Billy, thanks for agreeing
to this interview. Could you start by telling the readers of RainbowFlame's Metal Domain a
little about your musical background?
Well, I started drums when I was about 10 years old. Before that I played piano a little
and some guitar and bass. But drums seemed to be my natural ability. The first time I
played was when I was scheduled to play piano in a school talent contest. There was a set
of drums there, so I found an old 45 of "Sweet Hitch Hiker" by C.C.R. and played
that. I won the contest. I was hooked from then on.
You didn't play on Jacobs Dream's debut album.Can you tell
us how you hooked up with Jacobs Dream?
A mutual friend hooked us up. I had been playing with several different projects, but had
taken some time off. I was ready to start looking for another band when I saw this friend
named Rich Fout who knew of Jacobs Dream. I auditioned and it was pretty much unanimous.
Which drummers influenced you the most? And what was it
about them that attracted you to their respective styles?
Neil Peart of Rush has always been the main influence in my drumming interests. That
doesn't mean I play like him, because I'm not him. (I try to stick to what I do well...if
I do anything well.) But I do find his rhythm patterns to be incredible. His dexterity is
amazing and his natural meter is next to perfect. I also like Mike Portnoy of Dream
Theater a lot...actually for the same reasons. Growing up I was influenced by the likes of
Cozy Powell for his power and attack. A small swipe on a drum had as much meaning from him
as a longer fill from some other drummers; Tommy Aldridge for his double kicks; Ian Paice
for his speed; Don Brewer because I liked his straight-ahead, all out approach to just
playing whatever came to your mind.Many others I can't think of right now.
Jacob's Dream
All-time favorite bands/artists?
Rush is my number one favorite of all time. I've seen them 14 times since1976 and have
grown musically with them as they grew. Each new album or concert was a class for me to
learn something new from them, whether it was writing, playing, showmanship or anything
relating to music. I have such a wide appreciation for music though, it's really hard to
pick anyone else over another. I like jazz and classical and blues and many different
types of metal. One person comes to mind though is Al DiMiola. Anything he does is usually
incredible, as are the players he chooses. One thing I can say is that if I could sing
like anyone in the world, I'd like to sing like Dio. To me, his power and control are the
quintessential components of truemetal.
All-time favorite albums?
Oh man! Well, anything by Rush, Dream Theater, I liked Piece of Mind and Powerslave (Iron
Maiden) a lot, Several Dio CDs, a Cd called "City of Fear"by a Canadian band
named FM, Al DiMiola's Kiss My Axe, Rainbow: On Stage was great, a couple Priest albums,
...so many.
Does Jacobs Dream have any sort of "mission" as a
band other than just playing good metal?
We all have very strong spiritual beliefs we adhere to, but we also believe our music and
our lives should reflect those beliefs rather than trying to cram stuff down people's
throats they don't want to hear and won't listen to. If you can call it a mission, then
our mission is to be as available as possible to anyone and to be real people just trying
to make good, positive music.
Click here to read the review
Do the members of Jacobs Dream hope to speak
to people through their lyrics? If so, what message are you trying to send?
Hmmmm...that prompts a question back to you. What message do you get when you read our
lyrics? People get many different things from our music.Hopefully we just leave people
with the feeling that morality is a good thing and we should all be excellent to each
other...if I may borrow from Bill and Ted. LOL!!!
You are currently working on the new Jacobs Dream album.
What can you tell us about the album and how it compares with the debut?
This one is going to be a little heavier than the last, but still in the same vein. We
think the production will be a lot better and the CD as whole will sound a little more
powerful.
When is the new album coming out?
That's up to Metal Blade. We're hoping to get it finished this month(Feb.)When the CD will
be released is pretty much dependant on how long i ttakes to get the art work finished,
the layout and design of the CD booklet,all those things.
Where do you see your music heading in the next few years?
I think as we play more together and write more together, a natural maturity always
ensues. We'll always be metal, and hopefully find more inspiration for songs in more
places. Where that will ultimately lead us, who knows. But we'll ALWAYS be metal.
The buzz on the Internet about the debut album has been
strong and very positive. Would you like to say anything to the fans of Jacobs Dream?
We'd like to say, "HOLY COW!!!!! You people are awesome!!! Thank you
so much for everything. We're glad you like our music and we hope to never let you down.
What can you tell us about the recent departure of guitarist
Gary Holtzman from the band?
Our official statement is that Jon Noble and Gary Holtzman are no longerpart of Jacobs
Dream. We wish them both all the luck in the world in their endeavors.
Many Jacobs Dream fans have compared the debut album with
Queensryche's early work. How do you feel about this comparison?
We feel this is mostly because of David's voice. We don't think musically we're all that
similar. We never set out to sound like anyone. But at times David does have some
Tate-like qualities. David's a great singer and we just encourage him to sing like he
sings and not to let the comparisons influence him. However, being compared to a band like
Queensryche certainly isn't an insult. We just want everyone to know it's not intentional.
Jacob's Dream band photo
What "musical growth" can fans
expect from the new album?
Well, a new drummer! LOL!! That alone usually changes the composition ofthings. This next
CD will be a little heavier like I said. As far as musical growth, we're producing this
one ourselves along with some invaluable assistance from our engineer at John Schwab
Studios, Joe Viers. You'll justhave to tell me what differences you hear when it comes
out.
Could you give us a glimpse at the songwriting process and
how the "typical" Jacobs Dream song is put together?
Someone comes in with an idea for a song, usually John Berry or David Taylor, and we start
working on it together. Sometimes someone will have ideas worked out for different parts,
but usually the song just grows through all our input.
What role in the songwriting does each member of Jacobs
Dream have?
Everyone is pretty much responsible for his individual parts. But we're all open to any
ideas anyone else might have.
Has there been a different approach to the songwriting for
the new album compared to the debut?
Actually, this one is pretty much the same. All ideas are usually explored and either used
or discarded depending on its own merit.
Thanks for the interview. Would you like to add anything
else?
Thank you for the opportunity to speak and I hope everyone enjoys the next CD. We also
hope we get to play live for you all sometime soon.
Questions by Joseph White
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Related Links:
Jacobs Dream Official Homepage
Billy
"Doublekix" Queen's Site
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