How are you guys?Ron: Good – Me and Louis are here.
Louis: Hey!

Where are you guys?
R: We are in Vegas, our family lives out here and we are here rehearsing.
Putting the second record together.
L: Yeah, writing new songs for the new record, and seeing what's going on in Europe.

It seems to be moving there, rather than anywhere else, eh?
R: Well yeah.

So are you happy with the second record?
R: Yeah. You have our first record too do you?

Yeah, I Iove that record! It was an original sound you know.
R: Thank you.

Your first record come out, it went well for you didn't it?
R: Yeah, pretty well.

And the same old story – what happened to the label after that?
R: Well, interestingly, we were with the management company, and we did a tour, and the first record was beginning to do well, then Atlantic kinda dropped the ball.
L: Well - the classic story, our man at the label left.
R: He left before the album came out. So we were held for a while, it was really frustrating, there was nothing we could do. And then finally we got off the label, and they agreed to let us go, and we got picked up by Epic.
Actually, we had the deal waiting and they held on to us for like six months.
L: They wouldn't drop us. They were dropping bands left right and center.
R: We did good enough to the point they wanted to keep us, but not good enough to where we were happy with the situation. So we sat around and waited and waited and finally got off the label, then signed with Epic.
Then we wrote and went up to Vancouver and worked with Jim Vallance, and made the second record up there. And then the same situation happened, where our A&R guy left the label at epic. They all play musical chairs!
Unfortunately people keep getting caught in the middle.

How frustrating was that?
R: Well, very frustrating.
L: Yeah, pretty frustrating. Fortunately the record did get released though.
R: Yeah, we just happy that it was able to come out.
Thanks to Magnus.

How many years since it was recorded? Three or something?
R: Yeah, three years.
L: Seems like 30!!

I bet!! That is a long time to sit on a record.
R: Oh yeah, the whole process has been incredibly frustrating.

Was does a band do in that situation, to pay the bills?
R: Well Louis sings and I write and produce. So we are lucky that we are able to make a living in the music business.
L: Session singer and stuff like that.
R: We have been able to survive and now there is a little bit of energy in Europe and we are putting together the new album and we will take it as it comes.
We would like to go over to Europe and play, maybe do dome acoustic shows.
L: Yeah, those shows are fun.

Is there any sign of 'Look What You Create' coming out in the States?
L: Not yet.
R: No, we are shopping it around a little bit.
Like you said, it has been over three years, it is kinda hard to even think in terms of it coming out.
We might do another album for Europe and put together a record between those.

I guess it is better just to move on….
R: The thing is, as an artist and a band, you progress, you can only hold on to something for so long.
L: That was a statement of where we were three years ago.

It sounds as fresh as yesterday to me!
R: Why thank you.
L: It was well recorded, that's for sure. We spent a lot of time recording with Jim Vallance, who is an extremely talented guy. Something good today, should be good three years from now.
It has a sort of timeless quality to it.

With the original recordings, there are five extra tracks that didn't make the final cut. Where did they come from?
R: Did you get the advance tape?

Yeah, I think!
L: I know what you got!
R: The album that got released was the exact same album from Epic. You may have an advance copy that has other tracks. Our plans when Magnus got involved in it, was to put two new songs on it, and keep the old record the way it was. But epic wouldn't allow that. The record had to be exactly as it was, even in sequence.
It went from them not wanting the record at all, to making sure it stayed the record it was, so if it did do something, they would make money.
Yeah, if the record did do something, they could release it in America, and they would have it in that exact form.
The album as originally completed is as it is now.
We recorded a lot of other songs with Jim Vallance that may show up on our new album. Not all those songs made the Look What You Create album.
We cut like 15 or 16 songs for the album.

The album has a much stronger bluesier tone.
Was that due to management pressures?
R: That was one aspect of what we were doing.
I wouldn't say they pressured us into being bluesier, we probably wrote a couple more blues songs.
With the final song selection, they went with a lot more of the laid back blues songs.
L: They tried to focus it a bit more.

As far as anthems, you don't get much bigger that No More Broken Dreams or Beggars And Thieves!
L: Yeah, we have bittersweet and blue on the new album.

I love that track.
L: Yeah, it is one of my favorites also. I thought my head was going to blow up when I sang it!

Ha ha. I must compliment you on your voice Louis! It is fantastic.
L: Thank you. I though I was going to pass out!
Not bad for a guy who has only been singing three months. Ha ha.

Ha ha.
How do you get a song like that out?
L: Well there were times I felt so much blood rushing to my head, I felt dizzy!
We had to stop, and I had to take a few minutes!

And a huge guitar sound. Where did that evolve?
R: I have always been into orchestrating with guitars. All my influences were guitar players that did that. Jimmy page, The Edge.
Both Louis and me have a lot of studio experience. We love to play live and have done a lot of that, but we both come from the studio and spend a lot of time there, so are comfortable with that.

Who is in the band now?
R: Well we are working with a drummer Les Warner from the Cult, and a bass player who worked with George Lynch.
L: Unfortunately the drummer who played on the record passed away.
Bobby Chouinard. It was the last record he did.

That's too bad.
R: Yeah, he used to play with Billy Squier. He was one of the first drummers sampled by the hip hop community.
L: A great drummer.
R: He was the kind of drummer you didn't have to say how or what to play, he just went off.
We actually dedicated the record to him.

How about a style for the third album?
L: No matter what Ron and I do together, it is pretty much going to come out as what we do. Basically it ends up being Beggars And Thieves.
We have never jumped on a bandwagon, cause we do what we do. To try and be something you are not I think, is a waste of time.
R: We are what we are. We may experiment with different approaches and different sounds, or maybe different grooves, but we not going to change that much. We may do it little different or a little better.
L: We are not going to become new wave or alternative.

When might we see the third record?
R: I don't know. We will probably beginning to do some recording in the fall. We are talking to Magnus, and it may be out at the beginning of next year.

Well it has been a pleasure talking to you.
L: Thanks for your time Andrew.

My pleasure, thanks for giving me the interview.
R: Take care man.
L: Later Andrew.

c.1997 Hot Spot.