Exclusive Interview: Kip Winger is Dancing Between Symphonic Work and Musical Theater While Laying the Groundwork for the Next 'Winger' Release

Photo: Kip Winger- Official Facebook

ICYMI

There are so many misconceptions that go hand in hand with being a bonafide rockstar. One of the biggest is the notion that once you "make it"  in the music industry and score a platinum record or some other oddly shaped trophy, you're set for life. You know, money just keeps on flowing while difficult doors are magically opened for decades on end. The real truth is that any end of the music industry is a really harsh place to exist, even on the best of days. You can be on the road playing sold-out gigs now and in six months time, you can be back to waiting tables with zero musical options. It's a scenario that Kip Winger knows well, as he went from riding the late 80's hard rock wave with his own band (Winger), to having his career all but buried by MTV- the same network that had made him a household name. The only solid guarantee in music is that you're going to hit bottom far more often than you strike gold and it takes talent, timing and unshakable determination to pull yourself back up again.

That sitting on the bottom feeling is something that Winger has dealt with on multiple occasions and it's likely a big part of what has helped to transform him into a man that is comfortable in his own skin, flaws and all. He carries with him a depth that only comes from a life that has been fully lived and transparency that is quite beautiful. While the rockstar days aren't totally behind him, composing symphonic music and simply striving to be better, is what captures the majority of Winger's attention these days.

I caught up with Kip Winger recently and quickly realized that he is the kind of man that carries with him a great deal of wisdom, the kind that can rub off if you're ready and willing.

Google the lyrics to any of the songs on some of Winger's solo albums like, "Songs from the Ocean Floor" or "This Conversation Seems Like a Dream" and half a verse into it you'll understand that his writing is deeper than most.

Kip Winger on writing rock, progressive and symphonic music:

“I'm a believer that if you want to be a good writer then you have to sit down and write every day. You can't just expect it to hit you on a sunny (or a cloudy) kind of day. I'm the kind of person that believes that you just sit down and make it happen. One day is good, one day is bad and one day you might get to an idea that you'll work on in a month. Organizational skills are key when it comes to inspiration because the inspiration will hit you and it'll leave you just as fast as it hits you. I have to have a recorder or something with you because the inspiration for music for me usually comes from my subconscious being almost in a state of a trance or I can be doing something like grocery shopping. I sit down and write every day when I'm home. I tour a lot and it's harder to do it when I'm on the road, but I do carry tools to write when I'm on the road.  When I'm home I write every day and I try to keep the projects that I'm working on very organized. Now I have these big projects that take much longer than just sitting down to write an album, but even still an album will take me a year.”

Kip on his own personal writing style:

“I do a lot of stream of consciousness writing as well as pursuing specific ideas. I know what I like so I don't just meander around and hope to get struck by a great idea. I do get struck by great ideas and all of the best ideas are purely by accident. You can't just sit down and write a great idea and I challenge any artist in the world to say that their ideas came because they thought of them. It just doesn't happen like that. Those ideas come because you work, work, work and then the universe will show you something that you weren't seeing and it'll show it very clearly so that you think, 'Oh my god, that's amazing'. You spend a little time getting high on that feeling and then you try to develop it and realize you suck (laughing) because the idea alone was its' greatest fruition.

I don't think I'm different than many other artists and I think that my process is probably pretty similar to most people. I may just be more dedicated to it than most people and I'm probably less dedicated to it than some people. I'd say I'm in the more dedicated category and I know what it means to be an artist. Having that understanding is about all that I can hope for.”

Kip on what influences his solo work:

"Well in my solo stuff when you hear world music it's a direct descendant of Peter Gabriel. I never dug down into authentic world music, it all came from the generation of Peter Gabriel and other English artists that were introducing that stuff into their music. If you listen to a song like "Don't Let Go" off of This Conversation Seems Like a Dream you just have to know that I was heavily influenced by Peter Gabriel. There's no way around it and I'm proud of it because he is a towering genius among us, the guy is incredible.

Photo: Kip Winger & Robby Rothschild by Aline Narducci

Kip on the creation of "Sure Was a Wildflower", one of his favorite songs:

“I wrote that song for a movie. I read the script and I don't remember the name, but the movie came out and they didn't like my song (chuckling). I really like that song. I was working with a very well-known television composer named Dominic Frontiere, who did old school stuff like Outer Limits and The Flying Nun, plus he was a jazz guy. He was working on the film when we both lived in Santa Fe and so he asked me if I was up for writing a song for it. So, I wrote the song for the movie and they didn't like it so I put it on my album instead. The lyrics come right from reading the script and that's one of my favorite songs out of everything I've ever written."

Photo: Kip Winger- Official Facebook

Creative people generally aren't too quick to admit their fear of failure. Musicians and artists need to make money and admitting that you're insecure can prevent you from landing gigs, but that doesn't mean that the fear doesn't exist. In fact, it usually is just left unspoken, but festering beneath the surface. Making platinum records and earning Grammy nominations apparently won't chase these fears away either.

Kip on admitting his creative fears in spite of finding success:

“I mean it's terrifying, I'm not going to lie. I'm working on symphony number one for Nashville Symphony and I'm scared to death, it is terrifying. I don't think you ever get over that kind of fear. The only people that I know that have gotten over it are people with giant egos and those same people usually aren't the better artists. I don't think you can get over the fear if you know the difference, I mean, how can you? You've always got Beethoven looming over your head. In my case, there are great composers that I'm actually friends with now that crush me. I can call them up and ask what they did in bar nine million of their fifth symphony so I'm in a really strange situation. All you can do is one note after the next, or if you're a writer you put one word after the one before, after the one before that and pretty soon you've got a novel.”

If life is intended to be a journey then it's only fair that we would need some help along the way. Winger learned years ago that he is wise to watch and learn from the steps, and the missteps of others.

Kip on the importance of mentors:

“I actively seek out mentors. I grew up reading this book that my dad gave me, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. In it, he talks about shadowing those who are doing what you want to successfully do, and so finding a mentor has always been a big thing for me. Even at the ripe old age of 57, I still have a couple people that I consider my mentors. I'll call them up and ask for advice on all sorts of things like how to get out of problems, or I'll ask them to look at my music, or I'll ask them why I suck (laughing).

I don't think that need for guidance should ever go away. I think that if you believe your own gospel too much and think that you’re all that, then you become a fraud or a parody of yourself. You have to have the humility to look around you to see and understand that people are as good or better than you. The people that I'm looking at are usually better than me and so I just keep trying. There's nothing else you can do but keep trying to get better. You can't not be you, that's the other part of the equation.”

He has spoken often about taking ballet in his teens and how it was the key to unlocking his love of classical music and yes, Winger does still dance.

Kip on the importance of dance class, even still:

“I like to stay in touch with dance because when I compose music, I consider dance even if it's not something that's going to end up being choreographed. My last ballet class was maybe nine months ago. I recently did a tango class and I'm kind of interested in that. That was just last week actually.”

Photo: Winger Promo Shot

Kip on that new Winger project:

“Reb (Beach) and I are going to start writing and we'll try to knock something out in August. He's out with Whitesnake now and I'm very busy, so we've got some time set aside in August for us to get together and try to do something. I don't know what we're going to do and I don't like to preplan it. I like to sit down with Reb and see what the mood of the day is. It's impossible for Reb and I not to sound like Winger because the combination of us is the sound of the band, no matter what song we do.”

Kip on why he can’t just coast on Winger’s early success:

“I think human beings, in general, tend to be lazy. A lot of people can find success at one thing and be like, okay I did it, I'm done and I can live off of that credential for the rest of my life. I don't even feel successful in many ways, all of that stuff sort of passed by me and it never sunk in. I'm not the kind of artist that can repeat myself and so I don't just sit around and think of the glory days. The glory days for me are still ahead of me, in terms of art. For me, it all comes from a very artistic point of view. I'm not interested in the commercial aspect of it, to my own detriment by the way, because I'm not a rich guy. I don't have tons of money but what I leave behind, that's the most important thing."

As if the rock and symphonic worlds aren't keeping him busy enough, Winger has teamed with Damien Gray to create a piece of musical theater.

Kip on Get Jack, a Musical Thriller:

“The Get Jack concept album is coming out in the next couple months and then we're hoping to do a lab later this year. We've got a great director, Kelly Divine, and we just signed a producer so it's moving along but it's a very heavy lift. Hamilton took ten years before it was up and successful. This has so many moving parts and the scheduling is difficult but it's moving forward and I'm happy with the progress given what we've been able to put together.”

It only makes sense that a man who values mentors to facilitate his future growth would still have a pretty impressive list of things to do.

Kip on what’s next:

“Honestly, more of what I'm doing but I need to try and make it better. I'm done seeking out new genres. I'm not going to do that anymore and I'm actually going to try and reduce all of the different directions. I'd like to reduce everything down into my solo records because that's a place where I can do it all. I know who I am and I know my limitations very well. I don't have any pretenses about who I am.  I keep moving basically, and I adapt and overcome. I've experienced tons of obstacles. My big thing is time and I don't have enough time to do all of the things that I want to be doing. I'm comfortable with who I am but I'm not comfortable with my ability, especially with my orchestral writing, I'm just not good enough yet. I might do another musical and I'd like to write an opera. Yeah, I'd really like to write an opera.”

Photo: Kip Winger official Site

Check out Kip's official site for updates on everything he's doing, plus info on upcoming gigs. Also, keep an eye on Winger's band site for updates on new music & tour dates.

 

Exclusive Interview: Steve Whiteman of KIX Talks Teaching, Touring & New Musical Gems to Come

(Photo: Kix Official Site)

We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

ICYMI:

KIX was one of the hardest rocking bands to hit the Baltimore music scene in the late '70s and they eventually had a few solid hits like "Don't Close Your Eyes" and "Cold Blood" that were in heavy rotation on MTV. In the '80s, being on MTV every four hours meant that you were part of the crop of rock bands that sold out huge venues and raked in cash from (actual physical) record sales. A lot of people still believe that once you "make it" in the music industry you're sort of set for life if you handle your money properly. The actual truth is that the music business is at best, a harsh place to try and exist. You could be at the top of the charts and playing sold-out shows now and in six months you're back to waiting tables or washing dishes. The only solid guarantee is that everything changes, rising stars inevitably hit some sort of bottom and then it takes talent, timing and unshakable determination to get back up again. 

KIX (Steve Whiteman, Jimmy Chalfant, Brian Forsythe, Ronnie Younkins, Mark Schenker) had a great initial run before deciding to call it quits in 1995. They took some time apart, enjoyed a little breathing room and eventually reunited with a fresh perspective on how to do things. For the last decade or so KIX has done things their way, playing only by their own rules and the payoff has been pretty sweet. I caught up with lead vocalist Steve Whiteman recently and he told me that they're booking as many gigs as they can juggle and new music may even be on the horizon. Check out the interview below!

Cate Meighan: How are you?

Steve Whiteman: I'm doing good, I'm having a pretty lowkey week. Just doing a little teaching and then this weekend we (KIX)  fly out to do the Mohegan Sun in CT and then The Greasy Luck in MA and then we'll fly back home again. We're weekend warriors at this point in our lives and the traveling is really all I've ever known. I have to say, the momentum that KIX has had in the last ten years or so has pretty much blown our minds because we never expected it to come back this big and to have this many dates. The fans still care and they come out to the shows and at this point, we just feel blessed. We really couldn't be happier and I don't know what we've done to deserve it all but we sure do appreciate it.

CM: How do you balance teaching regular students with all of the traveling that you do?

SW: I'm home during the week so I teach two days a week, which occupies me and gives me something to do. Plus I'm helping people who are really searching for help from someone that has been out there and has chosen music as their career. I've been teaching for over 23 years now and when I get a couple of really good students with loads of potential then it's just so rewarding. Every once in a while I'll find a diamond in the rough and that talent is what is really fun to help develop. 

(Photo: KIX Official Facebook)

CM: Was teaching always a goal or is it something that you sort of fell in to?

SW: It was more out of needing something else to do. When KIX decided to call it quits back in 1995, I was like now what the hell do I do? I can sing, I can play drums, and I can play guitar but I really can't do anything else. I figured all that I really could do with these things is take them and share them with other people and at first, it was difficult. It was also a little humbling coming off of the success of KIX, to go to a music store and sit down with a bunch of people that truly were there just to get an autograph and take a picture. It took a while to settle in and have serious people start coming to get vocal training and I also taught drums, guitar, and harmonica. I figured whatever the hell they want, I'll show them (laughing). Sometimes taking a break from a band like KIX gives you an opportunity to do something different with your life and fortunately for me, the band did come back together stronger than ever leaving me feeling extra blessed.

I was actually reluctant to get back into KIX too because I was really pretty happy teaching and doing my other band, Funny Money. That project allowed me the chance to write all the songs and to really perform my own music finally. I didn't get much of a chance to write in KIX so I was enjoying the experience of Funny Money. We were playing really small clubs but I didn't care because I've never had much of an ego, I just wanted to be out there in front of the fans. Some of those shows were so intimate that we were basically playing on footstools because the venues were so small and it never really mattered to me because I love music.  Between that gig and teaching, I was really doing just fine and it took some coaxing to get me back on an airplane and flying all over the country with KIX again. 

CM: KIX currently plays everywhere from small clubs to casinos and then huge rock festivals. Is there a type of gig that you prefer?

SW: I always look at what is in front of me. Like this weekend we are playing at the Mohegan and that's always a great venue. It's a free show so people can't complain (laughing). I also love the hometown gigs where the people that were there 30 years ago still come out and still support us like they did way back when. You can't beat a good loud Baltimore crowd or a good central PA crowd and to play in front of those people will always be very special. 

Back in the day, we were claimed by Washington DC because DC 101 played us. We were claimed by Baltimore because 98 Rock played us, we were also claimed by the Harrisburg area because of the radio station that was there playing us, and then our hometown also claimed us. We had four different areas that claimed KIX as their hometown boys (laughing) and playing in those areas to this day is just really special.

CM: It has been a few years since your last new material, is there anything in the works now?

SW: In 2015 we did put out a record called Rock Your Face Off and it was for our diehard fans. We know at this point in life that new music does not have a chance in hell of getting on any radio stations because corporate radio is not going to play new music. The only way the fans hear it is by coming to the live shows- or the diehard fans will share it. I think artists in our genre have pretty much accepted the fact that if we're making a record it's for ourselves just to stay creative and for those diehard fans. Aside from that we really can't have high expectations for it. 

We do it anyway though because you've got to keep those creative juices flowing so yeah, we are talking about getting together and seeing what we have. We've written music over the last several years and so now is as good a time as any to go back and see if we've written any gems and if we have some then we'll get together and make a record. Plus it's fun! It's fun to create something from nothing, from just a spark in your imagination to be able to turn that into a story with a musical accompaniment. You listen and hope that other people will like it and most of the time they don't (laughing). I mean for every ten songs you write you might have two gems but those gems are precious. I guess we'll probably start talking about the possibility of a new album soon. 

(Photo: KIX Official Site)

CM: You really are loving this phase of KIX, aren't you?

SW: This is nothing but fun for us now. We're too old to have a lot of pressure (laughing) and we get along like brothers. We like being together and we like being on stage together. Since reuniting there has been such a great feeling within the band. We've matured so we know what's important and we focus on that. We also won't allow ourselves to be burnt out. We do what makes sense for us and we do it at our pace. As a singer, I have my limitations now. I can't go out and do 4 or 5 nights in a row anymore and I wouldn't want to. Everybody takes it nice and easy now and that's why we are happy and healthy. 

CM: You have so many fans excited to see you at upcoming events like the M3 Rockfest (Columbia, MD May 3-5), what do you want all of those people supporting you guys to know?

SW: The whole reason that I got into music was that because as a kid loved it and I couldn't get enough of it. I would wear out records and cassette tapes. I spent 8-10 hours a day in my room playing drums and guitar. I mean what are the odds of being one of those few people that pick up these instruments and then actually gets to put out records? I never did it to be famous or to make money, I did it because I love music. Everyone in the band is the same way and that's probably why we are all so grounded and don't have attitudes or egos. It's all about the fans and without them, we wouldn't still be here. We are blessed to have them and blessed because of them.

Check out KIX's official site for news, tour dates, merch & more! 

Exclusive Interview: Bill Leverty on FireHouse's Continued Success, New Music & More

Photo: FireHouse Promo

We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

One of the coolest things about music is the way that it provides each and every one of us with the ability to travel through time. You know what I mean, a twenty-second song intro and for just a flash of a moment, you really do feel like it's 1990 all over again. FireHouse always takes me back to the tail end of high school, when graduation was imminent and I still had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with my life.

If you haven't had an opportunity to check this band out live then you really owe it to yourself to grab some tickets and just go.  Back in the day MTV really pushed the power ballad side of FireHouse but one of the keys to their continued success decades later is the fact that they really know how to rock a live set.

I recently had an opportunity to speak with one of the driving forces behind the bands' continued success, founder/guitarist Bill Leverty.  He brought me up to speed on all things FireHouse and more! 

Cate Meighan: How have you been?

Bill Leverty:  I'm good and I've been busy! I like being occupied and it's fun to be busy. I've never really liked being bored and I'm a type-A personality so I've got to get stuff done (laughing). It's great to be in a band like FireHouse that gives me the latitude to artistically do what I want to do. It's a group of four people (Leverty, C.J. Snare, Michael Foster, Allen McKenzie) so if you get your way one-fourth of the time then you've got pretty good odds (laughing). We all get along really well so it's a lot of fun

CM: You guys are in your 29th year together too. Could you have ever predicted that the success would continue for so long?

BL: I had sure hoped so. I really thought that we could last because we all come from the same personal life backgrounds. We all had good parents that taught us good values and how to respect one another. I think that's a fundamental thing and you've got to be able to do that in any business or art form,  and so I always felt like we could do it. The odds were against us, but here we are 29 years into it and we're still playing and having fun so we're definitely lucky. We have our debates and at times heated discussions but in the end everyone is professional enough to be able to say, okay I lost that vote and it's no big deal let's just move on. 

We all love playing live and we love to work and that's what it has been about for us. There isn't a lazy person in the band or the crew which is good because it can be really tough out there. We're up at 3 am to catch a 6 am flight, to end up somewhere that we'll have to wait for a couple of hours before flying on to the next place. Then we hop in a van for a few hours to arrive and set up a show that'll have a soundcheck if we're lucky. Then we grab something to eat and we get out there and smile and have a good time playing our songs. Sometimes there's no sleep, but we're so passionate about what we do. We love to get up there and play.

CM: You've released quite a bit of solo music. Do you struggle to balance that with the band?

BL: Juggling both is very easy because FireHouse is first and my solo career comes second. Actually, even other things can get ahead of the solo stuff, like if I'm mixing somebody's record then my solo career is on the back burner. I don't think that I ever made a conscious decision to go solo and I really take my time with it. I don't tour with it, all I do is write and record. My first solo tunes record came about because I had written a bunch of songs that didn't really fit FireHouse. I put them out there for the guys and ultimately they didn't get voted onto the record so I just kept my little pile over here. Once I had enough or even close to enough, I figured I'd go and finish them off and put them on a cd. That was a good learning experience for me because I'm trying to become better overall as an artist, not just as a guitarist. Although I think that being a guitarist is my main thing (laughing), I also want to become a better writer, singer, mix engineer, and producer. I want to learn how to make the drums and the bass work together better and harmonies work together better, and how to put in a string section- things like that. So it has been an educational thing and I've partly done it for that reason. Plus it's mine so I can do it all my way with no pressure or debate which makes it a great outlet.

I've put out four cd's now. One was a little too bluesy for FireHouse and another was of cover tunes that I had always wanted to do. They're songs that influenced me even before I started playing guitar. I started playing at the age of fifteen which is kind of late compared to most guys, and I was heavily influenced even as a listener by things like 70's funk. I wanted to do some things like that and cover some tunes that hadn't been done to death. I learned a lot about how those guys from the 70's worked by putting out those tunes and so again, it was really educational for me. Plus it was a lot of fun! 

I'm about nine songs into my fifth solo album now. It's a therapeutic thing for me and anytime that I'm inspired to work I can come down into my basement, turn on my computer and I can write and record.

CM: How about FireHouse, is there any new music coming from the band?

BL: The way of thinking about releasing new music certainly has changed with the times. Having said that, we all want to do something else. I think the way to do that, just to get it started is to do the one-song-at-a-time approach. We've all got ideas and we all do want to do it, which is a good thing. What's really slowing us down is how busy we are on the road. Last year we did 57 shows and to do a show we usually leave the day before, play, and then fly home the day after that. Most of the time we're out for a few days and as the summer rolls in we'll be playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then flying home on Sunday. When you've been on the road and haven't slept much you need time to recover and then you do it again. We've all got families and personal lives to take care of too. Taking off for three months to write, record and mix an album doesn't make fiscal sense or even band sense for our crew to take off that kind of time. 

Photo: FireHouse Promo

We could probably squeeze out a song on our days off if we knew that we had the right song to use. Right now we've got a lot of good ideas and I'm sure that we'll get around to figuring it out. I bet we have two CDs on our website right now that a lot of people don't even know that we've put out. They're "Prime Time" and "Full Circle" and you can always go to FireHousemusic.com to get those. We're really happy with the way that they've turned out so if you haven't already, go and have a listen. 

CM: Were you excited when you learned that FireHouse is part of the M3 Rock Festival lineup again this year?

BL: I love festivals because they're such a great experience for all of the people that are out there. It's such a unique thing and with a festival like M3, I probably get excited a month in advance knowing we get to play it (laughing). They have such an A-list team behind the scenes to make it go smoothly.  It's so good for the audience, and that makes it even better for the band. I mean even when little things go wrong like your guitar cable isn't working, if you blink your eyes you've got a guy handing you a brand new one. They're just that on top of things and everyone involved is just such a top-notch professional. The rotating stage they added last year just makes it truly a perfect event and there is no other festival that I've played that even comes close to it in my opinion. 

We're going to play some songs in our shows this year that we've never really played before. We always try to add some deep tracks when it's a longer show. If it's an abbreviated set like M3 then we play the songs that ended up in Billboard's Hot 100 because that's what people want to hear. Otherwise, we try and mix it up and not make it a cookie-cutter show with the exact same songs in the exact same order

CM: The fans are so supportive of you and the rest of the band. What would you like to say to them in return?

BL: Thank you for making it so that we can still be doing this 29 years later. We're one of the luckiest bands because our fans have such an emotional connection to our music. The fact that we can still go out and play and make this our bread and butter is just wonderful. We're doing really well and I think that the band sounds better than we've ever sounded. The band is firing on all cylinders and we're having a lot of fun playing and we owe it all to the fans.

Photo: FireHouse Official Site

Check out everything that Bill has coming up by visiting his official site. Check out FireHouse's official site for news, tour dates, merch & more!  

Exclusive Interview: Night Ranger's Kelly Keagy on the Band's 'Rebirth', Touring and New Music to Come

(Photo: Ash Newell)

We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

(ICYMI)

One of the coolest things about music is the way that it provides each and every one of us with the ability to travel through time. You know what I mean, a twenty-second song intro and for just a flash of a moment, you really do feel like it's 1980-something all over again. Night Ranger always takes me back to the tail end of middle school, when laying in the sun while trying to win albums off of a local radio station was an actual hobby. My first boyfriend was a bit obsessed with the band and so I became a fan as well. That was 35 years ago and while I have no idea where he is today, the Night Ranger on vinyl is still with me.

If you haven't had an opportunity to check this band out live then you really owe it to yourself to grab some tickets and just go. The videos that were so popular way back when really didn't do Night Ranger justice in terms of showing just how capable they are of playing a great rock set. I caught the guys recent gig at M3 Rockfest and was keenly aware of just how much the audience seemed to appreciate their talent.

I also had an opportunity to speak with one of the driving forces behind the band's continued success, drummer/vocalist Kelly Keagy. He considers his return to the stage last year after a health crisis not only a rebirth but also a joyful opportunity to be even better than before.

(Photo: Ash Newell)

Cate Meighan: How was the M3 Rock Festival for you and the rest of the band? 

Kelly Keagy:  It was cool. M3 is more of a metal-ish kind of festival and I know that everyone worries about throwing a straight rock band into that kind of lineup. In Europe a metal band show is totally different and filled with bands people in the states may never have even heard of. I remember when Night Ranger was put on a Sweden Rocks show about five years ago and it was mixed up musically. They had Pearl Jam, they had us and they had 10cc from 70's yacht rock play right before us (laughing). 30,000 people came out to see them because they still sounded just like the record and it was phenomenal. I was standing at the edge of the stage singing along, "I'm not in love..." thinking how much I loved these guys too.  It's nice to be thrown in with a bunch of different kinds of acts and to be able to hold your own.  

I like being in front of people that know our songs but aren't actually fans because then when we go up and not just play, but also interact with them, we can really wow them.  

CM: I've noticed that people almost seem surprised by just how great you guys are live. Why is that? 

KK:  When you first start out it's all about playing live and it's all about being really good in front of an audience. That's how we started out and then we went in to start making records we had to start thinking in terms of promotion. Since a lot of our radio hits were ballads, the videos that went along with them were often a lot lighter than our live shows would be.

When you are playing live then it's about how you relate to an audience and bring them in. For the last fifteen years or so we've been added on to shows with Journey or Foreigner or some of those bands that were around for maybe ten years before we actually had success. Some of those audiences wouldn't have necessarily been our fans so it's a real challenge for us to go into that situation and have the confidence to know that we can win people over. We always end up walking away with the feeling that maybe those who hadn't seen us before might come and check us out again in the future, so that's cool.  

(Photo: Ash Newell)

CM: Rising to meet the challenges that the music industry presents really isn't a new concept to you though, is it? 

KK: It has always been a whirlwind for us, especially in the early days. Our first record was on Boardwalk, which went bankrupt in the middle of our tour. We came back after doing two sold-out shows with Sammy Hagar and the record company told us that the IRS had locked the doors so we weren't going to have any records in the stores! We had to go back in to make another record as soon as possible and thankfully we already had an offer from MCA, so we went in just as soon as we could. We started writing and we already had some songs leftover. "Sister Christian" hadn't been put on our first record because we already had a lot of ballads, so we were able to use it on our second record. We ended up writing the majority of the other songs in about a month and then we went back in and recorded it. We were very lucky because we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Anybody else would have just folded because there it was, that one shot to make it and that first record company collapsed. We were lucky to have another shot and so we really ran with it. 

CM: Some of the singles put out were a bit of an issue for you too, weren't they? 

KK:  Oh yeah, the singles that they chose often times weren't really what we would have picked for ourselves and I think it's part of the reason why people don't realize that we're so good live. We did an album called Man in Motion back in 1988 and we were kind of defiant about it. Since all that wanted to do was release ballads, we turned the record in without one (laughing)! They thought we were kidding, a Night Ranger record without a ballad.

  

The record company would just push those tracks that radio was expecting and so we went back and wrote a really great ballad, but they never used it. Instead, they wanted to use a Russ Ballard song and we were stunned because we write our own material and do well with it! Why would we do a song that doesn't even sound like us? That's when people started to write us off a tiny bit and wonder what happened to Night Ranger. We had to wholeheartedly try and promote that song because the rest of the album was good and we were proud of it, so we had to promote this ballad in the hopes that people would hear the rest of the record 

(Photo: Ash Newell)

CM: So many people end up being involved that it almost seems like a small miracle when any record does get made. How has the process changed for you over the years? 

KK: It has flourished a lot especially in the last three records. On the last one the three of us, myself, Jack (Blades) and Brad (Gillis) decided to just write all of the songs together. In the past I'd bring 2 songs, Jack would bring 2 and we would have almost half the record already so we would then start piecing it together with the rest of the band. With this album, we wanted to be creative together from the very start. Kerri and Eric have had great ideas right off the bat too so it has really been a joyous situation.  

We have the benefit of having a great record company that has been putting out our stuff for a while now. Frontiers Music Srl, owned by Serafino Perugino, is very passionate about all of the bands from the 80's era. They give us some space because they ultimately know that we're going to give them what they want. It's a big business because these companies put a lot of money on the line, and so they have to be sure that they get what they need. Every time they drop a single it's a quarter or a half of a million bucks. It was insane back in the day to do those videos and it's not that much cheaper to do these things now.  

We really care about what the fans think and we'll always make those records that the fans like. But it's nice not to have to worry about the record company breathing down our necks reminding us that we don't have a single to send to radio. We're confident in what we're doing and Frontiers is on board with us.

CM: Is the process of writing and recording different for you now than it was even ten years ago? 

KK: Absolutely because we get to produce our records. Back in the day, we had some pretty heavyweight producers come in and they made all of the crucial and sometimes unpopular decisions. They picked the songs and just did everything. Now, we get to produce the records and decide what songs will be on there and we're having a much better time developing our albums. We needed someone to make all of those decisions back then because when you're young, you don't know how to produce a record (laughing). You need that second ear to tell you when a song isn't worth spending time on and so then, that was good for us. Producers get a lot of money too and we wanted to be able to take our budget and make the best sounding album with it for the fans.  

On Don't Let Up, the last record that we did, we wrote all of the songs together and we recorded it in our home studios. Honestly, for a bunch of old school guys that was a tough decision. What we did do is make sure that the writing and work were really solidly done as demos. We were confident in them and then all we had to do was to re-record our parts. We weren't too far off the mark that way, but if you were doing it without real structure then it wouldn't work.  We were doing sessions 3 or 4 days in a row and then coming back and listening to them, before doing a few more days in a row. That worked pretty well. We had time to live with the demos and then have discussions about them and so we ended up pretty excited about the project. Ultimately, I really do think that it's a good idea to go in there and have everyone present. The emotions really come out when you're all together playing and singing, so there's a kind of magic in the music then. 

(Photo: Ash Newell)

CM: I know that you went through a health crisis about a year ago and ended up having heart surgery. How did that experience change you? 

KK: Oh, wow it really has changed me. I didn't realize it until after I had the heart surgery and I was at home recovering. The doctor had warned me that there was going to be some depression that might set in while I was just sitting there and the band was still out playing. They would send me videos of the audience singing "Sister Christian" and just saying hello to me. At that point, it was just impossible for me to not learn to appreciate those days on stage because they're not going to last forever. I started thinking that this was now a challenge to get back in there with the band. I knew that people were going to be looking at me to see if I would still be as good as before. I looked at it as a new lease on life and so now I had to be even better. It might take a while but I was determined to be strong and singing even better than before. Once you plant that positive seed in your mind then it truly grows 

We are such a close band, even with newer members like Kerri Kelly and Eric Levy, we're really tight and so any crisis brings us closer. My recovery really did do that because I heard from everyone daily and then the fan support was intense. It is truly a miracle to see that kind of energy come into your inner circle and flourish. Such a difficult thing eventually was just such a blessing. It was like a rebirth that brought us all closer. Then we made another record, which was great in my mind. We just keep coming up with good stuff to write about and it's all of these different pieces that ultimately make us still viable. We're still passionate and music is still very important to us and that's how it'll stay for as long as we're making music. 

CM: I know that the band keeps you busy, but is there anything else that's close to your heart now? 

KK: I'm an ambassador for the Musician's Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, which is just an amazing place. People can actually come and visit the museum to see pieces of the history that they've been listening to. It's all about the unsung heroes of music from the 50's up until now and there's just this rich music history that unfolds right in front of you. The owner of the museum just seeks out these amazing items and their goal is to preserve music history, whenever and wherever they can. It's such a great place for music buffs to visit and so they really should come and check it out. 

(Photo: Ash Newell)

CM: Night Ranger's summer is already loaded with tour dates so your fans will have plenty of opportunities to catch you live. What comes after that? 

We figure every three years we'll put out an album. Heading into next January after things slow down, we might start kicking ideas around. We've been having such good success at just getting together in a room and jamming out with good, solid musical ideas. I could see that easily happening and then the record would come out a year later- or maybe the fall of 2019. We kind of put it on the calendar, even though it might not happen exactly that way. We're still working with our last record Don't Let Up. We've got another single coming out from it called "Truth" and we're just finalizing the video for that. We like the material so much that we're going to add another song or two in for when we have 90 minutes or a two-hour set. 

CM: How do you feel about those fans that appreciate you as a great live band? 

KK: Every time that I walk on stage it's just such a positive thing to know that these people have come from all over to hear us play. I feel like it's important for us to say something positive to get us all in sync and in the same circle. Bringing everybody together is what it's all about and to still be able to do that is a big deal. We think about it even after 35 years. Not only are we still doing it but we like doing it. We even still like being with each other which is a blessing in itself (laughing). We have to cherish these times because this could be it, we're all getting older and things happen. We're not going to worry about the future because it's all about right now. Stuff goes by really fast and it doesn't come back so we're going to keep going until we literally can't anymore. 

Check out Night Ranger's official site for music, tour dates, and merch! You can also plan a trip to the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum here.