Rockoverdose.gr had the chance to meet Jon Drenning, guitarist and founder of Crimson Glory and the new singer of the band, Todd La Torre, one day before their show in Thessaloniki, Greece (22 October).
Rockoverdose: Todd first of all I would like to welcome you from my part to Crimson Glory.
Todd: Thank you very much
Rockoverdose: How does it feel becoming from an unknown artist to a very famous singer in such a short period?
Jon: I tried to prepare him!
Todd: Actually there is a funny story that I never shared before. When we did the songs for the YouTube for the official presentation of me, we were both on the phone and Jon asked me: “Ok dude. Are you ready? Because when I hit send on this e-mail, that’s it. There’s no turning back”. And I said “Yeah, let’s do this.” It was a celebration for me when he hit that send button. It was very exciting. But, you know, not to sound cocky, but in my mind, not as a singer but as a musician this is something I wanted since I was a kid. So in my mind I felt like I was destined to do something on a larger global scale musically. I’ve done it in my mind so many times. It was a reality to me that just had not materialized. People were saying to me: “Man you act so cool about it, like it’s not a big deal”. It is a big deal but I’ve done it so many times in my mind that when I actually did it, I knew how it was feeling. Because I drummed my whole life, in various bands so the stage was very comfortable for me. But in my personal life I am very private. I am never seeking attention. So when I walk in somewhere, I am fine if people don’t know me. But I’m very thankful and very appreciative. I am sometimes considered too easily accessible through social sites because I acknowledge the fans and their praise. I don’t let it get into my head though. I am always judging myself very strictly. You can think it’s perfect but for me it will never be good enough. So I know that there are always ways to improve in some aspects. And that keeps me on the ground and I am very thankful and much honored at the same time.
Jon: Todd is genially a good person. He’s got good confidence, he doesn’t have an ego.
Todd: You know, if I could say hello to every person every night I would.
Jon: You know Midnight was like this.
Rockoverdose: Yes I read an older interview where you said that no matter how tired he (Midnight) was, he would go to meet the fans and talk to them.
Jon: Yes he really liked being close to them. He didn’t want to go to bed. It was really hard physically. But he really liked that. But you know Midnight had stage fright. Todd is a lot more comfortable.
Todd: I never feel nervous.
Rockoverdose: That’s probably because you already have a stage experience. But don’t you feel nervous now that you are not behind the drums but instead you are the frontman?
Todd: I was more nervous at the first rehearsals. Because your drums, are your blanket. As a guitarist you got something. As a singer you are exposed. In the beginning I was grabbing my microphone and was using it as a cover in my mind. I remember Jon saying: “Dude get rid of the fucking mic stand”. So now and I don’t plan anything, I don’t move in certain ways, I don’t try to be anyone. I just do it.
Jon: Todd is a smart man. We’re watching him right now growing into a frontman.
Todd: I’ve seen original footage of Crimson Glory and saw that Midnight was very relaxed and very comfortable with the crowd. And from the beginning I felt quite comfortable as well. When we played Bang Your Head Festival in front of 15.000 people there was not even one nerve in me because I felt like home.
Jon: Just before we hit the stage every night he just lays back and he is really relaxed.
Todd: Sometimes I think that he is going to smack my face to wake me up. But the truth is that I am so calm before a show and in my thoughts. And then, when I go out and blast my first scream out, everything is fine. It’s fun.
Jon: Everything seems to be a natural fit for us. It was just meant to be.
Todd: Exactly. It was meant to be. I never heard of Crimson Glory until 2009. And they live 45 minutes away from me. In the city I was born in. I don’t know how you want to call it but it happened for a special reason.
Rockoverdose: Yes all the signs show that it’s not just a strange coincidence. Your style is pretty close to Midnight’s. And I don’t say the same because you may not like it.
Jon: You know he can do it. You’ll hear it on the new album. He has his own style but he pays such a respect on Midnight. He wants it to be delivered the way it was meant to be done.
Rockoverdose: You know I saw a video of Lost Reflection from Keep It True Festival and it felt like Midnight was there but in a new refreshing way.
Jon: There are some moments when we are behind the stage and listening to Todd and he sounds just like Midnight.
Todd: It’s one of my favorite songs to perform. When I am on the stage singing it, I am not me. I am someone else. When I do that song, I don’t care if there is nobody there or thousands of people. Because I am not me at that moment. I feel like another person when I perform it.
Jon: You know if we have gotten an already famous singer, someone that people already knew, he would come with all his history from another band and it wouldn’t feel right. There are so many fantastic singers out there, but having an unknown singer, like Midnight was at some point, it feels better. I know Midnight and I know that he would be happy with that. To have someone, to keep the legacy.
Todd: If you get another famous singer all of the fans will always say: “Oh yeah the singer from that band is singing on Crimson Glory now”. Nobody can say that now. In fact when the guys did the Midnight Memorial concert, the coordinator of the event asked Jon to send him some links on YouTube to check me out. Jon told him that there were none. And then he asked him to send some recorded stuff. Jon told him again that there is nothing from me. Every person who performed that night had his name and next to it a parenthesis with his band. And that it was Todd La Torre without anything. I think there were a lot of people asking: “who is this guy?”.
Jon: All the singers that there were there thought that he was a singer and that he obviously had done that before.
Rockoverdose: It’s interesting the thing that you have not become famous the past years with such an amazing voice.
Todd: Honestly, I never wanted to sing for a band. I was always a drummer that I sung on my own stuff. But nothing was released or you are going to find on the internet. And I sung backing vocals. That was what I did. But there was always that part of me that, when I went out and was watching some singers, said: “I can blow that guy away! Everybody things the “x” singer is so great but I can do it ten times better than him.” But I never did it.
Jon: When we were getting ready to do that Memorial show we already have 18 or 19 singers. So when Matt La Porte (Jon Oliva’s Pain) came to me: “Hey I know this kid. I think he is amazing. You got to give him a chance. He can be your next singer.” And I told him joking: “Matt please keep playing that guitar don’t spend my time.” You know I thought that I would have to search the whole world for a new singer but in the back of our minds we were hoping that we could find a local guy. Because I fell that the bands that have singers in the other half of the worlds are not really bands. They are projects. It’s like a business arrangement. A band should be together and spend time together. So once Wade was not able to come for a rehearsal I told Matt to call Todd. And then he told that he was not really a singer but a drummer. I felt like a stupid, I couldn’t believe him (laughs).
Todd: Mind that I didn’t know any songs of Crimson Glory. Matt told me about it 2 days before the meeting with the band. So he called me and told me that I should be preparing myself for a rehearsal with Crimson Glory. I asked him why and he replied: “I can’t talk about it right now but I just see things before they happen.” When I replied that I only know Crimson Glory as a name told me to find their music and learn as much as I can. So I just go on YouTube and type Crimson Glory. And the first song that I put was “Queen Of The Masquerade”. And then I heard in the second line where it says “lady” with the really high scream and I went: “WOW. This is awesome”. And it was at the same style of music that I really love. I called Matt and told him that they were awesome. So we speak again two days later and he tells me that I am going to meet the band and have a practice with them. So I get the lyrics of “Queen Of The Masquerade” and I go down there, meet the guys and Matt tells me: “Hey bro, even if you kick ass, don’t take it personal if they let you feel that you didn’t a good job. Because they might not tell you anything. But don’t worry. Just don’t take it personal.” And so we do this specific song, because I didn’t have time to prepare anything else, and when came the time for that scream I looked at Matt, and he looked me back very pleased. I had nothing to lose after all. I wanted them to like it but if they didn’t? Fuck it! I didn’t know the band anyway (laughs). In my mind that was my attitude. I never knew the guys. There was this part of me that wished to be a big fan of the band and think: “Holy shit I am in the studio with Crimson Glory!” But there was the other part that didn’t know them so I was relaxed and acting cool.
Jon: You know we are a band, he is a member of the band not an employee.
Todd: Exactly. When there is a local show, I text them or they call me. We hang out.
Jon: That’s why we didn’t just jump into the studio to write new material. To be in a band and write, you need experiences. Not only musical experiences. You need to live together. It’s not only in studio. It’s a band. It’s a friendship. You can see it in the studio. We’re not just writing stuff. We are truly inspired by each other.
Todd: There are those moments where I step outside and I go: “Man I sing for Crimson Glory. That’s so cool.” And people accepted me so well although I am the new guy. An exceptional thing is that a majority of the fans see me as a true member. They accept that Midnight is gone. I don’t want to be him. I just want to do the material in the right way with respect. I don’t want to be Midnight. Nobody can ever be him. He’s unique in his own, beautiful, special way. Good parts, bad parts. But people welcomed me in a very good way.
Another of those weird that happened is that we were going to have a band meeting to see if the guys were happy getting me into the band. In that night nobody could get together for a reason so we decided to do it the next night. So we got together, talked and play some tunes. By coincidence that night was Midnight’s birthday. When they guys decided that I would be in the band it was the same day of Midnight’s birthday.
Jon: And there’s more. Todd was born in the very same thing that Midnight died. It’s a cosmic thing. He’s also so small like Midnight.
Todd: I wonder if sometimes the other members look at me and see the shape of Midnight.
Jon: We definitely do. When I was working with these 18 singers for the Memorial show it felt like Todd was already member of the band. And the other singers knew it. Some of them approached me asking if they could join Crimson Glory. A lot of famous guys. They would love to do it. But after they heard Todd singing and how he performs, they knew that he would be the new Crimson Glory singer. It’s like having Midnight back in a way. And I really believe that Midnight might have had a role in this. Although he died I know that in his heart he never wanted to let us down. He wanted to be able to do that again. But he couldn’t. Midnight and I, we were very close. Also Midnight and Matt La Porte were very close. And Todd was very close to Matt. Somehow Midnight was connected all of us. It’s feels like Midnight sent Todd to us. It’s like that “I know I cannot be there for you, I am sorry that I let that happen but in death I want to help you. I will give you my replacement. I will send him to you.” And he did.
Rockoverdose.gr: That’s very touching.
Todd: I got a ball in my throat right now!
Jon: I do think he played a role on all these things. And he is really pleased by the person we have now. Because he’s carrying on Midnight’s legacy. And he’s going to extend it.
Todd: I had some people in our signing sessions and they have the albums with the original band picture and they go through the line. And there I just stand feeling that I should not sign that. But they do give it to me to sign it. And I ask them where they want me to sign. Many reply above Midnight so I ask them again if they are completely sure they want me to sign there. And they say: “Yes! You deserve to be there”. And that to me is very special. Because in a lot ways I don’t feel worthy that I should signing this. I am not even on the album. But people look at me and say that they really want me to sign there. But I always ask them. Some other people don’t want that. I totally respect it. I am not upset at all. I don’t feel offended. If you want me to sing that stuff I am honored. If not I am not upset in the least bit.
Jon: Todd will soon have his own record to sign. Before we announce Todd that he is in the band I knew it my mind months and months ahead. It was just one of the things that we didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to get to know him. And then we wrote a song together.
Todd: He said: “I need to know what you can write.” So we wrote a song together and he gave me the rough outline of the song and asked me to finish it in my way. He didn’t want to tell me how to do it. He didn’t want to influence me. So I sat and did the bass line and the drum parts initially – in studio the guys did it their way – and I gave them a complete song which they like it a lot.
Jon: And it’s an awesome song. It’s going to be in the new album. I didn’t want to tell him what to do. I just wanted to see how he would interpret the music I gave him. I wanted to know if we can collaborate. And since then I was telling him what would happen. I knew what would follow in our future. And we still talk about such stuff. I still tell him what it’s going to happen next. I told him that one day he will see his face carved in the mountain of metal. Like Mountain Rushmore. He will be one of the great ones. It’s amazing how fast all these thing happen. And when the new album is coming out you all going to be blown away. He has a lot of elements of greatness in him and in his style. You can hear Geoff Tate, Rob Halford, and Bruce Dickinson. He’s got all these qualities. And now he has also Midnight’s. Now Midnight is a part of his sound. Now he has it all.
Rockoverdose.gr. You mentioned that you have the blueprints of great Crimson Glory releases and you’re going to follow them for the new album. Will it be again mystical, dark and powerful?
Jon: Yes. It’s going to be very colorful, dramatic and mystical. It will have all the elements of Crimson Glory that we worked so hard to develop in the early days. It’s what made Crimson Glory’s music last so long. I don’t write music just to do it. It has to have an inspiration behind it and it has to be beautiful. And for me Crimson Glory always had the ability to be beautiful, passionate, aggressive and melodic. So it will be very dynamic.
Todd: It’s going to be very eclectic.
Rockoverdose.gr. What about lyrics? Fans are used into deep, meaningful lyrics from Crimson Glory.
Jon: When Midnight was writing lyrics he really liked writing stuff in a colorful, meaningful way that had multiple meanings behind them. Midnight would never tell you what a song meant. A lot of people were asking him in interviews and he was just replying: “What does it mean to you?” It’s the interpretation of art. Like a painting. Everybody sees different things. And Midnight was a painter too. And through his lyrics he wanted the listener to see what he was singing. He wanted to make them vision the lyrics. Those kinds of lyrics stand the test of time. They are not contemporary.
Todd: It doesn’t matter if something was written 25 years ago. Those lyrics are timeless. They apply anytime, anywhere. People still relate to them. No matter how many years have passed.
Jon: That’s the point. Deep meaningful lyrics. You know, when Midnight was singing some of the lyrics he was tortured. He felt them. He made you feel every word. Not even one word was neglected from him. He was vulnerable. A lot of male singers do not do that. They show an aggressive aspect. Midnight was not afraid of that. He exposed that to his music.
Todd: That’s a lot of work to do. It’s really hard. If you try to make it sound meaningful you have failed. You got to feel it and live it.
Jon: And from all these, Todd is becoming better and better. Midnight has been a great teacher.
Rockoverdose.gr: Do you see him as a teacher Todd?
Todd: Well we all have our influences. If someone tells you that he hasn’t any influence, he’s full of shit. Because you have to have some type of previous experience even if it’s subconscious.
Jon: Everything that you do must be inspired by something. A movie, a painting or a song. Otherwise it’s just meaningless. Something has to inspire you.
Todd: There are a lot of great musicians who they do not reach your soul. When you leave you may say that they were great but you won’t say: “Wow he managed to touch me with his music.”
Jon: You know it’s funny that we did the same conversations with Midnight. Todd and I are spending a lot of time together as I did with Midnight. Anyway. You know, when you write music you have to do it to last forever. It cannot be cool only for a while. It has to be timeless. And we want that. We want our music lasts forever.
Todd: And you hope that the listeners are equally open-minded as the artist when he was creating the music. As an example I’ll refer to Metallica’s Black album. It’s a great album which received a lot of advertisement. Many thought that it was a sellout. But artists sometimes want to try something different. Crimson Glory did something like that with “Strange And Beautiful”. You have to try new things. That’s why the new album will not be the new “Transcendence”. The members grew up musically. They think differently and have new ideas. For example when I was younger I hated Pink Floyd. Now they amaze me. The new album is going to be “Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath meets Crimson Glory”. In my mind it will be this way.
Jon: I know already how is going to sound. It will sound like “Transcendence” but like it was pushed 20 years later into the future. I know the blueprints and how I want it done. All the classic features of Crimson Glory will be there. It will by dynamic. But also very melodic. Midnight is going to be the inspiration behind the new album.
Rockoverdose.gr: I read that it will be a concept album about life and death of Midnight. Is this true?
Jon: Yes it will be inspired by Midnight.
Rockoverdose.gr: Well thank you very much for this great interview. I really enjoyed it.
Todd: Thank you! It was our pleasure.
Jon: Thank you!
For Rockoverdose.gr
Apostolos "Astaldo" Pantazoglou
Comments
