FIBM:
Why hasn't there been a reunion up to this point?
Joey: I think there sort of was when we did Revelation back in 2000. We
did some touring for that and it was really a good time. But some of us still have other groups we play in and to make
Saint our One and Only is a big commitment that none of us are willing to do right now. Saint is kind of like something
we do when we have time. There's a ton of pressure that goes with having something be your be all, end all and we'd
rather keep Saint a fun thing rather than a big serious thing. We already did that.
FIBM:
How many dates have been added for the new tour? Will there be more future dates added?
Joey: So far Saint is doing 3 shows in California and seven shows
including 2 festivals in Europe. Then we're doing one festival in Italy in July. There's a slight chance we might
be doing a few more before the end of the year.
FIBM:
Can you give us a little history on how Armored Saint formed and how long it was before you signed your deal with Chrysalis.
Joey: Saint was formed with John, Gonzo, Phil and Dave. John, Gonzo and myself
have known
each other since we were about 8 years old. We were friends that hung out together since we were 13. So it was natural
to start a band. Gonzo, John, Phil and myself had a band in High School called Royal Decree. After High School, I was
playing with another band when they got together with another bass player. After about 5 months I quit my band and
joined with Saint. This was 1982. We started playing the clubs in LA and after a year of doing that we started to
get calls from the Labels. It all sounds unreal and it was but you have to understand that it was 1983 and Heavy
Metal was becoming a new big genre of music. We got a record deal in less than 50 gigs. Soon after that everyone
was getting signed.
FIBM:
Any memories stand out from the March of the Saint recording sessions? Where was it recorded? What was the Budget? Any cool, sucked, brilliant moments stand out?
Joey: By the time we were to record March, our recording experience was
very limited. We had done a drunken and stoned session which was our first EP and then we did 2 sessions with our A&R
guy at Chrysalis (Ron Fair) which led to us getting signed. So, we went in to Ocean Way Studios home of such heavies
as AC/DC, BB King, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Supertramp, Barbara Streisand, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones....Well, you get
the picture. In fact, we were there for 2 and a half months and during that time, Supertramp was recording in the
studio on one side and Barbara Streisand was in the other. And there we were making March, bringing our friends over, drinking
beer and just having a party. We were 21 years old. Little did we understand though that this studio was costing us 300.00
an hour (by now it must be more like 600.00 an hour) or 2500.00 a day. And we missed the part about having to pay that back
to the record company. Our producer Michael James Jackson (KISS, Creatures of the Night) was never there or always on the
phone. But we didn't quite see eye to eye with him anyway. One day he told us that he didn't like Black Sabbath. From that
day on it was like "you just don't get it". The whole thing was a great big slap in the face. Suddenly we had all of these
outside people fucking with our thing, slowing tempos down, making things overly polished, trying to manufacture a
"sellable item". It was the first time we felt like we were losing control. At the end of the record we were very
unhappy with the production, the mix, the way we worked and who we worked with. And the producer and our manager
let us spend over 300,000 on our first record. To this day we are still in debt for that one.
FIBM:
Your video for Can U Deliver received a lot of airplay on MTV? What was that following year like for you? What kind of effect did MTV have on the band?
Joey: Aside from the nightmare we endured making March, we already
had a buzz around from our EP and just being the heaviest band at the time to come out of LA. So, after March came
out the benefits of being on a major label kicked in. We got a good tour, and we had a video on MTV. It did a lot
for us. It just kicked it home for people who saw us on tour or had heard of us from press. As silly as it is, the
video did a lot for the record.
FIBM: Anything stand out from the video shoot for Can U Deliver?
Joey: Again, I personally thought some of it was really silly. We had a pretty good
time shooting it though, doing the Road Warrior thing. We were so into it back then. I remember hating this sort of
demon/monster head they put behind the drum kit. I thought, c'mon guys, Iron Maiden already has Eddie!
FIBM: Who were some of the bands that you toured with for that release? Who were your favorites to tour with?
Joey:
Our very first tour was with Quiet Riot (Condition Critical) and Whitesnake (Slide it In) playing all arenas. It was great. Our next tour was with WASP and Metallica. Obviously, we were way more at home on this tour. Although we played smaller venues and to less people, it was the right people. These guys were our contemporaries and it was just an amazing tour.
FIBM: Please share one of your favorite stories / memories from that tour?
Joey: One day on the Quiet Riot tour, David Coverdale came into our dressing room and said "Hey mates, have a kick-ahss show". We were like,
holy shit that was David Coverdale! From that day on, he made it like a ritual. We were completely honored.
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