MWN: Hello! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions. Alright so let us kick things off with the latest release of ReKihndled- which is the band’s first new album in 21 years. How does it feel to finally unleash this album to the world?
Greg Kihn: It was liberating to record again. I felt great. I had been storing my song ideas for over a year until I decided to record them. Working with my son Ry and Robert Berry was fantastic. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to bounce ideas off the other guys and hear their ideas. I really enjoyed writing songs again too. Until recently, I had been working on my latest novel, which is a different kind of writing, and it absorbed all my time. Then, when I made room for songwriting again, it as if I never stopped. Songs are stories too, just shorter. Each one tells a tale. Some songs, like “The Life I Got,” are autobiographical. Others, like “Big Pink Flamingos,” are fiction.
MWN: So you recorded the album with Rober Bery in his Soundtek Recording studios in Campbell, CA. I read you were just going there to write a couple of songs, and then it turned into making an album. So how was it like working him and your son on this record?
Greg Kihn: Working with my son Ry and Robert Berry at Soundtek Studios in Campbell, CA, was a new experience for me. The music felt fresh and the lyrics seemed to write themselves. Soundtek Studios of a comfortable place to work and I never felt pressure. It was a pleasure working with Ry and Robert, and it gave me a new lease on life. Usually, Ry would come up with a guitar riff and Robert would fill in the rest. I handled the melody and lyrics, and it all fit together perfectly.
MWN: From this album a song that resonates with me a bit more than others was “Tell Me Something Good.” I think the lyrics are class and very relatable to the society of today. So for you do you have a song in particular that resonates with you more than others?
Greg Kihn: I can understand people being drawn to “Tell Me Something Good” because of its topical nature. All you have to do it turn on the TV and see more bad news than you can shake a stick at. Forget about it. Life is too short to worry about this kind of crap, right? Just enjoy yourself. The funky backbeat in “Tell Me Something Good” reminds me of “Jeopardy.” The lyrics are almost spoken, and it gives the song a modern feel. I just let this one develop organically. Plant a seed, water it, and watch it grow into a new song. One of my favorites.
MWN: In between releasing music. 21 years is quite a bit of time. Was it difficult to get back in the groove of things all together or did you find it a natural process?
Greg Kihn: It was easy to get back into the groove again after all these years. When we finally got into the studio, I was having such a good time I forgot it was supposed to be difficult. In fact, it was a labor of love. I felt myself swept away in the spirit of the album. Working with my son Ry and Robert Berry was the most fun I’ve had in the studio in years. And did I mention Dave Lauser? The man is a great drummer and he hits those drums hard. It adds a new dimension. We also used original GKB drummer Larry Lynch and Dave Danza.
MWN: You are a creative machine! Not only making amazing records, but also writing novels. I was a bit curios and decided to read Rubber Soul which was published back in 2013. I really enjoyed the book. It is was funny, interesting, and I really liked some of the historical parts about the Beatles as well. So how did writing this come about? Where was the idea born?
Greg Kihn: When I was hosting the morning show on KFOX radio in San Francisco/San Jose, I happened to interview Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. I asked them both the same question. “Where did the Beatles get their music?” They both gave me the same answer; they got them from Merchant Marines who brought the latest R&B sings back from the states to Liverpool. It gave me the idea of the character “Dust Bin Bob” who runs a flea market in Penny Lane where he sells records. The Beatles, too poor to buy records, made friends with Dust Bib Bob and had access to his music. He later saves their lives in Manila at the hands of angry Marcos supporters. Read the book, it’s all in there.
MWN: Once again thank you so much for taking the time to answer these question. So one last questions to wrap things up. I know the Greg Kihn Band spent much of the 80’s touring with bands like Journey, The Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. Are there any memories that come to mind when reflecting back on those times during tour?
Greg Kihn: Touring in the 80’s with Journey was an absolute blast. I learned a lot during those shows. We played the biggest venues in the land every night. This was during “Jeopardy’s” rise to fame. I learned how to play in front of 20,000 people and pretend it was a small club. That was the key. After a few months we were as comfortable in the coliseum as we were in the Keystone Berkeley. Later, when we opened for the Stones in front of 80,000 people at the Seattle Kingdome, it didn’t feel so intimidating. Now days, the Greg Kihn band can play any sized venue and feel completely comfortable.
Interview By: Maria Limon |Instagram: @marialimonn exclusively for @Music, Why Not! -All Rights Reserved-
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