OUTLOUD
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 8th September 2009.
Outloud is a multinational band with players including Firewind members Bob Katsionis and Mark Cross, and Chandler Mogel, formerly with Talon. Their debut self-titled album was recently released.
Vocalist Chandler answers questions on behalf of the band.
Hi Chandler, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Chandler: Sure, my pleasure. Yes, I’m doing great! Staying busy as usual.
Could you give us a brief history on how the Outloud guys ended up working together?
Chandler: Well it all started with Tony Kash taking guitar lessons from Bob Katsionis. Bob challenged Tony to bring him some riffs to record and which eventually became songs. They were surprised at the result as Tony had some very good ideas and was turning into something more than was expected. So I had been chatting with Bob online, and met him in person at a Firewind show in NYC, where we exchanged demos and Bob told me about his new project and asked if I’d be interested in singing on it. So I recorded a demo here in the states and sent it to Bob and Tony. They really liked what they heard and flew me to Athens to record the vocals for the album. Later on, Bob recruited Mark Cross on drums and Tony got Jason Mercury on bass, after a “timely” computer crash forced us back in the studio to re-record most parts of the album! But this proved to be a blessing in disguise as it really served to unify us as a band and from then on we no longer referred to Outloud as a “project”.
Is this now an ongoing band or an occasional project?
Chandler: It’s an ongoing band with its second album already underway.
Were deliberate decisions made over the ‘sound’ of Outloud or did it just develop that way. The result is a lot more melodious and less heavy than I expected for a band featuring members of Firewind! :)
Chandler: No, not really. It just happened the way it did, in a pretty spontaneous way. Tony comes from an 80’s hard rock / metal background and Bob having a wide variety of influences, as well as myself, it all just fell into place as it did and is just all of us being ourselves and having a good time actually!
How would you describe the sound of the album to someone who hadn’t heard you before?
Chandler: To someone who doesn’t really know the genre too well who asks me, I always mention Bon Jovi or Def Leppard as a comparison, so they have something to relate with. But to people that do know the genre, I tell them to just buy the album and they can thank me later!
Are there any other bands who influenced the sound, or that you referenced whilst you were writing/recording?
Chandler: Nothing specific actually! Like I mentioned before, it’s just us doing our thing – and the pieces landed where they did!
Was the album recorded before you approached the record company or were they there from the start?
Chandler: It was totally done, a finished product before Frontiers came on board.
Do you have any favourite moments on the album?
Chandler: I like how the album flows from start to finish. “We Run” and “Broken Sleep” are two of my favourites, if I had to pick.
Did it feel special as you were recording it?
Chandler: Totally. There was a magic there, and we knew it was going to be something special!
Are you happy with the reviews so far?
Chandler: The ones I’ve seen are all very positive. We couldn’t be happier. Everyone has been so supportive! We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s strong interest and dedication to helping get the word out.
Sell us the album in ten words or less...
Chandler: We’ll Rock You to Hell and Back Again!!!!!!!
Do you plan to do any touring on the back of this release?
Chandler: We’re working on solidifying some things as we speak. Going to start with some shows in Greece late this year and then a tour early next year. We’re working on the second record as well this year, and we’re all really psyched to get on the road and do our thing!
Could you tell us how you originally got into music and how you ended up as a vocalist?
Chandler: I have been exposed to music my whole life, and took piano lessons when I was very young, only to quit and then start up again in my teenage years. However, I didn’t actually start singing until about 8 years ago. A good friend of mine played heavy metal guitar, and asked me to audition for a cover band which he had just gotten into. I had played keyboards / piano a bit and sang at a couple of jam sessions with my friend for fun, but not really with an actual band before. So I went and screamed through a couple of Judas Priest tunes and got the gig! From there I knew that singing was going to be my craft and there would be no looking back, so I figured I’d better get voice lessons! Haha.
Is Talon still going and do you have another album on the way?
Chandler: They’re still going strong but with a new singer. We parted ways last June as I was getting quite busy with Outloud and they wanted to go in a different direction, so everything ended up working out well for both sides!
Do you, or for that matter any of the other Outloud guys, have any other projects on the go?
Chandler: Sure, of course Bob and Mark have Firewind, and Bob has his solo stuff and also films and directs the music videos for a lot of different bands. Jason is in a power metal band called Minuteum, and I am in a New York City based band called Dangered Ace.
What are your favourite 5 albums of all time?
Chandler: That’s a tough one! OK, I’ll make an attempt, in no particular order though: 1. Deep Purple – Burn, 2. KMFDM - Nihil 3. Earth, Wind & Fire – I Am 4, Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 5. Tower Of Power – Back To Oakland
If you could pick your dream backing band from across the years, who would you have?
Chandler: That’s even tougher than the last question! Haha. OK here goes: Guitar – Ritchie Blackmore, Bass – Roger Glover, Drums – Ian Paice, Keyboards – Jon Lord, Background Vocals – Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale and Joe Lynn Turner How does it sound??
Do you have a good rock ringtone on your cellphone?
Chandler: No, just the default “corporate” one – haha.
Do you live the rock ‘n’ roll dream?
Chandler: Getting there…..
What do you get up to when you aren’t being a rock god? Do you have any interesting hobbies?
Chandler: Well, I like to exercise and study a bit.
What’s your take on the present state of the music industry, and where do you think it’s going to be in say 10 years?
Chandler: I don’t think it’s in a very good state right now. But the world is not in a good state either. I think that the industry really needs to focus on acknowledging the artist and granting him more freedom as such. He is treated like a pawn by a lot of the larger corporations and is used to make a quick buck and made to bend to someone else’s needs, as opposed to letting him take the wheel as he (the artist) is the creative engine for a generation. If the industry doesn’t come to recognize and support the artist as he should be supported and do away with all the methods which invalidate and degrade the artist which minimize him as an individual, then the music industry as a whole will not last ten more years. This actually goes further into a wider sphere. A very wise man once said, “A society is only as big as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists”. I could go on with this, but I’ll leave it short for now….
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Chandler: Going to sleep!
Thanks for your time :)
Chandler: Thank you Jon! I appreciate your interest in what I do. Myself and the rest of Outloud appreciate your support!
The debut Outloud album is out now. Check out the Rock Realms review here.
http://www.myspace.com/outloudtheband
