Backstage Pass Radio

S1: E16: Iggy Reyna & Todd D. Bishop (Ozz - A Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne) - A Quintet of Brothers

October 06, 2021 Backstage Pass Radio Season 1 Episode 16
Backstage Pass Radio
S1: E16: Iggy Reyna & Todd D. Bishop (Ozz - A Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne) - A Quintet of Brothers
Show Notes Transcript

Ozz is a celebration and tribute to the music of Ozzy Osbourne encompassing his entire career of music from Black Sabbath to his solo albums with Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde and Gus G. Established in 2010 and featuring frontman Iggy Igbourne, the best Ozzy frontman outside of the Ozzman himself. Don’t take our word for it, come see and hear for yourself. Iggy is nothing less than amazing on the stage. There are a lot of Ozzy tributes out there. Some look like him and try to act like him. But Iggy looks and sounds like Ozzy on his records.

OZZ has headlined the House of Blues Houston to sold-out crowds, featured in The Houston Press, and won the Maxima Distorzion People's Choice Awards for Best Tribute Band in Texas, Best Tribute Singer in Texas, Best Tribute Guitar Player in Texas, Best Tribute Drummer in Texas and Best Rock Keyboard Player in Texas

 

Iggy & Todd Master_01

Sat, 8/20 8:43AM • 1:51:05

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

ozzy, play, guitar, band, great, songs, musicians, fucking, todd, tribute, called, sit, tribute band, guitar player, music, randy, ag, sound, scott, heard, Iggy Reyna, Todd, D. Bishop, Fuck Cancer, Ozz, Ozzy Tribute, Ozzy Tribute Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Houston Texas, Cypress Texas, Best Podcast, Interview, Podcast, Top 10 Percent, Best, Music Interview, Backstage Pass Radio, Backstage Pass Radio Podcast, Randy Hulsey, Randy Hulsey Podcast, Randy Hulsey Music

SPEAKERS

Randy Hulsey, Ozz, Adam Gordon

 

Randy Hulsey  00:00

Hey everyone, its Randy Halsey here backstage pass radio. And I wanted to record a quick update before you get to hear the awesome interview that I did with ag and Todd and its entirety. I sat down with ag and taught in my home studio back on June 22, or I think it was somewhere around June 22. And I had a super cool conversation with these guys. But at the time, we had no idea of the news that would be broadcasted just three months later, an announcement had come out of the oz camp that they would temporarily suspend shows due to finding out that lead guitarist Todd Bishop was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer, and is currently undergoing treatment at MD Anderson here in Houston, Texas. I hope that you guys will keep Todd Christie and all of their family and your thoughts and prayers as Todd enters the ring to battle a disease that we've all grown to despise. Please also keep my friend and former guest Joey C. Jones and your thoughts and prayers as he is also in the fight with cancer as well. We know that both will be triumphant in the road to recovery. I hope that you guys will enjoy the interview with these amazing musicians. And don't forget to keep the volume level on 11 and keep rockin. Hey everyone, I'm here with a couple of very talented people with me in the studio this evening. If you've ever gone out and have been amazed by a tribute man, well, they can definitely be enjoyable if the man's have done their homework. But if you've never seen my guest today, you guys have certainly missed out. I saw these guys earlier this year down in I think it was Nassau Bay at the scalp bar. And I didn't know what to expect because I'm a huge Ozzy fan. And I will tell you that these guys have done their homework. We're going to chat with at Reina and Todd Bishop of the Ozzy Osbourne tribute band oz right after this.

 

Adam Gordon  01:49

This is backstage pass radio, the podcast that's designed for the music junkie with a thirst for musical knowledge. Hi, this is Adam Gordon. And I want to thank you all for joining us today. Make sure you like subscribe and turn the alerts on for this and all upcoming podcasts. And now here's your host of backstage pass radio, Randy Halsey.

 

Randy Hulsey  02:18

Ag and Todd Welcome to the show, guys. How are you?

 

Ozz  02:20

Very good. Thank you for having us, man.

 

Randy Hulsey  02:22

Yes, good to see both you guys. I'm glad you came by to chat it he's already drinking all my all my beer here out of the refrigerator. So somebody so for those that don't know the listeners that haven't heard of Oz AG is the lead singer. And Todd is the lead and rhythm guitarist. And I wanted to find out from you guys, kind of what influenced you. Maybe at a young age to become a musician like ag How about you like Was there something that sets you off for music? Was it early that it did you not get into music till later on kind of give me your thoughts they're

 

Ozz  03:02

kind of you can say was early because from early on my older brother played guitar and almost everybody in the family at least sings mom every time she was cooking or washing dishes just singing my older brothers playing guitar. And plus growing up when I did in the 70s 80s there's just so much great music around me. I was surrounded by the Beatles and Queen and Kishan and fucking later on. He just had all that crazy new wave she had going on in the 80s. Yep. And I remember being in school. And it's almost like a sea of kids just parted. And his kid comes walking through and he's wearing the diary madmen console shirt from the night before, right? You've probably seen it's just a cyst diary mannequin, those old horror movie kind of letters and just executioner holding his head. Yep. And so what the fuck is that? And I go home and motorbikes I could do this and he's holding up the home that he'd been playing. He puts it down and over the mountain cranks up and I'm just sitting there. Fucking Wow. Yeah. And then my other brother. I got three brothers, the second to the oldest. So I said, Well, who is it and my older brother says it's Ozzy. That's not how this is Ozzy and he puts on the paranoid I would spank for a song war pigs I'm just sitting with the fox is bland from Ozzy to black sounds like to me. Anyway, like I said in my first musical I was a Beavis because it was just blasting everywhere. It was the Beatles because the Beatles, but then I heard this completely different. Yeah, for sure. And some of it had messages in it. Somebody was just so fucking cool. And, and you hear the argument, Ozzy do Ozzy do but Tony Iommi goddamn doing it it was just fucking amazing you know before and most of the songs have all these great intros before you even heard Ozzy or do make it sound it's just Tony just slaughtering just fucking into the void are fucking just dumb from from war pigs. Jesus Christ. Yeah, fucking phenomenon. Yep. And then I started with this Singing this stuff and every time I sang with somebody similar to what you kind of sound like and no matter what song I sang, you sound like Ozzy doing Iron Maiden you sound like Ozzy doing

 

Randy Hulsey  05:12

okay, you are pigeon holed right. Yeah.

 

Ozz  05:15

But in me being also that guy that clowned at once You said so Mike took it a step further okay? And it just kind of went from there and almost every band I was in little garage bands or whatever, there was always some Ozzy or some black saboteur and just that alone I fuck I love as I fucking love you know and if you people they talk about what he didn't write the song All he did was come up with melodies but look at the the musicians he surrounded himself with Black Sabbath fell together these four guys, but he went out and he found Randy Oh, God, I fucking love.

 

Randy Hulsey  05:51

And we'll talk about those guys in a minute because I'm gonna I'm gonna like give you guys a little bit of trivia and see if I can't stump you on some Ozzy trivia, but would you say that the influence was like your brother playing guitar? Or was it just the music you were hearing that really said, Man, this is it. You know, it was a combination of both maybe but was it one more than the other on the balance scale? A justice?

 

Ozz  06:16

I'd tell you this. I guess I'll get most of the credit to him. Because the first time I heard children of the see he was playing it on acoustic guitar. And I thought like, you know, that's his song. They listen to what he's playing. He was playing the intro. Okay. And of course, he also had Heaven and Hell album when he plays it. I still didn't make the connection that he's playing his music. Yeah, it was him. And then he just jumped over to this music. And once that music hit me and never left me. Fuck, I can still hear a 40 year old Black Sabbath song and fucking love. Yeah. And the same show with ours. It doesn't get out. None of it gets so yeah. And

 

Randy Hulsey  06:51

yeah, it never goes away. And it certainly resonates for sure. What about what about Utah? Like, what? What kind of got you into the music game?

 

Ozz  07:00

You know, I'm not really sure. I didn't, I didn't really, really get into music till a little later on. Probably like, you know, towards the end of junior high man. I always loved music. But I wasn't like this huge passion. I mean, I loved all kinds of music. I mean, I was an MTV kid, you know. So I listened to everything from Michael Jackson to Van Halen, to you know, Duran Duran, all that stuff. Like, as a kid, you know, my first memory like, really of music is going to see Star Wars. As a kid, I think I was five. I was five in 1977 when Star Wars came out, and just John Williams. I've loved everything he's ever done. So I think that started like, a passion for music. Yeah, that kind of, you know, motifs and themes and just you just really resonated to me. But I started playing for some reason I picked up guitar, my eighth ninth grade year in junior high do I really don't know why, but I just wanted to pick it up and it just stuck. And then once I started, you know, I first learned how to play just a little bit. Somewhere along the way, I discovered hard rock and metal and it was like, that's what I'm gonna do.

 

Randy Hulsey  08:05

Well, I know that when I came up, I was a pianist. And I was a classical pianist. Right. That's where my my start with music was. But then I got to this age and I've told this story before. It's nothing new. But I got to that teenage the teenage years or the later teenage years where you're like, Okay, this music isn't cool anymore. Because you can't go to a party and pick up chicks playing Beethoven, okay, you're not gonna do it, right? You know what I'm talking about, right? Exact, like, I've got to, I've got to like, flip from the piano, I've got to buy me a guitar. I can't take a piano to a party and be cool. So I gotta find some portable that I can take. So that's kind of where, you know, my, the, I guess, my venture off of the piano into the guitar and really getting into that came about now I know, Todd so you're, of course, the guitarist for oz. AG. What about you from an instrumental perspective? Are you an instrumentalist at all? I know, you're a wonderful vocalist. But do you have any instrumental prowess at all?

 

Ozz  09:07

I can play not as good as sound your drum but I can play the drums and after years and years of just not taking the guitar back up again, because I love all these instruments, especially the guitar and I've always thought to be able to play an instrument. It's a great thing. You mentioned the piano. I've always been a piano player is great. But the guitar to me stands out. Oh, yeah, he's like he said, you can just walk into a party. pulled it out and bam, there you are. You're the center of attention. Exactly. But even if you just want to sit in your backyard by yourself and do some Jim Croce or whatever you want to do. That's some good shit. Thanks for

 

Randy Hulsey  09:45

Thanks for dropping that name it like I don't hear enough of the Balladeers come out of people's mouths anymore because that's, that's what in my shows that I play. I'm playing the old Fogelberg, the old Croce, the old James Taylor, but I also throw in some eagles and you know I'm all over the place as a solo artist, but that stuff to me never fucking gets old. Right? Never. I mean, because the day of the song The balladeer like those guys it's overwhelming like it's rap it's it's this it's that but it's there's no more James Taylor's coming out anywhere. Now taught we talked about you being a guitarist of course, but are you a multi instrumentalist? Do you just just guitar?

 

Ozz  10:25

I mean, I can I can play keyboards a little bit, just translating what I know on guitar and figuring out but you're not at all. Yeah, not at all. Guitars it and but yeah, you

 

Randy Hulsey  10:37

alluded to it a little earlier about the stuff that you were really into. And then you came later on. And you said Jim Croce right and so my question to both of you guys is what was the genre for you is let's say late teenage years like if you threw all genres away and kept one what what genre would you have kept say when you're 17 year old guy

 

Ozz  11:02

17.

 

Randy Hulsey  11:05

And that's a hard question because I'm like, I don't want to throw any of them.

 

Ozz  11:08

Because the 14 there was a guy as we talked about Rod Stewart, Jim Croce all the stuff from the 70s but in my teens metal, blew up, metal happen. It was Judas Priest and was Ozzy and Molly crew was just wiping the floor with every fucking body. Iron Maiden was out there deal with solo. I just couldn't get into all the pot. I mean, I liked Duran Duran was codec but I wasn't going out and buying the records and CDs or whatever it was out back then. I was going out and buying British Steel and holy diver and the ultimate sin. I guess it would be the metal or hard rock from the 80s. Yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  11:45

Okay. So you So you weren't necessarily wearing a Duran Duran concert shirt around?

 

Ozz  11:50

But I wasn't I wasn't walking around calling them crappy.

 

Randy Hulsey  11:53

Exactly. Reflux. Yeah, they all have their I mean, they were great, right? I mean, you have to give them props. Exactly. They were, they were definitely a band of the times for sure. And they had a lot of great songs. There's no

 

Ozz  12:04

he was just a kid but I was when Metallica first popped up I was in the same thing. I see a guy walking down the hall with a shirt says metal up here. So I'm like, What's that? Yeah, so he pulls out the cassette and bam there I am. 1983 or something like that for sure. But I mean, at first it was like it whatever heard in the 70s and on our radio was Elton John. We actually got some AC DC played down and radio down here. It was Rod Stewart all that and I liked it. I liked storytellers also, but just something about this heavier stuff. The lyrics, the guitar, the tones all that just really grabbed my attention. And I'm like that would music. If it doesn't grab my attention as soon as you put it on. I'm not listening. Yeah, I won't sit and let you play it over and over again to the font and makes it dead in my head because it won't. Yeah, music grabs me first and then that's what I stick with. I still remember the first time I heard quiet right? That drum mental to mental health to do Yeah, and Dan and Kevin just Yeah, I'm just I remember just sitting there turning my head looking at my brother's boombox like, Fuck is? Yeah, that that stuff just grabbed me.

 

Randy Hulsey  13:12

Absolutely. What about Utah? Like, like, what were 17 years old? You know, you're you're a junior junior in high school. Like, what? what's resonating with you?

 

Ozz  13:22

Well, around that time, it was definitely the heavier stuff like I mean, test testament, the new order. So you were a little heavier stuff. Now what I got into the heavier stuff like that. I mean, Alex Skolnick, amazing guitar player, you know, that kind of the heavier, a little bit of the heavier stuff, you know, a lot of instrumental stuff eBay, you know, Steve Vai Joe Satriani by that point, Minister like the other stuff to them, don't me wrong, but if you get make them make me pick one, that was definitely the heavier stuff was what was into back then. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  13:49

and you know, I never really got into too much of the, I guess I classify it is maybe maybe, I don't know. You can define metal a lot of different ways. When I think when I think of metal I think of something a little heavier than a Judas Priest or an Iron Maiden like testament. You know? Yeah, yeah, maybe black metal or something like that. But I was never into the darker stuff. But it was more of the melodic Yes, heavy stuff. Yes, Judas Priest Iron Maiden crocus, stuff like that, you know? Yeah, you remember those guys?

 

Ozz  14:24

Here's the thing about it, though. The stuff I mentioned from the 70s songwriters. Yeah, lyrics are great. In the pop up. I just didn't find the lyrics. And I've given a lot of credit to these metal guys, because their lyrics are fucking great. Yeah. James had to write some incredible stuff. He was the bass player from Iron Man like everyone's gonna see Paris. Yeah, he writes some great Oh, yeah. Bob Daisley the stuff he wrote for us and he's guys and priests. They write some great stuff. It just happens to be the guitars a lot around it or whatever. Exactly. I liked the storytellers. I liked them. Great lyrics and out of the pop and 80s It just didn't have it. I mean, for me, I like pop. I like the lighter stuff, but there's some times I like stuff that you sit there and listen to. And that's what the most of this stuff is to me. Listen to your gut feel and listen to it. Sometimes there's messages and sometimes it's just stuff that goes good together like Lemmy and the greatest thing in the world but his lyrics write great some great stuff. And yeah, he's actually written some great stuff that Aziz sung mom coming home. Yeah, see one of the side salaries songs. Yeah, hell, I

 

Randy Hulsey  15:32

didn't. So let me wrote my mom coming home. Like I had no idea that he wrote an ideal

 

Ozz  15:37

to dust off on No More Tears is mostly a

 

Randy Hulsey  15:41

Wow. Well, I've been educated. I like to think that I'm a musical savant. Like I have this vast knowledge of music and players and years that this stuff came out. And when people tell me stuff, I don't know. I really enjoy that. So

 

Ozz  15:59

I knew a lot about Ozzy and so I was joined this band I learned I need to know nothing. Yeah. between him and the bass, but better pull

 

Randy Hulsey  16:06

out the dictionary. Yeah, really? The Encyclopedia?

 

Ozz  16:11

Yep. Scott was you've already corrected me like six times. That's funny.

 

Randy Hulsey  16:15

So we talked about high school what you guys were into? Where did you grow up? Where'd you grow up to hear

 

Ozz  16:20

you, sir? I've been in lemonade or Houston. I was since 1974. Where did you go to high school, Stratford, high school, Stratford. And how about you? Ag Southside Houston. Born and raised? I went to Austin for a while. Okay. Yeah, I didn't make sure.

 

Randy Hulsey  16:35

I grew up in the City of South Houston, which is down by Hobby airport. Right. So I went to South Houston High School, which is in the Pasadena school district. So yeah, you talked a little bit about a brother that was a guitarist you said your mom was a musician with anybody else in the family that are you said that she was a singer or anybody else in the family that kind of influenced that from from a musician perspective.

 

Ozz  16:59

I don't know where they got it from. What I mean, I think I remember having some cousins that also played guitar, so I don't know how much of an influence they had on that. But I think my brother as far as he taught, it was just the music from the 70s I mean, he's a huge Queen fan. I remember seeing his his tabs that were all Queen Black Sabbath Rod Stewart, Jim Croce. But I don't know as far as just is the singer like my mom, I think it just just something that we are in my family. Everybody is sings or paints, or writes stuff like good poetry. So I'm almost every

 

Randy Hulsey  17:36

artist. Yeah. That's awesome. How about Utah.

 

Ozz  17:41

My dad plays guitar a little bit. That's basically all I learned once he gave me go on acoustic guitar. And I was like, I think five or six. Big acoustic guitar the holding and I just shoved Star Wars figures down it

 

Randy Hulsey  17:55

was a storage container. I

 

Ozz  17:56

exactly. Know when I hit, I guess, you know, I remember what it was when my eighth grade year for some reason I just was drawn to a guitar. I didn't trade in a skateboard for some beat up piece of shit guitar this guy kid had he took a chainsaw to it and cut it all up. And I think it was like some kind of a Sears guitar or something that had like a little light bulb by the pickups, turn it on or off. But I stuck with it. And when my dad showed me a few things, I think like the first thing he showed me how to play it was just the little main Rift or the Twilight Zone, you know? That and like the James Bond theme, you know, so I stuck with it. And he saw that and so that Christmas, he bought me my first nice guitar, a nice little gorilla and a little Olympic strap guitar and a little gorilla amp. And that was my first setup. And off I went. Wow. I mean, I learned that a lot. Some guitar magazines learn how to play tablature reCAPTCHA. And just, that's where that's where I went from there. You know, it just stuck with it.

 

Randy Hulsey  18:52

Yep. Now is your dad's still alive? Yes. Okay. And I was gonna say, if he was sitting here at the table with us right now, I'm sure that he would say because I know I play some shows with my son who's a phenomenal lead guitarist. It's always nice because I've been playing for 35 years or maybe 40 years. I'm dating myself a little bit. So we'll just call it 35 years, right? But there's nothing more gratifying than to see your kid Excel pass the limits or the levels of his dad, and I'm sure your dad would feel the same way about oh, yeah, you're playing based on how you kind of describe it that he plays a little I have to think that you're a better much better guitarist.

 

Ozz  19:33

He loves like the old 60s kind of sort of stuff. You know, Dick Dale ventures, the House of the Rising Sun absolutely loves that kind of stuff. But he actually came to one of our house blues shows Marcus was in 2019. I know I'm glad he was able to come you know to talk him into doing it. My bed.

 

Randy Hulsey  19:51

Lady sounds a little like me. It's 830 it's to get late and go home. That's me too. Like I can't tear myself down fast enough after a show and load out of the place before AWS. What were you guys doing band wise? Anything.

 

Ozz  20:12

I was just mostly still as old as I was playing backyard parties and bars. And like I said, everyone should do a couple of songs in three or four in a row of just Ozzy just to milk it for a little bit. But it wasn't until I actually saw that there was tribute bands here in Houston. Okay, time that I actually really thought about doing it just the Ozzy because over the years my love for this guy's music just got kept getting bigger and bigger. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  20:42

so there was not a band that you were too serious about. I mean, you did it you had some fun with that kind of thing. You weren't making a living doing it or anything like that. Or maybe you weren't right I'm not

 

Ozz  20:53

I kind of got bogged down like a lot of people do and saw it as a hobby. Okay, and instead of the thing that I really loved to do, and it was my focus was on work, whatever job I had at the time, whether it was a towel set or whatever the hell I was doing and then just on the weekends do one or two things every once in a while and I got to get ready for work on Monday night and I every time I blew it off something inside he kept telling me you're doing an injustice to yourself this is not work is work that's not your passion. That's not what you love. That's how you pay bills or whatever the fuck it is. My love was singing in my love was this. And like I said, the more and more I heard Ozzy the more and more I looked at him and said why not this guy? Yeah. Why might enter this Elvis tree which and stones tributes and Tina Turner and Cher and our guy is fucking Ozzy. Yeah. And if you grew up in a scene absolut yet our guy was Ozzy. It was always plastic in the news, it was always being ridiculed and made fun of or being was awesome.

 

Randy Hulsey  21:57

I'll come back because I want to ask you the same question about previous bands before AWS but it made me think of how to remember the year I'm horrible with dates, but I remember buying a ticket to the Texas jam at the dome, and the lineup was Gary Moore. Bryan Adams 38 special Ozzy Osbourne and rush five bands. And I remember sitting in the audience when Gary Moore came out he's like trying to pump people up and people are like, yeah, and then you know, Bryan Adams came out which had a lot of hit songs brought out as a great great artists right yeah, you know, more you know than 38 specialist like but when fucking Ozzy HIT THE STAGE dude in the lights went out in the dome the roof was blown off of that place before he even opened his mouth. That's the kind of the you know, that's That's powerful. Like there's there's nothing, not a better feeling than that have that kind of energy in a refinery. It might have been 8382 83 Something like that.

 

Ozz  22:59

Texas Jama jam I remember had Boston and I don't know if Boston was a headliner. Yeah, I guess it was it was a

 

Randy Hulsey  23:06

different year but yeah, it was it was a Jake Yes.

 

Ozz  23:12

Yeah. Take was a bad dude.

 

Randy Hulsey  23:15

But yeah, the Ozzy just like people who the roof off the place, but but going back before us, sorry for the derailment there. I was reliving my childhood there for a minute walk down memory lane. But before I was What were you, what were you playing? Were you playing in some man here and there

 

Ozz  23:32

I was, I joined a band a local band called victim when I was 19. And I was in 1991. And I was in that band all the way till 2012 2121 years. Wow.

 

Randy Hulsey  23:48

That was a long time. So we talked about the power of Aziz music and that you know that Charles guy, but who came up with AWS who's who whose brainchild was this was it Aigis you said I'm gonna do AWS Ozzy tribute is that.

 

Ozz  24:03

Yeah, I actually started I did a Black Sabbath TV first. Actually. It was nowhere near as good as this band. I'm not trying to be ticked anyway, just as we were more of a cover band and a tribute because we did Ozzy Ozzy Sabbath deal. We messed around with all the different lineups. And I stopped doing music for a while. And I get a call from a guy that had another auditory. We've been in Houston since the 90s. figured why not? I jumped into that. No, actually, no, I started my own TV called the ultimate sin and it kind of fell apart so I just figured I was doing it for a while. That's when I got the phone call from the other guy. And we did some show started getting some steam. We're going pretty good. Now all sudden, this guy wants to take a break everybody disband. So, the guy who mentioned earlier Scott, our bass player tells me let's keep it going I know a guy got a guitar player. And the guy we got on Joe is now seven. He was already in the other version of that other band. So we kept going. I it was it was okay. But it wasn't what I wanted. Yeah. Because like I said, I'm doing this to pay tribute to somebody that I think is fucking great. And then we get another guitar player. And he steps into the picture this guy Todd, because he starts going to wash I actually met his wife before I met him. She's a wonderful person. I fucking love her man. She's gone them to all of our shows before he even went. And then she tells me her words, Jana. Good. You can talk to her son. I know. I know. Yeah. I know. I know a guy. And he she brought him to one of our shows. And he says the same thing. If you ever need to go, I'm available. And right away this guy's vibe tells you these guys some special he's a good guy. But I didn't have anybody to tell this guy. Hey, you're fired. This guy. And I've told him before that I've actually sought after whatever show I'm done. And then we actually did a show where we opened for his band.

 

Randy Hulsey  26:09

Okay. Was this victim that was Vic stalker.

 

Ozz  26:13

And he invites me on stage to sing a few songs. Actually, the singer tells me they do mom coming home and they dedicated to the troops. What I mind doing it? No, not at all. So I go up there to deal with Todd.

 

Randy Hulsey  26:24

And then we do it. And it was magical. Right?

 

Ozz  26:27

Right. Yeah. And he plays it to his suppose. He looks behind me at the bass player and he has no more tears. And remember, we just did a set of Ozzy, okay, so we break into no more tears. And I'm thinking myself, God, damn, it's just fucking good. Yeah, I'm ready to go home. And then he looks across me as the keyboard player who's now our keyboard player item. And he has Mr. Crowley. So he starts Mr. Crowley. And as we're playing, the crowd just keeps coming to the stage. And after a while, I look at him and I say are we done and he goes, he goes to the drummer Crazy Train. So he starts off the intro. And it's like, I get his due to hug and he tells me Merry Christmas man and I tell him my Christmas and I walk off. And I go sit outside because I'm actually feeling kind of shitty. And the waitress makes me a cup of coffee. And here comes Scott, our bass player. It's just standard and I'm sitting there. And I look at me just got this look on his face. I said what? And he's just staring at me. I said what? And he says Todd Yeah, Todd. What? Fucking Todd. Well, what about fucking Todd? He's fucking great. Yeah, he wants to join a man. He's okay. Somebody's got to tell my customers. You got to tell the time. It was like, No. And I'm honest. When I say it. One point I said I'm done. Because what I wanted to do. I never did it. It was never what I wanted it to be until he showed up. And then the band that we got now and then he brings an atom with them. And it just ties it all together. And now it is what I want it to be. And it's it is a tribute to Ozzy good before he showed up was like I can't fight you know, I need the guitar. God, that guy with chops. And the guy with the looks. It was Thor with the guitar shows up over here. Yeah. And we just love the guys we have we're good guitar players. You know, I will do other music with him any other day? Sure. But for this, you need that guy. Yeah. And it wasn't till he showed up. I just made a complete.

 

Randy Hulsey  28:31

It's sometimes it's the right person to set it off. And I have I have to be honest, like I've seen a lot of bands in my days. And I remember seeing you guys at the scout bar. I don't even know what took me down there. I mean, it's kind of a hold of that side of town, as you know, right? It's like it's not something you want to do drive home at 230 in the morning or whatever. But I saw you guys play and I think there was a Motley Crue tribute band that had had open maybe there was a scorpions band too, if I remember correctly. It was a tribute. Yeah, probably around the time. That's the show. We did the Sabbath set. Now that you were doing Ozzy in that way. Yeah, but it seemed like yeah, there was definitely a scorpions band and a Motley Crue band that night with you guys.

 

Ozz  29:17

Was it Scott bar? Yeah. It was probably earlier last year, early 2019. Or was it last year?

 

Randy Hulsey  29:23

I think I think it was last year. Don't get me to line but But nevertheless, my point was gonna be that. Yeah, we don't have to get all critical here. No, no, just kidding. But I remember leaving saying those motherfuckers are better than Aussie. Like Like, I mean, they just I mean, that's you take it as a compliment, right? I mean, because you guys sound really good. And I think it also helps being in a very intimate setting here in that powerful music versus C and Ozzy, like I set forth row at I think it was bark at the moon. and tour and and and motley crew, I think was opening up for Ozzy and even be in fourth row at the summit for that. I didn't feel what I felt at Scout bar and I'm not slagging those guys because they're some of my favorite bands. But there's just something about being in a room that small and the acoustics in a room like that. I've always said I'll take a room like that over Compaq center summit or what ship any day I don't even want to buy a ticket to that shit. It really is. So props and kudos to you guys. I mean, because you I've seen a lot of tribute bands and you guys pull Ozzy off fantastically. Yeah. Yeah. You want me to say it again? Were you a Black Sabbath fan before? The oz tribute? And you as well AG. I mean, was, I was

 

Ozz  30:52

more of an Ozzy fan. I was a fan, but I loved Black Sabbath, too. I mean, I'm a huge Tony Iommi fan, I've become even more of a Black Sabbath fan since joining the band that I was going in, I just had to learn stuff that I didn't, you know, some of it I would glaze over, you know, we got to learn a new appreciation for it. Sure.

 

Randy Hulsey  31:13

Well, I'm with you on that. Like I was always I was. I wouldn't say it wasn't a Black Sabbath fan, but I was certainly less of a Black Sabbath fan than I was honestly. I mean, it Ozzie set it all for me when he went solo, you know, from from Black Sabbath. But you ag I mean, you always had a love for Sabbath. Like you said even even before you know ballsy split off or what?

 

Ozz  31:36

I love Black Sabbath man, I maybe it's because I like all that spooky stuff. And like the stuff that got into the songs about DNA spiral architecture actually, stuff like I love all their stuff and then hearing when I will start learn about them that they were also into comic books and Colt and stuff like that. Were all their music comes from, and then stuff like war pigs just being fed up with crap, whatever. Yeah. But when I was he went solo he just wrote, they just wrote some damn good songs that aren't necessarily about anything, but they're just damn good. So I mean, when I heard Mr. Crowley, I don't know why she became certain but I already knew who the hell Aleister Crowley was right? Sure. Suicide solution as soon as I heard it, I knew was about alcohol. Everybody's talking about it to Sony, but couldn't you stop now? He's talking about booze. But,

 

Randy Hulsey  32:27

geckos there was a big lawsuit about that years ago, right, that kid that had killed himself because he felt Ozzy was telling him to exactly how

 

Ozz  32:35

to blame him on exactly for it and i don't know i i, I love Tony Iommi guitar, but it's just for some reason, my focal point always landed on Ozzy. And then when he went solo, he's got all these great bass players and drummers and guitar players and it's just just following that guy and finding his voice. It's him it's whatever he does, whether it makes sense or not, I could always relate to him for some reason. I don't know what it

 

Randy Hulsey  33:01

absolutely was always him now we talked about tribute bands. Is there other tribute bands in town? Of course, some have opened for you guys. Like I just mentioned the scorpions when I don't remember their names. So if they hear the show, I apologize that I don't remember all the tribute. The exact names but is there one that is your favorite like lever? By far you like that one for you are amazing. Yeah.

 

Ozz  33:27

I thought they were good, too. They're they they're total shout at the devil. Look, they sound just like him. And they are awesome. They are which complete tribute band. Yeah, but since I'm a bigger fan of the music, it's due to sex. I love Judas Priest.

 

Randy Hulsey  33:43

Oh, that's, that's Russ Gibbs band. Right? Yeah.

 

Ozz  33:46

Ross, Ross and Mark and boys. Justice. Yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  33:50

Yeah. So he was in a Russell's in a band years and years ago with a very good friend of mine. His name was Scott Larson. And I think the band was ice but Bruss fronted that band. This was like 80s, right, like at late 80s, or something like that. But yeah, I know Russ through through Scott. So it's kind of a small world that we live in. What about other Ozzy tribute band? Like have you seen other Aussie tribute bands and okay, and okay, your faults around the others? Seeing good ones. I've seen bad ones. I mean, it's kind of a it's a loaded question. And I'm not and I'm not asking it to say that one sucks and what that one doesn't, but I just wanted to kind of

 

Ozz  34:33

I've never seen any of them actually perform live videos. And I can't help but look at it and say, you know, the guy the guitar player is great or the Ozzy is good, but it's never the complete there's some good ones some very good ones out there. And there's some out there that are they do the oh, they're just up there and T shirts and jeans. It's not what I consider a tribute band at all. No, but some of them out there. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  35:01

you got to play the part a little bit more to call yourself.

 

Ozz  35:05

Here are some really good ones out there. There's, there's one. There's a few different types. There's like there's one in LA that's called roads, dogs and all they are is just a reindeer attribute. There's Ozzy, it's just the Wizard of Oz and die or madman. And that's all I play. The guitar player is amazing. Really. He's, he looks like Randy sounds like Randy. I mean, it's, it's really cool. You know, as far as Aziz he, he sounds like Ozzy on his record.

 

Randy Hulsey  35:33

Well, we'll get into that. I'm not gonna let you steal my thunder Americanism. Talk to me a little bit about that. But But I was wondering if AWS or I should say Ozzy tribute bands, look at other Ozzie tribute bands, like, like, a person that portrays Santa Claus goes into a mall at Christmas time and looks at the Santa that set that mom says, Oh, my God kind of sucks. But I think it would better Santa Claus. And I didn't know if that if there's kind of that thought process that goes through your head like, Man, those guys were good, but they weren't as good as we

 

Ozz  36:05

are. That's human nature to do. Sure, you know, I mean, that's like, you know, the guitar player. How many guitar players does it take to change a lightbulb was 21 to do in my teens, and they could do a better? You get those critiques where? That's not where that Ben goes and stuff like that. Oh, why is he playing Jake songs on the Randy V or something? They didn't pick it. Yeah, picking some it's like, well, he didn't actually do that scale very well, whatever. But the one thing that he brought, it was what we were thinking was, you know, we can't pick one error. Now, first of all, he's a whole foot taller. picking me up. Right now, you know, and there's plus, if you pick an error, you're stuck with that music. So it's just you go up there is the guy pointing me all the time. You do Ozzy where the band and these guys see their guy. I'll tell anybody these guys look like somebody you would see on stage in a in a band with Ozzy all these guys. Yep. That would be comfortable. It'd be at home on stage. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  37:11

I would agree with that. Yeah, that's a fair statement. For sure. Yeah.

 

Ozz  37:14

I mean, you've seen our base. Yeah. I mean, there's other Ozzy tribute to that, you know, they have they have Zakk Wylde and they have an Ozzy we're just an Aussie tribute. He, he is who are attributing this it's about Ozzy. Yeah, for for our view of it. That's that's the way we tribute Ozzy is it's about Ozzy it's not about I mean, it is about them with the guitar player. But it's not about you know, me looking like Randy or looking like Zach or looking right, Jake. It's about Ozzy,

 

Randy Hulsey  37:43

but I think I would speak for ag when I when I say that. He couldn't do what he does without guys like you right? Even though even though he carries the mantra, right, you know, in what he does, but yeah, I mean, without a good band. Absolutely. You're, you're good. You know, or, or if you're a randy tribute, and you look like Randy, you're good. But if everybody else sucks, you're as good as the weakest link in the band. Right? Yeah. So you have to piece it together properly. And I think you guys have done a really good job of that. And that kind of is a segue, I think into the rhythm section of the band. Tell me a little bit about the drummer that you guys have.

 

Ozz  38:25

Sandy, first of all, he's sweetest guy, everyone. He's cool as hell. I met him through the bass player, actually, because they were they were in another band together called nobodies. Zero. She thinks a great name though. We'll just cover band. And Scott, the bass player brings him in. And they've been working together for so long that they just click the jive. They're great. They're two of the coolest guys. Scott like we mentioned earlier about trivia. Like I said he would have said he already corrected me six different times because I was wrong already. They've worked well together. And a lot of times on stage. There was like Scott's looking at Sandy. You'll see Scott's foot doing something like this all the time. You know, here comes a change or whatever. But Scott, this dude's phenomenal He's all over the place. Yeah, if I ever have enough show for whatever reason back when our head hurts whenever and if just for a couple of minutes I'm standard doing nothing. I ain't worried about it because he puts on such a fucking show here but yeah, right yeah. But they weren't they just great to go and what really helps in my opinion, to make a great nice fucking beers phenomenon. What makes makes a great TV van is you gotta love person or the bands that you're playing. And these guys all on love Ozzy. Yeah, these guys. I love Ozzy they love Sabbath. And it shows every time we play shows a practice. I mean, even just him alone. When he showed up. He starts mentioning all the songs that we should do. But as far as rhythm section is these guys are crazy. Yeah. And

 

Randy Hulsey  40:05

yeah, so So Sandy's the drummer Scott, your bass player. And then tell me a little bit about the keyboard player, the keyboard player Oh, sorry.

 

Ozz  40:14

The keyboard player I was in a band was in victim. And so when I got into oz my intention all along was to drag his ass with me. And that's exactly what happened. And so that's next year will be next year will be 10 years of this lineup.

 

Randy Hulsey  40:30

Right well I know that as prevalent as the guitar is and Ozzy's music you can't you can't be an Ozzy tribute band without a keyboard player. I mean, just, there's there's these our secret weapon. Yeah, for sure.

 

Ozz  40:44

I mean, he really is. I mean, he sings. He does backups. You know, he does the intros. He does. The sound effects that you hear, like on the Ozzy albums, you know, he basically is a second rhythm, the rhythm guitarist, you know, as well, like, when I'm playing my leaves, he's usually you don't know what song it is, but he's, you know, playing the rhythm track, you know, behind it. He's the gong and I don't know. Exactly, all the stuff that you hear on the records. Is how old am I keep saying record? Is him? It's Adam. Do you know, the backing vocals and he's gotten great range, man. So no matter what the hell, I'm mad, he's there. Even if I'm

 

Randy Hulsey  41:22

right. He picks you up, right? Yeah. And he

 

Ozz  41:25

also does my, like my effects like my delay. Yeah. Okay. That's him. Like, no more tears. He's Yeah. Okay. Tears, or? I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. Or see you on to the side. That's him. Yeah, I

 

Randy Hulsey  41:40

think I was gonna ask you something about that later in the show about, he's going to talk to you about a guitar part. But I didn't know if you're using some kind of delay or like a pedal that you have or if it's all controlled somewhere like Adams doing it? That's

 

Ozz  41:53

No, I mean, we tried to get him we try to get him a pedal one time and try to give you the more of that Ozzy doubling effect. Yeah. And total he could add his own little delays and stuff and I don't know it's, it's hit or miss something. Sometimes we could walk into a gig and the sound guys would not really write down with it basically. didn't want him to use it. And he doesn't need it. Yeah, I don't think No, but you know, I don't know. I've actually had one song guy tell me don't bring that fucking thing in here anymore. Really? I mean, it's not me with some piece of junk or something. I just didn't want it. I mean, interesting. I don't have a problem with as long as they give him the front of house gives him what he wants and his monitors and gives him something now Friday, you know, a little ambiance to his vocals or delay or reverb or something. It's not just dead dry. You know?

 

Randy Hulsey  42:43

I have to ask him about that because as many shows as I play, I'm not as a solo artist. I don't have the luxury of having a sound guy. I am the sound guy. I am the guitar picker. I am the singer. I'm the load enter the loadout or the Booker. I'm like every goddamn thing you can think of. Are there are the sound guys in some of the places that you play? Are they are they difficult? Can they be difficult? Are they all pretty accommodating?

 

Ozz  43:08

Like I said, that's a nitpicking thing is a lot of a lot of sound. Guys don't want the vocalist used in any kind of effect or their own effect on you know, some care Some don't care. Yeah, I mean

 

Randy Hulsey  43:21

it's like your show and you want to you have a certain sound they just they need to dial it in for you like but man, what do I know? Like I'm not. I'm not in a I'm not playing in a band. So I'm not dealing with them. But now how many times have you guys seen Ozzy perform?

 

Ozz  43:37

Shit. I've seen him with everybody but Randy. Okay, I've seen him with Jake. I've seen him with multiple muscle times with Zack with Joe Holmes, and then I've seen I've seen every version of Sabbath Ozzy deal Tony Martin and getting Wow. I don't know if

 

Randy Hulsey  43:56

wasn't even Gil and he was pretty purple. Yeah, the purple one.

 

Ozz  43:59

That was I think 84 the born again was 84. Okay. I think it was I mean, I've seen the house fests. I've seen I've gone to the like that. No More Tears was supposed to be the farewell tour. Yeah. So we saw him. He was at the summit. Yeah. But that isn't changed. So I'm here. And we chased him over to San Antonio and then we teased him over to Austin. Actually, I don't know how many times I've seen him I think I still got the ticket stubs. I don't really

 

Randy Hulsey  44:24

quite a few times about Utah.

 

Ozz  44:26

See, I think I think four times I saw him on the rest of the wicked tour with Zach and I saw my No More Tears was back. And then I saw him in 2010 with Gus G and then I saw him again in 20 2018 Here Cynthia was was Akron actually got to meet both how'd you get that meet and greet paid for it? Oh, yeah. They still

 

Randy Hulsey  44:50

got to do what you got to do

 

Ozz  44:51

with the Ozzy wanted me and the wife just you know, we got to take a picture of him and say hi and that was it. But the Zach meet and greet one we got to my wife and I got to hang out with him in the dressing room for like 30 minutes. It's okay and part of the deal was is he I got a guitar from him and he brought it out and he signed it and he played it for three songs at night at at the Pavilion and he played suicide solution fairies were boots and maybe that was it and then I picked up the guitar afterwards. So that was part of the package deal. Yeah, exactly. Like if you if you get the main meet and greet with Zack, you get you get a guitar.

 

Randy Hulsey  45:23

I can't think that that was like a $50 meeting.

 

Ozz  45:27

It was worth every penny. I use the guitar. I mean, it's signed Zach's I don't like it too much.

 

Randy Hulsey  45:33

Which one is it?

 

Ozz  45:34

It's called the wild audio audio guitar is called the basalt barbarian and I use it for like I keep it drop tunes I'll use it for like our heavy Sabbath stuff like into the void and stuff like that told me it doesn't hang on a wall. I actually play it use it. You probably saw it.

 

Randy Hulsey  45:48

I'm sure I did. It didn't register and I don't want to get too much into the weeds on the tunings and stuff but what what do you normally like the majority of the songs that you guys do together? What tuning Are you in? Well, the guitars I

 

Ozz  46:03

say everything is pretty much just have to have down okay FLAC has Wizard of Oz was all in standard tuning than most and then all a diary was a half step down bar at the moon was back to standard tuning but then ultimately then went back down to half step and then everything he's done pretty much after that was a flat until like these later years where he started to wind down like another half step. Like always down a hole. Yeah, like right now he's done like a whole step. So I guess that would lend the question like I tune I'm a half step down guy. Yeah, all strings have stepped down. But I do that from a from a vocal range perspective. Is

 

Randy Hulsey  46:39

that why those guys were doing it? Or was I was there other reasons? You get a different sound like, are they trying for a different sound with the guitars when they're dropping them? Like a whole step down? Well, yeah, I

 

Ozz  46:50

mean, the guitar definitely sounds heavier that way, but mainly for it and Aziz case, it was because of his vocal range. Okay. I mean, he like I think even live they recorded, you know, they've recorded bark at the moon as standard tuning but alive. I think you watch like down. I'm pretty sure they played all day. It's all a half step down. Well, I

 

Randy Hulsey  47:08

think the older you get the, you know, oh, you could probably speak a little bit to that you lose a little range over time. Sometimes Sometimes. My voice is like, I go out there. I'm like, Man, I sounded good tonight. But then there's some nights it's like, I think I sounded like shit. Like, I didn't hit that that note. I remember cracking like I was going through puberty on that one. Like you have those nights, right? I

 

Ozz  47:30

dropped that song. He's just this. Exactly.

 

Randy Hulsey  47:34

But it is amazing how many great players have played with Ozzy over the years. And, you know, we'll play a little bit of trivia here. So I'll name some of the players that played with Ozzy and you guys can tell me maybe one of the one or multiple of the other famous bands that they might have been associated with over the years Zakk Wylde and neither one of you guys can answer I

 

Ozz  47:59

pride and glory and Black Label. Yeah, that's all after I was Oh, yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  48:03

Yeah, Jesus. What about Randy Rhoads? Quite right? Yeah,

 

Ozz  48:07

he's fascinating. Yeah, we need to

 

Randy Hulsey  48:09

you're gonna have to step your game up. Do let me your your boys to drinking my beer. He's more interested in the beer. All right, here's one for AG. Okay. Rudy. sarzo.

 

Ozz  48:24

Quiet. Right. Whitesnake.

 

Randy Hulsey  48:27

Who else? Brad Gillis, night Ranger Nivea.

 

Ozz  48:31

Rudy was in wasn't he did he play for do to him? That's what I was gonna keep going. Whitesnake do. I think he was blue ice cold. I mean, oh,

 

Randy Hulsey  48:38

I didn't know he played in Blue Oyster Cult. Rudy's Oh, yeah. Yeah. I guess he was kind of like a I would he would you consider him a hard gun? Like when you play in that many bands? I guess you're kind of a hard guy wouldn't

 

Ozz  48:50

consider that. But technically you could. Yeah, he was actually in that documentary, I think. Yes. So

 

Randy Hulsey  49:02

I think I guess when I think of the definition of a hard gun, somebody you bring into record and then you have a touring band that goes out. That's kind of a hard gun to me. But somebody that tours with you. I wouldn't really call him like you. I wouldn't call him a hard gun either. And I think there's been mispronunciations of this guy's name. I've heard it. Carmine a piece. I've heard it Carmine Appice. See, I don't know the proper pronunciation but how about a band that he might have played?

 

Ozz  49:30

You actually read them both because he pronounces it a piece his brother Vinnie pronounces it episode. Yeah, but in the foot. Yes. Come on a piece of flair. Yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  49:40

How about named Castronovo journey? Yeah, there's one more beast. Yeah,

 

Ozz  49:47

Journey journey.

 

Randy Hulsey  49:48

I give me a hand if you can't think of

 

Ozz  49:51

Scott would note. Yes, lead singer

 

Randy Hulsey  49:54

I think was John Waite.

 

Ozz  49:58

English Yeah. Oh, Yeah, I see the babies.

 

Randy Hulsey  50:03

Yeah. Yeah, that one too. What about a Robert true yo?

 

Ozz  50:08

Suicide attempts Metallica

 

Randy Hulsey  50:12

before after Jason Oh, he was after still. So y'all suck. Y'all got him. All right. Next time we're gonna do trivia 2.0. We're gonna get I'm going to the I'm going to the vault on the next batch, man.

 

Ozz  50:27

Yeah. Didn't mentioned to me. I don't know I

 

Randy Hulsey  50:31

didn't. Well, I mean, I had to limit I mean, we'd be here all night talking about musicians. Right. But yeah, Tommy Tommy was actually on drums for one of those tours that I saw him at the summit. And maybe maybe it was market demand. Yeah. That the live here here in Houston. I don't know. I think Tommy does live out in high meadow ranch. And like the Magnolia area, and he hasn't

 

Ozz  50:56

come to one of my shows. Uh, sorry,

 

Randy Hulsey  50:58

I'll calling. Yeah. I'm gonna say I talked to ag and, you know, come on. Look, brother. So Todd, let's just quickly shift, I want to talk to you a little bit about your role in the band. First of all, you have your chops down, you, you know, from the chords to the pinch harmonics to the you know, the note for no solos. How many hours a day as a kid that we can talk about? From the kid perspective, up until the now perspective? How many hours a day were you picking the damn guitar? Well, there's a big jump between them back then I figured there was that I'll let you speak to the younger, the younger age Todd, and then we'll come back to the

 

Ozz  51:41

that's all I did. When I first picked it up. I came home from school and I played till I couldn't keep my eyes open and had to go to bed. Yeah, and there was a lot of homework that was not done in between all of that. I mean, that was that was young, I think I was 12 or 13. And it was like that for a lot of years until I got more around. You know, 1516 where I had my friends and I got cars and car drives wasn't always home anymore, but still practice like crazy. But nowadays, man, look if I can get maybe an hour or two in each week now if it's a show we got a show coming up that week. I'm hitting it hard every day two hours at least almost every day. Just you know knocking the rust off and

 

Randy Hulsey  52:25

well life gets in the way as you get older you have you have a business you know we have businesses that we go to every day to try to put food on the table and pay our mortgages right so I guess we have to prioritize we have to grow and grow up a little bit I can't stay up all night and play guitar and then sleep all day unfortunately but do would you say that you only hone your guitar skills practicing Ozzie Sabbath stuff now or do you really get into play in just all over the place

 

Ozz  52:55

I have to visit most of it and overall know we're coming up on a setlist or something just because I'm old and forgetful and forget it. But in between that I just like to noodle and play and yeah, you know if I'm listening to something new like Like right now I'm listening to the new Walking Van Halen album. It's frickin amazing. Yeah, so I'm ready to sit down and you know, learn some Wolfgang riffs actually. But I have to spend a lot of time going over this material. This material is right at pushes me at my guitar abilities. I mean, these are some of the greatest guitar rock guitarists that have ever lived.

 

Randy Hulsey  53:31

And so it's interesting to for you to say that for somebody that plays as well as you do you think that guys like that don't they're not challenged by Oh is things right but I'm in I'm a guitarist too and I get it you know some songs push the envelope but I've seen you play right and I know that you're not going to pat yourself on the back mature an excellent player and you know just kind of makes you wonder how tapped out you get on like ball. That's way above my head. I can't do that.

 

Ozz  53:57

is a really does push me I mean, I don't want to embarrass myself lie. To try to do a justice. Yes, we did a show in San Antonio. And he's up there. I think that's when he I just switched his smallest stuff. And in fact, it was it was a Fitz Fitzgerald. He's up there setting up into the sound guys run around doing stuff. So we're all just staying away while he's doing it. And they're just playing just different music up there. I don't know if he's doing it. You know, he knows he's doing it. But he just starts playing long this shit. Yeah, he's blue or he ripped into some fucking blues. And me and Scott are just standing at the bar like this fucking do to me. And he's just waiting for the guy to finish doing just so he can sit up. Yeah. But there's stuff being played around with him and he just jumps in whenever. He's guys just sometimes

 

Randy Hulsey  54:51

people don't realize how good they are. I'm sure Todd sitting over there like really awkwardly listening to this conversation.

 

Ozz  54:59

I'm sure I'm trying, I'm thinking about your questions. I'm thinking about what he says. And there was a certain time in my life where I would not have been able to play this material. Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna totally self taught player. I mean, I had, you know, certain ones along, but in my 20s I had the same ability that, you know, I probably have now, but I didn't know as much. I didn't know, I didn't really know theory. You know, I just knew box patterns and some risks and stuff. But I went, I think it was like, in my late 20s, you know, you try the guitar player, you hit that red, you know, you just want to find something that inspires you to move on. So I decided I wanted to learn my theory. I want to what is it? What is it? Yeah. And I went to went to Joe Gregoire, and mazing, amazing guitar player, he went to Gbit, amazing teacher in town, I'm sure a lot of guitar player listeners know exactly who he is, he changed my life. And basically, in less than 30 minutes, I tried to teach myself theory, and I just couldn't, I couldn't wrap around it, how it all connected together. And I sat down with him, told him what I wanted to do. And he explained it in like five minutes, the light bulb went off. And it was like, wow, it just changed how I approach guitar and everything. I have a have a say I have, I have my guitar playing before Joe and I have my guitar playing digital bgn AG,

 

Randy Hulsey  56:18

it's, it's, it's amazing that you say that because there's always been this analogy, and I'm in the IT field for a living. That's how I pay my mortgage and whatnot. But there was always this. The saying that, and I'm not a developer, like I don't write code. I don't write software. But they say that you either get it or you don't. The light bulb either goes on, and you get it or you just don't get it. And I don't know if you guys know who Kent Newman is. So so. So I was I was studying for a while under Kent Newman just because I got to this point, like I learned theory on the piano, so I get it there. But I didn't know how to practically apply it to the guitar. Like it just the light bulb didn't go off. And I think in you know, Kent was a great instructor. But I think I'm just at the point where I'm never going to be a lead guitarist and you know, I'm, you know, that ship has sailed is that my point? I was gonna say my age, but I'm like, not gonna get into that conversation again, but but, you know, I know my place. And it's like, yeah, just move on. You're a singer. You're, you're a melodic player. Let somebody else do what they know how to do so. But I think that theory is a part you know, it plays an important part to understand why you're doing the things on the fretboard that you instead of just because anybody can play tablature right. I mean, that finger that that string, that fret, I mean, there's nothing hard about that. But it like I was telling my son if you don't learn like chord progressions and keys, you know, like you get if he sat down with a guy like you said, Alright, Brandon 12 bar blues in the key of E. He'd be lost. I mean, but tablature wise plays everything note for No, you know, so, but there's a big difference. There's no theory behind that picture. Right. So I was wondering, you know, kind of, kind of where you came from there. But tell me a little bit about guitars. Is there a go to guitar for you that you play the auto shows with? I know you play a lot of different ones, but I didn't know if there's one that is the it's like

 

Ozz  58:27

the polka dot. Okay. I mean, it's most it's your the polka.or the Gibson, the white Gibson, Les Paul are most associated with Randy. And I just like to poke it out. I had that. I had that poster of Randy on my wall when I was kid growing up and when he told the polka dot line, he's kind of leaning back. It's just an iconic shot and that guitar has always stuck with me. So we've actually got to I've got a cheapy that that's the one I get with you because I'm brutal on my gigging stuff, but I have a nice one that was built by a company called Jim W guitars, and it's the he's the same guy that built Zakk Wylde, his polka dot guitars his wife had the guy commissioned to build him to the guitars, one's a white one the black polka dots here that one's a black one with the white polka dots. Okay, and after he made them he started making you know a few of them like he made a few 100 of them and now is it and I was able to get my hands on one of them and that's that stays at the house I don't I don't get that one right I think at one time but that was it. Like I'm gonna I'm just gonna stick with my cheap one but I'm probably the polka dot I liked I have a black and white Charville is similar to Jake's you know, main. White and black one. I'm a huge Charville honk I love shareable guitars. So that's probably what that's my favorite to play is the Charville.

 

Randy Hulsey  59:42

What about from a string perspective? Ernie Ball hybrid Cobalts learning ball COBOL

 

Ozz  59:47

hybrids Slinkys Okay, love those things.

 

Randy Hulsey  59:51

Got those. I remember those strings back there today super slinky. I remember I was using them in a pic I don't even remember the gauge now but they were came in at Pink package.

 

Ozz  1:00:02

These ones called cobalt they're called Cobalts, and they're they have this cobalt coating on them. And I just like them because they don't have that brand new slick field and you take some strings out of there just especially if I'm stringing up and right before a gig, and I get sweaty, my fingers will slip off of all this stuff has this coating on there that doesn't make them quite as slick and knock on wood. They don't ever break on me. Really? Yeah, I've never I've knock on wood. I have never broken a string big egg was.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:00:29

So you're not a coded string player by by default, you prefer more of what you were talking about or an uncoded string because I had a buddy of mine that said, Man, you got to try these dia Dario, they're uncoated. And I've always played elixirs on my tailors. And they're a coded string. And when I, when I ran my fingers down those dia Dario is this, like, I'm not saying anything like, they're, they're great tone, but I just feel like, there's glue on the strings. That's a feel thing, right? I mean, you became, you become very accustomed to the feel of your instrument. And if those strings don't slide enough, or they slide too much, it changes things, right? You overshoot a fret, you know, there's a lot of things that can happen. So what about what about from a pedal perspective? You took the fractal right fractal

 

Ozz  1:01:14

guy, and we're actually I'm actually a fractal artists on their, their Artist Roster.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:01:18

And how do you go about getting on that? Do they discover you? Do you call into them? How does that how does that work?

 

Ozz  1:01:24

It came about that I had had bad lower back surgery back in 2014. Just from you know, what, 30 plus 20 plus years of carrying around half stacks, and loading them in and out of trucks, did a one to many times, I guess, and did it wrong and tweaked my back. So I had to get back surgery. So after that surgery, I was like, if I want to keep doing this, I'm gonna have to figure out something that's easier on me. And so I started looking into the modeling stuff. You know, I tried line six back when it first came out back in early, very early 2000s, or whatever. I was like, no, yeah. But I checked out fractal. And I checked out Kemper. And there's another one I checked out too. Anyway, the big ones at that point, this was this was in 2016 were fractal and Kemper. And so I bought both of them. And I started messing with them. And I was like, well, it's not quite there yet. I tried to, you know, go and direct and also try to go in with a power amp and a 412 cab and see how that sound. And I was like, I just can't, I'm not there yet. I don't know what I'm doing. And I just didn't, I didn't like it. So I revisited it about six or seven months later. And I really dove into it and started learning about modeling and things you needed to do. And like these high cuts and low cuts, and you really have to take like this sound man approach to your sound as a guitar player, we're used to hearing we want that amp in the room. Yeah, Sound okay. And that's great. I like that sound too. But with the modeling here, it's more focused on what the mics sound is the sound that's like you're used to hearing when you're recording what you're going to hear in the recording studio, or what you're going to hear from the front of house, what your audience is going to hear. And I was like, You know what, I want to have that control of what the audience is going to hear absolute. And that gives you so much more control to be able to do that. But anyway, you know, I started using it and we started recording videos, I started putting them on the fractal, you know, forum pages, and people started Oh, man, it sounds so good. It sounds so good. And they just reached out to me like, that's awesome. You want to be on an Artist Roster? I'm like, Absolutely.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:03:18

Why would you say yeah, I

 

Ozz  1:03:19

mean, there's at the top of listeners, you know, Steve Vai and Metallica and Neil Shaw. I'm like, I'm on the same list as those guys. But I mean, random

 

Randy Hulsey  1:03:27

way. But what dummy says no to that? Total honor, but

 

Ozz  1:03:31

they have been so great to me. You know, Sindel sent me t shirts. They don't give anything for free. They shouldn't Metallica had to buy their fractal? Everybody does. But you know, listen to the T shirts. Everyone wants gloves? It's just really cool. Yeah, really?

 

Randy Hulsey  1:03:43

It's a cool conversation if nothing else, right? And I love

 

Ozz  1:03:46

my sound. I've never been happier with my sound than I am right now.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:03:50

What advice would you give to a young person or it doesn't even have to be a young person? It can be an old old person that wants to learn to play guitar? What? Is there something you'd share with them just from your years of playing?

 

Ozz  1:04:03

I guess you have to be have a passion for it. I mean, you have to you either know pretty quick author that this is something I want to challenge you to want to keep trying to get better at it or you're get frustrated with it. You say Screw this, I'm done with it. And there's these there's just the roads. I mean,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:04:21

I agree 100% And I told people I think there's this idea that they want to learn to play guitar and first of all, they don't have the passion. That's part of the problem. The other part of the problem is your fingers hurt like hell when you're learning and until you callus them. Yep, that's the cut off right there for a lot of people once those fingers blister, they're done. They check out they're like okay, maybe I'll sew or, or whatever right or whatever the hobby of choice is. But boys maracas, yeah, Morocco's there's the shaker and he there's easier thanks. So, let's chat a little bit. Okay. You know you are you're surrounded with plenty of amazing musicians in this band and you did tell me that you were the one that kind of slowly but surely pieced this whole thing together Correct?

 

Ozz  1:05:12

Me and Scott the bass player mostly okay yeah. That fell out of the the other tribute band we were in and I say this we're just getting going we're just getting good at it we're the setlist is growing this guy wants to stop. And Scott says let him stop we I know a guy and and that's where it was for Sandy the drummer came in and it's funny because another thing that we do is, even though we don't pick a particular area, or era of all these attributes, all our stage names have to do with like Sandy. Sandy Castillo we named him after Randy Castillo. Scott Scott Daisley. After Bob de Yes. And Adam, a keyboard player. If I can remember, he's either Adam Sinclair or Adam Wakeman.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:06:05

Yeah, and shod.

 

Ozz  1:06:06

I just taught me Yeah, Gus G. Todd B. Although he actually came up with a name that we thought about using one day of practice, he just called himself fakie li

 

Adam Gordon  1:06:17

fakie that's a good one.

 

Ozz  1:06:20

There's been times where I've thought about just because I always every show I introduced him because without him this show, it wouldn't be sure happen. So every once in a while when I'm, when I say Todd, that's awesome to have, you know, f&b is I want to say fakie laser. Like without without these guys, it wouldn't be just what it is. Now,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:06:45

I agree with you. What would you say for you? What's the most important part of putting a band together and I think there's different aspects of putting a band together first of all, you have to get have a good culture you have to have brothers in the band you have to get along that's that's the heart of it. Right? It's no other part of it is musicianship in the other part is probably looks every baby you can people can say that that's not part of it, but it damn sure is. Okay, so my question there is when you started thinking, man, we could really make a go of this This oz tribute band right for Ozzy Osbourne. What was the most important what was the most important thing for you? Was it musicianship? Was it a look? Was it a culture? I mean, was there one that stuck out in your mind more than the other that you've you really focused on for the band?

 

Ozz  1:07:37

Well, for me, as the Ozzy all of it, okay, I had to sound like him as best as I could, you know, I had I had to be him on stage like, the Elvis guys are always in these other guys. But that band, it had to have a look and had to have the chops for it to work. And the like I said, I don't want to want to sound like I'm putting these guys down. But the first bands we had didn't. Our first guitar player, he actually had a shaved head, the other guitar player, and this is what somebody said to me one time. He looks like my history teacher from high school. It all and grown up and narrow. We grew up in that looks were very important. Absolutely. In the 70s and 80s. Sure, who I mentioned early Motley Crue we I'm sure looks.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:08:28

I don't care what anybody says Lux was probably the most important to a lot of the bands, right? Yeah, yeah. And music was second to him. I'm sure. Property can we be right? I mean, it's the truth.

 

Ozz  1:08:39

How poofy can absolutely

 

Randy Hulsey  1:08:40

absolutely or metal.

 

Ozz  1:08:43

It was just the thing about it, though is and our first conversations I liked him right off the bat. Mean Scott first Scott's a crazy song. Ah, I liked him too by Sandy, greatest sweetest guy ever wanted me I loved him right away. And Adam, Adam comes in and Adam was in his face. He doesn't make expressions. So he was kind of hard for me to read at first, but he's got a great sense of humor. He's a great guy. He's a great musician. And we're all nerds. Basically, these fucking guys love Star Wars. Yeah, shit we love but we all love the music that we absolutely love to. And that's why that's

 

Randy Hulsey  1:09:20

the tie that binds right? That's the tie that was issued

 

Ozz  1:09:23

is it for if you're just not just a band, but if you're forming a band, like he said, You gotta be brothers. First of all, it's gonna happen if it's if it's there, naturally, it's going to happen. And then

 

Randy Hulsey  1:09:34

it's the same as a relationship right? I mean, you're not gonna you're not gonna get married or date somebody that you don't like, right? Who does? It won't and then as this is there's no difference. The band has a relationship at the end of the day.

 

Ozz  1:09:46

As far as musicians these guys are fucking phenomenal. I agree there's toddler top shelf guys for sure. Every once in a while when I'm in the room with them. I still say to myself why the fuck am I in the same room with these guys?

 

Randy Hulsey  1:09:57

Yeah, it's kind of surreal, right

 

Ozz  1:09:59

but but they Don't act that way towards me now. They don't, you know, when bitching about tuning or whatever, they don't tell me, step your shit up, they don't make me feel like I don't belong. Because these guys as far as their skills and what they know about music, they blow me away, we blow me out of the water, I can sing some stuff, I can even sing mariachi shit. But the way these these guys are fucking phenomenal you know, we're almost I'm almost 10 years in and out with this guy every time that we just we still practice and we learned something new. I mean, there were moments where the hair just stands up on my arms, I can you know, get to that just because I'm like God sounds just like I'm listening to the record, you know what I mean? And like you said, I just love all these guys in this band. And we're we are brothers.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:10:45

That's cool. I mean, you guys are divine, you guys definitely this. So this is my first interview that I've done with multiple people. So you guys are the first for me. But it's really cool to sit here across from you. And hear the love that you have for one another and how the energy that you get from one another right? And when you don't have that energy anymore, you don't have a band anymore. I mean, it's a sunken ship. At that point. Before we

 

Ozz  1:11:11

go on every show. We make sure we fist bump each other always love it brother have a good show. I mean, it is a brotherhood. That's awesome. I mean it, it needs to be that way.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:11:19

I think and I love the story because this this is why this was why I wanted to do this show. It's not a monetary thing for me at all. It's exposing the artist to the fan. Like when I saw you guys for the first time, I would have never known a lot of the stuff about you. And I've always been into the storyteller thing. Like I want to know why the song was written, what were they thinking? Where were they, I really fucking thrive on that, like I just, I absorbed that like a sponge. So to hear that, that your fist pumping and telling each other to have a great show. It makes me look at you a different way the next time I go to see you because I'm going to know what happened before you walked out on that stage. And to me that's important. Like that's just a cool part of the story. And a lot of people wouldn't give a shit about that.

 

Ozz  1:12:09

Every once in a while. Also there'll be somebody on the side of the stage will see us do this and they'll walk up to us with their fists down. We're just looking at him. Like, what?

 

Randy Hulsey  1:12:19

That's a bad thing. Exactly.

 

Ozz  1:12:24

I'll shake your hand and high five or whatever, but you're not getting

 

Randy Hulsey  1:12:27

Yeah, yeah. What preparation goes into portray in such a unique frontman for you. Beer and

 

Ozz  1:12:38

cocaine? No, it's just completely letting go. A lot of the stuff he does on stage like for example, that hand clapping. That guy actually comes natural to me. I used to even do that just sitting there because I get lost in the music. Yeah, I love the music in me even when I'm sitting at home sometimes I'll sit there not clap along for I don't know why but it's a

 

Randy Hulsey  1:13:03

certain hand clap to that he does. It's not it's not just any it's not this. It's not bad. It's I mean, it's it's a certain way to that it's done a actually there in the two fingers. It's a certain way that that's done too. They're they're they're more like this. They're not like that. You know, it says I practice it. Yeah, yeah. And I was gonna ask you that like is he was there countless hours that you spend? I wouldn't say in front of a mirror. I'm sure you didn't have to do a mirror but you know, I mean was there countless hours where you you studied tape, you know, and said I've got to do this this way. This that way kind of thing. I

 

Ozz  1:13:39

used to have a huge bootleg collection of Black Sabbath and Ozzy solo. And I guess I just watched him for so long. They did it all. It all just came natural to me once we started playing together when the bands I was in doing the Aussie stuff it came to me. And there's a couple of things he does it I won't do. I'm not going to drop my pants. But the the peace sign and clapping and all that that's classic. That's Ozzy in every show. Yeah. But watching the videos over and over again. He just came naturally. I actually on a lot of the songs were I forget the lyrics is because I watched that bootleg. So yeah, it's just exactly it's stayed in there. And I'm I screw up on the lyrics because on that video, he screwed up on the lyric. Yeah. Yeah, a lot of times it is. going back and watching a lot of time, it's just it's already in me. It's there. I know what he does when he does what he does. He ever just playing around. We've named some of his moves like the I forgot what I was doing move. You know, he just sits there and stares off into space. It's like, he walks up to the microphone and he's about to do something. And he forgot, right? And so he just, he's just looking around. Like he just doesn't know where he's at. And then he just grabbed a mic and just I do that too because sometimes I forget

 

Randy Hulsey  1:14:59

it Yeah, and I don't want to get too far off of of that subject. But I did want to ask you because you talk about song lyrics and you know, the stare into space like you forgot what you came to the mic for to begin with? Are you plagued like I am with remembering lyrics now you're now you're doing a certain set of lyrics for one artist or two artists, where I'm, I'm all over the universe with many genres, and many, and a lot of times I'll say, Oh, shit, was that the second verse? Or was that the very first and the older we get? The less we remember things like that. So when you're on stage, and you happen to forget a lyric or shit, what's the first what's the first word in the second verse? How do you get yourself on track? Do you the look at your buddy over there, Todd? It's like, dude, what's the next word? I mean, how do you get on trash? You panic. We're gonna take a break.

 

Ozz  1:15:54

Now. Sometimes I do look over at him or at Scott. But they're into what they're doing. So I'm looking at him and I hate shit. He's almost out of the solo. He's, I'm gonna say, I got 20 seconds. Just luckily for me, he just comes back. Yeah, but there are some songs where it were, you know, after the show is like, you know, what? On the third verse or saying the second verse and the chorus was there, but like on Snowblind or something? Yeah, I did, you know, the wrong verses. But I still happen sometimes while I might forget, but right as I grabbed the microphone, it comes back. I think I got maybe named two or three times that's happened to him over the 10 years that I've been really loving almost 10 years. Yeah, I mean, he looked. He's pretty. He's pretty damn good about remembering. Yeah, that's great. He looked over me one time at the Scott bar show and he said, You must have had quite a bit to drink. I'm like, why? He said, Because you blew the opening lyrics to die over madman. I said what he said, Yeah, you sing the last verse. I did. Yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:16:58

It is what it is now. They love it. Well, you know, it makes you it makes you kind of wonder because I think about this at my shows to where I might miss accord, right. It happens all the time. We're not perfect. But I think it's how you get and I think it's how you you move on past it. Yeah. If there's 100 people in the room, there might have been one that picked up on his right and I think it was the show is probably a little more prominent, because if you're there to see an Ozzy tribute band, you're looking for things you're you're you're looking for certain things to happen right and and that goes back to the whole you know, how the fingers are held or the clap is not any old clap and people that are into that. Pick up on those intricate details.

 

Ozz  1:17:46

See what the Ozzy thing there's, there's a we're doing the Black Sabbath and we do Randy songs and Jake and Zach. And in every crowd, there's the guitar guy. That's the Randy freak the Jake freak the Zack the Iommi and have Aegis, God forbid, wrong band, he does some rock. The Randy guy hears it that Jake, here's a Jada is it those guys? They're looking at it for me one guy one. One over here. There's one guy pointed out. Even folks up where are the folks?

 

Randy Hulsey  1:18:19

You're really good if

 

Ozz  1:18:21

he forgot same lyrics and as you forget,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:18:24

I think it's one thing to mimic a person and maybe a quality about them. But I have to say, when I saw the show, you got the walk down. You got the you got the top down. You've done your homework, right is my point. But there's one there's one thing you can't teach yourself. And that's the look like Ozzy and you have a striking resemblance of him. So you can't teach somebody that you can teach them. Okay, you got to clap this way. Or you got to hold your fingers that way, but either look like Ozzy to a certain degree or you don't I'm not saying you look like him. But you have you have qualities of Ozzy or

 

Ozz  1:19:08

we're both guys. Yeah, for sure. Okay, yeah, long brown

 

Randy Hulsey  1:19:11

hair. And yeah, that's it the eyeliner. Just because you pay tribute to Ozzie would that would it be safe to say that he is your favorite musician? Or is that just who? You guys are comfortable? You love his music? You love a lot of music, but But is he your favorite? Or do you have another favorite but you just do Ozzy? Really well,

 

Ozz  1:19:35

my first love was the Beatles. But like I said as soon as I heard diary in Fuck, I think actually the first thing I heard was crazy train that they enjoy. Yeah, it became Ozzy. It's it's rock and roll is a saying it's a thing of rebellion. It's a thing of just, I can't describe it. And some people embody it and that's Ozzie. Nobody embodies it better than Ask John it to me. It's Ozzie John in an inbox. Got it, we'll see. But on the top of the heap, because he's still going,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:20:08

yeah. So there's there's no projects outside of AWS, right.

 

Ozz  1:20:13

No, not really not enough for me. Our drummer has got an original band called down for days and our keyboard player, she's the guy everybody wants he's in a foreigner tree be called double vision. Okay, he's in another tree before to drag queens, right. He has an original band called mascot and he still he's still in victim as well. So he's he's to other

 

Randy Hulsey  1:20:36

than that he's not doing anything. Every everyone

 

Ozz  1:20:39

smile at practice while he's just, you know, he comes out with all these fucking great ribs. And I'm seem to think Can I fucking make some of that? You know? Yeah, yeah, every once awhile, we're gonna get the edge to work on some original stuff with these guys, and just see what they could do with it. And I do that at home. You know, I've got a little home studio, I can record and just lay down some, you know, basic tracks if I get an idea, but I don't know if you want to pursue that or not. But it's an option.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:21:03

Yeah, I was gonna ask you that. Like, is there? Would you ever consider writing your own stuff in in the Word? Am I looking for the vein of us in the vein of loss? Uh, yeah,

 

Ozz  1:21:15

for sure. Yeah. I mean, it's a possibility. I

 

Randy Hulsey  1:21:17

would be really cool like, you know, because I don't know if you guys know who Greta Van Fleet is right? But they sound strikingly similar to Led Zeppelin. Right. So there's a

 

Ozz  1:21:26

there's a Back in Black AC DC tribute? Who our first show we did with him. They actually opened the show with their originals. Did they? Just like a strip wire? Yes. That's original man original bands culture poor. They sound just like AC really? Their original,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:21:43

different songs that nobody's heard, like, AC DC song. But they sound strikingly like AC DC. Yeah. Interesting. I think that would be really cool. I mean, if you guys, you know, it'd be

 

Ozz  1:21:53

fun. We've We've joked around it. And I brought in some risks. And we've worked on him. It's just the problem of having the time to work on them.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:22:02

And I think we talked a little bit about it. I just thought about this again, and again. I think you kind of mentioned it earlier. By the beer. Yeah. Like when a when an actor. A couple of actors come to mind. Jethro Bodeen from the Beverly Hillbillies. eisbaer right. Max Baer, Jr. Right is that was Max bare senior. And then you know, somebody like marine McCormack, Marcia Brady. We will always know those people as Jethro and marsh and Marcia right, no matter what role they play. And I was wondering in, in typecasting like, if you were to not play in the oz tribute band. And you touched on this earlier, I think if you went to the foreigner tribute band, would it be Aziz fronton the foreigner band like you've been typecasted? I mean, you have the the look, you have the manner, you have the mannerisms down, would that carry over and like you could never live down that whole? AWS persona, like does that question make even makes sense?

 

Ozz  1:23:08

It makes all the sense of the word. I think it would. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:23:11

I didn't know if I phrased it correctly.

 

Ozz  1:23:13

i Yeah, I know, I wouldn't be able to leave it. It's just it's a big part. It's a big pharma. He does A mean bond, Scott, and Brian Johnson, and I can do I can do hello, I can do Bob Dylan. I can do John and then I can do Paul Stanley, I can do both. Know the thing is just in my blood, it's Ozzy. So if you were to see me doing Jethro

 

Randy Hulsey  1:23:48

I was gonna say if you did Pink Floyd, it'd be it'd be sounding like honestly, right. Now, I know that most people don't like to talk about accolades, but I wanted to talk about a few accolades that you guys have been handed and I only want to bring them up because I want the listeners of the show to understand that that you guys are top shelf musicians that you're not I think some people would think tribute bands are they're getting up there and they're going to they're going to do something that sounds like somebody else and they don't really understand the craftsmanship that goes into that. But you guys were considered top 10 tribute bands in Houston. I think there was something called the maxima distortion People's Choice Award for a mess tribute band. Can you can you talk a little do you know anything about this award? I know some bands get awards that they never even heard of and don't know when

 

Ozz  1:24:46

it was a I think a local online online magazine wasn't we actually want a fan vote. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:24:53

it was a fan by vote.

 

Ozz  1:24:54

Yeah, he's in a row. We got three Yeah. Then we then we got the support. With the local musical is so support local bands, whatever it's called a couple of years ago, we got that, but it's all voted on by the scene around us and people that go to the show other musicians and they voted us. Number one nice. It meant a lot because you know, some of the bands around town. So also some great musicians were voting for us. Yeah. Number one,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:25:23

it means a lot when your peers or when your parents are doing for you. Right. Yeah. And

 

Ozz  1:25:27

some of the guys we just mentioned earlier, Ross, gab, Mark, and these other guys voted for us, during their own chibi bands is

 

Randy Hulsey  1:25:34

absolutely great. And I think there was a best tribute singer in Texas was one of the accolades that I was looking at best tribute guitar player in Texas, Todd, the sandy best tribute drummer in Texas, best keyboard player in Texas. In me just share your thoughts around the accolades like some some bands, they're like, whatever, you know, I don't I don't care anything about him. But and you mentioned that that it's cool that your peers vote on you. But did you have other thoughts around the accolades? I think it's always good to feel appreciated. You know, it doesn't matter if we wouldn't do what we did if we, if people didn't appreciate what we do, right?

 

Ozz  1:26:13

If when he first took off, and you actually get to see sometimes where the votes came from it at first. We started with kind of blew it off, and then we saw where the votes were coming from. And they will come in like one of the guys that actually voted for me vocals is a guy named Jean Velazquez. He's in the boys on crime cure the tribute to that to the cure. Okay, he does a great. I don't know his name, but the lead singer from the cute he does is phenomenal. voted for me. Nice. That right there is what really drove at home. So I started paying attention. Yeah, look at the votes. Look how many votes Look Who's voting, these are the guys that we go watch play that we think they're good, we think they're great. And they're all pointing those axes, those guys are those guys, those are the bad those are the guys we want to play with. Those are the guys. They're you know, they're top notch. So when that happened, and then bam, his name pops up at the top and you see the guitar players that are voting for this guy. So yeah, we just took a step back from watch this and Jesus, these guys that we think are great. And then personally great guys, gals, some of these. And they're looking, I was like saying those are the guys to be mean something? I mean, not really.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:27:28

For sure. Well, I think it it adds fuel to the fire, like it drives you to play better, to do better to stay relevant. You know, like, nobody wants to listen to a band that's not even relevant. So you you get those accolades, and you're like, oh, people think highly of me, I'm gonna have to maintain that level of expertise and professionalism. I think about how about for Utah, dude, the accolades mean much to you? Or do you take them with a grain of salt?

 

Ozz  1:27:56

I mean, you know, there's a whole lot of better guitar players out there to me. So for me, even, you know, to be mentioned in some of the ad names that those guys were it was an honor and actually win some kind of award. I mean, that's, you know, I'm nobody I played in some tribute bands. So for me to get any kind of award or accolade. It's greatly appreciated. I just means like, he enjoyed me busting my ass to be able to do it. Yeah, all the hours that I spent weren't for nothing. And so hopefully somebody did enjoy it.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:28:27

And I've always heard I heard a buddy of mine say this years ago, he had asked me if I wanted to play some songs with him on stage and he has a huge following and I'm like, I'm way outclassed here like, I don't even deserve to be on the stage with you. And he and he said, musics not a competition. It's not I'm not judging. I'm not judging you if I play a little faster, a little better. And that resonated with me and enslavement meant the world to me, right? I don't think I'm the worst musician in the world. But I don't think I'm I'm certainly not the greatest musician in the world. But sometimes when you play with certain people, like you mentioned that earlier, sometimes it's surreal like what in the hell are these guys playing with me for like, I'm outclassed here like, I'm, I'm, they're here and I'm here kind of thing. Right. And I think that, that plays on our minds a little bit. Where will the listeners find you guys on social media? If they want to look up schedules, upcoming stuff for AWS? Where can they find you?

 

Ozz  1:29:28

Facebook for sure is AWS just search RS and you'll you'll come across either show date or you know event page or our page one of the two our websites Ozzie tribute houston.com Instagram is Ozzie tribute Houston. And then Twitter is oz tribute Microsoft because it was too long to put on there.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:29:51

Now, do you maintain all that for the band or? Okay, me. Gotcha. We'll wrap up here with some quickfire questions. This is a question Shouldn't for both you guys whoever wants to answer first can favorite color? Ag What's your

 

Ozz  1:30:05

color? I don't know. I have one but I guess I go with black.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:30:09

Same Yeah. It's funny because I premeditate the answers to these questions and like in a lot of times, I'm like, I've done enough homework to be kind of spot on. So I'm just so you know, I'm one for one. So for both of you guys, favorite Ozzy album,

 

Ozz  1:30:27

Jesus. Blizzard was probably there to go back and forth between night and diary but always intend to go back to Blizzard.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:30:35

Yeah, the common denominator is the older I'll see slides, right? Yeah, yeah, the classic stuff. So for both of you guys. Ozzy solo or with Black Sabbath.

 

Ozz  1:30:47

I'm gonna go with solo just on my left Tony Iommi. But Randy and Randy is one of the reason major reasons I've tried to play guitar. Sure. I'm gonna say black stuff. Yeah, yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:30:58

This one's for ag bats, or chicken.

 

Ozz  1:31:06

Chicken,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:31:07

Chicken. For both you guys TV or radio. You radio guys TV goes,

 

Ozz  1:31:13

like, well, I don't have cable. So the only channel I can pick up is grit. I watch his westerns. Okay. I guess. Yeah, I like both. But I'll take TV first. Pick one or the other. Always be TV. Do you guys Seinfeld on TV? You can sopranos on TV? Oh, yeah. I love talk radio, too. I wasn't too much smarter than my car.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:31:38

Used to be. Yeah. The Sopranos that was a great series. Now. I love I'm a I'm a mafia buff. For anybody that knows me know that. Let's see. How about Todd favorite guitar manufacturer? Charleville. Who else played Star? Well, certainly. Jakey Lee played serval

 

Ozz  1:31:56

in the day Warren Demartini. Rat. Yeah, Eddie Van Halen. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:31:59

I mean, I didn't realize that he played Sharpeville. He was Charvel Nemo, he was a Kramer Kramer player for that

 

Ozz  1:32:05

year lucky. I think the Bumblebee was a sharp and might have been sharper neck. I could be wrong about that. But he is the original body from the Frankie for the white and black one I believe was he got from the Charville it was a throwaway body from the CharBroil factory. had like some no not in the wood or something and he used it and took it

 

Randy Hulsey  1:32:22

interesting. How many guitars Do you own?

 

Ozz  1:32:27

Like 26

 

Randy Hulsey  1:32:29

from your wife, like my wife is like, why do you need another guitar?

 

Ozz  1:32:34

Now we have a deal. She gets us a guitar.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:32:37

That's a shitty trade off for her. Okay, she go to the Galleria are what? She buys her shoes from the gallery. I know how expensive guitars she's a she's a prudent shopper. Okay. For both you guys. Early Bird or night owl?

 

Ozz  1:32:52

Yeah, yeah, I don't I don't my work. I don't have to be in there. Too late, but I get up at five. Okay. Yeah, I used to I used to be a night owl. And now I get up early. Bob, I'm up 637.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:33:05

I'm up. I think the what I found out is the guys that I've interviewed that are doing this as full time musicians. They're all night owls, right? And then the working stiffs like us at this at this table here. We say well, I by default, my house probably because of work but I've always been an early bird kind of guy like we talked about the internal alarm clock before we went on the air. It's like this uncanny. Saturday morning, six o'clock AM or 5:30am the eyes open and the feet hit the floor. It's just It's just what happens.

 

Ozz  1:33:39

I've also had those kinds of parents where they're pounding on door get up at six o'clock.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:33:44

sleeping all day. Yeah. Wait, did we have the same parents growing up because that's my dad said the same thing. For both of you guys favorite place to play favorite room favorite venue?

 

Ozz  1:34:01

Playing one next month. I'm really looking forward to so I don't know if I could answer till then.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:34:06

Can you say well this is this is not going to air until after you guys play it anyway. So you can go ahead and I don't remember I'm like two and a half months out from here and

 

Ozz  1:34:18

we're playing the Tobin Center in San Antonio next weekend with the Monica guys are opening up for us. When I've seen the place looks absolutely beautiful. Nice. The Aztec Theatre in San Antonio. That was one of the coolest places I've ever played. Cool place we hopefully we get back the way it was. God was great. It's beautiful. I only done one show there. We tried to get back in there. But Jesus man that place is beautiful. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:34:43

who books for you guys do you a little bit of both points each other. You guys can't see the visual here. But they both at the same time went pointed fingers at one another so it's

 

Ozz  1:34:55

mainly me and him. For the most part. He takes care of Everything else, all the social media stuff. And everyone saw, Hey, Are we free on this day? Because we got so and so asking. Yeah, go ahead.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:35:06

Yeah. And I don't want to get derailed on it. But I know when I first started playing out professionally, I think it was like 2016. And you, you start, you start to play out and you call on these places, and I'm a sales guy for a living, right. So I don't have a problem calling on these places. It's like second nature to me, but you send them a email or a message or whatever. And they're like, you're who you do what again, like because you're not established, your name's not out there. And as I've established in the, you know, Cyprus and Katie and surrounding areas, it becomes a little easier, because I think the people that book have heard the name, they know, I mean, they can go to your website and say, Oh, you played these 2830 places. So so it becomes a little bit easier, maybe to land a show. It can't be difficult for you guys to land to get a gig, maybe the negotiation of the money is difficult with different places. But if you reached out to five places tomorrow, would you think for AWS? Right, and they saw they saw a video of AWS? Like, how many responses would you get from AWS?

 

Ozz  1:36:23

Oh, oh, I mean, honestly, we haven't had to really reach out to anybody in a while to book a gig. Yeah, you're really contacting us. I mean, our we're, we're booked up through the end of the year, and probably more towards some of the start of next year, too. So years ago, when we when I first got in was we were calling people to get gigs. But now they call us I expected

 

Randy Hulsey  1:36:44

that I expected that answer like anybody that's so I was a booking agent for two places, a wine bar down south, and Friendswood. And then for a brewing company up in Tomball. For a while and just being in the sink, not that one. Not Eighth Wonder but it was a it was it was the fire ant up in Tomball. Nice place, but you get to know musicians like maybe in a musician in the scene. Of course, I probably knew quite a few. But there's some that I would reach out to and say, Hey, you want to come play out here? Because I'd heard him before. But I figured you guys had people were calling you to get booked. Like you didn't have to go knock a whole lot of doors down like in like the warehouse. Didn't you guys play the warehouse? There was that like a gig that they reached out to you guys on or you guys had to kind of knock on their door?

 

Ozz  1:37:33

They generally generally deal with a promoter. Okay, so I'm sore to Net Promoter usually reaches out to us. Okay, they're still they're still everyone wants to know, where we will reach out to a certain place and some places still haven't gotten. If he gets a hip or into what the TV thing, they just think, Oh, you're just gonna cover man. So we sit there and try to sell it to him after we just figured like,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:38:00

some people want ever Yeah, I

 

Ozz  1:38:01

need that. Oh, cover bad. No, we're here, my and a lot of times, they'll end up calling us back.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:38:10

Well, and what's tough, what's tough is that being being a booking agent for a place, you're given a budget that you can book a band, or in this case, the places that I was booking for, they weren't into bands, they weren't equipped to have bands. And but it was more acoustic maybe Duo's kind of thing, right? And, you know, you'd lose a lot of the good ones, because the establishment might say, well, you know, I only have X amount of money. And then the artist says, Well, we do it for this much. And like, well, I'd really like to bring you in, but you know, I can't afford you, unfortunately. So there's a lot of that, too. A lot of places would love to have us but maybe the dollars just don't line up for whatever reason.

 

Ozz  1:38:56

The sales guy comes well, I mean, we've we were first getting going. A lot of it would be like alright, we'll come in, we'll play we'll prove we'll bring you a crowd and we'll make you money. And we're, you know, we'll negotiate again for the next show. Yeah, that makes sense. After a while, we just didn't we didn't have to do it anymore. things come to mind. I actually have nothing to over talking about. We opened up a show for deals disciples one time, and he showed up and one of the other bands comes over and sees his his Randy Levine and I think he has one of the Zagg guitars. And the guy says Wow, you really get into it, don't you? Just yeah, and the guy says, well, that's cute. So he says let's see how fucking cute it is when I blow you off the fucking snake. Yeah. This band it brings a lot because first of all, is everybody in the band? We all fucking love us and we got we know why. Whether this is for Ozzy, and like after every show, he never fails. He thinks everybody, he'll get on Facebook and you'll thank everybody. And I do it. But after every Thank you, I like Ozzy always say that show. Got it and I love you. God bless you all, but I always say, God bless Ozzy Osborne. That's why we're there because you're fucking Aussies demand. Yeah, we're just five guys.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:40:25

I love Ozzy Yeah, well, but you have a sales quality and you and it's it's called, it's what we have to do as salespeople, there's a personal touch that's that's involved for sure in in a having a true fan base that latches on to you and follows you. I mean, I know so many musicians that don't give their fan base the time of day. But even somebody at my level, I'm not, I'm not a full time musician. And there's many better musicians out there. But anytime anybody comments on my sound, or my my podcast, I make sure that I personally thank them for that. If I if I don't, then it's just I missed it. And you know, my apologies for that. But you'd be surprised how many followers you get just from acknowledging the people because they're the ones that come into the bars. They're the reasons why the bar owners even bring you guys in to begin with, and we can't as musicians, we can't lose sight of that, that we're just part of the money making experience. You know, we're there to bring people in and retain people. That's what we do at the end of the day. And it don't matter if you're doing UFO covers, or Billy Joel covers, or whatever, I mean, or obviously covers. It's retaining customers and putting butts in seats at the end of the day.

 

Ozz  1:41:41

Yeah, I mean, there's so many options on a Saturday night for, you know, somebody to do or, you know, go see a band somewhere, just stay home and do nothing and for them to, you know, take time out of their evening to come see you. You know, that's

 

Randy Hulsey  1:41:56

it's an honor. Yeah, absolutely. I agree with you. This is for both you guys favorite song to play live.

 

Ozz  1:42:04

Man. There's, there's, it's this is every show. And every show, there's two times where I'm just, I'm watching them. It's when we do Mr. Crowley and he goes into the solos, I'm lost, I get lost in this guy. And at the end of the shows when we do a war picks because they're all just jamming all of them. And and I'm on stage, you know, there's not very much lyrics toward pixel. So I do my my stuff and I step back and these guys just go at it. No, God damn, I just I just get I get lost in it. And you know, luckily I get back in time when

 

Randy Hulsey  1:42:44

you go on your own trip and then come back

 

Ozz  1:42:46

to me. I guess it will be Mr. Crowley because he owns it. He fucking owns it. This guy right here. Yeah. The rest of the galaxy Adams keyboards. He does his great intro to Oh, yeah. Scott and Sandy are on point. But I it's it's my favorite Ozzy song. And then you hear him play it and I'm off to the next one. I get lost. Yeah, I can I check him out. He's gone. And I get it. And you look over and you look at him.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:43:12

He's gone. He's in his own world, right. He's

 

Ozz  1:43:14

in a song doing it. Yeah. So to meet live with Mr. Crowley.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:43:19

How about you so so war pigs from Sabbath Mr. Crowley from Ozzy about, how about you talk songs from both both bands?

 

Ozz  1:43:30

Yeah. Sabbath would probably be more pigs to just because everybody's singing it. You know? I mean, it's a sing along for sure. You know, it's just really cool. From Ozzy solo as a tough one on. I love doing Mr. Crowley for sure. But the audience response when we do crazy training, I mean, it's just insane. And Ben bark at the moon. I mean, it's just those are so staples of songs that you know, everybody knows those, you know, and really just the radio pocket demo. Yeah. They just they love it. Yeah. I still love playing. I mean, I'm you know, we're how many years later we're doing this now. I still love to play Crazy Train everyday. I love that. It's one of the coolest riffs ever.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:44:15

It's the shit that never gets old. We've been listening to the stuff since the early 80s. Right and, and every time it comes on the radio, you're like, Fuck, yeah.

 

Ozz  1:44:27

bass player. He hates playing. I'm like, Man, I can't wait. With him singing it. I can't wait to play it, you know?

 

Randy Hulsey  1:44:32

Yep. And I didn't have this as a quick fire question. I'm getting derailed a little bit but which of the solos, Ozzy challenges you the most or is maybe even your favorite to play? Like? That's kind of a two pronged question there but

 

Ozz  1:44:52

it's tough. I mean, Randy, Randy's more in my wheelhouse. Randy was very, you know, school musician and he knows his scales and you He's his stuff is a little easier for me to latch on to. Jake stuff gives me fits. Jake. Jake is a very unorthodox player early monster player.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:45:09

What do you mean by that when you wouldn't listeners listen to that and hear a guitar player say he's unorthodox what you know why when you think of boxing, you know what a you know, an unorthodox stances for a boxer style.

 

Ozz  1:45:21

His style is very unorthodox. It's not so like, you know, Zscaler EULAR runs like Randy Randy would do Jake Have you watched like the ultimate sin home video and Jake, Jake's using the thumb on his fretboard and doing these monster stretches like this and stuff and lots of dexterity on dexterity he's huge stretches and I mean I like Randy more of a Jake is a Jake was a monster player. So I love like you know in borrow, probably the soul of Barstow Moon is one of my favorites play. That's just an iconic guitar solo. And then of course, Mr.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:45:53

Crowley Yeah. For both you guys, greatest song of all time.

 

Ozz  1:46:00

Oh, man is shit.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:46:05

He's three beers in and he's Oh, shitting me already. Anybody, man, open it up.

 

Ozz  1:46:16

That can change from day to day. Yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:46:20

How do you how do you pick one is first the first question. But if you just had to reach out never throw it throw a dart at the board. What? What do you think that means?

 

Ozz  1:46:29

To me the most I guess is what I use. In my life betas. Then again, as soon as I say that all these others

 

Randy Hulsey  1:46:37

you're like, Wait, can I retract that? I got another one for you. I don't know if I can do it. Parents. can do it. Wow. I don't have a I don't think I have a sound effect for let's see.

 

Ozz  1:46:51

I could probably point out maybe the greatest guitar solo or greatest drum fill or beta second greatest song of all times.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:46:59

Is there really a greatest song of all time? I don't even know Right. Greatest Songs? Yeah, sure. Exactly.

 

Ozz  1:47:05

There's there's four new Rolling Stone weights. What? Imagine or something? Probably Probably,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:47:09

it's probably up there in the top five I would imagine is imagine pretty, pretty great. One

 

Ozz  1:47:15

I mean Rhapsody. Yeah, we just I think it's

 

Randy Hulsey  1:47:19

all tastes too, right. You know, I can sit here and say,

 

Ozz  1:47:22

depends on your mood at the time.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:47:26

So we'll go a little bit more high level, maybe the greatest band of all time.

 

Ozz  1:47:31

I went easy for me. Yeah, I mean, just for me. It's Van Halen. Okay.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:47:37

I would have never guessed that. Yeah,

 

Ozz  1:47:39

if I weren't huge Eddie fan, so But to me, they changed the game. Greatest debut album of all time.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:47:46

76 What was that? 78? Yeah. For me 78 was the greatest year of music for me. That's just me. Seven days was the shift from a my less what shaped me as a musician. You know? 78 was like we had some fabulous stuff come out of there. But diamond Dave or Sammy, like, which did you have a preference and they're both uniquely.

 

Ozz  1:48:09

Definitely Dave for me. Yeah. Okay. But just two different eras of Eddie Van Halen. One is the party. Band wise is folk says as soon as I see the

 

Randy Hulsey  1:48:23

Beatles, I don't say Justin.

 

Ozz  1:48:27

The greatest Baloch band of all time for me? Absolutely. As soon as I see the Beatles, yeah, by myself, what happened to Black Sabbath? Don't know, because they only means so much to me.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:48:43

It's thought provoking. Like there's no right answer. You don't have to sit there and wrack your brain. I just didn't know if you could pop an answer out or not. Some and some people that I've interviewed, I mean, they're like, oh, it's blah, blah, blah, or blah, blah, blah, like greatest song of all time. Amazing Grace. Like, I would have never guessed that. Right.

 

Ozz  1:48:59

Well, he's does a great version. Really, before the pandemic as our last show up before the pandemic. And I think it might have been the last year with RCC, yeah. But yeah, that was an honor. They're like, yes, but yet by Amazing Grace, I was like, okay, so Well, I did it. I had fun doing it.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:49:17

Todd, the I think you talked a little bit earlier formal training or play by ear.

 

Ozz  1:49:22

play by ear. I mean, I play by ear all my life. I had a little formal training later on in life, but not a lot.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:49:29

I want to thank ag and Todd for coming in and chatting with me today. You guys make sure you get out and support these guys when they're in a town or city near you. I guarantee you'll be so glad that you did. I asked the listeners to like share and subscribe to the podcast. Also if you have friends that are music lovers and would like to listen to the show please go to Facebook and search for backstage pass radio. And from there you can click on community and go down and select all the friends that you you know you might want to add to the show. You can Find the Show on Facebook at backstage pass radio podcast on Instagram at backstage pass radio, on Twitter at backstage pass PC. And then on the website, you can catch all the episodes there at backstage pass. radio.com again and Todd, thank you guys so much for coming here today and chatting with me. It's been a pleasure and hope to see you guys play soon. You guys take good care of yourself and each other and we'll see you on the road.

 

Adam Gordon  1:50:29

Thanks so much for joining us. We hope you enjoyed today's episode of backstage pass radio. Make sure to follow Randy on Facebook and Instagram at Randy Halsey music and on Twitter at our Halsey music. Also, make sure to like, subscribe and turn on alerts for upcoming podcasts. If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure to share the link with a friend and tell them backstage pass radio is the best show on the web for everything music. We'll see you next time right here on backstage pass radio