Concert Preview: BAD COMPANY
Special Guest: Doobie Brothers
Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands PAC
Canandaigua, NY---Thursday July 2^nd
Interview: PAUL RODGERS

     ROCK STEADY…..It’s been nearly four decades since PAUL RODGERS & FREE testified it’s “All Right now”.  Since then the multi-faceted musician has composed a transcendent body of work as both a singer & songwriter; his enduring comprehensive contributions as an artist are worthy of Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame consideration.
       RODGERS peerless pipes have made him the eminent frontman for some of the biggest acts on the globe, beginning with his mic brandishing days with FREE in 1968.
     While RODGERS had already made his mark as the total package as a performer; it was his songwriting prowess that jumped to the forefront in 1974 with BAD COMPANY’S self-titled debut album, joining forces with SIMON KIRKE (Free), MICK RALPHS (Mott the Hopple) & BOZ BURRELL (King Crimson). 
     During his tenure with BAD COMPANY, RODGERS crafted some of Classic Rocks most celebrated songs, “Shooting Star”, “Silver, Blue & Gold” & “Rock & Roll Fantasy”, to name just a few that will forever be FM Rock Radio staples.                
     Following a decade of unprecedented commercial success with BAD COMPANY, “The Voice”, which he is respectfully referred to by his peers, “Cut Loose” from the pack in 1983 with his first solo record on which he played every instrument.   
     His hiatus from a band setting would be short lived as LED ZEPPELIN’S legendary guitarist JIMMY PAGE would call upon “The Voice” to partner in THE FIRM, recording two albums garnering both critical and commercial success.
     With millions of records & sold out world tours to his credit the soulful vocalist was ready to return to his roots with the 1993 Grammy nominated “Muddy Water Blues” CD.   
     In paying homage to the great Bluesman, RODGERS ardor for the project led many of his peers to join the tribute with contributions from BUDDY GUY, DAVID GILMOUR, JEFF BECK, NEAL SCHON, STEVE MILLER, SLASH, RICHIE SAMBORA & BRIAN MAY of QUEEN fame.
     Following a 2004 performance with the surviving members of QUEEN, RODGERS joined BRIAN MAY & ROGER TAYLOR to fuse his Blues Based Soul with the incomparable harmonies of QUEEN.  That union would bring the music of QUEEN alive & back to the stage for the first time in twenty years with two sold out world tours in 2005-06 & 2008. 
     The luminary lyricist would embrace the daunting task of stepping into the lead vocal role preserving the legacy of FREDDIE MERCURY with the pride, poise & passion that only RODGERS possesses.
      QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS released “The Cosmos Rocks” in 2008, a magnetic collection of fourteen profoundly crafted tracks that captured their magic complementing their five year collaboration. 
     While the most recent tour didn’t make it stateside, QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS: LIVE IN UKRAINE was released on June 15^th on DVD. 
     Each year PAUL RODGERS is voted as one of the premier vocalists of all time in virtually every Rock Rag and Music Webzine worldwide.
    What sets him apart as Rock Royalty is his stature amid his peers:  DEF LEPPARD vocalist JOE ELLIOT declares; “PAUL RODGERS has the best soulful Rock Voice of all time, that’s a fact.”
     RAINBOW & DEEP PURPLE singer JOE LYNN TURNER proclaims; “PAUL RODGERS is my favorite vocalist of all-time, his Tone….Emotion…..and Soulful Voice are second to none.”
Te Rock Rapport had the honor to speak with PAUL about the upcoming BAD COMPANY tour as they visit the splendorous CONSTELLATION BRANDS-MARVIN SANDS PAC in Canandaigua this Thursday night.

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     Ross CAT - Hello PAUL Thanks so much for taking time out for the Rock Rapport, as always it’s an honor to speak with you.

     PAUL RODGERS --Nice to talk with you again as well, CYNTHIA (PAUL’S WIFE) tells me you attended last years show at the Hard Rock in Florida.

     Ross CAT- I did, well worth the trip for the Rock Rapport, it was a memorable evening for everyone in attendance.  I will say I can’t wait to see the DVD which is set for release this fall, with a special addition live CD teaser available at the shows this summer.           
     Western New York is very fortunate to be hosting one of only ten BAD COMPANY shows in Canandaigua on Thursday night.

      PAUL RODGERS --Thank you we really appreciate you traveling all that way for the concert last year.  That show at the Hard Rock really had such an amazing vibe, it almost brought tears to my eyes.
      It was such a great evening on so many levels, thankfully the cameras were rolling and we were able to capture that spirit forever on DVD. 
      It’s hard to believe here we are almost a year later getting ready to head out for a couple weeks to help celebrate that lovely evening.

      Ross CAT- Describe the emotions you feel when you revisit that era of your career and taking the stage with MICK RALPHS & SIMON KIRKE again?

      PAUL RODGERS- Honestly Ross I wasn’t sure what to expect it had been ten years since we had performed together.
      I’m glad to say that we locked in almost immediately.  Someone had asked me, “is going back like riding a bicycle”; I said no, “it’s actually like sliding into a really nice comfortable pair of Levi’s”.
      This time around it was especially gratifying for me.  It was really nice to get back to my roots and the songs that MICK and I had written together, songs that everyone knows and loves.

      Ross CAT- Why such a limited number of shows on this trek with BAD COMPANY?

      PAUL RODGERS --Well I had just completed a journey if you will through other peoples music with QUEEN, we had just finished a massive three month tour promoting “The Cosmos Rocks” record; that being said I didn’t want to go out on a full scale tour right away so we decided to just keep it exclusive with this handful of dates.

      Ross CAT- Was it purely coincidental that the reunion show last summer fell on 8/8/08?

      PAUL RODGERS --Yeah it actually was coincidence, rather cosmic isn’t it?

      Ross CAT- You kicked off the tour by returning to the scene of the crime at the Hard Rock Live Hotel on June 21^st, closing it out with a bang in Atlantic City on the 4^th of July.

      PAUL RODGERS --That’s actually a very clever description, I like that.  Yes we’re really excited about getting out and enjoying the summer with our fans, it’s been far too long since we’ve shared the BAD COMPANY songs together.

      Ross CAT- In attending the show last summer the synergy was evident on stage, there was truly a sense of pride behind the smiles while performing the BAD COMPANY classics.
      Do you feel the success of that show along with this tour could possibly spawn any new material for BAD COMPANY?

      PAUL RODGERS --When musicians gather to play no matter what level there is always that possibility.  When you have rehearsals & sound checks you don’t always want to play songs that you already know so you’re always kickin’ different ideas around.  That’s the type of environment where new material starts to generate so that’s always possible.
      The way I’ve lived my life I’ve tried not to make to many plans, I like to keep things loose. Throughout my career my focus is writing songs, so I let that lead me wherever it may go

      Ross CAT- Unquestionably that method has certainly worked out quite nicely for you in your storied career.

      PAUL RODGERS --It really does work for me, I’m quite happy with where I’m at, it enables me to be ready for any opportunity that may come my way. 
     As an artist I like to be challenged, so when I’m afforded the opportunity to collaborate with artists like BRIAN & ROGER with QUEEN it helps when you don’t have any long term commitments.
      I like to be able to gravitate toward projects that take me to musical places I’ve never been before like making a Blues record with BUDDY GUY or working with Soul Legend SAM MOORE.

      Ross CAT- You really have covered some amazing ground musically.

      Let’s get back to the tour at hand, what can fans expect on these exclusive shows with BAD COMPANY, will it resemble the concert from last August?

      PAUL RODGERS --In putting last years set list together we came from a different point of view, sometimes you can inadvertently have a preconceived notion.  I thought after such a long time it would be nice to open up with and establish the song and the name “BAD COMPANY”, so we did.  With this particular string of shows we’ll approach the set from a different direction.

      Ross CAT- While this reunion is exciting for everyone involved especially the fans; it’s somewhat bittersweet in the sense that it won’t include former band mate the late great BAD CO. bassist BOZ BURRELL who passed away in 2006.

      PAUL RODGERS --It is truly sad in that sense as he is sorely missed. His wife attended the Hard Rock show last summer and we included a couple of the songs he had written in the set in honor of his contributions.

      Ross CAT- The Rock Rapport had the pleasure of seeing you perform with your solo band during the LIVE IN GLASCOW tour which by the way went “Certified Gold” on CD/DVD; will HOWARD LEESE & LYNN SORENSON of your solo band be joining in the BAD COMPANY summer tour?

      PAUL RODGERS --Why YES they will I’m happy to say; I just love performing with them; just being around those guys is great.
      LYNN is really a great bass player rounding out our rhythm section, he absolutely shines jamming with SIMON.
      As for HOWARD you just can’t say enough about him, despite his amazing resume with HEART he’s very respectful of his place in the band along side MICK and they really work very well together.

      Ross CAT- What an amazing pair to add to the already potent BAD COMPANY arsenal. 
      I’d like to elaborate more on the stellar career of guitarist HOWARD LEESE, often referred to as the “Secret Weapon” in HEART. 
      The music sage spent twenty-two years as guitarist, producer and musical director for the first ladies of Rock, who by the way like PAUL RODGERS should be knocking on the Hall doors in Cleveland in the not too distance future.
      His very first solo record drops on July 3^rd aptly titled “Secret Weapon”; featured guest vocalists on the record include none other then PAUL RODGERS with the soul stirring track “Heal the Broken Hearted”.  Also making vocal contributions to the record are JOE LYNN TURNER (Rainbow, Deep Purple), JIMI JAMISON (Survivor), KEITH ST. JOHN (Montrose) & joining in on keys for the instrumental track “French Quarter” is KEITH EMERSON (ELP).
      This is a must for any Melodic Rock CD collection, for more information visit www.myspace.com/howardleese.
      Also check out www.backstageaxxcess.com later this week for an exclusive video interview with HOWARD LEESE as he talks about his kick ass new record, being part of the BAD COMPANY reunion tour & his paramount contributions with HEART, recorded “Straight on for You” from sound check at the CMAC BAD CO. show this Thursday.

      Ross CAT- PAUL, you’ve sustained one of the most distinct yet chameleon like voices for over four decades, to what do you attribute your longevity as a vocalist?

      PAUL RODGERS --Why Thank you Ross that is really very kind.  I don’t know that I have any trade secrets other then the fact that I truly love to sing, I just go to a different place when I perform.
      It’s funny in the sense that I’ve never had any voice training, I consider those that have influenced me to be my teachers like SAM MOORE, OTIS REDDING, MUDDY WATERS & HOWLING WOLF.  I would listen to their records and how they would breathe and try to imitate them.
      In my youth I was typical you know, sort of abusive and all the rest of it, as I matured I learned that it didn’t reflect well in my voice.  I understood that I was blessed with a God given gift and it was up to me to treat that with respect.  I have a healthy lifestyle now and I work very hard at taking care of myself.

      Ross CAT- Reports have surfaced that the QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS incredibly successful “The Cosmos Rocks” record and tour will be the “Swan Song” so to speak, where does Q + PR stand?

      PAUL RODGERS- I’m really quite proud of what we achieved with the successful world tours and subsequent album.  It truly was an honor to be a part of BRIAN & ROGER returning to the stage and studio once again.
      At this point we are just stepping back from it for now, it’s similar to my arrangement with JIMMY PAGE with the FIRM, it was never meant to be a permanent situation.
      As I mentioned earlier I always like to keep things loose. It’s kind of an open book as far as I’m concerned; if something arises that inspires us then I would always be open to the possibility of working with BRIAN & ROGER anytime anywhere.

      Ross CAT- I wanted to touch a little more on that inspirational partnership you where able to forge with the surviving members of QUEEN. 
      As I stated in the introduction you helped BRIAN & ROGER capture that magic once again with tracks like “We Believe”, “Time to Shine” & “Small”.  The song that really stood out on the record was “Warboys”, a relevant radiating Rocker that accentuated the sorely missed, often overlooked talents of QUEEN as a whole behind FREDDIE.
      That was actually a song from your "Certified Gold” solo LIVE IN GLASGOW CD/DVD.  Q + PR really breathed new life into the already powerful track, how did that tune find its way onto the album?

      PAUL RODGERS- I couldn’t agree more, it was really unbelievable what they did for not just that particular song but the entire album.  When we decided to go into the studio we didn’t really have an agenda so we were just noodling around with some ideas.
      At some point I just threw “Warboys” out there to get things rolling not even thinking it would go beyond the rehearsal.  Instantly they just fell in with it and it became this monster track, to my pleasant surprise it ended up on the record sounding bigger and better then it had originally.
      As a whole this album was very exciting to make, we got so carried away at times we laid down too much music, we actually had to bump some songs off the record.
      One of the other songs you mentioned “A Time To Shine” was inspired by the QUEEN sound.  To write those lyrics and create that song was incredibly inspiring, to envision that song in my head and then actually hear BRIAN & ROGER perform it was absolutely exhilarating for me.

      Ross CAT- Lastly PAUL, it’s apparent the fires “Still Burnin” strong creatively for you, what does the rest of 2009 have in store for you?

      PAUL RODGERS --You know I wish I could give you something but I don’t even know what lies ahead just yet.
      What I can tell you is that I have several ideas floating around musically, I keep thinking to myself what or who would be a good fit for this particular song.
      It’s all a matter of synchronicity, bumping into the right people at the right time.
      At this point the exciting thing to me is that anything is possible.

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      The Rock Rapport would like to thank PAUL RODGERS and his lovely wife CYNTHIA, the coolest Rock ‘n’ Roll humanitarians on the planet for their continued “Random Acts of Kindness”.   
      Be sure to visit www.paulrodgers.com for more information; get those IPODS “Ready for Love” as the BAD COMPANY catalog is finally available for digital download www.badcompany.com. 
      We would also like to thank Renee Pfefer from On Tour PR for hooking us up. 
      Concert goers should visit www.cmacevents.com for their top flight summer concert schedule which includes JUDAS PRIEST/WHITESNAKE, JACKSON BROWNE & THE ALLMAN BROTHERS.

******************PEACE & HARMONIES*****************