Star Power

There you go, I said it. Still, my interview with original Commodores member William King in December proved once again that every musician has an interesting story to tell. Sure enough, King and I shared a common interest toward the end of the interview. It turns out that we've been following one of the same shows on MTV in recent months. "As a matter of fact, one of my sons is on the TV show '(The) Real World' - on the Paris version," said King, referring to his second-born son, Adam, 24, an aspiring rap and TV producer who fought with house mate C.T. and got plenty of dates during the show's run. "That's putting it mildly," William King said. "Getting a date is probably one way of saying it. My side of the family would call in and say, 'He's embarrassing the family. He's always in bed with somebody.'Ÿ" King was one of 52 artists I interviewed in 2003. The list includes such star power as Matchbox Twenty, the Counting Crows, 3 Doors Down, Hall and Oates, Dionne Warwick, Macy Gray, Staind and Crosby, Stills and Nash. In previewing concerts coming to Connecticut and nearby Poughkeepsie, N.Y., I've been able to talk to a wide range of musicians since I started out as The News-Times music writer in late 1999. The past year's artists were generous with their time and generally interested in talking about their lives, careers and new albums. --photo1L-- I caught up with '90s bands that included the Spin Doctors, the Gin Blossoms and 311. Meanwhile, veteran acts Kenny Loggins, Cheap Trick, Shawn Colvin and The Marshall Tucker Band were mixed in with industrial pioneers Ministry and ex-Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil, who made headlines for allegedly attacking a prostitute in Nevada 49 days after our interview. The younger bands were well represented with Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Saliva, Fuel, Alien Ant Farm, Eve 6, American Hi-Fi, Queens Of The Stone Age, Zug Izland and Powerman 5000. And rappers The R.O.C., the Kottonmouth Kings, the Phunk Junkeez, Insane Clown Posse and the Black Eyed Peas were down with the newspaper. It was a real treat to interview Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. I met the whole group and chilled on their tour bus in Poughkeepsie. And I'll never forget the sight of Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone each holding a copy of The News-Times and being completely focused on reading the article I wrote on them. The following is a look at my most memorable interviews of 2003. My selections aren't necessarily based on how famous the musicians were, but on how much I enjoyed getting the chance to have a conversation with them. These are the musicians who I listen to in my free time. I've seen most of them in concert and have met the majority of them at the shows, which is always cool since I do most of my interviews on the phone before the artists arrive in the area.--photo2R-- 1. Eels If I had a list of all the musicians I wanted to interview and hadn't yet had the chance to, alternative rock singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist E would have been right at the top going into 2003. Prior to my first Eels show Nov. 5 at Toad's Place, I interviewed E, who was even cooler than I had imagined. Labeled a mope-rocker by some, E said he's felt better since marrying his wife (Mrs. E) a few years ago. "It's kind of a confidence-builder," he said. "You don't feel like a total loser. You're like, 'Oh, well. Someone married me Actually, I'm glad you reminded me. I've probably got an anniversary coming up pretty soon. I better go shopping." I'm still not sure whether E was kidding when he told me he met his wife in a health clinic in Germany. "It sounds like something I'm making up, but it's not," he said. "It ended up not helping me feel any better, but I got a wife out of it." Regardless, the Eels' latest album, "Shootenanny!" is one of my favorite CDs of 2003 and the Eels' best work to date. E is an amazing showman whose sense of humor and musicianship carried the New Haven show. The band did four encores, with one consisting of just one song and the last coming after the lights came on and most of the audience had left the club. 2. Willa Ford With her second album, "Sexysexobsessive," due out this winter, Ford is ready to turn heads once again. She met me at the Lava Records office in New York City. It was the only interview I did in person and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Ford wasn't all glammed out like she is in her videos; she'd cut her long blonde hair shorter and wore a baseball cap and little or no makeup for the interview. What I like about the pop singer most - in addition to her looks - is that she's totally real and interesting to talk to. No topic is off limits and Ford's got enough substance and energy about her that I could interview her several times a year and always have a fresh angle to write about. Ford told me that she believes she has always had Attention Deficit Disorder, though she was never diagnosed. Meanwhile, one doctor blamed Ford's depression on her music. "He was more concerned that I was using my music as a form of therapy and throwing myself into these tailspins," said Ford, who later got better with an anti-depressant and a healthier diet. "He said, 'You're making yourself go there with your music and as long as you're doing this, I can't help you.'Ÿ" --photo3L-- While Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera followed her lead in joining the sexpot club, Ford knows she's the originator. And that's the bottom line. 3. Fun Lovin' Criminals I'd been a fan of this rap-rock group since my senior year in college, when the Criminals scored their biggest hit with "Scooby Snacks." Since I liked their whole album, I kept buying their CDs - even the ones released strictly overseas. So when I heard the Criminals were playing New York City's Bowery Ballroom, I was there with a quickness. The show was amazing and I met the band afterward, leaving me just enough time to make the last train back to Brewster. My interview with frontman Huey was among my favorites of the year. The guy personifies cool. He described his time in the Marines. "I wore green and I ran around," he said. "There wasn't much to talk about. I was all over the place. Wherever they sent the Mean Green Machine, I was there." While Huey gave props to Eric B. & Rakim, Huey is turned off by rap music today. "Now rap is like professional wrestling, man," he said. "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It's become a marketing strategy. No offense to this guy 50 Cent; he's a good rapper. But you hear more about him getting shot nine times than you do anything else. It just seems like it's gotten out of control." 4. Rusted Root A couple years ago, I saw Mike Doughty in concert. I left after his set - before Rusted Root went on. I had no idea what I was missing. Then, last summer, a friend got me into Rusted Root. I went to their high-energy show in Poughkeepsie. And when band members Liz Berlin, Jenn Wertz and Michael Glabicki came to the area for solo shows, I interviewed all three of them and made sure to catch them live. They're definitely as cool as their music. I learned from Glabicki that Rusted Root has a bunch of live CDs in the works for 2004. We agreed that Dido drummer Alex Alexander has a cool name. And I asked him whether he'd be doing "Ecstasy" - I mean the song - at his show. He laughed. Berlin, a classically trained singer, schooled me on everything from backing vocal technique to her multi-faceted company, Mr. Smalls, which provides all sorts of music-related workshops and more. Meanwhile, Wertz is the strongest solo artist of the three. Her acoustic album is amazing and well worth hunting down. She also put out a masterpiece with her band "Lovechild" in the '90s. From Wertz, I learned that Rusted Roots' members don't hang out often off stage. It was cool to learn about her late father, Tom, was an investigative journalist who clashed with the conservative owner of his newspaper in Greensburg, Pa. But the highlight of my interview with Wertz was when she described the talking drum in detail and then played it for me over the phone. She gave me a talking drum demonstration after her concert in Westbrook as well. Without a doubt, I'm down with the Root now. 5. Everclear I've interviewed Art Alexakis from Everclear twice - once the day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America and later the day after the United States launched missiles at Baghdad to start the war against Iraq in March 2003. Alexakis offered his uncensored opinions on both occasions, questioning the U.S. government when necessary. In addition to being able to rock crowds, Everclear has songs that hit home, whether Alexakis is writing from his own experiences or putting himself in another person's shoes. Like many, I can relate to Alexakis' lyrics. In fact, I haven't listened to Everclear's "So Much for the Afterglow" LP for several years because it brings me back to a time I'd rather not remember. What's cool, though, is that I know I can always go back by playing those classic songs. Meanwhile, the album Everclear toured for in 2003 - "Slow Motion Daydream" - is my favorite album they've done since 1997. The songs "New Blue Champion" and "TV Show" could be about me entirely. And it was great to meet Alexakis at the Webster in Hartford. 6. Local H Scott Lucas isn't as good looking as Willa Ford - at least not to me. Like Ford, however, he's a musician who is always interesting to interview and never runs out of things to say. Insightful, cynical and sarcastic, Lucas plays a guitar with a bass pickup in this hard-rocking two-piece - which was opening for the Stone Temple Pilots back when White Stripes were, um, designs on shirts. Lucas and I disagreed on Local H's debut album, 1995's "Ham Fisted." I think it's one of the best albums of all time. Lucas, on the other hand, called the album monochromatic and boring to sit through. In any case, the "No Fun" EP, released in 2003, is some of Local H's best work to date. I only wish I'd heard the songs "No Fun," "President Forever" and "Cooler Heads" before the show. I definitely would have been more into them that way - or if the sound at the Empress Ballroom was better that night. Lucas is willing to talk about his lyrics and music in detail. And he knows how to pick out and perform the perfect covers. The "No Fun" EP includes remarkable renditions of the Ramones' "I Just Want Something To Do" and the Godfathers' "Birth, School, Work, Death." Lucas' comments on former Local H drummer Joe Daniels were equally interesting for what the singer didn't say. "It was just a case of, you know, I could play everything else; I just couldn't play the drums," Lucas said. "That's where Joe came in." 7. Staind Singer Aaron Lewis - with his shaved head and eyebrow piercing - became a familiar face on the rock scene when his band's No. 1 hit, "It's Been Awhile," practically owned MTV and radio in 2001. Certified platinum seven times, Lewis has surely done his share of press over the past few years. But he took his time answering each of my questions and carefully thought his answers through to be sure that he used the right words to express himself. By the time I finished the interview, I had a new appreciation for Staind and got more into the band's newest album, "14 Shades of Grey." Lewis is a great example of a person who got through hard times - from his parents' separations and divorce to heavy drinking - and stayed strong until he was able to find happiness. The brutal honesty in Lewis' songs make Staind's lyrics some of the more real ones in the industry. And to think that Lewis almost settled for a career as a jeweler. Look out for Lo-Pro, a band signed to Lewis' 413 Records imprint. The group features former Staind guitar tech Pete Ricci from Enfield. 8. Spin Doctors After interviewing with guitarist Eric Schenkman in July, I could say that I'd interviewed all four original members of the Spin Doctors. The group is known for the hits "Two Princes," "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong." Many of the fans who helped make the band a multi-platinum success story in the early '90s lost interest after radio and record label people stopped supporting the band. For those who have heard the most recent Spin Doctors album, 1999's "Here Comes The Bride," singer Chris Barron, drummer Aaron Comess and bassist Mark White are still on point. But it was especially interesting to talk with Schenkman, who left the Spin Doctors in 1994 and only recently returned to the fold. Glad to be back, Schenkman said he's stepped away from Cork, his side project with Mountain drummer Corky Laing. Schenkman also talked about solo albums - one with The Chrysalids and one that interpreted the music of jazz drummer Chico Hamilton. The Spin Doctors stick to their early material - recorded before Schenkman left - in concert these days. Has anyone asked the guitarist to learn the songs the band wrote since he made his exit in 1994? "I haven't been asked ever," he said. "Not a single peep. And you know what? To be honest with you, I haven't ever heard (the newer albums) either." 9. Phunk Junkeez This Phoenix rap-rock group put out yet another incredible album in 2003 - "Rock It Science." And lead emcee Soulman has as much energy talking about his band as he does on stage, making him a fun interview. Meanwhile, the Junkeez have better music than most of the bands that dominate radio airwaves. Until that changes, I'll have to agree with one of the band's early song titles: "Radio Sucks." Soulman's a veteran rapper and one of the better and more accomplished white boys in the game. He was a breakdancer in the mid-'80s, later rapping and opening for Ice-T, N.W.A., Sir Mix-A-Lot and Heavy D & the Boyz. After forming the Phunk Junkeez, Soulman toured with Insane Clown Posse, 311, No Doubt and Bush. Being that Michelle Branch is also from Arizona, I told her about the Phunk Junkeez when she was touring with Sheryl Crow a while back. Branch picked up a Junkeez CD and liked what she heard. Do yourself a favor and pick up the new album - or any Junkeez album for that matter. It was awesome to catch the Junkeez in Poughkeepsie in 2003. "I hope (fans) either got a bloody nose or a T-shirt or got (a date) or something," Soulman said. "If they get something like that, they're in the house. If they didn't get nothing, then they need to start working harder." 10. Insane Clown Posse I'd interviewed Violent J before, but this time he was more focused on discussing an interview I did with Eminem's buddy Proof for a rap magazine than anything else. He had just picked up the magazine and was reading it in North Carolina. And he went through every point Proof made and explained why it was wrong. The always animated J explained that he respects every rapper in the game and said there's no reason Proof should be dissing anyone. "A drug dealer has always gotta worry about the hook and getting pinched," J said. "But we're legal. We're legal players. And as players, just like macks and pimps, we should respect each other out there." Speaking of respect, controversial rappers 2 Live Crew joined ICP for the Shangri-La Tour, which was everything Violent J made it out to be and then some. While J was happy to say that he'd recorded two tracks with 2 Live Crew, I didn't find the veteran group to be nearly as fun to watch as ICP. Every other word Fresh Kid Ice and Fish 'N' Grits said began with the letter "P" and wasn't popcorn or peanut butter. I definitely got a kick out of watching the guys spanking their amazon-like dancers during their set at the Webster in Hartford. They were some big women for sure. The year ahead Ken Block of Sister Hazel, Peter Stuart, Mike Doughty, Todd Park Mohr of Big Head Todd and the Monsters and Brad X of the Kottonmouth Kings were some of the other interviews I especially enjoyed in 2003. Looking ahead to 2004, some of the biggest names scheduled to play the area so far include Sting, Rod Stewart, Shania Twain and Reba McEntire. Of course, some artists won't do interviews because they're too busy or otherwise don't want to. Among the artists likely to tour this year who I look forward to interviewing most are Kid Rock and Fiona Apple. I hope you'll continue to enjoy reading about the music stars as much as I'll enjoy writing about them.