During an interview following Smith/Kotzen‘S March 5 Acoustic Performance At The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Guitarist/Vocalist Richie Kotzen Reveared That “Black Light” -The Group’s Current Single and Latest Music Video, and The Co-Title Track Of Smith/Kotzen‘s forthcoming second album “Black Light/White Noise” – Nearly died on The Cutting Room Floor As He and Guitarist/Vocalist Adrian Smith (Also of Iron Maiden) Writing material for the record.
“FUNNY ENOUGH, THAT SANG ALMOST DIDN’T SURVIVE,” Kotzen Said. “I KNEW THOUGHT WAS SUBHAT WAS COOL ABOUT IT, AND I KEPT PUSHING Adrian On it, but Adrian [was] Like, ‘There’s submothing wrong. Somowing’s Off. ‘ It was The Rare Time WHERE I COULDN’T SEE IT CLEARLY. I was like, ‘What doesn’t I like about This?’ And The One Day, I’M Like, ‘The Chorus is Wrong. The Lyrics Are Wrong. I get it now. ‘ The Music Was Right, and The Beat Was Right. Everything Else was right. It was just [that] What We Were Singing Was Wrong.
“We mutad the vocals, and i left the room and [Adrian] Started Messing Around, ” Kotzen Continued. “We were at My House Doing This, and I was upstairs and I Heard Him do The See and I Came Running Downstairs. I busted into the room. Subtim you try sumty and go, ‘oh, scrap it,’ and go to the Next Thing. And The I Went Away, and They eat upstirs and say,
“The talent about the chorus. [Adrian] came up with the idea of [the title] ‘Black Light’. ‘What do you see under the black light?’ And I Felt Like We Had This conversation where I Don’t Know Who Said What, But It Was Revealable [quoting the song’s lyrics] ‘under Black Light, I see your colors eat Through; You’ve Got A Fine Way of Hiding the Truth; Black Light, I see the devil in you, ‘Whatver The Next Line is. Now We’ve Got A Story, and Now We’ve Got A Song, and Now We Put It Together. “
Added Smith“Subtimes, If you’ve got a Strong Title to Get Behind, It Sort of Gives You A Focus To Finish The Song, I Think.”
Kotzen Went on to discuss the meaning of songs’ Lyrical content and the need for artists to have – so he titled his 1997 only album – Something to say. “[On] This New Record, There’s a Song Calleed ‘Heavy weather’” Kotzen Said. “I had it demoed with fake singing, and [Adrian] Said, ‘i like the chorus. It sounds like you’re singing “Heavy Weather.” ‘Oh, you like like toStoralm? How Can We Write A Song About That? ‘ The we started talking, and it’s like, Now, You’ve Got A Child, and The Child is Kind of Born into This Luxury That You’ve Earned, and They’re Comlaining About Things – But You’ve Never Faced Heavy Weather in The Way That I Have. ‘ That’s The Thing That I Love The Most About Writing – Not So The Riff and How Heavy it is. I Like The Story, Because to Me, That’s What A Song is. When we do the riffs and we’ve got a melody and a good hook, a cool attitude and the beat’s cool, [that’s fine]but what the fuck are we going to say? If you don’t Have Anything to Sing About, That Means Nothing Needs To Be Written Right Now. So, You Go Take A Break. For me, I go outside and work on the property – Rake Leaves or Whatever The Fuck it is i do. THEY GET AN IDEA – ‘OKAY, THAT’S WHAT I’M GOING TO DO.’ “
Smith/Kotzen‘s second album, “Black Light/White Noise”Will Be release via BMG ON April 4.
Remember The HouseLos Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and Mixed by Jay RustonThe Ten-Track Album is a Masterclass in Modern Rock, with Adrian and Richie‘S Prodigious talents as Songwriters, Musicians and Vocalists on Full Display.
The Official Music Video for “Black Light”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.
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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dms53p6mj9w
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