Project Description

Interview

With

THE DEAD DAISIES

Interviewer: Kelsey Hentschel

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The Dead Daisies are due to release forthcoming album BURN IT DOWN, on April 6^th, 2018. It is a muscular tour-de-force, a tornado of pounding drums, pulverising bass, screaming guitars and in-your-face raw vocals. Evoking the best of 70s Rock, with moments of Birmingham’s finest, blended with the early works of Boston’s best, Burn It Down will do just that: Burn down everything in its path until there is nothing left standing.

The Dead Daisies will embark on yet another massive World Tour kicking it off in April with shows in Sold-Out venues all over the UK, then see the band play packed houses in Europe before making their long-awaited return to Japan the USA and South America.

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Did the process of making this new album differ from the others? Or have you developed a tried and true formula?

I think we kind of has a method that works for us. We have done all of the records I’ve recorded with the band in about 6 weeks. We’ve written, recorded, mixed, and mastered them all relatively quickly. The talent that’s involved with the Daisies makes it quite easy and there’s never a shortage of ideas. So for us, we have a method, and it’s working!!!!

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Was it nice to work with the same producer for two albums? There must be a lot of trust there.

Yes! I LOVE working with Marti! He’s so easy, and such an accomplished producer, and SONGWRITER!!! I think historically all the bands I grew up listening to had a producer that was almost like part of the band. They got/understood the band’s vision, and helped them become successful musically. George Martin (The Beatles), Bob Ezrin (Kiss, and Alice Cooper),  Jack Douglas (Aerosmith), and finally Roy Thomas Baker (Queen) for a few examples…

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All members credited as writers. What was the writing process for the album like? Did you all write together? Or separately and come together?

We basically come together with riffs. At that point, we show all of our “ideas”,  and whatever riff everyone gravitates to are the ones we work on TOGETHER. We put together “maps” for the song ideas, and then we record. But, the ideas are always developing, even while we’re tracking. But, it’s fast, and easy the way we do it…

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You’ve said that the album is the next great step for The Dead Daisies. What does this album mean to the band?

It is! Every record is the next step. It’s a time stamp of where we’re at that moment in time. We’ve done the best record we could at this point, and now we’re getting ready to go out and tour. And, at this point, it’s up to the fans, and the public to hopefully dig what we’ve created, and SPREAD THE WORD! But, I’m really AMAZED at the way the fans are “snowballing” and supporting the band!

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The title track from Burn it Down has a whole new sound, what influenced this change of pace?

I think it’s a classic bluesy sound. We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just drawing from our idols and influences, and making music that we feel is cool! I love Burn It Down! I think it’s a cool, bluesy, classic sounding track with a strong message lyrically!

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How long did this project take to put together? It must be hard to put together an album with your schedules.

This record took us 6-7 weeks. We wrote the songs, recorded them, mixed them, and mastered it all in that amount of time. But, historically every record we’ve done has been incredibly fast.We did “Revolucion” in exactly 1 month. We did “Make Some Noise” in 5 weeks, so it’s a quick process for us…And, as I said before, there’s never a shortage of ideas. Everyone in the band is always creative and prepared for the task at hand!

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How did you manage time between The Dead Daisies and your solo projects?

I usually take a bit of time off and try to hang with my wife and kids, but then I start getting “itchy” to get back to work. It’s a bit tough cause the guys in my solo band would LOVE to play more than we do, but hopefully, The Daisies will take an extended break so I can do more with my guys…LOL…

What is it like working with so many rock legends, you being one yourself?

Personally, I feel like a regular guy, that’s just blessed with an AWESOME job. The word legend is a bit out of place as far as I’m concerned….David Bowie is a legend, Steven Tyler is a legend, Jimmy Page, Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury, etc…They’re legends…I find it difficult to put myself into the “LEGEND” category…lol

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You’re just coming off the back of touring The Live & Louder tour around the globe last year, as well as your solo tour! What do you like most about touring?

Catering….hahaha, It’s ALL I know how to do. You DO NOT want to see me with a power tool in my hands….trust me… But, in all seriousness, I love the feedback from the audience. I love watching them sing along with us….and the energy they throw back at us!

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You’ve said previously that some songs that you really love, particularly ‘If I Could Only Sleep’ from your album Revolución, didn’t necessarily work in a live setting. Is this something you took into consideration when creating this album?

NOPE! There’s really no set plan when we write. We come up with riffs together, then let the songs go where they’re going to go creatively. Sometimes a great “album” song just doesn’t work live…

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On your last tour, your setlist comprised of four to five covers a night (including ‘Helter Skelter’ by The Beatles and ‘Join Together’ by The Who). What made you decide to do this? Is it something you will continue to do on the next tour?

Yes! It’s just our way of “tipping a hat” to our heroes! And, maybe turning people on to songs and artists they may not have heard of. I was quite surprised at how many people had NO IDEA who The Sensational Alex Harvey Band was, or for that matter, a lot of kids had no idea that “Join Together” was a Who song…So, we’re tipping our hats, and maybe “educating” the masses…lol

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You also change up the setlist quite often whilst on tour. How do you decide what songs make it for that particular show? 

We take into consideration our surroundings. Our set doesn’t usually change in a club or theatre setting, but we may change it if we’re doing a festival, and our set is a bit shorter than normal. So, we’ll change it up and take out the slower, songs and just try and hammer the fans!!! Or if it’s a festival like “Hellfest” which is a typically heavier audience we’ll lean the set a little heavier…It’s quite a common practice…

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