Q: You guys have been around for like years now, can you give me a bit of history on the band, like the early days?
K: It started out with me and John Daly [the guitar player]. We knew each other, and we always admired each other's taste in music. Everybody else was into something different, me and him were basically outsiders in the whole rock scene. We kind of hooked up one night and said 'let's jam together!'. We got James our drummer on board; he came in from California started playing, and we just picked guys up along the way, and we slugged it out and started writing alot, and started getting some really good shows, and it kinda happened from there.

Q: What sort of things were you guys in to playing back then - covers?
K: We weren't ever into covers; we never did that. Just because we were too dumb to do other people's music [ha ha], so it was so much easier to write your own stuff. It was like "hey man, we can do our own tunes, and don't have to worry about anybody!" It was more gratifying.

Q: What sort of things did you do before Tidewater Grain?
K: I was a plumber. [believe it or not! ha] I busted my a*s doing construction work; everybody in the band was pretty much doing that kind of stuff. Just trying to make a living. It started getting pretty hectic after a while because we were getting so many shows that working was kind of like a second option.

Q: How was the circuit then for doing originals?
K: Philly actually has a really good local scene, as far as all-original bands. They do support their original bands. They don't pay original bands much, but they do support them. There's a lot of local 'zines that really throw the names out there and pretty much keep it alive, and keep people interested. There's like 5 or 6 clubs that you can really work in the Philly area, beside Philly you got Jersey, North Jersey, Delaware, Maryland...and we were pretty much doing 3 - 4 States in the early days.

Q: What sort of things have been highlights over the last 7 years, and things that lead up to the album?
K: I would say getting Upper Cut as our management company was a real highlight, the whole Kid Rock thing - having Steve Hutton co-manage us -- which is Kid Rock's main manager was really cool. Meeting Kevin Shirley, the producer for the album, was like a real highlight - that was a big deal to me. Plus I met Liv Tyler one night in New York after a show, and that was a real highlight; she's got the best lips. Realizing that A - we're a good band, and B - that people are interested; that would probably be the highlight though.

Q: How about gig-wise -- anything that stood out?
K: I would say that when we opened for Kid Rock was a big deal. Opening up for Gwar was cool too, because that was something really different for us. We're basically a heavy rock band, and playing in front of 3000 people is pretty cool because the message becomes a lot louder. I would say highlights shows -- we played in front of Clive Davis in this little studio up in New York; it was the whole A&R division of Arista, and just playing in front of them was like 'bad-ass' because they were there to see us.

Q: What can you tell me about as far as influences for yourself vocally, and the band sound-wise?
K: We're pretty diverse in our influences I would say. Me personally, I'm a big Sabbath - Monster Magnet - Foo Manchu fan -- I like that type of desert rock; I'm really into that kind of music. I'm a big Jim Morrisson fan too. He's not in my time, but I definitely dig the whole 'pissed off, leave me alone - I'm a rock guy thing', ya know. The rest of the band - really diverse, like Faith No More, Soundgarden, even like The Stones, Cheap Trick. It goes from like Elvis Costello to Sousie And The Banshees.

Q: Would you say you grew up more on 70s, 80s or 90s rock?
K: I kind of grew up on more 90s rock, but I would say like my older brothers and sisters - he was whipping out like Zeppelin albums, and I'm 9 years old and he's 17 doing bottle tokes in his bedroom with his friends, and I walk in and he's like "get outta here!", and then later it interested me; I'm like "what's this music?" And he's like "Dude you suck if you don't like Zeppelin or Sabbath..." And that's 70s, and I'll always have a special place in my heart for 70s hard-rock. I just love the long hair, and these wild dudes like Jimmy Page, Ozzy, and all those crazy bastards........

Q: Ever into Deep Purple?
K: I love Deep Purple! Actually Glenn Hughes - the old bass player from Deep Purple #5 or 4 [?], but I'm a big fan of Glenn Hughes, and the dude did back-up vocals on 3 tunes on the album. It's amazing. Like the guy's voice is frikkin outahand! And he's like this super cool dude; he's this English gentleman, really really cool guy! Q: He does a lot of session work; how did he get involved?
K: Actually Kevin Shirley and me were discussing music because he had just gotten on the Aerosmith album, and we were shooting the sh*t and he said "yeah I gotta go call Glenn, I'll be right back..." and i said "Glenn who?", and he went "Glenn Hughes", and I'm like "Glenn Hughes!!!? The dude from Deep Purple!? Holy sh*t I'm a huge 'Purple fan!!" And he said "Really!?" And I started getting antsie and he started getting antsie and said "what would you think of getting him to do some vocals?" and i was like "Wow!! ....By all means", ya know! And when he walked in the studio I literally felt like a 10 year old girl; it was amazing!

Q: Who comes up with the songs in the band? Is it a band effort?
K: It's usually a band effort. If one guy writes a song, and it's perfect; you're not gonna have to change it. Unfortunately when we've got 5 guys...actually it's a blessing because you've got 4 other inputs that kinda help it develop into a Tidewater Grain song. Plus I do all the lyric writing, and as far as the melodies go we're real open ended on that. I'd say it's a real group effort on that.

Q: Have you guys had much radio play locally or nationally?
K: Yeah, we're actually getting spun in Philly; we're doing good in Philly. The Jersey coast and Maryland, and upstate PA - we're starting to get some spins. It's great because we didn't even put the single out yet, and we're starting to get radio hits.

Q: What song[s] are you going to push as the single?
K: I personally want to push "7 Headed" and "Here On The Outside" as the single, but i think Warner Brothers is going to go for that real anthem rock - which is cool.

Q: "Here On The Outside" to me has a really catchy feel to it; that to me would be an obvious single. "Rocketship" was the other one I liked musically and vocally.
K: That's about the bass player's brother dying. He died, he was young - 20 or 21. I was in Florida at the time, and it was really sad; I was on vacation and he was dealing with his brother's death and I didn't know how to deal with something like that; i didn't understand; so the only thing i could do was write the lyrics down and it kind of came to me in 5 minutes - i had the song written.

Q: What sort of audience do you guys see coming out? What are you aiming at?
K: Yeah, we've been seeing like from 14 years old to 35. We've had a cross. It's amazing. We've had straight edge kids come up and go like 'i get it', and that's a beautiful thing. But I'd say our target market is 19, 20, 21 - the painful period. We're no 'N Sync', we don't have to go to the female fans - but we do, and that's cool too. We have guys that are into, and the girls really get it. God bless girls, I'm a big fan of women!

Q: Have any of you guys been involved in any other recordings?
K: I've actually worked with a couple of other guys on the friend-tip -- just throwing vocals around. But DL - who is the lead guitar player, he had a band called 'The More' and they were a real cool like pop-rock band. And he's done work with these guys, and he's a great frikkin writer and a great singer, so when he came on board it was like 'Wow - we got this powerhouse...'. But I think he's the only one who's done his own thing.

Q: Is the album actually done?
K: Yeah, the album was finished last September, and we've just kinda been gearing up, kicking around artwork, of which I'm a big fan of artwork - it's just got to be right.

Q: but the full album's not coming out until the summer!?
K: Yeah, August 8.....

Q: Are all 5 songs going to be on it?
K: Yeah, you have the sampler!? [ Q: yes] We actually put out an indie release and that sold really well. i think you can still get it.

[Talk on 70s rock stuff....]

Q: can you give me a few of your favorite albums from growing up and what are you currently listening to?
K: I'll say - "Zeppelin I" definitely, The Stones "Exile On Main Street" - my older brother played that constantly and I just loved that album, Mick Taylor was on that album and Mick Taylor was just bad-ass! Deep Purple "In Rock" is a great album; Sabbath "Sabotage", and I'm a big fan of Incubus - they're new album is pretty aussum. Faith No More's "Introduce Yourself" album I think is a really cool album; and then anything by The Doors - I love The Doors....And actually anything by Sabbath!

Q: Sabbath had such a sound that you could easily like all of them....
K: I know! I just love the way Tony Iommi would do like 3 solos, track 3 solos, and they wouldn't match up, and they'd leave it! It's like - how cool is that!?

Q: What's the future plans for you guys once the album comes out?
K: Right now we're just doing regional touring; just jumping on a tour here and there; just getting out there. Come summer we're going to be doing a lot of like Radio Festivals, and we're gonna get on a serious tour, with a current band - hopefully! Sh*t, hopefully we'll have bands open for us, because we want to go huge and bring out large. We wanna make it cool as sh*t to go to a concert again!

Q: Ever been to Canada?
K: I've been in Canada myself, but I think we have to get all of our police records in order first before we're allowed in Canada! [ha ha...]

Q: Familiar with any Canadian bands?
K: Philosopher Kings. I know their keyboard player - John; he's actually working with I think a new project and it's supposed to be kick-ass. That guy is like a musical genius. He's like a mad scientist on the piano. He's like me - he goes from like Sabbath to Bowie. 'Our Lady Peace'; Kevin Shirley did their 2nd or 3rd album I believe.

[chat, thanks, good-byes...]

Interview by Kevin J. Julie, April 2000
Copyright KJJ