URIAH HEEP kick off their Magician’s Farewell’ Tour in the UK in February. Supporting Heep will be Canada’s APRIL WINE and US band TYKETTO. (*Added updated dates for Europe below).
As a fan of both Uriah Heep and April Wine, I see this as an exciting bill, and Hope that April Wine is on the tour when Heep comes to Canada and the US. Both bands, in very different incarnations each time shared the stage in the early 70s when April Wine opened for Uriah Heep in Ontario, in 1972 and then years later when it was the other way around for a few US shows.
I belong to a few groups online of band, and actually (but not unbelievably) see fans of one or the other who has little to know knowledge of the other band, so I wanted to give a wee bit of background, as well as the current line ups, and 5 recommended (starting point) albums from each….
Both bands formed in 69, but really got going in 1970. UH’s debut album came out in 1970, while AW’s came out in 71. While UH took a few albums before they had a hit single, AW had one (“Fast Train”) off their debut album and would continue to have hit singles off every subsequent album here in Canada, while UH didn’t rack up the hit singles, but became an international concert draw with a number of big selling albums from 72-75. AW pretty much stayed in Canada, with limited releases outside the country, before they had a big radio hit in the US in 78 (“Roller”) and went on to huge international success from then til about 82. While AW’s most successful period ended with the 3 guitar line up breaking up in 84, UH’s comeback lineup split in 85, with a new line up soon coming about. AW returned with a new line up in 92, and have carried on since, releasing 4 studio albums up until 2006, and continuing to tour, now as a 4-piece, with a few line-up changes along the way, most notably with singer/guitarist Marc Parent taking over for founder Myles Goodwyn in 2023 before Goodwyn passed away last year.
April Wine consists of Brian Greenway (since 1978’s First Glance album, when the band took off as a 3 guitar act). Richard Lanthier (bass, since 2011), Roy ‘Nip’ Nichols (drums, since 2012) and Marc Parent (lead vocals, guitar, hand picked by Myles Goodwyn).
When Uriah Heep added Phil Lanzon (keyboards, songwriter) in mid 1986, and Canadian singer Bernie Shaw (end of 86) the band found some long-term stability, and from 1988 ’til last year Heep has released 9 studio albums and numerous live albums. The band lead by founder Mick Box (guitar), Lanzon, Shaw, Russell Gilbrook (drums, since 2007) and Dave Rimmer (bass, since 2013).
For my fellow fans of each band I’ve selected 5 recommended studio albums + 1 live album – should you want to check out either band you’re not familiar with.
APRIL WINE
Stand Back
The band’s 1975 album that was full of hits, and arguably their most popular amongst longtime fans. “Oohwatanite”, “I Wouldn’t Want To Lose Your Love”, “Victim Of Love”, “Come Hear The Band”….There was 5 hit singles off this album, and every song is memorable.
Harder… Faster
It was a tough choice between this and the previous album First Glance, but this one features the hit “Say Hello”, as well as favorite AW rocker “I Like To Rock”, “Before The Dawn” (from by Brian Greenway), and the band’s killer rendition of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man”.
Nature Of The Beast
The band’s biggest commercial success, and height of their popularity. From 1981, with “Just Between You And Me”, “All Over Town”, and their heavy remake of (and hit) Lorence Hud’s “Sign Of The Gypsy Queen”, and heavy album cuts like “Future Tense” and “Crash And Burn”. Much of this album featured in the live set for years, and a number from it still do.
Back To The Mansion
The overlooked gem in the AW catalogue. From 2001, BTTM saw the band recording as a 4 piece again, and taking a less heavier direction. But plenty of good songs here like ‘I’ll Give You That”, the ballad “Paradise”, Brian Greenway’s excellent “Holiday”, and an interesting version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “I Am A Rock”.
Greatest Hits Live 2003
Recorded on the BTTM tour, w/ Carl Dixon added for keyboard & guitar. Sure, One For The Road from 1984s Farewell tour sounds heavier and features the classic 5-man line up, but Greatest Hits Live 2003 (what a lame title) covers more hits, and is a bit more representative of what AW sounds like in later years. Features 21 live tunes, plus 2 studio cuts.
URIAH HEEP
Look At Yourself
Heep’s 3rd album and the one that got the ball rolling, defining their heavy prog sound, and loaded with classics like the title track, “July Morning”, “Shadows of Grief” and “Love Machine”. The last to feature founding bass player Paul Newton.
Demons And Wizards
The band’s commercial breakthrough and most successful album. Features 2 of Heep’s Best known tracks, the hit “Easy Livin”, and the single “The Wizard”, along with huge fan favorites “Circle Of Hands” and “Rainbow Demon”. The first to feature the ‘classic’ line-up of Mick Box, David Byron, Ken Hensley, Lee Kerslake and Gary Thain, as well as Roger Dean artwork.
Abominog
Fast forward 10 years, and the band’s brand new line-up, and new sound for the 80s. Abominog featured a more American sound (aka Foreigner) with new singer Peter Goalby, as well as the hit “That’s The Way That It Is”. Killer album, despite a lot of covers, but everything going together so well. Favorites be “Too Scared To Run”, “Sell Your Soul”, “Chasing Shadows”, and a cover of Russ Ballard’s “On The Rebound”. Also included bob Daisley (Rainbow, Ozzy) on bass, and keyboard player John Sinclair (Heavy Metal Kids).
Sea Of Light
After more line-up changes, a few bum record deals, and less than stellar releases Heep returned to their ’70s style in a way. The 3rd to feature Canadian singer Bernie Shaw and keyboard player Phil Lanzon (by now a major writer in Heep). Tho modern sounding, SOL featured more variety, a mix of acoustics, different keyboards, more progressive tracks, and a few big riff driven rockers. This album brought a lot of old Heep fans back with tracks like “Against The Odds”, “Logical Progression”, “Words In The Distance” and “Love In Silence”.
Chaos And Colors
Heep’s latest from 2023. The band has been on a roll since 2007 when drummer Russell Gilbrook joined (bassist Dave Rimmer a few years later). This is the band’s 5th studio album of new material since then, and arguably their best. More progressive, more varied, still heavy, with favorites like “Age Of Change”, “Hurricane”, “Golden Light”, the single “Save Me Tonight”, and epic “You’ll Never Be Alone”!
*Future Echoes Of The Past : Live
So many great UH live albums (like the classic Live: January, 1973)…but I’m going with this from 2000, from the band’s tour in support of 1998s Sonic Origami. A huge mix of classic Heep and gems from the band’s 2 latest at the time. Sounds amazing.
On most days Muscle Of Love is my favorite ALICE COOPER album. It was the last of the original band, being released near the end of 1973. It was the follow up to the band’s biggest album, and massive – Billion Dollar Babies, released earlier in that same year! While Muscle Of Love didn’t sell as well as it’s predecessor, it did go Gold and hit the Top 10 in the US, while making it to #4 in Canada (RPM). It didn’t boast as many hit singles as Billion Dollar Babies, the hit singles being “Teenage Lament ’74” and “Muscle of Love”, but it did feature a number of classic Cooper tracks such as the lead off “Big Apple Dreamin”, “Never Been Sold Before”, the ballad “Hard Hearted Alice”, and cool closing cut “Woman Machine”. A bit less theatrical than the string of classic albums leading up to this, but this is just a great rock n roll album! Perhaps it was a bit rushed at the time(?) and with Bob Ezrin not producing it, nor guitarist Glen Buxton playing much of a role on it, and a good portion of this album never played live, Muscle Of Love did not get a fair shake compared to those leading up to it!? Either way, I love this album. It’s got 9 memorable AC songs and is a fantastic listen beginning to end. So I am extremely excited for this release – the last of America’s Greatest rock n roll band!
Check out the press info, clips, and ordering link below.
The definitive version of the band’s seventh and final full-length offering encompasses 11 previously unreleased tracks, spanning recently unearthed Early Versions and Alternate Mixes of staple songs. Additionally, the liner notes feature an in-depth and immersive track-by-track account of the story behind MUSCLE OF LOVE, as told to renowned music journalist Jaan Uhelszki. She spoke extensively to Cooper, guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith, and additional guitarist Mick Mashbir to compile the most comprehensive discourse on this record ever published thus far.
MUSCLE OF LOVE saw the band double down on their rock ‘n’ roll roots, delivering an uncompromising body of work buoyed by impeccable playing, massive hooks, and good old-fashioned Detroit grit. Produced by Jack Richardson and Jack Douglas, it cracked the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and scored a Gold certification from the RIAA. This uncompromising body of work includes the famed title track “Muscle of Love” as well as “Teenage Lament ’74,” “Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo),” and “Hard Hearted Alice.” It would also be the final album recorded by the original band, and they definitely went out with a bang, to say the least.
LP 1 A1. Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo) A2. Never Been Sold Before A3. Hard Hearted Alice A4. Crazy Little Child B1. Working Up A Sweat B2. Muscle Of Love B3. Man With The Golden Gun B4. Teenage Lament ’74 B5. Woman Machine
LP 2 C1. Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo) (Early Version) C2. Never Been Sold Before (Early Version) C3. Hard Hearted Alice (Alternate Mix) C4. Crazy Little Child (Early Version) D1. Working Up A Sweat (Alternate Mix) D2. Muscle Of Love (Alternate Mix) D3. Man With The Golden Gun (Early Version) D4. Teenage Lament ’74 (Acoustic Diversion) D5. Woman Machine (Alternate Mix)
The CD version adds:
BluRay Disc Featuring The Quad Mixes 1. Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo) 2. Never Been Sold Before 3. Hard Hearted Alice 4. Crazy Little Child 5. Working Up A Sweat 6. Muscle Of Love 7. Man With The Golden Gun 8. Teenage Lament ’74 9. Woman Machine
Below is a new interview with URIAH HEEP drummer Russell Gilbrook, which was done through the Friends Who Like URIAH HEEP Facebook group, who’s members submitted the questions.. With permission of the group’s administrators I’ve reposted the interview here.
Last year, we were privileged to do a Q&A with former Heep vocalist John Sloman. This year, we’ve been equally privileged to run one with current powerhouse Heep drummer Russell Gilbrook. Russell had the unenviable task of filling the drum stool vacated by Lee Kerslake. To say he’s achieved this would be a massive understatement. Along with Davey Rimmer, he forms the most lethal rhythm section in rock. He’s also contributed 4 superb songs to the latest acclaimed Chaos & Colour album. The questions were great. The answers equally great. So, with huge kudos to Russell for agreeing and taking time out to do this, please read on…… And enjoy!
Rikki Fox – Hi Russell, Thanks for agreeing and taking the time out to do this Could you give us an insight as to what you were doing prior to joining Heep and how you landed the Heep gig?
Hi Rikki, mate! And hello to everyone else! I was doing a lot of drum clinics for the drum and cymbal companies I was with at the time. I was also doing a lot of sessions and teaching at a music college. I did one of my clinics at a drum shop in Hull where the late Trev Bolder lived… Trevor was invited to that particular one, and after the show, he came up to me and complimented my drumming and said it was one of the best performances he’d heard in a long time and invited me to his house for lunch the next day! We had a good old chat and remained friends. It wasn’t until 7/8 years later that I got a phone call from Trev telling me that Heep were looking for a drummer and he recommended me. Management had already scheduled auditions, of which I was one of 250 drummers that got whittled down to 40. It was held at terminal studios in London. I had a decision to make whether to imitate the late, great Lee Kerslake, or be myself. I chose to be ‘Russell’ because I’d worked so hard all my life refining my own technique and approach. Luckily for me, the band were looking for something a little different and I got the gig!
Julie Shannon – What are the Heep songs you find most challenging to play live?
Hi Julie Thanks for the question! Haha! actually none of them are THAT challenging for me. However, a lot of drummers at the audition couldn’t get to grips with the Easy Livin’ double handed shuffle. The shuffle is renowned to be tricky though!
Tony Marlow / Graeme Ogle – Will there be a live DVD / CD for the farewell tour Many of our members are demanding it!!!
Unfortunately, I can’t answer that at the moment! It’s not been spoken about; however, we may just do that if it’s important to all our fans. I’ll personally bring it up at our next meeting
Staf Pypen – Question that pops up is about tuning drums (I know tuning questions are common for drummers). But do you tune your drums to the pitch of the shell or to a certain note ?)
Hi Staf! I’ve always used my ears to tune and found it to work great for me. However, my drum tech Rich bought a gadget called a tunebot which I was dubious about, but it works great You clamp it on the side of a drum rim and lightly tap the drum and frequency numbers come up. Once they hit the number that matches the sound you like you just save the numbers and dial them in every show
Susan Rowledge – Ok Weird question How many calories do you think you burn in a Heep gig?
Funny you should say that! I’ve actually worked this out once… It’s 7lbs! But then I put it back on with a nice bottle of Red after the show
Mike Shannon – Who are your drumming influences? And on that note, what are thoughts on your predecessors in Heep? Lee Kerslake, Chris Slade, Iain Clarke, Keith Baker, Alex Napier and Nigel Olsson
Hi Mike! When I was young, my dad and drum teacher was into Jazz, I love Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Louis Bellson and then moved into more of the funk music as I got older and loved Harvey Mason and Dennis Davis. As the rock aspect kicked in, I liked Billy Cobham, John Bonham. There are many more that I admire and love to listen to, but these were my main ones. As for all previous Heep drummers, if you listen to the back catalogue, it’s obvious that they’ve all brought something to the table rhythmically to make Heep music sound great. They’re all quite different but personally, I’m a big Keith Baker and Lee Kerslake fan. The drumming on ‘Look at Yourself’ is really clever and Lee’s double handed shuffle (which is fast on Return to Fantasy) is exceptional. He was a very powerful drummer; amazing singer and he came up with so many great parts that I enjoy playing similarly today.
Aidi Singleton – Has being a top drummer always been your ambition? Or did you ever play other instruments?
Hi Aidi! I’ve been playing since the age of 4 and in bands since the age of six earning money so it’s all I know. I didn’t have ambition of being a pro drummer, it sort of just happened as a natural progression but the desire to be the best I can be is still there now. I started playing piano accordion at the same time I started drums, which lasted 5 years. I actually became a champion accordion player in a competition in Italy I also played trumpet for 7 years, which I unfortunately don’t play anymore
Dorothy Pegley-Worley – Who thinks up the titles for the albums and the cover designs? It always mesmerizes me Thank you and keep on Heeping
Hi Dorothy! Well, we all have a discussion about the album titles and eventually agree on one! As an example, Mick suggested ‘Chaos & Colour’ and we liked it, so rolled with it. As for album art, it gets given to a graphic designer, who comes up with an idea based on the album title. We don’t always agree as we all have slightly different vision for the initial idea! But with a few changes and tweaks, we get there in the end!
Kevin J Julie – Might we see a Russell Gilbrook solo or side project including other songs you’ve written?
Hi Kevin! YES! I’m in the middle of working on a solo project but time hasn’t been easy to allocate time to it and I’m still trying to figure out who I want to play on it!
Dimas Anindito – On new songs do you develop the drum parts yourself or do the other band members chip in? Do you come up with the drum patterns that the band then work around? E.g. Your 4 tracks on Chaos and Colour.
Hi Dimas 9/10 I come up with the drum parts. The only tracks I haven’t done it for recently are Davey’s two tracks. I’ve just tweaked slightly to suit my playing. Having said that, while we do preproduction in the studio, the other guys do come up with ideas as we all want the best performance for every song. Sorry I didn’t reply to my 4 tracks… So, I had a complete finished demo and let all the guys do what they felt worked… So, it was probably 75% my Sony and the rest their input… Again, we agree the songs sound their best before we finally record them.
Mark Evans / Todd Stone / Steve Cave / Stuart Green / Mick Gardner – Will the band be doing another studio album? After the last great album, it would be a shame not to Are you going to be doing anymore writing? (Your 4 tracks on Chaos and Colour were brilliant) Are there solo or side projects planned by any members of the band? Will we be blessed with a final live album?
Hi guys It really comes down to the record company. The contract determines when the albums happen. I’m sure what will happen, is our management will have a discussion with the record company to see if another album will go ahead. As a band, we are continuously writing so I’m sure there’s no shortage of material and I’m sure we’d happily do another album. As far as solo projects, as mentioned, I’m in the middle of my own project but I can’t speak for any of the other guys but as you know, both Phil and Bernie have released albums, so they may well work on more. We’re always looking at like material to release but the quality needs to be great… Let’s see.
Rikki Fox And finally…. Pretty sure you can’t answer this!!!! Will there be any surprises in the set list for the farewell tour?
To be honest, we haven’t even discussed it yet! Let’s all of us wait and see
A vertical shot of a wooden road leading to the train covered with snow
American guitar player Tracy Grijalva, who goes simply by the initial ‘TRACY G’ will be best known to rock & heavy metal fans as the guitarist in DIO in the 90s. He played and co-wrote on the albums Strange Highways and Angry Machines, as well as the double live set Inferno. Tracy’s latest project is the band DARK MILE, which also includes former QUIET RIOT singer Mark Huff. The band has put together an excellent debut album (on CD), please check it out! in our conversation Tracy talks about the new DARK MILE release, as well as some of his past, and recordings, such as DIO and BLUE DAHLIA (w/ Paul Shortino). Tracy’s also done numerous solo album (+ TRACY G GROUP), which can be found at his website.
Are you guys in the Dark Mile band, are you guys all relatively close?
Most of us are, but not the singer. The singer’s in Washington and we’re in California.
How did this project come together, because obviously you’re associated with DIO and some other stuff, and Mark had that run with Quiet Riot, which is what most people would recognize him from.
Yeah, me and Paul, Paul Alfrey’s a good friend of mine, he’s a guitar player, Randy Oviedo is the bass player, and then Mark Huff is the singer, as you know already. So, it’s really Paul’s project; Paul and me went to dinner one night and he just hit me up and said if I would want to do a project with him, and the first thing he said, because I’m not known for really being in a band with a project with two guitar players, I’ve always just played as the one guitar player guy, but I’ve known Paul since about ’83, so I’ve known him for a long time and he’s just a super guy and real humble, a real good musician, just a real straightforward kind of dude. So, he said, ‘would you want to play guitar in this project of mine? You can do all the solos, I’ll do the rhythms, and you can do the rhythms, but when it comes to the solos, you can do all the solos,’ because he knew that meant a lot to me because that’s kind of how I express myself, so to speak. And I go, ‘Yeah, no problem’, because it was him – it wasn’t just any guitar player, it was Paul. So that’s how that came about, and we started, it was a few years ago. It’s been a few years since we had that dinner and we found a singer and we did an album, but it was called something different, and it was with a different singer.
Was that the one with Paul Shortino?
No, that was a completely different project, that was mine and Paul’s project and we did with Randy, Randy played bass on it, the same guy that’s playing bass now, he played bass on a ‘Blue Dahlia’. Yeah, that one had Billy on the keyboards and Chuck on the drums and we had a line of different musicians on that one. And I was writing songs for Paul, and we did it and he got a friend of his to sign it and it came out and, you know, I think this sold a few copies or whatever. I really liked that CD too, but no, that had nothing to do with this. But we did do an album, going back to Dark Mile, but we didn’t have that yet, we had a band called ‘Gale Force’. Gale Force is me, Paul, Randy Oviedo and Michael Lee was the singer. Michael Lee comes from a band in the 80s called ‘Baron Cross’. And we did an album, and we didn’t wait around to get signed with a label, we let Michael take care of all the CDs and all the merchandising and he kind of had all that down, so Michael went ahead and ran all that and we sold a few CDs and stuff. Things didn’t work out the way we wanted it, so we went ahead and replaced Michael, and we found Mark. And we changed the name of the band, and we kept writing, but now we’re writing for Mark. We’ve been writing together for three or four years, but Mark’s only been with us the last year – year and a half. And we did the Dark Mile album, and then with Paul’s connections and stuff, that label in Germany signed us, Pride and Joy. They put it out (I think), in July, and it’s been floating around, I think, Europe a lot.
And Paul told me right away, up front, even back before Dark Mile (but for Dark Mile), that it was going to be kind of 80s, 80s-ish, but with a modern slash to it, because the labels he knew in Europe were kind of looking for that kind of stuff. And, if you give them stuff that they’re not interested in, you have less of a chance of getting signed. We tried to give them stuff that Paul knew they were kind of interested in, which is not full-blown 80s, but kind of. So that’s what Dark Mile is.
I’m going to look for this Blue Dahlia CD. So, you worked with Paul Shortino and now Mark Huff – 2 ex Quiet Riot singers!
(Haha) Yeah, both really great! Paul Shortino’s a great singer. I was always a big fan of his voice. There’s some good stuff on that CD.
Yeah, I’m familiar with your past with Dio, and those albums kind of have that slower, heavy sound, and these kind of incorporate more of like a bright 80s kind of sound, especially with the choruses and that. So I think it’s a very accessible album for people that like heavy stuff and 80s stuff as well.
I grew up on all of it, really. I grew up in the 80s, kind of. 70s – I was a little bit young, but all the 80s groups. and even in the 90s. In the 90s, I started with a band called ‘World War III’, and then I ended up with Dio.
World War III became before Dio with those guys? World War III was the one with Vinny Appice and Jimmy Bain and those guys?
Yeah, that was before Dio; that was like 1990, 91.
I want to go back a bit. How did you find Mark Huff?
Paul went seeking on the internet. We ran into a couple guys; we tried a couple people out, but once we heard Mark… We tried him out on a song that we already had written called “He Said, She Said”. We threw that song at him, the lyrics and everything. Him and Paul made a couple adjustments to my lyrics, I’m not really a lyric writer, but I do the best I can. They liked the song, so they fixed up the lyrics a little bit, and as soon as he sang that one and I heard it, and everybody heard it over here in the band they said, Yeah, that’s our guy!’ Mark’s a super, super guy; super nice guy, Super easy to work with. But he’s in Washington, so we’ve only met him once… a year ago. I don’t know if he still does, but he played in a Van Halen tribute band. It was a tribute to the Sammy Hagar era. So they were playing over here in the desert, so – me, Randy, and Paul went to meet him and went to see him. And that’s the only time we’ve met him. And all the songs he sings all the songs over there in Washington on his little laptop. And him and Paul talk on the phone and work on the stuff on the phone all the time, and then he emails it to Paul. Paul does all the production and the producing in his studio. And he flies in his vocals. I have a studio just like Paul and we bounce ideas back and forth. But Paul does the final mixing of everything. He does about an hour for me, Paul. And that’s kind of how we ran into Mark. …He’s a good, he’s a good fit for our music, I think.
One thing I don’t see on the album is who’s playing drums.
We don’t have a guy playing drums. We have a computer playing drums. We program the program that’s in the computer. Paul turned me on to it, it’s actually a real guy playing, but it’s more like just pieces, just loops and we grab them, and do our best to make it sound real.
I assume that when you guys get around to playing live, you’re going have to find a drummer then, right?
Yeah, if and when that happens, we would have to, we would have to haul in a real drummer. I have a couple in mind that I would call first, but you never know on that one. But there’s a guy named Adrian Aguilar, he played in my Tracy G group. He’s a local here, phenomenal drummer. And then of course there’s Patrick Johanson. I think he’s in Florida and he’s another I’ve done stuff with him. He’s played on a couple of my things already. These kinds of guys can play anything. So, I don’t know who we would get, but I do know who I would call.
Can we talk a bit about some of the songs? You said, you wrote the lyrics and so some of the songs that obviously stand out, for me, are “Is Anybody Listening”, “Games” and “Where’s The Love?”
I wrote both those songs. But I mean, in this group, it’s not really like one guy writes everything. I’ll have like an idea, or Paul will have an idea, or Randy, and then we’ll throw our ideas on the table. You know, we all kind of put our fingers in and play around with it. And, make it a song, kind of.
“Listening”, the words were written by me and a fellow friend of mine named Mark Bramlett, who’s not even in the band. I used to be in a band with him, but he writes good lyrics. So, Mark (Bramlett) helped write. And then I wrote the other part of the lyrics. And then, um, Randy and Paul helped piece all the rest of the song together and threw in their ideas. The song was basically there, but they touched it up. And Mark Huff is mainly the voice, I call him. He doesn’t write, he’s not writing anything for us right now – we’ve got that covered. But he just takes direction, like ‘tell me what you want me to sing. Just tell me what the words are and where’s the melody, and I’ll just go’.
But that was the story with “Listening”. I think it’s a very strong song, it’s got a strong chorus, and I like the meaning of it and everything, it’s clear.
And “Games”?
And “Games” is a strong chorus, a strong song too, but it’s kind of like a ballad.
Yeah, it’s got that intro to it…
Yeah, and it comes in heavy and stuff, but the same story on that one, I kind of had that idea already. I wrote the lyrics to it, Paul touched them up and Randy puts in his two cents and then Mark sings it, and there you have it!
And then you have the ballad “Where Is The Love”…
Same thing with that song. I had that song, but Paul changed some of the lyrics to it. Basically, I already had the music and the melody for that song. And that’s one of our favorites too. And then “United We Stand” was something we just wrote last year. Me and Randy wrote that song, no singing at all. And then we gave it to Paul and Paul played rhythm guitar on it, and he wrote the words. That’s one of my favorites.
“The Boy” – who chose that as the first single?
We all kind of did. That’s another one of my old songs, but we thought it was just appropriate because it was, it pretty much says it all – “I’m just a boy who wants to rock”. It’s pretty simple and straightforward and in your face and there’s really no fancy nothing to it. We think it’s fun and it would be really fun to play that live; it’s like a live song; you could hear it.
We think it’s a good rocker, we all feel the same way. And the same thing, I wrote the words, but then Paul and Mark kind of made them make more sense, update them a little bit. Some of these songs I wrote a few years back, and I just had as demos because they didn’t make the projects I had at the time. So, if I don’t redo them, I figured no one’s ever going to hear them.
When you write stuff, do you keep your riffs and kind of your solo ideas and then eventually they turn up or…?
Sometimes… mostly no solo ideas – I do them on the spot. Solos are kind of spontaneous for each song I get, I just go for it. Once in a while I have a solo idea for a song, but that kind of comes last for the song. Most of the time I’m improvising on the song that I’m given.
How much were you guys involved as far as the packaging goes, the album cover and all that stuff?
We did the album cover; I think Paul mostly did the album cover. At first, we were trying for crazy stuff, but then we just figured ‘let’s just make it fucking simple’. And my friend Susie took the photos of us. It’s pretty simple, no big deal.
You guys have already started on a second album!?
We have. While the first album is going out there, we’ve been writing the second album. I think we’re up to maybe six or seven songs now on what could be a second Dark Mile album. Just in case…if this label asks us to do another one (or whatever), we’ll be ready.
So, I think it’s great. I would love to see it issued on vinyl. Do you keep a lot of records yourself?
I’ve got a lot of CDs, quite a bit. I haven’t bought any really, in the last few years. I don’t really buy any CDs anymore. I hear them online, on the internet and stuff. But, I’ve got a lot of my own stuff that I do myself in my little studio, you know, my solo stuff. But I try to keep up on any new groups and stuff. Paul turns me on to all kinds of stuff too.
Can we talk a bit about some of your previous work? You go all the way back to the early eighties with some of these bands – Swift Kick and Driven and some of these other things.
In the 80s I had the band ‘Swift Kick’ with some friends and then I kind of always had a Tracy G Group. So, most of the time it was instrumental. And I sometimes I had different singers, and I put out a couple of CDs as the Tracy G Group. And that was way back though. And then I didn’t get the gig for World War III until like ’90.
And that, we did that one album and then, we did a small tour in the United States and then that split up. Then I had like a year off, so I started another band called ‘Mankind’. That’s where a lot of these demos came from because I thought a lot of the songs were really good, but the band ended up breaking up because I joined DIO.
And some of the, some of the Dio riffs came from my demos because I practiced with Vinnie and Jimmy Bain. I would start playing my riffs. And if Ronnie liked them, he’d start to write some words on them. And a lot of them turned out to be songs on Strange Highways, the first album I did.
How did that whole Dio gig all come about?
They called me. You know, I had already been in World War III with Jimmy Bain and Vinnie. And one day, I think I read in a local paper, that Dio was starting his band back together with his original guys, but they’re looking for a new guitar player. I read that and I thought ‘well, Vinnie and Jimmy, they know me, and if they think anything of me, then they’ll let Ronnie know’. I wasn’t going to call them and say ‘hey, remember me?’ And then Vinnie called and said, ‘hey, do you want to come down and audition for Dio?’ I said ‘I think so!’ I go down and I audition with them, play a few, just jams. We didn’t play any songs. Ronnie didn’t sing; Ronnie just sat there and listened. We played and then ‘okay, we’ll call you’. And a month went by. I didn’t think they were going to call me, and then they called me and said ‘he wants you to come back. And so I did. And then after I played again, when I played the second time, Ronnie came up and sang, but we were just making stuff up, we weren’t playing any of his catalog, any of my catalog, no World War III, no Dio, none of that, just jamming. But the thing is, when I jammed with Jimmy Bain and Vinnie, it kind of already sounded like a band because we were a band. It sounded heavier than anything Dio had done, which was my goal anyways.
I always loved Dio’s voice, obviously, but I always thought his music could have been heavier. And in all the 80s and everything, my thoughts were – Vivian Campbell, Craig Goldy, Rowan Robertson, all great guitar players, but they needed to get heavier. With that voice you can’t really get too heavy with the music, and I thought I had the music and the guitar sound for that. I told Ronnie that, after the second audition I said, ‘I know you can get whoever you want,’ he pretty much could get any guitar player in the world, really… and I said ‘but I think if I get the gig we can make one of the heaviest DIO records there is.’ And then a couple days later they called me and said, ‘you’re the guy!’ I was pretty blown away, I didn’t expect it, but I am proud of the music that we made. I think it is the heaviest Dio stuff.
I was wondering how much of an influence you had on the sound, whereas if you listen to that Sabbath Dehumanizer album, and it has that heavier, slower sound to it.
Yeah, that big fat Sabbath sound, which I loved. I love Dehumanizer, but Strange Highways has nothing to do with it. A lot of people still email me and say “hey, is Strange Highways a lot of Dehumanizer leftovers?” And no, I love Dehumanizer, and I love Tony Iommi, but No – it’s all original riffs that I brought in, or we wrote right there on the spot. It just happens to be as heavy or heavier than Dehumanizer. I am heavily influenced by Tony Iommi; how can you not be!? He’s like the King of heavy guitar. In my day he was, at least.
What are the highlights from that era? You did the 2 albums, and the live album. Any favorite songs, or any shows you played that stood out for you?
It is one great big giant grey thing to me. The very first time I stepped on stage; it was in Greece. I was pretty much in Awe the whole time I was in the band. The whole thing was a giant rush. It really wasn’t ever bad to me. Most of the time I was playing I had Ronnie James Dio as the singer, Vinny Appice as the drummer, and Jeff Pilson as the bass player. How are you going to go wrong with that!? I just had to make sure I could cover my own shoes. And I got to say with that line-up there wasn’t much of a weak link. Ronnie said the same thing; we could feed off each other musically each night and make it special and make it heavy. And i knew what Jeff was going to play before he played it; I knew what Vinny was going to do, and vice versa. It was just a real musician’s band; we were all on the same page. We did have different line-ups, and everyone was great! Larry Dennison was a great bass player, and a great guy; Bob Daisley played bass for a little bit. Simon Wright filled in for a bit, a great drummer. And Ronnie, of course – The greatest! I think with Jeff. Vinny, myself, and Ronnie – there was really no stopping that, as far as live.
Was it a tough era for Dio (?), because in the ’90s and into the 2000s a lot of that stuff got shoved off to the side.
It probably was for him – with all the grunge and music changing, the times, but for me personally, again – playing with top notch musicians like that, there was really no low point. Yeah, it changed a little bit, but it was all rocking to me. I live about an hour from where we practiced, every day. And when we practiced, I didn’t mind the drive. I mean – I was going to work doing that!? I have no complaints!
Did you keep in touch with Ronnie after you’d left the band?
Not too much. Most of our relationship was business. We didn’t go out all the time, sometimes. I never smoked pot, I never got high, and they kinda do, so we didn’t have that in common. I was just mainly his guitar player.
Other than Tony Iommi, what were some of your favorite guitar players, and bands from your youth?
I’m all over the place. I liked all the typical guys – Angus Young, Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore. Eddie Van Halen came along, and you know!? And then going to Allan Holdsworth, Al Di Meola, and all these fusion guys, and different types of music. I like all kinds of stuff, and all kinds of guitar players. Jeff Beck was one of my favorite players, and he wasn’t a ‘metal’ guy, but I like what he got out of the guitar. A couple of local guys, one guy named Shawn Lane- amazing guitar player, I took some lessons from him.
What else do you got on the go?
I’ve got a couple of projects; I’m always working on my instrumental CDs. I’ve got a couple in the works, I’m recording. I record a lot of local guys too, and different guys fly in from different states, and I help them record with their demos and stuff. And I work around the studio, keeping busy. And I’m working on new Dark Mile songs.
Badfinger’s Long-Lost Album “Head First” Set For Release in 2024, Fully Mixed and Mastered and On Vinyl For the First Time
HEAD FIRST: 50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION
In an exhilarating announcement for music aficionados and rock historians, the iconic British band Badfinger is proud to unveil the forthcoming release of their long-lost album “Head First” scheduled for 2024 – exactly 50 years after its original recording. This historic release features Peter Ham’s final studio recordings and marks a significant milestone in the band’s legacy, bringing forth an album that has been shrouded in mystery for decades.“Head First” will be released on vinyl on December 13, 2024 on Y&T Music (CD TBA).With hits such as “Come and Get It,” “No Matter What,” “Day After Day,” and “Baby Blue,” Badfinger has long been recognized as a formidable force in the power pop and classic rock genres of the 1970s
A Historic Recording…Originally laid down in 1974 at The Beatles’ renowned Apple Recording Studio on Savile Row, London, “Head First” encapsulates a transformative era in Badfinger’s storied career. The sessions for “Head First” took place during a tumultuous period for the band, marked by personal struggles and external challenges, which ultimately led to the album being shelved. For years, only a rough mix survived, with the master tapes thought to be lost. However, the recent rediscovery of the original multi-tracks has allowed for a meticulous mixing and mastering process, breathing new life into this long-hidden masterpiece. The release promises to provide fans with an authentic glimpse into the creative spirit of Badfinger during one of their most artistically rich periods.
A Landmark Release for Fans and Collectors…The official release of “Head First” is not just an addition to Badfinger’s discography; it represents a rediscovery of a pivotal moment in rock history. The album features tracks that showcase the band’s raw energy and emotive songwriting, resonating with both long-time fans and a new generation of listeners. The newly mastered sound highlights the band’s musicianship in an unprecedented way, revitalizing their enduring legacy.Bob Jackson, the sole surviving member of the lineup, expressed his excitement: “On behalf of my bandmates – Pete, Tommy, and Mike – I am thrilled to say, ‘We did it, guys!’ This marks the culmination of a 50-year journey and it’s an honor to complete the vision we had all those years ago. The last piece of the puzzle is finally in place.”
The Songs: Lay Me Down Hey Mr Manager Turn Around Back Again Rock ‘N’ Roll Contract Keep Believing Moonshine Rockin’ Machine Passed Fast Savile Row (2024)
Badfinger’s music continues to captivate audiences around the world, and the release of “Head First” is set to be one of the most anticipated musical events of 2024.
A new listing of some cool new (and newer) song releases. Please check out the details in the video descriptions!
MAGNUM – Kingdom Of Madness (live)
For MAGNUM’s new Live At K.K’s Steel Mill release, the first single us a lyric video for the classic “Kingdom Of Madness”.
“The title track ‘Kingdom Of Madness’ from our 1978 debut album is one of the most frequently played songs of our career, an absolute fan fave and typical of the music we wrote back then. A true classic and the perfect encore at every show for almost fifty years. A MAGNUM gig wouldn’t have been complete without this number!” (Bob Catley)
GRAVE DIGGER – Killing Is My Pleasure
“Here it is at last, our new studio album, true to the motto: #gravediggeroldschool. With Tobi Kersting in the band, we have focused on the essentials of our sound again after many years with numerous concept albums: Concise straightforward metal songs that burn themselves into your brain stems after the first listen. “Bone Collector” doesn’t sound like off-the-shelf stuff, but highly energetic, fresh and you’ll notice that we had a lot of fun with the songs. We’re looking forward to your reaction, the release of the album in January and 45 years of Grave Digger live with you,” (vocalist- Chris Boltendahl)
ORIANTHI – Some Kind Of Feeling
Blues guitarist ORIANTHI (ex Alice Cooper) has a new album coming in spring 2025. This is the 3rd single (and title track) from it. Produced by Kevin Shirley.
UTILITY POWER – Challenger
Vancouver metal band UTILITY POWER release their 3rd album this week. This is the title track from Challenger.
WHISKY OF BLOOD – Baby Revolution
Hard rockers WHISKY OF BLOOD’s new single from their latest album Diablesse Of Revolution (released in September). The album features a couple of guests, notably Chris Holmes (Wasp).
THE DAMN TRUTH – The Willow
Canadian band THE DAMN TRUTH have released a new single from their next album (2025). Great psych influenced hard & classic rock!the band start a UK tour Nov 24, and have album launch shows in Montreal and Quebec City in March.
BLUE OYSTER CULT – The Alchemist (live)
From the band’s upcoming live release50th Anniversary – Third Night, from the 3rd New York show in 2022, celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary, and performing the album Secret Treaties. “The Alchemist” comes from the band’s last studio album The Symbol Remains in 2020.
ROD RODRIGUEZ – Mom’s Lullaby
From the new album Tales Of A Changing Life, Part 2, by this Canadian -Brazilian guitarist. Influenced by, and recommended for fans of Dream Theatre, Rush, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani.
SVEN GALI – Lunatic Fringe
SVEN GALI has released a cover of the classic “Lunatic Fringe”, originally by another Canadian band- RED RIDER.
Vol. 2 of the Lost Tapes from legendary British 70s hard / funk rock act TRAPEZE, curated, compiled by Tom.Galley, brother of guitarist Mel Galley (RIP), and packaged brilliantly by Mel’s son Marcus, with photos from Carl Dunn. Although TRAPEZE split in the early 80s (following Live In Texas), there was a reunion or 2, and judging by the amount of and quality of the songs on both releases, an abundance of leftover finished tracks from every period. There have been 2 singles released – the rocker “Fighting”, which actually came from the first PHENOMENA sessions (feat Don Airey on keys, Ted McKenna on drums), and “Homeland”, an absolute classic, which sounds like it was done in later years. The lyrics and video pay homage to where the band came from.
There is also alternate takes of a few well known Trapeze favorites, such as the title track to 1979’s Hold On album (sung by Peter Goalby), and one of the band’s best lived tracks – “Coast To Coast”. I kinda prefer this version of “Coast To Coast”, a little rougher, and less smooth compared to the original album version. Also alternate takes of “Loser”, and Trapeze funk- rock favorites”Way Back To The Bone”, and “Midnight Flyer”. Other highlights include “Must Be In Love” , from the Goalby era. This one’s a bit more late 70s Apr, with,a bit of a country feel. “Welcome To The Real World”, from the early 90s reunion, including Geoff Downes on keys, another excellent post-70s track. Also included is the last track guitarist Mel Galley ever did – “Live Fast Die Laughing”, another rocker, well fitting here. 14 tracks total, all worth checking out.
Lost Tapes – (both volumes), are highly recommended, not merely just for Trapeze completists, but for fans if classic British rock. Trapeze may not have released a ton of albums, but both these albums (on vinyl & CD via Metalville) add greatly to the band’s catalogue and legacy! Out now!
Madfish Music is delighted to announce the forthcoming release of “Still Barking” a highly anticipated CD/DVD box set of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. This deluxe compilation will be on sale from today for release on 13 December 2024.
This major retrospective box set has been in the making for seven years. Band members Roger Ruskin Spear, “Legs” Larry Smith, Rodney Slater, Vernon Dudley Bowhay Nowell, Sam Spoons and Neil Innes were involved in defining the original concept. Titling the set “Still Barking” was very much Neil’s idea. Sadly, Neil, Sam and Vernon passed away before the set’s completion, but their involvement has been immeasurable.
Initial work on the box set was halted by a court case which the Bonzos eventually won. Madfish Music overcame numerous hurdles to clearing material, finding masters and sourcing unreleased material. Surviving and former band members contributed reminiscences and pithy tales and fans were invited to put forward their own memories and memorabilia.
The result of everyone’s hard work and dedication has culminated in two editions of the box set (see Editors’ notes for list of contents). The Standard Edition will feature 17 CDs and three DVDs plus a hardback coffee table book featuring a new essay by esteemed music journalist Chris Welch, archive writings, memorabilia and photographs, and a detailed chronology (cornology) of the band. The Special Edition release will also include a shellac 78 rpm record, an etched, one sided 7” single featuring a previously unreleased version of “Boo!,” reproductions of early promotional posters and booklets, plus an exclusive signed print of the box set artwork by artist Dan Abbott.
Formed in the early 1960s by art students Vivian Stanshall and Rodney Slater, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band began as a jazz ensemble parodying the music of the 1920s and 30s. Already proving they were a creative force, their art school training further encouraged them to think outside the box – twist the norm and mix genres. Elements of slapstick comedy, music hall, Mariachi flavors, psychedelia and bawdy seaside humor all conspired and inspired the growing band to evolve into a pioneering force in rock and comedy. Their satirical songs, surreal humor, eccentric and eclectic performances quickly made them a favorite on the London underground scene and secured them a permanent residence in the counterculture prevalent at the time.
Their appearances on the TV show “Do Not Adjust Your Set” gained them national fame and featured many of the songs that have become lifelong favorites of fans and critics alike. “I’m the Urban Spaceman,” became the band’s most successful UK hit produced by Paul McCartney under the pseudonym Apollo C. Vermouth.
“We know Bonzo’s fans will be excited about this release,” a spokesperson for Madfish Music explains. “In addition to remasters of the band’s original albums, we have sourced rare and previously unreleased outtakes, BBC Sessions, short films, vintage footage, live recordings and films of concerts in Europe and USA. This was a band that would leave an indelible mark not just on their fans but the music and comedy world.
“‘Still Barking’ is the definitive 20-disc limited edition boxset, the ultimate tribute to a band that defined a genre. Dive into the eccentric world of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and experience their enduring legacy.”
BOXSET CONTENTS 17 CDs documenting a spectacularly entertaining career featuring: • Stereo versions of all the band’s original albums, carefully remastered to capture their idiosyncratic charm • Additional versions of “Gorilla” and “The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse” in their original mono mixes • A newly compiled CD of all the band’s singles • Two discs of demos, rehearsals, and outtakes • A single disc of backing tracks • Three discs of BBC Sessions that capture the band’s eccentric live energy • Two live discs: Studio Bellevue, Amsterdam. Recorded: November 1968. Transmission date: 3 January 1969 Fillmore East, NYC, 17 October 1969 • A CD featuring a live rehearsal for a show from London’s Marquee Club and additional material of band rehearsals from the Manor Studios in Oxfordshire.
Plus: • Three DVDs of visual material, including the complete “Do Not Adjust Your Set” shows, “Colour Me Pop,” “Beat Club,” and more. Highlights include rare appearances, short films, and vintage footage from the height of their career. • 148-page hardback coffee table book featuring an essay by Bonzos authority Chris Welch and an in-depth Day By Day Chronology/Cornology by noted author Andy Neill (The Who; Ready, Steady, Go!). Also includes tributes and remembrances from fans, friends and band members including Rodney Slater, Yvonne Innes, Roger Ruskin Spear, “Legs” Larry Smith, Pete Townshend & Stephen Fry, alongside images and photos from throughout the band’s career, and much more.
Note: the following content is only available in the Special Deluxe Edition: • Seven reproduction band photo prints individually signed by Roger, Rodney, “Legs” Larry & Vernon • 3 band art prints • Reproduction of Imperial Records US promo poster • 1967 Liberty Records press release
Well, another list of new (or fairly new) tracks from recent weeks. Some cool Canadian rock, newer and old bands with some great new releases coming out.
Check out the songs, as well as links in video descriptions . If there’s anything you’d recommend (not here), drop it in the comments!
TRAPEZE – Homeland
The 2nd single from TRAPEZE’ Lost Tapes vol. 2 . Classic tune featuring Mel Galley and Glenn Hughes. Not sure when this one is from, but sounds very fresh and lively.
GODDO – Pretty Bad Boy
originally a hit for Canadian band GODDO in 1981. The band (along with guitarist Sean Kelly) have recorded a new version of the song for their new 50th anniversary compilation album Decades: The Best Of GODDO. http://www.rockpapermerch.com
KINGS OF MERCIA – Battle Scars
The title from KOM’s 2nd album . “That’s about post-war distress syndrome. It’s about a guy who comes back from fighting and can’t really deal with real life. He realizes that he can never be what he was before he went away and did this. But he really, really wants to, but he’s trying to get that across to everybody that loves him. But the problem isn’t him–it’s what he’s been through. I came up with the title ‘BattleScars,’ and I think that suggested the subject matter.” (Steve Overland)
LABYRINTH – ‘Welcome Twilight’ is the first single from this Italian metal band’s upcoming album – In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye. Labyrinth features singer Roberto Tiranti of WONDERWORLD (and ex of Ken Hensley’s band Live Fire). Their new album is due out January 25, on Frontiers. Describing the single, the band declare: “After the absurd circus brought on by COVID-19, not only have we not emerged better, but we now find ourselves in a truly complicated historical period. Now more than ever, si vis pacem, para bellum — if we want peace, we must prepare for war. Our freedom, entirely illusory, is subordinate to those who decide the balance of this weary planet.”
BURNING WITCHES – The Spell Of The Skull Swiss female metal band BURNING WITCHES has a new 2 track single coming out (yes, on limited 12 inch vinyl, in red or gold colored, or CD), due out on December 10.
LOUISIANA CHILD – Cocaine Cowboys
Toronto’s LOUISIANA CHILD have just released their debut single. The band mixes up Southern rock, blues rock, country… Fairly Lynyrd Skynyrd influenced on this first track, Check it out.
STORACE – Screaming Demon
The first single from the upcoming album from STORACE (Marc STORACE of Krokus). A great heavy rocker, kinda like if Bon Scott era AC/ DC were a more metal sounding band.
ENVY OF NONE – Not Dead Yet
Brand new from ENVY OF NONE, the band featuring Alex Lifeson (RUSH) and Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH), plus singer Maiah Wynne. Very unlike what Lifeson or Curran have done in their known bands. Very cool, haunting track.
TEAZE – Reach Out (live)
Video from the TEAZE’s performance in Belgium. If you aren’t familiar with this Canadian band, you have missed out. Teaze has a brand-new live album – ‘Live In Liege‘ out now. This track, from that show was originally from the band’s 1979 album One Night Stands. Order Live In Liege at- http://www.rockpapermerch.com
SEVENTH CRYSTAL – Siren Song
Sweden’s SEVENTH CRYSTAL have released their 3rd album Entity. Full of heavy guitar driven rockers like “Siren Song” .
IMPELLITTERRI – Hell On Earth
The new single from IMPELLITTERRI’s new album War Machine, out now.
“I had this really fun addictive riff that just allowed everyone in the band to shine. It was amazing how powerful the song sounded when we first played it together…. The music really inspired an interesting lyric and amazing vocal performance from Rob Rock! – Chris Impellitterri.
Canadian band THE WRING, is lead by guitarist & songwriter Don Dewolf. The Wring’s 4th album is titled Nemesis, and now available on CD, and in digital form. A progressive -metal type of sound, The Wring will appeal to fans of Rush, Queensryche, and Dream Theater. A few weeks back I spoke with Don about The Wring, the newest album , as well as his his other gig – RUST (a Rush tribute). Check out our conversation below, as well as the clips, and the links below!
So, to start off, is The WRING a band or is it more your own project?
It started, it’s always been my project, but it did start as a band. I’m from Sudbury. The music scene there is like cover bands and tribute bands. Original music, especially, in the prog rock kind of thing, it just doesn’t exist. But I did manage to round up some guys and we did the first record as a band, and we did some shows and all. It was super fun, but it’s hard to get paid and, guys kind of lose interest. So, they went their own way, but the process was fascinating to me. I wrote everything all the way along, so I thought, I’ll just keep going.
And then COVID came, and the world shut down. So, the bass player from the original band said – ‘listen, there’s guys out there at home and you never know unless you ask’. So, he connected me with Thomas Lang – a world-famous drummer… Like cover of Modern Drummer Magazine kind of guy! And I sent him my stuff and he goes, ‘Yeah, I’m in! I’ll do it for free….Well for an incredibly reasonable price. (lol) So that sort of set the ball rolling. And I’ve done three more albums kind of that way because I can’t get players, so I just, I find them.
So, there’s been three previous albums. What did you do before this? Did you have anything else going on before the WRING, any other original stuff?
No.
Or is it just the Rush thing?
Yeah, I do the Rush tribute just to stand on the stage. I’ve always loved Rush. So, it almost feels legit to me, even though it’s still a tribute thing.
But yeah, I can’t get anybody to do The Wring. So, I just do the Rush tribute. Before that it was cover bands and whatever I could find.You know, it’s a tough scene, not only in (as you said) down your way too, but in Canada in general, it’s just tough.
(Brief discussion on local cover band scene here, there and Nashville!
Are all these songs on the latest album written specifically for this project? I know you’ve written over the years, so is there stuff that’s been hanging around, or is it kind of, when you decide to do a new album, you’re writing as of then?
I would say for this album…this would be number four …if there was anything hanging around, it probably got used in some way. I would say, when I’m starting, and (I suppose) I’m kind of in that cycle right now, I’m starting from zero and building out maybe record number five. So, everything was unique and fresh for this record. There were a couple of riffs that I had, but they’ve been turned around so many times, and twisted up that you wouldn’t recognize the original one anyway.
Now the album’s coming out, or is out on CD, correct?
The last two records, plus this one, are being released by Wormhole Death Records out of Italy. It’s a distribution deal, so it’s not that fancy, but they put it out there. They have a unit in Japan, a unit in the U.S., and then, of course, they’re a European business unit. So they insist on CDs; they still think it’s a thing, so they make CDs. They should be out probably within the next couple of weeks. So, yeah, I like a physical copy. I don’t think I have enough uptake to do vinyl, but I’d love to do that. But it’s expensive, very expensive.
So, let’s talk about some of the songs. “The Nail”, that intro had a bit of a Maiden feel going in it for a bit there.
A little bit, yeah, for sure. They were an influence. Everybody’s an influence. I’m sure if you sat down and listened to, or you picked apart, you’d hear somebody, everything’s been done. (haha) I try to make things a little bit original as much as I can, but it’s hard.
It’s funny, when I first got to listen to the first song off the album that came out a few months ago, I immediately thought of the Rush sound, just in the guitar and the bass, like that kind of feel.
Definitely, yeah.
And then I looked you up on Facebook, and ‘this guy plays in a Rush cover band’!
(haha) Yeah, it’s an influence that won’t go away. They were huge to me, So it’s always there somewhere.
Yeah, and there’s a lot of, you’ve got a few instrumentals on here. Are you familiar with a lot of the modern prog stuff, like Dream Theater, that sort of stuff?
Most definitely! And actually, I’m in Toronto right now, I’m going to see Opeth tonight, ne of my favorite bands. So, not all, because some of it is too much. Dream Theater I’ve kept up with over the years. I think they’ve got a formula now, and it’s hard to distinguish one record from the next, but I still like to go see them.
I saw them on their last tour here, and he (James LaBrie) did a great job, I gotta say. He’s over 60 years old, and he’s trying to bang this stuff out. Images And Words was 1992, that’s a long time to be doing this.
The one I am most familiar with is Scenes From A Memory. After that, I don’t know… I like to hear songs; I like to the songs to have an ending…
And that’s kind of what I go for with The Wring. There’s stuff in there, there’s some weird times, there’s some weird shit, there’s some interesting parts (I like to think they’re interesting). They go by, and the songs are five minutes or less, and it’s not agony to get through them.
Yeah, can you tell me a bit about a few of the songs, lyrically and musically, like ‘The Nail’; obviously, ‘The Sword’ stands out, and the last one, ‘Nemesis’ (?)
Well, lyrically, like, I do all the music first, all the songs start with a riff. I write everything on guitar; I’ll come up with something that I like, and then I’ll set it aside, I’ll come back to it, make sure that it’s not too much of a rip off of something else, and if it is, it goes in the garbage, and if it’s something else, I might spin it around a little bit, try and make it interesting that I’ve not done before, And then, you know, once I have all the songs written, then I do the lyrics. And all of my lyrics come, kind of, I seem to, my muse is anger, so, you watch the news, and it’s easy to get angry, like, there’s so many, just horrible, horrible things going on in the world at any given moment, you just almost can’t even believe it. And that’s the theme; it wasn’t intended as a concept. But the theme of Nemesis, which is kind of an unstoppable enemy, it takes many forms, and we’re all fighting that in some way every day, whether it’s a bad breakup with your girlfriend, or Donald Trump, or the war in Ukraine, … it’s easy to find material to write about, and you can trace pretty much every song back to that theme. So I thought ‘what a kind of a cool kind of thing to tie it together’, lyrically. And then the writing is just riffs, and I try and structure things that are interesting. I demo everything myself, and then I send it to the guys, and let them do their thing, and both players in this record are just off the charts, they’re so good.
The guys you have on this album, Reggie and Kyle, have they been on the other albums as well?
Kyle was new for this one, I seem to change drummers every record. Reggie played bass on the last record on Spectra, and he’s such a good bass player, so I wanted him back for that. And then I sort of discovered that he’s also a singer, so he’s a great guy to work with. He’s malleable, if you hire a guy like Marco Minivan, who played drums on the last record, and of course, you’re not going to tell Marco what to do – you’re going to say ‘here are the songs, Marco, please play drums.’ And he’s going to say ‘sure’, and he’s going to hit it out of the park, but he’s not going to take suggestions, whereas Kyle did, and Reggie does. So this one… because these guys are excellent, but they’re not famous; when you’re dealing with famous guys, they’re just going to do a great job, but you’re not gonna have a lot of input in it, whereas with these guys, it felt more collaborative, So it was much more satisfying to me in that regard, that if I heard a lyric, or a melodic phrasing in the vocals that I didn’t like or whatever, I could say ‘Reggie, could you please – don’t do that, and he would’, And it was all good. So, I like that part of it, and they’re great, great players, and the performances were killer.
Have you played any of this stuff live at all, or do you foresee yourself doing any live shows?
You know, I keep hoping. The original Wring band did play live, and it was, it was so much fun. And, I layer so many guitars into it, and it’s like… (and I don’t want to compare myself), but Jimmy Page – all the Led Zeppelin records have, layers and layers and layers of guitar, but then live, you see him sort of aggregating those into one, because he’s not overdubbing anything on stage. And it was always fascinating to me how he would interpret his own songs to make them into one guitar part. And The Wring is kind of the same, there’s lots of stuff going over the guitar, it’s just me, so on stage it was it was great fun to do that very thing, so I keep hoping, and Reggie, Reggie was living in Vancouver when he did these records, but now he’s moved back to Montreal, which is, you know, six hours from me, not a plane ride, so, you know, and drummers are drummers, so, you know, I’m hoping, you know, now that he’s a little closer, we actually might be able to put something together and stand on a stage together and play some of these things.
Do you get much of a response from Europe and elsewhere?
Yeah It’s amazing because, with Spotify and Apple Music and all these services, like, they drill down, like, so far, right, like I could tell you a city where people are listening to this stuff, and it’s amazing, it’s like Helsinki, Finland, Stockholm, Sweden, London, England, you know, around London, a couple of different cities in Germany, and then throughout the United States, it’s pretty good, there’s pockets in the U.S. that are very supportive of this. There’s very little in Canada, it’s all Canada is, name a metal band called ‘Canada’. Ancients, I guess, I don’t really know anybody who’s doing too much, in the genre here.
Would you ever be, if the opportunity arose, be open to going to Europe and doing festival shows, that sort of thing?
I’d love to play live, for sure, it’s special to do that, especially with your own material, So, absolutely, yes!
Can you tell me a little bit on the cover design for the album, the artwork, do you get involved in that?
Well, it’s always funny, because obviously, I write all the words and the music, and I’ve got a vision in my head of what that looks like. So, I always sit down, and I go through graphics sites and find images, and this is what Nemesis looks like. And I’ve got a friend here in Toronto, actually, who’s a graphic designer, so what I do is I put a whole bunch of ideas together, and I send it over and say, ‘this is the concept, this is what I want to do, can you make it proper?’ And so, he did Spectra as well, and it was funny, the process for that, he went, ‘yeah, okay’. He takes my ideas, and he maps them all out, and does some mock-ups, and then at the very bottom of the page, I did a couple of my own too, so you can have a look at what my vision would be, and of course, he’s always right. So, the end version of both Spectra and now Nemesis was all him, and he came up with the jellyfish, and the red color, and I thought, ‘wow, it’s so simple, and so cool’. And thematically, it kind of speaks to Nemesis as well, so it’s cool.
You don’t have any new, any special guests on this album, correct? I know you had Marc Bonilla on the previous album.
Yeah, he was on Project Cipher, which was two albums ago. He did all the vocals then, but no, no famous people on this one, it’s just me, Reggie, and Kyle. Wow, that’s an interesting connection with him.
He (Marc) came from Thomas Lang, actually. It’s funny, because I got connected to Thomas, and he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it for sure.’ and I said, ‘Since you’re being so nice, do you know a vocalist?’ And he goes, ‘I do.’ So, he connected me with Marc, and Marc’s a super pro; he’s got Grammy awards, and I think he was out with Asia, maybe…But what a talented guy.
Like, wow! It was, when you’re dealing with a guy who’s that professional, it’s great fun. And to have him be interested in my stuff was pretty gratifying, and humbling, I guess.
I’m just going to ask you for a few short lists. A few albums, favorite albums growing up.
I would say, best album of all time, which would be my favorite album, would be Moving Pictures, Rush. Another very influential record on me was Megadeth’s Peace Sells. Ozzy – Diary of a Madman, Randy Rhoads, lhe changed the world. In my view, he made it possible for a lot of these things to happen And then I think the next step for me was Opeth, Blackwater Park was a huge influence in terms of how I approach, and what’s possible. Just an amazing record! And then, I don’t know… Voivod’s always been there, Nothingface, I still listen to Nothingface and think about what they were doing back then. So, yeah, that’s another huge one for me.
You said Moving Pictures, I’m kind of into that whole era from Hemispheres up to Signals. You play all the Rush stuff, can you give a few favorite Rush songs – playing-wise, or as a fan?
Yeah, I’m the same. Hemispheres is a close second in Rush for me; I absolutely love every inch of that record, right through, I went to Grace Under Pressure, I found Grace to be a very good record, like, guitar-wise, after that, Alex, he really stopped playing, he didn’t really do anything after that. So, playing live – really the whole Moving Pictures thing, because we do everything except “Witch Hunt”. “Limelight” is a fun song, with “Tom Sawyer”, it’s always amazing to play that; “YYZ”, of course. We do a little chunk of “Natural Science”, off Permanent Waves, we do a chunk of ” La Villa Strangiato”. I do “Broons Bane” on a nylon string. We don’t go past Grace Under Pressure, our set is almost two and a half hours, and it’s all Grace or older. So, it’s all fun stuff to play.
Do you guys ever play down this way, or is it all up in Northern Ontario, that way?
Oh, gosh, we’re trying to make some headway down there. I think it would actually serve better, because it’s interesting, there’s so many Rush Tribute bands out there, and the most famous ones are at least four members. They’ll always have…most often have a girl singer, and stuff like that, they have original albums and all that, I think, okay, that’s cool. And they do a good job, but they have a girl singer, like, the whole mystique of Rush is that three guys were able to pull that stuff off. So that’s our approach, and it’s hard – the guitar player has the easiest job, drums are obviously ridiculously difficult, and then trying to play the Geddy thing – sing, and we do everything legit, there’s no backing track, so we’re playing the, you know, the keyboards on the floor, the pedals, and then he’s got a full set of keyboards. It’s pretty authentic, it’s not perfect, but it’s certainly authentic, and it’s fun. So I think it would be something that we could catch on down there, Our first show was actually just in April past, so we’re hoping, in early 2025 to be doing some stuff down there, for sure.
One last thing, if you can give me a favorite underrated Canadian album, or a couple?
I mentioned Ancients earlier, and I don’t know if anybody knows who Ancients are, but they’re fantastic, and they just put a new record out, and, and their previous one Voice of the Void, is incredible! I would say it’s a combination of Opeth, Tool and Mastodon, it’s like – put all those three things together, there’s clean vocals, there’s growls, it’s amazing! I love those guys, so I would say that.
Outsider Rock 