Only a couple weeks ago, Soundgarden headlined the Fort Rock Festival in Fort Myers, FL, ending the entire festival with hit after hit that Soundgarden was known for. The mosh pit was strong, erupting through the crowd, bodies knocking into one another, sliming up against each other. It's hard to fathom that the lead singer, Chris Cornell, is now dead.
On tour celebrating 25 years since their iconic release in 1991 of Badmotorfinger, they had a strong summer of touring lined up. In Detroit, they had just played a sold out show, and following the high of adoring fans eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary musician, evidence at the scene points to Cornell committing suicide at the MGM Grand Detroit Casino and Hotel in downtown Detroit. For people who were too young to catch the band during their heyday, this tour had offered them the chance to experience the sensation that took the 90's grunge era, but that legacy has been cut short, as Cornell went to join other grunge frontmen who died before their time, such as Nirvana's Kurt Corbain, Alice In Chains' Layne Staley, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, and Blind Melon's Shannon Hoon.
A few years back, Cornell once again dominated the rock scene with his band Audioslave, proving that he could still produce hit songs. He always had an amazing vocal range, teaming up with notorious musicians for projects such as Temple of the Dog. With piercing eyes contrasting his locks of dark curls, Cornell's voice was strong, having a vocal range that was phenomenal into his 50s.
Temple of the Dog was formed with members of Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone to honor deceased friend Andrew Wood, Cornell's former roommate and frontman of Mother Love Bone, who had died of a heroin overdose; Cornell wrote songs "Reach Down" and "Say Hello to Heaven" as a reaction to Wood's death. Ironically, the very last song that the Grammy winning artist would perform was a cover of Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying" at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. That song was merged with a 13-minute rendition of "Slaves and Bulldozers."
Soundgarden was formed in 1984, predating both Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Perhaps the height of popularity came with "Super Unknown," a 1994 release that won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance with song "Black Hole Sun" and Best Metal Performance for "Spoonman." Even with the success, the group took at break in 1997, and Cornell teamed up with the guys from Rage Against the Machine to form Audioslave in 2001, which hosted a concert that was claimed to be the first outdoor concert by an American band in Cuba in 2005, though some dispute the claim; additionally, Cornell produced five solo albums, sang the theme of "Casino Royale," and he was nominated for a Golden Globe for "The Keeper" from film "Machine Gun Preacher."
According to police spokesman Michael Woody, a friend had forced his way into the hotel room and found Cornell dead in the bathroom on the floor. The Detroit Freepress reported that digital media relations manager for the Detroit Police Department Dontae Freeman said the singer was, "found in his room with a band around his neck." The Associated Press contacted the Wayne County Medical Examiner and reported the singer's death was caused by hanging, but an autopsy is being performed.
Cornell had a daughter Lillie Jean in 2000 from his first marriage to Susan Silver, who was the manager of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. With his current wife Vicky Karayiannis, the couple had a daughter Toni in 2004 and a son Christopher Nicolas in 2005. The couple started the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation for children facing challenges like homelessness, poverty, abuse and neglect.
The singer was born July 20, 1964, as Christopher John Boyle to a pharmacist father and accountant mother. He had two brothers and three sisters. Cornell took his mother's name when his parents got divorced.
Apparently, Cornell had a history of depression, as he reported being depressed in a Rolling Stone interview when he had written the song "Fell On Black Days." "I'd noticed in my life there would be periods where I would feel like things aren't going so well, but they weren't based on any particular thing," he said. "There wasn't a catastrophe, there wasn't a relationship split, nobody got in a car wreck. My outlook just changed. It was kind of a terrifying thought. I wanted to write a song about that."
It was reported that Cornell started using drugs daily at 13, had a bad drug experience and stopped by 14, claiming to have no friends until 16, and was kicked out of school at 15. He told Rolling Stone in 1994, "There was about two years where I was more or less agoraphobic and didn't deal with anybody, didn't talk to anybody, didn't have any friends at all. All the friends that I had were still (messed) up with drugs and were people that I didn't really have anything in common with." At 16, while working as a dishwasher and busboy, he discovered music while learning to play drums; he had described Seattle as a hard rock town, comparing it to being like a northwest version of Detroit.
John 5 is one of those
musicians that quietly dominates the stage. His guitar is not quiet, but
often his demeanor is, as he is known to hide behind masks and makeup, often
not uttering a word the whole performance, letting his guitar speak for him
while on stage. Though he has gotten a lot of attention over the years,
he is not the first guy jumping up volunteering to give interviews, as he has
often allowed musicians such as David Lee Roth, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson
to get the limelight, quietly dominating the stage with his guitar behind them.
Though it may appear as if he likes to lurk in the shadows,
donning scary masks, often hiding his real identity with stage techniques, on
his recent tour, he has stepped forward to own his skills and make people truly
aware of the talent he possesses. Though many know he has talent – he
must if he works with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie – it is on this solo
mission that he owns the limelight himself. Stepping forward to tear up the stage by
himself, his stage performance is truly a wonder, as he showcases talent that
crosses over nearly every musical genre.
Denying vocals on the tour, John 5 lets his guitar speak for
him. He has a drummer and a bassist to keep the beat alive, but he is the
main star on the stage, wailing on his guitar as if he is a puppet master of
the crowd. It’s not like a Buckethead concert, as John 5 puts little
twists throughout the show, such as a having an evil clown that sprays the
crowd with silly string.
Sure, there’s masks and creatures lurking about on stage, but
isn’t that to be expected from John 5? He has always embraced the
theatrics of stage, and his own tour is no exception to that. Between
each song, there is a different surprise awaiting the audience, which makes it
fun to watch, as you can’t help but wonder what will happen next.
Again, there’s no vocals. He tells the crowd that if they
know the song, they should sing along. He played all kinds of favorites,
from songs that he has worked on, to cover songs that many people know,
allowing the audience to sub in for a traditional lead singer. What’s
interesting to note is that he does not stick to one musical genre; instead, he
bounces around, covering nearly ever genre in music, from country twang to hard
rock and even softer sounds.
Not only does he play different genres, both covers and originals,
but he creates a storyline with the music. Even though there is no lead
singer telling people how they should feel, the music itself captures those
traditional emotions, varying from country twang with some of that hard luck
feel, sweeping the crowd up with slow romantic numbers, pounding them with
thrashing beats, and luring them back into the dark abyss where only he knows
what will come next building tension with a dark and slow impending doom, as if
the audience is part of a horror movie, and something scary is coming.
That is why John 5 is very much a puppet master, as he commands the emotions of
the crowd through his music without the help of any vocals.
To close the concert, he
says, “this is going to be the last song, as we don’t know any more,” which you
can tell by his sly smile is a big, fat lie.He does a compilation of the biggest hits and random favorites that
everyone in the crowd can identify, with riffs varying from AC/DC to Michael
Jackson.The thing that was hilarious
though, was the entire crowd broke out singing for one particular riff:“Roxanne, you don’t have to turn on the red
light…”
Of all the songs he
played, all the familiar rocking hits, Roxanne was the one that brought the
entire crowd together to belt out the tune.Whether that was planned by John 5, or whether it just happened to be
the crowd at the show who knew that song more than the hundreds of others,
perhaps it’s a little influence from both.Still, one couldn’t help but laugh that the crowd of hardcore
individuals gathered together in harmony for that song of all songs; not to say
that it is a bad song, just that one would think people would sing any of the other
popular songs that he played, and it’s interesting that that many people
recognized that throwback of a song with only a few guitar strums and felt
compelled to sing it at the top of their lungs for Easter, as at that point, it
about midnight, which meant it was technically Easter in Detroit.
The Token Lounge was
rather full with John 5 on stage.Perhaps, it was because it was a hometown show for him, and that’s why
it was so crazy in there, but he definitely could have filled up a bigger
location had he wanted to; that much is for sure.Unless you had been camped out long before he
took the stage, it was nearly impossible to get to the front of the stage, and
that says something about how many people are sweating and sliming up against
one another in hopes of catching a glimpse of this famous guitar playing
hometown hero.
If you’ve never seen John
5 dominating the stage, it’s worth checking out.No matter what type of music you like, he can
not only play it, but play it with a passion that will move the audience.He might be the quiet type sometimes, but
grandma always said, “it’s those quiet ones that you have to watch out for,” as
those can sometimes be those most passionate, as is the case when it comes to
John 5 playing guitar with a mastery that will suck in the audience and take
over.
Marisa Williams earned her
Master’s in Writing from the Johns Hopkins University and teaches at a college
in Florida.She is the author of more
than 100 books: www.lulu.com/spotlight/thorisaz.Also, check out www.twitter.com/booksnbling.
To date, Tommy Victor is still the only musician who has done my I-Ching reading. He is a fabulous musician, appearing in a number of projects, playing regularly with bands like Ministry and Danzig, but his music in Prong has spanned over decades, featuring a number of noteworthy musicians throughout the years. Though he is a great person to converse with about a number of topics, from conspiracy theories to the apocalyptic feel of the upcoming album, we kept the chat mainly to music... after a bit of catch up chit chatting, as it is easy for us to get off of topic sometimes.
He surprised me, having had my number programmed in his phone since 2002, and he could identify me by my laugh, even though I had not seen him in a few years. I remember talking to him back in 2002, and he had asked me what I would like to know about the music industry. When I told him I wanted to see what being on tour was like, he asked me why, and I said I always heard people talk about it, so I wanted to experience it for myself; within a couple weeks, I joined the Ozzfest tour.
Tommy is the nucleus of Prong, but he's one of those musicians who has had his hands in so many projects that people don't even realize. Even with as many famous people as he has played with, he still remains humble, totally approachable, and being down to earth sets him apart from the others. If you ever get a chance to really sit and chat, Tommy's vast knowledge can be mind blowing.
Author Marisa Williams:It seems like Prong has gone through waves of activity, and with the
recent additions of new albums, it seems as if Prong is in a surge cycle right
now.What brought about the resurgence of
the band?
Tommy Victor of Prong:The fact that I haven’t been playing that much in other bands, as I was
previously spending time in Ministry, and Glenn hasn’t been that busy, so I’ve
actually been able to make records with Prong and tour.
Marisa:You have
played with so many bands over the years, including Ministry and Danzig.What other irons do you have in the fire at
the moment?
Tommy:I do have two
other projects, very much side projects, that I’ve been working on.There’s so much, but they’re not completely off
the ground yet.They’re still in the
process of getting finished, so I don’t want to talk too much about it.I’m hoping to finalize the one within six
months.The other one, I don’t know,
whenever I have time to do it.We’re on
the road, and the new record is coming out on July 28 for Prong, but I do have
two other things; one’s a metal thing, and the other is more electronic.I don’t know how to explain it, and I don’t
want to be all mysterious, but there are two projects that will be forthcoming.
Marisa:You played
with COC’s drummer Reed Mullin in Teenage Time Killers.Are you still active with that project?
Tommy:That was a
while ago now.I worked on it four years
ago, so I don’t think I’d get involved again.
Marisa:As people in
the music industry age, some musicians have developed hearing loss.Is it a challenge working with musicians that
have such disabilities, and how do you overcome those difficulties?
Tommy:I haven’t had
that experience.If anyone, it’s
probably me.In conversation, I’m a
little bit deaf.I haven’t experienced
it with others so much.My bass player of
Prong wears ear plugs, so it’s not an issue.
Marisa:You had
previously laughingly described your heritage as having a bit of gypsy in it,
and with the popularity of that show My American Gypsy Wedding, would you ever
consider having your daughter have a dress made by Sondra Celli for a sweet 16
or wedding?
Tommy:No, she’s way
passed her Sweet 16.I don’t know.I disbanded that whole thing.My brother tried to get the DNA thing
going.It was inconclusive, but I live
in CA, and I’m more like a Californian really.If anything, that’s more East Coast, clinging to some heritage.In LA, nobody gives a fuck about the past,
unless you’re Mexican, and even then, you don’t know if that’s their real
heritage either.
Marisa:You have had
a lot of musicians play with you over the years.Who is on this current tour with you, and how
did you decide on this version of Prong?
Tommy:Art Cruz has
been with the band for five years on drums.Jason Christopher quit, because he didn’t think Prong was big
enough.We got Mike Longworth.He has been in and out over the years, but we’ve
got him back.Mike can play, and he’s
really easy to get along with, which is really important for me these days. I don’t need any antagonists around.I just want to get through the day
peacefully; that’s one of my priorities.You can’t control things.Who
knows what will happen, but I don’t need a lot of lip – that is what it comes
down to.
Marisa:What are you
doing on this tour, or what can people look forward to on this tour?
Tommy:We switch the
set up every night pretty much.Some
nights play more from Cleansing, other nights, it’s more from Beg to Differ or
more from No Absolutes.We only get 40
minutes on the Testament tour now, but we have headlining shows, which are not
in front of me, but Grand Junction, CO, Big Shots in Indiana, and Omaha are
headlining shows.You can check on
website, and I think there’s Sioux Falls, too.Those are long sets.We had a
headlining show last night, and those have everything in there.We’ve been playing Disbelief on Primitive
Origins.The John St. Pub in Ontario on
April 25.Doing New England Metal Fest
Friday.We have Richmond and New Jersey,
then we head to Canada and the Majestic Theatre in Detroit.In Europe, we’re playing Hellfest, Poland’s
Woodstock, Wacken Open Air Festival, and a lot of other festivals this summer.
Marisa:You have
played with all kinds of bands in the past, and you’ve had a number of other
members come and go from Prong over the years.In dealing with all those different musicians, has your approach to
writing your own music changed throughout the years?
Tommy:Yes, I’m more
collaborative these days.There’s only a
few instances where I completely wrote something on the last few records; I
work with other guys a lot more.They’re
all like friends, so I definitely changed over the years.I reach out for help a bit more. Chris Collier played on Zero Days; we work a
lot on song writing and arrangements, do the records ourselves nowadays. Mike Longworth contributed on the new album
and other records. Erie Lock wrote with
me on No Absolutes.There’s one song on
the new album that Fred Ziomeck from Darkest Hour wrote with me.I collaborate a lot, bring people in and out
of the band.Mike’s playing with the
band now, but Jason contributed on Ruining Lives. I put the puzzle together to make the records.I’ll sit around for a year, so I need help
from other people.
Marisa:Was it hard
to give up the reins to your music, allowing other people to step in to help?
Tommy:It was easy to
give up the reins. I still have the reins for all the vocals and vocal
melodies. On new records, the riffs are
mine but with help.I still have a lot
of work, feel unappreciated, and I’ve gotten disgusted with it.I try not to burn out.With Rude Awakening, I put everything into
that, wrote 50 songs on my own, and the record didn’t come out the way I wanted.I basically quit for years, burnt myself out
on it.I have a tendency to do
that.Do all this work, expect to come
out on me, then it’s not the next thing.I don’t want to carry that load that much.Considering how many records I put out over
the last five years, it is astonishing.It’s almost like nobody cares.People
have asked me if I’m going to write a book, and part of me worries that nobody
would care.My typing skills suck, and I
tried to strengthen them with a program.
Marisa:Can you talk
more about the new album coming out?
Tommy:The new
Record, Zero Days, I think it’s the first record I did lyrically that is currently
political in a general passion.It
started sinking in.When I start working
on records, I get a lot of sources, read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and Moby
Dick, long books, and they sunk in. I
would read Huffington Post, and I tried to be current, then read thick books,
and sort of meshed all this stuff together.I’m really happy with the lyrics on the records.It’s eight political, social songs, kinda
cool.I really focused on the lyrics.Obviously, with a name like Zero Days, it’s apocalyptic,
done before the whole North Korean bullshit, but it’s kinda interesting,
current with a good metal fashion, kinda dangerous.We’re still really pushing the No Absolutes
record that came out last April.Zero
Days ends the trilogy of Ruining Lives, No Absolute and Zero Days; it’s a trilogy
of records over the last three years.
Marisa:Any final
thoughts?
Tommy:With Testament
and Sepultura, it’s a really great bill. People are really happy with the show.All the bands are really good, definitely
worth the money, definitely a good tour for Prong.There’s good stuff going on.
Jack Blades of Night Ranger took time to talk about his life
in music, as well as the upcoming show at the Englewood Event Center in
Englewood, FL, on March 22, followed by four shows March 24-27 at the America
Gardens Theatre at Disney’s Epcot Theme Park in Orlando.The band will have numerous appearances at
resorts, fairs and other locations across the country throughout the summer.This tour follows up their live CD and DVD release
from Chicago and celebrates 35 years of Night Ranger Music.
Author Marisa Williams:You have had such a phenomenal career in music, but how did you first
get started?Did you come from a musical
family?
Jack Blades of Night Ranger:I was 8 when my parents gave me a guitar, so I started young.If anything could really have changed my
direction at early age, it was when I heard The Beatles, and I said, “I wanna
do that!”In high school, I had bands.In college, I was pre-medical, and I left in
my fourth year to join a rock band.I’ve
been playing ever since, all of my adult life. My father played guitar, worked his
way through college in the 30’s.He
showed me a few chords, and I took it from there.
Marisa:Was there
ever a point when you looked back and thought what if I chose that other path?
Jack:I never looked
back.Fortunately enough, I’ve been very
successful.I’m doing what I was meant
to do, no questions about it.Night
Ranger and Damn Yankees were very successful.It’s funny, when I have to go to a doctor.I go to them, and they just want to talk about
music, like when I was writing songs with Aerosmith.Everyone probably likes to be something else.When I hang out with sports players, I want
to talk about touch downs, and they want to know what guitar strings I
use.Everyone wishes that they were doing
something else, but I don’t look back; music is my path.
Marisa:Having such
an extensive career in music, did you ever expect that you would obtain such an
exhaustive career when you were first starting out?I think people are curious if you have any
secret to your success.
Jack:It is a real
blessing.Here we are 35 years later, 35
years since first album Night Ranger album was released, “Dawn Control.”It’s mind boggling.I look back and think, “it’s been 35
years?Wow.”I think about all the things we have done,
along with all the songs I’ve written with other artists, and it’s just great that
35 years later, here were are, playing events.People come to shows, have a great time, and it’s an amazing
blessing.Here we are, all these years
later.The only secret I can say is
persistence.We were passed on by every
record company twice when we first came out, but we just keep pounding away at
it; that’s what we did.All it took was one
gate keeper to say, “I’ll give you a shot,” and we did it.That’s the key: persistence.Song writing very important.Kelly, the drummer, and I – of course, I’m
the bass player – but those are usually the first to get fired from a band. We thought, let’s get job security and write a
bunch of the songs.That’s the main
thing, having songs and writing songs.
Marisa:How do you
personally go about writing music?What
comes first for you: drums, guitar, bass, a riff, melody, lyrics?
Jack:It’s different
every time I start.Sometimes, it’s a
melody in my head.Maybe it’s a chorus
melody or a verse melody in my head.Sometimes,
it’s musical, like when I strum the guitar and a riff comes out.I use all of those facets when I write a song.When I write and approach a song, I’ll take
wherever creativity needs me to go.When
Kelly wrote “Sister Christian,” it was “Don’t Tell Me You Love me” as the chorus
first.With “High Enough,” it was the
verses first.Go where the spirit leads
you.I enjoy working with different
artists and different people.It allows
me to hear where their head is coming from. I can always come up with stuff, but it’s fun
with another person, because they might approach it from a different angle, a
different side of Rubik’s cube.I’ll
think, “I never thought of that,” or “I wouldn’t have thought of that.”That only happens with other people, then you
get a different perspective.
Marisa:Having played
with so many different musicians over the years, has that approached to writing
changed when working with other musicians?
Jack:I’ve written
with a lot of artists over the years.Each approaches it differently. Kelly, Brad, and I write in a room.Brad might have a riff, and he sends to me.With Damn Yankees, Tommy Shaw and myself might
jam and bring something to Ted, and he goes on with his guitar, putting that
Ted Nugent stamp of approval on it.Writing with Joe Perry and Steven Tyler, Steven Tyler is very rhythmic,
and he’s a musical guy, everything is (scatting a beat) a groove.When I wrote with him and Joe, it would start
with a groove, then he would put lyrics on top of it.Ozzy is totally different.We threw cards up in air and put words
together.Ozzy comes up with different
ideas.Alice Cooper is very intellectual
and creative; he makes sense with the story.I enjoy all the angles. David foster, musically, is a genius.There’s always a lesson, a lesson learned.Country artists are different, too, and they
approach things in a different way.
Marisa:In mentioning
country music, I was curious if there were any musical techniques that you
especially appreciated, whether it was something you personally used, or even
something in a completely different genre.
Jack:I appreciate all
kinds of music.There’s some great
country music out there right now, like Little Big Town.There’s a lot of great music in general.I listen to Taylor Swift, Katie Perry, and Pink;
I love their approach, even Black Eyed Peas and funk.I listen to Tom Petty; he’s a big Beatles fan,
too, I think.When there’s music I like,
when I hear it on the radio, I turn it up and think, “who’s that?I love it.”I wished I would have thought of when I hear great music.It goes back to the songs.It’s always been about songs to me, like Elton
John, and even Simon and Garfunkel.Tom
Petty is a great story teller.Songs are
everything.That’s what is so fun about
coming to Englewood, as we are going to play an acoustic show, and that’s what
does it for us.When we do that, we are
able to become Night Ranger story tellers.We get to have so much fun.That’s about the show we will be doing down there; we dig deep into the songs,
play them around, talk about the story behind them, like what we were doing at
the time.We might even tell lies about
each other.Time flies, and we have had
so much fun doing it.I’m really excited
about it.
Marisa:You had
mentioned Ozzy, and I know from touring on Ozzfest that he has been known to be
quite the jokester at times.Having been
in the music industry for so long, playing with so many tremendous people, do
you have any stories that come to mind about being in the band, maybe being on
tour, or any silly stories that come to mind that you might care to share?
Jack:There’s so many
stories; it’s hard to begin.One time, I
was left.I had been on the tour bus on
the New Jersey Turn Pike, and this was before cell phones.It was one in the morning, and I was wearing a
tank top, flip flops, and I had my glasses on, as I had taken my contacts out.We had stopped for somebody to go to the
bathroom, and I jumped off.Brad jumped
into the spot where I was and put a blanket over himself, and the manager
thought it was me.They drove to Virginia
before they realized that I was not in the bus.Luckily, I flagged down some cops, who took me to the toll booths, and
shortly, I found the crew bus.I took
over the back lounge, and nobody ever knew.There was a lot of stuff that happened in 80s…. even in the 90s and
2000s for that matter.
Marisa:Originally,
the band was just called Ranger.Didn’t
you have to change the name of the band due to a country band with a similar
name?That even happens nowadays where
someone comes up with a name, then they look on the internet only to find
another band in another country with the same name, so how did you find out
about it back then?
Jack:Names are tough.It’s really had to come up with names that
everyone agrees on.If you’re a single
artist, or a solo artist, that’s a little different.If you’re in a band, it’s a democracy.We threw names in a hat and pulled out Ranger.None of us really… but we said ok.We cut the first album, and we had 10,000
album covers printed up.There was a full-page
ad in Billboard of The Rangers, a country band, and their fathers had formed
the band and had that name, started after the Civil War, had the name forever.I thought we were screwed, but I had wrote a
song called Night Ranger.I thought
let’s add Night on top of the logo. They said it was terrible, but I said it’d
be fine.I hang up and thought we were
going to be screwed, but here we are, 35 years later.
Marisa:Were you able
to save the album covers by just stamping Night on top of Ranger?
Jack:No, we burned
them all.I think there’s still a few
out there, and I would love to get a copy of it somewhere.I don’t actually have one myself.
Marisa:You have
traveled extensively throughout your career in music.What’s the scariest part of being on the
road, and is there anything that you have to have with you when you’re on the
road?
Jack:The scariest
part is always, I think, making sure you get there on time.Sometimes, we’re flying in the day of the
show, sweating bullets to get there on time.We try to get there the day before, but sometimes, it’s not available.The crew has been there a long time, so they
have it totally under control.They’re
professionals, and we trust them implicitly.It’s like being in the trenches with somebody, and you have to trust your
buddy in the fox hole with your life; that’s how the crew is with us.There’s nothing I need like a talisman that I
carry with me, like a lucky rabbit’s foot; it’s just get up there and play rock
and roll.That’s how we do it.
Marisa:Having played
with so many other people in the past, are you working on any other side
projects at the moment?
Jack:Night Ranger is
the focus with the 35th year anniversary. I’m focused this year on that.We have a new album this month: “Don’t Let Up.”
We’re really geared into that.It’s been 35 years.We’re the survivors, still rocking and
rolling.We will be releasing new
videos, doing the whole thing.I think
on the “Don’t Let Up” album, it’s classic in every way, having double harmony
guitars, with it being true to form of what Night Ranger is.It’s 2017, and we’ve been talking about Night
Ranger since 1982; it’s a celebration of that.
Marisa:Do you have
any advice for musicians starting out in the music industry?
Jack:The music
industry has really changed a lot.It’s
not the same as when we first started out, but I think there are a lot more
tools available to a person right now.You can get music instantly from all around with world with social
media, Youtube, and everything.It’s a
whole different world now.One thing
always will be true: a good song is a good song.Any advice? I’d say keep working on your songs.It’s a learned ability; the more you write,
the better you get.Keep writing, and
one day, you’ll get that great chorus or great melody.My advice is keep up with song after song
after song.
Marisa:Do you have
any hobbies that people might not know about, or do you collect anything?
Jack:I think pretty
much music is my life. I love history,
American History, wartime history and things.I’m a big fan of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.There was nothing like it when it happened
and nothing since then.I collect
anything to do with the Rough Riders.
Marisa:Do you have
children, and if so, have any of them shown an interest in music?
Jack:I have two sons
in their mid-30s, as well as two grandsons: one is 2 and a half, and the other
is 4 months.It’s all boys in the Blades’
family.My son James, the oldest, is a
manger of a rock band, and he has a really good business mind.The other is an artist, but he had an album
at 20, Colin Blades.He has been selling
a lot of paintings, which is pretty great.He’s very creative.
Marisa:What else can
people expect at the show in Englewood?
Jack:We want to make
sure this show in Englewood is going to be great.We are storytellers, and we will pull from
songs that we haven’t played in years.When
you come to a show like this, it’s interactive.We might take requests from audience, jump into playing a song that we
listened to when we were young, might sing “Spirit In the Sky,” might show a
few tracks from the new album.We did a live
album around Christmas, “35 Years and A night in Chicago.”There’s so much material to draw from, who
knows what we will play?It might go on
forever.
Marisa:Why did you
choose Chicago as a place to perform the live album?
Jack:Chicago is in
the Midwest, in the middle.We wanted
fans from all over to be able to get to it.Chicago, at the House of Blues, it’s a great city, and we have great
friends there.I have a friend there, a
main radio guy in the loop in Chicago, and he helped us out a lot.It’s a great thing for the live record and
live DVD.
Marisa:Are you
planning any live recordings on this upcoming tour?
Jack:Probably no
live recordings on this tour, but never say never.
Marisa:You have had
a few members come and go over the years, but yet you’ve held a solid
foundation.How have you evolved over
the years?
Jack:Kelly Keagy,
the drummer singer, along with Brad Gillis and I, have played together since
1979.We are the nucleus of band.We first played in a band called Rubicon,
which was a funk rock band.We have
evolved from where we were, and who we were, to now: Kerry Kelli, who has
played with Alice Cooper and Slash – who is a great guitarist and great guy - and
Eric Levy, a great guy who has been with us for six years.We have the best of the bunch.We can play anything.Kelli has been with us for a long time, too;
both of them are very in tuned to the true nature of the sound of Night Ranger,
very much wanting to make sure that this is who we are.It makes for a very good arrangement.This band has so much fun.The way it is right now is the best I’ve been
in.We have so much fun on the road,
which people relate to, because the fun is real.What they’re experiencing is real; nobody
just turns one in.
Marisa:Any final
thoughts?
Jack:I just want to
make sure that everyone comes out to the show.
