Night Ranger Part 1: Jack Blades. Jack Blades talks about Hole In The Sun - the new Night Ranger record, plus the new Shaw Blades record, Damn Yankees as always....anything else that comes to mind! So Jack, why is there a buzz for the new Shaw Blades record, besides the fact that it's bloody good? Well, I think that it's just one of those records that everybody likes. Everybody enjoys that music. Everyone's just excited about good songs and good music and hearing them from Tommy and I, and having Tommy and I work together again. Is it nice to feel missed? You know, it's very wonderful and very reassuring. We put the shows on tour, on sale and I think one or two of them are already sold out. And VH1 Classic hasn't even started the full court press on the promotion of the album. Yes, I just got the press release today actually. Yeah that's right and there's already such a great buzz out there. I think it's just the fact that the songs are the stars and that's what makes this such a fun record to have. Covers albums are very hit and miss and I'd ...

      House Of Lords frontman James Christian talks in detail about making the new HOL record, working with a new line-up and other such topics as working with Gene Simmons, the upcoming live album and how he nearly fronted Manic Eden! Thanks to Don Higgins for again transcribing the interview for me! Ok James…well we should talk about your latest child, that's the World Upside Down record. Yes, absolutely. I'm glad to be talking to you about it after the beating you gave me on Power & the Myth (laughs). But that's all right, it's all right, you have a job to do. Yeah, well I'm very glad to be talking to you also and I'm very much looking forward to getting this review on line so I can be forgiven. Because it is a great album and it will be a great review, so you obviously must be very pleased. I'm totally pleased. I'm relieved and pleased you know. As we were doing the record, I said, 'I know I've got something!' You just kind of feel it as every track comes together and everything you do and at the same time it was exhilarating ...

The 2005 Journey Interviews     Deen Castronovo (Drums / Vocals) "2 weeks later we were going to do Soul SirkUS and my doctor, he prescribed me this stuff – he thought I was bi-polar. It took this stuff and was so dehydrated that it was like getting pure doses of this stuff – I had no water, no fluids and I almost died! I was in the Emergency Room and the doctor said, well you can either go on the road and die, or you can go home and get yourself well. And I had to tell Neal this. It broke his frickin' heart. Not only that, but it broke my heart that I had to hurt him. Because, I tell you Andrew, if it was not for Neal Schon, my career would not exist. I would do anything for him.... ....Using drugs and alcohol is definitely an instalment plan! I thank God for the guys in this band, if it is wasn't for them I'd probably be in a box six feet under." Online Now - Read Interview. Neal Schon (Guitars / Vocals) "This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It wasn't an easy situation. Management weren't totally into ...

Jack Blades: 20+ years later – a solo album! Jack Blades is always a good interview - interesting conversationalist and of course there is always a dozen projects to talk about at any given time. This is my forth official interview with Jack and he remains as entertaining as ever - talking about his current passion, a new solo album. Thanks as always go to Ron Higgins for transcribing the interview for me. How are you Jack? I'm great, Andrew. How are you I'm good, thanks. Wait a minute. My wife is really upset with me right now. Oh, is she? No, it's okay. She's not upset with me anymore. What have you done? It's okay. I haven't done anything. How are ya? Working hard, mate. Working hard. And you? I've just got off the phone with Eric [Martin]. He told me you were going to call him today. He said you were swapping stories. Yep. We're swapping stories as it were. He tells me you guys are working on something. That's very good to hear. Did he tell you what it was? Not really. He said he couldn't really yet, but he just said you two were working on something for ...

Interviewed September 2002 by Andrew J McNeice   A&R Guru John Kalodner started out in the music business with Atlantic in 1974. He started as photographer and the writer of artist bios and the company newsletter. After moving to His first signing was a then unknown act by the name of Foreigner. What does an A&R guy do? Over the years John has worked with Atlantic, Geffen and Sony Music. His job as an A&R guy became so blurred, a new title was invented by one of the artists John was working with. John Kalodner's job became being John Kalodner. So check the jacket of any artist John has worked with - the credits will read - John Kalodner: John Kalodner In the 80's, during his stint with Geffen Records, John is credited with bringing life and record sales back to Cher, Sammy Hagar and of course Aerosmith. He was also behind Whitesnake's big break into the US market in 1987. In the 90's he was behind the scenes bringing Journey back to life with Steve Perry back at the helm, and resigned Aerosmtih to his new home (and their old home) at Sony. But that's just ...

I caught up with Johnny at this year's Gods 2002 Festival, but didn't get a chance for that interview. Instead, I talked to Johnny a few weeks ago via phone, catching Johnny hard at work in the office... I may get interrupted once or twice so you'll have to bear with me. This week Andrew you just wouldn't believe what's happened with my business. I have over 100,000 orders this week. Are you serious? I am dead serious as a heart attack. I have a client who has a huge hit, a television hit. It's a tiny Portable sewing machine and we can't keep up with the orders. We can't produce them fast enough in China. It's just unbelievable and that's just what's on backorder. For the weekend we sold 30,000 of the things. Someone's getting rich quick? Yup. We're all taking a piece of that action. You take it when you can because these television Infomercials have a life expectancy of about 8 months. If you get a year out of them that's great. So the business that you and Joey set up is really happening for you? Yeah it's out of control. Seasonally we average about 100 employees. We have 30,000 square feet of ...

AOR Heaven NEH Records Z-Roxx Loud 1 Groove Machine Destiny Hot Tracks Target Wishing Well Perris Visual Vinyl             JIM PETERIK / Mecca - Producer / Co-Writer [After about 10 minutes of needless chit chat!] All right Jim, well….I better get going and ask a few questions. Yes sir. Tell me, I think I know the story, but for the record I guess… you and Joe, how did you guys hook up? Well, I mean, that goes way back. <laughs> You're talking about when Joe was 13, in 1983, and I was in Survivor, of course, and making records and there was this little kid that would come over on his bicycle and knock on my door - I don't know how he knew I lived there - and, I would say, “Yes?”. The first time he says, “Well, I'm Joe and I'm a big rock fan, and I heard you're in Survivor.” Anyway, he seemed like a real nice kid, and I would let him come in and I think when he first came over I had just gotten test pressings of maybe Caught in the Game, perhaps. So here's this 13 year-old, and I'm getting my master ...

    Thanks for calling, great to talk to you again. Yeah, Rindell gave me a heads up yesterday, said we were going to finally do this, you know. I've been putting this off because I thought it would be better to do like sometime before the record was coming out...it kept on getting pushed back. Is there any way I can get a little more volume out of your phone? Possibly. You can't hear me real well? Not that well. OK. Now I can hear you pretty well. Maybe its just a case of redialing or... <break> That's definitely what it is, it's a bit of my tinitus. So the years of standing next to an amplifier have taken there toll? That and a lot of the symbols, you know, symbols are like really loud when you get drummers up on risers, you know, the sound comes right down directly at your ears. And, you know, loud motorcycles <laugh>, loud guitars and loud motorcycles. You ride do you? Yeah Where about, just around your home there? Yeah, well, you know, I go for a longer ride sometimes with friends, you know, we'll go...I've ...

    I can not tell you how long I've been bugging Rindell to set this up for me, and hoping that it would come together. Because I am a huge fan of your work, let me say. I'm flattered, I truly am. I've read your reviews and the kind words that you've said about me. I'm thankful, I truly am. You have some big shoes to fill. I think you've done it with ease. For me, although I've been at this for nearly three years now, it still seems, for this first record, I still feel like we got a ways to go as far as finding the right niche. But I think we're on the right track. I think every time we play together whether it's rehearsal, recording or shows, we still get a little closer to our final destination. And I think as time goes by, I think by the next record, I think we're going to get it. If you like it this time out, I hope to think you'll really like it next time, cause I think it will be that much more where it should be. We did a lot of experimenting through the ...

February 2000 and Jeff watson is hard at work at his home studio on a new instrumental album. I talked to Jeff about that, Night Ranger's 20th anniversary, why Neverland never got the exposure it should have, the re-issue of Around The Sun and a bunch of other stuff.... G'Day Jeff! G'Day Andrew Hey how are you? I'm doing good, I'm working in the studio. Oh good, you got a few minutes to talk? Certainly. Tell me about what you're doing right now? At the moment I'm cutting a steel stringed classical guitar piece with a little bit of electric slide over them for another instrumental record like my first one, 'Lone Ranger' that came out early '90's. I'm shopping that in Japan, Europe and America. More of like the 'Windham Hill' and 'Higher Octave' kind of stuff. This is a little more intricate than that because it's a higher degree of difficulty due to some of the classical pieces I wrote. So that's coming out real good. I'm getting a real good response. I just did a song for a movie. It's a huge animation thing, a lot like Pokemon which is very very popular. I had never heard ...

Congratulations on the new album. Thankyou. Have you heard it yet? I certainly have. I've heard it and reviewed it and I'm a big fan of it. Great, it's on your website. I haven't been able to get online for the last 10 or 15 days or so. It's the lead off review right now so. Actually my laptop is broken at the moment so I can't get online. Now going back about 18 months or so I heard a tape of demos for it which were a lot more mellow And obviously a lot more unfinished and at the time I thought it was going to be a fairly mellow pop album but you've really come out fighting with it. Yeah we changed it a little bit didn't we. How did the change come around? Well when you play live you have to rock you know, you have to be energetic, you can't play ballads all the time. So we just decided we wanted to make the songs a little harder instead of soft. Bigger variety. We always thought we had to follow a certain theme but I don't agree with that anymore. I think the fans deserve a wider variety of ...

My interview with John Sykes was more of a chat session! It was pretty laid back and I have basically run through his career, of which I am a big fan. There is a few interesting moments, especially when David Coverdale is discussed. Before you get into it a few updates from a brief chat with John last week. The album will indeed still have some elements of hip-hop, but not on every track and it will not be a George Lynch. I told John about that album and that is not what he is doing. It will mix elements of the classic Sykes sound with the new. Also out is the chance of doing any work with David Lee Roth (discussed below). John Kalodner was putting something together but is now unwilling to involve David further after the two met just a couple of weeks ago. That's about the update, besides the new album will be out in September-(ish) - now enjoy the interview! John! So how's things? Good, going very well Excellent. You've got a new record just about in the can? Well I'm working on it, I'm about two thirds of the way through it currently. ...

  February 1999 A chat with the AOR song writing legend that is Jim Peterik. Jim has been playing in bands since the late 60's and is still going as strong as ever today. From the Ides Of March to a string of hits with Survivor, to his behind the scenes song writing with 38 Special, David Carl, Captive Heart and Fergie Frederiksen, to his new solo project World Stage, Jim has without doubt achieved legend status. Find out what Jim had to say when I spoke with him by phone a short time ago... So Jim, I will take you back a couple of years if you don't mind. No problem. The band was obviously at the top of it's game in the early to mid 80's and suddenly your lead vocalist Dave leaves. That was a tough break.. Ell it was. Dave was the original singer and we loved Dave. Still do. He has a great voice. He obviously sung our biggest hit, eye of the tiger and a lot of the early days in Chicago when we were building the following up and playing a lot of the clubs, Dave was the man. In fact the rumour is that ...

Hey Jack, what's happening? I'm just sitting here waiting for you to call! I appreciate you taking the call Jack. I just want to touch on Neverland for a minute. Last time we talked I had it on the way, but it hadn't arrived yet. It is a bloody fantastic album! Why thank you. It is a very mature Night Ranger wasn't it? Yeah it was. I think this new Night Ranger is more immature Night Ranger. Ha ha! Great! Yeah, this one is a lot more fun. I think you are really going to enjoy this one. Neverland was a pretty serious album. Yeah, this one is pretty not serious. This is a pretty fun record. The Japanese called me last night. They are flipping out over it. They are really excited. I am really pleased, and even surprised to see another album so quickly. Well, so am I. Actually we just got off the road, and I started writing a bunch of songs, and we thought well, lets go in and cut them. And Zero said they would like another record. So we said okay, let's do it right now. So the band must really be smoking right ...

In my opinion Night Ranger is THE American rock band. There are no other bands which typify the hard edged guitar, the anthem rockers, and the soaring ballads like these guys do. Their amazing harmonies stem from the advantage of having two lead vocalists, in bassist Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy. The infamous guitar work is supplied by Brad Gillis and the eight finger tapper himself, Jeff Watson. The ‘man who put it all together’ for them, is keyboard player Alan ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald. Together they have made some of the best American rock ever. Their classic albums ‘Dawn Patrol’, ‘Midnight Madness’, ‘Seven Wishes’, ‘Big Life’(especially Big Life!), and ‘Man In Motion’ have never been far from my CD player. I talked to Kelly Keagy earlier in the year, about the ‘Feeding Off The Mojo’ project, and now have the pleasure of talking to Jack Blades, who outside of Night Ranger, has recorded So what's going on Jack? Yeah, they’re putting on a guitar part, so I won’t have to worry about it for a couple of minutes. We are in the studio now, I have a studio in my barn, here on my ranch, and we ...

I am preaching to the converted in describing John Waite as a legend. The former singer for the Baby's, Bad English, and producer of five very fine solo records, is about to unleash his sixth solo record. It promises to break more new ground for a singer who has had his ups and downs, but is currently riding high with enthusiasm. I chose to leave the interview in it's original format, rather than into a life story, because as a conversation it was relaxed and light hearted - mostly! See what you think..... Andrew…. John, how are you! Andy baby! How are you doing? I am very well. Thank you. How are you? Great! It is an honor to speak to you. Thank you for taking my call. It's all right mate! How's Australia? Good actually. Where abouts are you? I am in Hobart, Tasmania. Almost at the bottom of the earth. Wow! It's about 6am and it's fairly cold. How's New York? Stinking hot – we are right in the middle of summer, so it's stinking hot. How are you these days? Great, boiling also! I have just finished a record, and it is about another 3 weeks until the single ...

James Christian has been going at it for over twenty years now, but it's been in the last several years that he has proved himself one of the best hard rock vocalists in the business, with three classic House Of Lords albums and a debut solo album from a couple of years ago. James also sang with Eyes and LA Roxx back in the early eighties, and has just had a compilation album from his first band with other AOR singer/songwriter Jeff Cannata, Jasper Wrath, released to the unsuspecting public. But where is that House Of Lords Re-union?   So James, last thing I heard fom you, was the House Of Lords re-union. What happened to that? There still might be a House Of Lords re-union soon. We have already written three songs. It all comes down to timing. The timing must be right. Okay. I had heard on the rumour mill, that was you had submitted tracks to the label, and they didn't like it. No it is not true. We never submitted any new tracks to the label at the time. But when we do, it will be on our terms. Why elso do a record after ...