Tag: Music

A Conversation With, Movies and TV, Music

Tell It To My Heart: A Conversation With Taylor Dayne

1987 is a year I’ll always remember. It was the year I graduated high school and said goodbye to old friends. The year of my coming of age and the start of new beginnings.

A time when the future was wide open and the sky was indeed the limit.

I remember I was stocking shelves at a local supermarket one night dreaming about starting college in time for the spring semester. That’s when I heard that incredible voice for the very first time coming from the radio playing on the overhead speakers:

I feel the night explode when we’re together…
Emotion overload in the heat of pleasure…

As the song played on I remember just standing there among boxes of Lucky Charms cereal thinking to myself:

“WOW!”

That was the only word to describe what I was hearing. Although I was a diehard metal-head music fan from the very beginning there was something about the music I was listening to that appealed to me. Her voice was infectious. It was the beginning of something very special.

For little did I know that 1987 was also the year that a singer from New York named Leslie Wunderman was about to set the floor, and the music world for that matter, on fire for the very first time.

Leslie had just transformed herself into Taylor Dayne and together with producer Ric Wake released “Tell It To My Heart”, a song that would eventually reach #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and usher in a sound that would take the world by storm.

A few weeks later, Taylor’s debut album of the same name would be released on Arista, produce three more top-ten singles and achieve double-platinum success in the United States.

One of those two million albums belonged to me.

Taylor’s first tour was as the opening act for none other than Michael Jackson and it was there where she would meet Frank Dileo, Jackson’s long time manager and the man who would go on to represent her for many years.

Her follow up album, “Can’t Fight Fate” would yield four more hit singles including her first number one: “Love Will Lead You Back”.  Her journey had begun.

Over the last twenty-five years Taylor Dayne has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, garnered three Grammy nominations and has branched out into the film, television and stage world including her most recent film project: “Telling of the Shoes”. She is one of the industry’s most dynamic artists.

In addition to her own songs Taylor’s also flexed her muscle on some other artists’ biggest hits and made them her own. From her awesome cover of the Barry White smash “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love” to her version of The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” from her most recent album “Satisfied”; Taylor makes it all look so easy.

She’s also ventured into reality television as well, having recently appeared as part of Team Rachel on the show “Rachel Vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off” where she competed for the Cambodian Children’s Fund Charity.

Last summer, Taylor released the single “Floor On Fire” which broke into the Billboard Top Ten further proving that this vocal powerhouse has no intention of slowing down.

I had the pleasure of speaking with this amazing woman and getting her thoughts on everything from how she became Taylor Dayne to her songwriting process.

We also discuss her upcoming greatest hits package and her admiration for young up and coming singers competing on reality television.

If the past is any indication, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Taylor Dayne.

goJimmygo (gJg): It’s so great to speak with you Taylor. How are you doing?

Taylor Dayne (TD): I’m doing great! Thanks for asking. I’m keeping busy by making appointments and getting on planes. <laughs>

gJg: When you look back on your career thus far what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

TD: It’s actually difficult to put into words. When I think about everything I’ve been through all I can say is “Wow!”  I really can’t believe it”. <laughs>

gJg: For me, as far as 80’s female vocalists are concerned, you complete the trifecta. First there was Madonna, then Whitney and then there’s you!

TD: Thank you! I was actually a label mate with Whitney’s on Arista. I signed in 1987 when the single came out and then the “Tell It To My Heart” album dropped in 1988.

I think Whitney’s first album was released somewhere around 1985. She was more into pop where as I was more into the dance genre.

gJg: You’ve had so many hits over the course of your career and just last year had yet another one with “Floor on Fire”. How did that single come about?

TD:  I remember at the time I wanted to do a Techno/Electronica dance single. So I searched for a producer and found Niclas Kings and Ivar Lisinski who are both absolutely amazing.

One of the other writers on the song is Tania Doko who is a big artist in Australia. They sent me the track and Tania and I went through melody and lyrics. We all just collaborated on it.

gJg: What is your process like for writing songs?

TD: For me, songwriting is a building process. I like to compare it to filling in the spots of a puzzle. Sometimes pieces fit and sometimes they don’t. The trick is you just have to keep building. That’s the art of songwriting.

gJg: What inspires you to write?

TD: It’s moment to moment. Experience to experience. For me it’s actually living in the moment. When I write something and feel inspired by it what you see is a picture window of what’s going on in my life at the time. It’s generally done in that way. You always have to stay true to yourself.

Although, I’m not going to say that “Floor on Fire” was done that way.. <laughs>

Sometimes songs are easy to write and sometimes they’re not. That’s why I like to collaborate. 

gJg: I have to tell you that  “I’ll Be Your Shelter” is one of my all-time favorite songs.

TD: Thank you! One of the things I like to look for when I’m writing or looking for songs to use is how they’ll feel when I perform them live. “Shelter” is one of my favorite songs to perform.

gJg: I also loved your take on The Chili Peppers’ “Under The Bridge” from the “Satisfied” album.  That was incredible!

TD: Thanks. That is such an amazing song!

gJg: What’s the story about your transformation from Leslie Wunderman to Taylor Dayne?

TD: That’s an interesting story: It was when I was recording “Tell it To My Heart” with my production partner, Ric Wake. Coincidentally, Ric also happened to be working with Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) around that same time. Dee and I were both ‘Long Island” kids.

Ric was in session with Dee and they were becoming friendly. So Ric begins to tell Dee about my deal to do a single with “Tell it To My Heart” and how he was now looking for a new name for me. So someone had mentioned the name “Taylor”. That seemed to stick but we needed a last name to go with it.

So later that night a bunch of us all went out together and literally got out the baby book and went through it line by line:

“Taylor Dann?… No….”, Taylor Dunn?…Nah!…”…Hmmmm? Taylor “DAYNE!”

That was it!

gJg: What are some of your best memories from being on the road?

TD: Meeting a lot of my own inspirational artists tops the list. I was able to meet a lot of people who really inspire me. Artists like Prince, Bo Diddley and Robert Plant. I got to meet a lot of the biggest blues artists in the world.

gJg: Prince is such a genius.

TD: He really is. Prince is an incredible musician and artist. He used to play these “after hours” shows in small clubs and a bunch of us would all go. Before long he’d call to me and the next thing you know I’m right up there on stage with him. He liked to do that for all of the breaking artists at the time. It was amazing.

gJg: You also had the opportunity to open for Michael Jackson on the BAD Tour. What do you remember most about that experience?

TD: For me, the best part about the Michael Jackson tour was getting to meet Frank Dileo who ended up becoming my manager. Frank was a long time manager of Michael and really helped facilitate a lot of the success of his record sales.

gJg; What do you like to do when you’re not in the studio, on the road or on TV?

TD: I love being outdoors. I’m a real nature buff.  It’s a big touchstone for me and really connects me to the Earth. Prayer time is especially strong for me. I’m passionate about it and it really helps keep me grounded.

gJg: Is there anyone you’d like to work with?

TD: There’s a lot of really great talent out there I’d love to work with. People like Justin Timberlake, Dr. Luke and Stanley Clarke are just a few that immediately come to mind.

gJg: I was watching you showcase your cooking prowess on “Rachel Vs Guy: Celebrity Cook Off”.  I wanted you to win it so badly.

TD:  As far as I’m concerned we did win. Joey (Fatone) and I were just thrilled to wind up where we did. Anything more than that would have been insane. It was such a great experience. <laughs>

gJg: What are your thoughts about the new wave of singers coming from shows like “American Idol” and “X-Factor”?

TD: Amazing. I think they’re awesome!

gJg: Your voice is so instantly recognizable. Do you think these kids spend too much time trying to sound like someone else?

TD: I think that the kids on those shows are just now starting to find their own voice. 

There’s this whole way of singing: the use of syllables, expressing the melodies, feeling the song and making it your own. That’s what they’re doing now.  Finding their way through the wilderness.

Most of them have never been in a recording studio or performed on that kind of a level before. Then all of a sudden they’re pushed into this big beast and the next thing you know, they’re developing. They actually develop right before our eyes. It’s pretty cool.

gJg: What projects are you working on right now?

TD: Right now I’m working on several different projects one of them being a new Greatest Hits package. This new album will include re-records of all of my big hits as well as some new material. I’m very excited about it.

Article first published as Tell It to My Heart: A Conversation with Taylor Dayne on Technorati.




Music

The Death of Queensrÿche

Whenever a band that I admire breaks up it’s always sad. Usually the problems arise from drama within the group amongst members. Some problems we hear about and some are kept from the public.

Steve Perry and Dennis DeYoung both left Journey and Styx respectively due to medical issues (although there were plenty of underlying drama within the band as well).

Sometimes drugs and alcohol are to blame as was sadly the case with Janie Lane in the band Warrant.

I’ve seen my fair share of favorite bands undergo massive line-up changes or break up altogether over the years but I don’t think I can ever remember witnessing the one event that’s the nail in the coffin. That is until today.

As far as I’m concerned there are only two unwritten rule for every band. This goes for your local band just starting out right up to U2 and The Rolling Stones:

First, ALWAYS give your best every night. Whatever your “best” is then bring it. Leave the stage (or club) knowing that you didn’t just phone it in.

Second (and more important): NEVER under any circumstances berate or come across negatively to your audience.

As evidenced by this video clip of Queensrÿche from their Rocklahoma performance a few days ago – you’ll see lead singer Geoff Tate break Rule #2.

“You guys suck!” …. that’s all that kept replaying in an endless loop in my head…. “You guys suck!”

How dare you say that to a crowd of people who paid MONEY to see you?

I don’t care if there are thirty thousand people or just three: If the crowd isn’t into the show then Dude, its your ‘effing JOB to make them get into it.

Let me say that I’m a fan of Queensrÿche from the “Operation Mindcrime” and “Empire” days. I know that the years since have probably not been as kind to them but that’s no excuse for Geoff to tell a crowd of people they suck.

Not surprisingly, members of the band (sans Geoff Tate) have announced a “side project” called Rising West which will make their live debut next weekend in Seattle. There are also plans to record a full length album.

A band that has been around for thirty years and sold over 20 million records is essentially finished. But even if they do somehow manage to come back all of their accolades will forever be overshadowed by these three words: “You Guys Suck!”

Ironically, Geoff would have been better off taking his own advice from the band’s magnum opus “Silent Lucidity”

1980's, Childhood Memories

Asia – 30 Years Of Rock

It was mid May 1982, a time period I remember fondly even though I can’t recall the exact date.

I was a young thirteen-year-old boy in the home stretch of seventh grade and actually loved going to school. And before you go making assumptions: no, I wasn’t on drugs or suffering from some serious mental ailment.

Just hear me out.

As a student, the end of the school year is always the most exciting time of the year. At least it was for me. Worries about final exams, peer pressure and girls would soon give way to dreams of summer sun, picnics and marathon sessions playing Pitfall on the Atari.

I actually looked forward to getting up in the morning and going to school. If for no other reason than to spend the day just hanging out with my friends in class. Because let’s be honest, there sure wasn’t a hell of a lot learning going on when there was a summer itch that needed to be scratched.

The middle school I attended sat in the center of the city’s west ward. A two-story brick structure that I think doubled as an oven from May through September. The building itself had no central air conditioning and by mid morning the temperature in the classroom rose to almost unbearable levels. And there’s only so much relief open windows and small portable fans can provide to a class of two dozen antsy students.

But the heat from the unusual May weather pattern did not deter my enthusiasm one bit. On the contrary, as the sweat ran down my brow it only reinforced the notion that before too long, summer would officially arrive.

It was during one of those final hot days when I was sitting, ironically enough, in music class when it happened. As I said, there was very little left to learn and aside from each student cleaning out their desks and getting old test papers back the teacher had pretty much given us a free period. As a sort of “going away present” he even offered to let students bring in some record albums to listen to rather than to just sit in silence.

That was when this kid, who I will forever remember as Danny, put it on the turntable. As needle met vinyl the crackling hum began and it would be the first time I heard that infamous guitar riff and opening line:

I never meant to be so bad to you.
One thing I said that I would never do..

My eyes lit up and my heart began to race as a smile ran clear across my face (did you like how that rhymed?). Anyway, I think if Mom and Dad would have been there what happened next would have been justifiable cause for having my mouth washed out with soap.

“Who the HELL is this?”, I almost blurted out. Thankfully, someone else said the exact same thing to Danny and spared me the trouble of a reprimand from the teacher thus keeping my goody-two shoes status in tact.

“Asia“, Danny replied with a smile. Danny was one of those lucky guys whose parents had just gotten him the record from the first real “super group” of the 1980’s. A band formed from the nexus of YES, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and King Crimson.

Not only was the first song killer but they even had a picture of a dragon rising from the sea on the album cover. I LOVE dragons!

I resisted the urge to reach out and “touch” the record album Danny held in his hands for fear that it might appear to be sacrilege. Or at least grounds for a punch in the arm.

As Danny explained the premise of Asia my ears were glued to the turntable. The music coming from the spinning disc was different and exciting. As “Heat of The Moment” played on not only do I recall thinking it was apropos to the oppressive situation we were experiencing in the school but I also remember thinking how great my life was to be able to bear witness to this new music.

The next song was just as catchy as the first: “Only Time Will Tell”.  An amazing keyboard intro and a video I would later find on the then fledgling MTV channel. You remember, the one with the girl gymnast jumping over TV sets with the bands faces on them?

Have I mentioned before how much I loved the 80’s?

I think we had just gotten half-way through the third song: “Sole Survivor” when it was time to pack things up and head out.

Although my tenure in seventh grade would soon be coming to an end the seed was planted for my love of hard driven guitars and keyboards.

It would be years before I would finally get to see Asia perform live. They are one of the very few bands from that era (RUSH, Mötley Crüe and Poison also come to mind) that are still performing with all of the original members and sound better than ever.

On July 3rd, 2012 Asia will release “XXX” (pronounced “Triple-X”) an album which celebrates three decades as the original super-group. Still with the same powerful line-up as when I first heard them in the sweltering heat of the middle school I’ll once again be able to hear new music and recall those care free days of youth.

Thanks Danny, wherever you are. Now bring on the heat.

Things I Think

Five Things I Think: The Top Rock Vocalists of All Time

Yesterday they announced that Britney Spears and Demi Lovato would be joining the judges panel for the Simon Cowell talent show “X-Factor”. I was dumbfounded by this revelation. What credentials could these two individuals possibly possess that qualify them to be judges of singers?

So while I was thinking about how shows like this have “sold-out” and now only seem to be launching pads for celebrities to jump start their stagnant careers (hello J-Lo) I started thinking about some of the best rock singers I knew.

Singers. I’m a big fan of them. Especially ones that do it with ease. Because what they do is something I long for but know I’ll never achieve, even with years of training. It’s something you’re born with. And it makes me love them and hate them all the more. But in a good way.

So I decided to give you a quick list of who I think are the five greatest rock singers of all time. We can debate about it all you want (and I hope we do) but let’s see if you agree:

Lou Gramm

#5. Lou Gramm: When I first heard “Hot Blooded” for the first time I was blown away. It was one of the first songs I ever attempted to sing for real and subsequently realized that I wasn’t a singer. Thanks Lou!

Lou’s vocals also shine on songs like “Waiting For A Girl Like You”, “Juke Box Hero” and of course “I Wanna Know What Love Is”.

 

Robert Plant

 

#4. Robert Plant: I’ll probably take a lot of heat for this one but truth be told I was never really into Led Zeppelin all that much. I know, a travesty. Especially for a metal-head like me.

I was one of the ones who knew about them but like most people grew incredibly tired of hearing “Stairway to Heaven” being played ad nauseam on rock radio.

Perhaps that’s why I never opened myself up to some of their other great songs. But I give credit where credit is due. Robert was one of the best ever.

 

Steve Perry

#3. Steve Perry: You know how you can tell you’re an awesome singer? When you get kicked out of the band and the remaining members proceed to spend the next 15 years replacing you with guys who sound exactly like you. Sorry, but in this case, nothing comes close to the original.

Kids these days can’t seem to get enough of “Don’t Stop Believin”. But I like to remind them how great it was for me to be living during the years when songs like “Any Way You Want It”, “Lights”, “Stone in Love”, “Open Arms”, “Separate Ways'” and “Faithfully” were actually new!

Try to find any singer out there today that comes close to equaling a resume of songs like that.

Freddie Mercury

#2.Freddie Mercury: Without a doubt the ultimate front man. Watch their Live Aid performance from 1985. Or check out the video from their “Kind of Magic” tour. Not just a phenomenal singer, Freddie also knew how to play to the audience.

Listen to him on the magnum opus “Bohemian Rhapsody”, his swagger on “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and his fun side on “Fat Bottomed Girls”. And even those are just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s still hard to believe that this guy’s been gone for over twenty years. Just think of all the great music we’ve missed. I still believe that if he was still alive Queen would be the biggest thing on the planet.

 

Even when they replaced him with Paul Rodgers (an honorable mention on my list) they STILL played in front of crowds in excess of 300,000 people.

Jimi Jamsion

#1. Jimi Jamison: In my view the ultimate rock singer. And no, it’s not just because he’s the only one on my list that I’ve actually met in person (although he is one of the most humble, down to Earth people you’d ever meet).

Just listen to him on any of the 1980’s Survivor albums (my favorite songs being “Can’t Hold Back”, “Man Against The World” and “Desperate Dreams”) or any of his solo material. The man’s voice never changes. It’s as powerful as ever and he does it with ease.

Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan once said Jimi could sing the phone book and quite honestly, I’d really like to hear it.

Your turn. Who are your favorite male rock vocalists?

1980's, Childhood Memories, Life

Dear Diary: May 13, 1987

I am so grateful to have kept my journal from high school. It gives me the opportunity to look back now thirty years later and see just how far I’ve come.

I’ll be the first to admit, a lot of it is rambling on and on about music, girls and homework but sometimes I said some of the most profound things. Not bad for a seventeen year old.

Case in point: This entry from 30 years ago. I was a member of the Concert Choir in high school during my senior year and quite honestly it’s the best memory I have. I loved it so much that when the director of the choir retired from the school district a few years ago and became the director of an adult choir I immediately brushed up on my Bass II vocals and joined without question.

But back to the story: On May 13th, 1987 my high school choir performed its annual Spring Concert. It was a night of firsts and lasts. It would be the first time I ever performed on stage as a guitarist. It would also be the last time I’d be singing with the amazing people I spent nearly thirteen years of my life with.

I still remember standing in the hallway behind the auditorium when it was all over just letting everything sink in. Receiving high-fives and handshakes from kids, excuse me… “Seniors”… many of whom I only knew from yearbook photos and who wanted nothing to do with me during my entire school career. Sadly, the feeling was mutual.

And yet suddenly, a truly amazing thing happened. The ignorance of  high-school “clicks” was gone and everybody (yes, everybody) suddenly became “cool”. I guess it was because we all knew that in less than a month we’d be saying goodbye for the last time.

It was one of the last true moments of greatness in high school and my youth. This is what I wrote the next day:

5/14/87

Dear Diary: Last night was my first time EVER playing to an audience on stage. I was really scared as the moment approached but they, friends comforted me (in more ways than one).

I tried like hell to psyche myself up but it didn’t work until the curtain opened. Then I WANTED it and I really let loose!

Afterwards, the G- string on my guitar broke (3rd string). I was so grateful it didn’t happen during the concert.

I threw picks into the audience and don’t know what became of them. Maybe somebody’s home with it – happy. That’s what I hope. I hope I made people happy.

That’s what music is all about. It’s not money, sex, drugs, long nights – although all of that somehow seems to go with it. Music has one purpose: To make people emotional.

We did that last night.

I laugh when I think about my rock-star mentality that night. I mean, who in their right mind would ever play a menacing black guitar on stage for “Flashdance” and then jump back in to the choir to sing Aus Justi?

I remember there was one thing I was especially excited about as I put pen to paper the next day. I couldn’t wait to write the line “in more ways than one”.

You see, that night was also the first time a boy five months shy of becoming eligible for Selective Service actually received a kiss on the cheek by a female that was not his Mom or Grandmother. Keeping my journal over the course of the year, I would NEVER have gone so far as to write anything about my interaction with girls. Mainly due to my fear of the journal winding up in the wrong hands. But on that day I didn’t care. And as I read this awesome entry again the words on the now tattered yellow pages began to sink in.

Not only did we make great music that night but I think I became more confident in myself as a person.

Childhood Memories, Life

Teacher Teacher

Most of us wanted our school years to just fly by. Every day of school was just another day closer to the weekend and doing whatever we wanted to do. At the time, most of us never really thought about the real impact school and teachers would have on our lives.

Bring out the way back machine Sherman and set it to the years 1984-1987……

I’m in high school again. You know, those crazy years we all went through. Like walking down the halls in Jordache jeans while Spandau Ballet blared over the loud speakers, carrying books covered by paper grocery bags (a requirement back then and before plastic bags became ALL the rage). Ok, its “True”, I made up the part about Spandau Ballet.

In all of my schooling I can’t remember much about what was learned or very much about my teachers. Although my friend Michele has the uncanny ability to recall exactly WHERE I was sitting in history class in proportion to her location. We’ll have to talk about this at the next reunion. I have a lot of questions that need answering.

Anyway, although I can’t recall much I do remember three teachers during my tenure there that really impacted me the most: Mr. Siddons, Mr. Fox and Mr. Milisits. I won’t even bother to give their first names because to me, respectively, that’s who they will forever be known as.

Mr. Siddons was my tenth grade history teacher. His father was one of the last of the old school door to door sales people who had sold insurance to my grandparents. He was also my brother’s history teacher two years earlier. So there’s sort of a familial relationship there too.

Mr. Siddons was probably the most benign person you’d ever meet. He had a soft tone and rarely yelled. But the one trait he had that I’ll never forget was the ability to tell the lamest jokes. You know the ones I mean, something like: “Why did the chicken cross the road? Because He had to go the bathroom”. And he’d always give out a “Mr. Siddons” laugh. Nothing outrageous or anything. He would just kind of chuckle to himself. You could tell he must have been up all night thinking about it. How he’d deliver it and the kids would go crazy.

At first his shtick didn’t go over too well with me. But by the end of the first month of class I actually looked forward to the little gems he’d throw out. Even though most all were met with crickets (and he must have felt like the size of an ant in a room full of elephants) he never let it get to him. He’d always chuckle, wipe his mouth and seque with “Ok, let’s take a look at the Gulf of Tonkin”….

Strangely enough, every day after having learned about Tonkin, the Volstead Act or some war to end all wars I remember giggling to myself reciting a joke over and over in my head as I walked out of the room. Surely, a joke I would never utter to anyone else. Maybe that was really his shtick. To get me to try to remember them.

During my junior and senior years I rarely got down to the part of the school where Mr. Siddons and others of his “ilk” resided. But on the occasion that I did or saw him in the hall he would always say “Hi” to me and call me by name. He always remembered me. And I’d never forget him.

Let’s transfer over to Mr. Fox in the Art department. A short, grey bearded man with a limp. Mr. Fox had suffered from polio as a child and as a result he walked a bit strangely. Sadly, I’m sure he was the butt of many jokes from cruel students but I think by this point in his life he was immune to all.

Art class was a means of escape for me. I loved to draw and became an affection ado for Bob Ross. I could watch that dude for hours paint a happy little tree. And while we never painted those trees in Mr. Fox’s class it was still a way for me to forget about all the problems of the day.

We all knew Mr. Fox must have been an artist himself. And one day we found out what he loved to do. We came into class to see these miniature models of a circus that he had constructed himself. Everything he painstakingly made from scratch with his own two hands. You could see the pride in his eyes. This guy was GOOD.

But the one day that really stands out for me was when we were drawing the human figure. We’d have students go up and just stand there while the rest of us drew. I could always draw the body (even cool detail on their Converse sneakers with rainbow shoe laces) but never the face. It never came out right. I spent a long time on it and it just wasn’t happening. He must have seen my frustration because at one point he came over and sat across from me. It was just me and him…face to face.

He looked at my piece and was impressed. Then he asked me why I was so frustrated. I told him it was because as hard as I tried I could never get the face to be anywhere close to being right. So he took a piece of paper and started doodling…all the while looking at me and just saying things like “You know, if you really want something and try hard enough, you can make it happen”.

For those thirty seconds or so I was more doubtful than ever…”Yeah, right” I thought to myself. Then he stood up and told me “Keep up the good work Jim”, and passed me the paper he was doodling on.

As he walked away I picked up the paper and looked at it. The old guy with the limp had just drawn a picture of my face. One where even the subject (in this case, yours truly)  would say “That looks just like ME”….he did that in thirty seconds of just scribble.

Finally, we move on to the music department, my personal favorite. I could write a novel on my exploits here (including the day I officially became a ROCK STAR opening for Clay Aiken) but we’ll save that for another time. Suffice to say, I credit most of my music “success” to the days of high school music theory and choir.

Mr. Milisits (or “M” as he is known) would conduct the huge high school choir. One that won many awards over the years. I’m sure for many; choir was like art class was for me. Just a way to get out of taking another boring subject. But that soon changed. Somehow, he would take a group of kids and make them WANT to sing.

He would always tell us inspirational things to keep pushing us. Quotes like “You can do this”, “A new mistake shows progress” and “Talk to me” resonated with everyone. He just had “something” that made you want to work hard.

During my senior year, it was his teaching that made me want to play guitar in jazz band and the school play. Now, to get a metal head that wanted nothing to do with ANY after school activity and would spend most of his free time jamming to Bon Jovi and Def Leppard to perform “Leader of the Pack” is really saying something.  That M’s got some strong kung-fu.

When it came time to perform, be it at school or somewhere in Canada, it was really like “rock star” night for the choir. And well, I even got to play that black heavy metal guitar during our spring concert. One that hangs on the wall in my office right to this day that I still play.

I could bore you for hours on how M’s classes changed me but let me just end by saying those classes are the best memories I have from high school.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to rejoin “M” and a few other alumni as he is now the director of the Lehigh Saengerbund Chorus.We’re preparing to perform at Allentown Symphony Hall in early June, twenty-five years after I last sat with him in high school concert choir.

As I sit in rehearsals now there’s no wayback back machine required. It’s like re-living a part of all the best days of being in school again. That old feeling of “you can do it” and “new mistakes show progress” are back.

And it’s all good.

1980's, Survivor

Survivor: The Next Generation

It’s been 27 years, 2 months and 15 days. But who’s counting?

Nearly 10,000 days. That’s the duration of time between when I first saw the band Survivor perform at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, PA and the day I took my daughter Jillian to see them for the very first time this past Sunday at Penns Peak.

Oh sure, we went to Hershey Park a few summers ago when the band was there but let’s be honest: when you put an 8-year-old girl in an amusement park surrounded by chocolate it’s damn near impossible to get her to sit still for an audio assault of classic rock.

So, while Mom and child made their way around the park Dad took one for the team. I know, it’s a tough job.

But Sunday night was the ideal night. It had been almost seven years since Jimi Jamison fronted the band and it would be Jillian’s first time to see and hear the band her Dad’s been clamoring about since she first wondered what that “Vital Signs” album was doing hanging on the wall in his office.

If you are a classic rock, hair-metal or country music lover Penns Peak is the absolute best place to see a show. It reminds me so much of the intimacy that Stabler Arena had. A venue that when you first walk in you can literally read the band’s name on the drum header without the need of binoculars. As far as I’m concerned a concert isn’t just a band playing for you. You need to be part of the experience. A concert is when the band is playing WITH you.

As Jillian and I stood in the second row the band ran through a gambit of hits and even a few surprises as well. Truth be told, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard them sound this good. And this was only their fourth show together with this new line-up. A sign of good things to come!

We were extremely fortunate to get back stage passes for a quick meet and greet with the band after the show.

Jillian, an aspiring singer herself, asked Jimi (one of the greatest male rock vocalists of all time) if he had any advice for her. This is what he said:

Persistence. Just keep singing. The more you do it, the better you get. That’s the best advice I can give you!

My mind is a bit faded since that Survivor concert two dozen years ago and for the longest time it was hard for me to try to put into words how I felt the night I saw them for the very first time.

That was until a friend showed me a picture she had taken of Jillian and me after the show was over. Then I figured it out.

After the band said goodbye and got into the van to take them back to the hotel Jillian and i stood there for a minute basking in the glow. It was at this point that a simple song lyric came to mind:

We will remember this first night together. After all the songs fade away and the stage fades to gray.

As we were making our way out a stage hand from the band came over and asked Jillian if she had gotten an “official” Survivor Frankie Sullivan guitar pick.

After she told him that she didn’t he took one that he had gotten from the stage and handed it to her as if it might mean something.

Truthfully, it did.

A Conversation With, Interview, Music

A “Kihn-Versation” with Greg Kihn

I remember it like it was yesterday, as I’m sure any other musician whose ever started a garage band will tell you. The moment where everyone in the band gets together and starts figuring out which songs to learn.

In between the usual shouts for Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones everyone puts in their own two-cents and decisions are made.

Some songs rise to the top because they’re fairly easy to learn. Others fall by the wayside due to their technical ability, or perhaps because no one in their right mind would ever want to hear them played in a club.

Eventually though, songs get whittled down until only a handful remain. These are the classic ones that everyone in the band, regardless of instrument, already knows how to play and is eager to put on the set list.

In my experience there was only one song that was the common denominator in every cover band that I was ever in: “The Break Up Song” by Greg Kihn. I liked to call it “Old Reliable” because it was a staple in my band’s arsenal. A song that we were quickly able to pull out on a whim whenever the ladies came within striking distance of the dance floor. A weapon of mass destruction that was both easy for us to play and yet would only reinforce our rock star status to those of the female persuasion.

“The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)” was the song that first introduced me to Greg Kihn. A song that broke the band into the mainstream and as you’ll discover, as all good songs do, has a true “rock and roll” story behind its origin.

But Greg Kihn’s musical legacy goes much deeper than just a single song. Case in point: after losing control of his master recordings from his days on the Beserkley label in the late 1980’s Greg began the monumental task of getting them all back.

A successful journey that now gives us:

Greg Kihn Band: Best of Beserkley, 1975-1984: a 21-track magnum opus that features 19 remastered original hits drawn from Greg’s eight-of-nine Beserkley Records studio albums. Most of which have been out of print for over twenty-five years.

It’s rare when a project this special comes to fruition. Sure it’s cliché to say but quite honestly: they just don’t make ’em like this any more. Both die-hard and new Greg Kihn fans will definitely want to add this compilation to their music collection.

Never one to just rest on his laurels, Greg continues to be involved in music and writing. Today, Greg Kihn is the San Francisco Bay Area’s #1 FM reigning Radio Morning Man and can be heard on Classic Rock KFOX 102.1 San Francisco and 98.5 San Jose – the fourth largest radio market in America. He’s also a prolific novelist and screen writer who has several projects in various stages of development.

In my interview with Greg he discusses how this “new” album came to be and his plans to re-release every one of the Beserkley albums again in its entirety in true digital format.

Greg also talks about two shows he has coming up: a reunion/record release party in Santa Cruz, CA on May 19th and his annual Kihnfest concert which this year features a true 80’s triple-threat: The Steve Miller Band,  Pat Benatar and The Greg Kihn Band.

Finally we’ll find out about Greg’s current gig and what his greatest rock and roll memory is from the days of Beserkley.

But before our interview begins there was one thing I absolutely had to take care of first:

goJimmygo (gJg): Mr. Kihn, as a guitarist myself and on behalf of everyone who has ever played in a garage band I just want to say: “Thank you so much for The Breakup Song.”

Greg Kihn (GK): <laughs> You’re welcome!

I’ve always loved that guitar riff and every garage band has had that one in their repertoire at some point. In fact, in the movie “The Groomsman” that’s the song they’re rehearsing in the garage when they’re getting their band back together.

gJg: What’s the origin of that song?

GK: It’s a long story but basically goes like this: I was coming home really late from a gig one night with the band in our van. I remember it was raining and they were going to drop me off. But when we pulled up outside of my house I noticed that all of my stuff was piled up out on the front lawn.

The guys in the van were like: “Uh-Oh! Looks like you’re not going home tonight!” <laughs>

So we drove to a Sushi bar and I noticed that there was an older Japanese businessman standing there next to the jukebox. He was completely drunk on Sake and kept playing the song “I Remember You” by Frank Ifield over and over again. Just kept pumping dimes in again and again playing this same song over and over and all the while kept muttering:

“They don’t write ’em like that anymore…”
“They don’t write ’em like that anymore…”

I turned to Steve (Wright) and I said: ” You know Stevie, that’s a song right there! “<laughs>

gJg: That’s incredible how an incident like that sparked the song.

GK: The best things in life are like that. They happen by accident.

gJg: Tell me about this “new” record you’ve just released.

GK: It’s really the end of a long journey and the beginning of a new one.

We’ve been trying to get the master recordings back from the various record companies we’ve dealt with over the years. We were on Beserkley which was a notorious independent record label that answered to no law of God nor man.

The problem was, they had a different distributor almost every year that they were in business so every one of my albums was distributed by a different company. They were all on the same label but it was always something like “Beserkley distributed by Warner Brothers” or “Beserkley distributed by Asylum” or a number of others.

Over the years we lost control of those master recordings and about ten years ago my manager and I began a quest to try to get them all back. We started with the EMI material and just kept expanding, hiring lawyers and beating down doors until eventually, one by one, we got everything back.

Now I have the rights to put out all of my original master recordings myself, a lot of which has been out of print for over 25 years.

So on one side it’s great because people will get to hear this material again and on the other it’s also legacy building because I want my grandchildren to benefit from the stuff I did too. I really want the music to be available to everyone.

gJg: What was it like listening to that material all over again?

GK: Surreal. There’s a lot of really good music in our catalog that I had totally forgotten about. When I started remastering it I was blown out by how fresh it all sounded.

In the old days, around 1976 we didn’t know what we were doing. We just went in and did it. We’d have a recording session on a Saturday and the week before I’d write a song or two and rehearse it with the band. Then we’d go in and basically record it live with minimal overdubs. We were on a shoe string budget doing it after hours and at odd ball times but God it was fun. I remember going in and being so STOKED by just being in a professional recording studio.

They would let us use the old CBS studios in San Francisco. It was the size of a gymnasium. It was huge and our equipment took up just a tiny section of a corner of it.

I remember setting up our gear and thinking: “Wow, we’ve made the big time.” Here we are in the same room where Janis recorded. Simon and Garfunkel. Everyone recorded in this room.

When I listen to it now, putting it all together it really takes me back and makes me realize how special it was. All of the things that we did. We were pioneers and we didn’t even know it.

gJg: What are your plans now that the remastering is complete?

GK: We’ve just released “The Greg Kihn Band’s Best of Beserkley“. It has a few songs from each of the records that were released during that era.

The next goal is to release all of the original albums themselves individually, digitally remastered and in chronological order. It will be so great to have this music available digitally because most of it was only available on vinyl back in the day. There have been “Best Of” collections over the years but never anything done like this and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

gJg: What are your thoughts about your days with Beserkley?

GK: Beserkley was the first independent label of the modern era who took a chance on us. We didn’t have a hit record until our seventh album when “The Breakup Song” cracked the top ten. We never would have gotten the chance to make a second album in today’s world.  So in a lot of ways I’ve been really lucky and it was a very fortuitous event that placed me with Beserkley records.

Oh and by the way, I just started thinking about writing “The Beserkley Story” because this is a story that needs to be told. A story of over indulgence, excess, insanity, sex, drugs and rock and roll. It’s funny and tragic at the same time but the amazing thing was, we pulled it off.

The odds were a million to one that we would do anything but we beat the odds.

gJg: Any thoughts about doing a tour?

GK: I don’t think we’re going to tour for a while. I do my morning radio show every day in San Francisco. I’m not ruling it out but it’s unlikely at this juncture. I do, however, have a couple of big shows coming up in the area.

I’m doing a special Greg Kihn Band Reunion/Record Release Party Show at our old stomping grounds in Santa Cruz, California on May 19th. It will be out on the beach at the Catalyst Club where we used to play all the time back in the 80’s. 

We’re returning there and having as many members of the original band that are still with us perform. Larry Lynch, Steve Wright, Greg Douglass. It’s going to be a reunion of sorts.

We’re going to have the original guys playing on the original songs. It’s going to be pretty cool. Everyone who comes will get a download card for the CD and there will be posters and even a raffle for a signed guitar. It’s going be a very party-like atmosphere.

I haven’t played some of these songs since we recorded them over 25 years ago. So for me, to go back in there and rehearse them with Larry the original drummer and Steve the original bass player was like getting into a time machine!

Then on July 14th we’ll be having my annual “Kihncert”. It’s a mini rock festival that I do every year. This year we have Steve Miller, Pat Benatar and The Greg Kihn Band. A nice little triple bill.

gJg: It’s the 80’s all over again!

GK: You know, as I’m speaking with you I’m currently sitting in a large bathtub filled with the 80’s just soaking in it. It’s like a warm fluid that’s good for the soul.

gJg: Tell me a little about your morning radio show.

GK:  It’s Classic Rock KFOX 102.1 San Francisco and 98.5 San Jose. We’re the fourth largest radio market in America. I get to play great music, talk and do interviews.

gJg: Tell me, how cool is it to be a DJ and be able to spin your own records?

GK: I love it!

It’s “Greg Kihn playing Greg Kihn on the Greg Kihn Show!”  They pay me three times for it. I get paid as the DJ, as the writer of the song and I’m the guy who gets the mechanical royalties because I sang the song!

I don’t know how many professional rock and roll musicians that can actually say that. I may be one of the few in the world. This is now my 16th year in radio. The fact that I’ve been getting up at 4 in the morning all that time just blows my mind.

gJg: You used to be coming home at that time.

GK: Exactly! That was when I used to come home. My whole life is upside down. The nice thing about doing radio though is that I love doing interviews and talking about music. Getting up is tough but I look at it like they pay me to get up and the rest of it is free.

The other nice thing about it is that I don’t have to travel and tour. All of my music friends have to travel all the time but I get to stay home all week and do a lot of writing and hang out with my kids. All I have to do is get up and drive to San Francisco.

gJg: Tell me about the screenplay you’re working on.

GK: There actually are a few of them I’m working on right now but the big one is “45 RPM” which is about the Mafia in the music business. It’s written to be a series, kind of like “The Sopranos with Guitars”.

I also have an adaptation of my first novel “Horror Show” that I’m preparing a script for as well.

gJg: What do you like most about writing?

GK: The part of writing that i find so therapeutic is that you can just let your mind wander and let the creative process take over. I used to only write songs but now I’m writing songs, novels and screenplays. They all use the same muscle in your brain. That creative spark. That’s what I like, coming up with new ideas all the time.

gJg: Just one more question for you.

GK: Fire!

gJg: During your Beserkley years, what is your greatest rock and roll memory?

GK: Wow, there’s been a lot of great ones but I think I would have to say opening for The Stones in the Seattle Kingdome in 1983.

We were like “America’s Opening Band” back in the 80’s. So when Prince got kicked off the Rolling Stones tour Bill Graham called me the night before asking if we could fill in and open for them. I said: “Bill? what time do you want me to be there?”

Bill was always good to me and kept me in mind.  My mother had always told me to thank Bill Graham after every show and one of the reasons I think Bill liked me was because I always did thank him after every gig. <laughs>

So we jumped on a plane and opened the show playing in front of 80,000 people and my heart was pounding. It was a sea of humanity!

Afterwards, I remember walking around backstage with Bill and thanking him for the opportunity. He says: “Shut up, follow me!”. He then proceeds to take me back through level after level of security into the inner sanctum of The Rolling Stones.

So there I am sitting on the couch with Mick and Jerry Hall, who was his wife at the time and Charlie was there. Keith was tuning his guitar and Ronnie was there too. And there was ME in the same room as the Stones!

I was talking to Charlie for about a half hour about under-playing and over-playing and he was telling me: “You’ve got play it like it’s a small club man!”. It was cool.

I remember bumming a cigarette from Jagger. He gives me a pack of Marlboros and says “Here Man, have the whole pack!”. Turns out every guy in the band had requested a carton of cigarettes in their rider at every gig. It was insane. So Mick gave me the pack he was currently working on. I think he had only smoked two of them.

So I took the sacred Jagger cigarettes, smoked one of them and after they went on I took the pack back to my dressing room.

When my band found out that I was hanging with the Stones they were all bummed out and saying “AW, MAN! How come you didn’t come get us?” <laughs>

I said: “I’m sorry guys. I feel bad. But hey, I got Jagger’s cigarettes!” . Everyone was in awe of them. They each pulled one out and smoked them like they were joints. Come to think of it, I think they actually got high off of them. <laughs>

I wound up giving the pack to Gary Phillips, who was my guitar player at the time and the biggest Stones fan.

Turns out, he left the pack on his mantle when we went out and toured with Journey and when he came back two months later they were gone. The guy who was watching his house had smoked them all. He told him: “How could you do that man? Those were the sacred “Jagger Cigarettes!”.  But they were long gone! <laughs>

gJg: Greg it was great talking to you! Congrats on the record and all of your success!

GK: Thanks! It was great talking to you too! Let’s do this again sometime!

Article first published as A “Kihn-Versation” with Greg Kihn on Technorati.

Interview, Music

Eye Of The Tiger: Still Surviving After Thirty Years

I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a hot summer night back in 1982 when my neighbors took my brother and me to the movies to see the third installment of the Rocky Balboa franchise. An experience I’ll never forget.

Rocky III may have introduced the world to the fool pitying Mr. T but for me, what was even cooler than seeing Rocky lose and then regain his boxing title to Clubber Lang was hearing that now infamous guitar riff for the first time: “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor.

Written by Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik the theme from Rocky III is still as popular as ever three decades later. Along with winning a Grammy the song was also nominated for an Academy Award, became the #1 song of 1982, has been used to promote everything from sporting events to coffee and ranks as the #3 best song to work out to according to Men’s Health magazine.

Survivor is currently in the midst of a new tour of the US with Jimi Jamison, the first with the “classic” voice of the band since 2006.

I sat down for a quick Q&A with guitarist Frankie Sullivan to get an update on the tour and his thoughts on the milestone anniversary of one of the biggest songs ever.

goJimmygo (gJg): What’s it like for Survivor being back on tour again with Jimi Jamison?

Frankie Sullivan (FS): This whole experience has been good for everyone. I’m really enjoying it.  It’s a cool thing and it’s good to have Jimi back.

gJg:  How do you guys determine which songs you’ll perform on this tour?

FS:  What we’ve done is prepared a bunch of songs from our entire catalog. That way we’re able to change-up the set list every night on the fly. It’s also cool for the fans too. They’ll get to hear something different.

gJg: What’s your favorite song to play live?

FS: I don’t think I have a favorite one. Whatever makes the fans happy makes me happy. I have a lot of songs that I like but it changes. It depends on the gig. Why bother picking one? I enjoy them all!

gJg: What are your thoughts on this being the 30th anniversary of “Eye of The Tiger”?

FS: You know, I can’t believe it’s been that long. Even today, there are still a lot of cool things going on with it. I’m hearing that Sylvester Stallone wants to go LIVE and take it to Broadway among other things.

We’ve recently received a plaque from Sony in recognition of 2.8 million downloads. I don’t have the updated official number but I know it’s the 8th most downloaded song on the Internet right now.

gJg: What’s the story behind how it was written?

FS: Stallone was looking for songs for his new movie and the president of our record company at the time just happened to be friends with him. He had the Queen song “Another One Bites The Dust” but Stallone wasn’t really happy with it. So he said “Well you know, I have this band.. “

I think Jim and I wrote the music for it in about a half an hour and it took us three days to write the lyrics only because we couldn’t come up with the punch line at first. But we kind of had it down in half an hour. That’s what started it all.

People love the song. They can really identify with it.

gJg: What are your plans after the tour is over?

FS: Ideally, I’d love to stay on and off the road for the next few years. Maybe taking enough of a break in between to record and then go right back at it. We’ve got a lot of new material we’re working on.

We’re just taking it a day at a time.

Article first published as Eye Of The Tiger: Still Surviving After Thirty Years on Technorati.

1980's, Music

Eye Of The Tiger: My Journey With Survivor

This is a repost of a blog I wrote from last December. I will be seeing the band on Sunday with the classic voice for the first time in many years. It will be a surreal moment. If they come to your town, you NEED to see them.

It was a hot summer night almost thirty years ago when my neighbors drug my brother and I to the movies to see the third installment of the Rocky Balboa franchise. Not that we went kicking and screaming mind you. Any opportunity for teenage boys to get out of the house was most welcome. No, it’s just that we would have much preferred to see “Poltergeist” or better still, sneak into see the R-rated “Fast Times At Ridgemont High”. Looking back now though I’m glad we chose to consume large quantities of popcorn and Coke with Sly Stallone instead of Jeff Spicoli.

Rocky III was the film that first introduced me to Mr. T, the mo-hawked muscle man who would go on to pity fools for the remainder of the 1980′s and beyond. But Rocky III also introduced me to something else: something even more powerful than Mr. T’s gold chains or feathered earrings. It was also the film where I first heard the now infamous guitar riff for a song from a band that would change my life: Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor.

Written by Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik and sung by Dave Bickler (who would later achieve great fame as the singer on the Real Men Of Genius Bud Lite commercials), the theme from Rocky III is still as popular as ever three decades later. Along with winning a Grammy the song was also nominated for an Academy Award, became the #1 song of 1982, has to date over 2.5 million downloads on iTunes and ranks as the #3 best song to workout to according to Men’s Health magazine.

The band would strike Rocky gold again a few years later when the song “Burning Heart” was released as part of the Rocky IV soundtrack. Although this song didn’t fare quite as well as Tiger, the music from Survivor continues to be both inspirational and motivating to me. As you’ll soon discover, the seed planted with Eye of the Tiger would not only begin my admiration for the band but would ultimately become the spark that would fuel my life and music for years to come.

When I first started playing guitar in 1984 a new Survivor album was already making its way up the charts. Vital Signs was the first album to feature new singer Jimi Jamison on vocals and was the very first record I ever purchased. (Jamison would later go on to sing the infamous theme from the television show Baywatch). Songs like “I Can’t Hold Back“, “High on You” and “The Search is Over” were getting tremendous airplay on both radio and the early days of  MTV (back when they used to play music videos). These were songs with melodies and lyrics that really spoke to me. Words of encouragement in my love less adolescent youth. Songs I wanted to learn how to play.

So while most other aspiring guitarists were locked away in lesson rooms with their guitar teachers learning Van-Halen and Def Leppard solos I was dragging my butt in with a menacing jet black Gibson Explorer asking my teacher to show me how to play “I See You In Everyone“, the final song on the Vital Signs album, note for note.

Now that I think about it I can still recall the puzzled look on my teacher’s face when I brought the album to lesson for the first time. And I can still picture him saying: “What, no RUSH?….No AC/DC?…No Bon Jovi?” and I’d just smile and think to myself, “Nope, even better!” For how could I possibly tell a man who grew up watching artists like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin that the absolute best concert I ever saw in my life was Survivor and REO Speedwagon in 1985? But it was, and quite frankly still is, true.

By 1986 my longing for a new Survivor record was finally appeased. When Seconds Count was released and immediately consumed me. Songs like “How Much Love” and “Rebel Son” inspired a then seventeen year old boy to reach higher and the ballad “Man Against The World” made me want to track down keyboardist Jim Peterik himself and make him show me how to play its beautiful melody. By this point I think most of my friends knew that my whole Eye of The Tiger/Survivor phase wasn’t just a passing fad. In fact, one of my best memories of graduating high school was the post grad party my parents held where me and a bunch of other musician friends all set up our gear and played half of the Vital Signs record.

It wasn’t long before college came calling and once again Survivor was there with me. This time with 1988′s Too Hot To Sleep. I can’t begin to tell you how many trips across the miles of campus I made with “Didn’t Know it Was Love” and “Desperate Dreams” blaring on my Sony Walkman. Although the band themselves consider this to be their best album the fact that it didn’t achieve big commercial success didn’t bother me one bit. For me, much like them, it’s always been about the music and this one delivered the goods.

Once college life was over the job of real “work” began. While playing my part in the 9-5 crowd over the years I’d keep myself busy in the musical groove by writing and performing in various bands. All the while I’d find myself writing songs that were influenced by the amazing songs from those Survivor records. Unfortunately it would be quite a while before I would hear any new music from the band other than from compilation albums. Unless of course you count that hilarious Starbucks commercial.

Finally in 2006 a brand new album, Reach was released and listening to the first song and title track was a much welcomed slap in the face. The blaring guitars and drums told me that at long last the Tiger was back. I immediately proclaimed, to myself anyway, that this song should be the one they start every show with. This record not only featured guitarist Frankie Sullivan singing lead on few tracks but also contains the song “Fire Makes Steel”, yet another inspirational anthem which, go figure, was almost and should have been included in the film “Rocky Balboa”.

As you can see, I’m a huge fan of this band. I also know that the band has gone through several line-up changes over the years. Different singers, bass players and drummers have come and gone. There’s no need for me to know all the reasons why. I can personally attest to there being drama in every band so line-up changes are not at all that surprising. But it was unfortunate that Jimi Jamison, the voice that became synonymous with Survivor for me had left the group shortly after this record was released. Robin McAuley, most known for his work with McAuley Schenker Group would take over on lead vocals for subsequent tours over the next few years.

Flash forward to 2012: A surprise announcement was made that Jimi Jamison, who had released several well received solo albums since his departure five years ago, would once again be rejoining Survivor for a new album and tour. Having suffered for years listening to robotic voices and synthesized loops in what’s being peddled as “music” these days my prayers for real new music and songwriting from my favorite band is about to come true once again! To say that I’m excited is an understatement.

Ironically enough, it all seems to have come full circle for me. This “new” Survivor is going to happen nearly thirty years to the day since I first heard that guitar riff in the darkened movie theater. The summer night that changed everything for me. And the message of the song couldn’t be more true today:

Just a band and it’s will…to survive.