Interview with Chris Laney

                                       

Calle: To the people who don’t know Chris Laney, can you give us a short story of your music career? 

Laney: Well, I'm a rocker by heart, been in the music biz since my early teens. I have worked with music in different genres but keeps coming back to what I love the most, rock. In mid 2000 I started producing bands, since then I have worked with bands like, Crashdiet, Crazy Lixx, Europe, Brian Robertson, Candlemass, Crucified Barbara, Steevi Jaimz, and the list goes on.  

Calle: What got you into music in the first place? 

Laney:  It was my older sister. She sang in a band since her early teens, and I was always there on their rehearsals and stuff, loving it. My first song that I wrote was a song for my sister’s band, I was 12.  

Calle: Who are your biggest influences? 

Laney: When it comes to rock it is KISS, Shotgun Messiah, Def Leppard, and everything Mutt Lange touches. I do love the power pop scene too, bands like , Cheap Trick, Jellyfish and stuff.  
 
    
                                   Zan Clan  and  Randy Piper's Animal
 
Calle: You have played in Zan Clan and Randy Piper’s Animal. What are the best or most fun memories from recording or touring with those two bands?
Laney: Zan Clan was built up on pure friendship and we always had a blast. But a memory that stands out must be when we opened for Whitesnake in 2004. We were supposed to record the second show for a live CD, but the guys in WS got us dead drunk after show #1.... Zinny found me outside my hotel room sleeping across the hallway... he dragged me into my room and got me in bed when it was time to leave for the next city.. We did record that 2nd night, but let me tell you, we opened the show with Zinny shouting "We are Zan Clan, Who the fuck are you"...he was out of breath after that line hahahahaha, we sucked big-time.... and the guys is WS stood beside the stage laughing their asses off seeing us totally bumbed out.  
 
                             
                                                     Pure                 
 
 Calle: You released your debut solo CD “Pure” in March last year. How was the response from the critics? 

Laney: Awesome, I'm still getting great reviews on that disc. 

Calle: On April 24th you’ll release your second CD “Only Come Out At Night”. What can people expect from that album? 

Laney: It is a follow up to PURE, it is plain Rock n Roll, arena rock hooks, fat drums, over the top Backing vox.. I am so happy bout it! The guitar sound is awesome, used the Hughes & Kettner Coreblade amp, that rips!  
 
                               
                                            Only Comes Out At Night
 
Calle: How was the writing and recording process of the new album? 

Laney: It was done over a 4-week period, the whole thing including writing; I LOVE to work under gun threat. I called up my friends and just told them, It is time to write, all of them came in and helped out, fun month!  

Calle: What song or songs on the new album do you like the most? 

Laney: Wow, that is a tuff question!!! I love them all!!!! “Only Come Out At Night”, “Rockstar”, “Gotta Run” and “DayDream” is a couple I like a lot.
 
                                  

Calle: How would you describe your solo stuff to people who haven’t heard Chris Laney yet? 

Laney: Like a mix of the 80s rockbands like Def Leppard, Ratt, Shotgun Messiah, Kiss but with a 2010 production. I always have the song in focus, and I wanna entertain, no deep shit here, just pure RAWK  

Calle: On “Pure” you have worked with Bruce Kulick, Lennart Östlund and Mats Leven on the songwriting. How did you get to work with those guys? 

Laney: I sang with Bruce back in 2004, and we have kept in touch ever since. We met at the NAMM show in 2008 and hung out every night. We talked about how we could work together somehow again, and when the time came to do PURE, I gave him a shout and he was totaly in writing with me. He is a great songwriter! Lennart Östlund is my boss at Polar Studios, we play and write alot together, we are like siamese twins, we work 24/7 together so we know eachother inside out. Mats is an old friend of mine, think I have known him 20 something years.
 
                                 
                                             Laney and Bruce Kulick  

Calle: You also have a number of guest musicians on “Pure” like Martin Sweet, Bruce Kulick, Vic Zino, Zinny Zan etc. Do they ask you to be on the albums or do you ask them? 

Laney: On the first album I asked them to join and have fun. On the new disc people asked me. I like that.

Calle: Who did you work with on the new album? 

Laney: Ian Haugland on drums, Robbo Robertson plays a solo, Conny Bloom form Hanoi Rocks and Electric Boys is doing one track with me and I have a great band this time. George Egg plays drums aswell, Rob Love and John Berg plays and Fredrik Bergenstråhle and Nalle Påhlsson handles the bass. I even have my daughter singing back ups on 2 trax.  
 
                                  
                                              Laney and Conny Bloom

Calle: As you said you also work as a producer/engineer at Polar Studios where you have produced bands like Europe, CrashDïet, Easy Action and others. Who are you producing next? 

Laney: I just finished a band called Casablanca feat Ryan Roxie on guitar, cool band, check em out. I am also involved in the new Therion album.  

Calle: I read somewhere that you have received two Swedish Grammys. Was that as a producer and on what albums did you win the Grammys? 

Laney: One is for the Swedish dansband Barbados and one is for the white album with Candlemass, I call them my Heaven & Hell.I wrote songs for Barbados and recorded Candlemass.I think we have been nominated 3 time since with Candlemass.  

Calle: The rock scene seems to be kind of big in Sweden. What Swedish bands would you recommend people to go check out? 

Laney: Baby Jane, Crazy Lixx, H.E.A.T, Crucified Barbara.  

Calle: You’re one of the artists playing at Stockholm Rock Out on April 30th/May 1st. I think it’s a pretty cool line-up. How does it make you feel being a part of that event? 

Laney: It is really cool, my vinyl collection performing the same night as me, awesome.  

                                   

Calle: What can people expect when they go see Chris Laney live? 

Laney: A show with tons of energy and attitude. I let the music do the talkin! 

Calle: Where do you see Chris Laney in 10 years? 

Laney: Come visit my graveyard lol, no, I will probably keep on doing what I do, I love this, music is my life. I’m so ready to rock & roll…you ain’t seen nothing yet  

Calle: What’s the best advice you can give to up-coming bands? 

Laney: Keep doing what you do, do not send out crappy demo CD’s, wait and release something good instead, you never get a second chance.  
 
    

And now some questions outside your music:  

Calle: What was the first CD/LP you ever purchased? 

Laney: KISS - Unmasked  

Calle: What is the latest CD you bought? 

Laney: KISS – Sonic Boom  
 
                              
 
Calle: What was the first concert you ever attended? 

Laney: KISS 1983 , Malmoe, Sweden  

Calle: If I asked you to put together your dream band, who would be in that band? 

Laney: Paul Stanley, Joe Elliot, Dave Groll, Nalle Påhlsson, Rich Lewis. Paul on guitar, Joe and Rich on vocals, Dave on drums, Nalle on bass and me in the audience!! 

Calle: What do you do when you’re not playing or producing music? 

Laney: I cook alot, love to cook. I also play a lot of Wii hahaha and drink a few beers.I collect cigarrs, so I am on the net a lot looking for new cool C's  

Calle: Can you name one thing that you think only Swedish people do? 

Laney: Say LAGOM, it is a word that cant be translated, if you want milk for instance you get asked if you want a full glass or just a few drops, you say Lagom, that is inbetween less and more.  

Calle: If I say Denmark, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? 

Laney: Wiibroe Flag  
 
                              
                                                    Wiibroe Flag

Calle: Do you have any last words for the fans? 

Laney: Go get "Only Come Out At Night", release april 23. It will knock you off your rocker. Cheers!
 
                     Click on the logo to visit Chris Laney's MySpace site

The End