DANNY VAUGHN
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Good to talk to you again Danny, how are things in your part of the world, post Sept. 11. Everyone's Ok I hope?
There were some worries initially as Michael and I both have some friends and family in the Police, Fire Dept., and medical professions, but we have been fortunate in that respect. Things are still very strange over here. Lots of paranoia and tension. But I guess we have joined much of the rest of the world in that respect.

The second Vaughn album was released just prior to that unfortunate date - has this set back the sales and/or promotion of the album in any way? Over shadowed it as such?
I'm sure that it has affected things but it seems like such a small worry compared to everything else. I'm hoping that this acoustic solo tour I'm going to do in February will get my head back on music by reconnecting with my friends.

To anyone that hasn't bought the album yet - what can you say to convince them to take a look at it?
I of course, can't recommend it highly enough!!
Ummmm... it's got a really pretty girl on the cover! I don't really know. If you have liked the music I have been able to make in the past then I don't think that Fearless will let you down. Some folks have said it's my best work yet. I'll leave that for others to decide.

What have you been doing musically since the release of the album?
We were able to do a very good tour of England just as the album was released. Of course, very few people were familiar with the music then. On that tour I did a different encore each night of an acoustic version of an older Tyketto song and it got a really great response. It had been our plan to come back and tour Europe in February but we've had a few set backs. Not the least of which was Sept. 11. I know that none of us has felt like even playing our instruments very much for a while. As always with me, I go back to music to heal myself, so I got the idea of trying to do an entire acoustic show by myself to try and get me back on track. It's a difficult challenge and I've been rehearsing with a lot of excitement about it. Then, we'll bring the whole band back in spring or summer to follow it up.

Are plans underway for writing and/or recording of a third album yet, or is it way to early?
Whoooeeee! Don't rush me yet! We recorded a couple of the live shows on the last tour and one night in particular the band was on fire so I'm hoping that we can turn that into a live cd. I'm not a big fan of those, but it's something people have been asking me to do for quite a while. I'm also tinkering at home with some recording ideas for an acoustic EP or something. You never know.

Have you managed to reach the fan base of Tyketto successfully yet, or is the word still spreading?

I think that it's still spreading. We haven't even touched America yet and I know there are a lot of people out there somewhere that remember us. Slow and steady wins the race, I guess.

What can fans do to help?
Buy 100 copies apiece! No, seriously, our fans always give it such an effort. They e-mail radio stations, they tell friends, it's all a word of mouth proposition right now. I count almost every step forward that Vaughn has made in the last 2 years as being down to the efforts of our fans.

You have just announced a solo acoustic tour - can you tell us some details about this?
Well, I'm planning on doing songs from my entire career including Waysted and Flesh And Blood and I'm never going to do the same set twice. I'm hoping to keep it very intimate like a VH1 storytellers show. I would love to interact with the audience and talk a little about whatever they want to talk about and perhaps get into a give and take with some musicians about writing and performing. I'm also hoping to have a fan or two come up on stage and play with me on a song. Eventually, I'll put that out on the web site and invite people to write in and tell what they play and what song they might like to do with me. I'm hoping that I'll get enough of a response to have a person each night. It could be a disaster, but it could be great as well.

There might be some that say, oh no, why is Danny solo? Is this bad news for the fans of Vaughn?
Not at all. This is something that I've always wanted to try and I've finally built up enough confidence in my guitar playing to chance it.

And some of the tracks you are lining up to play?
I will probably know almost every song I've ever recorded and just see what the audience wants to hear that night. I'm also planning on playing one song each night that nobody has ever heard. Either a song that I wrote in the past that never made it onto a record or something recent that hasn't been played for the band yet. I write a lot of acoustic material just for myself with no intent of ever recording it and I may play some of those to see what people think.

Any such dates planned for the USA?
No plans, I'm afraid.

Do you think that your move to embrace European and Japanese audiences has help prolong your career?
I don't think it was a "move" so much as simply going where people were interested in what I was doing. I have always been blessed with a fan base in Europe and Japan that goes back to the Waysted days and it never ceases to amaze me that these good people have stuck with me.

Looking back, is there anything that you would have changed/done over?
Probably, but I've found that looking back puts a major crick in my neck so I try not to do it anymore. ;-)

Haha! What's next for you and the other guys when you get back from this tour?
We have been invited to play a festival in Belgium in summer and there are some other outdoor gigs being talked about as well as a full band tour in spring that will take us to Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, and maybe a few other places as well as England.

And anything planned over the Christmas period? Family and friends?
Going out to see my family this year and spend some time with my squeaky, new nephew.

Ok mate, that's about it - anything you would like to add?
Just a simple thanks to the fans, and to magazines and web site like yours that provide so many musicians with a chance to be heard. Amy and I want to wish all of you peace and joy for the holidays. Let's hope that the awful events of this year have also managed to remind us that we are all related and can all spread a strong positive message that will outlast the messages of the bad guys.

Cheers for that and take care...talk to you soon...
Happy Christmas Andrew!

xxxx

G'Day Gary, I hope you have a few minutes spare to type out some answers to the following questions. Thanks in advance for taking part!
First, let's go to the new Ten album Far Beyond The World.
This is obviously another collection of songs to add to the Ten legacy and you have written a lot of material over the years.
What did you have in mind when writing for this album?
We just felt it was time to return to our melodic roots for a while. The new album is basically an album of love songs. I suppose that would be the thread if any. I have gone for the commercial elements this time and I am very pleased with the material on the new album.

You write for yourself, Ten and other artists - do you set aside a time frame to write for each one, or write constantly, assigning songs as you see them fitting those other artists or yourself?
I write constantly. But when a particular project is imminent I put a couple of months concentrated time in for the project and add any material I have pre written at a later stage if I feel I don't have enough to go with.

Far Beyond The World contains some familiar styles and expected sounds, but also some new directions.
Do you set out to always try and include something new - break new ground with each release - or is it just a natural progression with your writing?
For the most part, we recorded it in the same ways as before, only this time we have gone for a more modern approach to the material. It is important to justify yourselves in today's market.
No-one can make music that sounds like it belongs to the eighties anymore. Not and survive.
We have always believed that Ten are one of the few bands with the
potential to `cross over' musically. We believe if we persist, that sooner or later its going to happen for us. Also the fans always liked the commercial side of Ten so why should we disappoint them.

How would you describe the material on the new album?
I think as set of songs…it is the most representational album of Ten as a band we have done so far.

In my opinion, it retains the heavier edge of the last couple, but has more melody in there again...
Many thanks for that.
We have tried to examine what are the good and the not so good aspects of our sound and capitalise on the good ones this time.

I love the Ozzy Osbourne like guitar riffing on High Tide. What was the idea behind that song?
Thanks. High Tide is possibly the heaviest song on the album.
A touch of blues about it. Some good soloing on guitar especially in the keychange part of the solo. It's very rare that I base a song purely on a riff but that was all I had with High Tide in the beginning and so we placed the emphasis on it.
It has an unexpected section in the middle where the entire track goes through
an old analogue flanger to emerge again.
Lyrically it is about being tired of drowning in a dying, deceitful
relationship. And deciding that enough is enough and that the charade is over.

Glimmer Of Evil is also an interesting song, what was the story behind that one?
Glimmer Of Evil is a very solid pounding drum and bass song.
Very blues orientated guitar wise. It has very interesting offbeat bridge sections.
Big harmonies again and a more bluesy vocal.
Lyrically it is about a physical midnight rendezvous with a woman who
is the embodiment of ones greatest fears.

I also love the anthem rocker Scarlet And The Grey - great hooks and melodic twists are at play within the song, that essentially is a rocker. How do you achieve the balance between the two?
Scarlet And The Grey has a modern sounding edge to it.
It is very guitar driven but with big vocal harmonies. I think the balance comes where we have been careful with overlaps.
The vocals and guitars seem to give way to each other well and compliment without interfering with each other. It has some flange effects on the lead vocal tails in the verses.
Lyrically it is based on the legend of "She".
An immortal princess who waits for the rebirth of her lost love only to loose her immortality when her lover gains his own immortality.

Ok, so what are your favourite songs from this album?
I would say What About Me?
It is a big sounding ballad in the style that Diane Warren might write for Aerosmith. It has some nice piano from Paul (Hodson).
It has some very nice mid gain guitar played through an oscillating Lesley
Cabinet. It has big harmonies. A sentimental vocal and a very personal feel.
Lyrically, it is an expression of ones real feelings in answer to the
question. How do you feel about me? What are your feelings?

Do you have a list of personal favourite songs that you have written for you or others across the years?
The Loneliest Place In The World - off the debut / The Name Of The Rose- off The Name Of The Rose / Arcadia - off The Robe / We Rule The Night - off Spellbound / Thunder In Heaven - off Babylon.

Ten as a band, sells a lot of units and has now made several records. What is the secret to your success, based on a music scene that often has it's detractors?
I have no idea really. We just keep making music we like and hope everyone else does too. Maybe also because we don't move with trends people know they can rely on Ten for an honest Melodic Hard Rock album. There's no gamble for the record buyer.

Would you also put it down to good song writing and good playing?
I hope so. I suppose it's not for me to say but I hope people see us as keeping the melody foremost in our writing.

You produced this album again, do you enjoy the ultimate control of being the man at the helm in the studio?
I suppose I do. Although I have to say that working with Tommy (Newton) this time was a great pleasure for me. He is a true professional and a great friend.

Your solo album took on a different feel. Will there be another album in that ballad vein in the future?
I hope so. I have lots of material in that vein and some songs that I am particularly proud of. So a lighter mood album of more soothing rockers and ballads could be on the cards sooner rather than later.

Vinny has obviously left the band, which is a great shame of course, but without airing any problems, do you know why he chose to leave?
His reasons were personal to him. Vinny was never a man to air any kind of dirty laundry in public and he still commands the respect of everyone in the band. We respect his decision and his reasons for making it. He is a great musician and I have had six years of immense pleasure of working with. I wish him nothing but the best with whatever he decides to do from here.

For sure….The band is often seen as the Gary and Vinny show, so will this allow an opportunity to highlight the rest of the band? After all you all play a tight show live together!
Yes. I think this will probably be the case.

In looking for a replacement - can you give us any exclusives as to who might have applied so far?
The closing date for submitting material for audition is December 1st. What I can say is that we have had a great response with over twenty entries so far. There are also some 'name' guitarists in there but it would be unprofessional of me to name any names at this stage. After the December 1st we will be whittling the list down to maybe 8 or 10 serious contenders for actual auditions later in December.

What are you looking for in a guitarist? You can obviously play yourself, but will this herald a change in the band's style?
I think that Vinny had his own instantly recognizable sound and style. Who ever the new guy is, it is bound to sound different. It will be interesting to see what flavours he brings to Ten's sound.

Looking forward to touring again early next year?
Very much. We are in the process of arranging dates for February and April next year.

Let's talk about a few of the other releases you have been involved in. Is there any chance of an official release of your debut solo album?
What was the story there - why did it become so obscure?
It was legal hassle with management in 1991 that effectively buried any chance of that album ever being re-issued again. Certainly with my endorsement.

One of my favourite ever melodic rock/AOR records is the debut solo Hugo album, which you played on as a band. Do you look back on that with any thoughts?
Yes. I still like that album also. I still rate Hugo as one of the best technical vocalists that I have ever recorded. It's a timeless album and I'm proud of my part in it.

I guess the big question is whether there will be a chance for another like it?
That would be down to Hugo. He has incredible responsibility now with his family business and all. I would like to think that we might work together again, but as for when...who knows. I wish him well in any case.

I would also love to hear more on your epic King Arthur album plans!! How are things going so far?
It's all written and in pre-production. I have approached a cast of vocalists which I will confirm to you as soon as it is finalised. I hope to begin recording in January.

Who have you lined up to play/sing on it?
As soon as I have the finalised cast you will be the first to know ;-)

Haha…thanks Gary! Can you fill us in on the whole concept? It will now be a multi-album project will it now?
It will be a double album and it will be based on the Arthurian Legends.
It is called "Once And Future King". As far as is possible when dealing with what is essentially a legend, I have stayed to the historical timescales and the feasible. Less to the manufactured Hollywoodisms.
It is my hope that it will one day be performed by its original cast in a mini Gods type of situation. A small theater, a great rock band with some string players and a cast of 10 great singers. Who knows, maybe some day?

Bob Catley's solo records are another great set of albums you have involved in. What is it like working with the elder statesman of melodic rock?
He has been an absolute pleasure to work with and a gentleman to boot. I am very proud of the albums we have made together. I am his biggest fan.

You have recorded three albums with him now - what has been the favourite?
I think different albums for different reasons but if I had to pick just one then I would say "Middle Earth".

Excellent! Speaking of that album, where do songs like the epic City Walls come from? Musically speaking?
Just what I imagined would be great songs for Bob to perform live.

Middle Earth is obviously the story of the Lord Of The Rings - for those unfamiliar with the story behind the album - would you mind repeating it - how you got started etc...?
It was a piece of literature I loved as a child. A complete fantasy world. Over the period of our first two albums together I discovered that Bob love the novels too. The rest, as they say, is history.

Was the album a success, as far as how you wanted to portray your love of the story?
I think so. When covering something like Lord Of The Rings you can only tread this way once in your career. I hope I have dealt with the subject matter in as complete a way as a single album can allow.

I think the album could find a new audience with fans of the story, now that the movie is about to open. Are you hoping for renewed interest?
Who knows. It would certainly be nice. Although a soundtrack placement for the trilogy of movies would have been even better for me and Bob ;-)

Is there anyone else Gary, that you would really love to write for or work with?
I would like to work with John Waite, David Coverdale, Anne Wilson, John Farnham, Joe Lynn Turner, Neal Schon, Steve Lukather, Brian May, to name just a few from a list of hundreds.

What else is planned for 2002 in the busy world of Gary Hughes?
Plenty of touring in February and April, with some festivals in the summer. Album wise, after the Arthurian concept there'll be another Ten album for release this time next year.

Sensational! Is there anything you would like to add or say to the fans of your music Gary?
Just that I wanted to thank them yet again for their seemingly limitless support over the years. It sounds corny I know but I really do appreciate it. I hope they like the new Ten album and we'll try to play to as many people as we can next year in support of it. Thanks for keeping melodic hard rock music alive and for keeping the faith.

Thanks again mate for answering these and taking the time to do so. Appreciate it!
As always you are very welcome. All the best!

xx

To the outsider, it seemed Fair Warning were on a roll in recent years, with both Japanese and European deals in place, plus some successful recordings behind you. At what point did it seem there was some unhappiness within the band?
We started out in 1990 as a five piece band. In 1995 Andy became seriously ill and it took him more than two years to recover. During that time Andy didn't have much input in FW.
Even after Andy got better, his interest in FW seemed to have ceased. After the recordings for "Go", the original drummer CC left. In 1997 we toured to promote the "Go" album. Due to his physical condition Andy could not play all of the set and we had a guest guitarist (Henny Wolter).
Most of the set was played by Henny and Andy joined for the last three songs of the concerts. On top of this we had a new drummer (Phillippe Candas) who, even though being a great drummer, proved to be not the perfect match for FW because of personal animosities after a second tour in 1998. With this line up we recorded the live part of "Live And More".
While recording the "More" part of "Live And More", in fact already during the recordings of "Go" and for the recordings of "Four", FW had minimised to a three piece band (Tommy, Ule and me). The tour for "Four" saw yet another line-up.
By then Andy had left for good and we played with another guest guitarist (Kai Reuter) and yet again with another drummer (Zacky).
Having lost the original "Family" feeling over the years was something which Tommy didn't like at all.
My personal view was different from Tommy's because we kept on making good records, even with a reduced line-up.
For Tommy it is a definite necessity to have a strong band feeling on the personal level as well. This fact we could understand but obviously underestimated it.

Another weak point of FW was touring in Europe. With the exception of the very first tour our management had big difficulties to get the right tours for us.
The discrepancy of success in Japan and in Europe increased over the years.
There was major success in Japan with two gold selling disks and in Europe we were stuck being on tour as opener for Giant, Jimmy Barns, Saga, Blue Oyster Cult and CCR.

Further, musical taste seemed to drift apart. While Tommy got more interested in what I would call "basic rock 'n' roll", Ule got more interested in pop oriented music. When you listen to Tommy's "Soul Doctor" debut and to "Dreamtide's" debut, the differences in taste become quite obvious.

Ok, considering that, was departure then of singer Tommy surprise you all?
For all these reasons I was not very surprised when Tommy told us about his intention to leave FW.

Was there any possibility of continuing the Fair Warning band name with a new singer? Why did you decide not to?
After Tommy left in summer of 2000, all that was left of FW was Ule and me. Ule said he wanted to have a break from music. In this situation it was clear to me immediately that the time had come to start something new. For me it didn't feel appropriate to continue with the name of FW because Tommy was gone and Ule who wrote most of the songs didn't want to go on.

Dreamtide is of course, the new band. Where did the name come from?
Well, imagine you have five persons in a room trying to find a band name. You have a suggestion, 30 seconds of silence and after these 30 seconds, 30 million reasons why to not take the suggestion.
Finding a name was quite a task. We were really brilliant in finding silly names like "Eat Willy" (think about it), "Hamsters From Outer Space", "German Herman", "Last Exit To Stardom" and so on. I skipped the nasty German ones here!!
After a lot of discussion it became clear that dreams sometimes do the same things as music does. Dreams, as well as music, inspire people. So the more dreams the better. A flood or high tide of dreams. Dreamtide made sense to us. I knew that it is an non-existing word and because I am not a native English speaker I checked with several English natives:).
All of them seemed to like the name and it seemed to make sense to them as well. That was how the name Dreamtide was born.

And new singer Olaf is a sensation!! Where did you find him and how did he
get to know you?
My first goal was to find a singer. When writing songs and recording demos, songs are sung by me. Well, I was not only looking for a singer who could simply sing my songs. I was looking for a singer who could add something to the songs and could color the songs with his style of singing. I contacted several singers and listened to a lot of demos.
Someday an acquaintance of mine told me of a singer called Olaf Senkbeil. I had never heard of him before, but called him.
Now something funny happened. Even though we never met or talked before, we had a quite long telephone conversation. Of course we were talking about music. At a certain point we were talking about a singer or band (I don't remember exactly) and Olaf said: "I like this because they have good melodies and still have the power of rock". I thought: "oops, this sentence you could have said yourself." So I sent Olaf a demo of my songs and the day after he called me to tell me that he really likes it. Again two days later he came to my place and we recorded a song. This song was "Dreamers" and most of what you can hear on the record was recorded that day. Later when we were working on the record we often had funny situations where we found out that we share the same taste in many respects.
At one of this occasions we were talking about "old bands". By the point we came to "Deep Purple" the following conversation took place:
Helge: "Do you know what my favourite Deep Purple song is?"
Olaf : "Hmm, let me guess"
Helge: "No, you never will guess. It's a quite unknown song from a quite
unknown record"
At that point Olaf started singing: "Sometimes I fight here with my fists....." Nobody could ever be more surprised than I was at this moment. I didn't hum the melody, I didn't say the title of the song, I didn't name the record and still Olaf sang the song I meant. The song is "Wild Dogs" from "Last Concert In Japan" sung by Tommy Bolin.
The more songs we recorded, the bigger was my surprise that I found the singer I had been looking for: Someone who adds a lot to the songs.

What is his background?
Olaf used to sing in a band called "Jack's Hammer" and did a lot of studio work.

I found his voice very smooth and certainly a great fit for your musical style....was that your intention?
When you are looking for a singer, intentions are not worth much. All I can say is that finding Olaf was far beyond my expectations. He was simply the perfect match. His singing fits to my songs as "arse on bucket" as we say in German.

Were there any others that you considered for the vocalist position?
I listened to some demos. I talked to some singers on the phone. But Olaf was head and shoulders above the other ones.

How long did it take to write and record the debut Dreamtide record?
I started writing and working on the songs in September of 2000.
In March of 2001 I started to look for musicians for the band and we started recordings in the end of April. The mixing and mastering was finished by the 12th of August.

Do you think that with the departure of Tommy, you have better musical control over this project, or did the rest of the band still have input?
At a certain point, while writing songs, I realised that this new situation could add something to my creativity. I was free from chains and never had to think of things like "how would the other band-members think of this or that". This lead to some influences which I hadn't have before. I was enjoying this.

Later when we actually recorded the songs there was a lot of input from all the others. From helping in recording and mixing to forcing me changing arrangements. For example I was using a sampled vocal choir in the middle-part
of "Moment Of Truth", which I quite liked. When Torsten heard this part he said:
"well, nice part but forget about this sound, this has to be sung".
The advantage of knowing each other for a long time is, you don't hesitate to
criticise. After all we replaced this part by our vocals and the help of a
female singer. The part got much better. Torsten was right.
Another example, in the middle of the song "Dreamers" I had a drumfill which I sampled from a Jimi Hendrix CD. CC heard this and said: "Oh, come on this is really odd. Let me do it." I was quite proud of the idea of having something
strange for this drum fill and I was not easy to convince. But CC's idea was to record this part with just one microphone for all of the drumset to create a special atmosphere and after he played it I had to admit that his idea was the better one.

These are just two minor examples, but the band really added a lot.

It certainly rocks like Fair Warning, but I have to say that I enjoyed it
more than some of those Fair Warning albums!!
Thank you. Give me more! In FW we sometimes had songs which were somewhat too
light for my personal taste. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed playing these songs
but still...I think in Dreamtide we skipped the too light vein.

Could you use your own words to describe the band's sound and style?
The idea is to combine European based melody with the energy of hard rock and
interesting influences and sounds..........Well, that was the plan. But while
recording and working on the songs it was more like the songs taking over
command and talking to us. Almost like permanently saying: "Give me something
better".

Despite a common theme, there is also a lot of diversity in the songs isn't there? Is that a reflection of your personal tastes?
Maybe. I like it colourful. I like to have various influences combined with rock, like the surf guitar in "Your life", the ethnic influences in "Sundance" or the sound of an orchestra in "Heaven knows"

I can hear some Queen, some Scorpions, Fair Warning obviously, some new instrumental influences, some blues and some ballads....
Oops, where did you find the blues? I consider myself the probably worst blues player on this planet. Even though I love listening to B.B. King or Stevie Ray Vaughn. The blues must come from the other guys.
Queen I liked a lot and growing up in Hanover/Germany there is no way of not being influenced by the Scorpions.

What would you say your favourite tracks are and why?
For me it is too early to say. I might have an answer in five years from now.
Now it still changes one day I think a certain track is the strongest one and then the next day it's another one.

And what is next for Dreamtide? What is the band's masterplan?
Right now we are having daily meetings to pray for 6 or 7 hours for the success of the album. No, but seriously, we are trying to set up some touring for spring of 2001. There are no fixed dates yet but as it looks now, we will tour in Europe and Japan.

On a side note - what are your favourite bands/artists over the years?
The very first big impression I had concerning rock was Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", later Yes, Rainbow, 70's and 80's Scorpions, Eagles, Journey, AC/DC, some classical pieces.

And what are you listening to these days?
The latest records I bought were Train, Melissa Etheridge, Rammstein.

Anything you would like to add to anyone reading and your fans?
If you have the chance to check out the album: listen and give it a chance.

Best regards,
Helge

So back to the start of the Nelson legacy, at what point did you put the
band together?
Well, we actually started putting the band together when we met Bobby Rock.
Bobby was sitting behind us at the American Music Awards one year and he was sitting with the guys from the Vinnie Vincent Invasion, they were a bunch of nice dudes, but I guess that band was gonna break up in six months, Bobby wasn't aware of that. And we met him there and kinda just kept in touch and when it came time for us to put our band together, about 8 months later, Bobby was the first guy we called and basically everybody else was word of mouth. Joey Cathcart was a guy we played in high school bands with. Brett Garsed was a guy that our manager from Australia turned us on to. He (our manager) came back from a tour of Australia freaking out about this unknown guitar player he had just seen with John Farnham. So we got a video tape of Brett, we talked to him on the phone and we sent for him and he came over.
And the last person was Paul Murkovich. Paul was a guy that we had done some sessions with when we were doing the demos for the ATR record and he joined the band last.

Did you play much live or were you put together as a studio band?
No, actually we did not get to play live before we did that first record together. Matthew, myself and Marc Tanner, our co-producer and co-writer from that first record, really worked together to put that first album together and we put the band together right around the time we made the album and the first thing that we actually did as a unit was actually making the finished album together after we had done the demo work. So, basically we got thrown into the deep end right away. We made the record and spent the next year or so as a new unit kinda honing our chops before it went to radio. And fortunately for us, we were prepared when it was so successful as quickly as it was.

You were signed to Geffen thanks to John Kalodner. Can you take us
through the process of how you got signed up initially?
Well sure I can. I think the signing to a major label deal is kinda the holy
grail for all up and coming artists at least it was that way about 10 years
ago when the LA music scene was like it was. We actually, instead of doing
the shotgun approach to getting signed, we focused on one label that we felt
was the best for us, and that was Geffen. Geffen was doing, in our opinion,
what we felt was the best quality work of the era. Working with bands like
Whitesnake and Aerosmith and Tesla, they did some really credible rock stuff
and we wanted to focus on that. And our managers at the time, had a contact
in John Kalodner. And unlike alot of the other A & R people, we felt that John was a good person to go to. Not because of his reputation but because he had been the one A & R guy that had really stuck with his label, he stayed there.
All these other guys were playing musical chairs and only staying with the label from 6 months to 2 years and we knew that we wanted a long-term career and we wanted a long-term relationship with an A & R person.
And so we focused on John. John was very difficult on us. We went through the courting process which included taking demos to him as we would write them, we pretty much had a meeting every month for a year. In that meeting we would play him 6 new songs. He'd trash every single one except 1 and basically after that year was up, we felt that we had enough material from the ones that he had kept to make the ATR record, but he still wasn't signing us.
And, to put it plainly, we were absolutely broke. So against the wishes of our managers and our attorneys and everybody who felt they had played the political game really well, Matthew and I needed to get signed, we needed to be officially in business and frankly we needed that advance to eat, so we went into John Kalodner's office with our acoustic guitars, told him we just needed ten minutes of his time, we sat him back and we played him a brand new song we had just written called 'I Can't Live Without Your Love & Affection'.
And it was just me and Matthew, acoustic. And John said, "fellas that's the first time I've seen that since the 60's and that's what I wanted to see from you guys. I wanted to see that you had the balls to stand up for yourselves and take your rightful place and you're gonna need them." And basically that's how we got signed. We got signed the next day.

Was there a lot of interest in you guys from other labels?
No, absolutely not. We got passed on by every other label in town.

How did you find the recording process of the debut album? Was it intimidating, exciting or were you guys seasoned veterans even at that stage?
Well, that's a really excellent question.
We weren't intimidated at all as a matter of fact. We were very used to the studio, having grown up around our father's bands and his recording process.
So the studio kinda felt like home to us.
And we had worked so hard making the demos for that first record that actually going into the studio was like a breath of fresh air and a real relief. I mean we weren't working around dodgy equipment in the studio we were actually working on a million dollar console with a real budget and stuff. And I have to hand it to Marc Tanner. He really did a great job in keeping us very focused in making an album that really had a focused original sound, it wasn't copying anything.
So hats off to Marc.

How much input did Geffen have into the recording process - as far as style and song selections?
Well, when you say Geffen, I am sure you are meaning John Kalodner. John was
really smart, he basically let us do our own thing. But most of John's work, he really believes in pre-production and once you get to the point that you are in the studio, it's kind of understood that you have already gone through a grueling process of sorting out what songs you are going to get to record.
What are the keepers, which are the weepers and which go into the scrap heap.
And you have already done months, if not years, of pre-production with John
where he has beaten you down to the point where you must stick up for yourself and you know that you have songs that did make a very rigorous cut process. And John was very smart. He hooked us up with a team that he believed in and then stepped back and let his faith and belief in the pre-production process give birth to a focused and finished record.
Again, I think the emphasis was really in pre-production and in the actual recording process they got out of our way.

You thanked quite a few Australians in the liner notes of the debut album
and Brett Garsed was a big part of your line then. When was the last time
you headed down under?
Unfortunately, it hasn't been for quite a long time. I think the last time I was over there was 6 or 7 years ago and my heart weeps for that. I love Australia. I loved having an Australian manager when we did.
Jeffrey Shoecraft was wonderful and he was from the Gold Coast.
And man, I have always considered Australia like my second home. That's why it wasn't farfetched at all to find our guitar player in Brett Garsed. Basically, I still feel to this day, that Brett is the best guitar player in the entire world. And I have been fortunate enough to play with some legendary guitar players but I think that Brett will go down in history as one of the finest guitar players that was ever born. He is really a gift to the planet.

The debut was a great success - what was the 6 months after it's release
like?
It was absolutely fascinating. A lot of work went into the preparation.
Matthew and I were the ones that were really in charge of the sound, the style and the band that we put together, which really shaped the sound in the studio, working with Marc Tanner, our image was very important and we put that whole thing together. We rehearsed our band and basically it was very interesting.
We all felt that it was going to take several singles being released to give us some success. We had no way of knowing that the first single was going to go to number one. And I think what really paved the way for that was that Matthew and I got to go and host MTV as guest VJ's.
And we were on the show a couple of weeks and then our record was released and they sold out of the first 50,000 copies they had pressed in the first day.
And Geffen was fairly unprepared for that kind of response, but man, it was huge.
And it was wonderful, man it was a dream come true. But, literally in that first 6 months we went from zeros to heroes and we went from a couple of guys who could live a normal life to a whole group of guys who couldn't go out in public.

From memory, you were written off in a few quarters for your looks, rather than your music, which was quite accomplished. Was that frustrating and how do you counter that?
Well, it was a little frustrating, but then again we always had a motto when we released that first record, "Love us or hate us, you were gonna know who we were". And we definitely achieved that outcome by the whole presentation of that first record. We combated that kind of negativity in the only way we could, which was having the absolute best rock n' roll band on the face of the planet at that time. And I will go on record to say that without a doubt we absolutely did. My group of guys, Brett, Paul, Bobby, Joey and the two of us, I knew that when we hit the stage every single night, there wasn't a band on the planet that could hold a candle to us. I know that sounds incredibly cocky but looking back on it, I can honestly say that we knew that whether or not we were out on stage with Bon Jovi, The Scorpions, Cinderella, Lynch Mob, all the different bands that we got to hang out with and work with, that we had the finest group of musicians and the finest stage show in the world.
I can't tell you how many times people that were in effect, speaking down on us
the loudest, walked away from that show kinda shaking their heads in wonder
and disbelief, going "man I had it all wrong." That was actually the most fun I had in that whole process was making believers out of the disbeliefs. I call it The Nelson Conversion Factor, but it was hard at work at the time.

Now this was the point where the honeymoon appeared to be over. Correct me if I am wrong at any point, but here's the story I know...There were considerable delays getting the second album released, but you really recorded 2 albums in that period. The first was rejected by Geffen if I heard correctly... The question...What vision did you have going back into the studio to do the second (Imaginator) album?
OK, lets start there. Basically we were a really hungry band. We had been
on tour together for 220 dates. We were seasoned, we were salty and we were
ready to prove our musicianship in the studio. We were also a little angry too because the whole music industry seemed to change, as well as our own label seemed to change. We were kinda like, even amongst the people at our label, the band that everyone loved to hate or hated to love. It was like one of those things. We basically had the idea for a concept record called 'Imaginator', that was really dark and brooding and angry and it was about the machine that is the media. That same machine that built us up and was also so ready to tear us down. And we weren't unique.
I mean it's been that way for countless musicians and entertainers in general in the past. So we went in the studio to make that record and we did it in isolation. And basically when we went to turn in the record, it scared the hell out of the people at Geffen, and basically they wanted to distance themselves from it as
quickly as possible. And we really wanted to release it. So basically we were given a choice and the choice was; either you go back in the studio and
make another record immediately, being given no additional funds, or you are
going to be dropped from the label. And we told them that we felt that they
should really release the Imaginator record. That we felt that was where
rock, especially hard rock, was going. They didn't believe us.
Unfortunately, 6 months later, the Metallica Black album came out and it was a
crossover success. Not only for the metal heads but for the pop guys too.
And the Imaginator record was really a big step in that direction. So who knows what would of happened if we had released that, but yes the honeymoon was definitely over.

Why the move to a tougher, more complex style?
What I think what I wanted to do was, I wanted to make a less pretentious record and really rely more heavily on the incredible talent that we had in the band that we were playing with every night. Also, there was a certain amount of proving ourselves we felt we needed to do at the time.

Why a concept album? Was this a reaction to prove you were capable of
achieving great depth in your writing and music?
Well, yeah, I suppose so too. But I think the concept subject matter was very close to our hearts and something we really wanted to make a comment on.
Which I guess the through-line and the theme was, don't rely on technology or on the media to make up your own mind for you, make up your own mind for yourself and make your own decisions on what you like to listen to, what you like see, what you like to do, how you are supposed to feel.
That was what the Imaginator record was really all about. It was speaking against the sort of lucidity that we all seem to get hypnotized into by relying on the media
to make up our tastes and our flavors of the minute for us so much.

If Kalodner had a problem with this album, or felt it was too uncommercial, why didn't you hear about it earlier in the process? Why did the album get completed before being shelved?
The album was completely completed. The album was completely finished before
we knew that Kalodner and the people at Geffen didn't want to release it.
It was a really interesting story of how that happened. The only thing that I can say is the truth and the truth is, that John didn't really care to get involved with the recording process. John was too busy making Aerosmith records.
And that was really where his heart had always been and where it was always gonna be. As evident by his move to Sony and him taking Aerosmith with him. Basically, they were in the studio and they were making the Pump album and John was in Vancouver the entire time and we were in Reno making our record and he never came to the studio. So basically what could we do?
We had two options... either not make the record or make the record the way
we envisioned it and hopefully he was going to like it at the end. And basically we had a big summit meeting at Geffen after the record was all done and John basically said he hated it. But it was alot of everybody all around.
I mean we had already spent our budget making a record that Geffen didn't want to release and I guess John had some questions to answer as to why... you are their A & R guy, why didn't you know about where this was going before this point and I guess, you know shit rolls downhill and I guess we kinda got buried in it for awhile. Well, I mean I suppose I have always been accused of being headstrong but I definitely have always had a vision for the kind of music I make and John is a very opinionated guy as well. He is very talented in his own way and very opinionated and alot of times John's constitution and my constitution really did not co-exist very smoothly. So that is the most political way I can answer that. Honestly, I think a lot of people dropped the ball on that one.
It was really unfortunate and that one situation really effectively killed Nelsons' career for five years.
The good news is that I will never let that happen again. What I should of done, is I should of taken the record that we were really proud of and should of found
another label. And we were given the option to do that and that is something we definitely should of done. There were other labels that were better and other people that we could of worked with that were better. I wouldn't of let my manager, at the time, go because he had done a good job of getting out first record out there working with very little help from the record company side of things. But, hey look man, woulda, coulda, shoulda. Everything happened for a reason and the one good thing that came out of it was the 'Because They Can' record which is very different, I'll give you that. But its a record that I am very, very proud of nowadays and just shows a different side of Matthew and Gunnar Nelson.

How did that leave you feeling?
Well, somewhat frustrated and helpless, to be honest with you. The way a
recording contract is structured, you know, the artists really have very little say, once they are signed, about their career. It's a shame, but it's true. Basically we were at the beck and call of the machine, so to speak, and we had to do everything that they said we had to do. So, I guess we made the next record, which was 'Because They Can' which was released and unfortunately Geffen had already been sold at that point.
Kalodner had left a week before the record was released and the powers that were still at Geffen, well they warned us before they released it, they were going to auto-flush the record. They weren't going to put any money into promoting it
or anything like that. Which is a real drag because the people that have heard that record come back and say "hey, it's different from ATR and it took too long to get out but it's a record we really like". So it's unfortunate because that was really good art and it deserved a better shot. So in the future, maybe people will get to hear it. But it left us frustrated and also I believe that everything in life is a test, if you look at it that way. And it was a just a test to our commitment and that's the way we looked at it.
If someone gives us lemons we are going to make lemonade and that's exactly
what we did. It was a very, very difficult process though.

So how long after this transpired did it take you to build the enthusiasm to record 'Because They Can'?
I call that period in my life, my dark years. I don't remember a whole lot of it, fortunately for me. I mean I never, thank God, never screwed up my life even more with any kind of substance abuse problems but I was in a relationship that was really horrible and one that I would like to forget about.
I kind of turned into a parody of myself. This typical ex-rock star dating a stripper kind of thing. It was just a nightmare and I was doing that and having problems with my label and feeling very disenfranchised because a lot of the artists that were representative of the 'confidence-rock era' which Matthew and I were definitely the bookends, excuse the pun, on the end of that era, were reviled by the new guard that came in which was really the 'insecurity-rock era' of Nirvana and all those other bands from Seattle.
Anybody who had a positive message or had a big stage presence or something
or even remotely represented that 'glam-rock' kind of thing, were publicly
attacked. And that was really the time for that too, so it was really tough.
I felt like not only the record company had turned on me and the public, the listening public had turned on me but deep down inside I knew I had turned on
myself. So it was a really difficult time for me.

That album seemed to sell OK, but disappeared pretty quickly. Had the record company basically decided to move on at that stage?
I think the record company hadn't let us in on the joke before the record was
released, which was really a drag. They had decided to move on years before
when we were still in the studio. Basically I think what happened is that
they didn't know how they were going to get out of paying us another advance,
or picking up another advance.
They pretty much stuck us in the studio again because they knew that was going to get rid of us for a couple of years. We were going to be back in creative land and weren't gonna be 'up their asses' so to speak. So I think that's what really happened and it's really kind of a shame 'cause I think, again, if they had put some effort and some money, more importantly, into promoting it, it could of really worked. I know the first single, 'All Shook Up', cracked the top 40 here, which is no small feat. I mean it went to 39 and it was definitely not what the first album was, but people really do worse than that. So, whose to say?

What did you think of the album after everything was said and done?
I thought it was a wonderful record.
I think it was a record that was definitely touches on where we come from musically and where we came from when we grew up around our father's Stone Canyon Band sound. That's very organic, more acoustic oriented. Which definitely worked for us. When Matthew and I were promoting the first record, a lot of the good work was done going to radio stations and just playing the two of us acoustically with our guitars and our voices.
And that kind of definitely eeked over into this new sound on the 'Because They Can' record. Basically what happened is we went 180 degrees in the opposite direction of 'Imaginator', which was very aggressive, very loud, very electric and very layered. We basically stripped away everything and tried to make the songs work for themselves. And that's basically what we were left with. I am very proud of this piece of work even though the process was very painful.

And then the label dropped you, is that correct?
Yes, that is absolutely correct. That was one of the best days of my life, let me explain.
There is only one thing worse than not having a record deal and that's having the wrong record deal. So that was a great day. Basically they decided not to work with us and we decided not to work with them and they have gone on to much success and I have gone on to much happiness. So it definitely worked out better for the both of us in the long run.

I saw in the liner notes on Imaginator...I unapologize to JD Kalodner.
Can I push it and ask for the story behind that?
Well, after all these years, I have to say this with a smile on my face, I have to credit John Kalodner for being the first record company guy to give me a shot in the industry. If it weren't for John, I would not of had any success at all. So I have to give John the credit for that.
But the story behind that is really the truth. And my experience in how painful telling the truth in this industry can sometimes be. What happened was, I had my
first interview, I think it was with Music Connection magazine or something like that, after the first record was released and was very successful, and the interviewer pissed me off. He said "well, John Kalodner totally fabricated you guys and it's been said that when you guys were signed at Geffen, you were nothing but a concept...is that true?" And what I said was "no, in fact that is not true. John was a very smart guy.
He definitely went through the song selection with us, but we wrote all the songs and when we were in the studio, he did the smartest thing by allowing us to do our own thing, he got out of our way. So John was very smart in that respect." Now, unfortunately, when I was on the road promoting, John read that and got
incredibly upset. He called my manager and he told my manager "I don't care
if they are selling 50,000 copies a week, unless I get a 10 page hand-written
apology from Gunnar, I am going to drop the band from the label." And John
was serious about this. So here was my dilemma... I either had to write a 10
page hand written apology to John, obviously a private one and all that albeit, or I had to kill my momentum and everything Matthew and I worked on our entire lives that was going so well at the time. It was the toughest decision I ever made. I literally was crying, pacing the room, so frustrated because all I had done was tell the truth. And you know, I didn't say anything to slight John, in any way. I just said, that was part of his genius, part of his genius was letting us do what we do. And, again, writing that letter of apology, which I ended up doing, after an entire weekend of fighting with myself over it.
Making the hardest decision of my life. Again, it was the toughest thing I have ever done. It was something that stayed with me for years and the whole experience of Imaginator was so awful, was so tough, when John and the people at Geffen rejected it and then made us go back in the studio to record 'Because They Can' and then John left for Sony the week before that record was released and abandoned us at Geffen.
Basically, when I finally did get to release the 'Imaginator' record, which is something that I wanted to do even if I had just made one copy of that record and finished it, just to say I had finished that album, that's all that I wanted to do. And I remember when I was making the credits... hey, in hindsight... should I have written, I unapologize John? Probably not, but to me it really represented taking my creative power back. And that's all I meant to do. No disrespect to John, but I just wanted to let him know that he didn't "break me" and it was unnecessary and I apologize for telling the truth.
Because I think that the most important thing in life is ones' search for the truth and championing the truth wherever it exists and unfortunately from the experience of writing that apology, I had felt that a part of me had died. Or at least been held hostage and I was letting it go, I was setting it free.

OK....so now you have your own label set up. Is this is why you guys want to go it alone from now on? Get off the record label merry go round?
Yeah, that's a good point. I think everything happens for a reason. Again, when you are given lemons, you should make lemonade with it. And I definitely know that the industry is changing, there is no sure-fire success formula. I think the most important thing is to do the music that you love and that's what we are looking at doing. And the best way for us to do that is to own our own label, which is Stone Canyon Records, and our own method of distribution, which is our website, www.TheNelsonBrothers.com, and do things ourselves.
And if we go back into business with a major label, we will do it as a partnership / joint venture and not an all-out buy out that is much more desperate and people don't need to do anymore.

Tell me how Victor Japan got involved and how they secured the release
of the album?
They got involved because, well basically we asked them to. We had the record that was completely done and what we wanted to do was license it to them and that's what we did. From now on, we are going to be funding the making of our own records and licensing them to foreign entities as well as domestic ones and maintaining the real estate for ourselves.

So back to that album...that sure was a little different to the debut. That opening track was like, yeah and who are these guys!
Yeah, that's absolutely true. Man, it's hard to talk about an album. You have to listen to it and see. But it was definitely a side to us.

What are your favorite tracks on that album?
Well, 'We Always Want What We Can't Get', was one of my favorites. Let's see
what else did I like.... I love 'She Gets Down', that's got some great attitude.

Even though it was only a Japanese release, I saw it on import everywhere, how did it sell compared with the worldwide released 'Because They Can'?
It actually sold very well. It almost went gold in Japan. And it continues to be sold through mail order and it's going to be very interesting to see what happens because we just did another distribution deal for our last four records. So we'll tell you how it goes.

So about now it was finally time to record a new album. Ignoring the release dates, what time frame was between 'Because...' and 'Silence Is Broken'?
I would say about a year, year and a half. That's about right. We try to get a new record there every 18 months.

I love this album. It was like the toughness of 'Imaginator', but with more easy going songs, or I mean ones not tied into a theme like they were on 'Imaginator'. What did you set to record for this album?
It was really kind of an experiment and it was kind of a transitional thing. It was the first, the first record we truly made for our individual label, for Stone Canyon Records. And I think if we were to do it again, I would do it with a different engineer and that's why it sounds as disjointed as it does. We were able to make another record called 'Life', which I think is a really good example of being very settled in our new direction. I think I will talk about that in a second.

That album has remained a Japanese only release, are there any plans to get that into other territories? Or will you be self-releasing these titles through Stone Canyon Records?
A combination of both. I definitely know that our manager is going to MIDEM
to do different territorial deals and so that is what we will be looking at.

And that brings us to present day! It's a pretty obvious question, but why set up your own label distribution?
Most major label contracts state that the label advance the band money, the
band, if they are successful, pays back the advance and then the label still
owns the band's masters.
How that translates... let me give you a good example. This is what that means in a sense. You go to the bank because you found a house that you want to build, OK, you get a loan from the bank, you then pay off your bank loan for your house, you pay off your mortgage and finally when that day comes, you have paid off your mortgage, the bank still owns your home.
That is the insanity that is still prevalent in most major label recording contracts today, that's just the way it's always been and no one has questioned that.
But I think fortunately, for some artists at least, we are getting into an era where some people are going to start questioning that. And that's why we decided to do that. Basically now, we build the house with our own money and then we rent out our house to different people and when the tenants want to change, we can either choose to keep the house for ourselves or rent it out to somebody else. That's what a distribution deal is. And that's what we've been doing.

So you have every intention of staying independent from this point on?
I think to a certain degree I think we will always, I am committed, we will always own our own masters, that is something that we will always do. But we will definitely be looking to doing joint ventures/partnership deals with major labels because no one can beat their PR machines. They definitely get the songs out there to the radio stations.

The site looks great... that is obviously working for you?
Yes! Please check it out and tell me what you think. www.TheNelsonBrothers.com, I am very proud of the site.

It was rumored that you guys were turning completely country, which I
guess isn't untrue, but you have covered both bases by recording a pop/rock album and a country album. That's awesome diversity!
Thank you very much. I think what we wanted to do was experiment with all
kinds of different music that we had grown up with and I think what you are going to see from this point on is very focused Nelson records that's going to incorporate the best elements of all the different things we experimented with. Like heavy metal, pop/rock, country, folk, you name it, it will all be in there, but it's going to sound distinctly Nelson and will definitely be arena/rock oriented.

Did you record them both at the same time or one after the other or a break in between to separate your heads from each one?
The 'Brother Harmony' record, which is the country record that you are referring to, basically started out as collection of record quality demos that we made to do a joint venture deal out of Nashville and it basically kind of all came together when we re-visited it.
You know nowadays, with technology, there is really no such thing as a demo, we really call it a master in progress. The 'Life' record however was done in partnership with JVC Victor in Japan and it was definitely something that really worked for us. We took the money from our Japanese distribution deal and put together a record of songs that was really a 'take no prisoners pop/rock album'. And that's what we set out to do and I think we definitely achieved that. I am
really proud of the 'Life' record.

I want to ask you about both, so let's start with the sensational 'Life' album. I think this is your best album yet. It has everything and the responses I have heard back so far agree.
I do believe wholeheartedly that 'Life' is the finest Nelson record to date.

What did you guys have in mind for this album?
This was an album that was made with the funding intact, so we had the resources. We had the time, we had the band that we wanted to record with and we also had the songs selected, first and foremost, around one outcome... and that was to make the finest Nelson pop/rock record we could possibly make. And that's what we did. We went in with no fear, yet with no record company suits looking over our shoulders and the result is a record that we are very, very proud of.

You should be! It's awesome. When did you start and finish work on it...writing and recording?
Well, we started writing for it about 18 months ago and we finished recording
it just 3 months later. It actually got recorded, start to finish, very quickly.
Which is not reflective of anything other than the fact that we really prepared for it.

It is such a simple pop album, yet the songs have a complexity and intensity that gives the album a real depth. Are you guys just getting better with age or did this time around things really just click?
Thank you for the compliments. I think it's a combination of both. I think
after you have done things often enough you learn to stay away from the pitfalls and you also learn to magnify the strengths. And from the feedback that we have gotten over the years, we know what our fans like and we also know what we enjoy playing. And that's what we incorporated into the making of the record.
The subject matter is very positive, its very powerful, its very simple and it's very Nelson. And it all kind of clicked when the players and the songs and the sounds came together on the same record.

Can I ask you about each track for a new section I am starting called
"Track By Track". There are a few thoughts in there from me too...

Sure, let's rock!

1. A Girl Like That... I am going on record to say that this song will be a
hit. I don't know when it's going to be hit, but this will be a hit. This
is one of those magical songs that really started out in a dream and it
wouldn't go away. It came back in a couple of dreams over a couple of
different nights and I basically got it to a point where Matthew and Mark
Collie could come in and help me out with the lyrics and tidy things up. Boy
is that a good song. I really enjoy playing it every night

2. I Would If You Want Me Too... It really has a great groove. It starts out
and it really makes me feel like a lot of the drumming of Kenny Aranoff who used to play with John Cougar, and it has that kind of feel.
It's a very simple pop/rock song.

3. Life... Why the cover tune? Great choice!
Well, thank you very much. That was actually a song that was written by our
father, Rick Nelson on his Rudy The Fifth record which was in 1970. Matthew
does an amazing job with the lead vocal, he sounds so much like our father.
And I recall recording it in the studio, it was effortless, it was one take
through the entire song for Matt and it was just a magical performance.

4. She Sheila... A cover again, again a perfect choice.
Thank you. That was a song that was originally written and recorded by a
band called The Producers. Which is a band from the American mid-west, when
I was going to high school, it was like one of my favorite bands. And unfortunately it never achieved a whole lot of commercial success but the guys were amazing and it was from the power pop era and I had always wanted to cover that song and I am glad we did.

5. Someone Like You....is one of my favorite songs on this record. This tune
was actually co-written with Matthew and Marc during our 'golden era'
together...while writing for the After The Rain debut. I think it's
positively beautiful. We actually let our recording band go all out with this
one...really 'be in the moment'. The vamp at the intro really shows the virtuosity of guitarist Tom Bukovac...you can also hear Marilyn Martin and Beth Hooker's background vocals perfectly...they are original background vocalists for Don Henley's touring band. They have a very particular sound.
What I love most about this particular recording is that it captures the
essence of the glory days of 'album tracks'...tracks that were meant not
just to be 3 minutes and 20 seconds long for radio airplay's sake... but
really move you and take you someplace. This song accomplishes that. It
really takes me to another land.

6. Everybody Cries Sometimes... This was written with Marc Tanner and
Matthew. It was a song that the three of us wrote together after we were
considering having Marc produce the Because They Can record. We wrote a total of six songs for that record, and this was one we decided to save for the
appropriate time. It's a fairly straight ahead song...but at the time we
didn't like Marc's production vision. I think that Matthew came up with a
stronger arrangement for it for this record.

7. Let's Talk About Me... A funny tune! Love it!
Thank you! That was originally written by Victoria Shaw, who we have done a
lot of co-writing with over the years. And she's a country writer. She wrote
'The River' for Garth Brooks and 'I Love The Way You Love Me' for John
Michael Montgomery. And she wrote that song that she was cutting for her
album and the first time I heard it I just told her... I said "Vic, I know
this is bold of me cause this is your song, but man, you are doing it all
wrong, you are totally crucifying this song, it's a great song and you are killing it." She said, "Well, what are you talking about?" And I said, with kind of a gleam in my eye, "Why don't you wait till we record it?" And we did and I will never forget the look on her face. Trust me, our version is 180 degrees different from what she originally did. Her thing was kind of a very typical, schmaltzy country sort of ballad thing and we turned it into an AC/DC song. So it's pretty cool, I love the way it turned out.

8. She Said She'd Be Mine... That is actually something that we co-wrote with
Marc Tanner and was from when we were writing for the 'Because They Can'
record. I hope you dig it. It's a very different song and a song that
actually stood the test of time, it kept on coming back in various forms
until we recorded it for the 'Life' record.

9. The Hunger... That's a song that we co-wrote with Taylor Rhodes, who has
written some great songs for Aerosmith. He's a great writer and song was
sonically and stylistically different from anything we had done before, you
can really hear Taylor's influences on it. But also you can hear in there too the influences of Nashville in the form of a little bit of mandolin. I also played a little bit of bizuki, which is an Irish instrument, on it as well. And Matthew did a really good job singing the verses as well.

10. Is That How It Is?... That's a song that we co-wrote with Russ Ballard,
who used to be in Argent. He wrote Hold Your Head Up and You Can Do Magic for America, he's an amazing writer. And we spent some time in England with Russ and his family before the ATR record. And that song was actually written when we went on a field trip of sorts with Russ in London and I saw people walking by a poor man in the street as if he wasn't even there, totally ignoring him which, and I don't mean to piss anybody off, is typically British, and I guess I did the typically un-American thing in sitting down next to the guy and starting a conversation and I wound up spending all day just sort of talking about life.
He turned out to be a fascinating person, the lyrics for the songs came from that. And we really didn't have a good opportunity to release it up until the 'Life' record. And I hope you like it too.

You have also recorded a country album... how's that going now that it
is in the marketplace?
No, its not in the market place yet. It's actually a collection of demos.
It's actually going to be in the marketplace in the next couple of months. So
listen out for it.

Is that Indie also?
Yes it is.

Have you found fans buying both or are they separating?
They are definitely buying both which is really attractive to me. I know for
myself I have a truly varied CD collection and I believe that fans listen to
a wide variety of music. And as long as it's good, it's good, ya know?

And what touring plans have you for summer?
Well, summer is past. Unfortunately, I took a little long to get back to you
on this Andrew. But basically, I do know that the definitive Rick Nelson box
set called 'Legacy' has just been released on Capitol. So you can check out
his website too... WWW.RickNelson.com and check out the album. It's 100
songs and it's the first time ever that both of the major labels that my
father had recorded for decided to get together and do one finished, focused
body of work. And I do know that as far as touring is concerned we are
planning on going out, not only in the United States, but also
internationally, hopefully Australia as well, promoting that too. So that's
what going to be going on, hopefully we are going to be touring our balls off
this year.

And I have to ask you, even at this early stage, what's next up for you
guys?
Well, we are working on a lot of stuff. Obviously promoting our father's box
set is really what we are going to be doing for the next 6 months. And I have
been working alot on his company. But as far as our own stuff, we are going
to be going into the studio making another original record, coming up in the
next couple of months. And looking again to doing a joint venture partnership deal with a major label for that. I am working on some solo stuff of my own and that's looking very encouraging. And we are also looking at doing a whole lot of touring. So again, hope to see you on the road.

Any thoughts on your next album?
Not really sure. It depends on which arrives first. I definitely know that I want to do an album of our hits, a collection album and I don't know what that means. I don't know if that means we can license the songs from the first two records from Geffen? Or if they won't allow us to do that then what I will probably end up doing is re-recording those things so at least we own the masters again.
And putting out one record of the 'best of Nelson' to date.
We will either be doing that or we will be doing an album of originals that we are doing in Nashville with our co-producer and he is also a guy that works with Mutt Lang quite a bit. It's a very interesting sound. So I will keep you informed and you can check out our website, www.TheNelsonBrothers.com, to see which comes out first.

Anything you would like to add?
Yes, thank you so much for your patience and to your readers for your
patience as well. Please write us, check in with us at the website and let us know if you want us to come down to Australia. And check out the new releases. And most importantly, please stay in touch. It's great with the Internet, we can really stay in closer contact with everybody out there. And we really feel like our fans are our family and we wanted to touch base with you.
So we look forward to seeing you on the web and seeing you on tour more
importantly and keep rockin!