Spotlight
(Update: 11/05/00)
Firehouse

October
Danger Danger

Firehouse - O2
www.firehousemusic.com

Firehouse have returned to the scene with a brand new album right on the heels of last summer's Bring 'Em Out Live. O2 features ten tracks that are throwbacks to the band's classic days. There are still many hints of modern sounds here and there, most noticeable in the production and the guitar tones. In terms of the quality of the music, opinions will vary. Yes, the songs are very much in the vein of their earlier releases, but a bit stripped down and less slick. I personally loved Category 5 so I would have liked to have heard a more balanced collection of songs - but that's nitpicking, really.

Here's a track by track run of the songs from Firehouse guitarist Bill Leverty himself.

Jumpin' - Jumpin' is a song we wrote to get the people up when we play live. We wrote our first album with this idea in mind, and we wrote this song trying to recapture that vibe.

Take It Off - Take It Off is a song dedicated to the person you want to get naked with. We think it's perfect for any ocasion.... as long as you don't get arrested.

The Dark - This is a song that we wrote for the ever-changing face of technology. It seems that every time we turn around, we need to upgrade every machine we own or else we'll be left in the dark, obsolete.

Don't Fade On Me - Don't Fade On Me is a song about trying to work out a relationship when you've been together for a long time, and times get hard.

I'd Rather Be Makin' Love - I'd Rather Be Makin' Love is a song about all the things that we can do every night, but the bottom line is that we'd all rather be getting laid.

What You Can Do - What You Can Do is a song that tells how each one of us can do whatever we set our minds to do no matter what kind of adversity we're faced with.

I'm In Love This Time - I'm In Love This Time is about the feeling you get when you know you've got the right woman.

Unbelievable - Unbelievable is about two people who are so in love that they feel like they've won the lottery.... it's unbelievable!

Loving You Is Paradise - Loving You Is Paradise is a song about how lucky we feel to be in love with a person who makes them feel like they're in Heaven.

Call Of The Night - Call Of The Night is a song about how nightlife beckons us and how we live our lives between sunset and sunrise.

--------------
We also asked Bill to answer a few questions. Here they are, followed by Bill's responses:

Rock Central: Where do you see Firehouse going? What do you hope to achieve with the new album?
Bill Leverty: I see FireHouse continuing to make quality albums, not just songs. What I mean is that we've tried real hard over the past 10 years to make albums that have all good songs, and not just one or two, with the rest throw-aways. We all hope to achieve solid core audience that constantly grows. We want to reach all of the people out there who like melodic rock with this album so we can tour to bigger and bigger audiences in the many years to come.

RC: What's your take on the current music scene (both the commercial pop that's all over the masses and the "underground" melodic rock scene evolving on the Internet)?
BL: I think that the melodic rock scene is about to break out of the underground again real soon. Program directors all over the country are trying a melodic rock hour on their stations with a tremendous success. These programmers are realizing that there is a huge audience out there who are starving for rock and roll, and that these millions and millions of people aren't getting it from the boy bands or from the hard core rap-metal bands. There will be much more melodic rock being played in the years to come.

RC: Anyone you would like to collaborate with? Or do you even have the desire to step out of the Firehouse mold and try something different - i.e., a solo project of sorts?
BL: I'm sure that one day I'll do an album outside of FireHouse, only because I've written so many songs that haven't really fit our sound. I'd love to collaborate with Richie Sambora. He's such a talented songwriter.

RC: Would you consider (or have you been approached) joining a touring package (like Rock Never Stops)?
BL: We turned down a package tour last summer because we wanted to play longer than 45 minutes. We did the Rock Never Stops tour the first year that went out with great success. We had a great time. Last year we were out headlining and playing a set that was twice as long. We felt much more comfortable playing a real show. We may do a package this year, but we haven't decided yet.

RC: Is there anything you wish you had done differently, career-wise?
BL: I wish that I was there for the mixing of our Hold Your Fire album, but we flew out to jump on the Tesla tour the day after we finished up tracking....... that really wasn't so bad.... that tour was supposed to last for six weeks, and it lasted for nine months!!

RC: What goals, personal or with the band, would you like to finally accomplish?
BL: I'd like to win a Grammy and have a catalog of songs that are played on classic rock radio stations all over the world for years to come. I'd better get to work!!