this month. Be sure to check it out. We’ve also got a great story by Edoardo Fassio about The Beatersband. Be sure to check that one out too, it’s very interesting. There are also stories on Devon Allman & Donavon Frankenreiter, Anthony Rosano And The Conqueroos, Robert Jon And The Wreck, Kissing Judas, Bob Marley, OOMPH1, Parker Barrow, Attila, Nonpoint, Dying Fetus and more! As you can see, there are a lot of varied genres of music here for you to check out, or as we like to say, there’s a little of something for everyone here. We have even included the current installment of the novella, “The Biker”. Read it and than email us back with your thoughts on this. So far our readers seem to really like this Blues loving Biker.
I sincerely hope that everybody reading this publication finds something here that they like and I would like to encourage you to let your friends and colleagues know about us. Just look for us every month at http://www.rockandbluesinternational.com. I would also like to encourage you to email us for a free subscription to Rock And Blues International as well. Just email us at rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com and in the subject line simply put “Sign Me Up” and we’ll email you a link to the magazine each month when it is published.
Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher
Alligator Records is happy to announce that The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling has just released their new album, Get Your Back Into It! This is the third Alligator Records release by the Nick Moss Band. Guitarist Nick Moss and harmonica player Dennis Gruenling have been making quite a name for themselves as they have delved into different aspects of the blues over the years. On their new album, Get Your Back Into It!, they have signaled a return to the old traditional style blues of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, but with their own distinctive flavor to it somewhat electrifying it. This is also a continuation of the Chicago style of blues that the band has been known for all these years. Yes, the winners of the 2000 Blues Music Award for Blues Band Of The Year is definitely kicking some butt on this new release with their authentic Chicago Blues Sound. “We are a rare breed as far as how authentic we like to keep the music,” says guitarist Nick Moss.
The gentlemen that make up the Nick Moss Band are Nick Moss (guitar, vocals), Dennis Gruenling (harmonica, vocals), Taylor Streiff (piano & keyboards), Rodrigo Mantovani (upright and electric bass, percussion), and Pierce Downer (drums). The guest artists on the album include “Sax” Gordon Beadle (saxophones) and “Brother” John Kattke (Organ on “Out Of The Woods”. Together these fine gentlemen have created their own resurgence in to the genre of traditional Chicago Blues and with their new album, Get Your Back Into It!, they have taken it even further that they first expected to.
Without a doubt, The Nick Moss Band feels that they have really knocked it out of the park with this new album. “We like to push ourselves out of our comfort zone,” Moss says of the songs and performances on the new album, “and I feel like we accomplished that.”
Songs on the new album include “The Bait In The Snare,” “Losing Ground,” and “Choose Wisely” that tend to lean on the lessons a lot of us have learned in the past and should be continued forward. Harder edged Blues songs on the album are “Living In Heartache” and “Aurelie”, which was inspired by a young lady who helped out the band when they were on a tour in Europe. There is even a song centered on their bassist, Rodrigo Mantovani titled “It Shocks Me Out.” The album was produced by both Nick Moss and Rodrigo Mantovani and mixed by Moss, Mantovani, and Pete Galanis at 3011 Studios in Chicago, IL. Collin Jordan, Bruce Iglauer and Nick Moss at The Boiler Room headed up mastering of the project. Pete Galanis at Rancho De Rhythm recorded the album.
We sat down with Nick Moss recently to gain some insight into the new album as well as to delve into the production process and the recording process of the album, not to mention find out what the messages or the
meaning were of the songs on the new album. It made for quite an interesting conversation and we’d like to share it with you now.
Rock And Blues International: Hello, Nick.
Nick Moss: Yes.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah, this is Kevin with Rock And Blues International. How you doing today?
Nick Moss: I’m good bud, how are you?
Rock And Blues International: Oh, doing fine. Doing fine. Oh, are you in Chicago right now?
Nick Moss: I am.
Rock And Blues International: All right. How are things up in Chicago today?
Nick Moss: Wet and cool.
Rock And Blues International: Wet... You’ve been getting a little bit of rain.
Nick Moss: A little bit of rain, but we needed it. My lawn’s brown.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah. Well, you’ve got the new album coming out soon, “Get Your Back Into It”. You know, you
record a new album, and then you have to sit on it for a month or so before it comes out. With the digital age, the way it is now, what are your feelings on that? Is there just like a lot of anticipation or frustration?
Nick Moss: You know, with COVID, COVID kind of helped make me a little more patient. And then also, it created a little bit of a backlog because, you know, Alligator had a lot of artists wanting to put stuff out that weren’t... They weren’t able to for a few years. So actually, we recorded this in August of last year. And so it took from August until now to get this thing out. So it was... it was a little ways to get it out. But you know I’m very excited and proud of the final product. And, you know I can’t wait for people to hear it, so I can’t wait to get out there and play it for people.
Rock And Blues International: So you’ve kind of been on pins and needles for the last 10 months or so.
Nick Moss: Yeah, you know, a little bit I’m not... I think more or less not to like putting a damper on it, you know, when it’s recorded and then mixed and around here, at least locally, we’ve been playing these songs like... I’ve been playing this song for a while, so I’m already used to them. And so it’s more about playing these songs in front of people that haven’t heard them yet, because I’ve
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already been playing them enough and listened to him enough from the recording and mixing sessions that, I’m almost kind of done and ready to go on to the next album. It’s always great when the album finally drops and then people, who haven’t heard it, hear it. Then you get to... it kind of like refreshes it for you. You need to play it for people that haven’t heard the songs, so that’s what I’m looking more forward to is getting out and playing the songs live in front of people that haven’t heard them yet.
Rock And Blues International: So you have been playing them. So what’s the reaction been so far?
Nick Moss: So far, So good, man. We just got back from... we did a whole month in Norway and then we came back home for a couple of weeks, and then we went back to Switzerland and Belgium and played a good number of the tunes over there too. We’ve been getting a good reaction, people like it a lot. We haven’t played them all, but we’ve played a good portion of them and I can’t wait for people to hear the whole thing.
Rock And Blues International: This is your third album now for Alligator.
Nick Moss: Yes.
Rock And Blues International: All right. How in the evolution of things, how does it differ from the first album? Or is it just a continuation of the first and second?
Nick Moss: You know, it’s definitely just a continuation. I think it’s what Dennis and I do. That’s what we do best and hopefully we’ve tweaked a few things along the years and with each new recording and writing the songs, we’ve tweaked and fine tuned a little bit more, and I just think that
this album is a little bit more tweaked and fine tuned. I think the first album kind of shows that we’ve only been playing really together for about a year... less than a year. And then by the time we did “Lucky Guy”, we had a good three years playing together. And then now that we’ve been together, geez, what... since late 2016. So what six years now... over six years now. We kind of got a idea of how we’re supposed to play with each other and how we write songs and construct songs together and I think it’s only gotten better.
Rock And Blues International: So it shows a bit of a maturity in the evolution of the band.
Nick Moss: Yeah, for sure.
Rock And Blues International: How long did it take you to record the songs on here? Was it like a week session, two week session, or did it last a bit longer?
Nick Moss: I think we did it in right around three days. It took us about three days to record this.
Rock And Blues International: I love the sound of it. It’s so authentic blues sounding. With so many artists now trying to develop their own.... well, different kind of blues sound, your band seems to have stuck with the traditional 40s, 50s, and 60s sound. Why is that?
Nick Moss: It’s just the stuff that both Dennis and I really love and we kind of honed our skills, playing and learning this kind of stuff. For a few years I went off and did a little bit more experimental blues and maybe even some would say a little bit of... I don’t know, rock, more rock and soul kind of stuff when Mike Ledbetter was in my band,
but prior to all that, you know. I had always done traditional blues. I had toured and played and learned my craft playing with guys like Jimmy, Jimmy Rogers and Jimmy Dawkins and Willie Smith and Pinetop Perkins, so like coming back to it. It was like a natural thing for me and it’s always been my comfort zone to play traditional blues. It’s kind of where my heart’s always been, and I know Dennis. He loves the classic harmonica players. His guys have always been Little Walter and James Cotton and George Smith. He grew up listening to big band music in his household. I know Dennis is a huge fan of like 40s Jazz and R&B and you listen to Dennis’s playing is one of the reasons why he’s considered one of the best is because he’s not just playing classic harmonica riffs. He’s playing a lot of horn lines, like Little Walter did. Dennis listens to a lot of clarinet players like one of his favorite guys is real famous clarinetist. And like, Dennis thinks things a little bit more like a like a horn player than a harp player.
Rock And Blues International: Well, then that brings us back to you a little here. You didn’t start out on guitar, you started out on bass, so how did your evolution from changing to bass effect your guitar playing? Did it? How did it effect your take on the blues altogether?
Nick Moss: Well, you know man, playing bass and then being able to play alongside Willie Smith, man. “Big Eyes” to me Is the quintessential Chicago blues drummer. That guy’s feel and timing were impeccable and he taught me that. He gave me that, that ability to hone my fill and time and the way that Muddy had those guys playing. And that being able to, to be relaxed, and still be urgent at the same time is not an easy thing to do. That’s one of the things I love about like the old school blues, is like it’s very relaxed, but it’s also kind of chaotic at times. I think that’s like one of the biggest things that I learned playing bass, was how to sit back in the pocket and give someone else something to ride on. Willie used to say, we’re just the tracks, those guys up front are the locomotive... Let it ride, make sure to get some smooth to ride on. And that’s kind of what I learned playing bass was that to have that kind of restraint and relaxation but still be able to propel. So when I switched to guitar, I kind of already had like that ability to just like sit back too as a guitar player... sit back and understand what’s happening behind me with the rhythm section. With it, I think, I think a little bit different than some other guitar players do. I like to play in and around people. I’m not constantly playing even when I’m playing rather than I’m not constantly playing. I like to stop and let space develop around me and answer people back. So, yeah, I mean, all that is what has added to my guitar playing and bass playing?
Rock And Blues International: Well, I would think that would also add to your writing ability... to be able to sit there and recognize what the bass patterns would be to
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the guitar patterns as you write your song.
Nick Moss: Yeah that definitely has a little bit to do with it. I mean, obviously, the right groove has to go with the lyrics and sometimes, more often than not, when I have the lyrics, then I have to figure like, how do I want this. I want this to be a slow kind of tune and medium tempo and up-tempo. And then once I decide that I’m like, Well, what I want this on, like uptown or real, or I want this to be real, you know, back alley, you know, gut bucket kind of blues, or do I want this to be more of a jump kind of feel? And so yeah, like, when you’re writing songs, you’re definitely writing for the grooves and the feels and all those instruments are very important to those grooves and feels. I like to write I do like to write songs more around the drums and bass than anything.
Rock And Blues International: That’s your primary starting point there?
Nick Moss: Yeah, I mean, that’s your foundation, man. If you know what kind of groove that the drums and the bass are gonna play, the guitar and the harp and the piano are just putting extra color on top of that.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, well, that would explain the first song on here. “The Bait In The Snare.”
Nick Moss: Yeah, like, in what way?
Rock And Blues International: Well, it seems like it’s kind of a drum-flavored song.
Nick Moss: Oh, yeah. Well, it definitely kicks off in the jungles and there’s definitely you know, like the intro starts out with that kind of press roll that the drummer is doing. And that’s, it’s a more up-tempo song. I wanted something that was... So the song itself, the message itself is, there’s a lot of people... I guess nowadays, people call it trolling. You see a lot of that on social media and on the news, you know, people trolling each other and just causing all kinds of angst and arguments and dissension and all kind of divisiveness amongst us. There was an old saying that I heard some of the old timers say when I was a kid. My grandfather, my dad’s friends, would say, “don’t fall for the bait, you won’t get caught in the snare”, and I feel like there’s a lot of people that like to instigate things and like to say things to get a reaction and I’m pretty good at recognizing that shit. I’ve always been like, Okay, I don’t, I try not to, you know, I try not to jump at that bait. So I wrote this song, basically about that, but I wanted to have a little bit more lighthearted feeling to it, to not make it so heavy. And so that’s why that groove is the way it is, it’s more of a jump, snappy kind of feel. And, you know, a little bit makes it
sound a little bit more comical. But it also makes you listen to it a little bit more, and perhaps, that will get someone to listen to the message too.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, well tell me about the song Aurelie.
Nick Moss: Aurelie. So that’s just a song about a lady that I met in France that was working for another artist that I was a guest of. And the guest had kept telling me oh, you know, like, I had questions like, Hey, man, what time and I gotta be there. Someone’s gonna meet me at the airport or what hotel am I staying at? And, and they kept saying, ‘oh, you know, check with Aurelie, she’ll tell you,’ and every time I would like email or call Aurelie or the other manager that was involved with it, I couldn’t get an answer. Or it would take like, days or weeks or even months to get an answer out of and I would tell my friend, I was like, Hey, man, this person is not like getting hold of me. I don’t know what’s going on. And then of course, they would call and Aurelie or the other manager would answer on the first ring. So, I just thought it was funny that this person would get an answer the first time, but every time I would call, I couldn’t get an answer. And I realized, possibly part of it could be because that person was paying them and I wasn’t. And, so I probably wasn’t priority, if you will.
Rock And Blues International: Money Talks.
Nick Moss: Yeah, you know, so. Plus, I just loved her name. In reality, she turned out to be a real sweet lady. She really was, she was nice lady and she had a lot to do. And, you know, she was dealing with people from another country that don’t speak her language. And she’s got a pretty much ferry around a bunch of musicians that don’t speak French and get them all herded up into one spot, make sure they’re on time and stuff. So I cut her some slack and I just loved her name. And I remember saying to my friend,
and another musician, I’m like, Aurelie man, is that a song? If it’s not it should be. And so I don’t know, I came home and I wrote the song “Aurelie, why won’t you answer my call? I’m a stranger in your country and I don’t speak no French at all.”
Rock And Blues International: All right. Well, the next song is the title song, “Get Your Back Into It”. So what are we getting our back into here?
Nick Moss: Well that’s pretty selfexplanatory. If you if you listen to the lyrics man, it’s, it’s the age old man meets woman, woman meets man, man meets man, woman meets woman. I don’t care who it is, but there’s a spark. And then the spark happens and then the next thing happens is gets your back into it.
Rock And Blues International: All right. And are you the “Man On The Move”? The next song is “Man On The Move”.
Nick Moss: Oh no, that’s actually Dennis’s song. Dennis sings that song. So that’s his song.
Rock And Blues International: So we really can’t talk about that too much. Or is there a comment you’d like to make on that one?
Nick Moss: No, I mean, it’s a great song. I love it. It’s one of my favorite songs that we’ve been doing live. It’s, it’s a really cool song. Dennis has always been great at... He’s a good foil for me, because he tends to write like, like kind of slightly out of the box grooves that still fit really well with what I’m doing. And they’re just different enough to make, like a quick left turn, and make things interesting. So yeah, it’s a good tune. I really love it. And I think that one is fairly selfexplanatory, too. Because, you know, Dennis is always busy doing a lot of things, not only playing music, but he teaches and he runs his
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own company that sells harmonica mics, and microphones and all kinds of accessories. So he’s always doing something. So he is truly the man on the move.
Rock And Blues International: All right. Well, the next song coming up is probably the first slower of the songs on here “Living In Heartache”, which seems to be a pretty emotional tune.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man, I wrote that song. My, my teenage daughter was going through her very first true love breakups and it was as a parent.... You know, it’s hard to see your kid go through something like that and also, you remember what that was like. Any breakup was hard, but that first one, that very first one, man, that’s a, that’s a traumatic, hard thing. And I was watching her go through that as I was writing songs for the album and that song just came out, like, pretty, pretty fast. I wrote that and put it down and I played it for her. I think at the time, you know, she’s still was in some pain, but I think she really appreciated the message of it. Just the message is, you know, at the end, “whatever you going through, you know, I’m always going to be here.”
Rock And Blues International: Was she pretty well flattered that you thought about it enough to write a song about that.
Nick Moss: I think so. But you know, she’s a teenager she’s not going to tell you. She’s, she’s good. She’s, uh, she just finished her first year of college and I think this is
kind of funny because like, she came back this year, she just, you know, she just got home. She goes to school in Boston, and I think all her friends and colleagues think it’s cool that her dad’s like a blues musician. And so she’s like, she’s like, Dad, you know? My friends think you’re cool. I’m like, ‘Oh, so now you think I’m cool, Because your friends do.’
Rock And Blues International: Yes, sometimes it takes having your friends’ think that your dad’s cool before you realize he’s cool.
Nick Moss: Yeah, but I tell her I always knew I was cool.
Rock And Blues International: I’m sure you did. And here’s one I guess it’s dedicated to your bass player. It’s the bass, “It Shocks Me Out”.
Nick Moss: Yeah, Rodrigo. He’s from Brazil and he moved here in, like 2018. I’ve known Rodrigo since 2010. I want to say I met him in Spain when he was touring with his band from Brazil, Igor Prado’s band and we became friends then. And so when he moved here to play with me, yeah, he’s a hey man, because I want to get my English better, so man, correct me when I say something wrong. Okay. And I was like, Dude, you actually speak really good English man you know? I said, but I’ll do my best. So every now and then he would say something like, if words had an e-d at the end, like I booked a flight, he would say I book ed a flight. I’m
like, no, no, no. Rodrigo, not book ed, it’s booked. He goes, ‘but why is it crooked?” I go, I don’t know. The English language sucks, buddy. I don’t know what to tell you.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah, they say the English language is the hardest language to learn because the sounding of one word could be spelled a half a dozen different ways and have two dozen different meanings.
Nick Moss: Yeah, but you know what? He’s got a leg up, because I’m gonna tell you something, the Portuguese language is, which was what they speak in Brazil is mostly Portuguese. That’s a hard language and he’ll even tell you that, like the Portuguese language is extremely hard. It’s very, he says it’s real similar to English, because a lot of the same things apply. Where there’s words that mean the same thing, but sound different when you apply them to different things, and I was like, okay. But anyway, going back to that there was one phrase that Rodrigo has said since he lived here, but I would never correct him, because I liked it the way he said it, so he didn’t know that he was saying it wrong. But like, he would always like, combine. I’m shock and it knocks me out. And he would say It shocks me out. Like if he likes something because man that really shocks me out. Oh, man, I love it.
Rock And Blues International: So he’s the originator of the title of the song, even though he probably doesn’t know it.
Nick Moss: Well, now he does, because I had to tell him when we wrote the song and why I wrote the song. But he laughed. He loves me. He loves that I that I like that and so I think he’s flattered. He’s like, really? You wrote this for me. So, yeah, that term, it shocks me out.
Rock And Blues International: All right, you got three instrumentals on here. The first one is “Out Of The Woods” and you’ve got a guest organist on here, John Kattke, and he really adds a lot of extra texture and flavor to this song.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man. I’m a big fan of like that 60s, 50s, late 50s, 60s Organ, Jazz stuff like, you know man, Jimmy McGriff, Brother Jack McDuff, all that kind of stuff is like, I love that. So if I’m not playing old Chicago blues, I’m usually playing that kind of stuff to listen to. It’s just something about that music and that style of blues and jazz has always kind of been close to my heart and I’ve never been able to do something similar. I have one other tune that I recorded many years ago called “Chez Sweet Petite Pea” and that was on my very first CD with another great organ player in Chicago and I haven’t really done anything since him. I kind of wanted to do something in that style and I don’t know I just kept playing around with it, with like this hook line on guitar, one that the song starts out with the head. And we’re just messing around with it and Rodrigo again was like, you should make that... you should
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make that like an instrumental. We could do like more jazz changes on that one. I think that would be a cool tune. And also ‘Yeah, Man, you’re right, let’s do that.’ So we kind of worked it out and It originally was going to be just piano and Taylor played on the very first version of it. And I was like, You know what, man, I think it would sound better with organ and I had John Kattke come in, when I had ‘sax’ Gordon and the both of them laid their parts down together over the top of what the rhythm section of myself had done. And it just like, the song came alive and it was like more exactly what I wanted and just had this feel. It’s kind of like it’s kind of a catchy groove. And it’s a lighthearted kind of head and kind of how I felt when things started opening up in this country. As we were getting over this crazy world event of COVID and stuff and feels like we’re out of the woods. And I was like, I mean, that’d be cool tune, a title for a song and that’s why I named it “Out Of The Woods”.
Rock And Blues International: All right, well, how much did your part change on the song when they added that their parts in or did it change with your part already down and then they just complimented it?
Nick Moss: Yeah. So we had recorded it all together, Dennis, Taylor, Rodrigo, Pierce and myself and then when we went to go mix it out. ‘So you know what, man, I wish I had a saxophone on it. Actually when Gordon came in a month later to put his saxophone parts down. He started putting his sax parts on and as he was putting his sax on top. All I could think of was like Jack McDuff, and Willis Jackson and I was like, man, fuck, this needs organ with the way Gordon’s playing saxophone. All I could hear in my head was you know, like I said that Brother Jack Macduff and Willis Jackson kind of combination of Organ and saxophone. And I thought ah man, I call John Kattke, and I say, ‘Hey, John. I’m at my buddy Pete’s house. We were doing the finishing overdubs on sax on mixing at my buddy Pete’s studio. So are you in the city?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I go, ‘man, any chance you can come over here and put an organ park down for me.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.’ And he showed up and threw it down and then split.
Rock And Blues International: Well that’s dedication.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man. That was great. John’s has always been one of my favorite musicians in Chicago. John is like one of the most underrated guys on the scene. He is a brilliant, brilliant musician. Piano, organ. Fuck man, he’s a better guitar player than I am. I can tell you that. He’s a killer guitar player. Great vocalist. He even plays like horns and shit. I think he plays all the brass
and I know he plays saxophone too. He’s like the Prince of blues. He can play like, every damn instrument. And he played with Otis rush, and he played with Buddy Guy over the years. Shit he even had a short stint playing with the Black Crowes for a minute.
Rock And Blues International: Black Crowes. Well, that’s a distinct difference there in music.
Nick Moss: Yeah, he got asked to play with the Black Crowes for a brief minute. I don’t know what happened with that, but he didn’t last long. I think it was just like a transition. So they were looking for someone that could play long term, but he’s been all over the place man, and he’s never recorded his own album. It still blows my mind that he’s never done his own album. And just a great guy. Unfortunately, man he just lost a son recently, like a month ago.
Rock And Blues International: Oh, no.
Nick Moss: Terrible situation and I just played with him Saturday night. You don’t even know what to say to someone when that happens. All I could do was hug him and he hugged me back and it was good to play with him because I hadn’t seen him since before... I want to say the last time we had done a gig together was like way back in February. I hadn’t seen him in a while. Then I heard the news about his son.
Rock And Blues International: With something like that, it’s even hard... It’s hard to even tell someone that you’re sorry that that happened.
Nick Moss: Yeah, absolutely, man.
Rock And Blues International: It’s very emotional and you don’t know the response you’ll get back on that.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man. But, you know, we’ve known each other long enough, like the hug I can feel... I can feel in his hug back
to me like he knew that I was giving him his love back.
Rock And Blues International: Well that’s a beautiful thing.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man. And all I can say is like, I’m very fortunate to know him and the fact that he would just like, drop whatever he was doing and show up to throw that organ down. I was like, as he was packing up to leave to, I was like, Dude, what I owe you for that. So he goes, I don’t know, man, pay me whatever you want to pay me and just like left. So I ended up zelling him. I thought it went pretty good. I said, Was that enough? He goes, Yeah, man, for sure. You know, like, no big deal.
Rock And Blues International: You just buy him another beer next time you see him.
Nick Moss: He’s a good dude, man and he’s been in and out of a lot. I think John’s played on maybe six of my CDs. Wow, I have to go back and look, but he’s one of the guys that I’ll always call if I need a specialist to come in and fill a spot the right way. Man, I’m gonna call John, John will know what to do.
Rock And Blues International: So you’ve got quite a repertoire of music behind you.
Nick Moss: Yeah man, we have fun. It’s good when you have musicians that can understand what’s in my brain and help me get it out.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, the next three songs on here seem to be kind of teaching people a lesson from “Choose Wisely,” “Your Bark Is Worse Than Your Bite,” which I believe Dennis wrote and “Losing Ground.” So “Choose Wisely.” I really enjoyed that. The message in the song was very good.
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Nick Moss: Yeah, that’s another... I guess as you get older, all those lessons that your parents were trying to teach you start sinking in. I had heard that phrase over and over as a kid. I’ve heard that phrase over and over when I was a young man playing in bands and being like the kiddo in a band full of seventy year old men, and nowadays the things that you see that are happening all around us. You start going like, man, people, if they would just go back and listen to what their parents told them a long time ago, man, maybe things would be better. If you just listened to those lessons that we were supposed to listen to when we were in grade school, when you were taught like, hey, man, let’s just get along and share. Sharing is a good thing. Why can’t we all just share, or be nice to your neighbor, instead of you know, shouting at your neighbor, or the grass ain’t always greener on the other side, or tend to your own backyard before you, you know, point out, you know, someone else’s. All those lessons and they all got lost and muddled as we got older, I believe. Choosing wisely, that’s just such a simple message. Like, think about what you’re going to do before you do it. Think about what you’re going to say before you say it. You know, cuz you have a 5050 shot of fucking up, or getting through it the right way and if you think about it, you might make the right choice and come out clean without stepping into mud.
Rock And Blues International: Right. Well, I know that when we’re kids, we seem to think we know a lot more than our parents do. It’s just a natural thing between the younger generation and the older generation. I like to tell people that. Yeah, when I was young, my parents were just, they just didn’t
know... they didn’t know as much as I did, but as I got into my 30s, I couldn’t believe how much they had learned. Which simply means that I finally realized they knew what they were talking about. And I didn’t.
Nick Moss: Yeah, you know, they did and I think part of the problem is a lot of people that teach or say phrases like that to me, they don’t even really understand what it means. It’s just lip service. They heard it too so they’re gonna say it, but they don’t really believe it because they don’t follow it themselves. I mean, you see it today, everywhere now, you know, on the news and everything. We got people leading our country telling us one thing, but like, the basic things that we were taught in school, that you would teach your children go right out the goddamn window when you become an adult, you start speaking to people. And the way people speak to each other nowadays, you couldn’t get away with that in kindergarten or grade school if you said that to one of your fellow students, or a teacher said that or you say that to a teacher. It just amazes me how like the basic tenants of life of just being good and kind and accepting people for who they are and just goes right out the window. So that’s kind of what that song was about. “Choose Wisely.”
Rock And Blues International: Okay, “Your Bark Is Worse Than Your Bite.” Now, I know you didn’t write that one. But tell me about that. Tell me what you can about that one.
Nick Moss: You know what, man, I think I wouldn’t. That’s a song that I would have to defer to Dennis. I have my idea what it could be, but, you know, that’s the thing
about songs anyway is like, man, what it means to me, even as I wrote the song doesn’t necessarily have to mean the same thing to you, or whoever’s song. So like, for sure. I know that Dennis was talking probably about a past relationship that he had, so he would probably be the one to talk to more about that, but I tend to think that it was probably more or less about a past relationship he was in.
Rock And Blues International: All right and “Losing Ground.”
Nick Moss: Another kind of lesson like slinging mud calling someone something or casting aspersions about someone. When you do that, you quite literally when your slinging mud, you’re quite literally bending over and taking dirt from underneath your own feet. You’re basically losing ground when you throw that mud at someone. And it’s quite literal. Like it’s doing you no good, really isn’t. How is it helping you to call someone names, cast aspersions, and put someone else in a bad light? How is that helping you? It’s not helping you at all.
Rock And Blues International: Right. Right.
Nick Moss: And then go back to the basic thing and like, I wish people would just have a conversation and you got a problem, talk it out.
Rock And Blues International: Well, on “Bones Cantina”, I found that to be a very interesting instrumental as well, it looks like you put a little bit of a Latin flavor into a blues sound there.
Nick Moss: Yeah, so this was kind of a song that we’ve been doing for quite some time just has like a break tune, like a little instrumental that we threw together, as you know, something going into a break before we got off stage and it was originally a song called “Tacos Especial”. I would do this spiel on stage about how my favorite food is the taco because I believe it is the food unit more in demand because no matter what you like, if you’re a vegetarian, or pescatarian, or a meataterian, you can have the best taco you’ve ever had in your life, because you can put in wherever you want in there. And then I also said, I believe that the taco could probably teach the world the lesson, and save the world if it was given a chance because there’s nobody in the audience they can honestly tell me that they’ve been pissed off when they’ve been eating a taco. Nobody’s mad when you’re eating a taco.
Rock And Blues International: I can understand that. Well I’m down in Texas, and I probably have, I am sure I have at least one or two tacos every week. You got to, between that and the fajitas.
Nick Moss: Yeah and I would do this song and a friend of mine, Anthony. We’re out in Tucson, who, you know, used to be part
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of how do I say this? Politically? He was part of a club, if you will, a motorcycle club. We’ll just say he was in a club and his nickname was Bones, if that tells you anything. But he was also a huge blues fan and he would come to our shows and he just became kind of a friend. He would write to me all the time. And he took me to one of my favorite Mexican taco places, this little shack in Tucson. And, in fact, he told me one day, it’s not in the greatest neighborhood Manny, you’re going to be okay. I’m like, Well, shit, man. I’m from Chicago. I got no problem going into a neighborhood. He said, Well, look, I can’t go with you today because I got to work. He goes, but if anyone gives you any trouble, you just tell him Bones sent you. And we went into this little Mexican shack. And it was like in a movie, like, everybody stopped talking and the record skipped and everyone just looked at us as we walked in the door. These white guys walk in the door, right? And some guy at a table was like, Are you lost? You know, kind of trying to being intimidating. And I looked at him. I said, no, I’m not lost man. I came to get some tacos. And I go my friend Bone sent me. And as soon as I said, Bones, everybody inside said. Oh, hey yeah, man, come on in. Nobody wants to have anything to do with pissing off Bones apparently. And then all suddenly they were my friends. And it was probably one of the best taco places I’ve ever been to man. They had everything. You know, the cabeza was great. And all my favorite stuff anyway.
Rock And Blues International: Alright, so that’s the inspiration for that song.
Nick Moss: And then, you know, this past year, he got diagnosed with cancer. And unfortunately he passed away right as we were announcing that the record was going to be released, but I did get a chance to send him the song after it was recorded, and he got a chance to hear it before he passed. And I told him, we were renaming the song “Bones Cantina” after him.
Rock And Blues International: I bet he was very flattered and very appreciative of that.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man that was cool to hear his reaction. I actually face timed with him and seeing his reaction was really cool.
Rock And Blues International: I bet it was a very emotional moment for you as well.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man. I’m sure he’s up there hanging out with all his other buddies and listening to good music. And he’s going to... yeah, he told me... he goes, well at least I get to see the guys that I never got to see because I’ll see them on the other side.
Rock And Blues International: That’s a good attitude. That’s a very good attitude. “Lonely Fool”, who is lonely fool in the
band?
Nick Moss: Um, so, you know, this is another song about... it could be anybody, but it’s mostly about the stupidity that... I would say that 98% of the male population is guilty of causing and starting an argument with your significant other to the point where like, even when you know you’re wrong, you just double down on it until they get so pissed off that they just fucking leave. And like, I don’t know, if you’ve ever had a girlfriend split and go to a friend’s house or mom’s house or wherever and not even tell you where they were going. They were just so mad. They just had to leave and you just were left staring at the door as the door closed. And then you had to go lay down in that empty bed, realizing, ‘wow, I just fucked up pretty bad.’
Rock And Blues International: No, I think we’ve all been there at one point or another.
Nick Moss: Yeah. So that’s what that’s all about.
Rock And Blues International: All right. And the next one, “The Solution.” What is the solution?
Nick Moss: So that’s my song dedicated to Jimmie Johnson and his brother Phil Johnson. It kind of took like a funkier Soul Johnson and Jimmy Johnson kind of groove. And Jimmy was a guy that I always loved his music and I was very fortunate to be able to play and tour and take him out on the road with me a few times. I went over overseas with him, I took them on the Blues Cruise one year and we played shows here in the States and Jimmy was... He was a definitely a character and he would love to tell you all these stories. And one of my favorite things is Jimmy would always tell me these stories. Actually, one time we were on a bus in Norway going to this festival in Notodden, Norway, and Genova Magnus was on the bus and Tommy Castro was on the bus and I can’t remember who else was on this bus. We were going from the airport in Oslo to this tiny town up in the mountains in Notodden, which is one of the bigger festivals in Europe for blues. And it was about a threehour ride and Jimmy was just kind of holding court telling all these stories. Every story he was telling was about how some person had either done him wrong or pissed him off and how, at the end of every story, Jimmy had
like, basically bested this person, either physically or mentally. He must have told a dozen of these stories, but in the end, he says, ‘I came out on top’, or ‘I did this to so and so and he never thought twice about ever doing that again and me.’ And everyone was laughing. And I kinda was half joking and I said, ‘Jimmy, I said Jimmy, man, in every one of these stories, someone’s done you wrong? Did you ever stop the think, maybe it’s you.’ And he goes, ‘Man, I ain’t the problem. I’m the solution.’
Rock And Blues International: That’s good. That’s good.
Nick Moss: And so every time I would see Jimmy from then on, I would go ‘What’s up solution’ and he would say, ‘What’s up problem?’
Rock And Blues International: All right, the last song on here, the last instrumental as well. I love the title. I love the music. Scratch ‘N’ Sniff. That brought up to a lot of different memories to me.
Nick Moss: Yeah man, I was just like, I love all those old kind of like, 60s, surf rock kind of tunes and I love the titles of those old tunes. The song definitely has more of a surf sound, surf rock to it, and just thought it was funny. Plus the beginning of the song, I’m kind of scratching on the strings doing that thing, and I was like, oh, man, we’ll just call this one Scratch ‘N’ Sniff you know, because it’s kind of funky too.
Rock And Blues International: All right. Now, over the years, you’ve received quite a few actual accolades here, five Blues
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Music Awards. That’s quite a feat.
Nick Moss: Yeah man, we’ve been in it a while. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Jimmy Bott but Jimmy Bott’s, a great drummer, blues drummer. He used to play with Rod Piazza for a few years and the Fabulous Thunderbirds for years. Jimmy and I for years had been nominated in our respective categories like he was nominated for Blues Drummer in the Blues Music Awards, I think 19 times and never won an award before and finally got it on his 20th nomination. And myself I had been nominated I think 26 times, 25 or 26 times for different categories like Song, Album Of The Year, Band Of The Year, all kinds of things since 2008. Like over like a 16 or 17 year period or something like that before ever winning my first award. So we used to kind of like hit each other that we were the Susan Lucci of Blues because we had never won an award but did get nominated. Finally in 2019, I got Best Traditional Male Blues Artist and then in 2020 we won Band of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Dennis got his Best Harmonica Player award, so it’s been cool, so it’s been a slow, long grind, and I will say... I’m not gonna say it didn’t feel good to win them, but Honestly, I’m still sitting on my couch drinking my coffee and petting my dogs where I was before I won the award.
Rock And Blues International: So some things don’t change.
Nick Moss: No man, It was good. It’s good to be recognized and it was nice to finally win, but by the time I actually won them it was like, I think the importance of it... Don’t get me wrong, it’s all good, but I think the importance of it had kind of like tempered itself for me. It didn’t seem so important for me to have won these awards, but it was still
nice. Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: So you don’t expect anything out of this album. But if something happens, you’ll be content with it.
Nick Moss: Yeah, man, all I know is this is like, I’ve always strived to make the next day better than the last, and with that kind of thinking, I’ve always tried to make every album better than the last. I try to make my life and like I said every day better than yesterday was and at least try not to go backwards and make it worse. That’s for sure.
Rock And Blues International: Uh huh. Well, you, Rodrigo and Pete mixed the album and then it was mastered by you and Bruce. What was it like working with Bruce Iglauer at the Boiler Room when you were mastering the album?
Nick Moss: Well, you know, he definitely has his ideas on what he thinks people want to hear. And he’s got 50 years experience selling records, and nobody can deny that he’s been successful. He’s kept this label going for as long and it makes money. I have my ideas because of how I listen to music, and I listen to music as a musician. I don’t listen to music as just a fan or a casual listener that likes music. I’m listening to it as a musician. So my ears are slightly different. So I think it’s kind of cool that Bruce kind of has a pulse on what he thinks the average listener wants, and we can kind of meet in the middle. And sometimes we butt heads a little bit, but eventually we do we meet in the middle. He gets what he wants out of it, and I get what I want.
Rock And Blues International: Can you describe an instance in there?
Nick Moss: Um, well, you know, I can tell you this, like, I’m very analog driven. I use old amps and old guitars and tube amps, and guitars that are 40, 50, 60 years old and amps that are 40, 50, 60 years old. And I just love the warmth of it. I love the way LPs sound. And Bruce likes the fact that technology has advanced to make things like a little bit more hi-fi sounding, and crisper and clearer. Because he knows that there’s most, to put it delicately, the blues listening audiences have not gotten much younger. In fact, more gets older and older every year. And people of that age, they grew up as technology grew up. And so like, I think most people think that if something is new, it’s obviously better than old. Am I wrong?
Rock And Blues International: People seem to embrace technology a lot more in this age than they would have liked 40 years ago.
Nick Moss: Right, and I believe that with that kind of thinking, like for instance, I remember my dad taking my brother out to buy his first guitar and my brother wanted this old Les Paul. And back then with an old Les Paul, you could still kind of afford it and my dad was like, ‘Why do you want to buy something used like that? You can buy a brand new guitar for the same price and it’s got a warranty on it.’ And my brother ended up with a Peavey T-60 instead of a 1968 Les Paul, which would have been worth about 100 times more today. So what I would say is like Bruce kind of thinks in that mentality that the average listener will think, Well, you know, well, I don’t want my record to sound like an old, you know, hi-fi and old... But to me as a musician, a guy that loves that old stuff, I love the hissing and popping and I love the warmth of an old recording. And so we got to kind of meet in the middle. And, you know, I kind of, I kind of jokingly said to Bruce, while we’re in the studio, I was like, on your on your headstone. I said, I think we should put on your headstone. Here lies Bruce Iglauer, he just wanted to make the world a brighter place.
Rock And Blues International: Well, when I listened to the album, I mean, to me, it definitely has that 40s, 50s, and 60s analog sound to it, it sounded to me like it was recorded Direct to Tape.
Nick Moss: Well, I’m glad. I’m glad you thought that. But actually, you know, being that this is my home studio, and I can’t afford all those old analog machines. We did do this all Pro Tools, man, but we mixed it up in my friend Pete’s house, and his studio. He has really nice outboard gear. So he has some really nice old tube preamps. And mixing it back through those old tube preamps really added a lot of warmth. And nowadays the programs that they’re using, you can get and fool pretty seasoned veterans into thinking that it’s analog. I mean, there’s very few guys I know with ears good enough that can tell the difference between analog and digital. I mean, I’m not saying you couldn’t, but nowadays, the stuff that are coming out with the digital recording platforms, you can really continued on next page
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close approximation. And we get and again, to Bruce’s credit, he met me in the middle and I met him in the middle. And I think there’s just enough crispness for his ears to appreciate for like the casual listener to not go. “Why does it sound like an old record.’ And then for the guys that like me that are like, Oh man, that’s cool. Sounds like an old record?
Rock And Blues International: Well, a lot of the difference between sounding digital and sounding analog on digital equipment has to do with the engineer themselves. So a lot of the newer engineers tend to make everything sound so sterile sounding.
Nick Moss: Yeah, that’s absolutely correct, man, you know, a lot of the engineering schools for a long time, were teaching that technique about how to get isolation and separation. But I think what you’re seeing nowadays, you’re seeing a lot of these records that are coming out, and guys and women that are recording and getting into recording that they’re getting into a more analog sound, and a more retro sound, and they’re learning that bleed. And room sound is actually a cool thing. And it can be your friend, it can be used for great texture and, you know, where in the 70s and 80s and 90s, any kind of bleed or room sound was considered like a failure like, ‘Oh, God, I can hear that. I can hear that guitar in the drum line or I can hear that drum and the guitar line. That was considered a failure. But for years from like the 1920s, all the way up until like the late 60s. Bleed was just normal and you worked with it, and that’s why that stuff just sounded so glorious and beautiful to my ears.
Rock And Blues International: Well, back then in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, the technique was placement of the people around the one microphone.
Nick Moss: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: It was well, you sing so high, you need to move back a little. You sing a little lower, move a little closer to the mic. Let’s spread the drums over here. There was a lot of technique that isn’t utilized like it is now. Everything’s done in separate rooms with 20 different mics.
Nick Moss: Right.
Rock And Blues International: I’m recording this conversation right now on a Rodecaster Pro, a small Tascam recorder and Pro Tools.
Nick Moss: Well, yeah, that’s cool, man.
Rock And Blues International: I do
three different recordings, because I’m always afraid that one of them will crap out on me. You know, if you’re just using one recorder and it dies, you’re screwed.
Nick Moss: Yeah that’s absolutely true. Yeah, we try and we tend to record the same way, everyone in the same room with minimal isolation as possible. And for me, bleed doesn’t bother me at all.
Rock And Blues International: Some people edit out everything out of their vocals, stuff like that. And a lot of times a good... what’s the word I’m looking for? Well, sometimes just the breathing, hearing the breathing can add to the meaning of a song.
Nick Moss: Oh, yeah, for sure.
Rock And Blues International: Well, I’ve kept you on the phone for over an hour now. Is there anything I missed that we should have talked about that we just gotten off track on?
Nick Moss: No, I mean, you went through the album pretty good. And I appreciate that man. And I think I’m just looking forward for people to hear this new stuff. And I think the only thing that I would probably add is that like, just what this conversation was kind of ending on is like, I’m not trying to like, say, I’m the only one doing this. But I feel like having Bruce allow me to put out a record like this and to the extent that we were able to record it the way we did and have it sound the way we did. I’m just grateful to have a platform to be able to still keep this older style of music alive, where a lot of bands and musicians out there trying to push the genre forward, which I have no problem with. That’s fine. My only issue is that people will remember where it came from, and still hold a high reverence for it, because I don’t want people to just push the genre forward and forget about the past.
Rock And Blues International: Well, you have to stay true to yourself and your roots. And if this is what it dictates to you, then this is the path you must follow.
Nick Moss: Absolutely.
Rock And Blues International: All right. Before we go, anything you want to say about the other bandmates?
Nick Moss: Yeah, you know, I think we covered a little bit about Rodrigo, man, you know, he came from Brazil. You know, and that song is not only just about like a tongue in cheek about his pronunciation of things, but what I say in that song is true. That guy is truly... like I’m not the only one saying that I can tell you that I can. I can almost guarantee that any other bass player or musician including, you know guys like Rick Estrin and Kim Wilson, will tell you that they think that Rodrigo is probably one of the best bass players on the planet for this kind of music. And I’m very fortunate to have that guy. And then he came all the way from Brazil, and moved his whole life and his wife
up here to play with me, and I’m fortunate and he’s become one of my best friends. I love him like a brother. And it’s so cool to have someone like him standing next to me playing this shit the right way. And the young, the youngster in the band, the drummer that just joined our band this year, Pierce Downer. The kid just turned 21 while he was recording the album with us. Actually, he wasn’t even 21 when recording he was 20 he turned 21 in September. And for a young kid, he is free to have the ability to learn this stuff. It’s not an easy language to understand traditional blues. It really isn’t and especially for a drummer and playing the stuff the right way. And you got someone like Rodrigo standing next to you who expects it to be the right way. The kid’s really like done his homework and the fact that he wants to play this old school blues, like the way I did when I was at age, it’s like, says a lot about him and really proud of that kid. And, you know, Dennis man, you know, me and him go back a long ways and we’ve been able to put this band together purely by happenstance and it just worked. And you know, that guy elevates my playing just standing next to him, too. You know, he’s such a world class harmonica player. I feel like, if I lay down for even a moment, you know, I’m just gonna get trampled. So like, every night when we’re playing like, he makes me a better player.
Rock And Blues International: Oh that’s wonderful. That’s great.
Nick Moss: Well that’s true.
Rock And Blues International: All right. Well, I want to thank you for the time that you spent with me, I really enjoyed the interview, I really love the album and I’m looking forward to talking to you again in another year or so or two, or when you do your next album.
Nick Moss: All right, buddy. I’ll be looking forward to it. Okay.
Rock And Blues International: Wonderful. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that and I’ll let you get back to your day and we’ll talk in the future.
As you can see, Nick Moss is very proud and forthcoming about the new album. He considers Get Your Back Into It! one of the band’s best albums, if not the best one to date. There’s no doubt about it, Nick and the band loved recording the album, but now the goal is to get out there and perform it for as many people as they can. As he stated, they’ve already been performing some of these songs already, but they still have quite a bit more people to reach with the new music. I really enjoyed the new album and the band’s take on the old Chicago Blues sound of the 40s - 60s. It was actually very refreshing and I would definitely recommend this album as an addition to any Blues aficionado’s collection. In short, get out there and get your copy of The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling’s Get Your Back Into It! today!
Frankenreiter will be hitting
theroad this month on their most ambitious tour together. They are planning to break the record for performing 50 shows in 50 states in 49 days. The previous record holder for this kind of a tour was George Thorogood back in 1981. Their concert tour will kick off on August 5th in Maryland and Pennsylvania with two concerts on the same day. The tour is scheduled to conclude in Los Angeles, California on September 22nd. The tour features a full band, so the logistics of moving the band and all their equipment from state to state at such a fast pace will be quite an ordeal for Devon and Donavon.
“I’ve had this idea in my back pocked for the better part of a decade,” shares Devon Allman. “50 shows in the 50 United States in 50 days. I think growing up reading the World Record books, it’s just always been a fantasy to go after a world record. This undertaking is going to be really difficult, but very rewarding and I really found the perfect co-conspirator in Donavon Frankenreiter. We have been jamming together for years now and are quite simpatico… he is the perfect Evel to my Knievel”
There’s no better way to see it all but by playing all 50 states in under 50 days and I couldn’t think of a better friend to do something this crazy with,” adds Donavon Frankenreiter. “I first met Devon on the
Allman Family Revival Tour and we always talked about doing something together. One morning Devon called me and said he had this crazy idea about breaking a world record. As soon as he said 50 shows in 50 states under 50 days I said ‘Yes, let’s do this.’ And now, a year later, we are ready to see it all… or at least attempt to see it all!”
In addition to trying to set a World’s Record, Devon and Donavon also have another agenda to share with the audiences that attend their concert tour. They are also promoting their new EP, Rollers. Rollers feature 6 great new songs that Donovan and Devon are extremely proud of. Song titles on
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the new EP include “Calling All You Riders,” “See It All,” “We Belong,” “Electric Lady,” “Where Ya Gonna Run To,” and “Acapulco Gold.” Their video for “See It All” has been in heavy rotation across all video mediums right now and is gaining a lot of attention for the band and their ambitious tour effort.
We had a chance to sit down with Devon recently to talk about the tour and the new EP and he is just really all jazzed up about both the new EP and the tour and candidly talked to us about both.
Devon Allman: Hello
Rock And Blues International: Hello, this is Kevin.
Devon Allman: Hey, Kevin. How are you?
Rock And Blues International: I’m doing great, and I’m very interested in hearing about this record-breaking tour your undertaking. So, where are you at today?
Devon Allman: I am home.
Rock And Blues International: And where’s home?
Devon Allman: St. Louis, Missouri.
Rock And Blues International: St. Louis, I’ve lived in St. Louis, before.
Devon Allman: There you go.
Rock And Blues International: When I was a kid. We’re talking a long time ago.
Devon Allman: Nice.
Rock And Blues International: I remember the snow would get so high there in the wintertime.
Devon Allman: Doesn’t snow as much anymore.
Rock And Blues International: When I lived there, it was late. 50s. So...
Devon Allman: Wow.
Rock And Blues International: I’m an old fart.
Devon Allman: I thought I was old. Come on. You got me beat.
Rock And Blues International: No kidding. Hell, I’m probably just... I’m probably almost as old as your your dad was.
Devon Allman: Wow. Yeah, he was born in 47.
Rock And Blues International: I was born in 53.
Devon Allman: Pretty close. Pretty close.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah. So we got two things to talk about. You’ve got an EP out titled Rollers and you’re doing this ambitious tour. So where would you like to start, the EP or the tour?
Devon Allman: Ambitious is a very nice way to say stupid. You know, let’s start with whichever you want,
Rock And Blues International: Well, let’s start with the EP, you’ve got a brand new EP out and it’s called Rollers, and that was just recently released, wasn’t it?
Devon Allman: Correct. Yes, came out last week.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, I’m wondering where the title came from on it, Rollers, especially when I’m looking at this song on here called “Acapulco Gold.”
Devon Allman: That’s funny, you know, it’s so funny, because I haven’t really been, and obviously nothing wrong with the green way of life whatsoever, as it’s legal in most places now, certainly. But yeah, that’s not actually where it came from. But the idea was, you know, we were writing these songs and I remember saying, ‘Man, these aren’t rockers, these are rollers.’ You know, the songs don’t like rock, they’re more. I don’t know, they have a motion to them, you know, a sense of motion. And I felt like, these are good road songs, the rolling of the tires down the highway. The call to arms for this tour is to inspire people to get off their duff and go see this amazing country that we have. If you’ve never seen the Grand Canyon, go do it. Everybody gets a week or two of vacation. Save your Starbucks money and go explore and that was kind of the idea behind the tour. And then the music, we wanted the music to reflect the notion of the tour, which is to inspire people to go see their country and to travel around so, so yeah, Rollers. Good,
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good roll in music, good driving down the highway music, but it is funny. You know how if you take Rollers and “Acapulco Gold”, you could think that it was angled in a certain way, but it really honestly was not.
Rock And Blues International: Well, you may hit a crossover audience with that.
Devon Allman: Well, it turns out that I think that the music happens to be very green friendly, so nothing wrong with that and all are welcome, of course.
Rock And Blues International: All right. Well, let’s talk about some of the songs on here. It kicks off with a really heavy Country tinged song here titled “Calling All You Riders”.
Devon Allman: Yes. Yeah, I mean, I’d say almost, how they how they say Country and Western. I’d say it’s more Western. It’s got a real Western spooky western feel to me, for sure and yeah, I like that song. That song kind of wrote itself. It’s like it wrote itself in like 10 minutes, one of those.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, well, you and Donavan write these songs. Did you write or co-write all the songs or did you write some and he writes some?
Devon Allman: So we co-wrote, but there was two songs that I brought to the table and that was “Calling All You Riders”, I wrote myself, and “Electric Lady”, I wrote myself.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. Tell me about “Electric Lady”.
Devon Allman: We were on tour on the Allman Family Revival and we had an in to Electric Lady Studios, Jimi Hendrix’s Studios, which still operates and people do records there all the time, in New York City. And so we went for a tour of it. We really thought about making the Rollers EP there. We opted out of it, just due to logistics really more than anything. You know, getting everybody across the country and staying in New York City and it just... it wasn’t, it didn’t end up being very cost effective. But the tour of the studio was amazing. We got to see Stevie Wonder’s keyboard, and there was an acoustic guitar sitting there. And I don’t know, I was just kind of inspired to be in this historic studio. And I wrote it on the spot right there.
Rock And Blues International: Wonderful. And your first video off of this is “See It All”. So is that like, homage to the new tour itself? Get out there and see it all?
Devon Allman: Yeah, pretty much. Donavan had that music, which is just so catchy, that riff. I just started kind of scatting to the riff, you know. “Never been to Burning Man, but I’ve been to Wichita, come on, and take my hand, we’re gonna see it all”, just kind of, again, kind of that call to arms to ask people to go see their beautiful country.
Rock And Blues International: All right. And the song “We Belong”, where do you belong?
Devon Allman: “We Belong” means that we belong together, that there are strength in numbers, and this, this is always
our world. I think a lot of people get disillusioned and feel like there’s oppressive forces working against us, whether it’s companies or corporations, or governments or politicians or whatever. And it’s no, no, no, this is this is our planet and we belong. We belong here as much as anyone else. Whether you’re the CEO of a company, or the janitor, we all belong. And that’s, that’s what that song is about, being together.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, and “Where Ya Gonna Run Do”. Is that something about not being able to hide?
Devon Allman: I think “Where Ya Gonna Run To”... I don’t know, that was kind of one of those that kind of rolled off the tongue, “50 days and 50 nights surrounded by the neon lights”, we’re just talking about, maybe it was kind of a little foreshadowing of the insanity that is this tour. We’re not going to be able to escape this, the ultimate desire, which is to break the world record. But I think “Where Ya Gonna Run To” also is another call to arms to, ‘hey, all right, if you’ve decided you’re gonna get out and see it all. Well, where are you going to run to first? Where are you gonna go? Where are you going to explore.’
Rock And Blues International: Okay, and the EP ends with the instrumental “Acapulco Gold”. So what was the inspiration for that?
Devon Allman: So that was just a piece of music that Donavan brought to me and all he had was the skeleton. So that’s a good example of a co-write where you know the skeleton exists, but there’s nothing. There’s no main guitar melody or vocal melody or whatever kind of lead melody. So he brought in the skeleton and I added all the lead guitar stuff that you hear, kind of what, what I did to take that song and turn it into an actual instrumental instead of just kind of a backing track.
Rock And Blues International: And there is no desire to put any kind of lyrics on it at all.
Devon Allman: It just... no, once I heard the backing track, it almost had the 60s, kind of James Bondy, kind of surfy and it felt Acapulco. I just felt like an old 60s Beach Resort kind of vibe. That’s why it got the cheeky title of “Acapulco Gold”. So yeah, I mean, that was really it. I don’t think there was ever even an inkling of there being a vocal.
Rock And Blues International: All right. And the interesting thing is, this EP was produced by Luther Dickinson.
Devon Allman: Yeah. What a beast. It’s such a musical beast. You know, we love
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we love Luther so much. Luther was on the same tour of the Allman Family Revival tour, when we kind of had the idea to, to do this crazy tour and to do some music, to have to play on the tour. We were like, well, we don’t want to just go on this tour and play a bunch of our old stuff. Let’s do a collaborative EP. And, Luther was on that tour. So we were like, well, this just makes perfect sense. We should have Luther produce it. And he was all about it. So we’re very lucky he was available and into it.
Rock And Blues International: Where did you record this?
Devon Allman: We recorded that EP in St. Louis at a place called Sawhorse. It’s a place that I’ve used primarily for mixing and overdubs and even rehearsal because it’s right here at home. I don’t have to go to Nashville or anyplace else like that. It’s just a stone’s throw, so, I think over the years, I’ve gotten so comfortable at Sawhorse. I was like, well, let’s just try and track there. And it worked out great.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, does Donavan, live there in St. Louis also?
Devon Allman: No, no, he doesn’t. He lives in Hawaii, actually. So yeah, we would fly Donavan in or we would just get him here when he was already on a mainland run.
Rock And Blues International: And how did you and him get together to even do this? How did the idea between the two of you arise?
Devon Allman: Well, we had met during Americana Fest in Nashville some five years ago. And I don’t know, we just hit it off. We’re kind of simpatico souls so to speak. We keep the same hours and watch the same channels, so It wasn’t long before we were on tour together on the Allman Family Revival. I went ahead and invited him out because I thought he would be a unique artist and we hadn’t really had many artists like Donovan. And so on those tours, we just kind of forged a bond and I don’t know, I had the idea of 50 shows and 50 states. I had that idea for 10 years. I think it came back to me when I turned 50, I was like ‘oh man, wouldn’t this be the year to do this.’ So yeah, man. I ran the idea past him and the guy couldn’t say yes,
fast enough.
Rock And Blues International: Well, you’re breaking a record. Who set the record for the first 50 shows in 50 states?
Devon Allman: I don’t know. It’s somebody and it’s not like it’s somebody huge. I don’t know, I can’t remember. I’m sure it’s easily Google-able. And I don’t really care because we’re gonna beat it.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah, you’re gonna do it in 49.
Devon Allman: That’s right.
Rock And Blues International: Well, you’ve already figured out how to do that. You’re gonna do Maryland and Pennsylvania in one day. Right there that knocks it out and puts you ahead. The only trouble I see is the trip to Alaska and the trip over to Hawaii.
Devon Allman: Yeah, man. I mean, that’s crazy shit. You know, like if we have a delay or if we’re got a cancel. I mean, like we could really… we could be in some trouble. So it’s up to the gods at that point.
Rock And Blues International: So anything can happen, but hopefully nothing will.
Devon Allman: Well, we’re trying. We’re trying to just put our best foot forward and hope for the absolute best.
Rock And Blues International: And you’re taking a full band on this. It’s just not the two of you together.
Devon Allman: Correct. Yeah, we’ve got Donavon’s bass player Matt Grundy. We’ve got my drummer John Lum and a couple of other cats to fill in, filling it out. We’ve got some really great opening acts coming through and we’re stoked. I mean,
we’re really geeked to do it. You know, I’m just, I’m hoping it all comes together.
Rock And Blues International: Well, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. I mean, it really is kind of an ambitious tour, especially when you start heading south and you get to Texas, unless you’ve picked out locations on the corners of all the little borders, so you don’t have to travel too far.
Devon Allman: I wish it was that easy. We’re going to have to employ two drivers. So yeah, they’re going to be working in shifts.
Rock And Blues International: Two drivers. And some pilots also.
Devon Allman: We’ll definitely have to get on the planes for Alaska and Hawaii, but you know, otherwise, man, we’re gonna, we’re gonna give it hell. We’re gonna see what we can do.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, you’re gonna be heading out to some new spots that you’ve never been before. How do you feel about that?
Devon Allman: I’ve played every state in this country except Alaska, and North Dakota. I’ve been to every state. But yeah, I mean, playing Alaska and playing North Dakota, this will be a first for both of those. I’m excited man. I’m all about the exploring, obviously, or I wouldn’t do what I do. And I love the bragging rights. So yeah, man, we’ve played all 50 states like... that’s really great bragging rights.
Rock And Blues International: It is interesting. It’s a shame, though, that you’re not going to be able to have any free time to actually look around any of these places, you’re going to walk in one door out the
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other, on to the bus, to the airport on a plane out. I mean, do y’all plan on sleeping on this tour?
Devon Allman: Yeah, I mean, that’s really the trick, sleep, sleep is going to be everything. And on top of it, I’m going to be running a 75 hard program. And if you’re not familiar with 75 Hard, both you and the readers, 75 Hard is a program, it’s online. And you can find out all about it by looking it up. So I’m going to be running one of those. Also on top of this, but I think it’s actually it’s one of the ways it’s going to keep me fresh and keep me sane and keep me in shape and ready to rock every night. So sleep is massive to this kind of endeavor and clean food and hydration. And, it’s pretty much when you do it at this level. It’s like you’re an athlete. So you have to kind of think like one.
Rock And Blues International: Well, what is the 75 hard program?
Devon Allman: Well, it’s like an internet-based program that this guy kind of started. And it’s a challenge that has a few different components to it, you know, like,
like, workout component diet component. Anyone that’s interested can go look it up 75 Hard. But I’ve done it before and it’s a challenge. It’s quite a regimen.
Rock And Blues International: That’s what... like 75 minutes sleep a day.
Devon Allman: No, no, no... 75 stands for, it’s a 75 day program. Right. And the program is two workouts a day, a diet of your choice, reading self-help book 10 pages a day, a gallon of water a day, which may sound easy, but boy, that’s tough. It’s basically like that.
Rock And Blues International: Well, I do a gallon of water a day.
Devon Allman: Good man.
Rock And Blues International: It’s just something I have to do. I’m diabetic, so there’s just certain things I can’t have.
Devon Allman: Yep, yep. Then you know, you know well, I found a gallon a day to be hard. I ended up figuring out that it was
about six gulps off of a huge water container every 15 minutes for the 16 hours a day that I was awake. That was the breakdown. So if I could remember every 15 minutes to take about six gulps out of my container then I would hit a gallon in a day’s time. Now you just get busy man, you get busy. You forget. You forget to take the six gulps.
Rock And Blues International: Well it won’t be hard when you get down to Texas. We’re running 100-degree weather down here.
Devon Allman: Yeah, well, we’re 102 tomorrow in St. Louis, so I feel your pain. I get ya. It’s hot. It’s hot stuff.
Rock And Blues International: Oh, yeah. Well, anything else we need to talk about this?
Devon Allman: I mean, just we would love for everybody to come and be a part of history with us breaking the record. And obviously, the music is really what it’s about. So grab the EP and the website is Devonanddonavan.com. All the info is there. And we hope to see everybody out there on the road.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, but what size set are we going to be seeing?
Devon Allman: Oh, it’s a typical, like headline set. I mean it’s about, I don’t know, like a typical headline. So like, you know, set and the encore like, probably ending up at 90, something like 90 minutes.
Rock And Blues International: All right. Well, I appreciate your time.
Devon Allman: Thank you, brother.
Rock And Blues International: I have seen you perform before. I saw you in Houston at a place called the Heights Theater.
Devon Allman: Oh, I love the heights. Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: It’s been quite a while.
Devon Allman: Yeah. Six years or so.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah. Meanwhile, anyway, thanks again for your time. I appreciate it. And I don’t know if I’ll make it to your show in Texas, but I’ll try.
Devon Allman: Well give it hell and if so we’ll see you there.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. Thank you.
Devon Allman: All right, brother. Thank you.
Rock And Blues International: Bye.
Anthony Rosano and The Conqueroos have released their new studio album “Cheat the Devil” produced by Tab Benoit on Whiskey Bayou Records. Rosano enthuses “I’m really excited for everyone to hear this record. We are proud of it, not just for what’s on it musically, but what it stands for. The whole record is three guys in a room with microphones creating music in the moment, no overdubs, no autotune, no digital enhancements. In an age of digital downloads and AI, we wanted to put out something that still represents the organic nature of music.”
Anthony Rosano and The Conqueroos are presently on tour with Tab Benoit supporting the new album. “This Tour with Tab has been a blast! There’s a good camaraderie with the bands and the crew and the audiences have been amazing. We have been making a lot of new friends, taking a lot of selfies, and people have been grabbing CDs after our set. I enjoy playing music for people who haven’t heard it, or might not even know who we are. When they come up after the show to let you know they enjoyed it, it makes it that much more rewarding, I remember discovering new bands myself by showing up to see the opening act, so to be on this side of that is a great feeling,” says Rosano.
“Cheat the Devil” was recorded live on analog tape at Whiskey Bayou Studios in Houma Louisiana– produced, engineered and mastered by Tab Benoit with Anthony Rosano on vocals and guitar with Conqueroos Kyle McCormick covering drums and Jake Fultz holding down the bass.
Singer, guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader Anthony Rosano, has always been drawn to grit, gravitas and the connection that comes from making music. Although his music is firmly implanted in the firmament of the blues, he takes his cue from any number of archival influences. Over the span of the past ten years, it’s certainly served him well.
“As a teenager, I was into all the British bands that took their cues from the blues,” he recalls. “I was still a novice on guitar when I read an interview with Glen Tipton, the guitarist from Judas Priest. He mentioned that Peter Green, the genius guitar player for the original Fleetwood Mac, was his main influence, and he cited ‘Green Manalishi’ as the song that had inspired him early on. I found a copy of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac album recorded live at the Boston Tea Party, and after soaking it all up, it led me to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, which, in turn, led me to the original blues masters like Freddy King and Muddy Waters. As
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everything fell into place, I quickly realized that all my favorite songs by my favorite bands were actually blues songs! The feeling I got from those songs became a kind of spiritual connection, one that originated when the English took it upon themselves to emulate the authentic sound of true American soul, and then share it with the rest of the world. It became a transatlantic and universal phenomenon.”
All these years later, Anthony continues to play his part in that continuum. Well recognized and highly respected for his dedication to that specific sound, flush with its drive and determination, he and his band, The Conqueroos — Anthony on guitar and vocals, Kyle McCormick on drums and Jake Fultz on bass — have delighted — and inspired — audiences big and small. Whether on their own or while sharing stages with Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band, ZZ Top, Gov’t Mule, Samantha Fish, or Tab Benoit, this powerhouse trio continues to amaze and impress.
In fact, it was that connection to Benoit that led to his upcoming album, “Cheat The Devil” which finds Benoit himself sitting behind the boards for producing, engineering, mixing and mastering. The two originally met at a blues festival in 2013 and immediately hit it off. Benoit offered Anthony the opportunity to open for him on tour and two weeks later, suggested they record an album.
Recorded at Whiskey Bayou Studio, the new album represents another defining chapter in a career that’s brought Anthony
and his band to the top of the Billboard and iTunes Blues charts, while also drawing the absolute admiration of audiences and aficionados — be it those wholly devoted to the blues, raging rock enthusiasts or heavy metal Metallica fans.
Not surprisingly then, the songs not only live up to expectation, but clearly exceed it as well. They range from the soulful and surging sound of the title track and the dark and dramatic resolve of “What Kind of Fool,” to the steady stomp that resonates throughout “Sin City” and the rocking revelry that underscores “Jonesboro Road.” Other tracks — “Rosalita,” “Scattered Bones” and “Shook” in particular — dig deep into an undercurrent of angst and intensity.
The album was preceded by two singles — first, the dramatically defiant “Cheat the Devil” and then, following that, a fierce and ferocious take on the classic “King Bee.”
“We had a great time making this record,” Anthony recalls. “Tab is a great guy to hang with and we share similar musical influences and sensibilities. Before going into the studio, we talked about our favorite records and how most of them were recorded live. This record is strictly three guys, all together in the same room playing live in the studio. We had talked about bringing in other musicians on certain songs, but Tab convinced us to maintain the power trio format that reflects our true live sound. There were no overdubs and no edits, and it was mixed directly to tape. Ultimately, we captured
the perfect vibe and ended up with a perfectly imperfect organic record.”
While some have compared the Conqueroos’ sound to that of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble or Rory Gallagher, Anthony has always followed his own muse. A native New Yorker who now resides in Norfolk Virginia, he won instant acclaim with his self-released debut, Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos, produced by Mike Zito, which made its debut at number nine on the Billboard blues chart and then quickly ascended to Number One on the iTunes blues charts at the same time.
Paul Shugrue of NPR may have summed it up best when he said, “Rosano is a top notch triple threat: guitarist, vocalist and songwriter.”
Anthony’s efforts have continued to bear fruit ever since. While the pandemic kept the Conqueroos off the road, Anthony continued to keep in contact with his fans through a series of live streaming acoustic concerts. They were so successful in fact, that one of the new songs he previewed, “Isolation Blues,” was tapped by NPR for use on its “Voice of America” program.
With a forthcoming tour that will find them opening for the Humble Pie Legacy beginning in September, Anthony remains both modest and motivated. He’s clearly paid his dues, citing the fact that within days after playing Madison Square Garden and opening for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, he was back at home playing for 20 people at a pool party. And while there was a time when he made his living as a successful business man and raised his family, he never lost his motivation to make music, a muse he’s pursued for the past decade.
“I want to connect with people the way music connects with me,” he insists. “I also realize it’s important to put myself out there. The rewards that come from music equate with the human experience in its entirety — what it means to share, to sometimes feel heartbreak, to understand what it’s like to be lost in love. Sometimes it can even be about something silly or superfluous, and yet the affirmation and the bond that come through music is, in my opinion, all part of the joy that comes when a life is well-lived. Personally, I can’t imagine living my life any other way.”
Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos’ new album “Cheat the Devil,” produced by Tab Benoit, is available worldwide on CD and all digital/streaming platforms July 7th via Whiskey Bayou Records.
By Edoardo Fassio
Rock ‘n roll will never die, goes the wishful thinking of nostalgia addicts of all ages. The Beatersband, from Tuscany, dedicate themselves to the mantra, with no rhetoric, though; the trio specializes in replicating a virtual soundtrack of American Graffiti, thus riding the long waves of revival. The successful movie directed by George Lucas, which is now celebrating its half century (it was released in US theaters on August 11, 1973), evokes the moods and the songs of the summer of 1962: just eleven years earlier, yet already, at that time, an era away. Talking about eras, the band’s purpose is investigating the geological stratifications of rock ‘n roll. The individual members - Donatella Guida, vocals, and guitar; Leonardo Serrini, bass; Caio Nipi, drums - reveal inspiration fromand admiration for - groups like Who, Police, Ramones, Blondie, and Green Day. As a collective, they summon up pop and rhythm & blues songs, especially from the immediately pre-Beatles era, re-adapting them to the guitar-bassdrums format and to the aesthetics of the following decades.
They demolished the wall of sound, erased arrangements, sophistications, horns, winds and strings sections, sax and guitar solos, reduced tempos with a fast, furious (and still romantic) treatment and simplified the vocal parts, which belonged to poignant divas of the age of innocence and wet dreams. Primarily Shirelles, Crystals, Chantels, but they also work hits by male singers, teenage idols from the twist, doo-wop, or frat-rock area.
On the latest album, Vol. Tre, thanks to Donatella’s burn-baby-burn vocals, the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby”, Dusty Springfield’s “I Only Want to Be with You” and “When You Walk in The Room” by Jackie DeShannon regain a new, sinister credibility. The Guida-song is “Burning Love”; in the lyric video posted on YouTube, Presley’s song sports a footage of Elvis and Nancy Sinatra from the movie Speedway.
The Beatersband are mostly concentrated about having and sharing fun, and filling the dance floors of clubs and festivals. Meanwhile, their records, released on various formats, including cassettes, jump to number one in Japan and arouse the attention of “serious” critics, who realize that their shrewd revisionism compares favorably with the original versions, without falling short to parody.
In addition to the Anglo-American repertoire, the playlist includes Rita Pavone - whose “Datemi un martello” (If I Had a Hammer) was in turn the ye-ye cover of a folk song by the Weavers - and, in a double edition, Italian and French, “Tous les garcons et les filles”, the generational mega-anthem launched by Françoise Hardy right in 1962. It was released on June 15th; summer was getting in.
By Edoardo Fassio
Il rock ‘n roll non morirà mai, recita il wishful thinking di nostalgici di ogni età. A ripetere il mantra, senza cadere nella retorica, si dedicano i toscani The Beatersband, un trio specializzato nel replicare una colonna sonora virtuale di American Graffiti, dandosi così a un revival dalle onde lunghe. Il fortunato film di George Lucas, che in questi giorni compie mezzo secolo (l’uscita nelle sale USA è dell’11 agosto 1973), evocava il rimpianto per umori e canzoni dell’estate del 1962: appena undici anni prima, eppure già distanti un’era.
Proprio di stratificazioni geologiche va in cerca la band, che nelle corde e nell’esperienza dei singoli componenti - Donatella Guida, voce e chitarra; Leonardo Serrini, basso; Caio Nipi, batteria - rivela l’ammirazione per Who, Police, Ramones, Blondie e Green Day. I Beatersband ripescano brani pop e rhythm & blues, soprattutto dell’epoca immediatamente pre-Beatles, riadattandoli al formato chitarra-basso-batteria e all’estetica dei decenni successivi.
L’impostazione è rivendicata come punk rock; in realtà i tre coltivano un’idea stilistica più ambiziosa. Hanno demolito il muro del suono, eliminato arrangiamenti, sofisticazioni, sezioni di fiati e di archi, assoli di sax e di chitarra, ridotto i tempi con un trattamento presto-e-bene e semplificato all’osso le parti vocali, che appartenevano a struggenti protagoniste dell’età dell’innocenza e dei sogni bagnati. In primis Shirelles, Crystals, Chantels, ma ci sono pure hit di signori cantanti maschi, idoli adolescenziali di area twist, doo-wop o frat-rock.
Nell’ultimo album, Vol. Tre, grazie alla voce brucia-ragazzo-brucia di Donatella, “Be My Baby” delle Ronettes, “I Only Want To Be With You” di Dusty Springfield e “When You Walk In The Room” di Jackie DeShannon riacquistano una nuova, sinistra credibilità. Il brano-Guida è “Burning Love”, postato in video su YouTube corredato da una sequenza del film A tutto gas, con Elvis Presley e Nancy Sinatra. I Beatersband pensano più che altro a divertirsi e a riempire le piste da ballo di club e festival. Intanto i loro dischi, usciti su vario formato, anche in musicassetta, vanno già primi in classifica in Giappone e suscitano l’attenzione della critica “seria”, che si accorge che il loro scaltro revisionismo regge il confronto con le versioni originali, senza scadere a parodia.
Oltre al repertorio angloamericano, in scaletta hanno Rita Pavone (la cui “Datemi un martello” era a sua volta la cover ye-ye di un brano folk dei Weavers) e, in doppia edizione, italiana e francese, “Quelli della mia età”, l’inno generazionale lanciato da Françoise Hardy esattamente nel 1962. Usciva il 15 giugno, l’estate era alle porte.
This month we got reunite with our old buddy, Robert Jon from Robert Jon and The Wreck. The last time we featured him in Rock And Blues International was just a few months ago and the story was about his new concert video that he and the band had just released, Live At The Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium.
Well, Robert Jon and The Wreck are at it again and this time they’ve released their new Journeyman Records release, Ride Into The Night. The new album features eight cool new songs and boasts production work by some of the greatest music producers around, Don Was, Kevin Shirley, Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith, and Dave Cobb. The result just may be their best release yet. The songs are simply fantastic and will stick in you mind for quite a long time. Songs on the album include “Pain No More,” “Who Can You Love,” “Come At Me,” “One Of A Kind,” “Bring Me Back Home Again,” “West Coast Eyes,” “Don’t Look Down,” and “Ride Into The Light.”
The first single released from the album is “West Coast Eyes.” Already it has become an instant success for the band. The song was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith and was written in Nashville while the band was on tour last year.
“We met with the legendary Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy), whose written songs with a lot of great artists,” explains Robert Jon Burrison. “A few weeks later we went into Sunset Sound in L.A. with Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith as our producers and it evolved into a bit of a tribute to the L.A. session musician scene through the years,
combining elements from a few different decades and wound up being a really fun sonic experiment. Joe and Josh were also great to be around, providing a lot of fun musical suggestions and of course some top-notch vintage guitar gear!”
The new album, Ride Into The Light consists of four new songs along with four previously released songs that appeared on the bands EP One Of A Kind.
Hailing from Southern California, Robert Jon and The Wreck consists of Robert Jon Burrison (guitar, vocals), Andrew Espantman (drums, background vocals), Henry James Schneekluth (lead guitar, background vocals), and Warren Murrel (bass). Recently keyboardist Jake Abernathie joined the band as an official member as they continue to tour and record in the studio.
We sat down recently with Robert Jon Burrison to get the lowdown on the making of the
album, as well as the band’s interaction with the great producers and songwriters involved in this process and we’d like to share that with you right now.
Robert Jon: Hello, is this Kevin.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah, it is.
Robert Jon: Hey, Kevin, this is Robert Jon. I called you a couple minutes early if that’s cool.
Rock And Blues International: No, no problem at all. How are you doing today?
Robert Jon: I’m doing great. Can’t complain. We’re up in Colorado,
Rock And Blues International: In Colorado?
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Robert Jon: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: I bet the weather’s just fantastic out there right now.
Robert Jon: It is, it is beautiful.
Rock And Blues International: Well, the last time I talked to you, you were loading into a studio to start some recording.
Robert Jon: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: I didn’t realize it was Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles. And well, I just think that’s very extraordinary. That’s a very legendary studio. How did you feel when you went in there to start recording?
Robert Jon: Oh, it felt great. I mean, we recorded one of our first records, “Glory Bound” at Sunset Sound, so it just kind of felt like we were back home a little bit. It’s just a legendary place. And you can feel that when you’re in there.
Rock And Blues International: You can feel the vibes of all the other musicians that have been in there recording the biggest hits in history.
Robert Jon: Yeah. No pressure at all.
Rock And Blues International: With the sound of the new album, I think you’ve joined them without a doubt. The new album was really good.
Robert Jon: Thank you.
Rock And Blues International: What was it like to be working with Kevin Shirley and Don Was? Had you worked with them before?
Robert Jon: No, it was our first time working with them and it was a great experience. We had to do two tracks with the Don, two tracks with Kevin and we did two tracks with Joe Bonamassa and John Smith, and then we did two tracks with Dave Cobb. So it was a really cool experience to just work with different people on a project and see how different people work. And everyone brought their own sounds to it. I mean, I don’t think any of those tracks sound exactly the same and that’s just because of the people that we’re working with and how we do it.
Rock And Blues International:
Well, they definitely sound like Robert Jon and The Wreck, but the production on it definitely varies from song to song.
Robert Jon: Yeah, definitely.
Rock And Blues International: When you went into the studio, did you just record the four songs in that studio, because you had already had an EP out?
Robert Jon: Yeah, and then we tracked the next four at Sunset Sound at different times, not in the same session.
Rock And Blues International: Right.
Robert Jon: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: Well, tell me about the songs on the EP that became the... Well it looks like the first the first half of the album is the EP with “Pain No More”, “Who Can You Love?”, “Come At Me,” and “One Of A Kind”. Tell me about those songs.
Robert Jon: Yeah, the first few tracks we did of those were with Don Was in Henson studios in L.A. as well. And yeah, I mean, there’s just a total vibe at Henson Studios as well.
Rock And Blues International: What was the name of the studio again?
Robert Jon: Henson studios.
Rock And Blues International: Okay.
Robert Jon: Yeah. And, you know, working with Don Was was a great honor, you know, just to be in the room with him, let alone working on songs that we wrote. So it was a blast. We had had a great time with him and it was just comfortable and just felt like we had known him for years.
Rock And Blues International:
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Which ones are those?
Robert Jon: “Who Can You Love” and “Come At Me”.
Rock And Blues International: Can you tell me a little bit about the writing of those songs? Are you the writer of all the songs on here or are there co-writers involved?
Robert Jon: Yeah, there’s cowriters and us as a band, I mean, we’re really cohesive together. So we’re all in the room together, putting the songs together. It’s not just a solo mission, if you will, but uh, yeah, “Who Can You Love”, we co-wrote with our good buddy, Ian Cohen, who’s done a lot of stuff with us in the past. And it’s actually a song that we had for a long time. It was actually part of the writing sessions that we did for “Last Night On The Highway”, and it just never kind of came to fruition. We kind of brought it back in and brought it new life and Don was there to help with the vibe and get the feel of it, because that’s kind of what we were struggling with it, just kind of the feel of the song. It came out great. We love how it came out and playing it live is even more fun than recording it.
Rock And Blues International: Really.
Robert Jon: Yeah, and then “Come At Me”, we were just in the room writing songs. So that one just kind of was a fun little rocker. We were just in the rehearsal room and coming up with ideas and that one just kind of came out of thin air almost.
Rock And Blues International:
All right. What were the inspirations on “Who Can You Love”. Was there a certain person in particular is it just a generalization.
Robert Jon: It’s more of an inner look at yourself. If you can’t love yourself, it’s hard to love another person. So it kind of goes back and forth between that narrative of loving someone and making sure you can love yourself first before you are able to do that. It’s kind of a weird, introspective song or if you will. Sometimes certain lines sing better than other lines and you kind of have to rearrange songs like that, so, that one kind of happened like that.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, and “Come At Me”.
Robert Jon: Yeah, “Come At Me” is just, it’s exactly what it sounds like. There’s stuff in life, and people are telling a lot of people what to do and what they think is the right choice. It’s just standing up for what you think you should be doing, and what you believe in and if someone has a problem with it, “Come At Me”.
Rock And Blues International: Okay.
Robert Jon: Basically, it’s very simple. We weren’t trying to change the world with that one or anything.
Rock And Blues International:
Well, you say Don Was produced those. So when we listen to those songs, what production technique, can we hear on there, that was definitely something that was his, that maybe you hadn’t thought about?
Robert Jon: You know, I think Don just really added to the vibe, and really getting the band out of it in the recording, making sure that the five of us sound like what we’re trying to accomplish. Just listening to the takes, and feeling out when all five of us kind of connected, like the energy is there. And I think that was more of Don’s thing is really the vibe of the song and the vibe of us playing it live and finding the best version of that.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, so he kind of harnessed the energy of the group there for that song.
Robert Jon: Yeah, yeah.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, on “Pay No More” and “One Of A Kind”, who was the producer on that?
Robert Jon: Yeah, that’s Dave Cobb and we recorded that at RCA in Nashville. We were on the road, and we spent a weekend in RCA with Dave. I’ve probably listened to something that he’s produced almost
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every day, so getting to actually work with him and record with him was kind of incredible. I’m still processing that. Yeah, and then Dave was really more on. We had the songs and we went in, and this little corner of RCA where there’s a couch and a record player... We just brought acoustic guitars over there and just played through the song and tried to make the song something more than it already is, adding riffs here and there and bringing down the chorus in the beginning, you know, and it was so fast paced. We decided to do something and then we just went over and recorded it and Dave’s in the room with the shaker. Dave’s our metronome. He’s our click track with it, so it’s just really together. And, you know, just getting it done. There wasn’t a lot of time to think, it was’ hey, try this out, do it, here we go’, all right, it’s done and then adding whatever overdubs you need to add later, but it was a lot of fun.
Rock And Blues International: All right, then that takes you to California. What was it? How many months later? Was it a year later?
Robert Jon: Oh, man. I think it was probably a couple months.
Rock And Blues International:
A couple of months. Okay.
Robert Jon”: Yeah. I think so.
Rock And Blues International: And so the first single off the album, “West Coast Eyes”. Was that the first song you recorded when you went into Sunset Sound?
Robert Jon: Yeah, I believe so. We were with Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, and they like the producing duo that we got to work with and those two guys are already guitar aficionados, if you will and just great incredible musicians on their own. So they came at it with a musician mentality. It wasn’t just putting the best stuff down that we can and that they knew that we could. “West Coast Eyes” was written, co written with Tom Hambridge while we were out in Nashville. It’s just a song that just talks about where we’re from, the West Coast, and how we feel out there. We didn’t really... We weren’t really planning on recording it. We walked in and we had shown Joe some demos, and he’s like, ‘let’s try this one out’. So, we didn’t really think about it before we recorded it. So that was kind of fun too. It kind of took us out of our element and we had to figure it out in the room and create what we’re doing on the spot,
which was great for us. I mean, I think it’s always good to be a little uncomfortable, it makes you grow, so it was it was a great experience.
Rock And Blues International: When you said you co-wrote it with Tom Hambridge. What kind of input did he put into the writing of the song?
Robert Jon: We kind of had an overall idea. He kind of brought in... He knew we were from the West Coast and he’s like, ‘what about something about West Coast eyes, and then you start plucking. You start to sit in an E string and just see where it goes from there. So, yeah, we just sat in a room and figured it out together from scratch. And that was an interesting way to do it with five guys and it was it was great. We were just in his basement and sipping coffee and trying to write a song.
Rock And Blues International: That’s wonderful. Yeah, he must be a pretty, pretty wealthy person by now as many artists as he’s written songs with. It’s all in the songwriting. And every time I see a new blues album come out. He’s got credits on there somewhere.
Robert Jon: Yeah, he’s all over the place. He’s pretty amazing.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah. Tell me about the other three songs on here. Bring me back home again. Let’s start with that one.
Robert Jon: Yeah, yeah, that was a song recorded with Kevin Shirley at Sunset Sound and that was also co written with our good friend, Ian Cohen. That’s just a rock tune with a little gurgle on it. We tried it in the room and we got a feel for it and we kind of knew what we were supposed to do. We brought it in and Kevin really added.... I mean, the chorus goes down and this mandolin and that’s all Kevin. Just ideas and thinking about it. And it’s so it came.... A lot of new life came from that. We love that song. It’s great. It’s
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really about you know, we’re on the road so much so it’s about coming back home and hoping... hoping she’s still there.
Rock And Blues International: Hoping she’s still there. Is that the girl on the cover of the album?
Robert Jon: Oh that’s the “West Coast Eyes” girl.
Rock And Blues International: Any relation to anybody in the band?
Robert Jon: Nope. Nope. Just a model that was available.
Rock And Blues International: Oh, okay. Well, I guess it’d be a competition between girlfriends or wives if you were picking a member of the band’s relatives to put on there.
Robert Jon: Yeah, we won’t deal with that. But yeah, that’s “Bringing Me Back Home Again”. “Don’t Look Down” was recorded with Joe and Josh and that was just a simple rock song we just... Like I said, we were just in the room and we had some cool riffs and we put some lyrics over it and that song is really simple song, just about keeping your head up with what you’re doing and doing to the best of your abilities. And you know, it’s like a pump-up song for feeling down about anything. You just don’t look down, just keep on pushing. That was just a simple rock song and some songs take a little bit more time some song takes less time and sometimes you just have a feel of a song and it just comes out naturally and it’s just simple if you will.
Rock And Blues International:
Robert Jon: Yeah, “Ride Into The Light” kind of came from Henry’s repertoire. He had this idea.... He kind of had the chord structure with a verse and a chorus. We worked together on the lyrics to finish those out and brought it into the room. It is what it was and Kevin Shirley is who we recorded that one with and Kevin had some great suggestions on the song and it ended up being the title of song. “Ride Into The Light” wasn’t in the song when we brought it in. And there was a line there previously that Kevin just said there needs to be something more and we all kind of went outside and it was... the sun was out and we were just pushing and ‘hold on tight, let’s ride into the light’ just kind of came out. So it’s a it’s a great track and live, it takes on a new emotion as well and just being able to have it in the fingers longer. And yeah, it’s a great tune.
Rock And Blues International: Well, Kevin Shirley’s pretty well renown down about working with bands like Iron Maiden and the Black Crowes and a lot of the more diverse bands out there. How do you think that affected the production of the songs you did with him with his background?
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Robert Jon: Can you say that one more time? Just the question part. Okay.
Rock And Blues International: How do you think that affected the overall sound of your song with his background the way it?
Robert Jon: Yeah, well, yeah, I mean, him coming from a band aspect and bands that, that do kind of utilize more in the studio than just what they have available. You know, it just the ideas of putting a mandolin in a certain place... we would never have thought of. And then you listen to the track back and you’re like, wow, that really fits and it adds something. It adds another element. He’s good at adding in the next element that maybe the five of us wouldn’t think about because we have guitars in our hands, keyboards and a bass. It’s almost like the sixth member of the band being there, almost like a utility player and adding something else just to push the envelope a little bit more just to make the track even better than it already is. And it’s truly a pleasure working with him and we’ll probably have another interview to talk about the other recordings that we just did with him.
Rock And Blues International:
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Oh, really? You’ve got another album getting ready to come out?
Robert Jon: Well, I don’t know how much we’re talking about it. But we definitely have more music on the way than just this one.
Rock And Blues International: A lot more tracks in the can.
Robert Jon: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: You’re on Joe Bonamassa’s label, The Journeyman label.
Robert Jon: Yeah, Journeyman.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, how did that happen? How did you team up with Joe Bonamassa? You’re on his label, and now he’s helping you produce. Did he perform anything on any of the songs or bring in any cool guitars and tell you try this out, you’ll get a better sound.
Robert Jon: We definitely got to utilize his vast collection. You know, he didn’t bring everything in. But he knows Henry and I and he knows what we like. And he brought a couple of guitars for us to play and try out. So that was fun. And brought in some amps that. Henry is more of the amp guy. I use my Vox AC-15 and love it. But he brought in some
really, really cool amps to play through. I mean, he’s recording us so he wants it to sound the best that it can and we had a lot of fun just using some of that vintage gear and creating tones and moving things around. We met him on one of the first Mediterranean “Keeping The Blues Alive Cruises.” That was the first cruise that we did with him and we got to meet the team. We just kept in touch. It was just a working relationship of friends just being... having a relationship with someone. So we ended up doing a couple more cruises after that and kept just being a part of the crew and the team and it just was kind of a natural progression, just to work with him over there and to keep the ball rolling. And so you know, it wasn’t like ‘hey guys, we want to sign you,’ here it is without knowing each other. We got to know each other really well for a few years before we actually decided to kind of team up and work together with their label. So it’s been a great experience so far, and we can’t wait for the future.
Rock And Blues International: Did he approach you or did you approach him to get on the label?
Robert Jon: They were talking about it and I think it was more of they approached us and asked if we’d be interested. Of course it was easy
for us to be interested, we just had to work out the details and see how our visions line up and then move forward.
Rock And Blues International: Very few labels have active personnel that are hands on with the groups, as far as the owner of the label going in and sitting with the band and recording with them. You’ve done other recordings. So what was it like to sit down with Joe Bonamassa, knowing he was the head of the label, and all of a sudden, he’s really working with you on this.
Robert Jon: It was great because we’re in it together. It’s not something that is separated between two different sides or someone coming in who’s just not really invested. So it was a great experience. It was great to be in the room with someone who’s just almost as invested in it as we are, which is a different mindset. We’ve worked with people who are invested. It’s not just Joe. But we get to feel that when we’re in the room knowing we can feel if someone else is invested in what we’re trying to accomplish. So it was great. We would do it again.
Rock And Blues International: Wonderful. And you just got the video out. In May the video came out, right?
Robert Jon: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah. Because the last interview I did with you was on the video. How’s that doing right now?
Robert Jon: Great. I don’t check in too much on that stuff. But people are loving it and we hear about it all the time. So it’s moving, and it’s groovin’ and we’re happy that it’s out.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, well, you’ve had quite a busy year so far. You came off tour at the beginning of the year with the video recording. You’re going back out on
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tour now. In fact, you’re out on tour now. And let’s see, in August, you start hitting your fall European tour with it looks like about 38 dates on there.
Robert Jon: Yeah, yeah, we’re excited.
Rock And Blues International: Any of these towns that you’re just looking forward to getting back to or any of these new ones, or these old ones are just great places to hit.
Robert Jon: There’s a bunch of great places that we can’t wait to play. We’re moving up in venues in certain cities, so that’ll be exciting. And we’re always excited to get back to Europe and get on tour to a lot of the cities we know and, and we know the people there, and we’re excited for new cities as well. So we’re just looking forward to it.
Rock And Blues International: And then you come off of that tour, it looks like on the eighth of October, then in November you’re back on tour with the Mavericks.
Robert Jon: Yeah, we have a short run with them, four dates, and then we take off for Thanksgiving for family and recouping and then we do another run after that starting in Florida. We kind of make it up to the Northeast a little bit and then over to the Midwest for a little bit, and then we’re home. And we’ll see where see where we end up after that.
Rock And Blues International: Doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for family time, does it?
Robert Jon: No. But you know, that’s why we cherish every moment
we’re home.
Rock And Blues International: Right? You’re still not bringing the family with you on the road, right?
Robert Jon: No, no, I don’t think we have the logistics for that yet.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. Everybody in the band needs their own tour bus when that happens.
Robert Jon: Yep, pretty much.
All right. Well, what else do we need to discuss about the album? We’ve covered quite a bit, but I’m sure that there’s some stuff that I haven’t gotten into that I should have.
Robert Jon: I think you hit the nail on the head. I think I think we talked more about this record than I have in past interviews, so I think it’s great.
Rock And Blues International: Thanks.
Robert Jon: All right. Take care.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, bye bye.
It certainly was a pleasure to reunite with Robert Jon on this interview. It was a great pleasure to share his enthusiasm with him on this fine project. I’ve listened to the album several times and let me tell you, it just gets better and better. Every time I listen to it I hear something new and it really makes it quite enjoyable. I would like to encourage all you readers out there to pick up a copy of Ride Into The Night. I think you’ll really enjoy this fine album. And after the tip that Robert Jon gave us about some new songs in the works, we can’t wait to hear those too. When they come out you can plan on us sharing that information with you in the pages of Rock And Blues International.
One of the best parts of doing a Music Publication is when I can bring awareness to a new band breaking out of the local music scene and in to the national spotlight . For me, Kissing Judas is the band that most local bands aspire to be. They are the kind of band who really have the ambition to make it in the music business. And the best part of all this is they have the music, the talent, and the personality to back it up.
Kissing Judas is releasing their new album, False Saint, and it contains ten of the most well crafted songs that I have ever heard that has come out of Houston, Texas. The styles and music vary from song to song, which is a
really wonderful thing. No two songs are the same. The time and effort has certainly been put into this release and feature the elements of what you might be hearing out of one of the most accomplished bands on the National scene, or even Worldwide. Titles of the songs on the album include “Not Today,” “Rise,” “Save Me,” “Taste Like Blue,” “Last Days Of Youth,” “Cheshire,” “Neon Avenue,” “Cabaret,” “Alone,” and “The Road.”
These songs are so good that the band even had some big names in the music business lining up to make a contribution to this project. Ratt’s legendary lead singer heard the song “Save Me” and had to be a part of this project. As you can expect, he sings the lead vocal on this song. He loved it so much. Two of rock’s legendary
bassists joined in on this project as well. Rudy Sarzo, who you may remember from Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, and Dio also had to play on “Save Me” as well. And how about bassist Billy Sheehan, who’s performed and recorded with Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, and Mr. Big. He fell in love with two songs on here, “Cheshire,” and “The Road” and just had to lend his guitar prowess to them. Kissing Judas certainly find themselves in fine company with these great musicians. If that doesn’t prove what I’m talking about here, I don’t know what to say. The music on here is simply FANTASTIC!
We sat down with Kissing Judas this past month to gain a little insight into the band, the
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album, and the music and it really made for an interesting evening and we’d like to share it with you right now.
Rock And Blues International: So we’re sitting here with kissing Judas. I guess the first thing is, the name of the band is quite unusual. Whose idea was for the name of the band? And how did that arrive?
Dave Sullivan: She (Morgan Sullivan) kind of brought it up. We had a whole list of band names we were trying to go through and that was one that she had brought up, that Morgan had brought up and it kind of... We’ve been asked several times what it means, what it is, oh my god, you you’re praising the guy that betrayed Jesus and stuff. No. It’s when Judas kissed Jesus. It was the ultimate betrayal. Kissing Judas means you’re flipping the script and calling somebody out before they have a chance to screw you over. So it’s, it’s basically the opposite.
Morgan Sullivan: That’s kind of his take on it.
Rock And Blues International: And your take, what was your take of it?
Morgan Sullivan: Forgive your enemies, but don’t trust them.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, so it had nothing to do with Judas Priest.
Dave Sullivan: Nope.
Bret Gyrich: I figure there was a Judas Priest influence in there somewhere to be honest with you, but apparently not.
Rock And Blues International: Probably not.
Bret Gyrich: Apparently not. No.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. Tell me about the recording of the album. Where did y’all record the album?
Dave Sullivan: Well, we got the main drums and rhythm guitars, mostly at Magik Studios. And then vocals were both at Magik and 2 The T studios and then a lot of overdubs and stuff like that we did in my studio here.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, and who was the engineer on the project?
Dave Sullivan: We had Karim Khorsheed doing some of it. I think I pronounced the name right. Yeah, he did some of the engineering on the first stuff. And we had Chubbs Malone also as well, and then myself. And then mixdown. Tracks were sent to California to Matt Thorne. He has worked with several large artists and stuff like that. So he’s phenomenal and the work he does. So he would call me up... a lot of times I’d be working out of state and we would do zoom meetings and go over the songs and what I was looking for, how we wanted it, and he’d send me
mixes. I’d call him back say ‘Okay, up this, up that, what to do and what I wanted to hear a little bit better or more’, and he’d do it again. And on some songs we had several mixes before we got it right. Then mastering was done by Dave Donnelly, who when he was mastering this, he actually took a day off of working on Aerosmith’s 50th Anniversary Album Boxset to master this, so we had a lot of really good people to make it sound the way it does.
Morgan Sullivan: And now Aerosmith knows that.
Bret Gyrich: Yeah there were a lot of cool people. Actually, I have no I’ve no clue what he’s doing with the rest of us. So…
Rock And Blues International: No clue. Okay, and all the songs are well... describe what your music is. Describe the sound you’re trying to do.
Bret Gyrich: Who wants to take this one?
Dave Sullivan: We can each give a description. I don’t know, hard rock, metal, more. More towards the hard rock side, the rock side, because the vocals are very discernible. You can understand everything. ‘I’m not really into the ‘cookie monster in desperate need of anger management’ vocal style.’ So that was one of the things I love.
Corey Sullivan: Speak for yourself.
Dave Sullivan: So a lot of people like it. For what we write, it didn’t really... it doesn’t fit. So we got Brett, and his vocals are incredible.
Bret Gyrich: Oh, how kind.
Dave Sullivan: You gonna Zelle me the rest of money for saying that.
Rock And Blues International: Well, how would you explain your disco influences. (laughing & joking) on this...
Bret Gyrich: Who doesn’t want to go dancing from time to time, right.
Morgan Sullivan: We just play what we like and we play well. Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: Well, all kidding aside, we know it’s not disco. But you think it leans more towards the harder rock or more towards the melodic type rock.
Corey Sullivan: There’s a big mix of different sounds on the record. There’s a few songs that are more, more modern rock. There’s a lot that calls back to the 80s Hair Metal type of stuff, but putting a modern twist on it. But yeah, but I mean, we’re... all the members are all kinds of different ages and backgrounds, so we really put our own versions of each part into each song in it. I don’t think any of them really sound the same as the next one, which is hard to hear that all that much these days. There’s a lot of bands out there that release an album and you play track one, track two, track three, and they all sound the same, but you play ours and there’s one song where it’s kicks in real hard and heavy and then breaks down into more atmospheric sounds. And then the next song is straight double kick the whole time. And then next song is 80s Hair Metal, next song is acoustic, next song, you know... It’s a good blend of different sounds, so you can listen through it and not get bored of
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our drummer, my son, but he had this really cool guitar riff. And I was like, wait, I kind of liked that. Hold on. If we take this part, and then I add this here and Matt started playing this baseline.
Corey Sullivan: What it was... so I had the guitar riff ready to go and I kind of had a vocal melody in my head, but I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do with this, but I liked this riff’. And I had an arrangement for the way... like the dynamics of the song would move. And so we did the guitar riff to open it up and then I wanted it to break down to absolutely nothing but just atmosphere. And like, I don’t know, I’m not a guitarist, I don’t know what to do in this part creatively, I can write riffs, but I can’t like, do all the cool stuff. And essentially I just played the drum part that I had in my head and was like, this is how it’s going to start, it’s going to have atmosphere in this spot, and then I’m going to kick in with a simple beat, and we’ll build into the chorus. And so we played that riff and then the space hit and Matt came up with this part that just, it sounds so nice, the harmonics on the bass and it’s such an important part of the sound of that song, and it was really impressive that he pretty much came up with that on the spot.
Morgan Sullivan: Shout out to Matte Vu.
anything.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, what would you say, Brett? What would you say?
Bret Gyrich: I would pretty much just piggyback off of what Corey was saying. Yeah, we just kind of... we just kind of write what’s out there at the moment. I’ve submitted songs to the guys and that took shape the way it did, and there’s never really any concern of ‘Oh that’s not a Kissing Judas sound.’ That, that’s not our style. And our style is music. You know, I mean, rockers we may be, but we have a love for all sorts of music. And we, we put it into the songs.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, I was told last night from my friend who listened to it and this is like a really cool thing to hear from him. He had said that he finally listened to it and every song sounds like it flows together, the whole album, all front to back. He said, Listen, you know, he’s got hundreds and hundreds of CDs, and a lot albums sound like it’s just a mixed match of songs that were all written differently. Like every member wrote something different and brought it together, and none of it sounds like it flows together, but our album actually sounds like it flows front to back and everything just kind of tells a story and fits, which I thought was one of the best complements.
Corey Sullivan: The thing is we sit and play the songs 1000 times before we go and record it so it better sound meshing together by then.
Rock And Blues International: Well, they all sounded pretty radio friendly to me.
Bret Gyrich: Absolutely.
Rock And Blues International: I didn’t hear anything on there that sounded like ‘well, this will never be able to make it.’ It all sounds like it would work on one station or another. Well, let’s talk about the individual songs. I know you have some guest artists on here also, so when we get to the song that they’re on, you can tell me a little bit about their involvement, how they got on there and what you think their participation lent to that particular song. And, we’ll discuss also what saw the meaning of the songs if there is a meaning to the song or if it was just some little
thing that just popped out of your head, and it sounded good at the moment.
Bret Gyrich: Dave Morgan, you guys wrote the vast majority of the songs on there, you want to start that off?
Rock And Blues International: Well, we’ll start out with the first song, it’s going to be easier that way. “Not today”. What about “Not Today”?
Morgan Sullivan: It’s the Marigold song (laughs).
Rock And Blues International: The Marigold song?
Dave Sullivan: When she wrote it out it had the topic is that ‘not today’. And that’s what the repeating chorus is. So I always call it “Not Today”. She’s like, well, it’s a marigold.
Corey Sullivan: He called it “Not Today”, so everybody says, yeah, so yeah, we’ll fight about that until the end of our days.
Morgan Sullivan: Absolutely.
Dave Sullivan: Actually, Morgan had written the lyrics, and it was based upon somebody that we knew who had. Well, I’ll let you tell that part.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah. It’s about people that have chosen to take their own lives basically. Okay, and kind of like the pain that it leaves behind for the rest of us when they do that. And then if they would just have waited one day, you know, not, not today, just not, Not today. It has a double meaning kind of, I guess, depending on if you’re hopeful or sad when you’re listening to it. So it’s a little deeper, I guess, then.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, battling the demons that go on when you’re, when you’re having those thoughts that run through your head and you’re fighting that urge and that you know, because a lot of people let that take over. And you just gotta, you know, not today, not gonna let it happen. I’m gonna let it take me over and she had written these lyrics and I came downstairs... We were working with Matt Vu, who was our bass player at the time. And Corey and I, you know... Corey had this really cool like guitar riff and he’s
Corey Sullivan: And then from that we built on top of that, the rest of the guitar and background noises.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, I’ve really got into a real under watery kind of effect on the guitar to bring in the atmosphere of what Matt was doing, because he didn’t play just a... he’s not a bass player that just plays the root note and stuff. He was doing harmonics and slides and all this stuff that doesn’t sound like your typical bass. And the whole song being the mood that we want to pull you in, it all just took shape. And it was like holy crap when we got done writing it, and we wrote it literally probably about 20 minutes.
Corey Sullivan: I think that was one of the... that was the first song we all wrote together. We had music that we were playing, a lot of covers, and you know other people’s stuff that was pre written and recorded. That was the first one that we wrote.
Dave Sullivan: It was Corey, Morgan... Well, Morgan wrote the lyrics and then Corey, Matt and I wrote the music to it and put it all together and worked on the melody and everything came together.
Morgan Sullivan: Quick shout out... Chris Salinas, our bassist has had to play that and he does such a great job with it. And playing after the VU. I’m really impressed with him, so I just want to shout to him.
Bret Gyrich: We need to make mention of how badass Chris has done with all the songs.
Dave Sullivan: More in because when you hear the other stuff going on, you’ll understand how just bad ass this kid is.
Rock And Blues International:: Okay, the next song is “Rise”. Who wrote, “Rise”?
Morgan Sullivan: All songs were written by Kissing Judas.
Corey Sullivan: The lyrics were written by you.
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Morgan Sullivan: The lyrics were mine.
Corey Sullivan: The majority of the music was written by me and my dad.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, I asked him for something, Corey, for something that sounded kind of like Kabuki type drums and he came up with this wonderful drumbeat, Kabuki type drumming and he took that over.
Corey Sullivan: I was like, I don’t know what that means. But I’ll do my best.
Morgan Sullivan: What he came up with was great, and that song is actually about my baby cousin. So that one actually is about the dangers of fame.
Rock And Blues International: Your cousin had an encounter with fame or is going through...
Morgan Sullivan: I wouldn’t want to mention.
Rock And Blues International: We don’t have to mention names but just the situation perhaps.
Morgan Sullivan: Kind of what, what can happen with fame, kind of fast life and those types of things. Bad people, bad places, bad choices, what happens. But I think everyone’s had an experience with a bad girl or a bad man or a bad choice. You know, it can be about anything.
Corey Sullivan: Really stop paying attention and get too far into it and by the time you realize ‘oh, no, what have I done?’
Morgan Sullivan: Exactly. Yeah.
Corey Sullivan: Too far deep.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, it’s kind of about avoiding that type of thing.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, and “Save Me”.
Dave Sullivan: I have a friend who had a guitar and I was doing a remodel at his house and it was a seven string Ibanez. I used to do guitar clinics for Ibanez and I told him if you ever sell that thing, let me know because Ibanez sent me one and I gave it back after a couple of weeks. I literally could not figure out how to play a seven string without it screwing with my head too much.
Corey Sullivan: Come on, man. Even a drummer can play seven strings.
Dave Sullivan: Yes, you can. Thank you.
Corey Sullivan: He’s just not into the heavier side of things.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, back then... Back then it was a little different back in 1990. But I
told him I was up in Colorado working. He called me up said ‘hey, I’m getting this other guitar if you want it, it’s yours.’ I kind of let it slip to my wife that I was buying the guitar. She first was ‘you’re buying another guitar’, but then she actually said ‘how much’ and I wouldn’t tell her. I refused. So she calls Dell, or messages him on Facebook, something, and then pays him what I was going to pay for the guitar and said, ‘Well, I bought it for you.’ And I’m like, ‘okay, did I tell you about the Ferrari’. So I ended up coming back. I flew back, and was only here for the weekend. I literally have gotten on video… I handed the guitar to Cory. He set up the video camera, I start, he hands it back to me, I sit down, I start playing this riff just to get used to the seven string and see how it sounds. He gets on the drums and starts pounding it out. And within five minutes, we had the structure of this song. And I was like, ‘Man, this actually sounds really, really cool.’ It’s a lot different from the stuff we’d messed with. So I turned around, we had to I had to fly back out the next day on Sunday. When I came back again, we had a session booked at the studio to just lay down the tracks. We’ll do it on this day and then we all got COVID and we were sick for about... I was sick for about a month. It knocked my you-know-what in the dirt. So when I finally got well enough we went in the studio and laid down the tracks. I wrote these vocals out real quick just to get an idea down and did a scratch vocal track. And you know, of course, I’m singing like a cat crapping razor blade sideways. I’d been puking and coughing for about two weeks straight, but I just got the idea down. I brought it home, let my wife hear it and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, that sounds so 80s.’ I was like, ‘well, that’s kind of when I was growing up and playing, you know.’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah.’ she said it so many times that it started wearing on
me. I went back up to Colorado again, you know, she said it again. So if you say it one more time, I swear to God, and she’s like, it just sounds so 80s.
Bret Gyrich: I was saying when I first heard it, I thought it sounded very reminiscent of Megadeth, which was fun to me. It’s very rappish more than it is singing when it comes to the vocal parts, which was again different.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, it was basically based on... The layers I wrote were based on... let’s say your best friend is a narcissistic total jerk and you’re the one that’s always covering for them, making excuses lying for him to try to ease things over and then finally you say, ‘You know what, I’ve had enough, I’m done.’ And you call them out on it. And that, that was where I went with it. Well, she said it sounds 80s so many times, I made a phone call. I’d made friends with a good friend of mine, Joaquin Revuelta, who is the drummer for Bullitt Boys, but he also plays for Steven Pearcy quite a bit. And he’s one of Steven Pearcy’s Ratt bastards of his band. I called him up and I said, ‘Hey, you know, just on a whim, can you get this over to Steve and see what he thinks about it?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, send it to me.’ So I sent it like a day later, I get a phone call from Steven. ‘Oh, man, this is great. Not only do I love it, I want to record it. I want to sing it. And let’s do this.’ And I was like, Holy crap. This is a guy I grew up watching on MTV since I was like a teenager.
Morgan Sullivan: Since you were however old.
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Dave Sullivan: I was young, since I had hair. And so we set up a thing and got him in the studio, and he did vocals on it. Next I got a hold of Rudy Sarzo and he played bass on it. And not only did he play bass, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard Rudy… he recorded the bass solo, doing some riffs on there that are just incredible. And I’m like, Okay, you want to tease me that ‘sound 80s’. I’ve got two of the biggest 80s icons on this song, and had them play on it. And that kind of sparked getting the whole band thing back together, because we were kind of on hiatus and everything because of COVID. So that really kind of put a fire under our butts.
Rock And Blues International: But when they added their parts to it, how much did it change the dynamics of the song from what you originally planned.
Corey Sullivan: So much.
Morgan Sullivan: Oh, it was amazing.
Corey Sullivan: It really was a simple, straightforward track until we added those guys to it. And it just it took on a life of its own from that point. I was kind of getting bored of hearing it before then.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, but I’m never bored now.
Corey Sullivan: Now it kicks ass.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, It kicks ass.
Dave Sullivan: Well, I had told Steven, let’s do something a little... it’s supposed to be aggressive and angry and you have a whole attitude of you, and he did that. And then when it comes into the bridge, and the chorus, then starts sounding like his iconic voice, and everybody’s like, ‘Oh my God, that’s the dude from Ratt.’ I’m
like, Yeah, so it kind of kicks in, but it went from being a hard straight-ahead song to a little bit more fun.
Bret Gyrich: And then it’s now my job to live up to that every time we perform it on stage.
Dave Sullivan: Oh, yeah!
Morgan Sullivan: But you do it so well. You really do. You do a great job.
Bret Gyrich: I try.
Rock And Blues International: Are you confident that you’re doing a good enough job?
Bret Gyrich: For the most part? Yes. I’m sure if I wasn’t, David and Morgan would be more than willing to tell me that I’m not, which I’m sure that they have before.
Rock And Blues International: Okay.
Dave Sullivan: You know, we want to get it right.
Rock And Blues International: Right. Well, did you have to rehearse that a bit to get there. Are you using the same inflections that Stephen was using or are you just redoing your part of it?
Bret Gyrich: It’s a little bit of both. When I first heard the song or when they introduced the song to me, then yeah, I took it, as you know, it’s requiring this to me and I should deliver it this way. And I don’t even know if I really heard Stephen Pearcy singing on the record when I first heard it. I just kind of went with what the song felt like and delivered what I thought was fitting and it just so happens that this kind of... it’s almost the exact same thing that Stephen Pearcy laid down on the record.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. Well, that brings us to the next song “Taste Like Blue”. What the hell tastes like blue?
Dave Morgan: Popsicles.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: It’s about popsicles?
Dave Sullivan: Popsicles, I’m just kidding.
Morgan Sullivan: That’s about the taste of bitterness, the taste of loneliness.
Rock And Blues International:: You interpret bitterness as blue?
Morgan Sullivan: Bitterness, loneliness, crap you kind of bring on yourself, you know. All right, taste like blue. Soda popsicles. Doesn’t matter. Absofreakinlutely.
Rock And Blues International: The popsicle song.
Bret Gyrich: It will forever be called the ‘popsicle song’
Morgan Sullivan: It’s about the lies and the B.S. we tell ourselves and then the taste of the bitterness and loneliness that comes from that.
Rock And Blues International: Did it come to you easily or was it something you really had to work at writing?
Morgan Sullivan: Oh, no, that came really easily.
Rock And Blues International: You must have had one or two people in mind when you did that.
Morgan Sullivan: Allegedly. You might find yourself or someone you know in our songs. Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s in the album there. We have a little dedication for that.
Rock And Blues International: Okay.
Dave Sullivan: One of the coolest things with the vocals on that is how it all came about. We had a studio session and he came in, sang a couple songs. He’s grabbed his notebook in his backpack. Okay, we’re ready. I’m like, nope. We’re going to do the vocals for “Taste Like Blue”, and he just kind of gave me a look like, oh shit, no way.
Bret Gyrich: I’ve never even heard the song and he was like, Alright, we’re gonna record the song and I went what? Okay.
Dave Sullivan: And I was like, Yeah... His voice was a little strained towards the end because he’s just belted out this other stuff and did an amazing job. But “Taste Like Blue”, you know, when you’re walking away and you’ve just felt like you’ve lost everything. Your whole life is crumbling around you. You don’t want all zippity doo da happy vocals. You want vocals that have a feeling and an emotion behind them. So when his voice was already strained from doing the other stuff, I said, Yeah, let’s do this now. And it came out perfect.
Bret Gyrich: See how they me. You see how they treat me. They’re gonna overwork me.
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He just confessed it right here on your show.
Dave Sullivan: Oh, yeah. We’re gonna overwork you and once you can’t do it anymore, we’re gonna make you do some more.
Corey Sullivan: It’s the only way to get the best emotional performance out of a singer.
Rock And Blues International: All right.
Bret Gyrich: It all worked out.
Morgan Sullivan: And it’s beautiful Bret. It’s beautiful.
Bret Gyrich: Thank you. Thank you.
Rock And Blues International: Well, at least the subjects on the songs really are different right here. It’s not like you were going over the same subject on these and they’re pretty widespread here. “Last Days Of Youth.”
Morgan Sullivan; That’s Bret.
Rock And Blues International: That’s Bret... That’s your song?
Bret Gyrich: Yes, sir. Tell me about the “Last Days Of Youth” then.
Bret Gyrich: Well, “Last Days Of Youth” was actually the first song I had ever written on my own. I was in bands before and I’ve written lyrics here and there but “Last Days Of Youth” was my first attempt of writing a song all by myself. I had just learned how to play the guitar. And, you know, I just learned how to strum a few chords. And it was actually my mom who sat with me and showed me a few finger picking styles. We kind of came up with the original guitar part of “Last Days Of Youth”, and it’s evolved throughout the years, but that’s what it is now in the record. Lyrically I wrote it when I was 18 years old, and it was about me and my friends about to graduate high school. Moving away to college, saying goodbye to each other. We’re done with childhood, it’s adulthood time. It was the last days of youth and that’s where that came about. And the cool thing about that song was that I wrote it in like 5 to 10 minutes, and I did not even know that it was done, but apparently it was. What happened was, I was actually in the in the backyard of my friend’s house with a guitar and a six pack and a notebook and a pen. I sat down, I’m like, you know, I’m gonna write a song. And then a friend stepped out to the backyard and was like, ‘Hey Bret, what are you doing?’ I looked down and said, ‘Well, damn, apparently I wrote a song. Here it is. Let me play it for you. Let me let me know what you think’. The rest is history.
Rock And Blues International: All right, well, how much did the other members of the band contribute to make that, to make your visualization of that song come to work?
Corey Sullivan: He brought the song to us. Let us listen to it. It brought tears to our eyes and
we said, we’re doing that.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah.
Corey Sullivan: We added some strings in the background and...
Morgan Sullivan: But really, it was beautiful the way it was, that one.
Corey Sullivan: There was nothing that we needed to do to change it.
Morgan Sullivan: That was a no brainer. Yeah.
Bret Gyrich: I didn’t even like present it to the band. I think we were doing soundcheck, getting ready to rehearse and I just kind of played it and at the end of that practice, Dave wanted to hear it again. And it became part of our repertoire, just like that.
Corey Sullivan: Yeah, he grabbed our attention so hard. We were like, No, are ‘you’re not just noodling right now. This is, this is good stuff.’
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah. Like, we’re totally doing this.
Dave Sullivan: He was playing it. and I said, ‘Whoa, do that again. What the hell is that?’ And he played it again. I was like, ‘yeah, what are you doing with that?’
Bret Gyrich: To be honest, I didn’t think that was something that you guys would want to play, record, much less put on the album.
Dave Sullivan: No, I was like highly impressed. I was like, I want that. Let’s do it. Let’s work on it.
Corey Sullivan; We did toy around with the idea of making it a bigger song, a full band song. But really, we didn’t have anything that stuck out better than just the bare bones as it is.
Morgan Sullivan: We couldn’t have made that any better. That was one of those. It was just kind of perfect.
Corey Sullivan: It would be fun live to hear and then do a crazier version just for shits and giggles. But if we were doing it justice, we won’t do it.
Bret Gyrich: It’s so open for other interpretations, so yeah, I’m sure we can come up with something to play that live out someday, someday soon.
Morgan Sullivan: It’s a beautiful song. Thank you so much for doing that.
Rock And Blues International: The next song is “Cheshire” and you have Billy Sheehan playing bass on this one. So tell me about “Cheshire” and how you recruited Billy Sheehan.
Morgan Sullivan: He (Dave) can talk about Billy Sheehan. I can tell you about the song.
Dave Sullivan: You tell about song.
Rock And Blues International: I’ll flip a coin to see who goes first.
Morgan Sullivan: He can go first.
Dave Sullivan: No, Billy was one another one of those... The guitar on this is real fast paced and kind of reminds me of the old you know, 80s guitar driven songs and stuff. I kind of reached out and just on a whim said, Hey, Billy, I’ve got a couple of songs and I was wondering if you’d be interested in playing on them? And he said well send them to me. So I sent him two songs. And I said yeah, if you if you like one enough to do it, it’d be awesome to have you play on one, let me know. And I went to bed. This was, I don’t know what time in the middle of night. I woke up the next morning and got an email from him that I saw and said, ‘Hey, Dave, I like them both. Would you mind if I play on both’ and I was like,
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jaw totally dropped and like, twist my arm here. Sure. So it was kind of a freaky thing because I sent him the tracks. He did the bass on that and it’s all one take all the way through. And he also worked and played on another song. And there was a night that I’m up in my studio and Morgan comes in like ‘what are you watching?’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ Morgan says, It’s like you’re in here. I thought you’re watching like a comedy special or something because you’re giggling like a little kid.’ I’m like, ‘No, I’ve got Stephen, Rudy and Billy all on between text, messenger, email, and on a phone call all back and forth. I’m thinking to myself, if I would have thought this back when I was a little kid in Middle School watching MTV and daydreaming looking out the window thinking one day, it’d be so cool to even meet these guys much less have been playing on songs we wrote. It was so surreal, but I was just laughing to myself that how crazy this was.
Bret Gyrich: Yeah, just kind of talking to all these guys in one night, just kind of, you know, whatever.
Rock And Blues International: So what is “Cheshire” about.
Morgan Sullivan: Two-faced people.
Rock And Blues International: Oh, the typical Cheshire smile.
Morgan Sullivan: Exactly, two-faced people. Listen to the lyrics, you’ll like it. Just listen to the lyrics you’ll like it. Anybody that’s ever been screwed over will...
Bret Gyrich: You know a lot of interesting people too. And you write songs about them.
Morgan Sullivan: Allegedly, allegedly. But it’s a fun rockin’ bar song. That one. I don’t know. It’s got the F bomb in it. So just kind of one of my favorites. Because I love the F bomb. I haven’t said it on the show.
Rock And Blues International: You’re very good at it.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, thank you so much. But it’s about two-faced people from the point of view of the two-faced person, not the wronged person, so it’s kind of interesting.
Dave Sullivan: Well, there was somebody that used to say so many things all the time that we turn those things that were said into a song and woven them into the lyrics.
Morgan Sullivan: No, not all the things, just one line.
Corey Sullivan: There was a couple of like two, two phrases.
Morgan Sullivan: I’m just playing with the words I’m saying.
Corey Sullivan: ‘Fake all the friends I’m making.’
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, ‘faking all the friends I’m making’ to do well, it’s two different times. Yeah.
Dave Sullivan: ‘I’ll sell you out when something better comes along.’
Morgan Sullivan: That was not, that was not verbatim. No, the other things weren’t really verbatim either. It was more about, I’m just playing with words.
Dave Sullivan: We turned it into a fun song.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, we turned it into a fun song.
Dave Sullivan: When we play it the whole crowd shouts back the chorus which has the F bomb in it. Yeah, if you really knew me, you’d run.
Corey Sullivan: Redacted.
Morgan Sullivan: Redacted. So it’s from the point of view of the two-faced person.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. And their name? Oh, come on, you know, don’t you just want to say, Hey, I wrote a song about you.
Morgan Sullivan: You know, I leave that open to interpretation for anybody that can make it into somebody they know, like it’s fun for him. Yeah, I ain’t worried about that. Make it into whoever you want.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. All right, “Neon Avenue”. Who’s that? Who’s out roaming the “Neon Avenue”?
Bret Gyrich: “Neon Avenue” is a song about my hometown in the Philippines. It’s called Olongapo City and there’s a street there called Magsaysay Drive and it’s our version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. And you know Beale Street in Memphis. I think it’s in Memphis, but yeah, I spent some time there when I graduated high school. I was in the peak of my songwriting days and I had to write a song about my hometown. That’s what that’s about and everything in the lyrics was something that I saw or something that I experienced, and just kind of put pen to paper with it.
Rock And Blues International: Well, give us an indication here about what are a couple of things that you have in there and what do they mean to you?
Bret Gyrich: Let’s see, there’s see ‘profits singing Hallelujah.’ Down at the station you see all these crazy people talking about the end of the world, Jesus coming, and you see beggars in the streets asking for money. The homeless and beggars and thieves are finding Jesus in you. They see you. They think that you can spare them some cash and you know, just kind of, I guess, just kind of help them out for a little bit. What else is there? ‘She’s dressed like a firecracker on fourth of July.’ It’s about a girl I was dating at the time and there was a breakup. I would hang out at this one cowboy bar in the middle of Magsaysay Drive. It was weird to me that there was a cowboy bar, a cowboy bar in the middle of the Philippines and that’s where I would like to hang out when I was feeling homesick? Yeah, that’s the only avenue.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. Well, that brings us now to “Cabaret”, which obviously is a salute to the movie cabaret, right?
Bret Gyrich: Not quite.
Rock And Blues International: Not quite. Okay, “Cabaret”. What is that one about?
Morgan Sullivan: Go ahead, Brett. Yeah.
Music News: Oh, is that yours Bret?
Bret Gyrich: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. It’s not a salute to the movie “Cabaret”.
Bret Gyrich: It’s not. It’s a salute to all the strip clubs that I used to hang out at back in my day.
Rock And Blues International: That’s close.
Bret Gyrich: Yeah. Yeah, I don’t remember who it was, but somebody once told me that all great rock star rock bands have a song about a strip club, or a stripper? And I thought,
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Well, I gotta have one too.
Bret Sullivan: Yeah, I liked that one a lot. I wanted to put some rock and roll music to it. It was really asking for it. He had the chord progression on acoustic and the lyrics and melody all written and brought it to us and it wrote itself from that point, at least on the drums. It was like there’s only one thing I can really play here. And that’s something like My Darkest Days type, just straightforward strip club rock. Someone’s going to be shaking their ass on stage to this thing. It’s not even going to take any effort for it.
Bret Gyrich: It’s a workout for Corey and I when we play that song.
Corey Sullivan: I regret the tempo we picked. It doesn’t it really sound that fast. But when you’re actually playing, it’s like, Why did I do this to myself?
Bret Gyrich: Oh, I got to worry about the range of the song. It doesn’t sound like it’s high, but when I sing it....
Corey Sullivan: When you put the energy in, it’s like..
Bret Gyrich: Yeah!
Dave Sullivan: This was another one where he was playing it on acoustic guitar and kind of singing along strumming along and I listened to it and it was like, ‘Dude, give this give that to us. ‘Have you ever played this with another band,’ he’s like, ‘Nah, I showed it to other guys and they really weren’t into it.’ Like, ‘let’s do it.’ Corey came up... It started with the drum thing, I came in with the riff coming in. The way he did it, I just tried to do the guitar around the vocals to what would fit in kind of... we kind of did it a little backwards, because usually the chorus has a certain type of rhythm, then the bridge is gonna have another kind of rhythm. And then the verses will have their own. I kind of wrote it backwards to where on the chorus instead of being just a straight power chord with his vocals behind it, I’d crank on the wah and just follow along with it and he sings it and it just all comes together. And you know, when I sent this one off to Matt to mix it, this became his favorite song. He was like, ‘Dude, this is like, I love this. This has such a cool feel to it. So modern. So you know, a little bit different, a lot different than, you know, a lot of things I’ve heard out there before. I really love it.’ And a lot of people have really taken to this song as well. I mean, the coolest thing is we’ve gotten so many people that have heard the stuff, and everybody has a different song that they love. And it is so great to hear all these cool replies about what they think about stuff and I’m just be happy hearing it didn’t suck half as bad as I thought it would. You know, everybody really has taken to you know, they find something in each song.
Rock And Blues International: All right. On “Alone,” you have Matt Vu back on bass on that one. Who wrote that song?
Morgan Sullivan: I did.
Rock And Blues International: And it’s about?
Morgan Sullivan: That song is for Mr. Kendall Mason, shout out to Kendall. It’s Kendall’s song.
Rock And Blues International: It is.
Morgan Sullivan: He doesn’t mind if I tell the story. I’ll cover that because he doesn’t mind.
Rock And Blues International: Oh, we all know Kendall.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah. Yeah. He had some rough times a long, long, long time ago. He’s been sober a really long time. He was talking about how it would feel walking in, and there’s a big crowd, but you’re alone.
Rock And Blues International: I can understand that.
Morgan Sullivan: People all around. So it’s about that. And then I just took off on that.
Dave Sullivan: Everybody’s like, hey, there’s that guy. There’s that guy, but in your own head you’re like, you feel like you’re an outcast and by yourself and nobody knows you that... you’re walking in a room and completely isolated in your own mind.
Rock And Blues International: Yeah, it’s easy to be alone In a crowded room. It really is mentally.
Morgan Sullivan: It is. Sometimes we hurt ourselves more than sometimes-other times. Oh, and the rest of it I like to leave up to people’s interpretation.
Rock And Blues International: Right! Well, this was definitely the old Kendall because the new Kendall seems to be quite different from the old one.
Morgan Sullivan: He’s an amazing person. I didn’t know the old Kendall but I would have loved him anyway. He’s a good guy.
Bret Gyrich: Kendall’s my hero.
Dave Sullivan: To me the best. God, how do I even put this? The best thing was the first time we even played it, we had just like, put it together and first time we actually played it, and did this with Brett to where he can literally pull the emotion out of the vocals the way that we meant it to be. We played it and Kendall’s down in the front row and about 15 other people that were all up on the front stage. They kind of know the story, they kind of know Kendall. They kind of know us. And when we got done playing that everybody’s got tears in their eyes. And, you know, Kendall is crying. I’m like, I’m sorry, it wasn’t that bad. Was it? You know, like, no, it hit me and I was like that. When you can make a connection like that, that makes it all worth everything.
Corey Sullivan: Musically, that one was fun to arrange and put together because there’s three distinct dynamics to it. In the beginning, it’s a very quiet, very mellow, somber song. And then it comes in with a little bit of drums, a little bit of bass, but it’s not super high energy and in that second chorus it takes off a little bit. The third verse has a lot more energy to it. And then at the third chorus it just... everything goes berserk from there. And it kind of explains what was going through his head as he was getting closer and closer to the peak of the insanity going on in his life. Right.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, his mind was crumbling further and further.
Morgan Sullivan: Not Kendall’s necessarily, but the man in the song. Like I said, I took Kendall’s story and I kind of took a lot of license in it. So I just want to make it clear. We’re not talking about Kendall’s brain was shattering. Okay, I just took some creative license with this area.
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Corey Sullivan: The arrangement of it describes the spiral downward?
Rock And Blues International: He was the inspiration behind it?
Morgan Sullivan: Absolutely, absolutely. He was the inspiration. It was written for him. But I don’t want people to get the idea that his head was necessarily going there. Okay, but I just took creative license with it.
Dave Sullivan: One of the cool things is we’d only rehearsed this a few times before we went in the studio to do this. And we had, how many bars and how many this and how many, you know. We had everything kind of down and Corey’s in a totally separate room. And this was at Magik Studios and Karim was, I think, engineering that day and he’s in another room. I’m in the control room. I’m playing my double neck SG Jimmy Page model on the 12th. And most of it’s on the 12 string except for the guitar solo where I switch over to the second solo. I switch over on the six string, but we’re playing it and Corey and I are not... we can’t see each other. We don’t.... we’re just on the headphones together and that’s our only connection. But during the guitar solo it was supposed to be like eight bars shorter, but for some reason it was the most organically natural thing I came up with off the top of my head. It was literally all what I came up with on the spot. And instead of Corey switching back into what the next part was going to be, we have that... I don’t know it’s like a telepathic connection. Who knows what do you want to call it?
Corey Sullivan: Let’s just say a connection.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, so he went with the feel of it and we stretched it like another eight bars and everything just came together perfectly.
Corey Sullivan: I’ve listened to you play guitar and solo my whole life so I can kind of have a feel for where you’re headed and like the way you make your way through the solo so it was like he’s not, he’s not there. He’s not at the end yet. Just keep playing this part. He’s not at the end yet. And I heard like a certain cue like when you start going down a little bit differently. Alright, here we go. This is it.
Morgan Sullivan: How was it for you to sing that Brett? “Alone”, how’s that for you to sing that?
Bret Gyrich: It is also a workout... a lot of high notes on that song but it’s one of my favorite ones. I would say that that was the one that I fell in love with the most with. One of the ones that you guys gave me, as it’s a great power ballad ,which I’ve always been a fan of and it was a challenge to deliver it, but it’s a great song.
Music News: Cool. Last song on the album is “The Road” and you’ve got Billy Sheehan on bass on that one. So obviously that was the second song that you sent him and he must have liked that one a lot because he’s on it. Who is the person behind that song?
Dave Sullivan: That was an email I got from her, Morgan, probably the first two weeks or week we were talking together and the lyrics
were in that. And then when we started the band, just doing the whole band thing, she brought the lyrics and we kind of wrote the song around it and...
Rock And Blues International: You know, this is beginning to sound a little like Morgan’s album.
Morgan Sullivan: No, it’s everybody’s album.
Corey Sullivan: The majority of the lyrics were written by her.....
Morgan Sullivan: But that’s not my music.
Corey Sullivan: The music is everyone.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, no, it is not Morgan’s album.
Corey Sullivan: We had lyrics that we wrote a song around or we wrote a song and then she picked something from her file cabinet to put on it.
Morgan Sullivan: No, it’s really not... couldn’t do it without all these guys at all. It’s not my album actually. It’s kind of theirs.
Rock And Blues International: I understand that, but you seem to have put in a lot of work on lyrics on this album.
Morgan Sullivan: It is my only talent. I’m not even sure if it is a talent.
Bret Gyrich: Oh, it’s a talent... come on.
Corey Sullivan: It ain’t easy.
Dave Sullivan: She writes great lyrics. Brett writes great lyrics. Mine are cheesy and sound so 80s. Oh my god.
Rock And Blues International: Well, so what is “The Road” about?
Morgan Sullivan: It’s about sitting out there lonely and not sure what direction you’re heading. Okay, cuz we had a long-distance relationship, him and I, you know, at first, like, for a long time actually. A long distance relationship and I was just sitting out. I was actually up in Flint, Michigan in the middle of snow. It was like freezing out there and I was allegedly having a cigarette outside and it was really cold and I was just sitting there and you couldn’t see the road because it was covered with snow. So it’s kind of about like, not sure what you’re doing or where you’re going kind of thing. Yeah,
Corey Sullivan: I thought it was about Houston road construction.
Morgan Sullivan: Hwy. 290.
Dave Sullivan: The funniest thing too. We...
Morgan Sullivan: Glenn Gilbert loves that song.
Dave Sullivan: I have tons of local bands that do a cover of that and one of the bands
actually put it on their album. I was up in Colorado working and I’m like, I gotta get my butt home because people are putting our stuff out faster than us. But if I don’t hurry up and get home, there’s gonna be a Kissing Judas tribute band out playing.
Morgan Sullivan: No, we were very honored. Thank you.Shotgun Sally. By the way, check out their version of “The Road”. It’s rockin’, Glenn Gilbert rocked out with us when we made that song.
Corey Sullivan: When we were writing it, the music for it, Glenn was pretty much holding my hand through writing in that genre, because it’s not something I’m very familiar with. And he was like ‘drive it.’ ‘You got to drive it.’ And this was like, okay, yeah, because he would be playing this stuff and he had all kinds of energy to him. And he just maintained eye contact with me the whole time we were working on it and kind of gave me cues on where to move the song energy was. And so honestly, that drum part I kind of credit to him because it was really his baby, musically. He loved that song so much. He wanted to make it happen so bad.
Morgan Sullivan: He still plays the crap out of it. and I love every time I get to hear them play it. It’s great.
Dave Sullivan: Glen filled in when Matt had to leave and couldn’t play bass with us anymore, Glenn would fill in a lot. And he was actually on the touring and playing for Richie Ramone at the time. So you know, he’s really into the punk scene, the rock scene, everything like that. So he comes in, and he’s like, now we’re rockin’ this song out a little bit more, and doing that he really did help shape it a lot. He’s one of our good friends. He would come over, we’d hang out all night, drink beer, play songs.
Morgan Sullivan: Great people. They just had a baby too. So Mazel Tov. Oh, yeah.
Rock And Blues International: I really enjoyed the album when you sent it over to me to begin with, you know, the digital files. I really enjoyed it. I thought there’s a lot of really radio worthy songs on here. You may not be able to get every single one on the radio, but is there even radio that you can get stuff played on anymore?
Morgan Sullivan: Why not?
Corey Sullivan: It’s pop music or the Classics. There’s not a lot of room for newer rock bands from what I hear on like, FM radio, at least.
Corey Sullivan: I’m with Queen on this one. Someone still loves you radio. How about you Bret, What do you think?
Bret Gyrich: About?
Morgan Sullivan: Radio? He was asking.
Bret Gyrich: Oh, what do I think about the radio?
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, can you can still get new music on the radio and I’m saying yeah, I’m saying yeah.
Bret Gyrich: Yeah. Yeah, I have discovered plenty of new songs on the radio recently. But I don’t really know a whole lot of people who really pay much attention to the radio stations anymore, which is sad to say.
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Rock And Blues International: Well, everything’s gone satellite now.
Bret Gyrich: Yeah.
Rock And Blues International: Either that or download and people are taking their flash drives and putting them in their car.
Corey Sullivan: Well, I just didn’t get around to doing it myself.
Morgan Sullivan: They need to just bring back radio. That’s it.
Rock And Blues International: Tell me about some of your band members. I understand you have a new bassist.
Dave Sullivan: Okay, with our bass player. We pulled in Bret on vocals, and you know he came in and it was just like, This dude is incredible. He fits perfectly for what I had envisioned of wanting to hear our songs sound like, and then was like, Okay, now it’s time to get a bass player. We put, ads out and looked around and everybody’s in five or six bands, or three tribute bands, two cover bands and everything. It was really hard getting somebody and a lot of people would want to audition. And then I’m like, ‘Where’d You Go? Why didn’t you show up?’ They were really intimidated by Rudy and Billy and all that and they’re like, ‘I didn’t want to try’. And this kid, I get a phone call from his dad. And he does a lot of the concessions for a lot of the shows and stuff like that. He said, ‘Look, I saw your ad and I think my son would be great’. And like, ‘okay, well cool, let me know, have him come by. I’ll send you some songs and let him learn them’ and I sent them some songs and also some like video tutorials about how Matt actually played certain parts. And he came in one Saturday and he’s 18 years old at the time. He came in and melted our faces. Yeah, it was just like, like super, super, super cool. I mean, he pulled it off and he stepped in some pretty big shoes and all the props to him for that. That’s something that a lot of people wouldn’t do. But I’ve always had the philosophy and the way that I did stuff is I started out playing guitar clinics and all these things. When I was younger I was surrounding myself and playing with people that are of the highest caliber or better than you or whatever, because it drives you to reach that level. And he came in and he just like knocked it out of the park. The band right now is the perfect fit of everybody and everything. We all just have our place and part that everything just gels together perfectly. And if you listen to the album, you can hear it just it all works.
Corey Sullivan: It’s very rare to have a group of musicians where there’s a lot of talent and not a lot of ego.
Dave Sullivan: Oh, I was told if I was a more laid back, I’d be asleep. I might talk a lot. You know, I’m kind of, you know… We’re all really easygoing. Nobody’s got an ego.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, that’s Matt we’re talking about now?
Dave Sullivan: That’s Chris.
Rock And Blues International: What’s his full name?
Morgan Sullivan: Chris Salinas.
Rock And Blues International: All right. And he’s the permanent band member now?
Dave Sullivan: Yes.
Rock And Blues International: Let’s get back to “The Road”. You had Billy Sheehan on this song.
Dave Sullivan: Yes. Correct.
Rock And Blues International: Okay. Did Billy’s playing change it any?
Dave Sullivan: This is a funny thing. Corey had mentioned like, ‘okay, I can understand him playing on “Cheshire”. “Cheshire” is like a fast in your face, guitar, rip your face off kind of song. But “The Road’? And I was like, Well, you know, if you think of Mr. Big and “To Be With You”, that was like one of their biggest hits. And this is in that vein of music, where it’s a very good ballad and one of the three songs that we get the most, ‘that’s my favorite song on the album’. So everybody really loves it. But yeah, Billy came in. Everything he did fit perfectly and they sent me two tracks with the variant, the ending part, where one was clean and one was a little dirty. So we switched it over to the clean and it comes out real melodic. It definitely brought a flavor to it. And Chris was able to pull that off, you know, it took a few rehearsals and stuff like that to get it all down. I’m very honored to have the guys that played on this album, not only the famous people, but the band here. I got my son on drums, my wife on backing vocals, and you know, Brett. He’s just incredible and Chris played on a couple of songs too as well, so it’s all just the way I’d envisioned it. I couldn’t ask for a better outcome.
Rock And Blues International: I believe you’ve got a video out from one of the songs or you’re working on a video.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah, we’re getting ready to work on a couple of them.
Morgan Sullivan: It’s in the works.
Corey Sullivan: We’re going to be collaborating with a couple friends of mine who are... we’re starting a film company up together. They do a lot of very cinematic short films and stuff. And we’re going to have them help us make a few music videos and try to give them some exposure and some experience doing music videos, because it’s very, very different from narrative pieces where there’s dialogue in different scenes and stuff. They’re very good friends of mine from high school and I think they’re very talented.
Morgan Sullivan: Yeah, don’t get it wrong, cuz they’re young. Their short films are amazing. They’re really good.
Rock And Blues International: Well, young is where it’s at now. That pretty much the new approach to things, the fresh views. Not rehashing everything. You hire someone that’s been doing it for 30 years and you’re gonna get the same video pretty much.
Morgan Sullivan: Right. I’m really excited to see what they come up with.
Rock And Blues International: Now, What haven’t we talked about on the album that we should have?
Morgan Sullivan: No, I think I think that’s about it. The one thing I’d like to say is, if you buy the vinyl album, when you open it up, we totally went like old school on that. It’s got the inserts, it’s got lyrics. The CD does have an insert as well. So we just kind of went all out with that and we thought that was a lot of fun. That was part of the fun about us. When you get a CD or you get an album, you want to open it up. You want to see the pictures. You want to read the lyrics. And so people can have that experience now,
Rock And Blues International: It’s nice to have the lyrics in there. It’s nice to have them this big in the album where you can read them.
Dave Sullivan: Yeah. And the CD has a 16 page full color booklet. A lot of people, a lot of friends say, ‘oh my god, you’re going overboard.’ And it’s a lot to do with that’s what I want, that’s what I had as a kid. Part of the experience was opening up a cassette… I was right past the eight track days, so I had a cassette and you’d open it up and that was your pasttime. You’re reading the lyrics. You’re reading the thank you’s or reading the stories of these bands and it brought you in personally with the bands. With digital downloads you don’t get any of that. You don’t get the personal stuff. You’re lucky if you get lyrics. Brett did all the artwork and the design. I sent him a bunch of photos and stuff and he put it all together and we worked back and forth on that a little bit and he did an incredible job. So he’s not just a singer folks, he can… he has something to fall back on if his voice ever goes, but God I hope it doesn’t go
Bret Gyrich: Knock on wood. Knock on wood.
Rock And Blues International: Okay, well, then I think I probably have enough here. I appreciate you all meeting with me to do this.
Morgan Sullivan: Yes, thank you know, we appreciate it so much. But I think Brent was trying to talk and then talked over a mom and get it.
Rock And Blues International: What do you got, Brett?
Bret Gyrich: I’m good. I’m good. Thank you’.
Morgan Sullivan: Thank you for having us. Thank you so much.
Rock And Blues International: All right. Well, then I guess it’s a wrap.
Morgan Sullivan: It’s a wrap guys.
Be sure to check out this great new act from Houston, Texas. Without a doubt they are destined for big things. One listen to their new music and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Check out Kissing Judas today! Kissing Judas will be launching their new website on August 12th to coincide with the release of their new album False Saint. The website address is www.kissingjudas.com. Kissing Judas is Dave Sullivan (guitar/backing vocals), Bret Gyrich (vocals/acoustic guitar), Corey Sullivan (drums), Chris Salinas (bass), and Morgan Sullivan (backing vocals).
Bob Marley’s immortality continues with Africa Unite, a majestic, posthumous album celebrating the vibrant fusion of Reggae and Afrobeats!
Africa Unite is an extraordinary album that pays homage to the Reggae icon’s greatest hits, beautifully reimagined and infused with the infectious rhythms of Afrobeats. Scheduled for release on August 4, 2023, Africa Unite features inspiring collaborations between Bob Marley’s classics and a stellar line-up of contemporary African musicians. This ten-track masterpiece includes Sarkodie, Tiwa Savage, Teni, and Oxlade, which will be announced before the album’s release. Each artist brings unique flair and artistry, paying tribute to Bob Marley’s enduring influence while adding their refreshing voices to his iconic compositions.
Bob Marley’s impact on Reggae and Afrobeats music culture is immeasurable. His ageless music transcends borders and generations. This project is no different; it invites listeners on an enchanting musical journey. From the heartwarming rendition of “Waiting In Vain” to the uplifting energy of “Stir It Up,” the album showcases the seamless fusion of two extraordinary musical worlds. Backing this album announcement is also the release of the lead single, a new version of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” performed by Nigeria’s rising stars Teni & Oxlade, which truly emulates the original with an afrofusion kick.
With ‘Africa Unite,’ Bob Marley’s influence continues to resonate, bridging the gap between the past and present. The album not only showcases the global reach of Bob Marley’s music but also celebrates the rich tapestry of African rhythms and melodies. By intertwining reggae’s soulful vibrations with the infectious energy of Afrobeats, Africa Unite embodies the unity and spirit of collaboration, mirroring the late artist’s vision of a harmonious world.
The release of Africa Unite will undoubtedly captivate Bob Marley’s loyal fanbase and attract new listeners seeking to experience the magic of his music in a fresh and vibrant way.
Bob Marley’s impact on reggae and Afrobeats music culture is immeasurable. As a pioneer of Reggae, Bob Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. His powerful lyrics and captivating melodies have served as a guiding light, inspiring countless artists and shaping the musical landscape. With Africa Unite, his influence continues to resonate, bridging the gap between the past and present.
Follow Bob
Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/BobMarley Twitter @ https://twitter.com/bobmarley Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/bobmarley/ TikTok @ https://www.tiktok.com/@bobmarley YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/@bobmarley
Bob Marley, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is notable not only as the man who put Reggae on the global map but as a statesman in his native Jamaica; he famously brought together the country’s warring factions. Today, Bob Marley remains one of the 20th century’s most important and influential entertainment icons. Marley’s lifestyle and music continue to inspire new generations as his legacy lives on through his music. In the digital era, he has the second-highest social media following of any posthumous celebrity. The official Bob Marley Facebook page draws more than 74 million fans, ranking it among the Top 20 of all Facebook pages and the Top 10 among
celebrity pages. Marley’s music catalog has sold millions of albums worldwide. His iconic collection ‘LEGEND’ holds the distinction of being the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard Magazine’s Catalog Albums chart and remains the world’s best-selling reggae album. Marley’s accolades include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and ASCAP Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), multiple entries in the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001). For more information, visit bobmarley.com and facebook.com/ bobmarley.
Legendary Neue Deutsche Härte pioneers OOMPH! have revealed the first single, “Wem Die Stunde Schlägt”, off of their 14th album, Richter und Henker, set to be released on September 8, 2023! The upcoming full-length kicks off a new era as it marks the first album with a new lineup, as CR4P and FLUX are joined by new vocalist DER SCHULZ.
The announcement of OOMPH!’s new record and first lineup change in 34 years was met with very positive reception across the board, and the album opener “Wem Die Stunde Schlägt” (en: For Whom The Bell Tolls) makes an immediate statement, propelled by a hefty dose of industrial metal.
OOMPH! on the lyrics of “Wem Die Stunde Schlägt”:
“The song is about recognizing what hour has struck and becoming aware of the situation you are in. It’s about not giving up. Even in hard times, you always have to get back up and try to come back stronger than before, instead of listening to those who would like to see you fail and only want to make you small.
The title is borrowed from the bestseller by Ernest Hemingway, whose great writing style we adore.”
The band adds on the video:
“The video is a symbolic representation of the song’s lyrics - stating that we always have a choice in which directions we go. In a flashback daydream of sorts, we’re told the story of a young woman at the turn of the century, who is condemned by mythical masked figures and led to the gallows because she apparently murdered her husband. The band is both the witness and the storyteller. The plot is not given away.
In addition, there are energetic and powerful band performance scenes. The video was shot in the impressive baroque setting of Bückeburg Castle and its mausoleum.”
OOMPH! on the new album:
“Working together in this new constellation has spurred our creativity in the studio to the extreme. There will be some nice musical developments and surprises on the new album, Richter und Henker, without neglecting our typical OOMPH! constants. Even our usual “test listeners” say the album sounds unmistakably like OOMPH!
We can’t wait to finally present the songs to you and play them live on tour!”
Richter und Henker clearly proves that OOMPH! return stronger than before with their new lineup, charging straight forward! Title track “Richter und Henker” captivates the listener with a mixture of hooky guitars and chanting vocals, while criticizing ignorant social movements. New wave influences are present on heavy and groovy anti-war anthem “Nur Ein Mensch” (en: Only A Human) - a future hit and strong sign against warmongering and empty slogans that force hatred and war. On “Wut” (en: Anger), OOMPH! is supported by none other than genre idol Joachim Witt.
Since their formation in 1989, OOMPH! has emerged as a highly influential band that has even inspired later Neue Deutsche Härte giants. With Richter und Henker, the Neue Deutsche Härte masters prove that they remain a leading force in the scene!
OOMPH! are: CR4P, FLUX, DER SCHULZ
Richter und Henker Tracklisting:
1 Wem die Stunde Schlägt
2 Richter und Henker
3 Soll das Liebe Sein?
4 Nur Ein Mensch
5 Schrei nur Schrei
6 Nichts wird mehr Gut
7 Sag Jetzt Einfach Nichts
8 Es ist Nichts, Wie es Scheint
9 Wo die Angst Gewinnt
10 All die Jahre
11 Wut feat. Joachim Witt
12 Ein Kleines Bisschen Glück
Richter und Henker will be available in the following formats: Deluxe Box, including 1 CD 6 pages Digisleeve, Hangman Block, 2 pencils, socks, tote bag, A6 photo card (strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide) – Napalm Records Store exclusive
2 LP Die Hard Gatefold Marbled Transparent Red/Black Vinyl incl slipmat, 12 inch booklet and record butler (strictly limited to 200 copies worldwide) – Napalm Records Store exclusive
2 LP Gatefold Gold Vinyl (strictly limited to 1000 copies) –GSA Retail exclusive
2 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
1 CD 6 pages Digisleeve Digital Album
OOMPH! Live 2023: w/ Böse Fuchs
02.11.23 DE – Hanover / Capitol
03.11.23 DE – Hamburg / Markthalle
04.11.23 DE – Dresden / Tante Ju
05.11.23 DE – Berlin / Huxley’s Neue Welt
07.11.23 PL – Poznan / Tama
08.11.23 CZ – Prague / Meet Factory
09.11.23 AT – Vienna / Simm City
10.11.23 DE – Munich / Backstage Werk
12.11.23 DE – Bochum / Zeche
13.11.23 DE – Frankfurt / Batschkapp
14.11.23 DE – Ludwigsburg / Scala
16.11.23 FR – Paris / La Trabendo
17.11.23 FR – Lyon / Marché Gare
18.11.23 FR – Strasbourg / La Laiterie
19.11.23 CH – Solothurn / Kofmehl
21.11.23 DE – Cologne / Live Music Hall
22.11.23 NL – Arnhem / Luxor
23.11.23 DE – Onsabrück / Hydepark
24.11.23 DE – Rostock / Mau Club
It’s Friday night and you and your date are about to go out for the evening. You really want to have a nice experience and brush off the work week. The usual scene seems a bit inappropriate for one reason or another. So you are looking for that memorable evening. I was in this situation albeit a bit different as I was invited to take in the on stage presence of a group named Del Castillo. I don’t think I will ever forget what I heard and saw that evening. Allow me to digress: It was a Thursday night and drummer Robbie Parrish invited myself along with Ron Fontenot (Ron Fontenot Photography) and Allen Fuentes (Beltway Studio) to Houston’s top rated listening room The Mucky Duck. I arrived just about show time and after exchanging hellos at our table the performance began. Tonight the group on stage would be the trio formation of the six member band and when they started a hush fell over the crowd. A good portion of the attendees were fans and they were ready to hear the sounds of Del Castillo. The others like myself were curious and waiting in anticipation. Well it didn’t take long before myself and the others who were hearing them for the first time knew why. Talk about superb musicianship and professional stage appeal these men had both precision musicianship and I do mean precision musicianship and stage presence. Stage presence meaning there wasn’t forty five minutes of tuning and fifteen minutes of music. No once they began their performance it was non stop and seamless. The energy on stage remained constant for the entire gig and the showmanship was if we were watching a Las Vegas show right there in Houston. The songs being showcased were selections with intricate movements along with the marvelous vocals of Alex. The two men on guitar passed off segments of music between them with such ease that I had to look twice to be sure I had witnessed what I just saw. It was incredible, this is how a live show should be presented as it was both exciting to watch and great to hear. It truly was an experience. The next day after the show I combed the Del Castillo website looking to learn more and I found it. The artists I saw plus the rest of the band were so exciting to Robert Rodriguez the famous director/producer that he not only contracted with them to get their music into his film but he also added them in person. The same happened again as another of their
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by John in Houston - Page 2
original songs was placed in the film and soundtrack for “Once Upon A Time In Mexico” starring Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek. But it didn’t stop at just being fortunate enough to have their music in each movie. They were invited to perform at the premiere of each movie. Again their live performance dazzled movie goers as it added that special professional elegance to such a grand beginning for the film’s release. Quentin Tarantino loved their music so much that he actually edited the ending sequence of “Kill Bill Vol. II” to fit the song into his film. Their live performance can be seen on YouTube and has over 4 million views. What is truly remarkable is that the group Del Castillo came to life as the men originally just wanted to craft a private show for their immediate family and friends. The response immediately told them that the were on to something. People hear them and see their show and they become fans from that day forward. So their meteoric rise was not a planned business decision but a love for their family. Maybe that says it all. If it’s in your soul good things come to life. Del Castillo resides in greater Austin Texas and this Texas based group, even though they have been together for years continues to pack them in. Their celebration of traditional Mexican musical culture combined with their showmanship is something to behold. Their absolutely mesmerizing vocal and instrumental performances are as good live as it is on recorded sound, a rarity for sure. To date the group has garnered an astonishing eighteen awards including SXSW/ Austin Music Awards “Album of the Year”, Austin Music Awards “Band of the Year”, ASCAP’s “Best Independent Group of the Year” and Austin Music Pundits “Best Live Act”. Take someone you love to experience Del Castillo and I guarantee you will have plenty talk about on the way home. If I’m lying, I’m dying. - John
Es Viernes por la noche y tu y tu amor van a salir por la noche. Quieren tener una experencia que te deje olvidar de la semana laboral. la escena habitual parece un poco inapropiada por una razón u otra. Así que estás buscando esa velada memorable. Yo estaba en esta situación, aunque un poco diferente, ya que me invitaron a tomar la presencia en el escenario de un grupo llamado Del Castillo. Creo que nunca olvidaré lo que escuché y vi esa noche. Permítanme desviarme un poco: Era un jueves por la noche y el baterista Robbie Parrish me invitó junto con Ron Fontenot (Fotografía) y Allen Fuentes (Beltway Studio) a la sala de escucha mejor calificada de Houston, The Mucky Duck. Llegué justo a la hora del espectáculo y después de intercambiar saludos en nuestra mesa comenzó la actuación. Esta noche el grupo en el escenario sería la formación de trío de la banda de seis miembros y cuando comenzaron un silencio cayó sobre la multitud. Buena parte de los asistentes eran fanáticos y estaban listos para escuchar los sonidos de Del Castillo. Los otros, como yo, tenían curiosidad y esperaban con anticipación. Bueno, no pasó mucho tiempo antes de que yo y los demás que los escuchaban por primera vez supiéramos por qué. Hable acerca de la excelente maestría musical y el atractivo profesional en el escenario que estos hombres tenían. Presencia en el escenario, lo que significa que no hubo cuarenta y cinco minutos de afinación y quince minutos de música. No, una vez que comenzaron su actuación, fue sin parar y sin interrupciones. La energía en el escenario se mantuvo constante durante todo el concierto y el espectáculo fue como si estuviéramos viendo un espectáculo de Las Vegas aquí mismo en Houston. Las canciones que se exhibieron fueron selecciones con movimientos intrincados junto con la maravillosa voz de Alex Ruiz. Los dos hombres de la guitarra se pasaron segmentos de música con tanta facilidad que tuve que mirar dos veces para estar seguro de que había presenciado lo que acababa de ver. Fue increíble, así es como se debe presentar un espectáculo en vivo, ya que fue emocionante de ver y genial de escuchar. Realmente fue una experiencia. Al día siguiente, después del espectáculo, revisé el sitio web de Del Castillo en busca de más información y lo encontré. Los artistas que vi y el resto de la banda fueron tan emocionantes para Robert Rodríguez, el famoso director/productor, que no solo los contrató para incluir su música en sus películas, sino que también los agregó en persona. Lo mismo volvió a ocurrir ya que otra de sus canciones originales fue colocada en la película Érase una
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vez en México protagonizada por Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas y Salma Hayek. Pero no se limitó a tener la suerte de tener su música en cada película. Fueron invitados a actuar en el estreno de cada película. Una vez más, su presentación en vivo deslumbró a los cinéfilos, ya que agregó esa elegancia profesional especial a un comienzo tan grandioso para el estreno de la película. Quentin Tarantino amaba tanto su música que en realidad editó la secuencia final de Kill Bill Vol. ll para encajar la canción en su película. Su directo de esa noche cantando Malagueña Salerosa se puede ver en Youtube y tiene más de 4 millones de visualizaciones. Lo que es realmente notable es que el grupo Del Castillo cobró vida cuando los hombres originalmente solo querían crear un espectáculo privado para sus familiares y amigos inmediatos. La respuesta inmediatamente les dijo que estaban en algo. La gente los escucha y ve sus programas y se convierte en fan desde ese día en adelante. Así que su ascenso meteórico no fue una decisión planeada sino un amor por su familia. Tal vez eso lo dice todo. Si está en tu alma las cosas buenas cobran vida. Del Castillo reside en el área metropolitana de Austin, Texas, y este grupo con sede en Texas, a pesar de que han estado juntos durante años, continúa atrayéndolos. Su celebración de la cultura musical tradicional mexicana combinada con su talento para el espectáculo es algo digno de contemplar. Sus interpretaciones vocales e instrumentales absolutamente fascinantes son tan buenas en vivo como en sonido grabado, una rareza sin duda. Hasta la fecha, el grupo ha obtenido la asombrosa cantidad de dieciocho premios, incluido el Álbum SXSW/Austin Music Awards del año, el Mejor grupo independiente del año de ASCAP y el Mejor acto en vivo de Austin Music Pundits. Lleve a alguien que amas a experimentar Del Castillo y le garantizo que tendrá mucho de qué hablar en su camino a casa. Si estoy mintiendo, me estoy muriendo. - John
September 8th Fall Headlining Tour Begins
September 6th With Guests The Ataris and The Pink Spiders For Tickets go to https://www.everclearmusic.com/tour
Releases
Everclear, one of the leading alternative rock bands to emerge from the ‘90s led by vocalist, guitarist and founder Art Alexakis, has officially revealed the details for their new live album, Live at The Whisky a Go Go, and released the first single and music video for “Heroin Girl.” Due out Friday, September 8th via Sunset Blvd Records, Live at The Whisky a Go Go was recorded and filmed in late 2022 during Everclear’s 30th Anniversary Tour back in Alexakis’ hometown of Los Angeles and marked the first time the acclaimed quartet performed at the famed venue. The 17-track
collection features all the hits and hidden treasures from throughout Everclear’s extraordinary catalog as well as two bonus studio tracks, last year’s single “Year Of The Tiger” and new single “Sing Away.” The first offering from the forthcoming album is the 1995 hit “Heroin Girl,” off the band’s platinum-selling album Sparkle and Fade.
“Live at The Whisky a Go Go is raw, loose, noisy, and kind of ragged around the edges…just like rock & roll is supposed to be,” shares Alexakis. “Having grown up in Santa Monica in the late 1970s, performing at
The Whisky was always a dream, and that dream finally came true last December. Everclear has always been one of those bands that are way louder and rowdier live than we are on record, so this album is a gift of love to the thousands of fans who have come to our shows over the last 30 years.”
Everclear – Art Alexakis (vocals, guitar), Davey French (guitar), Freddy Herrera (bass), Brian Nolan (drums) – will be out on the road in support of the live album on a recently-announced fall headlining tour. The 30-date outing, featuring special guests The Ataris and The Pink Spiders, begins September 6th in Lexington, Kentucky and will make stops all across the country, including Cleveland, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City (September 18th at Gramercy Theatre), Nashville, Omaha, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles (October 9th at The Wiltern), San Francisco, and many more, before wrapping October 15th in Pioneertown, California. Everclear also has a variety of shows lined up for the summer. See below for full list of upcoming tour dates.
Since forming in 1992, Everclear has enjoyed a lengthy career by any measure, spanning 11 studio releases, including four that have been certified Gold or Platinum, selling over 6 million records, and achieving 12 Top 40 Hit Singles on Mainstream Rock, Alternative, and Adult Top 40 radio, including “Santa Monica,” “Father of Mine,” “I Will Buy You A New Life,” “Wonderful” and “Everything To Everyone,” as well as numerous videos, thousands of shows, and various other accolades, including a 1998 Grammy nomination. The band’s 1993 debut album, World Of Noise, released on the Portland independent label Tim/Kerr Records, paired with their significant efforts to break into college radio and the buzz they’d created within the Portland music scene, attracted the attention of major labels, including Capitol Records, which signed the group soon after. Beginning with their majorlabel debut, 1995’s platinum-selling album Sparkle and Fade, and its massive charttopping hit “Santa Monica,” Everclear was soon a household name and catapulted into the masses, thus allowing their impressive three-decade career to prosper and endure. In 2019, Alexakis was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and has since donated one dollar from every ticket purchased for his performances to charities such as Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and National MS Society. To celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2022, Everclear reissued World Of Noise as a special remastered, deluxe edition, making the album available for the first time on digital streaming platforms with 6 bonus songs in addition to its original 12 tracks. In addition to his thousands of Everclear performances over the band’s lengthy career, Alexakis created and runs the annual Summerland Tour, which features a package of popular ‘90s alt rock bands, and he released his first solo album, Sun Songs, in 2019. PRESS HERE to watch a special commemorative anniversary video,
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“Everclear – 30 Years Gone: A Retrospective,” hosted by former MTV VJ, current radio host and longtime friend Matt Pinfield.
More than three decades later, Everclear’s enduring legacy and ongoing appeal as a live band continues.
Friday, June 30 Decatur, IL @ Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater
Saturday, July 1 Attica, IN @ Badlands Off Road Park
Sunday, July 2 Westchester, OH @ Voices of America Museum
Monday, July 3 Dixon, IL @ Dixon Petunia Festival
Saturday, July 8 Woodhaven, MI @ Uncle Sam JamWoodhaven
Friday, July 14 Lake Charles, LA @ Golden Nugget Casino
Saturday, July 15 Cadott, WI @ Rock Fest 2023
Friday, July 21 Detroit Lakes, MN @ Northwest Water Carnival Bash On the Beach
Thursday, July 27 Jordan, NY @ Kegs Canalside
Friday, July 28 Whitehouse Station, NJ @ New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning
Saturday, July 29 La Porte, IN @ LakeFest
Sunday, July 30 St. Louis, MO @ Pig and Whiskey Street Fest
Saturday, August 5 Butte, MT @ Brawls and Kickstart Days
Thursday, August 17 Lynchburg, VA @ Academy Center of the Arts
Friday, August 18 Bristol, TN @ Paramount Bristol
Saturday, August 19 Fayetteville, GA @ Southern Ground Amphitheater
Saturday, August 26 Wittenberg, WI @ Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenburg
Saturday, September 2 Albany, OR @ Albany Downtown Block Party
Fall Headlining Tour w/ The Ataris and The Pink Spiders supporting:
Wednesday, September 6 Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall
Thursday, September 7 Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center
Friday, September 8 Lemont, IL @ The Forge Lemont Quarries
Saturday, September 9 Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
Monday, September 11 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ^
Tuesday, September 12 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
Wednesday, September 13 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore ] Silver Spring
Friday, September 15 Philadelphia, PA @ Rivers Casino ^
Saturday, September 16 Westbury, NY @ The Space at Westbury
Sunday, September 17 Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
Monday, September 18 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
Wednesday, September 20 Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
Thursday, September 21 Nashville, TN @ The Sky Deck at Assembly Food Hall
Friday, September 22 Mt. Vernon, IL @ The Granada Theatre
Saturday, September 23 Waterloo, IA @ National Cattle Congress
Wednesday, September 27 Omaha, NE @ Barnato
Thursday, September 28 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
Friday, September 29 Kamas, UT @ DeJoria Center Arena
Saturday, September 30 Cheyenne, WY @ The Lincoln
Sunday, October 1 Great Falls, MT @ The Newberry
Wednesday, October 4 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Friday, October 6 Umatilla, OR @ Rock The Locks +
Saturday, October 7 Elko, NV @ Maverick Hotel and Casino by Red Lion Hotels +
Monday, October 9 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Tuesday, October 10 San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
Thursday, October 12 Temecula, CA @ South Coast Winery Resort & Spa #
Friday, October 13 Rocklin, CA @ Quarry Park Amphitheater
Sunday, October 15 Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy + Harriet’s
Friday, October 27 North Augusta, SC @ Jack-O-Lantern
Jubilee +
+ indicates Everclear only
^ indicates Everclear and The Ataris only # indicates tickets on sale 6/23 at 10am local time
Follow Everclear:
Website @ https://www.everclearmusic.com/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/everclear Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/everclear/ Twitter @ https://twitter.com/EverclearBand
YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClxjm6JR5j7Wc_uP20OjUCA
Spotify @
https://open.spotify.com/artist/694QW15WkebjcrWgQHzRYF Apple Music @ https://music.apple.com/us/artist/everclear/549623
Blues-infused Southern rock quintet Parker Barrow — led by Megan Kane (vocals) and Dylan Turner (drums) — release “Desire,” the sophomore single from their forthcoming debut 10-track album, Jukebox Gypsies. Supported by their badass band, Manning Feldner (guitar), Alex Bender (guitar) and Michael Beckhart (bassist), while Manning brings the Southern soul and Alex brings the classic rock ‘n’ roll — Parker Barrow is a full-throttle crew and a force to be reckoned with.
“Desire” kick-starts with a smooth electric guitar followed by Kane’s raspy, distinct pipes. “While the songs were written from a place of passion, part of the beauty of music, and something that attracts both of us to it, is the fact that songs are oftentimes subjective and can mean anything to anyone at any time,” Kane and Turner share.
Slated for release on August 11, Jukebox Gypsies is a collection of songs that tells the couple’s story over the last four years. From their chance encounter to living out of an RV while touring and everything in between, the record touches on the highs and lows of life on the road, with each song reflecting their feelings and emotions during these times and how they managed to find the sweet spot in the chaos of it all. With the sounds of Southern rock and soulful blues coursing through their veins, the couple spearheads a brand of music unmistakably and distinctively their own.
Catching the ears of The RockPit and Bravewords was the album’s lead single — “Count Your Dollars” — an old-school, Southern rock hit waiting to be played at fullvolume with your windows down. Released on June 14, the track showcases Kane’s powerhouse vocals and the band’s rock prowess, guided by Turner’s grounded drumming; a quintessential introduction to Jukebox Gypsies and what Parker Barrow have in store. Stream “Count Your Dollars” here at https://linktr.ee/parkerbarrow
Built on an instant connection, the band’s name pulls inspiration from the notorious partners in crime, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow; Kane and Turner wanted to channel the iconic energy of a dynamic duo into their music, but rather than on the run from the law, they’re on the run towards their rock ‘n’ roll dreams. “Something about it just felt right,” the couple shares. “We believe that from the start it was exactly what each of us had always dreamed of.”
Jukebox Gypsies is a collection of songs that tells the couple’s story over the last four years. From their chance encounter to living out of an RV while touring and everything in between, the record touches on
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the highs and lows of life on the road, with each song reflecting their feelings and emotions during these times and how they managed to find the sweet spot in the chaos of it all.
The album’s lead single, “Count Your Dollars,” (out June 14), is the perfect example of the group’s vitality. Coming out with guns blazing, the track is an old-school, Southern rock hit waiting to be played at fullvolume with your windows down. Showcasing Kane’s powerhouse vocals and the band’s rock prowess, guided by Turner’s grounded drumming, “Count Your Dollars” is the quintessential introduction to Jukebox Gypsies and what Parker Barrow have in store.
“Desire,” the LP’s sophomore single, kick-starts smoothly with the electric guitar followed by Kane’s raspy pipes. “While the songs were written from a place of passion, part of the beauty of music, and something that attracts both of us to it, is the fact that songs are oftentimes subjective and can mean anything to anyone at any time,” Kane and Turner share.
When talking about the overall inspiration behind the tracks and their songwriting process, Turner explains: “We both draw inspiration from many different places, but one that we both draw from is each other. We grew up in different places and experienced life in very different ways but have allowed each other to see the other side of the coin. Perspective is a crazy thing and we’ve been able to open each other’s
Stream “Desire” here At https://linktr.ee/parkerbarrow
Listen / Share via YouTube here at https://youtu.be/ypbgV5GT3U8
Pre-Order Jukebox Gypsies here at At https://linktr.ee/parkerbarrow
eyes to things we may never have perceived if we hadn’t met each other at the time we did.”
Heavily influenced by The Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Whiskey Myers, the band loves to jam and includes a dose of the blues with every arrangement. Where the band truly shines is in their live performances; this down to earth crew flies high on the stage and is sure to take you on an energetic flight.
It’s apparent to all that have seen the couple perform that Turner and Kane share a true vision, sincere passion, appetite and appreciation for life on the road. The duo places high value on their Faith, and their relationship through music and their families. The couple are truly kindred in spirit, recently having tied the knot and are excited to
continue to create and perform together in this next chapter of life. From their intimate acoustic sets to powerful high-energy full band shows it is apparent that Kane and Turner are exactly where they need to be.
JUKEBOX GYPSIES
TRACKLISTING:
“Peace, Love, Rock N’ Rollin’”
“Count Your Dollars”
“Back to Birmingham”
“Throwin’ Stones”
“Partners In Crime”
“Good Times Gone Away”
“Long Black Train”
“Desire”
“Sunshine Of Your Love” (Cream Cover)
“Where The Bluebird Goes”
WEBSITE @ https://www.weareparkerbarrow.com/ FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/parkerbarrowproject/ INSTAGRAM @ https://www.instagram.com/_parkerbarrow/
ATILLA, Atlanta’s most notorious dealers of metalcore brutality have dropped new single and accompanying music video, “Mia Goth” today. The track features a guest verse from rapper Ekoh and is out now.
Speaking on the release of their new track ATTILA frontman Chris ‘Fronz’ Fronzak shares
“Mia Goth is a song that was created in a very natural organic way. Once we had the song mapped out we hit up our boy Ekoh to drop a verse. When he ended his line with “Mia goth” everything clicked. We’re all huge fans of Mia Goth and her movies, especially Pearl & X. So we figured “hey, let’s write a song about a hot girl that’s kinda crazy”. Pretty relatable if you ask me haha. The song has a fun energetic vibe and captures everything Attila but with a new flare.”
“Mia Goth” follows the release of the band’s previous single, “Bite Your Tongue” ( https://youtu.be/xAwlewK-Xbo ), which came out in April and shocked ATTILA fans around the world with the addition of clean vocals from Fronz for the first time ever on one of the band’s tracks. The single has already amassed over 1.75 million streams. Both tracks mark the dawning of a new era for ATTILA, maintaining the band’s signature blend of metalcore, nu metal and deathcore whilst also adding new layers of melodic finesse and instrumental technicality and proving that even after 15 years, they are still one of the most prevalent and prolific forces in the genre.
ATTILLA are currently in Europe where they recently kicked off their world tour celebrating their seminal 2013 album, “About That Life”, which debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 22. The tour will hit the US throughout September and October of this year (full dates below). Head to www.attilaband.com for tickets and further information.
Chris Fronzak (vocals), Chris Linck (guitar), and Kalan Adam (bass) aka ATTILA have been churning out metalcore anthems for nearly two decades, shaping and defining the genre as they go.
Formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2005, ATTILA has released eight studio albums, including their infamous 2013 smash hit, “About That Life” which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #22. The band are best known for their uniquely aggressive heaviness, their incendiary, high-energy live shows and their tongue-in-cheek, not-giving-a-fuck attitude. Their music has amassed over 267 million streams and currently have nearly 761k monthly listeners on Spotify alone.
ATTILA has continued to thrive and evolve over the years, cementing their status as one of the most influential bands in the modern metalcore genre. This new era is just another step in their evolution, with plenty more to come.
US LEG
Special Guests: * = No Gideon, ** = No Gideon + ten56, *** = No ten56, **** = No ten56. + Until I Wake, ***** = No Attila + Gideon
Sun. Sept. 10 – Alton, VA –Blue Ridge Rock Fest *
Tue. Sept 12 – New York, NY –Gramercy Theatre Thu.
Sept. 14 – Reading, PA – Reverb
Fri. Sept. 15 – Columbus, OH –King Of Clubs
Sat. Sept. 16 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
Sun. Sept. 17 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
Mon. Sept. 18 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
Tue. Sept. 19 – Pontiac, MI – The Crofoot
Thu. Sept. 21 – Indianapolis, IN –Black Circle *
Fri. Sept. 22 – Cleveland, OH –TempleLive Cleveland **
Sat. Sept. 23 – Cincinnati, OH – Legends **
Sun. Sept. 24 – St. Louis, MO – Red Flag
Tue. Sept. 26 – Denver, CO –Bluebird Theater
Wed. Sept. 27 – Colorado Springs, CO –Black Sheep
Thu. Sept. 28 – Salt Lake City, UT –The Complex
Sat. Sept. 30 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
Sun. Oct. 1 – Portland, OR –Bossanova Ballroom
Tue. Oct. 3 – Bend, OR – Domino Room
Thu. Oct. 5 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield
Fri. Oct. 6 – Sacramento, CA –Aftershock ****
Fri. Oct. 6 – Fresno, CA – Strummers *****
Sat. Oct. 7 – Bakersfield, CA –Temblor Brewing Co ***
Sun. Oct. 8 – Los Angeles, CA – 1720
Mon. Oct. 9 – Santa Ana, CA –The Observatory
Wed. Oct. 11 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theatre
Fri. Oct. 13 – Austin, TX –Come and Take It Live Sat.
Oct. 14 – Dallas, TX – Monster Mosh Fest
Sun. Oct 15 – Houston, TX –Studio @ Warehouse Live
Tue. Oct. 17 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly
Wed. Oct. 18 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum
Thu. Oct. 19 – Orlando, FL – Level 13
Fri. Oct. 20 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Don’t miss your chance to witness this monumental celebration of one of metalcore’s landmark albums. Get your tickets for ATTILA’s About That Life 10-Year Anniversary Tour and join the party of a lifetime!
Find Attila Online Twitter @ https://twitter.com/ATTILAga Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/attila_ga/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/AttilaGA/ Youtube @ https://www.youtube.com/@Attilaband Web @ https://www.thevoynichcode.net/
NONPOINT Released New Single “A Million Watts” on July 14th; On Tour with Mudvayne, Coal Chamber, Gwar and Butcher Babies This Summer!
Continuing with the success of their new independent label, 361 Degrees Records, Nonpoint will release their latest track “A Million Watts” on July 14th. The single was produced by Chris Collier, the mind behind Korn’s #1 album on Top Hard Rock Albums on Billboard. Chris has quickly become a force in the industry… Now he is shaking things up with Nonpoint in the studio like never before. “A Million Watts” is the 3rd single from the forthcoming Heartless EP due out on Nov 17, 2023. The EP will be available digitally and as a limited edition cassette along with a Nonpoint branded cassette player.
Following the release of “A Million Watts,” Nonpoint will be heading out on tour with Mudvayne, Coal Chamber, Gwar and Butcher Babies This Summer!
In 2021, Nonpoint’s song “Ruthless” reached #16 on Billboard’s Rock Chart, and were featured on the New Metal Tracks and Kickass Metal Playlist on Spotify with over 1.6 million combined subscribers, SiriusXM Octane’s Big Uns Countdown, LA Lloyd top 30, Loudwire Nights and “Ruthless” was the featured track for AEW’s nationally televised event BLOOD AND GUTS on TNT in May. “Ruthless” has reached over 3.5 million streams.
Nonpoint is:
Elias Soriano (Lead Vocals)
Robb Rivera (Drums)
Rasheed Thomas (Guitar /Backing Vocals)
Adam Woloszyn (Bass)
Jason Zeilstra (Lead Guitar)
Tour Dates:
Headline
Jul 15 - Cumberland MD - Rock The mountains
Jul 18 - Savannah, GA - Victory North
w/Mudvayne, Coal Chamber, GWAR and Butcher Babies
Jul 20 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK
Financial Amphitheater
Jul 21 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit
Union Amphitheater
Jul 23 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
Jul 25 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
Jul 26 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Jul 28 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Jul 29 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage
Pavillion
Jul 30 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
Aug 1 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph’s Health
Amphitheater at Lakeview
Aug 2 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
Aug 4 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom
Music Center
Aug 5 - Tinley Park, IL - Hollywood Casino
Amphitheatre
Aug 6 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music
Theatre
Aug 8 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Aug 9 - Peoria, IL - Peoria Civic Center
Aug 10- Bonner Springs, KS - Azura
Ampitheater
Aug 12 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
Aug 13 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug 15 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
Aug 16 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort
Amp
Aug 17 - Irvine, CA - FivePoint Amphitheatre
Aug 19 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavillion
Aug 20 - Reno, NV - Grand Theater at the Grand Sierra Resort
Aug-21 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
(Supporting GWAR headline)
Aug 22 - Auburn, WA - White River
Amphitheatre
Aug 23 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheatre
Aug 25 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA
Amphitheatre
Aug 26 - Englewood, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Sept 6 - VA International Raceway - Blue Ridge Rockfest pre-party
Tickets on sale at nonpoint.com
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Death Metal Overlords DYING FETUS return with their highly anticipated new album, Make Them Beg For Death, out September 8!
Recorded in Baltimore with longtime producer Steve Wright and mixed by Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse), Make Them Beg For Death contains every DYING FETUS hallmark. The veteran Death Metal band’s ninth album is fast, intense, and brimming with unstoppable grooves.
DYING FETUS return to the US stages this Fall from October 17 to November 19 with The Acacia Strain, Despised Icon, Creeping Death & Tactosa to support the release of Make Them Beg For Death! Tickets are on sale this Friday, July 14 @ 10am local time.
Additionally, DYING FETUS begin their Summer EU tour at the end of the month on July 25 through August 20. Includes festival appearances at Wacken Open Air, Rockstadt Extreme, Brutal Assault, Party San, Alcatraz Open Air, Summer Breeze, & Motocultor.
Make Them Beg For Death physical pre-orders are available via Relapse.com here at https://www.relapse.com/pages/dying-fetus-makethem-beg-for-death on LP/Deluxe CD/CD/CS. Digital Downloads / Streaming / Pre-Save here at https://orcd.co/dyingfetus-mtbfd.
Make Them Beg For Death’s deluxe one-time press CD boxset edition is strictly limited to 2,000 copies worldwide includes CD, woven patch and 18" x 18" album art poster all housed in a custom, rigid board box.
Make Them Beg For Death delivers savage beatdowns equally designed to pulverize and mesmerize. “It follows on from where Wrong One To Fuck With left off,” drummer Trey Williams promises. “We don’t need to participate in the technical death metal arms race. We’ve got the big guns, and we’ve proven that. It’s all about pointing them in the right direction, so to speak.”
Monstrous riffs, blast beats, unstoppable hooks, and earth-moving grooves define their catalog. “We put our own twist on Death Metal,” explains co-vocalist/guitarist John Gallagher. “We were like most bands, starting in the garage, drinking beer, having a little fun on the weekend, finding the right amps through trial and error. We blended aspects of bands we liked – Suffocation, Obituary, Deicide, and Cannibal Corpse, among others; the dual vocal approach of Carcass – and made them our own. ‘Let’s make it moshy, let’s make it slammy.’”
To the men of DYING FETUS, the mission is straightforward. “The philosophy is the same now as it was when the band started,” Gallagher confirms. “To write catchy riffs and to make it memorable. Whatever style of music you’re doing, make it something people want to hear repeatedly.”
Self-reliance and musical integrity are the two principles to which DYING FETUS have always lived by. Formed in 1991, during the height of the death metal explosion, DYING FETUS have matured into one of the premiere extreme death metal/grindcore acts to emerge from the massive global metal underground. Combining an innovative mix of technical virtuosity and catchy song structures to create the ultimate blend of death metal, hardcore and grind, the band is recognized worldwide as a prime example of songwriting perfection across eight studio albums: (Purification Through Violence (1996), Killing On Adrenaline (1998), Destroy The Opposition (2001), Stop At Nothing (2003), War Of Attrition (2007), Descend Into Depravity (2009), Reign Supreme (2012) & Wrong One to Fuck With (2017).
Now over 25+ years into their distinguished career, DYING FETUS cement their legacy and uphold their position as the most dominant force in death metal today.
MAKE THEM BEG FOR DEATH TRACKLIST: Enlighten Through Agony Compulsion For Cruelty Feast of Ashes
Throw Them in the Van Unbridled Fury
When The Trend Ends Undulating Carnage Raised In Victory / Razed In Defeat Hero’s Grave Subterfuge
Aug 01 Warsaw, PL Proxima *
Aug 02 Berlin, DE Hole 44 *
Aug 04 Wacken, DE Wacken Open Air
Aug 06 Rasnov, RD Rockstadt Extreme
Aug 08 Jaromer, CZ Brutal Assault
Aug 11 Schldtheim, DE Party San
Aug 12 Bremen, DE Tivoli ^
Aug 13 Kortrijk, BE Alcatraz
Aug 14 Schweinfurt, DE Stattbahnhof +
Aug 15 Bochum, DE Matrix +
Aug 16 Tilburg, NL 013 ^
Aug 18 Dinkelsbuhl, DE Summer Breeze
Aug 20 Carhaix, FR Motocultor
* w/ Frozen Soul
^ w/ Converge, Archspire + w/ Archspire
Sept 16 Worcester, MA New England Metal & Hardcore Festival US FALL HEADLINE TOUR
w/ The Acacia Strain, Despised Icon (co-direct support), Creeping Death, Tactosa
Oct 17 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts
Oct 18 Pittsburgh, PA Roxian Theatre
Oct 19 Philadelphia, PA Brooklyn Bowl
Oct 20 Richmond, VA Canal Club
Oct 21 Greensboro, NC Hangar 1819
Oct 22 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
Oct 24 Orlando, FL The Beacham
Oct 26 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
Oct 28 Austin, TX Come And Take It Live
Oct 30 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
Oct 31 Phoenix, AZ The Marquee
Nov 01 San Diego, CA House of Blues
Nov 02 Los Angeles, CA The Belasco
Nov 03 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Nov 04 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
Nov 05 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
Nov 07 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
Nov 09 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
Nov 10 Lawrence, KS The Granada
Nov 11 Minneapolis, MN The Lyric at Skyway
Nov 12 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall
Nov 13 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
Nov 14 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
Nov 15 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall
Nov 17 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw
Nov 18 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
CIGARETTES
Website @ https://www.cigarettesaftersex.com/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/CigarettesAfterSex/ Twitter @ https://twitter.com/cigsaftersexx
Bandcamp @ https://cigarettesaftersex.bandcamp.com/album/pistol Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/cigsaftersex/ YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNxhPZoLJ81i5QaK4nqn8A
Spotify @ https://open.spotify.com/artist/1QAJqy2dA3ihHBFIHRphZj
Apple Music @ https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cigarettes-after-sex/1069739468
Behind billions of streams and over 17M monthly listeners on Spotify, Cigarettes After Sex continue to defy what it means to be one of the biggest cult bands in the world. Five years on from the release of their breakout selftitled debut and their acclaimed followup Cry (2019), they have recently seen several viral moments on TikTok unlock new levels of audience growth and album sales. At 17M monthly listeners on Spotify and climbing, they are currently the 300th highest streamed artist on the platform.
As the debut album re-enters Top 200 charts globally (including US + UK), Cigarettes After Sex have recently returned with their first new music in over two years, “Pistol,” a song that brings together all of the elements that have made CAS such a celebrated band, while also introducing a subtle yet impactful increase in tempo. Equal parts transportive and romantic, the song’s driving rhythm meets a stark, minimalistic atmosphere that is given dimension by dreamy, washed-out guitars, swelling synths, and intimate, yearning vocals from Greg Gonzalez.
The music of Cigarettes After Sex invokes not only the powerful feelings of euphoria inherent in the band’s name itself, but somehow manages to recreate emotions found only in the most romantic of movies; immersive, achingly nostalgic, thoroughly transporting, and intensely visual. It’s these powerful and unique qualities which have enabled the love songs of Cigarettes After Sex to reverberate across countless countries, and excite the most devoted kind of following.
The band’s catalog has sold over 2.5 million records to date, amassing 3 billion Spotify streams, over 17 million monthly listeners, and 800 million+ YouTube streams.The band’s list of onthe-record fans include everyone from Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, David Lynch, Lana Del Rey, Françoise Hardy, Lily Allen, Busy Philipps, and more. They’ve been featured in Vice Noisey, V Magazine, Interview, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and their music has appeared in The Handmaid’s Tale and Killing Eve,in addition to Ralph Lauren and Gucci ads.
Cigarettes After Sex announce two new Texas live shows (one in Houston and another in Irving) as part of the routing for their upcoming 2023 World
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Tour, which begins this monthy and spans across North America, Europe,
Asia, and more.
View the full list of Cigarettes After Sex’s dates below
Aug 6 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga Music Festival
Aug 11 - San Diego, CA - Gallagher Square at Petco Park (sold out)
Aug 13 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Festival
Aug 17- Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre (sold out)
Aug 18- Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre (sold out)
Aug 19- Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre (sold out)
Aug 21 - Denver, CO - The Mission Ballroom (sold out)
Aug 22 - Denver, CO - The Mission Ballroom (sold out)
Aug 23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Ogden Twilight (sold out)
Aug 25 - Port Townsend, WA - Thing Festival
Aug 26 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre (sold out)
Aug 27 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre (sold out)
Aug 28 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre (sold out)
Aug 31 - Minneapolis, MN - The Armory (sold out)
Sep 1 - Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed (sold out)
Sep 2 - Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed (sold out)
Sep 4 - Toronto, ON - RBC Echo Beach (sold out)
Sep 6 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall (sold out)
Sep 7 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall (sold out)
Sep 8 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway (sold out)
Sep 9- Washington, DC - The Anthem (sold out)
Sep 11 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern (sold out)
Sep 12 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorum (sold out)
Sep 15 - New York, NY - Forest Hills Stadium
Sep 17 - Washington, DC - The Anthem (sold out)
Sep 18 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Sep 23 - Las Vegas, NV - Life Is Beautiful Festival
Oct 8 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct 11 - El Paso, TX - Don Haskins Center (sold out)
Oct 13 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall (*NEW*)
Oct 15 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct 18 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory (*NEW)
Oct 21 - Monterrey, Mexico - Tecate Live Out Festival
Oct 31 - Prague, Czech Republic - Lucerna Velky Sal (sold out)
Nov 1 - Prague, Czech Republic - Lucerna Velky Sal (sold out)
Nov 2 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer (sold out)
Nov 5 - Milan, Italy - Fabrique
Nov 6 - Zurich, Switzerland - Halle 622 (sold out)
Nov 8 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live (sold out)
Nov 9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live (sold out)
Nov 11 - Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom (sold out)
Nov 13 - Cologne, Germany - Palladium (sold out)
Nov 15 - Paris, France - Zenith (sold out)
Nov 18 - Manchester, England - O2 Apollo (sold out)
Nov 19 - Glasgow, Scotland - O2 Academy (sold out)
Nov 21 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Olympia Theatre (sold out)
Nov 22 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Olympia Theatre (sold out)
Nov 24 - London, England - Eventim Apollo (sold out)
Nov 25 - London, England - Eventim Apollo (sold out)
Nov 26 - London, England - Eventim Apollo (sold out)
Island Records, Interscope, and UMe announce the release of Zooropa – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Gatefold – a transparent yellow vinyl pressing celebrating three decades of U2’s Grammy-winning eighth studio album. This very special release is coming in October 2023 to coincide with the band’s next ambitious project, their longawaited live return with U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere, which kicks off on September 29, 2023, for a run of shows in Las Vegas. Pre-order Zooropa - 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Gatefold here at https://u2.Ink.to/Zooropa30
Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, Zooropa was released on July 5, 1993, on Island Records. U2 began writing
and recording Zooropa in Dublin in February of that year, during a sixmonth break between legs of the industrydefining ZOO TV Tour. Initially intended as just an EP, Zooropa became a fully-fledged album with 10 tracks –including singles “Numb,” “Lemon,” and “Stay (Far-
away, So Close!)” - recorded in just six weeks, making it the fastest U2 album ever produced. Inspired by the band’s experiences on the ZOO TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour’s themes of technology and media oversaturation. The album went to Number 1 in Ireland, the USA, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden, Austria, France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. In 1994, Zooropa saw the band collect the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
For information, visit http:// Zooropa.u2.com.
2 x LP Info:
Deluxe gatefold package on foil board
Newly added photo of the band by Anton Corbijn from 1993 on the inner gatefold 2LP pressed on transparent yellow vinyl 2018 remaster – the original album tracks across 3 sides, with two additional mixes on side 4
Tracklisting:
SIDE 1:
1. Zooropa
2. Baby Face
3. Numb
SIDE 2:
1. Lemon
2. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
3. Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
SIDE 3:
1. Some Days Are Better Than Others
2. The First Time
3. Dirty Day
4. The Wanderer
SIDE 4:
1. Lemon (The Perfecto Mix)
2. Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Beastie Boys’ multi-platinum selling album ‘Hello Nasty,’ on September 8, 2023, UME will reissue the highly sought after and long out-of-print limited deluxe edition 4LP box set originally released as a limited run in 2009 featuring 21 bonus tracks including rarities, remixes, and b-sides. Pressed on 180g vinyl in an 8-panel gatefold package housed in a hardcover “coffee table book” slipcase with a removable sew-on patch, ‘Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty (4LP Deluxe Edition)’ is now available for pre-order at Beastie Boys’ official online store, here at https:// shopus.beastieboys.com/
Preceded by the universal smash “Intergalactic,” Hello Nasty crashed into the #1 spots of charts worldwide upon its July 1998 release, with first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. alone. Buoyed by the launch of the 360 in the round tour, Hello Nasty would yield B Boys classics “Body Movin’,” “Three MCs and One DJ,” “Remote Control,” “Super Disco Breakin’” and more, win two Grammys, see the band presented with an MTV Video Vanguard lifetime achievement award, and ultimately sell some 7 million copies worldwide.
Disc 1 - Side A
Super Disco Breakin’
The Move
Remote Control
Song For The Man
Just A Test
Body Movin’
Disc 1 - Side B
Intergalactic
Sneakin’ Out The Hospital
Putting Shame In Your Game
Flowin’ Prose
And Me
Three MCs And One DJ
Disc 2 - Side A
The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin’)
Song For Junior
I Don’t Know
The Negotiation Limerick File
Electrify
Disc 2 - Side B
Picture This
Unite
Dedication
Dr. Lee, PhD
Instant Death
Disc 3 - Side A
Description Of A Strange Man
Dirt Dog
Intergalactic (Colleone Webb Remix)
DR. Lee Version Dub
Switched On
Disc 3 - Side B
Body Movin’ (Fatboy Slim Remix)
Auntie Jackie Poom Poom Delicious
Putting Shame In Your Game (Prunes Remix)
Stink Bug
Disc 4 - Side A
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Piano Jam
Happy To Be In That Perfect
Headspace
The Negotiation Limerick File (The 41 Small Stars Remix)
The Drone
20 Questions Version
Disc 4 - Side B
The Bizz Grasshopper Experiment
Hail Sagan (Special K)
Body Movin’ (Kut Masta Kurt Remix)
Creepin’
Learning Remote Control
Oh My Goodness This Record’s
Incredible
I woke up at the local No Tell Motel, throat parched and I stumbled into the shower to do my daily three S’s (sh*t, shower and shave). The hot water felt good but the bar room jalapeno poppers were still talking to me. I hadn’t pulled back the sun blocking window curtains yet so I wasn’t quite sure what the day looked like outside. I got out of the shower dried off and stood in front of the steam filled mirror and thought man you are one ugly SOB and you ain’t getting any younger baby. I broke a brief smile and walked into the double bed motel room and placed my sleeping pack up on the bed. Took out my cleanest dirty shirt and skivvies , put them on and moved toward the window to pull those curtains back. It was indeed a nice morning for sure. I packed up my things and made my way outside to the beautiful red bandit. She sure looked good and still clean too another good sign for a nice morning. Then it happened she was turning over but not getting any gas. I run an S&S carb and I fooled around trying to get the problem solved as the fuel was making its way to the carb but not getting into the throat. A little more prompting and she kicked over but none the less spitting and sputtering. I jacked around with the needle valve but it was as clear as the morning skyline I wasn’t going far. Back inside and I did an online search for a model number and found a few places that had in stock. I thought about rebuilding it but the more I thought about it maybe now was a good time to just replace it. So that is what I did, I ordered the new carb. The only problem was it would be two days before it would arrive. I went up to the front desk and said I would need to stay two more days and they were cool with that so no problem with a place to stay. So now what do I do with myself for at least one day in Lincoln Nebraska? I asked the desk clerk where he would go to hear good blues and he said everyone around here would tell you The Zoo Bar and so that was covered too. Ok one more job at hand sneak the bike into motel room so it doesn’t come up missing at night. Well sometimes you just go for it and that’s what I did. I remember being in Las Vegas and needing to bring the red baby into the motel room. I was concerned about the maid diming me out so I spotted her some jack and that turned out cool. So that has to be my plan here too. Not bribery let’s just call it incentive. I remembered The Zoo Bar from being here once before and thought that could be cool again and it was indeed. Really great atmosphere, a real life blues joint that attracts blues lovers from all over the U.S. Their annual Zoo Fest kicks ass as well and fills the streets up in the Lincoln area. So back in the motel room and with time on my hands a nice time to burn a cigar and do some listening. Grabbed a chair from the motel room table, opened the door and placed it just outside. The parking lot was pretty much still full of cars and one of them was an older station wagon with the rear door swung down. Two kids were sitting on it and someone was inside moving things around. A guy with a early model Chevy Truck was putting his stuff away too and soon only a handful of cars remained. Then came the maid…ok time to swing into action but not come off like I am looking for a good time, just paying for silence. You have to understand that in that position one could easily think that I am the pervert that I am but hey this is not the time nor the place. So I smiled, she smiled and when she looked inside she saw the bike and looked back at me. Ah my chance. I stood up and took a twenty out of my pocket, smiled and offered it to her. The moment of truth was upon us. She extended her hand, looked at my bike again and looked back at me. So I did the
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American thing and dug even deeper into my pocket and gave her a ten this time. She extended her hand and took the money. Then I spoke and said thank you the bike is important to me. She looked at me and nodded and said that her husband would be ok with it. I was puzzled, what did this have to do with her husband so I asked with a puzzled look on my face. She replied that the man at the front desk was her husband and I stood there thinking that I was out thirty bucks. I just smiled and said thanks. One never knows does one? I noticed an older woman unloading her trunk with what looked to be an easel up near the front of the motel to the right of the parking lot. Yep, I was right she took out a canvas. I sat there puffing away just taking it all in, still with nothing to do but kill time. About this time a guy I would say in his early thirties came walking my way headed for the front of the building. He was wearing a cowboy hat and all smiles. He was a polite guy, he even said excuse me as he walked in front of me. On his way back he stopped briefly and asked if my wife was out and about with the car and if I was just killing some time until she got back. I thought that was a rather curious thing to mention but then right away he said he noticed no vehicle in front of me. I told him no I was waiting on a part and before I could fix my bike and he said oh ok I get it. Then he proceeded to tell me that was traveling the rodeo circuit and that Lincoln was one of the stops. I nodded and asked what he did, did he ride broncs or bulls? He said bulls. I couldn’t help myself and since it was a fun morning I told him that I never rode a bull but my probationary officer says that if stay away from sheep and keep going to the therapy I probably won’t do that anymore. He busted up right there and then and moved on. My mind drifted back to the lady with the easel and looked up front and she was sporting this wide brimmed floral kind of hat. From my vantage point I could not see what she was painting but she seemed focused on something out in front of the motel. My cigar was about half gone by then so I decided to walk up to the Coke machine and quench my thirst. I made my choice and then took a few more steps forward to see exactly what she was painting. The only thing I could see was the motel sign and a small white cross with artificial flowers on it. I walked up sort of behind her and as she turned and looked around. I said hi and that I was just curious about what she might be painting. She told me that she had been painting crosses like the one up front ever since her daughter died in a single car crash. She told me that she offers the paintings to pawn shops of all places and then asks them to send her ten dollars when it sells. When I get ten dollars in the mail I send it off to a cross maker telling him to apply it toward someone’s need that does not very much money. I do it for therapy, I enjoy it and something good is coming out of my daughter’s death. I nodded my head, smiled and walked away. When I first started making my trek across the states I thought it would just be about the landscape and the blues and that is what I would write about. But it’s not just those things as I am learning more and more. No, it’s the various people in this nation that are far more interesting. Every type of indi
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vidual you would want to know is out here and they are all genuine in their own way. I sat back down and killed off the cigar and called Dominos for a delivery order. The maid and my thirty dollars was long gone and that was kind of humorous actually, such is life. I went back into the room with the chair in my hand and sat down at the table. I put the headphones on…… and went straight to my collection of music. I chose “Sister Golden Hair” and the song was as good as it ever was, it’s timeless. Since I had entered into this time warp seemed like a nice time to get into a bit of Blues Image and I clicked on “Ride Captain Ride”. Not the extended version but original version that was made famous by radio stations all across the states. You know sometimes the mind takes you to places and you don’t know why but what surfaced from my past was Classic IV’s “Spooky” and what a cut. A killer sax part that communicates the romantic notion between a guy and the girl he adores. Of course the polar opposite would be Rory Gallagher’s rendition of “I Wonder Who”. He ponders the proverbial question - whose gonna walk you home every Friday night? Absolutely, positively driving soul influenced blues rock with a bass line that is powerful, a lead guitar kicking ass and keys that are crisp and clean. Pizza arrived right on cue and afterwards I called Uber. I am going to The Zoo early and grab some suds and a good stool for the viewing and the tunes. I arrived safely as Jasper the driver dude was not only a good driver but cordial just as Uber would have it be. Inside the music was hot, the beer was cold and a good seat could be found. I be happy babies, I be one happy dude. I wondered if the place passed out safety belts because I felt one coming on and I did not want to fall of that stool. Well they didn’t and neither did I but that night was right in there with the best of them. Then all I had to wonder about was the Uber ride back and hanging out for one more day until the part arrived. I survived and the only amusing piece of the stay was that each day when I saw the maid, the front desk man’s wife too funny. The part arrived and I asked the desk clerk if he had some tools I could use, he did and I used them and returned them clean. I had a hard time with the dual throttle cables but in turned out ok. Now where was I going to go next? First I thought about the west coast as that is a good ride, then I wondered how would one get their scooter over to Hawaii? Then I thought about Mexico that could be cool except the border issue might make it rather not so cool so I wasn’t sure. So it was best to just plan the next stop moving west and then think it through as I would go along. That’s the thing about being free, if you can handle it, freedom that is, you have all the time in the world and it’s a big world to explore. What’s the rush anyway? Scooter started right up. I pulled onto I-80 heading west, it was another good day. Two bikers passed by me as I entered from the ramp. They were all smiles and so was I. Life on the road, what’s not to like? Me, I am doing it on my home made chopper, listening to blues and meeting cool people. Well almost all are cool, there was this one deputy in Alabama but that’s another story for another day. Peace….
