Cleveland, Ohio --Steve'a Perry'egoMake up for lost time.
Frontman Journey (1977-98) after leaving the band passed into oblivion, finally entering the scene in 2018 with his third solo album "Traces". It debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200, followed by the Christmas EP "Silver Bells" in 2019 and "Traces (alternative releases and sketches)" last year.
This year, Perry returns to Christmas with "The Season," an eight-track set inspired by the work of 74-year-old Nat King Cole, Smokey Robinson and Bing G. Influenced by Bing Crosby and others he listened to in his youth. "The Season" has received critical acclaim and reached #4 on the Christmas Album Chart, Perry said from his home in San Diego, and we can't stop believing we'll be hearing more about it soon...
What inspired you to create a Christmas album?
Perry: You know, last season was an empty Christmas because it was full of stress, not Christmas spirit. I can't imagine believing in Christmas and what it is, or even imagine some of the food flavors that brought me back to Christmas. I can't access through my favorite music. To be honest, last year it was hard for me to even listen to my favorite traditional Christmas carol because I was worried I wouldn't be able to feel it because we're all having such a pandemic Christmas.
How did you get it back?
Perry: Around May and June of this year, I started thinking about making more Christmas music, just for fun. So me and my keyboardist Dallas (Cruse) started exchanging piano parts over the internet, I started singing and sending them to him and he added some bass, we commented on the phone and it was done. I have to sing these songs to myself. Honestly, I think it's touching their respect for the primal spirit that got me back into the holiday spirit. When I started singing them, I realized how important they are.
Of course, there are also the holiday classics. how did you choose
Perry: I narrowed the list down to the songs that meant the most to me as a kid and that evoke the holiday spirit the most. I feel a certain respect, I have to pay homage to their original melodic structure, their original simplicity. I don't want to push the boundaries of their timeless qualities too much, but I do want to have some fun with them nonetheless. I try to deviate from that a little bit to connect vocally with who I am, but I don't push the boundaries of what they have to say and how they say it. This is my goal.
Will you be dressing 'seasonally' this Christmas?
Perry: (laughs) Well... I don't know. I'll start with eggnog with some ice and fresh nutmeg, quietly burning in the fireplace - no playing in and to be honest probably no music, just me and the lady sitting there talking and reminiscing about her life, her Christmas and mine. I will not be chasing what I call a food door this Christmas. During the holidays, I treat food as a gateway to old memories, but I will never be able to recreate the taste of what my grandmother used to make. The last time I tried to make this for Thanksgiving, I failed miserably. I can't make stuffing or anything like that. So I thought I'd have a grilled cheese sandwich - really nice Irish cheese on sourdough bread, with delicious dill pickles and slowly toasted with lots of butter. It couldn't be better, come on!
Do you think being immersed in that music influenced your singing?
Perry: I think so. Since then, I've written two original compositions, so I think you're right - it leaves an imprint on the musical spirit of those songs. So I made two prototypes and put them in there, but I'm not sure what happens to them.
The question is - what happens next?
Perry: Well, two days ago I went into a studio in San Diego - it was a bunker - and I started going through all the sketches and all the songs that I had started. Some are almost ready and just need to be mixed. The good news is that I have plenty of source material and plenty of things to do. I just hope people want to hear some of my stuff, but I'm going to do it anyway. I just don't want to be pushed anywhere. If I sing and people like it, then I do it.
Of course people really want to see you on stage again. What about this?
Perry: You know, Uncle Steve's not a stickler around here anymore. But what I love most is being back on stage. A few years ago (2014) I had a great time walking on stage with the Eels. It was such a thrill. I really think there's a quality to my voice that I can't find until I'm in front of people. I can sit in the studio and sing my heart out, but when I'm in front of people, I know they bring something to the table that I can't find unless I'm standing in front of them. I almost feel like my voice belongs to them, I just let them out. It's a symbiosis and without them I couldn't have found it. So I would like to do it again.
How about living in a place where you can avoid the tedium of travel?
Perry: I've actually been told about it in different places - one in New York and the other recently in Vegas. This has been discussed but nothing has come of it yet. I'm an impulsive person so you never know. You might catch me singing some Christmas carols in a nightclub. It should be fun. I don't need money. I just want to have fun. That's the point.
Former Journey manager Herbie Herbert died in October. You stay connected and friendly with him, don't you?
Perry: Yeah, I've been in contact with him for the last year and a half. We had some of the best conversations. It changed my life. He gave me a chance. Listen to my demo tapes and believe me. His wish was to convince Journey to give me a chance to prove myself, and they gave me that chance. He saw that they needed something and convinced them that I was just that kind of person. In a recent conversation about four months ago, he said, "All I can tell you is that when I heard you sing with the band, I immediately felt the chemistry."
Do you still have deep feelings about the song Journey?
Perry: Oh yeah, especially now. When I hear it on the radio, I'm like, "Man, that's amazing!" (laughs) I mean, the further you are from the forest, the better you can see it. It's hard to see anything when you're standing on it. But as time goes on and you get further and further away, it looks pretty good.
smallOh, it's been 40 years since Escape and Don't Stop Believin'. Do you believe in the life force of this song?
Perry: Nope. (laughs) I mean, honest to God, no. I wish I could say I had some predictions, but I don't. Every song we write gets the same attention, has the same emotional, performance and lyrical appeal. So "Don't Stop Believin'" is another song that has embraced a whole new generation, then a whole new generation, and now a whole new generation. I'm just lucky it happened.
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