"All About The Album - 15 Questions" - a brand new section at the RockUnited site where any recording artist with an recently released CD is confronted with 'album'  questions (15 of them, duh!). If you'd like to have your material up here, email: urban "at" rockunited.com (simply replace "at" with your standard @ )

DUST AND BONES: "Rock and Roll Show"

DUST AND BONES - are (according to the press-release) a melodic, funky, freaky, dirty, sleazy, hard rock band who knows how to grab an audience. Ehem, not quite sure if the "grab" thing is the best way to do things?? Anyhow, they'll put together a fun "Rock and Roll Show" and their sophomore release (now at Perris Records in the states) reeks of eighties sleaze rock. Read on and find out more about the album, the band and their influences, here's their bassist,: JON "BIG DAWG" JACKSON...

How has the reaction to your latest CD been?

It has been great. We couldn’t be happier with it. Everyone is enjoying it so far and we were hoping for that.

How long did this CD take to make from start to finish, recording-wise?

We recorded this in about 24 hours, 2 weekend trips to the studio. We recorded our last one in about 13 hours and we wanted to take more time with this one.

What kind of 'sound', production wise, did you have in the back of your mind, prior to entering the studio?

We wanted pounding drums, a thick guitar tone and a thumping bass. We are very happy with how this turned out. We gave examples of what we personally wanted to hear from our instruments and Shain (owner and operator of Pinewood Studios) took our advice and ran with it.

What kind of input did the producer have during the process?

Shain basically did not intervene unless we asked him a question. Mostly “Does that sound good?”.

And are you pleased with the final outcome? (sound - production wise)

We think it sounds amazing. Everything can be heard clearly and the mix is how we like it.

Did the producer (you) use any (weird) experimental miking and/or recording techniques?

We are a one guitar, bass, drums and harmonica band. We do not want to do anything in the studio that we can not do live. That is our philosophy in the studio and it will continue that way as long as we can help it.

How did you go on about capturing your 'live sound' in the studio, or perhaps you didn't

We play together while recording just as we do live and the drums are as they were played when Shain hit the stop button. We fix any guitar or bass errors but the drums are "live", so to speak.

Please inform us about your favourite songs and lyrical highlights and why?

Set You Free is the first song we wrote for this CD and we have been playing it in every show for the last 2 years. 'Alice's Wonderland', 'Love Song', 'Hypnotize' and 'Bleed Rock and Roll' are some of our favourites. 'Bleed Rock and Roll' features Jon "Big Dawg" on the vocals and the lyrics he wrote about himself being a child influenced by RnR at an early age and growing up with it. 'Shut Your Hole' is just an angry song about people that don't mind their own business. I think we all know someone like that. We don't want people to have to think too hard while listening to us, but maybe forget about other things.

Any overall theme of mood that you're trying to capture while writing songs?

We want to be the CD you put in at a party and everyone is dancing, singing and having a great time. That is how we set out to be when we started and we will not venture away from that. It is all about having fun.

Does your vision for coming up with music get affected at all by time?

Not at all! We play what comes out of us. Rock and Roll! 

Did the record company interfere with anything on your "sound" and songs?

We were finished with the recording before we signed on with Perris. I sent them copies of the songs and they sent us a contract. We have been working with Perris for a couple years now, they helped us distribute our first CD Voodoo as well.

Are there any 'crazy' behind the scenes anecdotes from these sessions that you can share with us?

I wish there was a really cool story to tell but we honestly don’t have one. We treat recording like a job and when go to the studio we work. Pinewood Recording is about 3 hours away from us so we make sure we are prepared when we go there and make good use of our time away from our families.

How would you describe the sound of your new CD to any potential new fan?

It is hard to describe your music as everyone that listens to it has there own opinion of what it sounds like. We are going for fun rock and roll that promotes having a good time.

Who are your influences and heroes? (music-wise)

Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, KISS and Iron Maiden are our individual favourites. We like classic rock and metal and you will hear that in our music as well.

If there's anything you'd like to add, say, please do:

Yes! Thank you all so much for the support we can not express enough how much we appreciate you all. Keep going to live shows and support your favourite bands.
Sincerely,
Dust and Bones

Interview by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
Photos from the band's website www.dustandbonesroxxx.com

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