June 24, 2004
Interview with Stan Bush
For many of us music is the unofficial chronicle of our lives with songs marking the highs ands lows, an unchanging record of where we have been. To we the listener the songs signify a depiction of our feelings in someone else’s words and music. To stop and think what these songs mean to the artists who create them is a wonderfully deep thought.
In speaking with Stan Bush for this interview I was able to see that with him, as with many other artists, the songs mean much the same to him as to we the listeners. Stan’s thoughts on his songs from the past and his announcement that his new album “Shine” is the one he has always wanted to make instills a great sense of hope and anticipation, and paints a promising picture of the days to come!
1. The name Stan Bush is one that is instantly recognizable as one of the big song writing, vocal artists of today! I’d like to start the interview by asking you to introduce yourself; Stan Bush, the man behind the music…
My career as an artist has been very good. I've had the chance to work with some of the best people in music. Jonathan Cain from Journey and Jim Vallance (Brian Adams), as well as singing tons of commercials, movies and television (including the 1996 Olympics theme), I've also sang on many records, toured in Europe and Japan and here in the States, even won an Emmy! I've released nine solo albums. But this is the album I've always wanted to make!
2. We are all excited for the release of Shine, as I am sure you are, what update can you give us on the new album?
Curt Cuomo and I decided we wanted to write a great rock album with fun, upbeat songs and killer ballads. The songs have really positive lyrics about love and 'going for it' in life! The title song "Shine" is about making it happen! It's a very uplifting song with an important message about believing in yourself. Each of us has the potential for greatness deep down. If we can just tap into it, amazing things can happen! This album was one of those times when everything just came together!
3. With each album released the listeners want to know how it compares to the previous releases in terms of style and with your albums we always want to know will this one be a rocker like the original Stan Bush and the Barrage, or will this album show a different side musically for you?
"Shine" is definitely a rock album! Some of the last albums I did were a bit more thoughtful and acoustic guitar-based. On this record, I got back to my roots and came up with some killer rock songs, more like the original Stan Bush & Barrage album. It's been a while since I've heard any rock albums that made me smile. A lot of music out there has been kind of dark the last few years.
4. The list of artists performing on this album is incredible, Tim Pierce on guitars, Matt Bissonette on bass, Curt Cuomo on keyboards and Kenny Aronoff adding his touch on drums! That lineup matched with the vocals of yourself and Tommy Funderburk make me believe this album has everything it needs to be spectacular! What are your feelings on the way it has turned out?
I think this new album is my best yet! I worked with producer/co-writer Curt Cuomo and together we wrote all the songs in about four months. Then we got Rob Jacobs a world class engineer (Eagles, Don Henley, U-2, Alanis Morisett), to record the album with us in Curt's state-of-the-art SSL studio. The musicians we used were unbelievable! Tim Pierce on guitar, Kenny Aronoff on Drums, and Matt Bissonette on Bass. I can't imagine a better rock band than these guys! And the coolest part of all was that we had fun! I'm also very happy that Frontiers believes in me as an artist, and that we've had the chance to work together on this new album!
5. Is there one song on this album that is special to you, could you share a bit of the history with us, what the inspiration was, what it was like recording it or why it is special to you?
"The Chance You Take" says to live life all the way! You shouldn't care what people think, or worry that if you fall in love, your heart will break. Then it says "Work like you don't need the money, life, life is the chance you take." When we live life half way, we're setting ourselves up to fail. Only by going for it, can we really live!
6. This will be your second release working with Frontiers, how have things gone with this project and do you think you will continue with Frontiers on future releases?
Frontiers has been great to work with. They're good guys and they believe in me as an artist. As far as I know I'll record with them ongoing.
7. Getting back to song writing, you have been dubbed one of today’s best song writers and have enjoyed some great moments due to your talent; could you describe for us the way the process works for you; do you start with a lyric, a melody…or is each song different?
Thanks for the kind words. I guess for me it usually starts with a melody and music, then the lyrics come later. Often I'll come up with a title based on the chorus melody, and then work backwards from there to come up with some kind of story or theme for the song.
8. One of the top moments in your career was the Emmy award in 1996 for “Til I Was Loved By You”. What are some other moments you look back on as the best?
Winning the Emmy was definitely a big moment for my career. That same year I wrote and sang "Capture the Dream" which was featured in the 1996 Olympics on NBC in a special broadcast highlighting the success of the U.S. Swim Team, and was featured on NBC during the NBA playoffs. I also performed in Atlanta at the Olympic Village.
Another exciting time for me was touring in Germany. Music fans would come to the shows and had copies of my albums and knew the lyrics to the songs! It was very cool!
9. When you look to the future what things would you like to do personally; artists you would like to play with, tours you would like to complete, what drives you to keep on creating?
I'll always write and perform music because it's who I am. I've always liked Don Henley a lot. It's kind of hard to predict the future, but I like working with talented people and creating music. I guess I'll be doing it as long as I can.
10. Now thinking more about the industry, what would you like to see happen in the AOR/melodic rock world over the next few years?
I predict a big resurgence of AOR/melodic rock in the U.S. The baby-boomers who grew up listening to rock make up a huge part of the market here, and they'll buy music from great artists if the music industry will just wake up and realize it.
11. We have a strong presence of aspiring musicians who look to these interviews as a source of inspiration and advice from artists who have made a name for themselves in the music industry. Do you have any words of encouragement for them?
Hang in there. It's a tough business, but if you believe in what you're doing, you can at least have the satisfaction of knowing you're being true to yourself.
12. And what closing message do you have for your loyal fans anticipating the release of Shine on the 23rd of June?
I'd like to say thanks for your support! I've been very fortunate in my life to be able to make music for a living. I'm looking forward to coming to Europe on tour when the record comes out! To find out more, visit LARECORDS.COM. Keep on rockin!
Posted by Kathy at June 24, 2004 10:27 AM