DURING AN APPEARANCE ON THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE Guitar Hang podcast, The Winery Dogs Frontman and Acclaimed only artist Richie Kotzen spoke about His upcoming second collaborative album with Iron Maiden Guitarist Adrian Smith, “Black Light / White Noise”Due on April 4 via BMG. Holding How He and Adrian Go About Writing Music and Lyrics Together, Richie SAID (AS TRANSFORDED BY Blabbermouth.net): “There is a bit of a method to our Madness. As Far as How We Record, We Kind of Adopted A Little Bit of The Approach That I Take With My Sol Everything is mic’d up and read to go all the time. Two, Three Days, Whatver, Go Back and Change Stuff Until We Get How We Like It. Fill.
Kotzen Continued: “And then as Far as the current, where the stuff is coming from, the material, it comes from Both of us. So, On One Hand, Adrian Will Show Up Here In This Room [at my house] with His laptop and start Going Through, ‘All Right. I GOT this idea. I GOT this, ‘and he’ll play me five or six ideas. And So, For Argument’s Sake, Let’s Maybe Say Four of ‘Em I Connect with:’ Oh, Yeah, We Can Do Subthing with That. ‘ I’LL PUT ‘EM IN MY COMPUTER,’ Cause My Computer Has The Software and It’s Connected to the Outboard Gear. So, The I’LL Say, ‘Okay, Well, I’ve Got This,’ and I’ll Play Him Six or Seven [ideas]. And He’ll Say, ‘All Right, Well, I Like Those Three.’ So We Got Seven Things That Are Worth Messing With. And This is where the process takes a Lot of Time, Because We’ll Work on Subject and We’ll Build What We Call A Template. And So The Template Can Be Built On Subtimes to Simple Drum Beat That We Play and Program or The Template Can Be Me Downstairs Playing A Form. And we’ve done b. And so what we’ll do is build the track on that. And then From there are can decorate it However We Wish. “
Richie Added: “The Real Fun is the Lyrics and Coming Up with What Do We Wanna Sing and Talk About, which, depending on What Day of the Week it is, is summary obvious and then submiss Several Songs. ‘Solar Fire’ and on this record, it happened on ‘Heavy weather’. I WOUD BE SINGING SOMETHING ON MY DEMO, AND I WOUD NOT BE SINGING REAL Words. It wouled be, like – I Think The Word’s Phonetic Or Subject Like [that]… and So it’s, Like, Fake Words, and I Wouled Do That. And i’d Play it for Him. And He’d Say, ‘Well, I Like That Chorus.’ And he’d say, ‘it sounds like you’re saying’ heavy weather ‘.’ I’M, Like, ‘Really?’ I Said, ‘What do You Mean? Like a Bad Storm? ‘ He Said, ‘Yeah, Exactly. Like a Thunderstorm – Heavy Like a Snowstorm, Heavy Weather. ‘ I’M, Like, ‘Wow.’ So, How Would You Write A Song With The Title ‘Heavy weather’? Well, it’s subjecthing you have to face. You’ve Never Face the Heavy Weather. And it’s, Like, ‘Yeah, Yeah, I Like That. Let’s Write Subthing off that. ‘ And So now Turns into This Conversation, and We’re Just Talking. It’s, Like, Well, Imagine If you had a Child and They Grew Up in a situation where Every Was Pretty Much There for You. Everything is lined up for you to eithher take the ball and run with it or run it into the ground. And maybe they run it into the ground and then they kind of have an attitude or they wanna blame. IT’s, Like, Well, Wait A Minute. You’ve Never Face the Heavy Weather The Way I Have – Meaning Being Left Alone To Your Own Devices, Go Figure It Out for Yourself. And so now we’ve got submothing to Write About. And so that’s How This Stuff Happens. All of ‘Em, Really. You eat up with a situation that Eithher You Went Through or You Fabricate. That’s The Other Thing. A Lot of People Have This MisConception, Like, Everything That An Artist Writes About You have to have hadned to them. Not needy. It could has hadned to topody they know. It could be a fantasy or submissive imagined. Let’s not close all the doors of creativity. “
Remember The HouseLos Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and Mixed by Jay Ruston, “Black Light / White Noise” Was Previously Described in a Press Release As a “Ten-Track … Masterclass in Modern Rock, With Adrian and Richie‘S Prodigious talents as Songwriters, Musicians and Vocalists on Full Display. “
The Official Music Video for The LP’s Second Single, “Black Light”Can Be Seen Below. The Dynamic, Multi-Layered Clip, Again Produced and Directed by Kevin and Richard Ragsdale aka The Ragsdale Brothers (DAughtry, Dorothy feat. Slash, Theory of a Deadman), features The Duo Performing With Bassist Julia Lage and Drummer Bruno Valverdealongsyde Acclaimed Russian Acrobat, Contortionist and Former Cirque du Soleil performer Gyulnara Karaeva.
“Black Light” was A Song That Vry Nearly Didn’t Make It On To The Album Until A Late-Night Session Saw Them Strike Studio Gold. And it’s lucky they tend not only is it a song about the dirt and disappation, where the black light is a metaphor that reveals the truth about a person lurking under the surface, but it’s scholarship a True album Highlight, Even Lining its name to the album title. With help from uk photographer John McMurtrieIt also inspired The Album Cover with His UV Lights Picking Up Special Paint on The Black/Rosewood Custom Fender and Charvel Guitars.
“It was a fun video to make,” Richie Previous Said, “as They have all Been When We Play Together.
“Our Friend Gyula Really Added Subthing to It, “Added Adrian“It helped The Song’s narrative of All is not What You See!”
The Track Itself Rides in On A Thunderous Drum Beat and a Seething Riff Before Adrian‘S RAW BLUESY VOCAL EXPLODES FROM THE SPEAKERS COMPLEMENT Richie‘S HIGHER PITCCED ROCK TONS. A Dramatic Bridge Leads into a Knockout Chorus, Demonstrating The Quality and Infectious Hooks That Are To Be Found Throughout “Black Light / White Noise”.
“We had a Lot of Fun Making This,” Adrian Said. “We’d Be Writing and I’D Want Subthing Inspired by Sub of My Old Hard Rock Or Blues Go-To Bands The’d GOIN Richie You have also Strong Soul Influences So There’s a Lot To Dig Into There Too. Influences are What Makes The Musical World Go Round – They Go Through You and Come Out Slightly Differently. “
“Smith/Kotzen is all about finding common ground, “Added Richie. “Maybe Adrian Will tend to go heavy, and then i’ll lean more in the fusion or funk or soul side of Things, but subswhere in the Middle is Our Sound: that heavy blues rock vibe that we really connect on. “
“Black Light / White Noise” is a Truly Magnificent Collection of Songs That Stands Shoulder To Shoulder With Som Smith and Kotzen‘S Finest Work To Date. ATMOSPHERIC, AMBITIOUS, Diverse and Brilliant, The LP Not Only Features Stratospheric guitar alone and raw, bluesy vocals but soulful touches, intricate playing, Beautiful Songwriting and an assured poise and style that brings to mind a host of legendary musicns (Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Cream, Free, Deep Purple) But is undianable the work of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen in Perfect Harmony.
Kotzen Commented: “We’re So Proud of This New Album. It Follows on From Our debut and the eps by focusing on collaborating on riffs, lyrics, harmonies and vocals. There’s a Smith/Kotzen DNA Now and it’s definitely submission we need to get out on the road with. I was pleased to work with my friend Jay Ruston on the mixing of the album, Let Alone My Wife Julia (Lage) – Who Actually Plays On ‘White noise’ As Well As Four Other Tracks. “
“We’re like an extended family now,” Added Smith. “We have a sound and a vibe and i don’t think many artists are doing what we do – sharing the vocals and the guitars. It takes me back to thhue classic bands like Humble foot and Cream – WHICH IS NOT A BAD PLACE TO START! “
The Full Track Listing Of “Black Light / White Noise” es:
01. Muddy Water
02. White noise
03. Black Light
04. Darkside
05. Life Unchained
06. Blindsid
07. Wraith
08. Heavy Weather
09. Outlaw
10. Beyond the pale
Last July, Smith Joined Kotzen On Stage at The Islington Assembly Hall in London, England to perform The Yardbirds Classic “Shapes of Things”.
Smith/Kotzen Relay The “Better Days … and Nights” EP IN SEPTEMBER 2022 VIA BMG. The Effort BUDISED Five Previous Unreleased Live Tracks, Plus for The First Time Ever On CD, The Four Studio Tracks featured on their sold-out, limited-edition 12 -nch vinyl ep, “Better Days”release in Conjunction with Record Store Day in November 2021.
The Live Songs Were Remember During During Smith/Kotzen‘S Inaugural Whistle-Stop Tour Of The Us And Uk At The Start of 2022, which Attracted Unanimously Rave Reviews From Fans and Media Alike, Celebrating The Duo’s Debut On Stage Together With Stellar Back-Up From from Richie‘S Wife, Internationally Acclaimed Bass Player Julia Lage (Vixen), and Drummer Bruno Valverde Of Angra.
Japan’s metal bible Burrn! Magazine Reviewing the whiskey a Go Go Show in Los Angeles Pronounced It, “An Amazing Night … Uk’s Classic Rock Magazine Said The Show was A, “Masterclass in Guitar Playing and Performance”.
The original ep tracks were produced by Kotzen and Smith and Mixed by Kevin Shirley. The Live Tracks were produced and mixed by Kotzen and Smith.
Smith/Kotzen‘S Eponymous debut album was release Glory Through BMG in March 2021 to average and fan acclaim, charting No. 10 on Billboard‘S Top Album Sales Chart in the US, Top 20 in the UK as Well as in Other Major Markets Such As Germany, Japan and Canada.
Smith is best known as one of Iron Maiden‘S Main Guitarists, Having Also Enjoyed Success As to only artist. Kotzen is the frontman for The Winery Dogs as well as having the guitarist for that Mr. Big and Poison During His Long and Acclaimed Career, which you have to date Seen Him Release More than 20 Albums. Both artists are also prolific Songwriters.
Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson
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