Chatting with Original Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones 

by Drew Snyder

I had the opportunity to speak with singer Kaya Jones whose popularity soared as one of the original members of the Pussycat Dolls. Since then she has set on her sights on a solo career which has spawned the most recent single “Every 7 Seconds” off the Release EP (Available on iTunes now). Be sure to check her out as she will be performing live at the Dublin Pub on Long Island December 3rd.

Drew: First, who were your influences in the very beginning?

Kaya: Madonna and Michael Jackson. But I really fell in love with Nina Simone early on when I was like six years old.

Drew: How did this solo project come to be? And what are some of the biggest changes you’ve made since your days with the Pussycat Dolls?

Kaya: Well the solo process came to be after I left the Pussycat Dolls. I kind of wanted to take a break from music for a little bit so I moved to New York to model. I had dyed my hair black and had all these tattoos. I felt like the blonde was too girly and I just wanted some edge. So the solo project actually happened when I got back to Los Angeles and was finished with my angst and a lot of my music friends suggested I start singing again. So in 2009 I started the process of recording and kind of finding my sound as an artist so now that I have my sound we’re ready for the LP launch in the New Year. The process was definitely a journey of finding my sound as an artist and being authentic to the work so the difference is that I’m on my own label, which I’ve started because I wanted to have creative control, which is something I didn’t have in the Pussycat Dolls. So I think that the biggest difference is that it’s genuine to me as an artist and I think you should be honest to your audience because they can sense that sense of not being yourself. I’m really happy with where I am as an artist today because I’m involved in every aspect of my career now.

Drew:In the past, you’ve worked with some big stars including Eminem and Mick Jagger. What was that like and did you learn anything from them?

Kaya: I did! I actually met Eminem when I was thirteen with D12. Proof from D12 was actually who connected me with R. Kelly when I first started so when I worked with D12 and Eminem seven years later it was kind of funny and we were joking about it on set. Eminem is a really talented individual. I think he has a bad stigma around him but he’s actually really professional. Mick Jagger was very different but we’re talking about someone who is so gifted. When I first met him it was random, I got a phone call from David Stewart from the Eurythmics and he says, “Can you come down to the studio?” so I went down and there was Mick Jagger in a booth and I was like “Oh my god.” He didn’t tell me what I was doing; he just said to come down. But Mick was really great. He was really sweet and professional. Just a genuine human being whose very grounded in who he is. At the time it was Katy Perry and I doing vocals and she hadn’t launched her record yet so it was an incredible experience to not only work with Katy but to do the same with Mick. He was very genuine. I don’t think people would assume that somebody on that level of talent and longevity would be so sweet. It was an honor to work with not only a legend but someone who was just a real human being and not someone with a big head who thought the were so amazing.

Drew: What kind of stuff have you been listening to while on tour? If you could pick one ideal person or group to perform with in the future, who would it be?

Kaya: I’ve been listening to a lot of LMFAO. I also love Skrillex. I’m a big Skrilex fan. I just think he’s such a genius and it’s incredible what he’s doing with that sound right now. I listen to a lot of DJs. Some DJs who produce as well can open your horizons to different things. I also listen to a lot of older artists like Dusty Springfield, Janis Joplin, Dinah Washington, Billie Holliday, and Elvis. I kind of have a very eclectic repertoire of things I listen to.

I would definitely say Kanye West. I met Kanye when I was with the Pussycat Dolls in 2005 and he was on his horizon and fairly big but not the magnitude he is now. I said “Oh my god I would love to work with you!” and he was all for it. Some people over there weren’t feeling my idea so that never happened. He was so gifted back then. So I would pick him because he’s such a visionary who gravitates to doing things that are outside the box. I also would pick John Mayer who’s great or Bruno Mars. If it were a female it would probably be Ciara or someone that has a different sound than me or a sound that compliments mine.

Drew: Since you’ll be playing the Dublin Pub on Long Island, how do you like performing live in New York? How does it compare to playing in other places?

Kaya: All over the world it’s very different. When I was performing in China they kind of just stare but sometimes they get really excited and scream. During the song they just watch you but once it’s over they’re very happy. American crowds are very involved and engaging. They let you know when they like it or don’t like it or how they’re feeling. But anytime I’m in New York I love it. Long Island is great. I love going to some of the smaller cities. A lot of artists don’t get to travel to the small cities as much. It’s a lot more personal. People are really warm and genuine and it’s just a good interaction with your audience.

Drew: Lately it seems like a lot of female artists such as yourself and Lady Gaga have been very vocal when it comes to LGBT issues. How have you helped out that community and when did this begin?

Kaya: The journey began because I had a lot of friends in the community and they suggested I do a show. I was asked to do “Pride” and that’s where it started for me. When San Diego Pride and Los Angeles Pride asked me be part of the movement and become involved in the show. So I connected with GLAAD and working with them and being on the committee was amazing. The issue that started it was when my cousin came out. That was a big deal for my family and they had a hard time with it. Now they’ve come through his journey with him so it’s in a good place. But my friends as well. Working in the entertainment industry I’ve had a lot of friends who have dealt with the lack of understanding so it was personal for me. When I realized there were areas where I could help out like with marriage equality I wanted to get involved. We’re doing an equality tour and I’m really happy to lend a voice to the community but it isn’t on the spectrum of being someone who’s a lesbian or gay, it’s just that they are my friends and family and I’d like to speak out for them.

Drew: In 2010, you spent two weeks in Iraq performing for our troops as part of a USO tour. What kind of feedback did you get from our men and women in uniform and what was your experience like as a whole?

Kaya: I mean I keep saying it was very real because that’s the only way I can explain it. It was heavy and incredible. I had moments with each one of the soldiers I met over there and I’m in touch with a lot of them via Twitter and Facebook, which has been awesome. It was amazing and it was something I’ve always wanted to do from being a little girl and seeing old footage of all the Hollywood stars that have gone over like Ann-Margret and Marilyn Monroe. So it was really amazing to be with them and support our men and women. That was kind another part of why I became active in the LGBT community. I was doing so much with our troops and seeing how they come home and all the rights and issues that our women and women are dealing with so I started going down to the VA hospitals and it became very aware that our Gay and Lesbian community were part of our Military and these people who defend my freedom don’t have many rights. I wake up in this wonderful country and have this freedom because of them and that’s not fair that they are fighting and dying for our country and don’t have their rights. I not only wanted to work with the USO but be part of the equality movement.

Drew: Give us some insight into your latest EP entitled Release. Which track would you say you’re most proud of and why?

Kaya: That’s so hard! They’re actually all my babies. Because you spend so much time perfecting each one. The EP is actually a snippet of the new LP, which is coming out in the New Year. I’m really excited about the LP because it’s a full motif of sounds but the EP is a teaser of what to expect. “Release the Energy” is about your inner light, finding your inner strength and releasing it. It’s about knowing what that is and being proud of what you have to offer this world. So it’s a very empowering song. We release our energy in a positive way whether it’s at work or with or family or friends. We do something wonderful for this earth and for ourselves. “Boyfriend” is about being dumped for a man, which actually happened to me. But the remix of that is a completely different take on it. “Like U” is a mid-tempo ballad, which will be included on the full LP and that for me, is a sweet song. There’s that statistic where men think about sex every seven seconds and that was my take on the idea that women do too. So men aren’t the only ones and it’s kind of empowering to say, “Hey, we do too.” I can’t say I have a favorite. They’re all my favorites.

Drew: This year you shot a music video for the single “Take It Off.” How much input did you have in the making of it and what was the process like?

Kaya: “Take It Off” was a lot of fun. We went out to the desert to this junkyard. The input I kind of threw in was when they had me in front of a car and I was like “Can they have me working on the car?” and they were like “OK.” So I had this wild idea to cover myself in real car oil, which isn’t the smartest thing to do because it doesn’t come off easy. It takes this special liquid that you have to use in order to get it off your body so we were shooting it and the next day I was in the tub at 1 AM scrubbing. It felt like someone took a Brillo pad to my skin so that wasn’t the smartest idea. Plus it was very windy in the desert. It looked so nice but we were all sweaty and dirty. But I love that video. Working with Regi was awesome.

Drew: Finally, where do you see Kaya Jones in 5 years?

Kaya: Oh wow. Well we have the LP coming out. I’m going to be back in the studio and recording my next record. It will be a double disk in case you like two albums in one. After that we’re doing a Christmas album. I see many more albums, focusing on building my brand, and going into film. It’s something that I’d love to do as well and I take it very seriously. Sitting with my coach and making sure I’m ready for all of that. Working with my clothing line and label, which is my focus. Any endeavors I have are through my label so looking for new talent and new artists to sign onto my label. So I see myself in 5 years helping out my artists and being part of that artistic process because I know what it’s like to not be heard so I definitely want to listen to the ones we sign and make sure they are fully involved in what they want to do and say. Making sure they have artistic freedom.

Kaya Jones will be performing live on Saturday, December 3^rd at the Dublin Pub in New Hyde Park.

Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds

by Mick DuRussel

For over three decades, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have evolved from being a straight blues band into a much diversified American music band that still incorporates a very distinctive and powerful sound. Kim Wilson is the lead vocalist/harmonica player and also the group’s founder. Now on a big American tour, Kim took time out of his busy schedule to chat with me about the group and his life today….

MICK: You started out working with some of the world’s greatest blues players, people like John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. What was it like working with those legends?

KIM: There’s nothing to compare to it. It’s kind of like being with friends and playing basketball with Michael Jordon! Jimmy Rogers was the greatest. I played with everybody! I was a young kid when I got started. When I was 18 years old, I played with Eddie Taylor, Albert Collins, Lowell Pulson, Peewee Crayton, Luther Tucker, I met George Smith, John Lee Hooker, played with Johnny Shines back then. A who’s who of blues! It was a dream.

MICK: How did you meet Jimmy Vaughn?

KIM: I was on a trip down to Texas. This gal offered me some gigs down there. I was playing for her boyfriend at the time and he was playing with Lowell Pulson back then. She had told him about me. This was around 1972. I had made a few recordings and Willie Dixon was my manager at the time. Dixon gave me over to Bill Dison, who was Jimmy Reeds’ manager. He funded a recording session for me and I made a single. I sent it down to her and she loved it. I had never been on an airplane before! I was in Minneapolis at the time and I didn’t want to be there. It was really cold there. I had just come from California and wanted to leave. I went down there but it didn’t pan out. But I did meet Jimmy Vaughn at that time. He called me and we got together. The rest is history!

MICK: When Jimmy left the band in 1989, was there any animosity?

KIM: Not at all.

MICK: You are the only original member left in the band, right Kim?

KIM: That’s right!

MICK: As the old members left the band, was it hard to find good replacements?

KIM: No it wasn’t! It’s a pretty good gig to have. You get a lot of time if you are a soloist; you get to bring songs to the table. There’s a lot of things you get with this gig. You get to play blues if you want to but you can also push the envelope if you want to. It’s really up to the people in the band on how creative they want to be. The guys I have now are very original. It’s been a blessing for me. It’s very stimulating for me. I get to write a lot of stuff and sing a lot of stuff.

MICK: I see you have a very busy tour schedule this year.

KIM: They’re still piling it on too! I’m happy about that. I’m not complaining.

MICK: You have your Blues All Stars touring South America too!

KIM: I have that and I have the Blues All Stars doing other things…another tour in the Fall. I have both things going at the same time. The lion’s share of it goes to the Thunderbirds obviously. I’ve got this great new agency that really stepped it up for us. A lot of really good things are happening. We were just in the studio recently in Austin and cut some new tracks. Adding to what we already have but we re-tracked a few things. It’s a very cool atmosphere to be in right now. I hope everybody feels the same way I do. For me, to keep things fresh at this stage of my life, it’s not easy. There’s a lot of good players out there. I’ve had almost all of them! For me to really get my jollies, I have to see some creation going on. I’m proud to say I’ve got some guys here who are great players. I’ve kind of gone back a step in a way and gone forward at the same time. I’m playing a lot of blues in the set now and all of the other stuff I like as well. I never have a set list. I just call the songs off on the spot as we do the show. I tailor the set to the audience every night that we play.

MICK: So it’s never the same each night?

KIM: Never

MICK: When do you expect to release the new album?

KIM: That’s a good question! This year for sure. It’s a work in progress. We have the advantage of doing this without a label and taking our time to finish it. We’ve been able to come back and buff it out some more. We’ve had a chance to play some of the tracks live for a long time. So now we can just walk in and track it in one or two takes. That’s what we did on a couple of them. We had a session out here in LA that we felt wasn’t the ideal thing. We felt there was some work to be done on the existing tracks we had. We’ve got them honed down now. It cost a little bit of money but it’s better than putting out a record where you’re kicking yourself in the ass. It’s going to be a really cool record.

MICK: What are some of your favorite venues to play?

KIM: I used to love The Ritz in New York. I really enjoyed The Bottom Line. I enjoy playing BB Kings now! I think that’s a great room. I think that New York is famous for those kinds of rooms. I wish some of them still existed. I remember going to see Jimmy McGriff and King Crawford over at The Blue Note. That’s still there. Then there’s Max’s Kansas City. New York is such a great place to play. There’s not much happening out in LA right now. Of course you can still go to the large venues like Universal. Right now the cycle is down in all the big cities. There’s some stuff happening in San Francisco and Chicago now. Those are the cities you always look forward to. There’s never been much happening down in Texas. That’s why you go out on the road! Austin is the only place in Texas where there’s anything remotely going on. Austin has always bragged about its music scene but they don’t really back it up.

MICK: How many harmonicas do you own?

KIM: Enough to get through a night! I happen to own a lot because I don’t buy them off the rack. I have them worked on for me. I don’t throw harmonicas away anymore. I send them back and they redo them for me. Joe Filisko, in Joliet, Illinois redoes them for me. He is a genius. I used to throw them all away after they broke down. I have many, 60 to 100. Not really sure. They all keep going back and every now and then I get a new batch! There’s nothing like a Filisko Harmonica!

MICK: Which harp players do you admire?

KIM: Almost all of them are dead! Little Walter, Big Walter, both Sonnyboys, George Harmonica Smith and James Cotton is a really great friend of mine and was a huge influence on me in a lot of ways. Jimmy Reed, Lazy Lester is a very good friend of mine. Snooky Pryor, Junior Wells, Junior Parker, Slim Harpo… I listened to all of them. There’s people like Whispering Smith and Billy Bizer. These are people you don’t even know! Most people will never know these people! I’m a really big fan of this jazz guy Mike Turk in Boston. He’s a great harmonica player. I love Larry Adler, Toots Thielmans. I’m stumbling upon people all the time that I haven’t heard. I’m just a fan of the instrument. I’m a fan of music. I like all music that’s cool!

MICK: What do you like to do when you’re not touring?

KIM: I play sports. I like to play basketball, go to the gym and work out. I like to go fishing out in the ocean which hasn’t been good the last couple of years. I like to ride a bike and play a little golf. I have over 25,000 songs on my computer that I listen to. That’s more songs than most people have in their record collections. I just put them on shuffle!

MICK: Are you religious?

KIM: I love gospel music. I am religious. I’m not one of these born again people and like to think I’m a spiritual person. Of course I was taught to believe in God. Had my doubts in the past but you go back and say you’re sorry. God is somebody to talk to and converse with! You have to start by saying “Listen, I’m not doing this because I want something!” There’s lots of times you can thank God just for a beautiful day. I live out here in California and have a lot to be thankful for. Every day is beautiful. I get to travel all over the world I’ve played with some of the greatest musicians that ever lived. I’ve done a lot of cool stuff and it’s far from over! I think I’m doing my coolest stuff right now!

MICK: What would be one word that would describe you?

KIM: Relentless!

MICK: What do you see down the road for The Fabulous Thunderbirds?

KIM: All good! I see no reason why we can’t have commercial success again. I’m hoping there’s going to be a renascence here of the player. I can see it happening slowly. When I was a kid, that’s all I was into was the players. If it were dance music, there had to be players involved with it as well. Before I got into blues, I was into Stax, Motown…Atlantic. I liked the soul music. I had the players in my mind because I started playing when I was very young. I stopped doing it to play athletics. When I got back into playing music again when I was 17, I already had that mindset. Over the years I came to realize that it’s ok to have technical ability if you can deliver it. You have to be able to move people.

Kim and his band The Fabulous Thunderbirds continue to move people who come to see them perform! Upcoming shows include…

6/20/2011 B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill New York, New York

7/10/2011 North Fork Theater at Westbury Westbury, L.I., NY with Dickey Betts!

For Tour Information visit www.fabulousthunderbirds.com

Every Body Needs Some Buddy!

by Christine Gerani

Merrick resident Buddy Casimano, has been gracing stages all over the world for over 25 years. Best known as Deborah “Debbie” Gibson’s backup dancer for most of her tours he has also performed on Broadway, films and has choreographed some of music’s greatest entertainers. Buddy is also a fitness trainer who teaches classes and trains all over Long Island. You can now purchase his new fitness DVD Buddy’s Broadway Body: Abs…olutely Fierce Abs…and work out right in your own home! For more information visit BuddyCasimano.com.

I had the pleasure of visited Buddy last week after one of his fitness classes at N. Shore Fitness in East Meadow. We had the best time reminiscing about our time with Deborah (I too had the honor of touring with Deborah) the prom, yes Buddy was my prom date and the time he was kicked by Madonna. Enjoy this lively interview with Buddy Casimano and don’t forget Every Body Needs Some Buddy!

Christine – Buddy you started off as a gymnast how did you become a dancer?

Buddy – I got injured.  I was training really really hard thinking Olympics one day.  I was about 15 and I injured my forearm, tore all the ligaments and was told to take a year off and then come back.  It was just too much to take the year at that time.  I was growing so I wondered what the next best thing was.  I went to my sisters dance recital and I saw her in a show and they did Thriller and I thought “I can do that”.  And that was it.  I loved it!  I thought “sign me up!”  I joined a dance class the next day.

Christine – You’ve been on Broadway, you’ve been in films, and you have choreographed great entertainers.  What has been your greatest experience in your dancing career?

Buddy – There’s a couple, Radio City Music Hall was a huge one.

Christine – What did you do at Radio City Music Hall?

Buddy – Performed with Deborah Gibson…you were there.  I remember coming up the staircase and the lights hit and I turned around and just that sight was the greatest thing that ever happened.  That was amazing for me.  Madison Square Garden was another moment.  I thought to myself holy crap I’m at Madison Square Garden, I can’t get over this!  Choreographically I think I had a couple of really great moments.  I choreographed Debbie Gibson’s tour; The Anything is Possible.  The One Step Ahead Tour, that was a big to do.  We rehearsed out in LA and we had auditions all over the country for dancers, it was a big deal.  That was my really my first huge job, people were going to see my choreography around the world.  The other greatest moment of my career was the night I took my first bow on Broadway.  It was at The Broadway Theatre… it was truly the highlight of my life thus far.

Christine – You are the Director of Dance for Deborah Gibson’s Camp Electric Youth? Tell us about Camp Electric Youth and how is Deborah doing?

Buddy – Deborah is doing very well actually.  She’s working on some new stuff so be prepared for that.  I’m still involved with working with her when we can we get together.  If I’m not doing something we get together still…I choreograph still a little bit with her.  Camp Electric Youth – I’ve been teaching kids dance now for almost 20 years.  Throughout my performance career, I’ve also toured the country and all around the world teaching.  So because of that she started doing this camp and she called me and said I know you teach kids, do you think you can be involved in this?  I signed on to the first year and it was so great!  It was so much fun and such a success and my dance classes went over so big that she asked if I could be the Director of Dance and create all the movement’s and dances.  So now I’m in charge of the dance program at her camps in New York and Los Angeles.  Twice a year, it’s for kids in the performing arts community that are really serious about it.  The teachers are all Broadway teachers, plus film and casting agents come by.  The kids get great exposure.  It’s another really great way to give back.

Christine- It says on your website you were kicked in the face by Madonna…what the hell happened?

Buddy – She kicked me in the face and Sandy Duncan broke my nose.  I was at Madonna’s final call back for her Truth or Dare tour.  There were 20 guys left for the tour.  I think she took 10.  I was in the room and I had gotten flown in for the final audition because I was on tour with Debbie and missed the original audition, so they flew me in.  I was new to all of it and I didn’t know the choreography so all the dancers that were there already had already learned a bunch of the stuff.  So she says “Ok you.”  She was always evil.  I loved her even more for it but she was evil.  She says “you sit down and watch”.  So I sat and watched.  They did “Hanky Panky” and it was before anyone knew it.  The music wasn’t released yet.  So she’s asked “Do you know it?” I had watched it once.  I said “yes I know it”.  I jumped up and I stood next to her and we danced it in the mirror and she went the wrong way on one step and kicked me!  I didn’t go the wrong way she did!  Then we did again and she did it again on purpose.  And guess what…I got cut!

Years later we went to a Vanilla Ice concert together and she apologized.

Christine – Are you kidding?

Buddy – Nope! She remembered me.  I was with Deborah and Charles Kopelman, we went to the Vanilla Ice concert.  She was with Carlos Leon I was with Deborah and Charles.  It was like a row of Pop Music Icons and me.  It was LOUD.  Charles introduced Deborah to Madonna and it was their first time meeting, and then he says and this is her dancer Buddy.  Madonna says “I remember Buddy” and she says “I apologize for my behavior” Deborah asks what was that about?  I told her I’ll tell you later.

Christine –How did Sandy Duncan break your nose?

Buddy – We were rehearsing the show two weeks prior to her getting in.  In rehearsal she had a stand in. So we had a lift at the end of the opening number it was huge. Jerry Mitchell choreographed, he’s now a big Broadway Producer/Choreographer.  He had me flipping all over the place and I had to, at the end, come in and flip and we pressed Sandy into a Cheerleading lift.  I was supposed to pop her up and catch her in a basket toss. I rehearsed it with her stand it so we were doing it the whole time and then when she got there she did it the first time and she came down with her elbows and BAM right in my nose!  Cracked my nose in half, there was blood all over the place.  I didn’t miss a beat, I didn’t miss an hour of rehearsal not a minute.

There was a Christmas Show in Chicago and they did secret Santa, and I got Sandy as my secret Santa.  I went to the doctor and got my x-ray, and I framed my x-ray and I wrote on the outside ‘Dear Sandy, Thanks for the Big Break’. She has it in her house.  Still to this day she tells me it’s still there on the mantle.

Christine – You now have a DVD called Buddy’s Broadway Body Absolutely Fierce Abs!  What made you want to make a fitness video?

Buddy – Truthfully it was because people kept asking.  It was an idea I had a while ago.  I’ve been working out for forever and its part of my normal routine.  After I got off Broadway I started teaching in gyms and I developed a following and before you knew it I’m all over Long Island with these gyms! If people missed my class or I couldn’t make an audition they’d say ‘Why don’t you do a DVD’.  So after the 10^th time I said ok I’ll do a DVD.  It’s grass roots, it’s my 25 -minute abs class.  You can do some of it at one point you can do some of it later.  You can do half of it during the week, half of it at the end of the week however you want to break it up.  It’s my arsenal of my exercises on film for you to decide how you want to do it.

Christine – How does one get a body like Buddy? What is your best advice for those looking to lose weight?

Buddy – I just say do the work! Put the work in.  Whatever it is that you like to do, do it and make yourself sweat.  I believe in sweating at least once a day, that’s a big thing of mine.  If you don’t sweat it don’t count.  Find that something that works for you.  If you don’t like that class take another class or try a workout.  Whatever it is move your body!  As far as moving weight, the key to losing weight is there’s no key to losing weight.  I really think it’s all about keeping your body fueled.  You have to eat the right stuff and eat more than 3 times a day.  That 3 times a day thing I don’t know why that was drilled in our head. Even to get through a day of work, every 2 or 3 hours fill yourself with something good.  It’s speeds up your metabolism, the more you eat.  Not shit…if your eating crappy food guess what…you’re going to feel crappy.  It’s like a car, if you put great fuel in it and you take care of it and use all the right stuff that supposed to go into it, I don’t know anything about a car but I know you’re suppose to take good care of that engine.  So if you take good care of your engine it’s going to treat you right.

Christine – When you’re not dancing and working out what do you like to do?

Buddy – I like to dance.  When I really have the time I like to go out and dance.  I want the DJ to be good so that I can dance all night.  I also like to cook.  Cooking relaxes me.  Many people get stressed out by it. Love the preparation and love to serve it to people and see their reaction.  I do a great chicken rollatini with spinach and of course low fat mozzarella cheese.  I don’t fry it I bake it, and I can make a mean Red Velvet Cake and the Cupcakes are the best.

Christine – What’s next for Buddy?

Buddy – Well, now that this one is in the can, I’m hoping to get the next one done.  The next series I’m hoping will be a cardio-dance series.  Dance is what I do.  People love that class.

 Click the photo to visit Buddy’s Website!

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September 21, 2009

Dancing with Melissa Joan Hart

by Mick DuRussel 

We came to know and love her as Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Today, Long Island’s own Melissa Joan Hart is a beautiful woman who combines career, motherhood and being the wife of a well known musician. On Monday, September 21st on ABC TV at 8:00pm, Melissa begins her quest for a championship on the 9th edition of Dancing with the Stars. I had a chance to speak with Melissa before she began one of her final rehearsals…

MICK: Congratulations on being chosen to compete in the 2009 edition of Dancing with the Stars. How did this all come about?
MELISSA: They had asked me the first season to appear and I was not able to do it because of scheduling conflicts. A lot of the following seasons I was pregnant so I couldn’t do it in any event. So the timing just finally worked out. It took 9 seasons but now I’m able to do it!

MICK: How long are the rehearsals each day?
MELISSA: Depends on how I’m feeling. My dance partner was feeling well yesterday and I was kind of sick last week. We’ve been taking it easy now that we’ve got the routine down, trying to polish it up. We’re trying not to exhaust ourselves because once the show begins next week, it’s going to be hard core. We do between 2-6 hours each day. We’ll probably get 2-4 hours in today.

MICK: Are you nervous?
MELISSA: I’m getting really nervous. I got to do some of my dance for some friends last night so that made me feel a little better!

MICK: Are you happy with your dance partner?
MELISSA: Oh yeah. I’ve got the best! I got the two time winner (Mark Ballas) whom I think is the best choreographer. As a teacher he is so patient, giving and concerned. A lot of the other dancers were taught by his mother so he’s not only got it in his blood, he’s got the best teacher in his life. Hopefully, he’ll be able to pull me through it!

MICK: You and your mom recently opened a candy store in Sherman Oaks, Ca. called SweetHarts. How is that going?
MELISSA: It’s going great! It’s extremely adorable. A wonderful little place. Instantly, when you walk in, it makes you happy!

MICK: Do you plan to expand, open more stores?
MELISSA: We are opening another one in the next few months and hopefully more. Start branching out a bit.

MICK: Possibly a store on Long Island?
MELISSA: Yes, hopefully. I’ve got a lot of family on Long Island so I can put some of them in charge of it!

MICK: What are your plans after Dancing with the Stars?
MELISSA: After this ends, I’m supposed to be doing a pilot. We’ll see how that works out. Possibly to get started on a new TV show, that would be exciting and fun. That’s what I really want to be doing. We just recently moved back here to the Northeast to Connecticut. Close enough to my family on Long Island, right over the Sound! I hope to get settled in my new town a little bit, spend some time with my two boys and my husband. This show has taken away of lot of my focus and time away from them. So as soon as I get back I can spend time being a mommy!

MICK: Do you get back to Long Island a lot?
MELISSA: Yes, we do actually. We took the Bridgeport ferry over recently. Spent some time with my dad and went on his boat. He owns a marina in Sayville. We took his boat over to Fire Island a few weeks ago. I have a brother in Bayport and a sister in Lake Ronkonkoma and my little sister is in Brooklyn; cousins, aunts and uncles everywhere from Oyster Bay to Moriches, all over.

MICK: I’ve read that you collect Shirley Temple memorabilia. Have you ever met her?
MELISSA: I have! She invited me to her home. I went to her house in Northern California to meet and talk to her about the possibility of doing her life story. She never gave anyone the rights to her story before but she liked me and my mother and trusted us. We did that movie a few years ago, probably 7 years ago, for ABC as a Mother’s Day special.

MICK: Do you have any hobbies?
MELISSA: Yes snow boarding. I love snow boarding. I play some golf here and there with my husband. Actually, we came out in June for the U.S. Open. That was exciting and fun but very muddy. It was miserable for the fans and I’m sure the players. I’m really looking forward to going to Belmont. I love watching the ponies run. I’ve never been to Belmont before so that should be fun.

MICK: Tell me something about yourself that your fans would be surprised to know about you.
MELISSA: A lot of people would assume that I am very goody two shoes but I tend to be more salty and sweet. I tend to have a pretty good sense of humor. I think it runs in my family that we have this sort of attitude where if something happens, we crack a joke even if it’s inappropriate. So I do tend to be more inappropriate at times then people tend to think.

MICK: Are you superstitious at all?
MELISSA: I’m a little superstitious. I’m really afraid of flying. I’m terrified of flying even though I do it at least twice a week.

MICK: Are you religious?
MELISSA: Yes I am. I grew up Catholic, going to St. Lawrence in Sayville. I had my Communion and Confirmation there. When I met my husband, we became Presbyterian together.

MICK: Pick one word that would best describe you.
MELISSA: Sassy!!!

MICK: Which actors and actresses do you most admire?
MELISSA: I’m thinking Sandra Bullock and Harrison Ford.

MICK: I know you are married to a well known musician [Mark Wilkerson]. Do you have any plans to do anything musically?
MELISSA: No, I don’t sing very well. I’d love to do “Chicago” on Broadway but I’d have to take a lot of lessons for that!

MICK: How are your two boys doing?
MELISSA: They’re doing great! Really good! Mason just started preschool in our new little town in CT; Brady is one and a half, he still won’t talk but we’re working on it. He loves charades but he won’t talk!

MICK: What advice would you give to any up and coming actresses?
MELISSA: You’ve got to have a thick skin and you’ve got to take the good with the bad. It’s a huge uphill struggle. It’s not the kind of job where the better you get at it, you move up the ladder. You hit the top and then you hit the bottom all in the same year!

MICK: Ok Melissa, lots of luck on the show!
MELISSA: Thanks Mick. Tell all Long Islanders they have to vote for me!! And vote as many times as they can! I’m also on Twitter now. My name is: MELLYJHART. I’ve got to get my followers up! I have to beat Demi Moore!!

Don’t forget to watch Melissa on Dancing with the Stars beginning Monday, September 21st at 8:00pm on ABC!! and VOTE for her!!!!!

Follow Melissa on Twitter @MellyJHart

Click here and join the Sweetharts Facebook Fan Page!

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]]> http://spotonli.com/2009/09/dancing-with-melissa-joan-hart/feed/ 4 http://spotonli.com/2009/09/guitar-hero-robin-trower/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=guitar-hero-robin-trower http://spotonli.com/2009/09/guitar-hero-robin-trower/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:32:27 +0000 admin http://spotonli.com/?p=811

Guitar Hero Robin Trower

by The Showbiz Wizard,  Mick DuRussel

September 14, 2009

His name is synonymous with guitar excellence. Often compared to Jimi Hendrix during his illustrious career that has spanned over 40 years, Robin Trower continues his mastery with a style that is truly his own. He achieved early success with Procol Harum and has played with legendary musicians Jack Bruce and Bryan Ferry. Today, Robin is on tour promoting his latest CD “What Lies Beneath”. I had the pleasure to chat with Robin this morning…

MICK: Do you have a large guitar collection?
ROBIN: No no I don’t. In the 70′s I had a very large collection of vintage Strats and they were stolen. I decided then that it would always be new guitars. For the last few years I’ve been playing a Strat that is my signature model. There was an anniversary Strat put out for the “Bridge of Sighs” [1975]. This signature model is built to my specs.

MICK: First, I’d like to congratulate you on the release of your latest CD “What Lies Beneath”. This is your 24th album, right?
ROBIN: Is it really? I’m very happy with this new CD!

MICK: Is there a favorite track on this CD?
ROBIN: Not really although I am very proud of the opening track to be honest, the instrumental at the beginning. Livingston Brown did a fantastic job producing the album [he also played bass and was responsible for the strings arrangement].

MICK: I really love the artwork on the cover. Is Bruer Tidman [the artist] a friend of yours?
ROBIN: No, I actually saw his work in a gallery, or showroom, where he had an exhibition of his paintings and I just fell in love with his work. I asked him, actually my manager asked him, if I could use one of his paintings for the cover of “What Lies Beneath” so that’s how it worked.

MICK: Do you still enjoy touring?
ROBIN: Yes, I still enjoy playing live probably more than anything else! We are only on the beginning of the East Coast part of the tour right now.

MICK: Looking back on your career, can you tell me about meeting Jimi Hendrix and his influence he had on you?
ROBIN: I can’t say I really met him. I was on the same bill as him when I was with Procol Harum. I wouldn’t say that he actually influenced my career but his music has truly been an inspiration to me. As far as being compared, I don’t think that is fair to him because he was a genius. But it’s nice to be compared to someone so good!

MICK: What do you do in your spare time besides music?
ROBIN: Well, my main sort of relaxation thing is watching soccer. That’s something I really enjoy.

MICK: Do you have any future plans to work with Jack Bruce again?
ROBIN: No, not really. We just did a few dates in the summer and that was fun.

MICK: Which of today’s artists do you admire?
ROBIN: I don’t know. You can see that today’s popular music has lost its originality a bit. There are some very strong commercial stuff. I saw a band called “Baby Shambles” which I thought was quite interesting, a British band. They are the odd thing, but mostly popular music has gone very shallow I feel. There’s too many guys coming up now that have been influenced by people; they are not the instigators of the music. It’s become a bit third hand.

MICK: Tell me something about yourself that your fans would not know.
ROBIN: You should have given me two weeks’ notice for this question!! They may be surprised to know that I have a great collection of 30′s and 40′s popular music and that’s what I listen to most of the time. It’s not so much of an influence on my music but an education. I’m not that keen on the big band stuff. That tends to come a bit later. The 30′s popular American music and some of the British stuff as well. There’s was this guy called Al Boley who was a big hit singer in Britain whom I’m very fond of. I love stuff like the very early Frank Sinatra. The early stuff of guys like that is what I enjoy. The musicianship, the arrangements, the whole thing is an education for me. I love it. It’s a bit on the romantic, sentimental ticket. That’s what really appeals to me!

Catch Robin tonight at the Boulton Center for Performing Arts in Bay Shore, NY
http://boultoncenter.org/
Also, catch Robin at BB King’s Blues Club in NYC on Friday Sept 18th and Saturday Sept. 19th. Both shows begin at 8:00PM.
http://www.bbkingblues.com/
Robin Trower official website: http://www.trowerpower.com/

An interview with WBAB’s Joe Rock

We sat down with WBAB personality and Long Island musician Joe Rock, 43 at the ‘BAB studios. In addition to his on-air duties, performance gigs and charity work, Joe also is very active with the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and their education initiatives.  We wanted to know just how he manages to get everything done!

Christine:  So Joe, how do you go from being a postal worker to one of Long Island’s most visible radio personalities?

Joe – (Laughs) You did too much homework! I was already a musician playing around the Island. I got the name Joe Rock because I just knew crazy amounts of music. I once managed a record warehouse that specialized in 45’s, if you asked me an artist I could tell you their hit single. Whenever I did music trivia, they’d be like “what are you Joe Rock?” The name stuck and when I needed a stage name at one point in my life, I choose that.

I meet Fingers on a vacation. We have this shuttle van that picks us up, he took a train, I flew. The shuttle van picks us up and we’re in the van and we just start talking and he says to me “Where ya from?” New York I say he says “me too.” He asked, “Where in New York?” I say, Long Island.  We start talking, and, to make it even funnier, he asks “have you ever listened to BAB?” Sure, “I’m Fingers”, oh ok. Where are you from in Long Island, Massapequa, I just spent the last few days there at my mother’s house, so I asked him where she lives and he tells me the street and it’s one of the streets that I delivered to as a postal worker. I ask him what number, he tells me, and I tell him the name and he’s like freaking out, like who is this guy but that’s just a postal thing, you know names and addresses.

We were becoming quick friends and he was looking for a new producer for Metal Shop.  Growing up people used to tell me all the time I should be on the radio and I just had no idea how to do it. I was very scattered in my life when I was younger. I did some crazy things. I went out and toured the country for a year after my parents passed and all different things.

After a while, I’m finally kind of settled and established I told Fingers I don’t know anything about metal. I had never worked in radio before but I could operate a sound board since I’d done it for music gigs.  I tell him that if they give me this shot I‘ll learn everything and do it. They gave me a chance. Ted Edwards was the program director at the time he hired me for the job. I came in and I started acting like I was an intern in the place, everything they needed to do I put my hand up and say “I’ll do it”. So the first time it came up that they needed somebody on the air and no one was around and I had my hand out saying “I’ll do it” and Ted said, ok.

Christine – What year was this?

Joe- 2001. You know it’s funny, I didn’t start in radio until 2001, that’s when I began, but I talk to people all the time and they say “I’ve been listening to you since the 80’s!”

Christine- You have one of those voices that seems familiar to people that’s probably why they say that.

Joe- I think the difference was when I started out I was on Metal Shop, all the listeners there were either friends of Fingers or they really felt that way. I came in to the family as a producer and a co-host, and then I was just more mature than so many other people starting out in the business. I was already in my 30’s. People talk about target demos our target demos are guys like me, so I get it, I know.  I get on the air and be myself and it connects with everybody.

Christine- Were your postal co-workers shocked hearing you?

Joe – Oh absolutely. I kept telling them I was going to leave. The big insult when you’re a postal worker is “you’re just a mailman”. I’d say to them “that may be you, not me.” Mailman is what I do to earn a living. It’s not my life. I used to tell them that all the time and now that I’m out, they probably understand what I meant.

Christine – Have you ever gone postal?

Joe – I’ll tell you this much, they joke I was really close when I came to the end. I was starting to lose my mind. It’s a very difficult job. People can’t imagine the stress that those employees are under. The management really abuses its employees, not only was radio a dream and something I loved to do so much, but it saved my life.

Christine – Tell us about your involvement with the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Joe – As soon as it started I thought it was a great idea. I was here at BAB when they first began and was invited to come out to their meetings as a liaison for the station to the board of directors. As soon as I started I realized that these people are just like me, we’re music geeks. We know all those silly things about songs, who produced what, what year it came out, and “Did you know that even though they didn’t credit them on the album this is who’s playing”.  Normally I can brag about that stuff and now I get into a room full of people that all knew this stuff, now I really got some competition!

One of things I love about this is that it’s not just about the music. If it was just about the music it would be a good enough organization on its own. But it’s an educational organization too. There’s a scholarship fund, and other educational programs. We’ve been approved to able to have internships from Stony Brook and we’re working on getting it to CW Post and other Universities so that we can teach student’s audio editing. They’ll get to work with industry professionals under real world circumstances, some of my co-workers here at WBAB are willing to work with the students. We’ll teach them audio editing and they’ll create the Music Hall of Fames radio campaign. Thirty second sound bites talking about the history of music on Long Island. We’ll get a radio campaign they’ll get college credit plus real world experience with industry professionals. Plus the product that they create is a demo that they can use to hopefully get them a job. It all really clicks like that.

There’s a very cool music school, Jimmy Rosica the bass player for the Brooklyn Bridge is involved, he has an interesting concept that he does with pitch pipes. We do exhibits. In March we did “Music and Motorcycles” at Lighthouse Harley Davidson in Huntington. We had the Girl Scout chorus come out and perform you can’t get any more educational than that!  We had the Melville Chapter of the Paul Green School of Rock come in and they were so good, 10 and 11 year old kids playing classic rock that the management at Lighthouse Harley Davidson had a great idea. They help sponsor Dee Snider’s Bikers for Babies Run that benefits the March of Dimes and were doing a pre-registration event in May. They figure Dee’s going to be here and he’s a Long Island Music Hall of Fame Inductee, plus Mark “The Animal” Mendoza also an inductee from Twister Sister. What if the kids played Twisted Sister songs with them? The school thought it was great. Not only did they do it there in May at the pre-registration event but they got together to perform with them again on a Tuesday night cruise from Oyster Bay.  Dee was shooting a reality show for A&E that night and they filmed them performing with these kids.

One of the good things with the kids of School of Rock is that they’re doing better in so many other aspects of their lives because they’re learning how to play music. I know one of the mothers of one of the students and she said that her son used to spend so much time looking down at the ground and not paying attention to what’s going on. Now he’s started music and suddenly he’s thinking about what he’s wearing and he’s paying more attention to school and he’s so much more outgoing and social because he started learning about music.

Christine-You are a singer songwriter, and all around musician and producer. How do you make the time to do everything?

Joe- I have a very understanding girlfriend

Christine- I’m sure you do! What’s her name?

Joe- Donna. She understands what music means to me but, I feel this is important to say here because she and I discuss it a lot. As much as I love what I get to do in my life, all the musical things and everything. It’s nothing without having the home that I have. We have a life together and we have a family together and that comes first and the music enhances that, it’s not something else beside it. She understands I make the time for the music because it’s just part of me.

Christine – So now when you’re not singing, writing, or on-air, what do you like to do?

Joe- Get on my bike and ride. I’m a dedicated Harley Davidson rider. I’ve been riding and playing in bands since I was 16 years old. There’s nothing like getting on a bike and riding. That too has gone through changes in my life. I used to be one of those nut jobs that weave in and out of the lanes. I used to wear one of those skid lids as a helmet. Now, I’ve have the same bike for 16 years, a Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide, a Special Limited Edition for their 90^th Anniversary that they only made in 1993 and I’ve got one!  We’ve been together… it’s my longest, well almost my longest relationship!  My Telecaster, one of my guitars. I’ve had that longer than I had the bike.  My two longest relationships are my Telecaster and my Harley, but my most important one is still Donna. I couldn’t do all the things I do without this understanding woman in my life.

Christine – Are you currently working with other artist besides yourself ?

Joe- I’m speaking to artists. I asked the questions at one time from the perspective of an artist. Five Towns College once did this seminar where you could come and ask questions. There was a producer there I asked “What would you do if you walked into a studio and you had a completely different idea than the artist had for what you wanted to do with the record?” and he said “That will never happen.” He said “I said I sit down with every artist before we go into the studio to make sure we’re on the same page”. So I will speak with artist before I bring them in. There’s one woman who I’m going to be producing a session for. Her name is Patty Marrone and she’s going to be recording a song I wrote. It’s a blues song that’s straight ahead dirty nasty blues when I do it, but we’re doing it more jazzy, more of a Billie Holiday kind of feel for her. We’re going to get a real stand up bass, the drums will be played just with brushes, piano, and we’ll have a great jazz guitarist; Mike “Spider” Hickson. It’s really going to be a good session.

Christine- Tell us your favorite artists, who’s influenced you?

Joe- Top of the list; Bruce Springsteen. I would never have picked up a guitar if it wasn’t for him. I didn’t discover him till I was in High School, but that’s also when I first started to get serious about music. His music really just connects with me on such a level and it’s funny because when he plays Nassau Coliseum he said a few times “Long Islanders if you scratch the surface of a New Jerseyan you’ll find a Long Islander living underneath him. We’re two sides of the same tragic coin.” He’s one of the big guys. There are so many people that have influenced me… John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, Joe Strummer, The Clash just so many people and some of the heavier bands too.

Christine – What do you enjoy most about being on the radio?

Joe- The listeners. When I was high school there were two rock stations you could listen to. WNEW FM “The place where rock lived’ and ‘BAB. I’m a Massapequa boy and that was it. WBAB outlasted WNEW and rose to the top but one of the things that I learned listening to the guys at ‘NEW, I really loved the fact that they always spoke about the music. And that spoke to the inner music geek inside of me. So when I get on the air here that’s what I want to talk about. I’ll talk about other things sometimes but we’re a rock station. If you’re listening to us I figure you want to hear about rock. This is your chance to relax, this is your chance to get away, to come to us and have fun together with us. This station in particular. I’ve worked at other stations and I have nothing bad to say about any of the people I worked with. I started out at ‘BAB and I came back here and this is home. The program director here said to me at one point. “You bleed black and gold” and I love that.

This station, and it may sound silly or cliché, but not only are we about the music but we’re about the listeners. It’s coming up again, the anniversary of 9/11. I was working here September 11, 2001. You know how hard it is to even try to explain to anyone who wasn’t here what happened and what we did. We had a line out in front of the station that stretched for miles with people bringing us everything. We would get phone calls from listeners at ground zero, saying this is what we need please announce it on the air. We were loading up trucks to the point where they told us they didn’t have the manpower to receive the things we were sending…you have to stop. We’re always collecting food for events, all the different charities that I get to work with because I’m in radio. The Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Have a Heart Organization that does work with kids with cancer. The Little Louis Foundation, Windows of Opportunity. I know I’m going to end of forgetting some, there’s just so many. The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Fortunato Breast Health Center at Mather Hospital are two other important charities I’m happy to work with. Breast cancer has touched my life too many times and they really help here on Long Island.

I get the chance through what I do to broadcast the little bit for these people and it pays me back because I get that feeling inside, like I’ve done the right thing.

Christine – And what do you think the future holds for radio?

Joe- Satellite’s just about dead. What I just said is the reason why we will never be gone. People want to know what’s going on in their backyard. They want to be connected to the people around them, so radio is in no danger, it’s not going anywhere! It’s stronger I think than it’s ever been and people are going to see that difference.

Christine- So what does the future hold for Joe Rock?

Joe- Just a continued life of happiness.

You can see Joe Rock and the Blue Stars at The Cedar Beach Blues Festival

Cedar beach, Mount Sinai, NY
Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 1pm! Don’t miss it!

Click here to join Joe Rocks Facebook Fanpage!

Click here to join SpotonLI’s Facebook Fanpage!

Don’t forget to listen to Joe Rock on Long Island’s Home of Rock and Roll 102.3 WBAB!

Back Home with Chef Heather West

by Christine Gerani

We interviewed Chef Heather West, 29 the winner of Hell’s Kitchen Season Two and now Executive Chef at Monterey in Long Beach. Chef Heather was a pleasure to interview. A natural beauty with a lot of great stories to tell, Heather talks about her love of cooking, her love for her parents Jack and Pat West and of course coming back home.

Christine: You’re back in New York; tell us what brought you back to Long Island.

Chef Heather: I’d been thinking about moving back, my family’s here. My father’s my best friend. I love that man more than anything. This is my 17th move in 5 years. I miss home and I said if I do come home it’s not going to be for just 6 to 8 months. I looked online and I saw that there was a job out here; I thought it would take a couple months. I emailed them and not even 24 hours later I got a call and not even another 24 hours later I got the job! I came back early just to work here.

Christine: Who inspired you to start cooking?

Chef Heather: Well I was an art major before I got my culinary degree. I always cooked and baked with my mom and my grandma since I was 4. I did my own apple pie from scratch when I was 11. I was cooking in restaurants when I was 13. It was always something I did. I worked at the Village Way (Port Jefferson) I worked everywhere. I started to get real good at it. I was 20, in my second year of college and my mom got diagnosed with cancer.

So I would look on epicurious.com because my mom does not know how to shop. She would buy 12 cans of pickles and 13 cans of dressings, I felt like MacGyver. I always call it “Cooking like MacGyver” I can make a bomb but can I eat it. I would look up ingredients on epicurious.com and I would cook for her to make her happy and I started to get good and it and I thought I might do this as a living.

I got into the best school in the country, which is called the Culinary School of America; I got in the first time. I was the last class in the old curriculum which means that I got a lot of stuff that the new kids aren’t getting now and I’ve been going ever since.

Christine: Did your experience as a reality star help you in the way you approach your career?

Chef Heather: Yes and no. If I didn’t win, it would be a hell of a lot harder because of the way you kind of get manipulated on TV and everything. They’re all excellent chefs, but when you deprive anyone sleep, food, smoke, and drink, then stick them in a room with no communication with anyone, something’s gonna happen and they’re going to cry and they’re going to mess up. And they do mess with them a little bit.

It has been hard getting a job especially in this economy. I’ll take any kind of restaurant that I like, I just want to cook! I just want food and I want to learn the job. I worked at ice cream parlors, I worked at bakeries, I worked at breakfast joints that just bang out breakfast.

Christine: So you keep honing your craft?

Chef Heather: Yea it’s not all 5 star but its good food.

Christine: What’s your favorite food?

Chef Heather: I eat a lot of Mexican, like chicken and rice, enchiladas, empanadas. I did traditional Mexican for a long time. I did that in the Hamptons at Almond/Almonditos. I was the executive sous chef. I was kind of a little bitch going back and forth but I did whatever they said.

Christine: Speaking of being a sous chef, aren’t you currently on Hell’s Kitchen Season 8? Can you tell us what it’s like being on the outside looking in.

Chef Heather: When I showed up on set, there’s a lot of meetings. There’s one meeting where you meet the cast there and they have a bunch of pictures on the wall; and they’re like … this person is so and so, this person doesn’t like to be called this and her fears are this. I’m looking around the room looking at the crew going “what the fuck did you say about me? You guys are bastards!” I can’t say too much but working in the back you see all the camera’s, that was a trip. I’d say something to a girl then look in the monitors to see if they were talking crap about me. It was fun! I would watch their confessionals I would watch them sleep.

Christine: Did everyone trip when Tennille and Chef Ramsey had it out?

Chef Heather: First of all how about Joseph from Massapequa? Thanks Joseph for making us look bad! [Joseph proclaimed to Chef Ramsey and the world that “he ain’t no bitch”]

I see her, (Tennille) she was like “you’re crap” I had a bug in my ear and I hear “ah-oh”. She left first. He didn’t follow her right away, the people at the door told her to stop. Then he came and I heard banging. Then I went in the back and I’m going what the fuck happened?

Christine: Were you ever cursed out by Chef Ramsey

Chef Heather: I got chewed out once, thank God they didn’t show it. I think its hysterical now. At the time not so funny. I’m getting direction from Chef Scott, producers, I was cooking but before service I cut my finger, I was bleeding for 2 ½ hours. There was nothing to stitch cause the tip was gone. Meanwhile Robert had a heart problem, Amanda has Lupus, and one guy has a cast on his wrist. I’m not going to be like “excuse me chef? I cut my finger.” Why would I say anything? He’d be like grow up!

So during service I guess I bumped it and had blood everywhere. I talked to the person in my ear, that I need a medic. Chef Ramsey is always telling you to plate with two hands. I only had one hand. Chef Ramsey yells “Two Hands!” I tell him I’m waiting for the medic to come and he yells “don’t be such a baby” in front of the entire dining room, both contestants, everybody. And of course when you walk out he has to tell you in the back after service “I’m really sorry I yelled at you, I was caught in the moment. When you’re cut just tell me.”

Christine: What have you taken away from Chef Ramsey? One thing specific?

Chef Heather: I learned a whole lot as far as sharpening my skills. How he describes salt. How he describes what salt does to the chemistry of food. There’s to a point that you add salt to the food where it gets salty. For lot of people it’s under seasoned.

Christine: Are you friendly with any of the Hell’s Kitchen Contestants?

I worked with Robert before Hell’s Kitchen at the Patio in Westhampton. We worked together. I talk to the alumni from all seasons. Tuesday nights they are going to come to Monterey to watch the show.

Christine: You became head chef of Terra Rosa Italian restaurant at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. Was your experience what you expected?

Chef Heather: Yes and no. I did learn a lot at the restaurant. I was the senior chef. It jump started my career. I talked to everyone, doing publicity but I just want to cook. I learned every single line. I talked to everyone, I worked 7 days a week. I worked on my days off and worked every restaurant from that casino. I followed the executive chef around, I learned every single restaurant, the café, the breakfast line and I did tastings.

Christine: What will you bring to Monterey Restaurant as far as cooking style and leadership?

Chef Heather: Leadership style, as long as you’re doing everything right and you’re working hard and working clean there’s no reason why we can’t have a blast. I like high fiving the guys, I’m dancing, I scream, I’m always singing. I’m absolutely out of my mind to be in this business but its fun.

I took the whole menu apart. I changed all the plate designs and changed all the flavors, making sure everything is seasoned and fresher, no thick sauces, light fresh seafood.

All of our desserts are homemade. The cakes are homemade and so is the ice cream.

Christine: How about the Drink Menu?

Chef Heather: The drink menu as well. We’re bringing in Firefly, it’s a sweet tea vodka. It’s amazing! It’ll be a wicked Arnold Palmer. We’ll be fresh making lemonade as well. The bar menu has changed as well.

Christine: Any advice for up and coming chefs?

Chef Heather: Never go for the paycheck. Someone told me that. A chef by the name of Katie Brown, she’s out in the Hamptons. I went for a job with her to help make a cookbook and I didn’t get it. But I asked what advice she could give me and she said never go for the paycheck, go for the experience. I went from, when I was working at The Patio, making $1200 a week, a lot of money; especially back then, working 60 hours a week to working at Almond/Almondito 85-90 hours a week making $500 take home. But I was the happiest, happiest I’ve been and I loved it. She gave me that advice and that was the job that led me to gain my reputation and that’s how I got on Hell’s Kitchen. They came and saw me there.

Christine: So they work scouting around?

Chef Heather: They were scouting around that area and they came into the restaurant and I was like “Who the hell are you? Get out!” and they were like “Are you Heather West? We’re the casting directors for Hell’s Kitchen.” And I said “Oh, hi, sorry about that!” We’d like you try out and I was like really all right.

And my Dad said… “I’m not gonna tell you that you can’t do anything anymore because you always get it.”

I danced for years. I did jazz, point, ballet, lyric ballet and all that. There was an audition, like The Grind. It was for Global Group, to be one of the dancers for MTV. I wanted to do it, I was 19 years old I was going to college, I really wanted to do it. My dad was like “No, there’s going to be professional dancers…” he had never really seen me dance. I was like “I’m going to do it!” First he wouldn’t take me in, and then, I couldn’t get a ride. He said “I’ll take you” and I said no I got a ride.

My best friends took me in. I went to the city, and I went in and I did the audition. I was waitressing at the time, it was 5 days later and it was Sunday. I was at work and my parents came in to eat and I was thinking if they do call it will probably be 5 business days not 5 regular days so my Dad looks at me with a smile and says “What makes you think they’ll call?” And I say “Did I get it? Did they call! Did they call!” he’s like yea they called. So I was working for MTV for about a year and a half dancing for them.

At my parents house Hell’s Kitchen was on I’ll never forget. Hell’s Kitchen was on the first season and I said I want to do that! My Dad looked at me and said I’d be the first booted off. He said because I couldn’t take the yelling. I told him its different when you yelled at me as a kid, it’s different when it’s my dad. You yelled at me all the time! I can take it, I was like you prepared me for them.

They didn’t know how I was. My parents are very protective – I am their baby. I watched the show, I wasn’t the 18 year old that goes out and swings from the chandeliers. I wanted to show them that I was just as good as everyone else and just because I was just working at a restaurant, I wanted to show them what I had. So I went to the first audition but my Dad kept reminding me that a lot of people will be trying out for this. We kept on getting calls and finally it was down to 50. They sent me out to LA and then I come back and it was down to 25, so I was on pins and needles. I come by my parent’s house once a week to do laundry.

One week, I said the same exact thing I always did, I looked at my Mom and said “they probably won’t call today, it’s too late.” And 5 minutes later, the phone rings. I say hello, I go in the hallway and my mom’s in the kitchen and I say, oh my god thank you that’ s awesome! They tell me I got it, you’re on, we’d like to have you… and my Mom, I hear “Jack, she got it” I’ll never forget it was hysterical! She woke my Dad up my Dad came in and I was so excited, I called work right away and said I’m going to be gone for a month. Cause they relied on me a lot. My Dad said listen it doesn’t matter if you’re the first booted off or anything. You got it, you made it past thousands of people, you’re one of 12!

My Dad and I haven’t gone without talking more than 2 days my entire life. So this is 28 days without talking to my Dad or seeing him. There’s no friends, no family no TV, no radio, no internet, no music, no writing anything down, no reading, no books. Nothing. I had their picture in my back pocket, I was doing it to show them I wanted them to come there so I can say “see, I freaking told you I’m good at what I do!”

I work hard and I play hard and outside of the kitchen I’m crazy. But when I’m in the kitchen I’m serious and I get my work done. I have a really good worth ethic and I wanted to show them. So when it was down to the final two they brought in the parent’s. When the door opened I lost it “Daddy!”. Dad’s crying and my mom just kept on going “can you believe it” she was so cute “can you believe it” that’s all she said. My Dad couldn’t even say anything, he had no words, and he kept patting me on the back, ya know the Dad pat. “I haven’t gone without seeing my baby for more than two days”. They got it on camera “I told you I would do it.” And we hugged and he said “Yea you did!”

My sister is in the United States Naval Academy. I made the competition within myself we never really competed. I always felt what she did was so great and I’m like I’m just a cook or I’m just a chef. I graduated from the best culinary school in the country and graduated with an art degree as well. When my sister graduated the United States Naval Academy my Dad cried. I want to make my Dad so proud. I wanted to make him just ball! So when I graduated the best school in the country he didn’t cry, because he said I know that there’s better out there for you.

So at the finale I knew my parents were there and I was like I’m not getting so close and letting this girl take this away from me. My parent’s are here, and nothings going to stop me. So I open up that door and I look down and my Dad was balling. Balling! You see I’m about to cry. That was what I was waiting for my whole life. Not the money, not the title, nothing, not to win Hell’s Kitchen just to make my father proud. He was crying for 3 weeks later. Every time he would think about it he would tear up. Still to this day when he can’t sleep he watches Hell’s Kitchen. He’s like you’re so different, so strong the way that you did things. I’m so proud of you. He’s always saying that’s my little girl. He would say I always wanted to raise my daughters as strong individual girls that don’t need a man, that don’t need anybody to do anything for them. But at the same time I thought that they would always been around me because when I won I was going all around the world. So now he’s more than thrilled that I’m home and I’m staying with them. I drive an hour back and forth to come here.

Christine: Thanks so much for meeting with us Heather and we wish you lots of luck at Monterey. One last question, Butter or Margarine?

Chef Heather: Oh butter, Unsalted.

You can watch Chef Heather West currently on Hell’s Kitchen every Tuesday Night at 8pm on FOX or better yet come down to Monterey Restaurant in Long Beach and try out their new menu. Bon Appetite!

Check out our July Review of Monterey here!

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Photographer: Annette Gerani

Through My Passion – Ollie’s Point

by Amanda Gerani

Merrick-based band Through My Passion rocked out at its last show of the summer Saturday night as the headlining act at Ollie’s Point Bar and Grill in Amityville.  With a mix of new material and fan-favorites from the band’s self-titled EP on the set list, the members of Through My Passion had the crowd clapping, singing, dancing, and even got one rowdy fan to take off his shirt.

Through My Passion consists of vocalists Joe Villafane, 17, and Jay Figueredo, 18; guitarists Rob Mueller, 20, and Chris Mackin, 16; drummer Jake Masters, 17; and bassist Luke DeSarbo, 16.

The band’s hour-long show was filled with power and exhilaration; and also a gold masquerade mask, a fuzzy purple hat, and even one of those floating pool noodles.  These quirky details were just one of the ways the band played to the crowd; and, with band members constantly jumping up on the platform in front of the stage and vocalists Joe and Jay holding the microphone out for fans to sing along, it was not only clear that they were confident, but also that they really appreciate their fans and want them to have a good time.  There was even a dedication – bassist Luke dedicated the popular song “Jane Doe” to his sister who will be going away to college in just a few weeks.

What truly makes TMP so unique is the fact that its members are all so different – both in musical and fashion styles.  After the show, guitarist Chris joked about the members’ differences and went down the line pointing at each of them saying sarcastically, “We’ve got the gangster, the preppy, the construction worker, the emo kid, and the guy wearing a big fuzzy hat! (The latter being himself)” However, these diverse styles mold together to form one interesting show.

During the show, some may have noticed that Rob was not wearing any shoes.  He said that being barefoot allows him to feel more grounded, and that shoes can be too clunky when he is using his foot pedals.  Also, he aspires for this little piece of information to someday be a “fun fact” in the videogame Guitar Hero if TMP makes it big.  The other band members joked that “50% of Rob’s musical talents come from his feet.”  Then, on a more serious note, added that they view Rob as “the potential one” with regards to his role in the band.

As far as musical styles go, the band could only agree on one band that they collectively like, which is Envy on the Coast.  After further discussion, they realized that they all like the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well.  Joe brings in a grungy hard rock feel, while Jay’s vocals blend a more pop-rock, alternative sound.  Guitarist Rob is influenced by a wide range of genres, and one of his favorite bands is Brand New.  Chris has a rock and roll style, influenced by Jimi Hendrix, and bassist Luke brings a more funky style to the band.  Jake combines hard rock with metal for an original drumming style.

Drummer Jake explained how this meshing together of so many different musical styles truly gives the band the potential it needs to get its name out there, and also plays a big part in the recording of TMP’s new record, which they hope to have finished before the end of the year.  Although Jay and Joe write most of the band’s songs, each of the members is involved in the writing process.

TMP is currently in the studio working hard to create another EP, which, like their first, will comprise of six distinctive songs.  However, all the band members agree that this new EP is much more complex and advanced than their first.  It really exemplifies their musical abilities, Joe said; and rather than just having the simple verse, chorus, verse format, they added in extended bridges and other advanced techniques, Chris added.  Also, the two guitarists are working together more to create something the band likes to call “guitarmonies.”

The band’s hard work has definitely paid off.  The crowd really got into new songs like “Crutches” and “Walk on Water,” which had the crowd singing along by the end of it.

Right now, TMP is putting the majority of its focus into getting their record done and promoting it as much as possible.  They have a website, a Facebook page, and a mailing list. (See below)  Jay will be going to Hofstra in the fall, so the band hopes to spread their name a lot around there, and they may even gain some out-of-state recognition with Rob going to college in Maryland.  The other members are still in high school, which is almost hard to believe when listening to the intricacies of their music.  Joe, Chris, and Jake go to Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, and Luke goes to Oyster Bay High School.  The band members messed around with Luke, saying he was the one who lived “really far away,” despite the fact that Rob is going all the way to Maryland.

Future goals of TMP include expanding its fan base extensively, and getting signed by a record label.  “We would really love to hop on a label,” Jake said, “I really think we have the potential, we just need help getting our name out.”

For more information about Through My Passion, look for them at:

-www.throughmypassion.com

-www.myspace.com/tmp516

-www.twitter.com/thrumypassion

-become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Through-My-Passion/32064444211

Catching up with KC of KC and the Sunshine Band

by Mick DuRussel

Thirty six years ago, a band was formed in Florida that would help change the face of music in the late 1970′s. Harry Casey and Richard Finch called their group KC and the Sunshine Band and together they racked up a string of disco hits that still have people shaking their booties! Hits like “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like It)” and “Shake Your Booty” established KC as a mover and shaker in the music business. Along with the Beatles, KC is the only artist to have four number one singles in the span of a year: “Boogie Shoes,” “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way I Like It,” and “Rock Your Baby.” Today, KC and the Sunshine Band are still going strong. I spoke with KC recently about his amazing career…

MICK: What were you doing before the Sunshine Band formed?

KC: I was working in a record store and then I started working for the wholesale record distributor. I played in a local band here and there down in Florida where I lived.

MICK: When things really took off for you in 1975, what was it like to become such a huge success?

KC: It was great! It was something I had dreamed about and I was positive it was going to happen. It was like “wow”, I had all these dreams and they actually happened! It was so exciting; here was something I was so passionate about and it actually became a reality.

MICK: What was the reason for you and your songwriting partner, Richard Finch, to part ways in 1981?

KC: Just to do different things and go our separate ways. It’s really personal. Partners separate and they go their separate ways. He wanted to do his thing; I wanted to do my thing.

MICK: In 1985, you retired until the Sunshine Band was revived in 1991. What did you do during those retirement years?

KC: I kind of went crazy! I partied and did a lot of drugs and got crazy. I don’t know if it’s like after so many years of being goody two shoes or just not experiencing life. Everything was devoted to making records and music 24/7 so I did things in my thirties that most people do in their teens.

MICK: You’re still going strong 36 years after it all started. Are there any other original members left in the band?

KC: Yes, Fermin Goytisolo played on the original records and worked with the touring band. There’s only two of us. The original drummer and guitar player have sense passed away.

MICK: Earlier this year, you performed on “American Idol” [singing "Get Down Tonight”]. What was that experience like with the show’s huge mass appeal?

KC: I was not as comfortable as I thought I would be because I was a little outside my element without my band there. It was very exciting, a little stressful. It was a great opportunity and overall, I really enjoyed the experience.

MICK: How do you feel about the horrible oversight of not being mentioned in “People’s Book of the 70′s”?

KC: It really pissed me off. It’s definitely crazy for some reason. We kind of created the whole thing as we were one of the largest acts of the 70′s and how we got left out, I have no idea.

MICK: What are your future projects?

KC: Actually, I discovered this new country artist down in Fort Lauderdale named David Ray. I’ve been working with him, getting some demos done and I’m sending them out. I’d like to see if I can make that happen. Still enjoy touring, entertaining and seeing my fans!

MICK: Do you have any hobbies?

KC: I enjoy traveling! I don’t know if that’s considered a hobby but it’s something I like to do. You’d think I’d be tired of traveling with all the travel I do. I love getting out and seeing the places that I fly to.

MICK: Can you tell me something about yourself that might amaze people to know about you?

KC: I’m really just a normal guy like everybody else. I do basically normal things and live pretty much as normal as I can. I have a lot of interests and don’t know if I have enough of one! I’ve been thinking about getting back into painting. It was something I did as a kid. When I get home,  I just chill out, don’t do too much. I enjoy reading. Like I said before, I really like traveling but that’s something that maybe most people also like.

MICK: Do you have any regrets?

KC: I think we all have regrets. I did some things like making records that I deliberately intended to be not so great because I didn’t want the record company to make any more money. I don’t think that was a smart thing to do. There was no good reason to do that and I did so I’m sorry about that.

MICK: What advice would you give to an up and coming performer?

KC: Don’t give up and always go after your dreams. Even if people say you should give it up, always keep going. The main thing is if you really like something, put yourself totally into it. If you love music, get a job that has something to do with music; if you love sports, get a job that has something to do with sports. Same thing for writing. Whatever you enjoy in life, that’s where you should get your job. To me, some people settle for second best and they are miserable the rest of their lives. Go for your dream!!

You can catch KC and the Sunshine Band on Monday, August 24th at BB Kings Blues Club in NYC at 8:00PM.
For more information on the show, please go to: http://www.bbkingblues.com/

A Chat with Joey Molland from Badfinger

by Mick DuRussel of The Showbiz Wizard

It’s been written that John Lennon wanted to call the band “Glass Onion”, but no one liked the name. It was later that Lennon used the name for one of his songs on the White Album. Instead, The Iveys chose another Beatles-inspired name: “Badfinger.” This was a reference to “Badfinger Boogie”, an early working title of “With a Little Help from My Friends,” from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
Badfinger was the most successful band on the Beatles Apple label. The band experienced everything from great success to greed and eventually tragedy that resulted in the suicide of two members (Pete Ham in 1975 and Tom Evans in 1983).
Today, original member Joey Molland continues the legacy of Badfinger singing the hits that he helped create and touring the world. I had the great pleasure to speak with Joey about his years with Badfinger…Hippiefest will be in Long Island August 9, 2009 for information please visit there site at http://www.hippiefest.net/

MICK: When you first joined the band, was Badfinger already signed by Apple Records?

JOEY: Yes, they were signed as The Iveys. Eventually, we changed the name to Badfinger

MICK: What are your memories of working with George Harrison and participating in the legendary Concert for Bangladesh?

JOEY: Recording with him in the studio was a tremendous experience. He was a very kind man, a lovely guy, a natural fellow. He worked us hard, taught us a lot about recording vocals and arrangements without seeming like a teacher. He was great to work with; an unforgettable experience for me. In a lot of ways George was a very natural person, not at all an egoist or self centered. Just a very regular guy who was extremely talented as they all were. John [Lennon] was the same. I actually didn’t do any work with Paul [McCartney]. He’d already done the “Come and Get It” stuff. Ringo [Starr] was the same; very natural guy. They didn’t think of themselves as Beatles with us.
The Bangladesh Concert was a great experience as it was the first concert of its kind. We spent a week in New York rehearsing at the Steinway Rehearsal Studio. Through the week, the band got bigger and bigger. It was just a great experience all around right up to the concert itself. The whole thing was fabulous. I feel tremendously lucky. There were loads of players that wanted to play but only a few were chosen. It was a privilege and honor for us and a great pleasure. The band was great. Leon Russell, Ringo, Jim Keltner, Kluas Voorman, Billy Preston….what kind of band was that!!! Jim Horn and his horn section, all the shelter singers…Don Nix and all those guys, Claudia Linnear.  Just loads a talented people. We had the time of our lives. And then Dylan just shows up. He showed up at the dress rehearsal Saturday. I don’t know if George had talked to him but we certainly never heard about him coming…there wasn’t any “Dylan’s coming this afternoon”!! He almost didn’t get in on Saturday. The guards didn’t believe it was Dylan. But he did get in thank God. He played about a 45 minute set by himself at the Garden [MSG]. George jumped up with him and Leon…everybody wanted to play with Dylan of course. It was a fabulous day and a fabulous weekend.

MICK: I know you were also on John Lennon’s “Imagine” album. What was it like to record with him?

JOEY: Same experience you know…just a regular bloke…went to his house down in Surrey, he had a big estate. I think it was called Tittenhurst Park. He had a studio built in the back of his house…a fabulous experience. He came in and played his “Jealous Guy” and we did that first. Imagine sitting across the room from John Lennon singing a song to you…a song we’d never heard before, a brand new John Lennon song. We did that song and then he said “You guys can leave now if you want to for this next song we’re going to do” It was “I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier” which was more of an electric song. We were playing some acoustics for him. So Tommy and I decided to stay and play through the session and that’s what we got credit for playing on “I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier”. And then he was kind enough to put on names and photographs on the album. It was a great treat. You know, 40 years later you can pick up the Imagine Album and there’s a picture of Joey Molland on it!!!

MICK: I had read that there was a time after Badfinger that you are working as a carpet layer in Los Angeles.

JOEY: Of yeah, you know Badfinger got ripped off. All of our money was stolen. We were broke. So I went to work. I was raised in a working family so what happens when Joe Molland runs out of money, he goes gets a job. I was going to go bumming around. I got another job after that as a carpenter. I didn’t mind it at all, just going to work and eventually someone offered me a record deal. I made a record but it didn’t bother me really. Getting up in the morning and going to work. Felt good. Got to do what you got to do!

MICK: My deepest condolences to you on the recent loss of your wife Kathie [she passed away on March 23, 2009].

JOEY: It was a very sad affair, very sudden, unexpected. Everybody is doing okay. It takes a little time. I’m fortunate now that I’m working. I was trying to fill my life up again with work but realized that wasn’t going to do it for me. I realized I had to deal with it first and tell myself that Kathie is gone. We had almost 40 years together. We’d raised our children. So for a couple of months my life was completely empty, bouts of extreme loneliness, depression…there’s always some regret I guess. But I loved my wife dearly; we stayed together through thick and thin. She was a real stalwart for me. She held me up through hard times, the good and the bad together. I can’t say enough good about her. She was an absolutely beautiful American girl. But I had to tell myself that Kathie’s gone now. It’s like a new life in a sense. I don’t rush home after gigs anymore. My whole perspective on life has changed. I’ve come to realize there is a future.  Getting myself back into society is difficult because being married is your whole life. You have your career and you have your marriage and your home. But once your wife goes, that home is gone. It doesn’t matter what it is, it’s gone. That’s what I’ve been telling myself. I’ve gotten so much support from my friends, my family, my fans, the band…it’s just been fantastic. I’m okay and I’m dealing with it okay. My son’s are dealing with it well. It’s very depressing for both of them of course. They’re grown men and we are dealing with it together.

MICK: Are your sons musicians as well?

JOEY: My eldest son Joe is; I think Shaun wants to be but he’s had some problems of his own so he’s never really gotten in to the music world. My son Joe was in an auto accident about three and a half years ago. He almost died. That put him back a bit but thank God he’s recovered. He’s a great guitar player and a wonderful songwriter. I’m really proud of him. And I know Shaun he’s equally gifted as a musician and as an artist. I’m looking forward to the day when he breaks out. You know, one of my real favorite wishes is that we can do something together as a trio. Hopefully make a record together. I know we will but all in good time. Life is life…you know what it is? Life isn’t a dream, it’s a real thing. It’s important to hold onto your dreams. Certain people inspire that in us I think. So that’s the people I look to surround myself with. I’m looking forward to somebody in the future that inspires me.

MICK: During the course of your career, do you have any regrets?

JOEY: I regret a little that I didn’t stay with the Badfinger thing a little longer than I did. I felt helpless though. I felt like I had had no recourse. The band, Peter in particular, very stubborn about the direction the band was taking. I’m not talking musically; I’m talking in a business sense. I felt that the band had fractured. A band is a very fragile thing. It’s a relationship between the members. I felt that the Badfinger thing had fractured and it wasn’t repairable. Peter’s personality had changed completely. He actually turned his back on the band; in fact, he left the band. Then he wanted to come back and stay with the mangers who were just reaming us, you know. They were just taking us to the cleaner’s day in, day out. We could have worked the rest of our lives and they would have carried on doing it. It was pointless for me to stay. I didn’t see a future in it, put my all into the band. All my songs, I brought everything I could into the band. It wasn’t enough. I couldn’t save it. There was no way I could sit around and watch it go down. So I decided to leave and of course a few months later, Peter found out that we were right and he was wrong. The world of decisions he’d made. I think that’s what lead him to do what he did.

MICK: Are there any new projects that you are working on?

JOEY: Oh yeah, I’m always working on new songs. I had a solo album out a few years ago  “This Way Up” it was called. I just found out that they’re using 5 of the songs from that record and possibly more in this new movie coming out called “Immigration Tango”, a romantic comedy. So that’s a great thrill for me. I’ve been doing the HippieFest for the past 2-3 years and I’m having great fun with that. I’ve made a lot of new friends. Over the years I’ve met a lot of people on the road, people like Leslie West from “Mountain”; the Turtles. A tour like this where you do 20 gigs with these guys, you get to be friends with them. We all get to share the experience together. It’s been a great pleasure for me. Just meeting and knowing these people, they’re really sweet and beautiful people. Great artists, great writers, great singers, performers, entertainers.  However you want to put it, it’s a great thrill for me. I’m doing world tours. I’m going to Australia in November. My voice is holding out. I’m 62 now and I can still sing all the songs in all the original keys. I still do a good job and routinely get standing ovations. To see an entire audience rise for me has got to be one of the greatest thrills and tributes on the planet! Life right now is a bowl of cherries, it’s just fantastic. I’ve lost my wife and there’s no denying there was an enormous tragedy in my life but my life is going on and I’m very, very happy about it. I feel real positive about the future but it’s bizarre. I kinda feel a little guilty ….I should be feeling worse and feel real depressed about the whole thing but I’m not. I can’t deny it or act it. I know my wife would want me to work and be out there doing things. She fought for what I do. She supported me for all those years. There’s no way I can use her demise as an excuse. It’s made me stronger.

MICK: Which of today’s artists do you admire?

JOEY: Oh there’s a lot of them. I’m so ignorant in that I don’t know the songwriters. There’s James Blunt, these guys coming out and writing these great songs; they’re individual original performers, they’re not copying anybody. The pop scene is what it is but the rock and roll scene is just as vibrant and healthy as it ever was. I see a band like Green Day and it knocks me out! I love all that. I love rock and roll music; it’s always been the fruit of my life. So I love to see it and I love the young bands. I meet these guys along the way and they’re very nice to me. They say beautiful things to me and how they loved Badfinger and our music. It’s a great treat to me.

MICK: Do you have any hobbies besides music?

JOEY: I do a little cycling. I have an old Italian road bike I ride occasionally. I do my housework and maintenance around the house. I don’t work on cars anymore. I used to do all the maintenance on the cars; we had the Blazer and an old Jag. I don’t do that much anymore. I guess my hobbies are my music and my kids. I like to walk and just enjoy myself without bothering anybody and hope nobody bothers me. I like a good movie, old movies in particular. I wish I could get some sunglasses where it takes all the color out and it’s like a black and white world. I love riding trains. I’m all in favor of Amtrak; I hope they don’t close it down. I love talking to people and meeting people. I’m getting to know all the places we play like WolfTrap, the Greek Theater, all these wonderful places. You get to know the staff and backstage people and it’s nice to hear “How You been Joe? when they see you again. I’m loving it!!

Joey Molland and Badfinger will be appearing at HippieFest on Sunday, August 9th at the Brookhaven Amphitheater in Farmingville, (Long Island) New York. Come out to see him, Chuck Negron, Vanilla Fudge, Mountain, Flo and Eddie, and Brewer and Shipley for an unforgettable trip to the past.