SPOTLIGHT
ON BRIAN MCDONALD
 12
years ago Brian McDonald Group released their album "Desperate
Business" to critical acclaim. Now Brian is back, with a brilliant
album called "Wind It Up", out on MTM Music.
Part
One - The Interview
1.
I have to say that the "Wind It Up" album is one of the best I've heard
this year. Are you happy with it yourself?
I am
very satisfied with the results and the way "Wind It Up"comes across
to my ears and emotions. Thanks to Magnus, Mario and all at MTM for
time and creative freedom to make a CD that has everything I heard in
my head originally for all the songs. Although it takes longer to make
most of the major creative decisions on a project on your own, the end
result for me is that I was able to make something that I like everything
about. Another important thing I realized along the way is that this
is really a beginning, because there are so many song and sound possibilities
for the future. During the recording of this project, I was writing
other songs and am currently in the process of recording them just to
keep track of them.
2.
Who would you say are your biggest influences?
For
rock music, it breaks down into three categories. For 70's rock influences,
I would cite Led Zeppelin, Kansas, The Babys, Foreigner andYes. For
80's bands, my preferences were Chicago, Def Leppard, and some of the
people I got a chance to work with, particularly the then young virtuoso
studio guitarist Reb Beach who would go on to co-found the band Winger.
And in the 1990's, I listened to mostly to Classical and modern piano
and orchestral music - here I would cite Beethoven, Ravel, Stravinsky,
and Gerschwin as major influences.
3.
I've read that you have written classical music too. Have some of your
works been recorded, and could one find them on CD easily?
My musical
life began with Classical music - I studied piano and composition as
a boy in Wiesbaden Germany. Since I was very young, I have written many
orchestral and piano pieces as well as playing them. In the1990's I
performed original works in concert, but none have been releasedon CD
for commercial distribution. This is one of the things I am looking
forward to doing in the next few years.
4.
Are there any plans to tour with the "WIU" album?
I am
open to doing a tour, but as it stands right now, it would be a"break-even"
deal to go on the road supporting the album. As "Wind It Up" continues
to be distributed throughout Europe and Japan and the Web, and possibly
here in the U.S. I'll be considering it in the light of ability to make
it happen financially and logistically.
5.
How long do you think we have to wait for the album number three? Not 12
years, I hope!
There
are so many rock songs I have written recently and I am writing more
each day, so in my thoughts I feel that this is a beginning. I am going
to continue making music - of that you can be sure of - so I am thinking
about the next rock album seriously at this time at least from the writing
perspective.
6.
Do you think that there's a chance that we might see a reissue of the"Desperate
Business" album one day?
Although
I don't have confirmation on this, I believe that the mechanical rights
to "Desperate Business" may have been purchased from Sony. I am not
sure as to the details of purchase or when this company plans to re-release
it on CD. I've been receiving an incredible number of e-mail notes from
people coming to www.brianmcdonald.com asking this question. There are
listeners in countries I had no idea the album was distributed in! So,
I am telling folks that I'll post the info on my site as soon as I hear
news on this.
7.
Have you written songs for other artists?
In the
late 1980's I was on staff at A&M's publishing company. Aside from that
work, where I submitted so many songs for so many artists, I have written
songs with other artists and groups - among the rock/pop artists that
have I have co-written with and have also recorded my songs are Fiona,
Europe, and Marie France. Reb Beach is working on his new solo record
and we have talked about co-writing for that - I'm looking forward to
this collaboration and have written one already for him.
8.
If you had a chance to get a song of yours recorded by an artist of
your choice, who would that be?
That's
a great question. OK, I would choose Robert Plant. He is the ultimate
rock singer and has touched so many singers including myself that have
drawn on his vocal style and passion.
9.
Last but not least, the obligatory Finnquestion: What do you know about
Finland (and no searching the web for info now!)
I only
know from talking with friends who have been to Finland and from school
studies long ago, but I am imagining a vast country full of great forests
and lakes, with people who like to be outdoors and enjoy life. I know
Helsinki is quite large (to say the least) and there are many, many
people living in and around there and in the southern part of your country.
Then, in contrast, I can imagine the twilight of the north in far reaches
with stark and breathtaking landscapes, but brutally cold. In Minnesota
I have met folks from your country and they all speak very fondly of
their homeland. And from the sounds of it, it is a fantastic place.
Part
Two - Brian McDonald talks about his new cd "Wind It Up"
Wind
It up
Sometimes
you realize that your destination is not as important as who is going
with you. Wind It Up is about the connection of two people to the energy
of the night. The whole idea spins around listening to music you love,
and trying to tap into the straightforward and powerful feelings you
get when it's time to get a new look at things. This big beat rock track
features guitar virtuoso Reb Beach (Winger, Dokken.) I have to hand
it to Reb on this one for making the song come alive rhythmically and
with those astonishing lead lines. The big backing vocals and beat add
to the power of the lyric sentiment of energy jumping through city lights
and turning the radio up in the car.
Head
Back Home
There
is a time in all of our lives we we wonder "What would've happened if
I would've done something a little differently years ago". Head Back
Home is based on a story about a person who left someone they cared
about a long time ago, and now, though it is likely too late, goes back
to his homeland to find a way to bring back yesterday. This is a mid-tempo
tune with one of my favorite choruses I have ever written. For me, the
way the music and lyrics work together to create a song that just feels
good to listen to. At the end of the bridge section, the question is
asked in the words, "Is it too late to head back home?". Although the
answer is left up to the listener in the lyrics, the final instrumental
section answers the question in hidden musical clues. Here there are
melodic and harmonic elements composed in from works I love; music that
has a "final goodbye" sentiment. These include reminiscences of Mahler's
last song in Das Lied von der Erde, some classical compositions that
I have written with a final farewell theme, and others. On another musical
note, the synth solo just after the last chorus is a definite nod to
one of my all time favorite rock keyboardists - Steve Porcaro.
Words
Come So Easy
This
is somewhat of a humorous look at a guy that is trying to convince himself
that he doesn't want to see the girl he has flipped over. He looks in
the mirror and starts asking himself these questions: "What do I care
if things don't work out, I can always go back to hanging out with my
friends, never lonely in a crowded room." By the time the chorus hits
the guy gives it up to her and tells her everything he's feeling. But
even then he pretends it wasn't supposed to happen "The last thing I
meant to say is come and see me". Musically, "Words" is an all-American
sounding rocker with a simple chord progression and some interesting
changes. I played rhythm guitars on this one, but the short lead has
an interesting technical side note - it's made up of pieces of some
Reb Beach solos from other songs the album. I initially put together
these pieces in the studio as a sort of place holder for a solo I was
eventually going to play, but the pieced together solo turned out to
have too much energy to replace, so I left it in.
I
Don't Wanna Want Your Touch
This
song is about thinking you know all about love, but when you finally
find it for real, it's much bigger than you suspected. After some time
away from the woman he loves, the guy in the song admits to himself
that the power is strong, but then the song ends with the same sentiment:
"I Don't Wanna Want Your Touch Again." Some listeners that have insisted
that this is definitely not the end of the story, and that in the end
you have to consider giving it up to what your heart needs. Power ballad
with interesting chord changes and breaks setting up some "up-close"
lyrics. To me, the introduction hints at some Chicago-style ballad influences.
This song was written when I was in the middle of composing an orchestral
piece, so it has more of a "broad-stroke" approach to the harmonic structure.
Although by indirect more than direct influences, the sound to me is
reminiscent of classic 1970's ballads from bands like The Babys and
Ambrosia.
When
The Lightning Strikes
"What
are we chasing, just a dream in flight?" resonates in the intro to this
song. There is a launch and early flight sequence of the beginnings
of a journey into space. The last explosion of the intro could be interpreted
as one of two things: either a disaster, or the last booster rocket
leaving the main craft. The main idea was to launch the listener up
into to the skies where lightning originates to take the perspective
of viewing from above. The big beat drums draws upon a John Bonham influence
and the guitars definitely have some Jimmy Page-like rhythms in certain
places. Reb Beach played all guitars on this one and really kicked it
into high gear in the rhythms; his lead work is brilliant, especially
in the out solo.
The
Night Heaven Falls Down
My favorite
ballad I have written to date. Where does this life lead to? In the
end we might realize that this question is not as important as: "Who
will be by your side as you go there?"
Rhythm
Of Money
The lyrics
to this song came after living in New York for a short time, the music
came years later when thinking about the images of how people "sell
their soul" for money - and for different reasons. Survival, greed,
anger, pride, etc. Whatever the motivator, "every saint thinks twice".
The simple, circular chord progression is meant to underscore the observations
of worlds that revolve around the "rhythm of money."
Somewhere
on the Highway
One day,
a long time ago, I picked up everything and moved on to something different;
this song came from a one night I got in the car and headed West on
the open road and didn't look back. The acoustic guitars and uptempo
rhythms convey a sense of freedom and the harmonies at the very end
always seem to remind me of the Eagles, a band whose vocal harmonies
have been so great throughout the years.
Just
a Heartbeat Away
Reb Beach
really gets the blues out on this one and plays some great lead lines
throughout the tune. These lyrics feel like they could be from another
time to me. The intro and first verse seem to float around in the air
until the hits of the rock guitars in the first chorus. Reb rocks out
as the last section slowly winds out.
The
Hope One Child Can Bring
About
the eternal quest for peace in times of war and conflict. The line "Teach
the children what this means, 'cause they are witness to these things"
was written once after another day of violence in the world was broadcast
in the newspapers and television. The images of war we all know well.
And, as human beings, we seem to be destined to witness or take part
in more conflict to come. Hope for peace that lasts forever might pervade
most cultures and people, but is there really a chance that it ever
will be realized? "Strong is the hope that one child can bring."
[note:
there's a song called "Amnesty" on the album too, but for
some reason Brian has forgotten to mention it! It's a great song anyway!]
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