I was fortunate to be joined in this endeavour by some very talented individuals, none of whom I assure you was compensated (in the fiscal sense) to the extent that their talents deserve. That said, we did all have a good time over the three days that we banged-out this record. My friends, old and new, did it for all the right reasons - or so I like to believe. I'd like to introduce you to them here. I'll start with the drummer, because he is after all, not just any drummer. My friend of many years, yet I had never before had the chance to play with him, Terry Bozzio is, rightfully, considered to be one of, if not the greatest drummer of his generation. But to those of us who know him, we know that he is so much more than that; being the world's greatest drummer is only one of the man's many and diverse talents. Simply put, Terry is just about the most eclectic and deep-thinking individual I've ever had the pleasure to know. And to think that the world only knows of him in one dimension! It was always my intention for many years to invite Mark Browne to play bass on my record. Reason being, aside from his wonderful, warm and humourous personality, Mark is just a 'big note' player; his style is to play the appropriate and necessary notes lower and deeper in the pocket than most, and to leave the superfluous notes to...well, to the overplaying guitarists...like me, I suppose. Mark's subsonic wonderfulness can be heard underneath Melissa Etheridge's recent work, and prior to that just about every female singer/songwriter of the last decade. They've all had their bottoms tickled by Mark's low end...if you know what I mean. Bruce Cornett is a guitarist I had the pleasure to meet at an open blues jam in LA. Bruce was in the house band and was kind enough to let me use his amp on several occasions. When seeking a guitarist to play rhythm on the album I was embarrassed to ask Bruce as he is, in all honesty, a much better guitarist than I. His style is very reminiscent of Jeff Beck in that he is very aware of tone and has a very fluid approach to his solos. In light of all of this, I asked him to play a few chords while I hogged all the limelight. How embarrassing! Like Bruce, I met Michael Fell at a blues Jam - Cozy's in Sherman Oaks, to be exact - where Michael co-hosts the open night every Monday with the very excellent guitarist John Marx. His harps snarl and scream through a distortion pedal squeezing a beat up old 4x10 Fender Bassman. Needless to say Michael's a world class player of the ‘Mississippi saxophone, but should he ever decide on a career change for any reason, he's also well equipped to be a professional comedian as it was Michael who kept us all in stitches when we were starting to feel the wear and tear of many takes in the studio. He funny! And finally there's Tor Hyams on piano and B3 organ. Tor was the chap who talked me into making the record in the first place as it was he who told me that I sang like a blues cat. He wasn't the first to tell me that, however, as my wife Julie mentioned the very same thing 20 years ago. It's just that, in a very male way, I chose to believe Tor instead of my wife...like you do. The big difference was, though, that Tor went out and secured a record deal to actually make it happen! Tor's more a pop and jazz guy than a blues dude, but I'd like to think that now that he's had a taste of it he, too, will be spotted at Cozy's on a wet Monday night waiting for his turn to show what he's got!
On Wednesday, September 28, there will be a one-off chance to see the (almost) exact same line-up that recorded Viv's album LIVE at The Mint in Los Angeles. Vivian will be joined on stage by Terry Bozzio, Bruce Cornett, Michael Fell, Tor Hyams and Lou Castro at 9 PM. Mark Browne, who plays bass on the album, isn't available and will be replaced by Lou Castro for this occasion. Tickets are available at the venue, and can be purchased through GrooveTickets soon.
