By: Robert Cavuoto
Hot Streak is the supercharged follow-up CD to The Winery Dogs self-titled 2013 debut, a powerhouse musical trio featuring Richie Kotzen on guitar, Mike Portnoy on drums and Billy Sheehan on bass.
The Winery Dogs are breaking all the rules and doing exactly what they want to do and they’ve exceeded all expectations. Their unique approach to creating music has landed them with critical acclaim, sold-out shows around the world, and built a large and rabid fan base.
Take away the fact that the members are monstrous musicians on their own, when joining forces the chemistry and musical output is undeniable fantastic.
Hot Streak picks up where their debut CD left off, but showcases the band coming into their own with straight ahead rockers like “Oblivion,” “Captain Love,” and “Devil you Know.”
For good measure they manage to balance that out with some funk inspired songs like the title track “Hot Streaks”, then take you down a more celestial and haunting path with “The Bridge” and “Ghost Town.”
I caught up with guitar virtuoso, Richie Kotzen, to talk about the bands success, the approach to making Hot Streak, his new live solo DVD, and his perspective on what it was like working and recording with Poison.
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Robert: Tell me about the title track “Hot Streak,” is there any relation to it and the success of the band with your first CD?
Richie Kotzen: No, it wasn’t deliberate. Picking titles can sometimes be tricky, we could have called it something boring like Volume 2 [Laughing].
With my CDs I always have a song that I think is the key moment or key song off the CD.
For example, on my last solo CD I had a song called “Cannibals” and it was such an interesting departure for me, I decided to call the CD Cannibals. With the song “Hot Streak,” that track is so different than anything the band has ever done, the song is almost R&B and Funk. Being so different I lobbied to call the CD Hot Streak just because it draws attention to the track and all the parallels that you can make, even the one you mentioned. We are thankful that the first CD did so well so, hopefully, we can keep it going on this one.
Robert: Tell me about the band and its success. In such an over crowd market place where mediocrity is the norm and people have such short attention spans how have you successfully managed to overcome all that to create solid rock music, tour to packed venues, and built such a large fan base in such a short period of time?
Richie Kotzen: I think it’s a little different for us. We are not competing in main stream music. What we are doing, nobody else is doing. We created our own little world to live in.
The initial attention that the band got had absolutely nothing to do with the music. It had to do with our names and the three of us coming together coupled with people’s speculations, “Is this going to be a disaster or I can’t wait to hear it.” There was a lot of curiosity from rock fans; you had three completely different areas joining together.
My fan base is more of an international thing, as I have been touring extensively around the world for the last 16 years as solo artist. I have a very specific and stylized thing that I do and most people who don’t follow me and hear my name and only think about what I did 20+ years ago.
Then you have Mike’s massive fan base from all the bands that we was in. He has more people following him on social media than some people who are super famous.
Then you have Billy who is one of the most unique bass players who ever lived. He has the legacy or Talas, Dave Lee Roth and Mr. Big. Thankfully, we wrote a really cool CD first time up that resonated with people. I don’t know what is going to happen on this CD, we might be over and people will not care anymore or maybe we did something better than before and more people will come over! We just have to wait and see.
Robert: That’s an interesting perspective. I think the success is related to the band’s chemistry and your collaborative song writing skills. You can take the best musicians in the world put them in a super group and it would sound like crap. Kudos to the three of you!
Richie Kotzen: I understand why some “super groups” fail. You get three or four people together who each have a strong opinion and you easily get the wagon pulled in different directions which is a recipe for disaster.
The way the Winery Dogs work is we go in a room and jam together. We come up with riffs, chord progressions, bass lines and a drum beats; at the point the guys trust me and to take the instrumental tracks and develop them.
I develop them lyrically, melodically, and on a production level, as well. There has to be a level of trust, as well as people contributing at the same time. So, on this CD a lot of the initial ideas came from Billy as he had a lot of cool riffs that were exercises on the bass.
“Hot Streak” is a perfect example of that, when I first heard it thought it could be a really cool song. I manipulated it, did a bunch of things to it, and it developed into the final song. There is also someone in the band who has to walk the dog and trust the guy otherwise you will end up with complete chaos with everyone going in a different directions.
Robert: Do these jam sessions of guitar, bass and drums – steer you down a certain creative path?
Richie Kotzen: Not really. We have tons of keyboards, tons of vocal overdubs and harmonies on this CD. The way they are used is all very subtle, when making a CD I do what’s right for the song. I never say “How are we going to do this live?” That’s an immediate wet blanket and buzz kill on creativity. I think broad, I think huge. If I hear a violin that needs to be added to elevate the song to the next level, I’ll add it.
Live is live – for a song like “Ghost Town” there is tons of layered guitars. When we play it live they won’t miss anything because there is another element at play. Mike and Billy will be playing the track different than then in the studio; it will be more flamboyant with a lot more going on plus the visual element which affects the sound.
I’ll have my freedom and space to do what I need to do. What’s live is live and studio is studio for us. Not every band thinks that way. Some bands want to duplicate what was created in the studio note for note live. I’m more like the Grateful Dead, rather than Pink Floyd.
When you come to see the Winery Dogs You are coming to see a show like an NBA All Star Game, there isn’t a lot of defense played, but the score is going to be high with some amazing slam dunks – an amazing time! [Laughing]. First time live we only had the 10 songs to play so when we play now, we have 20 songs to choose from so we should have a lot of fun with the set list.
Robert: Do you need to rework or re-orchestrate songs in order to play them live and how far do you change them from the studio version?
Richie Kotzen: The overdubs that I’m talking about are the sonics that you hear on the CD. When we play the song live, it’s the same lyrics, drum beat, rhythm guitar and bass line, but we are going to have more fun and flexibility with the songs.
When we get to the solo sections, everything goes crazy. So it’s not changing the song per se, it’s that you have more space to fill if you decide.
Robert: The guitar tones on the CD are quite varied across all of the songs. For example, the first two songs, “Oblivion” and “Captain Love” are more distorted with great attack, while “Ghost Town” and “The Bridge” have smoother creamier tones. Can you tell us about experimenting with your sound on this CD and making the entire CD sound cohesive?
Richie Kotzen: That ties exactly to what we were talking about earlier about being in the studio and having the choices to make the song with different nuances. You’re hearing those nuances which are very cool.
On songs like “Oblivion” and “Captain Love”, it’s very basic. It’s a simple thing. When you hear that live you won’t hear any difference, it’s about the power trio sound.
When you move over to a song like “Ghost Town” that’s a situation where the guitar sound is different because I’m changing the tone throughout the song. You have the intro with a very specific type of sound, the verse cleans up with some tremolo and delays then bridge comes in with some wah. It’s all about textures as each guitar is a different tool.
The main guitar I played is the signature series Telecaster, but then I got the hollow body electric doing a lot of parts to open things up in different sections. You can hear the Bigsby tremolo and the slide guitar on certain part to emphasize key lines of the vocals and more of a conversational feel as the song goes on.
The difference between the first CD and this CD is there is a lot more of those elements. There are some things on this CD from a production level that are different, as well like on the song “Spiral” where Mike plays kick snare and high hat most of the song and basically just lays down time, something you never hear him do.
I did some crazy overdub stuff and a trick on piano where I taped down 16 -20 keys to make a giant chord then opened the lid and started plucking the strings with my pick. Nobody can make out what the instrument is, it sounds like a harp or a 12 string guitar only bigger.
Robert: Tell me about your label that gives you the freedom to experiment and allow the band to find their voice. After the success of the first CD, I would think they would want that same formula for the songs.
Richie Kotzen: In the old days the record business was a little different. The labels played a different role as they were in control as there was a lot more money at stake. Nowadays if you are established and people know your name the label takes a different role and you can technically can get your music out there without a label.
I do that with my solo stuff. I just have it set up to my base distribution and it works wonderfully. Loud and Proud Records did an amazing job on the first CD and they trust us. We’re the musicians and recording artists and they’re the business people. Let us make the CD and let them figure out how to market. If the fans like it we will go out and tour, if nobody likes it we will stay home and do something else [Laughing].
Robert: You’re guitar playing encompasses many types of music yet you have a unique style that instantly recognizable. What’s one aspect of your signature guitar style?
Richie Kotzen: It’s difficult to dissect myself; I have never been a guitar player that sits around with the guitar all day. I see these young guys on You Tube playing these beautiful pieces. I could physically make myself do it and make my fingers do it, but I just don’t have it in my repertoire to do. I don’t pick up a guitar unless I have an idea for a song. That’s the point when I really start getting creative.
Things changed for me many years ago when I wondered why I was even playing, what was my motivation for playing? I realized it was to be creative, making songs, and then playing them with a band. Without a piece of original music everything seemed terribly pointless to me.
So my focus is on writing. I may not be very good at it, but that is what I focus on and when the instrument comes into play. When I hear something in my head and I try to play it and can’t get my fingers to do it, then I know it’s time to practice. I literally sit down and practice that part. It’s something new in my repertoire. That works better for me than sitting around practicing random patterns. It doesn’t interest me and as I get terribly bored and uninspired. I need to be inspired creatively to move along with this.
Robert: Most people I speak with write while playing the guitar. It’s fascinating that you hear it in your head and then write it.
Richie Kotzen: Very rarely does it start with the guitar for me. In some ways I gravitate more to singing than guitar playing these days. When I was 19 or 20 years old I got very confident in my playing and it changed my guitar playing drastically.
When I started to sing, I found my identity as a guitar player. When you’re singing you got to stop and breathe. When you are playing guitar and doing scales you never stop, it’s not natural. Then there are the guys that phrase really well and when they get to the solo, the audience cheers. That’s doesn’t happen a lot in rock ‘n roll. Many guitarists don’t play well or don’t know how to phrase. I was one of those guys as a teenager, I knew how to play and move my fingers and suddenly when I started singing it changed me for the better.
Robert: Understanding your history and your styling of playing joining Poison seemed like a bit of a disconnect. Was Poison a good fit for you musically?
Richie Kotzen: It was a complex situation back then. I was basically doing what I’m doing now through the eyes of a 20 year old kid. I was into R&B and soul music back then. I was signed to Interscope as a solo act [one of first acts they signed]. I ended up getting into a battle about direction with them as they wanted me to be this heavy metal guy and I hated heavy metal back then.
I wanted to be Daryl Hall with an electric guitar. Ironically joining a hard rock band would have been the last thing you would have expected. Initially, I thought it was a bad idea but I figured let me go and meet them.
I met the guys and realized that I had a lot in common with Bret Michaels. By the time I joined the band they had sold 20 million CDs, I was this kid coming out of nowhere.
Native Tongue sounds like a Richie Kotzen CD with Bret Michael singing and co-writing. So, really it wasn’t a departure at all, it was actually one of the best experiences in my life. I enjoyed it fully. I had complete creative control as I was doing everything I wanted and loving it.
The song “Stand” had the choir signing and I was doing exactly what I wanted. I was in heaven. The only thing was that was wrong with it was that I wasn’t the lead singer, but so what?
It debut at #4 and shipped gold! After that things went a bit haywire and I realized “This is not your band dude!” I’d be on the road playing two or three songs off the new CD and then songs like “Talk Dirty to Me.” It made me want to quit music all together. That’s when the wheels came off. I think we made a fantastic CD considering what was going on with music at the time.
Robert: How did you get picked for Poison as their style of music and what you were all about couldn’t be further apart from you on the musical spectrum?
Richie Kotzen: Those guys are not as clueless or primitive as the general public might think. A matter of fact, Bret is one of the smartest guys to ever be in rock music. He knew the times were changing and he needed to do something different. He’s a big fan of blues rock, soul music, and southern rock and he wanted to take the band in a blues inspired and more soulful direction. He knew he needed a guitar player that would do that.
So he knew who not to hire. At the time my solo CD which was bluesy, I had been on the cover of Guitar World magazine, and had some accolade in the press. Bret contacted Interscope where I was about to be dropped from my contract and an executive told me to check out this opportunity.
Robert: With Mike Portnoy being involved in so many bands and projects is there ever a loyalty issue or concern for the future of the Winery Dogs?
Richie Kotzen: The band started off with no pressures of expectations. We knew who we were and liked what we did in the past. Let’s try and do something and see if we can even play together.
First time we got together we got some song ideas together as it was pretty painless. From the beginning my attitude was that I don’t need to be in a band.
Growing up I never had the fantasy of wanting to be in a band. I always wanted to be the guy, a singer songwriter that played guitar. My role models were Prince and Jimi Hendrix; solo artists. My attitude was let’s see what happens, do a few key market shows and see how people respond. To our surprise, people really responded to it.
Next thing you know we on tour doing 100 shows. After that we did want we were doing before. I put out another solo CD, Mike was working with his other bands and Billy did a Mr. Big run. Now here we are again and it’s time to put other another CD. So, our collective focus is back on the Winery Dogs. It’s nice that we never expected anything from it and this gift we have. Well do it for as long as it’s enjoyable.
Robert: You also have a new solo live DVD coming out.
Richie Kotzen: The tour is starting on the 3rd of October and the Winery Dogs CD will be released on the 2nd of October. On the same day the Winery Dogs CD comes out I’ll be releasing a live DVD with my solo band called, Richie Kotzen Live.
What’s so special is that it’s the first time I have ever release a proper and professional DVD of my own band. I’m so excited as we played as good as we could have possibly played that night and everything is captured in HD. They did a great job on the audio. It was released in Japan on September 23nd where it was filmed and the rest of the world on October 2nd.
Joey (9 years ago)
Excellent interview, the only change is I would add an additional question after Richie spoke about how his new DVD is done so well in HD, why isn’t there a blu-ray release of this show or the Winery Dogs Japan show.