LOVEBLAST
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 7th May 2010.
We recently reviewed the new self-titled album from Chicago rockers Loveblast, so thought it'd be a good idea to see what makes them tick.
Vocalist/guitarist Brian Durbin answers questions on behalf of the band...
Photo Credit to Stephen Jensen
Loveblast has only existed for a couple of years. Could you give us a brief history of how the band got together?
BD: Well I have known Danny Clayton (bass) since I was in the 3rd grade, and in high school we had a band called Outbreak together which we both played guitar in. It’s kind of funny because Alex Spadavecchia (Guitar) actually used to come to some of Outbreak’s shows. Anyway, a few years back I had free studio time at my college and was using it to record some solo songs that I had been working on. While I was working on the songs my music teacher from high school called me and told me that there was a band that needed another guitar player for the high school battle of the bands. It turned that it was actually Alex’s band at the time, Arias. I went to rehearse with Arias for a few practices before the battle, which they actually ended up winning, and really bonded with Alex musically and personally.
When summer came I wanted to put a band together to play the songs that I had recorded, and I contacted Alex immediately. We needed a bassist for summer shows, and I asked my good friend Danny to fill in while he was in town. I also asked my friend Mike who I had been playing in a band with since I was 16 to join us. Sometimes looking back I find it rather amusing how I didn’t give them a choice who their band mates were going to be...I just assumed everything would be cool!
What are the musical histories of the various members?
BD: I’ve been playing guitar for 10 years now. I started out teaching myself, but after a few years I started taking lessons. I went to Elmhurst College for music, took classical guitar lessons, voice lessons, and eventually earned a degree in music business. Danny’s main instrument is actually guitar as well, and he has been playing for just as long as I have. He attended Berklee College of Music where he studied recording, and he has been playing bass seriously for about 3 years now. Alex is the true rock n’ roller of the band and is mostly self taught, although he did study some music theory in high school and participated in various ensembles. He did most of his homework by learning Iron Maiden songs with nothing else guiding him but his pure love of music.
How would you describe the band’s style and sound?
BD: LOVEBLAST is a modern take on the sound of classic hard rock/metal. If I could use one word to describe the sound of the band (but of course, knowing me I will use way more than one word) it would be BIG. The hooks are big, the performing forces are big, the look is big, and regardless of the size the venue we play, the show is big. It’s catchy, it’s ballsy, it’s over-indulgent, it’s loud, it’s quality rock n’ roll.
Was your sound and image a conscious choice, or did you get to where you are today in a fairly organic way?
BD: I think in order for a band to come across in an honest fashion, you have to approach your image in a way that ensures that you are comfortable in your own skin. Of course we are conscious of our image, but our image has developed naturally over the course of time. To be perfectly honest if you were to see me out in the middle of week I’m really only a few scarves/bandanas and maybe some eyeliner away from what I look like on stage haha.
Who would you list as your musical influences?
BD: I am a lifelong fan of KISS and Aerosmith. I’m also really into Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Van Halen, and a lot the 80’s hair bands, and being the primary songwriter of the band this definitely has a huge impact on the sound of LOVEBLAST. At the same time I can like and respect anyone who just writes a great song. You can find anything from In Flames to Katy Perry in my CD collection. Alex has a very similar taste in music to me. His favourite band is Iron Maiden, and he also likes a lot of power metal music. Danny is the most diverse member of the band and appreciates many different styles of music. He loves metal, but also likes a lot of more experimental styles of music. It still drives me nuts how he can’t pick a favourite band though!
Listening to your debut album, you’ve got a really lively vibe. Did you do anything special to capture that energy on the record, or is that just the way you perform?
BD: We honestly didn’t do anything very unconventional in the recording process of this album. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel to make a great record. I think the performances come across as lively because we are all quite confident in our playing ability, which made the tracking process very quick. I will be honest, I can be quite anal about my guitar solos, but our producer Chuck Macak assured me he wasn’t going to put up with me splitting hairs haha. And I can honestly say I finished all my guitar solos in one night!
How was it recording the album? Hard work or a (love)blast?
BD: Though there were some arguments in the studio between Chuck and I, the process was a lot of fun and the final product turned out great. Chuck spent a lot of time trying to get me to embrace more types of modern rock and get me to pull my head out of my ass. And I have to say, I think I made about half of the way out!
I wanted to ask you about ‘Goodbye My Darling’. It’s a really cool song and heads off at a tangent to the rest of the album. How did the track come about?
BD: When I wrote that song I was listening a lot of stuff out of my typical genre boundaries, such as Julie London and The Shangri-Las. You can kind of hear the influence from The Shangri-Las on the “Oooo-aaahhh’s” in the bridge of the song.. At same time I was also listening to a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughn, but I still wanted it to be a LOVEBLAST song. I was aspiring to write a song with a very retro feel, bluesy guitar playing, but at the same time I wanted it to hit like a powerful Skid Row ballad. I can honestly say that the guys in the band were very unsure of the song when we were getting close to going into the studio, but they all did a marvelous job with the arrangement of the song. Danny’s bass playing is exceptional on this one, and Alex’s solo in the beginning of the song is very captivating in its feel. Even Mike, who initially hated the song, did an excellent job with his drum part. It’s a good thing too because he only agreed to do one take! Although there was a bizarre mash-up of styles and some resentment towards the song from the band at times, our work must have paid off because it has received a quite a deal of praise and I am constantly being told it is the best song on the record.
Where do you look for your writing inspirations?
BD: Whenever I sit down and play my guitar, what comes out of my amp is a representation of how I feel at the time, whether I’m riffing out, playing licks, or strumming chords. If something comes out that I really like I usually start trying to write a hooky vocal melody to go on top, and then I write lyrics that represent how I feel at the time or what I think the music is trying to tell me it should be about. Sometimes Alex or Danny will bring in a new part, and if it catches my ear the creative juices start flowing and then a new song is born. Both Alex and Danny have recently brought new song ideas that I am very excited to start working on.
Is every song on the album a standalone experience or is there a common lyrical theme or concept?
BD: Many of the lyrics are about personal experiences that I have had, some are fantasies, and some feature more balls to the wall, anthemic, rock n’ roll lyrical content. Lets face it. . . I’m a white, upper-middle class male from the suburbs of Chicago who loves rock n’ roll. I don’t really have a whole lot to bitch about. I’m not pushing a political agenda, I’m not telling you how to live your life, or how much toilet paper you should use in order to be environmentally friendly. I try to be an honest person and so I write about what I know. The one track that isn’t about me is “Things That Bite.” The verses are living life as the one and only Alex Spadavecchia, and the chorus is about the band as a whole. The line in the second verse, “In thirty years it won’t even matter,” is actually a motto that Alex lives by.
Are you always writing new music or did you make time specifically to write and record the album?
BD: There are sometimes I will sit down with the specific intention of writing, but most of the time it just comes from spending time with my guitar, or singing random nonsense in my car. Lately, I’ve been spending time writing with Danny and Alex, because they’ve come to me with a lot of great ideas.
How quickly did the album come together in the studio?
BD: We went into the studio in January of 2009 and we finally finished everything in August of the same year. However, being the broke DIY musicians that we are, it took months of gigging and working until we could afford to pay for the necessary photography, artwork, and CD duplication. We were finally able to release it in February of 2010.
Have you been getting much airplay in the US or further afield?
BD: There are a few small, local radio stations as well as some internet radio stations that play our stuff, but there hasn’t been a whole lot yet. We’ve had some setbacks as of late, including needing to search for a new permanent drummer, and so pushing the songs to radio hasn’t been something that we’ve been able to put a lot of energy into yet. Thankfully we just got a great drummer named Bobby to fill-in to keep the momentum going!
What’s a Loveblast live show like?
BD: A LOVEBLAST show is fun, bombastic, raw, and powerful. When you see LOVEBLAST you get a young manifestation of the classic rock n’ roll/metal show. We’re good enough musicians to where you know the band is going to be tight when you see us and we are very high energy. At the same time we are not over-polished with layers of pre-recorded backing tracks and too many choreographed, synchronized movements. I think the best bands balance the right amount of spectacle and polish, with the right amount of the unexpected and chance. Plus, one of the great things about being in LOVEBLAST is that my band mates are some of my very best friends, and that comes across when you see us live. At any given time I could be making goofy faces at Danny, or I could be simultaneously gagging and laughing because Alex has just intentionally released an atrocious nuclear gas right next to me.
Do you carry on the party atmosphere once the show finishes, or do you like to settle down somewhere quiet with a hot chocolate?
BD: LOVEBLAST is most certainly a band that likes to party, there is certainly no question about that. I’m my opinion, Alex, Danny, and myself deserve an endorsement from Heritage Vodka (a brand of dirt cheap alcohol sold at the Midwest Jewel/Osco grocery stores). I’m sure there are some people who come to our shows for the sole purpose of coming to the parties afterwards. However, I will say we’re not cliché about it. We’re not here to convince anyone we’re the next Mötley Crüe...there can only be one Mötley Crüe. To be perfectly honest, when bands try too hard to live the excesses of Rock n’ Roll like their following “Debauchery for Dummies: A How to For the Rock N’ Roll Poser,” it just comes across as cheesy. Rock n’ roll is supposed to be void of rules. As soon as you’re making sure you have “X” amount of Jack Daniels bottles on hand (which are probably filled with iced tea anyway), plenty of brainless bimbos at your disposable (who probably don’t even own your record), or any other excess that is supposed to enhance your rock credibility, you’re missing the point. I like to surround myself with friends, family, and true fans of rock and roll music. And if I can have a drink with you while doing it, then even better.
Where do you see Loveblast heading next? Are you chasing after world domination?
BD: There’s no one destination that LOVEBLAST is chasing after. I think when people stop chasing things, they become too satisfied and settle for too little. I’m all about optimising. I want everything I can get, but not whatever I can get. Whether LOVEBLAST plays a few small club tours regionally, or if McDonalds is selling the LOVEBLAST burger with our logo on the box, I want the most I can get. In the end all I want is to be happy and to see the dream through. If I fail on my terms, I have ultimately won because I was able to see everything that LOVEBLAST was capable of. Rest assured though, if we have a chance to enslave all of you on Mars (renamed planet LOVEBLAST of course) for trillions, I will be signing my name at the bottom of that contract with whoever the representatives of the Martian government are.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
BD: No actually there isn’t, but thank you for asking that question because I have always dreamed of asking that same question to my hero in the music world, Paul Stanley, if ever given the chance!
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
BD: Hopefully going to bed as it’s after 5:00 a.m. in Chicago right now. But knowing me I’ll probably stay up for a while watching Seinfeld.
Anything else you would like to mention?
BD: We are currently looking for the 4th fellow LOVEBLAST dirtbag to travel the world playing drums for us. If you’re located in the Chicago, IL area in the States, and think you have what it takes, or know someone who might, please get in touch with us. Also, go check LOVEBLAST at http://www.loveblastrock.com/, add us on facebook & myspace or whatever social network you frequent, tell your friends about us, tell your local radio stations about us, and demand LOVEBLAST in your city. Don’t forget to order our debut album at our webstore at http://www.loveblastrock.com/ or iTunes! You will be glad you did.
Thanks again to Brian for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review of Loveblast's latest self-titled album by clicking here.
http://www.myspace.com/loveblastrock
