Welcome to the Charlie Farren - Mach Bell Radio Interview!
Below is a transcript of the Tuesday, September 21st, 1999 edition of "That's Life with Mark Snyder", the radio & internet entertainment show, which airs live on WMSX 1410 A.M. in Boston, Massachusetts. Both Charlie Farren and Cowboy Mach Bell were featured guests! Check it out!.
Mark Synder:
Joining us in just a little while, Charlie Farren and Mach Bell from The Joe Perry Project. My oh my, what a show today on “That’s Life with Mark Snyder.” Coincidently, my name is Mark Synder and they let me host the show cause my name matched! I was so lucky. I was so lucky! I could’ve been named Mach Bell, then I would have had to join Joe Perry Project. This is what happens, you know?
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They now play a clip of the song “Deja Blue” from Charlie Farren’s new album.
Mark Synder: That was really good stuff, that’s Charlie Farren’s album. Charlie, of course, from The Joe Perry Project has a new album called “Deja Blue. . .The Color Of Love” and “Deja Blue” can be ordered from www.charlie-farren.com on the internet. He’s not on yet? We’ll get him on in a minute. We have some great guests here.. Mark Synder:
Have you ever worked with Charlie Dinky? Dinky Dawson: I have worked with Charlie. I worked with him when he had FarrenHeit at "The Channel Club." Mark Synder:
Oh yeah. Dinky Dawson: His band FarrenHeit was really good then. Wrong time for that kind of music but right time for playing live. Mark Synder:
Yeah. Dinky Dawson: He was great live, he still is great live. Mark Synder:
You know who we have on the line right now? On the entertainment line? Lisa Jason: Who do you have on the line? Mark Synder:
Uh, Charlie Watts, from the Rolling Stones..No no! It’s Charlie Farren, actually. That’s right. Uh Charlie, how are you? Charlie Farren: Is this Mark? Mark Synder:
How are you? Cowboy Mach Bell: I’m excellent. Mark Synder:
Yeah, I know you are. I’ll tell ya something, this new CD is excellent. Charlie Farren: Thanks. Mark Synder: We were just listening to “Deja Blue”, it’s incredible. In fact, Dinky Dawson gave it a thumbs up. Dinky Dawson:
Yeah, absolutley. Mark Synder: Lisa Jason gave it a thumbs up. Rob Kean gave it a thumbs up. And, I was scratching my head at the time. But, I liked it a lot though, I really did. It’s good stuff. Tell us a little about it. You know, how you got together with some of the folks on there. In fact, I was interested on how you got together with Barry Goodreau for one of the songs. Charlie Farren: Oh Barry, I’ve known Barry for years and years. This particular record, I played all the instruments and sang all the parts. But, at one point, let me see, geez. I met Barry through Tim Collins, who used too... Mark Synder: Okay, the late great Tim Collins. He’s not, he’s still around obviously, but they gave him the boot.. Charlie Farren: He worked with Aerosmith for years and years... Mark Synder: Yeah. Charlie Farren: He really connected us, but I also knew him through Brad Delp, who I’m friendly with... Mark Synder: Yeah. Charlie Farren: And, at one point, we went through and wrote a pile of songs with an eye towards maybe doing a project and that was one of the tunes... Mark Synder: It’s a great one, that’s "Nobody’s Somebody." Charlie Farren: “Nobody’s Somebody”, yeah. Mark Synder: Yeah, really good stuff, I really like this album a lot. Charlie Farren: You know, I was trying to do something Mark, that I could support as a solo artist, because now I’m playing solo. Acoustic guitar and voice. It’s not really folk music. But, I wanted to do a record that would allow me to go out and support the record as a solo. Mark Synder: Hmm... Charlie Farren: The guys in my band [“Farren”] have all gone on to do great things. I didn’t know if you were aware that my bass player, Philip Bynoe, is now playing with Steve Vai. And my keyboard player, Igor Khoroshev, is the keyboard player replacing Rick Wakeman in Yes now. Mark Synder: Oh wow. We’re having Chris Squire [bass player from "Yes"] on next week on the show. Charlie Farren: Oh great, so? Mark Synder: Yeah. Charlie Farren: Now, is Chris gonna be in town or is he calling in? Mark Synder: No, Chris is calling in. Their promoting a brand new album that Yes has out. Charlie Farren: Right, so ask him about Igor. Mark Synder: I will. Charlie Farren: He’s my keyboard player on loan to Yes. Mark Synder: Okay, I will do that. Charlie Farren: And, of course Muzz is playing with Bradley {Delp} in the BeatleJuice project. Mark Synder: Yeah. Charlie Farren: So, I wanted to make “Deja Blue” be something that would not just be a “bare bones acoustic guitar record” but would be something that I could support as a solo playing acoustic. Mark Synder: There is a huge difference with going out with The Joe Perry Project and going out as Charlie Farren or with any other group. Do you prefer being on your own? Is it easier? Or is it more fun to go out with a big group and play all different types of tunes from everybody’s pen’s? Charlie Farren: Well, I’ll tell ya. Playing in a band, you just can’t beat that. I mean that’s great. Working with Joe, working with FarrenHeit, working with these other guys...I mean it’s great. It’s a party every night. And, you have the comradery. And you have the, you know, companionship. You just can’t beat it. And, my last band, we were calling it, you know, just...kind of “Charlie Farren Band” or “Farren”, which is really an extension of FarrenHeit. I started to go out into the house in the middle of the night and play a couple of tunes on acoustic guitar, “Impossible World” and “Goofy Boy.” And, people started saying “Hey, this is my favorite part of the night.”. Mark Synder: Hmm... Charlie Farren: Many folks would come just for that segment. And, so I thought “Hey, this is a lot of fun!” You know, playing like this. I wouldn’t say it replaces playing in a band. But, quite frankly, at a certain point, it becomes very difficult to maintain the kind of band that I’ve always been used to having. And, it takes time, it takes rehearsal, it takes making some kind of commitment and a financial commitment to have top-top world class musicians playing in your band. And, I’ve always been fortunate enough to have that.. Mark Synder: Yeah. Charlie Farren: Robert Holmes was in my band [“Farren”] for a while. He played for “Til’ Tuesday.” He was the lead guitar player.. Mark Synder: Sure. Charlie Farren: And, I think that right now, I have a family and a job. And, it’s very difficult and expensive to maintain a world class band. So, I’m thinking to myself “What can I do to be able to go out and still perform at the level that I feel I need to perform at?” And, being a solo really fits the bill,
because I can add songs and change songs with a minimal of rehearsal time. And, I don’t have to feel responsible for paying a whole room full of guys. That’s really the issue for me now. It’s a lifestyle thing, more than a musical thing. Mark Synder: I really love this CD, I wanna make sure people can get it. I know you have a web site Charlie-farren.com. Is it in stores as well? Charlie Farren: It is in stores. It’s at Newbury [“Newbury Comics” – all locations.] and Border’s [“Borders
Books & Music” in Nashua, New Hampshire] and Tower’s [“Tower Records” in Boston, Massachusetts]. Obviously, I’m not Warner Brother’s or Sony, so their not ordering thousands of them at once. But, we have them in those stores. Their available at Harvard Square Records [in Cambridge, Massachusetts] and HMV [“HMV - USA” in Cambridge, Massachusetts] through mail order. So, we’re trying to do what we can. We’re just a very small little operation. Mark Synder: But, also at charlie-farren.com you can get it out there and I wanna thank ya so much for coming on, and if your in town one day, I’d love to have ya at the studio. Charlie Farren: I’d love to come down. Mark Synder: Alright Charlie? Charlie Farren: Super! Mark Synder: Take care. Charlie Farren: Thanks a lot. Mark Synder: Bye Bye, were gonna go out with some of Charlie’s music and come back, right after this, with more with the rest of my guests right here on “That’s Life with Mark Synder!”
They now play a clip of the song “Resurrected” from Charlie Farren’s new album.
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