When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears. Jimi Hendrix...cliche but true. From my parents records. And yes, My mom had Cat Steven's'Tea for the Tillerman' as well when it came out. Actually, the movie 'Harold & Maude' that featured this as the soundtrack, was a HUGE influence on me...for better or worse.Then on my own around 11-12 yrs. old, it was Alice Cooper.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?Alice Cooper, 70's Glam rock in general, Black Sabbath, Iggy Pop, 1st wave of Punk '77 then Judas Priest!
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?Well since these are all cover songs, it's just the coolness of the original & how I can interpret it
Who has influenced you the most?See above list!!
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Old films & crate digging.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?Well, everyone knows about Hollywood. Ca & how Wonderful yet Awful it really is.
Where'd the band name come from?Iggy Pop song off of his 1977 'the Idiot' LP.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?I already have, but 1973's 'Psychomania' would be the 1st choice.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?).You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?PantherMan by Pantherman. Because it's Pantherman.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?"What are the hours?"
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?HAH!
What makes a great song?
Having the elements to make people like me, want to cover it 30-50 years after it was released. Not every great song has that in it's DNA. Even though they are great or successful. But many do, mostly overlooked at the time of release though.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?Twas called "M-1" meaning 'Music #1' cuz I came up w/3 notes for a riff & didn't know what to name it. But M1 is also a kind of baddass riffle I heard about in movies. So it was 'heavy'
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?My Psycohmania cover, as well as the recent 'Sold my Soul'featuring the lovely Lucifer singer Johanna Platow Andersson on vocals. A 1973 Nazareth cover. And the Thin Lizzy 'Gonna creep up on you' cover I did w/Claudia 'Speedy' Gonzalez Diaz from Spain, on vocals.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?Let me get back to you on that one...
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?Vinyl of course. Digital for convenience.
Whiskey or beer?And defend your choiceNeither, sorry. Coffee & Chocolate
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
LA, you've probably been to Amoeba, but lately for me it's Permanent records roadhouse or Disco73 on Discogs!
What's next for the band?The hits just keep on commin!
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?Just keep on seeking out new (or old) music regardless of genre, hipness factor, trends or who tells you it's cool. There's way more out there that you don't know about than you do. Even for the Know-it-alls! It's astonishing how much stuff keeps getting unearthed that nobody knows about. Rock N Roll Archaeology is a good thing.
