Sweet Sweet Music Blog

‘Don’t Follow Where They Lead’ is Ed Ryan’s 4th solo record since ‘Roadmap’ from 2016. Ed has an unmistakable sound of his own but puts the accents slightly differently on each record. This time you will also hear short instrumental songs and heavy rockers. Again, they are just accents, and the high quality of the songs, to which we have become so accustomed, is assured throughout. Ed still sings like Sting’s brother; his guitar solos are sharp and hard, his melodies are pure and straightforward, and his lyrics dig a little deeper.

I’m not kidding; I’m an Ed Ryan fan.

How did this record come together?

It took a while for Even Time to get released, so while I was waiting I accumulated a lot of new material. I started working on two albums simultaneously, one of rootsier, more jangly songs and one of harder pop/rock tunes. I decided to follow the rootsier direction and completed the album, but I just didn’t feel excited by it.

In the midst of this, I wrote and recorded what is now the title track of the new album “Don’t Follow Where They Lead”. It didn’t fit with my finished album, but it excited me. I decided to hold onto about half of the finished album and then just write without an agenda…and found myself with an album I’m happy about!

What was the moment you knew you were on to something?

It started with writing that title track but it was really when I started sequencing the songs. Everything tied together musically and thematically. The songs have contrast and variety but they feel like they’re part of a whole, not just a collection of disparate tunes. This truly feels like an album.

How great is the urge to stay creative? To keep writing songs and lyrics?

The urge to stay creative is like breathing for me, it’s a lifelong obsession. Music runs through my head constantly, if I didn’t love it so much it would drive me crazy! I always want to learn more and continue to improve, you can never learn enough. That’s why after years of being a working musician I went back to school to get my Masters in music composition.

I’ve written a lot of Instrumental music, a few small pieces of which appear on the new album. I generally have to toil over the lyrics because I’m very self-critical, but the music comes naturally.

What’s the gig you will always remember and why?

There are so many but I’ll have to go with the night my band The Rudies opened for Iggy Pop at Irving Plaza in NYC. This was ’80-’81 and Iggy was touring the Soldier album. We were a last-minute unannounced addition to the bill. We came out to a crowd expecting Iggy and instead got some local CBGB power pop band lol! They hated us, booed, and spat at us.

Luckily, we were a very loud, aggressive band, closer to Cheap Trick than the skinny tie brigade. We dug in, gave as good as we got, and by the third song they were ours! So I guess the why would be the old triumph over adversity adage. I was a huge Iggy fan and we got to hang with him in our dressing room later. All in all a very memorable gig.

When was the last time you thought “I just wrote a hit”?

I don’t know that I’ve ever thought that, but I always recognize when I’ve written something special, a cut above my average. Actually, I’m working on a new tune I started two weeks ago and it’s sounding really good to my ears … so I’ll go with that!

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Sweet Sweet Music spoke with Andy Cahan, The Most Famous Musician You’ve Never Heard Of.

Was there a specific reason to write the book or was the time right now?

I had noticed that I had collected every single calendar, photograph, contract, letter, postcard, sticker, button, and flyer from my music career since 1960. And I said to myself, I can build a coffee table book. With thousands of photographs. And, of course, Every Picture Tells a Story.

Did you know which stories you wanted to tell before you even started? I can imagine if you start digging you will find stories that you may have forgotten? Which story came first? Maybe you share a bit on how the book came about?

Well, I knew I wanted to write about working with Little Richard and Chuck Berry as the music director for the Grammys in 1973. But then I also wanted to write about sitting at Ringo’s house with Harry Nilsson playing the guitar and all three of us were singing Don’t Pass Me By. I just went chronological and started from 1963 making monster movies and then the Beatles came out in 64 and of course, I wanted to be a Beatle.

The music industry is constantly changing. What was the most impactful change in your career?

For a dozen years, I was the demo doctor, making demos for people, singers, and songwriters. They would come to my living room and I would sequins and program and record them on Pro Tools. I was able to edit the tracks and adjust the pitch of their out-of-tune vocals so they sounded really Pro. Then everybody went to the Guitar Center and bought their own setup and made their own demos. So it basically put me out of business. I consider that to be a big impact on my career.

You introduced yourself to me as Andy from The Turtles. Probably because SweetSweetMusic blogs about Power Pop? You have a couple of other options as well

Well, besides The Turtles, I recorded and toured with Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Frank Zappa, dr. John, Jimmy Webb, Seals and Croft, John Bonham, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Cropper, Ray Bolger, Billy Bob Thornton, and many many more.

Which story or anecdote from your book best summarizes your experience of being a musician?

There are so many to choose from but I have one really good one. I was on the road with The Turtles opening up for the Jefferson Starship. It was 1975 and the Red Octopus album was just released. Flo & Eddie would do satire and comedy in the show. At this time, George Harrison was on the road with the Dark Horse tour. That’s when he lost his voice. So Mark Volman did a funny skit playing My Sweet Lord pretending he was George losing his voice. Then Howard Kaylan pointed at me and said: ‘Take it, Billy!’. Marty Balin was on the stage with us watching the show and he became my assistant during the skit. I had to put on a gigantic afro wig on top of my long hair and then I had to put on these humongous movie star sunglasses. Then I would play Nothing from Nothing by Billy Preston. The 75,000 people in the stadium cheered and applauded. So I ran to the front of the stage and held up the peace sign with both hands. That is definitely a highlight of being a musician.

Read more.

Order at Amazon.

Reach out to Andy directly if you want to order a signed copy: andycahan@gmail.com

2021 is a good year for Power Pop and these are the 10 best records so far.

01. Underwater Sunshine – Suckertree

02. Tuns – Duly Noted

03. The Summer Holiday – B-Side Stories, Vol.1

04. Local Drags – Keep Me Glued

05. Caddy – Detours and Dead Ends Vol. 1

06. Caper Clowns – Abdicate the Throne

07. Split Single – Amplificado

08. LMNOP – whatNOP dONW7

09. The Legal Matters – Chapter Three

10. Matthew Sweet – Catspaw

A lot of great songs have already been released. You can find them on this Spotify playlist.
Follow the list and you will stay informed of all that beauty!

Radio Days’ new record Rave On! contains 10 pure Power Pop songs.

Very, very good.

Very, very catchy.

Dario Persi explains to Sweet Sweet Music that he, Mattia Baretta and Paco Orsi are always looking for the ultimate Power Pop song. They succeeded 10 times.

How did this record come together?

We stopped playing live shows at the end of 2018 and focused on writing new songs in 2019. We spent all the year writing songs and recording demos in our rehearsal room. I wrote all the songs at home with my acoustic guitar and we arranged them altogether during the rehearsal.

We care a lot about the melody and the quality of the songwriting. We are not a band that writes songs during rehearsals. Our songs do not arise from improvisations or during jam sessions.

We are very happy with the results and I think “Rave On!” is our best album! The goal was to release the album in May 2020 but we all know what happened and we postponed it to May 2021.

You can pick 3 co-writers to write new songs with. Who? … and Why?

I’d say I would love to write a song with Paul McCartney cause he is the best living songwriter in the world.

It would be great to write a song with Elvis Costello too so he could sing it and I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping the melody simple enough for my vocal range!

As third, I would say, Paul Collins. I love his music, we are good friends and we toured together many times but we never had the chance to write something together.

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

There are a few that comes to my mind.

One in Osaka, Japan, in a small crowded club full of enthusiastic fans. It was unbelievable to be so far from home and play such a great show to people who loved our songs.

Our first sold-out show in Madrid, Spain too, and our first time at Purple Weekend Festival in Leon, Spain were amazing.

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit!’?

I think about it nearly every time I write a new song and I keep asking myself, why am I not rich and famous?

Cassettes are back. Which 5 five songs would make your first mixtape?

1. Paul Collins Beat – Rock’n’Roll Girl

2. The Rubinoos – I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

3. The Keys – I Don’t Wanna Cry

4. Badfinger – No Matter What

5. Bram Tchaikovsky – Girl Of My Dreams

Recording music. What’s all the fun about?

Recording can be difficult and frustrating but I love it.

We have been working with our good friend Marco Matti at his Casemate Recording Studio, a vintage-oriented home studio where we were able to work in a relaxed way. It allowed us to spend a lot of time trying different sounds and different instruments.

I think “Rave On!” has got the perfect Power Pop sound, especially “I Got a Love”.

I’m really proud of how it turned out!

Mean Streaks is the moniker of Canadian songwriter Omar Saab. His “Bad Behaviour” EP is a collection of homemade garage rock and synth pop singles, written and recorded during 2020 and early 2021.

Omar told Sweet Sweet Music how Bad Behaviour came about.

Cassettes are back. Which 5 five songs would make your first mixtape?

Considering the time of year, I’m going with a summer mixtape:

Rockaway Beach – The Ramones
Burning Love – Elvis Presley
Ridin’ in My Car – NRBQ
Too Late to Turn Back Now – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
Telstar – Tornados 
I Love L.A. – Randy Newman

How did this record come together?

We all know the gigging situation and suddenly it was all taken away. I was about to go into a studio to work on an EP one before all the madness happened. After lots of self-doubt and uncertainty, I wrote a bunch of new songs and decided to record them from home. Once I finished the first song I kept going and fortunately there was some continuity between those songs. Hopefully, for the next record, I can get in a studio and not just rely on myself.

You can pick 3 co-writers to write new songs with. Who? … and Why?

Partnerships count as one, right?

Bjorn & Benny from ABBA – so I can learn all their tricks. 
Debbie Harry & Chris Stein from Blondie – they are the perfect blend of garage rock, pop, surf, and disco. One of my favorite bands.
Rodrigo Amarante – I’m obsessed with his solo work as well as his old group, Los Hermanos. 

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit!’?

I can tell I’m on to something strong if I get excited by the initial voice memo on my phone; it’s either chords on guitar or keyboard and a mumbled melody. For example, on “I Always Knew” I came up with the chorus in a grocery store and I had to rush home to get it down in some way (and I still managed to buy the groceries). 

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

I had played a club show on a Friday in Toronto which happened to be on my birthday so there were a few drinks involved. We played until the club closed and we had booked a morning gig the next day that required a very early call time. Turns out the show was like a car wash for something (it paid the bills). It was in a big mechanic garage, there were children screaming and there was a clown at the side of the stage making balloon animals and dancing to our songs. I can’t describe how that felt and I don’t have time to unpack that visual.

Fortunately, it was such an absurd situation that we laughed through the majority of the performance. Not the best gig we ever played, but I definitely can’t forget this show…and I’ve tried.

They expect ‘the roaring 20s v2.0’. What kind of party are you looking for?

I really hope so! I want to be a part of someone’s night and hopefully provide some memories for the crowd and for myself. The feeling of seeing sweaty crowds dancing and singing along is such a privilege and you only value it more when it all disappears. I want the rowdy, sweaty dance parties – and since my songs haven’t been performed live yet, I’m hoping to provide a soundtrack to one or two of those nights.

Alien Vacation is the new EP from The Cudas and features four brand new songs. Power Pop in its purest form. Add The Cudas to the list that also includes Radio Days, The Reflectors, and The Speedways

Sweet Sweet Music spoke with Reinhard van Biljon about the all-time hall of fame fantasy camp, the Boss BR-600 digital recorder, and Tommy Lee.

You can pick 3 co-writers to write new songs with. Who? … and Why?

Wow, that’s a big ask. I’ll go ahead and cheat here. Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, Ric Ocasek from The Cars (RIP), Andy Sturmer from Jellyfish, Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne (RIP), Mike Viola, and throw Brian Wilson in there as well since we’re dreaming. Those would be my all-time hall of fame fantasy camp. But there are so many guys I would love to brain milk in the independent scene at the moment. Guys like Kurt Baker, Dario Persi from Radio Days…okay this is getting ridiculous, but can I get Tom-Lord Alge to mix the thing?

Cassettes are back. Which 5 five songs would make your first mixtape?

Fountains of Wayne – Maureen

Redd Kross – Get Out of Myself

Teen Machine – Bitchin’ Camaro

Mike Viola – It Does A Number On My Brain

Weezer – Since You Came Around

What was the moment you knew you were on to something?

I’ve been writing little snippets of music for the longest time, but they never went beyond a little melody over a guitar part until quite recently. I always put it off, but then one day about two years ago I just got a little Boss BR-600 digital recorder and finally finished one little demo. That was “Kids Want Hits.” I might have posted it in a group somewhere, but when a few people started playing it on podcasts and a couple of radio shows, I thought I might be able to do something here.

How great is the urge to stay creative? To keep writing songs and lyrics?

It’s huge. I have way more little ideas for songs than I have time to actually finish them. I tend to come up with loads of little 20 second songs, usually just a hummed melody over guitar strumming, and then I move on to something else. I’ll come back to it at some point to turn it into a song, but sometimes I browse my files and I have no memory of the little tune.

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

Might sound like a strange choice, but Steel Panther in Los Angeles. I went to the States to visit my brother and we flew to California so I could see the holy land for all things skateboarding-related from my teen days. We’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for 80s hair bands, so we went to see them on the Sunset Strip. The guy at the door was so happy with how far we came that he handed us these armbands for an after-show party at the top of the venue.

While watching them play, my brother and I stood right next to Tommy Lee and Gilby Clarke, which was kind of hilarious. But really the highlight of the memory for me was when we went to the little party thing they had with band members later on and I saw Rivers Cuomo there…I couldn’t muster up the courage to say anything, but hey. If I did, maybe some butterfly effect would have sent him on a collision course and we would have Raditude III now.

Moe Berg (The Pursuit Of Happiness) says “James takes the power pop traditions of The Beatles, Jellyfish and Split Enz and combines them with the high IQ lyrics of Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. The result makes him one of Canada’s greatest unsung songwriters”. 

Sweet Sweet Music spoke to James about how The Colour Of Happy came about.

What was the moment you knew you were on to something?

Looking back, I think that every time I’ve started a new project, I have felt like I’m onto something. But with this new album, “The Colour Of Happy” I ‘m definitely onto something! This is the one! No, really, REALLY this time!

How did this record come together?

Due to life’s other plans, it was a slow process to say the least. In October 2017 Moe Berg and I began talking about working together again on a new JCI album (he had produced most of the last album, “Yesterday’s Misadventures”). I eventually began sending Moe demos of songs and by the end of 2018 we had picked the songs to record. We didn’t actually get into the studio until May 0f 2019 for various reasons. We spent the rest of that year recording off and on, whenever schedules would allow, and it looked like tracking would finally be finished by March 2020. But as I mentioned earlier, life had other plans. We had one last session booked when the first Covid lock down struck. So, we ended up having to wait until September 2020 to finish the tracking. Mixing took place through the fall and was wrapped up by December. Mastering was completed in the early new year and… Ta Da! Just like that, here we are!

When did you decide to start asking for opinions on the new songs?

I don’t usually like to ask for a lot of opinions. Too many cooks can spoil the souffle. However, half of the songs on the album were worked up by the band and performed live to test drive them. The other half were originally demoed as simple guitar and voice recordings and sent to Moe. He and I arranged those songs together and were never performed until we got into the studio.

The meaning of success has changed over the years. What would success look like for the new record?

As I understand it, success these days for an artist is to get your music on as many Spotify playlists as you possibly can. As much as that would be a real high to have happen and I hope it does find an audience in that regard, I already feel a great sense of reward knowing that this group of amazing musicians, singers and engineers have created a “hit album.” The only missing component is the opportunity to tour the album. Hopefully we’ll have the chance to do that at some point.

How great is the urge to stay creative?  To keep writing songs and lyrics?

Frustratingly great! Because the making of the new album was such a long process, I can’t help but look at those songs as being quite old to me although I know they are brand new to the world. But there has always been a big part of me that just wants to keep moving forward. With not a lot of anything going on this past year, I’ve spent a large part of it writing. I’m already thinking of the next album and what it might sound like. If I’m not creating, then I’m not “The Colour Of Happy.”

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

It would be a two-way tie for different reasons. We played an outdoor festival show in June of 2017. My mother was very ill at the time, but she had decided that she wanted to attend. It was a lovely moment to look out from the stage and see her smiling and obviously having a good time. She passed a couple of months later and so that memory of her really enjoying herself for probably the last time in her life remains very vivid with me. A few months later we were at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto opening up a sold-out show for The Pursuit Of Happiness. There’s no better feeling than having a sold-out room of people who are there to see the other band, digging your songs and your sound.

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit!’?

Every time I release an album the little braggart inside of me thinks he’s written at least one hit. But on this new album he thinks he’s written a few! Once the album was mixed and mastered, Moe stated that if this was a different time, we’d have a smash hit on our hands. I would definitely agree. So yes, this time the little braggart might be right but he’s a few decades off.

Is recording a record easier than getting it heard nowadays?

Absolutely! But I may say that because I love recording. There’s that old saying that says once the record is finished that that’s when the real work begins. That’s when it’s time to do my promo cap and my promo cap isn’t the most comfortable fit. Let’s face it, there is a whole lot of music out there these days competing for everyone’s short attention span.

Cassettes are back. Which 5 five songs would make your first mixtape?

The last 5 songs I listened to today. 1. Too Many people – Paul McCartney 2. History Never Repeats – Split Enz 3. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown – Frank Sinatra 4. Fat Pop – Paul Weller 5. The Only Living Boy In New York – Simon & Garfunkel.

You can’t control the way people ‘hear’ your music. But if you could make them aware of certain aspects, you think, set your songs apart. What would they be?

I’ve been told that the lyrics are my strongest point, and they are certainly what I spend the most time on. Maybe a little too much time but I won’t release anything until I’m satisfied that I’ve not overused the word “baby”. On a side note, because The Colour Of Happy has been released on vinyl, it gave me the opportunity to include a lyric sheet this time around.

LMNOP’s new record, whatNOP dONW7, will be released on July 16th and is fantastic. Raw, pure, and poetic.

Sweet Sweet Music spoke to Stephen Fievet about the fear of digital recording technology, the urge to create, and his new $ 15 guitar amp.

How did this record come together?

A cheap dusty amplifier was the initial stimulus.  A cool guy at a yard sale sold me his guitar amp for $15.  I figured it would sound like crap.  But it has a real kickass sound.  That amp helped me overcame my fear of digital recording technology.  Now I don’t give a damn if I understand it or not.  And I also don’t care if things get dusty or broken during the process.  Things work best when I randomly hit buttons and twist knobs without really knowing what I’m doing.

The meaning of success has changed over the years. What would success look like for the new record?

You are right about that.  People once considered success to be specific things like money and fame (some are still in this limiting mindset).  But I don’t think that’s the case as much now.  Success is your mind.  If you feel good about something you’ve created, in my opinion, you have achieved success.  So the new one’s already a success in that respect.

How great is the urge to stay creative?  To keep writing songs and lyrics?

I don’t understand the urge to create but it apparently is compulsive.  Melodies and arrangements randomly appear in my head and for some reason, I feel compelled to capture them.  I’ve got hundreds and hundreds of song ideas stored away for future reference.  There’s no way I could ever use them all.

As an artist, you chose to show your emotions to the world. Is it always comfortable to do so?

It feels very comfortable.  I rarely share very private thoughts with people I know.  It’s much easier to share those thoughts in songs.  When I was very young it meant a great deal to me when songwriters really spoke to me through their lyrics.  So I attempt to do the same.  Some songwriters helped me get through some very rough times with their honesty.  I agree with you, lyrics are often taken for granted.

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit!’?

That would probably be this year when I was working on “Things.”  The damn thing got stuck in my head like glue.  It seemed like it would make a good lead track.  But it almost did not make it onto the album because the first mix was horrible.  But when I asked Jason NeSmith (mastering engineer) to delete the song he said it really stuck with him too.  So that caused me to remix and keep it.

If you don’t know Michael Gagliano’s music and ‘Bang! The Sails Best of 2006 – 2020‘ is your first encounter with The Sails, then you get the surprise of a lifetime. I speak from experience.

It is not without reason that Mojo speaks about the best Power Pop band in the UK. This anthology contains sixteen songs and all sixteen are very good. Very, very good, I mean.

Sweet Sweet Music spoke to Michael, who also plays John Lennon in the Let It Be musical, about catchy memorable songs, timeless pop songs, and songs about love.

You get it.

What are you most proud of when you listen to Bang! The Sails Best of 2006 – 2020?

I’m proud of every song on this album. It’s a great collection of really good catchy memorable songs. In these modern days, great songs are rare, but on Bang!, every song is a winner. It’s a collection of timeless pop songs everyone will dig, regardless of genre niches.

You’ll read a lot of compliments that say things like “if Oasis covered Peter Shilton, then …” or “In a better world, Best Day was the biggest hit of the last 20 years.” Bittersweet?

To be honest, I can’t imagine a band like Oasis covering my music. They were a juggernaut of a band, traveling at 1000 miles an hour, crushing everything in its path. The Sails is more like a zippy sports car going down the back streets, going places a huge monster truck couldn’t go.

It’s not important to me if I’m overlooked or overshadowed by giants. I’ve only ever made music for me, not for accolades.

The Sails is you. Do you write and record on your own?

The Sails is my solo project. I write and record everything on my own but sometimes I have hired 2 drummer friends to play on the albums and playing live I will take one of the 2 guys on the road with some other session players to perform the songs live.

The meaning of success has changed over the years. What would success look like for the new record?

I’m just grateful to be alive and to be able to make music. Everything else is just a bonus. I don’t think about success in monetary form or fame. Currently, people from all over the world are listening to my music. In Stockholm and Venezuela, people buy my music. To me, that is a success.

I get letters and messages of gratitude saying how much they love what I do. That is worth more to me than cars or houses.

How great is the urge to stay creative? To keep writing songs and lyrics?

There is no urge to stay creative, it’s a natural process, it’s what I was born to do, it’s what I have always done, I don’t question it. It’s just always been there and it hopefully will always stay with me.

What’s the gig you will always remember? And why?

One show that sticks in my mind was the Isle of Wight festival in 2007, and being on the same stage as The Bees and Eddie Piller, two of my favorite acts. The audience was great that day.

Lyrics are too often taken for granted. What is the line of text or are the lines of text that you hope listeners will remember? And why?

Lyrics are just a part of the magic. I’m no Bob Dylan and I think it’s the whole wash of a song that touches people, not just the sentiment. Words are the most powerful weapon a human being has but I use mine for love and peace, like The Fabs did, as most of my songs are about love…man!

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit!’?

What is a hit now? You can have millions of listeners streaming your music and only get peanuts. I don’t think in those terms. A hit to me is ‘do I like the song?’, not how many listens it gets or how many likes it receives online.

I’m not a fan of the internet, it’s made human beings far more insecure, especially sensitive and creative artists who are not getting fairly treated.

Is recording a record easier than getting it heard nowadays?

Making music is a natural thing to do for me. It’s been harder in lockdown as I only had a mic and a mac and a guitar.

Trying to make songs sound the best they can is tough with just headphones to use but that is how I recorded The Sails new album ‘Brighter Futures’ (out on cd July 2021on Kool Kat Musik but available to stream now here.)

Cassettes are back. Which 5 five songs would make your first mixtape?

6. Anything from The Small Faces

5. Anything from The Who

4. Anything from Marvin Gaye

3 Any track by The Kinks

2. Every single song by The Jam

1. Any song of The Beatles’ amazing catalog.

Recording music. What’s all the fun about?

I’m very lucky as I have been able to record at some of the best studios in the UK, like Rockfield in Wales and Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, with great engineers but it’s always been me producing. I would like to work with a producer soon so I can just be the guy making the music and not have to worry about every other aspect.

I would like to produce for other artists too one day, so anyone interested in me producing them should shout me out.

Playing music in front of a crowd. What’s all the fun about?

It’s what being a musician is all about, playing and connecting, in the moment, with other humans.

You can’t control the way people ‘hear’ your music. But if you could make them aware of certain aspects, you think, set your songs apart. What would they be?

Song is king, nothing else matters. Most modern acts look good and sell to a predetermined demographic, but the songs aren’t there. We should return to a time where it is all about the song.

The new album Brighter Futures was written in lockdown with only me and limited gear. It’s about living with vast changes in the world caused by covid. The cover is me using lights and mirrors on a blank white wall to create the image of pushing thru tough times to brighter futures for us all. It’s a darker sounding, less 60s, record, more unique to me. I didn’t want it sounding like The Beatles etc, so I kept it very honest, stripped, and simple.

Even when Todd Wicks is Poppin’, he Rocks! All Over The Shop is the name of his new band (and the self titled debut EP).

Sweet Sweet Music spoke to him about The Set That Never Was, listening to your own music and a hard-rock guy like Nikki Sixx.

How did this record come together?

The idea behind this project was to write some songs that we could perform as a stripped-down rock trio, similar to the first Ex Hex record. We spent a few months sort of trading instruments but when Brandon moved from drums to guitar and my brother Joel came out to play drums it all clicked. Then, when shows went away in 2020, we decided we could afford to record the 5 best songs from The Set That Never Was. 

Recording music. What’s all the fun about?

I’m usually so time/budget-conscious that it’s difficult for me to let go and enjoy the recording experience. The most fun is bringing a song to practice and hearing what Brandon and Joel do with it. They’re so good and funny and bring so much to the table. I also hope we get to play a show at some point. 

Lyrics are too often taken for granted.  What is the line of text or are the lines of text that you hope listeners will remember?  And why?

I’m proud of “Tongue-Tied” because we wanted to pay tribute to a friend of ours named Eric Damore who passed away. I was struggling to come up with anything that didn’t feel cheesy or hadn’t already been said in 100 other songs. Finally, I decided to write about the last night I saw him and the unusual setting it was in and that felt good. I like that while most songs tell you “It’s all right” or “It’s gonna be alright” this song clearly says “It ISN’T alright” because losing someone young never sits right, even years later. 

How great is the urge to stay creative? To keep writing songs and lyrics?

I would normally make fun of the idea of “self care” but during the past year I realized that’s what writing songs is for me: it’s 100% to help me feel good about myself. My family catches me listening to our own music all the time and I used to get embarrassed, but now I’m completely unashamed; as Brandon says, “If we don’t enjoy listening to it, why bother?” 

Plus, if you stop writing songs then you don’t get to go to practice and have a night off from your regular routine. That’s very important. 

You can pick 3 co-writers to write new songs with. Who? … and Why?

Jim Vallance (R.I.P.)becauseSteven Tyler spoke so glowingly about him in the “Making of Pump” videocassette, plus Bryan Adams’s “Reckless” was a big influence on our EP. I think we could have made some hits together in the ‘80s. 

Andrew Farriss from INXS because he’s underrated as a songwriter and seems like an easy-going collaborator. I feel like I could embarrass myself in front of him trying different things and he would be encouraging. 

I would also love to write with a hard-rock guy like Nikki Sixx or Stephen Pearcy because I sincerely love stuff like early Crue, Ratt, Faster Pussycat and L.A. Guns yet it’s the hardest thing in the world for a guy from the Michigan suburbs to write in that L.A., shoot-from-the-hip style with mega attitude. I would probably be horrified by their approach toward life but could learn a lot creatively. 

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All Over The Shop is Todd Wicks, Brandon Malik and Joel Wicks