By Ralph Greco, Jr.
Mark Andes has seen more than most. The bassist and vocalist was an original member of both Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne. He would appear on such Spirit classics as “Fresh Garbage,” “Nature’s Way,” and “Taurus,” a song many claim sounds like Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven,” which has led to numerous, ongoing legal allegations. Andes later joined Heart in the 1980s when the band enjoyed a revival on MTV.
These days, he plays with Firefall, a band he originally joined up with in 1974. At the end of 2020, Firefall released Comet, their first new album in nearly 20 years. Firefall leader Jock Bartley sings most of the songs on the album, but Andes is the vocalist on a remake of Spirit’s “Nature’s Way,” paying homage to the band he co-founded. Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit and the Doobie Brothers guitarist John McFee also make an appearance on the song.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Andes about the new album, how he functions in the music business today, and his role in the infamous “Taurus” vs. “Stairway To Heaven” lawsuit.
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Comet, the new Firefall record sounds great.
It was an interesting process, evolving across a few tracks over about four years.
You take on a Spirit song.
I have been asked many times to be involved with projects to redo some Spirit songs. And I kind of thought about it this time, like, well, I’m not getting any younger. So, I figured I’d honor Randy (California, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter of Spirit) in a personal way by redoing “Nature’s Way.” I had to rearrange things, work on my lead vocal chops. Then I saw Timothy B. Schmit at a small club we have all played at and thought, dare I ask him to sing harmonies with me?
Well, it sounds great, really.
It really turned out to be a dream come true and a great homage to Randy.
Then that led to Firefall and the rest of the tracks?
Well, I thought it kind of set the bar high for the rest of it, and things got rolling in the studio. But it took a long time for the grand scheme to come together, and in a way, it’s still evolving to this day.
So, do you sit back and let this all play out, or are you deep in the trenches working to make Firefall happen?
Firefall is really Jock. I’m not a partner in it, and it’s not a democracy; that’s my call. But at the same time, I have a lot invested in sweat equity to the project.
Do you find, as I have heard time and again from more ‘mature’ players, that there is a lot to consider, maybe even negative in a way, about releasing new music when it is so hard to get it heard these days?
Yes, that’s all true. But I think it’s good, especially in light of the pandemic, to get something out into the public sphere, see where it goes.
Beyond the new Firefall, what else is going on for you musically?
Well, I play a lot of acoustic guitar. I’m into fingerpicking, kind of a Leo Kottke kind of a thing. That style entertains me. About ten years ago, I put a CD out of acoustic instrumentals, but I’m not in a hurry. If a song idea comes out, couple of instrumental things, I’ll put some stuff down, maybe a reference recording just to keep track. I’m not sweatin’ the small stuff. My wife is an animal freak. We have five horses, fifteen acres. I’m busy.
Do you ever think about the physical limitations in your playing as you get older?
Recently I was enlisted into a project by the new “Nature’s Way” producer and found I had to really work at this bass line I was putting down. I got to the end of it and was running out of gas. I hadn’t played bass in a while. ‘You’re not playing enough, Andes,’ I said to myself. But I nailed it. I think if you don’t really abuse yourself, do anything silly and keep playing, you can still bring integrity to what you do.
I saw you with Heart back in the day a few times.
Oh yeah.
What was that like back then? I have heard performers talk about both loving and hating the ‘big hair’ MTV 80s.
We loved it. Anne and Nancy were collaborating on every aspect of it; it was their show. I had a blast. Jo Jo Gunne was kind of a glam funky little band in L.A. for about a minute, so I was comfy wearing the wacky stuff. And Howard Leese (Heart guitarist/keyboardist), Denny Carmassi (drummer), and I were really contributing to production and arrangements. It was great.
Can we talk about the “Stairway To Heaven” court case?
I don’t mind at all.
How did that all get started?
It started with an interview. I was approached by this American journalist who lives in Italy, or he lived there at the time. He wanted to come to my home and talk to me, so I had him come over. When we were together, he played me an interview where Howard Stern interviewed this guy who had put a book together documenting beautiful photos, and that led to the story of how Led Zeppelin had possibly plagiarized the Spirit song “Taurus,” when writing “Stairway.” The story was told in a very loving way, actually. But I kinda thought maybe there was something there, at least to give Randy credit, and I said, “Hell yes, let’s pursue this.” So, I called a buddy of mine who is a lawyer in Philly, saying, “I think I might have something interesting here.”
I know there was a conclusion to the lawsuit, but then I heard some more might be happening.
Well, yeah, I think we basically we got out-lawyered. I was out of it, really. It was Randy’s estate versus them. But our lawyer has been working on it pro bono for years so I think, in some way, he is still on it.
Being in the business as long as you have, what is the main ingredient to longevity? Tenacity, talent, stubbornness…
All of those, yeah. But a big ingredient is luck, blind fucking luck. I have had an astounding multi-sided career. I’ve played with some very talented people, made a living as a side guy as well as playing sessions. My life experience playing that much music though, lots of it has been me being lucky enough, and yeah, good enough, also not being a knucklehead and showing up for the gig, getting into the zone. I can’t describe how blessed I have been or what it does for me.
It’s so easy with the music business to betray people, take credit, get defensive. There’s lots of downside to this business. But I love the process still and get to be able to show up for the good stuff.
