Interview Introduction:
STR:
Dear Mr. Banali,
I would like to say that it’s a pleasure to be able to interview you, even if only through e-mail. I have been a fan for many years and its an honor to do this interview.
FB:
Hi, Please call me Frankie and thank you for your interest and wanting to do the interview. I have attached a photo should you need one or decide to include one with the interview.
STR: When did you first start playing drums?
FB: I actually started pretty late, when I was 12, by the age of 13 I had already started playing and getting paid. $13.00 was my first music “paycheck” for playing a Catholic church social with my basement band called “A Pound of Flesh” in Astoria, NY. I took lessons at a local music store De Bellis Music, they are still there!
STR: Did you ever think in the beginning that it would become your career?
FB: I only thought about my family, my drums, music and pasta. Everything else was everything else. I was really consumed with listening to records over and over and over. In the beginning, The Beatles, Stones, a lot of the British music that was coming into it’s own. But not just rock, a lot of big band, swing, jazz and opera which is what my father listened to and a lot of Flamenco music from my mother’s side. I am still consumed by music and still listen to music every day and my taste in music is really wide. My emphasis has always been about the song, the delivery, the feel. So I guess subconsciously I was predetermined to have music as a career.
STR: Were your parents supportive in your musical instrument of choice (haha)?
FB: While there was music around the house always, it was not considered a career choice, it was for the love of it. Like all parents they wanted a doctor or a lawyer for security, but once they saw that I was serious, their support was infinite, albeit they kept their fingers crossed and hoped that I would have something to fall back on.
STR: What were/are some of your musical influences as a drummer?
FB: Early on there was a combination of Ringo and Charlie Watts along with Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa. Later on Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Max Roach, the great Tony Williams, and of course my personal favorite John Bonham. The list is really long and varied, from Chick Webb to Terry Bozzio and everyone in-between. My family had a huge collection of records. I still have over 3,000 LP’s in storage from when I was growing up.
STR: You are endorsed by a few different companies. Can you tell us who they are and for now long you have been endorsed?
FB: I’ve always played Ludwig Drums as my personal sets, though my very first set was a inexpensive Kent drum set made in NY. My second set and every set until my first endorsement were my own Ludwig sets. I still have my first snare drum, the Kent, as well as my first two Ludwig snare drums, both 402 Supraphonic snares. I tried to get a Ludwig endorsement in January of 1983 but was turned down. Someone from Pearl drums saw me playing at Guitar Center in Hollywood in February of the same year and signed me to my first drum endorsement. In March of 1983 Metal Health came out, the rest is history. I was with Pearl from 1983 to 1987. When my term was up in 1987 I left Pearl, not because their drums were not good, but because it was becoming very difficult to get items replaced while on the road. They were a great company to me, but it was time to end the relationship, and I did so amicably and professionally. From 1987 until 1994 I was endorsed by Tama Drums. I loved the company, especially the Japanese branch, but in time I had a falling out with the US artist relations rep and ended my commitment at the end of my contract term in 1994.
STR: Are you going to be appreaing at the NAMM show for any of these endorsements?
FB: Each year if I’m in LA I always participate at NAMM by doing “Meet & Greet” sessions for Ludwig Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks and next year likely with Aquarian Drumheads which I signed on as a endorsee this year. I rarely do any performances at NAMM. I really enjoy meeting the fans old and new and seeing many of my friends in the music industry that I normally don’t have a chance to see. It’s a nice social gathering mixed in with a bit of business.
STR: How did it come about that you joined FREAKSHOW?
FB: Markus Allen Christopher called me and explained who he was and that he wanted to know if I would be interested in recording with him. I told Markus that I would have to hear the material first to make sure that I was the right drummer for the sessions. We talked over a period of time, maybe a month or so and he sent me a four song demo which was very well done as complete songs. I saw that he could write great rock songs, could play great bone crushing guitar riffs, played bass and really snag the material great as well. We talked on the phone a number of times and I decided that I could add to the songs with my particular style and drum sound.
STR: When writing the songs for the CD “Welcome to the Freakshow” were you invoved in that process or did Markus have it finished when you came aboard?
FB: Markus is the primary songwriter and four of the songs were already well on their way to completion as demos when I got involved. The six he and I worked on when I first arrived for the sessions we fleshed out rather easily and Markus felt that the contributions that I made on “It’s Really Over” and “Four Leave Clover” were above and beyond what I had done on the recordings overall and therefore I am a co-writer on those two songs. I really appreciate that Markus appreciated the value of my input on those two tracks.
Markus initially thought that he and I would do pre-production for two or three days, then take four days to record the drum tracks. He played me the additional six songs that he proposed to record that I had not heard when I arrived at his house, just guitar and singing along and I gave him my suggestions and ideas. We went to the studio that same night and we ran down all the songs with me behind the drums and we fine tuned all the arrangements and made the necessary changes. That was the extent of the pre production, it was just a handful of hours in one day. We went into the studio the next evening, set up the drums, got drum sounds and I recorded the drums to six of the songs in about six and a half hours, came in the next day and tracked the following four in two and a half hours. So all in all it was less than three days to rehearse and track the drums.
Markus and I worked independent of anyone else on the arrangements and then I recorded the drums to the work tracks that Markus had. After I left he brought in Jeff LaBar to record the guitars and then we had Tony Franklin record the bass. Afterwards Markus was free to record his vocals at his own pace. It’s easy to play great songs.
The eleventh track, the acoustic “Mistaken” was something that Markus sent me as an MP3 demo after I returned to LA. I liked it so much that I booked a small studio in LA, recorded percussion to it, timpani, shakers, conga and cymbals and sent Markus a data file of the tracks and gave him the option to use the percussion or not. He decided to use them.
STR: W.A.S.P. .. What was that experience like?
FB: I worked on quite a few W.A.S.P. records between 1989’s “The Headless Children” through “The Neon God I & II” in 2004. My favorite recording is The Headless record, but I enjoyed my time with W.A.S.P. for the most part. Like any relationship, there are good days and bad days. I only toured once with the band for the Headless world tour by my own choice.
STR: What gave you the idea to do a Led Zeppelin Tribute CD with all your friends featured on it?
FB: I had some time on my hand between QUIET RIOT dates and decided to simply pay tribute to my favorite rock band, Led Zeppelin, and my favorite rock drummer, the mighty John Henry Bonham. I invited some of my musical friends to participate and I had a great time making the record. It was a lot of fun. Because it was self financed, I really needed to budget wisely, so I recorded all the drum tracks for the record in one 12 hour session.
STR: What was it like working with all that extreme talent? Did you hand pick the people to work with?
FB: Everyone was great to work with and they were all more than happy to participate. I picked some of my personal favorite songs and took my time in picking a choosing which singers and guitarists would work best for each of the songs.
1. The Wanton Song – Alex Ligertwood (Santana): Vocals – Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake): Guitar.
2. Four Sticks – Glenn Hughes (Black Sabbath/Deep Purple): Vocals – Steve Fister (Lita Ford): Guitar – Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot): Drums/Djembe/Doumbek- Neil Citron (Hero): Keyboards.
3. Kashmir – Don Dokken (Dokken): Vocals – Michael Lardie (Night Ranger/Great White): Keyboards – Steve Fister: Guitar.
4. Out On The Tiles – Robin McCauley (Michael Schenker/MSG): Vocals – Reb Beach (Winger/Whitesnake): Guitar.
5. Ramble On – Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt/Quiet Riot): Vocals – Steve Fister: Guitar.
6. The Ocean – Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen): Vocals – Bruce Kulick (Kiss): Guitar.
7. The Immigrant Song – Bobby Kimball (Toto): Vocals – Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses/ Rockstar: Supernova): Guitar.
8. Royal Orleans – Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen/Talisman/Soul SirkUS): Vocals Gilby Clarke: Guitar.
9. Gallows Pole – Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot): Vocals – Steve Fister: Guitar, Mandolin and Banjo.
10. Custard Pie – Chas West (Bonham): Vocals – Bill Leverty (Firehouse): Guitar.
11. When The Levee Breaks – The 24/7 Overture- Levee Guest Vocalist: Joan Fraley.
12. (They Were) The Eye Of God – Frankie Banali: Drums & Hand Percussion – Neil Citron: Guitar/Bass/Keys/Stringed Instruments.
Kevin DuBrow did a wonderful vocal on “Gallows Pole” but sadly this was his last studio recorded vocal.
STR: Did you hand pick the people to work with?
FB: You just asked me that, LOL!
STR: The drums sound amazing on the “Welcome to the Freakshow” CD. Can you tell me something about how they were recorded?
FB: There are really four components to getting a great drum sound. First are the drums and cymbals. For this session I played a Ludwig Amber Vistalite set, 14 X 26 bass drum, 16 X 16 and 16 X 18 floor toms, 10 X 14 tom and a 6.5 X 14 Supraphonic snare drum. The cymbals were Sabian APX line, 24″ ride, 18″ and 20″ crashes and 15″ Hi Hats.
The second component is the recording room. In this situation I opted out to use the smaller of the two rooms available to me. The dimensions were probably no larger than 12′ X 12″ with about a 10′ ceiling, all of which is a fairly small room which I thought would work best with such a “live” drum set and cymbal set up. Sometimes if the drum sound gets out of control, the entire mix suffers.
The third component is a good engineer who knows miking techniques and which mics to use. Johnny Lima did a fantastic job in that department because he knows sounds, knows the style of drummer I am and he did a fantastic job capturing my drum sound.
Lastly, it’s how you hit the drums. You have to give the mic’s something to “hear” and you have to be consistent in your playing. Since I don’t muffle any of the drums I have to control the intensity and dynamics internally.
STR: If you had to make an audition tape for somebody tomorrow, which three tracks would you choose to put on it?
FB: By now, if people don’t know who I am, what I’ve done, and how I play, it’s too late to make a demo tape!
STR: What do you think of the internet, namely MYSPACE, as a tool for bands/musicians? Does it help or hinder one’s career?
FB: I don’t think it helps or hinders. Since there is no exclusivity, everyone, anyone can have a page but it’s fairly easy to set one up. I think it’s a nice networking tool, but beyond that I feel it’s more social than business for anyone who places a page.
STR: Last but certainly not least .. What does MUSIC mean to you?
FB: Music to me is as important as the air I breathe. I have to have music in my life every day.
Dear Mr. Banali,
I would like to say that it has been a pleasure interviewing you, even if only through e-mail. I have been a fan for many years and it was an honor to do this interview.
Thank you again,
Brian Boone
Smokin Tunz Radio – http://smokintunz.net
brian@smokintunz.net
Originally posted at: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2009/jeff-labar-and-markus-allen-christopher-of-freakshow/
Jeff LaBar (Cinderella and Freakshow) checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about his band new band, Freakshow, which also features drummer Frankie Banali and bassist Tony Franklin. He also talked about the new release, Welcome to the Freakshow; the current status of Cinderella and an update on Tom Kiefer; how Freakshow was formed; the difference in his guitar playing between the two respective bands; his background as a guitarist; and a whole lot more.
Not to be outdone, Markus Allen Christopher follows the audio interview with a text interview of his own!
Freakshow’s Markus Allen Christopher!
HRH: Hey Markus, thanks for being here with Hardrock Haven again! Can you give us the background behind Freakshow? How you guys got together, whose idea was it, how did you each get recruited, etc.?
MAC: I DID ORIGINALLY. I ASKED JEFF FIRST IF HE WANTED TO COME IN THE STUDIO AND PLAY ON SOME NEW SONGS I WAS WORKING ON AND HE WAS TOTALLY INTERESTED AND I CONTACTED FRANKIE ABOUT WHAT I WAS DOING AND THEN HE WAS INTO IT AND THE REST KINDA FELL INTO PLACE AFTER FRANKIE AND MYSELF WORKED OUT THE NEW SONGS. TONY, WHO WE BOTH KNEW, WAS THE FIRST AND OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR THE CD.
HRH: Who came up with the band name, Freakshow, and how many other names did you throw in the trash before deciding on “Freakshow?”
MAC: WE HAD A FEW OTHER IDEAS. FRANKIE CAME UP WITH THE NAME OFF OF SOMETHING I SAID. WHEN HE SAID HOW ABOUT FREAKSHOW? I SAID YEAH THAT’S IT. WE WERE TEXTING ALL DAY ABOUT IT. LOL
HRH: Markus, I’ve known you for a few years from your band Miss Crazy. So, for a horrible and lame joke, how “crazy” is it for you to be in a band with Jeff, Frankie Banali and Tony Franklin? To go from Miss Crazy to a bonafide METAL supergroup?
MAC: LOL YEAH WE HAVE KNOWN EACHOTHER FOR A BIT HUH? I MUST SAY IT IS VERY KICK ASS! I MEAN I REMEMBER THESE GUYS ON MTV! I HAVE SEEN BOTH OF THESE DUDES IN ARENAS. I WAS A TOTAL KID IN THE CROWD.I GREW UP LOVING CINDERELLA AND QUIET RIOT. TO BE INVOLVED WITH THEM AND PLAY MUSIC TOGETHER IS UNREAL. I JUST THANK GOD FOR THIS BAND AND THE CD. LET ALONE THESE GUYS ARE MY FRIENDS!
HRH: Tell me a little bit about what Frankie Banali and Tony Franklin bring, respectively, to Freakshow … what’s it like playing with those amazing talents?
MAC: I THINK IT’S THE GREATEST. WAYNE GRETSKY’S OF ROCK. FRANKIE MAKES ME WANNA TRY SO HARD TO BE GOOD. HE IS A MODERN DAY JOHN BONHAM. TONY IS BASS GUITAR. THE FIRM AND BLUE MURDER. SAY NO MORE.
HRH: Your new album, Welcome to the Freakshow, is going to be released in April on Retrospect Records. I’ve been lucky enough to hear it, and it is better than I would have dared hoped for. Before we get into the songs, how did you hook up with Retrospect Records … what was it like shopping this incredible release around?
MAC: WE SHOPPED IT AND HAD SOME GOOD INTEREST BUT NOT THE DEALS WE WERE LOOKING FOR. DURING A RECESSION IT IS DIFFICULT FOR LABELS TO GIVE OUT EXPECTED BUDGETS. WE CONSIDERED SOME OTHER OPTIONS AND LAST MINUTE WE GOT AN OFFER AND IT SEEMED TO WORK OUT FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.
HRH: Comparing your vocal style on Miss Crazy to Freakshow, they are similar. Except for the opening track “Welcome to the Freakshow,” where you sound like you are channeling Robert Plant, at times. So, during the recordings, did you purposely try to be more diverse with your vocals and not stick to the Miss Crazy formula, or did you even worry about it and just let everything rip?
MAC: THANKS DERRIC. I KINDA JUST DID WHAT I FELT FOR EACH SONG. I THINK THE SONGS ON FREAKSHOW MADE ME REALLY WANT TO OPEN UP. SHOWING PEOPLE I CAN REALLY SING. I AM MY INFLUENCES. I BORROW FROM THE BEST BECAUSE I WANT TO BE THE BEST I CAN. FREAKSHOW BROUGHT THAT OUT FOR ALL OF US IT SEEMS. YOU CAN HEAR THAT ON THIS FREAKSHOW DEBUT.
HRH: How did the songwriting process work on the new release? Did you all add your own parts to each track, was there one central songwriter, how’d that process work between four new components?
MAC: I WROTE THE CD MAINLY AND CO-WROTE 2 SONGS WITH FRANKIE. IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER TOO MUCH WHO WROTE THE SONGS TO ME. THE PARTS THAT EVERYONE PLAYS ON THE FREAKSHOW CD IS LIKE A MOVIE WITH 4 KILLER ACTORS IN IT. WHAT EVERYONE BRINGS TO THIS CD IS RIPPING!!
HRH: “It’s Really Over” owns one of the dirtiest grooves on the CD, somewhat comparable to Led Zeppelin, except maybe even more sexual. Is this song self-biographical to any members, or, just one of those songs everyone can relate to?
MAC: OH BOY. OUR ZEP INFLUENCE IS TOTALLY THERE. FRANKIE HAS ALOT TO DO WITH THAT. I LOVE ZEP TOO. WE CAN’T HELP THAT. I LOVE THIS SONG TOO. IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
HRH: For the band, how important was it to them for the overall sound that you are a skilled guitarist as well, and can pull the rhythm plow while LaBar focuses on his leads and solos? Was that something the band wanted, a singer who could
add another musical element to the equation?
MAC: I DON’T KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS ABOUT THE GUITAR. WE NEVER ADDRESSED THAT REALLY. I JUST PLAY GUITAR AND THAT IS KINDA WHO I AM. MY PLAYING IS A BIG PART OF THE FREAKSHOW SOUND AS IT IS WITH M!SS CRAZY. I SHOWED THESE GUYS I CAN PLAY AND THAT IS MY STORY. JEFF KILLS ON LEAD GUITAR. I WISH I WAS THAT GOOD AT LEAD. I CAN PLAY, BUT NOT LIKE HIM!
HRH: Also, what does this mean for Miss Crazy? Is that going to be on hold for a while?
MAC: THAT IS SAFE TO SAY. M!SS CRAZY IS HOW I GOT HERE. M!SS CRAZY FANS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME. FRANKIE AND JEFF DIG ON THE TRIP I HAD WITH THAT BAND. IT IS ALL ABOUT HARD ROCK! WE MIGHT DO A FEW CRAZY SONGS LIVE. ANOTHER M!SS CRAZY CD IS POSSIBLE IF THE TIMING IS RIGHT. NOT A CONCERN OF MINE AT THE TIME BEING.
HRH: Has the band decided on a single yet? If so, which track?
MAC: OH YEAH! 2ND TRACK ON THE CD “EVERYONE”
HRH: When you guys hit the tour circuit, everyone is going to be curious, to hear what Freakshow is all about. So, can we expect to see you on the festival circuit this summer, like maybe Rocklahoma, Rock Gone Wild, or maybe in my backyard, at Dakota Rockfest?
MAC: THAT WOULD BE GREAT. I AM REALLY EXCITED TO PLAY LIVE AGAIN!!
HRH: Is there anything I left out that you’d like to leave with our Hardrock Haven faithful?
MAC: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME DERRIC. I APPRECIATE YOU AND HARDROCK HAVEN. THANKS TO ALL THE FREAKSHOW AND M1SS CRAZY FANS AND HARD ROCK FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD. CAN’T WAIT TO MEET AND ROCK EVERYONE! ENJOY OUR NEW CD!! CHECK OUT OUR PAGE ON MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/freakshowrox GOD BLESS!
In this exclusive interview w/Rock Zone Productions Markus discussed his band Miss Crazy, and also discussed his latest project Freakshow which is a band that also features Frankie Banali, Tony Franklin, and Jeff Lebar.
1. Rock Zone: – Where are you originally from?
MAC: – I am from British Columbia, Canada. I moved to the U.S. and traveled back and forth. I just came back from there.
2. Rock Zone: – Who were the bands/musicians who had the greatest influence on you?
MAC: – Oh man so many to mention. AC/DC, Kiss, Cinderella, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Kix, all that stuff. Loved it all! There are so many others that helped me become what I am!
3. Rock Zone: – How long have you been a professional musician?
MAC: – I’m professional? I always knew when I was in grade school that this is what I wanted to be. I’m a Pro rocker! LOL!
4. Rock Zone: – You are of course a Singer and Guitar Player…I was curious which of those roles are you most comfortable with? Are you more comfortable with your ability to play the guitar or your ability as a Singer?
MAC: – I think as a Singer. But I play and sing so it’s kinda trippy without my guitar when I sing so….I love to play guitar. I love doing it in Miss Crazy. In Freakshow it was real fun when we recorded the CD. I look forward to seeing how it goes live! I would love to just sing live on some songs and not play guitar!
5. Rock Zone: – What year was your band Miss Crazy formed?
MAC: – End of 2005
6. Rock Zone: – Of all the band’s that Miss Crazy has toured with over the years who have been some of your favorite bands that you’ve had the opportunity to tour with?
7. Rock Zone: – What’s the biggest audience that Miss Crazy has ever played for?
MAC: – 50,000 at Hemfest, Seattle 2007.
8. Rock Zone: – What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at a Miss Crazy show?
MAC: – Umm Miss Crazy actually playing every night in a different City across the U.S.
9. Rock Zone: – What is currently going on w/Miss Crazy?
MAC: – Freakshow is my main gig at the moment.
10. Rock Zone: – You are also in Freakshow, a new band which also features Jeff Lebar (Cinderella) , Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot) , and Tony Franklin (The Firm,Quiet Riot,Whitesnake)…Can you tell me how this project first came together?
MAC: – Well I was going to do a solo CD. I asked Jeff if he would play on it and he said he would. I always loved Cinderella so I asked him and it was on. He heard of me and liked MISS CRAZY and we knew we could rip together. Then I mentioned to Frankie what I was doing and sent him MISS CRAZY. After speaking to him on the phone I sent him some demo ideas and he was like “Fuc* yeah” I mean Frankie Banal is fuc*ing Frankie Banali right? MR. Bang Your Head himself, already a hero of mine. So he was in on the recording. So then I started saying maybe I should forget about making this a solo CD and this could be a really, radical band. I already wrote all these crazy, new songs and worked it all with Frankie when he flew in to record the basic tracks. We also arranged everything. Tony came in and killed it on Bass! Tony is one of the best and one of my favorite bass players. This guy played and recorded with Jimmy “fuc*ing” Page of Led Zeppelin!!!!! Tony was already friends with MISS CRAZY and was our bass player Kim’s A/R at Fender. Frankie knew him and I mentioned his name and Frankie said he would ask him. We really just wanted the best possible bass tracks. Answer? Tony Franklin! At this time in my life I’m fuc*ing spoiled as hell! I’m so glad to be a rocker at this point. Glad to believe in Arena Rock and live it. So we decided to have a new band because we all had a reason or three that our former and current bands were not playing or recording. So Freakshow was born! Bam!
11. Rock Zone: – While I understand that Bassist Tony Franklin does play on the debut Freakshow CD….I also understand that he will not be touring with the band….Has the band began looking for a replacement for Tony for touring purpouses?
MAC: – In these times you need to keep your job. Tony has done all the touring and he is pretty high at Fender and his job is secure there. We are so happy he recorded this CD. If he were to tour again it would most likely be with Blue Murder. So we have a long list of dudes when we decide to tour.
12. Rock Zone: – I was curious if before working with them in Freakshow if you were a fan of the work that Frankie, Jeff, and Tony had previously done in their respective bands?
MAC: – Oh yes totally. Cinderella is one of my favorites. I can sing all their songs in the shower perfect. LOL. Cinderella was the first to take an AC?DC vibe and add the commercial thing to it with some blues and they were kicking ass all over. Quiet Riot? Geez The Metal Health and Condition Critical are gold to me. I even got those early ones with Randy Rhoads! I need to get a fuc*ing copy of QRIII on CD! …..Frankie!!!LOL! Tony Franklin I saw in concert with The Firm when I was a little kid. I remember his blond hair. My friend took me with his older brothers and some rocker chicks. It was at the COW Palice in San Francisco. The older kids were saying things to us like: Do you even know who Paul Rodgers is? Jimmy Page is a God ya know! He’s from Led Zeppelin!!! I was just like fuc* off! I just wanna see a concert! LOL, I remember it smelled like total weed at the concert! LOL! I got wind of Blue Murder way later.
13. Rock Zone: – I know that Freakshow has been recording your debut CD for a while now…..How has the recording been going and how would you describe the overall sound of Freakshow?
MAC: – The CD is done and it looks like it should come out around Aprilish! The CD is fuc*ing ripping! Speaking to everyone involved including myself. We all agree that this is one of the best Cds that we have ever done. Sometimes it just happens like that. Playing with Frankie Banali is so crazy. He is so damn good. He’s like playing with John Bonham if he lived, the closest thing there is. When I listen to the tracks I still can’t believe I did this album with these guys. This CD lets everyone who loves hard rock know what time it is! Hard Rock is what we all do best. We did it all together right here on this Freakshow CD!
14. Rock Zone: – Does everyone in the band contribute to the songwriting?
MAC: – Well I wrote the songs mainly. Frankie and I Co-wrote two. It was everyone who made the songs rock. Everyone one the CD has their parts down. You can tell when you hear it. We all really nailed it hard.
15. Rock Zone: – Any idea when the freakshow CD is going to be released?
MAC: – Once again in April.
16. Rock Zone: – Has Freakshow signed with a label or will you guys be releasing the CD yourselves?
MAC: – We will be putting it out through Retrospect Records
17. Rock Zone: – Who produced the CD?
MAC: – Ronnie Borchert (Miss Crazy)
18. Rock Zone: – I really dig the Freakshow logo…Who designed that?
MAC: – Our friend Ken Knecht.
19. Rock Zone: – What plans do you guys have to promote the Freakshow CD once it is released?
MAC: – That is up to the label. I believe it will be through every rock provided avenue. A fan base has already formed in large numbers. The fans will help spread the word along the internet, radio, MYSPACE, websites, and individual fans of MISS CRAZY, Cinderella, and Quiet Riot.
20. Rock Zone: – What should fans expect from Markus Allen Christopher, MISS CRAZY, and Freakshow in the near future?
MAC: – I will do a solo CD some day. Freakshow will release this CD and hopefully do some touring and will go from there. Freakshow has broad horizons.
