What do you get when you combine the signature power and alluring vocals of Michael Sweet and the amazing guitar shredding of George Lynch, the extraordinary bass action of James Lomenzo and the ever spectacular precision drumming of Brian Tichy? You get an album, a MUST HAVE ALBUM. The new project is called Sweet & Lynch and they are set to release their new album, Only To Rise on January 27th.
You can be one of the the first to get your hands on this highly anticipated masterpiece by heading over to their Pledge Music page http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/sweetlynch and get your order in. You not only can order their album, but there are lots of other pledges where you can obtain Sweet & Lynch merch, autographed lithograph, signed vinyls and even the Ultimate Fan Pack. There is something for everyone’s budget on there, so check it out and spread the word about Sweet & Lynch.
Check out their song, The Wish and get completely hooked!
I love this track as it brings a fresh new life to the 80’s rock that we all fell in love with without feeling dated. It has a killer guitar solo and vocals that just grab your attention and have you fully engaged with full throttle to rock! This is one sweet rock band that definitely proves Rock n Roll is not dead, far from it with these iconic musicians at the helm.
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news. We will see if we can bring you an interview soon too to find out more about Only To Rise and hopefully with the release right around NAMM time, who knows, maybe a show in the works? Fingers crossed!!!
The bad ass rockers from New York, Nasty Habit that has released a music video for their song, Don’t Bring Me Down. These gusy have a rock and roll passion that is non stop. They have a high energy ’80s style rock sound that you will grab you when you first listen to their songs like Heart Breakin, Hip Shakin, Saturday Night, and Tripped. Nasty Habit has Tommy Ende on lead vocals, Kenny Ende on guitar, David Jordan on drums, and Frankie Wheeler on bass. Check out the video here:
When I first heard Nasty Habit, they completely renewed my faith in the younger generation to keep true rock and roll alive. Nasty Habit will make sure that Rock and Roll is here to stay! We will see if we can bring you another interview with them and find out more about what is in store for Nasty Habit in 2015! In case you missed our interview with them from last year, you can check it out here: Nasty Habit.
If you are in the New York area, make sure to not miss their show on December 12th at The Webster Hall. They will be opening for another of our favorite bands, Santa Cruz. For tickets and details visit here.
Tom Keifer has been quite busy touring in support of his highly acclaimed solo record, The Way Life Goes. If you don’t already have it, do yourself a big favor and pick it up. It is filled with rockin tracks featuring his beloved signature vocals and emotionally driven lyrics. It truly takes you on a musical journey highlighting emotions and heart felt songs while satisfying your need for rock.
Tom recently played at the Whisky a GoGo in Hollywood last month. This was a show that we had anticipated for months and were so excited for. Unfortunately, with my mother’s health taking a bit of quick turn, we stayed close to home. Our colleague Linda Emord of Eye Shutter 4 U made it out to the show and check out her photos from his spectacular set:
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We had the chance to interview Tom several days after his show and are pleased to bring that interview to you here:
Make sure to check out our interview with Tom from last year shortly after the release of his album. You can read it here:Tom Keifer is on Solid Ground with his new solo album.Make sure to visit his social media sites and stay up to date on his latest news.
Today is the day!!!! Santa Cruz rockers have released their highly anticipated music video for their new single, Wasted ‘N’ Wounded. Check it out here and make sure to share it:
Last week we had a very special update, we chatted via Skype with vocalist/guitarist Archie Cruz of the Finnish rock band, Santa Cruz. This is one band that we have been listening to for a few years now. They are from Helsinki, Finland and have a sound that will take you right back to the Sunset Strip circa ‘1980s with the exception that the music is even more adrenaline filled and fuckin rocks hard!!! We spoke to Archie to talk about their recent announcement that they will be making their US debut at The Webster Hall in New York City on December 12th. We needed to find out more about this trip and hopefully beg for news of any California dates!!! Well, check out our chat below and see what is new and exciting with Santa Cruz:
One thing is for sure, whether you are reliving your love of ’80s rock or are of today’s youth and are looking for some REAL ROCK n ROLL, Santa Cruz is the answer for all your listening pleasure. They are pure ear porn with no guilt! Their songs have epic guitar solos, shredding fierce riffs, amazing liquidy bass, fast heart-beating drums, and vocals that will strip you clean of your clothes in no time. So get ready for a good time, and enjoy Santa Cruz.
You can visit their social media sites for their latest news. Also, be sure to stay tuned for another interview update in the coming weeks. If you have any questions for Santa Cruz, you can send them to media@musicjunkiepress.com and we just may feature them in our next interview!
This week we had a very special update, we chatted via Skype with vocalist/guitarist Archie Cruz of the Finnish rock band, Santa Cruz. This is one band that we have been listening to for a few years now. They are from Helsinki, Finland and have a sound that will take you right back to the Sunset Strip circa ‘1980s with the exception that the music is even more adrenaline filled and fuckin rocks hard!!! We spoke to Archie to talk about their recent announcement that they will be making their US debut at The Webster Hall in New York City on December 12th. We needed to find out more about this trip and hopefully beg for news of any California dates!!! Well, check out our chat below and see what is new and exciting with Santa Cruz:
Make sure tomorrow you check out the release of their new music video for Wasted n Wounded, the new single will be released also a 7″ vinyl. Here is a little teaser for you to get you ready!
One thing is for sure, whether you are reliving your love of ’80s rock or are of today’s youth and are looking for some REAL ROCK n ROLL, Santa Cruz is the answer for all your listening pleasure. They are pure ear porn with no guilt! Their songs have epic guitar solos, shredding fierce riffs, amazing liquidy bass, fast heart-beating drums, and vocals that will strip you clean of your clothes in no time. So get ready for a good time, and enjoy Santa Cruz.
You can visit their social media sites for their latest news. Also, be sure to stay tuned for another interview update in the coming weeks. If you have any questions for Santa Cruz, you can send them to media@musicjunkiepress.com and we just may feature them in our next interview! I will leave you with the upcoming tour dates of Santa Cruz.
Rockers SINEMA from Birmingham, Alabama have just premiered their new song, Between Heaven & Hell which features Craig Mabbitt. This song is a dose of straight up rock n roll that you need! This band is definitely bringing back that eighties style rock that never gets old. No need to dig up your eighties vinyls, just crank up SINEMA and start rockin! It is an energetic track featuring fierce guitar riffs, gruff 80’s style vocals that grab your attention and will bring back the rock n roll to your soul. Of course, we also love Craig in it and you can never get enough Craig Mabbitt! Check out the song here:
We had the chance to chat with bassist, Nathan Howell and hope it gives you a chance to get to know more about SINEMA:
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Music Junkie Press: Thank you very much for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We have been loving the new song Between Heaven and Hell featuring Craig Mabbitt. Can you tell us about how that came about?
Nathan: Well we all decided to take a trip to Atlanta together to see Escape the Fate on their co-headliner with Falling in Reverse. I know we had all been wanting it to happen, so we took a chance. After the show Ryan talked to Craig about it, he said yes, and a couple months later we had Craig in the studio.
Music Junkie Press: That is so awesome! You guys are all fairly young but have a strong handle on true rock n roll, where did your love for the classic and 80′ style rock form?
Nathan: I think that sound was what really got Ryan to want to start a band. His favorite band is KISS, he’s even got the Kiss Army logo tattooed. That and our combined love for bands like Motley Crue, I feel, had a big influence on the way the lyrics were written, and eventually the songs were formed. It helps that Andrew and myself are also pretty big fans of 80s music. We combined that with our love of some modern rock to make the High Times EP.
Music Junkie Press: I am so glad to see the youth of today embrace the music of my youth and especially to create their own music with those influences. With the song, Between Heaven and Hell, you completely rock and have some heavy riffs and emotionally driven lyrics, can you tell us more about what the song means to you?
Nathan:This song is really important to me. The lyrics are about not knowing what to do, or how to go forward in life. It’s about staying true to your dreams even if you’re constantly told you won’t make it.
Music Junkie Press: We all need a push like that and advice to remind us to forge ahead. Great song. What is SINEMA currently working on?
Nathan: Well we’ve got a few big things coming up. We are always working on booking shows. We want to break out of the local scene so we can start making an impression. That might happen sooner than most people think. We are gonna have an awesome new shirt designed by our good friend Zach Vaughn. We also have an album we’ve been working on. We’ve had a few difficulties getting it finished, but it will get done, and it’ll be great. We are also planning on making a music video pretty soon. That’s going to be insane.
Music Junkie Press:That is exciting and we can’t wait for the new album. Do you have any upcoming shows planned?
Nathan: As of right now we have a show with Tantric on October 21st, and a local festival called HallowsFest on October 25th. We have a few more lined up, they just aren’t confirmed yet.
Music Junkie Press: We will make sure to share the date for those shows! If you could put together your dream lineup, what three bands would you like to tour with?
Nathan:Well I know Cody and Ryan would say Pantera, if that were possible. Escape the Fate obviously, and Motley Crue. There’s so many others though it’s really hard to decide.
Music Junkie Press:The music scene has had some dramatic changes in the past 15 years, what is something that you would like to see changed?
Nathan:Well I’d definitely like to see more people interested in rock music. Not just your “whatever”-core bands, though there’s nothing wrong with those bands. And more people buying music instead of pirating it, it’s pretty cheap compared to most things.
Music Junkie Press: I agree, we truly need fans to buy the music and put an end to this pirating. If they only knew how it affects the musicians and the entire industry. For those who are not familiar with SINEMA, what can you tell them to expect?
Nathan:Expect some hard in your face rock and roll. Our live shows are constantly getting more and more interesting. We are so much more than just an average local band, and we are willing to prove that.
Music Junkie Press: Hell yes! We love the energy you guys have and can’t wait for you to make it out here to California! If we could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song would we be most surprised at finding in there?
Nathan:Well for me it’s probably Matchbox Twenty or Lady Gaga.
Music Junkie Press:Lastly, what would you like to share with your fans and our audience?
Nathan: First, we would like to thank anyone who has been to a live show. It means a lot that you would take time from doing whatever else you could be doing and spending it with us. To our fans, we love you more than you know. It still blows my mind that people connect with us on this level, it’s probably the driving factor that keeps us going. It’s a cliche that every band that has ever existed has said a million times, but without fans we would be nothing, and that’s the truth. And to your audience, we hope that you like what we’ve created. We would love to meet and make as many new fans as possible. We are all friendly people and love talking to people and making new friends.
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It is great to see a young band with such passion and determination as the guys in SINEMA. One thing is for sure, their hard work will surely pay off as fans will not only enjoy the rock n roll they are bringing to life, but admire how they truly appreciate their fans. You can pick up the song on iTunes here and make sure to visit their social media sites to stay up to date on their latest news.
Rockers SINEMA from Birmingham, Alabama have just premiered their new song, Between Heaven & Hell which features Craig Mabbitt. This song is a dose of straight up rock n roll that you need! This band is definitely bringing back that eighties style rock that never gets old. No need to dig up your eighties vinyls, just crank up SINEMA and start rockin! It is an energetic track featuring fierce guitar riffs, gruff 80’s style vocals that grab your attention and will bring back the rock n roll to your soul. Of course, we also love Craig in it and you can never get enough Craig Mabbitt! Check out the song here:
You can pick up the song on iTunes here and make sure to visit their social media sites to stay up to date on their latest news. We will see if we can bring you an interview with these young rockers!
Hold on tight!! Get ready for a ball busting hilarious video by Steel Panther that will leave all men cringing and safely holding their private parts! This time it is for their song Pussywhipped which is off their new album All You Can Eat. The album was released earliler this year and everyone is still talking about it. It has everything you could want in rock and metal from anthemic rock songs, arena size ballads, blazing guitars, great harmonies, power house drums, sexy bass lines and those 80s style vocals that we can’t get enough of. There are some bad ass guitar solos, smokin riffs, catchy choruses, I just can’t tell you how epic this album will be. The songs are fun and infectious and you can’t help but love them. Definitely a party album for any night of the week. If they had a panty meter for this album, it would be a full on soaking wet one for this new album! We will have to watch out for the next baby boom that will be coming 9 months after this release! It is a hot one! So get ready and watch Pussywhipped:
Steel Panther have had quite a year with some heavy non stop touring and there is no slowing down in site. There is no wonder that they took one of the top spots in Countdown to 14 Bands to Rule in 2014! These guys truly dominated this year.
In addition to touring as the main support for Judas Priest on their North American Tour, they have just announced headlining dates for December. I am hoping they add a California date too! Check the dates below and see if they will be coming to a venue near you:
OCTOBER
3 Hammond, IN Horseshoe Casino*
4 Louisville, KY Louder Than Life Festival
6 Montreal, QC Bell Center*
7 Rama, ON Casino Rama*
9 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center*
10 Atlantic City, NJ Harrah’s*
11 Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand Theater At Foxwoods*
12 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall
14 Lowell, MA Tsongas Center At UMass*
15 Allentown, PA PPL Center*
17 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center*
18 Pittsburgh, PA Peterson Event Center*
19 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre*
21 Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre*
22 Evansville, IN Ford Center*
24 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion*
25 Portsmouth, VA nTelos Wirlesss Pavillion*
26 Simpsonville, SC Charter Amphitheatre*
28 Duluth, GA The Arena At Gwinnett Center*
29 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live*
30 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Arena Live*
31 Edmonton, AB Shaw Conference Centre
NOVEMBER
2 Corpus Christi, TX Concrete Street Amphitheatre*
4 Laredo, TX Laredo Energy Arena*
6 Allen, TX Allen Event Center*
8 El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center*
10 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre*
12 Phoenix, AZ Jobing Arena*
13 Highland, CA San Manuel Casino*
14 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl*
16 San Jose, CA City National Civic Center*
17 Reno, NV The Knitting Factory
18 West Valley City, UT Maverik Center*
19 Broomfield, CO 1st Bank Center*
21 Boise, ID CenturyLink Arena*
22 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome*
DECEMBER
3 Tokyo, Japan O-East
4 Osaka, Japan Akaso
10 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
12 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
13 Cleveland, OH Hard Rock
17 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works
19 St. Paul, MN Myth
20 Des Moines, IA 7 Flags Event Center
21 Madison, WI Orpheum Theatre
*supporting Judas Priest
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news. I will leave you with some pictures of our recent show coverages and a tribute video for Eyes of a Panther.
Earlier this year we brought you an interview with the amazingly talented Brev Sullivan (Rock of Ages). In case you missed it, make sure to check it out here. Interview with Brev Sullivan. Brev has been quite busy, with the release of his contemporary jazz guitar CD, Brand New Day (available on iTunes here) and performing with his bands. His band, Snakebite are about to set sail next month for the 4th KISS KRUISE which will sail to the Great Stirrup Cay on October 31st to November 4, 2014. The headliners of the cruise feature Kiss, Cheap Trick, Robin Zander’s, and Pat Travers. Snakebite will be performing on the Soundcheck Stage and will deliver some old school Original Heavy Vinyl Rock definitely proving that Rock n Roll is alive and thriving!
Snakebite are also set to release their new CD, Feel the Bite in early October. Just in time for you to be singing along with them on the Kiss Kruise! Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news. Make sure to also pick up Brev’s CD, Brand New Dayon Itunes or CDBaby.
Get ready for their new CD Feel the Bite and if you are in the Ft. Lauderdale area, don’t miss their show this Saturday on September 27th at Cheers, Food and Spirits. Visit their Facebook page for more details: https://www.facebook.com/Snakebiterockband.
Tom Keifer has been busy touring in support of his highly acclaimed solo record, The Way Life Goes. He has been releasing videos for songs off his album. Have you seen the lyric video for It’s Not Enough?. Check it out here:
I h ave been not-so-patiently waiting for a West Coast show from Tom and I don’t have too much longer to wait! Tom has announced a show on October 26th at the legendary Whisky a GoGo in Hollywood. I am so happy and can’t wait to see Tom perform his great songs from his solo record as well as Cinderella hits.
So mark your calendars and we hope to see you all there. Music Junkie Press will be there and make sure to bring you all the coverage. We will see if we can bring you a new interview with Tom. In case you missed it, I will leave you with a repost of our interview with Tom from last last year here:
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Music Junkie Press:Hi Tom, Thank you for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press.
We have been enjoying your solo record, “The Way Life Goes” and we can’t wait to see you out here on the West Coast. Do you have any upcoming plans to play out here in California?
Tom: Well, we were just out there in May, when we did the Canyon Club and in Anaheim at the House of Blues. But I am sure we will be coming out that way again. We are actually on a break from the tour at the moment. We have been touring off and on since February, way before the record was released so we are in a bit of a rest period. Other than that, we are playing this week at the NFL Hall of Fame Induction Celebration in Canton.
Music Junkie Press:We got to see for the taping at That Metal Show and you were great on it. Was that your first time on the show?
Tom:Yes, that was the day before we played at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills. I have known Eddie for a long time, I love Eddie. I have talked to him a lot on his radio show but hadn’t done That Metal Show yet. It was a lot of fun.
Music Junkie Press:You were great on the show! Now, your album is filled with passionate and emotionally driven songs, do you have a particular songwriting process or ritual?
Tom: Well, I try to write from real inspirations and it always starts from a lyric for me. Even the hard and heavy songs that you would think that started on guitars actually started from lyrics. So that inspiration can come at any time, you can be driving down the road or in aisle 6 at Home Depot. You got this idea in your head and then you are racing for an instrument to try and figure out what you are hearing. I will hear a lyric, a song title, or a chorus or line or something usually with a melody and it grows from there.
Music Junkie Press: I know that all songs tend to be like our children, we can’t play favorites but which song on your album might be the one closest to your heart or that special one?
Tom:I think the most special one isThick and Thin. I wrote that for my wife Savannah when she was going through a really hard time and it was just my thing that I will always be there for her.
Music Junkie Press:That is a beautiful song. How about one of my favorites, “You Showed Me”, what is the story behind that song?
Tom: Well that is actually the flip side of what I just said. I wrote that for Savannah because she was there for me when I went through a hard time.She was my person who was always there for me so that was my thank you to her, where as in Think and Thin,that was me telling her that I would always be there for her.
Music Junkie Press: Those songs are incredible and beautiful together. How old were you when you started playing music ?
Tom:I first started playing guitar when I was 8 years old. I saw the Beatles on television and also started at that early age watching The Monkees on TV. I loved their songs and I loved Mike Nesmith guitar playing and that is when I first started playing guitar. My Mom had a teacher come to the house and I learned acoustic guitar and the basic chords, and the teacher would make me sing while I played. Then a few years later I heard Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones and that is what really took me down the road to rock and hard rock stuff. That was the 70’s and there was so much incredible inspiration at that time for a young musician learning how to play. I could list the bands, probably all day from the 70’s that inspired me. There were just so many. From Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Eagles to Janis Joplin, and Rod Stewart, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Heart, Fleetwood Mac. It just goes on and on, it was such a great time for music. Also progressive stuff too like Kansas and Yes. Great time for music and that is when I learned about writing, playing and singing.
Music Junkie Press:Can you remember what is the first song you learned how to play in its entirety?
Tom:In its entirety? I don’t know, but I remember when I first starting playing guitar, an older kid in the neighborhood taught me the electric guitar riff tor Sunshine of Your Love. I didn’t even really know the song, I just heard him playing and said, “That is cool sounding and can you show me how to play that?” and he showed me and of course I struggled to play because it was the first electric, plugged in, blues rock riff I ever played.
Music Junkie Press:That is a great song too! With musicians there are all kinds of milestones, ; first concert, first recording but we all know with guitarists a major milestone, which is do you remember your first Les Paul?
Tom: My first Les Paul was and Ibanez copy and it was like a black copy of a Gibson custom. That held me over for a while but I had my eye on a real Gibson custom Les Paul that was hanging on the wall at the local music shop and my Mom actually used that to bribe me to finish high school. I was not the most academic and I had some challenges with academics and she, being a very wise woman, knew that was like the Golden Ring for me, and said if I got through high school she would buy it. And she did and I still have it today. That was my first real Gibson.
Music Junkie Press:Yes, I believe that there should be a place on Facebook for the milestone of when someone gets their first Gibson Les Paul! In the past 20 years, with the technology advancing at a such a rapid rate, with the addition of the internet, social sites, digital cameras, etc is there something from today that you wish you had when you were growing up.
Tom:Not really. No, not really at all, To be honest, I think we have too much today.
Music Junkie Press: Personally for me it would be the cell phone instead of carrying around pocket full of change to call home if I was late.
Tom:The first cell phone I saw back in the 80’s, I went WOW,that is like the Jetsons, I got to have one of those so I bought one. Of course this was like early in the game so the thing cost like a grand and the monthly service fee was insanely expensive. We all remember those old analog ones. I was one of the first kids on the block to have one because I thought, Oh cool, we are like the Jetsons now. To me now, I think back to the simpler time when it was just the phone on the wall with the coil chord and like Joe Walsh says, “Just leave a message and maybe I’ll call”. I don’t like this anyone can get to you anywhere, anytime, through a cell phone, through text, through Facebook, through email, There are so many ways of communication, I mean it is convenient but I think it also splinters our focus a little bit. It is a catch 22. It is kind of what the song “Fools Paradise” is about on the new record.
Music Junkie Press: Yes, especially with the younger generation. I feel they don’t go out as much as we did, they tend to communicate through all these different ways but yet not as much on a personal contact level. It has become harder to get them offline and out there to shows. Do you have advice to get them out from behind their computers/devices?
Tom:Are you referring to the people who just back and watch everything on Youtube?
Music Junkie Press:Yes, that too. Even buying music, they just download one song. There used to be such an excitement level when you went into the record store, put on the headphones and found new music. You buy the album, the tangible product and now they just pick up a song and that is it.
Tom: Well I think every generation has their way and it is not wrong. I think that what would probably help people to be more into whole works of arts or records is that artists create whole works of art or whole records. Like a Physical Graffiti or an Exile on Main Street, or Hotel California – are some of the ones I grew up on. Or Fleetwood Mac Rumors, Aerosmith’s well of them; Toys in the Attic. Those were incredible albums from beginning to end. I think there are still some artists that still do that but I think with the shrinking budgets at record companies, artist development isn’t what it used to be, recording budgets are nott what they used to be. So I think less and less we are nott getting great full albums. That is the Catch- 22 of the lost revenues from downloading. I don’t know that the average listener out there or fan realizes that by swiping music you kind of hurt the art itself and record companies. I mean, I know everyone views the record companies as the big evil corporate thing or whatever but there is a lot of good that comes from them too. They do help to develop artists and back in the 60s, 70 s and the 80s when we were coming up, they stayed with you and they developed you. They made sure you were working in the best studios, working with the best engineers and the best producers and that is a good thing. That is how you get great albums. That still goes on today, don’t get me wrong, I just think it is less artists get the opportunity for that because of the budgets and the mentality of the record companies have changed, due to lost revenues and we all know why. There are many reasons of why that has happened and a lot of that has to do with the technology we have. The second the first audio file transmitted over the internet we were really all sunk. In terms of what the door it had opened up for causing problems within the industry.
Music Junkie Press: Yes, I agree. With the good the internet brought, it also brought a lot of evils and the downside of it. We were all excited about it and didn’t think of all the bad things it brought as well.
Tom: There are conveniences. I remember back when if you had wanted to get a song to someone or a file to someone, it was called Fed EX. Now, I love the convenience of if I have a song and I need to send it someone, a musician or the record label, I can just BOOM, send an email but obviously that has opened the door for people to be able to steal music or listen to music anytime they want and it has affected the whole business. I am not just talking about the artist’s and the record company’s pockets, I mean obviously peopled deserve to be paid fairly for their music but I think not a lot of people realize how much that actually affects the money going back into developing talent as well. That is the flip side of that and to me is the bigger side of the issue.
Music Junkie Press: If we could peak into your iPod/mp3 player what would we be most surprised at seeing in there?
Tom:I like everything. I still listen to all my old favorites from the 70s, a lot of the bands I just mentioned and those artists cause me to dig back even further to Blues, real authentic blues stuff. I listen to Son House ,and Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters, and all that stuff that I have more of an appreciation for. And then coming into more current stuff, really current, is Imagine Dragons, Bruno Mars. I have the utmost respect and admiration for someone that can sing like him. I mean he is incredible. There has been some hard rock acts that I have liked in some recent yearsl Buckcherry, I think is really bad ass. The first two Jet Records I just love, I thought they were just incredible, high energy hard rock records. Unbelievable angst in the vocals, high energy tracks and just really great stuff. So there are a few there that I like.
Music Junkie Press: Those are all great artists to be listening to and Jet just delivers some solid nonstop energy on those albums. We love the video for Solid Ground which has us excited to see you live, are you working on any more videos from the album?
Tom:We have talked about doing one for The Flower Song. I think at some point we will probably do something for that one.
Check out the Video for Solid Ground:
Music Junkie Press: If you could go back to your 14 year old self, what advice would you give to yourself?
Tom: Hmmm, I don’t know. Honestly I think I could turn that around. I think my 14 year old self could probably give myself today some good advice, and that would maybe be to stop and smell the flowers a little more.
Music Junkie Press: That is awesome! Best answer yet. We are always looking back at how we could change things but if we kept our insight back then.
Tom: Ya, Kids do. I mean because I have a 9 year old son now, and I will be stressing out all day taking of business and working, and I watch him and he is not even thinking about the clock. In terms of wisdom, there is a probably a lot I could learn from my 14 year old self. Obviously it works the other way around too but there is something very pure about the wisdom of youth. I question around and say that I could probably think I could have learned something from 14 year old me.
Music Junkie Press: I always wonder if we would even listen to advice we give ourselves! I know most 14 year olds would not even listen to our own advice!
Tom: That is the problem. I actually had that thought and lost it and you brought it back to me. You are right, we don’t listen. Because I tell him things all the time and he just looks at me like “I got it covered Dad, don’t worry”. I am like alright, come talk to me when you are thirty.
Fan submitted question from Ryan: What does a band have to do to catch your eye and make them your new favorite band in today’s world?
Tom: I don’t know. Man, if I could just state that in a couple sentences, I could just put it in a bottle and sell it. I am thinking in every decade there has been different launch methods for artists. I think some of them remain the same throughout the years. I think radio is still a very powerful thing. Obviously in this day and age, social media and Youtube are very powerful. Youtube, I guess is what MTV was for us in the 80s. Fans can go on 24/7 and see their favorite artists constantly, videos, live videos, shows. You name it. That is kind of what MTV was for us only it blasted into your living room.
Music Junkie Press:Ya, we had to wait a while to get it in our area but I remember being glued to the set the first weekend we had it.
Tom:Yes, we were too. We were amazed by it and some of the videos were very clever back then. I still love watching a lot of those early videos. It is what created the whole MTV meeting the music, that visual, it was in the 80s the first time that there was that huge visual aspect. I think it is what created the whole over the top imagery that we all had. And not just the rock bands, but even with the pop stars, I mean look at Cindy Lauper, Madonna, Boy George. Everything, from an image standpoint was just tenfold over the top. I think MTV created that because we were all on film.
Music Junkie Press:Yes, I remember watching and seeing what they were wearing and wanting to dress like them. I remember my 80’s clothes or cut up shirts, so much fashion and fads came from them. It was no longer someone just singing on an album. It was incredible, you got to see them, how they look, dress, act.
Tom:Yes, It was a very creative colorful time because of that visual and everyone was trying to take it to the next level and over the top. It was all genres of music and ultimately, it is what toppled it because it started to become the focus. I mean in the media, or at least the critics, the focus was more on the image and that somehow took away from the music. But NO, actually the music still holds up, so the focus got placed on that imagery because it was so over the top. I think, t was the thing that ultimately toppled the whole thing.
Fan submitted question from Kristi: When you are touring what is your favorite meal to have?
Tom:Usually when I am on the road, it is a pretty physical and intense high energy show so I usually eat light on a show day. And on a day off, it is kind of like I get as much food as I can. I like something pretty heavy, like a nice steak and potato, to kind of refill the reservoir.
Fan submitted question from Vito: What is your biggest pet peave?
Tom:We all have lots of those. My biggest one? I am just going to be very general and just say hypocrisy. It is my biggest pet peeve. There is nothing more annoying than someone saying one thing and doing another so I am just going to go with a very general concept.
Music Junkie Press: I know you just released this album, but we would love to know if you are planning on doing more solo work?
Tom:Yes, we are just getting started. We have another rock single being released I believe in September, is the impact date of that one. Cold Day in Hell is that one. The label will continue t work the Flower Song as a single and we will be getting back out on the road. We are kind of in the middle of the break right now. Like I said, we toured from February and ended about the end of June, right after the Letterman performance. We wanted a little bit of a break and we will be getting back on the road soon.
Music Junkie Press: We are going to be sharing all your social media links and where everyone can pick up their copy of ‘The Way Life Goes” Lastly, is there anything else that you would like to share with our audience?
Tom: I would just like to thank the fans that have supported, not only my solo stuff here but Cinderella over the years. They are who we make the music for and they are the ones who keep it alive. It is greatly appreciated the support and the energy that they have shown to us over the years.
Music Junkie Press:Thank you very much for your time Tom and your album is definitely one I play from start to finish! Thank you for your great gift of music!
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I am looking forward to catching Tom when he is out on the road again. If you haven’t already make sure to pick up your copy of The Way Life Goes which is available everywhere! Get your copy and then let me know which is your favorite song!
Music Junkie Press 