For all of you reading this near near North Carolina John and The Babys will be playing on Aug. 26th in Wilmington, NC at The CFCC Fine Arts Center with Jefferson Starship. A classic rock n roll show that is not to be missed.
Now for the meat and potatoes. As I said before this week I had the great pleasure of interviewing John Bisaha of The Babys. Now some of you are saying The Babys? The same band from the 70s? Yes! John is the lead singer and bass player and has helped resurrect this band after a 30 year hiatus. Here are some links to get you caught up to speed on The Babys history.
The Babys - "Every Time I Think of You" 1979
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvvGgqV6SGo
The Babys - "Isnt It Time" 1977
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-c8X52Qg4o
The Babys - "I See You There" 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiVLuE6_l0U
Hello
John. Welcome to this little slice of
glam Rock n Roll heaven we like to call Hair In The Air. I know this isn’t your normal interview but
it’s quite an honor to have you answering some questions for us. I haven’t hosted an interview since my time
at broadcasting school so please bear with me.
JB: You bet! This
is actually a cool way of doing things. I get a chance to think and craft my
answers the best way possible. So thank you for the opportunity to do so!
John you
are currently the lead singer and bass player for The Babys, a powerhouse rock
band that formed in the 70’s and struck big with hit singles “Isn’t It Time”
and “Every Time I Think of You”. You
joined The Babys in 2012. How did you
get hooked up with these guys?
JB: I was introduced
to ‘the audition process’ by my friend Mike Hansen. Mike played drums in a band
with me in the early 90’s called Hall of Souls. We had only recently
reconnected after many years through that marvel called Facebook! He gave me a
ring and told me there was a band looking for a singer. After several moments
of playing the name game – I finally found out it was The Babys. After several
months of auditions, I received a call from Tony telling me I was the guy…
What is it
like joining a band that already has its own dynamic and vibe? Especially as a lead singer this must have
been a very challenging endeavor?
JB: It really is a
dream come true for me. I was a huge fan of The Babys since Broken Heart came
out. We try to stick to that vibe and sound from back in the day – staying true
to the songs and how they were intended to be played. That’s why there are
seven of us on stage. The Babys produced some huge tunes with huge sounds –
horns, strings, female backup singers, etc. I’ve known these songs since they came
out – my biggest challenge was incorporating bass into the mix, and making the
whole package seamless in its delivery.
The music
landscape has been changing very rapidly over the last few years. I’m not really sure anyone knows where it’s
headed. The one thing we as musicians
still have is the live performance. Tell
me about the current lineup of The Babys and what it’s like on stage for you
guys during a good night?
JB: The more it’s
changed – the more it stays the same! The only things that have changed through
the years is the fact that we all get older, while technology keeps evolving.
Too many new toys to play with! But you are right – live is LIVE! We all live
for that moment. There’s nothing like playing to a packed house with every fan
standing, dancing and singing every word/note of the songs. Our lineup consists
of the two originals – Tony Brock on drums and Wally Stocker on lead guitar.
Joey Sykes adds a dimension The Babys never had back in the day – a second
guitar player to compliment Wally throughout the show. In the past, either
Michael or Jonathan would leave the keys to play second guitar – now we have
both. Which brings us to Francesco Saglietti on keys. He’s a fabulous up and
coming musician. He will do great things in this business. And we round out our
sound with The Babettes – Holly and Elisa! The three of us have sang together
for YEARS! Total package – big sounds! We have a lot of energy on stage,
something that you may not see with other acts from our era. We feed off of
that energy – then toss it to the fans – who then give it right back. And the
circle continues…
Trust me
I’ve had my fair share of bad nights on stage.
Rock n roll is so unpredictable and I think that’s what makes it so
dangerous still. When issues start to
arise during a performance it can kill a band mentally. How do you overcome these issues and get the
train back on the tracks?
JB: We’ve had some
technical things happen from show to show – a monitor mixer forgetting to save
a session you worked a few hours on, to amps frying during songs. But hey – you
have a job to do. Can’t let those things get you down. Imagine having in-ear
monitors that lock all ambient sound out, and having ZERO drums in your mix.
Played an entire show that way. Was a marvel to hear and see video that was
tight! I could only ‘feel’ Tony that night. And that’s a testament to how well
we are getting on as a band – plow right through and give it your best. We
played a huge festival this year where Walt’s amp blew one song – and mine blew
the next. Not sure the crowd really knew. We got things moved to new amps or
direct for me within each tune – and the rest of the group covered. We never
missed a beat. You smile – shake your head – and move forward…
In 2014 The
Babys released I’ll Have Some of That.
What was the response from the fans on that album after the band had
been broken up for so many years? It
seems like new blood created new energy in The Babys.
JB: The response
has been fantastic. We knew we needed to have a reason to be out and playing
again. Having a new record, with new energy and members seemed the right thing
to do. We recorded the album at Tony’s studio – Silver Dreams – in a whirlwind
8 weeks. We have a range of songs that were written musically just after The
Babys broke up, to songs written the week prior to recording, and some in
between. And the beauty is – they all seem to fit together pretty well.
You guys
are back out on the road and you will be releasing new material in the very
near future. What can you tell me about
the new tracks? What was the
inspiration? Why at this point in the
game have you decided to put out these songs?
JB: We’ve been
asked to record a couple of tracks for some upcoming movies. One of them called
for a remake of The Babys remake of ‘Money’. We’ve got some killer threads in
that tune. We made it a cross of what The Babys did with the song back in the
day – and brought a little more rock to it. A little AC/DC meets Humble Pie
meets The Babys. Fun stuff. We are actually toying around with recording a live
album, and may even record a studio album of the hits and our favourites (had
to spell it that way for Tony and Walt!) plus some new tunes.
As a guy in
a band I know how difficult it can be to deal with four/five/six other strong
personalities. It’s a full time
commitment. How do you deal with
arguments and disagreements within The Babys?
JB: Arguments?
Disagreements? I don’t understand your question… In all honesty, we all get along famously.
There may be strong or differing opinions from time to time – but all things
are easily dealt with. We are all grown adults now. Communication in a band
relationship (and any other life relationship) is always key. From the get go –
Tony and Wally were not interested in pushing forward with a group of people
who didn’t actually care about each other – and the band. We are a family in
every sense – and I think it shows.
I’m a firm
believer that every guy in the band fills a vital position outside of just
playing their instrument. For me, I do a
lot of the publicity and the media for 3D In Your Face. In The Babys what is your roll outside of
singing and playing the bass?
JB: We have a core
team that helps us all keep ‘the machine’ going. We’ve got a growing team of
management, public relations and booking folk pushing to keep us out there. I
wear many hats, though – call me the glue. Or the little dutch boy if you know
what I mean. I believe I am involved in virtually every facet of what we do to
keep moving forward.
I always
love sitting around and listening to old war stories on the bus about old gigs
and tours that the guys went on back in the day. We always end up talking about crazy girls,
angry club owners, and intoxicated band members. You don’t have to go into too much detail to
protect the innocent but please if you could imagine we are on the tour bus
cruising down the highway somewhere near Chicago. What old war story would you tell me that
would leave me picking my jaw up off the ground?
JB: I’ve listened
to some GREAT stories that Tony and Wally have had through the years. The
stories all seem to come out after a gig as we are winding down, or on a bus
between shows. Everyone has the crazy girl story. I’ll opt for one that even
Tony and Wally had never experienced before. It’s ‘G’ rated – so sorry about
that! I’ll give you some ‘X’ rated ones offline. (Just kidding Holly!) So last
year – we had a stretch of shows through the Midwest and into PA. We had a 7am
call because the next town was about 6-8 hours away. It was 7:01 and I had our
luggage and was walking out towards the bus when it started to leave. I was
beat from the night before (I think we were like 3 shows into 5 shows in 5
nights across 5 states – FUN!) so I wasn’t about to run and pound on the bus to
stop. I just took the luggage and started walking towards the lobby where we
were all to meet anyway. So I get to the lobby, and the whole band is there!
And we see the bus leave the parking lot and take off! Then we notice our lead
tech (Johnny – our son) is NOT with us! I call the bus driver after 5 minutes
or so – because we are thinking he may be getting gas or something – and I
check my find iPhone app for my son – only to see he is on the freeway and
about 10 miles out. The bus driver (Chuck) answers his cell – and says yes Sir
– how are you? I asked him if he was getting gas – he replied no – he was
enroute to the next stop! I said – Chuck – the entire band and I are still in
the lobby waiting for you! Long story – he had seen Johnny’s foot outside his
bunk and figured we were all asleep in our bunks as well. You’ve heard the
stories where someone in the band was left behind – but the ENTIRE band? Come
on Chuck!!!
As kind of
a gear junkie could you give me a rig rundown?
What bass’ are you playing? What
amps and cabinets are you into? What is
the key to your sound? One piece of
“can’t go on stage without” equipment?
JB: I’ve been very
lucky to have some great support from some great companies! Italia makes my
basses. I am lucky enough to get at least one new custom bass every year. Right
now I am playing a Rimini custom, but soon will be receiving a new Imola bass
from them – which will be my go to. Ampeg has been my go to amp for quite
awhile. I play an SVT-VR out on the road, and in our studio, but also travel
with an SVT-Pro head just in case. An 8x10 cabinet and I am good to go. No real
effects – the bass sound is vintage, and I try to keep to that. Besides the
bass and rig, I can’t go on without my wireless for the bass (I like to move
around a lot when I am not singing, and hate tripping around with cables), as
well as my in-ear monitors. They literally save your voice. How many times do
singers have to over sing just to hear themselves in the wedges? No more of
that for me!
Thank you
so much John for doing this interview. I
would like to wish you luck with the new songs and video. I think The Babys are a great rock n roll
band keep up the great work. I hope that
someday soon we get the chance to work together. If you are ever in Nebraska or Iowa you are
more than welcome to crash on my couch.
JB! Thank you Sam!
I just may do that!!! Appreciate the opportunity – great questions! All the
best to you.
Sam Spade
Quality questions with wonderful replies. Thank you, Spade for posting this! THE BABYS ROCK- and so do our friends at 3D In Your Face ;)
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