With a jaw-dropping resume of session and tour work (Whitesnake, Slash’s Snakepit, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.), co-writing credits with Billy Idol, music contributor to The 40-Year Old Virgin, TV’s Smallville and That Metal Show (amongst others) — drummer/guitarist Brian Tichy apparently refuses to sit still.
I have witnessed Tichy’s percussive assault, live, and there is only one way I can describe his performances: a ferocious beast attacking its prey. I spoke with Tichy about his latest project, S.U.N., his annual John Bonham live tributes (of which he founded), and his session work. Tichy approached the interview the same way as his drumming: high energy and enthusiastic, often answering my questions before I even managed to ask.
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Brian, can you tell me about your recent mountain bike accident? I understand you broke your collarbone.
Oh yeah, that. Uh, I enjoy mountain biking, you know, when I can get out there. I was on my bike, and I misjudged a turn. I ended up approaching this mound. I didn’t think I was at it already, it kinda suddenly came up, and I was riding pretty hard and fast. I wasn’t prepared for it. I ended up going right over the handlebars…
And you came down pretty hard?
Yeah, it was like a rodeo. You know, a bull throwing you off. So, I broke my shoulder bone, had surgery two days later. I got a metal plate put right in there, and nine titanium screws. I went back to where I had the accident, and it really didn’t look that bad.
You have the upcoming Bonzo Bash. Will you be drumming?
Yeah, I’m good to go. I am not fully healed, but…
You have a new project, S.U.N. and a new album. Do we refer to the band as “Sun,” “S.U.N.” or Something Unto Nothing?
Actually, I think it would probably just be easiest to refer to the band as S.U.N. Yeah, it’s an acronym for, like you said, Something Unto Nothing.
What’s the story behind the band’s name?
Well, it was one of the last songs that the band wrote for the record. It’s epic sounding, and we thought it’d make a great name. So we kinda tossed the idea around and…
But the name means…?
Well, we decided we would just let the listener figure it out. Let it be up to them. But we liked the sound of it. I always liked how there was…you know…like Black Sabbath, the band, had “Black Sabbath” the song, and Iron Maiden the same thing — they had “Iron Maiden.”
Who is in the band?
Well, we have Tommy Stewart, he’s playing drums. Tommy was Godsmack’s first drummer. I did the drums on the record — I went in and did all the drum tracks. But Tommy, he has the groove for the band, for live shows. He did stuff with Everclear, too, and Fuel. I will be doing the guitar work for the live gigs. Sass Jordan is singing. And Mike Devin is playing bass. But Mike is going to be staying with Whitesnake. He came in, did the bass tracks, and he is with S.U.N., you know, he plays on the record, he is in all the publicity shots, all that stuff. He will play with us for now, but, he will be heading out. Whitesnake has a big tour coming up. We wish him the best — we wish he was with us for the long haul.
Tell me about the band’s musical style and influences.
Well, let me put it to you this way: I think the best way to describe it is, it’s loud, heavy, driving gypsy music. It’s got that old-school, natural 70s sound.
I just got a copy of the album, and listened to a couple of tracks before this interview, and it sounded very raw, no frills 70s rock. Almost like it was done live and in one take.
Well, it wasn’t done in one take, I can assure you…
I just meant it sounded straight from the heart…no fancy gimmicks or…
Well, thanks. I don’t know if you are familiar with the studio stuff — the auto-tune (a studio device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental musical performances) or “click tracks” (a series of audio cues used to synchronize sound recordings), but that stuff, it’s all a joke. It’s not a true way of capturing a band’s tone or their feel or what they sound like naturally. The proof is in the pudding. I mean, listen to the way one drummer plays on a click compared to a drummer that isn’t on the click track. Look at bands like, oh, the Stones, Aerosmith, Zeppelin. They didn’t do that. Queen never went in and worked with that stuff. The Stones didn’t rely on those gimmicks. Mick Jagger just didn’t do that.
In terms of recording, it is cheating.
Yeah, totally. It is. I don’t want to hear a song sound exactly the same way every time. It becomes predictable. You play a song live, there is a rawness to it. It’s never the same. Look at Jimmy Page. I mean, “Stairway to Heaven,” listen to how it’s played on the album, then listen to a live version, any live version. Page never played it exactly the same way. The band (Zeppelin) kept the integrity, the framework of their songs the same, but live, there are variations to their music. We want to do that with S.U.N. — keep the song intact but with room to breathe, to musically explore when the vibe is there. Play off that vibe, see where it takes us. Make every show different, and feed off of that.
I think too many kids nowadays take three guitar lessons, and think they are rock stars. And then they rely on the gimmicks, and…
Exactly. Page, Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, Van Halen, those guys are the actual best. Anyone can learn what they play, but these guys originated it. They refined it, made guitar playing what it is today. You can learn from it, you can copy it, but you didn’t originate it. Listen to the Who or Zeppelin, they aren’t perfect. That makes them special. You listen to Keith Moon and his playing, and no one would say that his drumming would sound better on a click track.
This is your band, you are a drummer, so did you dictate Tommy’s drumming, or…
No, not at all. Tommy, he came in digging the music. He was right on, he picked up on the vibe. He knows what the feel of this band is, and he knows what to play and when. I’m not going to get fussy with that.
I read a story that the band packed up some supplies and headed off to a shack in the desert…
It was out in a canyon. Yeah…
How did that help in the writing process?
I can’t truly say how much of the writing was actually done there, but we went there to get away and get some inspiration. It was fun. Picture yourself with a guitar, and your surroundings inspire and guide your songwriting. I mean, whether you are at a busy intersection or at your house, the mountains, wherever. Everything is just a different influence.
And out there we had no distractions. But distractions can be a great thing. They can inspire who you are. It’s like, working hard can bring out a drive, a spirit in you, that someone who gets handed things in life would never understand. When you want something and you are determined to get it, it brings out drive and determination; whereas if something is given to you, you take it for granted. These are all your surroundings, good or bad. When you work hard, you appreciate what you get a great deal more. Everything becomes inspiration.
You’ve worked with Billy Idol, Foreigner, Whitesnake, the list goes on. but S.U.N. is your project. Is there more pressure to make this work?
Nothing is easy. Yeah, there’s pressure, but it’s all on myself, by myself. Here I have control, I can call the shots. A hired hand…well, then I have a boss. “Do it this way” or “Don’t play it that way.” It’s a different path, this way. No guarantees. With someone else that hires me, I get a paycheck, I am guaranteed to be paid. I know I can tour with Whitesnake or Foreigner, and pay the bills. This is different, so, yeah, like I said, nothing is promised. It works or doesn’t, and that’s on me based on my decisions or whatever happens. But I love playing guitar, and I can do that now. I have that freedom. Make up my own stuff, write stuff that moves me, and satisfy myself. I can get creative, and only have myself to tell me, do this or do that.
MTV and radio are no longer to be leaned on, to get your music out there to the masses. What is the game plan to get your music heard?
I’ve been doing this for, oh, a couple of decades now. The whole band, we aren’t spring chickens. We have the experience. With age comes that knowledge, and we all have track records. We have all done festivals, outdoor gigs, headlined big-name shows all over the world. But we put this band together collectively. Now, you get a record deal, whether it is a small deal or a big deal, you still have to do the work. You have your record people, PR people, all the industry people, but it still comes down to the band to do the actual work, the road work, the gigs. You get your single to chart.
You are in the business, you know people I can call friends, and ask them, “What do you think of this album? Hey, what do you think…we do a run together, we open up for you.” Expose yourselves to their audience, help bring in a draw for them. Then someone else hears us, the promoters, then you get booked for festivals. Hope tours open up and then just keep it all rolling, build it from there.
Is S.U.N. intended to be a long-term project?
No, actually, I am thinking of breaking it all up by March (laughs). No, we are going to get out there, see if the record does good, gets exposure, get people listening to our music, hope they groove on it. But we have to figure how to live off of this. “How do you do that?” Well, you sell tickets, merchandise. There’s nothing in the studio that compares to live, and that’s where we have to sell the band. It’s like looking up a hill. How do we get up the hill? And, if you want to get there, you can get there. It is a group effort, involves everyone. I’ve never had my own band. I want to be here in 10 years from now, talking about our tenth album.
Regarding your session work, do you have to be a fan of a particular band before recording or touring with them? Or do you just enjoy playing and you’re open to whatever?
I have my favorite bands and I love playing for the bands I listened to growing up, and it definitely has to be something I enjoy. I listened to some of these bands as a kid, Foreigner, Whitesnake’s Slide It In, I have memories of these people growing up. I can’t play with a band I am not inspired by. For example, I was asked to go to Japan, play with this band, move to Japan for six months. I was going to get paid very well, tons of gigs, but I never heard of the band. So, I didn’t have emotional or musical ties to them. I didn’t want to leave the country — my family, the kids, my house — for something I don’t believe in.
What was it like, co-writing music with Billy Idol?
Well, first, who doesn’t like Billy Idol? “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without A Face.” Those are huge hits. Billy has character, he is charismatic. He is a great guy to work for and with. I didn’t know at first what I was getting into. I got the gig, drumming for him, and ended up writing partners with Billy. I got to work with Steve (Stevens, guitarist). But, writing music with a guy who proved he can write, proved he can sell out venues, proved himself with his track record, it was…
Intimidating?
Totally. But with the writing, we just somehow, we just went for it. It was cool, we just jammed. Straight-up guitar and drums and bass. And we hit it off. I wasn’t going to throw my ideas out there, you know, throw Billy Idol some odd meter Rush-type song. Billy is that popish, driving, straight-forward rock. So I wrote in that style. But, I got comfortable with him. He is cool, mellow, and very patient.
How did the Bonzo Bash gigs come together?
The first was in 2010. The idea, it just came to me. I thought to myself, “Man when was it that John Bonham died?” Then, at that time (2010), I thought, “It’s been 30 years, that’s a long time.” And I realized he was still a huge influence on drummers and everyone. He was never forgotten, his name comes up all the time, everyone digs on Zeppelin and Bonham — his name goes on. I thought it would be cool for all us drummers to do a show. Do the tunes. I sent signals out, people got involved. And it grew from there and it’s overwhelming. I have people taking care of organizing it. But it’s a great show — it’s entertaining, not your regular style rock concert. These drummers and other musicians —the band — we get together and do our thing and really make it happen, make it special.
I imagine it wasn’t too hard to gather up the musicians for these shows?
No, everyone wants to be involved. But it gets overwhelming, schedules, and all. The ego’s get left at the door. It gets overwhelming putting it together, and sometimes you just can’t let everyone that wants to do it, to get involved. There’s too much demand. But these drummers come out, play on a Bonham replica kit. There’s no competition, it’s all friendly, it’s fun. It’s just a big celebration.
I remember seeing you perform “The Immigrant Song.” That was two years ago, and I remember the show made my jaw drop.
Wait until you see it this year. Wait until you see the intro. Your jaw will really drop.
How do you assign who performs on what song?
Everyone picks their favorite song. If someone picks the same as someone else, we can work it all out. That rarely happens. I love hearing everyone’s choices, what inspired them, everything means something different to everyone. But, no one tells them anything, they just make their picks. Zeppelin has so many songs to choose from.
When does the S.U.N. album come out?
The digital version came out November 20. But, you can go to our website and pre-order the physical copy. The pre-order copies will include a copy of my x-ray.
That’s a great gimmick.
Yeah. People love gimmicks.
