Eric St Michaels
Interview with DeeDee
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Hi Eric, nice to catch up with you.
You are an American living in Switzerland, how did that come about?
I used to kid around when I first started living here saying: “I followed my American dream to Switzerland”. The story of how I got here started with a call from Alan Reife the then tour manager of China (The Band) on the Yngwie Malmsteen tour. Prior to this gig, Alan was Paul Stanley’s security guy. At that time I was in a band that Paul was producing and Alan new about me so when the band China needed a frontman, Alan was there with my name on the list. He came to New York City where I was living and he helped me get prepared and ready to hit the ground running when we arrived in Switzerland. Working with China (the band) in that time was for me a kind of dream come true. I’m still grateful to Alan for his efforts.
It must have been cool though growing up in New Jersey, who were your early influences?
My Mom always listened to great music in the house when I was growing up. Lots of Rock & Roll and big band jazz like Sinatra but I think the first bands that I had to buy a second vinyl for because they got over played were T-Rex Electric Warrior and Led Zeppelin Houses of The Holy. Vocally speaking I tried to learn the styles of Lou Graham from Foreigner and Coverdale from Whitesnake. I’m still a work in progress though and I try picking up influence from many contemporary bands as well.
You are a very talented, singer, songwriter, teacher and guitarist, which do you enjoy doing the most?
Wow, great question, and thanks for the kind words. To be honest I like the front man lead singer gig the best. When I’m solo and acoustic it’s a lot of stuff to drag around (3 guitars minimum) and when I’m teaching and coaching it’s too much of an honourable endeavour to go wild. With King Zebra I only need a towel and a Tambourine. Plus it’s tons of fun.
You are the front man with Swiss Rockers King Zebra, what’s the best thing about playing with these guys?
Hard question…. hmmm…. if I had only one best thing to choose, I would say being in KZ feels natural to me. The band guys are millennial with a real love for the 80’s sound and I come from the 80’s so when we are writing the result seems to blend and reflect both of our roots.
Your recent single ‘Wall Of Confusion’ featured Guernica Mancini from Thundermother, are you a big fan of the Swedish band?
I was not listening to them more than just a few snippets here and there until Guernica came to the studio and started working on the song with us. I instantly realized (along with everybody else) that they were serious as a heart attack (old expression) and I have been following them ever since. They are definitively at the top of their game.
Do you have a love of both old and new music?
Oh yes, I have younger kids so it’s hard to dwell in the past. You learn to hear new stuff with an open mind that way. Also, my students bring in fresh tracks to work on from modern bands. If it’s got guitars, then generally I will listen.
Who are you listening to most, at the moment?
On a long drive or chillin’, I normally must listen to stuff that I’m working on.
There is not one album I can point to that I’ve heard end to end lately outside of the new King Zebra.
You are appearing on the Swiss Rock Cruise, is this the first festival you will have performed at?
I’m not sure if you are referring to the post-Pandemic world but, in my career, I’m sure I’ve played a few dozen festivals. And historically speaking I was the first musician to perform on the first cruise last October. I greeted people as they came onboard with an acoustic set. It was a special event in many ways.
What would you say was the greatest moment for you as a performer?
Rock The Ring open-air Switzerland in 2019 with King Zebra or Rock of Ages open-air Germany 2012 with China (the band) are tied for first place. Both gigs had a kind of magical satisfaction for me because we got to play our music in its proper setting with a loving response from the audience.
You play all around Europe, have you picked up any other languages, or do you rely on your English?
Das ist eine sehr gute Frage! Lol….I can speak German and Swiss-German fairly well as I live here more than 20 years. When in other countries I try to be polite in their language or speak clear English. Just a few words quickly learned can make all the difference when you are somewhere like Czech Republic or Sweden.
How do you spend your free time in Switzerland?
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I’m fortunate to have been too many nice locations in Switzerland for concerts over the years so lately with travel being what it is because of the pandemic I look more locally for adventure and have been revisiting cool spots with the kids and the dog and doing mostly outdoorsy stuff.
What is in the pipeline, have you any plans for 2022?
The new KZ album will be out by then so hopefully with the return of live concerts King Zebra will be on the road and as for me with the solo stuff I think there will be lots of opportunities and shows for the smaller venue artists playing acoustic. The things that I’ve done recently indicate people really miss live shows. In between all that there are plenty of surprises waiting to be released in 2022 that I’m not authorized to speak of yet so stay tuned.
Thank you again Eric, hope it all goes well.
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https://www.youtube.com/c/EricSaintMichaels/videos
Eric St Michaels – Whorehouse Blues Out 25 June
Pre-order/Save » https://BLM.lnk.to/WHBWE
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