Karine Hannah is a Canadian born vocalist who got her start at the very early age of 14. Karine has performed all over the world and received an invitation from Celine Dion to perform at her wedding. Karine is currently in the studio working on her first full length release and MediaMikes.com had the chance to talk with her about the album as well as her upcoming benefit show in New York on November 26^th.

Adam Lawton: What was it that initially interested you in singing and performing?
Karine Hannah: At a very young age I realized I could actually carry a tune. People used to encourage me and tell me that they liked what they heard. It was one of those things where you know you are meant to be doing something.

AL: Did you ever take any lessons?
KH: No lessons. At one point I had thought it would be good to go and get some vocal lessons as it seemed like that’s what a lot of people do. I tried with a couple of different instructors but they didn’t want to touch me. I had already found my own way of using my voice and they didn’t want to tamper with that. The times they did want to try things I kind of backed up because I didn’t want to change the way I was doing things. I think there is something about having more of a raw sound as it is more real.

AL: Can you tell us about being asked to sing at Celine Dion’s wedding?
KH: We are both from the same city. I was doing a local television show and she and her manager happened to be watching at the time I was on. She turned and told her manager that she wanted me to sing at her wedding. Her manager luckily knew my manager at the time as I was just starting out and very young and they contacted me. It was very surreal. When you are that young and put in to a situation like that you see things differently. I think if I had been older and more mature I would have seen things a different way. When you are a teenager you don’t know what to expect. I think I was just so enamored by it all that I though because I was doing this that I had made it. That wasn’t the case at all. It was a great experience and the most magical wedding I have ever seen in my life. It was unbelievable. At the end of the evening Celine sat down on the ballroom floor with me and we just talked about the whole evening. We complimented each other and sort of bonded during that time.

AL: Can you tell us about your upcoming album?

KH: I am very excited about this. I have waited a million years to finally get a record deal and have the opportunity to record. I think there is a reason for everything and why things happen the way they do. This album is probably going to be compiled of up tempo pop/dance tunes and big ballads. I have already recorded my second song and it’s fantastic. So far I feel like I have two hit singles. We just are slowing chipping away as this is going to be a long process. I don’t want to just record anything to fill an album. I want it to be spectacular.

AL: Can you tell us about your upcoming benefit show?

KH: That is something that I am so passionate about. This is a show that I have been doing off and on for the past few years. The concept is 70’s and 80’s only male sung radio songs. These are the guilty pleasures that people don’t like to admit they love but they are amazing melodies. I put my own spin the songs and bring them back to life. People can sit and show they appreciate these amazing songs. We pack 22 songs in to a 90 minute set. When I do these shows I like to link up with a cause and help raise funds for them. I have a son that is on the autistic spectrum who attends the Manhattan Children’s Center so the proceeds from this year’s show will be donated to them. The event is being held at Joe’s Pub in New York City on Monday, November 26^th.

Related Content

• Oh, Sleeper’s Shane Blay talks about touring with Wovenwar
• Seven Kingdoms’ Camden Cruz talks about the Deland Rock & Metal Festival
• Firewind’s Gus G. talks about new solo album “I Am The Fire”
• Jon Secada talks about his passion for music and new single “I’m Never Too Far Away”
• Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna talks about touring with Rockstar Mayhem Festival

Brahm Wenger is the composer and writer of the original music for Disney’s “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”.  He has been working within this franchise since “Air Bud”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Brahm about working on this series and it’s latest installment “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”.

Mike Gencarelli: With “Santa Buddies”, “The Search for Santa Paws” and now “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”, you’ve not only composed the score but also written original songs; tell us about that aspect?
Brahm Wenger: Well the difference about when you write songs for a film is that it effectively then becomes a musical. The biggest difference is that you start before they start filming. You start when the script is written and you work with the director to find where the story will be best served with a song. When you write the score, you wait for them to finish the film and then you write the score. When you do films like “Santa Buddies”, “The Search for Santa Paws” and now “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”, you are in from the minute they finish the scripts. You start by writing the songs. You are part of the casting process, since you have to write the songs to fit the people singing. They have to be able to perform it. If there are dance sequences, then you have to work with the choreographer. Then you are also working with them at the set level, so you are involved with the assistant director, the director etc. It is a real collaborative effort.

MG: Where do you get the inspiration for the Christmas music, specifically in “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”?BW: I think the inspiration comes first from the script. Once you see the story, you can see what you are trying to accomplish. The beauty of doing music and writing songs is that you can say so much more with a song that you can with dialogue. There is a famous lyricist that one said “a page of lyrics is equal to ten pages of script”. It is just so much more effective. So the inspiration is from the story and you find what they are trying to say in that particular moment and then you nail it as a song.

MG: How long did it take create the eight original songs for “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”?
BW: We started about 9 months before they started shooting the film and once the script was done. Not only do you have to write them adapt to the singer, you also have to please the director and the writers etc. It has to work and also has to be in sync for everybody.

MG: How was it working at London’s famed Abbey Road Studio for these scores?
BW: Abbey Road also has a sister studio in London called Air Studios. It was started by the famous Beatles producer George Martin. Sometimes we go to Abbey Road and sometimes we go to Air Studios. It really depends on the feeling. Air has a bit of a warmer sound. It is like a 300-400 year old church. Abbey Road is more of an industrial strength room. It feels a little brassier. So we go back and worth but they both work beautifully.

MG: You’ve been working with the Disney Buddies series since the beginning with “Air Bud”, how has the series evolved?
BW: It is very different. They come from the same genesis but are so completely different. “Air Bud” series focuses on his playing various different sports. He would figure out, how to play a sport and then have some sort of a championship game and go on win it. With the “Air Buddies” franchise, it is completely different because they dogs talk and that opens up a whole new avenue. There are also five of them instead of just one. And it is also a continuing adventure so in when they went to Alaska for the dog sled. The Alaskan theme of the great north is completely different from when they went to Egypt in “Treasure Buddies”. As a composer it is like one minute you are writing the Duke of the North and then the next minute you are working for Indiana Jones. There is no connection. When we did “Santa Buddies” or “Santa Paws 2”, it is straight forward Christmas music but here it is completely different. The next one is “Super Buddies”, which is a superhero movie and again that is completely different. It is really a challenge to start each time with a fresh format.

MG: So “Super Buddies” is next for you then?
BW: Yep, that is next now. We are working on it right now as we speak. They are just about finished shooting that. Then I should be seeing a cut in the next few weeks. So I am looking forward to starting on that one next.

Colin Wilson is the bassist for the cover band, “The Australian Pink Floyd Show”.  2012 marks the 25th anniversary with the band, who perform over 100 shows a year all over the world. The band has recently released their  Blu-ray/DVD of their current “Exposed in the Light” and are planning a big tour for  2013 called “Eclipsed By The Moon” to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Dark Side of the Moon”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Colin about 25 years with the band and the bands work of constantly trying to improve their skill in order to master the work of Pink Floyd.

Mike Gencarelli: This year marks 20 years with “The Australian Pink Floyd Show”; how do you feel the band has evolved in that time?
Colin Wilson: Wow, well it has evolved incredibly. We started off very small, literally getting together on weekends and trying to learn songs. We are just trying to learn how to do Pink Floyd well. We did some small shows around Australia, like pubs and clubs. As the years have gone on, we have constantly re-invested into it. Every time we could we would get two extra lights or a bigger projector screen, things like that. We just kept putting back into the band. Now, as you said 20+ years later, we tour worldwide and doing over 100 shows a year. It is a really big full-scale production and it is the same sort of production now that you would expect to see with a mainstream band.

MG: After all these years, do you still have to put work into mastering the songs?
CW: Some aspects of it come easier just because of how much we are doing it. We don’t have any real long periods off. The longest we have away is two months over Christmas and you don’t forget everything in those two months. As far as playing the music goes, it is definitely getting a bit easier since all the hard work is done. But we never sort of rest on that. We are always trying to fine-tune and improve ourselves. We still listen to the music today and hear little subtleties that we might have missed.

MG: How does it feel to be called “The Best Tribute Band in the World”?
CW: It is funny for us. We are one of the first tribute bands. When we started up in Australia, in the end of the 80’s and early 90’s there were a lot of tribute bands forming mainly because a lot of the mainstream bands weren’t making it out there to tour. So there was definitely a need for people to do this since the fans wanted to hear it and the real band weren’t coming out. So we were one of the first and then definitely one of the first to take it overseas from Australia. When we got to the UK in the early 90’s, there were maybe 2 or 3 other tribute bands around but not many. I would say within the first 2 or 3 years of us being in the UK, the whole scene suddenly blew up and there were tribute bands everywhere. I guess we have stood the test of time since most of those early bands are long-gone. I guess that is due to the fact that we keep trying to improve ourselves every year and why we’re referred to as the best one around. It is incredibly gratifying to us when we get reviews like that and hear things like that.

MG: What is your biggest challenging having to cover two very different styles of Roger Waters and Guy Pratt?
CW: Song by song is not very challenging. The biggest challenge really is doing a song by one of them and then the very next song doing the other. You have to treat each one in a song by song basis and getting into the feel and groove of that song in the blink of an eye between the songs. And because I have been doing it for so long it just sort of happens for me. Hopefully it is working and I am able to do that effectively.

MG: What do you do to keep it fresh when performing these songs live each tour?
CW: Well, there are 10 musicians in the band and every one of them are complete professionals and each one of them approaches this in that way. We also all get on great as well. We are like a team. If one person doesn’t do their job, it sort of lets us all down. In some ways, we try and impress each other every night. It is a challenge but we are the kind of people that like that challenge. We try to do it right every night and send the audience away with big smiles on their faces. That is the mindset that we have and how we keep it fresh. Most importantly, we still enjoy doing it after all these years.

MG: What songs really hits home with you when performing live?
CW: Me personally, I love the songs from the “Animals” album. That’s probably my favorite with “Dark Side of the Moon” in a close second. On “Animals”, the tracks are very deep with a lot of aspects that you have to remember. They are quite long songs with many different passages. You have to be completely absorbed to play them and do them justice. So I really enjoy those. Also it has to be any of the songs that get an amazing reaction from the audience. Like every night we play “Another Brick in the Wall”, we get this fantastic buzz because the audience gets on their feet with that song.

MG: Tell us about your encounters with the actual members of Pink Floyd?
CW: Going way back to 1994/1995, David Gilmour came to see us play and met with us after the show. We got to talk with him for a while and he was really into what we were doing. We had played some songs that he himself haven’t heard, let alone played, in a long time. He was really encouraging and positive about that. He has seen us a few times since then when we come along to London. We sort of got his unofficial endorsement. We played at his 50th birthday party in London, which was incredible. It was amazing for us as a band and gave us that extra bit of credibility that maybe we needed with some of the more skeptical Floyd fans. Also Nick Mason, in the recent years, has said a lot of nice things about us in the press. We have a nice unofficial connection with them. We know that they are sort of watching us through the one eye kind of aspect. It is a nice relationship. We are not out having BBQ’s each weekend but we do have a nice distant relationship with them.

MG: Tell us about the newly released Blu-ray/DVD, “Exposed in the Light”?
CW: This is something that when we started out we weren’t sure if people would be interested in recordings of us doing Floyd stuff. But evidentially they are. Fans were always telling us they want to take something home and watch it and share with friends that couldn’t make it to the shows. We did one last year that was a double DVD that was recorded in Hammersmith in London. The first disc was the show and the second was a documentary on the band, which was really great. This time we released a concert from this year’s tour “Exposed in the Light”. We actually filmed it all ourselves with HD cameras. What we did was set up the cameras in different positions every night, so we ended up with something like 20 different camera angles. Then that was all edited together to make what looks like a huge camera shoot. It has come out absolutely amazing. In between the songs, we have got some great behind-the-scenes footage. It is a nice little package and it has this really great HD quality concert footage with all the different angles. You get to see a lot of the show from various different positions. We are very excited about that.

MG: Tell what we can expect from the 2013 tour “Eclipsed By The Moon”?
CW: It is the 40th anniversary of “Dark Side of the Moon” in 2013, so it is very exciting. 10 years ago, we did the 30th anniversary which was incredibly successful. We are looking this time around to maybe do something different with it. We are not 100% certain just yet how we are going to approach it. Whether we do the whole thing in its entirety or if we mix it up a bit. We are also looking into different things to project on the screen during it and really make it and event. One thing that I can guarantee is that it will be a big celebration of “Dark Side of the Moon”. I think there are a lot of Pink Floyd fans out there that are really on the edge of their seat waiting for this tour. It starts February of next year in the UK. So it is going to be great.

Related Content

• Kill Devil Hill’s Mark Zavon talks about new album “Revolution Rise”
• Lucas Vidal talks about scoring “Fast & Furious 6”
• Five Finger Death Punch’s Jason Hook talks about new album and his signature M-4 Sherman guitar
• Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler talks about new solo album “Back from the Dead”
• NFL New England Patriots’ Bret Lockett talks about his new single “Get It All”

The Swedish heavy Metal band Sister Sin has just released a new album titled “Now and Forever” via Victory Records. Recently Media Mikes had the pleasure to talk with the bands lead vocalist Liv Jagrell about the album and the bands upcoming U.S. tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on the band?
Liv Jagrell: We are Swedish band that started around 8 years ago. I would describe our sound as old school heavy metal. That’s definitely where are roots are and Sister Sin has that similar type of sound. That sound is something that is in our hearts and is also something we want to share with everyone out there.

AL: How did you come to join the band?
LJ: The band had been looking for a singer with a voice similar to Motley Crue. One of the guys had an idea where they thought it would be cool to have a female singer but the others weren’t so in to the idea. Around that time I had put an ad in the paper and was contacted by the guitarist. He told me they were mostly looking for a guy but to come down and try out anyways. I went down to audition and we did a couple original songs as well as the Motley’s song “Live Wire”. After that they told me I was the best one to come through and asked me to join the band. I guess they had auditioned several other guys but none of them had anywhere near the balls I had. (Laughs) That gave me a bit of confidence.

AL: Can you give us some background on the band’s new album?
LJ: This will be Sister Sin’s third album now. We felt that we needed to do something different from the previous two releases. The album is old school heavy metal with a touch of the first two records added in. Our last albums were pretty straight forward so this time we wanted to try something different. We worked heavily on the vocal and melody of this album. We based the music around that which is something we had never done before. We also added some keyboard parts for the first time as well. We tried to step a little outside of our box. The album turned out better than we expected and we are very happy.

AL: What made you choose “End of the Line” as the album’s first single?
LJ: That was collaboration between us and Victory Records. We had a couple of choices but in the end this was the song that we felt worked best as a single. The song has a sound that represents the entire album very well. The song was also a great fit to make a video for.

AL: Can you tell us anything about the video?
LJ: The video was released on Oct. 15^th and is based around Armageddon prophecies. We used that idea but added in the fact that people still need to be living day by day and not worrying about when the world may end. If you take those thoughts and put them in the mid of a maniac you well get this video. The video plays very much like a movie and is similar in theme to “Terminator”. We are very happy with the video.

AL: When you are writing material do you often find yourself pulling from real world situations or topics?
LJ: We write about things we care about. We are known for being rebellious but we care about what’s going on in the world. None of us were born in to rich families and were brought up in a way that we have to work to survive. This is our reaction to Sweden and the rest of the world.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming tour?
LJ: We will be heading out on the road in February with Doro. We want to get back to the U.S. as soon as possible and hopefully we can get something set up before then. We really just want to get back out there. We would be on tour right now if we could but things just haven’t worked out that way. We do have some shows scheduled around Scandinavia but we are also looking to head to Europe as well.

Alex Skolnick is best known as the guitarist for the legendary thrash metal band Testament.  Alex also performs with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and his jazz group The Alex Skolnick Trio. Media Mikes caught up with Alex on the floor of the New York Comic Con to discuss his upcoming book.

Adam Lawton: What led to your decision of writing a book?
Alex Skolnick: I have wanted to write a book for years as I am a fan of books. For a long time I had thought that if the music thing ever got too difficult to deal with I would look to literature as an option. I would never slow down on music and guitar playing but the music business is tough. The business side of things is completely separate from the music itself. It is very challenging and there are a lot of perils. I actually have ideas for several books in my head. I think the first one that I wrote had to be very personal and about me. I have lots of other ideas and eventually would like to branch in to fiction. This first book is really sort of a memoir. I am inspired by memoir/autobiographical books. This book has been a long time coming but it wasn’t until about 3 years ago that I really buckled down to get this out. This is a legitimate story that I think will appeal to more than just guitar and rock fans. In the book I talk about the high levels of resistance I encountered as a youth. I come from an academic family and I really rebelled against them by joining a band in high school. That was an amazing and very defining moment for me. I played with Testament the first time from the ages of 16 to 23. During those years you do a lot of growing and a lot of musicians are just beginning their careers at 23. I did my first album at 18. The book segway’s from my childhood and adolescence into joining the band which would become Testament. Our story is a bit different as we didn’t have a hit record with a set career path. This was a band that every album was a struggle. We got a lot of respect from the fans but never really from the industry. We never had gold/platinum records or won a Grammy yet we existed.

AL: Did you find writing the book was similar in any ways to writing music?
AS: Yes. Absolutely! Physically the process is very different. I would imagine if you compared different types of sports and how you play them there are differences however there is also some overlap. You get in to similar zones. What I found between guitar playing and writing is there’s this inspiration process that happens. With music you can try and get inspired by listening to music or going to concerts. Sometimes the best ideas come when you pick up your instrument after not playing for awhile and a great idea comes out. You just have to capture those ideas and with writing it was very similar. Usually the ideas are completely un-presentable in their raw form. I would just write page after page of stuff I wouldn’t want anyone to ever see but after awhile within those pages some pretty cool stuff starts happening. From there you have to go back and pick the best parts. It’s the same thing with music. You are hopefully trying to create some result. You have to do this quite a few times and abandon some huge chunks. Though this can be hard it is very important to de-clutter things. This process requires a lot of humility.

AL: Will fans get to see you out on tour with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra this year?
AS: I won’t be going out with them this year. I just have so much going on with Testament right now. The band is scheduled to go to Europe and the UK this coming year for some shows and we are also booked to go to India as well. My book is going to be coming out right around this same time so I have some things in the works to promote that as well. I worked with Trans-Siberian Orchestra for 9 seasons which was great but it was a lot. Ultimately all the projects I have going on right now I am more closely tied to.

Marti Frederikson is a writer, producer, performer who has worked with artists such as Buckcherry, Carrie Underwood and Gavin Rossdale. Frederikson recently completed work on tracks for the upcoming Aerosmith album titled “Music From Another Dimension!” which is set for a November 2012 release. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Marti about his career and what it was like once again working with Aerosmith.

Adam Lawton: How did you first break in to the music business?
Marti Frederiksen: I started off playing in bands and had gotten a couple record deals. I was just trying to be myself. I started off playing the drums when I was very young and I have always loved music. From the age of 5 on I never gave up on music.

AL: What type of process do you take when a band is looking to work with you?
MF: I try to work with bands and artists that I really like while at the same time not spreading myself to thin by wanting to do everything that comes my way. There are only so many days in the week so it’s hard. If I hear something new and like the approach of a group or artist then I don’t want to change their sound. What I want to try and do is to help them make their work better. I am attracted to cool sounds that I want to try and make better.

AL: Do you have a favorite out of writing, producing or performing?
MF: Doing live stuff I would have to say is my least favorite these days. Songwriting is what I really enjoy. Getting together with someone and 3 hours later you have a great song is something I really like. The producing usually will happen when you are just trying to get a song to the finish line. You end up spending a lot of time as producing is very time consuming. Depending on how good an act is generally dictates how long things will take.

AL: How did you first get involved working with Aerosmith?
MF: I worked with a band many years ago called Brother Cane and their Aerosmith’s A&R guy heard the song we had done and he really liked the approach of the song. I was lucky enough to get a meeting with him from this and he asked me if I would be interested in working with Aerosmith. This was in 1997 and at that time the band was coming off of the “Get a Grip” album.

AL: What type of role do you as the produce take with such an established band like Aerosmith who have a very defined, signature sound already?
MF: I first met with Steven and Joe. I tried to guide whatever ideas came out of us playing in to full songs. I really wanted to get some hooks and put those together into a bunch of songs that people would want to listen to and buy.

AL: Can you tell us about working the track “What Could Have Been Love” which has been in the works for many years now?
MF: The song has been around for years now. Finally everyone got to play on it as there has been a demo floating around for a bit. This song was always something Steven wanted to do and releasing it was just a matter of when and what the song would be for. I am really glad this song turned into an Aerosmith song which is what is was intended to be.

AL: Was it difficult in any way going to work with the guys knowing some of the member’s recent troubles with one another?
MF: It was probably harder for them. I will just wait until they are ready. They came prepared and we just took it from there. Once they were prepared to get in the studio and start putting songs together it was pretty simple. There was a lot of outside press going on which impacted the members prior to this but that stuff was all sorted out before they came in.

AL: Did the band work together as a whole or did the members work separate from one another?
MF: The stuff I worked on had some pretty decent demos already. There were a few other tracks we got together on such as “Beautiful” and a duet with Carrie Underwood titled “Can’t Stop Loving You” that really came from scratch.

AL: What other projects are you currently working on?
MF: I just got in with the 3 Doors Down guys who are putting out a greatest hits record. I did 3 new songs with them which will be included on that release. I have also been doing a lot of writing with various writers and groups.

Lindsey Sterling is a violinist and YouTube sensation and known best for appearing on the fifth season of “America’s Got Talent”. She recently released her debut album titled “Lindsey Sterling”. The album quickly shot to #1 on the Electronic Music charts and landed in iTunes Top 100. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Lindsey recently about her music and her future plans.

Adam Lawton: How did you first get involved with music?
Lindsey Sterling: I have played the violin pretty much my whole life. In High School I tried to branch out and experiment with different styles. I really got in to the solo performing aspect while I was trying to earn money for college. I had done some talent competitions and during that time started writing music that was more modernized while incorporating dance in to my performing. I never knew that my music would take the turn it did and become my whole life. I love it and feel so great. I am very glad the hard work has paid off.

AL: What can you tell us about your debut album?
LS: I started writing that at the end of 2010. I had intended to do a full length album as I could only afford to do 3 songs. I met with a producer and he thought the idea was kind of cool so we recorded the 3 songs and everything really started from there. I put the songs out on ITunes but nothing really sold at first. It wasn’t until I started making YouTube videos and the music was searchable that people started to take notice. People started buying my music which led to me being able to make more music. At first I was doing things song by song when I could afford them and finally I knew I just had to finish the album.

AL: What type of process do you take when song writing?
LS: I would meet with a couple different producers and when working on the various tracks I would sit and listen to the whole track while giving my input. Once the beat was done I would take that and improvise over the top of it. I would just jam for hours until I had what I wanted for the piece.

AL: What were your first thoughts when your album took off the way it did?
LS: I was extremely excited! I knew the album would at least do ok because I have some pretty dedicated fans that would support the album. The album is still #1 on the Electronic charts and is I think up to #13 on the overall charts. That was crazy. I still can’t believe after 3 weeks of being out the album is still in the top 100. It’s just overwhelming to think that only a few years ago I barely had enough money to record 3 songs and now all that hard work is paying off.

AL: Can you tell us about your current tour?
LS: We have cut the tour in half as we just finished up the first part. We have a 2 week break and then we will be back out on the road which will take us through California, Seattle and into Canada. That will wrap this tour. In January we are planning on going to Europe which I am looking forward to. I get a lot of request to play overseas so to finally be able to go over to these places will be great. When we return from Europe we are planning on hitting the States again in February/March.

AL: What do you like most about utilizing the YouTube site to help promote your music?
LS: It is really cool that we live in world now where an independent artist can make it in the music world. It used to be that you needed a record label in order for your music to get heard. Before I discovered the YouTube model I kind of started that way. I am so grateful that I was able to do things this way and for myself. I am still an independent artist and my album is doing just great. I also sold out my U.S. tour on my own. It is the time of the independent and you don’t have to sell out or do what people are making you do. You can stay true to your vision and be your own boss.

AL: With all of your recent success have you thought about going to a major label?
LS: I love being an independent artist. Funny enough I have thought about it. Now I am just waiting to see if someone comes forward with an offer I am willing to accept. I am not willing to give up certain things and I am also to the point where I don’t necessarily need a labels support. We have had a few major labels fly out to try and convince us to sign to their label. It is really cool that the ball is in my court.

Mark Tremonti is best known as the guitarist for the multi platinum selling band Creed and for his work in Alter Bridge. Mark has just released his first solo album titled “All I Was” and Media Mikes was fortunate enough to talk with Mark recently about the decision to put out a solo album and what other plans he has in the works.

Adam Lawton: What was the idea behind wanting to put out a solo release?
Mark Tremonti: Being a songwriter for all these years I have had a lot of ideas that were stockpiled up. When Miles Kennedy who sings for us in Alter Bridge went out on tour with Slash recently I saw a window of time where I could take some of those ideas that didn’t work for my other bands and put them together to create an album out of. “All I Was” is what we came up with.

AL: Are the songs on the album all from previous ideas or was there some new material written as well?
MT: Most of it is stuff that was written. There were really just parts of songs and nothing that was completed. When I got together with the other guys who played on the album is when I started arranging the ideas. A majority of the initial riffs were already written.

AL: How did you go about picking the line up for the band?
MT: Eric the other guitar player was an obvious choice.  He is someone that I have been playing guitar with for years and years. We are best friends and over the years I have probably shown him more ideas for songs than I have with my other two bands. I am very comfortable working with him. Garret our drummer was in a band with Eric called Submersed. I co-produced a record for them years ago and Garret was still living in Orlando so he was an obvious choice to bring in. He is an incredible drummer.

AL: How did you go about creating a unique tone on this album that was different from your previous work?
MT: It was mostly based on my roots. The rhythm parts on this album are based around a speed metal/thrash type style. I tried to mesh the two styles of my influences that being speed metal and melodic 70’s rock. I was in to stuff that my parents exposed me to like Rod Stewart and Journey. I still love that music and wanted to mesh the two.

AL: What was the biggest difference you noticed when stepping up and performing not only the guitar work but also the vocal work as well?
MT: I loved it. I have written a lot of lyrics over the years for my other bands but I never had to write an entire album. It is a whole other process. I have to work out all the guitar lines and solos while also bringing in the lyrics. I spent about a month and a half working on that. The singing part was easy after everything was written. Singing is fun. Once I sang the album the first time I went back in and changed/re-wrote things where I thought the original stuff didn’t fit or sounded off. I sort of went through the vocal process twice just to make sure it was right. All together the album took about 3 months to complete.

AL: What types of tour plans are in place to support the release?
 MT: We have a 2/3 week tour run in the States coming up and then after that we are heading over to Europe where the first handful of shows will be with Slash. After those shows we will continue our own tour where we will hit Amsterdam, Italy and Germany. When I get home from that I will be back out on the road with Creed until I get back with Miles to write the next Alter Bridge record. In February I will be back out with the solo group for a more extensive European tour which will include shows in Australia.

AL: What are you most looking forward to about playing these songs live?
MT: It’s a much different vibe on stage when you are singing and not just playing guitar. It is a great experience to be able to play these songs. This record is a really fun record to play live and we enjoy it. I can’t wait to do it in front of a crowd who know the songs. The first time we played this material was for a couple of CD release shows. People hadn’t heard the songs yet. This time people will be familiar with them.

AL: Is this solo album just a one-time thing or will you be doing another one in the future?
MT: We will definitely do another solo album. As soon as we can find the time we will get it done.

Related Content

• Corey Beaulieu of Trivium talks new album and Summer Festivals
• Seth Avett discusses new album “Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliot Smith”
• K.Flay talks about debut album “Life as a Dog”
• Jon Zazula talks about his work with Megaforce Records and SuperStorm Sandy Benefit Concert
• Karine Hannah talks about her first album and benefit show

Matisyahu is a Hasidic singer/songwriter known for his unique style that combines a number of different musical genres and ideas. Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Matisyahu about the evolution of his sound and his current tour.

Adam Lawton: You have a sound that is quite unique. How would you describe it to someone who is unfamiliar with it?
Matisyahu: My sound is a mixture of different sounds. I actually don’t like to try and describe my sound because I am not good at it. I am not good at giving musical descriptions. There is a certain vocabulary you have to have in order to really be able to describe something. Listing off genres like rock, reggae and rap mixed with Hebrew ideas just doesn’t do it. Rock and all those genres can me so many different things. I really don’t have the vocabulary in order to give it what I feel to be a proper description. I like to leave that to the music journalist who describe it.

AL: When you were first starting out how did you come to develop your style of sound?
Matisyahu: I didn’t really make a decision to do what I do. There wasn’t a calculated idea or anything. It was more of just an organic part of who I am. When I heard different music I guess from the time I was born till today if it is something that I like I don’t think of it in terms of genres or if it goes together. For me it’s about if you like something you make mixtures and blends. That’s what music is. Rock music came out of the blues and reggae is a mixture of ska and rock. It’s all about blending.

AL: When you’re putting songs together what type of process do you take?
Matisyahu: It depends. Every song is different. Sometimes lyrics come first and sometimes the music comes first. If I am writing like a rapper then for me the beat is necessary. I need the beat to be there and to be inspired. The inspiration will come from the music itself and then it is basically a free association. You are spitting out whatever comes to mind. The way the lyrics sound placed next to each other and the way certain syllables and vowels go together. It is more instinctual. Whatever the thoughts or the feelings inside of me are they just come out. Other times I have written songs that are more of a concept. I may have been studying something or realized something in my life and then wrote lyrics about it followed by the music. Usually in that type of situation I will write the lyrics and then after the track is made I will re-write them to include words that I like. I will write them in more of a pattern or rhyme scheme.

AL: From your first album “Shake Off the Dust..Arise” to your latest release “Spark Seeker” how do you think your sound has evolved?
Matisyahu: The main thing for me that has evolved is my confidencein myself as a singer and my musicality. I think when I was first starting out I felt that I could sing and I had content but I wasn’t a trained musician. Being I wasn’t a trained musician I felt I had a certain lack of confidence in myself and my innate instinctual knowledge of music. I think over time I have learned more to trust myself when I am in that situation.

AL: Were there times when you had trouble getting people to see past your look and appreciate what you were creating?
Matisyahu: There probably was. I think when I started I was so naive and blind to it all. I didn’t care and I didn’t think about what anyone was saying. I don’t even think I had a computer or TV at that time.  This was before Facebook back in 2004. People really weren’t making comments about things unless they were doing it to your face. It was really only in my community that people would comment to me. That was a whole different kind of thing. It was more reporters with the questions. I knew there had never been a Hasidic singer making it into mainstream music culture. I knew that was going to be the question and what people would want to know about. For people who were really touched by my music it was never about what I looked like or what I believe. It was about what I believe and how the music touches those people. To my fans and the people who felt really connected they were there with me and that was enough for me. The fact that other people had heard of me because of being a Hasidic reggae guy it was a nice thing. People wouldn’t have heard of me otherwise. Maybe my music would have come out and stood on its own but, I became more familiar with people for that reason as maybe they would down the line investigate more and listen.

AL: Can you tell us about the current tour going on and your plans for this year’s Festival of Light shows?
Matisyahu: I am currently on tour playing a number of college towns across America. That tour will run for about 6 weeks and features the Constellations as our opening act. After that I have about a week off and then I will be back for my Hanukah shows. This year for the Hanukah shows we have some west coast dates planned as well as some acoustic shows. Every show will be different and the acoustic stuff of course is done differently when we perform it live. Every night we try and change things up.

Tim Williams in the lead singer in the Long Island-based hardcore band Vision of Disorder. I have been a fan of these guys since day one and were a major influence in my taste of music. The band released their latest album “The Cursed Remain Cursed”, which was the first studio recording in over a decade. The album is also one of their best to date. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Tim about the album and the how the hardcore scene has changed over the years.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about the inspiration behind “The Cursed Remain Cursed”?
Tim Williams: Long story short, it was a long process…which is fine. We took our time. A lot of the inspiration both the songs and the lyrics were based on how I was feeling during the time. Things were a little hairy in my life for a while. So I was dealing with that and then also the disbanding of Bloodsimple. I was looking forward to just getting in the studio, taking my time and not having to rush out on the road right away. Just kind of settling down a little, you know? Things were really busy for a long time and it was good just to say in one place and make some music.

MG: It’s been 11 years since your last studio album; how do you feel that the sound for VOD has evolved in that time?
TW: I think we have changed as people and musicians. We are a little wiser and know what we want and know how to get it. I think going when we went out own way for that time and made it on our own terms really helped also. I think the biggest difference this time around for VOD is that we are more mature and know how to handle the business better.

MG:The tracks on this album are just as hardcore matching the self-titled album, you have any difficulty keeping that level of anger through the lyrics?
TW: No, not at all. There is plenty to be mad about [laughs]. There are also plenty of things to talk about in the world. The things that I draw my lyrically content from are very present and have not run dry from that well. It is difficult to do well, so you need to take the time to make it what it is. Just pushing out the first thing in your head and holding it. So it is not hard to conjure it but it is hard to make it good.

MG: What was your biggest challenge heading into the studio?
TW: My biggest challenge was to try and not make the same mistakes. I wouldn’t go as far as to stay relevant but to make really good music and not fall back on the stuff that we have already achieved.

MG: How was it working with producer Will Putney on this album?
TW: It was great. I have done work with Will before back on Bloodsimple. He engineered their second record. VOD recorded about 3-4 demos for this record to see how they sounded. We did a demo with Will and that one just destroyed every other demo we did. It just captured what VOD should be. We went back and forth with a couple different producers. Long story short, based on the connection I had with him, I just kept pushing for Will over and over. Finally, it all worked out. It couldn’t have been a better choice because the proof is in the pudding and Will was a very intricate part of that record. He really just let us be VOD and that is why it worked. Will knows how the band is supposed to sound and I feel that we did it right.

MG: Any B-sides that didn’t make it onto this album?
TW:We wrote a lot of songs for this record. There was a lot that we didn’t even bring to the pre-production. There was one song that actually was tracked but  there was so much shit I had to get done and I didn’t even listen to it. Everything was going so good and I didn’t want to waste 2-3 days on a new song, when the other shit was so great. That might come out some day…you never know.

MG: How does you feel that the hardcore scene has changed since you started?
TW: It has definitely changed. How do I feel? It doesn’t really matter…it changes, you know? It will change with or without me. I feel fortunate that VOD was around when it began – or I would say was morphing into a different thing, like from the 80’s into the 90’s. We were very fortunate to have been involved with the scene in the 90’s with bands like Madball, Dark Side, the original Life of Agony, Sub-Zero and all those bands that were really hardcore. To be a part of that and actually succeed was a cool thing. Seeing VOD be able to come back is even better. It has really been a crazy ride.

MG: We going to have to wait another decade before we get more material again?
TW: This album is still new, obviously. But yes, we will like to do more records down the line. We are just going to continue on and probably crank out another one and just keep going. Why will we stop right?

Related Content

• Guitarist Phil Sgrosso talks about his new band Poison Headache
• Andy Wood talks about new album “Caught Between the Truth and a Lie”
• The Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban talks about new live album “Boys Night Out”
• As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis talks about Austrian Death Machine’s third album “Triple Brutal”
• Alter Bridge’s Mark Tremonti talks about solo album “All I Was”

Joey Belladonna is the lead singer for the seminal NY thrash band Anthrax. Media Mikes caught up with Joey at this year’s Mayhem Festival where we talked about how the crowds have changed over the year and the bands recent work on several cover songs.

Adam Lawton: What has been the best experience so far on this summer’s tour?
Joey Belladonna: I would have to say the new kids. We are running in to a whole lot of different fans. There are young people, old people, new fans and old fans. It’s been really great. The whole atmosphere of this tour has been quite a bit different. It has a carnival like feel to it but it’s still a heavy metal/rock show.

AL: How have shows like Mayhem changed from the band first started playing on them to now?
JB: I think the buzz has started to pick up more. People have started taking notice that we as a band are still strong and better than ever. We aren’t a manufactured something that is just out here for nothing. We don’t mess around and the new material live is brutal.

AL: How did you go about making the set list for this run of shows?
JB: The real hard part was covering are catalog in 40 minutes. We have some songs that are pretty long. We had to try a few different things to fit in to that time frame. I think we have done pretty well touching on all aspects of our music. Sadly there is just no winning if someone wants to hear a specific song but I think we did the best we could with the allotted time.

AL: Can you give us any updates about the cover album that has been in the works?
JB: There have been some songs recorded but I can’t tell you much more than that. I haven’t really started doing vocal tracks for it yet. Things are still sort of lingering with what will become of it and if deadlines can be met.

AL: What are the plans for Anthrax after the Mayhem Festival wraps up?
JB: We will be hitting Canada and some portions of the U.S. That will take us through mid October. Then we will be back out with Testament and Death Angel for the third time around. Starting in November we will be out with Motorhead in Europe as the support act. That should be pretty cool.

AL: Anthrax did a lot of recording at the legendary Pyramid Studios in Ithaca, NY. What is your take on what’s happening with the city trying to destroy that building/business?
JB: Alex was out and saw us the other night. It awful what is happening with that situation. I can’t even imagine being told one day that you have to move out of your house because it’s supposedly unsafe. I didn’t really know what to say when we were discussing it. I passed along some info and I hope everything works out.

Related Content

• Helmet’s Page Hamilton talks about the 20th anniversary of “Betty” and scoring films
• The Raskins’ Logan Raskin talks about debut album and touring with Motley Crue
• Sick Puppies’ Shim Moore talks about band’s latest album “Connect”
• Cartel’s Will Pugh talks about new album “Collider”
• Sister Sin’s Liv Jagrell talks about new album “Now and Forever”

Andy Trick is the bassist for the metal-core band The Devil Wear Prada. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Andy recently about playing on this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival and what other plans the band has for this year.

Cody Blencowe: How has the Rockstar Mayhem Festival compared to other tours/festivals you have been a part of?
Andy Trick: It has definitely been a little different. On this tour we have been touring with legendary metal bands like Slayer and Slipknot. That has really been a big difference. Aside from that the shows have been awesome. We are pretty accustom to playing outdoors in the summer time. The tour has a similar feel to the Vans Warped Tour but there are fewer bands so things seem to be more tight knit.

CB: Have there been any highlights from the tour thus far?
AT: We don’t really get in to anything crazy. There have been some great moments on stage. The Chicago and Detroit shows I think were two of the best so far.

CB: What can you tell us about the bands recent live CD/DVD release?
AT: The released is titled “Dead or Alive” and it was shot at the Palladium in Worchester, Mass. We have been wanting to do a live DVD and we were finally able to bring everything together.  We like to try and find new ways of gettting content out to the fans other than just CD after CD. The DVD format was an obvious choice. It was a great opportunity and the show we recorded is basically the same one we put on for fans every night of the tour.

CB: What are the bands plans for after Mayhem Festival?
AT: We have a bit of time off. We have been looking at going in to the studio and working on some new material. Aside from that not much is going on until the fall. Once the fall rolls around we will be heading over to Europe with August Burns Red and White Chapel.

2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Johnny Van Zant taking over as the leader singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I have been a fan of this band since I was old enough to speak. There is something special about this band that just really speaks to it’s fans and they are so multi-generational. I am proof of that having a 4 month only daughter that has been listening to their tunes after only being born for 5 minutes. Johnny and the band are celebrating the release of their latest new album “Last of a Dyin’ Breed” and he took out some time to chat with us about the new album and to reflect on 25 years with the band.

Mike Gencarelli: How can you reflect on how Skynyrd is definitely still relevant today?
Johnny Van Zant: My brother was pulling for the common people when he started this band. He was writing songs like “Alabama”, “Curtis Lowe”, “Tuesday’s Gone” and “Simple Man”. To this day man, we try to keep it to things that we lived or our fans have lived or living through. People can relate to that. We like to think we are pretty down to earth people. When I get home, I take out the garbage and drop my kids off at school. I do the same things as everyone else and that keeps us humble to that fact. I always tell people we are no different from our fans.  That is the way that I have always remembered how Lynyrd Skynyrd has been. We are common people and I feel that it lives through the music.

MG: Like I mentioned I already have my 4 month daughter listening to Skynyrd, can you reflect on being so multi-generational?
JVZ: We call it the Skynyrd Nation, Mike. We are three generations old. I got a great place on stage, so I have this bird’s eye view of the audience. It is very mixed and everyone is out there. Young, old and in-between…and younger. [laughs].

MG:“Last of a Dyin’ Breed” is a really fierce follow-up to 2009’s “Gods and Guns”, which was also a hard year for the band. What did you enjoy most about this album and working again with “Gods and Guns” producer Bob Marlette?
JVZ: Bob is really great. I like him not only as a producer but also a friend. We were introduced to him by John5 from Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. We wanted to go in the studio and do a few tracks before we signed on for a whole record. But when we went in, everything really clicked. To have Bob back on board for “Last of a Dyin’ Breed” is just really great. We work with him very well. We  also tried to have a lot of fun working on this record. Like you said during the last record, we were going through some hard times, not only personally but as a band. When you lose members of a band, that is actually very personal as well though. There were times during recording “Gods and Guns”, where we asked ourselves if we should hang up our boots and call it a day. But Bob was one of the influences pushing us to get the record done. If Billy (Powell), Ean (Evans) or even my brother were still around, they would be kicking butt and taking names. That is why we are trying to carry this band on. I mean, this is my 25th year with the band now.

MG:The new album charted at #14 on the Billboard Charts, which is the best debut for Skynyrd since “Street Survivors”, can you reflect on that?
JVZ: I am just glad – it’s like Skynyrd was nominated seven times for Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and it became a joke within the band. We used to say “Do we have to die to get into it”. But when it finally happened, I was just so happy for Ronnie (Van Zant), Gary (Rossington), Allen (Collins), Leon (Wilkeson) and Billy (Powell), the guys that started this band. I was overwhelmed with happiness for them. The thing that it comes back to is that is it great to debut at #14, but for me though it makes me happy that the fans like it. Numbers are great but to know the fans appreciate it what it is all about. We had a great time doing it and thought it was the best thing to biscuits and gravy [laughs]. But when the fans start liking it and to hear folks like you liking it, that is real payoff for me.

MG:I like that the band is continuing to produce new tunes. When I spoke with Rickey Medlocke, he said that “I guess we could sit back and rely on our classic tracks but if we can put out new music and material, it will keep things from getting stale.”
JVZ: It does. That would be the wrong thing and my brother would be coming down and kicking all of our asses. [laughs] He would say “What the hell, go out there and make some new music”. It is refreshing, it really is. We all know what made this band what it is. People have told us “Well why don’t you right another ‘Sweet Home Alabama'”? It has already been done right the first time. We don’t need to do it again.

MG:I got it Johnny, “Sweet Home Alabama 2”?
JVZ: Yeah that’s it! [singing] “Sweet Home Alabama…2”. Yeah, it doesn’t work. [laughs].

MG:Like you said 2012 marks your 25 years with the band, how do you feel that the music has changed throughout the years?
JVZ: I am not sure really. We have always been sticking with things we know about, like I said before, or things that have touched people around us. Lyrically, I don’t think we tried to change at all. I think we have tried to put some new guitar work. But I think that is more progress, you know? Believe me, I was a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan before I was in the band and if I wasn’t a part of Skynyrd and the albums came out and all sounded the same as in the old days. I would be like “Oh, it just sounds like the old stuff”. So we try to take a step forward. Someone people gonna like, some people gonna love it and some people gonna hate it. That’s the way life is.

MG:For me it would be “Simple Man” and those opening cords. What is the one track that when it goes on you completely jam into it?
JVZ: OH GOD! Hell yeah! It has to be “Simple Man”. That is just timeless. It just tells it like it is about being a simple man. The old saying is “If you gain the world, but lose your soul…what do you have?” That is basically what the song is saying: “Forget your lust, for the rich man’s gold. All that you need, is in your soul”. What a great song!

MG:Which tracks from the new album do foresee becoming part of a must play list during touring?
JVZ: Right now, we are playing “Good Teacher”, “Last of a Dyin’ Breed”, “One Day at a Time” and trying to work up “Homegrown”. The problem is [laughs], we love making new music but putting everything in the set [laughs] is one hard chore to do. You don’t want to take away an old classic. You want to be able to play the old songs that people love and cherish. So to put a new one is…you kind of have to sneak them in when you can [laughs].

MG:What do you do to keep it fresh constantly touring all around the world?
JVZ: I enjoy seeing the fans. Each night is a different night. Any member of Lynyrd Skynyrd will tell you the same. Every night is a different situation, a different part of the country or different part of the world. And it thrills me to get out there and play songs for people. There are nights where you may be tired or your voice isn’t up to par though. A friend of mine said they say a particular artist not too long ago and said that their voice wasn’t that good. I asked them if they checked their website to see how many shows they had before that [laughs]. You can tune a piano…but you can’t tune a voice! [laughs].

MG:You think The Van Zants will ever get in the studio again?
JVZ: We got to a point – we did a couple of country albums. The first one which we really worked hard on was “Get Right with the Man”. Then we got to the second one, “My Kind of Country”, which we also put a lot of time into. We finally looked at each other and just said that we were killing ourselves. He is still going with .38 Special and I am with Skynyrd, then you throw in this project into the mix. It has been a few years now…and we are definitely both getting a little antsy now. So let’s see what’s going to happen in the near future.

Fozzy is the hard rock/heavy metal band fronted by WWE superstar Chris Jericho recently released its 5^th studio album via Century Media records titled “Sin and Bones”. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Chris recently about the album and his appearance on the popular ABC television show “Dancing with the Stars”.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background info on the new album?
Chris Jericho: After the “Chasing the Grail” album we decided that our approach is a little bit different from the norm. We use really heavy riffs combined with melodic hook filled choruses. Maybe if Journey and Metallica had a bastard child it would sound like Fozzy. We really honed in on that with the last record and when it came time to do “Sin and Bones” we knew that was the direction we wanted to go in. We wanted to make this record like our “Black” album. That Metallica album has a certain tone and feel. Even though the songs on that album are all very diverse they still fit together. We put a lot of time in to the sequencing of the record.

AL: What type of creative process does the band take?
CJ: We do things a little bit backwards. I will generally write the lyrics first. From there I will give them to Rich Ward and he will right the music and the melodies based on the lyrics I give him. A lot of times it’s the other way around. Doing things this way on the last three records has worked out really well. A lot of my lyrics are based on song titles. If I see or phrase or something I find interesting I will put a note of that into my phone. When it comes time to write I will look through those notes and sort of work backwards from the title. Maybe we will experiment with the traditional way of song writing on the next record.

AL: Did the band do a lot of pre-production for the record?
CJ: We took our time. We started working on this album back in November. We did a tour of Europe and brought a recording rig along with us. We just started recording ideas and riffs while we were on the road. When it came time to go into the studio we knew we didn’t want to have to rush. The label actually gave us a deadline of May 2012 but we had already been working on the album since November so we had a good start on things.

AL: What do you think has posed a bigger challenge wrestling, playing music or “Dancing with the Stars”?
CJ: They have all posed challenges. When I was a kid I wanted to be in a rock band. I have been playing music since I was 12 and then I started wrestling at 19. I was always being told that I wouldn’t be able to do those things for various reasons. I learned very early on that you have to eliminate negative people from your world and that if you really want to do something you have to make it happen. As a result of that I have never been afraid to try anything. Especially something that is creative. When “Dancing with the Stars” came up the 3^rd time I decided to try it. The first couple times they asked me to be on the show I was busy with “WrestleMania” and the other time I was doing a Fozzy tour. That show was probably the biggest challenge. Music and wrestling I had been doing for a majority of my life. I had never danced before. The first time I danced was in front of 25 million people. There ended up being a lot of similarities between the three. You have to feel the music and be on top of the beat and like in wrestling you have to remember the choreography while being light on your feet. Once I got that first performance under my belt I got addicted to it. When I got eliminated from the show I had withdraws almost. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was glad that I could prove to myself that I was able to do that.

AL: Do you ever find critiques are quick to write the band off due to your wrestling background?
CJ: They have in the past but we just keep coming back. People have been hearing about the band for years but until they really listen to the music do they understand what they have been missing. I think we have had to work a little harder to get past that but in 2010 I started to really notice a shift. People still knew me from wrestling but they started to pay more attention to the band and not what I have been associated with in the past. When I go see Iron Maiden I don’t say “there’s the airline pilot’s band”. Those are two separate things. You just have to prove to people that you are real and passionate. This is part of who I am and it is never going to go away.

AL: What made Fozzy abandon the idea of having alter-ego’s and go in a different direction?
CJ: We were originally signed as a cover band by Megaforce Records. They were really into what we were doing so we decided to come up with alter-ego’s to make what we were doing a little different as just playing covers was a bit boring. After playing together for awhile we realized we liked what we were doing and we had some good chemistry. We decided to take it to the next step and start playing our own tunes. I compare our band a lot to Pantera. There were two version of that band. When they first came out they were a glam-metal band with big hair and makeup. It makes no since that they changed everything about themselves and turned in to the band we all love. Fozzy was pretty similar. There were two versions of the band under one name. Our original name as a cover band was Fozzy Osbourne so we shortened it and now we are on version 2 of the band.

AL: What are the bands plans for the rest of the year?
CJ: After the “Uproar Tour” ends we have a short tour of the states in October and then we head over to Europe. From there we will be heading to Australia as part of the Sound Wave Festival with Metallica. Those dates were all booked prior to the album release so we will be plugging some holes here and there with other dates as well.

Rusty Coones is the guitarist and founding member of the band Attika 7. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Rusty recently about the band’s formation and his upcoming appearance on season 5 of Sons of Anarchy.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us what made you want to form the band?
Rusty Coones: It was not planned at all. In 1999 I caught a Federal case for conspiracy to distribute a listed chemical. But before all of that I had played guitar since I was around the age of 9 and took lessons into my teens where I learned to read and write music. I had songs structures in my head and even though I wasn’t playing in bands I still loved music. When I went into prison I spent a lot of time in solitary confinement. When you’re inside you spend a lot of time getting in your own head. The first few years I was in there I read a lot of books and wrote a lot for my website freerusty.com. I had a lot of follows worldwide and though it’s not currently active the site is still up. I was in the metropolitan detention center in Los Angeles about 2 years before I received my sentence. I was then sent to a prison Oregon. While there I was working out with weights 5 days a week. Right by where the weights were was a music room. If you signed up for that program you had to actively participate with a group. I would walk past that room everyday and I just became really inspired. I ended up going in and began playing with a band that was already there. They played mostly blues, rock. The first day I was there I asked if I could bring in a song I had written. They were very receptive to that. We got to go in that room twice a week and each time I would bring new songs. Most of the songs at that time had that blues, rock sound. A couple months later there was a riot in the yard resulting in a bunch of us being sent to other prisons. I ended up at a prison in Texas. When you’re shipped to a new place you have to spend a certain amount of time in confinement before you can go in to the yard. 3 days after being released in to the yard I was playing a concert in front of 1,800 inmates. It was all songs I had written. That material was all blues, rock. During this time I started experimenting with drop tunings. When you’re playing in that dropped key there are some real sweet spots on the fret board. I wrote 32 songs while I was there. I still have all of my notes. When I got out it was my goal to assemble the best band of musicians I could to start a band with. There have been a few different lineups of the band since I started. Evan Seinfeld and I joined up about a year ago when I was looking for a fill in singer. Evan became hooked on the songs and he and I started working together. We re-worked some songs and wrote new material which is what makes up “Blood of my Enemies”.

AL: What was your song writing process like being allowed only limited resources for short periods of time?
RC: 90% of the songs that I write the riffs and music are done first. From there is usually when I start on the lyrics. As soon as they let me out in to the yard I would go grab a little box guitar and start working on my riffs. Once I got them dialed in and they were in my head I would go back to my cell and write line by line the verses, choruses and such. Every song that I wrote was never given a title. The songs named themselves by the time they were done. The first few lines of a song are always the most difficult for me. Once I have those, stuff just starts flowing.

AL: I assume a lot of the material was written about the situations you were encountering each day?
RC: Some of the songs for instance “Serial Killer” was written in the words of a serial killer. I of course am not a serial killer. I was in my cell and went really deep in to my imagination so I could get to a dark enough place to allow me to write like that. It was kind of like when an actor gets in to character before performing a role. I was around a few people in prison that were possessed pretty heavy so it wasn’t too hard to come up with this type of material. Some of the other songs are about being on the inside and what you have to do to adapt.

AL: How have the recent lineup changes helped the band progress?
RC: The band is a little different now. Tony Campos is a great bassist as is Scott our new bassist. Scott has more of a Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath style where Tony is a serious metal player that is very precise. I think that with the way the songs are now Scott learned to play the songs the way Tony played them. Scott didn’t get to put a lot of his flavor in yet but, I can see this is going to be a lot of fun. Scott loves to run around and play riffs. I love that type of feeling. Scotts playing is bringing a really cool flavor to the band. We want this band to be timeless and we aren’t trying to be trendy. Evan is melodic in his approach which I think only adds to that timeless feel we are looking for. We are not trying to sound like anyone or anything else. Whether that’s good or not that’s the way things ended up. These songs were written in a vacuum. At the time I didn’t have any music to listen to. I just had to draw from what was in my head. I had all these little pieces floating around of things I liked. I developed my own style from that.

AL: Can you tell us anything about your upcoming appearance on “Sons of Anarchy?
RC: I have already shot 2 episodes and in the coming weeks I will be shooting some more. I am really excited to be a part of the show. I play a character by the name of Quinn who is the president of the Nomads motorcycle club. There have been talks of this character since season 1 but this will be the first time he comes out of the shadows. It’s going to be really interesting.

AL: How did you first get involved with the show?
RC: Kurt Sutter is a very smart guy. When he started the show he really immersed himself in the outlaw biker culture. He learned everything he could learn. When he was looking to learn he wanted to learn from the best so he came to us. (Coones is the founder of the Orange County Chapter of the Hells Angels.)Kurt’s research paid off and he has a lot of really good people around him. The show is a dramatic television show. There has to be some dramatic elements to keep people watching. If anyone tuning in is saying certain things are “bullshit” it’s TV! It’s supposed to be entertaining. You don’t turn on the television to watch actual everyday realism. Yes the show has some realistic elements but there’s entertainment factors combined into that. I am honored to be a part of the show.

AL: Were there any aspects of the shoots so far that have been difficult?
RC: This show has been the most professional production that I have ever been a part of. There are stunt people and fight choreographers that cross every t and dot every i. Everything is very organized. Things like the fighting and such were second nature. (Laughs)

AL: What other projects do you have in the works?
RC: Attika 7 is waiting for the last few things to be completed for our U.S tour. The band is also doing a West Coast tour that will be announced in the near future. I have some television things in works as well however I can’t really say anything just yet about that. Things should be quite interesting.

Related Content

• Ben Draiman talks about debut album “The Past is Not Far Behind”
• John 5 talks about “The Lords of Salem” and Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival
• Peter Noone talks about Herman’s Hermits and “Coronation Street”
• Dark New Day’s Will Hunt talks about new album “Hail Mary”
• Colin Wilson reflects on 25 years with the band “The Australian Pink Floyd Show”