Hello Tony, it’s an honour! As you might know, we have named Shy’s new CD “Album Of February” on our site. What is the feedback for your new spiritual child from the press so far???

T: Hi There! Very similar to that of “Unfinished Business”. A lot of great reviews from people across the globe. It has been received well from New York to Russia and from London to Tokyo. And things are definitely looking up; we’re now talking to Greece!!

I personally consider this new album a bit different than “Unfinished Business” in the sense that it sounds to my ears more melancholic and bluesy. Am I wrong??

T: I honestly don’t think it is more melancholic; there are effectively two ballads on the album, but they aren’t overly sad. I am sure and with regards to it being more “bluesy” then perhaps you are referring to what has been played by Steve Harris; I am not conscious of any blues element being forced over in the patterns of the songs.

How does normally the writing-process of one of your records evolve?? Did you follow the same recipe here?

T: Pretty much, it has never really changed. Steve primarily writes music and I primarily write lyrics, so we hook up and I write lyrics to his music. Seems to work fine for us.

Why did you title the album “Sunset And Vine”? What’s the deeper meaning of the title?

T: Hey, there was no deeper meaning! Sunset boulevard and Vine cross each other in downtown LA and that was our playground when we were younger. If anything, it has a nostalgic ring to it for us.

The sound of your new album is lyrical and “deep”. How about the lyrics? Can you tell me a few words about each one of the songs?

T: “High Time”: This was a song born from missing the coach from Baltimore to West Virginia. Two girls picked me up in a convertible and took me to the gig. Through some of the less attractive sites of America.

“Open Your Heart”: A simple song about a guy who’s woman has interests in something other than him…

“Soul Searching”: This could be a song about me, I was never really sure about that. My parents were always saying that I was forever Soul-searching…

“Where Is The Love”: A true story if you will, of the break up of my family when I was younger, to the apparent strangers that we are to each other today.

“You Could Be Dreaming”: A song for somnambulists... !!!!

“Don’t Jump The Gun”: What can I say ? Don’t give up your life for your love?

“First Love”: There is a theory that as we grow older in life, we are forever trying to retain our youth and indeed to be able to capture the first love that we had, this is really about those things.

“I’ll Be Home Tonight”: This is a song about a man who spends his life working when what he really wants is to be at home with his family.

“Walk Through Fire”: Steve Harris wrote this one, so I have to decline to comment.

“Slowly”: A song about people who meet over the internet... which can be very problematical!!

Is the artwork related with the title of the album and the lyrics?

T: The artwork was shot by a friend of ours in LA who pieced together all the images of the area around the junction of “Sunset And Vine”.

Do you believe that “Sunset And Vine” is the best album that you have released to date? 

T: Probably not. The public’s favourite album was always “Excess All Areas” from way back in 1987. I think my favourite was “Unfinished Business”. The guitar work made it for me, really and some of the songs were even stronger than “Excess All Areas”.

Do you feel that you have pushed, this time, your music to the edge?

T: No, but I do think we have found our niche, if you like.

People usually put you under the “melodic rock/AOR” tab, which might be misleading in the sense that Shy do not sound like a Journey clone, rather have an original identity based (according to my opinion) on the trademark guitars and your vocal lines. How would you describe your sound??

T: I don’t think AOR is a derogatory term; it has always meant Adult or Album orientated Rock and it has become a term that we have been categorized in for many years. We, like everyone else, have our influences, all be they many and varied. These things will always have a bearing on what you write and play, it is inevitable. For the people who say we sound like Journey, then I only ever take that as a compliment. But you are right, Shy have their own identity and it is ever evolving.

By the way I feel that your 00’s sound has changed a bit in comparison to the 80’s one, which has been more... fussy. Do you agree and if yes, what led to that alteration?

T: I think the songs have taken on more of a guitar based feel since the demise of Paddy McKenna. Even though Joe Basketts now plays keys for Shy, they are less overstated and acoustic guitars have taken their space in many ways. I think we still pay a lot of attention to detail, but that may have had something to do with an expensive producers approach.

In general Shy have been inactive for most of the 90’s. I guess that that happened because of the grunge attack. How difficult was it for you to revamp yourselves after so much time and be back with two impressive studio albums?

T: As you may be aware, I was not really a member of Shy in the 90’s. I left around 1990/91 to pursue my own career and formed Siam. The grunge attack happened throughout the 90’s and indeed Siam were a much heavier outfit than Shy. I think for Shy’s part they definitely got into the habit of detuning their guitars and things to beef up the sound somewhat, but you cant make AOR sound like metal, no matter how hard you try, and in the end, Shy were more successful being themselves rather than anyone else, so that’s all we ever had to do. In retrospect, we never really did revamp the band, it essentially stayed as it was originally.

Since you are one of the founding members of the band can you tell me why did you call the band Shy?

T: There was much speculation about this, but as you can appreciate, Shy were formed 22 years ago, so much of the speculation is lost. Originally, I think the initials stood for Seven Hard Years, and I wondered whether that was how long the musicians had been struggling to get somewhere! Secondly, there was a joke in the camp that it stood for Steve Harris’ Yobs… But in the end, it was a short and sweet name that was memorable and lent itself commercially to ideas and formats quite easily really.

Do you prefer to get good scores from the press or to please your fans with every new album?

T: It’s paradoxical anyway. If we don’t get a good response from the press, the public tend to lack the conviction to buy a product. And if the people weren’t interested in the band, then the press wouldn’t want to talk to us either!

What are the expectations from this album? And by the way, how did “Unfinished Business” go sales-wise? And where is your largest fan base?

T: Well, the larger fan bases are Japan, and Germany. The sales of “Unfinished Business” is something we’ll never know, because Z Records never accounted to us, even when we were signed to them. The expectations of this album are to retain the profile of the band whilst we ready for playing live and to carry us into next year whilst writing more product. I think it’s as strong as “Unfinished Business” and gives the right impression of the band.

So, what are the future plans of the band? Are you planning to go on tour??

T: Yes. Spanish gigs were recently cancelled due to promoter problems, but it seems the plan to tour Sweden, Germany and Spain consecutively. There will also be UK dates.

Can you tell us a few words about your new solo album, which is going to be released soon?

T: “Freeway To The Afterlife”, which is my second solo album, has just been pressed and is available through: www.heavyrockrecords.co.uk. It is essentially a soul album, with blues and gospel elements. I needed a change, so I decided to do something a little different.

Why did you decide to go on a soul (with some gospel elements) music direction and not a rock one?

T: It was a mindful decision to try and do something different from the all guitars approach. With an interesting in the Bowiesque New York late 70’s feel and to recreate that vibe again. I have always been a fan of that era along with the 70’s Iggy and the Stooges feel, but I wanted to experiment with soul and sax, and the project just grew in it’s development.

What do you had in mind when you were recording this album? Have you decided from the very start not to play rock music?

T: Yes, it was a purposeful soul/gospel approach. A way in which I felt I could bring to the surface some of my feelings about God, the universe and everything. This feel naturally transported the ideas as the songs were written. The grooves themselves help develop the songs.

Do you express yourself better by playing this kind of music?

T: Only fro these ideas. I’m already considering a third Siam album again, the different vibe of that band, being much heavier, will include very contrasting ideas again.

Usually singers that are releasing solo albums are playing the same things that are playing with their band… they are afraid to experiment although I believe that a solo album must be in such way. What do you believe about that issue?

T: I do not think that this situation is the same for everyone. All musicians have very different ideas of what they should and shouldn’t do. The truth is, that there is no hard and fast rule, and you have to follow your own instincts. I just follow my heart, and I started off with some ideas, but never knew where it would end up. It was a soulsearching time. Experiment with music is the most exciting time in a musician’s carrier, it is a building process, a learning curve, and you will find a lot about yourself during this time.

Are you afraid that maybe some Shy fans will be disappointed by the music style of your personal album? What would to tell to those that will ask you, why you played that kind of music and maybe (I hope not) are not totally satisfied with it?

T: I know that some people will detest it and think I’ve gone mad but this is why… one’s writing styles and constructive though processes can’t be channeled down one route only. It would be a very boring life. I wasn’t meant to be constrained to one music style and I never intended to be. I make the most of many different opportunities that come my way. Some of them I enjoy more than others, but the key to being able to work in many different genres of music without being labeled for singing in one style, is to have a receptive and diverse approach to the art.

What are your expectations by releasing this solo album? You made it just to express yourself in a different way or if it will be a successful one, are you thinking to go on releasing stuff like that in the future?

T: I don’t plan to release a similar album, I just wanted to get a lot of thoughts into songs and clear my head to move on. It really is a self-expression and a very personal one. People have said “Why , if it is so personal to you, do you release it for other people to hear”? That is a good question, there were too many good performances on the album, and some great hooks grew in the making, I think when it gets to that point, it isn’t fair to lock it away for no-one to hear. Over the years I have encountered many bedroom muzo’s who have crated great things, but sadly the world will never hear them. Is it sad, or is it selfish? I think it’s a damn shame. Mind you, for a lot of people it’s not through the want of trying to get a deal, that’s the hardest part, once you have created something. Convincing other people of the spark you felt when you first wrote it.

Ok Tony... so now let me take you back some years and ask you what happened with drummer Alan Kelly and you do not have a good relationship anymore. Why is he so unfriendly with Shy and saying that the real Shy is the band that he used to be part of? I know that this is a hard question but since most of the fans are wondering what had happened for years and many rumors have been spread around, is better to have a statement from you who are one of the founding members of Shy.

T: It’s simple really. We never got on famously, and when I left the band in 1990, I know he was a very happy man. And so was I. When I was asked to rejoin and work with the band in 1999, I didn’t want to work in the atmospheres that had existed before, so I set a precedent that I wouldn’t work with the same drummer. The band was happy to go ahead on that basis, so that’s what we did. We got another drummer. He seems very bitter about this, but we have just carried on with our work in a much more productive and less argumentative environment. I am aware of things that have been said, and so is my solicitor. We’ll leave it at that.

It seems that melodic hard rock is on the raise again. Do you feel that you can take back what you deserved but didn’t achieve in the early 90’s?

T: That really depends on the master plan by MTM. If live work and marketing schemes correlate properly, then I don’t see why not. The band has a strong fan base and a lengthy history behind them and a large catalogue of material for people to listen to. It was always a strong band live and can be again. I write well with Steve Harris and we get on real well together, there’s definitely future here.

And some weird questions now!!! Which kind of rock music do you prefer the most?

T: Progressive Rock I think. I do enjoy a lot of Floydian material and such like.

If Shy’s carrier was a movie, which movie would it be?

T: The Flight Of The Phoenix... Climb To Stardom... Crash And Burn... Resurrection!!!

Which are the top 5 melodic rock albums of all time according to you and why?

T: Mr. Mister – “Welcome To The Real World”. Great songs and production.

Journey – “Escape”. Pioneering stuff, great inspiration.

Toto “Toto IV”. Breaking musical boundaries in the early 80’s.

Giant – Anything they’ve done is great for me!!!!!

Foreigner – “Agent Provocateur”. Again, a truly great album by a crackin’ band.

Do you prefer the 80’s era of metal music or not?

T: Not really, I love all era’s.

What would you tell to someone to convince him to buy your album instead of hundreds others that are being released every month?

T: You’ll never do it, they’re either gonna buy it ‘cause the band is already on his shopping list, or he ain’t, ‘cause he ain’t interested. I’ve never been a good salesman. But I could sing to him. That might make him change his mind.

You’re standing between God and Devil. The situation is weird and you must say something in order to save humanity. What would you say?

T: Now look you guys, there’s good and bad in everything, but there’s nothing without freedom. So, while we got our freedom, lets all sit down and crack a beer. What d’ya say?

If you were obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that which would represent the whole human music. which album would it be and from which band?

T: Jeff Waynes “War Of The Worlds”… That would give them something to think about!!

Do you believe that internet has helped the bands to become more popular or has caused many problems?

T: Well it’s never really caused me any problems, in fact I’d have trouble working without it nowadays.

Which band do you consider that can take a leading part in rock music in the future?

T: Impossible to answer really, all I can say is what I have experienced myself. I’m currently working with Winterstrain from Norway, who could go along way if they were handled correctly, and I’ve just finished an album for an Argentinean band called Hardway. Both great bands, will the business bury them, or will they blossom? I wonder?

Which are the things that piss you off from today’s music industry?

T: Talentless people winning banal talent competitions and getting record deals when they don’t even write any songs.

Which is the most overrated band today?

T: The Darkness. Bloody embarrassing.

Do you consider yourself a rock star?

T: Well, I record, write, perform, do many press interviews with press guys like yourself. But I also spend a lot of time in supermarkets, looking after my daughters, washing my car and cooking the dinner. What do you think? (Interviewer’s note: Well maybe not! J)

Imagine that your wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy for herself an expensive ring. How would you react?

T: What? Not Again!!!!???? (Interviewer’s note: Hahahaha… that was good! J)

That’s all for now Tony. Is there anything you would like to be asked, but I didn’t ask you??

T: What about, “How are ya, mate?”!!! (Interviewer’s note: !!!!!!! J)

Thanks for the music, please leave a note to Grande Rock readers. Take care!

T: To all Grande Rock readers… thanks for your support! I am a fan of many sorts of music, and I am honoured to have people feel the same way about the music that I have been involved in over the years. Keep Rock alive, that’s what I say.

by Thanos & Alex