Entrevista banda Steelheart (Miljenko) - English version

ZAPPHY – I listened to your new album (Good to be alive) and I may have to say that it was a punch on my belly. I am not afraid to say that this may be one of the best albums that I have heard! Tell us a little bit of what was in your mind when you decided to record it?

Steelheart - Thank you Zapphy, the album was truly written from the heart. Different emotions would come through at different times. Everything from anger to love to forgiveness, this album poured out of me. I am a channel, barley keeping the pace of what was and still is coming through.

ZAPPHY – The album has some different elements that it is not very usual to be heard, as, if I am not taking by mistake, you used sax and even a full orchestra. Did you try to show that the old rock ‘n’ roll can be strong and at the same time new?

Steelheart - I put in instruments that I felt needed to make the songs come more to life. In “Twisted Future” we recorded a live String section at Sky Walker Sound. It didn’t sound right with just keyboards. The energy of a real orchestra was needed to complete the power of the composition. I did also add a trumpet and flutes to “Underground” this gave more depth and painted a broader picture of the song.

ZAPPHY – As I stated before I really liked your album, and you are singing like hell, even better than the first album I had from the band. This can be heard in songs like “Samurai”, “Buried” and “G2BA”. Did you feel this too or it is a natural course to sing better day after day?

Steelheart - Thanks again, as I have gotten older I can see more, understand more and I have learned how to convey the story better through my voice and my songs. I have also taken care of my voice for years and I am happy to hear that people recognize my growth in my art and performance.

ZAPPHY – A lot of people here in Brazil don’t know that you sang song in the movie “ROCKSTAR”. I read in an interview given by you that you really liked the experience! Tell us a little about how that happened. I also heard that you had a previously unreleased song from the “Wait” album, is that true?

Steelheart - Yes, I did all the vocals for Mark Wahlberg in the movie. Also the song “We All Die Young” is from my previous album “WAIT”, which we re-recorded for the movie. The movie was a great project. I got the gig like a picture perfect dream. Tom Werman, who I worked with on the “Tangled In Reins” album called me and asked me if I was interested to come into the studio and audition for the singing voice of a major movie. It just so happened that I was on my way back to LA the next morning. I arrived at the studio around 2:30pm the next day, sang my ass off for two hours and left by them asking me if I would like the job. The rest is History. As far as the “Wait” album I do have several tracks that were not released. We may release these tracks in the future. In the meantime you can download the “Wait” album at www.steelheartsore.com

ZAPPHY – Steelheart band passed through some heavy thunderstorms… the drummer John Fowler passed away and you almost died during a concert. Does the album title “Good 2 be alive” has anything to do with everything you experienced? I ask this because the song “G2BA” sound sometimes like a prayer or someone screaming thanks for the second opportunity… is that correct?

Steelheart - G2BA is about all of it. The anger, peace, love, confusion, all written in one album. Yes it is good to be alive, and it is such a remarkable gift. We all take life for granted and tend to focus on the material or the constant struggle to have more. What we have forgotten, is the basic beauty and simplicity of being alive. When we live this truth we are set free, we can then concentrate on the more important things we have to do in this lifetime. I wrote the song “Good 2B Alive” at the most difficult time in my life. At the begging of 99’ my mother passed away and within a year my soul brother Frankie passed away as well with the same disease “Leukemia”. In the same time period I had also gotten divorced and was staying at a friend’s house in California sleeping on the floor in an unfinished room. I had no money and my heart was heavy. One night I was sitting there alone and I picked up my guitar, I wrote the most positive song of my life, “Good 2B Alive.” I wrote it in 15 minutes, it was an amazing experience. A gift, showing me the beauty of what life is.

ZAPPHY – The American music market forgot for a while the heavy and the hard music and bands, but now, almost all the good bands from the 80’s and the 90’s are back! Is the heavy and the hard music conquering back the place that they should have never left?

Steelheart - I feel people are starting to see and remember the honesty, fun and good music that came from the past. I feel a lot of the bands today have been directed on a route to make songs that the radio will play or what the record company feels will work to the mass audience. Please don’t get me wrong, I do think there are some great bands today but not as many as from the past. Now the same bands that have touched millions are returning to touch the new generation as well, they are bringing back the spirit.

ZAPPHY – You are touring through Asia (Korea if I am not mistaking) and through the USA. When we, here from Brazil, will have the chance to watch Steelheart alive here in our land?

Steelheart - I cannot wait to come to Brazil, we are working on it. I have never performed there and to be honest I had a vision performing the song “I Breathe” on a stage in Brazil. I can see the audience as clear as day.

ZAPPHY – You released the “Good 2 Be Alive” album, but right now, are there any new projects, as maybe a DVD related to the new album or even a new album in a near future?

Steelheart - Yes, there are always new projects. At the moment Dana Altman of “North Sea Films” is making a documentary film on my life. We just came back from Colorado and we shot a live performance of the song G2BA on top of a mountain with an elevation of 11, 000 feet with a breathtaking panoramic view. The video will be up shortly on www.steelHeart.tv as well as many other sites on the web. Most importantly I am excited to say there are many more albums to come. This is just the beginning so stay tuned and visit the SteelHeart website for upcoming events.

ZAPPHY – A message to all our readers and to all Steelheart fans here in Brazil!

Steelheart - I love you all and I look forward to seeing you live. Enjoy your life!

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