Detritus
Mini-Issue #477.5 - November 7, 2008
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*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
*
Patrick Brower, Editor
patrickbrower@...

Sean P. Gahgan, Editor
lof@...
http://www.lakeoffire.net/

Tim Wadzinski, Owner
tsw512@...

Steve Shumake, Co-owner
vongoober@...
http://www.myspace.com/kdsteve

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*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
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-This was just going to be Neal's interview with Tony MacAlpine, but
then I got the Mad Margritt press release that is basically an Eddie
Smith interview. So, here are both. It's a Friday Interview
Extravaganza. - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE ***
*
-Mad Margritt News

[Note: This is a slightly edited version of what the band sent out
last week. - Tim]

Mad Margritt will shooting a video in a few weeks for the song "Don't
Say A Word." The video will make its nationwide debut in January on
Rock Nation TV.

Mad Margritt was featured in two magazines this month. The band
appeared in Rocknation Magazine along with Judas Priest, Heaven &
Hell, Buck Cherry, Helix and XYZ.

Click here to view:
http://www.rocknation.us/issue11

The band was also featured on the cover of Atlanta Live Magazine.

Click here to view:
http://www.atlantalivemagazine.com/

Ego Soul Music chose Mad Margritt to be this week's "Band Of The
Week." The following article appeared on their Web site:

Mad Margritt Interview

I want to start off with thanking Eddie Smith of Mad Margritt for the
interview. These guys are true to their form and have been rocking a
long time with true passion for what they do. Never conforming to the
trends of today, just sticking to their heart and soul which in turn
makes some seriously kick ass music. If you haven't checked them out
yet, I would seriously encourage you to pick up a copy of their CD
titled ANIMAL. Oh, BTW, when you get the CD, grab a beer, sit down,
and crank up the tune "Loaded Gun" as loud as you can. Aww I love the
music. Great job guys!

1.) Can you describe the rock scene today as opposed to 1997 when COLD
SWEAT was released?

Being in a band that played rock and metal was really frowned upon
back in 1997. If you had long hair and didn't play alternative or
industrial music nobody wanted anything to do with you. People are a
lot more receptive now to the style of music we play. There is a
hunger for it and the scene just seems to keep getting better every
year.

2.) You guys have made a name for yourselves in Atlanta as well as a
buzz across the U.S. How has the age of the Internet and MySpace
helped you grow your fan base?

The Internet has totally changed the way bands market themselves. You
can communicate with your fan base a lot easier these days and MySpace
has become an incredible tool for promoting and getting your music
out.

3.) During this year you guys had a chance to play at the South Texas
Rock Fest. Could you describe the vibe at that show? And how was it
sharing the stage with the likes of Queensryche, Dokken, Tesla, etc.?

We had an awesome time. We've played with most of the bands on the
bill at one time or another but to have all those bands performing
together on the same weekend was incredible. The highlight of the
weekend of course was performing on the main stage in front of all
those people, it was insane!!

4.) When it comes to venues, I know a lot of bands enjoy playing
smaller more intimate shows at clubs. What would you say is your
favorite club to play and why?

For a long time it was the "Masquerade" here in Atlanta. The stage is
really big and they have a kick ass PA system. We don't play there to
much anymore because they changed their format and don't really book
many bands like us any more. At one time it was the premier rock club
in Atlanta.

5.) In your opinion, have the major record labels taken a blow due to
the fact that bands like Mad Margritt have so many options to get
their music out and no longer depend on them as a major platform for
advertisement?

I think the labels are hurting because people just don't buy that many
CDs anymore. Downloading is definitely part of the problem but
personally, I think the real problem is that the labels are not
signing bands that people are getting excited about. Back in the old
days, fans were loyal to bands and followed them for years. People
were excited about the bands they loved and wanted to know everything
about them. Now were in this disposable age where all the bands look
and sound the same. You can't tell one from the other. In most cases,
if people like a song now they download it and could care less about
the band who recorded it. Modern rock has gotten really boring and I
think that is why so many people are embracing old school rock and
metal. Kids are hearing all the great songs from that era and seeing
the old videos, they're realizing how much more exciting things were
back then and how much more authentic the bands were. I think that's
why things have been going so good for us the past few years. Our
style is very old school sounding and we play with passion and
integrity. Were not just another cookie cutter band that people are so
sick to death of these days.

6.) I have got to ask, what is the story behind the name "Mad
Margritt"?

I can't tell, I've been sworn to secrecy!!

7.) Are there any plans on touring overseas in the future?

We would love to tour overseas. We've had a few offers but
unfortunately none of them have really worked out. Hopefully we will
get over there one of these days.

8.) What is the best advice that you have ever received regarding your
pursuit in the rock and roll business?

Be persistent and have thick skin.

9.) Satellite Radio or mainstream radio?

Definitely satellite, thank god for the Boneyard!!! Mainstream radio
is another one of the big reasons why the music industry is in such a
shambles. They all play the same songs from the same boring play list.
The reason for that is because most radio stations are owned by the
same company. Wouldn't it be great if a DJ could play what they wanted
like back in the day, back when DJs discovered new bands and gave them
exposure and helped break their careers. Now if they play something
that isn't on their playlist they pay for it with their job.

10.) Mad Margritt has been evolving since its inception but has always
been true to its hard rock roots. What is the secret to keeping your
music fresh but maintaining the traditional hard rock values?

We just play what's in our hearts. I think that if you write songs
that you are passionate about and play them with enthusiasm and
conviction people will pick up on that and support you regardless of
the trends.

Click here to visit Ego Soul Music:
http://www.myspace.com/egosoulmusic

Upcoming Shows

Friday, November 7
LUBYS
Lawrenceville, Georgia

Saturday, November 8
THE WILD WING CAFÉ
Augusta, Georgia

Wednesday, November 12
PRIVATE EVENT
Sandy Springs, Georgia

Friday, November 14
THE WILD WING CAFÉ
Marietta, Georgia

Saturday, November 15
DOWNRIGGERS
Winder, Georgia

Friday, November 21
THE WILD WING CAFÉ
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Saturday, November 22
NAPPER TANDYS
Raleigh, North Carolina

Friday, December 5
THE DIXIE TAVERN
Marietta, Georgia

Saturday, December 6
DOWNRIGGERS
Winder, Georgia

Saturday, December 13
THE DUMPSTER
Norcross, Georgia

Friday, December 19
CHILLS
Thomaston, Georgia

Saturday, December 20
THE WILD WING CAFE
Marietta, Georgia

Saturday, December 27
THE WILD WING CAFE
Augusta, Georgia

Wednesday, December 31
BUFFALOS
Gainesville, Georgia
New Years Eve Party!!!

http://www.madmargritt.com/

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*** SPECIAL REPORT ***
*
by Neal Woodall (MysticX9@...)

-Interview w/ Tony MacAlpine
October 3, 2008

Tony MacAlpine has been one of my favorite musicians for over 20
years; I emphasize musician because even though Tony is often thought
of along with many of the well-known shred guitar players of the '80s,
Tony is the complete package, not only a total master of the guitar
but also a virtuoso keyboard player as well as a great composer. Tony
is one of those artists who never seems to rest, constantly involving
himself in multiple projects covering a variety of styles, including
high profile stints touring with Steve Vai, delivering fusion with
CAB, mindblowing prog with Planet X, majestic power metal with Ring Of
Fire and of course his own incredible instrumental music. Tony's
latest project is Devil's Slingshot which includes fellow legends
Billy Sheehan and Virgil Donati, so it goes without saying that I was
thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with him about the trio's
debut album and what else he has in store for us soon...

DETRITUS: Your current band project is Devil's Slingshot and the first
album CLINOPHOBIA has just been released in the U.S., but it's
actually been out for almost a year hasn't it?

TONY MACALPINE: Well, less than that but yeah, in Europe...

D: Why the delay getting it out over here?

TM: Well, the label that put it out, Mascot, was just securing their
U.S. distribution so that's kind of what happened there, nothing
extraordinary. Ed Van Zijl (Mascot Records founder) just expanded his
company to be more of a worldwide deal. Great label.

D: Devil's Slingshot also features Billy Sheehan who was with you on
your first solo album, and Virgil Donati who played with you in CAB
and Planet X. Is this something you've had in mind for a while?

TM: You know part of the delay process with the record company in
America was that we went on tour before the record even came out and
subsequently after that tour Virgil and I did another tour together
with Michel Polnareff who is this very commercial, very popular French
artist. We did that for a year in Europe and along the time we were
doing that tour we were writing the music for this particular record
CLINOPHOBIA; we were able to record in various locations, finally got
it together and that was the onset of the actual music of the band.
The band really had nothing written cohesively as a unit the first
time we toured, we were really just playing on the strength of our own
stuff -- my instrumental stuff, Billy's material, some of Virgil's
stuff, things like that. So it was during that tour, at the end of
that tour and the start of the French tour with Michel Polnareff that
we thought it would be a good idea to christen it as a band and write
some stuff, so that's when that happened.

D: The album is fantastic, I've been listening to it quite a bit...

TM: Well thank you very much, I'll tell the guys!

D: The melodies in "Ballad De Bastille" and "Def Bitch Blues" take me
back to your early work...

TM: Yeah, that was kind of the idea. We were really trying to have a
cohesive thing, something tying into that rhythmic stuff and something
that was a little bit more melodic instead of just a shredfest.

D: Sounds like you were trying to weave the musicianship into the
pieces rather than going overboard with the shred...

TM: Exactly, and there have been so many talks about different
directions, you know where we can take this thing. People have been
mentioning vocals and every time you do something instrumental people
say vocals! (laughs) That's how it works.

D: How did you approach the solos? Do you usually improvise them in
the studio?

TM: Yeah, that's always what I've done, just improvise them in the
studio and go with the one I feel best fits where the song is going.

D: I especially liked the one in "Ocean," amazing...

TM: Oh, okay, thank you. Yeah, that was a fun track. With a lot of the
tracks there's a fresh energy. It's like the first time Billy and I
recorded together since the very first record -- 'cause I'm not really
on any of the Vai stuff except for the live DVD, so that was like the
first time we put something like that together.

D: Looks like you wrote half of the album and Virgil wrote half and
then you co-wrote one song together. What happened to Billy, did he
not feel like throwing anything into the mix?

TM: Yeah, exactly -- you know, we really felt like Virgil and I had
our hands more involved in the direction of the progressive thing,
where we were going with it, from our experience working with Planet X
and things like that, even though this doesn't really borrow from
that. Also, Virgil and I were together when the record was recorded.
We were in Europe for that whole year and Billy was here in Los
Angeles working on his record, so it made sense that I was with the
drummer and we did some things together but Billy has a lot of
creative freedom, he came up with a lot of the crazy lines you hear on
there.

D: Yeah, incredible! The album has a great sound -- Steve Scanlon
(producer), was that someone Virgil knew from Australia?

TM: Exactly! How did you know that?

D: I just looked him up and noticed he had been on several albums with
Virgil and he was from Australia so I figured he must have been
someone Virgil knew.

TM: Well he was actually our sound engineer. Occasionally he'll come
out and do live stuff -- he did a lot of pop stuff like Tina Arena
over there, different things and he loves to engineer. He's been doing
that for a long time, wonderful engineer.

D: Yeah, I didn't realize he had done that last Planet X and that's a
good sounding record...

TM: Yeah, exactly.

D: Are you still using Carvin guitars and Hughes & Kettner amps?

TM: Same thing, yeah, TMAC VI and VII's (six- and seven-string) Carvin
guitars, some active guitars and passive guitars but they're all Tony
MacAlpine models and I'm using TriAmp Hughes & Kettner tube amps --
same setup, if it's workin' I'm not gonna break it! (laughs)

D: So you don't ever pull out the B.C. Riches? (laughs)

TM: No, I don't actually.

D: What kind of effects are you running through?

TM: I still use a TSR 12 and just a volume pedal and that's about it,
I don't really use a wah pedal anymore. The TSR 12 is an old Ibanez
effect that came out years and years ago but I've always liked the
sound of it, you know, the color...

D: You always get a great tone...

TM: Oh, thanks, thanks. I didn't use that stuff when I was recording
of course though. I recorded everything really dry and let the
engineer put the sound together; he added it in later.

D: Well I know you've done some touring recently. Any chance we'll get
to see you in the U.S. soon?

TM: Yeah, actually right now what we're doing is putting the finishing
touches on the reformation of a band called Ring Of Fire with Mark
Boals singing. We have a new drummer named Patrick Caccia -- he has
played for a number of years with Eric Sardinas; great drummer. He's
toured with us and opened a lot of shows with Steve Vai on the road;
great player. Philip Bynoe right now is on bass. It's a commercial,
heavy, heavy rock type of thing so that will definitely be out on the
road soon.

D: I saw you live with Steve Vai on the G3 tour several years back up
in Atlanta. Any chance you'll be one of the main three at some point?

TM: Well, yeah, I was actually going to do one but the schedules just
didn't work. I had my commitments and then Joe [Satriani] ended up
doing this thing he's doing with Sammy Hagar so different things
happened but it's okay. (laughs) I enjoyed playing with Steve. He has
some wonderful music and he is such a great, great player and I didn't
really have to worry about the headache of carrying the show on my own
shoulders. (laughs) So it was a lot of fun to do it that way, it was
such a great lineup with all the guys, you know Dave Weiner and Billy
Sheehan, it was a lot of fun. I don't think I could have gotten that
kind of band for my own solo... (laughs)

D: Maybe not! (laughs)

TM: But you take what you can get!

D: You are working on a new solo album now aren't you?

TM: I'm actually not, no...

D: You're not going to do one or just not right now?

TM: I'm not right now, I'm working on the new Ring Of Fire record. As
we speak we're seven songs finished into it so we're really doing a
lot of different things in my studio and Pat's studio, and Mark is on
the road right now with Uli Roth, so in between the time that he's on
the road he comes in and catches up. It started this way because we're
taking our time putting it together. It's a very fresh approach to
what Ring Of Fire was, so much to the point where we almost considered
renaming the band because we still have the intensity of what we've
done, but the members are a little different. That still remains to be
seen but that's just common fare, that's the kind of thing that goes
on.

D: I know you've been involved in a lot of other projects and I won't
go through the entire list of 'em (laughs) but I did want to ask you
about CAB...

TM: We just released the new CAB record, or it's about ready to come
out. It's called THEATRE OF THE MARIONETTES. That just was finished
with Virgil on drums and Chick Corea on keyboards...

D: Man, that's going to be awesome!

TM: Yeah, pretty amazing record. Bryan Augur is playing keyboards,
too; also Patrice Rushen, and that record will be hitting the stores
soon.

D: Great! How come there was never a CAB 3?

TM: Well, you know we had this genius plan to skip some numbers
(laughs) and we kind of lost track; apparently the thought was to do a
live record and that will be CAB 3, so we'll see if that ever happens
-- you know how these people are in the music business! (laughs)

D: I wanted to ask you about your approach to composition. When you
write something like "Autumn Lords" or "Christmas Island," do you hear
large parts of that completed in your head or do you take shorter
segments and arrange those?

TM: Yeah, actually there are times when I do hear a large portion of
something in my head and it comes very quickly, almost like
automatically, but then there are other times when that isn't the
case. There really isn't a norm -- I mean there are other times when
things are just put together slowly over time. I actually do prefer to
work slower now than I did in the other decades. I really like the
idea of spending time with things and seeing where they are going, and
of course another reason for that is the progression of where the
recording software has gone. It's so much easier to record stuff at
times when you feel the most creative, and you're dealing with your
struggles in a different way rather than going into a studio where you
have time booked, you know, and you have to be creative because the
time is booked. So it's a little different when you have Pro-Tools or
Logic Pro, whatever you're using in your studio and you can just go in
there at your time and put it together. It allows you to be creative
in a different way and I think that's transformed into my writing now.

D: One of my favorite albums, instrumental or not is MAXIMUM SECURITY.
Are you happy with how that one has held up over the years?

TM: Oh, I love that one, I love that record, it was so much fun. You
know there was such an energy on that record because I had just
started working with Cliff Bernstein from Q Prime, of course they were
managing Dokken at that time and George Lynch was always one of my
favorite players and he arranged for George [Lynch] to come and play.
I was living up at San Rafael at the time and I became friends with
the Night Ranger boys, Jeff Watson and Brad Gillis, and I just hung
out with Jeff one night and he showed me that incredible eight-
fingered technique that he had (laughs), and I said "Wow man, you've
got to come and do that on the record for me," he did and it was
great, a lot of fun.

D: The Joey Tafolla record OUT OF THE SUN was another one of my
favorites from that era. It sounds like a lot of your ideas on there;
how much of that did you write?

TM: I really didn't. He was a student of mine so maybe part of the
influence came from there, plus I produced it and played on it, and
Paul Gilbert came in and played an amazing solo, love that solo. Paul
is another great player.

D: I love your instructional DVDs. Any plans for more?

TM: I never loved those DVDs, I've got to be honest. (laughs) I'm not
a clinician anymore, not a teacher, it was never my strength. I really
appreciate your comments on that but you have to do stuff that you
feel you are comfortable to some degree with, like you really have
something to offer. I just felt that I never could put together the
ideas... (pauses) I think probably a lot of the reason is the way
those are put together, if I were to do another one I would do it so
differently because the way they are put together is like "Come up
with 160 ideas and sit down and explain it to the public," and that's
difficult because that is not really what happens. But I'll tell you,
CAB has played in Europe and around here in Hollywood, we actually
have another live clinic coming up at MI and that's more along the
lines of what I think should be done. What we do is we play like a set
or half a set and open it up for questions and we can dissect the
pieces right there, 'cause the interaction with the other musicians is
what really makes the difference. I think when you are playing with a
tape machine or a DAT machine or CD or iPod or whatever, you don't
come across the same way, because you don't have the interaction of
what the other musicians would do to influence you to play a certain
way; I always felt that that is what was lacking. I remember there was
one, I tried to bring that across because we did have a live band
playing in one of those but it's so not the way that I would do it.
But I appreciate your kind words.

D: Will you be doing any more work with Vinnie Moore?

TM: I'd love to do something else with Vinnie Moore -- he's always
been one of my favorite players, an amazing guy and an amazing
musician -- but we never seem to cross paths. That hasn't happened but
I'd love it, I love to play keyboards. That's one of the things I've
done like in Steve's band, I played keyboards and a little bit of
guitar, played keyboards with Vinnie, because you can think like a
guitar player thinks but when they ask you to come in and be an
integral part of a situation playing another instrument -- which was
really my first instrument -- you have such a different perspective on
the music. You have the best seat in the house, you know, because
you're right there in the front, and the construction of the material
is something that you can just lay back and see how things work. I
think it would be nice to have a bunch of guest musicians on my next
solo thing. I'm thinking about something like that, sort of like what
I did with MAXIMUM SECURITY but a lot more players...

D: Have a reunion with some of those players?

TM: I think so, Paul Gilbert and I have talked about doing something
like that. He's amazing. Then there's so many of these great new
players coming along like Johnny Hiland taking it to all these
different directions, I'd love to have those guys involved too.

D: Have you ever thought of doing a pure keyboard album, like the
Chopin piano concertos you always include on your solo albums?

TM: Yeah, I'm working back with a teacher again and getting into that
now, because I'm not going to put any more solo piano pieces on my
instrumental records. I'm just going to do guitar records and I would
very much like to do a piano record of some sort.

D: Do you still teach any personal students?

TM: No, I don't.

D: I was hoping you did so I could come and take lessons! (laughs) I
need help with composition and arrangement, that's my weakness...

TM: (laughs) Really? Wow, I think we all need help with that
eventually. No, but I don't really have the time because I'm working
so much and I'm really on the road quite a bit being in CAB, Ring Of
Fire and the Slingshot thing going on, and still trying to figure out
what I'm going to be doing instrumentally on my own, so there is
hardly any time really to do that.

D: Yeah, you are involved in a lot of projects!

TM: Yeah, I think so!

D: Clinophobia is the fear of going to sleep, how did you come up with
that title?

TM: Exactly. Well you know, you're the only journalist that has
mentioned that correctly, everyone else seems to think it's the fear
of clinics! (laughs) I think it was kind of just like a novelty title
for us. We investigated obviously what the definition was and we
thought that is so like the life of a musician!

D: I was thinking maybe that's how you get so much done with all these
projects, you just stay awake all the time!

TM: Sometimes it is like that. It's troublesome to me because
sometimes I'm up till like 5 in the morning; I'd really like to go to
bed at 8 or 9 or 10, that's just great but I just don't get tired at
that time...

D: Yeah, I've always been a "night owl" so it's very difficult to get
to sleep before the wee hours...

TM: It is, and I really feel more relaxed and creative at that time
later in the day.

D: Well Tony, thanks so much for the music and inspiration and for
taking the time to talk with me today, I hope to see you live soon!

TM: Thanks Neal, it's been my pleasure to talk with you and I'll stay
in touch!

Relevant links:

Mark Boals
http://www.myspace.com/markboals

CAB
http://www.cabband.com/

Devil's Slingshot
http://www.myspace.com/devilsslingshot

Virgil Donati
http://www.virgildonati.com/
http://www.myspace.com/virgildonati

Tony MacAlpine
http://www.tonymacalpine.com/
http://www.myspace.com/tonymacalpine

Mascot Records U.S.A.
http://www.mascotrecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mascot

Joe Satriani
http://www.satriani.com/

Billy Sheehan
http://www.billysheehan.com/
http://www.myspace.com/billysheehan

Steve Vai
http://www.vai.com/
http://www.myspace.com/stevevai

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*** OUT ***
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