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STEVE GRIMM is the leader of both THE STEVE GRIMM
BAND and the recently reformed band BAD BOY. A story on BAD BOY was pubslihed
in our Past-issues and we also did a review of the new CD of THE STEVE
GRIMM BAND. Reviews of both the new BAD BOY and STEVE GRIMM BAND CD on
our Reviews Old Issues Page. Anyway, the CD of THE STEVE GRIMM BAND was
titled “Heaven’s in your heart” and received 9 points. The music on the
CD was great A.O.R. that sounded like the 80’s in the style of bands like
PRISM,early NIGHT RANGER, JIMMY DAVIS, BRIAN MCDONALD GROUP ...
BAD BOY recorded 5 albums and more recently released
a 'Best of' CD including 4 new tracks. I had an interview with STEVE GRIMM
about all this, let's see what Steve Grimm has to say about the past and
for things to come for both bands.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please first tell us everything about what you did
before The Steve Grimm Band?
Way back in the mid-70’s, I formed a band name Crossfire
- myself, bassist John Marcelli, drummer Lars Hansen and keyboardist Joe
Luchessi rounded out our AOR sound. Eventually, we changed the band name
to Bad Boy. We played plenty of gigs around the Midwestern USA and were
eventually courted by United Artists - the recording company in 1977 for
two albums. So UA released The Band That Milwaukee Made Famous in 1977
and Back to Back in 1978. United Artists closed its doors not too long
after the second album became successful. Joe Luchessi and Lars Hansen
were replaced then by guitarist Scott Stephan and drummer Hector “Jackie”
Ramos. Streetwise, a Milwaukee label, released our third album Private
Party with the new Bad Boy members, which was mildly successful in the
Midwest, but we experienced a tragedy when Scott Stephan was involved in
a near-fatal car crash. He survived it, but we had to replace him so we
auditioned guitarists/vocalists for a number of months and finally decided
to hire former Cheap Trick vocalist Xeno to fill the open slot. And soon
after that, drummer Billy “Friday” Johnson entered the picture, too. So
after still another roster change, we recorded Electric Eyes, our fourth
album. That’s the line-up that remained for quite a number of years - Xeno,
Friday, Marcelli and myself. Lastly, we released an EP Girl On The Run
containing five songs which generated a good amount of interest. But then,
as you know, alternative hit the music scene..... so the story goes.
Have you had many successes with your previous band
Bad Boy?
After signing with United Artists, where there was airplay
in the USA, the record company financially contributed to touring - so
with those first two albums, we were on a roll! The band was founded in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and local radio stations were quick to jump on the
“Local Lads Make Good” campaign! Then the three releases on local recording
labels Streetwise and Legend followed with moderate Midwestern USA success.
The first album seemed to generate the most amount of sales. Thinking of
You was a real popular song and so was Last Rock N Roller. The Steve Grimm
Band still does a rendition of the song Machines which is on the first
Bad Boy album. Then the song Girls, Girls, Girls (not the Motley Crue song)
from Back to Back hit real big, too, so we were flying high. The songs
Thunder & Lightning and Cheat on Me from Electric Eyes received lots
of airplay here in the USA’s Midwest. She Can(Drive You Crazy) and Midnight
Love were most popular from Girl on The Run, One song that was never released
on an album Mama, Mama got some airplay. Many thought that would be the
song to break us into the major market again.
Bad Boy recorded 5 albums. Which one do you think
is the best and do you have a favourite Bad Boy song?
I’d have to say that the first album The Band That Milwaukee
Made Famous is the best Bad Boy album. It certainly was the most fun to
make! My favorite Bad Boy song-hmmmm- probably Cheat On Me from Electric
Eyes, but I definitely prefer all the songs on The Steve Grimm Band’s Heaven’s
In Your Heart CD to any of the Bad Boy songs. The songwriting is much more
complex and I put much more time into Heaven’s In Your Heart than any of
the Bad Boy albums.
Why did Bad Boy split up?
Different chemistries and beliefs in musical direction,
but that’s a day in the life of the band that Milwaukee made famous!
Tell us everything about The Steve Grimm Band?
Months after the initial break-up of Bad Boy, I started
The Steve Grimm Band with talented local musicians - Ron Kalista on drums,
guitarist Dave Christopher, and bass player Buzzy Ouellette. We recorded
the album Prisoner of Passion a few months later to tap the energy of the
new group. Once again, after more roster changes, we recorded the follow-
up EP cassette Turn The Key. The lineup on that EP featured Bad Boy drummer
Billy Friday and Bad Boy guitarist Scott Stephan along with Gordy Wayne
on bass. After a few roster changes, I decided to focus the most time on
the new CD Heaven’s in Your Heart. The work ethic of The Steve Grimm Band
is to work continuously. Now the market dictates gigs in clubs. If you
don’t play cover material and get the patrons to dance, you don’t work
- especially in Wisconsin. We still open for touring acts when they come
to Milwaukee. Technically, I work in three bands now - The Steve Grinun
Band where I prefer to play my original music; Steve Grimm and the Thrill
Cats which is my cover band consisting of the Grimm Band’s last guitarist
Matt Schroeder and bassist Randy Paul Jones and Bad Boy’s original
In our last issue we reviewed the CD of THE STEVE
GRIMM BAND.
The CD was titled “Heaven’s in your heart” and received
9 points. The music on the CD was great A.O.R. that sounded like the 80’s
in the style of bands like PRISM,early NIGHT RANGER,JIMMY DAVIS, BRIAN
MCDONALD GROUP ...
Leader of the band is STEVE GRIMM , who recorded 5 albums
with the aor/poprockband BAD BOY. In next past-issue I will do a complete
story on BAD BOY and STEVE GRIMM BAND, but first we had a very long interview
with STEVE GRIMM.
Please first tell us everything about what you did
before The Steve Grimm Band?
Way back in the mid-70’s, I formed a band name Crossfire
- myself, bassist John Marcelli, drummer Lars Hansen and keyboardist Joe
Luchessi rounded out our AOR sound. Eventually, we changed the band name
to Bad Boy. We played plenty of gigs around the Midwestern USA and were
eventually courted by United Artists - the recording company in 1977 for
two albums. So UA released The Band That Milwaukee Made Famous in 1977
and Back to Back in 1978. United Artists closed its doors not too long
after the second album became successful. Joe Luchessi and Lars Hansen
were replaced then by guitarist Scott Stephan and drummer Hector “Jackie”
Ramos. Streetwise, a Milwaukee label, released our third album Private
Party with the new Bad Boy members, which was mildly successful in the
Midwest, but we experienced a tragedy when Scott Stephan was involved in
a near-fatal car crash. He survived it, but we had to replace him so we
auditioned guitarists/vocalists for a number of months and finally decided
to hire former Cheap Trick vocalist Xeno to fill the open slot. And soon
after that, drummer Billy “Friday” Johnson entered the picture, too. So
after still another roster change, we recorded Electric Eyes, our fourth
album. That’s the line-up that remained for quite a number of years - Xeno,
Friday, Marcelli and myself. Lastly, we released an EP Girl On The Run
containing five songs which generated a good amount of interest. But then,
as you know, alternative hit the music scene..... so the story goes.
Have you had many successes with your previous band
Bad Boy?
After signing with United Artists, where there was airplay
in the USA, the record company financially contributed to touring - so
with those first two albums, we were on a roll! The band was founded in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and local radio stations were quick to jump on the
“Local Lads Make Good” campaign! Then the three releases on local recording
labels Streetwise and Legend followed with moderate Midwestern USA success.
The first album seemed to generate the most amount of sales. Thinking of
You was a real popular song and so was Last Rock N Roller. The Steve Grimm
Band still does a rendition of the song Machines which is on the first
Bad Boy album. Then the song Girls, Girls, Girls (not the Motley Crue song)
from Back to Back hit real big, too, so we were flying high. The songs
Thunder & Lightning and Cheat on Me from Electric Eyes received lots
of airplay here in the USA’s Midwest. She Can(Drive You Crazy) and Midnight
Love were most popular from Girl on The Run, One song that was never released
on an album Mama, Mama got some airplay. Many thought that would be the
song to break us into the major market again.
Bad Boy recorded 5 albums. Which one do you think
is the best and do you have a favourite Bad Boy song?
I’d have to say that the first album The Band That Milwaukee
Made Famous is the best Bad Boy album. It certainly was the most fun to
make! My favorite Bad Boy song-hmmmm- probably Cheat On Me from Electric
Eyes, but I definitely prefer all the songs on The Steve Grimm Band’s Heaven’s
In Your Heart CD to any of the Bad Boy songs. The songwriting is much more
complex and I put much more time into Heaven’s In Your Heart than any of
the Bad Boy albums.
Why did Bad Boy split up?
Different chemistries and beliefs in musical direction,
but that’s a day in the life of the band that Milwaukee made famous!
Tell us everything about The Steve Grimm Band?
Months after the initial break-up of Bad Boy, I started
The Steve Grimm Band with talented local musicians - Ron Kalista on drums,
guitarist Dave Christopher, and bass player Buzzy Ouellette. We recorded
the album Prisoner of Passion a few months later to tap the energy of the
new group. Once again, after more roster changes, we recorded the follow-
up EP cassette Turn The Key. The lineup on that EP featured Bad Boy drummer
Billy Friday and Bad Boy guitarist Scott Stephan along with Gordy Wayne
on bass. After a few roster changes, I decided to focus the most time on
the new CD Heaven’s in Your Heart. The work ethic of The Steve Grimm Band
is to work continuously. Now the market dictates gigs in clubs. If you
don’t play cover material and get the patrons to dance, you don’t work
- especially in Wisconsin. We still open for touring acts when they come
to Milwaukee. Technically, I work in three bands now - The Steve Grinun
Band where I prefer to play my original music; Steve Grimm and the Thrill
Cats which is my cover band consisting of the Grimm Band’s last guitarist
Matt Schroeder and bassist Randy Paul Jones and Bad Boy’s original drummer
Lars Hansen - the same lineup as the Steve Grimm Band; and we also do Bad
Boy reunion gigs every six months or so in different Wisconsin cities.
Have you had much success with The Steve Grimm Band
since you formed the band? And how are the reactions so far on the CD Heaven’s
in your Heart?
Although success has been tough to equate with Bad Boy,
this experience has taught these musicians to survive and create a different
“vibe”. Dig deeper, find and create music. Most reviews of Heaven’s in
your Heart have been quite favorable.
I read you have won some awards. Can you tell us
about that?
Throughout the years, there have been many songwriter’s
awards, personal vocal awards, but probably the best award is a WAMI (Wisconsin
Area Music Industry) award which placed Bad Boy into the Wisconsin Hall
of Fame. The accolades are definitely always present and appreciated. My
walls are filled with award certificates - all arrogance aside.
Have you done other things besides your work with
Bad Boy and later with The Steve Grimm Band?
I teach at the local Music Conservatory and enjoy a songwriters
class. I also give private music lessons and I teach at the Milwaukee Public
Schools. I’ve recorded with many other musicians and still enjoy recording
local commercials. Then there’s my cover band Steve Grimm and the Thrill
Cats. We gig two or three nights a week.
Your music is 80’s type AOR, which is great. Which
bands and/or artists influenced you?
The Who and the Beatles used to be my favorite bands.
Now I listen to everything!
Do you still play old Bad Boy songs?
Yep, we still play a few Bad Boy songs like Machines and
Cheat on Me along with new originals and selected cover tunes. Bad Boy
still does reunion gigs, too.
Has the line-up changed since the release of “Heaven’s
in your Heart”?
Yes. We have a new guitarist Matt Schroeder who replaced
Dave Dettlaff. Dave was going in another direction musically. And the original
drummer from Bad Boy Lars Hansen now drums for us. This new line-up is
working out quite well for us.
Do you think your musical style AOR will become
as popular as it was in The States in the 80’s?
Good songs will stand the test of time. The 80’s style
will be utilized, but the songs will be hybrids, I think. There are some
people who think AOR is coming back. I know one USA recording label CMC
is releasing Cds only by the popular AOR 80’s groups. They seem to be experiencing
moderate success, but I think they are marketing to only a small group
of people who are still interested in that style of music.
Can you tell us more about the lyrics of your songs?
Are there any stories behind them?
Every good song has a story. Sometimes you may have to
look deep into our songs, but that’s your job. Let the stories relate to
your own life. There is always a story behind every song - too many stories
to list here!
Do you have any contacts with record labels in Europe?
Yes, but only through people I am working with here in
the USA.
Are you working on new material and can we expect
a new CD?
I am always working on new material - it is a continuous
process for me. Sometimes an idea will just jump into my head.
I don’t always have the time to develop that idea right
then and there so I save it for later. Yes, I do expect to release lots
more Cds.
Can you tell us more about possible new songs you
have written since “Heaven’s in your Heart”?
I spend a substantial amount of time lately searching
for different sounds to incorporate into my melodies. Hopefully, these
new creations will be refreshing. Most are AOR soundinghey, that’s my style!
But some may have a bit of a new twist to them. You’ll just have to wait
and see!
Hopefully no musical changes
No drastic changes - I promise!
Are there any touring plans (in Europe)?
We would love to tour Europe and we have something on
the horizon that may bring us over there - maybe even within the next year.
You’ll be the second to know - after us!
Have you had any airplay with songs from “Heaven’s
in your Heart”?
Yes. All of the songs have received some airplay, primarily
in the midwestern USA.
How would you describe your own music?
Thoughtful, positive, powerful, MELODIC - no out of tune
alternative for me!!
Finally, what are the plans for the next coming
months?
Writing, playing live, and I’ll be teaching music to those
who want to listen. We’ve also got something brewing in both the Bad Boy
vein and The Steve Grimm Band vein ... we’ll let you know.
Thank you very much for answering the questions
and lots of success in the future with your music and I hope to enjoy lots
of great music from you for always!
Hey, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be active musically.
I really enjoyed the interview and I’m glad you like the CD. Thanks! Keep
in touch!
LINE-UP:
Steve Grimm
-Guitar,Keyboards,Vocals
Matt Schroeder
-Guitar,Vocals
Randy Paul Jones
-Bass,Vocals
Billy “Friday” Johnson -Drums,Vocals
DISCOGRAPHY:
Steve Grimm Band: Prisoner
of passion
(Legend/1989)
Turn the key
(Legend/1992)
Heaven’s in your heart
(Legend/1995)
Bad Boy:
The band that Milwaukee made famous (United Artists/1977)
Back to back
(United Artists/1978)
Private party
(Streetwise/1981)
Electric eyes
(Epicenter/1984)
Girl on the run
(Legend/1986)
CONTACTADDRESS:
The Music Label Connection
PO Box 672216
Marietta
GA 30006-0037
USA
A special thanks goes out
to Sandy Serge and Steve Grimm for making this interview possible.
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