ALPHABy Willy van Buel
ALPHA
By
Willy van Buel
Some time ago I reviewed a 7 track lp from a band called ALPHA. Please, check out this review on the CLASSIC AOR PAGE. I still think this is one of the best AOR releases ever made, and the only criticism I had, was about the lenght of the album, because after 7 tracks, you just want to hear more.... Out of the blue, I discovered this same band on the MP3.COM site, where they promote this same album. This was a big surprise for me, especially when I read that the band never stopped playing and they're planning to release more music. This was and still is big news for me. This 7 track lp I'm talking about in the review is available for buying on their MP3.COM site for about 11 US and that's great news for all the collectors around the world, because the original vinyl version costs a lot more now- adays.
So, please
check out their MP3.COM site and listen to the featured tracks,
and you'll agree, ALPHA plays prime time AOR in the best
tradition (yes, the eighties one ). When you go to the link on
this site, you come to BRAD SANDLIN's (guitars) solo site, where
you can listen to some tracks he did for his solo CD ' Gnawing at
the infrastructure', also very good, maybe some more progressive,
but unfortunaly, not available to buy on this site. Very
recommended !!!! With him, we had a talk about the past, present
and future.
Could you please tell us all about the history of the band and
something on the music carreers of the members in
the past ? How did it all started, how did you guys met ?
Randy & I (Brad) meet each other in 1980. I (Brad) was
putting a band together with school mate Chris Impelliteri.We
placed a ad in the paper for a drummer and Randy answered. After
that we all went on to play in other bands until I met up with
Randy again in 1984 and asked him to join the band I (Brad) was
in (Aura).
Along the way we had meet Jon while his brother was additioning
for a band Randy and I were in. Jon joined Aura in 1985 and after
a few changes we became Alpha in 1986.
What do you and the
others do besides making music ? What are your occupations
besides making music ?
Don't Ask!
Which bands
influenced the band and why ?
Brad- I would say that as a band we are a amalgamation of our
individual influences. I (Brad) was influenced by progressive
styles of the 70's along with some metal and classic rock
guitarists. Its hard to name all the bands that influenced me
because there are so many. In the past 10 years I have learned to
open up to different styles of music which has helped me in
writing and playing.
In 1987 ALPHA
released a 7 track lp, was this your first release or were there
others ? Why was it released private ?
This is our only release to date. I (Brad) released a solo CD in
1991 called "Gnawing at the Infrastructure".
Did you know the
originally vinyl copy is sold nowadays for big money ?
No we are unaware of that.
I personally think
this album is a pure classic AOR album and as you know I love it
very much. Are you familiar with this term ( Adult or Album
Orientaded Rock) ? How were the reactions after this release from
radio-
stations, mags, ....?
Thank you very much for the compliments. The reactions were quite
positive at the time. "In Sync" was played at a local
radio station out of Providence and received a very good
reception. We also got a fair amount of positive local press.
Was-Is there
contact with labels about releasing your music officially ? I
mean, overhere in Europe there're some labels releasing this kind
off music and I'm pretty sure some of them would be interested in
hearing, and hopefully releasing your music.
No, we really never got that far. Retrospectively, we were not
very business savy. We felt we had a good product but lacked the
know how to make the right steps to get our product out. We were
artists not marketing or business men. If there are any labels
that you may think have an interest we would greatly appreciate
any assistance you could give us. It was and is a dream of ours
to get our music out to people that appreciate it.
Are there more
bands you know in your area playing your kind music, how's the
scene overthere in the US nowadays ?I know, the US scene isn't
melodic rock friendly nowadays, but overhere in Europe and also
in Japan, the scene has many loyal fans. What's your opinion ? Is
there still a chance for melodic rock in the US ?
The AOR scene over here is quite nonexsistent. After the Seattle
"Grunge" music scene erupted in
the early 90's melodic rock was not persued by any of the labels.
It is dissapointing because I feel our music has
alot to offer. To tell you the truth I don't know of anyone
playing this type of music locally anymore.
What were the plans
and hopes after the releasing from your lp ? Were they forfilled
in one way or another ?
We planned to take the next step in getting our music and live
show out to a greater audience. That never really happened. We
were very popular in our local area but never branched out.
As you now look
back, what was the nicest thing you remember from this period and
what was the biggest dissapointment ?
Nicest thing - Creating music and having people enjoy it
Biggest dissapointment- Wasting time
- How bout live
performances ? I think your sound is, sometimes, pretty bombastic
and is it easy to create this sound live, especially because
you're an only 3 member band ? Do/Did you often play live and how
are/were the reactions ? What bands did you already played live
with ?
We were actually more intense live. Many fans told us that we had
a much bigger sound live than
what was captured on the album. We do have some video footage
from that era.
What's your opinion
about sites like MP3.COM ? I mean, without them, we weren't '
talking ' right now ....
Why did you decide to promote your music on this site ? I must
admit that it was a big surprise to find ALPHA on this site.
It is an outlet for the underground artist. I wish we had this
back in 1987.
On the site I read
that the band is still together and that you and Jon are
finishing various collections of "Alpha" material
recorded over the past 10 years. When and how will these new
these songs will be released ?
Are there also new songs involved ? Will the style musically be
the same as on the lp or is there a change in music
direction ?
Jon and I (Brad) have continued to work on material. We have a
abundance of songs that we are looking
forward to releasing via mp3.com. We are currently finishing up
two songs which we hope to post soon.
The material is still in the AOR catagory. Alot of the older
songs that we played were never release on vinyl or CD. We would
like to get those out.
Could you please
tell us some more on these (new) songs ?
One song we are finishing is "Distant Memories" which
is pure AOR. Very catchy with great vocals, big guitar and keys.
We really have alot of material. The one obstacle we had was an
outlet for our music. With the
internet and sites like mp3.com we will have an outlet for our
music. It really is exciting. When you don't have an outlet its
very frustrating.
In 1991 you ( Brad)
released a solo cd. Can you please tell us more about this
release ?
In 1988 I took some time to put together a solo CD release
"Gnawing at the Infrastructure". This album is quite
different then the Alpha release. With the exception of
"Take the Chance" (actually a song played by Alpha) and
"Winds of Change" a majority of the album is
progressive guitar oriented music. Looking back I would have put
more AOR type music on that album. "Gnawing at the
Infrastructure" was a project that I wanted to show off what
I could do on guitar.
What are the hopes
and near future plans ?
Jon and I (Brad) are hoping to create and release more AOR music
in the near future.
Some last words for
our readers....
It is nice to see a audience for this type of music. I (Brad)
believe that this type of music can still grow.
An off the record
question, what are your 5 favourite albums of all time ?
Brad - Yes 90125, Peter Gabriel So, Jeff Beck Blow by Blow, Peter
Frampton Frampton Comes Alive, Ozzy Osbourne Diary of a Madman
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/149/alpha2.html