Question: Welcome back Joe to Melodic Rock! How?s life treating you at the moment? Answer:Thanks. It's all good! I have some new projects that are taking off well and now House of Dreams is coming out soon. Q: This is another terrific Sunstorm album. How did you choose the songs by outside writers and do you still have any of your own songs tucked away that you haven’t aired yet? A: Thanks! I did not pick the writers or musicians although they are all excellent. I only submitted songs from my vault and the guys at Frontiers, with all of their melodic rock connections, picked the others. The final song list was submitted to me by Frontiers. I do have several songs still tucked away but I would have to dig very deep into my library of tapes. Q: You recorded this record through the magic of modern technology, sending your vocals over to Dennis Ward to produce. How do you feel about being able to record in this way? A: It's great! This is what's happening today and the beauty of it all is that people can do all kinds of collaborations that were either not technically or financially feasible in the past. It's like"hands across the water." Just the other day Dennis sent me some files through the Internet, I had some thoughts on the mixing, he made some adjustments and sent them back. To be able to do all this without having to be in the same studio really saves a lot of time. I have really grown to embrace all this technology and in the end, the fans benefit because artists can put out more material, more CDs, participate in a variety of projects, which is creatively fulfilling. Q: You’re a busy man and you’ve always got your fingers in a number of pies at once. What other projects are you involved in at the moment? I know there’s your “Field of Dreams” inspired Rainbow project. Can you tell us a little about that and anything else you’re up to? Q: LOL about the fingers in a number of pies. I see the fans on the JLT Yahoo Message board have been joking about this but in reality, as I said in the previous response, it allows for more creativity. It's healthy to work with different people and on a variety of projects. Right now I am packing for a show down in Florida with Rock and Pop Masters... band that has this incredible roster of musicians from Orleans to Blue Oyster Cult and Grand Funk. I am getting ready to hit the road with Big Noize in Spain and the UK in May. The project you are referring to is called OVER the Rainbow... please don't call it Rainbow because we
do not want to confuse fans. The band features ex-Rainbow members from 3 different eras of Rainbow's past: Tony Carey, Greg Smith, Bobby Rondinelli with Ritchie Blackmore's son, Jurgen, on guitar. We just got back from Russia, The Ukraine and Belarus where we played for mostly sold out audiences in the thousands---not clubs... theaters and arenas. We'll head to Japan later this spring and are working on lining up more dates, hopefully in Europe and the USA. I'm always doing studio sessions and writing sessions. Q: How do remain so busy? What keeps you working and rocking so much and so well? A: I am always busy but people get up and go to work and most work at least 8 hours a day or more. Music IS my fulltime job. It's how I earn a living and it's what I enjoy most. Many people do not love their jobs. I am fortunate that I have a fulltime job that I love. It may be hard to believe but I actually have to turn down more than I agree to do. And, a lot of the things I do, people don't ever read about. The Internet, email, phones that are now internet connected, Skype, all these social networking sites make artists more accessible than ever before. My assistant receives emails with dozens of offers a month. It's incredibly flattering and I feel honored to have a lot of opportunities to choose from and somany venues to do what I like doing best... making music. And, I am grateful to the fans who continue to support my music and record companies, like Frontiers, who have the vision to keep it alive. Q: Some of your songs have been recorded by other artists such as “Walk On”on this record that Jimmy Barnes covered on his great “Freight Train Heart” album. Is there a version of one of your songs that you particularly like? A: Sure, Jimmy's is a good example right there. I like his version a lot. Bonfire's version of "Sweet Obsession" was great also. Q: Of course you’re one of the best rock singers of your generation. On this record you really show off your vocal range such as on “Say you Will”. How do you keep your vocal chords in such good condition? A: Thank you for the compliment and kind words. That was one of things I enjoyed most about that song is the ability to show off my range. I do have a five octave range and one of the good things about doing different projects and singing a variety of songs is that it allows me to keep my vocal chops up. As for my voice and health, I try and limit bad habits and do things like smoking or drinking in moderation. I take a lot of supplements for health reasons and get a lot of rest. One of the things I try not to do is schedule more than two shows
back to back without one "off" day. Q: You’ve worked with some of the best rock musicians around. Is there anyone currently playing that you would like to hook up with if you had the chance? A: Lately I have been thinking that it would be great to work with Gary Moore. I would also like to work with some younger musicians and writers like the guys in Nickelback or Chris Daughtry. There are some country artists that I have been in touch with about possible future collaborations. Q:Your own song writing is top class but on this record you’ve also recorded a number of songs by other artists. What other song writers in general do you admire and which song do you wish you had written? A: Other writers I admire? Too many to name. I am sorry if that sounds like a lame answer but it's the honest answer. There are so many from Springsteen to Dylan, Desmond Child to Diane Warren. There are excellent writers in Nashville... Dan Huff is amazing and so is Willie Nelson. As far as songs that I wished I had recorded, "Heart of the Matter" by Don Henley is definitely one of them and Jimmy Barnes' "Too Much Aint Enough Love" is another. Q: You’ve played with a number of guitarists who have a reputation for being difficult. Do you ever have Diva moments? A: I get asked this all the time about certain artists being difficult. That's really a matter of perspective and situation. I think every artist, just by the nature of the work we do (and how personal music is to us) can be difficult or have their diva moments. I also think it's a matter of perception. As I have often said, out of fire comes steel. Even if a musician or writer is hard to work with at times, often the result is worth any personal struggles. As far as my diva moments, I guess you would have to ask people I have worked with...LOL. As singers go, I do not think I am unreasonable and I do not make rediculous demands. I don't have any "no green M and M's in my candy bowl" type clauses in my contracts. Q: You’ve been around the top flight for a long time. Can you remember the first time you thought, “This is it! I’m a rock star” A: I always knew I would be and I do not say that in a conceited way at all. I just believed in my dreams. When I was around 10 years old I started chasing this dream and then when I played Madison Square Garden for the first time with Rainbow, that was when I felt I had arrived. The Garden was the venue where I saw all my rock heroes growing up so being able to stand on that stage was one of the thrills of a lifetime for me. It was also like a "homecoming," being that I grew up only about 10 miles away. MRF | 17