January 14, 2010

Bo Bice Brings It to Bay Shore

by Christine Gerani

This Sunday at the Boulton Center in Bay Shore, Southern Fried Rocker, Bo Bice will serve up a heaping menu of his best tunes at his acoustic show, part of a Limited Engagement Tour before the birth of his 3^rd child in the next few weeks!  I was lucky and honored to speak with Bo the other day, he is an American Idol Season 4 Runner Up, Family Man, and a man devoted to his fans…here’s what he had to say;

Christine - Your last album was See the Light . What’s coming up next for Bo Bice!

Bo – See the Light has been out a couple of years.  We’ve got one [album] coming out hopefully around the beginning of summertime.  When we come up to Bay Shore, I’m going to actually be playing acoustic. I’ll be playing a few of the songs that we’re gonna put on this new CD.  Kind of opening folks up to that and showing it to them! To be honest with you it’s just an honor to get to come back to these spots.  We’ve been to Bay Shore before…a lot of these acoustic places that we’ve hit; Sellersville, The Sherman Theater we’re playing, Infinity Hall, we’ve played before.  There’s so many of these spots that when we get to come back to them it’s really such a joy because you get to come back to not only the owners of the clubs and the theaters that we’re playing in but the fans.  We get to see those same fans and they’re so dedicated and come out, so we love to be able to give them a little bit of something different with new music.  But then also we try to fill them with the stuff that they love to hear whether it be some covers or some Bo Bice things!

Christine - Do you still do Vehicle?  Because to me…you got me!  Your version on American Idol was amazing.

Bo – I do play Vehicle when we have a full band.  This acoustic run that we’re doing we try to do this once a year and normally do it at the same time, at the beginning of the year.  I normally do anywhere between eight to ten show’s acoustic.  I love doing this because this is what I was doing before Idol.  I was playing acoustics during the week and then playing with my band on the weekends and then I had a day job in a music store.  It’s just away to keep myself rooted in what I really know I’m about and what I love.  I’m grateful for that show, American Idol obviously put me on the map, nobody would know who I was if I hadn’t of been on that show.  There’s so much for me than kind of being out there trying to be Bo Bice.  I just kinda enjoy being Bo.  It’s a lot of fun, we get to play the music that got me where I am, whether it’s some Skynrd or some Bob Seger, or songs that I even wrote back then.  As I said before the new stuff on this album has me really encouraged because there’s some more singer-songwriter style stuff, like, three and half minute riff and rocking songs like Witness, which is one of my favorite songs. Some of these songs newer songs that I have, I guess are more in the singer songwriter vein and a little more catering toward the lyrical side.  I want to sit down and tell a story here.  I think these venues will be really nice to debut them.

Christine - So we will be hearing more of a singer-songwriter vibe from you! Can you describe the genre, more country, more blues…?

Bo - Ya know I never really sway too far from what I love.  The Real Thing was more of a pop oriented album which I’m grateful for Clive Davis, he and RCA did a great job on that album, as did all the writers and producers. When you look at See the Light the last album that we put out, I put that out under my record label Strat/Art.  It’s the same with this new project, I’ve recorded and produced and we’ve got a documentary that goes along with it and some bonus features.  What was at first a live album turned into a live album with an EP, and then with a video and a documentary, so we’re like “Let’s just finish this album!”  My partners that I teamed up with were very anxious to put this album out this summer. I’m really excited because I really feel that the material we’ve got now would very easily fit in a country format.  I’m not trying to go country, I’ve always been country but we’ve never really gotten much play on country radio because that was not the place where the record labels were really shooting for.  It was more pop-oriented things but again, I’m not ungrateful for that, I love rock radio and I love the treatment we’ve gotten there but I think this new stuff would be probably more palatable in the country format.  But it’s still a little bit of Bob Seger, some Tom Petty style, that’s kind of more laid back rock with just some Southern flare to it.

Christine - What newer artists are you listening to now?

Bo - I really like Shinedown.  That is a great band.  Oh goodness… I’ve always been a fan of (and I know it’s an older band but they’re really doing good now) but Alice in Chains, Jerry Cantrell is just a big hero of mine as a songwriter.  So I still love that stuff and I love the new Alice in Chains.  The Velvet Revolver, I know these are kind of throwbacks because I know these are Super Groups a lot of the time but that’s the kind of stuff that I really dig! I also like Jason Aldean, he’s really good.  James Otto’s a real good catch!  Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson…a lot of that newer stuff which again is more of a country vibe. I don’t really discriminate when it comes to music.  I listen to as much as I can and even if it’s something that I don’t do exactly…Bo is not going to put out a hip hop album!

Christine - And if you did, it would be kind of funny.

Bo – I’m never gonna go toward the Black Eyed Peas as way of production, it would be silly. You heard the phrase it’s like putting lipstick on a pig…it don’t fit.  But I really feel just keeping an open mind and an open point of view towards all styles of music, sometimes you can take a piece of something whether it be from the production or from the melody side or from the lyrical side.

Christine - So let’s switch gears a bit and talk about your family. I hear your wife is due in a few weeks? [With their 3^rd child]

Bo - Yes ma’am. We’re just chugging along.

Christine - So how do you balance your music career and your family, I know being in the studio can take hours.  How do you achieve that?

Bo - You kind of hit the head on the recording studio side.  After Idol I got real sick around the time of the birth of my first child and things were going haywire.  Those first couple of years were really hard. Adjusting to the new found celebrity, everything you ever wanted, and then all of a sudden when I got everything I wanted, all the stuff that I wanted was no longer exactly the focal point of my life.  It kind of became a part of my son’s, and then my wife’s, then my second son.  For the balancing act I try to do it the best I can and, ya know, I’m not gonna play a game and pretend that I get the A1 Dad Award.  I just always knew that I would hold true to the moral standards that I promised my wife on our wedding day and to never stray and to always love and protect them and provide for them.  I think once you make a pact like that it’s easy to stand by the things that you have to stand by. It’s a fair balancing act because when I get home I’m not Bo Bice. That stuffs just not allowed.

Christine – Cause you’re a husband and a dad.

Bo - I’m cool with that but I also dig jumping around and playing rock star on stage.  They come out and see us and also I think they understand that my family is a big part of my life.  A lot of celebrities, [not that I’m a big celebrity] what a lot of these celebrities do, they keep their families so you don’t see them. For me, you can look at BoBice.com and I add my family into the equation,  just because I like for people to see who and what I really am about.  We don’t put every single moment of our life on there like a reality show but give them a taste of the fact that I’m proud of my sons, I’m proud to be a dad, I’m proud of the responsibilities that have been laid in front of me.  So I do, I take pride in my family, I take pride in my music and most of all I take pride in my fans because they are an extended part of our family.

Christine – Absolutely!  I think there are a lot of celebrities out there, not to bring up Tiger Woods but you know when you’re in the public eye  24/7 and especially when you talk about these tremendous super stars…it’s like maybe you should think before you do something to ruin your life, especially him with kids at home.  It’s a shame.

Bo - Well it is a shame.  I think, and him by far and I’m not judging,  it’s for you to leave for your own judgment.  I think that’s why you don’t see me a lot in the tabloids or the papers or in the paparazzi magazines because I don’t go out much.  Not that I’m perfect.  I’ve had my faults.  When it came to doing stupid stuff when I was younger, I was good at it.  When it came to the partying and the drugs man I was a pro at that when I was younger.  I’ve slipped and I’ve fallen and I’ve gotten back up many times but I’m just blessed that the Lord has strengthened me with faith, and the cool thing about that is just being able to move forward and each day I’m just trying to be better.  I gotta teach these kids how to do the right things.  It’s not just about what I think and what I do.  It’s a heavy responsibility but also I think you should have that point of view with your fans, cause in some way my redneck buddy’s a role model, I don’t understand why . [We crack up] I’m definitely proud that people bring their kids out to our shows!  We have these all ages shows, we’ll have kids anywhere from  4 and 5 and up to 85 and that’s really cool!

Christine - You’ve got a great fan base.  Speaking of fan base we’ve mentioned American Idol a few times did you watch the first show of this season?

Bo - Of course I watched it! I was anxious to see how this was going to play out and I’m not trying to play Mr. Cool but the only year I was really able to watch it was the David Cook year, because I was too busy all the other years.  I got to see David Cook win and I was so proud of him.  I did watch last night [Tuesday January 12]and was checking it out just to see what kind of play there was gonna be.  I’m really grateful for the show. I love them there, all the producers, and crew and staff but I also miss Paula.  I guess we’re going to miss Simon next year.  I don’t think any of those folks, whether it will be Idol or X Factor or Paula or any of them, they don’t have anything to worry about because they’re so ingrained of 8 years of American Idol.  And I think that even if it tapers or leaves, it’s such an iconic brand that there’s so many things that these folks are gonna be doing.  There’s not going to be a lot of people out of work worrying about money, I’ll tell you that.

Christine - That’s for damn sure! So are you excited for Ellen!

Bo - Well Ellen is a sweetheart. I was on her show, she’s just a really sweet lady.  I’m excited to see how she interacts. I think she’ll bring a lot to the show.  I think that this year is gonna be a dynamic year, it will be Simon’s last year and now we’re just gonna live it up and enjoy him while he’s on it.  I’ll get to see more of these episodes.  I won’t be cruising too much around the first of the year but I know we’ll be there near the end and I’ll be there at the Finale in some way.

Christine -  We’ll be excited to see you there.

Bo - Well I always like to go there to the Finales.  Normally when I’m traveling around for whatever reason, albums or some kind of press, when I’m out there I never miss without stopping by and seeing all my friends and people there because we are truly an Idol Family and I’m grateful for that show.  I’ve taken some good, bad and ugly with being a part of that show.  There’s people that love me because I was a part of it and there’s people that won’t touch me with a ten foot pole,  but I’ll tell you what I’m honest and true to the people that gave me a lot and I truly do appreciate them.  So you’ll definitely see me there at the Finale hollering at folks and doing some interviews!

Christine - Bo thank you so much for visiting us on SpotonLI.com and hope you enjoy your new baby and have a great show on Long Island at the Boulton Center in Bay Shore January 17th!

Bo - Looking forward to it! Bay Shore we love you guys! Get your party hats on and come on down we’re gonna have a butt-kicking acoustic good time out there and y’all keep warm and bring a little extra sunshine up there when we’re there Sunday!

You can purchase See the Light at Wal-Mart, itunes or for more information visit www.BoBice.com

Related posts:

1. constantine rocks long island
2. long island interviews 2009
3. joan osborne
4. long island idol-joe murena
5. interview with wbab’s joe rock