Ariel Zoey and Eli Locking Myself in My Room Again
Hello: My Name Is Jim
Jim Peterik at the Jam Lab
To music fans in Chicago, Jim Peterik's been a local legend since debuting with The Ides Of March in the mid-1960s, only afterwards reading his inaugural autobiography Through The Eye Of The Tiger: The Rock 'Due north' Gyre Life Of Survivor'southward Founding Fellow member (BenBella), it's apparent the vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer is amongst melodic stone royalty all the world over. Sure, there's his initial and reunited rounds with that "Vehicle"-touting troupe, followed by a multi-million selling streak in the immensely successful Survivor, though he's also co-written a stable of hits for the likes of Sammy Hagar, .38 Special, The Beach Boys, The Doobie Brothers, Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon (to name a mere sliver).
Then of form in that location are his annual World Stage all-star concerts (accompanied by periodic recording projects), more than a decade of co-leading stone revivalists Pride Of Lions, the ever-evolving jazz act Jim Peterik's Lifeforce and occasional solo dabblings. Throw in the electric current reality TV stint "Steal The Testify" (about Peterik producing new sibling act Ariel, Zoey and Eli), an international touring agenda and several forthcoming releases (including The Ides Of March's 50 Year Anniversary Collection: Final Ring Standing box set, plus an countdown Jim Peterik/ Marc Scherer collaborative album), and the 63-yr-old rocker has more than endurance than many a quarter of his historic period, while also refusing to residuum in the comfy niche of nostalgia.
Though the Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee could easily cop an ego with that star-studded resume, he just so happens to be 1 of the virtually cordial, welcoming and downwards to earth rock stars ever, who didn't simply open up his Jam Lab rehearsal studios for some extensive chatting, but even kept truthful to his date a mere week afterwards the incredibly sudden and personally excruciating loss of longtime Survivor vocaliser Jimi Jamison to a centre attack. Though the enlightening book covers much of the to a higher place and then some, Peterik took IE beyond its pages for some extra perspective on an extraordinary career that'south landed Superlative 10 hits in four decades from a catalogue ripe with over ane,000 songs.
Illinois Entertainer: Is writing a volume something y'all've been thinking almost for many years or did it just get to a point where y'all got so many requests?
Jim Peterik: I retrieve it was the latter. At that place were a lot of people saying "you should write a book of your life story," simply I kept thinking, "nobody wants to hear about me." I didn't have the train wreck life that the other rock stars take and it seemed similar every autobiography I read- and I read them voraciously- had drama. I wrestled with it for a long time thinking "y'all know, at that place'southward not that much drama in my life." Well guess what, equally I started writing it, I realized there was a whole lot more drama in my life than I really thought! Information technology'southward just that I go into a cocoon called music and I bury any kind of tension or whatsoever kind of conflict. I become off into a room and I put information technology all into songs and it'southward kind of like a sheath that shielded me from hurting and conflict, simply information technology was however there…I would write from half-dozen in the morn until 9 or ten every morning for two years. I started over a bunch of times and I finally hit my stride. I decided I'm going to offset with maybe the biggest moment of my life, the call from Sylvester Stallone [asking me to write for Rocky], then I get right back down to my roots in Berwyn and so build it back up once again. Once I got the format, it kind of wrote itself.
IE: Why was it then of import for you to highlight your Chicago roots, peradventure even more so than many other biographies?
JP: Well, I'yard a Berwyn boy and when yous're from Berwyn, you have a certain pride for some reason. Berwyn was a very tight knit Czechoslovakian community. All The Ides of March came from Berwyn. I've known Larry [Millas] and Bob [Bergland] since second grade and when I was a freshman nosotros started out by creating The Shondels. We went to Morton West High School, and in 2012, nosotros got a street in front of the school named after us, Ides Of March Style. So I never lost those Berwyn roots and I call up that's part of the reason I'm even so hither. Those working course roots make me thankful for everyday, as opposed to getting defenseless up in any kind of star trip.
IE: The Ides Of March always seemed to get forth and that definitely isn't all that common in a rock band. What do you attribute that to?
JP: The Ides are a family and I think what defines the reason that we stayed together so long and didn't fight is considering nosotros were friends before we were a band. We didn't necessarily choose each other considering Larry was the best guitar player or Bob was the all-time bass actor or even that Mike [Borch] was the best drummer. We knew each other in grade school as pals, and so we already knew nosotros got forth. The fact that we all played instruments was a bonus and we grew into a neat band by nature of do and piece of work and the love of the music. We didn't offset out to exist a great band, but nosotros became that. And 50 years subsequently, we're still a family, the original iv that skillful in Larry'southward basement that first day- the first gig was Oct. 16, 1964…Tragically John Larson, who was the screeching high trumpet, passed abroad four years ago and no one volition ever equal his tone, then Chuck Soumar, the other trumpet player, left the band two years ago. Now we not simply have Dave Stahlberg on trombone- nosotros've had him since '91- but too Tim Bales on trumpet and [multi-instrumentalist] Steve Eisen, who really is an icon in Chicago.
IE: Practise you lot think fans are going to be surprised by some of the turmoil you share in the volume about your Survivor days?
JP: Patently the people in my circumvolve won't be surprised because they knew what I went through. You know, I made sure I gave [guitarist] Frankie [Sullivan] the credit he deserves. There wouldn't exist a Survivor without Frankie and that'southward a truism. I think every band needs that dichotomy- the Lennon/McCartney or Jagger/Richards thing. The tension helped create what nosotros were, but it didn't hateful it was pleasant for me or probably for him. I guess it was a bit of a rivalry. I think he really, actually respected me and I respected him, simply nosotros didn't always see eye to center, and of course, the biggest stumbling cake for me was I was used to being the forepart man, lead singer and pb guitarist for The Ides Of March, and all of a sudden through Frankie's passive/aggressive type of actions, I realized that this wasn't going to piece of work and that I was going to be the keyboard guy, the groundwork vocalist and I was not going to talk to the crowd. He was going to talk to the crowd or the lead singer was going to talk to the crowd, which was a huge adjustment for me because I was nurtured as the front human being. Frankie would speak louder without saying a discussion than nearly people speak with raising their saber and shouting. He would only give me a glance or a disapproving expect or walk out of a room and that spoke louder than anything. I realized if I was going to make this band piece of work, I would have to accept on a different role and that was really the heart of our conflict.
IE: You write a lot about "Eye Of The Tiger" and the Rocky soundtrack, but Survivor's Vital Signs record also matched if not surpassed its success with so many hits ["I Can't Hold Back," "The Search Is Over," "High On You"]. What was the feeling similar amongst the ring during the second wave of success?
JP: It was really sweetness. To be honest, I knew it was a hitting record equally we were making it. I would call our manager every other day and go "gild the Porsche, this is gonna be huge!" We knew and when we heard those vocals come back from Jimi [Jamison, who replaced vocally ailing original singer Dave Bickler], everything was clicking. I e'er feel at that place'south one moment in fourth dimension in a band where everything comes together. Some might say it was the "Eye Of The Tiger," but I call it *Vital Sings* even more then. We had to re-prove ourselves that we weren't merely the Rocky ring, but we were our ain ring that wasn't riding on anyone'southward coattails.
Has any of your perspective changed regarding what you detailed about Jimi in wake of his unexpected passing?
JP: Bated from the farthermost sorrow and shock, nothing has inverse. I'g very, very fortunate to have been his friend and mended all the fences of the days with 2 Survivors going out on the road and I forgave him for that. He did what he had to do at the time and I understand his motivations. We mended that fence years ago, and when I left Survivor in 1996, information technology was my other dream to ane day work with Jimi over again, as a person and as a talent. We always got along. Nosotros would do radio shows together and merely tear it up when we were on the road with Survivor laughing our assess off. So finally I got that chance in 2009 when he started coming to Chicago and we wrote, laughed and cutting an anthology called Crossroads Moments. It only concluded upwards with 13 cuts, which is all the same a lot of songs, merely nosotros cutting 30 songs, some of which came out on an event called Extra Moments, and some of them are withal to be released, if ever. It was a dream come up true to work with Jimi again and to hear that vocalism come across and so well.
IE: How did Globe Phase and Pride Of Lions pop up afterward Survivor?
JP: The outset thing I wanted to do afterward Survivor was put together a thing called World Stage, which was calling to artillery all my buddies that I toured with and wrote with, and our first evidence was really in 1999 for the Rainbow Foundation, simply information technology wasn't as developed as the showtime big ane in 2000, which had Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon, Don Barnes of .38 Special, Kelly Keagy of Nighttime Ranger, Kevin Chalfant of The Storm and many others. People couldn't get tickets and I knew this was something that was really worthy [Information technology's now almanac and coming to Wentz Hall in Naperville on Saturday, January 24, 2015].
And so around that fourth dimension, my niece Kelly, that's Karen's niece actually, said "Uncle Jim, I ran into this singer auditioning for this Dick Clark show named Toby Hitchcock. You've got to hear him." When Kelly says something I tend to believe her considering she's a really skillful singer herself. Long story short, I tracked him down, he came to the studio, I heard his vocalisation over the speakers and idea "this is the next singer I want to work with." I was in communication with Serafino Perugino of Frontiers Records, who wanted to put a super grouping together with maybe an established vocalist. It could've even been Kevin Chalfant or Derek St. Holmes or one of the tried and trues, but then I came across Toby, did a demo, sent information technology to Serafino, he actually flew out to meet Toby and I in a Nashville studio and signed usa. I had the name Pride Of Lions in my back pocket for many years, which is such a Peterik name, and our first album was just called Pride Of Lions. With the tape industry now, if yous sell 15,000 copies, that'southward like platinum back in the '80s and the record sold 25,000 copies! We went overseas and we played as Pride Of Lions in France, Germany, England, Italy and Barcelona and made a major impact. Well now it'southward v albums afterwards and we've become a trademark to be reckoned with. We still haven't really broken in the States and yet people know about us. We did a bear witness in Rosemont this summer merely doing Pride Of Lions songs and vintage Survivor and I saw people singing along with the Pride Of Lions songs, and so I'm thinking peradventure we did make an impact with that ring here and it made me feel then skilful.
IE: What practice you treasure as your favorite writing session, or are they impossible to cull because y'all've done so many?
JP: From a fan point of view, I think Brian Wilson is my greatest accomplishment because I cut my teeth listening to "Surfin' Safari," "I Get Around" and "God Just Knows." That was the [all-time], but to be sitting side by side to him, it's intimidating, and yet actually a great thrill. Larry Millas of The Ides, myself, Joe Thomas and Brian wrote two tracks- the title rail and "Isn't Information technology Time"- for the 2012 improvement album by The Beach Boys That's Why God Made The Radio. And so just a week ago, Joe Thomas came over to the house to play the new Brian Wilson solo album, which is coming out in January on Capitol and the same team has a song called "Sail Away." He played me the main and it's fantastic! I'm a huge Beach Boys fan. I hateful information technology's similar writing with Paul McCartney or writing with John Lennon. That's how big Brian Wilson loomed in my past and present and it's merely a dream come true!
IE: How do you feel similar this book is going to relate to readers, whether they be fans or just general biography enthusiasts?
JP: I knew from the time I was iv years old and picked upwardly a ukulele that not everybody could do what I'thousand doing and I felt a little special because I had that musical factor. My dad was a fabulous musician and we both learned past ear. It was ever amazing to me when I would see artists that were more gifted than me squandering their gifts with drugs, booze, this and that, so if anything comes out of this, I realize that my gift was more than of import than all those other niceties or so called niceties of the business concern, and whatsoever dalliances I had with them, it didn't work. I realized existent quick that those were gonna effect what I do and how much I can requite to the globe. I hope [readers] see the paradigm of a person who never gave up and also a person that valued his gift.
– Photo and Q&A past Andy Argyrakis
Jim Peterik appears Sun. Oct four, at Melodic Rock Fest VIP book signing, Holiday Inn Express – Arlington Heights
Jim Peterik also appear the Arcada Theatre (www.oshows.com) in St. Charles on Saturday, December 13 for a Christmas prove. Book bout details are available at www.facebook.com/officialjimpeterik.
Category: Featured, File
Source: https://illinoisentertainer.com/2014/10/hello-my-name-is-jim/
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