13 QUESTIONS WITH FIRHOUSE's BILL LEVERTY

This interview almost didn't happen. You see, when we initially contacted the FireHouse guys about doing an interview, guitarist Bill Leverty jumped at the chance (keep in mind, we send out links to ALL of our past interviews with our request letters, hoping that these guys will read a few to see what we're about...no one ever reads 'em...they always just agree first...and then act surprised when thirteen asshole questions show up in their Email).

Anyway, Bill agrees. I send about thirteen questions, and he IMMEDIATELY freaks out, and wonders why I have such a "bug up my ass" for him. I assured him that our questions were by NO means to be taken as personal attacks, but just as the goofy questions that they are. We chatted for a while, he lightened up about it, and Bill agreed to do the interview if I would tone down some of the "goofiness". I re-worded the questions so they weren't so prick-ish (admittedly, I was a real douchebag with the first set of questions), and Bill answered all of them like a real trooper.

SteveC: FireHouse is releasing Prime Time in September, and you’re also in the midst of finishing up your solo disc. Assuming FireHouse is your main priority, what are your solo release/touring plans?

Bill Leverty: I don’t really have any plans to tour on my solo album. I’m just releasing these songs that I’ve written that fit my solo project better than FireHouse. They are more of a southern vibe and I wrote them for myself, not for the current music marketplace. If there is a break from FireHouse, I’d love to go out and play a few gigs with this material. It’s a totally different vibe altogether. I’ll release the album on my website first and then start shopping it to the labels. If anyone wants me to let them know when it’s ready (hopefully in October) they can www.leverty.com

SC: PrimeTime is being released by Pony Canyon Records in Japan. Is there a U.S. deal worked out yet for distribution? How difficult is it for a band like FireHouse (or a guy like you with a solo disc) to get U.S. distribution these days?

BL: Distribution isn’t the problem. There are PLENTY of people who would love to distribute our music. The problem is PROMOTION. Promotion then leads to SALES. You can’t sell any albums if people don’t know it’s out there, and most people need to hear a song a few times before they get up off the couch, and go buy themselves a copy. It’s easy to get your record into the stores. Getting it OUT of the stores is a different thing entirely. Our plan is to press up a few CD’s and sell them to our fans on our website first. While that’s going on, we’ll be shopping for licensing deals all over the world.

SC: Hard Rock/Melodic Rock in the U.S. is sucking wind (to say the very least), so many acts are going overseas to make their money. What are the crowds like overseas? Are they staying fairly loyal to you guys, or are crowds in outside markets diminishing as well?

BL: I think it’s getting better in the USA for us. Last weekend, we played for 2,000 people in St. Louis, MO; 2,500 people in Cedar Rapids, IA; and about 1,000 people in Spirit Lake, IA. Since we used to play for 20,000 people/night back in the day, yes, the crowds are diminishing, but we can still draw a pretty good crowd.

SC: You guys have added Brazilian bassist Dario Seixas to the lineup in the wake of Bruce Waibel's departure (who replaced Perry Richardson). You're not the first hard rock band to look outside the country for a replacement (Dokken recently added Italian guitarist Alex DeRosso to their lineup). Is the state of competent musicians in the U.S. really THAT grim?

BL: Dario is an American citizen, born in Brazil, currently living in Los Angeles. I think that there are a LOT of amazing musicians here in the U.S. and Dario is one of them.

SC: Despite a few lineup changes, Firehouse has remained pretty much intact (you, CJ, and Michael). How do you stay off each other’s nerves after being together for so long?

BL: We get the hell away from each other every chance we get!! Really, the bottom line is that we all respect one another and we’re all headed in the same musical direction for the most part. We’re also fairly flexible when it come to making decisions. Speaking of decisions, we’re a democracy so everyone gets an equal vote and there isn’t a dictatorship. If you get out voted, you have to suck it up and take it like a man. The band makes the decisions, not any one individual.

SC: When was the last time you spoke to (former bassist) Perry Richardson? What did you guys talk about (meaning, were there any hard feelings about/after his departure in 2000)?

BL: The last time I spoke with Perry was in 2000 when we were working out a settlement with him. Last I heard he was in Nashville, pursuing a career in country music. We wish him the very best.

SC: What's the music like on the solo record? Is it an instumental disc, or are you singing? Plug, plug, pluggity plug away...

BL: My solo CD is not an instrumental CD. I’m singing all the vocals, playing guitars, and playing the Hammond B3. Michael Foster’s playing drums, and Bruce Waibel’s playing bass. I wrote these songs from the heart. The album reflects my influences from southern bands like The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, etc., but it also has a bit of the FireHouse sound to it as well, but with my vocal. If you ever heard a song called “I’m In Love This Time” (which I sing), off the last FireHouse album called “O2”, you’ll get an idea of where I’m coming from with this album. It’s melodic hard rock with a southern feel.

SC: Describe the songwriting process in 1990 versus the songwriting process in 2003. Are you guys changing up your approach to writing to accommodate changing musical climates (ie; adding electronic elements, samples, or going softer, more AC)?

BL: This album is a harder edged album for the most part. We wrote in several ways this time. Michael, CJ, and I wrote a few songs together; CJ and I wrote together; and CJ and I both wrote on our own. I’m singing 2 songs this time. Michael’s singing a song for the first time (He sounds AMAZING too!) and CJ’s singing his butt off on the other seven songs. In 1990, CJ and I pretty much wrote the majority of the material. In 2003, we are still the primary writers, but Michael’s really taken a huge leap forward as a songwriter.

SC: Given the state of the music business in 2003 (record company consolidation, internet piracy, rock acts being ignored by MTV and radio), if you were faced with having to start from scratch with a new band, would you do it?

BL: Absolutely, without hesitation, yes. I love music and I love writing it, recording it, and playing it live. Besides, what else am I going to do? I don’t want to have to go back to cleaning dumpsters for a living.

SC: If there was one celebrity/rock star (past or present) that you could smack in the face with a Louisville Slugger without any reprocussions/lawsuits/consequences, who would it be and why?

BL: Well, first of all, I play ice hockey, not baseball; but to be honest, there isn’t anyone out there that I hate so much that I’d want to hit them with a baseball bat or hockey stick. I love boxing, so maybe it would be cool to spar some guys out there in the entertainment business even if I got my ass beat. Ice hockey is my other passion. I play 2-3 nights/week. I’d love to play ice hockey with Wayne Gretzky. I have a friend who plays in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning named Brad Lukowich who’s into hard rock. I’d love to play some hockey with him although he knocks the crap out of his opponents . He also manages a rock band out of Dallas that’s really good called Highpoint. Check ‘em out.

SC: The first image people see when clicking on your website, Leverty.com, is a big photo of you, in fireman's pants, shirtless, in front of an antique fire engine, with your guitar (which we’re assuming was probably taken sometime in the early 1990s)…Why, if I may be so bold, did you choose THAT picture as the first thing someone sees when entering your site?

Nice pants, deek.


BL: I've always had a huge respect for firefighters. They risk their lives for us every time they go to work. I’ve found that there are so many firefighters who love rock and roll, so this is a small way of showing my appreciation. In the wake of the 911 tragedy, I thought that this photo was worth putting on the front page, not because of the way I look, but because of the significance. The photo was taken in my hometown, Richmond, VA, at the oldest fire station in North America. I think it’s a very cool photo. I change that front page photo fairly often and I’ll be changing it soon because we have just taken some photos for our new album. Look for it in the photos section of my website.

SC: FireHouse has done some of the package tours with old school 'hair metal' acts in the past few years. Which of those tours was the MOST enjoyable, and which was the LEAST enjoyable? And Why?

BL: The Tesla tour was one of the most enjoyable because they are so secure with their show that they never once tried to limit our PA. They gave us ample lighting. They also didn’t put any unreasonable restrictions on our day to day routine. They gave us each of bottle of expensive champagne on the first night of the tour. They gave us a $10,000 bonus when we played in the Carolinas and Virginia since they felt that we really helped with ticket sales there. They are such a class act. Poison was another very enjoyable tour. They were more than fair to us and invited us to every party they threw. They never squashed us either and gave us plenty of lights. I still talk to Bobby and Rikki every now and then. That tour had Damn Yankees as the special guest and Lynyrd Skynyrd on a few dates as well. I met so many of my heros on that tour. We toured with Warrant and Trixter back in 1991 and it was a fantastic tour. We all became very good friends and had a blast selling out sheds all over the country. All the bands would go out and party together just about every night. We still play gigs with Warrant all the time and have a great time doing it. We had a great experience touring with Stauts Quo in Europe. Those guys took great care of us. They were able to take their own gormet’ chefs out on the road with them and we ate with the band, drank their wine, etc. We played their song “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” at Wembley on the last night of the tour in their honor. We really haven’t had too many bad tours. I’d say we’ve been very lucky.

SC: Hypothetical situation: You wander onto an airfield drunk and stumble into the spinning propeller of a nearby Cessna. You catch yourself just in the nick of time, so that you don’t die…but your arms are torn off, thereby ending your guitar-playing days. How is Bill Leverty going to pay the bills to support himself and his family?

BL: Bummer…….. I’d probably try to produce more bands. As long as I have my hearing I think I could help capture a band’s sound and help them make a recording that they would be proud of for many years.

SC: Hypothetical situation #2: Firehouse is playing a small New England club in front of roughly 300 people. Prior to the show, one of the promoters/club owners suggests lighting off a ten foot-tall sparkler before you hit the tiny stage. What's your response?

BL: I can’t respond to that. We lost too many friends in the Long Island fire (RHODE Island...RHODE Island, Bill... unless there's another big rock-band-related fire we haven't heard about...did you want to confess something?). My heart goes out to those who were directly and indirectly affected by that tragedy

OK, well that was pretty civilized, now wasn't it? (Although he did some nice bob-and-weave action through some of the more abrasive stuff. Also, Bill isn't aware that RHODE ISLAND, a state, is different than LONG ISLAND, which is part of NEW YORK, are two different places...but other than that, it went fine) Remember, Prime Time is being released in September in Japan, and you can read up all about FIREHOUSE at FIREHOUSE.com

Dont' forget to check out Bill Leverty's official site at Leverty.com