MESHEEN
Es lag Magie in der Luft
~ Interview mit Ted Heath und Bobby Tait ~
MESHEEN waren mit tollen Musikern und Sänger Ted Heath (FORTRESS) eine fantastische Truppe der Neunzigerjahre, der zu Lebzeiten kein Studioalbum vergönnt war. Erst in diesen Tagen ist es endlich offiziell erschienen (siehe hier). Der fantastische Hardrock US-amerikanischer Prägung begeistert auch noch im Jahr 2021, so dass wir ein Interview mit Sänger Ted Heath und Schlagzeuger Bobby Tait anleierten. Hier im Originalwortlaut:
Your album is from 1999. Why did it never get official published, only by a bootlegger?
Ted Heath: Actually, the album was not recorded or released in 1999. That is miss-information that is out on the web. Someone took a CD-R promo copy of our record and duped it, then put it for sale on a couple sites. ´A Matter Of Time´ was first released in 2021.
But then your story is already over. At least we know nothing more. And then you disappear without a sound – and broke-up?
Ted Heath: There were some issues came up right when we were almost complete with the album in 1994. Without going into detail, someone from our camp (but not in the band) caused some problems that affected finishing the album on time, and the record company we had an agreement with went out of business. We ended up finishing the album on our own and ended up in a legal battle for a couple years. In the end, we won the battle, but the music scene had changed, and we ended up breaking off into different projects.
Wasn’t any of you musically active after that?
Bobby Tait: Yes, we were all musically active after MESHEEN went on “hiatus”. All of us continued playing in various bands, for the most part on a local level. All of us did some recording in various projects.
Because three of you started at the band TYTON years earlier. When did you all start making music as a musician?
Bobby Tait: Really of the members of MESHEEN, there are only two ex-TYTON members, myself and Joey Scott. I started playing at the age of 12 and Joey about the same age. My first serious band was when I was about 20 years old.
How do you see the time retrospectively in TYTON? After all, you have two albums published.
Bobby Tait: The TYTON that Joey Scott and I were in from 1986 to early 1988 recorded one album titled ´Mind Over Metal´.
There was a TYTON before us, that did an album titled ´Castle Donington´’, and a TYTON after us. The TYTON-days were fun and it was an exciting time. That was our first album and first tour.
Then why did you leave the band?
Bobby Tait: Some things happened internally and we thought it would be better to depart the band.
There were a lot of musicians in TYTON. They scattered to the winds – or did they end up in some well-known bands?
Bobby Tait: Some continued playing. Bassist Scott Swan did some work with one of the Ramone brothers. Ronnie Mitchell did some local gigs with some bands and singer Shawn Barusch moved to Texas and started another TYTON.
Then you and Joey moved to Los Angeles. Easy on good luck?
Bobby Tait: No, we were always in the Los Angeles area. Being in LA has its advantages. There are a lot of record companies located here. Also, many recordings, mixing, mastering studios.
Then the MESHEEN adventure began. How did you find Bruce and Ted?
Bobby Tait: Bruce was only in MESHEEN for about a year or so. Great guy, great player.
I met Ted at a rock club through a drummer friend who played with Ted. We got to talking, hit it off and set up a date for Ted to come and play with us to see if it worked. Some time passed, and Ted eventually joined the band. Lucky us!
How long did it take you to record the first demo?
Bobby Tait: The 1st demo was done in about three days. It was just two songs and we went into the studio well-rehearsed. The songs were ´Big Bad City´ and ´I’m On The Way´ which are both on ´A Matter Of Time´.
How did you get Paul Sabu as a producer?
Bobby Tait: Paul produced our first two demos. I met his manager (at the time) and we set up a meeting between Paul, Ted and myself. One thing led to another and Paul did our first and second demo.
After that the euphoria in the band must have been great. Could you really didn’t find a record label?
Ted Heath: We actually had two record labels. As mentioned earlier, there were some issues that came up, and caused a delay in finishing the album. It was the mid 90’s, and bands like us were fading quickly in favor of Grunge/Alternative bands.
Are there any special events from your active time? Special live-performances?
Ted Heath: We played some great shows, but one that stands out to me was a sold out show we did at the Roxy theatre in Hollywood. The band was on fire, and so was the crowd. It was magical.
Are there any plans to tour to promote the ´A Matter Of Time´ record?
Ted & Bobby: Recently, there has been some talking about touring. A lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen. We really need the continued support of our fans who we quite fondly refer to as our “GEARHEADS”. We need them to continue to request MESHEEN on radio, promote us through social media, tell their friends, co-workers and school mates about us. Just need to keep the buzz going.
Thank you.
Thank you Streetclip! ROCK ON!
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