PipemanRadio Interviews Alcatrazz About Take No Prisoners

0:00 Hey, you love them too, that's sure. I'm come to see why for you. Wake up America. It's time for the Adventures. So paite Man on W four C why dot com West Palm Beach is number one internet radio station. Here's your host, the white Man seven bring cart. This is the white Man here on the Adventure Spike Man W four CY Radio.

1:02 When I'm here with our next guess who has some still earning music that we're going to check out? And I'll tell you I'm actually a pre amazer. How hard working are by keep playing albums out an album out and giving us great music. So let's welcome to the show. Jimmy from Alcatraz. Hey, nice to be here. Hey, nice to have you. Hey, my pleasure. Like I'm old school from back in the eighties, La days, So it's so amazing to see you guys playing out great music now in twenty twenty three. It kind of blows my mind that it would be like forty years later. Yeah, you know, and it's kind of weird.

1:45 People say that to me. They go, well, it's been forty years, and I go, I don't know. I just keep making records and working with people that I enjoy working with So I don't really think about the timeline or anything. I mean, no Parole from Rock and Roll was forty years ago or whatever it was, and that music still means a lot to me. And that's that's still now. The last couple of records that's been a lot closer to the direction of the band. So we draw from that record. You know, Joe Stop, our guitar player, is very much into that kind of playing and that kind of writing, and so am I and I loved playing with v in the day, and so that that thread has always been here, you know, kind of went away for a few years, but but it's back, and the last couple of records were that's the direction that we've been going. I love that, and I love that because I was one of those types that you know, a lot of bands in LA back then start going in different direction and I'm like, yeah, I'm not in that direction. So I love that. Go ahead, yeah, the Sunset Strip bands, Yes, totally. And you know, so it's great to hear bands like you that like are staying true to form, even if it veered off the course a little bit. We're back on the

3:15 course. And you know, between having all the years of experience and taking the old school philosophy and combining the new school experience over the years and musicianship. This is your music's probably better now than ever. Well, I really appreciate that, you know. It's it's funny. It's like, I don't look at it like anything has changed. We just were continuing on and we did get off the track a bit. There was a couple Alcatraz records that weren't like that, and I wasn't necessarily thrilled. I love playing with Steve Vai and I'm proud of that record, but I knew that that was not the direction that the fans wanted to hear. So and then by the third album it was it was and I won't get into the details, but it was impossible to get back to square one at that point to where because at that point, after the disturbing the piece and Steve I and I love Steve and I love this playing and I still do and we're friends and we talk and but the third album, like I said, kind of went off the rails and there was nothing I could do about it. So you just make the record and you move on, and then the band kind of just fell apart, so I always had it in the back of my head that I would do this again, and now we're doing it and with great people.

4:34 It couldn't be happier. Really. We're touring a lot, and as you can see, we make we make records fairly often, so that's all you can ask for. I love it because even you know, bands nowadays don't make music as often as like back in the day. I mean, you're making albums like it was back then, you know, where you put out one a year, you know, instead of one every five eight years, right, And the only thing that the only thing that slows us down is touring, and we have to tour. We love to tour, so like this year we got a fair amount of touring coming up, so hopefully that I mean, we're all writing now, so hopefully we can get to recording the stuff in the near future, you know when then the next few months start putting down some tracks. But like I said, we're going to be rehearsing and we got shows to do, so that's the only thing that slows us down from recording. Really well, there you go, is touring.

5:44 And people don't realize, like touring is a bear you know, like it's the fun part, but it's also the not fun part. And you know, depaying on which way you look at it, it's you're you're right, it can be fun. It's not like the old days where it was a party like you used to be. You know, man, the tour starts Monday, you're getting on the tour bus Monday, and it's on. It's a party, and oh yeah, we're gonna play some shows too. But it was, and nowadays it's not bad at all. It's it's about it's all about the music, because you have to be good and you have to tour and you have to be smart to keep doing it because the fans aren't going to respond to you know, some band that's that's high or all messed up. People don't put up with that anymore. It's kind of funny.

6:32 People used to be, you know, bands could get really messed up and play live and it was okay. Everybody laugh about it and go, man, they were all screwed up last night. They were drunk or they were high whatever. Not. Now now everybody expect for their money, everybody expects it to be you know, spot on and world class, and that's what we try to do. So that has changed. But you know, it's funny. Alcatraz was never a big party band. That wasn't our thing anyway. I mean we had fun on the road, don't get me wrong. And we we would drink and go out and have a good time, but it was still all about the music. Yeah, totally a musician day and I day and I had a great due to other popular belief day and I really got along great and we had fun. I mean, and he was really young, but oh my gosh, we would we would have a few beers and it was on. We had a great time. So but it's it's definitely changed now. Definitely a different world out there now, no doubt.

7:36 You know, while you're talking about I was thinking about one story in particular, And as you know from being in that Sunset strip scene, you probably have a million stories. But one that I had in particular was at the nineteen eighty three US Festival and David Lee Roth forgot the words to ain't talking about love, and so he just he's just sitting there and like Eddie's looking at him. They're all look at and Eddie just says to the crowd, like three hundred thousand people. I fucking forgot the words, and the whole place roared like it was the best thing that ever happened. And I think about it now because I go and do all these festivals now, I can't imagine the whole audience roaring if that happened today. No, it's definitely a different world now. You would see that all over the news. It'd be like, well, you know, so and so forgot the words, How terrible, how stupid is that? And what an idiot you know, and all that. It wouldn't be It wouldn't be the same, that's for sure, exactly, that's okay. It's a different world. And and for me when I'm on stage, it's just like it always was, because once you're on stage and that first song starts, it's all about the music and being good, yeah and whatever. You don't want anything in the way.

9:00 You don't want anybody to forget lyrics or forget parts or whatever. The band's got to be tight. So it's a big deal. Where Like like you said, and in the old days, people would especially David Lee raw Fan Halen, they would be they'd freak out and go, oh, that's so cool. He forgot the words. He's telling us that he forgot the words, and I'm sure Eddie was like steaming, Oh yeah, Edie his face, you can see it on his face. Man Ity was like, but oh yeah. But it goes to like a meme that I've seen recently. You would laugh at this. And it has two pictures. The one on top says the rock Star from the eighties aunt shows some dude on the ground passed out guitar in one hand, Jack Daniel's bottle on the other. And then Today's rock Star had a picture of a dude sitting in a chair with the guitar on his lap at the computer, stroking the keys on the computer.

9:58 Yeah, and it's you know, it's and it is pretty much that way. I mean, I spend way too much time at the computer, but that's what it is. And I don't fight it. You know, you can't beat him, join him. I've been into doing this since way back before pro tools. I don't know if you record us or not, but or a musician, but I've been doing this for years in the digital area, so this is this was nothing new to me. And as much as I love analog tape and I like going into a studio and the band's tight, and you count it off and you play and record and you fix what's not right. But today it's a whole different world. Yeah. Yeah, this album was cut as close to old school as it gets. I suppose I went to our drummer lives in Italy. He's a he's a UK guy, but he lived he and his wife live in Italy. So due to budgets and stuff, I was in Scotland. We were doing vocals in Scotland with Doogie and then I went from Scotland to Italy and recorded drums with Larry at his house. So there was no fancy studios, no, no what I call There was no leather in mirrors. You know. This was all like this was down in dirty minimal gear and spend ten days and get the tracks and that's what I did, so so it kind of felt it was fun and I've done that the the last two Alcatraz albums were done that way. We recorded in Mark, our old drummer, we record in his garage. Yeah, we're just not a high tech we're not a high tech

11:33 band. I mean I use high tech programs and you know, and I got all the stuff. But the actual way the music gets done is about as old school as it gets, whether it's tape or computer, the way we record, the way Joe Stupp plays when I go to Boston to record guitars at his house and you plug in a Marshall and you go, you know, I play the drum tracks and and Joe knows the part because he usually he's written a lot of the material. So we just I put it in record and he plays, and maybe we do a punch or two to you know, like I can do punch me at the second chorus. Okay, But basically it kind of amazes me sometimes I look when we get done and I'm like, wow, that's that's just like it was forty years ago.

12:22 You know, it's no different. I mean, where where the signal is going is different into a computer. But the ideas and saying you still got to play good. It's still got to be a good song, and the players gotta be good. You gotta have your ship together. So that he changed the key to longevity. Like a lot of those bands back from the Sunset Strip days never went beyond the sunset strip for exactly that reason, in my opinion, Like the key longevity is the gimmicks they get you going, but the musicianship is key, is what keeps you going. Yeah, it's it's always about the you know, being a good consistent player. Not everybody's Inbay Malmstein or Steve Vai, and you don't have to be. But you got to write good songs. You gotta be a really good solid player and know what you're supposed to be doing. You gotta have your ship together, and the songs are the most important thing. I mean in Alcatraz when we tour, even with Vay and Vey was killing it live when our first couple of tours, and but I would watch the we'd open for Ted NuGen or whoever, you know, ten thousand and fifteen thousand people. I would watch the crowd reaction. And as much as there was one hundred or so people down there watching Engbay just slipping out, there was another three or four thousand people reacting to the song whatever song. You know. We'd made videos of violman Son and Hiroshima, and when we played those, you could see it. You could just see it in the crowd. So that was a

13:52 good that was a good proving ground. It was like, okay, so this is even in this kind of music with the hot guitar player thing, it's still about the songs. And so in the musicianship, you know, we had to be a good band. Yeah, and we rehearsed our ass off with e Bay, with Steve. It was just a lot of rehearsals. So it was always about that. And that's old school, you know, there's no replacing rehearsing. I've I've produced some young bands and and you know, I we we talk and we go, oh, so, okay, so you guys are I will I'll come to your rehearsals this week And they go, yeah, well we're rehearsing Tuesday night at eight till twelve, and then we rehearsal on Thursday afternoon for two hours. And I go, well, we're wasting our time, you know, because we rehearsed almost every day. Yeah. Well, the younger bands don't understand. Yeah, the best musicians, I mean it's because they practice practice, practice, Like Randy Rhodes used to play like eight hours a day every day, you know.

14:56 Yeah, and people some people say, oh, well that it's an exaggeration. If not, I mean in they Joe Stump has got a guitar in his hand most of his waking hours. I mean, because I go I've been to Joe's house. I got I don't know ten times in Boston and recording guitars. And we get up in the morning and Joe's got a guitar in he's hand, you know, We get our ship together, eat breakfast, have some coffee, and then he picks up the guitar. And we may not be recording right away, but he's sitting on the couch playing the guitar, watching the news, or we're playing a record, talking about some of the band's record. You know, I want a great record. This guy is such a good player. There's such good songs. And but then we're on it and he's playing guitar, and we get done, you know, we'll take a break, we'll eat dinner, and then he's playing guitar again. Love it. And you know, unfortunately I don't have keyboards at Joe's house, but but yeah, we and at home, I'm I do it seven days a week. I'm here in front of the computer, you know, playing writing seven days a week. And that's what the passion.

16:08 You can't do this part time now, and it's pure passion. I mean, listen, if you have the passion for it, it's not it's not like something like, oh, I have to do this today. It's something you want to do exactly. It's got to it's got to be part of your life. And I've told young bands again that I've produced today, they're asking me all about Alcatraz and they want, you know, it's it's like twenty questions and they want to those stories about e Bay and I cut to the chase and go, look, guys, none of that matters, because you're not Alcatraz, and you're not any band. You're you. You're you. You gotta be you, and you've got to be passionate about this. You gotta be willing to do just about anything it takes legally to make this happen. And if you're not that passionate about it, then you're in the wrong business. You shouldn't be doing it. And I've done some speaking in a few music schools and these young guys, you know, guitar players in particular, you know, they're asking all those questions, and I tell them the same thing. I just say, you know, when you get out of this school, you better live with that guitar in your hand and learn how to do this, learn how to make a living in this business.

17:22 But and that some of them talk about being a rock star and money and they're gonna do this and they're gonna do that, And I go, you're not. You can't do this for money. You have to get in this business and do this because you love it and you can't live without it. Once you're in the door and you got and you know this what you're in. Now, you try to get smart and make money, but you can't do it for money alone. It just it won't happen. No, And even if it does happen in a very short term, it doesn't never last for sure. We saw that in the eighties. No, no, no, I mean Steve Vai is a great example of somebody that he got in for the right reasons. Steve was a musician. He had in him, that's in his DNA and he was playing in you know bands in high school and grade school, you know, playing music. And then he went to Berkeley and then worked for Frank Zappa. So Steve never stopped and it was never about the money for Steve, and he got smart, I mean in Alcatraz. He and I would sit and we talk about, Okay, so this tour, how are we gonna maximize you know, the tour, how are we gonna make money? And yeah, absolutely, you gotta be smart about it, but you gotta get in it and do it because you love it absolutely money And I loved a new album. I love the name too, because it's something I say myself all the time. Take no prisoners.

18:45 Let's tell everybody how they can get the album. I know there's a digipack, there's black vinyl, there's digital download, streaming, there's all kinds of rundles. So tell everybody how they can connect with you guys on socials, get the album, check out your tour dates, all that good stuff. Well, really really good way is go to Alcatraz Official dot com and that's our website and just Alcatraz official dot com and that will tell you every what we're doing and what we've done. And our drummer is a really great the media guy because Larry updates the website and takes care of it and he's always he tells stories and stuff and there's pictures and stuff like that. But it's all real current and you'll see a list of tour dates. So that's a great place to find out what we're doing. Probably as good as our Facebook page and maybe better. And everybody tells me the best place to buy the record is Amazon. Just go on Amazon and actually buy physical product. Yea, So it is funny people ask me, and I go, well, I don't know, to be honest with you. Then then Serena at a silver Lining she goes, We'll just tell him Amazon, that's the best place to buy it. Well, there's almost you know, there's there's no record stores any will not like they're used to be, that's for sure. And

20:18 there's some really cool stores they can also go to. There's a link tree take No Prisoners link tree that has your video on there. It has Amazon Music on there, it has Amazon the CD on there, Spotify, Das or Apple Music, Tower Records even is on there. Went blasts from past that Wow, yeah, I'm talking about Sunset strip um telling you d oh my god. That just it gave me a flashback when I was seeing that. Yeah, you just said that, and I just picture that tower on Sunset to one in that parking lot when I a little side story. That's a funny one. This is so Hollywood. When I worked with Vinnie Vincent, right, we had a band together and all that stuff, and then Vinnie went on to do the Vinnie Vincent Invasion or and that stuff. Well, they the record company had bought the side of Tower on or if you remember those big posters they used to put almost a billboard. Well, the Vinnie was on there. So there's the picture of Vinny, this huge picture of Vinny on the sunset, and you know, in in full garb.

21:27 I mean he was obviously it was taking a big photo session. So you know, when it ran its course and they were taking that down. Vinnie got that from Tower. I think he bought it and took it home and put it in his garage. I worked with Vinny at his house. Oh my god, this is just as he was joining Kiss. And I went out to his house and we were still writing some songs together and I was helping him do some demos or some other stuff. And I walked in to his garage where we were working, and here's the whole wall is that poster from Tower. Wow? He went bought that from Tower. I went, you know, I wanted to say, man, you you got a problem.

22:11 You need to, you know, because he loved looking at that. He just that was but hey, that's cool, you know. Hey whatever, that's the sunset strip right there. That's it right there. That says it all. Well, you gotta go to another interview. I gotta go to another interview. But we could talk all day for sure, but everybody definitely has to get the new album Take No Prisoners. It is badass. You guys, I can't believe you're so much Oh my pleasure. I can't believe you're still making such great music, Like I'm in awe of that. That if this much time goes by and you can still make great music. So we love you guys. That hey, we love you guys. And thanks for being on the Adventures of Pipe Man. Oh, thank you so much. Hays the Jimmy from Alcatraz. You're listening to the Pipeman on W four c Y Radio. This guy rock. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipeman. I'm W four CUI Radio.