Keri Kelli: The Bring Back Glam! Interview

You might say Keri Kelli is one busy guitarist. He plays for Alice Cooper full time and is currently in the studio laying down tracks for the shock rocker's new album Along Came a Spider. For most, this would be enough of a job, but Keri plays with several other bands including Saints of the Underground, Skid Row and more. Bring Back Glam! recently spoke with Keri about Along Came a Spider, touring with Alice Cooper, not having a day job and the love of good beer. Transcription follows.

 
Bring Back Glam!: Tell me about the new Alice Cooper album, Along Came a Spider.

Keri Kelli: I think there's some great stuff on it!. One's called "Killed by Love." Chuck (Garric, bass) and I wrote that with Alice and another brother of ours, Jim Bocke. I think that's going to be one of the main tracks on the album, in my opinion. Another tune is - well it may be titled "Serial Killer" or "The One that Got Away." It's another cool track that Alice and I worked on...and another is "Feminine Side," we're almost done with that one. Danny Saber is recording and producing the album in the Hollywood Hills as well as Greg Hampton. This record wasn't done the old school way where everyone gets together and jams. It is more like a project, where you work and write in different sections. Some songs are 100% mixed and other still need some tracking to be done. It's been a interesting process, but it's Alice's record and I'm just glad to be involved on any level. It's cool.

BBG!: When will that be released?

KK: At one point I'd heard July, but I don't think that's going to be the case. I think August is what I've heard is the actual release date, I truthfully don't know exactly. It will be well worth the wait.

BBG!: And then you're going on tour?

KK: Yes, midsummer. We leave L.A. on July 4th and we roll out to Bulgaria. There's like four flights to get there. I go from Orange County to San Francisco, then to London...and then to Vienna and then to Bulgaria. I believe the festival is an hour outside the city. We do Europe in July, August and September is the (United) States and then October is Canada and we might do more of Europe again in November I've been told.

BBG!: Do you like going out for long stints?

KK: Yeah its cool, though I like to take little breaks. I think Alice and all the guys do. We're not usually out solid. We're usually out for a few months at a time...it doesn't sound like much, but we'll come home for four days or six, seven days...so you're home for a week and you go back out for four or five weeks. By the time you get acclimated to being home, it's time to go out again, so it's cool. We usually have the winters off, so you can get all your other stuff done.

BBG!: You play with a lot of bands. Do you just like to keep busy?

KK: That's all I do! Let's put it this way, I think I'm very fortunate I've been able to play with so many different people. I have friends who have had great success on their own or with a band, but some dudes have only been involved in one project in literally a 20 year period. Luckily, the last dozen years or so, I've been involved with so many different types of people and musicians...I've been able to spread my wings and experience new things. I dig it. I want to play as much as I
can here, there and everywhere. In between Alice shows, I play with Skid Row and that's awesome. I'll come home, be home for three days, play a couple shows with Skid Row and then go back out for a month with Alice. I'm always ready to play. I also have a home recording studio, so I'm always doing stuff there. Jani Lane and I are always writing for his records or for Warrant or just for song placements. I never just sit at the house and watch T.V. -- I just want to play.

BBG!: Tell me about working with Jani Lane.

KK: He's cool. He's my brother, we get along great! We have a lot of the same tastes in music and a lot of the same outlooks on life. We have a great time when we get together. He's a cool cat. I just played with him a couple weeks ago in Texas and Mexico. He called me up and said "Hey, I need a guitar player, can you help me out?" and I said
"Sure!" It's all about having a good time with your buddies. We really do have the same musical influences...it's easy for us to write songs and develop ideas.

BBG!: What are some of those shared influences?

KK: I like...well very diverse things. I think it's important to have "music appreciation." I like everything from Jazz fusion to rock music...I think Metallica is great as well as a lot of newer bands like H.I.M., She Wants Revenge, Fallout Boy and 80s rock stuff like Bon Jovi. 70's stuff like Thin Lizzy or (the Rolling) Stones. The stuff me and Jani work on always has a story-line, but it is still commercial. If it's like a three minute, great cool pop-song, heavier, a ballad, Fallout Boy or Warrant type tune- it doesn't matter to me as long as its a great song: a story-line within the lyrics. You need something special and have a hook.

BBG!: So you don't have a particular favorite band?

KK: Oh, if you want to talk favorite bands...Thin Lizzy is probably my favorite band of all time...and the Rolling Stones. Those are my favorites if you want to pigeonhole something as a "favorite." I like the Mick Taylor era of the Rolling Stones. For me that was really special.

BBG!: Tell me about forming Big Bang Babies.

KK: When I started that band, I was really young. Like 18 when I was putting it together. The first guy I found was the drummer Freddie. I recorded a six song demo myself and had a friend sing, so I had six completed songs. Then I started looking for the other guys. The next guy was Kit the singer...and then we found Boyd, the bass player. We had a great time, we lived in Hollywood and lived on girl's floors and stuff...kind of like you see in Decline of Western Civilization...it
was a cool time. Looking back it was cool I got to experience that. People always talk about L.A. in the 80s. I think our band was neat for what it was. Unfortunately, I think we had a lot of cool tunes...and we actually demoed something like 122 songs. Probably a third were good (laughs). Problem was the time frame was not right for that type of band.

BBG!: Have you had any crappy day jobs like me?

KK: Um...I really haven't had any jobs at all. I was just a kid when I started the Big Bang thing...Well, one time I was a driver. I drove around packages for a courier service for a few months. That was about it to be honest with you. It was only Tuesday and Thursday...or something. I drove around for a few hours on Tuesday night and Thursday morning I had to pick up some shit and that was about it. I guess I've been fortunate to not have a "job." I don't know...is that good or bad? Like I said, though, literally everyday I'm doing something related to music. I guess my job is music. I've never had to clock in 9 to 5, so I feel very fortunate.

BBG!: What else do you have going on?

KK: I'm an avid beer drinker...and brewer. One of my bros has a drinking show on an HD channel called Mojo. Its called Three Sheets and it's hosted by my boy Zane Lamprey...and he rolls all around the planet...and goes to different bars and breweries to talk to the local people and gets hammered. I think that's awesome. What a job! I'm really into the beer and brewery thing and a couple of my buddies have breweries down here in Southern California. One of them is the Newport Beach Brewing Company - that's my boy Jerry - it's awesome and right by the water. Another is called the Tustin Brewery and my friend Jason owns that place. And there's a company who actually distributes their beer called Stone Brewery, and they're in North San Diego. They have some incredible beers, like Arrogant Bastard Ale, Levitation Ale and the Infamous Ruination Ale and I mean they go the fuck off! These guys are all cool cats, so I'm trying to get Zane to do a show with myself and my buddies at their breweries. I'm really looking forward to that, it would be killer!

BBG!: So, you're going to be a television star is what you're telling me?

KK: I hope so! Or at least I can get on the Three Sheets show and drink a bunch of free beer. I also love sushi. My favorite things are rock n' roll (of course that includes the guitar), drinking good beer... and I mean handcrafted micro-brewed ales and sushi. My other buddy has a sushi place down in Newport Beach, literally a crawl from
the Newport Beach Brewing Company called California Beach Rock n' Roll Sushi. Hide owns that place, and he's been there forever. I've been going there since 1987 [or] 1988 and he's been there since he was a kid also. I've been going there since I was like 15 years old. You could order beer back then they didn't care, it was awesome. He bought the place a few years ago so he's a Cal Beach lifer. That's my place I've been going to since I was a kid and now thank God he owns it. Totally cool...it's a big sushi place and they crank the rock and the sushi chefs get loaded and just have a great time with the customers.. When we go there they put on the Saints of the Underground or Alice
Cooper...we have a blast.

Photo credit: Keri Kelli 

No 2009 Motley Cruise?

This time last year, word was out about the Motley Cruise and extra acts slated to perform on the high seas of debauchery. This year...not so much. Now, nearly six months after disembarking Motley Cruise 2008, there is word there might not be such an event for 2009.

I can't say that I'm surprised. Silence in the music business typically means bad things. Apparently, the main organizer of the cruise has left the travel company that produces the event. Yesterday, MK Cruises released this note via Myspace:

May 28, 2008 5:44 PM
Subject: 2009 Motley Cruise
Body: Hello everyone,

I have been receiving tons of calls, e-mails and phone calls regarding the 2009 Cruise, so here is what I know.

1. Gigi and Alexis resigned from the booking agency
2. Nothing has been set as far as I know, in other words there is no ship, no dates, no bands, nothing
3. My opinion is, I don't think it's going to happen (sorry)

Obviously, there is a story here. More than one person on this planet is capable of planning the Motley Cruise, so I don't believe that an employee shift is the reason for the cessation of the event. Let's not forget the Motley Cruise is a charity endeavor to raise money for the Skylar Neil Foundation. That money is then turned over to the TJ Martell Foundation. I can't help but wonder if Motley Crue's big Live Nation deal has something to do with this? It hasn't been announced yet, but I would bet money that Motley will tour arenas in the winter to support Saints of Los Angeles. Truly a winter tour would harbor Vince's availability a little, but it's not impossible to schedule.

Something doesn't add up here, but maybe that's me being overly jaded again. All I know is I heard the phrase "Metal Mutiny" mentioned on the cruise in January and I went home and checked a domain and sure enough - Metal Mutiny was registered the day after the Motley Cruise. The domain registration is private so we can't be sure who owns the page. Perhaps we'll know more in the coming months. I've also heard from some reliable sources that there actually will be a Motley Cruise and it will be announced at Rocklahoma. I'm still skeptical.

What I do know is that I am going ahead and booking a summer vacation. I'm sick of waiting on this cruise information. I'm feeling the need to visit the tropics.

The Inevitable Velvet Revolver Discussion

By now, I'm sure you are well aware of the Velvet Revolver saga. Scott Weiland left the band to reunite with Stone Temple Pilots and now the remaining members of Velvet Revolver (*cough* Guns n' Roses *cough*) are looking for a new singer. I don't know who that singer should be and quite frankly I don't have any good guesses. For our purposes today, we'll just discuss the current VR catalog.

I was at the library last night and saw Libertad on the shelf. I never got around to picking up the disc, so I decided to take it home for a listen. I have to admit, Libertad  isn't as good as Contraband, but it's still decent. I *love* the song "Fall to Pieces" from Contraband. It's a great ballad and Slash has great guitar tone. Actually, he has a great tone on all of Contraband.

I've always thought of Velvet Revolver as a Glam band. They are not nu-metal, but certainly are modern rock. The tunes have a definite Glam throwback while still sounding fresh. I know Scott Weiland's voice grates on some people, but I still think in this instance, he became a "Glam" artist. No, Glam doesn't always mean spandex pants, eye liner or teased hair. It has a lot to do with music, lyrics, tone and soul.

Thoughts?

Here's "Fall to Pieces" live

Should've Been Huge...

Here's one for the "should've been huge file:" Spread Eagle. My Glam goodness they are great. In some ways, they are even better than Skid Row - and I think that's quite a bold statement.

I'm sure you're familiar with the band, but if not you should know Spread Eagle are from New York.  Ray West (vocals), Rob De Luca (bass), Paul DiBartolo (guitar) and Tommi Gallo (drums)  landed a deal with MCA around 1990. You can tell by that date that the band was just about D.O.A., a sad consequence of time and fate. While the music tides were turning, Spread Eagle were cranking out fabulous Glam -- songs that still stand up today.

If you own Spread Eagle's self-titled debut, consider yourself lucky. If not, you can purchase the reissue on Amazon.com.

Here's the track list:

  1. Broken City
  2. Back On The Bitch
  3. Switchblade Serenade
  4. Hot Sex
  5. Suzy Suicide
  6. Dead Of Winter
  7. Scratch Like A Cat
  8. Thru These Eyes
  9. Spread Eagle
10. 42nd Street
11. Shotgun Kiss

 
Here's the video for "Switchblade Serenade." This track owns.

**So, do you agree that Spread Eagle deserved stardom?  

Mixed Bag

Some people celebrate Memorial Day with parades, fireworks and a barbecue...I bought a bass. 

That's right, a brand-spakin new electric bass. I've wanted an Ocean TB70 for a year now. For a Guitar Center store brand, the bass has a super high-end sound. Goodness, the tone is so rich, just slamming any string makes me want to roll around on the floor. I got a new amp, too! I've wanted a Line 6 amp for as long as I've wanted the bass.

If you're not familiar, Guitar Center often has big sales on holidays. As we all know, the markup on music instruments and equipment is heinous...but, on select days you can beat the system!

I love beating the system!

So, now I have a new bass and amp to learn my Glam.  I was in bed, half-asleep yesterday morning when I realized if I didn't have the Ocean bass, I would seriously die. You see, I think Guitar Center is truly one of my natural habitats. My local GC is always jam packed with people wearing band t-shirts and ripped jeans. There's no judgement based on appearance...and it's pretty likely at least one person on the sales floor knows a Motley Crue song by heart.

So, getting some new goodies is how I celebrated my Memorial Day and now I'm easing back into a thankless work week. To make that process a little less painless on all of us, I found a couple cool videos you need to watch. Trust me.

Click here to see a reunited Pretty Boy Floyd perform at the Knitting Factory.

Now, watch this ridiculously funny clip featuring Slash and Billy Idol performing "In the Summertime."

I swear, the clip for "In the Summertime" made me cackle a solid five minutes. Good times.

Meet Leaded Fuel

Want some sleazy Glam? Look no further than Sweden's Leaded Fuel (cute name, eh?).

The Stockholm-based band wear Glam roots on their collective sleeves: they are proud of their work and cite Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Guns n' Roses, RATT, Alice Cooper and more as influences. I can hear each of these legendary Glam acts in Leaded Fuel's debut album Inhale and Get Pale.

So just who are Leaded Fuel? Well, naturally each member has a cute stage name: Liz Lascivious (vocals), John Priest (guitar), Dallas Chrome (guitar), Andy Jones (bass) and Iron Kongo (drums).

I've got to interrupt this introduction and review for a second. Iron Kongo?!? Seriously? How much pot do you have to smoke to think up Iron Kongo as a stage name? Crazy stuff right there. I like to think I'm on the creative side, but I'd never in a million years rename myself Iron Kongo. I digress.

So, Inhale and Get Pale has some good tracks.  Here's the entire list:

Leaded Fuel
Dirty Bitch Boogie
Southern Belle
Max Rear Traction
231 Miles
Hostage Situation
Yeah! You Bother Me
Side Effects
Rip It Up
The Way We Are

I really like "Yeah! You Bother Me"  and "Rip It Up." The latter really sounds like early Faster Pussycat. In fact, Liz Lascivious sort of has a Taime Downe quality about his voice. I think you'll agree all good sleaze comes with a little whine. I swear, this is just reason 9,876 that I need to holiday in Sweden. Me, some good Glam, Ikea and lingonberry jam. Good times.

You can buy Leaded Fuel's album here. Preview tracks at the band's official Myspace. Read an interview with Iron Kongo over at the Heavy Metal Time Machine.

Photo credit: Leaded Fuel official Myspace.  

How Much is Too Much?

Do you ever have "cheap" days? Ladies, I don't mean when you wear a micro mini and some plastic red pumps (and yes, I own both)... I mean, "cheap" as in financially aware.

My mom always called it "frugal."

Anyway, I helped my parents with a garage sale yesterday and it had me feeling cheap - and annoyed. We'll skip the annoyed part and go straight to the wallet.

I've been saying for awhile now that the price of everything is ridiculous. I mean, it cost me $40 to fill my eight gallon gas tank Thursday! It's now five bucks for a bowl of soup at the restaurant down the street and we all know the price of home heating and cooling is downright heinous.

I've never really paid much attention to gas prices before. I don't drive much - and when we go out of town, my husband sits behind the wheel. Yes, the gas money is out of the same account but I just never paid attention to how much we were literally burning... until now. When I filled up the tank in my tiny purple Kia, I had an epiphany: In many cases, it now costs more to actually drive to a concert than buy a ticket. Sure, my seats for Cruefest are more than the gas to get to Cincinnati, but when you consider how much it's going to cost to transport my crew to George Michael in Philadelphia...it's about a wash.

Even with gas prices the way they are, I still do and go where I want. I go out to eat, go shopping, take bass lessons and get my hair dyed every month. Of course, as the price of gas continues to rise...so does the cost of every other luxury I enjoy.

During the annual garage sale, I was subjected to the same negotiations as every year: people asking if I'd take a dollar for something marked ten. People want more for their money and are willing to try to make pennies stretch wherever possible.

At some point, the high cost of life is going to completely destroy the music industry. Literally, at some point we'll all ask "how much is too much?"

When will we start balking at $300 concert tickets and everything associated like $50 shirts, $20 parking and $9 beer?

The economic situation in America is getting a little grim, and this has me amazed that bands still try to tour the club circuit. Don't get me wrong, I love club shows. The crowds are small and therefore the chances of talking to the band members is very great. Still, I always wonder if the bands are actually making any money during these small gigs. If an L.A. based band gets in their van and drives all the way to Dayton, Ohio to play a show...you have to admire their determination. Even playing a lot of clubs between L.A. and Dayton is still no guarantee of a comfortable living.

So, I ask you..."how much is too much?" At what point do you shut your wallet and say "no more" to music-related luxuries like CDs, concert tickets and band merchandise?