A Rebirth: Exclusive Interview With Jack Frost Of SEVEN WITCHES
By
Rob McNees,
Vinyl Aficionado
Sunday, July 28, 2013 @ 7:35 AM
"I just wanted to try something different, hence the name of the record Rebirth. It’s a fresh start for us."
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The day that I called Jack Frost for an interview I discovered that he was headed to a show, to see TESLA. In fact, he was headed to see the show that was a distance of two hours from where he actually lives. So in case you all were wondering if he is still a fan of the music, I think the beginning of our conversation says it all.
KNAC.COM: I don’t really know the whole history but I read a little bit on your bio. Give me a little background history on you. In other words, what was it and where were you when saw or heard something that made you decide that you wanted the rock and roll heavy metal headbanger as a profession?
FROST: Dude that is so easy. I was a young kid, and my brother had a lot of cool records. THE DOORS, ZEPPELIN, bands like that. When it hit me was when I was with my parents. We went to a store called Two Guys. I don’t know if you have them where you are but Two Guys was a pretty big chain back in the day. It was more like a K-Mart. Anyway, I went into a Two Guys and I was listening to a record. It was a Double Platinum from KISS. And I just remember seeing this record and I remember thinking, "This looks cool!" My parents bought it for me for $.99 back then and that was it for me, bro. That was it for me. So stupid but when I was a kid I thought it was so cool because it was platinum and you could see your face in it. I used to think I was Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons. That is the moment I knew that I wanted to do it. What is really funny is I used to watch a show called Solid Gold. I remember HALL & OATES doing the song "Your Kiss is on my List". Not metal, nothing like that. I just remember seeing Darryl Hall with his big, teased-out blonde hair. All these girls are going crazy and I was thinking, "Oh man, I don’t want to be a cop like my dad! That’s what I want to do!" That was it, bro. That was it for me.
KNAC.COM: Right on! Well for me it was KISS Alive. I actually got it on cassette from an aunt of mine. KISS Alive, that was it. So that’s cool man. I definitely don’t think KISS really has an idea of how many people they did influence because they have always gotten a lot of grief from stupid critics and this and that. Their music to this day is still timeless.
FROST: Dude, we should watch what we say. Gene Simmons will be asking for money. I got into rock & roll because of KISS. I want to get paid for that! Seriously, dude, what are you going to say? The theatrics, the stage show, the whole package. I don’t think they realize what they meant to so many people.
KNAC.COM: I get that they know they have a lot of fans and stuff but I don’t think musician-wise that they truly understand how many people they did touch. I know people like Dimebag, the more famous people…
FROST: I really don’t think they get that the songs are so well-written. Ace Frehley solos are just timeless.
KNAC.COM: Absolutely. Okay, I want to get to your new album before I get to some other stuff. Originally I had heard and read that you were going to get back together with James Rivera who is here in Houston. That kind of fell through, and then I read that Alan Tecchio was going to join back but I think that fell through. What happened in all of that? And then take me to the new band, except for Johnny Kelly, your drummer. These are all (pretty much to me) unknown guys.
FROST: Well, I can give you the Reader’s Digest version. I love James Rivera, I always will. You know, we did reform awhile back and did some shows. It was a lot of fun. We talked about doing a new record, but James had a lot of stuff going on with MALICE and HELSTAR. It wasn’t anything bad, it just didn’t work. You know like how you marry somebody, and people get remarried…I think you get divorced for a reason. I think we are better friends than we are playing together. Know what I mean? It wasn’t anything to do with money, or "I hate him, he hates me", nothing like that. I don’t think it’s good that we work together because I was touring with
Joey Belladonna and James came out to the show. We started talking. We did a bunch of reunion shows and it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it and we did a great comeback record. Then we got offered the ARMORED SAINT tour and James was like, "Aah, I’m not really interested and I really don’t think a lot of people are going to care". Alan Tecchio has always been one of my dear friends. Alan came back on board. We did this ridiculously amazing tour with ARMORED SAINT. We did great numbers, sold out at nearly every place we played. Last summer I went to Europe with Allen because HADES, the guitar player couldn’t do it and Allen asked me to. Right when we came back we were supposed to start demoing and writing for the new record. Alan got this really great job. He was my best friend and he said to my face, "I can’t commit to what this band needs." That’s why Alan is no longer in the band. He just can’t tour anymore, so why make a record that no one could see live? But Alan did sing with some of the new record. We did this song together and I thought it was great for the fans because it is a great song. What a way to show people that there is no hatred. Alan is like my brother. I talk to him every other day. He loves the new SEVEN WITCHES record. After he was honest with me I started to audition, I swear, like 19 or 20 singers. I could have went back to one of my older singers or something like that. I auditioned a bunch of people and really just wanted something different. I wanted more of a flowy, kind of bluesy sound. I wanted to get away from the Halford-Bruce Dickinson-Dio voice. Anthony Cross, a friend of mine that I have known, kept sending me demos of his songs, and he blew my mind. I am so happy to have him in the band.
KNAC.COM: That’s funny that you mention that because I actually did a review of the new album for KNAC.COM and I had mentioned that one of the songs sounded just like Alan Tecchio. I also put that I thought Anthony had a more of a soulful, kind of bluesy voice as opposed to what you said, a more traditional metal voice. That’s kind of cool that we actually hit on the same level on that.
FROST: He’s got that Jeff Keith from TESLA voice, he’s got that Paul Di’Anno, he’s got that John Bush voice. No disrespect, all three of those guys are amazing singers. I just wanted to try something different, hence the name of the record Rebirth. It’s a fresh start for us.
KNAC.COM: I had kind of mentioned that too. Again, that is interesting. So, I am going to go out here and say you and Jon Schaffer of ICED EARTH are similar in the respect that both you guys have your own bands and you both had a whole lot of different band members throughout the years. I know that he has tried to come up with a more solid band and tour and tour and tour because in today’s music business that is the only way you will be able to make it anymore. Now for this band that you have currently, are you going to be a more solid unit? Are you going to try to just tour, tour, tour? Or do you have another job, a real job like I do?
FROST: This is all I do, man. Not just SEVEN WITCHES, though. I run a school of rock. I also produce other records. I’m actually writing songs and playing on the new David [Reese] record from ACCEPT. I am producing this young girl for Disney. I am always working. I played guitar for ANTHRAX for a long time, too. I am always working, but with this band right now, we are going to tour, tour, tour. We start our tour in September. It is supposed to be us, VICIOUS RUMORS, and LEATHER WOLF. LEATHER WOLF pulled out.
KNAC.COM: Oh wow, really. So I guess that’s a bad scoop to get but that’s a scoop.
FROST: Yeah, but it’s still going to be us and VICIOUS RUMORS, so we’ll get to play a little bit longer. We’re coming to Houston. We’re coming to Austin. Tour starts in September. Carise should have sent you the video. Janet did a really nice premier of our new video of "Nightmare Man". So we are going to be playing three shows in Texas.
KNAC.COM: Excellent. You know, unfortunately, even though Texas has some of the biggest cities in the US the tours don’t usually come anywhere near the south anymore. I really don’t get it.
FROST: Texas rules! People there are great! I played there with LIZZY BORDEN, SAVATAGE, BELLADONNA. It’s some of the greatest metal people in the world.
KNAC.COM: You have been out there for years. The first time I heard you was Second War In Heaven, which is a great album. In fact you kind of freaked when I brought you some of my albums to sign.
FROST: You have the LP?
KNAC.COM: Yes.
FROST: That is so hard to get now. It is now obsolete. That’s awesome you have it. That’s very cool.
KNAC.COM: It’s a great album. You played for METALLIUM too, which is another one you signed for me. However, I don’t think too many people know how many bands you have played for.
FROST: Some people do, some don’t. You know, there are so many guitar players that are so much better than me, but I am just me. I do the best I can possibly do, and I am very fortunate. I almost ended up in ICED EARTH, too. I love Schaffer. It’s funny you brought him up. I think it was more of a "I would never move from New Jersey." It was always a funny thing. Me and Jon together would be a pretty good unit. However we both get bad reps, like we’re hard guys to work for. We just want to play. It’s hard out there, man.
KNAC.COM: If you have a vision for the band you have in mind and it’s not working out the way you want it to work out, then changes have to be made I guess. That’s part of life.
FROST: I’ve never really fired anybody. It’s always been like, "Oh, it’s a Jack Frost show!" And I’m like, "No it’s not, dude." I’m not about that. It’s not my band, it’s a family. I have my vision, but listen, dude, everybody writes on my records. It’s not my records, it’s my band. Bring what you got. I just think people get to the point where a lot of guys have left this band thinking that, "Oh I don’t need you, I think you’re better without me." I’m not going to beg anybody to stay. It’s like a girl: you don’t like the way I have sex with you anymore, dump my ass. I understand. That’s basically it, man. I think I have only really fired one person. I would rather not go into that because it’s something that happened and I wish it never did. But, things happen, dude. Something happened on tour many years back and I feel that if you can’t do what the fans want you to do because of substance, you’re done. You’re done in my eyes.
KNAC.COM: I agree. I have been around music for a long time. I have actually roadied for a couple of different bands at points here and there. The average person gets to go to a show and see rock and roll and all that, but they don’t get all the behind-the-scenes…riding in a van for 14 hours and setting up, playing for 30 minutes, trying to sell your swag, and then loading up and going to another show. You drive all night, you know, the whole thing. It’s a tough lifestyle and I don’t think a lot of people really understand it. It’s almost worse than a marriage because in a marriage you can kind of get away from the other person. When you are on tour you are with those people 24/7.
FROST: And you know what is really funny? People are like, "Oh! You must be a big rock star because you were with SAVATAGE." In SAVATAGE they tour in nice buses, full road crew, great money. Still, you are fighting for a warm shower sometimes. It is what it is. People don’t get that. But you know what, dude? I love it. I love the road. I have no problem with it. When we did the BELLADONNA tour we had no road crew. It was four guys in a van, setting up our own gear. And if Joey Belladonna can set up drum sets and help then you know what? There is nobody that should open their big mouth. Here’s a guy that sells platinum records and he’s willing to help? I’ll shut my mouth. No one had a right to say anything. If you don’t like being on the road then it’s going to be a long day. Honestly, man, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love it. It’s something that I am happy I got to do my whole life.
KNAC.COM: Yeah, it’s fun. I mean, I enjoyed it but on the same token it was tough. I had to explain to my wife why rock stars drink and party. Really, most of the reason is because there really is not a whole lot else to do. A lot of times you get to the venue and that’s it. You get to the venue, set your stuff up, and then you’re stuck. If you’re lucky you happen to find somebody who will take you somewhere to do something.
FROST: Don’t get me wrong, I partied just like the next guy at one time. I am not going to come across as Mr. Jack Squeaky Clean. You know what? I smoked, I drank, and I did every drug with everybody, like everybody else did. I am not going to be the one who is going to be like, "Oh yeah, Mr. Perfect." I’m not, bro. I did it all. Now I am going to be 45 years old next week and my motto is healthy living. I go to the gym six days a week. I eat healthy. I am in the best shape of my life because I want to be. But trust me, bro, I partied like everybody else. You know what? I just don’t do it anymore. I am not going to play with guys just because they drink. I’m not a recovering alcoholic or drug addict. I prefer now to take care of myself and rock. I bet you there was a great show that I did that I don’t remember. Or I do remember but I was too fucked up to say, "Wow, I did that show." Know what I mean? I have a whole new outlook in life. I am going to put myself out there and let people know. I am not saying I’m perfect by any means. You’re right, dude. You’re on the bus, the van, and there is nothing to do. You get bored, you start drinking, and that’s it. It happens.
KNAC.COM: I agree. The guys in KISS put a lot of work into their shows. They wear makeup and costumes and 8-inch platforms and the whole deal. For rock and roll, as you get older, your body is obviously different. You have to work harder. Eat right. Go to the gym. To continue to play at a level that I think you want to play at.
FROST: I give a lot of respect to David Coverdale. The guy is almost in his sixties. He’s still out there. Maybe his voice isn’t like it was in 1979. Not many people are, okay? For his age, man, he’s still tearing it up. There’s a lot of guys my age who are in better condition now than they were in the 80s. Try going on the stage seven days a week. You can’t do it if you’re a lazy bastard. I think people just don’t get that.
KNAC.COM: That’s what I’m saying. The difference between a casual fan and a hardcore fan is you find out how hard it is to really do that. Yeah, you get up on stage and people think, "Whatever", but it’s a difficult thing. I think the real fans respect the difficulty of what you are doing.
FROST: I look at a guy like Glenn Hughes. Here’s a guy who pretty much shot himself in the foot in his career, got kicked out of Purple, got kicked out of Sabbath, and comes back with the Communion band, and the guy sounds better now than before. You can get yourself back to that level if you take care of yourself, you know?
KNAC.COM: There again, he got caught up in the alcohol and drugs really bad. But like you said, he came back with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. I think he has another project now because from what I understand that band is pretty much dead in the water. Joe Bonamassa doesn’t want to play anymore.
FROST: Yeah, I mean, I don’t think he didn’t want to play. I just think he likes being a solo artist. I think that his attitude is, unfortunately that he can do the same on his own, which is fine, but I felt that BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION was amazing, dude. They are a great band.
KNAC.COM: Okay, so what is next? You said you have a tour in September. Is this going to be a US tour? A European tour? Right now you are in the middle of festival season over there so I guess you guys aren’t going to hit any festivals this year, huh?
FROST: No. You know, our record came out…it’s not even out yet till July so we wouldn’t be able to do the festivals this summer, but the tour we are doing in the USA right now is from the middle of September to the middle of October. Agents are looking to get us to Europe in November. We are doing a pretty extensive run in the US. We are going to the east coast, west coast, and Canada.
KNAC.COM: Well that’s a pretty good tour, especially nowadays.
FROST: We are doing 29 shows, which is great. It’s going to be a lot of work, man. But it is what it is, you know?
KNAC.COM: Yeah, those are hard to do. At least today you have phones and DVDs and all kinds of stuff.
FROST: Yeah, this is a change from the old days. And you know what dude? The four guys that we play with now are some of the nicest guys in the world. We’re all the same age and we all have kids. You know what? We just like each other. We talk every day, every one of us. It’s not even about music, we are just friends. We get together and go to barbecues and our kids’ birthday parties. The road with them is going to be fun. We all have a brotherly relationship, which is going to be nice for this tour.
KNAC.COM: It makes it better for sure when you are playing for people that you actually enjoy being around. I will use the RAMONES, for example. They really didn’t like each other at all. They would get together and tour and then they hated each other pretty much.
FROST: That is terrible. You know, you think back to the days with SKID ROW. Sebastian and Rachel had their own buses. Dude, give me a break! Come on, man. Basically we don’t have a bus. We have a conversion van, which is okay. And you know what? There’s captain seats and a TV in there, that’s fine, we’re glad to do it. We can’t afford to take a bus these days, you know, between gas money and stuff. This time we’re going to do it old school. At the end of the day we’ll just be happy to pay our bills. The fans can see that we still love what we do.
KNAC.COM: That sounds good, man. I think Texas is going to be happy to see you guys. I feel confident that the tour is going to do well. Hopefully it won’t be during the week when you come through here.
FROST: Texas is a weekend show, I know that.
KNAC.COM: Right on. That’s what I’m talking about. It’s hard to get off work, man. I only have so many vacation days, you know.
FROST: I know. I teach and my students are like, "How long are you going to be gone? Can you just double the lessons?" I’m like, "Oh my god!" And before I leave it’s going to be a disaster, you know. I have an eight year old son. I haven’t really toured as much as I used to, and now it’s going to be hard on him because I’m always around. You know, you can’t give up something that you’ve done your whole life. You’ve got to promote the record. Record sales are down, man. If you want to sell records, then you have to see the band, you know.
KNAC.COM: That’s it, because really that is the only way that bands make money anymore, off touring and selling your swag. That’s pretty much it.
FROST: If we can come home and at least pay our bills…that’s what we care about, man. That’s basically it.
KNAC.COM: Sounds good, man. So if there’s anything else you want to touch on, feel free to throw something out here. Anything else you want to talk about?
FROST: Sorry guys that we went so many years with so many lineup changes. A lot of musicians can’t speak for other people, but I know I can speak for Schaffer because we’re friends and we’ve talked many times. It’s kind of like a football team that won the Super Bowl; you learn to keep that team every year. But things happen; don’t give up on a band just because they have a new singer. We really put our hearts into this record. Give it a chance. It’s a little bit different, it’s a new vibe. I really think it’s one of our best records. We’ve received the best reviews ever so far. Give it a chance. We’re going to be around for a long time kicking ass. Hopefully you guys can come out and see us play. Make sure you come meet us. I’m not a snob. I’m going to be there signing autographs. I’ll be at the venue like I always am, just hanging out.
KNAC.COM: Right on. You heard it here first, man. You guys go check out Jack Frost and SEVEN WITCHES live. Don’t be afraid to go by and say hello. Check them out. Buy some swag. Buy them a Gatorade (laughs).
FROST: Yeah, buy me a Gatorade, dude. No beer.
KNAC.COM: Right on, man. Well I really appreciate the time. It was great talking to you.
FROST: You too, brother. Thank you for supporting us for so many years. Make sure you give me a call the day before the show. Come by, hang out. It will be good to be in Houston. I love that place. We can go get some barbecue or something.
FROST: I really don’t think they get that the songs are so well-written. Ace Frehley solos are just timeless.
KNAC.COM: Oh wow, really. So I guess that’s a bad scoop to get but that’s a scoop.
KNAC.COM: I agree. The guys in KISS put a lot of work into their shows. They wear makeup and costumes and 8-inch platforms and the whole deal. For rock and roll, as you get older, your body is obviously different. You have to work harder. Eat right. Go to the gym. To continue to play at a level that I think you want to play at.
FROST: If we can come home and at least pay our bills…that’s what we care about, man. That’s basically it.