Firehouse - Bill Leverty
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
DM) Where did the name of the band come from?
BL) Michael, our drummer, came up with the name. He wanted to be a fireman
when he was younger.
DM) What type of music did your parents play for you when you were growing
up?
BL) They were listening to the 5th Dimension, and Diana Ross and the
Supremes, but they turned me on to Carlos Montoya and Jose Feliciano.
DM) Of all five of your albums, which is your favorite?
BL) I like all five for different reasons, but our latest, Category 5, is my
overall favorite right now.
DM) Firehouse has many hits in Asia. Why is the band so popular there?
BL) I think that the Japanese/Asian people still love rock music with
positive messages and strong melodies. They aren't so fickle over there.
DM) Why do you think the people in America started turning away from Rock?
BL) America didn't turn away from rock; it's just that the industry stopped
feeding a certain flavor of it to the people. I think that the industry is
changing now. People miss their melodic rock.
DM) You've toured from big stadiums to some small gigs in mid-America. What
was one of your favorite shows?
BL) Just this past year we played for 15,000 people at Pine Knob in Detriot,
MI. This show made us all realize that rock 'n' roll is still alive and
kickin'!!!
DM) What songs did you play when you were first learning the guitar?
BL) Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, Van Halen, Deep Purple, UFO
DM) What was your reaction the first time somebody asked you for an
autograph?
BL) I thought to myself, "Does this person think I'm someone else?" I've
never thought of myself as a star or anything like that; just as a guy who
loves to play music. Needless to say, I was honored.
DM) And whose autograph would you want?
BL) Well, I met Jeff Beck and got my picture taken with him, but I didn't
get his autograph. I would like to get the Stones' autographs. They are
probably the greatest rock and roll band of all time.
DM) Do you ever cover their music live?
BL) I jam Beck tunes when I'm at home with local fusion bands. I've played
many
Stones' songs in my day too!!!
DM) The industry would just change their focus that casually?
BL) I think that as soon as Nirvana hit big, they went for any band that
sounded like that.
DM) So what do you think will be the next big sound?
BL) Who knows? I think that good songs and performances will always be a
commodity.
DM) When did you first think that you might make music your career?
BL) When I was 18, I went to college and took my guitar. I realized after
that year that I wanted to be a professional musician.
DM) What bands are you listening to lately?
BL) Aerosmith, Dregs.
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