And If Your Dream Comes True?
There was a time in my life when I wanted to play music professionally, write my own music and tour the world. Now, I play music because I love it, and if my dream ever comes true, I'll be the luckiest man in the world. Although, I'll be 50 years older.
My hope, when you hear "Hook, Line & Sinker", you'll hear that love shining though. And if my dream comes true, to one day actually write and play songs professionally, my next goal would be to enjoy it. Heaven knows, nobody wants another job.
When I started writing the Bait & Switch CD, I started noticing how much Cheap Trick crept into the chord progressions and lyric writing. Don't get me wrong, there are smatterings of Everly Brothers, Kiss, Ozzy, CCR, and a host of other influences. But Cheap Trick, my all time favorite Power Pop band, stands out like a sore thumb. Completely unintentional, but ever present. Now, check out these connections to Cheap Trick that are popping up around me. Pretty cool. Here it goes.
After I released the CD, I tuned into Phil Thomas Katt's "PTK Late Night" on Radio Free Pensacola. Phil sometimes play songs from local bands, which I really like. The legendary DJ texted me and let me know Dirk Doucette wanted to call me and get a copy of Bait & Switch. [Those who know me, really understand that I'm an introvert at heart. Being an extroverted front man is an act. So meeting new people and letting them into my world is always a bit scary. But drummers are special earthy people governed by rhythm. So, I agreed to open up. I've not regretted it.]
At first I was apprehensive, but after a few minutes on the phone, I really liked Dirk. Very receptive and quite intuitive. A few days later, Dirk and I exchanged CD's, and I eagerly went to listen to "Finding Beauty In Chaos" from Beauty In Chaos, a group Dirk plays drums for. Right around track 5, there's a song I really like called "Drifting Away." It sounded just like Cheap Trick. So, I looked at the credits, and sure enough, Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) wrote and sung the song. Michael Anthony (Van Halen) stopped in to do background vocals. [If you've not heard it, please get your copy from Beauty In Chaos. The album is well produced. More on this later.]
I mean, can you believe this odd ball connection to Cheap Trick? Well, it gets better. Last week or so, Dirk had asked me to work on a number of his tunes he wrote with his friend, Jay, during covid lockdown. I agreed after going through one Dirk song already. I figured, what the hell? You only live once. And while I'm at it, I have to write lyrics for my own stuff. So, might as well get all that done in one shot, I figured. Maybe this is what living the dream is? Just a group of guys helping one another out. And bingo, two projects!
Then, Dirk told me the man who produced Beauty In Chaos was Michael Rozon. I contacted Michael right away, and asked him if he could help me do production as well. I sent him wav files of "The Last 2 No" to compare against. I especially want to have better production on my next album. And this is a very expensive artform. I also want to capture better drums on my songs. As I improve my vocals, I also want more zip and dynamics. Michael, not only jumped right on the work, but sent me a sample of "The Last 2 No" in two days. Talk about responsive! did I mention he also knows Robin Zander of Cheap Trick?
Michael Rozon produces music in LA and has worked with Ministry, Melvins, and many more. He leans towards experimental stuff, but I'm really impressed with his final products. So, let's see how things work out. I'm a little skeptical of producers, but after listening to Beauty In Chaos, things may change for me.
Never the less, what I'm getting to is: Am I beginning to live the dream? If so, I won't forget to enjoy the journey, right? That's why I have this blog. And thanks, friends, for going with me on the ride.
Love & Rockets
Russ