Thought and Opinion

Maybe It’s Just Me: Post Hurricane Edition

Starting a new feature here on the blog this morning called “Maybe It’s Just Me”. Just some observations and conclusions I’ve drawn regarding things I’ve noticed. Things I believe warrant some attention, but then again – maybe it’s just me.

First of all, let me just say how grateful I am to every one of the local news and weather outlets for warning people and keeping them in the know about Hurricane Sandy.; the huge storm that swept through the northeast where I live.

There’s little doubt that their coverage and timely warnings of the impending storm allowed plenty of time to prepare and saved many lives. Sadly though, many portions of the New Jersey coastline (including portions of the boardwalk that generations of people have enjoyed) was completely destroyed. Although it will eventually be rebuilt, things will never again be the same.

One thing always puzzles me in the aftermath of these storms; whether it be a nor’easter, a hurricane or the combination of the two, as was in this case.

In the days following the destruction, there’s always an abundance of reporters from local news organizations swarming like bees to “ground zero” just to broadcast live from the ravaged area. Some of these people are major news anchors who leave their cushy jobs in the studio in order to report directly from the “front lines”. As they show non stop footage of wrecked homes and fallen trees and speak with people whose lives will never again be the same, it really starts to bother me.

Rather than standing in waist deep water all day watching people pick up the pieces of what used to be their home or hoping cameras are rolling when yet another transformer blows, wouldn’t it be nice to instead see these poncho wearing, logo adorned ball capped reporters provide some assistance to the relief effort?

Let’s be real here, I’m not talking about moving cars, fixing power lines or rebuilding homes. But how about grabbing a rake, picking up some branches and putting them in a pile or bringing coffee to workers who are already involved. Just once I’d love to see some video footage of that instead of shoving a camera in someone’s face and asking them how they feel now that their house is floating down the street.

Would it hurt for just once to see these storm chasers actively participating in the clean-up rather than just standing around reporting on other people’s misery?

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

If you can, please donate to either The United Way, The Red Cross or the Salvation Army. Time, blood, cash. Everyone can do something.

Life

You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

That classic quote from my favorite movie seems quite apropos for what we are about the endure.

First of all, let me say that I made a mistake. I spent the better part of the weekend watching the mass hysteria of the news media discussing this unprecedented storm. The never before seen in all of human existences hybrid hurricane/nor’easter combination that is about to strike the area. I’d be lying though if I told you I wasn’t worried about it. I mean, how often is it that you’re in the eye of a hurricane in the northeastern portion of the country? It’s scary.

I’m looking outside at the beautiful fall foliage adorning the landscape for the last time. Before long, the high winds and heavy rain will pick up, leaving the trees completely barren and/or gone. I myself have gone through dozens of these types of storms during my life but still never get used to it. Huge winter storms that dumped two feet of snow, massive tropical storms that flooded rivers and made roads impassable for weeks and power outages that lasted for days.

The thing is, you can take all the precautionary measures you want: batten down the hatches, stock up on batteries and generators and furnish your pantry with all of the dry goods you want. You may even want to consider hoarding some gold under your mattress in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

But the scariest thing of all about this storm (and all storms like it, quite frankly) is not about the heavy rain, power outages or flash floods. The scariest thing of all is the inevitable: it’s coming, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. We all go about our day to day lives seemingly oblivious to it, but every once in a while Mother Nature likes to remind us all of who is really in charge.

So, to my friends in the “zone” right along with me – stay safe. We’ll make it through this. We always do.

Now, about that boat….

Thought and Opinion

Friday Rant

There are certain things in life that irk me more than others. Waiting in traffic, bad coffee and top-40 radio quickly come to mind. But this time of year, there are two things that drive me insane more than anything else. Things that make it so I can’t even turn on the TV or browse news websites for fear of going postal.

The first is the pending election on November 6th where we citizens go to the polls to elect a president. I’ve become convinced that my reason for loathing has nothing to do with the physical act of voting, but the fact that people put blinders on and take sides.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for choosing who you think it the best candidate. It’s what this country was founded upon. My problem lies with the negativity expressed on both sides of the aisle.

“MY guy is better than YOUR guy. YOUR guy is gonna raise taxes. YOUR guy wants to take away guns. YOUR guy wants to take Grandma’s wheelchair. YOUR guy wants tax breaks for millionaires. “— AH, SHUT UP!

When will people actually wake up and realize that we hear this exact same rhetoric every election cycle? Conspiracy theories, death panels, birth certificates, October surprises, financial transcripts not being produced in a timely manner… I’m SICK of it.

The other thing that drives me over the edge is actually worse than a presidential election cycle. Where as an election happens once every four years, this one happens every year and as of late, seems to be happening earlier and earlier. I’m talking about extreme weather conditions and the hysteria that follows.

Every winter, my neck of the woods gets hit by at least two or three significant snowstorms that causes news outlets to get on the air and warn people of the apocalypse. Last year, we had a snow event (somewhere in the 6-8 inch range) on October 31st. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Halloween is very early for snow, but was there really need to remind everyone (who are already used to these types of weather events) to stock up on milk, bread and eggs? Hardly.

Some stations even devote 24/7 media coverage to these storms, saying the same things over and over again ad nauseam about the progress. People call in to local radio stations to give snow accumulation totals. It’s ridiculous.

Early next week, my little region is going to be hit by a whopper of a storm. High winds, heavy rain and flooding are expected. A few days ago, getting news of what “might” be coming was informative and most welcome. But, once it became known that all bets were off and we were definitely getting the storm, the crazy was let out of the cage.

Although we’ve weathered many such events and flooding in the past, the lunacy of the news media is at an all time high. Instead of just stating the obvious and moving on, they seem more concerned about changing the name of the hurricane/tropical storm (Sandy) to something that will better coincide with the Halloween season: “Frankenstorm!” – How convenient.

I am thankful that we have news and weather outlets to warn us of pending storms. It’s great to be informed of what’s coming and I want to prepare for the worst and hope for the best just like everyone else. But I swear, if I see one more story that says there’s going to be a full moon the night “Frankenstorm” hits, I’m going to go Wolfman on someone.

 

A Conversation With, Album Reviews, Music

George Lynch Discusses T&N and Their New Album, ‘Slave to the Empire’

After tracking songs for what was once to become a new Lynch Mob album, drummer Brian Tichy proposed the idea of bringing together George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown (the “Big Three” of Dokken) for a project similar to what Heaven & Hell was to Black Sabbath.

The result is T&N, and a new album, Slave to the Empire.

The album is packed with melodic, thought-provoking music that captures the spirit and magic of the classic metal genre. Featuring seven original songs (with Pilson on vocals) as well as five re-recorded Dokken classics with vocal performances by Tim “Ripper” Owens, Doug Pinnick (Kings X), Sebastian Bach and Robert Mason (Warrant), Slave to the Empire also adds to the mix the hard-hitting, multi-talented drumming of Brian Tichy.

A second album of new material and classic Dokken songs is slated for next year that will also coincide with a tour.

I spoke with Lynch to get his thoughts on Slave to the Empire as well as his other passion: the documentary Shadow Train.

goJimmygo (gJg): What’s the genesis of the T&N project?

George Lynch (GL): Initially, Jeff [Pilson] and I were writing for what we thought would be the new Lynch Mob record, but it turned out not to be a “Lynch Mob” kind of album. Instead, we decided to turn lemons into lemonade and do our own record. One of things we wanted to do was make a concerted effort to make the connection between our Dokken legacy and our newer writing efforts by combining classic Dokken songs alongside our newer compositions.

gJg: Was there ever thought given to an all original Dokken reunion?

GL: There’s always been talk of it, but it went nowhere, obviously.

gJg: What was it like revisiting the Dokken material again?

GL: It was a little surreal recording those songs again with the same guys. It was also a lot of fun. We were so comfortable with the material, having all been playing it on and off for years. We felt that we could liven the music up and bring new life to it.

gJg: How do you come up with your riffs?

GL: I can’t really say how it works. I think that after listening to all of the music I grew up with, a creative synthesis occurs and something just flows through me. As long as I’ve got a good sound, I just plug-in and with the magic of the studio, inspiration hits. It’s an adventure. The thing is, you never know what’s going to happen when you plug-in and get together with a group of guys and start creating.

gJg: Does Slave to the Empire have a message?

GL: Absolutely. The whole record’s a message. On the surface, people might say that it’s a political one, but I prefer to call it an exploration into truth and human nature. That’s really the job of the arts and music specifically; to convey a message beyond what the music might imply. Historically, that’s how it was done in the past, especially during the late ’60s and early ’70s. Rock and roll music was a catalyst and vehicle for change and we felt the need to take up that torch and continue to do that as best we can.

gJg: Are there plans to tour with T&N?

GL: We’re not going to tour together as a band most likely until next fall, upon the release of the second record. The next record is about half done. All of the Dokken material has been recorded. We just have to finish writing the new original material.

gJg: What Dokken songs can fans expect on the next album?

GL: Songs like “When Heaven Comes Down,” “Til The Livin’ End” and “Just Got Lucky.” “Just Got Lucky” actually ended up being insane. The latest plan is to have Sass Jordan, a wonderful Canadian female vocalist, singing it. She has a very soulful and gritty voice. It’s just beautiful. A wonderful rendition of the song.

(l to r): Brian Tichy, George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Mick Brown

gJg: Have you ever considered writing a book about your life and experiences?

GL: I’m not really a big fan of the rock biography. I think they’re more self-indulgent and full of a lot of self-congratulatory stuff. Throwing a bunch of people under the bus and throwing a lot of dirt out there. I’m more consumed with the work at hand and moving on. Affecting change through music. The music actually serves the same purpose as the book. I get to tell stories in the context of the song.

gJg: What other projects are you working on?

GL: Right now, I’m working on a record with the drummer from Korn [Ray Luzier] and the singer from Kings X [Doug Pinnick]. A still-unnamed project, but we’ve started writing and will be working on that through the middle of December.

The other thing that consumes most of my time is my movie project (and band) called Shadow Train. We’re doing a lot of filming, playing and working on a soundtrack/record. The film deals with a lot of political and human nature issues and history. I’m working with a lot of really great people, including Mark McLaughlin (a producer from PBS and The Documentary Channel) and Vincent Nicastro, who made another Native American themed documentary called The Blue-Eyed Indian. There are a lot of guests on it: street poets, political thinkers and speakers. People from the native community including medicine men and shamans. It’s a powerful, nerve hitting film. We’re all driven by passion.

gJg: Is there a tentative release date for the film?

GL: We’re hoping fall 2013, but that might be wishful thinking. Making a film is much more difficult than making a record, which is difficult enough. [laughs]

gJg: This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Dokken hit “Dream Warriors” from Nightmare on Elm Street. How did that song come about?

GL: It’s kind of interesting that you ask me about that because I was actually just over Jeff’s last week doing some T&N photo shoots and interviews for Japan. We were in his studio and he had the original recording machine that we used to track that song. It was an old Akai Beta Recorder; an obsolete machine that’s just a monster. Jeff still has it. It was interesting to see that again because I do remember the process of writing and recording that song and it took me back.

We were commissioned to write the song specifically for the film. Jeff and I were familiar with the first movie and already had an idea of what we were writing. We knew the name of the song and the premise and concept of the movie. We just fed off of that.

It’s a beautiful moment whenever Jeff, Mick and I get together.

Keep up with T&N at slavetotheempire.com. Visit the official Shadow Train website at shadowtrain.com.

Article first published as Former Dokken Guitarist George Lynch Discusses T&N and New Album, ‘Slave to the Empire’ on Technorati.

1980's, Childhood Memories, Life, Music

Utopia

Utopia (noun): Any real or imaginary society, place, or state considered to be perfect or ideal.

What or where is your Utopia? For me, Utopia is the name of a store in downtown Easton that I frequented quite a bit as a teenager in the 1980’s. And not just any store mind you, Utopia was THE place to go if you were a connoisseur of music and someone whose parents had absolutely no intention of driving you across town to the Listening Booth store in the mall. Yes, in an age where record album sales and concert tickets were all the rage, Utopia was the closest place to go to get your music fix if you lived on South Side.

For a melodic rock / hair metal enthusiast like me, it truly was utopia. I still remember the hot summer days of youth walking downtown with a group of kids from the neighborhood with money burning a hole in my pocket. We all knew that what awaited us between those musty smelling walls was pure musical heaven. And unlike some of the more “modern” record stores of the day that allowed you to listen to new music before buying, Utopia was a shopping only experience.

You knew you had arrived at Utopia when you were greeted by the wicker furniture that resided in the store front windows. And once you crossed the threshold and into the store, the smell of cheap burning incense would consume you. Utopia showcased many of the newest albums of the day and even had a ticket counter where you could purchase tickets to the latest concerts coming to the area.

Utopia was the place where I purchased all of my concert tickets for shows at Stabler Arena and The Allentown Fairgrounds, including my first ever concert in 1984: The Scorpions and some new band named Bon Jovi. It was also where I purchased my first Dokken, Ozzy, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon and Stevie Nicks albums.

Perhaps the only thing I didn’t fully understand about the store were these peculiar objects they peddled in addition to albums and chairs made of sticks. They were oddly shaped, glass bottles that resided behind the counter. I found it strange that these vases were in the same location as the “dirty” men’s magazines and something you would embarrassingly have to ask a clerk to get for you.

I never inquired about them, but occasionally thought about getting my Mom one with flowers in it for Mother’s Day. They looked cool; almost like a genie bottle or glass pipe. My brother even had a blue one in his bedroom that he told me never to touch.

Last night I purchased an album on iTunes and it got me to thinking about the old shop again. It’s been years since I’ve visited Utopia. Perhaps its time to pay a visit and see how much has changed in a quarter of a century. Although I’m sure they still sell wicker furniture and cheap incense, I’m fairly certain that new music and concert tickets are no longer being peddled. I guess I’ll find out. And who knows? I might even get up the nerve to finally ask them about the glass pipes behind the counter.

But I highly doubt it.

Guitar World Interviews, Music

Guitar World Interview: George Lynch Discusses T&N: Slave to The Empire

After tracking songs for what was once to become a new Lynch Mob album, it was drummer Brian Tichy who proposed the idea of bringing together George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown (The “Big 3″ of Dokken) for a project similar to what Heaven & Hell was to Black Sabbath. The result is T&N and a brand new album, Slave to the Empire.

The new album is both melodic and thought provoking music with a purpose. The message being, you don’t have to be a slave to the empire. Featuring seven original songs (with Pilson on vocals) as well as five re-recorded Dokken classics with vocal performances by Tim“Ripper” Owens, Doug Pinnick (Kings X), Sebastian Bach, and Robert Mason (Warrant). Slave To The Empire also adds to the mix the hard hitting, multi-talented drumming of Tichy as well.

A second album of new material and classic remakes of Dokken material is slated for next year that will also coincide with a tour.

I spoke with George Lynch to get his thoughts on Slave to The Empire as well as his other passion: the documentary “Shadow Train”.

Read the rest of my Guitar World interview with George Lynch Here.

A Conversation With, Interview, Music

Lions, Tigers and Guitars: A Conversation With Jim Peterik

Guitarist Jim Peterik still has the Eye of The Tiger. Whether it’s performing, songwriting, mentoring and developing new talent or holding his annual World Stage events, the man who penned the #1 anthem from Rocky III continues to deliver the goods.

Peterik’s resume and collaboration reads like a veritable who’s who of the music industry. His bands have included The Ides Of March, Survivor, Pride of Lions and Lifeforce. He’s written and/or produced songs for artists like 38 Special, Sammy Hagar, Jimi Jamison, Lisa McClowry, Mindi Abair, and his son, Sijay among others. His musical journey knows no boundaries; having ventured into melodic rock, jazz, pop, inspirational and country genres.

Peterik’s latest endeavor is a reunion with vocalist Toby Hitchcock for the new Pride of Lions album, Immortal. Containing the best elements of 80′s melodic rock combined with Peterik’s signature songs and modern-day production, Immortal is an album sure to satisfy.

I spoke with Jim and got his thoughts not only on Immortal, but also on his days with Survivor and the music; including the iconic song he co-wrote thirty years ago that continues to inspire generations of fans all over the world.

goJimmygo (gJg): What made you decide to do another Pride of Lions album?

Jim Peterik (JP): I wanted one and Frontiers Records are such great boosters of the whole 80′s crowd. They actually wanted me to make a new record a few years ago, but I wasn’t ready at the time. I had just completed the “Crossroads Moment” album with Jimi Jamison and my juices were just gone for that direction. I got into doing Lifeforce (my smooth jazz project) just as sort of a respite from melodic rock. Their (Frontiers) initial plan was to have me release a record and then they were going to do a Toby (Hitchcock) album. I asked them to do it the other way around and by that time I’d be ready. That’s what happened.

I was playing on the road with a group called The Fabulous Armadillos. They’re the best players in the St Cloud/Minneapolis area. Every year, they host shows for two weeks where they feature a guest and last year, it was me. That was where I wrote “Coin of The Realm”. I was back in the green room with Pamela McNeil, one of the backup singers and a very good songwriter in her own right. I was jamming a thing in the green room and she started chipping in with some lyrics. Coin of the Realm really started the whole ball rolling. From there, the floodgates just opened. Delusional, Are You The Same Girl and on and on.

gJg: Where do you come up with ideas for your songs?

JP: Everywhere. “Delusional” is a song from the new album that comes from my personal life.  I see too many kids these days being over medicated with Ritalin just to calm them down. It does that but it also makes them walk around almost in a zombie like state. I had that hook in my mind: “Let the boy dream. Let him be different. Let him be delusional.” Even Einstein probably would have been diagnosed ADD if he were alive today. Things like that get me going.

gJg: You’ve also got a song called “Vital Signs” on the Pride of Lions album.

JP: That was actually a song I was trying to finish back in ’84 when we were cutting the record [Survivor: Vital Signs]. A lot of times the songs that were written became the title of the album. Like “Caught in The Game”, “When Seconds Count” and “Too Hot To Sleep”. At the time, I couldn’t quite get that song to work and we ran out of time so I never cut it. Fast forward to now: I was getting material together for the new record, “Immortal”,  found the old tape and said to myself: “I think I know how to finish this now!” [laughs].

gJg:Toby Hitchcock’s voice is so pure on Immortal. At times he sounds like Jimi Jamison and at other times, Dennis DeYoung.

JP: It’s a great voice. One of the best out there right now. I think the vocals on Immortal are his best yet. There’s more depth and dimension to his voice.

gJg: Do you have plans to take it on tour?

JP: We just recently had a great show where we opened up for Styx. At the time, I made a conscious decision that we weren’t going to do any Survivor material, no Ides of March and no 38 Special. We were going to either make or break it. We did five new songs from Immortal plus the cream of the crop: Sound of Home, Unbreakable, Gone and the people loved it. We even had the heroine of our video for Delusional (Maggie) come up on stage with us at the end and sing the last chorus and it was just killer.

gJg: A lot of people know you from primarily being the keyboardist in Survivor. But the truth is, you’re main love is guitar.

JP: Guitar is my passion. Survivor originally started as a twin lead band. You hear a lot of double leads on the demos for the first album. I love keyboards but my heart’s really in guitar. At last count, I think I own 178 and every one of them has a story. And it’s not like they’re in cases. My wife is a saint. They’re all on stands at various parts of the house. I have a wall three racks deep and I use them all. But I don’t begrudge it (playing keyboards in Survivor). Hell, I had two of the best singers in the business (Dave Bickler and Jimi Jamison).

gJg: How must that be for you to write songs with those voices in mind?

JP: My singers inspire me to do my best work. I write different for each singer. I wrote more grittier for Dave because that’s the kind of voice he had. Then Jimi came along and he had this beautiful pop voice. I remember the first thing I showed him when we met was the song ‘Broken Promises’.  He sang it back to me right next to my ear. It was a magic voice! Especially the purity of his upper range.

Jim Talks Survivor

gJg: This year marks the 30th Anniversary of “Eye of The Tiger”.  What’s the origin of that song?

JP: I came home from shopping one day and heard a message on the answering machine from Sylvester Stallone. At first, I thought it was a joke, but I called the number and sure enough, Stallone answered. He told me that he loved the band and had heard “Poor Man’s Son” and “Take You On A Saturday” from our “Premonition” album and wanted that same kind of “street” sound for his new movie, Rocky III.

He sent us a video montage of the movie and Frankie (Sullivan) and I watched it together. There were scenes of Rocky getting a little “soft” (doing the Visa card commercials) and Mr. T “rising up” with his Mohawk. It was electric. The temp music they used to accompany the montage was “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen. I remember asking Stallone why he just didn’t use that song for the movie and he said it was because they couldn’t get the publishing rights for it.

At that point I just said, “Thank You, Queen!” [laughs]

I had my Les Paul and a small amp that we had set up in the kitchen. I turned down the sound and just started playing the little intro [mimics the intro], just feeling that pulse. Then I added to it when I saw the punches being thrown, trying to score the chords in time with the punches. We couldn’t get any farther because we didn’t have the whole movie. Fortunately, we were able to get a copy of the finished movie with the promise that we’d send it right back the next day. At that point, we had become totally enamored in the movie and when I heard that phrase: “Hey Rocky, you’re losing the eye of the tiger” I remember turning to Frankie and saying, “Well, there’s the name of our song!” Once we had the title, the challenge became telling the story.

I have to give Frankie the credit for coming up with the seed lines. He said, “How bout this: Back on the street, doing time. taking chances?” I said, “Yeah that feels good. How about: Risin’ Up, back on the streets. Did my time, took my chances?” Before we knew it, we had the first verse.

Four days later we gathered the troops, went into the Chicago Recording Company and recorded it. Frankie and I both wanted that big “John Bonham” type of drum sound and I’ll never forget the feeling and the way our drummer, Marc Droubay captured it. As soon as he hit that beat I said, “Oh SHIT – this is going to be HUGE!” And there was the sound of Survivor. It was just magic!

I Can’t Hold Back

JP: One of my favorites. That song and Search is Over are my two favorite Survivor songs (of course, Eye of The Tiger is in a whole different league). We had tracked all of the songs for Vital Signs with Ron Nevison (producer) and were just about ready to pack up the equipment for the day when Frankie started playing that arpeggiated guitar lick. I was in my piano booth when I heard it and said, “Hey, stop! Hold on! what is THAT?” He said “Eh, I don’t know. I was just messing around.”

I started doing the chord changes and it fit so well with that lick. I had already had the pre-chorus part (I can feel you tremble when we touch) and Frankie had the line “There’s a story in my eyes, turn the pages of desire.”

By the time Ron came over and asked us what we were doing, we already had some of the song. He said “Guys, stop the presses! We’ve got to cut this tomorrow. The next day, we came back in and cut it. It was the only thing we did that day and on the fourth take we nailed it and knew we had something really special. Frankie was a perfectionist when it came to overdubs and then Jimi came in and did the final vocal. Ron helped us so much with the arrangement of the song, that’s why it’s stood the test of time.

Here’s my favorite story: The record had just come out but wasn’t really on the radio yet. Jimi (Jamison) and I were in San Diego and I was coming out of my hotel when I noticed someone riding by on a Harley. It was this guy with a really hot chick on the back. They were whizzing by and their radio was blasting and I hear “I can feel you  tremble when we touch…”  [laughs]. To hear it from a Harley going down the street was the shit. That was the last song  we recorded for the record and the first one you hear.

gJg: What’s your greatest memory of your days with Survivor?

JP: There were so many, but I think I’d have to say Japan. When you realize that you’ve made it all the way over there and people are going crazy. We were they’re in ’85 and ’88 and each time the people were screaming our names. All of a sudden, it just hit me that we were worldwide. Both of those tours were great.

Some of the more subtle moments are my favorites as well. When “Eye of the Tiger” was first starting to zoom up the charts, we were out on the road with REO Speedwagon. I remember it was late in the afternoon and I went into a restaurant to get something to eat. While I was there, somebody played Eye Of The Tiger on the jukebox. There was a little girl there with her family. She must have been around four years old or so. When the song started playing, she immediately got up from her family, started spinning around and said, “Mommy! Daddy! That’s MY song! They’re playing MY song! Out of the mouth of babes. You can’t fool them and you can’t hide from them. They either love it or they don’t, and they loved it.

gJg: Have you ever thought about writing a biography?

JP: It’s almost done and should be out by April. It’s called, “Through The Eye of The Tiger: A Survivor’s Tale”.  I’ve been working on it for the better part of a year. I’m really excited about it.

gJg: What other projects are you working on now?

JP: The Ides of March are still very active. We do a Christmas show every year and this year, it’ s on the 8th. 

Lisa McClowry has a song charting on inspirational radio called “Brand New Hallelujah” from the album, “Lisa McClowry Sings Acoustic Alchemy”. Acoustic Alchemy is one of my favorite bands. All instrumental, from Britain. To me, they are the ultimate New Age/Smooth Jazz group.  I’ve always wanted to write lyrics to their music and they told me to have a go at it. I took one song they had called “Overnight Sleeper” and turned it into Sleepless Nights and had Lisa sing it. They fell in love with it and we ended up doing a whole album. It was a labor of love.

Gearing up for World Stage the 19th of January. We’re just putting the line-up together now.

I’m working with Mindy Abair (who is fresh off the Aerosmith tour) on her new album. This time around, Mindi’s going to sing about half of the record.

I’m working with my son Sijay, whose new self-composed album Detroit Club just hit iTunes.

Lisa McClowry and I finished a video for the troops called “Before the Tree Comes Down” . It’s a song about a little boy wishing his father comes home for Christmas before they take the tree down. The reaction for it has been overwhelming.

I’m also working with a young country artist Andrew Salgado, a 23-year-old singer who I’ve been producing. He has a very unique voice.

And, if that’s not enough, [laughs] I’m also working with the kids group Ariel & Zoey & Eli, Too. They have a pop variety show on theCoolTV network. They needed a song about bullying. It was something that was near and dear to my heart so I wrote a song called “Hey Bully”. The video for it went viral.

As a songwriter, I love putting different hats on. It’s an interesting thing.

Books

A New Week, A New Challenge!

A new week on deck and so much to do! This week (in addition to working on another hair metal interview) I’ll be posting extended interviews with Julie Piekarski and Jim Peterik. You can check out the edited versions of the interviews here or on Guitar World.

– Julie is on a mission to get on Dancing With The Stars. You may remember her from The Mickey Mouse Club in the 1970’s and the very first season of Facts of Life. One of her cast mates from both shows, Lisa Whelchel, also happens to be a contestant this season on the TV show Survivor. I’m told that this week’s episode will feature some film clips from Lisa’s career and one of those clips will also include footage of Julie. Pretty sweet!

– Jim Peterik told me a lot of great stories about the songs he’s written over the years. In my extended interview, he discusses them as well as goes more in-depth with all of the projects he’s currently working on. I don’t know when the guy finds time to sleep. Both interviews are great reads so be sure to watch for them!

Lastly, I would like make an announcement. For the past two years I have been blogging quite actively and during this time, I’ve written about my life, my opinions and even had the opportunity to interview a lot of amazing people. Hopefully you learned a little, got a chuckle or two at my expense and maybe even shed a tear or two from them (and there are plenty more on the way).

But with all of this writing, it only make sense for me take the next step. So here goes:

I’ve started work on my first novel.

I have had this idea bouncing around inside of my head for almost a year now and have finally decided the time is right to get it out there. I think it’s pretty good.

The reason I’m making this announcement here on my blog isn’t to brag or pump my chest, but rather to give me something concrete (in this case, “in writing”)  to help stick to the goal. I’ll still be blogging regularly, but my plan is to be finished with this book by October of next year. This is a big challenge. Most novels are somewhere in the 66,000 word range. I have 3,000 so far. A good start for a manuscript. Wish me luck.

Now, let’s see where this week (and journey) takes me.

Interview, Movie Reviews

247°F : A Suspense/Thriller That Turns Up The Heat

It’s hard to imagine how being locked inside of a sauna with two beautiful women could be a bad thing, but such is the case in 247°F.

Scout Taylor-Compton plays Jenna, a girl who experiences unspeakable horror when the car she is a passenger in becomes involved in an accident that claims the life of her boyfriend. Unable to escape the wreckage, she is traumatized at having to view the mangled corpse until help arrives.

A few years later Jenna, along with her friends Renee (Christina Ulloa), Ian (Travis Van Winkle) and Michael (Michael Copon) travel to a lakeside cabin for a carefree weekend retreat. The fun quickly becomes a nightmare when three of them end up getting locked inside of a compact, hot sauna. As fear begins to set in and Jenna reconnects with the claustrophobic horror of “the accident”, things quickly spiral out of control.

247°F reunites Scout with Tyler Mane, who plays Ian’s uncle, Wade. The pair previously worked together on the Rob Zombie Halloween remakes.

As a fan of horror and psychological thrillers, I really enjoyed this movie. It’s definitely a different take on the genre, which as of late has gotten quite stale at times. There are no slashing hockey mask wearing madmen or demonic spirits menacing the group. Rather, it’s the power of the mind and realization that there may be no escape that becomes the real horror. The question quickly changes from how they got locked inside to how long can they last?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Christina Ulloa about her role and experience working on 247°F.

goJimmygo: Tell me a little bit about your character, Renee.

Christina Ulloa: Renee comes across as someone who thinks that everything revolves around her and someone that’s maybe a little bit spoiled. But when you look at it, she’s really a good friend and a loyal person. Once you get past that first layer of her sassy sort of vibe, she’s a good person at heart.

Where was the movie filmed?

We filmed in the Republic of Georgia and were there for about a month. It’s a beautiful part of the world to be in. It’s very European. Everywhere you looked you could see the mountains or the water. Traveling to that unique part of the world was incredible. That and getting to work long hours. I shot 23 out of 27 days. That was the best.

There certainly wasn’t much to worry about in terms of make-up or wardrobe.

Not really. There wasn’t much of that. [laughs]

What was the chemistry like among the cast?

When you’re on location and stuck like we were, both literally and figuratively in this case – [laughs], you bond quicker and spend more time together than if you just went home every day after work. We all formed genuine friendships and that chemistry really comes across well on-screen. It was a lot of fun.

How would you describe 247°F?

It’s psychological in that it plays into the common theme of just feeling trapped. I think that’s something everyone can relate to. Whether it’s a relationship, a career or just life in general. We all deal with having to overcome conflicts that suffocate us in any aspect of life.

How do you think you would react to the situation of being locked inside of a sauna in real life?

I like to think that I would find some super human strength to bang the door down [laughs]. I certainly know what it feels like to feel claustrophobic and the desperate sense of needing to get out.

247°F will be released on October 23rd by Anchor Bay Films. The Blu-ray™ and DVD includes audio commentary with writer / producer / director Levan Bakhia and deleted scenes.

Article first published as 247°F : Suspense/Thriller That Turns Up the Heat on Technorati.

A Conversation With, Music

Interview: Guitarist Jim Peterik Talks Tiger And the New Pride Of Lions Album, Immortal

Guitarist Jim Peterik still has the Eye of The Tiger. Whether it’s performing, songwriting, mentoring and developing new talent or holding his annual World Stage events, the man who penned the #1 anthem from Rocky III continues to deliver the goods.

Peterik’s resume and collaboration reads like a veritable who’s who of the music industry. His bands have included The Ides Of March, Survivor, Pride of Lions and Lifeforce. He’s written and/or produced songs for artists like 38 Special, Sammy Hagar, Jimi Jamison, Lisa McClowry, Mindi Abair, and his son, Sijay among others. His musical journey knows no boundaries; having ventured into melodic rock, jazz, pop, inspirational and country genres.

Peterik’s latest endeavor is a reunion with vocalist Toby Hitchcock for the new Pride of Lions album, Immortal. Containing the best elements of 80’s melodic rock combined with Peterik’s signature songs and modern-day production, Immortal is an album sure to satisfy.

I spoke with Peterik and got his thoughts not only on Immortal, but also the iconic song he co-wrote thirty years ago. One that continues to inspire generations of fans all over the world.

What made you decide to do another Pride of Lions album?

I wanted one and Frontiers Records are such great boosters of the whole 80’s crowd. They actually wanted me to make a new record a few years ago, but I wasn’t ready at the time. I had just completed the “Crossroads Moment” album with Jimi Jamison and my juices were just gone for that direction. I got into doing Lifeforce (my smooth jazz project) just as sort of a respite from melodic rock. Their (Frontiers) initial plan was to have me release a record and then they were going to do a Toby (Hitchcock) album. I asked them to do it the other way around and by that time I’d be ready. That’s what happened.

Where do you come up with ideas for your songs?

Everywhere. “Delusional” is a song from the new album that comes from my personal life.  I see too many kids these days being over medicated with Ritalin just to calm them down. It does that but it also makes them walk around almost in a zombie like state. I had that hook in my mind: “Let the boy dream. Let him be different. Let him be delusional.” Even Einstein probably would have been diagnosed ADD if he were alive today. Things like that get me going.

Toby Hitchcock’s voice is so pure on Immortal. At times he sounds like Jimi Jamison and at other times, Dennis DeYoung.

It’s a great voice. One of the best out there right now. I think the vocals on Immortal are his best yet. There’s more depth and dimension to his voice.

A lot of people know you from primarily being the keyboardist in Survivor. But the truth is, you’re main love is guitar.

JP: Guitar is my passion. Survivor originally started as a twin lead band. You hear a lot of double leads on the demos for the first album. I love keyboards but my heart’s really in guitar. At last count, I think I own 178 and every one of them has a story. I use them all. 

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of “Eye of The Tiger”.  What’s the origin of that song?

I came home from shopping one day and heard a message on the answering machine from Sylvester Stallone. At first, I thought it was a joke, but I called the number and sure enough, Stallone answered. He told me that he loved the band and had heard “Poor Man’s Son” and “Take You On A Saturday” from our “Premonition” album and wanted that same kind of “street” sound for his new movie, Rocky III.

He sent us a video montage of the movie and Frankie (Sullivan) and I watched it together. There were scenes of Rocky getting a little “soft” (doing the Visa card commercials) and Mr. T “rising up” with his Mohawk. It was electric. The temp music they used to accompany the montage was “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen. I remember asking Stallone why he just didn’t use that song for the movie and he said it was because they couldn’t get the publishing rights for it.

At that point I just said, “Thank You, Queen!” [laughs]

I had my Les Paul and a small amp that we had set up in the kitchen. I turned down the sound and just started playing the little intro [mimics the intro], just feeling that pulse. Then I added to it when I saw the punches being thrown, trying to score the chords in time with the punches. We couldn’t get any farther because we didn’t have the whole movie. Fortunately, we were able to get a copy of the finished movie with the promise that we’d send it right back the next day. At that point, we had become totally enamored in the movie and when I heard that phrase: “Hey Rocky, you’re losing the eye of the tiger” I remember turning to Frankie and saying, “Well, there’s the name of our song!” Once we had the title, the challenge became telling the story.

Four days later we gathered the troops, went into the Chicago Recording Company and recorded it. Frankie and I both wanted that big “John Bonham” type of drum sound and I’ll never forget the feeling and the way our drummer, Marc Droubay captured it. As soon as he hit that beat I said, “Oh SHIT – this is going to be HUGE!” And there was the sound of Survivor. It was just magic!

What’s your greatest memory of your days with Survivor?

Some of the more subtle moments are my favorites. When “Eye of the Tiger” was first starting to zoom up the charts, we were out on the road with REO Speedwagon. I remember it was late in the afternoon and I went into a restaurant to get something to eat. While I was there, somebody played Eye Of The Tiger on the jukebox. There was a little girl there with her family. She must have been around four years old  or so. When the song started playing, she immediately got up from her family, started spinning around and said, “Mommy! Daddy! That’s MY song! They’re playing MY song! Out of the mouth of babes. You can’t fool them and you can’t hide from them. They either love it or they don’t, and they loved it.

Have you ever thought about writing a biography?

JP: It’s almost done and should be out by April. It’s called, “Through The Eye of The Tiger: A Survivor’s Tale”.  I’ve been working on it for the better part of a year. I’m really excited about it.