TONY MILLS OF STATE OF ROCK INTERVIEW

22nd February 2010

Tony Mills to many older rock fans would probably be best known for his work with Shy, those readers with less miles on the clock will probably known him best for his recent work with TNT and also the numerous other bands and projects he has been involved with over recent years.  And its under this latter guise that we caught up with Tony who is busy promoting the new State Of Rock album which is out now on Metal Heaven to discuss the new bands origins, the recording process and much more, of course we also asked Tony about some Shy and TNT as well - enjoy.------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tony, many thanks for taking the time to talk to Virtuosity One.
Hi there Andy, nice to be here!

Your most current involvement is the band State Of Rock which is from the ashes of Frontline.  How did you hook up with the German band and when did you realise you had some chemistry?
As soon as I got into the initial listening phase really! Georg Siegl from AOR / Metal Heaven records in Munich called me up and basically, he wanted to see the phoenix rise from the ashes again, with Robby Boebel playing live… But the band had lost contact with their vocalist? Georg asked me to get involved and co-write a new album with Robby. I wanted to hear the musical ideas first, so Robby sent me some songs over and the rest is history… I was pretty blown away, and agreed to cover all the vocal angles there and then!

Is this a band that was put together prior to having a deal or was the deal already in place with Metal Heaven?
Yes, Metal Heaven pretty much instigated the whole project, but they did want some finished songs in place before they signed it. It took about three tracks to convince the label that the combination of writers worked well and then, it was signed pretty much straight away.

Can you give us some details on the album's creation – when did you start with it, who was involved in the writing, what was your vision for this release?
Well, we started the album in the Summer of 2009. Robby had been sending me the ideas right from the off and I’d come back with lyrics and melodies, but there were no rules broken or laid down, it was just about writing a great record. It was finished in about eight weeks. Robby Boebel and myself were the only writers. The vision was for a hard-hitting, commercial rock release; I think we’ve achieved that!

What were you looking for sonically with this album?
Hard edged guitars with plenty of groove. Good drum sounds and a hefty dose of vocal choirs supporting a clean-cut, dynamic vocal performance. Just a great sounding rock record!

How long did it take to nail your vocals during the recording?
The writing and recording took two months pretty much, give or take and then I spent two or three days bouncing things back and forth for each song until everyone was satisfied. I’ve got my own studio at home and with the technology available now, it’s really easy to bounce ideas between countries and members. When I got over to Germany to actually finish the record (with Robby and the boys), everything was pretty much sorted.

What sort of prep work do you do to get in the right zone for when the red light is on?
Basically, I create vocal maps with brief ideas penned out to see if they all sit together correctly, then I clear up the performances section by section until I’m satisfied with the results.

How would you describe “A Point Of Destiny” to someone that hasn’t heard you?
“Dynamic, mainstream, commercial rock with a very strong guitar base and some wonderful, uplifting song structures. It sits in the mainstream of AOR; as I said, I don’t think it breaks too many real rules…, but the hooks are incredibly strong and people can remember the songs easily!

What does the band name mean? Where does the band name originate from – Frontline’s debut album was called “State Of Rock”, right?
Aah, this was Georg’s idea. He considered that a combination of Frontline and Shy would be a great ‘State Of Rock’ for the AOR market and so it was born. It’s expanded a bit now on the original formula I’ve seen in the promo stuff – 75% Frontline + 25% Shy = State Of Rock, because we now have Joe Basketts, who is part of Shy, as part of the band, bringing in keyboards for live work, and Wolfgang Schimmer from Evidence One on second guitar, but that’s where the origins of it lie!

How do you view the state of rock in the broader sense?
I see it as a band of strong musicians with one mission…! To release hard-hitting material, with the ability to support the album in any given live situation!

Are there any touring plans for State Of Rock then?
As I mentioned briefly earlier, there are yes, and I think it’s very important, because these songs cry out for that. I don’t want to lose this material.. That’s why we are determined to use the word ‘band’… It’s not just Tony Mills as Guest Vocalist; it’s State Of Rock, the band. We have already played together in Germany and there are plans to bring the band to the UK and pick up suitable festivals in Europe as well!

You have a rich recording pedigree since the 80’s, obviously to talk about them all would need a few days but in general from a personal standpoint what have been the high and low points for you?
Touring the States and Europe with Shy… Touring Scandinavia with TNT.. Working with very famous musicians in Los Angeles; all are highlights. Recording in some of the bigger studios in the world with quality producers and being able to continue as a session vocalist for many bands has been an honour. I don’t think about lows…!

What is the current state of play with Shy and TNT?
Well, Shy is pretty much on hold until we see a full recovery for guitarist Steve Harris who has been unwell over the last year. That’s incredibly important!  TNT have commenced recording a new album in Oslo…. But, because we have exhausted all the venues in Scandinavia, we are taking a break from the live circuit for a while.

How hard has it been replacing Tony Harnell in TNT and how do you go about making the position your own as it were?
It was difficult to start with. The fan base were sold on Tony, which I found more than understandable as he is a remarkable vocalist…. But change comes to everyone in their lives and was no different for him. A lot of the older fans walked away from the band…, but it was not long before they were replaced by new up and coming followers and we just ran with it. There was no shortage of fans at gigs and signing sessions, so it all worked out in the end.”

“We mainly play older material live, so it was a case of getting to know the earlier albums. We’ve played around 250 shows now and we gel together pretty well. I haven’t really changed the way Tony sang any of the songs…, I just do my best to keep up to his standard. All the shows have been well received.”

Another recent release to feature you was the Acacia Avenue album which got a very stellar review here, how did you hook up with Torben Enevoldsen for that project?
Thanks very much…! Torben got in touch with me through MySpace and after some brief contact, he sent me some songs that needed re-writing… I re-wrote two songs with him and he mixed them in Europe. This was over a year ago now, but from what I understand, the album came out much later and has had some strong reviews. He was a pleasure to work with and I would happily write some more Acacia Avenue tracks, actually.

 Anything else you’d like to add for our readers.
Yes… Watch out for the release of the Serpentine album, “A Touch Of Heaven”, also coming out through AOR Heaven next month (March 29^th) and through Marquee Inc.,. in Japan in a couple of weeks time…… Check out State Of Rock, and I hope we can play live for everyone very soon!

Tony, many thanks for your time and we wish you all the best for 2010.
Thanks for the interview. All the best and stay in touch.

OFFICIAL WEBSITES
www.stateofrock.net