Friday, June 29th was a great evening for me. Not only was it my first Loverboy show this year - I also had the chance to sit down with Mike Reno to discuss, among other things, the greatly anticipated new cd, "Just Gettin Started" I have to stress here that I am first and foremost, a huge Loverboy fan and have been since the very beginning. Although I have been running the two websites ( Loverboy MySpace and tamsloverboypage.com ) for a while now and have been lucky enough to call these guys friends; doing this interview was in many ways, the realization of a 16 year-old girl's dream. So for that Mike, I thank you. I hope you all enjoy the interview and I guarantee the cd is DEFINITELY worth the wait!
How did it feel to be inducted into the West Coast Music Hall of Fame ? Congrats by the way...
MR: Thanks, it was a nice experience. I brought my family and my kid and his girlfriend. It was a fun night and we performed some songs and they wanted us to play more so we ended up playing for over an hour when we were originally supposed to do 15 minutes! But that's what Loverboy does - we play live. Being honoured by the West Coast Hall of Fame was awesome and a really nice experience. I really enjoyed it - it was fun. It was at the Commodore (Ballroom) and that's one of the coolest places (hiccup!)
I'm going to add the hiccups in when I am writing this out (Laughter)
MR: It's your fault!
Yeah, it's my fault (more laughter) Hold your breath and swallow three times!
MR: I've tried a few things and it's not workin....
What made you decide to record again?
MR: I'm trying to think of the word....Epiphany.
OK
MR: I had sulked for long enough and I was ready to write songs again. I had gone thru a really hard time losing my friend, that being Scott Smith, and I shut down. And then I opened up one day and now you can't shut me up!
So, how does the whole recording "process" differ now from 20 years ago??
MR: Completely different
OK - in a good way?
MR: It turned out to be the most bestest way (laughter) but everyone was freaking out because what I did is - I did all my vocals first. I wrote the songs and I sang them and I had, you know, computerized drums and fake bass and fake guitar...well, actually, it was real guitar. So I had made demos with "keeper" vocals. So the band then came in behind me and put the bass on, then they put the guitar on. The keyboards came in via internet, which is something we'd never done. Doug worked in his studio, which you'll see on the new Loverboy jacket - Two Cats and a Dog Studio - kinda cute! But the beauty of it all was, I was really nervous about getting Matt to play because, you know, he likes to instigate. He pushes and he pulls and likes to work it for like weeks and weeks. And he was quite honestly, bitching and complaining the whole way in - and he will even admit to that. So I booked him three days in the studio - he was in town at the time. He came in and he did all ten tracks in one day!
Really?
MR: So we had to kinda - it was amazing! He liked it so much this way that he said "That's the way I want to record from now on!" Which is really, ya know, a spectacular answer to your question.
Yes...
MR: 'cuz you usually start with the drums and the bass and you work the groove - which drives guys like me crazy - and this way we had already worked the groove out, right? So what we did this time - we did it completely ass backwards!
and it worked
MR: And it worked out amazingly because Matt played to studio quality tracks...
right
MR: We weren't jamming and looking for a groove. The groove was already there so he just had to play the drums and he played like amazing! It was really amazing - he added all his little Mattie-isms and cymbal crashes and we got it all recorded, mixed. You know - you have heard the record so you know and once you listen to it more because I was foolish enough to leave you with a copy of it....(laughter)
(Have to admit I am grinning like a cat that just swallowed a giant canary here!!!! LOL)
MR: You will understand what I mean about six or seven listens in. You will start hearing these things and going "Whoa!" - hearing different things....it couldn't be anyone but Mattie on the drums. You know...you and I have had a relationship for quite a while now and I've played you demos before Mattie played on them...
Yes
MR: And you went "Oh, that's great!" but when you heard the same demos tonight, in this sitting, you were like "Wow!!" and you didn't know why...you'll know why maybe next Wednesday when you go "WOW!!" It's undeniably Loverboy because of all the little things that each one of the guys adds and I think you know, I think that is the big change or difference. We used to start with bass and drums and work it out, then talk it over, go out and party, get drunk and spend weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks! This time we did the whole record like "Bam!"
So you didn't overwork it...
MR: One day! Mattie was in the studio for one day! I mean that's a headline! "Drummer in Studio for One Day!" Oh my God! We did the drums for the whole record in one f**kin day! When does that ever happen? You can quote me on that too (more hiccups and laughter!)
What do you think of the "Idol"-type shows? Would you consider being a guest judge if you were asked?
MR: I actually should be a judge for the Canadian Idol except I don't have time.
Right
MR: However, I would do it, if asked because I think I would add credibility to that show because I am an actual working, writing...
vocalist?
MR: Musician. The people on Canadian Idol, if that is the one you are referring to, need to be shifted around - you can quote me on that and they can call me anytime!
If there was one musical "change" you could make in the past thirty years - what would it be?
MR: Um - I
Not personal - musical...
MR: I know...is this about me or what I do?
Yes, about you....if you were to say "If I could go back and change this one thing about my career that I've had, I would..."
MR: In all honesty, out of sheer desperation for some free time, I left Paul the reigns for a few years and he kind of went off and just focused on his guitar thing and we all just kind of went "OK, whatever" - just so we could have a couple of weeks off. That would have been a mistake that I will admit to. And I am NOT criticizing Paul....I am criticizing myself.
Back to the new cd... Who produced it and where was it recorded?
MR: The new album was produced by a group of people. Sean Hosein, Dane DeViller, Steve Smith, Anthony Anderson and myself and Adam H for the record company, RockSTAR Music Corporation. I am not listed as a producer, which is fine. I wrote every song on the album with the guys and organized the troupe - the group. I got them all together and after doing that they formed the record company which I'm also a consultant for but not a part of, and we devised a way to do a quality album by putting in talent and not asking anyone for money but we volunteered our time. We should almost call the new album "Volunteer"
and it was recorded at...Little Mountain, Mushroom???
MR: It was recorded at The Armory, Mushroom, the Gas Station and tracks were sent in from Machine Works (Paul Dean's home studio)-alot of the tracks he did he sent in and then Doug also sent tracks from the studio that he would like to be called "Two Cats and a Dog" - which I think is very cute. But Doug would send us 100 times more than we needed - he is such a great, creative guy. So he would send in all these tracks for songs and we'd just pick and choose what we needed. Doug's just a great guy! Everybody worked differently on this album which I think is the secret or kind of lead story here.
Why did you opt to change the title of the cd to "Just Gettin Started" when the cd title was already being promoted as "Back For More" in the press?
MR:We initially chose Back for More as the title track because we felt it was a great song but once I sat back and thought about it...."Back for More" almost sounded as if we had been retired for years and just decided to get back together for kicks and record a cd. When nothing could be further from the truth. Loverboy is a working band and except for a few years off in the early '90s, as the fans well know, we have been out there on the road, playing well over 100 dates a year so it really didn't suit as the title. "Just Gettin Started" is more positive and a truer identity of where the band is...
Speaking of the live shows, fans have been hearing "Alive" for quite awhile now - yet it didn't make the cd. Will there be an opportunity for fans to purchase it down the line?
MR:Actually that is a great question. When it came down to deciding what would go on the cd - we felt we had ten great tracks that just fit as a package and that we were really pleased with as a final product. But that meant leaving a couple of songs out - one of them being "Alive" which as you mentioned, we have been playing for quite awhile now. This is something that always happens when you write and record - something always ends up in the vault because it just doesn't fit with the rest of the project. But the nice thing is now that we have the internet, we can offer these songs to the fans as bonus tracks for download when you purchase the cd. So that's the plan for "Alive" and possibly one more track....that they will be available for the fans thru the Loverboy site (www.loverboyband.com
And now for the question I seem to be gettin the most on the sites....WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED??
MR:As soon as we finish this interview...haha. Soon - VERY soon! The artwork and final song list is due to the packaging company July 12 and that whole process should take less than a month so it should be hitting the stores early to mid-August
Being a veteran in this business, what sage advice would you give to someone just starting out?
MR: Wear a condom (laughter ensues) That's funny and it's good press!! (more laughter) You know what my advice is? If you have something to say - say it and find a partner to work with musically or if you can do it yourself - great, but a group of people seems to work well together. So find a group of people you can work with and work the songs and pay attention to every detail. The lyrics, the changes - all the parts of the song. The verses, the choruses, the pre-section, the mid-section - all of it and pay attention to who you are trying to relate to.
If you were to record another duet in the future and could choose anyone- who would it be?
MR: Tami
No, no, no Mike...uh-uh....(laughter)
MR: Tami
No - trust me on this....
MR: That's my first answer though!
Well, that's sweet but NO! No seriously, you did the one with Anne Wilson but if you had someone else to choose...anybody...
MR: You are forgetting the fact that I did a duet with Sammy Hagar
This is true!
MR: Remember the Heroes
Yes...
MR: Which I think should be, and I would like to get this on record and say that I think that song should be promoted within blogs and webpages to get people to re-release that song because of the fact that we are fighting a war. And that song that Sammy and I wrote - the song is called "Remember the Heroes" - We fight for the right. It's a good song and it is current.
True - I haven't listened to it in a long time but it is a great song!
MR: Who would I like to sing a song with? Sheryl Crow.
Really?
MR: She's cool, groovy and I like the texture of her voice. But only if Cathy wasn't available!
Good answer! Cathy will be glad to hear that - I am sure! What song after all these years is still your favourite to do live?
MR: Workin' for the Weekend
Just because of the audience participation or you just like that one live? Or both?
MR: My favourite song is "When It's Over" and my favourite song live is probably also "When It's Over" . But my favourite song to do live that I know everyone is gonna shit their pants is "Workin for the Weekend" - so I am kinda torn between the two.
OK - one last question....What is your favourite song on the new CD and why?
MR: "I Would Die For You" and you know why?
Why?
MR: Because I would die for you (laughter)
Oh Man!
Thank you for this interview, Mike!
MR: You are welcome....you got the honest answers!