TANGO DOWN
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 26th October 2009.
Tango Down is New York based hard rock band featuring Keith "Bam Bam" Michaels - drums, Alex Barbieri - lead vocals and acoustic guitars, Keith "Diesel" Sinnott - bass, and Scott "Rif" Miller - guitar.
We recently reviewed their fun 2009 album Damage control and thought it only fair to catch up with them and find out what makes Tango Down tick.
Alex and Rif answer questions on behalf of the band...
Hi Guys, is life treating you well?
Rif: Couldn’t be better…Thanks for speaking with us!
Alex: I Can't complain. The album's out and people seem to dig it. So we are feeling pretty good.
How and when did Tango Down originally get together?
Rif: Well, the band went through some growing pains. I did the Crunch album with Adriangale, which was a great experience. Working with Vic and Jamie was a great! After Gale, I had a lot of these songs laying around, and I still felt I had a lot to say. Hey,I have a big mouth!! HAH. So I called up John Kivel, and asked if he had plans for me past doing the Crunch and Live Gale CD. He said, what do you want to do? So we set out to create what would be Tango Down.
We were lucky enough to find Phil Naro, who I was a fan of from back in the TALAS days. Unfortunately, with him living in Canada, it led to it being hard to write, rehearse and play out. I wanted Tango Down to be a “working” unit. So no drama here, or scandal. It just didn’t work. I just talked to him the other day in fact, and our drummer saw him perform live at this casino in CT. So its all good. Chris Konys left soon after due to family commitments. He is still very much a part of the family and has even come out to some of our shows. Plus he may help on a few songs on the next album.
So we were two men down. Enter Alex. I have known Alex for ages. I reconnected him through some friends. I had him come up to the studio and sing on some of the pre production demos. He nailed it!! I presented the demos to Kivel. He was shocked to hear the new sound and direction we were going in, and said he wanted us in the studio ASAP. One problem. we didn’t have a bass player!! Alex recommended his friend Keith Sinnott. We met up, hit it off and end game.
The band is intact and a well oiled fighting machine ready to assault the stage, speakers and senses! Since then we have been playing out from Ma, Ny, Ct, South Dakota. With bands like Tyketto, Firehouse, Skid Row, Bret Michaels, Dokken, Riot, La Guns, Enuff Z Nuff, Stephen Pearcy to name a few. All in a span of 8 months no less. HAH! Its kinda funny as there was a false start, a lot of inactivity and now its like a roller coaster for us.
Alex: I have to agree, it has been bit of a ride. Which we are all enjoying very much.
Have any of you played in other bands we might have heard of?
Rif: The two CDs with Adriangale, and I had a band called No More Johnny back in the day which also released a CD.
Alex: I've sung in other bands, but this is my first original project with a real album.
How would you describe the Tango Down sound?
Rif: HEAVY, melodic hard rock with catchy hooks, attitude and nasty guitars with a big bodyguard rhythm section. That pretty much describes the band.
Who or what would you list as your and the band’s influences?
Rif: Loud 80s melodic arena hard rock. Dokken, Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Ratt, Motley Crue, Yngwie Malmsteen, Van Halen
Tell us a bit about new album Damage Control.
Alex: A lot of hard work, writing, rehearsing and driving! End result, we’re really proud of the outcome.
Rif: It sounds like a solid 80s melodic hard rock disk. Definitely for any fan of the genre of bands from the late 80s and early 90s.
What are your favourite moments on the album?
Rif: 'Step By Step' really blows my mind. Love way that came out!! Other faves would be 'I’m Done Lovin You' and 'Radio'.
Alex: 'All Fall Down' kicks ass. And I love the harmonies in 'Intoxicated'.
What was it like working with producer Ty Sims?
Alex: Once my vocals were done, I was out of there. But Rif and Ty worked closely on the mixing and mastering. Ty did a great job and we hope to work with him again on the next album.
How have the reviews been so far?
Rif: So far the response has been good. Everybody we come into contact with seems to love the CD. As for how it’s doing, It’s doing really well for us so far.
Have you heard any of your songs on the radio yet? If so, did it feel good... or weird?
Alex: Not yet, but one reviewer said "I'm Done Lovin' You" is one of those “ perfect” hard rock songs and should be spun on any rock station around the nation! That was an awesome compliment.
What sort of experience is a fan going to have at a Tango Down show?
Rif: A knock-down, drag out rock ‘n roll party (old school style).
Alex: A very personal one. We want people to enjoy meeting the band, not just the show. We take lots of pics, hang out and sign lots of stuff.
You’ve played alongside some big names. Does it excite you being on a bill with bands like Tyketto, LA Guns, Skid Row, or is it all in a day’s work?
Rif: We love it man. It’s what we live for. I mean these are bands that were BIG big BIG back in the day, and were influences on us. To play the same stage at a club, or at South Dakota Rock Fest and gain their respect is great! To have some of these guys shake my hand and tell me we kicked ass is beyond anything I ever thought of happening to me.
What is the best band you’ve ever seen live?
Rif: Dio, Firehouse and Ratt. How's that for a mix!! However I have to say Bret Michaels was pretty impressive at Rockfest. We watched him from the side of the stage. The guy knows how to work a crowd.
Alex: Iron Maiden last year on the "Somewhere Back in Time" tour. They are unbelievable, at the top of their game.
What was the last album you bought?
Alex: Stryper's new one.
Rif: Dokken, Danger Danger and Whitesnake
Does Rif really only drink Jameson’s whiskey?
Alex: I don't know, but he definitely drinks all my Jameson's!
Rif: Yes, but lately I’ve been downing Miller Beer and uranium 238. HAH ha!
What’s the most amusing thing you’ve ever done when drunk?
Alex: Throw up all night in Diesel’s sister’s house.
Rif: I probably don’t remember it.
Do you party hard? If so, who keeps going longest?
Rif: Hell yea. I would say Sinnott goes the longest. ... but only because he’s younger than me!!!!!
Alex: The party's not over until Sinnott says so.
Drummer Keith is ‘Bam Bam’, bassist Keith is ‘Diesel’, guitarist Scott is ‘Rif’. What is singer Alex’s nickname?
Rif: Hah!! I can’t tell you (it would crush his self esteem).
Alex: I have lots of nicknames, just none I want to share. Ha ha.
Any other artists you’d like to meet or work with one day?
Rif: Jamie Rowe and Ozzy. 1 down, 1 to go!!
Alex: My main influences: Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Bon Jovi.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Rif: Doin’ what I’m doin’ right now — and lovin’ it.
Alex: On a beach with a cold drink and a hot blond.
What are you up to once you finish answering these questions?
Alex: Going to the pub with you, Jon! (Jon would like to point out, for the benefit of Mrs Rock Realms, that this is not true...honest...)
Rif: So many beers so little time. Actually, I'm finishing up a new song. We were asked to contribute a Christmas song to Melodicrock.com's Christmas CD compilation. So we get to show a lighter side on this one.
Anything else you'd like to mention?
Rif: Thanks Jon for speaking with us. It's good to see there are guys like you out there giving us bands a voice, and giving us a chance to be heard and discovered by the listener.
Alex: Thank you for taking the time to interview us and for spreading the word about new hard rock bands. We hope you like Damage Control!
Tango Down's new album Damage Control is available at http://www.kivelrecords.com/, CDBaby.com and on iTunes
To hear some tracks, visit http://www.myspace.com/tangodown and Facebook.
To read what Rock Realms though of Damage Control, head here
