ALL ACCESS MAGAZINE.COM
AAM’s own Valerie Nerres recently interviewed legendary guitarist Steve Lukather. For those few of you who think you might not know much about Lukather, his publicist David Maida wrote a biography of Steve Lukather for his everchangingtimes.com web site’s Biography page, so we’ll start with that.
“Steven Lee Lukather stands atop the world of music recently voted in 1 guitarist worldwide in over 40 countries at VoteNumber1.com. Not to bad for the Los Angeles born and bred talent inspired by the Beatles and then onward to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Steely Dan and Miles Davis to name a few. Steve Lukather segues the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s performing on many chart topping tracks and holding a few Grammy’s of his own as a songwriter, arranger, and multi Grammy awarded winner and 30 million plus sales as a worldwide solo artist and with the all encompassing respected Toto. Steve Lukather’s guitar solo’s are quintessential among musicians, music fans and people that understand heart in music. Biographies of artists and their accomplished catalog are sometimes flavored to embellish the artist but there is nothing flavored here and in matching the guitar playing and unforgettable sound of Steve Lukather. How about respected by artists piers like Brian May, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton, David Gilmour, Paul McCartney, Alice Cooper, Paul Rodgers, John Wetton and Meatloaf to name an endless few.”
“Important bodies of his guitar playing and tasteful solos can be heard on dozens of blistering, innovative and time standing songs like ‘Hold The Line’ (ToTo), ‘Breakdown Dead Ahead’ (Boz Scaggs), ‘Living In The Limelight’ (Peter Cetera), ‘Hard To Say I’m Sorry/Get Away’ (Chicago), ‘Dirty Laundry’ (Don Henley), ‘Voices’ (Cheap Trick), ‘Beat It’ (Michael Jackson), ‘I Keep Forgettin’’ (Michael McDonald), ‘Arthur’s Theme’ (Christopher Cross), ‘Forever Man’ (Eric Clapton), ‘Running With The Night’ (Lionel Ritchie), ‘Stand Back’ (Stevie Nicks), ‘I Love L.A.’ (Randy Newman), ‘Talk To You Later’ and ‘She’s A Beauty’ (The Tubes) and again on Toto’s ‘I Won’t Hold You Back’ and now ‘Ever Changing Times’ to highlight only a small portion of his accomplished body of work heard by millions.”
“Lukather also has another amazing talent and that is his widely dynamic voice heard on great songs like ‘Roseanna,’ ‘I’ll Be Over You,’ ‘Gyspy Train,’ ‘The Letting Go’ and ‘Tell Me What You Want From Me’ to his background vocals on Van Halen’s ‘Top Of The World’ and his credentials as a songwriter on hits songs like ‘Turn Your Love Around’ (George Benson), ‘She’s A Beauty’ and ‘Talk To You Later’ (The Tubes).”
“Now Steve Lukather takes his innovative and orchestrative arrangements, vocal talents and song-writing skills on a ‘journey of genres’ for all music listeners to enjoy and elevate to on his new solo release Steve Lukather ‘Ever Changing Times.’ Steve reunites his song-writing talents with the crafted Randy Goodrum, Stan Lynch and his offspring, Trev Lukather who has the same heart and fire as Steve.”
“He brings along some of his closest friends and family along for the ride including Leland Sklar, Abe Laboriel Jr, Joseph Williams, Steve Porcaro, Trev Lukather, Tina Lukather, Bill Champlin, Bernard Fowler, Steve Weingart, John Pierce, Randy Goodrum, Jeff Babko, Greg Mathieson, Lenny Castro and more. The production wizardry and chemistry of Steve Lukather and Steve MacMillan take the release to pure perfection.”
“This release strikes a perfect chord due to the fact that it’s unique to the listeners’ ears in that every song – though differently styled – is premier from front to back. Steve Lukather ‘Ever Changing Times’ is a true gem and a new record-breaking achievement from a solo artist that is and always will be the real-deal in music and the heart of listeners for generations to come.”
Valerie Nerres reports that she had a chance to chat with Luke about the new album, new tour and his band. Enjoy!
AAM: Hey Steve, it’s Valerie from “All Access Magazine.” How are you?
Steve Lukather: What’s going on, girlfriend?
AAM: I didn’t wake you up, did I?
SL: Oh no, I have an 8-month-old baby.
AAM: I hear you; I had one of those once too.
SL: Yeah, I have a kid every 20 years whether I like it or not. [laughs]
AAM: Well, I’ll just jump right into it then. “Ever Changing Times” is your 5th solo album, right?
SL: Yeah, I guess so; I haven’t done a rock ‘n’ roll vocal record in 10 years. I’ve done fusion, Furore, and had a great time. I did a record with Larry Carlton – it won a Grammy! Good fun. But I needed to make some more accessible music, not just for guitar heads, you know?
AAM: Well, this album, “Ever Changing Times,” is my favorite one since your first solo album. For those people who may not be as familiar with your previous work, I’m really trying to get it out there for some possible newer fans. I mean, it’s great music.
SL: Well, I really appreciate that because I just got my schedule for the United States and it’s the most expensive tour I’ve ever done. We’ll be posting the dates on my web site, probably within the week. It’s great. I’m starting out really small. I’m being realistic. I mean, I haven’t really put myself out there, especially as a solo artist. Toto is no longer…, so I’m putting all my energy into this project. It’s all my rock ‘n’ roll stuff. I’m not doing jazz fusion Furore at this point. It’s a kick-ass band. Everybody is a lead vocalist and we’re going to go beat the sh** out of the world for the next 3 years.
AAM: What kind of commercial success are you expecting from this album? And speaking about the tour, what size venues are you looking at playing?
SL: I’m looking at like 500-seaters, 500 to 1000. I haven’t done this before and I’m not Mr. Toto, I’m not going to play “Rosanna” or “Hold the Line” or any of those hits. I’m really separating myself from that. I just have other things that I want to do musically and artistically. I may play a couple of classic album cuts that I wrote, sang, produced and played. But I don’t want to do the other stuff. I’ve been doing that for 32 years and there’s a reason why I left the band and there’s a reason why I want to separate the two things. Toto was very good to me; we had a great run, no question about it. But I just felt like…I was the only one left standing since we started the band. I’d look around and see everybody’s a replacement. Even Bobby, the original singer, was out of the band for 17 years. I just felt like, if there’s not a Paich or Porcaro in the band, how can I call it that [Toto]? I might as well go do it myself. Maybe in 10 years, if any of the original – original – guys want to do it, then…maybe. I don’t know. We’re all still friends. It didn’t end like, “I hate you.” I just got to the point where some of the business things and some of the way things were being dealt with didn’t feel good to me anymore. I have a record in the can and I have the ability to go out and tour the world with my own stuff. So I figured I might as well. Now is the time. I’m not getting any younger, but I still have a fire lit under me to prove something to myself and I want to go out and play. Toto became this huge machine that was too expensive. We needed too much money to break even. My band now? Throw us up on the stage, we’ll play. I’d rather be humble and start out small and prove myself and show what a kick-ass band I’ve got, that I’ve got something to give here, and there’s enough people out there who would come out to see me. Even if it’s just musicians there, out of curiosity, [that’s great] because I’ve never done that. They may not have seen me since 1983 or something. My new record is coming out next week and I’m getting great reviews and I’ve got a great P.R. guy, new management, a new band, a new lease on life, so I’m ready to kick some ass!
AAM: Yeah, I worked with David Maida [Lukather’s Publicist] a couple of years ago. One of my first interviews was actually with Bobby Kimball.
SL: Oh, you’re kidding!
AAM: Yeah, right out the gate as a journalist, “Let’s start with Bobby.” So I’ve been in contact with David for a while. He sent me a copy of “Ever Changing Times” about a month or so ago, so here we are. I’m glad I’m getting a chance to hook up with you and talk about the new album.
SL: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate the support. I’m like a new artist starting all over again.
AAM: You have some incredible musicians on this new release, like Phil Sousson, and Abe Laborial, Jr., whose dad was just an incredible jazz bass player…
SL: Well, here’s the irony of that. You’ve got guys like me and Leland Sklar sitting in a room with Abe Laborail, Jr. and my son Trevor. When I met Leland, I was 19 years old. So we were just cracking up: You’ve got us older dudes, and then you’ve got our kids. I saw Abe grow up, you know what I mean? He was just hanging out at the sessions when he was 3 years old. I used to do a lot of sessions with his dad back in the day. So it’s really neat to see the kids grow up and kind of follow in our footsteps.
AAM: There’s a lot of people I’ve been speaking to recently who are now bringing their kids into what they’re doing. For example, I recently did an interview with Eddie Money and he has his daughter Jesse on stage with him.
SL: Yeah, I saw that. My son was supposed to be on that TV show [VH-1’s “Rock the Cradle”], but I wouldn’t let him do it. I’m like, “If you do it, your career is suicide, your career’s going to be over with by the time you’re, what, 22?” [laughs]. I mean, I know the people involved. I was supposed to be the musical director for the “Rock Star” INXS show. The INXS guys are really good friends of mine and I met with Mark Burnett and they offered me the gig. Then I said, “Man, I don’t want to be in TV. You guys want to own me 24 hours a day for 6 months and then you don’t want to pay me for that?” And then they wanted me to audition for them? I said, “Dude, look at my credentials, I don’t audition for anybody.” These are the same people who wanted my son to be a part of this. My son was one of the first guests to go down there and talk to them. They loved him and all this stuff, but when push came to shove, I realized just how ugly these TV people are. And they wanted ME to be a part of this. I’m like, “I don’t want to be a part of this.” I’m not a reality TV kind of guy. They called me up and asked me to be in the “Surreal Life,” the first season; I didn’t even know what that was. I’m like, “My life IS the surreal life.” Then I’m like, “Wait… reality TV… creative editing… they get you drunk and then laugh at you.” The ONE thing that I have and DO care about is music credibility. Mainstream rock critics might not like what I do, but musicians do. There’s a certain amount of pride that I have in my work. I’ve sold millions and millions of records, won Grammys and all that stuff. I don’t need the money that badly. I’ve worked really hard to get what I’ve got. When I was 18 years old, my parents were like, “I hope you start making some money from this, because it’s done. You’re done. We’re done paying for your ass. Now get out and start your life.” It was the best thing they ever did and I DID do that. I worked really hard. It’s so easy to be an instant rock star these days, with computers. They don’t pay any dues now. They get what they get, they have a 2-year career. They’re not good enough musicians to be REAL musicians. And then what do you do with your life?
AAM: Exactly. Anyone with a computer and Pro Tools is going to sound amazing now.
SL: I could get my mother to sound like Mariah Carey! But my mom doesn’t WANT to sound like Mariah Carey [laughs]! She can’t even sing “Happy Birthday” in tune. But that’s the irony of it. Like I said, anybody can be a rock star. But it takes decades and a lifetime of dedication to be a musician. You can quote me on that. Because I see it. I sit there sometimes and watch late-night TV with my kid who’s a musician – and a really GOOD one – and I see these bands and I’m like, “How did these bands get on TV? They SUCK! Am I just getting old, Trev?” And he goes “No, Dad, they really SUCK.” How did these people get record deals? But then again, you never really hear of them. They almost never book classic rock bands on TV shows, but they’ll put some f**ing band that they saw in a club in New York. It’s almost like a deficit to be a great musician. I just don’t get that. People might think I’m a musical snob, but I’m really not that. I enjoy great musicians. I enjoy country stuff. It’s blazing! Basically it’s the classic rock of old. You put a fiddle and a pedal feel in there and now it’s country music. Good music is good music. Why does it have to have a label? Ray Charles said a long time ago, “There’s only two kinds of music, good and bad,” and that’s subjective in itself. Ask a blind guy about music….
AAM: So, about the lineup that you used on your new album. Are those the same guys you’re going to be touring with?
SL: Oh hell, I can’t afford those guys! No, in reality, all those guys are previously committed. Abe Jr.’s going back out with [Paul] McCartney, Sklar’s going back out with Lyle Lovett, and Jeff Babko is the musical director of the Jimmy Kimmel show, and a lot of cats don’t want to go out on the road. So my musical director, Steve Weingart – who also played on the record, unbelievable keyboard player – he found me some young cats that are just off the hook. They are scary amazing. The drummer, Erick Valentine, is from the Dennis Chamber School and he sings like a gospel singer. And Carlitos Del Puerto on bass is also a great vocalist. They rock, but they can play any kind of music. And my music is diverse. I’m going to go out and do a whole retrospective of my solo material, then I’m going to play a couple of songs that I wrote for other people that were hits for them. I’ve done a billion tribute records, so I may dig a track out of there. And like I said, a couple of obscure Toto things that the fans will dig. But if people are coming and expecting me to sing “99” and stuff, don’t bother. I mean, I was doing that when I was 19 years old. I’m not Mr. Toto. If I wanted to go out and play Toto music, I’d put the band back together and go play. That’s why I’m going to go play small places, kick some ass, get some word of mouth and build a fan base, you know? I’ve got to go out there and do it. I can’t just sit around. I have no ego in this. I don’t mind, I’d rather go out and play in front of 500 people who are into it and make that contact, and then be able to start over and maybe get some opening act slots. There’s a few interesting things in the wind right now that I don’t want to mention because it’s not in stone. I’m doing this for the love of it, not because I need to go out and make some money. And you know there’s no Pro Tools! There’s no loops, there’s no people behind the stage. It’s like an old-school great rock band with amazing musicians and there’ll be some great playing onstage. I want to put together a show that people who like to rock will dig. Musicians will dig it. And hopefully we’ll move on from there. Like I said, I’ve never done this before in the United States. So it’s very important for me to make a really strong connection and to make a good impression.
AAM: There was a rumor of you doing some work with Jeff Scot Soto. Is that still a possibility?
SL: That’s a very real possibility. As a matter of fact, we’re talking about putting together an All-Star project. But that wouldn’t happen till the end of 2009 because I’m pretty much on the road until the end of summer 2009. It takes a while to get really great guys together. I’ve talked to a few people who are very interested in doing it. Jeff is one of the great vocalists of our time; this guy should be a superstar. He’s one of the great talents.
AAM: Your son, Trev, also has an album coming out.
SL: He’s working on it right now.
AAM: Are there any plans for you guys to possibly do collaboration or do a tour together?
SL: You know, we were just talking about that yesterday! He wants to come out and open with his band and play some of the songs that we wrote together in my set. That would be fun; I’m definitely going to work with my son. On this first tour, maybe he’ll show up on a few gigs. But as time goes on and his record comes out… Boy, it’s really hard to be a young musician. These record deals that get thrown at you are so terrible. It’s embarrassing. He’s a very talented kid. We couldn’t be closer. I think sometimes he’s my father. He’s got his head screwed on straight. He’s just a good kid, you know? And his passion is music. We’re definitely going to work together more and maybe at some point do a record together and then maybe a tour together. I’d rather hang out with him than most of the people I’ve met in my life.
AAM: As far as bad record deals, does that have anything to do with the recoupment?
SL: They just want you to do everything. They want you to pay for it and then you sell 10,000 copies or whatever on the Internet and then they MIGHT throw you a deal. Here’s a perfect example. If you look at my son’s MySpace, he has almost 2 million hits and like 1000-2000 downloads a day…and they still won’t pay him any money for a deal. So he’s doing it himself and he’s been writing songs for other artists. I’m not going to say anything because it’ll jinx it, but he’s got songs that are already cut on major records. With producer Howard Benson, who does Daughtry and all those guys, [my son] beat out hundreds of the bad-ass writers and got his tunes on these records. So he’s a great songwriter. He may go into [the music business] through the back door, but I said, “Don’t sell yourself to the devil: The devil will get you every time.” I said, “Take it easy, take your time.” He wants it right now, because when you’re 21 or 22 you’re impatient. You want it right now.
AAM: Do you have any plans to record any of your shows from this tour for a live DVD?
SL: Eventually, yeah. I like to be on the road for at least a year before you do that. That way everything is so spot tight and you pick the right venue and the right audience. There’ll definitely be a live DVD at some point for sure.
AAM: Is there anything else that you’d like to add? Anything you’d like to tell fans out there?
SL: Yeah, come see me! I need to put my newest daughter through college. [laughs]
AAM: Well, you’d better come to Vegas so I can see you.
SL: Hey, Vegas is on the list! Tell everybody to check out my new web site: It’s http://www.stevelukather.net.
AAM: You have 2 sites, I think.
SL: I think there’s like 8000 web sites out there. That Maida, I tell you, he’s a pit bull. I keep telling him, “Don’t you think there’s too many?” He’s like, “You can’t have too much PR, dude.” As long as it’s good…!
AAM: I think the new web site looks great!
SL: Everything’s still a work in progress, you know?
AAM: Well, I want to thank you for taking the time to speak to me and “All Access Magazine.”
Lukather’s new album, “Ever Changing Times,” is amazing. I can’t wait for the tour and for people to hear it. I really think everybody’s going to love it. Get a preview of the songs and tour dates at www.everchangingtimes.com, and find out more about Steve Lukather at www.stevelukather.net.
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