Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: June 15th, 2006

Sean, welcome to Rockeyez.com.
Hey Brian!  I’m just watching Yngwie Malmsteen “Unleashed the Fury...” I’m watching the part with “You Don’t Remember” and Yngwie is getting real mad at this chick
(laughing).

Yeah, we did an interview with Doogie White and I asked him about Yngwie’s attitude. His answer was, “I haven’t felt the wrath yet!”
Right on man, wicked!

When you first started in the music business, what band drew you toward the music you play today other than T-Rex?
That’s a good question. I grew up with all the hair bands of the eighties. The first band that caught my ear was Quiet Riot, which is kind of funny because last year we got to play with them. I got into Quiet Riot, Motley Crue and Twisted Sister about ’82 or ’84, when I was about 10-years-old. Becoming enamored with that sort of music was to find the roots of that kind of music. I had an older sister who was into T-Rex, Slade, Kiss and Sweet, and I heard that stuff and said, “That’s the stuff.” So that’s why with Crash Kelly, it’s both early eighties and the sunset strip, and seventies.

How was it touring with Quiet Riot?
[Kevin] Dubrow was great, a real charming guy. I had an opportunity to chat with him and swap some stories. It was neat to get that perspective on someone who played with Randy Rhoads.  Kevin was such a gentlemen and a stand-up guy. I have only good things to say about him.

What was the name of your first garage band?
White Rabbit (laughing) If you go to House of Guitars in Rochester [New York], my old man went across the street to a hardware store to get a marker and I wrote it on the wall. (laughing) I felt like a real rockstar then.

Did you record anything?
No! Not until a little later.  It was a garage band, I guess, and the guys were a lot older than I was, but we were still playing in clubs. I was only fourteen and still getting my feet wet. It was really cool.

What was the first concert you attended and the first record you owned?
The first concert was Helix and Honeymoon Suite. I‘m friends with Gary Grehan, the guitar player…

We did some co-writing together. The first cassette I owned was Quiet Riot “Metal Health,” but the first time I went out to buy a record, it was between [buying] a red leather tie or Motley  Crue “Shout at the Devil.” I went for “Shout at the Devil.” It’s classic. That band is a cultural phenomenon as much as a musical phenomenon. Nikki Sixx hit on something; the imagery and the music and shock value… What he was doing was so influential to me; I was scared of that record and terrified to buy that record, but I had to get it. (Laughing)

That record was a real turning point in recording technology; in the eighties they were getting into new things like Dolby and digital recording, so it has a very icy sound, but powerful too.

Yeah, I’m happy with Crue too, because when I worked with Metal Forces as a staff photographer I got to photograph Crue two nights in a row. One night they opened for Ozzy at The Meadowlands Arena and the next night they were in New York at the Beacon Theater.
You worked for Metal Forces?  No way!  Dude, that magazine was great. You still have the negatives for those shows?

Sure do. I’ll send you over some scans.
What kind of kid was Sean Kelly in High School?
Entering grade nine I was a small kid that wanted to make the football team but…too small. I was the kid with glasses and kind of an outsider, but I will tell you that I was lucky enough to have my locker beside the local drug dealer/football player. He was a cool cat and took me under his wing. It wasn’t too long before I started to get the long hair and I had the Kentucky waterfall going for a while. I started noticing the equation between rock n’ roll and chicks. (laughing)

So what was actually the first band you in that recorded something?
I was in a band in the North Bay during the last year of high school called the Rhythm Slaves. We had to record a single because we were opening a show at the local arena with Colin James, so we had to have a song for the radio. I still have that tune on reel-to-reel tapes. (laughing)

Tell me how the music has changed from “Penny Pills” to “Electric Satisfaction”?
Well, the music took on a heavier edge. When I did “Penny Pills” it was just myself and another cat.  I played just about everything on it except the drums. It was more of a studio thing, and Crash Kelly was borne more out of a studio thing also.  With the new record, I actually had my band play on it. I think there is more of a live feeling, plus having Gilby Clarke produce it really gave it a touch; he’s a real rock n’ roll guy. I think the music retained the hook, but got more teeth.

You have a favorite song on it?
I think “She Put The Shock (In My Rock n Roll),” is always going to be close to my heart because it references my all-time favorite band, Thin Lizzy. There’s a little nod to Phil on there. I actually got a chance to play in Dublin, Ireland so that meant a lot to me.

How did you hook up with Gilby Clarke?
It was via the magic of the Internet. I was always a fan of Guns ['N Roses], so I just sent him and e-mail. I always thought he would be the perfect one to produce Crash Kelly. I think he did an amazing job.

A lot of bands are doing their records via the Internet now, sending sound files. Do you feel comfortable with that?
No, not at all. To tell you the God’s honest truth, I don’t like it. There’s definitely a kind of magic when you have some dudes in there sweating.  As quick as the Internet is, I think it’s quicker to say something to someone eye to eye than to type it.

How did you get a deal with Liquor and Poker?
Basically, they were putting out the new Hanoi Rocks record and I’m a huge Hanoi’s fan. So I just sent them ten reasons why they should sign my band and one of the reasons was on the “Penny Pills” record called “Eleven Cigarettes” that references an old Hanoi Rocks record. The guy got a kick out of it and the A & R guy started talking; those talks lead to exchanging tapes, and we flew out to LA.  Magic happened: signed.

How do you feel about the Liquor and Poker CDs looking like an actual record?
I dig it because it is modeled after those old Casablanca records. I get a kick out of that because I’m a guy who misses the old vinyl experiences. The Canadian version has a different facing of the disc.

What was it like opening for Alice Cooper?
Dude, to explain it to you, you’d had to have been in my skin, shaking like a leaf before we walked out there. Let me tell you, from the man to his band and his crew, it’s a class act and they treated us like kings. It was amazing; he’s got it in spades and he’s still kicking ass. I think he’s like fifty-eight; that’s healthy living and good rock n’ roll. He’s got the energy.  His daughter is part of the show; I guess she’s reprising the role her mother had.

[It was] very cool... There’s something about Cooper’s music that is orchestrated.  It’s almost like West Side Story. Going to see Kiss is like going to see Barnum and Bailey’s Circus compared to a Shakespearian tragedy by Cooper.

Do you have material for a third release?
Dude, it’s done. Going back to Kiss, I would love to put out a new record every six months. The studio is my baby with Crash Kelly, and when I go in there to make the record, it’s great to have a guy like Gilby in there to edit my ideas down. I have been writing and demoing for the new record already.

Have you ever written for other bands?
Yes, I have, and the last thing I had actually written was for a Pontiac commercial. I work with a few bands, and I am working with arranging a country artist here, real country. I am also producing a band here in Toronto called High Voltage.

What was the biggest accomplishment so far in your career?
Musically, I think, it would have been last year. I was chosen as a top ten finalist in Guitar Player magazine’s guitar hero contest, and I got to go to the rock n’ roll hall of fame and play in front of Joe Satriani and Steve Lukather. We all played music that night; all the cats got together and said, “Fuck the contest, we’re going to play music.” There was no competition. There was a guy that impressed the judges that night and it wasn’t me, it was a classical guitar player and he was brilliant. We all went out there and gave them a show and after that we went out and got off our face (laughing) so it was great. So I would say it was the guitar player thing…or the Cooper shows.

Do you ever get nervous playing shows?
Yeah, but I love it. The minute you stop feeling nervous, you gotta give yourself some sort of edge. The whole thing with Crash Kelly is a culmination of my teenage fantasies.

Is there any band that you would like to go out [on the road] with?
Motley! The closest we got to going out with Motley was to open up on the side stage for them in Toronto, which was great. I would actually love to go out with Dio [as well].

Oh yeah, our writer Dave Felix just did an interview with Ronnie.
Yeah, I checked that out on your site. That was great. Ronnie Dio is the ultimate vocalist. I have a five-note range at the best of times; as a guy who is an artist, Ronnie is the man. I would like to go out with him just to sit there and watch him sing. Anyone from the New Cars all the way to Thin Lizzy; anyone with guitars and heart…I’m all over it.

Is there any new band that you recommend we hear?
I love The Darkness, but you have to check out Coheed and Cambria. They sound like early Rush; very cool stuff. I like Avenged Sevenfold and Children of Bodom also.

Do you get to go and check out new bands in Canada?
For me, it’s like going to the office on the weekend. It’s a little tough, but I gotta admit, there is some good music here in Canada.  I’m glad they’re trying to put Canada to music.

Is there any difference playing in Canada compared to the US?
It’s like a regional thing. There’s definitely a difference playing the east and west coasts. We played LA at the Troubadour last year with the Backyard Babies; that was chaos.  It was amazing.  In LA, you got it: the scene is there.  In New York it’s a little tougher.  You gotta work a little harder to impress.  Toronto falls in the middle of those two. In New York, I’m swearing my balls off and I couldn’t even make you crack a smile (laughing).

What are the plans now?
We are looking to be touring in late July and August. We want to take it to the fans any way we can.

Sean, this was a lot of fun for me. Do you want to say anything in conclusion?
You know what, I just want to thank you very much.  It felt more like we were chatting instead of [doing] an interview, so that’s always a good one. It’s always fun to chat with another rocker. When you’re checking out RockEyez, check out “Electric Satisfaction.” I’m thinking that if you’re a fan of classic rock, you’re gonna dig it.