DoryDrive’s Mathieu Nevitt talks about debut album “Here’s to You”

Mathieu Nevitt is the lead vocalist for the MidWest based rock group DoryDrive. The group has just released their debut full length album titled “Here’s to You” via First Launch Records and the single of the same name is currently working its way up the rock charts across the country. Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Mathieu about the group’s formation and the recording process for the new album.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the formation of the band?
Mathieu Nevitt: The band was started out of me joining a preexisting band that the rest of the guys had performing with for quite some time. My previous band Echovalve was touring with them and we were both looking for something different. I wasn’t interested in joining something that had history already nor was I looking to do heavy music. We ended up coming together to start DoryDrive which is a departure from the guy’s previous material but I think we are all happy with what we are doing now.  From there we started recording together as a band in Nashville, TN. After a couple recording session there we though it would be cool to name the band after the street that the studio was on.

AL: What can you tell us about the group’s new album?
MN: The album is titled “Here’s to You” and working on the album was a very enjoyable process for us. We got to work with two different producers which was really cool. We were able to grow with our music and as a band I think that is what really gave us a chance to strength our bond. We like to have a good time when were in the studio and the writing process was a lot of fun.

AL: Was it difficult in any way working with two different producers?
MN: They each had their own philosophy. The guy we worked with in Nashville was much more militant about the guitar sounds. When we started working with the other producer who helped finish the record things felt much more inviting which I feel was beneficial. Both instances were beneficial for us but we really opened up more towards the end of the process.

AL: Can you tell us a little bit about the two music videos which have been released thus far?

MN: That’s a love/hate relationship for me. Shooting these can be very hectic and you never feel like you have enough time to do everything. There is always a question mark surrounding things. You just have to not second guess yourself and do whatever it is that needs to be done. The newest video is for our single “Here’s to You”. I was really happy with how it turned out and I think we are growing in front of the camera each time we work on a new video.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands current tour?
MN: This tour is our headlining tour. We will be following the radio markets that have picked up our single recently. We will be utilizing that radio play and our promotions company to really hit as many places as possible. We are also actively pursuing some other options as well for when this run of shows end. We are hoping to jump on a really great tour this summer.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, debut, dorydrives, mathieu, nevitt, talks, ...

White Chapel’s Phil Bozeman talks about new album “Our Endless War”

Phil Bozeman is the lead singer for the heavy metal group White Chapel. On April 29th, they will release their 5th full length studio album titled “Our Endless War”. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Phil recently about the creation of the new album which is probably the most diverse record we have heard from the band yet and also about the group’s upcoming headlining tour with Devil Driver.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on the new album?
Phil Bozeman: We have grown as musicians and are chemistry as a band has certainly gotten better. We were very focused on writing the heaviest and best music we could. We are a heavy metal band but we wanted to incorporate as many of our own influences as we could to help make a diverse record.

AL: Did you find it hard to explore those influences and still stick to the sound and style the band is known for?
PB: It was a bit difficult at times to try something different while still keeping the elements that appeal to our fans the same. I think we are able to get away with everything we did as we paid close attention to make sure that things were still fitting our style.

AL: In a recent press release you stated that the band felt held back when working on the previous albums. Can you tell us a little bit about that and what creative process you took this time around?
PB: We have always worked the same way from record to record. We generally start out by just sitting down and discussing everyone’s different ideas. We all want to take chances and do different things however we don’t want to look bad while doing those things. I think that’s where the bands chemistry really shows as we all work together to put out a great product and it is something we are all happy with. As far as being held back goes in the past there had always been time constraints which limited us a bit. We never had disagreements or anything like that but we always seemed to be under a deadline.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming tour?
PB: We just finished up a short ten day run as part of the New England Metal Fest. We have a couple shows in Mexico scheduled before we start our headlining tour with Devil Driver. That will take us through the summer.

AL: When you guys are putting together a headlining tour how do you go about choosing which bands will be going out with you?
PB: We always start out by just looking at the bands we like and who we feel would be good to bring out. On a tour like the ones that’s coming up bands submit offers to be considered for a spot and we either accept them or pass.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, bozeman, chapels, endless, phil, talks, ...

The Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban talks about new live album “Boys Night Out”

Photo Credit: Jarrett Gaza

Richard Sterban is best known as the bass singer for the country and gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys since 1972. He started off his career singing with the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Going 40+ years strong, the band is currently touring around 150 days a year and shows no signs of slowing down. On tax day, April 15th, the band is releasing their first live album “Boys Night Out”. So if you have any money left over, I would highly recommend checking it out. Media Mikes had the privilege to chat with Richard about the live album, singing with Elvis and non-stop touring.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about the new album “Boys Night Out” and why a live album now?
Richard Sterban: This is something that our fans have wanted for a long time. Our fans always tell us that they love our studio albums but that live and in person we are so much more exciting. So we decided that it was time to capture that excitement on a CD. It seemed like every time we were going to try and record a live album, we would get an opportunity to do a new studio album whether it would be a new country album, Christmas album or Gospel album. So we always put the live album on the backburner, so to speak. Last year, we just decided we were going to record some of our shows live. We ended up recording eleven live shows and between all of those we chose out what we thought were the best cuts that would describe a live Oak Ridge Boys show. I think it turned out really well.

MG: How much planning when into picking the playlist for this album?
RS: There were certain songs that we felt had to be included, “Elvira” for sure and “Thank God for Kids” was another. Then we listened to the input of Cleopatra Records, who we just recently signed with. It was a combination of their input and what we wanted. We just put our heads together and came up with fourteen songs. I feel that it is really a great example of a boys night out with The Oak Ridge Boys.

MG: What was it like starting your career singing with Elvis? How do you top something like that?
RS: I have had a pretty excited life and career. For two years prior to joining The Oak Ridge Boys, I sang with JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet and I had a chance to sing with the King of Rock and Roll, which was really exciting. I got a call one day that the bass singer from The Oak Ridge Boys” was leaving and they wanted me to take the job. So I had to make a very important decision. I loved singing with the King of Rock and Roll…lip-singing with Elvis but I joined the Oak Ridge Boys and I have gone on to bigger and better things with them.

MG: I know that you also have a book out that also covers your early years with Elvis and through your amazing career with The Oak Ridge Boys.
RS: Yes, I do have a book out called “From Elvis to Elvira”. It is my life story and is filled with tons of great stories. It is available on my personal site RichardSterban.com, Amazon.com or catch up with us at a show and I will have them with me to sell and sign if like.

MG: Over 40 years with The Oak Ridge Boys, what continues to drive you?
RS: I think it is several things but the most important is that even after 41 years we still enjoy doing what we do. We look forward every night to getting up on that stage and taking our music live to our audiences. We are still having fun doing this and I think that is the most important. We also love the creative process of going into the studio and creating new music. So that is what keeps us going.

MG: Why do you think that generations of fans are still following you guys today?
RS: We pride ourselves on that. There is no question that we have gotten older and our core audience has aged along with us. But we are really considered family entertainment. There is something for every family at our shows whether you are a grandpa/grandma or a young kid. We encourage parents to bring their kids to their show as well. Our shows are definitely fun for the whole family.

MG: Which of your songs really gets you going the most when you are on stage?
RS: Naturally, I would have a tendency to levitate to “Elvira”. That is our biggest song and everyone has to hear “Elvira” at our shows. We have tons of other really great songs. I think one of the most meaningful songs that we ever recorded is “Thank God for Kids”. We do that song every night and we look out in the audience and see parents hugging their kids and people holding hands. It is pretty emotional. Now at our age, when William Lee Golden sings this song at the end he says “Thank God for Grandkids too!” [laughs] We are all grandparents now and I hate to admit this but last week I became a great grandfather as well, so that is definitely something amazing.

MG: Can you reflect on music today in the age of Facebook, Twitter and other social media?
RS: We try to pay attention to that. Duane Allen is on Facebook all day and keeps the fans posted there. Joe Bonsall, our drummer, is on Twitter all day. There is an advantage to being in a group since you can spread the responsibility out. I am not a big social media guy. I am on Twitter though. I spend my time doing the old fashion thing, like we are doing right now. I talk to

Photo Credit: David Bean

newspapers and radio stations all the time. So that is the function that I serve. In this day and age, we have a lot of ways to get the news out and we are really embracing it.

MG: You guys never seem to rest; tell us about your non-stop touring this year?
RS: We average about 150 days a year on the road. You can tell by looking at our schedule this year going to be no exception, in fact probably more. But it is what we love doing. We look forward to each night and sharing our music with our fans and that is why we are still going strong. Touring is a big thing for us and we love getting out there and doing it. Health is probably the key to our future. I think as long as the four of us continue to enjoy good health then we are going to keep getting out there and touring.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, boys, live, night, oak, richard, ...

Charlie Daniels talks about latest album “Off the Grid – Doin’ it Dylan”

Charlie Daniels is best know for delivering the world with the hit song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and numerous others. Today on April 1st, 2014, The Charlie Daniels Band is releasing their first album in 7 years called “Off the Grid – Doin’ It Dylan”, which is a tribute of songs to the great Bob Dylan. Charlie has been in the business since the early 1950s and shows no signs of slowing down.I know it is April 1st but no this is not an April Fool’s Joke, Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the legendary singer/songwriter about the new album and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: This is your first album since 2007, tell us about how “Off the Grid – Doin’ it Dylan” came about?
Charlie Daniels: Actually, it came about in an rather offhand way due to a TV show called “Hell on Wheels” that takes place back in the 1800’s. We were asked to do some music for this show and we had these instruments that were around the 1800’s, which were acoustical instruments. We had never done any acoustic work before. We always used electric instruments in one degree or another. We were so impressed with the different sounds that came out of the band that we decided that we should do a whole album of acoustics. Well, we taught what better well to draw on than the Bob Dylan catalog since you can never run out of material that way. I am a big Bob Dylan fan and I just wanted to pay homage to Bob and some of his music in our way. We tried to pick songs that we could put our mark on. We didn’t want to copy anyone else’s arrangement or something. As a result we get “Off the Grid – Doin’ it Dylan”.

MG: How did you end up choosing these specific ten songs (and only ten songs) from Dylan’s library to cover?
CD: Well, we went through the common process of trying to do songs that we felt we could do totally different than they have been done before. We didn’t want to copy “Mr. Tambourine Man” like The Byrds did it or other people’s recordings of his songs. We were looking at his songs and seeing if we could make a CDB song out of it. We simply approached it like it was new music like we were doing for these songs for the first time. We came across one that we felt that we couldn’t get far enough away, which was “Lay Lady Lay”. I really wanted to do that song but we could not find a way to do it that would take us away from the version on “Nashville Skyline”, so we decided to leave it alone. The great thing about it though like I said is that with Dylan, you can never run out of material.

MG: Did you have a plan upfront to add your unique style of music to Dylan’s songs or did it just happen in the studio?
CD: Yeah, we had a plan. We knew that they were Dylan songs but we wanted them to come out as CDB songs, if you will. It’s not that they still weren’t Dylan songs after but we wanted to have people to realize that it was a Dylan song but it was Charlie Daniels Band re-doing it.

MG: You previously recorded “Country Pie” on Dylan’s album “Nashville Skyline” in 1969; how was it getting to record this song again?
CD: Yeah I recorded “Country” Pie” with Dylan back on “Nashville Skyline”. I was also worked on his albums” Self Portrait” and “New Mornings” as well. I had fun recording that song both times though [laughs]. It is such a great song.

MG: Why do you think that these songs are still so relevant in today’s times?
CD: Well, they are classics and a classic is a classic. Half the time we don’t know what Dylan is talking about anyway [laughs]. We all can draw our own conclusions for some of them. “Time They Are a Changin'” and songs like that are very clear. But there are some that he leaves up to us to find out what they are about…and that is a beautiful thing. Everyone in this generation can find their own meanings.

MG: Was there any order to the composition of these songs?
CD: No, we didn’t anything chronological or genre-wise for this album like let’s pick one from the 60’s and then from the 70’s, nothing like that. We just went through his catalog and picked the songs that we were capable of doing that, like I said, we could put our mark on. Our main criteria was to make them CDB songs.

MG: Did you find that any of these songs were more difficult to cover than another?
CD: Well some of them were to an extent. Dylan writes his songs in his own way. Some of his songs have longer verses than others. I tried to make them basically the same length. I actually cut out some stanzas in order to make that work. I did it though without violating what the song was about. It didn’t affect the tune at all. But I also did it so that the song sounded our way, which was the goal.

MG: Having been in the business for 50+ years; what inspires you to continue making music?
CD: I love what I do. I am in LOVE with playing music and entertaining people. I just love it. It is just a blessing from God that I have been able to make a living doing something that I love so very much. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

MG: Do you have any plans to tour for this album this year?
CD: Oh yeah, I am on tour right now. As I speak with now, I am in Pennsylvania. So stay tuned because we have a lot of dates scheduled in the upcoming months.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, charlie, daniels, doin, dylan, grid, ...

Kings X’s Doug Pinnick talks about new project “KXM” and upcoming debut album

Doug “dUg” Pinnick is probably best known as the bassist/vocalist for the hard rock/progressive band Kings X. Doug has also been a part of a number of side projects such as “Poundhound”, “Tres Mts.” And “Third Ear Experience”. Doug’s newest project simply titled “KXM” is a 3 piece super trio featuring Korn drummer Ray Luzier and legendary Dokken guitarist George Lynch. Media Mikes spoke with Doug recently about the group formation and the upcoming release of their debut album.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the bands formation?
Doug Pinnick: Ray was having a party at his house for his son and we all happened to be there. During a break from the party Ray took us to see his new drum room which was also set up to record in. George threw out the idea to do some jamming and I think him and Ray actually did end up starting things there. A short while later I get a call saying George had booked some studio time. Luckily we were all free and we got together and started working on the album. It all came together very quick. We would be in the studio for a couple days and then Ray would have to fly out to Singapore or somewhere to play with Korn. We are pretty happy with how things turned out and I am all ready to do another.

AL: What can we expect to hear on the album?
DP: I think people will hear who we are as individual players. My bass tone is something that can’t be disguised as it is what it is. George is a unique guitar player and he brings that element to things. He doesn’t do as much soloing as on some of his other projects but I think there’s still a good amount of that on this record. Ray showcased his intricate cymbal work which is something that hasn’t always showed up in the mix of his previous work but on this record, Oh man!

AL: Did you approach this album any differently than you would with a Kings X album?
DP: Yes. The approach we took was that no one could tell the others what to do. You had to be 100 percent trusting in the parts that the other members created. Whatever we did we all complimented each other. When I listen back to the recordings there are no preconceptions. This is the first group I have been in where I can almost step outside of things. (Laughs)

AL: Was this approach laid out before hand or did it evolve over time?
DP: When we started out we were talking about a number of different things. George had a bunch of material that he wanted to bring up but we decided to do this thing from scratch. George agreed and things turned out great. I have a whole hard drive of songs that we could have pulled from as well but we chose to start fresh. Started from scratch was something I was very adamant about.

AL: Can you tell us about the video for the song “Rescue Me”?
DP: I never know what song to pick as a single as I always seem to pick something different from everyone else. I sort of stood back from the selection process and let the label and Ray and George decide. Everyone thought “Rescue Me” was the song to release first and I was totally ok with that. We worked with some of the guys who have done work on Korn’s videos and Ray and George pooled some other resources to come up with this video. I just kind of went along with the process and every draft we got back was really great. They did a very good job at making me like me. That at times can be a difficult job. (Laughs

AL: Has there been any talks of touring the album?
DP: We have all been talking about touring. As soon as we can find time that works with everyone’s schedules you better believe that we will be out there. Why not? We all have a bunch of other things going on but when we find that window we are jumping in.

AL: What other projects do you currently have in the works?
DP: I will be singing in a Jimi Hendrix tribute at South by South West this year with Perry Farrell and Slash. After that I will be playing in Los Angeles at The Guitar Center convention with my blues band. I will also be doing some stuff with a few of my other side projects as well.

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, debut, doug, kings, kxm, pinnick, ...

Jessie Bridges talks about music and her latest album “Let it Breathe”

Jessie Bridges is the daughter of actor and musician Jeff Bridges and also a singer/songwriter herself. She has put out two albums to date, the first is an EP and the second is a full-length album called “Let it Breathe”. She recently toured with her father in 2013 and opened for him at the CabFest this year. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jessie about her music and what inspires her.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you found your sound for your music?
Jessie Bridges: My dad taught me how to play the guitar and growing up I used to strum along and play covers. I went through all the puppy love stuff that I was inspired to write and some really cheesy songs came out of that. Back in 2009/2010, I came out with my first EP, which was just four songs that I produced with my two friends. We went to a little house in Vermont, lived there for about two weeks and figured out the songs and how we wanted to develop the sound. It was like a music retreat. My goal for the EP was to have this experience of what it would be like to be in a studio. I feel that it is very well done but with my second and latest album “Let it Breathe”. I was able to locate something in me that felt much more authentic and real. It all happened in Vancouver, Canada. when I was working on a movie with my dad, as his assistant. I ended up falling into this circle of musicians at the time and ended up writing the song “Let it Breathe”. It just kind of developed on its own and I realized that that was the sound that I was going for. Then once “Let it Breathe” was recorded, I had an opportunity to stay in Vancouver. So I extended my trip and recorded the rest of the album.

MG: Can you give us the story behind your song “Heartbreaking Heart”?
JB: Absolutely, it is obviously a really sad song but it also has a very interesting story. As far as my songwriting goes, I don’t have a formula or structure. My songs come to me in all different ways. That song came to me years after my boyfriend and I had broken-up. I had this guitar pick with the word “heartbreaker” on it and so from there I just started playing and it manifested itself. It was also a way for me to work through these old pains and feelings that I wasn’t able to recover from previously. I have to say it is probably one of my favorites of all of them. As sad and emotional as it is, it is one of my favorites.

MG: How did it feel getting to open for your father at CabFest this year?
JB: It was actually really cool. My dad actually went on tour this past summer. We did an eight show stretch and I ended up opening for those shows and then he would ask me to comeback out and sing backup vocals on a few other songs. We have such a blast together and it is so much fun. There is a lot of love on that stage and I think people see it and really support that.

MG: Any new songs/albums planned for 2014?
JB: I do actually. In fact, out of all the interviews that I have ever done you are the only one to ever ask that question [laughs]. This is the deal though, due to the way that the music business is run these days anyone can put anything out. I originally got advice back for “Let it Breathe” album to release it as two seperate EPs and not a full album. But I said “Fuck that” because this album is an 11-song compilation that I put all this work into and I wanted to get it out there. I have been in the studio working on a new song that I am really excited about. It just needed to be mixed, do some background vocals and maybe add a little piano. So what I think my next move will be that once that is done, I am going to release it as a single on iTunes, Soundcloud etc. I think I will release my next few upcoming songs as singles in fact. I find that that way I am able to keep people’s interest more makes them excited as to what is coming next.

MG: Lastly, can you help me convince your father to come out with another album soon [laughs]?
JB: [laughs] Yeah, I think that he is exploring that possibility. I know he hasn’t been in the studio recently to record but he is always buzzing with excitement over music. He loves it so much.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, breathe, bridges, jessica, latest, music, ...

Our Last Enemy talks about their new album “Pariah”

On March 11th 2014, Australian industrial metal band Our Last Enemy released their newest album titled “Pariah” via Eclipse Records. Produced by Christian Olde Wolbers the album is a perfect melding of all things metal. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with the band recently about the album’s release and the bands plans for coming to the United States.

Adam Lawton: How did Our Last Enemy originally come together?
Matt Heywood: The band formed in 2006 in Sydney, Australia. Myself, Oli and Jeff’s previous bands had all broken up and we all ended up meeting through a mutual friend. Bizz joined the band in 2010 after leaving the Genitorturers and relocating to Australia. We had heard through friends that Bizz was looking for a band to jam with. Zot joined the band in 2013. He had actually played with Oli in another band.
Oliver Fogwell: The Australian music scene is just one big family so you eventually end up working with everyone.

AL: How would you describe the bands sounds to someone unfamiliar with the group?
MH: We use the term “Industrial Metal” to describe ourselves when we only have time for a short answer or when we know someone doesn’t have a long attention span. (Laughs) Maybe “Metal Industrial” would be better suited? When we have time for a longer description we like to say it’s a kick in the nuts with a brick on our collective shoe! Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. We like to blend genres with metal being the first and then mixing in electronic, punk, gothic and hardcore, etc.
Bizz Bernius: I would describe our sound as a horror movie soundtrack on steroids.

AL: What can you tell us about the band’s new album?
MH: Our debut North American album is titled “Pariah” It was released on March 11th via Eclipse Records. Christian Olde Wolders who used to be in Fear Factory produced the record along with some bonus remixes by Travis Neal (Divine Heresy), Angel (Dope) and Mortiis. The foundation of the album is “Industrial Metal”. We try to make each song have a particular feel, and throw in all kinds of different styles to achieve that. The album has everything from high level triplets and double kicks to slow brooding grooves. We want people to make up their own minds after hearing it and take from it what they want.
OF: Every review thus far has found something different in “Pariah” which is great. That’s what the album is. It’s a blend of heavy genres that we like to listen to.

AL: Are there plans to tour in support of the release?
MH: Yes! We hope to tour in North America as soon as we can. We want to get out there and play for as many people as possible. We are planning a tour but as right now we can’t yet announce the specifics.
BB: Absofuckinglutely! I can’t wait to tour my home country now that I am in an Australian band. How strange is that? (Laughs)

AL:  Coming from Australia, what do you feel is the hardest part about getting your music heard in different countries other than your own (for example the united States)?
MH: With so much of what a band does now being online, it makes the world a smaller place. Getting our music out on the radio, TV, YouTube or online in general is just as easy for us as it would be for any other band foreign or not. The hardest part for us is getting to play live in other countries and giving people the opportunity to hear our songs in their raw form. We pride ourselves on our live shows. That distance between North America, Australia or Europe is the hardest thing. It costs a lot more money for us to get places so it’s an uphill battle in those terms but, we like it that way.
BB: The expense of touring outside Australia is very high. Flights alone are just ridiculous! (Laughs)

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, enemy, pariah, talks

Matt Sorum talks about solo project Fierce Joy and album “Stratosphere”

Matt Sorum has been the drummer for such legendary bands as The Cult, Velvet Revolver and Gun’s N’ Roses. Matt’s newest musical endeavor is a solo project titled “Matt Sorum’s Fierce Joy”. The album simply titled “Stratosphere” comes out of Matt’s desire to give back while also addressing his past with startling insight and maturity. Media Mikes had the pleasure of speaking with Matt recently about the creation of the album and his evolution as a musician and person.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on how you started working on this new album?
Matt Sorum: I have always been a fan of acoustic guitar. I will generally sit down and write a song when I am having some sort of emotional feeling. That is my outlet. I have acoustic guitars all around my house. I will just pick them up and start playing. A lot of this record was compiled from cassette tapes I had made as I used to keep a cassette player around to record these ideas when I had them. When I got ready to put this album together I knew I wanted it to be around my other love of music that is a bit separate from my love of rock and roll. I love artists like Tom Petty, Lou Reed and Joni Mitchell. I have this whole other set of music that I love and I wanted to do something in that vein. When I started putting everything together I noticed that my style was geared more towards that type of Americana writing. I grew up on progressive music and that is another influence that came out on this record. I spent a week out in the desert with these riffs and ideas and wrote 8 or 9 of the tracks. I didn’t have any distractions and I was able to just write. Things worked out well and I had this great channel of energy. I stumbled on to a way of writing which allowed me to really flow. In the past I had a collaborator help me with the writing but on this new record I did most of it myself. It felt really good to be able to do that. When it came time to put the record out I knew I could record it at my home studio and I could bring in musicians but there was more a lot more to it. I ended up starting my own label with an investor friend of mine and we called it Rok Dok Recordings. We did everything ourselves and it was a lot of fun. This was just a great experience all the way around. Having total control of your music is a great feeling.

AL: Can you tell us about some of the musicians who played on the album?
MS: I knew stylistically where I wanted to go with this and it was going to be in a different wheel house so to speak. If I wanted to make a rock album that would have been pretty easy but with the sound I was going for with “Stratosphere” things were a little different. I picked the drummer because I didn’t play drums on the album. That was probably the hardest thing for me. I started with Paul Ill on bass. He has played with everyone from Tina Turner to Linda Perry. Paul was very instrumental in putting the band together. He brought in some really great players that have played with tons of people and appeared on a lot of great albums. The guys who played on the record are going to be the same group I take out on the road with me when that time comes. These guys put their hearts and souls in to this record I really appreciate that.

AL: Can you tell us about the webisodes you created to document the creation of the album?
MS: I was trying to come up with a way to get the material out there and make people aware of it. Even before I did the album I knew I was going to shoot all of from the rehearsals to the actual recording. I have seen this idea done before and I know people want to be invested in a project or have a part of it. I ended up doing a series of 5 episodes that will be released over a period of time prior to the album release. After the album comes out there will continue to be new episodes being released. We want to be able to just keep building momentum. We have a tone of stuff recorded that we want to share with the fans.

AL: What do you feel is going to be the biggest challenge in getting fans to see you outside of your normal “rock” element?
MS: I could have easily sat back and made a rock album. I know rock and roll very well so that probably wouldn’t have taken very long. It’s easy for me to write rock songs but it never feels as satisfying to me. I like rock and roll as an energy and a feeling that is separate from what I felt when I was writing the material on this new record. I don’t feel I could have written rock songs that go as deep in to my psyche as these songs do as it’s a different energy. I hope fans look at it as either being good music or bad music. They don’t know me as a singer so I just hope they like the different style and notice that I can sing. I hope people who have known me or have been a fan of me for a long time will sit down and give this record a chance. I want people to be able to see me in a different light.

AL: Do you feel you are past the point now of ever doing Gun’s N Roses again?
MS: I think you have to be past it. I have been past it for a long time now. The expectations will just kick your ass if you don’t move on. There’s not a day in my life that I don’t get asked about the band. I look at that as two fold. It’s sort of a blessing and a curse. (Laughs) It’s really more of a blessing. Being a part of that legacy for the time that I was a part of it was a blessing. That time really paved the way for the rest of my life. That was a great experience in my life and was one of the greatest rock bands ever! I have to look at it with respect and thank the fans and the other band members for including me. I will look back at the height of things with the band which I was there for and say “I did it”. That might be the way it should be left. We all have other things going on outside of Gun’s N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver that we are very happy doing.

AL: What other projects to do you have in the works?
MS: I really need to get this stuff with Fierce Joy out there. This project is where I can really show my artistic roots. It’s a cathartic thing that you have to do. Some people write in a book or diary or maybe go to a shrink. (Laughs) For me I chose to do that with this record. My band Kings of Chaos are going to be going out on the road and were set to break off a bunch of new stuff for this summer. We are going to be doing something called “The Celebration of Rock and Roll”. This will be with guys I have known for 25/30 years. We are going to be in a lot of different places with that. I am going to try and do all of this.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, fierce, joy, matt, project, solo, ...

Firewind’s Gus G. talks about new solo album “I Am The Fire”

Gus G. is probably best known as the guitarist for heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and for his own band Firewind. Gus can no add solo artist to his impressive list as in early March he will release his debut solo album titled ”I Am The Fire” via Century Media Records. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Gus recently about the new album and its creation.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about your new album “I Am the Fire”?
Gus G.: This is my first solo album and it features a lot of different collaborations with a variety of musicians. There are guest bass players, singers and drummers. It’s a bit of a different approach this time around especially if you compare it to what I have done with Firewind.  This solo album I wouldn’t even classify as heavy metal. I think it’s definitely more of a hard rock album. There a mixture of styles and it showcases a different side and background of my playing. You will hear a lot of acoustic and instrumental type sounds on this record.

AL: What made now the best time to release a solo album?
GG: We were on a break from Ozzy because he was out working with Black Sabbath and after our singer left Firewind in 2012 I had some ideas that I wanted explore however they didn’t really fit Firewind. After completing some prior commitments we decided to take a break while we searched for a new singer. This time off from both projects gave me the time to start working on these ideas while I was at home.

AL: Can you tell us about some of the guest appearances on the album?
GG: The main singer on the album is Mats Leven from the band Candlemass. He and I wrote 5 songs together and he sings on 4 of those. I did a song with the band Devour the Day which is actually the first single off the record titled. I also worked with Michael Starr from Steel

Panther and David Ellefson from Megadeth. There were a lot of people involved in the creation of this album. Jay Ruston who produced the album was very instrumental in bringing a lot of these guys in to the project. I took things track by track and Jay guided me through things.

AL: How did you go about putting the songs together for the record and did you make any adjustments to your guitar tone or playing?
GG: I mainly write the music. I will start from there and then go back and work on lyrics. I wanted to have people co-write with so I may have had a song title or something like that but for the most part I would send the tracks out and just tell whoever to surprise me. That’s really how we did things on this album. For the tone side of things I pretty much used all the same gear I normally use. I did experiment a little but you can still hear my sound and style on the record. I tried some new tones on this one and also id some acoustic guitar playing as well.

AL: Can you tell us why you chose “My Will Be Done” to be the first single release?
GG: I thought that track was going to be pretty suitable for radio. It has a sound that I think would fit well in to that format. I had hooked up with Devour the Day through my label and when I first heard their material it blew me away. When we started writing the song I knew it was going to one that was very strong and could be a single.

AL: Have you started to plan out any touring to help support the release?
GG: Yes. I will be starting out with some shows in Greece and then in May I will be tour with Marty Friedman called “Guitar Universe”. There have been talks about hitting some of the festivals this summer and I would love to tour the States as well.

AL: Has there been anything mentioned as to when you and Ozzy will start working together again?
GG: There has been nothing official yet. He is pretty busy with Black Sabbath and there is nothing I can really confirm. I don’t know a lot about that stuff. (Laughs) I know when he is ready we will all be there with him.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, fire, firewinds, gus, solo, talks, ...

American Fangs’ Micah Miller talks about band’s first full-length album

Micah Miller is the drummer for the Houston, TX band American Fangs. The group released their first full-length album titled “American Fangs” in March of 2013 and will be performing during this year’s South by South West Musical Festival. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Micah recently about the group’s formation, the creation of the album and the group’s recent appearance at Ship Rocked.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the formation of the band?
Micah Miller: Our singer Gabe and our guitarist Kenyon were actually in a previous band together. When that band stopped there was some time between projects. We had friends from around the Houston music scene who also were without bands and we would all get together from time to time and drink beer and play music. From there things just sort of ended up sticking with all of us forming this band.

AL: Can you tell us about the band’s debut album?
MM: It was sort of a roller coaster to get this album out. We started out just being a band in 2007 for fun really. In 2008 is when we started to make the band a consistent thing. We released an EP on our own and picked up some management. We had a few record label offers at this time as we were out on the road touring. We ended up signing with a label and went in and recorded an entire album. Within 2 weeks of turning that in the label went under. We decided to just continue on with touring in hopes another label would pick us up. We put around 150,000 miles on our van and just couldn’t get a deal. When it looked like we were going to hang it up Sony came along and offered to work with us. They didn’t know our label had gone under and were really big fans of the band. That rejuvenated us. This album is a culmination of songs we were playing in our live set that we love so much.

AL: How did working on this album compare to the work you did on the “Pomona” EP?
MM: It was very different. When we were working on “Pomona” we were all living together in a house while playing gigs on the weekend and working day jobs. A friend of ours built a studio in the dining room of the house and that’s where we recorded things. We would get home from work and record our ideas. It was a very slow process as we didn’t have any real time table. We wanted to come up with a small collection of songs that we were really proud of. With the LP we flew out to Long Island and worked with Mike Watts. There was a time line this time and a lot of other stuff. We went in with about 30 songs. From there we narrowed it down to about 11 and started working with Mike to make various parts better. Some songs were ones that had been around longer than others and we re-worked parts of those as well. I think we were more focused with the full length.

AL: The band just got back from performing on this year’s Ship Rocked cruise. Can you tell us about that experience?
MM: It was pretty crazy but exciting at the same time. There was a really good line up that featured well known bands and newer acts like us. We weren’t sure if anyone would come and see us as our first set was at the same time as Three Days Grace. It ended up being really cool. Jacoby and Jerry from Papa Roach came out and as the set went on the room filled in more and more. We got a great response and it was really fun. Each set we did after that got bigger and bigger. A lot of the other bands would come out and watch us which was great because we grew up idolizing a lot of those guys. It was pretty surreal. If only the water had been warmer. (Laughs)

AL: What other plans does the band have for this year?
MM: We are doing a few local shows in Houston but until the South by South West festival were going to be off the radar. That’s going to be kind of odd because last year we did around 120 shows. It just feels odd but it’s nice to be at home. We have a few offers on the table to head back over to the UK in the spring but we are still working out all of those details.

 

Related Content

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, american, bands, debut, fangss, micah, ...

Ciscandra Nostalghia talks about band’s new album “Chrysalis”

Ciscandra (pronounced Casandra) is the front woman for the 3 piece electronic act Nostalghia. The group is set to release a new album in April titled “Chrysalis” and Media Mikes spoke with Ciscandra recently about the new album, the group’s foundation and how different audiences respond to the group’s unique sound.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us how you first met up with Roy Gnan?
Ciscandra Nostalghia: I was looking for a band mate who wasn’t going to waste my time. There are a lot of people out here in Los Angeles that aren’t super passionate about what they do. I was really looking for someone who was attached to their art and music as much as I am. I posted a very simple add with what I was looking for and Roy found that add via Google. He sent me some of his music and I thought it was very beautiful. I sent him some of mine after that as I didn’t want to meet in person until we worked back and forth some. We made our first song together via emails and when it was all completed is when we actually met in person for the first time.

AL: How would you classify your sound?
CN: We have an orchestral electronic sound. The music is very organic as there are strings and piano mixed with these electronic elements. There some very interesting programming stuff going on as Roy is a genius when it comes to that sort of thing.

AL: Can you tell us about your upcoming album?
CN: We have a new album coming out titled “Chrysalis” which will be released on April 8th. I am really excited about this release. However prior to the release will be in Australia playing the Sound Wave festival with Thirty Seconds to Mars.

AL: How does the process work between you and Roy when working on new material?
CN: Typically I will write a song very quickly and then take it to Roy and visual explain to him what I am seeing through the song. We will then collaborate on the production and orchestration of the track.

AL: Has there been talks of releasing a single along with a corresponding video?
CN: I actually just finished shooting a new music video. There is already a video out for the song “Cool for Chaos” which is off the new album. The new video has some really cool old style footage that I edited together to give it this vintage feel that is both heavy and dark. I don’t want to give too much away just yet though.

AL: What type of tour plans do you have in place for this year?
CN: After Sound Wave we will be most likely jumping on another tour. We aren’t sure which one yet but we will definitely be out on the road. With the album coming out in April we will be touring a lot. I also am always writing and creating so I will be quite busy.

AL: Having played all over the world what type of differences do you notice in the various audiences?
CN: We played a show in Mexico that was just so warm and welcoming. The audiences there are curious fans that love music especially music that is dark and emotional like ours. You certainly get different reactions in different places. I think that it’s due in part largely to what’s happening within the country itself. There’s a reason Mexico loves dark, moody, emotive music. The vibe is different in each country we go to.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, bands, chrysalis, ciscandra, nostalghias, talks, ...

Monte Pittman talks about newest solo album “The Power of Three”

Monte Pittman is an accomplished solo artist/guitarist who has played with everyone from Adam Lambert and Prong to being a part of Madonna’s touring band since 2001. Monte’s newest solo titled “The Power of Three” is melding of styles which were produced by legendary heavy metal producer Flemming Rasmussen. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Monte recently about the new album and how he diversifies his playing style.

Adam Lawton: What was it that first inspired you to pick up the guitar?
Monte Pittman: The first thing that sparked it all was being 3 years old and discovering my sister’s Kiss records. I’ve wanted to play music since I can remember. I don’t recall ever wanting to do anything else. When I was 13, I finally got my first guitar. A year later I started taking lessons with the best guitar teacher in the area, started my first band, and played my first gig.

AL: Can you give us some background on your new album “Power of Three”
MP: It combines some of the styles that I grew up listening to and that I still listen to today. Sometimes as the years pass by you can fall out of touch with a band you grew up listening to but there are also albums that are just as good as the first time you heard them when listening today. I looked at the kind of songs I was missing in my live set and wrote them.

AL: Your previous solo release was also titled “Power of Three” Are there any links other than the name between the two?
MP: Originally, it was going to be 3 EP’s and that would be my third album. A couple things changed all of that. One was when Flemming Rasmussen pushed me to focus on the heavy material I was writing. Another was playing when Flemming and I recorded for Brian Slagel and him signing me to Metal Blade. If I had to do it all over again, I would have called it “Another Lesson I’ve Learned” which is the first acoustic song on that EP. Also, retailers don’t want you to call a recording a title that is a music format. “M.P.3: The Power of Three, Pt. 1” meant “Monte Pittman 3”. Now I look at it as that EP ends the chapter, or Part 1, of my previous releases and Metal Blade’s “The Power of Three” begins a new dawn.

AL: Can you tell us about the video for “Before the Mourning Son” and what made you choose that song to release as a single
MP: When I played the album for Brian Slagel, he wanted to play “A Dark Horse” & “Before The Mourning Son” for the rest of the Metal Blade staff. That’s why I chose those as the first two singles. We had done an “artwork / order now” video for “A Dark Horse” so when it came time to make a “performance” video, I went with “Before the Mourning Son”. The song showcases a lot of different things too so it was the perfect choice.

AL: Being a metal guitarist what types of steps to do you take to adjust your sound/style when working with acts like Adam Lambert and Madonna?
MP: Madonna has just about every style you can play with well over 30 years of an outstanding career. I just approach each song with a fresh outlook on what it needs for the time we are doing it. We rarely repeat ourselves. For Adam, I wanted his band to have as much balls as I could bring to the table. I was concerned with other singers from that show having bands that almost reminded you of karaoke and I thought he should have a strong band that worked for the venues he was playing. It has to have attitude and passion behind the music because that’s what translates to the audience. Just playing the overproduced multi tracks and trying to pass that off to the audience doesn’t cut it. I wanted the band to be a “band”. Not some people way back there in the dark. That came back to bite me in the end but it is essential to play to your crowd and be one with your audience.

AL: Are there plans to tour behind the release and what other plans do you have for 2014?
MP: I’m playing March 12 in Austin for SXSW. I’m playing March 14th in Dallas and March 16th in Longview. Now I’m connecting the dots there and back. On April 5th at The Whisky, it’s me, Holy Grail & Gypsyhawk. Keep checking in at www.montepittman.com for all of the latest news.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, monte, newest, pittman, power, solo, ...

Richie Ramone talks about his 2014 tour and debut solo album “Entitled”

Former Ramones drummer Richie Ramone who was a member of the legendary punk group from 1982-1987 and penned such classic songs as “Somebody Put Something in my Drink” and “I’m Not Jesus” has just returned to the music scene after an extended hiatus with a debut album titled “Entitled”. To support the release Richie and his band our out touring the U.S. and Europe and Media Mikes sat down with Richie recently to discuss his time with the Ramones and why he felt now was the time to release a solo album.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us how you originally were chosen to join the Ramones?
Richie Ramone: There was a big 3 storey house in Brooklyn were we all used to party and hangout. There was also a recording studio there. I just happened to be there one day and Little Matt who was a roadie for the Ramones was leaving after hanging out and I happened to ask him where he was going. He told me that the Ramones were auditioning new drummers and that he had to be there. I told him to my name in the hat for consideration and a short time later I got a call from Monte Melnick the bands manager and the rest is history. I just happened to be in that building at the right time. I didn’t know any of those guys initially as it was an open audition.

AL: What was the band atmosphere like when you joined?
RR: They were worn out. Things were good but of course Joey and Johnny tended to fight a lot. I was just this kid from New Jersey. I was new blood and once I got in there things just settled down. When someone new comes to the band everyone is on their best behavior. (Laughs) It was a good climate in that band for many years. John and I both loved baseball and when I first joined we would go to games at the different ball parks together. Sadly as time went on and it came time to do business things just didn’t work.

AL: What is your take on the recent marketing explosion of Ramones merchandise that often doesn’t include yours, Marky or Cj’s names?
RR: They won’t put mine or Marky’s name on the t-shirts anymore. Apparently the one with Tommy is the biggest seller. If you are able to find an original Richie shirt it’s worth around $300 or more. I’m not part of that merchandising thing anyhow and these days I have mine own merchandise and things are fine. I know the Ramones still sell around 20-25,000 records a year and things are going well. I think things were a bit cheapened when after I left they tried to make it seem like I never existed. People knew I was there. I went through a lull for awhile and now I have risen to the top.

AL: Being you along with CJ were both very instrumental in the continuation/success of the Ramones what were your feelings toward being excluded from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions?
RR: When you see bands with multiple members in a situation like that there really needs to be a decision to take everyone or just the original core members. That’s how it’s supposed to work and when the Ramones went in it didn’t work that way. I still went to the ceremony and spoke on Joey’s behalf. It all worked out. Big fucking deal I didn’t get a statue.

AL: Why did you choose now to come out with a solo album?
RR: I have no idea! I didn’t even pick up a drum stick for 10 or 12 years. In 2006 Joey’s brother Mickey invited to me to perform at the Joey Birthday Bash. That kind of got the fever going. In 2007 I did “Suite for Drums and Orchestra” with the Pasadena Pops and did some shows and then did a few more Birthday Bashes the following 2 or 3 years. From there I started writing and the material turned out real good. People started saying that I should do an album. I had never done a solo record before and one thing just sort of led to another and here I am now. Things weren’t really ever planned they just happened.

AL: How did you go about putting together the material and the band which plays on the record?
RR: I wrote all of the stuff in my home studio. I found Tommy Boland who plays guitar on the record through a friend of mine. I play all the instruments but for this I needed real players. Tommy added a lot of color. I knew I wanted a little heavier guitar sound with solos. I wanted a little metal in there and that’s what I got with Tommy. Jiro Okabe came in and played bass on the record. Playing the material live is a little different. Tommy wasn’t available for this run and Jiro’s vocals didn’t work so I let him go. The live sound has to be a little harder as it’s more stripped down. There are only 4 of us up there and we don’t use any backing tracks. We just plug in and go. This line up of Clare Misstake on bass, Alex Kane on guitar, and Ben Reagan on guitar/drums is really fucking good. I am excited to be out with them.

AL: Where do you generally start when working on new material?
RR: It happens all different ways. Sometimes it starts with a beat, sometimes with a chord progression or a lyric idea. I am not a guy who writes about politics or anything like that. I just write about stuff that happens in my life. A lot of times what’s happening in your life is also happening in other peoples as well.

AL: The U.S. tour runs through March. Does the band have any plans scheduled after that?
RR: We will be heading to South America for the month of May and then will be in Europe and Italy in June. We are going to be touring all of this year. We have to see how this all goes and maybe will do another record. I have more material that I have been thinking about but I want to see how well this first record is going to be received. If the kids want more I am going to give them more.

AL: What has the overall reception been like for the record/tour?
RR: The reception has been real good. Especially from the people who come out to the shows who already have the album. It’s hard if no one has listened to the record before hand because there’s no relationship built around those songs yet. Some fans coming out may get a little bewildered at the new material. That was a big part of why a waited a couple months to tour behind the release as I wanted people to have a chance to sit with the material.

AL: What do you feel is the biggest change in the music scene now as compared to the 1980’s?
RR: In the old days you generally just hid from the fans. I would put my sunglasses and just stay hidden. Now you are totally exposed. It’s a huge difference! Touring is still touring. You’re riding in a van all day and then wait in a cold room till you go on. The music industry has changed also. I just come out and have fun with the fans as that’s who it’s all about. 5 minutes after our set is done I am out at the merch table meeting everyone and taking pictures with them. They pay their hard earned money and we give them a show.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: 2014, album, debut, entitled, ramone, richie, ...

Don Jamieson talks about VH1’s “That Metal Show” & new comedy album “Hell Bent for Laughter”

Don Jamieson is a veteran stand-up comedian who can be seen weekly on VH1 Classics popular television series “That Metal Show”. Along with co-host Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk the trio spread the word of all things metal while incorporating in studio interviews with everyone from Zakk Wylde to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. Media Mikes spoke with Don recently about his work on the show and about his upcoming comedy album titled “Hell Bent for Laughter”.

Adam Lawton: How did you first get connected with Eddie Trunk?
Don Jamieson: Jim Florentine and I were fans of Eddie’s radio show which is on here in the NY/NJ area. We usually always listened to his show on our way back from some awful comedy gig that was out in the middle of nowhere that we didn’t get paid for. The only solace we would have from those crappy gigs back in the day was to get in to the “Trunk Zone”. On his show Eddie would talk about all the bands that we grew up listening to and really loved. Eddie was just like as so we had to meet him. Today they call it stalking (laughs) but we basically just walked around some shows until we found him and we all ended up becoming best friends. It’s great to all be working together on the VH1 Classic show.

AL: What were the first ideas mentioned about doing the show?
DJ: After we had become friends with Eddie he would have us on his radio show as guests and we were basically doing what would become the television show however on the radio at that time. We just talked about music and sat in when there were guests. We broke each other’s balls then just like we do now and there was some good chemistry there. We figured we would try and find someone crazy enough to put this on television.

AL: What has fan reception been like since returning to New York for season 13?
DJ: We loved doing the show in Los Angeles and being recognized while walking up and down the Sunset Strip was pretty. However were all East Coast guys and we missed taping in New York. I look out in to the audience there and see a lot of the same people who I used to see at L’Amour’s in Brooklyn in 1986. It really is a lot of fun.

AL: Did the push to move back to NY come from you guys or from the fans?
DJ: The network controls everything. We may seem like we are in control of stuff but really we have less control than the Amish. (Laughs)

AL: You guys always seem to be having fun in front of the camera but can you tell us what it’s like behind the scenes?
DJ: There is a lot of farting going on. Not much else goes on other than listening to music while crop dusting one another. (Laughs) We usually go over notes a little bit but with all three of us being metal heads now for 35/40 years it’s easy for us to sit down and have a conversation with one another along with our guest/guests. We like to just try and stay loose. We break each other’s balls and have a good time while talking about music.

AL: Has there been one guest in particular that has stuck out as a personal favorite of yours?
DJ: There has been a bunch. I will always love the stuff we did with Brian Johnson, Lemmy and Alice Cooper. I love the classic guys as those are the bands I came up with. Lemmy is seriously like my idol! I wish he would have adopted me. As far as the television show goes I love guests who are very outspoken and who tell it like it is. The season we had Ted Nugent on and to me that’s the ultimate guest. That guy holds nothing back and shoots straight from the hip. Sometimes guys like that can be polarizing but at the same time you know you are going to watch. You can’t wait to see what they are going to say next.

AL: How much of the show would you say is scripted?
DJ: We never plan what we are going to say to one another. That was the tuff part about putting the show together was how three people were going to interview one guest. Luckily we had worked out some of those kinks on the radio over the years. I can look out the corner of my eye and see if Jim or Eddie has a question they want to ask. We have some good non-verbal cues of how we are going to sort things out. We are fans just like the people watching so the questions we ask aren’t scripted. Hopefully we are asking the stuff that fans like us want to know. My favorite interviews are always the ones where you don’t get to the questions you want to ask because things ended up going a totally different but cool way. We just save those questions for when the guest comes back next time.

AL: Can you tell us about some of the things you have going on outside of the show?
DJ: I have my second stand-up album coming out March 18th on Metal Blade Records and it’s called “Hell Bent for Laughter”. This is my second album with them and I did a lot of hard rock and metal jokes as compared to my last album. That has become such a big part of my life and it would be hard to get up on a stage and not talk about that stuff.

AL: Being that you have pretty close ties to the hard/rock metal community do you find yourself checking your material on that subject a little more now than in the past?
DJ: If something gets a laugh on stage I am going to keep doing it. When I did the Orion Festival with Metallica I did some jokes about them with James and Lars right there. If the jokes funny it’s funny and it’s nothing for anyone to get offended by. I think most people know that this stuff comes from the heart. When you are with your buddies you break each other’s balls. That’s how you show affection for one another. You never say just go up to your buddy and say “I love you” unless your drunk in a bar somewhere. (Laughs) You bust on them for 10 minutes and they know you care.

AL: You and the other guys from the show have started doing some live shows together. Do you have any of those coming up in the near future?
DJ: Jim, Eddie and I go out and do these really fun stage shows. Eddie tells a bunch of hilarious rock and roll stories and Jim and I will do some stand-up. We also do some Q&A with the audience which is a lot of fun. Sometimes we bring up special guests if the situation occurs. If people want to find out where we are going to be they can check out my website at www.donjamieson.com or Follow me on Twitter @realdonjamieson

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: album, bent, comedy, don, jamieson, laughter, ...

Sick Puppies’ Shim Moore talks about band’s latest album “Connect”

Shim Moore is the guitarist/vocalist for the Australian rock group Sick Puppies. The group appeared in the 2009 documentary “Rock Prophecies” which followed the career of acclaimed music photographer Robert Knight. The film played heavily in to the bands continued success and they are set to headline this year’s Revolver Magazine “Hottest Chicks Tour” which also will feature Lacuna Coil, Eyes Set to Kill and Culver. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Shim about the bands appearance in the film, the group’s latest album “Connect” and what he’s most looking forward to about getting back on the road.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the bands involvement with Revolver Magazines “Hottest Chicks” tour?
Shim Moore: Revolver has done a couple spreads on the band and they have always been real advocates for us. We also were fans of the magazine so when they came to us with the offer of doing a girl branded tour we were all in. I am looking forward to seeing all of the bands on this tour and it’s going to be a really great time.

AL: How have things changed for the band since being featured in “Rock Prophecies”?
SM: It’s sort of funny how that all worked. The film was made during the time that we were in the process of building our fan base. It was finally released until 2 years after that. By the time the film was released we were actually do better compared to how we looked in the film. People had started to hear of us when they saw the film so it has helped people find out about by more than just hearing one of our songs. Some people found out about us through the film or the heard that we were in the film and decided to watch it. We sort of helped each other in a way. It was great being able to do that because it documented that time in our lives. Without it we probably wouldn’t have anything from that time because it was so chaotic.

AL: Was it hard having the cameras around during such a chaotic time in the bands career?
SM: Not really. They would shoot a couple days at a time and then leave for a bit. It wasn’t very intensive. They would come out and shoot a gig and do some interviews then leave to film some of the other bands seen in the film.

AL: Can you tell us about the work that went in to the bands most recent release “Connect”?
SM: With this album we knew we wanted to make a more song oriented record. We really got in to the song writing element when we were first building things. Once we had a few songs that seemed to be a step up from our previous work is when we decided to really spend that extra time on the record. We went in with around 100 songs and worked on them for about a year. When it came time to start producing we didn’t do a lot of layering we just played until it sounded good and once it sounded great we would stop. We wanted to have more of a classic feel. The band is always going to sound like the band as we know what to do and with the latest record we wanted to add another level to that.

AL: The United States can sometimes be difficult for bands from other countries to break into. Did your band ever experience any difficulties being from Australia?
SM: I think it was actually the opposite for us. Australia is very nit-picky and has a very specific attitude towards what music they are going to embrace. There has to be this sort of cool factor even though it’s not based on what is really cool. It’s more about looking like you don’t give a fuck. If you look like your trying to be more than you are then everyone thinks you are trying too hard or faking it. America is the total opposite. They want to see what you’ve got. We moved over to the States to be the biggest band we could be. We wanted to play everywhere we could and evolve as a band. It’s a much more genuine give and take in the U.S. If you put something out and people like it they buy it. If you do a show people come and check it out. Some people don’t even realize were from Australia because of how we have chosen to do things.

AL: What other plans does the band have for this year?
SM: We are working on releasing the next single off the record. That’s going to be the title track “Connects”. From there were going to be out on the Revolver tour until March and then we head overseas for most April. We are in talks for more touring later this year and fans who want to see where we will be they can check out the bands website at www.sickpuppies.com

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, bands, connect, latest, moore, puppies, ...
« sdf
Previous
Page 16 of 22
Next
Next Page »