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Danny
VAUGHN, who notably first fronted WAYSTED, got known with
TYKETTO, who was recognised as a spearhead of Melodic Hard
Rock, in the beginning of the 90's. After some remarkables
albums under his own name and other side projects, he is back
with "TRAVELLER", his new album to
be released by Frontiers Records on Feb. 16th. He kindly
accepted to answer to Hardrock80 questions.
Interview
by Seb, Translate by Metalefice.
First
of all, your solo album “TRAVELLER” shall be launched
next month on the Frontiers Records label. Can you tell us
a little more about it and its realization process?
I think the thing that pleases me the most about this album
is the mystery of how it all came together. To me it felt
as if one day I had several loose song ideas that might grow
up into something and then the next day I had a finished album.
Once I entered the “creative space”, if you will,
time had no bearing to me. Also, this is the first album that
I was the sole producer of. This not only meant the writing
and the playing of it but trying to maintain the organizational
process without throwing myself off of a bridge (or pushing
somebody else! :-)
Something that is very unique about the album is that, although
the songs are mine, each band member treats them as their
own. The guys showed a fierce pride in not just getting them
recorded but getting the presentation just right. It is a
really strong collection of songs.
Another unique aspect of it is how many different parts of
the album were done by people close to me. The cover art work
is a painting done by my father, who is someone whose talent
I am unflinchingly proud of. The band logo and the cover layout
was designed by my girlfriend, Hayley Warren. She was also
a huge factor in the whole album. She listened to the rough
mixes and offered opinions. She helped me deal with all of
the logistical headaches and was my constant sounding board
and support.
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Let’s talk a little about the musicians playing on this
album. Steve Mc Kenna, the TEN bass player, performs on this.
Did you meet him with the help of Gary HUGHES, as you participated
in his project “Once And Future King Vol.1»?
I had met Steve in passing at different gigs around England
over the years. We even did at least one gig on the same stage
back in the day. But it was Tony that put him forward as someone
we should get into the band. Steve is a very easy going, funny,
guy that everybody just enjoys being around.
Can you introduce
the other members of your band?
Oh, it’s okay, they already know each other! (Sorry about
that, I couldn’t resist).
My right hand man in all of this is Tony Marshall on guitars
and backing vocals. He and I knew each other as Z records
label mates when he was with his band “Contagious”.
Pat Heath is the other guitarist. A 7 string whiz kid that
is an instructor of guitar at BIMM in the UK and has done
well with his own band, “Brave New World”. On drums
and vocals is our newest cohort, Lee Morris.
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After he left “Paradise
Lost” word got around that he was doing session work
and looking for a band to be part of. He fit in with the rest
of us very easily as he is also a really nice guy and a bit
of an aor music anorak!
Shall you take this line-up with you on tour?
These guys have been touring with me for a couple of years
now and it’s really become a great working unit. So,
absolutely, we will tour together.
Listening to "TRAVELLER",
out next February, reminds me quite a lot about TYKETTO’s
second opus "STRENGTH IN NUMBERS" for the way it
sounds and even the style. I’d even say that this album
sounds as a mix of everything you have done until now with
your different projects. What do you think of this assertion,
Danny?
You are the first person to say that. Thinking about it I
think I would agree with you. All the recordings that I make
on my own are a combination of different things, old and new.
“Traveller” is no exception. But the first album
that I started branching out and trying new things with was
“Strength”. I am glad that there is a Tyketto resemblance.
It wasn’t intended, but I am very proud of my past and
I hope a lot of people see what you see because people are
always asking about that band.
Would
you say that you succeeded to include in « TRAVELLER »
all you love in music and do you think to have reached your
aim before you started to work on this album?
I do think I reached what I was aiming for, yes. I even reached
a few things that I didn’t realize I was aiming for.
So many things fell into place very naturally. There were
a number of things that weren’t certain: the cover art,
some of the intros to the songs, how to record the ideas I
had, but I didn’t get too worked up about it and let
things take their course. The things I needed seemed to reveal
themself right when I needed them the most. I don’t know
if I put all I love about music into this single album, but
I certainly love the music that we made.
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Does a solo album mean to you a deep
desire to have a solo career or is it just a new step for
you?
Just a new step, really. For the most part, you could call
all the Vaughn records “solo albums”. I wrote 90%
of the songs, I co produced them, I did most of the press,
etc. It’s usually more identifiable to be a band, however.
The problem is that the band kept changing members every tour
and every recording, so it really didn’t make sense to
me to keep calling it a band name. So I went with my name.
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to quit anyway! :-)
Your former
record was the FROM THE INSIDE project, issued by Frontier
Records also.
It seems that the bluesy side of the VAUGHN records has been
put aside to come back to a more TYKETTO, like in the beginnings.
Was it deliberate from you or a recommendation from Frontier
Record, which is more specialised in this sub-genre?
I think you have to bend with the project that you are given.
As you say, with Frontiers, their market is to cater to the
fans of melodic rock music. And, to be fair, it really is
disappointing when a melodic rock band gets together or reunites
to make another record, years later and it purposefully sounds
nothing like the way they used to sound. I think fans really
hate that. Yes, all of my music has a blues edge to it. It’s
the music that I love the most. But I also was brought up
on aor and melodic rock and it comes very naturally. So, when
Frontiers came to me and said that they would love to make
an album with me but they really want to show me how much
they can push it if only I can give them what they want, I
take that as a good, friendly challenge. It’s certainly
not forcing anything to write this kind of music. I love it.
In the end, what we have here is a big melting pot of a lot
of musical styles that I love, so we both got what we wanted,
really.
Is a new recording
of FROM THE INSIDE is planned?
It has been talked about. I hope I do get to do another one.
Let’s
go a little bit back in time, if you agree. What are your
best souvenirs from the WAYSTED period?
It was a series of “firsts”. My first record. My
first video. My first world tour. I toured with the mighty
Iron Maiden in Eastern Europe and Canada and America. It was
an incredible time.
In 1991 the
first TYKETTO record was launched « Don’t
Come Easy ». The second one “Strength In Numbers”
was out in 94 and then you decided to leave the band. Can
you tell us why you left TYKETTO?
It just got too hard. We toured a lot, and for little money,
The audiences got smaller, the road got longer, the food got
worse, and after a while I couldn’t bear to watch something
I loved so much die such a sad death, so I had to leave.
In 1996, “Take
Out And Served Up Live” was a compilation of unreleased
tracks, demos and live outtakes. Is there any unreleased material
from TYKETTO of that moment? If yes, do you plan to issue
them on CD someday?
No, I’m pretty sure that we have used any and all out
takes or old songs that were floating around. Remember, just
because you never heard a song doesn’t mean it is a treasure.
If we didn’t record it, we probably knew it was crap!
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You
joined TYKETTO late 2004 for some shows. Can you tell us
a little more? Was it planned to make new recordings for
an album or just some shows?
We had received offers to get back together before. Some
were even quite lucrative. But before too long one of us
would always say no because we didn’t want to do it
just for the money. We wanted it to be fun. In 2004 everybody’s
head was in the right place and it felt good. So we went
for it.
You have
always been sticking to your favourite style - Melodic hard
rock with a strong blues base. Isn’t difficult, as
an artist to impose your music to the labels, mainly in
the mid 90’s when they were boycotting the hard rock
style, preferring the Grunge or other fashion genres?
It’s always difficult to realize that popular music,
be it rock or any other style, is often dictated by fashion.
It seems that lately, in particular, young audiences really
are less discriminating than they used to be. So much of
what is out there now is just simply poor and boring. But
it sells. All you need is a beat. I mean Justin Timberlake?
The guy can dance, but I would never, ever call him a singer.
If he was a nobody and went on American Idol, Simon would
throw him out on his ass! And I think the majority of our
pop stars right now are merely mildly talented and boring.
I like my idols larger than life and there don’t seem
to be many any more.
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In
1997 was issued the FLESH AND BLOOD’s « BLUES
FOR DAZE », very bluesy where you sang with MARK
Mangold, CHUCK Bonfante and Al PITRELLI. FLESH AND BLOOD sounds
a little as the third record of DRIVE, SHE SAID “EXCELERATOR”.
In this band, Mark and Chuck were present. But you were not
involved in the composition of “BLUES FOR DAZE”
which was written mainly by Mark. What can you say about this
record? Was this Mark’s project or a real band?
It was Mark’s Project. We all have an absolute love of
the blues and Mark writes those songs very, very well. They
had finished the project with a different singer, but nobody
was interested in his voice so it was put on the shelf. When
I met Mark he said he had something that he wanted me to try
and it just clicked. It’s still one of my favourite albums
to listen to because I don’t think of it as me singing.
I just love the band.
You appear
on the ALLIED FORCES « R.U. Wild » launched
in 1999 and you are the lead singer on three tracks. Were
you a full member of this band or were you only a “guest»?
No, I was a kidnapped hostage. That album was a piece of junk
issued by a gentleman that I used to play in a band with a
long, long time ago. I shouldn’t say it’s a piece
of junk, because the performances on it by all of the musicians
are quite good. The problem is none of us ever agreed to release
it as an album. The 3 songs I sang on were only demos and
never had my permission to be released. The other songs were
stolen out from under the very band that recorded them. It
was all the work of one cheap thief who would do anything
for a couple of extra dollars.
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You sing also
on Ritchie ZITO’s AVALON which was issued recently. As
he produced TYKETTO’s first album, you know each other
quite well, don’t you? Can you tell us more about this
co-operation?
Well, it had been a number of years since Richie and I had
spoken but when he called me I was really flattered. I enjoyed
working with him. We got along very well during the “Don’t
Come Easy” sessions. So writing a song with him was a
very simple thing to do. In a way, he’s like my teacher
from college. Now that I’m out in the world it means
a lot to me for him to be proud of me. Silly, isn’t it?
Can you tell
us about your label. You worked for years with Z Records,
which issued all the VAUGHN recordings. What
happened? Does Frontier Records matches better with your wishes?
Frontiers actually pays the money that they say they will
pay you and doesn’t leave you with unpaid bills and new
found enemies. We tried really hard to make our relationship
with Z records work, but in the end there were just too many
problems.
All melodic
hard rock fans and myself first dream to see you live in France.
Can you tell us if a tour is planned with dates in our country?
Not yet, but if anybody can find me a promoter that would
bring us to France, I would love to go again!
Can you
tell us which album you are presently listening to and which
bands impressed you ?
Usually I’m listening to older music since I don’t
like a lot of what is going on today, but, I was recently
given a copy of Muse, “Black Holes And Revelations”
and I’m very impressed with it.
I’m also listening to Tom Waits “Orphans” album.
Sheer genius. Robert Randolph, James Brown, Brian Setzer,
Red Hot Chili Peppers, King’s X... (and that was just
today)
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Vaughn / Photo by Jessica Patel |
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A more general question to finish. The Internet is now a well-established
tool. What do you think of this? Do you consider that the Web
can help well-established artists as you are in being somewhat
closer to your fans and make your music better known? What do
you think of sites like www.hardrock80.com?
Do you think these can help in promoting the genre we prefer?
The internet, like all tools, is a double edged sword. On the
good side, it has enabled musicians that could never before
afford it, to get themselves heard, like on myspace or the way
people are marketing their video work on youtube. It’s
fantastic to have a worldwide forum where you simply never know
who you might bump into. And, yes, all of the web sites devoted
to a particular musical style are a huge help. The down side
is, of course, downloading. The big record companies created
this monster by themselves. There is no reason on earth a cd
should cost 20 euros! Or 17 Dollars! It’s insane. Fat people
are getting fatter. Well now they are getting worried. The bad
side of that, for people like me, that don’t really make
any money on music any more is that people are getting used
to getting everything for free. Eventually, what that will mean
is that we won’t be able to afford even to make the inexpensive
albums that we are making and there will be less and less to
choose from. At some point, down loaders have to decide, if
they can, to support the bands that they like or they will have
to give it up.
A big thank you
to you, Danny, for your time and patience.
It has been a pleasure.
I hope to be able to visit you in France someday soon. Thanks
for all of your help!
Merci beaucoup, mes amis.
Danny Vaughn
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