Catching Up With James Christian of House of Lords

Catching Up With James Christian of House of Lords
Interviewed by: Roger Scales

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Catching Up With Jason Bonham and His Led Zeppelin Experience

If you have a favorite Zeppelin song, Jason Bonham and company probably performed it on Halloween night in Boston.

Bonham’s “Led Zeppelin Experience” is more than “just” a concert: rather, by incorporating film footage from his family’s archive along with commentary by Jason, it’s also an homage to the late John Bonham, his father and Led Zeppelin’s legendary drummer. For a big Zep fan, it was a really fun show to experience. Among the many highlights, Jason plays along with footage of his father on the famous Moby Dick drum solo from the concert film The Song Remains The Same.

I had a chance to catch up with Jason after the show, and he shed light on a few topics.

Interviewed by: Ilya Mirman

Some bands try to play Zeppelin note for note; others strive to mimic the mannerisms, the theatrics of The Song Remains The Same.  How do you approach it?

I play it like I played it with the boys [Led Zeppelin].  As Robert Plant told me, “stop trying to be like your Dad – be like Jason, and it’ll come naturally.”  So I play from the heart, and it works.

What’s the most enjoyable song for you to play?

“When the Levee Breaks” – because of just how we all sound together.  The Moby Dick solo [playing along with the film footage of John Bonham] is also great to do, but it’s the most focused I am during the set.

When did it sink in that your childhood was different from others – playing with Jimmy Page, members of Bad Company, etc…

It never sank in!  Well, maybe not until much later – when I was 24 or so.

Do you line your drum with tinfoil, like your Dad?

That’s rubbish! He never did that.

What are the projects you have in the works, beyond the Led Zeppelin Experience?

With Black Country Communion, we have a DVD out at the moment, doing very well in the charts – debuted at #8 in the US, #1 in Norway, Sweden, etc.  We’re also planning to record album #3.

I’ll also be recording more with Joe Bonamassa; Joe Walsh [of Eagles fame] called me up inquiring about my schedule, so we’ll be doing something as well.  So really, quite a busy schedule!

Ever had the urge to throw a TV set out of a hotel window to honor your old man, and if so, how much less satisfying are today’s flat screen TVs compared to the CRTs of yore?

[Laughs] Yeah, it’s much less fun – no big explosion anymore!  The glass is thicker these days, and it’s liable to bounce back and hit you! I’m kidding – never actually tried it.  But I did stay at the Hyatt in  where Dad stayed [and threw a TV out the window], and nowadays you cannot open the windows – for that very reason!

OK, my bass player is making me ask: next time you’re in town, maybe you’ll sit in with our band?

Ha!  Sure, why not…if I’m around!

LZE covered a rich swath of Zeppelin’s catalog:

Rock n Roll
Celebration Day
Immigrant Song
Your Time Is Gonna Come
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
What Is & What Should Never Be
Lemon Song
Thank You
Dazed and Confused
Moby Dick
The Ocean
Over The Hills and Far Away
Since Ive Been Loving You
In The Light
When The Levee Breaks
Kashmir
Stairway To Heaven
Whole Lotta Love

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience has tour dates through November 18th, check their official site for the remaining dates.

Catching Up With Maika Maile of There For Tomorrow

There For Tomorrow have the world at their fingertips.  Their new album, The Verge, came out last month and the band spent all summer on Warped Tour showing off the new material.  We tracked down front man Maika Maile to catch up on what the band has been up to.

Interviewed by:  Mandi Loranger
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Catching Up With John Wetton

John Wetton may be most well known for his involvment with Asia, but the multi-talented bassist, singer and songwriter recently released a new solo album titled Raised in Captivity.

TWRY recently caught up with him to get the scoop on the new album!

Interviewed by:  Roger Scales
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Taki Sassaris of Eve To Adam

Eve To Adam are the true epitome of rock – never afraid to risk it all for their craft, they’ve had their share of ups and downs throughout their career but when it comes down to the music, they’ve stayed true to themselves and really, what’s more rock and roll than that?

 The band (Brothers Taki Sassaris on vocals and Alex Sassaris on drums, Gaurav Bali on guitar and newcomer Eric Bergmann on bass) is back with new management and a whole new energy surrounding their new album Banquet For a Starving Dog, due out on September 13^th of this year.   The songs are honest, gritty, and if you don’t watch out, they’ll step right out and grab your soul. Fans have embraced the first single “Run Your Mouth” with open arms and the band has taken to the streets to test drive their new material on a current tour run with Saving Abel.

I recently caught up with frontman Taki Sassaris to talk about what’s been going on with the band, the making of the new album, and his hopes for the future of Eve To Adam.

Interviewed by:  Mary Ouellette

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Catching Up With Rick DeJesus of Adelitas Way

Catching Up With…Rick DeJesus of Adelitas Way
Interviewed by:  Justin Bartz
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Mitch James of Crossfade

The past few years haven’t been an easy ride for Crossfade.   After releasing two albums on Columbia Records – their hugely successful debut self-titled release in 2006 and the follow up titled Falling Away –  the band was unceremoniously dropped in 2008.   It sent them into a downward spiral for awhile but their saving grace turned out to be their music.  Left a little bitter by the experience the band didn’t really know what the future held for them but their love for music and their friendship brought them together to start writing new music together once again.

Eleven Seven Music soon showed interest in the band and signed them.  The writing process for their debut release on Eleven Seven Music would take the band down exciting new paths resulting in their latest album We All Bleed, released on June 21, 2011.  With the first single “Killing Me Inside” rocking the way for the rest of the new songs, the band wrote a much darker and heavier album than we’ve heard from them in the past, much due to their experiences over the last few years.  The songs are rich in layers and textures and the lyrics are honest and in your face.  Crossfade has a message and We All Bleed delivers it loud and clear.

TWRY recently caught up with bassist Mitch James to catch up on everything the bands been up to, the writing process, and their new album.

Interviewed by:  Mary Ouellette

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George Lynch

When George Lynch started digging into the writing process for his latest solo album Kill All Control, the intent was to write a new Souls of We album however, what would follow is a solo album with contributions from four different lead vocalists and a bevy of guest appearances.  On vocals the album offers up tracks with London LeGrand (Souls of We), Will Marten (Earshot), Marc Torien ( Bulletboys), and Keith St. John ( Montrose) – why pick one lead singer when you can showcase four of the best!

Kill All Control also features “Son of Scary”, a song that follows up one of Lynch’s most beloved instrumental tracks written during his time in Dokken, “Mr. Scary”.   “Son of Scary” also has a guest appearance on it, Cinderella drummer Fred Coury offers up his skin-bashing for the recording.

With a new solo album, a new Lynch Mob album in the works and a Lynch Mob tour on tap, you’d think that George would be short on free time, but somehow he’s managed to launch his own custom guitar company called ” Mr. Scary Guitars” selling custom, hand carved, guitars he creates – each one like a piece of art.

We recently had the opportunity to catch up with George to talk about the new solo album, Lynch Mob, his career and his new guitar company. 

Interviewed by:  Roger Scales
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David Brenner of Theory of a Deadman

On July 12^th Theory of a Deadman will release their fourth album titled The Truth Is…, fitting title given the band’s straightforward and unapologetic approach to music throughout their career.  Known for their honest lyrics about all that life has to throw at us, good times and bad, Theory of a Deadman deliver with an album that builds on the momentum they unleashed on their 2009 release Scars & Souvenirs.

Soundwise, the band offers up what you might expect – anthemic rockers in the form of the first single “Lowlife”,  smarmy, tongue in cheek rockers with crunchy guitars  with “The Bitch Came Back”  and larger than life choruses with “Hurricane”.  Although the sound is Theory of a Deadman through and through, the band did feel out some new territories introducing horns and strings on a few tracks.  And for any of you doubters, guitarist David Brenner assures “there’s definitely a place for horns in rock and roll!”

Theory of a Deadman have never been a band that take themselves too seriously, however when it comes to the music, they are all business.  According to frontman Tyler Connolly, “I want to make a great song that can help get fans through hard times. I want them to take that music with them for the rest of their lives. I’m trying to write songs and change people, make them laugh, smile, or sing along. That’s what I’m looking for.”  On The Truth Is… Theory of a Deadman delivers just that.

We recently had the chance to talk to David Brenner about the upcoming album, the writing process, and all things Theory of a Deadman.

Interviewed by:  Mary Ouellette

You’ve said that you really found your sound on your last album Scars & Souvenirs and continued to build on that momentum going into this new album– was that something you knew going into the writing process (finding your sound) or something that you felt developed more organically as you started writing?
I think it’s organic, I really feel like we were getting close on Gasoline. In my opinion that record sounds pretty close to Souvenirs with just some subtle changes here and there. The truth is, it was approached the same way we approached the last album which was to start writing music and see what feels natural. We go from there and we ended up with some songs that were super mellow and other songs were the heaviest we’ve ever played. I feel like we’re one of those bands that needs to really have some diversity on our records just to meet our own musical needs and because have a pretty diverse fan base.

So far the only new song I’ve heard is “Lowlife” because you’ve been playing it live and it has now been released as the first single. Can you tell me a bit about that song and how it came together? It’s got that anthemic vibe that you guys are so great at capturing.
It was actually a song that Tyler approached us with. We started jamming on the tune. It was weird but it started to feel like a song that had an anthemic vibe to it. We’re really aware of the songs, and sometimes they guide you, you don’t have to guide them. It just felt like one of those songs where the less you put into it, the better it turns out, the song just wrote itself as far as the music went. It was a simple song and we felt like the chorus was really the hook.

The band’s sense of humor has always played an important part in your songs and with a song named “The Bitch Came Back” I’m guessing that sense of humor comes into play, can you tell us about the song?
That’s actually an old nursery rhyme from back in the day. I think it might be a Canadian thing because whenever we talk to American’s they’ve never heard of it before but we grew up with it. The rhyme goes something like “..the cat came back the very next day..I thought he was a goner but the cat came back..he just couldn’t stay away..” Tyler has gone through some personal things with his divorce and personal life and he told me one day that he wanted to redo the nursery rhyme as “The Bitch Came Back”. Of course I knew the melody because I had grown up listening to it. He started playing it and I just started laughing. Something about the song must have struck him when he was dealing with something personal and I could just picture him singing it to himself. We just started jamming it and again and we liked the groove of it so much, it felt like a big band groove almost so we threw some horns on the song. We started introducing the horns on a few songs and they just turned out so good. We really didn’t expect that to happen but it worked out great.

Yeah I wanted to ask you about the horns because that’s something a little new for you. So you did use horns on other songs too?
We used them on one other songs. I think we could have used them on a couple of more but then you get into budgeting issues. The guys that played for us were the guys that played horns on Thriller. They come in, play, arrange it and ask us what we think. It was great. We don’t want the album to be so different that it doesn’t sound like us anymore though. Sometimes the songs just guide you and I don’t remember who it was but someone in the band just said “this song feels like it needs some horns” so we did it! So we did use the horns on one other song called “Gentleman”. They actually did the horns without us in the studio for that one because we were already out on the road so they recorded them and sent them to us and we made the changes from there. There was such an awesome trumpet solo at the end of this song “Gentleman” and we thought it was unbelievable. It’s weird when you introduce elements like that because you can’t emulate it live. Bringing out a string quartet and a horn trio sounds a bit excessive to bring out on the road but when you record new music you want the songs to be the best that they can be. The two songs with horns on them on the album are two of my favorites. I remember Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger had horns on it, so I keep trying to tell everyone that horns are rock n roll! There’s definitely a place for horns in rock and roll.

I know that one of the things that you personally like to bring to the band is a bit of a harder edge, are there any songs on the new album that were impacted by your love for the heavier stuff?
There’s a song on the album called “Drag me to Hell” that’s the heaviest song we’ve ever written. It’s got the best guitar solo. Tyler wanted to write a metal solo, something that guitar geeks would love, and he wrote this amazing solo. There are a few wicked solos. “Drag Me To Hell” is definitely the heaviest song we’ve ever written and I’m pretty excited about it.

On the last album, one of the songs (“Not Meant To Be”) was co-written with Kara DioGuardi and ended up being a bit of a crossover hit for you, did you bring anyone in to write with you on this album?
We did have some co-writes on this record as well. A lot of that stuff ends up being lyrical co-writes. Some of these people, like Kara DioGuiardi, who are so talented and just have the tongue for lyrics. “The Bitch Came Back” and “Gentleman” were both co-written with Kara, so the two songs that have horns. There are a few songs here and there that Tyler would get together with people and work on lyrics. I leave the lyrics to Tyler though. I love lyrics and lyrics are very important to me but it’s not my place to get involved with Tyler’s lyrics. He did collaborate with a few different people. For us, we don’t have egos, we just want to put the greatest possible record. A lot of times Tyler has the lyrics and the ideas and he’s just bouncing them off of other people and getting an outside an opinion from great songwriters. Kara’s got a resume that’s hard to argue with. I think she likes working with us too because we’ve got a sarcastic, dry since of humor and so does she. She’s not offended by us. We tend to wander around with no filter.

That kind of leads into my next question. You mentioned your sense of humor and you guys don’t take yourselves too seriously . Do you think that’s kind of a missing element in rock these days, too many new bands taking themselves a little too seriously?
A lot of the stuff to me starts with management and labels. Even us, early on in our careers, you have to have a manager who will go to bat for you who you are. Our early photo shoots for example don’t really show much of who we are. “Look serious” or “look mean” – it wasn’t really us. They try to manage your image and that might not fit your personality. I think that’s a great place for a manager to step in and say “no, that’s not this band” and for the band to voice their opinions as well. When you first get into it, you’re so green and you’re willing to jump through hoops that you normally wouldn’t be willing to jump through. Sometimes it takes a few albums to really find out who you are. Now I think here we are on our fourth record and we feel like old vets. We’ve been through so much industry bs and it just bounces right off of us. We run into bands on the road who aren’t having a good time, they hate it, they hate each other and we’re like “just go home”. We’re sick of you bringing us down. This is a great opportunity to play music for a living and they couldn’t be more miserable. They just don’t get it. I just say get over it. Rock and roll is about having a good time so enjoy playing and enjoy your fans – they deserve that.

You recently wrapped up the Avalanche Tour. I’m wondering what that experience was like for you as a band since in the past you’ve kind of been the newer kids on the block on tour (with Motley Crue, etc) and on this tour, you’re kind of the elder-statesmen (along with Stone Sour) – did you find the younger bands looking to you for any kind of advice or guidance?
The Art of Dying guys are Vancouver boys like us so we try to lead them astray and give them a lot of bad advice. We try to encourage them to say all the wrong things and then learn the lessons the right way. I think that when we first started we toured with Three Doors Down and you learn a lot just by seeing how bands carry themselves. I learned a ton and I think when you’re a young band you just have to be a sponge and soak it all in. Watch how the other bands carry themselves and how they treat other bands and local crews. I think we had such a great upbringing of the band so to speak by being babysat by the Three Doors Down guys because they really carry themselves so well and took great care of us. Even though their goal was to take care of themselves, they gave a young band like us a chance. It was the same thing when we were out with Motley Crue. Nikki Sixx would bring us into the dressing room and told us that if anyone mistreated us or our crew to come directly to him because that’s not how they run things. I think that’s a valiant thing that a guy like Nikki Sixx doesn’t really have to do and those are the things we remember. It’s good to always be learning. I don’t want go around preaching to people, I just want to lead by example. Treat people with respect and remember that we’re all out there doing the same thing.

You worked again with producer Howard Benson on this album. Howard seems to be one of those producers that bands either love or hate, what did he bring to the table for you and what made his producing style effective?
Howard is a unique personality for sure. The first time we worked with him was on our second record and we did our last record with him too, and now our new album. He’s one of those guys that have a strange sense of humor that some people just don’t get. The best way to deal with Howard is to shoot him right down. We have a strange relationship with him where we love to hate each other and then we just crack up over it. We love working together. It’s not that we actually hate each other –we’re just able to poke fun at each other. He’s really talented and he’s great for listening to the songs and picking the parts that are the best. He’s not about changing things, he really develops the best part of the songs and makes them the parts that catch your ear. He has a great ability to do that with vocals, he’s just got a really great ear. I think what happens sometimes with producers is that they try to overproduce. What is really effective with Howard is that he’s willing to look at each band individually and see what they are good at and then he focuses on that. He really works well with us. We love wacky personalities and Howard is one of those people. It’s not a coincidence that some of the most talented people in the world are these weird, wacky people. We love working with Howard and I can see us working with him again. There’s something to be said for familiarity. We know what he expects from us.

I loved this quote from Tyler regarding the songwriting process and wanted to get your take on it “When I write, I either want to kiss someone on the lips or punch them in the face. Anything in between is boring.”
Tyler is smart because he knows that people relate to lyrics and people don’t really want to relate to lyrics that aren’t really emotional. So I think it’s really important that if you’re going to write a song that it should be heavily weighted with emotion. Even if it’s a song with a sense of humor, Tyler is very much a person that wants to write from personal experience. He’s one of those people that believe that personal experience will breed more great music so get out there and live your life. Tyler is an emotional guy. I’ve seen him at the point of self destruct where he’s punched a brick wall as hard as he can and he ends up with bloody broken knuckles and I’ve also seen him bee one of the most caring, generous people so I can say that he delivers on that quote for sure. He’s one of those types of people whose emotions run from one extreme to the other.

##

Theory of a Deadman will be headlining the Carnival of Madness Tour kicking off in August. For all the tour dates, visit the official tour page here.
For more on Theory of a Deadman
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View our gallery of live shots from Theory of a Deadman on the Avalanche Tour:

Tags: 2011, Avalanche Tour, concert, CT, David Brenner, Dean Back, Interview, Joey Dandeneau, live, May 1, Mohegan Sun Arena, photos, RoadRunner records, The Truth Is..., Theory of a Deadman, TOAD, Tyler Connolly, Uncasville

The Rocklahoma Files: Drowning Pool

June 9, 2011 by Craig Schiller  
Filed under Daily Music News

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The Rocklahoma Files:
Drowning Pool

Catching up with Drowning Pool at Rocklahoma 2011, I was immediately struck with the band’s down-to-earth vibe. Picture sitting in your living room, catching up with old friends. Already very dedicated to supporting the troops, Drowning Pool has agreed to do a ten-day USO run.

 

Excerpts from the interview:

 You’re busy touring, obviously. I know you guys are really hard workers, is that your 100% focus right now, or are you doing stuff on the tour bus on the side?
We’ve been hitting it pretty hard the last four years. We just did a two-month run with the guys from Pop Evil. We’ll take the next two weeks off and start working on some new tunes, and kinda just doing weekend runs right now, through the end of summer.

You were just on a multi-stop headlining tour. That must have been a positive experience.
It was a great run. Like you were saying, it was about eight weeks: Pop Evil, us, Trust Company, Static Cycle, and Anew Revolution. It was good venues, it was good to get out there. A long eight week stretch: hit the road, pound, pound, pound away at the clubs and the venues, come home, rest for a little bit, throw out the next single Regret, which is out now—you can check that out—and just start working on new material for the next record, which we hope to hit the studio in the next few months. 

Do you have a working title yet?
No. It’s still in the early stages. We end up fighting each other. Whoever wins [mimes an elbow shot to the back of the head] they get to pick the name of the record, then we start saying that, then somebody… I’m going with Pretty, Pretty Princes! Again? I’m going to push it till I get it… Or for a band name, how about Scooter McGerkhins and the Beanie Weenie Band?

 Multi-media: Film soundtracks, video games… Does it sort of fall into place, or are you pursuing that?
Honestly, I don’t think it happens enough. I mean it’s awesome to be on those video games. I don’t know what we’re up to now…

You’ve been very active in supporting the troops. You just performed at Fort Hood in April and you’re doing Fort Bliss in July. Do you have anything else planned?
We have a USO run coming up, like a 10-day USO run coming up.

Tags: 2011, Drowning Pool, Interview, Rocklahoma, video

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