Do you remember how things used to be in Sunset Strip in the late 80s & early 90s?? Given the chance, due to Cold Shot’s new album, with old material, Joe had a very interesting chat with the guitarist Anthony Gallo about the music of that era. If you a young fellow this interview will give you food for thought… if you’re one of the “old guys” then this will bring back sweet memories! Read below for more.
Cold Shot was part of an evolution in entertainment, where the nightlife of Hollywood reflected the hopes and dreams of young rock and roll fanatics around the world. Stages that people still talk about today, like Gazzarri’s, the Coconut Teaser and the Country Club were literally your playground. Can you talk a little bit about what it was like to live in the heyday of American Hard Rock?
A: Living in the late 80s early 90s was like living on the back of a locomotive going a 100 miles an hour with no place to jump off! We were living life by the seat of our pants and enjoying every minute of it as we went along. Back then our girlfriends were all strippers and we played almost every weekend at every club on the Sunset Strip. Back then you could roam the streets and pass out flyers bumping in to everyone from Rock Stars to homeless people.
A new scene in hard rock has developed outside of the US. The interest FM radio has in exposing it seems to be futile. What are your thoughts on the difference between surviving in the radio jungle of the 80s era market versus what kids today are facing?
A: Well back then there was no internet or cell phones, so the differences between those two times are obvious. The big ticket back then was having labels come out and see your show in the hopes of a big label signing and or showcase for your material. Nowadays the kids have to deal with the internet and basically making things happen on their own. Still not sure which is better?
The release of your CD (read the review here) comes long awaited by fans, but seems to be just in the right time for the interests of nostalgic adults, as well as introducing the new rock faithful to the originality of being a unique entity back when it was a developing scene. Eonian seems like the perfect home for the CD. Can you share some details about why you issued an official release now, how the plan came about and what the results have been?
A: Well actually we were approached by two different labels simultaneously. Someone had contacted me and Eonian contacted Adam, so for about a month we thought we were talking to the same label until it was apparent that we had two interested parties. We talked to both and felt Eonian was the best choice. We were thrilled with the whole Idea even though the Cold Shot days were the best times of our lives, the music had been sitting on a shelf collecting dust and none of us had even heard the music for years. Just the fact that someone was interested in putting out the material was amazing based on the fact that we had put our entire lives into this music.
Do you tell us a few things about each track…
A: Okay here it goes, basically me and the fellas write the music and Adam writes all the words, so this will be my interpretation of what these songs mean. First we have “Juicy Lucy” which I wrote as a boogie woogie blues based rocker. Real basic with an awesome guest appearance by Pat Benetars harmonica player “his name escapes me” but he really kicked the song off with a bang as well as a great solo in the middle with Adam at his peak as a vocalist. It ended up on the soundtrack to Brad Pitts first film “Across the Tracks”.
Second we have “Foolish Pride” which recording wise is my favorite. I feel the guitars are exactly what I was looking for in tone and expression as well as a great arrangement with a huge diversity in styles. Great vocals!
Third is “Cold Shot” which is our theme song of what we were about and was heavily influenced by Great White as far as guitars are concerned.
Fourth is “No Time” which I feel is the most original of all our songs, because there was no influence of any other band but ourselves in that we wrote it in Hawaii while on tour and I was trying to apologize to the band because I got too fucked up the night before and wanted to fight everyone!
Fifth is “Gimme What I Need” and that was simply an “Ice pick in the forehead” type song that was written in one day and meant to just crush all other bands around us! It did its job!!!!
Number six is “Mine All Mine” which has an easy to catch influence from Ozzy’s “Bark at the Moon” meets AC/DC, not much more to say about that except great solo and awesome vocals!!!
Seventh on the list is “Heart of the City” basically written entirely by Adam with us guys putting our stamp on it. Crowd pleaser for sure!
Eighth is “Long Legs” and I’m not sure where the music came from but it’s the best sounding guitar track next to “Foolish Pride” all I remember is Adam coming to me with the lyrics and Legs just came out! I think it sounds very Van Hallenish as far as guitars go, but you gotta remember Eddie was my all-time favorite back then.
Ninth on the list is “Captured” which is the band’s least favorite due to the fact that we had drummer turned producer Gary Ferguson of Eddie Money fame come and change and play drums on that track. His vision was very commercial and not in the same vein as we were trying to go for. Make your own decision on that one.
Number ten is “Without Your Love” which I feel came out amazing. Great guitar tones and just a great metal ballad written by Adam and given the CS stamp.
Last but not least is “Higher” which also appeared on the soundtrack to Brad Pitt’s first film “Across the Tracks” the music to this song was originally a “Snow” song on their first EP with Quiet Riot’s Carlos Cavazo and his brother Tony. Adam changed the words and the band restructured the arrangement and wallah! As a side note I’d like to say that the fantastic background vocals on these tracks were that of our bassist Erin Bartley and the Winger brothers Nate and Paul who also did the majority of Ratt’s backgrounds, so we were super spoiled in that respect, and of course Rikki Bagget played the skins and broke more drum heads than we were willing to pay for!
Getting the band together on stage at Paladinos must have been like a step back in time; with Paladinos being one of the few clubs left in LA that still caters to hard rock artists. Can you tell us about the show, details about rehearsals and how the turnout was?
A: For sure getting the band back together was absolutely a step back in time for us. We played at Paladinos I think only once back then because at that time F.M. Station was the number one rock club and that was our home base. As far as rehearsals go I actually flew up to Portland Oregon to do sectionals with Rick and Erin without any vocals. We just cued up the CD and jammed to that. Once we got closer the actual show in L.A. we flew Adam out about four days prior and booked 2 nights so we could play as a unit beforehand. It’s all we needed because once we got together it was if we hadn’t skipped a beat since 1994. The best part was the turnout because we had friends flying in from outta state as well as a huge Valley following and looked like everyone showed up to me! Great crowd response.
How did the band survive back in the days when you were cutting your teeth on the circuit and fighting for marquee space to feature the band’s name? Share some of the war stories that you’ve carried with you for years as “the memories that fans would kill to know about”.
A: Well first off Rick and Erin both had really good construction jobs and we fully self-supporting back then, Adam and I settled for just dating strippers! (lol) As far as getting our name out there it was something that was a constant for all of us. We promoted in every way possible from flyers to spray painting on walls! It was a labor of love! The funniest war stories are from our times in Hawaii and Cabo San Lucas Mexico but we’d have to do a whole interview on just that!
Is there any music, performance video or unreleased things from the past that might pop up unexpectedly for fans?
A: Ummm possibly some live footage which we all sure hope does, because for some reason we had a lot of footage that was on VHS and apparently didn’t make it in to the digital world and now we can’t find but one tape. As far as the music goes probably not. The closest thing to that would be a song Adam and I wrote entitled “Waikiki” that he has redone on his solo stuff AMP and its available on Reverb Nation along with all the other great stuff he’s written.
Is there any chance you will all get together and release an EP or record some new music in the style the band is revered for, now or in the future?
A: No, I really don’t think so. We’ve all moved on into different directions. I will say that offered the opportunity I’d like to write some stuff with the guys not in that style but in the style of our natural progression into being an adult musician, with the music instead of our dicks leading the way. We were young back then man!
As you know the history of the sunset strip glam era better than most, are there any artists whose music hasn’t surfaced to date that you think fans should seek out, or labels should find and re-issue?
A: Yes a band called Drain!
Knowing now how the industry changed, if you could go back and do it all again, what might you change in how you did it the first time?
A: If I could go back in time I would have opened my mind up a lot more and listened to the direction Adam was going in. He had a much more diverse musical sense than I did. I was super closed minded and concentrating more on being a guitar hero as opposed to really listening to the songs and being into that instead of how great my solos were! You gotta remember it was Van Hallen, Steve Vai, George Lynch! I mean these guys kept me on my toes and I was too stuck in that. I should have been paying attention to other musical artists that were more song based instead of only guitar based music. I mean that’s when STP came out and cool ass bands like that. Once I opened my eyes to it, it was too late. Once you start following a trend in music you’ve missed the boat. Much better to just do your own thing and not follow anyone.
Just a few “weird questions” before the end! Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
A: Van Hallen “Fair Warning” because in my mind it’s the perfect guitar record in the sense that the guitar tone on that record is the best to date and still is. The songs are awesome too!!!! I would have been that big ass guitar hero I always dreamed about.
Best 3 ballads that can help you seduce any lady?
A: “Rain Song”, “Stairway to Heaven” and “White Horses” by the Stones.
What do you think about this “Views, tweets & Likes” mania of our time?
A: I love it! We probably could have even gone farther with our level of success had all that been available to us. Our time was a lot more boots on the ground.
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
A: Wanna get high and go to an after party gorgeous?!
Top 3 Horror Movies of all time?
A: “Halloween” the original, “The Shining”, “The Exorcist”…
Which of the Seven Deadly Sins do you reckon is the one, that’s more likely to send you straight to Hell, in the afterlife?
A: Murder…
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
A: Jimi Hendrix “Are You Experienced”...
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
A: We’re done honey! (lol)
Any thoughts or details you would like to print or share that we haven’t covered, and what links are best for fans to get a hold of the amazing CD, meet you on the social network or to ask their own questions? Thx for this interview Anthony…
A: Just like to say how happy all of us in Cold Shot are for the renewed interest in the band. Cold Shot was a way of life for us and held many dreams that were for the most part eventually fulfilled. The album can be purchased through CD Baby, Amazon and on the Eonian Records website. As far as what’s happening now for us. People and fans can get more music from Adam Murray on ReverbNation. If you’re even going through Portland Oregon you can catch drummer Rikki Bagget and bassist Erin Bartley in a band called The Strange. For me I’m in a new band called Slamnation and we have a FB page. It features me and ex-Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Jon Nerlson with a great back line of guys. Go on FB and like the page we update all our shows. Thanks for paying attention! Anthony Gallo…
A: Living in the late 80s early 90s was like living on the back of a locomotive going a 100 miles an hour with no place to jump off! We were living life by the seat of our pants and enjoying every minute of it as we went along. Back then our girlfriends were all strippers and we played almost every weekend at every club on the Sunset Strip. Back then you could roam the streets and pass out flyers bumping in to everyone from Rock Stars to homeless people.
A new scene in hard rock has developed outside of the US. The interest FM radio has in exposing it seems to be futile. What are your thoughts on the difference between surviving in the radio jungle of the 80s era market versus what kids today are facing?
A: Well back then there was no internet or cell phones, so the differences between those two times are obvious. The big ticket back then was having labels come out and see your show in the hopes of a big label signing and or showcase for your material. Nowadays the kids have to deal with the internet and basically making things happen on their own. Still not sure which is better?
The release of your CD (read the review here) comes long awaited by fans, but seems to be just in the right time for the interests of nostalgic adults, as well as introducing the new rock faithful to the originality of being a unique entity back when it was a developing scene. Eonian seems like the perfect home for the CD. Can you share some details about why you issued an official release now, how the plan came about and what the results have been?
A: Well actually we were approached by two different labels simultaneously. Someone had contacted me and Eonian contacted Adam, so for about a month we thought we were talking to the same label until it was apparent that we had two interested parties. We talked to both and felt Eonian was the best choice. We were thrilled with the whole Idea even though the Cold Shot days were the best times of our lives, the music had been sitting on a shelf collecting dust and none of us had even heard the music for years. Just the fact that someone was interested in putting out the material was amazing based on the fact that we had put our entire lives into this music.
Do you tell us a few things about each track…
A: Okay here it goes, basically me and the fellas write the music and Adam writes all the words, so this will be my interpretation of what these songs mean. First we have “Juicy Lucy” which I wrote as a boogie woogie blues based rocker. Real basic with an awesome guest appearance by Pat Benetars harmonica player “his name escapes me” but he really kicked the song off with a bang as well as a great solo in the middle with Adam at his peak as a vocalist. It ended up on the soundtrack to Brad Pitts first film “Across the Tracks”.
Second we have “Foolish Pride” which recording wise is my favorite. I feel the guitars are exactly what I was looking for in tone and expression as well as a great arrangement with a huge diversity in styles. Great vocals!
Third is “Cold Shot” which is our theme song of what we were about and was heavily influenced by Great White as far as guitars are concerned.
Fourth is “No Time” which I feel is the most original of all our songs, because there was no influence of any other band but ourselves in that we wrote it in Hawaii while on tour and I was trying to apologize to the band because I got too fucked up the night before and wanted to fight everyone!
Fifth is “Gimme What I Need” and that was simply an “Ice pick in the forehead” type song that was written in one day and meant to just crush all other bands around us! It did its job!!!!
Number six is “Mine All Mine” which has an easy to catch influence from Ozzy’s “Bark at the Moon” meets AC/DC, not much more to say about that except great solo and awesome vocals!!!
Seventh on the list is “Heart of the City” basically written entirely by Adam with us guys putting our stamp on it. Crowd pleaser for sure!
Eighth is “Long Legs” and I’m not sure where the music came from but it’s the best sounding guitar track next to “Foolish Pride” all I remember is Adam coming to me with the lyrics and Legs just came out! I think it sounds very Van Hallenish as far as guitars go, but you gotta remember Eddie was my all-time favorite back then.
Ninth on the list is “Captured” which is the band’s least favorite due to the fact that we had drummer turned producer Gary Ferguson of Eddie Money fame come and change and play drums on that track. His vision was very commercial and not in the same vein as we were trying to go for. Make your own decision on that one.
Number ten is “Without Your Love” which I feel came out amazing. Great guitar tones and just a great metal ballad written by Adam and given the CS stamp.
Last but not least is “Higher” which also appeared on the soundtrack to Brad Pitt’s first film “Across the Tracks” the music to this song was originally a “Snow” song on their first EP with Quiet Riot’s Carlos Cavazo and his brother Tony. Adam changed the words and the band restructured the arrangement and wallah! As a side note I’d like to say that the fantastic background vocals on these tracks were that of our bassist Erin Bartley and the Winger brothers Nate and Paul who also did the majority of Ratt’s backgrounds, so we were super spoiled in that respect, and of course Rikki Bagget played the skins and broke more drum heads than we were willing to pay for!
Getting the band together on stage at Paladinos must have been like a step back in time; with Paladinos being one of the few clubs left in LA that still caters to hard rock artists. Can you tell us about the show, details about rehearsals and how the turnout was?
A: For sure getting the band back together was absolutely a step back in time for us. We played at Paladinos I think only once back then because at that time F.M. Station was the number one rock club and that was our home base. As far as rehearsals go I actually flew up to Portland Oregon to do sectionals with Rick and Erin without any vocals. We just cued up the CD and jammed to that. Once we got closer the actual show in L.A. we flew Adam out about four days prior and booked 2 nights so we could play as a unit beforehand. It’s all we needed because once we got together it was if we hadn’t skipped a beat since 1994. The best part was the turnout because we had friends flying in from outta state as well as a huge Valley following and looked like everyone showed up to me! Great crowd response.
How did the band survive back in the days when you were cutting your teeth on the circuit and fighting for marquee space to feature the band’s name? Share some of the war stories that you’ve carried with you for years as “the memories that fans would kill to know about”.
A: Well first off Rick and Erin both had really good construction jobs and we fully self-supporting back then, Adam and I settled for just dating strippers! (lol) As far as getting our name out there it was something that was a constant for all of us. We promoted in every way possible from flyers to spray painting on walls! It was a labor of love! The funniest war stories are from our times in Hawaii and Cabo San Lucas Mexico but we’d have to do a whole interview on just that!
Is there any music, performance video or unreleased things from the past that might pop up unexpectedly for fans?
A: Ummm possibly some live footage which we all sure hope does, because for some reason we had a lot of footage that was on VHS and apparently didn’t make it in to the digital world and now we can’t find but one tape. As far as the music goes probably not. The closest thing to that would be a song Adam and I wrote entitled “Waikiki” that he has redone on his solo stuff AMP and its available on Reverb Nation along with all the other great stuff he’s written.
Is there any chance you will all get together and release an EP or record some new music in the style the band is revered for, now or in the future?
A: No, I really don’t think so. We’ve all moved on into different directions. I will say that offered the opportunity I’d like to write some stuff with the guys not in that style but in the style of our natural progression into being an adult musician, with the music instead of our dicks leading the way. We were young back then man!
As you know the history of the sunset strip glam era better than most, are there any artists whose music hasn’t surfaced to date that you think fans should seek out, or labels should find and re-issue?
A: Yes a band called Drain!
Knowing now how the industry changed, if you could go back and do it all again, what might you change in how you did it the first time?
A: If I could go back in time I would have opened my mind up a lot more and listened to the direction Adam was going in. He had a much more diverse musical sense than I did. I was super closed minded and concentrating more on being a guitar hero as opposed to really listening to the songs and being into that instead of how great my solos were! You gotta remember it was Van Hallen, Steve Vai, George Lynch! I mean these guys kept me on my toes and I was too stuck in that. I should have been paying attention to other musical artists that were more song based instead of only guitar based music. I mean that’s when STP came out and cool ass bands like that. Once I opened my eyes to it, it was too late. Once you start following a trend in music you’ve missed the boat. Much better to just do your own thing and not follow anyone.
Just a few “weird questions” before the end! Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
A: Van Hallen “Fair Warning” because in my mind it’s the perfect guitar record in the sense that the guitar tone on that record is the best to date and still is. The songs are awesome too!!!! I would have been that big ass guitar hero I always dreamed about.
Best 3 ballads that can help you seduce any lady?
A: “Rain Song”, “Stairway to Heaven” and “White Horses” by the Stones.
What do you think about this “Views, tweets & Likes” mania of our time?
A: I love it! We probably could have even gone farther with our level of success had all that been available to us. Our time was a lot more boots on the ground.
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
A: Wanna get high and go to an after party gorgeous?!
Top 3 Horror Movies of all time?
A: “Halloween” the original, “The Shining”, “The Exorcist”…
Which of the Seven Deadly Sins do you reckon is the one, that’s more likely to send you straight to Hell, in the afterlife?
A: Murder…
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
A: Jimi Hendrix “Are You Experienced”...
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
A: We’re done honey! (lol)
Any thoughts or details you would like to print or share that we haven’t covered, and what links are best for fans to get a hold of the amazing CD, meet you on the social network or to ask their own questions? Thx for this interview Anthony…
A: Just like to say how happy all of us in Cold Shot are for the renewed interest in the band. Cold Shot was a way of life for us and held many dreams that were for the most part eventually fulfilled. The album can be purchased through CD Baby, Amazon and on the Eonian Records website. As far as what’s happening now for us. People and fans can get more music from Adam Murray on ReverbNation. If you’re even going through Portland Oregon you can catch drummer Rikki Bagget and bassist Erin Bartley in a band called The Strange. For me I’m in a new band called Slamnation and we have a FB page. It features me and ex-Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Jon Nerlson with a great back line of guys. Go on FB and like the page we update all our shows. Thanks for paying attention! Anthony Gallo…