|
With the eighteen-year success of Poison and forty-years of life
behind him, Bret Michaels has released what he’s calling a “personal
snapshot” of different moments in his life. The album, entitled
Songs of Life has been a work in progress for many years. It offers
fans pieces of his past, including “the good and the bad and
everything in between.”
Most importantly, Michaels
says “I just want to tell fans that I really put my heart and soul into this, it
was a labor of love, and I think it has a lot of great songs on it.”
“Sometimes
when I’m on the road, it’s almost therapeutic cause I can just sit and write,
and the road’s going by. It gives you time to soul search or express yourself,
and that’s where I found time to write this,” he explained.
“I’ve always
wanted to do a solo record. I love everything I write with Poison and have no
intention of ever leaving the band... I’m just one of those guys, I really love
being around music, it’s my form of self expression and just like the film
company that I do with Charlie Sheen or any of the projects that I do, I’m
really a person that’s a creative person but I’m also very driven. I’m not one
of those people that just kind of lets it slip by, I like to write music and
play music and I like to record it. I love being around gear and the studio.
It’s exciting for me, still…I always dream about doing different stuff
creatively but music is my first love, hands down.”
Coming from the small town of Lyndora, PA, just outside of Butler, PA, and
growing up on country and classic rock, Michaels may have dreamed about success,
but “never thought it would actually happen.” He attributes his accomplishments
in music, TV, and film to his determination to go out there and try, and has
drawn his influences from the great story-telling songwriters that he was
introduced to as a child.
Interestingly, his father’s
love of country music turned him on to a lot of artists like Hank Williams, Jr.,
Patsy Cline, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Lorretta Lynn at an early age.
“Those people wrote great
songs and they told really good stories,” he notes.
So, it is no surprise that
when Michaels got an offer to do a contemporary country album from Curb Records,
he gladly accepted. He says that eventually within the next couple of years, he
will be writing with Kenny Chesney.
On the flipside, this current
release, Songs of Life, plays off of Michaels’ great love for rock tunes and
hard rock music, and it is no surprise that he sites the obvious rock favorites
(Aerosmith, KISS, AC/DC, and the Rolling Stones) as his personal influences.
“Although, they all had
images, they wrote great material, and that’s what makes you stay. After 18
years believe me, its not the image any more its about the music and the
attitude,” said Michaels.
Everyone knows that no matter how determined or talented a musician is, they
can’t go far without the support of their fans. And, whether it means spending
two hours after each show meeting the members of his fan club, or inviting an
entire city back for another show on the band (as Michaels had done at several
shows last year) one thing that will never be disputed is his appreciation and
gratitude for his fans.
“I really try to make my web
site and my fan club very fan interactive. And a lot of fan clubs don’t do
that. They take your money and send you a newsletter six months after they did
something and you already knew about it.”
But he owes his fans even more
than one may think, “I get a great energy and a great vibe from the fans, and
they help influence me to always keep the faith, and they get me through some
tough times. Sometimes when my diabetes has got me down or just different
things sometimes those fans cheer me up.”
Following this summer tour with Poison, Michaels will touring on his own,
beginning in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 26 for the Songs of Life tour, which
is “basically an intimate rock experience with Bret Michaels.” Michaels says,
that it will not only be a great rock event, but also a storyteller’s night. He
plans to bring a full band along for the party, and promises live performances
and commentary about the stories behind the lyrics and the music.
For additional information
about Bret Michaels (or to purchase his new album) visit
http://www.bretmichaels.com
|
