Albums Unleashed Carnival of Souls w/Toby Wright Part 2 - Ep180

We're back this week to talk about the second half of a very polarizing album.

Chris and Aaron return this week with the second part of their discussion with producer Toby Wright for Albums Unleashed - Carnival of Souls. Covering the second half of this controversial KISS album, Toby shares his memories of the tracking and mixing of the songs including the Gene Simmons-sung 'In My Head,' which was written by Gene along with Scott Van Zen and Jaime St. James of Black n' Blue. In this section of the discussion, Wright remembers pushing Simmons and bandmate Paul Stanley to record harmony vocals in the vein of Alice in Chains members Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley; and how the attempt would fall short by comparison.

Another track discussed in this hour-plus special is 'I Confess.' Wright reflects on a tense recording session involving a string section that was brought in to add a dark feel to the songs and how he had to get the classically-trained musicians to break convention to pull off the sound he was after.

Other tracks covered in this Albums Unleashed special include the psychadelic-tinged 'In the Mirror,' the Black Sabbath-inspired track 'It Never Goes Away,' and one of the most unusual tracks in the KISS catalog; the Middle-Eastern sounding 'Seduction of the Innocent,'

Most notably, however, is the discussion of the debut (and lone) KISS vocal of guitarist Bruce Kulick. This track had quite a history as Wright explains the numerous permutations it would take on during the tracking process (including a lead vocal take from Simmons). This track's autobiographical nature would play out as life would later imitate art in the form of the KISS reunion and guitarist Kulick and drummer Eric Singer would wind up unemployed.

Toby Wright goes into great detail in this discussion of how Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley called a meeting during the overdub sessions for Carnival of Souls to break the news that they had been solicited with a multi-million dollar offer to put on the greasepaint and reunite with original KISS drummer and guitarist Peter Criss and Ace Frehley; respectively.

The effect of the reunion announcement would have a catastrophic effect on the album; as it was immediately shelved by Mercury Records, leaked on the internet, and then, with very little fanfare, released by the record label in October of 1997.

The Decibel Geek Podcast wants to thank Toby Wright for giving so much time in discussing a controversion, yet bittersweet, album in his massively successful discography. We hope you enjoy this 2 part Albums Unleashed special on KISS' Carnival of Souls.

More Toby Wright!

Official Website

More COS Info!

Bruce Kulick COS Retrospective


Geeks of the Week:

Devin Fox, Rob Harris, David Alpizar, Craig Cohen, Warren Money, Marc Alden Taylor, Shane Hebert, Mark Lo, James Brendon Dunn, Robin Bennett ($20.00 donation), Allen Tate, Brad Kalmanson, Mike Blount, Derik Novak, Colin Francis, Justin Hayes, Joe Lascon, Corey Nowlin, PJ Brown, Brent Walter, Ian Wadley (Rock & Metal Combat Podcast), Dan Chaput, Jeff Hogland, Ryan Sessions, Wally Norton, Eddie Golatka, Brandt Cattell, Mike Stewart, Brian Knapp, RAW Magazine, Hot Metal Magazine, Loudmouth, Faces Rocks Magazine, Steve Cunningham, hoops, Jack Broad, Shawn Franklin, Stephen Atchison, Rockorama, Joel Hebensperger, Nick Rose, MusicMagsAndWax, Joel DeLorge, Toby Wright

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Skrou You!! An Interview with Toronto's Skrou.

Skrou is a Toronto area band whose moniker is derived from a play on words from frontman and founder Sam Kirou's name. Some time ago I was able to catch up with the hard working band at their

gig at Fionn MacCool's Irish Pub in Newmarket Ontario. No-one ever plays in my little north of Toronto town of Newmarket, but Skrou have not left us off of their concert map. These guys often play smaller towns all around the Southern Ontario region and present a rock and roll show including covers of some of the greatest "80's hair-style" music and also their own awesome compositions. Skrou have released their debut CD (reviewed here on Decibel Geek by Wallygator: "Giving Us A Place To Shake" LINK) back in January 2014. The band has released two official videos for songs from that album, "A Place To Shake" and "Rock It Away", but my favorite "Cold Heart" is still waiting for its chance at a video. Skrou have recently appeared on a local TV station CHCH during the "Live Music Fridays" segment performing their "A Place To Shake" song live in the studio (Skrou on CHCH TV LINK) and also been interviewed on Naked News Network (Skrou on Naked News LINK).

I was able to catch up with the boys at the bar in between their sets for a quick interview. Lead vocalist Sam Kirou, guitarist J.D. Fine and bassist R.C. Ricci took a few moments after the first set to answer some of my questions as the four of us crowded the rather small stage. The intention was to present this short interview in a video format, but due to some technical difficulties I am forced to present it in print format and I offer my apologies to Skrou for this issue. Here are the basics of our little chat:

After everyone introduced themselves for the camera, I asked how they had all come together. Sam fielded the question stating that "basically I found some of the best guys in Toronto that fit this band and what we do." as guitarist J.D. Fine added that Sam had scouted them out of other bands.

Skrou are one of the hardest working bands I've seen around, playing shows all over Southern Ontario and when I asked about this bassist R.C. Ricci jumped in with "Well, this year, 2014 that is, we did over 75 plus shows" as Sam and J.D. both echoed that the band was on the same pace again for 2015. That's basically every weekend of the year!

Sam says, "We hope that 2015 will be the breakout year for us. Something bigger than Ontario. And we have Rock Solid Entertainment on our side now as well." So what is Rock Solid? "Rock Solid is a management company out of the U.K." J.D. Fine answers as Sam quickly adds in "managed by Phil Taylor" as J.D. continues, "he's giving us a hand, guiding us and sort of letting us run through the candy store.". This is definitely great news for a local Toronto band to have Rock Solid guiding them along.

What about the debut CD? "We released it ourselves," Sam tells me. "We self-promoted, we rented out a club in Toronto and it was a successful night apart from some shenanigans at the end of the night."

"I can't believe we just used the word shenanigans," J.D. Fine embarrassingly says.

"Well, we are in an Irish pub!" I offer as consolation.

When I asked where people can purchase the CD Sam responded with, "The debut CD or the new CD?" Hold on...there's a new CD?

"Right now we're working on it. We have all the chemicals in the vat and we're letting it congeal," says bassist R.C. Ricci.

Sam laughs as he adds, "It's sort of like a Breaking Bad kinda thing right now. I think you guys are gonna enjoy this new CD. It's gonna be heavy, a little heavier and darker than this first CD."

"Thanks for taking this time boys," I wrap things up as they all echo "Thanks to Decibel Geek for supporting live music."

Don't miss an evening of great rock and roll at the Skrou Rocks Show as it rolls through your town!

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

(Skrou Website) (Skrou Facebook) (Skrou You-Tube)

Unbroken: An Interview With Rene Thomsen

Several months ago I discovered the band Thomsen through their October 2014 released Unbroken CD. Not being familiar with them before I was pleasantly surprised upon spinning the CD when the lead track, "Draw The Curtain", drew me in right away with its meaty power metal ingredients. You can read my full album review here: A Power Metal Delight: A Review Of Thomsen's Unbroken. Fast forward to February 2015, when the opportunity arose for me to have a brief Skype chat with Rene Thomsen himself, I jumped at the chance to talk with this multi-talented musician.

Seated at the helm of the good ship Meister (also known as my computer desk) I made the Skype call and after we rectified and disposed of a minor technical difficulty we were off.  The minute we said hello to each other Rene was excited to let me know right away that just before we started our Skype chat he had released a new video for "Break That Spell". Literally posted live just before I placed the call, "Break That Spell" is the fourth track on the Unbroken album and the third to receive the video treatment. I could tell through his voice even though I'd never spoken to the fabulously talented German musician previously that he was on the edge of his seat and brimming with excitement about the new video. "It's been released just since three minutes ago" he exclaimed. "New guitars, new bass, new drums, new vocals. It's out of the rehearsal room with the current line-up."  Rene went on to say that it was shot one day in November when drummer Andre Hilgers (Rage/Silent Force) had the time to meet with them. Rene, who recorded and mixed the song himself, says "It's much more aggressive than on the CD" and "for a video directly out of the rehearsal room it's OK, but it has HiFi sound so you can listen to it no problem". I disagree Mr. Thomsen! I watched the video after our little talk and I'd say it's more than just OK! The video for "Break That Spell" appears below so you take a look and a listen and judge for yourselves.

The compositions of Unbroken have been crafted musically by Thomsen himself with the lyric portions being supplied by writing partner Helge Engelke. "I can't write lyrics," Thomsen laughs "even though I did for the first album." For the lyrics of the album's title track, "Unbroken", Helge Engelke took inspiration from the trials and tribulations that Rene Thomsen went through in making this album, Thomsen says.

Rene has assembled a band of hard working and talented musicians for the live show that include himself as the guitarist, Andre Hilgers behind the drum kit, bassist Ingo Luhring, guitarist Michael Pesin and Russian vocalist Denis Brosowski (pronounced Dennis even though there's only one "n" and Brozoffski). In fact, Rene says: "When Denis was cast as the singer for Thomsen during his auditions at The Hannover Musikzentrum in his very first appearance with the band I decided to record it right away". That recording, "Tears Of The Sun", serves as the last song featured on the 2014 Thomsen Unbroken album. The accented, but well-spoken German guitarist also had nothing but good words to say about the musicians that went into the making of the Unbroken album. He spoke very highly of each of the drummers that contributed, Andres Hilgers, Bobby Jarzombek (Halford/Riot/Sebastian Bach) and Vinny Appice (Dio/Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell) and the different styles that each one brought to the recording. Also held in high regard were other guest musicians including guitarist Mathias Dieth (Sinner/U.D.O.) and guest vocalist the German legend himself, Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O./Accept)! Udo's gravelly vocals appear on the track "We Made It" which Rene wrote musically about the late great Ronnie James Dio the night after the legend's death.

Throughout our conversation, Rene Thomsen is extremely good humored, laughing and joking during the whole chat. At one stage, he was quite comical when discussing his temporary fake tattoos, "I need to make money with customers, so I can't have my name on my lower arm. People will go: What's wrong with this guy?" After explaining where he has them made he continued with (voicing both himself and the imagined person he's talking to), "You make it two or three days before you want to show it and then people go: Oh Rene is it a fresh tattoo? And then: Why do you put your own name on your arm, what's wrong with you? Well, it's my band name, I'm a rocker! Umm hmm OK....wanna have a beer?" He laughs as we agree that not everyone understands being a rocker. "My parents go like: Rene? Ya? What have you done to your arm? Well, I put my name on it in case I get old like you people. And if they're in a good mood they laugh and if not they hang up." he jokes. A complete pleasure to talk with and a professional dedicated to his craft.

Rene himself is a hard worker, a perfectionist, wanting to deliver the best that he can to his fans as evidenced by phrases he said such as "technically the album was done correctly, but it wasn't metal enough for me, so it's been mixed twice." Rene also spoke of how hard it was for a small band like his to get found or discovered, "It's a local thing here". Determined to give only a "safe, clear" performance, it's hard for Rene and his band to play gigs unless they are nearby his hometown of Hannover, Germany, with the expenses of travel, gear and the personnel required to give the best show that he can to the audience. "I don't want to gain any money playing live," he says, "but I need to cover my costs." There will be some shows in promotion for the album, "March 20th we make a kick off for live here in Hannover and it's good sold already. People remember my last show because I bring extra lights. I bring extra staging so I make the stage deeper so we can set up the full nine yards." This is good news for The Meister as I hope to catch a live Thomsen event during my three week Europe vacation in June 2015.

We also spent a moment on the evils and positives of the age of the internet. "I-Tunes is cool for me 'cause I have all the rights on digital and it worked well. The I-Tunes sales are great, and the people buy the full album," he informed me. And with those high I-Tunes sales I was surprised when he let me know that people are buying the full album, something that I didn't think was taking place in today's marketplace.

As a former guitar tech Rene Thomsen has "been handed through from one major guitar player to the next one". Working as a guitar tech for Mathias Dieth, the former guitarist for U.D.O., Rene has been on tour with bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, U.D.O., Helloween, and Guns 'n' Roses. "Mathias and I we got to know Zakk Wylde and then I did the sound checks for U.D.O. and Ozzy when he wasn't there. I played every afternoon on tour and then I did the sound checks for the guitar players, I always learned one song to be able to do a guitar song that was of the band so that if they had a promo or an in-store I was prepared well if they weren't there." Rene admits that "Zakk 
Wylde is my absolute guitar hero" and you can tell that he's beaming as the words roll off his tongue. Rene had the opportunity to meet and learn from Maestro Wylde during that tour. "Zakk, I only have one question: Ya, what is it? What's the correct official riff, how do you play it for "I Don't Know"? And he teach me. It needed a week 'cause it's not so easy as people say. I have very small fingers and then I have my fingers on the fretboard and he say: no, no, no Rene, a bit more, a bit more and then he took my fingers and spread them over the fretboard and I say ahh, ahh. Yeah well, you have longer fingers you have no ahh, so now you have ahh. So this was very, very funny. A very fine guy, it was very nice getting to know him these days and we had a good time."

A third record is planned with a mixture of live recordings, re-recordings with Denis on vocals and two or three new songs. Rene hopes that it may even be featuring Zakk Wylde as a guest guitarist! "Zakk Wylde is the next musician I do my record with. He can only say no! I ask him and I try to convince him. I'm a riff player same as he is, so maybe I have something he likes." I'm hopeful for ya Rene!

When asked if there's anything else he wanted to mention he paused for a fair length and responded amidst a raucous bout of laughter with "Buy my fuckin' record!" a sentiment that The Meister agrees with all the way. Support the artists and keep the music coming. I highly recommend Thomsen's Unbroken for metal fans across the world!

Both Rene Thomsen and Decibel Geek would like to extend special thanks to Dustin Hardman of Hardman Press Promotions or the opportunity for this interview.

BUY: Thomsen - Unbroken

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

(Thomsen Website) (Thomsen Facebook) (Thomsen YouTube)

Interview With a Storyteller!

The Lionsheart teamed up with founding member, lead vocalist and former bass player L-G Persson to get some insight into the new album "Sacred fire" as well as some info on the bands history and why they are back stronger than ever.  

For a start, tell us a little about the band's humble beginnings and how The Storyteller came to be.

~ The Storyteller was founded in 1995 by myself and Fredrik Groth. we knew each other since many years and shared the same taste in music. I had an idea for a concept to a metal band. It would be Power metal combined with medieval melodies and with Fantasy lyrics. I had written the foundations for a couple of songs and I introduced them to Fredrik who thought it sounded great, and it was in that moment that I believe The Storyteller was born. Why we chose the name The Storyteller was also no coincidence. The whole arrangement was that we would take on the role of a storyteller who sat by the campfire and told our stories to anyone who would listen. Even the music was written with the intention that they would be able to perform the songs both acoustic and as Power Metal style, and on the debut album, we followed that concept 100%.

L-G Persson in action.
Picture courtesy of Storyteller Facebook page.

And after four records the band came to a stop. Tell us a little about why the band was put on a hiatus in the fall of 2006?

~ There were several reasons why we chose to take a break, but some members of the band became parents recently and had a little difficulty to combine family life, work, and the band. Then we had made some bad choices in terms of partners and to get loose from these partnerships we chose to freeze the band indefinitely. It took so much unnecessary energy trying to get everything to work and music became afflicted and I think that the decision to take a break was justified.

What made the band start up again in spring of 2011?

~ In the years that the band was at rest so we got quite a lot of offers to do a gig together. It came from different clubs who had been asked if they could try to book us, but we refused every time. But then came a time when a club in our hometown asked if we didn't thought it was time to do a reunion gig if not permanently then just for one night, so I talked to Jake first and he was interested and it turned out that everyone else was interested, too, and therefore said yes to a gig. Even during the time that we practiced before the gig we all felt that it was fun again and we could play the songs as if we had never had a break, and the reception we received when we got up on stage was enormous. A full venue with fans who gave their all - that was the turning point! After the gig, all agreed that we would continue.

Founding member and guitarist Fredrik Groth left after just one gig in 2012. Tell us a little about why Fredrik is no longer with the band?

~ When Frederick decided it was time to move on, it did not come as a surprise, but it became a very dark moment in the band's history. We noticed more and more that Frederik was not his old self, and that he contributed less and less with ideas for song material and did not practice with the band that he liked before. Then came the day when we all got an email from him in which he explained that he had taken a decision that was really tough and he hesitated many times before he pressed the send button. He felt he was not as "hungry" as we were and that he did not share the future as the rest wanted and that's why he took the decision that it was time to move on and leave his place in the band. It took very hard on me and it took some time before I could reconcile myself to the fact that Frederik that I started the band with was no longer in the band, but Fredrik and I have very good contact still and have talked a lot about his decision. Main reason was that he felt that the music had changed from the concept we decided from the start, and he felt that the direction the band was developed for was not something he wanted to do, and in retrospect I understand his position completely.

Picture courtesy of The Storyteller Facebook page.

When talking about ex-members, why did bass player Johan Sohlberg not take part in the reunion?

~ I do not really know how to explain it but we all felt that John did not have the same interest in the musical style of The Storyteller and that's why we chose to bring in a replacement that would be able to step into the role in an honest way. But he is a nice guy and a talented musician and we all wish him well in what he chose to do.

What's the funniest thing you´ve ever seen on tour?

~ I remember one occasion when we were out with another band that I do not mention for their own sake :) but there was so little room for the drum kit and no wall behind so at one point the second band's drummer actually fell behind the scene and disappeared behind the backdrop. Thankfully it was not a long way down and he quickly came up again without the audience noticed anything.

What is the best concert you´ve ever been to?

~ The best concert I've been to was without a doubt when I went and saw Iron Maiden when Bruce Dickinson came back to the band. They played fantastically well and they had this energy on stage and really looked to thrive together again. It was an incredible experience.

Ok, on to the new album called "Sacred Fire". Can you tell us a little about the lyrical side of the new album. Some lyrics were inspired by Greek mythology I guess?

~ Yes, I actually chose to take a lot of inspiration from Greek mythology. The basic idea was that the album would be about Gods and battles and then I found that very exciting legends existed from the Greek mythology so I read a lot of their legends trying to get as much input as possible. But we have some songs that deviate from the Greek mythology tales but still focus on battles and heroic deeds.

Picture courtesy of The Storyteller Facebook page

Was it an easy record to write and record?

~ The album was completed written long before we would enter the real studio. We recorded all the songs demo in Steeltown Studio (Marcus home studio) so we knew the songs were good class and would be really good when we recorded them for the album. But the time in the real studio was not quite as we had planned. Once again, it shows that all need to do their "homework" before going into the studio, so there was some lost time due to downright carelessness. But finally it became done and the result is amazing. I see this production as the strongest since the debut album (The Storyteller) and the sequel (Crossroad)

So, what are your plans now when the new album has been released?

~ We have no plans right now, but we will wait and see what response we get on the album, but the reviews we have received so far is very good so right now it looks promising. If the album picks up and sells well so maybe we begin to plan for a possible tour.

Picture courtesy of The Storyteller
Facebook page.

Where can your North American fans find the new album "Sacred Fire"? Is it being released outside of Europe?

~ I have been told that the album will be distributed to buy in the US, but I do not know through which distributors. If you are interested in ordering Sacred Fire, you can do so via our distribution company Sound Pollution Distribution: www.soundpollutiondistribution.se

Finally - Is there any plans for releasing the demo you recorded with Crystal Light officially?

~ Crystal Light album Dreams Never Die, was released on digital platforms such as Spotify and iTunes, but will unfortunately not be pressed up in physical edition

I would like to thank L-G Persson for taking his time to answer my questions and updating us on the status of The Storyteller. Personally I think "Sacred Fire" is a really strong effort and would like to wish the guys luck in the future. Read also my review of "Sacred Fire" by clicking the link below. The CD will be released on 27th of February and will be available at amazon.com on March the 3rd both as hard copy CD and digital download. 

The Storyteller Unleashes The Sacred Fire: A Review of The Album

BUY Sacred Fire here!

Sarasin: Metal From The Hammer

What's this? A plain kraft paper envelope in my mailbox addressed to "The Meister"!  I slid the CD and the accompanying promo package out of the envelope.  The cover art was rather uninspiring, let me re-phrase that.  The drawing was quite intriguing, a serpent of sorts swallowing itself so that it's encircled in a ring, but what makes the cover unappealing is the for lack of a better description mustard brown hue that everything is tinted with, not a favorite colour of The Meister.  The back cover displayed a faded version of the serpent with the eight track titles imposed over it and the whole package came with a "Promotional Copy" sticker
affixed to the outside.  The included biography of Sarasin offered much more interesting fare to the Ole Meister.  It included phrases such as the opening paragraph: "If you are a classic heavy metal listener and have Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in your record collection (CHECK), it makes sense to give the new Sarasin CD a listen (OK, I WILL).  We haven't tried to re-invent the wheel (HONESTY AND HUMILITY), but we take great pride in paying homage to our heavy metal Gods with 9 songs (THE BACK OF THE CD SHOWS 8) that fit right into that genre without sounding plagiaristic." And a little farther down: "Sarasin has been around longer than we care to admit (LOL), and this has afforded us the luxury of playing every shithole in North America (OK YOU GOT A CHUCKLE OUT OF ME)."  "With the decline of everything good in life (AHHH....THE ONSET OF GRUNGE AND SEATTLE SCENE) it was clear that by the mid 90's, even if you had a record deal you were running out of places to play (SAD, BUT TRUE).  We've always had a loyal fan following based out of Hamilton, Ontario (NICKNAMED AS "THE HAMMER"), but if you're looking for an extensive Facebook following or super polished website, we apologize (MORE HONESTY).  Somehow putting a guitar down to jump on a computer or cell phone never had much appeal for any of us (MORE ON THIS POINT IN A SECOND)."  I really liked the underlying humility, honesty and sense of humor running through the bio and right away I was intrigued to check out Sarasin.  I loaded the CD into my computer as I do with every disc to add it to my digital library and then transfer to my MP3 player or cell phone for listening on the go.  What's this?  There's actually nine tracks, must be a misprint on the back of the CD.  A quick message via Facebook to Roger Banks (drummer and sender of the promo package) results in the correct track listing, but also in him offering me the job of manager since I'm the only one to proofread and catch the track listing error.....or was it a test of some sort?

Let's get to the tunes.  The band from Hamilton, Ontario open their self-titled Sarasin CD with "The Hammer".  This track captures my attention quickly and surprisingly it does not appear to be lyrically concerning their hometown of Hamilton, Ontario nicknamed "The Hammer".  Watch the interview video at the bottom of this review to find out what "The Hammer" is about lyrically. The track has a good, energetic pace with a delicious little solo and some strong vocals. The production seems to be a little dull and muddy, but that's just fine with me as I prefer a little character to my tunes.  Next up is "The Enemy Within" featuring a haunting beginning added to by the thunder & lightening in the background.  Before long the track opens up into a pounding grind for a song that has quickly become my favorite of the collection and has made its way onto my daily gym workout playlist along with "The Hammer".  "In Our Image" has a catchy bridge and chorus in this pace-changing composition for another solid track.  "Now" charges out of the gates and keeps things moving along nicely, with another memorable chorus adding to an already strong CD outing from Sarasin. Throughout the CD you can easily hear the band's previously stated influences of Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath while "Soul Invain" opens up another avenue displaying a little Alice In Chains style or feel to it.  The slower, chugging  pace of "SinkHole" appears next and was the track that was missing from the roster on the back of the disc. The moody and again slower paced track of "Live To See The Glory" follows.   The pace and energy ramp up again with the catchiness of "Forevermore" that seems to stay with you days after listening and things close well with "Wake Up" although it's another slower paced affair.

Not being a particular fan of the slower paced fare, I lost a little interest during "SinkHole" and "Live To See The Glory" or maybe I just have a short attention span. In either case, this is a great CD, with no real weak spots, just a few that outshine the rest. The compositions are strong and the musicianship solid throughout. A high recommendation from The Meister!

Sarasin drummer Roger Banks was kind enough to chat with me a little about the band and the latest Sarasin album. Listen to the highlights from our chat to find out what the song "The Hammer" is all about in the interview video below and check out the song.

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

(Sarasin Website) (Sarasin Facebook)

Conversation with Blanche Napoleon - Ep174

We dig deep into the Decibel Geek vault for something never heard before.

Chris and Aaron present a chat with former Dan Hartman group member Blanche Napoleon. The group, formed in the late 70's by Hartman (a former member of the Edgar Winter group) and included Napoleon on backing vocals, drummer Hilly Michaels, G.E. Smith, and a young, unknown guitarist named Vincent Cusano. The Hartman group had a Hot 100 disco hit in 'Instant Replay'; of which the promo video has gained some popularity in recent years due to the "interesting" choreography between Cusano and Smith.

Blanche shares her memories of Vinnie during his musically formative years, the bond between the band members, Hartman's connection to other musical notables of the day, the disco nightlife of the late 70's in New York City and much more.


Editor's Note: The interview portion of this episode was recorded in December of 2011. It was shelved at the time due to being too far out of demographic. Upon further reflection and a growing fanbase with diverse tastes, it's being released now. Apologies to Blanche Napoleon and her appearance on The Decibel Geek podcast is much appreciated.

Geeks of the Week:

David Alpizar, Mike Blount, Danny Allen Clark, Matt Ashcraft, Devin Fox, Brent Walter, Joseph Ciambelli, Scott Olinger, Mark Alden Taylor, Joe Lascon, Matt Syverson (Paperback Rocker podcast), Joe Royland (Sit and Spin with Joe podcast), Ian Wadley (Rock and Metal Combat podcast, Chris Karam, Joey Vanchieri, Jeff Hogland, James Brendon Dunn, Warren Money, Ken Mills (Podkisst, Cheap Talk podcast), Wayne Newburn, Darren Parkin, Chad Pollock, Gus G. Derik Novak, Hard Rocking Trivia Show, Jason Wood, The Mooger Fooger, John Sturm, MusicMagsAndWax, Billy Hardaway, Daniel Chaput, RAW Magazine, Hot Metal Magazine, Loudmouth, Faces Rocks Magazine

Buy Music!

Vinnie Vincent

Dan Hartman

Johnny Winter

Edgar Winter

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Interviewing A Stud: The Meister interviews Mika Kansikas of Finland's STUD

Remember those albums that you saved up your hard earned paper route money to buy way back when you were just a kid?  You brought them home, tore into the cellophane wrappers and played them over and over again with an indescribable excitement each and every time.  You knew the words to every single song, often belting them out along to the spinning record.  When together with friends, you couldn't wait to introduce them to your new discovery.  Well, I've found something recently released that gives me just that very same feeling.....Rust On The Rose from Finnish-born band Stud.

I was able to catch up with guitarist Mika Kansikas via email for a brief interview concerning the album and history of this band I've just recently discovered!

Mika Kansikas of STUD

Meister: Hello Mika, I have to say that I love Rust On The Rose and am so glad that I discovered your band!  Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions and expand our knowledge of Stud.  Hopefully, through this we can turn a few more folks on to the fantastic work you’ve created here.

Mika: Hi, I'm Mika Kansikas, the guitar player, and the songwriter of STUD.  Thanks a lot for the opportunity to do this interview, and talk about our new album Rust On The Rose as well as some details about our past activities.

Meister: To my understanding, STUD first formed way back in 1986, is that correct?

Mika: Yes.  STUD was formed back in 1986.  We started by singing in English but made some demos in Finnish, and got record companies interested.  We ended up with doing a single with Finland's biggest record company.

Meister: How did the band originally come to be and who were the players in those days, the same as we find on Rust On The Rose?

Mika: Most of the guys were already friends before the band was formed.  Actually, me and Pasi Hietanen, the original bass player, were playing in the same band called Distance.  Tero Kukkonen, our drummer, was a friend and was playing in a local band.  He joined the band and has been in STUD from day one.  Ari Toivanen, our singer, was found from another band we saw playing.  His singing style with high screams was something that got us interested.  When STUD reformed in 2012, we started off with the original lineup.  After the Out Of The Darkness album was ready, Pasi Hietanen told us that he couldn't continue with the band due to his day job.  That's when Matti Jalonen came in as our bass player.  Pasi is still playing on two songs on Rust On The Rose while Matti is doing most of the songs.

Meister: Why did you call yourselves STUD?

Mika: STUD just sounded good.  We had a long list of possible band names but wanted the name to be short and punchy.  STUD just came up and everyone thought it was the best one.

Meister: What happened to the band back then?

Mika: We raised some interest in Finland by appearing on Finnish television and media to support the single.  We also played lots of gigs.  Soon enough the singing language was switched back to English.  At that point, we already had another singer.    By the end of the decade, the music scene was changing and we failed to nail a contract for a full-length album.  In 1989, we played our last gigs before the band was put on hold.

Meister: What saw STUD decide to regroup and issue an album in this present time, followed so quickly by a second one?

Mika: Me and Tero were involved in the same music project and started to talk about the reunion.  The main point was to have the original lineup together.  As we found Ari, after not seeing him for years, we decided to give it a try.  The idea was to do some gigs together, but we turned out to do some demos from some of our original songs.  It just grew from there.  Pretty soon we booked a studio and made plans to publish our first album, Out Of The Darkness.  The process of making Rust On The Rose was quite similar as on the debut, the difference being that the album was released through the Cranksonic label (authors note: their own label).

Meister: How has the reaction been to STUD's reappearance and two back to back albums, both in Finland and around the world?

Mika: It's been surprising how many people actually remember the band from the 80's.  What's cool today is that you can actually reach people from all over the world.  That's been the plan since the reunion, to try to expose our music to fans of hard rock and metal around the world.

Meister: What do you feel are some of the major differences now verses then with regards to both STUD and the music scene itself?

Mika: It's very different.  There are so many genres today and lots of bands and artists.  On the other hand, it's easy to make a record with technology available for everyone.  Lots of music you hear on the radio is made in someone's laptop.  The downside is to have the music found by people from the millions of songs out there.  The way the music is distributed, digitally, is different too.  However, good music is always good.

Meister: Are the songs on Rust On The Rose (or Out Of The Darkness, which I myself haven't explored as yet) new compositions or old material from the STUD archives?

Mika: Lots of the material is old which could have been published earlier.  I'm glad they were not, because today we have total control on the end result.  We're better players now as well.  Many songs, even they were old ones, were revised and even new parts and lyrics were added.  Songs like "Raise Your Fist", "Rust On The Rose" and "Freedom Call" are new material.

Meister: Tell us about Rust On The Rose.  The differences and similarities between this album and Out Of The Darkness, released only a year prior?  The writing processes that go into crafting a STUD song (such as my favorite, "Freedom Call") and an album?

Mika: We're very happy about both of them. They both have great songs and good playing as well.  What's great is that we've seen that many people have a different song as their favorite from our albums.  Almost all the songs have been played on radio stations as well.  There are no filler songs on our albums, and that's what we want to keep doing.  Each song is important.  Even though our songs are quite different from each other, we've been able to build our own recognizable sound and style.  The writing process usually starts with a guitar riff or several of them.  If you listen to our songs, there's almost always a guitar riff behind the songs.  The melody builds on top of the riffs or the chord structure, the lyrics come usually last. In some cases, the chorus and some cool lyric phrases may even come first, and the rest of the song follows.  In some cases, a song is put together from two separate song ideas.  What we've heard is that the new album is sound wise a bit more modern compared to the debut.

Meister: Who are some of the major influences for the band and what drives you to continue making music?

Mika: So many influences during the years, from lots of different genres too.  If we go back in time to when the band was originally started, bands like Rainbow, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and Dio were all favorites of ours.  Matti would add Sabbath and Priest to the list.  But like I said there are many others.  What drives us to make music is the fact that we're all music loving guys, it's been with us a long time.  It's also a great feeling to play in front of a live audience.  It really gives you energy.  It's been amazing to put together our two albums and have them presented to people worldwide.  We feel that we still have lots of ideas and we want to offer them to our fans in the form of new songs.

Meister: Were you able to play many live gigs back in the 80's?  Does any one gig from then to now stand out as more memorable over the rest?

Mika: Sure.  We played a lot of gigs back then.  The most memorable gigs were in Estonia where we had a tour.  Estonia wasn't independent back then.  It was a culture shock for us, but the people were amazing.  Many fond memories of the live scene in the 80's.

Meister: What does the future hold for STUD?  Will there be some touring in support of these albums?  Should we expect another album release next year as well?

Mika: In 2015, we'll continue to push the band forward.  There won't be a new album this year however.  The reason there was only one year between the two albums was that the debut was ready long ago before it was released.  We waited for a proper time before releasing.  With the new one, there was no waiting.  We are building a schedule for live shows for this year, first gigs starting in March.  Festivals and live shows outside of Finland are something we'd like to do in the future.

Meister: If you had the power to put a band together with any musician you chose (past or present) who would they be, why, and what would the band be called?

Mika: It's the current lineup, with the looks from the 80's :), the hair and all....The band would be called Stupid.  Let's add Elvis and Roy Orbison for background vocals.

Meister: What song do you wish you'd written? (question borrowed from Decibel Geek writer Wallygator)

Mika: "White Christmas" :).  I'd be a millionaire.  Seriously, it's the next STUD song that's not been written yet.  The writing process in many cases is hard, so many options.  I have lots of riffs ready, but a song must always have a point and a unique idea.  The ingredients of our songs are melody and energy, and the song should be heartfelt too.

Meister: Please feel free to share anything else that you'd like mentioned in this article.

Mika: Thanks to Rich "The Meister" Dillon for the opportunity to do this interview.  For the people who have not had a chance to check out STUD's music, please visit our website at (STUD) as well as our Facebook page (STUD Facebook).  You can find the latest news from the band and listen to our music from there too.  If you're a fan of hard rock and melodic metal you might like what you hear.  Keep rocking!

Stud’s Rust on the Rose album starts off at full throttle with "Raise Your Fist" beginning with a charging riff before a wicked guitar solo enters the picture.  I’m sold already and the vocals haven’t even hit the speakers as yet.  The song is exactly what you might expect from an 80’s glam/sleaze band, loaded with hooks and an anthem chorus.  I’ve raised my fist!  "Rock n' Roll World" exhibits a slightly slower pace, grinding along into a gang vocal, sing-along chorus of "I want to live in a rock and roll world".  I already live in a rock and roll world and thank God for that, but I’m still singing along!  The album's title track and second single release keeps things moving forward in much the same fashion and other standouts include the catchiness of "We’re Gonna Strike", the commercial radio-friendly sounding "Promised to Be Mine", the blistering pace of "Break the Chains" and the lead single "I Don’t Know".  Stud have issued a solid collection of 11 songs holding true to the sound of the 80’s guitar driven heavy rock,  marvelous for fans of the glam/sleaze sub-genre.  I wish I'd come across this closer to the release time, as had I given it just a little more attention, it would most definitely have ended up in my top ten albums of 2014!

It’s off to add Out of the Darkness to my collection, rock on you stud!  \m/

***Many thanks to Marjo from Metal Revelation for putting me in touch with Mika for this interview!***

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

PHOTO CREDIT: STUD Promo Kit

(STUD Website) (STUD Facebook)

(Metal Revelation Website)

Brighton Rock Takeover - Ep163

This week's episode marks the third time that the "Hoser Heavy Metal Twins" have taken the reigns of the Decibel Geek Podcast. Once again Wally "Wallygator" Norton and Rich "The Meister" Dillon are back with a new batch of Canadian homegrown hard rock and heavy metal. Joining the Decibel Geek website writers turned hosts are two very special guests guitarist Greg Fraser and bassist Stevie Skreebs from Canadian bands Brighton Rock and Fraze Gang.

"Roadtrip!" was called, as the Decibel Geek podcast headed out to Niagara Falls Canada to the home of bassist Stevie Skreebs. Equipped with some Iron Maiden Trooper beer, we set up shop in the very basement where Brighton Rock often rehearse and where Fraze Gang came to life.

For the next hour the guys enjoyed some laughs, some beers and most importantly some great Canadian music. Also touched on throughout the show, the formation of Brighton Rock, playing a historic show with Triumph, how they came to be part of Mitch Lafon's KISS tribute album, their interpretation of "Creatures of the Night" and more. They also chime in on Gene Simmon's "rock is dead" quote and of course they discussed the progress on the upcoming and eagerly anticipated new Brighton Rock record that is in the works.  The Decibel Geeks can tell you.....it's gonna be fantastic!

Wally's Story...

Greg rocking the Hammer 1989

I have written about growing up a Canadian metal fan in the 80's many times now. We didn't get MTV north of the border, instead we got the Canadian version called Much Music. Much played all the big rock videos of the day. Crue, Def Leppard and Whitesnake were there, of course, but right along with them were plenty of great Canadian rock, Coney Hatch, the KiLLeR DWaRfS and Brighton Rock among the best. They were every bit the "rock gods" that Sixx, Elliot and Coverdale were. Of course they were, they were all over our televisions and radio airwaves. It almost seems strange to me that these great Canadian bands were not necessarily getting the same exposure south of the border.

Brighton Rock in the 80's burned quite a trail, released three incredible albums produced by Michael Wagener, Jack Richardson and Toby Wright respectively. They earned Gold records, won Juno awards and toured the country relentlessly. Over the years I was privileged enough to catch Brighton Rock live probably a dozen or more times. From various clubs in Hamilton (Dallas, Bannisters, etc.), my college pub on frosh week, opening for Honeymoon Suite at COPPS Coliseum and opening for Triumph at Canada's Wonderland.

Stevie's Peavey!

If you had told the 18 year old me that I would be invited to sit around and chat with Greg and Stevie, at Stevie's house no less, I might have actually peed myself. Fortunately as a mature adult now (shut up Rich!), I was able to contain my bladder and enjoy the experience. After the recording, the conversation continued on and as hinted on the show we got a sneak peak at one of the new songs slated for the new Brighton Rock record. A thick heavy riff sets off a great new tune that I can't wait to add to my music collection, hurry up fellas! Stevie even let me tinker with his bass as I suddenly went fanboy and almost did a Wayne's World "We're not worthy!" You can see how miserable I am in the photo.

Being able to share some Brighton Rock and Fraze Gang music has been a blast! I want to thank Stevie and Greg for being a part of the show, sharing some of your musical picks and for sharing some of the great memories with the Decibel Geek listeners.

Rich "The Meister"'s Story:
Thanksgiving is upon us once again and it's time for Chris and Aaron's yearly week off.  These two faithfully deliver an inciteful, humorous, and entertaining podcast each and every week, never having missed one for a total of 162 episodes!  In what has become a yearly tradition in itself, The Hoser Heavy Metal Twins, Canadians Wally "Wallygator" Norton and Rich "The Meister" Dillon are back for a third year of stepping in to bring you this week's episode.

I wanted to do something different for our third year attempting to remotely fill the big shoes of the regular Decibel Geek hosts and basically give the faithful listeners something better than just the two of us "Hosers".  I didn't know quite what, but almost immediately after I expressed this sentiment to Wally he returned with the suggestion that soon became a reality.  Joining the Decibel Geek website writers turned hosts for this

The Meister mauled by Brighton Rock!

episode are two very special guests, guitarist Greg Fraser and bassist Stevie Skreebs from the Canadian bands Brighton Rock and Fraze Gang.

Personally, I almost feel deprived at times, especially when reading Wally's story above, in that although I was a long time listener my first concert experience with Brighton Rock was the October 2012 show at The Rockpile in Toronto.  Wally and I got the opportunity to sit down with frontman Gerry McGhee before the event for an in depth interview.  The boys had set the gig as a warm up for their planned appearance at that year's Firefest Festival in Nottingham UK and what a show it was.  It was thrilling to finally get to see these guys live and I don't know what they were like then, but I think I can safely say they're stronger than ever.  Over the next couple of years I would often speak to Greg via the internet and even run into him at various shows held at The Rockpile venues, to the point where a friendship has formed.  Even with this it was still exciting to sit down and talk with the boys in this revered space.  As Wally eluded to the fact that 18 year old him may have wet himself, 41 year old me was near that (well I did drink a fair amount of Skreebs' beer!).

With the traditional "Keep it Canadian" theme, the four play some great Canadian music, some Brighton Rock/Fraze Gang, chat about bands, music, concert memories and of course drink some beer.  Hopefully you find it as interesting to listen to as we did fun in recording it.

Cheers,
The Meister  (The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

Buy Music!
(click artist name to purchase!)

Brighton Rock -Young, Wild & Free
Brighton Rock - Take a Deep Breath
Brighton Rock - Love Machine
Brighton Rock - A Room For Five: Live
Fraze Gang - Fraze Gang
Fraze Gang - 2
Rush - Moving Pictures
Triumph - Thunder Seven
Step Echo - Songs For the Broken
Blood of Van Gogh - Blood of Van Gogh

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