This week we have a great singer named Shawn Pelata. We met him when he reviewed "Welcome To The Revolution" … check out what he has to say and look for his band this summer.
First, Shawn, can you tell us what you've been up to?
What I've been up to … hmmm … working 2 jobs, trying to make time for my wife and son in between shifts, waiting (impatiently) to mix my latest musical project "Line Of Fire" and drinking a lot of Diet Coke.
We recently visited your website MySpace.com for your band Line Of Fire. The songs sounded great. How come we have never heard of you before now?
Beats me. I've been at this music thing since 1989. I've had some concentrated attention in various eras of my musical evolution but no major 'success' anywhere. I would chalk that up to life circumstances and me not being able to commit to musical tunnel vision. As far as Line Of Fire, thank you for the kind words. We spent a year making the recording, and have been waiting seven months to mix it. The songs you hear on the website are not mixed at all. I decided to use MySpace.com as an initial point of origin on the internet and so far it's been very cool.
One of the bands you were in before LOF was K-Octave, whose CD was released in Germany by Hellion Records (2001). This band was heavy metal, so why now do AOR? Also, how did the CD do?
Doing AOR was something that's been in my head for years now. Metal was the first music I was ever involved in from my first band so naturally I stayed in that genre for many years … but I always had a desire to do something other than metal. I like all different kinds of music and want to do all different kinds of music which in reality is a hard thing to accomplish. I did K-Octave at a time in my life when I had already decided to not do anymore metal (I had already done my first CD with Oracle as well as a metal CD with the band Trampled Underfoot which came out in Asia). I got the call from Brian Williams asking if I'd be interested. Brian is a super-cool guy and can give very convincing arguments so I decided to do it. We played two or three shows and did the CD. Brian was able to get it picked up by Hellion Records in Germany and we saw, I would say, 85 percent very positive reviews. Kerrang ripped us to shreds, though. I don't know how it sold.
You review albums for www.digitalmetal.com. So, in your opinion, what were the best and worst albums released in 2004? What albums can't you wait for in 2005?
Yikes! I hate doing 'best of' lists. Some of my favorite releases of 2004 were:
- TNT, "My Religion"
- U2, "Atomic Bomb"
- Snow Patrol, "Final Straw"
- Butch Walker, "Letters"
- King's X, "Live All Over The Place"
- Pete Lesperance, "Down In It"
- Muse, "Absolution"
The worst? I don't know … if I don't like it, I ignore it.
As far as new stuff, I'm looking forward to Line Of Fire coming out, new King's X, new Harem Scarem, new Journey, and finding new bands I have never heard of.
We have heard of a huge number of Christian rock band reuniting recently, like Stryper, Guardian, White Cross, and Holy Soldier. Which are you looking forward to the most and why?
Guardian … they were my favorite of those. They were also not afraid to think outside the box musically, which I both appreciate and admire.
You were also in a band called Trampled Underfoot whose guitarist Kyle Harrison has been a member of Black Sheep, a cult band in Los Angeles where also Paul Gilbert, Randy Castillo, James Kottak and Slash have been part of one time or another during the 1980s and/or 1990s. Did Kyle ever tell you any good stories about any of the guys that you can share?
None that I can remember. He told a lot of stories …
Can you tell us three of the highest and lowest points so far in your musical career?
Three best: joining Oracle, meeting Nikki Dimage and meeting Ed Darst.
Three lowest: the only low points I can think of are when I'm not doing any music at a given time … I like to be doing something and am happy for any opportunity I get to make a record.
In your review of Liberty n' Justice's "Welcome To The Revolution" you were, well … harsh. One comment you made was that "Dr. Love" was the worst remake of a song that was ever recorded. So, given that, we want you to rank the following remakes from 1 to 10, 1 being the worst.
10. Metallica, "Turn The Page"
9. Sheryl Crow, "Sweet Child O' Mine"
8. Kiss, "Then She Kissed Me"
7. Kid Rock, "Feel Like Making Love"
6. Hillary Duff, "My Generation"
5. Mariah Carey, "Bringin' On The Heartbreak"
4. Tiffany, "I Saw Him Standing"
3. William Shatner, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
2. Dolly Parton, "Stairway To Heaven"
1. Liberty n' Justice, "Dr. Love"
Rumor is that after receiving "Welcome To The Revolution," you ended up trading it on melodicrock.com. Is this true? How do you think we can make the new album better?
Yes, I traded it away. I don't keep stuff in my collection that I know I'll never listen to. No personal offense intended, I would just never have the desire to pull that CD out and spin it in the car. Next time, use better sonic production (mix, etc) and no cover songs.
You visit a lot of message boards, can you list all the message boards you visit in a day?
No. Most, I don't post at … I just lurk.
Spiritually what do you believe?
I believe in one God. I believe that God took on flesh, temptation and judgment in my place in order to reconcile me to Himself.
If you had a chance to put together an all-star band to back you, who'd be in it and who'd be playing what?
Ty Tabor and Edge on guitar, Doug Pinnick on bass and vocals, Jerry Gaskill on drums, and a lead vocal trio of me, Jamie Rowe and Bono.
The last of Shawn Pelata …
Last CD you bought
The Shore
Last song you wrote
An as yet untitled song inspired by my great-grandfather
Last time you prayed
This morning
Last time you talked to a record label
Last Friday
Last time you listened to Liberty n Justice's "Welcome to The Revolution"
When did I do my review?
Last time you had an online conversation with "iamawarrior"
A couple weeks
Last time you wished you didn't start this interview
Ha! It's all good bro …
What does 2005 and beyond hold for the musician Shawn Pelata?
2005 will see the release of Line Of Fire, it will see the band begin work on album No. 2, and it will see me continue to stockpile song ideas for a long-dreamed-of solo effort.
And finally, a Liberty n' Justice 4-ALL word association. We will mention a name or thing, and you give us your thoughts:
Nikki Dimage (Line Of Fire)
My brother from another mother! He is my best friend.
Jamie Rowe (Guardian)
Super-cool bro! Love his voice, his attitude and his ideas. Love his drive to get things done. I don't get the whole sushi thing, though …
Ian Keith Hafner (Angry Little Freak)
Don't know Ian all that well … very dedicated to what he does.
Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi)
One of my favorite singers/songwriters ever. Gets a bad rap cuz of the whole 'hair band' thing. My favorte stuff of his is post 'New Jersey'.
Chris Dickens (Missionary One)
Chris is way cool … all the way!
Steve Perry (Journey)
Love his voice! Was a big influence on me early on.
Brian Hellstorm (October 31/ K-Octave)
One of the most dedicated musicians and road dogs I have ever met! Always makes me laugh!
Tad Donley (Warrior)
I admire his conviction and perseverance.
Steve Pearcey (RATT)
Sounds like that guy in Whitecross …
Arttie Parker (Christian Metal Realm)
Arttie is very cool … I'm in awe of his muscles and am happy for his coming wedding.
Well there you have it, Shawn thinks William Shatner musically is better than us!