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Hailing
from Birmingham, England, Tony Mills is one of the most talented and
respected hard rock singers alive today. Known by many as the lead
singer of Siam and Shy, we catch up with the man himself to find out how
life's been treating him since he joined the mighty ranks of Norwegian
rock legends TNT.
MM - Firstly I would like to thank you
for taking time out from what I’m sure is a busy schedule to complete
this interview, it’s much appreciated.
Tony - No problem
!
MM - It’s been almost a year since you first agreed to join TNT as
their new lead singer. A move that at the time caused quite a stir
among their die-hard fans. Were you surprised at the uproar it
caused or were you half expecting it?
Tony - I was
half expecting it. After 23 years of having one singer, it's bound
to cause dissention in the ranks and understandably so, to have to find
a replacement. And I felt an empathy over the situation, as much as they
were knocked about by Tony's leaving, they also had the apprehension of
who would take the job on. I think it's taken the year to really
to get to grips with that and run with it to the point of the fans
either accepting it or not, or compromising, as the case may be.
All I can say is, I've met a lot of great people and made a lot of
foreign friends and not just from Norway!
MM - Since then you have made a consistent and concerted effort to allow
the fans access to you via the forum and have now won many of them over.
How important is it to you and the band for that matter, to be so fan
orientated and accessible?
Tony - I've
always been 'up for it' with fans, and this situation was no different,
although there were considerably more of them than I realised. So
I have been doing a lot of typing over the last twelve months. TNT
as a band don't really prioritise fan contact to a general degree and I
think they were glad to hand that over to me, simply because they are
better at doing other things. Consequently, it means more to me,
than it does to them and I suppose, in retrospect, it was particularly
important in this case that I did.
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MM
- The release dates of the new TNT album ‘The New Territory’
are being staggered depending on which ‘territory’ (pardon
the pun) your fans are based. What release information can
you confirm and how close are you to being able to say who will
be handling the European release?
Tony
- I can't, today's date is 25 April and up until today, we have
had conversations with many labels and still haven't settled.
Even today I will be receiving an offer from a UK based label,
but whether or not we accept it is another matter. Asia
and Scandinavia are taken care of, and from what I can see,
people are ordering it on the net anyway. But we do need
that Euro contract to strengthen promo etc. and to make sure
it's marketed properly here.
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MM
- The release of ‘The New Territory’ hails the 25 year anniversary
for TNT. Other than the new album, does the band have plans to do
anything else to celebrate this momentous achievement?
Tony - A new
stage show is being built to take out on the road, very much built
around the album design. One video has already been completed and
another is in the pipeline. Many festivals have been booked and
more are to come. It will be a busy year.
MM - I believe the general release of
the album will include 13 tracks in total with the Japanese release
featuring a further 2 tracks. You’ve described the album as
being quite a diverse mix of songs, with something for everyone. Can you
give us a little run through some of the songs and any thoughts behind
them?
Tony - The
opening track, 'A Constitution' has a very ethnic feel to it and rounded
up by Tekro's killer riffing really makes a great album and show opener.
There are radio friendly tracks as well as ballads as well as rockers on
the record and the mix is just right. A 40's swing track called
'June' is a real crooner of a track and one of my favourites. But
the uptempo 'Substitute' and 'Golden Opportunity' are also such strong
live tracks too. The moody and sad end to the album, in 'Milestone
River' was hailed as the finishing track the moment it was written and
belongs there utterly.
MM - Have you had a chance to ‘test
run’ any of the songs in a live environment yet?
Tony - Not yet, two of the new tracks
will be played live next week on May 5 and then the new full show will
be unveiled at the Lillehammer festival on 26 May.
MM - Which of the new song(s) are you
yourself most looking forward to singing live?
Tony - Probably 'Golden Opportunity',
'Are You Blind?' and 'Substitute'.
MM - Any truth in the rumours that the band will release a single from
the new album? If so which song has been chosen and why?
Tony - I doubt
it. If by 'single', people really mean video, then yes there will be a
video, which is already in the pipeline, but I can't tell you what song
as yet.
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MM
- With any new release there are always pressures on any band,
however, what pressures (if any!) do you and the band feel with
this particular release to prove to the fans that there is
indeed life after Tony Harnell?
Tony
- I think it would be fair to say that the album is what the
fans really want. They haven't waited a long time for it, we
only started writing in October and here we are at May with a
release. They've seen 35 shows with a new singer but heard
no product. I don't think they will be too displeased; I'm
sure if there is any pressure, then it is from the apprehension
of the new album.
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MM
- You're seen as one of the best vocalists around nowadays. What
do you feel are your strengths and your weaknesses vocally and have you
ever had any vocal coaching over the years?
Tony - I was
trained by an opera teacher when I was 21, but only because I suffered
all the time on the road with laryngitis through strain and poor pacing
through shows. That taught me a lot, and how to get through long
laborious recording sessions with diaphragm control. I always
struggle when I can't hear what I'm doing on stage; this is
traditionally because the band themselves are far too loud for their own
good to even make it worthwhile having a monitor system, so in that
scenario, the singer has got no chance.
I'm always stronger when I have side fill monitors and I can pick up the
ambience in the room, but you shouldn't have to rely on that. A
band should be considerate towards each other and keep the volume of
their instruments at a reasonable level so other people have got a
chance. I have to say at this point, that Tekro is extremely
considerate and winds his guitars up very loud, and then makes me even
louder !!
MM - You have a great distinctive vocal
sound that can travel through many moods, do you find this helps when
composing new songs?
Tony - Without a
doubt. But then the style of the song also will only allow you to do
certain things without it just becoming some strange unlistenable thing.
You need to remember to use all capabilities of a voice from choir to
scream, from whisper to shout and from talking to crooning and so on.
A voice can do so much. It doesn't always have to sound the same,
just changing the shape of your face and mouth can give you a myriad of
sounds.
MM - The band have already released
details of a number of large festival appearances over the coming months
in Norway. For all your fans based outside of Norway, are there
any plans to do any shows further afield?
Tony - It really
depends on the UK signing. That would be instrumental in certainly
UK bookings, but we are also actively talking to other agents now we
have spent a year together, to move out of Norway into other regions of
Europe.
MM - In March this year the band filmed
the video for ‘Harley Davidson’. What were the reasons behind
this particular song being chosen and was it a straight re-production of
the original song or more re-vamped and updated version?
Tony - The
original lyrics were used and it was really filmed to be used as a
marketing tool for the coming months, especially in the U.S. as they
have a big Harley year.
MM - Last Summer there was talk of TNT
being involved in a rap version of ‘10,000 Lovers’. Did this go
ahead and what was the story behind that?
Tony - It was
really devised by a TV station that were re-vamping old well known songs
and placing them in different styles. TNT were first up with
10,000 lovers. For some it was fun, for some it was their worst
possible nightmare. But the TV company didn't do their homework
and it wasn't released after all.
MM - There have also been rumours of a
TNT book/documentary being made on the band spanning its whole career.
What can you tell us about that?
Tony - Terje
Singstad is rather an amazing guy who trawls around after TNT with a
veritable 'War and Peace' under one arm and a CD recorder under the
other. I have undergone interviews with him and I have more to do.
He has been compiling it since the 80's I believe, and plans to complete
it this year. A serious piece of work.
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MM
- The publicity photo for the new album has caused quite a stir
among the fans with it’s strong visual dress style. What
were the thoughts behind this and did the band actually have any
input into this?
Tony -
No-one but the band were involved. We just wanted to
portray the image of a bunch of guys fighting their way
into a new time and place in their lives, which is what we have
done.
'Quite a stir', you say? Good.
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MM
- You’ve worked with some of the biggest names in rock over the years,
is there any one person you’d really love to work with but haven’t
yet had the opportunity yet?
Tony - Maybe
Bowie or Ian Hunter again. I'd say Iggy Pop, but people would
think I was completely off my head. But, and I have to say in all
honesty, Tekro is a remarkable individual and one of the real highlights
of my career. So talented and truly gifted and very egotistical,
and quite rightly so. Few people have impressed me in 25 years as
much as he.
MM - You seem like a musician that
constantly has to be busy, is this assumption correct? Do you ever feel
overworked, like you have too many projects going at the same time?
Tony - Not
really. Music is a passion and a life. You can't party all
the time, you still gotta eat etc. I work with many and varied
people from folk to metal and in different capacities. For some
they need backing arrangements, for others they need a lead vocal, for
many, they need everything. There is only so much you can do, but
I prioritise my workload and TNT sits at the top.
MM - In addition to the new TNT album,
2007 will also see the release of Dante Fox’s latest release ‘Under
The Seven Skies’ on which I believe you provided backing vocals.
How did you become involved in this?
Tony - It's got
somewhat of a tradition really, Tim and Sue only live about 10 miles
from me and I worked on a lot of their material in the past. Great
people and a bloody good album. Their best, I think.
MM - Having been in the music business
for some time now you must have seen some radical changes over the
years. Some good, some bad. What do you think has been the
biggest shake up over the years and what if anything would you like to
see change?
Tony - The
biggest change has been Internet, I don't think anyone could deny that.
But I know that is all for the good, I find it irreplaceable.
Regarding change, I would like to see the smaller labels stop ripping
musicians off and for a change, actually registering product properly
with the MCPS, making sure people get regular statements, have proper
promotion and marketing done on their new product instead of labels just
pressing up the risky 1000 copies in the hope they'll sell and then
shelving the band when they've sold their first press. That really
pisses me off.
MM - What short phrase best describes
the band and it’s mood right now?
Tony - 'Now We're Talking !!'
MM - What does the future hold for Tony
Mills, do you have any other projects in the pipeline that we haven’t
spoken about?
Tony - I am
fairly devoted to TNT and they have me tied up for most of this year.
But I will enjoy the release of Lasse Dale's album 'Screaming For
Silence' which I've been working on for the last year.
MM - Finally is there anything you’d
like to add or any words of wisdom for your army of fans out there?
Tony - If TNT
haven't reached you yet, we'll do our best over the coming twelve
months. Check out 'The New Territory', it's been an experience to
write and record, and it's very addictive to listen to. Enjoy it
and many thanks for your support over the years.
Cheers, Tone. |