May 17, 2005

Interview with Stuart Smith & Kelly Hansen

It was with much excitement and anticipation that I had the opportunity to talk to both Stuart Smith and Kelly Hansen about Black Star Records and the band Heaven & Earth! I had been reading so many great things about Black Star and the album had been getting lots of airplay in my office so I was thrilled to talk to these two key players.

It was an extremely informative interview in that I heard 1st hand from two respected musicians what their goal was for creating Black Star Records but foremost and most importantly what we the listening public can do to help change what is being played on the radio.

I hope you enjoy this interview and take Stuart's and Kelly's words to heart. If you aren't hearing the music you want on the radio, it is up to you to try and change that.

Make your voice count and call your local radio stations & Let's make the music ours again!


Kathy: Hello Stuart!

Stuart: Hello! I have Kelly Hansen on the line with me as well!

Kathy: OK … Great and Welcome! I know you both are extremely busy so I have my list of questions ready so how about we jump right in. I have been quite excited for this interview because I have really been loving what I’ve been hearing from Heaven and Earth and am also very excited about the approach of Black Star Records to revive the music and give it new life!! So for starters I would like a quick introduction from both of you; Kelly if you could please introduce Heaven and Earth, and Stuart give us the quick and dirty on Black Star Records…

Kelly: Sure, I’m Kelly Hansen, currently singing with Heaven and Earth. Stuart Smith is the guitarist, Richie Onori on drums, Joe Petro on bass and Stu Simone on keyboards.

Kathy: I also know that Joe Lynn Turner and Glenn Hughes along with others contributed to this album … How did this work?

Stuart: What happened was this was the first Heaven and Earth album. Richie and I were playing with Kee Deneson, called the “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability” and we got on a deal with Samsung originally but didn’t have a singer so Kelly was busy with something else, so basically we called up who we knew, like Kelly, Ritchie Sambora, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn and they came down and sang on the album. Then we turned it into a whole band situation and then we did another album which I don’t think you’ve heard yet called “Witness To The World” which has Kelly Keeling singing on the entire album. Then we brought up this album and started to play on it with Kelly Hansen here. Kelly now infact hooked up with that gig from Foreigner…

Kathy: Yes, I know and that’s very exciting for Kelly. I definitely would like to ask a question or about that later.

Stuart: Well, by the time of the third album we weren’t happy with the amount of money the record label was making compared to the amount we were making. There were a lot of discrepancies in the whole thing and so we decided that we were going to open up our own label. We’ve spent about a year putting this together and Kelly came on board and joined us and we’ve got an investor behind us. It was originally a two-year plan to release this Heaven and Earth album and the next one and sign Howard Leese. We did all that of course with all of the press we got with this. We are very serious about bringing back “New Classic Rock” into the fore-front! We are treating all our releases like a major label would for a successful rap artist. We’re doing full page color advertising, full time publicist, radio promoter, listening stations at Tower and Borders and the independent stores and really just pushing it very far. We are now expanding and signing classic rock acts and some new younger ones.

Kelly: We realized that there’s a lot of people out there that love the classic rock style of music but there is no new music in that classic rock vein - As in a new song out by an established artist in the vein that made them famous. We said, we would love to hear new music in this genre – There is nothing out there and this is the kind of audience that is the biggest audience out there. Not only do they listen to rock but, they are over a certain age and we said – Not only do we feel this way ‘cause we’re in the same genre and age group but we know all these people in the industry because we’ve been doing this for 20 + years. Let’s talk to people and get them together and present this concept – And we’ve got a real great response by that.

Kathy: Excellent! I found out not that long ago about melodicrock or as it is sometimes called AOR and some of the artists are just not getting the respect they deserve. They put an album out and it goes no where. I think in large part that is the fault and the blame lies with the radio stations and some of course to poor promotion …

Kelly: There is a lot of that and I do believe that the melodic rock / AOR vibe is bigger outside of the US. So sometimes these artists get signed to labels out of the US so they never really get any play over here. We just thought that doesn’t make any sense, and the difference between us the melodic rock labels is that we are precisely looking to put out classic rock records in the style of music that made the original artist famous in a classic rock theme. Not a 90’s or 2000 version of that band but the great classic rock stuff that you know and love.

Kathy: Great! While I was reading some of the press material I received from you guys I could hardly believe what I was reading! I started my website a little over a year ago with a simple goal to help bring back the glory to the music myself and so many others love … So when I saw the words and the goals of Black Star I immediately recognized the similarities! What is your main motivation behind this grand undertaking?

Stuart: Well, there are a number of them. It was started originally, so we could financially survive while we played the music we love. A record label would certainly do that, but also everyone I think is sick and tired of the music that is out there at the moment and the classic rock stations playing the same old 200 songs over and over again! There is a lot of good new stuff out there by a lot of artists and we want to change that format! Bring it back … Make it fresh and interesting again. It’s just become very stale and stagnate – They are killing off the classic rock genre.

Kelly: There is one other thing too … We wanted to provide a place where really talented musicians can go to a label that’s run by musicians as we have been on both sides of it. We understand what it’s like to be musicians and the problems and the confrontations that arise in being involved with a label and trying to get your record and your career promoted. We wanted to let them know that we know where they are coming from and we understand that. So we are trying to offer them a little better deal than they would get at a major label and not concern ourselves with trying to make back the cash on the advance that we give them, but we are also interested in making their career better as well. With all the people we know and the kind of community we are creating here it makes for a really good situation of camaraderie and collaboration with other artists that you may have never heard combinations of before.

Kathy: That’s always exciting! This is for you Kelly specifically, with your skills and notoriety as a vocalist

Stuart: - Not so sure I would go as far to say skills …

Kathy: (laughing) Kelly, you could quite honestly pick and choose what projects you would want to lend a hand to and you have chosen Black Star as something that is important enough to tie your name too. So, what is it about this label that makes it so important?

Kelly: Well first of all I’ve known Richie and Stuart for years. We all come from the same city and we all know lots of the same people and there was an opportunity here to get involved on the ground floor of what I think is really starting to be on the upswing … You can see in every area of marketing and advertising how the companies and advertisers understand the value of classic rock music. If you take a look at Cadillac or Chrysler or iPod with Mac they understand the value of trying to reach out to people who love this kind of music. I thought, this is a great way for us to do our part to combat the apathy on the side of those powers, but also what I see as the real problem of controlling and what’s going on in what we get to experience from artists and I’m not talking just music, but literature and movies and everywhere. We have to do our part and ask the people who are with us and listen and who are part of our constituencies to stand up and say “We do have an opinion! We do know what we want! We do know what we like and we don’t want to be force-fed what you tell us. We ant to have the ability to make our own choices.” I think in doing so it’s only going to increase the specter of quality art that’s out there, I think it helps people grow and become well rounded people and it helps them understand that this country is about freedom and it is about making your own choices and it is about going after what you want – Not sitting back and becoming complacent in a world that can very easily dictate to you what you should and shouldn’t like.

Kathy: Excellent, thank you! And, Kelly, specifically about Foreigner, I know that you have recently signed on as the lead singer. Would you give us some insight as to how that came about and what your hopes are for this development. Do you see this as an act that may be brought under the umbrella of Black Star?

Kelly: OK … Well how this happened was – Its been kind of a year long thing … I heard probably around 8 months or a year ago that Mic was going to be looking to put out maybe a solo project, or put together a solo group and so I originally submitted some stuff and through whatever red tape or confusion I think the time wasn’t right for me to be involved in that. Then several months later I then heard that Mick was going to be reforming or revamping Foreigner and they were looking for a vocalist. I had already had my previous connection with the management company and spoke with them again and they contacted me. Actually one cool thing is they sent me Foreigner tracks and asked me to sing on them …Like original Foreigner tracks and asked me to sing on them! They wanted me to put my voice on there and see how I sound with the band. So I did that and they were all coming to town for rehearsals and asked me to come down and sing with them and I did. I think everyone could see that it was a really good match and I was very excited about it because Foreigner music means as much and is as important to me as it is to all of the Foreigner fans who listen to this music. I grew up hearing this stuff and I take the music that they do very seriously and really want to make sure that it’s performed well and is really representative of what Foreigner is all about for all of us. So that was really great! We have shows scheduled all through the summer and haven’t quite decided what’s going on after that, but I do know there are a lot of things in the works and that we’re trying to talk about some new material. I can’t go into what the plans are in the future but, there is a concerted belief that we are moving forward with this project and not just resting on past successes. So, I feel really good about that … Everybody in the band is great … Everybody with management is super great. As far as its connection with Black Star, nothing is out of the realm of possibility. I think we all have to see how things work out in the wash in the next year. Honestly we have a lot of roadway to build here with Foreigner. We have an uphill struggle and that’s why we need every one’s help in supporting what we are doing; so that we can make head way, get ahead and become a better presence and can actually get to the point were we can take on acts of the stature of Foreigner.

Kathy: OK, thank you very much! Lets talk some about Heaven and Earth, the album, the line up and the future. What is happening with that right now? I know the new album is fresh out and the promotion of it has been going extremely well; I see it on tons of website, the newsletters you send out and I think that’s great … But what can both of you tell us from an insiders point of view about the current situation with the band?

Stuart: Well, ou first show was the Canyon Club we did incredibly well they offered us back, and in the meantime we got from there on Bob Coburn’s rock-night. Bob really liked the band and got involved so we’re actually starting Bob Coburn’s Rock Night at the Canyon Club. This will be a regular thing but this will be this first one, which is with Mountain, co-headlining with them. We’ve got a couple of shows this weekend and we are going to be getting out and playing a lot. I really enjoy playing live and of course Kelly is sticking in with us on the next few shows where we are looking at other singers right now.

Kathy: I was going to ask, with Kelly involved with Foreigner are you actively searching for a replacement? Will he still find time?

Stuart: If I can’t find one I’ll have to pick up Mick Jones with a rifle and he’ll have to come back and sing with us. (laughs) We are in the process of looking now and we are hoping to find someone with a bluesy, soulful style voice. We’ll see what happens.

Kelly: It is kinda a tall order because we were having a rehearsal last night and I was talking to the guys and I said what we have here is an album with a bunch of different and great singers on it and we have to get a singer in Heaven and Earth who can cover all those bases, which is a challenging task but I know that we’ll find somebody, and we already have some prospects in mind. So, it’s going to be good!

Kathy: Well, keep me informed of the developments! The line up and track listings on the latest album are outstanding! The first few moments are incredible and perk the listener right up for a truly enjoyable experience through the whole album! Can you tell us what sort of planning goes into each track and how you each feel about the final product?

Stuart: Obviously, we are very proud of the final album. I was classically trained originally so I have this classical influence. I was then turned on to Rock and Roll by Deep Purple. Then I saw Deep Purple live and met Ritchie Blackmore and we became best friends and he taught me. I also have a great love of the blues, and really anything that is really well played. Which is why medieval tracks are on there, classical tracks, blues tracks, rock tracks … I love doing albums like that because it makes them interesting. I remember the days when I used to buy albums by Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and others … In the old days, there would be different styles of music on albums which showed the diversity of the musicians. It wasn’t just a straight rock album from the beginning to the end, there was the highs and lows and different colors in there, I feel it made it really interesting!

Kathy: I love the instrumentals on the album!

Stuart: Well, of course you do! (laughs)

Kelly: As, another part of that too, it took a while to get the record done. Stuart had so many different talented people on here that he had to wait for peoples schedules to open up, wait for a time to come and record, or wait for when someone was in town, so to Stuart’s credit he got it done! A lot of other people would have either given up or ran out of energy … He kept the ball rolling! He kept getting people in, kept getting songs written and came up with a really good final product!

Kathy: There is no doubt about that ... It is great! Thank you! Another BSR artist is Howard Leese, the very talented long time guitarist for Heart among other things. Do either of you have a bit to tell us about what to expect from him on a solo project and will his production skills be put to use in the Wine Cellar Studio?

Stuart: Well, it will probably be very similar to what we have with this album because Howard has been with Heart for years, and for the 7 years he’s been the lead guitarist for Paul Rodgers, and bandleader for him. Now, Paul is on tour with Queen for the moment so he’s sort of gotten this year off and Howard of course knows a tremendous amount of people … Like Anne Wilson, Paul Rodgers, Sammy Hagar and all. So he is going to have a lot of different people on the album, and again it will be pretty exciting. We are working with him and writing songs in the style of the artists and there is one we are thinking is great for Paul Rodgers. So we wrote that in his style and the key that is in that Bad Company style. That will be happening over this summer.

Kathy: I think that you have formed a perfect avenue for new artists and for the classic rockers to take what I believe is their strengths and re-invent themselves or keep there sound fresh. I see a very promising label that brings the power to the artists and the fans in Black Star. What qualities are you looking for in an artist to go along with what you are calling the “New Classic Rock Sound?”

Kelly: The first thing is that we are talking to our friends. Our friends that have established themselves in the industry and have been in bands that have sold millions of records and have been in groups that have created sounds for themselves. That’s the first part of what we are looking at because it helps all of us. They are friends … People we know and they have an established history and that helps us when we are trying to get this concept of New Classic Rock Music out there. The other side of the coin is we’re looking at new artists who are themselves doing music in the classic rock vein. There are some great bands out there that are doing that because there are a lot of young groups out there that are going back and being influenced by Zeppelin or The Stones or The Who or whoever it is. They are incorporating that into their new stuff. That’s also part of what we want to do.

Stuart: As well, we want to be amazed! There has been very little out there in my opinion in the last ten years that’s really worth while musically and I remember the days when I heard the new album by Zeppelin or Deep Purple or somebody and to be amazed by the musicianship as well as the songs. We are looking for people who have great musicianship … I am not talking about someone who tears up and down a million miles and hour or up and down the guitar neck. But someone who just amazes and plays for the song and singers that can convey some emotion as well as feeling. Just like an over all package, well written and well played songs.

Kelly: It’s a good thing and also maybe an unfortunate thing that people have a lot more ways to make records now. You can buy a little unit at home and make a record, but that doesn’t mean you’re making a good record. The song writing has to be really good too, and too often people make a record because they now have the ability to make a record. It used to be a very exclusive thing, you had to have a major record label so that you could afford a really expensive recording studio and there were people depending on you and checking on you to make sure it was a really good record. Now that’s really not the case. So unfortunately there is a glutton of stuff out there that’s just music … We need people who feel that they have an artistic side or something to say to be able to really focus on finding their voice, speak from their heart and do something original. Don’t just whack out a record that sounds like 17 other bands because they can and go; “Well I think I’m good looking and my girlfriend likes my music and I think I can sell a million records.” You really have to concentrate on getting better before you concentrate on getting over.

Kathy: Would you be taking an artist and helping them with their craft? Is that something you’re interested in, if you saw that special something in them?

Stuart: If the initial spark is there, yes. We would certainly get involved in helping them.

Kelly: In that sense we are kinda like a regular label because we are going to have our wants and desires for an artist. If they have 30 songs and we think 10 of them are great, not only are we a label but we are also musicians and producers and we’ve been in the business for a long time and we want to provide our input on that. Because, sometimes, especially with a young, fresh band they need that input, they need someone to guide them. The role of a producer has been very much down graded in today’s current record making scene and there is a lot of people out there calling themselves producers, but really they are just recordists who get the band on tape and don’t say, well wait a minute this chorus needs to be better, or maybe you should take out that beat section, or do something different with the guitar lick.” A good artist, a burgeoning artist needs someone to guide them and see what in that artist is the special thing and be able to help bring that out. Because when you are in a band playing everyday rehearsing you sometimes loose sight of that because you are too close to the project. That’s where having the influence of us here can provide focus for them, bring the best out them.

Kathy: “The New Classic Rock” is something that you promise and seek. Could you tell us what that means to each of you and what you see this new breed of music bringing back to the lives of the fans?

Kelly: Well, for me it’s really simple. It’s great songs that are well crafted with really thoughtful and great, spirited, magical renditions and performances of that material. Me being a singer, I think you really need to have a voice on there that really does something special – It doesn’t have to be a great voice, doesn’t have to be a technical voice, it has to be a voice that communicates. That could be someone who has a 7 note range it doesn’t matter – If you can really communicate the idea. It really comes back down to great song writing, great performance, people paying attention to what their craft is, that’s what it is for me.

Kathy: OK and Stuart, your thoughts…

Stuart: Yes, basically I go with Kelly’s sentiments on that,

Kelly: You want to add the great guitar playing thing?

Stuart: Yes, I want to hear some well played guitar in there … Interesting guitar, not just fast because that’s easy to do.

Kathy: This has been a lot of fun and I love what you guys are doing and would really like to make sure not to miss out on anything. So I would like to open up the floor for you both to let us know what you really want know about Black Star Records and Heaven and Earth…

Kelly: I think that we have pretty much covered it but I do want people to know that they should not be quiet about what they want to hear, what they want to see and what they want to come into their lives and their houses and cars as far as music goes! Don’t let anyone dictate to you what is good or bad or right or wrong. Go out and demand better music or music that suits you. I am really adamant about the fact that in too many places we are seeing that the people who are listening to the music are not the ones who decide what gets played. I think that is absolutely wrong! I love it when there is a radio station where people can write in or call in and say I want to hear this song from this band and if 20 other people call in and ask for the same song the station will play it. That means the station is there listening to those people and in turn the station will get people to the programs, and the adds so it helps everyone!

Stuart: Yes what we have been telling everybody is it is the responsibly of those reading your article, and listening to the interviews we do – If there is something you like … Make an effort to do something about it. If you hear an album by somebody that you like call the radio stations, email them, because like Kelly said, if they get enough response about one song they will start playing it and that’s what’s going to make the difference. Also, for the fans go out and buy the albums of course!

Kathy: Well thank you both very much and please keep in touch and let us know of the new developments!

Stuart: Thank you!

Kelly: Thanks so much!

Posted by Kathy at May 17, 2005 09:12 PM