Slash says rock isn’t mainstream anymore; Deen Castronovo talks Journey Through Time; and Rudolf Schenker discusses his love of the Flying V.
Slash Says Rock Isn’t Mainstream Anymore, and He Likes It
Slash discussed the state of rock music in a new interview, saying the genre had fallen out of the spotlight and he didn’t mind all that much.
“Rock isn’t mainstream anymore, and in some ways, I like that,” Slash told USA Today. “It harks back to when rock ’n’ roll was more of an underground concept, when people were speaking about things that they weren’t necessarily comfortable saying in the mainstream arena.” Read more at Ultimate Classic Rock
Veteran drummer Deen Castronovo (THE DEAD DAISIES, JOURNEY, REVOLUTION SAINTS) recently spoke with “The Blaring Out With Eric Blair Show”. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On singing two songs on JOURNEY’s 2005 album “Generations”: Deen: “I listen back now and I cringe. I could have done better, you know – my first time singing on a record lead like that. It was kind of scary, but for me, I learned how to sing for the first time with a band as a lead singer. I’d never done that. I got more comfortable and got better as the time (passed) to where now, with REVOLUTION SAINTS… I’m definitely not Steve Perry. I’m definitely not Jeff Scott Soto or even Arnel Pineda, but I love what I do and I do the best I can. I’m a drummer that happens to sing. I’m not a lead singer. For me, drums are my most important thing. If I can sing — and I’m doing backgrounds with THE DEAD DAISIES — I love that. John (Corabi)’s such a great singer, he doesn’t need any help. With JOURNEY, I was able to sing two or three songs (live) to be able to give Arnel a break. I would never want to be a frontman. I could never be a frontman. That’s scary, dude. If I’m going to sing, I want those drums around me. I want that protection.”
On whether he misses being in JOURNEY: Deen: “Totally. I miss the music; I miss my brothers. Of course. The touring was amazing. The band, the music, was amazing. I’m just grateful to be back playing. I never thought I’d play again, so being back and playing again and in the trenches is a great thing. But I miss playing those songs. I will always miss it. It was a big, big opportunity for me.” On reconnecting with Schon for “Journey Through Time”, a 2017 benefit concert for California wildfire victims: Deen: “Incredible. When he called me to do it, I was, like, ‘Of course I will.’ Now we’re talking about going out on the road next year doing it. JOURNEY’s taking a year off, so Neal’s, like, ‘Let’s go on the road with this band.’ We’re going to call it NEAL SCHON’S JOURNEY THROUGH TIME. We’re going to do the older stuff, like the first four records, and the stuff that Gregg Rolie and Steve Perry used to do. I’ll play drums and sing the stuff.” Read more at Blabbermouth
SCORPIONS Guitarist RUDOLF SCHENKER Discusses His Love Of Flying V Guitars
Prior to SCORPIONS’ September 14 concert at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, guitarist Rudolf Schenker spoke with JAM Magazine. The full conversation can be heard below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On his trademark Gibson Flying V guitar: Rudolf: “I played a lot of guitars before I was running into the Flying V. (I) actually started with Framus, a German company, (before) going into Vox guitars. From Vox, I got (my)first Gibson guitar from my father. It’s a Trini Lopez (ES-)175, I think, but this one was, especially when we start playing with the big Marshall amplifiers, very difficult to play because of the feedback floor. Then I got, believe it or not, a Fender, which I didn’t like — it’s not my way — but then I saw one picture of Johnny Winter with the Flying V. I said to my brother (Michael), ‘This is my guitar. You think me, for a rhythm guitar player, it’s not too much?’ He said, ‘No.’ I (got) this guitar and started playing it with a fifty-watt Marshall. . The sound was fantastic, so from this moment on, I played a Flying V.
But there was one thing in between — my brother. He actually had a girlfriend and he took his Les Paul to his girlfriend’s house. Somehow he forgot the guitar in the house of the girlfriend, and the girlfriend went with her parents over the weekend somewhere. We had a big festival to do, and… my brother came to me and said, ‘Hey, I have no guitar. What can we do?’ In the end… (I said,) ‘Try my Flying V with the fifty-watt Marshall.’ He tried it and he said, ‘Yes, that’s working.’ After the concert, he came to me and said, ‘Rudolf, I can’t give you back the Flying V. The sound is so good.’ That’s the point when my brother went to UFO… I said to myself, ‘I want to have back the Flying V,’ because I tried Firebirds, I tried Explorers, all this stuff, and none made the sound… like the Flying V. I play Flying V since then permanently.” Read more at Blabbermouth
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