CHRIS LANEY
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 23rd April 2010.
We interviewed Chris Laney just over a year ago for the release of his first solo album Pure. He's now back with a new solo album, Only Comes Out At Night, so we thought it was a good time to catch up with the man and find out what's new.
Hi Chris, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Chris: My pleasure Jon. Good to speak to you as well!!!! I’m feeling just fine really; pretty excited about the forthcoming release of “Only Come Out At Night”.., to be honest!
Ahh, yes! The second record is out this week coming… on Metal Heaven again? You spent a long time in the music industry before releasing your first solo album, yet your second is out a year later. Have you got the bug now and is this going to become a regular occurrence?
Chris: I certainly hope so!! This is so much fun. I’m having the time of my life my friend! And, there are plenty more songs in my jukebox heart, I tell you.
KISS released about 3 albums a year back in their hey-day, so one album a year is a good plan if you ask me. I don’t want people to forget me – there’s so much new stuff coming out every month and with the Internet you have so many different bases to cover so, I want my fans to have something new as often as possible.
As a music fan, I love to get new stuff from my heroes, so I figure if there are people digging my stuff, I wanna give them new music as often as I can too!
Were some of the songs on “Only Comes Out At Night” written at the same time as tracks from last album “Pure”, or was everything on the new release created fresh?
Chris: Nope, everything was pretty much fresh. The first song I wrote for this was written a few months after the release of “Pure”, that’s the song "Playing With Fire". The rest was pretty much written during December 2009, following on…
Of course, there are some parts that have been lying around that never got finished before - I never throw away stuff if it is good… I tend to just stack ‘em up for later use, but most is brand new.
Where did the album’s title come from? We assume it doesn’t actually refer to false teeth...?
Chris: Hahahaha!! Nah...., though it’s an interesting idea! As a family man and father, I only get the chance to come out at night… It’s true! And that’s pretty much my idea! That is when "my" life starts, right after bedtime for my kids, LOL!!
My whole idea for this album was to continue where the last album finished. “Pure” was white, this is black... a little more rough around the corners. I locked myself in the studio for some 4 weeks, wrote and recorded right off the bat. Trying to grab the feeling those old records have; the ones that were recorded as a band, all together, just in the studio. I really think I captured that vibe, too!
Could you tell us a bit about the guests on the album and how you got them onboard?
Chris: Well, on “Pure”, I had asked my friends to help me out basically, but this time around they actually called me and asked if they could come and play something on the disc… Which was really flattering actually! I love to have friends around, and music should be fun, so the more the merrier. I mean, how cool is it to sit all alone and play everything....? It has it’s place, but having your friends around is much better for me.
I have co written with a lot of my friends too for this… I always co-write, I love to bounce ideas, to get the best result. I have no ego whatsoever when it comes to that, I just want the best result. Then again, people often say, why do you need all these "famous" names? HEY, sorry! They are my friends!! Yes, okay, they are familiar names, but I work in the music industry and so do they. I don’t think anyone would comment if a plumber asked his fellow plumber friends to help him out fixing some pipes would they? Ha! Ha!
Who else would you still like to work with?
Chris: If I could dream? Paul Stanley and Def Leppard! Both would be just so cool.
How do you think the new one compares to the last album?
Chris: That’s hard because not so much has changed in the life of Laney, but, as I said earlier, I think “Pure” was white, whilst this is a darker beast. It’s the same...same but different, if you know what I’m saying? I feel strongly for both albums and I see them as the same, but the new one is just a snapshot of where I am today... As you know there’s only just a year in between them, so not much has changed!
Did you make a conscious decision to try anything different this time?
Chris: As I mentioned briefly before, I just wanted this one to be more "live", not as produced as the last one. To really tie down that studio feel where everyone is together! I wanted a rawer feel. But hey, the next one might be the most over produced album ever? It’s just about how I feel, right there and then!
When did you actually start work on “Only Comes Out At Night”, and how long did it take to put it all together? You mentioned a period of four weeks earlier?
Chris: Well, I started in December, so, it took about 5 weeks if I’m honest; with all the writing, recording and mixing. Of course, a lot of time was lost during the holidays which is a bummer, my family didn’t get to see me much in that period and that’s tough, but the studio is pretty busy throughout the rest of the year, so it was the best time... You could say, I like to work ‘at gunpoint’...
Although you have writing credits on all the tracks, there were plenty of other writers involved on the album. How did you go about keeping the album flowing, and not sounding like a compilation full of different song styles?
Chris: It’s not too difficult… The main ideas are always mine, so the continuity is pretty basic. If you look on all the albums I have been involved in as a songwriter, you will see that I co write 90% of the time. I only want what is best for the song. If someone just changes 1 chord they will still get the credit because, chances are, THAT chord becomes the key to the success of the song. I do not see a problem with taking other peoples criticism or ideas, as long as the result comes out the best it can be!
Presumably you were working on other projects in the studio at the same time. Is it difficult staying focused when you are working on more than one thing?
Chris: No, and that’s what I meant about the holidays… When I make my own music I am 100% Laney. I can’t have my head somewhere else. It just doesn’t work, and this time I really had to have the studio to myself, which is kinda hard at Polar, but can be done as I described earlier. I need to focus totally when I make my own stuff. I’m the artist, musician, engineer and producer, so I have to be totally focused!
Did you try anything unusual sound-wise during the recording process, or do you follow a fairly straight-ahead music-making process?
Chris: For me personally, music is just music, not rocket science! I plug in and play, pretty much! I think, by now, I have a pretty strong control on and understanding of how to get the sound I hear in my head. I’ve been working as an engineer/producer for 10 or so years and I feel quite secure in my role. The sound I’m after comes quite fast and easy. The last album was more of a playground when it came to sound... This time, more, “Let’s just freakin’ do it!”
Where did your association with Rockstar drinks come from, and would you actually describe that track as a ‘sponsored song’?
Chris: That’s a good question! I had a song called “Rockstar” already written, and I drank a lot of the stuff while working last Fall, but had never really thought of contacting them... One night, I just thought; hey, I need to check that out! I Googled them and found out they where doing a lot of sports... But, with a name like ‘Rockstar’, I thought it was crazy that they’d never approached the music scene? So, basically, I sent them the song and they loved it!
To be honest, it’s a match made in heaven! Some people might see this as a sell out, but I feel it is way cooler to have drink energy drinks than say, whiskey. So I wouldn’t call it a ‘sponsored song’, more just a great personal song that would work fine as commercial soundtrack should they want to make it as such afterwards...!
Do you have any favourite parts or tracks on the album?
Chris: I totally love the title track – “Only Come Out At Night”. Realistically though, I am too close to the album to actually know what is on there, good or bad, right now. Ask me again in a year and you'll get a much more sophisticated answer...!
You have a few gigs penciled in. Any plans on doing a full tour in support of the album?
Chris: There are always plans, I just need to make ‘em happen too now! Ha! Ha! I wanna get out on the road so badly, I’m just hoping some promoters contact me and get my ass out of Sweden to play. We’re doing a big festival in Stockholm next week; there’s loads of really good bands on there, and I’m hoping people will try to get a package together from that maybe
I’d love to do it right NOW to be honest!
Will we be likely to see you in the UK?
Chris: MAKE ‘EM CALL ME!!! I’ll play your local pub if they'd let me!! Ha! Ha! That is how bad I wanna tour right now!
What is a Chris Laney show like?
Chris: A straight, in-your-face rock show; about 70 min of pure kick ass, rock and roll! Sometimes we’ll mix in some Zan Clan and (Randy Piper’s) Animal songs in the set list; the guys in my band have played with many different musicians and are really flexible and talented, but, of course it all depends on how the audience is coping too.
We go out with drums, bass and 3 guitars, so it’s pretty heavy stuff!
Are you working on any other exciting projects in Polar Studios at present?
Chris: Casablanca and Therion are both in at the moment. Therion is a really big, exciting project actually!
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Chris: Nope, I think all your questions were great, and it was lots of fun answering them! Thanks!!
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Chris: Mixing more of the Therion songs!!
Wonderful…Thanks for your time, Chris!! Anything else you would like to mention?
Chris: Just a thank you again…! And grab a copy of “Only Come Out At Night”. It’s a great record…. And I hope to see you all very soon!!
Cheers…. Laney!!
Thanks again to Chris for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review of his latest album Only Comes Out At Night by clicking here.
http://www.myspace.com/chrislaney
