Interview: Mötley Crüe singer John Corabi on Norwich-bound supergroup The Dead Daisies
The Dead Daisies who are coming Norwich, with John Corabi pictured far left. - Credit: Archant
Hard-rock super group The Dead Daisies are heading to Norwich as part of a co-headline tour with Northen Isih rockers The Answer. Former Mötley Crüe singer John Corabi tells us more.
There's a hard rock double header heading to Norwich as The Dead Daisies and The Answer have teamed up to play a European co-headline tour.
The Answers' latest and sixth studio album, Solas, on Napalm Records, is uncharted territory for one of Northern Ireland's finest exports. It's a modern rock album with a daring cinematic and multi layered approach further reflecting the band's Celtic roots for the first time.
The Dead Daisies is a super-group boasting a rolling line-up of former members of the likes of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Foreigner, Dio, Mötley Crüe and more.
Their latest album, Make Some Noise, is a full-on hard rock 'n' roll triumph, packed with huge hooks, giant, intense guitar riffs and distinctive vocals, recorded in Nashville and produced by Marti Frederiksen, who has previously helmed Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Buckcherry.
The Dead Daisies line-up boasts Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio), David Lowy (Red Phoenix, Mink), Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy) and Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner).
Singer John Corabi, who was also the singer for Mötley Crüe from 1992-97, tells us more…
Given the varied groups you have all played in before, how did The Dead Daisies come about?
Well The Daisies was started in 2012, by David and a singer named Jon Stevens in Australia and I personally wasn't there in the beginning, and don't really know what happened before I got here but, I've been told that they wrote a bunch of material, and recorded with a bunch of session players, and decided to put a 'band' together to tour. It was kind of 'ass backwards' actually, cause most bands get together and write for a while, then try to get a deal, record an album, then go on tour. So I guess there were a couple of members that didn't quite work out along the way. We've recorded two albums since I've joined and things have been steadily getting better with each tour.
Do you feel like a hard rock supergroup?
The band doesn't consider ourselves a supergroup, we like to say we're more like a 'boys club', as we're more a bunch of really good friends that share the same love of classic rock music, if you will, and we're just having a ton of fun doing this. We've all known each other for 20+ years so, it's been an incredible couple of years hanging, creating, and jamming live with each other.
Your latest album, Make Some Noise, came out in August and chartered well across the globe, are things getting bigger with each release?
Yes. We're very excited about all the new places we've been invited to, Japan, South Korea and South America, and the growing amount of fans, and the amazing support they give us in the places we've played already. I think we're tapping into a huge segment of people that just dig good classic music, and the fun and excitement that we all used to feel when our favourite bands would put out a new record, or come to town for a show.
Are you consciously developing the bands sound with each recording or is it a case of going with the flow when writing songs?
Its very much a 'go with the flow' thing here. We're a bit geographically challenged as David lives in Sydney Australia, Marco, Doug, and Brian live in Los Angeles, and I live in Nashville. So, both records I've done with the guys have been written and recorded very quickly. We start with a bunch of riffs, and just develop them together. We'll get what I like to call a 'map' or a song foundation, and we just record it onto a laptop or cellphone. Once we had enough material we sifted through all the ideas with Marti Fredrickson, and decide on the best 13-14 tunes.
You are playing in Norwich as part of a UK tour. What have been the groups experiences here up till now?
Playing in UK has been amazing for all of us. The fans are awesome, and have been extremely accepting of all of us, separately and together. It gives us a chance to see and hang with some mates. Personally, I've played England a couple of times when I was doing my solo acoustic shows and had a blast. I was schooled on a few different warm beers and managed a bit of sightseeing. I've got quite a few friends there, and enjoy seeing them every time I'm there, and I also love the history of UK, so that intrigues me as well.
You are co-headlining with The Answer from Northern Ireland have you played with them before, what are your thoughts on the Irish rockers?
We have never played with them before but, I'm very excited to check them out. Everybody we've spoken to has given us great feedback about the guys, so I think it'll be a great tour. We're all big Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore, Rory Gallagher, U2 fans so we know Ireland has some great music coming out of there. There's a huge list of amazing talent then and now from Ireland so I'm beyond curious to see what the guys are all about. Most of the people we've met from there are always very jovial, so we're really looking forward to meeting them, and hanging and maybe even having a drink or two...They are Irish, so I'm training my liver as I type [laughs].
Is there a venue anywhere in the globe that you enjoy playing at the most?
That's a hard one...There's a bunch of places, even here in America that I haven't played yet so, after 25 years of touring, there's still a lot of famous venues that I'd love to play. I think playing Download festival last year with The Daisies, was awesome, as I read about that when it was called The Donnington festival in magazines as a kid in Kerrang! I was supposed to play there with Mötley Crüe in 1994, on a bill with Aerosmith, and for some reason we cancelled, so I was more than disappointed, but it was definitely a bucket list gig.
You arrive on this UK tour off the back of the Kiss Kruise – what's it like to play to a boat full of rock fans sailing around the Caribbean?
It's a festival on a boat. How could you not dig that? The Kiss guys are always very accomodating, and we can't thank them enough for the invites the last couple of years. Personally I've got a pretty long history with their fans, as I had a band called Union after Mötley Crüe, with Bruce Kulick, who used to play guitar with Kiss. I also have a side band with Eric Singer, the current drummer from Kiss, called ESP. It's a bit of a 'work vacation' as I get to bring my wife and have a quite a bit of fun…
• Dead Daisies & The Answer play the Waterfront, King Street, Norwich, on November 22, 7pm, £18.50, 01603 508050, www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk
• Make Some Noise is out now
• Further listening: thedeaddaisies.com