March 9, 2005

OK, I know I'm in hot-water with those of you who were getting into the rhythm of reading my weekly Duke Views. Let me go on the record right now and say I'm sorry! For those of you who forgive me, I'd like the chance to earn your trust again, so please read on.

The last few months have been a blur. Let�s step into our time machine for a second and travel back to the fall of last year. After Spitfire's head of A&R in the states, Rob Gill, saw the Duke perform at the August 2004 Atlantis music conference, it seemed all that was left was the drying of the ink. So I went into pre-production mode - writing, listening to older demos and going through hours of unfinished material trying to assemble the best ten songs for the debut Duke release. I don't handle the business side of things so, while I got the music ready, my manager, Mark Willis, would deal with the label. (As a side note, Mark and I have been great friends with Rob Gill for years, which made this deal even more appealing to all of us.)

For the two months that followed, Fozzy's live schedule really picked up and my focus naturally shifted to those shows and helping prepare for the release of �All That Remains.� Every other day or so I would call Mark and ask, �What's up with Gill? Where are we with Spitfire? Where's the money for me to start on this record? Have you talked to him? Will you make me a sandwich?� The response for three months was usually that he was working on getting everyone at the label on board. That seemed reasonable. I wanted everyone to be on board, but why does it take several months to make it happen? With each passing day it looked more like this deal was going away. Then Mark called me one day and said, "Ok. I'm working out the money with Gill and it looks like we're finally moving forward".

A couple of weeks later, in early December, I got the word from Mark that the deal with Spitfire/Eagle was DEAD! We were going to have to start sending out demos and showcasing the band again. WHAT HAPPENED? Apparently, not everyone was on board at the label. After ten years of being signed to and dealing with not one, but four different record companies, I just said F@$K this. I called Mark and said, �Get me a deal for a Stuck Mojo record and then I'm out.� Stuck Mojo? My thinking was that �All That Remains� was an amazing Fozzy record, The Duke demo was something that I was really proud of and all that was left was to put out one last great Mojo record and go out with a bang and then I'm done. I'll play music for me and I'll get a job to make money. The timing seemed to be perfect. Bonz and I had spoken about the possibility of doing another record a couple of months earlier, Frank (Bud) had been chomping at the bit to do another Mojo record, so the timing seemed perfect to do the Mojo thing.

At that point I was re-focused. �All That Remains� would hit the streets in a month, so I suggested that we get Fozzy over to the UK where we have a loyal following that has never seen the band before. Next on the list, let's get Mojo a record deal and I'll start working with Bonz and the guys on writing a new record. Hey, maybe even look into getting a few shows for Mojo in Europe to test the waters. You know, see if the magic is still there. OK. We had a plan and everyone was happy. So then the phone rings and it's Mark. "Hey,� he says �the deal with Spitfire is back on and I got the deal memo on my desk." It's a good thing I wasn't driving because I would have just jerked the wheel hard right and aimed for something hard.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that, of all of my music, I am most passionate about The Duke material. I got over my "what the hell is up with these people" whining fit at the same moment it hit me that I was finally going to be able to release The Duke album. So now what to do? The good news is that I really didn�t have to change the plan that was drawn up just a couple weeks earlier. All I had to do was to finish writing and record another album. Three records in one year? That's pretty ambitious. Maybe for The Earl, but not for The Duke! (I know, it's not funny, but just humor me.) Oh yeah, just one more detail from Mark, �Rich, you have to finish the record before you go to Europe in order to get the release date we want.�

Ok. I was confident that this was possible so I immediately phoned up the studio that I work out of the most and they had eleven days available before I would be leaving for Europe. Ouch! Eleven days to finish the record? Maybe The King could do it in eleven days, but I'm only The Duke. It was only because the guys I work with are such amazing musicians that we got as far as we did. There was a point where I really thought that we would make it. But, with two days left, I called Rob and told him that I was going to be a few days shy of finishing. Along with recording we also had to squeeze in three Fozzy/Mojo rehearsals. This included rehearsing two new Fozzy songs, brushing up on the Mojo material that hadn't been played in years and working out both sets for the tour. Bonz didn't make the rehearsals and Chris hasn't rehearsed with the band since 2000, so I guess we just figured that if the band was tight Chris and Bonz would be fine.

I was too busy to get excited about the tour until I got to the airport. It was my first time back in the UK since 1998 and it was looking like the shows were all going to sell out. As my main axe I was bringing over the guitar that Zakk gave me and, hopefully, it would bring me good luck. Andy Sneap was loaning me a Marshall JCM 800 and a vintage Marshall cab so I knew my tone was going to be in top form. To top it off, a good friend had acquired two tickets for us to attend a "proper" English football match. Then there was the PUB FOOD that I so dearly missed! Hey and that's just the UK. We still had Holland, Germany, Denmark, the show in Prague, Austria, Italy and Switzerland to look forward to. Just standing at the gate with all my band mates getting ready to board the plane was a great feeling. Remember, this was our first tour outside of the states since the Sick Speed tour of Germany in the summer of 2002. So it felt like the first day of school again.

Our traveling group included myself, Frank, Sean, Mike and Richard Marcum (Fozzy's Arthur and Mojo's longtime friend and merch guy). When we arrived in London we grabbed a van ride to a hotel and then all of us, minus Frank, set off on foot to get food and to do a bit of sight-seeing. Richard Marcum was wearing new boots and, after four hours of walking, had blisters all over both feet. Eventually he walked back to the room barefoot. Mike didn't sleep on the plane ride over so by dinner time he looked like an extra from the movie �Shawn of the Dead.� At one point we stopped in a park and Mike fell asleep on a park bench. Yes, we are real rock 'n rollers.

That night we hooked up with our good friend Simon who was joining up with us to ride along during the tour. His primary goal was to film a behind-the-scenes look at the tour as well as capturing the band's nightly performances. But he got more than that - a lot more. Early the next morning, Mr. Jericho arrived at the hotel and quickly retired for a two hour nap to prepare for the first night of rocking. Around noon our tour manager Toad arrived with what could only be described as "nothing like the picture on the internet" We'll call it a bus, but it was so much more than just a bus. It was a refrigerator on wheels, a rolling hazardous materials truck containing every flu and cold virus found in Europe and, in case its overly old and ugly exterior didn't draw your attention, the beeping sound that is activated when the truck is in reverse just beeped all the time (well at least while the motor was running). Sean deactivated the beeping sound after the SECOND day. The rest of the luxurious amenities we just laughed about when we weren't crying or tending to our frostbite. As for the bus' ability to manufacture and spread rare viruses, to be fair, it wasn't until the forth show that all of us got sick. Toad was sick before he came out on tour and may have been the original host for what has now been classified as the English Funk virus.

The Fozzy shows were amazing. I knew that they would be great shows, but I was really blown away by the reception that we got. Our good pal Andy Sneap came out to the first show which was in his hometown of Nottingham. After the gig Andy invited us to follow him back to his home in the country to make camp for the night. It was my first time visiting his new place and I have to say that I was speechless. It's a palace! To be more specific, it's an eighteenth century farm house converted into a palace. Andy converted one of the three OTHER buildings on the 50 acre property into his studio and to describe it as �amazing� does not do it justice. It's great to see someone that talented, who works so hard, do well.

The next day we headed back to London for the show that would be the highlight of the Fozzy run. It was amazing how many people knew the words to our original songs. Singing along so loudly at times that it could be heard louder than the band. The next day we would do two shows in one day. The first, an early show in Manchester and then we were off to Liverpool for that day's "evening performance." After the show, we drove overnight from Liverpool to the London Gatwick airport to drop off Chris and to pick Bonz up. It was all perfectly planned so that one trip to the airport handled the drop and the pickup. All four Fozzy shows were sell-outs and, at some point, it made me wonder why we don't just move to England. Head On was the support band for the Fozzy run and although we had met before and were friends, we now consider them brothers. Top notch band and some of the best guys you could ever hope to call friends. During our three days in the UK, I saw a lot of old faces and made a lot of new friends that I'm sure will last a lifetime.

Even though Mojo hadn't been on a bus together for over six years, it just didn't seem like it. I guess Bonz, Frank (Bud) and myself lived on the road together for so long that it just seemed natural. Like this is what we do. We ride from city to city tearing shit up. Getting up on stage at the first show in Tilborg was an amazing feeling. Musically, we were a bit rusty, but both the vibe and the energy were off the charts. I felt that after we got a show or two under our belts, we would be back to full destructive capabilities. Then I would feel comfortable saying "Mojo's back." For Mojo's two week portion of the tour, an English band called The More I See was added as main support on the bill. This band is great! All great players, great showmanship and great songs. Amazingly, this was the second band in a week that we really bonded with. Usually there is at least some conflict between bands on tour, but there was never a moment of tension. As with Head On, these are the kind of guys that you wouldn't mind dating your sister. Nice as they come, professional and they proceeded to kick the crowd�s collective ass every night.

The next night in Cologne was one of the better shows of the tour. We were on fire I guess with some kind of "virgin" energy. After that show, I felt like we were really back. Bonz was definitely back on his game! At one point I looked over at Sean and felt proud to share the stage with him knowing that he was the right guy for the gig. Frank is a machine and I never question whether he is going to bring the heat. Ronny from our brother band Kickdown came down to the show as well as Chris the web-master for the stuckmojo.de site. It was great to hang with those guys and catch up a bit. That night, we were joined by the German bands Korroded and Mad Doggin', who became part of the tour for four shows. Both good bands, but with our travel schedule, I didn't get a chance to know them very well. I did speak briefly to most of the guys and they seemed cool. This was also the first night that it started snowing, an extra bonus to compliment one of the coldest European winters on record. We paid extra for that.

From there on out, all the shows were business as usual and I really felt that we were playing well. Some of the gigs were in big halls and some were in small clubs. Even considering our current mode of transportation, the only big disappointment on the tour was the lack of promotion for the German dates. When we arrived at two of the German shows, the advertisement consisted of a sheet of paper with �Stuck Mojo live tonight� written on it and taped to the front door of the club. Most impressive! Vienna was a great gig. Prague and Luzern Switzerland were both sell-out shows with great crowds and, by the way, its still snowing. All of the shows were being filmed by Simon and he was getting a real feel for the band in preparation for the London show. London was beginning to look like it was going to be an insane gig. Simon and a film crew were going to be filming the show for our first live DVD.

The last Mojo show on the mainland was in Italy. The trip from Luzern to Bologna was one of the more memorable journeys on the tour. For starters, our most direct route was through a pass in the Swiss Alps that had been closed due to bad weather. The alternate route was a 15 hour detour going through a different section of the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Same shitty ice and snow, but at least this road was still open. Although inconvenient, this was one of the most beautiful stretches of road that I have ever traveled. Huge towering mountain peaks with little villages tucked into the valleys below. Deep snow covered everything. Words just don't do it justice. The down-side was that we couldn't drive over 25 mph for a long portion of the trip. This was to avoid sliding off the little sliver of pavement that sometimes resembled a road. The consequences for sliding off that sliver of road was not the routine fender bender. It meant falling off the edge of the earth, followed by pain, hypothermia, cannibalism and then death. That is if we survived the 5,000 foot drop-off. To make our journey more "exciting" we were detained by the cops for several hours for not having the right road tax permit on our rolling meat wagon. It cost us $600 just to keep from having our equipment impounded. I did have a lovely chat with one of the policemen about how I had a Glock handgun almost like his except mine was bigger! Then I proceeded to rattle off a list all the guns that I own (including the military weapons) and I think he's going to move to America now. Gotta spread the love. We arrived in Bologna an hour before we were supposed to hit the stage, but at least we made it. There was a point when we didn't think we would. Great gig! I love the Italians, they are great people and they love their metal.

The next day was a drive day to get to London. At 10 hours, it was fairly painless compared to the drive the day before. As a side-note, we did not have a driver on this tour. Toad drove for almost the entire tour. I also drove for a few hours here and there and Simon helped out on one drive, but the rest was done by Toad. I don't know how he did it. I swear that the guy is not a man, he is a machine. Hands down the best tour manager I have ever worked with. When we get to London we grab a couple of hotel rooms and I crash at Simon's house. The next morning his lovely bride makes me a "proper" English breakfast and I knew this was going to be a good day.

When we got to the venue, I grabbed a cab over to the Spitfire/Eagle Rock offices there in London for a little face time with everyone who will be working hard on The Duke release. Rob Gill had flown over for the Mojo gig. He also made it possible for all the key players to be together for a meeting about The Duke record. At that point, everyone at the office had heard my rough mixes and seemed to genuinely excited to work the record. It was a great relief to see that everyone was now squarely on-board. After the meeting, Gill, Darren (my go-to guy at Spitfire in the UK) and myself make a quick stop off at the ole' chiropractors office for a little spinal manipulation on The Duke and then it's off to the venue for interviews and the big gig.

One word, mayhem! What a great gig and definitely the gig of the tour. Head On was joining us again for the London gig as well as another new band, PDHM, who would finish out the UK dates with us. Could it be? Three support bands in three weeks and once again, the highest quality guys you will ever meet. Great band and great performers. They tore it up every night in addition to being as nice as they come. After the show, I went to get a bite to eat with the Spitfire guys and we talked for hours. It really was a great meeting because I left knowing that these guys are really passionate about putting The Duke record out. Even better was that I felt part of a team with a common goal where everyone respected each other and wanted the same thing. We also talked about a future Mojo record (in time, the details will be available) so the day ended as well as it started. And yes, it was still snowing.

The next day we traveled to the Manchester gig and to my first English football match, Man United against Portsmouth. When we got to the venue, Simon and I grabbed a cab and headed for Old Trafford stadium. What an amazing experience. American sports fans are really missing out on the greatest sport on earth. Great gig that night. Andy Sneap came out and brought with him the guys from Nevermore who he was recording at the time. Giz from The More I See and I brought Andy up on stage during the Mojo set and presented him with a Grammy for an Opeth album that he produced. He technically got the Grammy a while back but had never received the actual award. After a few months of tracking the award down, his girlfriend Helen then called me and asked if we could surprise him and give it to him during the gig. It was a great moment for Andy. No one I know is more deserving and I was extremely honored to be involved. Glasgow and Nottingham were both amazing gigs and it was great to see a lot of the same faces that we saw at the first few gigs with Fozzy. I think the award for most gigs attended has to go to Lisa and James. Big thanks goes to both of you for all the love and support. Welcome to the family.

After the Nottingham gig, we hung out and said our goodbyes to our new brothers in The More I See and PDHM and then headed south for the London Gatwick airport. It was our last night sleeping on the bus that shall remain nameless and we tried to get a couple of hours sleep before our 6 a.m. arrival at the airport. Poor Toad hadn't slept properly in days and he had that look in his eyes that said �Please God, take me now.� He was the hero of the tour and when we come back in May (I'll fill you in later), please give him a pat on the back.

After nine hours, two crappy movies and a meal that I wouldn't feed to my dog , we were back on the ground again in Atlanta. It's good to be home, but it's a great feeling to know that I'll be over again in less than two months.

As for coming back, the dates are being finalized now and will be up on this site very shortly. I can tell you that the tour will consist of three Fozzy dates in Germany and one in London, a week of Duke performances in the UK and a one-show-only performance in London for Stuck Mojo. The Duke album is being released in Europe on April 25, so all of The Duke shows will be album release parties. Darren from Spitfire will be arranging some really cool stuff to accompany the tour including a special "Have Dinner With The Duke" get together for the hardest of the hardcore street team members. Darren will have all those details coming up in the next week, so be sure to check in here for updates or keep in touch with Darren (Darren's email here).

A huge thanks to Mike Martin who stepped in to help out during the Mojo dates and to our resident lady killer, Richard Marcum, whose friendship, loyalty and hard work are second to none. A "your mamma's so fat" sized thanks to all of the Fozzy, Mojo and Duke family members that came out during our three week European Extravaganza. Thanks to the dozens of supporters in the press who came out and showed us so much love and worked so hard to keep us on people's minds. Extra special sauce goes to Head On, The More I See and PDHM for everything that you brought to the tour. Without a doubt, Mark Willis and our agent Adam worked harder than anyone else on the tour. For every gig that we do it takes days of work and setup to make happen so the Gold Medal goes to you guys.

As of today, I am still waiting for this English Funk to release possession of my soul. This evil that was conceived in the bus that shall remain nameless has laughed at two doctors visits accompanied by two runs of the strongest antibiotics known to man. As soon as it releases its death grip, I will complete the last two unfinished vocal tracks that keep The Duke record from being complete. I did go into the studio on Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th to do some mix touchups and to attempt to knock out the vocals but let's just say the mixes sound amazing and we'll leave it at that. Yesterday, on a store run to pick up some more NyQuil, I took a quick listen to the mixes and I have to say that I can't believe how great they sound. I'm really excited for you to hear this record. Thanks for the love and I'll talk to you again soon.

Respectfully, Rich