{"id":16041,"date":"2013-04-02T21:37:36","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T10:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=16041"},"modified":"2013-04-02T22:04:26","modified_gmt":"2013-04-02T11:04:26","slug":"straight-to-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2013\/04\/straight-to-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Straight To Video"},"content":{"rendered":"

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“Never, EVER forget what made you who you are!”<\/em>, such wise, wise words, that could relate to almost any aspect of ones life. \u00a0But for our favourite bass player around here, Rob ‘Laney 74’, those wise, wise words are the very reason why you are now reading about Straight To Video, the new EP release which sees Laney tackle a bunch of his favourite movies soundtrack tunes, with the help of a bunch of super talented musical friends. \u00a0\u201cI wanted an unashamedly fun project that represented every element of the things I love, particularly what I grew up with and made me – ME! I wanted a huge melting pot of music, film, nostalgia and fun – with no apologies!\u201d.<\/p>\n

That’s what Laney says and that’s what Laney gives. Pretty In Pink, License To Drive, Clerks II, Nightmare On Elm Street 4<\/em>\u00a0and Some Kind Of Wonderful<\/em> are the movie soundtracks where the songs making up the EP were lifted from. \u00a0If you are a fan of Laney’s main musical endeavour over the past decade or so – Teenage Casket Company, or any of his other musical adventures with Let Loose, The Black Mollys, The Bulletboys to name a few, then musically Straight To Video will be right up your alley, regardless of whether you were previously familiar with the original versions of the songs prior to getting the Straight To Video treatment.<\/p>\n

On the eve of the EP release on April 1st, we got a hold of Laney to chat all things Straight To Video…<\/p>\n

So Laney 74, stating the obvious – music and movies play a massive part of your life, but tell me, what was the moment that made you decide to put together what we now hear with Straight To Video?
\n<\/strong>I\u2019d been toying with the idea of putting together a new project which brought together all the things I love\u2026 such as music and movies like you mentioned, but also had a real nostalgic vibe. Sure, I live in the past a little too much, but I think if you can balance it with a modern, fun approach then you\u2019re all good.<\/p>\n

The initial plan was to create a covers band doing movie soundtrack songs and perhaps have the frame work of the killer Hollywood band, The Starfuckers, who played every week at The Cat Club and had different people come up and jam each show. It would have been really cool to put a spin on that format by adding the movie soundtrack angle but putting a group together today is really darn tough so I put in on the back burner. A good friend of mine suggested doing it as a recording project so that really flipped the switch in my head which brings us to today!<\/p>\n

Of all the songs, and all the movies – are these 5 you’ve recorded, simply your all time favourite soundtrack songs, or was a far greater selection process undertaken to arrive at these five final tracks?
\n<\/strong>I wanted to try and avoid the immediately obvious 80\u2019s soundtrack songs such as \u2018Danger Zone\u2019 from Top Gun, although I love all that stuff and try to pick some more diverse tunes. I guess \u2018Pretty In Pink\u2019 is the most well known but all the others are a little more left field when it comes to associating them with films. I also had to like both the films and the songs so I didn\u2019t lose interest really quickly which I\u2019m notorious for doing! It had to be the whole package; I knew I\u2019d have to be enthusiastic about both the audio AND the visual!<\/p>\n

In your well educated opinion, what is it that you think makes the perfect movie soundtrack song?
\n<\/strong>I don\u2019t think you need to be too literal! I give Ray Parker Jnr a free pass with the \u2018Ghostbusters\u2019 theme tune but other than that I don\u2019t think you need to recite what happens in the film too much. Whilst I was a fan of Jon Bon Jovi\u2019s Young Guns 2 Soundtrack which was a pretty cool idea and a clever way for him to do a solo record, I think it just takes a great song which fits with what\u2019s happening on screen and if done well people will always associate the two.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Scott Cole http:\/\/scottcolephotography.tumblr.com\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From The Outsiders, to Young Guns, through to The Expendables, there’s been a multitude of star studded super ‘casts’ over the years. \u00a0Now let’s open it up to Laney the movie producer, if you could assemble the ultimate cast, for the ultimate movie – what actors\/actresses would you choose and what would be your basic movie\u00a0plot?<\/strong>
\nThat is just way too tough a question but I\u2019ll give it a shot. Let\u2019s make a new Nightmare on Elm Street but done in classy Scream-style. Let\u2019s team up Corey Feldman and Anthony Michael Hall, maybe get Sherilyn Fenn on board for some love interest. We hire Kevin Smith to write and direct it alongside Wes Craven! This is all of course done with the help of Doc Brown\u2019s Delorean so we can have it all done in the late 80s before \u2018Freddy\u2019s Dead\u2019 came along and screwed everything up.<\/p>\n

You have featured songs from two John Hughes films (Pretty In Pink and Some Kind Of Wonderful), and you have a special feature presentation of Ferris Bueller\u2019s Day Off tied into this EP release – so can I assume you might just be a little bit of a fan of his work over the years?
\n<\/strong>Yeah, for sure! I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever met anyone who\u2019s a similar age who isn\u2019t a fan. Whatever his secret he really did manage to capture something special in the films he made. No matter what the background of the characters you still found them likeable and could relate in someway. Take \u2018The Breakfast Club\u2019 for example, five totally different people but you loved them all. Ferris Bueller is really a spoilt rich kid but you still like him\u2026. Totally a \u2018righteous dude\u2019! I understand Hughes moved on a little after \u2018Uncle Buck\u2019 and went a little more family friendly with \u2018Home Alone\u2019 and such, but what he created in his career is incredible.<\/p>\n

You have a star studded musical lineup involved in this project, some big names, some just super talented people. Looking at such a great song such as \u2018Misery\u2019 from Soul Asylum which Jaret Reddick sings on, was it a difficult thing at times to try and balance how you interpreted these classic songs, with\u00a0the creative ideas that you may have had, with those that some of your guests may have had?\u00a0Or was it simply a case of what Laney says, is what Laney gets?
\n<\/strong>I think, if anything, it just came down to trust on both sides of the camp, particularly with how everything had to be recorded. There was no \u2018real\u2019 band. It wasn\u2019t like we could all get in a rehearsal room and throw around ideas to see what worked with the songs. Me and my good friend Michael Richards went in and laid down all the bass and drums, then from there it was just a matter of working with people\u2019s schedules to get them in and put down their parts, or have them emailed over such as Jaret\u2019s vocals, or Tory (Stoffregen) and Johnny (Monaco)\u2019s guitar solos.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t go in with the plan to totally rework any of the songs so with the talent of everyone involved there wasn\u2019t too much that could go wrong. It was kind of a new situation for me though not having to really answer to anyone or put a decision to a vote. Occasionally Joe (Brown) who I worked with in the studio would say something didn\u2019t work but for the most part I had to make the decision if I wanted something to stay or go\u2026. That for me is kinda tough because I have no real clue as to what makes a good drum or guitar sound! I just have to trust my ears on the overall picture and if I think it sounds good if I was hearing it as a fan.<\/p>\n

From playing Dean in License To Drive, Corey Feldman in recent years has turned his hand to music, having done a version of \u2018Cry Little Sister\u2019 from The Lost Boys, did you make any approaches to Feldman to take the lead vocals on \u2018Rush Hour\u2019? \u00a0(But I must say the performance from Becky Edwards on\u00a0STV version is stellar!)
\n<\/strong>I never actually thought of that to be honest but it would have been super cool! Corey Feldman was a big, big hero of mine whilst growing up, particularly in stuff like Stand By Me, License To Drive and The Lost Boys. He was a real star of the generation and I would love the chance to meet him at some point, maybe slip him a copy of the EP too and see what he thinks of the songs!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really glad you like Becky\u2019s vocals though, she did an amazing job. I\u2019ve known her for maybe the best part of ten years from when she used to come along and see my band DIP. After she moved away I didn\u2019t realize she\u2019d begun to sing and write her own songs so when I saw some YouTube clips I figured she\u2019d be great for the \u2018Rush Hour\u2019 vocal.<\/p>\n

Making your lead vocal debut on the Dramarama track \u2018Anything, Anything\u2019 from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, I’ve gotta say it’s one of my favourite tracks on the EP, hits me right between the eyes of my love for early Goo Goo Dolls. So firstly, how was the experience of recording lead vocals for this track?\u00a0\u00a0Secondly, having decided on lending some lead vocals to the EP, I’ve gotta ask whether you initially considered tackling some Mark Slaughter by doing \u2018Love Kills\u2019 by Vinnie Vincent Invasion, also from the same Soundtrack?
\n<\/strong>I\u2019m really glad you likened it to the Goo Goo Dolls cause that was exactly what I was aiming for. I love the early albums like \u2018Jed\u2019 and \u2018Hold Me Up\u2019 \u2013 such energy and great raucous tunes. Recording it was kinda weird. My confidence for singing has grown a little since TCC became a three piece a couple of years ago but it was still daunting. I think we only ended up doing a couple of takes in the end. I blew my voice out immediately because I have no idea on warming up but me and Joe felt it worked for the track. Listen closely and you\u2019ll hear my voice cracking all over the place. I think that experience pretty much wrote me out for ever trying to do any Slaughter style vocals anytime soon!!<\/p>\n

If we consider the music of the band in which you’ve played bass for around a decade – Teenage Casket Company, what kind of movie scene could you imagine one of your songs popping up in?<\/strong>
\nIn the past we\u2019ve been told our sound is direct from an American Teen Movie, maybe something like American Pie. That to me is really cool and I\u2019m flattered because it\u2019s just the kind of vibe we\u2019ve always aimed for, just that feel good summer pop rock. Me and Rob Wylde (TCC Songwriter) grew up on a diet of Rocky movies and anything putting us in the ball park of those films is a compliment. If there\u2019s ever a Straight To Video sequel, then Wylde already has his name down for a modern take on \u2018No Easy Way Out\u2019 from Rocky IV!!<\/p>\n

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Photo: Scott Cole. http:\/\/scottcolephotography.tumblr.com\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As with almost all classic movies, a key part of the Straight To Video release is some bitchin’ artwork – so tell, who came up with the concept and who ultimately created the artwork that graces the CD cover?
\n<\/strong>I wanted something that paid homage to the old Video Nasty sleeves from back in the day. Unless I\u2019m imagining, I\u2019m pretty sure the first film I saw on video (Betamax of course) was The Evil Dead so this is sort of a tribute to that where you had Bruce Campbell fending off the demons with his chainsaw. Replace the Chainsaw with my \u201874\u2019 Jazz Bass, add in a cartoon \u2018Betty Rubble\u2019 style version of the wife being attacked by a hoard of Zombies and you\u2019re all set! My \u2018Go To Guy\u2019 for CD artwork has always been my good friend Daz Mondo. He\u2019s done all the TrashPit Records work over the past few years and always interprets my ideas perfectly, taking them above and beyond what I had in mind. Guy should be a millionaire right now!<\/p>\n

So just quickly, what else have you got in the works for the rest of 2013? Personally speaking, I’m super happy to hear that things with TCC are kicking along nicely!
\n<\/strong>Yeah, finally a new TCC album is on the horizon. Much like Straight To Video it\u2019s taken a long time to pull together what with budget and everyone\u2019s availability but it\u2019s on its way! I think it\u2019s the best songs we\u2019ve done and a real diverse mix showing a growth for the band but don\u2019t worry, there\u2019s still the Power Pop in full force. I\u2019m also really excited that we\u2019ve added a new guitarist for live shows. We asked a good friend of ours, Dave Kerr from the band Silverjet, if he\u2019d be interested in helping at live shows and he\u2019s totally destroying! You don\u2019t know how cool it is to hear all the parts which are on the CDs being played live. It\u2019s really added a whole new dimension to the band plus a shit tonne more of on stage energy!<\/p>\n

For the rest of the year I\u2019m really just hoping people enjoy the Straight To Video songs and that I can build on everything to make it something of a \u2018Brand\u2019. Not that I want to go all corporate and sell out before I\u2019ve event started but I want to try and create something that is more than just the music, a whole concept if you like, with the films nights and other cool ideas.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see\u2026.. Watch this space!<\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/span><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> Derbyshire, UK<\/p>\n

For fans of:<\/strong> 80’s movie soundtracks and stellar rock music!<\/p>\n

Latest release: <\/strong>Straight To Video (April 1st 2013, Trashpit Records)<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong>
\nwww.straighttovideo.co.uk
\n<\/a>www.facebook.com\/straighttovid
\n<\/a>www.twitter.com\/straight2vid<\/a><\/p>\n

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