Speaker 1: 0:45

Hey everyone, it's Randy Holsey with Backstage Pass Radio. This evening I am joined by returning guests that I had on my show over two years ago. They've become super cool friends and I've lassoed both of them to find out what's new in the world of rock and roll. Sit tight and I will have Bethany Heavenstone and Graham Bonnet join me right after this.

Speaker 2: 1:05

This is Backstage Pass Radio. Backstage Pass Radio A podcast by an artist for the artist. Each week, we take you behind the scenes of some of your favorite musicians and the music they created From chart-topping hits to underground gems. We explore the sounds that move us and the people who make it all happen. Remember to please subscribe, rate and leave reviews on your favorite podcast platform. So, whether you're a casual listener or a diehard music fan, tune in and discover the magic behind the melodies. Here is your host of Backstage Pass Radio, Randy Halsey.

Speaker 1: 1:46

Graham Bonnet and Bethany Heavenstone. Hi guys, how are you?

Speaker 3: 1:50

Hello, hello, I'm doing okay, heavenstone. Hi guys, how?

Speaker 4: 1:51

are you Hello? Hello, I'm doing okay.

Speaker 1: 1:53

Good, good, good, all is great. It's great to see both of you up close and in person. Well, we're not really in person, though, are we? We're about as close as we can be right now. Yeah, bethany, you and I spoke a little while back, maybe earlier in the week, and I guess you and Graham are just coming off the Rona stint, right? How are you guys feeling?

Speaker 4: 2:18

It was. You know, it's really like, what were we going to say? I don't know. All of a sudden, I've lost the thread.

Speaker 3: 2:27

Well for me. I was already not feeling well for about six months so, and when it first hit it wasn't bad. Like the first three days. I'm like, oh, this is cake. And then all of a sudden it was like a frying pan in the face and for about five, six more days we didn't feel well and we finally tested negative a few days ago a couple of days ago it was just like a heavy flu kind of feeling.

Speaker 4: 2:48

Yeah, one, two, I mean it's bad enough, it's kind of dizzy and flu kind of feeling. Yeah, it's bad enough, it's kind of dizzy and you know, just feeling like crap. So fever fever Were, you guys running fever from it as well.

Speaker 1: 2:58

No, no fever, huh.

Speaker 3: 2:59

No, but I feel like he's a little warm right now.

Speaker 4: 3:01

I noticed it earlier, yeah it took me a while to feel kind of back to health again, sort of thing. I've been out of the house for a while and, or you know, back to health again, sort of thing. I've been out of the house for a while and the other day I took the dog out for a walk around the block, and that was the first time I've been out for a while.

Speaker 2: 3:16

I loved it.

Speaker 4: 3:17

Yeah, but you know I've got a crackly throat, like I kind of hear a little bit now. You know dry throat, yeah, but it's been too damaging I don't think.

Speaker 1: 3:31

That's what I always fear, graham. You know, as you and I both are vocalists and whenever we get a head cold or a sinus thing or whatever, it scares me because you never know what that's going to do to the voice, right?

Speaker 4: 3:41

you never know yeah, the sinus thing. I sometimes do that sinus rinses, that you know that what's called the nezzy pot, whatever it's called, yeah, yeah and it's uh that helps. You know you'd be surprised what comesessie pot, whatever it's called. Yeah, yeah, and it's that helps. You know you'd be surprised what comes out of your sinus area, so to speak.

Speaker 3: 3:55

Stop, you're turning me on, I know.

Speaker 4: 4:00

I've written a song about it. It's called Me and my Sinus, by Graham Bunch. There's a lot of crap in there and sometimes when I blow my nose it it's like what the fuck is that? It is a problem. The slightest little bit of a sniffle or whatever can really fuck up your voice, and if you're tired as well. Being tired is the worst because you don't have the energy to project or whatever, but it is as I said to you before and many people other than you before. I think it's the hardest instrument to play listening Correct.

Speaker 4: 4:38

Right, the guitar is fucking easy compared to this.

Speaker 1: 4:41

Well, you know, if you play the guitar right, even if you feel bad, the guitar always sounds the same. Right, the voice doesn't always sound the same, so we don't have that same luxury. Yeah, it's easy.

Speaker 4: 4:53

It's an easy piece of piss, but with singing you just can't do it. You say you know, when you look at I say to myself I can't fucking do this. I say before, in fact, today I said my mom always used to say Graham's voice is a bit croaky, he can't speak very much, but he can sing. Yeah, and that's what I mean, what I do when I get this crackly thing, I sing through it and I yeah still have to make yourself.

Speaker 4: 5:17

You psych yourself up to do those notes in your head and think about your breathing. You know which I don't like doing, but it's something you have to do to to, you know, control what's actually coming out of your mouth.

Speaker 1: 5:29

So to speak, speak.

Speaker 4: 5:30

That's what she said.

Speaker 1: 5:32

Well, when Bethany was telling me that you guys had been not feeling well, I mean, my brain of course automatically went to you and I said well, geez, that's going to be tough, because they've got shows coming up in the Midwest and the vocals coming off. I mean, you never know how any kind of sickness is going to treat the vocal cords, so it's kind of a concern for you there.

Speaker 4: 5:55

Well, thank you. Yeah, I'm okay, though. Now. I'm fine, you know Good, I'll get through this.

Speaker 1: 6:00

Will you look like a million bucks, bethany, you always look like a million bucks.

Speaker 1: 6:05

Well thank you. So you guys had a show lined up in LA I think it was in March. My timeframe might be off a little bit, but I had bought a plane ticket to come out and hang with you guys and I was dealing with hemorrhaging vocal cords myself. But, the luck of the draw, I guess you know, I had to stay back and then you guys wound up canceling that show, and so, yeah, there's just been this whole sickness. It's like none of us can get well for some reason, so it's just a crazy thing going on right now.

Speaker 3: 6:37

yeah it was in January and it was the fire the fire that's what it was.

Speaker 4: 6:44

You're right, you know the smoke in the air doesn't help either. I'm as manic, as well as everything else, you know. So it all fucking gone for me. So to me at that time, you know it wasn't good for me.

Speaker 1: 6:57

Well, bethany, for you that was kind of like the time of the mystery illness, too right. What was shaking with you?

Speaker 3: 7:05

Yeah, that started in November, but January was when I was like, okay, this isn't going away and it's getting worse and worse. And I was just. It was one strange symptom after another. I mean, it started out, it was just dizziness and nausea all day, every day, but then weird things like I remember one day I was going like this. I was scratching my eyebrow and I looked down and my eyebrow came off in my hand. The hair of my eyebrows were falling out and just you know that one I think was probably.

Speaker 3: 7:39

you know, I have an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto's disease, so my thyroid it was completely shut down at that point because my doctor had taken me off meds. I'm back on meds now, so a lot of the weird symptoms I was having was attributed to that, but I think that we finally, you know, nailed it down to being something vestibular and I just have to do like these exercises to train. You know my brain I have swelling. You know the autoimmune has caused swelling in my eyeballs. You know my brain I have swelling. You know the autoimmune has caused swelling in my eyeballs, which always very attractive. Now, it's not comfortable, that's for sure. But yeah, I mean, I'm feeling so much better it was so debilitating at one point I couldn't drive.

Speaker 3: 8:21

I had to have everything delivered. I mean, it was just awful.

Speaker 1: 8:25

Oh, that's a horrible problem to have having everything delivered and things done for you. Well, that's a tough, that's a tough way to get the luxury, though right well, because I can never relax.

Speaker 3: 8:37

I was laying in bed booking shows all over the freaking world. I booked so many shows. Now I'm like uh-oh, when are we gonna have time to do the album? You know we have to.

Speaker 1: 8:48

We have to deliver another studio album well, you can't relax because you deal with Graham Bonnet every day, right? Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4: 8:54

I know, yeah, and we're trying to get this bloody out, get this album started, and me and Connor have only made up like two ideas and we've got a long way to go.

Speaker 3: 9:06

He's away, I mean Connor's not here, so things have slowed down. You guys can Zoom.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Where is he? Is he back in Brazil?

Speaker 3: 9:17

Yeah, I'm what's holding up the live DVD. You know it's just the minutiae, like trying to because no one's around, trying to get people's ICI number for publishing and crap like that, and you know it's a waiting game. Like the labels go come on we. You know what's wrong with you, and like I can't get information out of people that aren't giving it to me. You know.

Speaker 1: 9:37

Yeah Well, that's one of the exciting things that's coming out of the the the Graham Bonnet band camp. Right Is the DVD. Talk to the listeners a little bit about how the DVD came about for you guys.

Speaker 3: 9:52

Honestly, we were just. It was kind of like we haven't put anything out in a couple of years and we need to.

Speaker 3: 9:58

You know, we don't want people to forget that we exist and we had booked a show and I thought, or it was really Conrad's idea to to do a live DVD, but I thought, you know, it would be really kind of cool to do it at the Whiskey. It's the first place I ever played and it's the first place Graham and I ever played together and it has a history and I was thinking, oh, that'll be great. And then I remembered once we were actually playing there, that it sounds like frickin' soup on stage. It really does.

Speaker 1: 10:30

Why is?

Speaker 3: 10:30

that Well well, I think a big part of it was our keyboard player rented a leslie, unbeknownst to me, or I would have put the kibosh on it if he told me he was doing it, but he didn't, he just took it upon himself and so the keyboard was raging. It was, you know, it's not a very big stage and of course this thing shows up. That's like the size of a coffee table, you know, um, that, that was part of it. It was really loud, but also, it's just, I don't know if it's the shape of the room. It notoriously is pretty soupy.

Speaker 4: 10:57

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 10:58

You know, but it's, it's got that history you know, of course it does.

Speaker 1: 11:02

Well, you said that that was one of the first or the first place you played. Was this the hardly dangerous days then?

Speaker 3: 11:14

It was before. I was in a band called Bootleg and I think I told you this in the last interview. But I came to LA to transfer to UCLA where I was majoring in Asian languages in New York, and while I was waiting to establish residency, I had met this group of girls and I was just absolutely enamored with them. You know, they just were so dynamic and free and I just loved, I wanted to be a part of it. And they were in a band and it was. It was hardly dangerous. It was Tommy Ray, and I'm trying to remember who was in the band. Uh, andrea, who is? Uh, I replaced her in that band. She actually lives in Philly and I'm going to see her very soon. Actually, she's going to come to the show we're playing at the Landis Theater in New Jersey. So I can't remember who was on drums, then guitar. I never say the guitar player's name, I'm not fond of her, so I just call her Voldemort, you know, she who shall remain nameless. But anyway, they knew I was lying when I told them that I got all kinds of exchange experience. I'd never. I could barely play.

Speaker 3: 12:13

So they farmed me out to this band called bootleg who were an offshoot. They used to two of them, uh, weren't hardly dangerous and they split apart, but they stayed friendly. So I got a tape. Yes, I'm that old. I got a tape and I I practiced for like two weeks and I auditioned on a Tuesday and the following Monday I played to a packed house at the whiskey and it was literally life changing. It was. It was life changing. It really was. I never, I never, went back to school. We got a couple of development deals and I was bitten. We got a couple development deals and I was bitten. I had the bug.

Speaker 1: 12:52

Sure Well, Graham, talking about the whiskey, I know that that was you guys' first show together was at the whiskey.

Speaker 2: 13:00

Did you?

Speaker 1: 13:01

ever play the whiskey before in any of the bands that you were in.

Speaker 4: 13:07

No, I played the other. What's it? The teaser you played at the Coconut Teaser. Yeah, the Coconut Teaser, which is like the whiskey, but not quite. It's a very old, very similar kind of a place. I've never played the whiskey because I don't know.

Speaker 3: 13:24

I can't believe you played. How about the Roxy Did?

Speaker 4: 13:26

you ever play there? No, Wow. I've never played any of that stuff.

Speaker 3: 13:30

Okay, how did you do the teaser? What band?

Speaker 4: 13:33

was it Alcatraz? Well, alcatraz-ish, I got it.

Speaker 2: 13:38

Kevin.

Speaker 4: 13:39

Kevin Valentine the drummer. He worked at the Coconut Teaser and so he played drums for us.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Okay.

Speaker 4: 13:46

He did sound for us. He was a very good sound guy. That's why we did that. But you know because here, like we're talking about never being able to get arrested that was the only place we could get you know arrested. Like the whiskeys. Now, you know, just call up and say can I play there tonight? And you sort of can, okay, yeah.

Speaker 3: 14:11

Well, I mean, the whiskey has a great pedigree, great history. You know everything, like elton john to the doors, like lots of really oh, of course well I never.

Speaker 1: 14:17

I don't understand why I don't care because it's the whiskey but why why, is it, that place, I don't know it's just another pub to me yeah, who knows what makes these places famous? Right, it's uh, but but the whiskey is synonymous with hair metal from the from the eighties, sunset strip days, Right, I mean that was fun but, it's.

Speaker 4: 14:42

I don't get it.

Speaker 2: 14:42

I still don't get it, you know it's strange.

Speaker 4: 14:46

I I, you know I would be embarrassed to play there. To admit, I played the whiskey if I didn't know what it was all about. It's just like another dump, so to speak. You know what sort of turned me around a little bit was years ago. I saw Yngwie play there. I was surprised he played there.

Speaker 1: 15:07

You're kidding me he did a whole show there and the place was packed I remember when you think of bands like you know, michael Shanker Group, alcatraz Rainbow, like all of those you don't. Those bands are not synonymous with playing small venues like that, right, but the up-and-comers were, I guess everybody that was somebody in the 80s played the whiskey at some point in time, I'm sure of.

Speaker 3: 15:34

Yeah, he played with Michael at the whiskey a few years ago.

Speaker 4: 15:38

Yeah, we did two nights, Three, three nights, was it yeah? Which was kind of cool, because it was amazing Again. I don't know why the whiskey we saw bloody. You know, bruce there, bruce Dickinson there which was incredible to see him playing there. It was like what.

Speaker 1: 15:56

Well, along the lines of the DVD. What could the listeners expect from the DVD? Is it really just live concert footage or is there interview stuff in there? What can you say about, about the dvd as far as expectations go?

Speaker 4: 16:14

well, it has basically.

Speaker 3: 16:15

It's basically just the what oh, I'm sorry what you're tapping me for, because I don't want you to say something negative about it.

Speaker 4: 16:21

I don't want to say something negative about it. It's not you too. I really don't. I wasn't impressed with certain things, yeah okay, that that you're you know.

Speaker 3: 16:29

Don't shoot yourself in the foot. Stop doing that, because I'm going to kick your ass. He doesn't fucking care, we're not just having an conversation, I know, I know, but I'm just saying Okay. Bethany you take it.

Speaker 4: 16:41

What about the DVD? Do tell.

Speaker 3: 16:43

It's a rainbow-heavy set. We've been touring this set for probably a year and a half to two years of like loads of rainbow in there which I don't know about you, but it's a fan.

Speaker 4: 16:55

I like that.

Speaker 3: 16:55

I like playing those songs. I think Roger Glover's a great and underrated bass player. I really like playing his parts.

Speaker 3: 17:01

Anyway, there's that and it's kind of a little Well, it's impossible to do a set with a little bit of everything he's ever done, but it's most of it. You, you know we didn't do any um impelitary on this. There's no anthem there's, but there's some of his solo stuff. There's some shanker, there's some, you know, alcatraz and it's um. It's a good set and it was a fun crowd. You know, I was surprised on a thursday night there were that many people.

Speaker 3: 17:28

Yeah, I was sure, but I was like, oh no, we no we're going to tank, we're going down in flames, but now it was good. My son was there.

Speaker 2: 17:38

Awesome.

Speaker 3: 17:39

That always makes for a good night, sure.

Speaker 1: 17:42

That made me just think. For whatever reason, I know, this was a different show, but the meant there was a birthday show for Graham. Did somebody win? I think it was a beer and pizza party or something, but it was actually an employee of the mint oh, that's not fair, that don't count it was it was very I mean, actually I know the girl that won and I'd love to hang out with her.

Speaker 3: 18:04

She was really cool but on principle alone because, uh, the mint um were a little unscrupulous in their business dealing so didn't actually want to do anything that benefited the Mint.

Speaker 1: 18:16

Yeah, fair enough. So jumping back to the DVD real quick. Where would the listeners, once this is released? Where would they go to find the DVD? Where can it be purchased? Can you guys speak to that right now?

Speaker 3: 18:30

Heck, if I know Great answer.

Speaker 1: 18:34

Wow that's a really good question.

Speaker 3: 18:36

I don't know because it's probably going to be more downloadable, because I don't know. Do people in the States want physical product, maybe In Europe, like we definitely sell CDs in Europe and the UK and I don't know?

Speaker 1: 18:55

Well, you could, I mean you could, you could, you could make that assumption. I mean, like, I mean there's the grand bonnet band vinyl that I was listening to yesterday, right? So, while your stuff is downloadable, I, some people love physical things, they like to touch things. Um, so who knows? I mean, if you ask 10 people, you'll get 10 different answers. I would, I would think, just wanted to point them in the right direction if you guys knew where they would be able to get their hands on it. Well, didn't mean to stump, you, didn't mean to put you on the spot there. Yeah, bummer, okay. So anyway, the short answer is we don't know yet. So we'll just keep our ears open and I'll make another announcement, maybe from Backstage Pass Radio, when you find out.

Speaker 3: 19:42

Yeah, that's a great idea.

Speaker 1: 19:45

I guess along the lines of new material, I believe what your fourth studio album is in the works now. Is that correct as well?

Speaker 4: 19:56

Yeah, as I said, we just started doing that and hopefully have a special guest on one of the tracks. I'm allowed to say who it is. Yeah, of course. Oh, bruce Dickinson.

Speaker 1: 20:09

Bruce Dickinson from Iron.

Speaker 4: 20:11

Maiden fame. Yeah, I know this song and the people that are working with him right now say, oh, we like the track. I haven't even done a proper demo for it. It's going to be like a split between me and him. I'll take the first verse, kind of thing, and then I want him to come in at the end with the chorus and probably the middle section. I'm not quite sure yet, but I've got to do a better demo. I've got to demo it up a little better than we have right now. It's just, it's very rough. What the demo I did.

Speaker 1: 20:42

I know you guys are, I guess, from England. Both you know from the UK, right? So how did that connection happen between yourself and Bruce Dickinson?

Speaker 4: 20:54

Well, I've known him for a long time. You know sort of on and off. He's never been like my best friend or anything. But you know, with the Donington show, for instance, that was one place we all did together and you know, seen him over the years wherever you know, at festivals and such. But you know, seen him over the years wherever you know, at festivals and such. But you know, as I said, he's not a close friend of mine. But now I think we have come a little closer since we've actually spoken to each other for a little bit. Yeah, reconnection. Yeah, his friends you know who work with him, just say Bruce is so excited, you're going to do something.

Speaker 3: 21:29

Well, that's kind of the answer to your question is how did they get reconnected? Was Bruce actually really liked the third studio album and he ended up hiring the guy that mixed it, brendan Duffy? Is that his last?

Speaker 4: 21:45

name. Oh, of course yeah.

Speaker 3: 21:47

And so now that Brendan's working closely with him and will also be hopefully doing this for us this album for us, that that's how we reconnected and he's a lovely guy.

Speaker 3: 22:01

He's such a nice person, he's great and you know like I brought Levi backstage to a show and he was so sweet to him and his wife oh my God, she's the most beautiful and the nicest person I've ever met in my life. Like I, I aspire to be like her. I know I could never be, but I would like to be. She's just just beautiful inside and out you know yeah I'm looking forward to doing that.

Speaker 4: 22:26

I want to see how it turns out because we both have kind of similar voices, if you know what I mean. He's got that very operatic thing he does once in a while, and me too, you know, sure, it's something that, uh, when I remember when we saw him play the whiskey, we had our special seats upstairs on the balcony, you know, and um, he knew I was up there and what, while somebody was singing, he did this bit, which is really good, it's really cool. This note came out and he looked up and I waved as he looked up because I knew what he was singing. What about that, graham? Oh, yeah, it was great. That's the kind of relationship we have, it kind of like the mutual affirmation society, you know sure so on that record, you know you.

Speaker 1: 23:17

You talked about bruce dickinson guesting on on the record. Is that for one song, or is that for multiple songs, or what can we expect there?

Speaker 2: 23:27

just the one, just the one song, okay yeah, he's doing whatever he's doing right now.

Speaker 4: 23:31

He's doing something else as well yeah his own album, I think so, um, yeah, just the one and what can the listeners is.

Speaker 1: 23:39

Is there much difference that you feel, um, in the new release versus maybe the third release that you guys did? Is there, uh, kind of a night and day difference or is it along the same lines? What can you speak of as far as the new release goes?

Speaker 4: 23:55

Well, I'm hoping to do. I almost called him in. Very shit, conrad.

Speaker 1: 24:04

They look alike right.

Speaker 4: 24:08

We've both been talking about, you know, making it something different. And Conrad was talking about Making it something different and Tom was talking about On the last song we did. We did a thing in 3-4, a song called Uncle John. It's a fucking waltz. So the song that we've got For Bruce to sing it's in 3-4 time too. So we're going to no, sorry, it's not. There's another song that's in 3-4 time too. So we're going to no, sorry, it's not.

Speaker 4: 24:32

There's another song that's in 3-4, which I haven't finished yet, but it's this thing that Bruce is doing. It's like a ballad, but we want to do something different. It will be different because the stories will be different. I've got ideas that I've already written. I've got a song about Rory Gallagher, my friend who died a long time ago now, that it's like a little tribute to him. It's called no man who Sang for Rory, and it was always Jimi Hendrix, jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, whatever, and Rory was out there doing the best shows I've ever seen a guitar player do and sing. He was dynamic, absolutely dynamic, and he was never like praised to death.

Speaker 4: 25:19

Yeah, and when I wrote that song it was way before now, when everybody kind of knows Rory Gallagher. You know he's come out of the darkness. You know there's lots of videos of him. Now you can, you know, check out. You know he's come out of the darkness, you know there's lots of videos of him. Now you can, you know, check out on YouTube or whatever. He was always like. I always thought he was just better than everybody else. There's something about him. It was entertaining and just different, even though he's like a blues player, whatever, he made the blues fun, not serious, and you know, you know what I mean, not, you know, big hats and cigarettes hanging out your mouth. He was a serious player and he never believed in showbiz. He always wore the plaid shirt. There's no dressing up for Rory. It was a plaid shirt or nothing. Fuck you Sure.

Speaker 1: 26:07

No frills kind of guy, yeah, totally.

Speaker 4: 26:10

I mean a lovely guy, a big movie fan. I used to love watching movies with him. You know, back when I lived in London, him and his brother and I'd be seeing that one Graham. You know we've got to go see that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So you know, we hung out together when we were managed by the same people in London. That was my introduction to Roy, really to know him as a friend, you know.

Speaker 4: 26:36

So this song is for him and I haven't played it to Conrad yet. But it's not got the usual chords that a blues song would have. It changes all the time but some of the vocal lick is actually bluesy, but the chords aren't just going, you know, say it was an E or A or whatever it may be, not those three chords. It's more than three chords, sure, but it's not like, oh, that's getting in the way. It's chords that go perfectly with the rest of the song where the blues part comes in. You know. Anyway, you'll see that I hope I've got to explain it to Conrad, though Sometimes he doesn't get my ideas.

Speaker 1: 27:12

Yeah, do you write exclusively for the band? Do you do any co-writing at all, or is it all your lyrics that you come up with?

Speaker 4: 27:22

I usually, as I was saying I haven't played this it's always the lyric and the top line. The melody is me always and the harmony parts, whatever. I always work them out myself and you know. But sometimes, like on some of the other albums we've done, it's been my arrangement to a couple of songs here and there, especially that one, david's Mum. I play that to comrades and they go what's that, what do you mean, david's Mom? I played that to a comrade and he was going what's that? What do you mean, david's Mom? You know a heavy rock thing called David's Mom. I said, I know.

Speaker 1: 28:00

Well, I meant more from those. I'm going to anti all that, you know, right. I meant more from the lyrics, from the songwriting perspective, not so much the arrangement of the music but the the, the words to the songs. Are you the one that write all of those, or do others? Or you co-write some of them? They're all you right? All, graham, that's all me, okay.

Speaker 4: 28:19

So yeah, because that's what I enjoy that Most of all. I'm sort of lost now because I don't have Carl right here to give me more of his ideas to work on. You know, because I like working on the stuff that isn't my arrangement first, and then, you know, work out some kind of melody and a story for the songs that he has. Or Bethany, if she has an idea about something, she'll give me her ideas. You know, because we work together and she'll tell me if something's crap as well, because I always think you, you know, you know what it's like when you make it now, but you just think everything's good, of course and it's not well, it's good to.

Speaker 1: 29:00

It's good to level set with other eyes and ears right, because sometimes we get so so used to what we think is good. Terry corrects me all the time of my wording and email.

Speaker 1: 29:13

She's like you're really going to send that out and I'm like, yeah, I was really going to send that out. Like you might want to reconsider, like you might want to change this word out or whatever, so so I get put in check myself, but it's, it's good to have that, that offset or that, that balance right. Absolutely, yeah, absolutely. So when this record releases, will you guys cut vinyl from that? Do you know yet? Because I would like to. I want to put dibs on a signed copy of that and I'll come to LA to pick that up.

Speaker 3: 29:42

Oh, yeah, yeah, Okay, man, I think all three of the studio albums we did in vinyl. So, yes, okay.

Speaker 1: 29:51

Well, that's something for myself and the listeners to look forward to. So, graham, outside of the Graham Bonnet Band it's my understanding, and you correct me if I'm wrong there's a side project for you that's not that of Alcatraz. Can you share a little bit about that project that you might have going on?

Speaker 4: 30:13

I think I told you about it before, I'm not quite sure with a certain guitar player, jeff Loomis. We haven't started recording it yet, but I've made up seven songs with him so far lyrics and melody, and you know I'm very pleased with what I've written, and the tracks themselves are fucking great. Bethany's heard all the tracks, just the tracks, because there's no vocals on them at the moment. Okay, there's one, there's one. There's one demo.

Speaker 3: 30:42

But you know, because I've been tasked with shopping the deal, which has been interesting because I've never done that before. But you know why? Not right and it's dicey, because not only do we have to focus on the Grand Bono Band and get this studio album, it has to be out by, you know, the beginning of next year. Jeff is playing with his former drummer in Nevermore. Van Williams is in this project too, and so Jeff and Van are putting Nevermore together again. So they're going to be doing, you know, a record and touring with that. So it's really, I mean, this is a labor of love. There is no time limit for this.

Speaker 3: 31:24

And you know, initially they wanted to use the name Alcatraz, but you know, with the skirmish over the name and then with them releasing these incredibly subpar records, I'm sorry, I'm going to say it, they're not good, they don't sound like Alcatraz, they really just kind of. You know, I talked to because I deal with two specific labels and they both were like the name is dirty, now don't use it, it's dirty, it's bad. And so you know, that's what. You know, that's another thing we're dealing with. I mean, it's no big deal because nobody cares what it's called. You know, I try to think like what can we do? You know, what can we call it? That will, and so it'll be appropriately named, because we wanted to do Grant Bonnet's Alcatraz.

Speaker 3: 32:11

It's his, that was his band and his name was stolen and it's fine because the name Grant Bonnet's always been bigger than Alcatraz anyway. But I, you know we want to do right by it. So I had an idea. I'm not going to tell you right now, but I'll tell you later.

Speaker 1: 32:28

So what's your take on that? So it's always interesting to hear what, uh, other other people think about. Let's say you had a band that was huge back in the day let's call it ario speedwagon. Right, and ario speedwagon loses four of the five members and there's one guy remaining. Is that still ario speedwagon, or is that then a tribute band Like? What's your take on that? It's a tribute band.

Speaker 3: 32:55

I mean even Graham, if he did Graham Bonas Alcatraz, and he was the only one. It's still. It isn't but a tribute. To do a tribute to something is a positive thing.

Speaker 1: 33:05

Of course, you know what I mean, of course.

Speaker 3: 33:07

And so that's why I don't get upset with tribute bands. So I mean honestly, with jimmy waldo's alcatraz that's, you know it's, it's a tribute. I mean, he's not genuinely playing, but it's a tribute, you know it's okay but uh, yeah it's funny because we had this one agent when this thing started. You know the fight for the name he goes. Let them have it. They'll be gone in two years, you know it's not really all the guys without Graham just let them have it.

Speaker 1: 33:38

Yeah. But uh well, when you, when you spoke of Jeff Loomis, for I guess for the listeners that are not familiar, um, I guess this is the same Jeff Loomis that audition and I, if my memory serves me correctly, had auditioned with Megadeth, with Dave Mustaine, and Megadeth and Dave Mustaine told him you're great, but you're too young, You're too young for Megadeth. I don't know if you guys knew that story or not, but that's the story of Jeff Lemons that sounds like Ringo.

Speaker 3: 34:15

Oh, that's right.

Speaker 4: 34:17

Yeah, how old is Jeff? I don't even know how old he is.

Speaker 3: 34:24

No, he's in his 50s, I'm sure. We should be talking about somebody else's age. I want to.

Speaker 4: 34:33

He's about 68. He's not admission. He looks very young. He's 20-something. He's got a youthful appearance, very youthful.

Speaker 3: 34:42

Lovely guy too, and just a great player. Oh my God, I love the way he plays. I feel it.

Speaker 4: 34:50

Well, there's that one demo of what's his phone.

Speaker 3: 34:53

Oh the moon one yeah yeah. No, the thing is, I can you know if I can send you that demo, but you can't show it to anybody or send it around or anything like that.

Speaker 4: 35:04

I thought you'd probably seen it. I wasn't sure you know, what. Why don't you just come over and I'll show?

Speaker 1: 35:08

it to you. Okay, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4: 35:10

I'll do that. It'll be great, and Van Williams did all the. He put the thing together. It's really good.

Speaker 3: 35:19

Van's really a great artist. I mean, he is a graphic designer and he did the artwork like it was sort of a steampunky looking kind of.

Speaker 4: 35:27

It's really good yeah.

Speaker 1: 35:32

He threw that together in no time. It was fabulous. Well, that's. It's not surprising, graham, that you, you align with somebody like Jeff Loomis, who's a who's a great player, right? Uh, you, you're kind of, your name is synonymous with being surrounded by great guitar players over the years, right, yngwie? And I mean, the list kind of goes on and on and on. So I wouldn't expect anything less at this point in the journey, so to speak. So we look forward to hearing the new stuff. Any idea, and I believe this is the same material that you were probably working on the last time I was at. You know you're in Bethany's place there in LA. You guys have been working on this for a little while now, right.

Speaker 4: 36:13

Yeah, that's it. Yeah, as I said, I've got seven done. I mean they're all ready to go. I looked at them the other day because I don't want to lose all the lyric and all my notes of you know, the melody and all that stuff, and we need like another four songs to make a complete album. I just have to wait until we get a freaking deal together. Yeah, basically.

Speaker 3: 36:36

No, you've got to wait until you have time. You've got to finish our project and then you can do it.

Speaker 1: 36:40

But that will be quick compared to Well, bethany, you're the manager of the year. You better keep him in line and tell him what he's got to do. First and second Right. Yeah, well, as got to do first and second right.

Speaker 3: 36:49

yeah, well, as soon as we get so we have two weeks on the road in may. So the second half of may we can hopefully get a bus to saunders who out then. Then we're out of town for um, the entire month of june. We're gone, we're gonna be in europe for a month, which, I'm not complaining, and actually a little bit of Asia. You know cause we're going to. We're going to be in Turkey. We're going to spend a little time in Turkey.

Speaker 1: 37:17

Good, yeah. So, graham, uh, we, you know we spoke, I guess. I guess I wanted to go back for just a minute because you and I spoke a couple of years ago and I can't believe that it's been that long ago, but I think the first time I had you on the show. There were some things that we didn't talk about because I really didn't know to talk to you about them, but as I came out to spend time with you guys, I learned a little bit more about your past and whatnot. But the first one is your connection with the brothers Gibb, and I find that such a cool connection. Where did that relationship begin for you with the artist that we know as the Bee Gees?

Speaker 4: 38:02

Well, my cousin, trevor Gordon, was in a band called the Bee Gees in Australia and Trevor would send me these singles they made on the Leden label in Australia and it was they.

Speaker 4: 38:10

Trevor would send me these singles they made on the Liden label in Australia and it was Trevor Gordon and the Bee Gees that was the name of the band. So Trevor was the lead guitar player and one of the singers. They all took part. You know Barry would sing and Robin would sing. You know the lead on a lot of their stuff and Trevor, you know Trevor was on TV in Australia. He had his own show. The Bee Gees would be guests on his show. When he was 13 or something. My cousin was just amazing. I can't believe what he's done. He taught me how to play as well. It's something.

Speaker 4: 38:50

The Bee Gees then came to London and they started to work with Robert Stigwood, who was their manager, who managed Cream and Rory no, not Rory Gallagher, oh yes, at that time it was Rory Gallagher actually and the Foundations, which was another British sort of R&B band, and they were taken over by Stigwood and Trevor was still in Australia and he came. I asked him to come over and he lived with me and my mum and dad for a while, for about a year I think and we moved down to London and played in a place called the Revolution Club and that club was the manager, the ex-manager of the Bee Gees, just out of the blue. It's like what, how did this happen? And he comes up to Trevor after we finished our show. I said Trevor, I think Robin Morris and Barry would love to speak to you. And Trevor goes oh, it's you. He was the ex-manager of the Bee Gees in Australia and he was over in England promoting this duo. He had, we had great faith in, anyway, those two guys I don't think they actually did anything, but that's nothing to do with anything. And so, anyway, trevor got Barry's number, he called him up and Barry said come over, we'd like to talk to you. So Barry went to, I mean, trevor went to Barry's house and We'd like to talk to you.

Speaker 4: 40:12

So Barry went to, I mean, trevor went to Barry's house and they said to Trev, you know, we'd like to start recording with you again, trevor, you know, like we used to do in the past, but it would be a separate thing, he wouldn't be part of the Bee Gees, he would just be Trevor Gordon, you know. And Trevor said to Barry, he said, well, my cousin sings also, he's in the band I'm with. I said, well, stigwoods aren't looking for a band, you know, we're looking for something else, you know solo singers, whatever. And so Trevor told Barry about this and Barry said, well, just bring him over. So I went over to Barry's place with my cousin, like a couple, started playing. You know playing songs. All of us, the Bee Gees and me and Trevor in the room playing. You know Beatles songs and R&B stuff, a bit of everything. You know Beach Boys, of course, harmonies all over the place.

Speaker 1: 41:05

Oh yeah.

Speaker 4: 41:06

And Robert Stigwood came into the room and said do you have a song for these boys, barry? He said, no, I don't, but I can write one if you like. And so that's what happened.

Speaker 4: 41:18

Barry made up a melody and a couple of days later, when we were in the studio, I was singing this la-la track to this song, which eventually became a song called Only One Woman, which did really great for my cousin and I. And we had a name and our name was the Marbles, and that's Barry's fault. He gave us that fricking name. I'm not such a fan of the Marbles, but come like the Marbles, but not quite with a B Marbles, what's that mean? And Stigwood said Robert.

Speaker 2: 41:49

Stigwood said I don't know about that, barry?

Speaker 4: 41:51

How about Gravy Train? That was Robert Stigwood's bit. And Barry said no, no, no, no, no, marbles, marbles, it's great, great name. You know, marbles, you know. So we became the Marbles. As I said, we did this la-la track, so to speak, in the studio. Barry had no words or anything. He gave me a rough idea of a melody and my cousin said to Barry well, I think in this part of the melody, graham should go up to a higher note there. And he went, oh really, and they didn't know what my vocals were like at all, of course. Well, they heard me singing with them when we did the thing in the living room with Barry. But you know, well, that's pretty high, isn't it? It was a C, sharp, basically. That's the note. It was so because his original melody was like it went da, da, da, da da da, da, da, da, da, da da da, da, da, da, da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da.

Speaker 4: 42:55

And it was that over and over again. And Trevor said to him you know he should go, da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da. And that became Only One Woman, that became the title, and it was that fucking Trevor, you bastard. I'll blame him for everything. Trevor, that's his heart, I love him so much. And that was it. And they went bloody hell, you know.

Speaker 4: 43:23

So Barry wrote the songs out, the words out next day, or something, on a cigarette packet, I think. Do you remember? He had a couple of the joint there? You know it was barry and uh, only one woman was born. And, um, so we record, started to record it and just before the end I got a croaky throat and you know, I sort of it was my nerves, I think. I was like, oh, we're almost at the end of the song, I'm getting there, it's all going well, I'm doing this, I'm singing it. Good, you know.

Speaker 4: 43:56

And we got the take after like two takes of the song, but the last verse, when it came to that, I just couldn't sing for some fucking reason. I was just not reaching, not giving it the power or anything, and it was in my head, you know, and it took about I don't know, probably about three weeks for me to have the confidence to go back in and sing this last bloody verse. You know, wow, and it was just a strange thing, you know, mind over matter or whatever the fuck. It really screwed me up that time. And Stigwell kept calling up and saying, well, has he done the last verse yet, barry? No, not yet. So when I did the last verse on the actual track on the record you hear, before I do the last verse, and it's my cousin, trevor, clearing my throat for me. He knew I had to do it. Good, you know. So Trevor's going, you know, tell it all in there, you know. And so I did it.

Speaker 4: 45:02

I did it in one go, that day, I remember, and it was done and the record came out and it took a long time before it got played on the radio, but when it did it was incredible. There before he got to play it on the radio, but when he did, it was incredible, there was this DJ that played it three times in his show. There was another DJ who played it twice in his show on the radio in England, and then we had TV shows where one guy called Mike Mansfield had us on his show, which was like a big pop show and he played Only One Woman and the B-Side. We did both sides of the record twice. We went on his show twice and did both A and B-Side, so it became a hit and it was like incredible, it was like a dream.

Speaker 1: 45:50

That's such an interesting story. You know you told me that before, of course, but I wanted the listeners to hear that story because I think you know the whole Bee Gees phenomenon. I know that they were doing things way long before Saturday Night Fever, but a lot of people didn't know anything about him before Saturday Night Fever, right, and it was interesting to hear that. You know, it all started kind of with your cousin, trevor Gordon, right, and that was a really cool connection and the story was really cool when I heard it for the first time. It's crazy that three of the four brothers are gone now and some of the finest songwriters of our time. Would you disagree?

Speaker 4: 46:34

I mean, I, I think about morris and robin was the last to go, you know, but paul put the youngest boy, you know, andy, that was like what the fuck, you know? Because his grandma was looking after him, you know. I mean his mom, I should say yeah, was looking after him, making sure he didn't get a hold of the drugs he did, and she, she actually did try to lock him up and keep him from going anywhere. Sure, and he was dating the victoria principal at the time, I remember, and uh, but it killed him, you know, and what? I got a telegram from andy when um rainbow played in new york and, uh, he said, I'll see you at, at whatever theater we're playing, and he didn't turn up. And now I kind of know why. Of course he was high all the time.

Speaker 1: 47:19

They said that Andy was one of those people that always helped everybody. But Andy could never help himself, you know, when it came to the drug use and whatnot. And that's really sad, you know, because what a what a mega talent, you know. I think he was probably a little always in his brother's shadows, but Andy made a big name for himself as well. You know solid gold and, uh, you know he had some great songs. Uh, you, you know as a solo artist as well.

Speaker 4: 47:51

I mean, he sounded like Barry. Well, yeah, absolutely, he looks like Barry a bit, you know.

Speaker 1: 47:56

Absolutely, Absolutely Well, you recorded One of my mates.

Speaker 4: 48:01

Andy was rehearsals in London. We used to go to Bee Gees rehearsals sometimes and bloody Andy was there and Huey, their dad Huey, came and fucking Andy would be running around and playing a fucking about while we're there trying to rehearse knocking over bloody mic stands and bullshit like that and Huey going Andy, get the bloody hell out of here you know it was quite the times we spent with those guys.

Speaker 4: 48:30

I can't tell you it was just like being part of spent with those guys. I can't tell you it was just like being part of their family. Of course, the trouble was so close to the brothers, obviously, yeah, and you know we spent a lot of time together and I just remember Andy being a bloody nuisance yeah. But then he came out with these recordings and it was like bloody hell. He can sing, yeah, you know. I see videos of Barry now and he's broken. Barry is absolutely broken.

Speaker 1: 48:59

You can see that Yep and. I think he said in an interview Graham, the big brother's not supposed to outlive the younger brothers, you know Exactly, yeah, exactly, and their mom, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2: 49:11

And their mom, yeah.

Speaker 4: 49:13

The mom you know she died after you know Robin, which is weird, yeah, I think anyway. Yeah, I mean, she was around for a long time.

Speaker 1: 49:23

Yeah, wow.

Speaker 4: 49:24

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 49:24

We talked about the whole before the Bee Gees became what everybody knew as the Bee GeGs. You know, I look at your career and I didn't know of your career before Rainbow, right? So it's interesting, because you recorded a song called Warm Ride that I believe was written by the BGs, and didn't that become a number one hit in Australia for you, or am I mistaken?

Speaker 4: 49:50

Yeah, it was almost a unborn album. And the single, yeah, Robin made that up, Robin Gibb, it was his idea and I got the cassette from Robin and it was weird.

Speaker 4: 50:01

It wasn't very good and I couldn't make out what the bloody song was supposed to be until Barry got hold of it. Then Barry said he put some words together and a melody. It was sort of there, but Robin didn't play anything. He didn't play guitar, he didn't play anything, so it just came out of his head. You know, this is the melody, whatever, and the words are this and then Barry would finish the thing off. If Robin had an idea, but I mean he would sing along with Morris because Morris was a great piano player. You know, do stuff with Morris, he and Robin. But this thing came to me and I said to my manager it's a bloody disco song. He said yeah, but you know why not? And so I did it and I had some great players on there and you know the song was the number one. It became number one in Australia and New Zealand and whatever else, but not here, not in England.

Speaker 1: 50:59

I don't know it's. It's an interesting song. It has such a great hook to it and I believe it was written what sometime around 77, around the Saturday Night Fever craze, and do you have any idea why? Maybe that one never even saw the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Could it have been part of that?

Speaker 4: 51:19

It certainly could have once you listened to it, it would have been, but it was one song too many, or two songs too many, whatever. And they gave that to me, robin, basically because it wasn't completed at the time. I don't think, well, yeah, I mean it would have been perfect in that movie, but, fuck, it didn't go in there did it. You know which is why.

Speaker 3: 51:40

Always the bridesmaid, I know he's got daylight and dollars, all right.

Speaker 4: 51:48

But it was a hit and you know, then it was covered by Earth Wind Fire as well.

Speaker 1: 51:53

Later, I think it was Earth, Wind, Fire, I think it was actually. I think it was Rare Earth that covered it.

Speaker 4: 51:59

Oh, rare Earth, yeah, oh, wow, really. Yeah, they covered it.

Speaker 3: 52:03

Oh, I love that band. They did Celebrate.

Speaker 4: 52:06

Yeah, that was nice, yeah, and it wasn't as good as mine. I was very proud of that.

Speaker 1: 52:10

Yeah for sure. No, I agree with that 100%. You know. One of the other things that we talked about, graham, was your relationship with former bandmate Cozy Pal. Of course Cozy played in Rainbow with you and then I believe and correct me where I'm wrong I believe Cozy went on and played a stint with White Snake and Black Sabbath, but Cozy passed in 98 in a car crash in Bristol. Do you remember where you were when you heard this news? And I never really knew what yours and Cozy's relationship was until I talked to you and I found that really intriguing too. But do you remember where you got that news of Cozy's death?

Speaker 4: 52:54

Yeah, I was at home in Santa Clarita and I got a phone call from Don Airy and you know it was in the afternoon, around two o'clock in the afternoon or something. The sun was shining. I remember I was standing in the kitchen. I remember o'clock in the afternoon or something. The sun was shining. I remember I was standing in the kitchen. I remember looking out the window at something or other and the phone rang and Don he's told me to say this before so many times Don says to me it's the old boy. I said what? What do you mean? The old boy? It's Coase, he's gone. And then he explained to me what happened and, like now, I can hear him telling me that. I can hear him telling me that and every time I talk about this I get this fucking. I well up. This is not fake, it really comes from my heart because I love the guy very much.

Speaker 4: 54:00

And I went out, I put the phone down with Donna, I went out through the sliding door. I opened the sliding door to look out onto the hillside. We lived on the hillside and there were two rainbows coming down touching the hill, one, two. And I said is that you Cozy? And that was my day. I am devastated by what happened to him. Now, after all these years, when you lose one of your best friends, I don't know how that feels. As close as we were. We were very similar in character.

Speaker 1: 54:42

I guess it's safe to say that Cozy was probably one of the closest musicians that you ever played with along the way in your journey.

Speaker 4: 54:51

Safe to say, graham, yeah when we were rehearsing he was still in the Michael Shank event. We rented a house in London and Cozy would say don't stay here with the band. He said, come with me, let's go to Oxford. So I stayed at his house in Oxford with his wife, maddie, at the time. Oh my God, they had some great arguments. So, oh God, no, you fucking well. Maddie eventually disappeared. He divorced her, I believe, and yeah, that's how close we were. And he would say I remember we used to get out of rehearsals. We're both big Beach Boys fans with Michael, you know.

Speaker 4: 55:41

He would say all right, that's a rehearsal I've with them. He said fuck this on, with the Beach Boys in the car, in his Mercedes, blast him and I go yay you know, and driving back to Oxford. It was just cosy. I've told that story a few times too, but that was who he was, and I was so surprised to think he was a Beach Boys fan. Well, you know, jeff is too you know Jeff.

Speaker 4: 56:06

Beckham. Really, he said yeah, absolutely. And also Pete Townsend is another Beach Boys fan. Yeah, it was. We were very, very close and we still are. Yeah, in a very odd way.

Speaker 1: 56:22

I wanted you to share that story because you had shared that with me one-on-one in the living room there where you guys are right now, and it was very touching to me. I guess I'm that compassionate, big-hearted person and I love the stories about relationships and they mean so much as we go through this journey in life and you know, when you have superstars like yourself, that a lot of people don't get to talk to guys like you. But it's nice to hear the human side to people that have been iconic figures, so to speak, that you guys are human beings too, with feelings and emotions, and it's really nice to hear those stories along the way, and I know you miss Cozy, and thanks so much for sharing that with the listeners of Backstage Pass Radio.

Speaker 4: 57:17

I appreciate that People say to me oh God, you're a God, you know, you know. And they say the same thing to Cozy, you know. But I used to, I still do. I say, no, I'm Graham from Skegness, I'm just Graham, you know. And he's just you know. Cozy is the same. So I stopped being bloody silly. I'm just a fucking drummer, that's all I am, you know. He would say things like that. He had no ego, he knew he was good. He didn't have to fucking say every day I'm the best drummer in the fucking world which he probably was you know, at that time, you know he was so inventive and just a great person.

Speaker 4: 57:58

He was a very loving person.

Speaker 1: 57:59

Everybody loved him, yeah, except for Richard Blanckmoor loving person, everybody loved him, yeah, except for richard blanco, because because cozy had a better personality coach was a personality, you know you had that thing where you wanted to talk to him about stuff, sure, well, I think, I think so many times, though you know it's human, the I guess it's just our humanist that we build people up well, whether they're musicians or or movie stars or whoever, but at the end of the day they're people just like us, right? And some people are more starstruck than others, but again, it's nice to hear that, when you get to a certain level, that those are just people too at the end of the day.

Speaker 1: 58:41

And a lot of them do let that go to their head, but the majority of them don't, and so it's nice to, it's nice to hear that, that human side of your story there, and again thanks for sharing that with the listeners. Yeah, and so, Bethany, I wanted to jump back to you. Uh, real quick. You know we've talked on the phone and in person multiple occasions about you writing a book. I want to know where the book project is now. You, you hold graham to the standard of getting his shit done. Right, let's talk about the bethany book. Right, you're on the spot, go.

Speaker 3: 59:29

Bethany's book has to be on hold right now because I do everything for the band. I am the manager, I am the tour manager, I'm the tour coordinator, I'm the social media manager, I'm the merch manager. I shop the deals. I all day every day just the littlest things that you, you know, take so long, Like I've. You know, I've been using AI to make tour posters. I'm dialing it in now, but it took me all day the other day to do my first one, you know yeah.

Speaker 3: 59:56

I have to laugh though, because they're so worried about any kind of copyright infringement, they, without your permission, they'll change the appearance. So I made one, because we're going to be toggling over to do a Michael Shanker sort of based set lots of Shanker and so I just took the Shanker album. The solo went with the guy with the flying V and I, you know, put text across it and then the dates on the front of it. And then I looked closely and I realized, instead of being Michael's you know profile basically the hair and his nose and I can say this because I am a member of this tribe suddenly the guy that was supposed to be Michael Shanker looked like a Jewish guy.

Speaker 4: 1:00:42

I think I see hair on his wife's jaw.

Speaker 3: 1:00:46

So I left it in there.

Speaker 1: 1:00:47

Yeah, I left it in there because you know I'm representing, you know well, ai is a funny thing because if you, if you take a picture and you upload it and say, make this something that it's not right, um, like, take bethany heavenstone and make a cartoon character out of a lot of times it will come back and say without proper permission, I can't change or alter this.

Speaker 3: 1:01:11

So ai is smart in that way, right it's like you're being childish for even wanting to do it yeah, right right, yeah, so anyway, the book, I still want to write it.

Speaker 3: 1:01:23

I'm so looking forward to the cathartic aspect of it. But I'm also on a journey of self-discovery, even at my age, like things I never knew, I'm realizing now, and so I want to be able to write it from a standpoint of control, like command, like I own this. This is, this was my life, you know, and you know, and, um, you know, still finding out things I never knew, you know.

Speaker 1: 1:01:49

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:01:49

But uh, really, just the biggest stumbling block is the fact that I I'm wearing the hat of like eight people, I'm doing everything, I'm doing the job of multiple people because you know I don't have an assistant. You know I'm also a bit of a control freak and I know that once I get used to it I can run it a little. You know, I can run it myself and a bit more smoothly, but it's hard because all of that.

Speaker 1: 1:02:17

but I'm also playing in the band you know, but you're probably getting eight times the pay, though, though too right.

Speaker 3: 1:02:24

Well, yes, there is that I'm getting a little more money for it, which is great. But I'm earning it.

Speaker 3: 1:02:30

I really am and I run a really tight ship. I'm annoying, but I also feel like I'm the rest of the band's mom sometimes. We were on our way to Spain and we had a huge layover and I was exhausted and we, graham and I, had gotten like a little hotel room that was in the airport, you know, just to get some sleep, because we're on our way to Malta actually. And uh, the guys, they they were like can we put our bags in your room? And I'm like the room's really small, we can't even really, you know, do that or whatever. And I said I gave everybody like how much did I give them? Like 20 euros each. I'm like, go eat and get a beer and eat something, you know. And they're like, ooh, they love that. So you know, it's nice to be able to, even though it's a minuscule amount, you know they're happy to have somebody else pay for the beer.

Speaker 1: 1:03:26

Yeah, exactly, it's one thing to manage a band, but you're managing uh, you know what, what most would look at as a global band, you know, with an iconic rock singer. Right, does this effort? How is that different? Like, managing the Grand Bonnet band differ from, say, managing a local band? Like what are the big differences in the two?

Speaker 3: 1:03:53

Well, there is cultural, believe it or not, and you know, everybody has lives and they they're kind of all over the place, even though we're all supposedly LA based. And they're kind of all over the place, even though we're all supposedly LA-based, I don't know what. I never managed a band before. Well, that's not true. I managed a band I was in like 30 years ago or whatever, but you know it was a local band. So the difference that's not really the big issue is I manage Graham personally too.

Speaker 1: 1:04:22

Well, that's a full-time job in and of itself, is it not?

Speaker 3: 1:04:25

I take care of his business as well. It all adds up and I don't like failing. I do not like to fail. I will do not to fail. I get it. I work stupidly hard and keep stupid hours and I was up at 3 this morning. You know checking emails and you know cause somebody was snoring.

Speaker 1: 1:04:51

Do you see yourself like if, if all the band thing went away, you put up the bass guitar would? Could you see yourself being like a multiple band manager? Is there any way to manage multiple bands? Would that be a career that you would like to do, or do you think that you'd pull your hair out doing that?

Speaker 3: 1:05:14

It depends on the band. I mean, if they weren't a bunch of assholes, sorry to put it that way, you know like, I've seen how people behave in bands and they can be oh, it's all about them, you know, and I, you know, I'm very direct, as you know tell people. I, you know, I had to, I had to fire someone and I didn't like doing it, but and they were a great musician, very good musician, and not a bad person either but there were some issues, you know, behaviors, that were untenable, you know. So I had to do that, I didn't like that, but that's what happened.

Speaker 1: 1:05:57

Has that spot been filled by anyone?

Speaker 3: 1:06:00

Well, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:06:01

Okay.

Speaker 3: 1:06:02

But I don't really want to go.

Speaker 1: 1:06:03

I don't know Okay, we won't go down that path.

Speaker 3: 1:06:06

Yeah, so you know I could do multiple bands. I might be hated, I think, just being the only girl in the band, I think there's times I'm just hated for that, you know, because we are from two different planets.

Speaker 1: 1:06:23

Of course.

Speaker 3: 1:06:24

Although I do feel like I've grown testicles since I've, you know, joined this band.

Speaker 1: 1:06:29

So it's been a couple of years. Refresh the listeners' memories where you guys can be found on social media.

Speaker 3: 1:06:38

Well, graham Bonnet on Facebook is. You know, that's our hub at the moment. We have a Graham Bonnet Instagram page as well, but our social media manager is pretty shit at Instagram and I think I mentioned who that was. That's it. You know, I keep thinking like, oh, we need a web page, but you really don't. You know, you really I don't think we really need one. I, I can just pin posters, you know, to the gbb facebook page and people can see where we're playing, and you know I think the the advantageous piece of the website is that you can.

Speaker 1: 1:07:23

you can get a mailing list set up, and there's an argument that if you, if you can get your subscribers and your followers on facebook and instagram and youtube all on an email mailing list, there's less scrutiny in getting your message out to those listeners through email, which is never scrutinized. If you have 70,000 people on your mailing list, 70,000 people will get your email, whereas the algorithms and social media do not pass everything through. So if you've got 70,000 followers, you might only have 5,000 that ever get to see anything you post, right? So there's always that argument. So that's that's you know. I'm throwing that out there to you guys.

Speaker 3: 1:08:13

Yeah, but you could, you could, um, I would say you could request that on Facebook like hey, join our mailing list.

Speaker 1: 1:08:25

But all on Facebook like, hey, join our mailing list, but all right. So when are you going to make that webpage for?

Speaker 3: 1:08:29

me, not because you never got back with me, but anyway oh did you hear that?

Speaker 1: 1:08:31

I just went live. I just threw it all out there live, I just threw it all out there on the record. I'm waiting. I already told you that I would help you. I'm waiting on you. I'm only as in big, bigger hurry as you are. But also on that webpage you could do a shop site where you sell merchandise, right All right, let's do it, I'm coming over, anyway.

Speaker 1: 1:08:54

So last part here, I thought it'd be fun to throw out a few quickfire questions. Right, we'll keep the answers real short and sweet and I'll ask the questions of both you and Graham. Right, we'll keep the answers real short and sweet and I'll ask the questions of both you and Graham, so both of you guys will answer here. Okay, so if you guys were forced to change positions in the band or in a band, what would the new position be?

Speaker 4: 1:09:24

Blimey Doggy.

Speaker 1: 1:09:27

Doggy position. No, not sexual position. Fucking band position Children, children.

Speaker 3: 1:09:39

Do I magically have the ability to play a different instrument?

Speaker 1: 1:09:43

Yes, we're pretending I'd probably be the drummer. Do I magically have the ability?

Speaker 3: 1:09:44

to play a different instrument.

Speaker 1: 1:09:45

Yes, we're pretending Right.

Speaker 3: 1:09:45

I'd probably be the drummer, drummer.

Speaker 1: 1:09:47

Okay, how about you, graham? If you weren't the singer? What, what, what would you do in the band?

Speaker 4: 1:09:52

Yeah, I would probably like to play bass, because.

Speaker 1: 1:09:54

I do love the bass.

Speaker 4: 1:09:55

Yeah, Something I really miss playing. It was great to do sessions with the bass line, Like that would be great for me. You know to have to sing, just you know, singing is fucking exhausting yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:10:07

Well, it's interesting that both of your alternate positions are the rhythm section of the band. That's interesting that you come up with that. So, hey, you got the foundation of the band. If you guys ever want to branch out and do something different, yeah, absolutely, on average, what time do you?

Speaker 4: 1:10:27

wake up in the mornings. Six, yeah, I would say the same, but sometimes it's like three. He lays in until about seven. Now, yeah, because I collapse after waking up at bloody three o'clock in the fucking morning.

Speaker 1: 1:10:43

But if you get up at 6 on average is that I'm getting up for the day and I don't go back to bed?

Speaker 3: 1:10:49

Yeah, I mean, the cat usually wakes me at 6. Cat or dog? No, the dog's the last one to get up during morning.

Speaker 4: 1:10:56

Well, that's when I get up, she gets up.

Speaker 1: 1:10:59

What time do the chickens get tended to?

Speaker 3: 1:11:03

Usually well, I hear them. You know they start out pretty reasonable, like you know, and then by 7.30, if nobody's been out there, they're like you know, and they're chickens and they're doing that. Yeah well, one isn't supposed to get on the other one's back. You know, like one of our girls definitely is having a gender identity crisis. She tries to cock-a-doodle-doo and she tries to, you know, fertilize Addie's eggs, which I'm like. You know, you're a girl right.

Speaker 1: 1:11:36

That's funny. Well, this is not a question. But are chickens high maintenance? I mean, some people say horses are high maintenance, like or like. Uh, I mean some people say horses are high maintenance, maybe they're not, I don't know, I've never raised a horse. But are chickens high maintenance?

Speaker 3: 1:11:50

just because they shit copiously. Yeah, you know that's not easy to get in, like I. I wanted to do it today and today it didn't present itself. I may try tomorrow, because I have a high pressure washer. I going to hit that coop really hard. I'm definitely getting rid of the poop.

Speaker 1: 1:12:08

There you go, favorite movie of all time.

Speaker 3: 1:12:12

Wizard of Oz. Oh you're asking me.

Speaker 4: 1:12:16

Yeah, oh crap. God, I can't think of one. I can't think of one. I think a movie that impressed me back then was 2001. That movie because it was like I'd never seen anything like it before. I remember going out to the theatre with my cousin Trevor and going what the fuck was that all about?

Speaker 4: 1:12:43

Yeah, you know it was very mysterious, wasn't it? Very strange, yeah, yeah, yeah. In that white room in a bed you go. What the fuck is that? What's that? It's a national. Why is it in a white room in a bed? What the fuck is that? It was so different and very long movie, wasn't it?

Speaker 1: 1:13:00

Yes, yes.

Speaker 4: 1:13:02

Three hours was it or two, and a half, I think.

Speaker 1: 1:13:04

Yeah, it was at least two and a half hours.

Speaker 4: 1:13:07

Yeah, and then the bloody music as well. Of course, it was also grand and good, uh-huh.

Speaker 1: 1:13:18

If you guys got to live anywhere in the world besides LA?

Speaker 4: 1:13:25

where would it be if you got to pick Japan? God Well. I moved here from England because I thought it would be better. It was always. America for me when I was a kid, probably. Oh shit, I'm trying to think where to speak English. I can't. I'm terrible at languages. Canada is not bad, but maybe Ireland, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:13:53

That's interesting. I just saw a stat the other day that said that English is the most spoken language on the planet.

Speaker 4: 1:13:59

Oh yeah, oh for sure, yeah, yeah. That's why I never bothered to learn another language especially british yeah, people, you know they learn french at school. It's french and english yep, yep, yep.

Speaker 1: 1:14:13

If you guys were stranded on a desert island, what album would you have with you?

Speaker 3: 1:14:18

oh god, that's. You know, that is the hardest question.

Speaker 1: 1:14:25

I didn't say they were easy questions. I just said they were quick fire questions.

Speaker 3: 1:14:30

There's so many like God, I would probably choose a greatest hits album, you know, and that way you know more bang for your buck but uh, I don't know, probably for me like early beatles or something or you know, interesting by the allman brothers or I don't know. I mean there's, I've got such a diverse yeah, appreciation of different genres of music too. You know, that's really a hard one. What about you?

Speaker 1: 1:15:06

Well, I know you're a Motown kind of person too. Right, so it is. It's a common question that people ask, and especially asking a musician. It's virtually impossible to answer that question, but you, of all people and I should have expected this from you that you would say, well, it would be a greatest hits. Well, I never even thought of that. So that's great, because you're like you said, you're getting the the biggest bang for the buck, right? If I've got to take one record, I want it to be the greatest hits of something. Yeah, how about you, graham? Can you think of one? Does one come to mind for you?

Speaker 4: 1:15:44

Yeah, I would say, pet Sounds from the Beach Boys. Or I'd say another Beach Boys, one Surf. So those two albums are my favorite Beach Boys albums, but of course I have like three. I mean the Beatles' White Album.

Speaker 1: 1:16:04

What is one habit that I have? Like three, I mean the Beatles White Album. What is one habit that?

Speaker 3: 1:16:12

you have that most wouldn't know that you have.

Speaker 1: 1:16:15

You mean like drugs? No, not that kind of habit, or is that the right? Am I saying that correctly?

Speaker 3: 1:16:23

Like a mediocratic behavior.

Speaker 1: 1:16:26

Yeah, maybe something that you do that somebody wouldn't.

Speaker 3: 1:16:32

I want to answer Graham's.

Speaker 1: 1:16:35

So Graham snores, okay, graham.

Speaker 3: 1:16:37

No, no, you know what? There's a couple of things that I'm used to it now, but when, when I first saw him doing it, I'm like that is so unexpected and it's it's two things that he watches on tv. That really surprised me, and the first time it happened I I kind of just went oh well, you know this is a fluke. But then I noticed he likes watching figure skating. I just found that so funny.

Speaker 3: 1:17:04

I thought, oh, maybe it's the girls' little shorts and you can look there or whatever, and I'm sure there is that component. But he really does appreciate, especially if it's the couples thing and he's like, wow, did you see what they just did there and that and Antique Roadshow.

Speaker 4: 1:17:23

Antique Roadshow I was watching this morning. Yeah, but it's, I tell you something. Um, danny johnson got me onto the, the ice skating thing, you know, and I said danny, you really watched I said yeah, the the act, the great athletes, exactly what they are, and I I'm just amazed how they do all that. Well, they do.

Speaker 3: 1:17:42

But I just think like metal god is watching me here skating.

Speaker 4: 1:17:46

Yeah, there was one. Oh God, I can't remember his name now. There was one male skater. I loved him because he came out and he danced to like a whole Beatles album. You know snippets from each Beatles song. Sure, I can't remember what the fuck it was but it was really great, and this Beatles music just made him even much better.

Speaker 1: 1:18:04

Yeah, right, yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:18:06

But it is. It's incredible. You know it's not like I watch some fucking funny things on TV. I do Antiques, roadshow, history, the History Channel. You know things buried in Egypt, aliens, you know the alien thing, things that are a mystery. I love things that are a mystery and people can't explain. I was watching something. In fact, yesterday I saw the end of it. I came in this room here to see what the end was about those people that were Russians and they were found in the snow. Do you know that?

Speaker 4: 1:18:45

one no, but I've heard something about it, but I don't know what the show is yeah, I'm like in the 50s or something yeah, yeah, it was yeah, and they found all these bodies of these, uh, skiers who were up in the mountains and they're all scattered, kind of scattered all over the place, but some of them had their face ripped, some of them had you know scars, some froze to death, yeah, and some had, like parts of their body missing, yeah, and the tent was like sliced in half that they were in and it was just there's so many different theories about it and it was just there's so many different theories about it and they suspect it's a bunch of different things that happened all at once for this actual event to occur.

Speaker 4: 1:19:32

It's very strange. It's like avalanche, a nuclear weapon, a bear, it's another one, it's something else, something else I can't think what it is, but all those things all happened at the same time. Always the way these people were found buried frozen in the snow, with parts of their bodies missing, and some of the bodies had, you know, were radioactive, as well Interesting.

Speaker 4: 1:20:02

And there's also a photograph that one of the skiers took. The very last picture he took is of this dark shadow coming from behind a tree, so there's a mystery about what was that.

Speaker 1: 1:20:17

Bigfoot, bigfoot.

Speaker 3: 1:20:19

I'm sorry, I sent him on a tangent.

Speaker 1: 1:20:24

That's the beauty of the quickfire questions, but I'm sorry I sent him on a tangent. Well, I love that. That's the beauty of the quick fire questions is that you get to see another side of the artist, right?

Speaker 3: 1:20:31

Yeah, yeah, should he answer my idiosyncrasies, or is there, oh God, I forgot about that. Well, I think we're supposed to do our own, but I wanted to do yours, cause I like talking.

Speaker 4: 1:20:39

Oh no, I do yours because I like talking to you, oh no, you do yours, then I don't know. Idiot synchroses, go on.

Speaker 3: 1:20:45

Is there any behavior that's?

Speaker 4: 1:20:46

Idiot synchroses.

Speaker 1: 1:20:48

Idiot synchroses. Idiot synchroses yes.

Speaker 3: 1:20:52

I mean the only thing you know. I'm a little closeted about this because I think it makes me seem like a dork, but I like birdwatching.

Speaker 4: 1:21:04

That's one I do like to bird watch and she likes jars and containers, containers, all of the fucking things Really.

Speaker 3: 1:21:15

It's a wide mouth jar and it's perfect for a certain thing. You know, like some of the chicken food, you know like you can mix all the herbs, yeah, so it must be a girl thing.

Speaker 1: 1:21:25

Huh Graham, like I don't get excited about girls.

Speaker 4: 1:21:27

I do too, because somebody else told me that.

Speaker 1: 1:21:30

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:21:31

Somebody else has a girlfriend or something that does the same thing. Yeah, I've got a lot of them For sure. You know an old fucking jam jar or something. You save it.

Speaker 3: 1:21:48

You never know when you might, if it has a really nice opening, oh God, that sounds horrible.

Speaker 1: 1:21:53

You want to strike that and start again, or no? This is a PG-rated show, beth. I mean, we're not going to go down that path.

Speaker 4: 1:22:04

I'm sorry that was such a clean, nice little conversation.

Speaker 3: 1:22:09

You mentioned it.

Speaker 4: 1:22:10

I would never talk about my schnur. Well, it's like that. And the dishwasher, the fucking dishwasher.

Speaker 3: 1:22:17

Every woman I'm sure Terry does too. When he loads the dishwasher, I can literally get twice in what he can.

Speaker 1: 1:22:28

That sounded a little bad too.

Speaker 4: 1:22:33

Conrad was staying here and I had to actually ask him.

Speaker 3: 1:22:36

I'm like, dude, why are you putting your bowls in sideways? You're like, they have those little prongs and you can, you know, line them up for the plates. And he's putting his in this way and I'm like have you never had a dishwasher before?

Speaker 1: 1:22:50

That's what they do in South America, man, you know, like even I know how to load a dishwasher, but I would say that that's probably true. I think a female probably could I mean you probably can get double the things in the dishwasher that Graham can.

Speaker 3: 1:23:06

But anyway, yeah, no, it drives me crazy because I'll go to put something in and there'll just be stuff. It was like a bomb went off of like glass.

Speaker 1: 1:23:18

No rhyme or reason right.

Speaker 4: 1:23:24

We also ran the dishwasher, the same load, twice the other day. I'm like you even. Look, I've done it. I don't know how many, because there's more people here and whatever, oh yeah I was.

Speaker 3: 1:23:30

Well, we had. We were hosting my daughter's friend for a bit and she's, I mean she'll be back, but she's going to see her dad, so it's one less. And conrad has been staying here. When we conrad moves in every time we record an album, because what ends up happening is he he ends up staying so late working on it that he just falls asleep. How funny he is. So we're like, when we know now we're going to be doing a record, I'm like just you know, yeah, you're gonna, you're gonna stay here yeah so, yeah, it's been a full house, but honestly I like it.

Speaker 3: 1:24:04

I do, I like to have time alone. I'm never alone anymore because I have grandma. Yeah, but I like a full house.

Speaker 1: 1:24:15

That's not a bad thing, though.

Speaker 3: 1:24:18

No, I like to have people around Like you. I mean, you've got kids and grandkids and you know I want to come hang out with true, he's so cute anyway, well, we'll go ahead and wrap up.

Speaker 1: 1:24:29

So you guys, uh, are lovely. Thanks for taking the time out. You know I'm honored to be friends with you both and thanks for taking the time out to chat with me again after two years and to talk about the new stuff from Graham Bonnet the DVD, the new record and all of the good things coming down the pike. And I know there's a lot of listeners globally out there that listening, you know, to my show and that are Graham Bonnet fans, you know all over the planet. So thanks for sharing your time with with myself and the listeners.

Speaker 4: 1:25:03

No sure. Thanks a lot, man. Thank you, Sure.

Speaker 1: 1:25:06

I ask the listeners to like, share and subscribe to the podcast on Facebook at Backstage Pass Radio. Podcast on Instagram at Backstage Pass Radio. On the website at BackstagePassRadiocom. You guys remember to take care of yourselves and each other and we'll see you right back here on the next episode of Backstage Pass Radio.

Speaker 2: 1:25:25

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Backstage Pass Radio. Backstage Pass Radio. We hope you enjoyed this episode and gained some new insights into the world of music. Backstage Pass Radio is heard in over 80 countries and the streams continue to grow each week. If you loved what you heard, don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave reviews on your favorite podcast platform. Thank you.