Page 26 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 102

BV102 pg24-29 michael monroe centre_BV102 pg26 18/09/2019 21:16 Page 3

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ecording ‘One Man Gang’ was a lot ing 16/17 songs or close to 20 songs on a I’ve always adored. All these songs were on
Rof fun for Michael Monroe and his record it’s kind of like a double album, but the tour bus and we listened to the records.
band – comprised of the aforementioned gui- there aren’t many records that hold us so There are certain songs that I know word for
tarists Rich Jones and Steve Conte as well long that you would want to hear them again word. There are a lot of them actually. My
as bassist Sami Yaffa and drummer Karl after you’d listened to them all the way favourites Rich would always sing along the
Rockfist. “We had such a great time,” through. Maybe The Clash or ‘London Call- same way I would, knowing every word to
Michael tells Black Velvet. “We’re such good ing’ can do that, that’s a masterpiece. I like the song, like Stiv’s ‘Disconnected’ album
friends and we share the same kind of think- short records. The Demolition 23 album was last year and stuff like that. Wow. This guy
ing. We always have a really positive vibe ten songs. I want a rock ‘n’ roll record to be really is in the same vein, same state of mind
and we always seem to have a good time the length that after it’s over it’s so good and as I am. His style of writing, not only were
when we’re together. When we play together it’s good enough that you want to play it they great songs, we always want to try and
it’s magic. These guys are… I couldn’t hope again. This record you can do that. You’ll go avoid clichés and try and reinvent ourselves
for a better band. If I had a choice of any mu- ‘Oh wait a minute, I’ll listen to it again’.” in a cool way. You don’t want to do anything
sicians in the world alive or dead I would One of the high points for Michael was that’s been done before. You want to add
choose these guys. There’s such a great Captain Sensible contributing a solo to the some of your own twist to it. Rich had such
chemistry, a great vibe. Having fun to me is title track. a very intelligent way of… for example,
being creative, creating something new and “That was one of the great fun points, arrangements in a song; he would never do
exciting in the studio, jamming together, talk- when I could say to the guys, ‘Guess what! the obvious thing. He would always go for
ing, shooting the shit. It’s hard to explain, we Captain Sensible’s playing a solo on ‘One something more, something new and reach
just have a good time when we’re all out to expand your horizons. Like
together in the same place, no mat- I try to in singing and playing, I al-
ter where we are. Anywhere we go ways try and get a little bit better,
we can have a good time, pretty try and improve and evolve. I had
much. It’s hard to imagine us being a bunch of songs, maybe five or
miserable anywhere, no matter what six songs, for the album. Some of
the surroundings are.” them we didn’t end up recording
The band recorded ‘One Man because Rich had so many great
Gang’ at E-Studio, a residential stu- ones. I was ‘OK, this one of mine
dio in Sipoo, outside of Helsinki, goes… OK, and that one goes…’
Finland, in March 2018. Not only because they were great
“We lived there for the first cou- songs, but because of the style
ple of weeks,” says Michael. “We and the sound were so different
did the bass tracks and stuff with and having that variety on an
Sami and Karl, Steve and Rich all liv- album of all these songs together,
ing in the building, in the house. We with all these different dynamics
had our own room, so we could and nuances and sound world,
wake up in the morning, have break- without having the obvious
fast and coffee, go and get to work rocker, ballad, rocker, acoustic
right away. It was in the countryside, song, quiet songs, fast ones and
so a bit secluded. I like the nature. I mid-tempo, something like that.
like fresh air. It was a beautiful view This album especially has a lot of
when you looked out the window, colours and sounds for the en-
and saw these open green fields and tirety of the album. I thought it was
forests and stuff. So it was a peace- such a joy to hear these and I was
ful environment. It’s great to have just incredibly surprised with
everybody in the same place, espe- these great masterpieces that
cially when you’re working on Rich kept coming up with.”
songs and lyrics and including stuff. Michael points out ‘Low Life In
You get an idea, you go downstairs High Places’ as an example.
and record it.” “That, for me, sounds like a
Later on, Michael stayed in a classic song that was already writ-
hotel in Helsinki at times but when ten in the best days of rock ‘n’ roll
they started mixing and putting the final Man Gang’. I actually called Captain on the music, in the 60s or 70s or something that’s
touches on it, he moved into the studio again phone because I thought that song was very really magical.”
to be with Rich and Steve. much like The Damned kind of a song and Another song, ‘In The Tall Grass’, gave
“So we were 24/7 having a good time. thought, ‘Give it a shot, you never know un- Michael a chance to try a different way of
You can always tell on a record if it’s done, if less you ask,’ so I sent the song over. I singing.
it’s been forceful or miserable to make it or emailed him the song and he replied imme- “The verses I’m singing, in a way, inno-
if it’s been fun making the record, it comes diately, ‘Love the song, will have something cently like a child, sort of softly and sensi-
across. You can hear it and tell it in the vibe for you in a couple of days’, so then the next tively, and I was surprised at how it turned
usually. I’m glad we have such a good vibe day he had this great solo. It was there, it out. I’ve never sung like that. It was some-
in this band. The chemistry’s magical, so… was done. I was like ‘Guess what, guys! thing new for me. And this song, ‘In The Tall
yeah, really enjoyed making the record. We’ve got Captain Sensible playing the solo, Grass’, is really about losing your inno-
There was no pressure, we had no label or punk rock legend, our hero, playing the solo cence, something that went down in Rich’s
no situation that would be making us stress on ‘One Man Gang’. ‘No way! Are you kid- childhood as a teenager in Toronto that was
out, nobody breathing down our necks say- ding me?’ ‘Yeah! How cool is that!?’ The pretty heavy. Something that took place in
ing ‘You’ve gotta have it ready by the end of coolest guests we’ve had… We’ve had the neighbourhood after which the kids
the month’ or ‘next week’ or whatever. There Lemmy, Lucinda Wiliams, Captain Sensi- couldn’t go out safely anymore. They had to
was no deadline. We were being really cre- ble… in that vein of legends that suit the be back by the curfew, before dark and
ative.” album and our style perfectly. That was fun.” couldn’t use the same old shortcuts they
The band recorded 18 songs in the stu- used to use. I got into a character for the
dio although only 12 made the final release. ne Man Gang’ saw guitarist Rich verses in a serious way. I’m actually quite
“There was a time when I was going to ‘OJones contribute a number of proud of how that turned out. I enjoyed the
put 14 songs on the album,” says Michael. songs to the album. Michael was very im- singing. I’m always envious of Mick Jagger’s
“There were such good songs, but then I pressed with what Rich brought to the table. singing because he’s so laid back and he
forced myself to decide on 12. I like albums, Michael says, “It was a surprise to dis- sounds like he’s getting out of bed. Jeez,
like in the old days they would have about cover that Rich’s vibe and his whole musical how can he be so cool? I always envy that.
ten songs on an album. More than ten… you world of thinking is so much into Stiv Bators, I’m so high strung and wound up and I find
can get to 12 songs, 13 even, you can get by the ‘Disconnected’ album, The Damned, The it hard to relax at any time. I try to learn to be
with, but any more than that, if you start hav- Clash, Mott The Hoople, all these bands that a bit more relaxed and laid back and cooler
MICHAEL MONROE