Marcie Free: An Amazing Musical Legacy.   Mark Free burst onto the scene as a young rock singer in King Kobra. The sales and fame richly deserved may not have followed, but this fine singer has made a huge impact on our melodic rock community with each release seemingly another classic. Signal, Unruly Child and the Long Way From Love solo album are all albums that have attained a cult following and are highly regarded as staples of classic melodic rock and AOR music. But it all ended too soon. We were left with the music, but longed for more when Mark Free made the ultimate life altering decision to undergo sex change surgery. It happens everyday in the world around us, but is almost unheard of in the world of rock music. Thanks to the Internet and the ability to interact with fans, Marcie, as she is now known, has made a comeback of sorts – setting up a website and once again saying hello to old fans. Not only that, but making many unreleased demos available so us fans can at least hear some new music. Marcie has never done a feature interview and I'm very proud to ...

Magnum: A brand new sound for latest CD.   Magnum Interview with Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin by Sven Horlemann - from the Bang Your Head Festival 2004 At the Bang-Your-Head Festival in Germany (read the review here) I had the chance to talk to Bob Catley. It was fun to talk to him (as you will see in the interview). By chance Ollie from SPV got me another 15 minutes with Tony Clarkin, and I didn't had to think twice about interviewing one of my guitar idols. Thanks go out also to Mirko for making it happen. MelodicRock – Hello Bob, thank you for taking your time to talk to MelodicRock.com Bob – Oh oh I lost my voice I can't speak. MelodicRock – I had the chance to talk to Lenny from Kingdom Come yesterday, though right after the concert all interviews where cancelled because he caught a cold and the voice was gone. Bob – Lenny Kravitz? MelodicRock – Oh no, more like Lenny Wolf from Kingdom Come. Bob – (fumbling with some cigarettes) I am going to blow some smoke in your face. Ah, filthy habit. (begins to sing). MelodicRock – … Bob – Have we started yet? MelodicRock – Yes. Bob – Ok. What's your name again? ...

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 ...

AOR Heaven NEH Records Z-Roxx Loud 1 Groove Machine Destiny Hot Tracks Target Wishing Well Perris Visual Vinyl             THOM GRIFFIN / Mecca - Backing Vocals Hi Thom, Thanks for taking the time out to answer some questions! How did you find yourself involved in the Mecca project? I became involved in the Mecca project when the producer, Jim Peterik called me for the session. Apparently, they had tried some other singers, and were unhappy with the results. I gather you knew Jim and Joe from the Chicago area? Is that where you work from / where are you based these days? I am from the western suburbs of Chicago. I do almost all of my work from here, 99% being jingles. Have you worked with any of the Mecca guys previously? I have sang a lot of songs over the years for Jim Peterik, who then sent them to various artists trying to get his songs placed. I have sang with John Melnick on many jingle, and some record dates. I have to say, without being biased in any way, that the backing vocals on Mecca are some of the best I have heard - ever! Well done! ...

AOR Heaven NEH Records Z-Roxx Loud 1 Groove Machine Destiny Hot Tracks Target Wishing Well Perris Visual Vinyl       DAVID HUNGATE / Mecca - Bass Hi David. You are one of the legends of this rock genre, having started your recording career many years ago. Was Toto your first band? My recording career actually began in 1969....Toto began in 1977. Wow…Ok! Looking back, is their any particular segment of your career that you enjoyed most and consider the most rewarding? The period from the recording of Boz Scaggs' "Silk Degrees" (late '75) through Toto IV (1981) was the best. I worked on a number of projects with musicians like Jeff Porcaro, Dean Parks, Lukather, Jay Graydon, Ray Parker, David Paich, David Foster, and others....great rhythm sections, and some great pop/R&B music. No drum machines or click tracks...we just played. Is there a low point that stands out at all? My two years on the A&R staff of MCA Nashville (1985,86). I did very little playing and missed it greatly. What caused you to leave Toto at a period where the band was very successful? In 1982 I had already moved to Nashville and was getting my ...

OK Mitch, Thanks for taking the time out before you hit the road to answer some more interrogations. As you know and many readers of the website know, I have been privilege to seeing you record this album from the very start, thanks to you keeping in touch and updating me on the progress. I hope the questions can help reveal some of the hurdles you overcame.   So mate, standing where we are now, on the verge of the release of your third CD and the first to be independently record and released by yourself - how do you feel?!! I am laughing at that question because I am so tired and overwhelmed at the moment I can't believe it. This tour is scheduled too close to the conclusion of the record and there are way too many details to be handled. Let me put it this way, if you could see inside my head, you would scream. LOL! Other than that, I feel great that the record is finally finished. And am happy to be able to give something back to the fans. Looking back, would you recommend other artists out there reading this to take a similar ...

Over The Edge: Mickey Thomas - The voice of Starship returns. Mickey Thomas talks a little about the Over The Edge project with Fabrizio Grossi, life in Starship and placing a modern twist on the AOR sound.           First up-congratulations on a great and lengthy career-you must be very proud of the body of work you have produced. I'm very proud and I feel lucky and blessed. I've been so fortunate to have unique influences and associates in my career. Everything from Elvin Bishop to Grace Slick. Let's jump straight to Over The Edge project. First of all, you signed to Frontiers for an album some time ago and at that time it was for an album under the Mickey Thomas/STARSHIP moniker. Can you detail the events of the time between signing and commencing work on OTE and why that project name was selected? I was originally signed to a solo album. I wanted to do something a little more modern and original. Serafino Perugino from Frontier's really wanted me to do something a lot closer to the 80's sound of STARSHIP. In the end we compromised on the special project CD "OTE" = 80's melodic ...

Mars Electric: Moving forward out of diversity. Matt and Jacob from Mars Electric talk about their new harder rocking album, their departure from Portrait Records and the future. Hi guys...Mars Electric bounded onto the scene as one of the original new-crops of melodic modern rock acts and were signed to high profile Portrait Records. Things went well in the beginning - how was the initial time with the label and the release of the debut album? Jacob- We were really excited in the beginning. We were signed by John Kalodner and he signed all of our heroes. The label released our record, but the timing was weird. Radio at the time was playing almost nothing but heavy bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit. When "Someday" hit the radio, it just didn't fit in very well with what was going on. When "Someday" failed to meet the labels expectations, they decided to stop working the record completely. The reason they signed us was because of the song "Another Day On Top Of The World" so we were hoping that they would release that song to top 40 radio stations, but unfortunately in this business you only get one chance now days. ...

  Mark Boals: Busier than ever... Not content with just being a solo artist, Mark Boals also has his band Ring Of Fire. Between the two, there have been 3 albums this year and it looks like it's only going to get busier for the former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist. So, it's been a while since we talked last, but you have been very busy! You have now established two band names - Mark Boals the solo artist and Ring Of Fire. What's the primary difference between the two? OK! With Mark Boals, I obviously get to do what I want, write what I want, work with new people, and in general, have a great time with the freedom of a being a solo artist, making up for years of artistic suppression!!! Haha! But seriously, I wanted to be able to do music that was more based around the melody, with a heavy sound that is a little progressive, and totally different from the neo-classic sound of Ring Of Fire. So many people have been asking me to do it for so long, and I wanted to do it for myself, so there it is! With Ring Of Fire, I have the ...

So Mike, in 2002 we will see your lead vocals on 3 different releases for three different labels - congratulations - that's pretty impressive! Jaded Heart, Rain and of course your cool solo album for Z Records... Is it a reality for a full time melodic rock musician in 2002 to have to seek other avenues to record and earn money, outside their main gig? No, not really! My solo thing I have been pushing from year to year aside. This was planed for soooo many years. I recorded most of the tracks already 2 years ago. Rain was more or less a coincidence. I met the guys summer ´97 on Rhodes, where I sing every summer for a couple of weeks, and we recorded over the last 4 years this album. So all in all in was a coincidence that all those albums come out the same time. The different companies, because each of them was interested in the particular thing, that they have signed in the end! Just purely for the love of the craft then? You know, I´m what you call a fullblood musician. I write and record constantly. I do love it. This is my life. But I must admit, that ...

Mark Mangold seems to have a magic AOR touch. Excuse the pun! He has been involved in two cult AOR acts and is currently launching a solo career and what could also become a classic AOR release - Mystic Healer - unreleased works from his prime AOR days. So here is the man behind Touch and Drive She Said. Hi Mark, great to 'speak' with you. You seem to be at the start of a resurgence in your career! You have got a few things coming up, but first what have you been doing since the last Drive She Said record? The Best Of D,SS, if that is what you mean by the last D,SS record, is out now in Europe and Japan. We worked on 5 new tracks for it as well as compiling the various tracks, etc. I've completed a solo record which is out now and am presently working on getting that out there, performances, interviews, etc. as well as just completing the second video for the song "42nd Street". Certain AOR acts tend to take on a cult status, but you have been fortunate enough to be in two different acts that have achieved that ...

Interview conducted by Dave Ling for Classic Rock Magazine - October 2001. Dave Ling: Why and when did you start melodicrock.com? Melodicrock: It all started with writing occasionally for the now defunct UK rock magazine Frontiers. I had the idea to start my own venture and a magazine was my first thought. But being geographically challenged, the logistics and expenses of such a plan were always going to make it a hard task. At the same time (early 1995), the Internet was just starting to get mainstream exposure and a good friend was right into PC's and the 'Net. I got involved in a couple of primitive bulletin boards and was answering questions in a 'where are they now' vein and thought this is a medium with possibilities and one where my location was irrelevant. It built from there. The site had a couple of different names and designs, with melodicrock.com coming online in 1998. I did it as I saw that there were still a lot of rock fans out there, plus a lot of great new releases and artists, but the two parties were having trouble finding each other. In the U.S. especially, as the UK already had ...