When word spread about a new band featuring Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater) on drums, Billy Sheehan on bass and Richie Kotzen on guitar and vocals, many knew something special was about to happen. Sheehan and Kotzen had previously played together in Mr. Big, and now with Portnoy joining the duo, they pieced together some driving rock music that came together quickly as their debut self-titled release. Sheehan spoke to Ghost Cult about how the band came together, their old school approach at writing and performing music and their upcoming touring plans.
So how did the Winery Dogs come together?
Mike contacted me quite a while ago. I think it happened while I was on tour is when I first got contacted with him. I knew I had a big break after Mr. Big was done so he asked if I’d like to get together and do a thing. I hemmed and hawed and thought about schedules, and then we tried a few things. I don’t know why we got Rickie Kotzen first, but Eddie Trunk came to us one time – Richie’s been singing and playing, doing a lot of solo stuff. He’s slowly gaining a large amount of followers everywhere getting turned onto his music, which is awesome. We’ve worked a lot in the past. It’s the obvious in the world. Sometimes it’s so obvious you don’t see it. Eddie Trunk put us in touch with Mike. Everyone was into it and we got together at Richie’s place. The first time we met up it came together instantly and organically.
Early on there was some talk about John Sykes was somehow involved. Was he in the Winery Dogs or a different project? Could you clarify his involvement?
It was with me and Mike, but it hadn’t really come together. It was a couple little demos, but scheduling and free time was a factor there. He’s a wonderful guy and a great player, but it didn’t work out. Richie, Mike and I are all are East Coast guys on the West Coast. We grew up doing the same thing with a lot of things. There was a lot of common ground.
How does the songwriting work in the Winery Dogs? Do you jam or is it more structured?
It’s a relatively easy process. It can happen in many, many different ways. One way that we almost always do it that way is somebody thinks of a song title, a lyric, a rhyme or a drum beat. It could come from anywhere. We’re open to all of that. Richie plays a chord, and then Mike would come up with a beat. Some of these songs are the same bunch Richie had sitting around; either not completed or were just forming ideas. We completed it either from scratch on the spot. I’ve been in many situations in all of my times where sometimes the drummer just start playing a beat, and I start listening and guitar comes in. So we got it. We generally write a lot of stuff and then we pare it down to the stuff we like. After a while when you listen to it back, some stuff you like it and others not so much. We found ourselves in agreement right away. If it’s something we all liked, we liked it. If it’s something a little dodgy, we all didn’t like it. So we were in sync.
All three of you are veterans of the music business and have played with multiple bands. So why change it now?
I really do enjoy the challenge of pulling it off live and doing it for real, and also to be in a real studio. A lot of times you’re recording, you’re doing one chorus and the engineer says we can use that for the next chorus. No I want to play it. I don’t want to cut and paste it. It has a feel to it. It doesn’t have to be identical. So much music today – there’s one chorus but they chopped it up and made four out of it. It’s a very common thing and it’s quick, easy and an accurate thing. But this makes it sound more organic and real. I was pleased because the three of us – Mike of course, Richie and myself, as far as our capabilities for performing it live.
The buzz on the band grew fairly quickly for a band that came together fast. Were you surprised?
We have Eddie Trunk to thank. I don’t think he’s biased towards us as friends. I sent him a copy of the record and I bumped into him and he went on and one about it about how much he loved it. I know he spread the word. People like that, journalists who are into something and let others know. There’s so much stuff coming out – someone with judgment and taste you trust, if you’re a journalist, TV host, radio host, blogger…then the word tends to spread so we have Eddie to thank for his initial interest. Fortunately after people finally heard it, in their minds, it was up to what they expected, which we were thankful for they looked at it that way. If it’s something good, the world figures it out and finds out about it. We did our very best and hope people enjoy it and look at it the same way we do. We rolled the dice and seven came up this time. People seem to be very happy with the record. Some journalists are gushing about it. Nothing pleases us more. Some musicians don’t care about pleasing others. I don’t look at it like that. I like to please people. I don’t want to do something they won’t like. I’m so happy when they’re pleased. So a sea of smiling faces and having a blast, and after the show I go out and talk to people, and they’re all through the roof. There’s no greater feeling.
So you have the next year and a half of your life mapped out?
Yeah it’s usually a year to year and a half is spoken for. That’s why if someone who has an event next month and calls, they’d have to have called me last year. Hahaha! Sometimes that the way you weed out the flakes from others. “We have a big show!” When is it? Two weeks from now…have you done any advertising for it yet? It’s not gonna work. Usually it’s about a year and a half and sometimes you have to figure out who’s releasing it and what their timetable is. A lot goes into the process behind the scenes. We never choose where we play. I always get emails about this. “What’s the matter with you guys? Why can’t you…” We can’t just drive to Des Moines to play a show. Someone from there has to book us. I’ve played shows in Mexico and there are at least ¾ of an inch thick in papers to fill out – official documents, tax things, work permits and employment this and that to play in Mexico. You wouldn’t think that but it’s quite a process. Someone in India has to do all that work and it’s quite an administrative chaos to get in and out of the country to play. You can’t just fly over there and set up. It doesn’t work that way. Same in America where we can’t just fly out to Pittsburgh and do a show. Usually someone needs to book it six months in advance. Big tours they’re booking the spring before.
Rei Nishimoto