Interview '07 - Lissa & Jason - Bad Side
10.26.07 - Friday
Bad Side, built from the ground up by the dynamic duo of Melissa "Lissa" Krahnke & Jason Mapes. Formed in the Rock Capital USA, Michigan, Bad Side continues to prove that great Rock Music is still alive. In 2007 they set their sights on "II", an all new fully original album. With this sophomore release comes an extra punch, as it features mixes by legendary producer, Beau Hill. Recently the band took the time out to talk with us about the new album, their band history and what is come in the future!
Photo Courtesy Of
Bad Side
Island: First off, for those who
are unaware of where the band comes from let us touch on the history of
Bad Side. How did both of you come together to form this band?
Jason: We had known each other for some time, had a lot of the same
musical influences and had decided to form a band together. That first
band was more of a cover band even though we had always declared our
intentions of moving towards writing and recording - when that wasn't
allowed to happen, we realized that the members of that band were not as
serious or committed. We decided to fold that band and make a brand new
start with Bad Side. In effect, wiping the slate clean and finally
taking the steps towards where we are now.
Island:
Following the same path as the opening question, how did the name "Bad
Side" come about?
Jason:
I guess I can take the
blame for that. The name was actually derived from a reference to a song
by two artists that both Lissa and I admired. We were pitching ideas
back and forth to very little success and then one day I was cranking
out a CD by April Wine with a little jam on it called "Bad Side of the
Moon", which was actually written and previously recorded by Elton John.
It sounded simple enough, had logo potential and sounded like a rock
band. Nuff said.
Island:
In 2005 the world was first introduced to Bad Side through your
self-titled debut album. The debut album is always one that involves
many twists and turns. What sort of things did you find challenging?
Recording? Promotion? Something else?
Lissa:
The most challenging thing for me is always trying to write songs that
are great, not just good. I write everything on a cheap dinky electric
piano with a crappy drum machine. No frills. That way you can tell if
the melody is any good. After I have ten or fifteen songs done, I play
them for Jason. He can tell just by listening to them once whether or
not they should go on the album. The recording and promotion isn’t
really challenging (so far) because the hard part’s already done.
Promoting is easy when you believe that you have really great songs.
Island:
Bringing things up to date, Bad Side recently released "II". Now looking
at "II" over the debut release, was it easier, harder or about the same
to put together in terms of songs, recording time, etc?
Jason:
The things that we wanted to improve were more sonic. I really
wanted to get a little better guitar tone and we wanted the drums to
have more "kick" than the first CD. The first week in the studio - that
was our agenda. We spent the first couple of days working on that with
our engineer, Dan Furmanik, who also co-produced the first CD with us.
We were trying to get the CD to be a little more "raw" sounding than the
debut CD so it would be more like we actually sound live than a perfect
studio recording.
Island:
Now in the 2 years between the albums, how did the songwriting
partnership between both you and Jason evolve? Were there any hurdles
that you wanted to get over in order to avoid the so-called sophomore
slump?
Lissa:
Actually, a lot of people
think that Jason and I sit down at the piano & guitar and write
together. We usually don’t. We’ve always written separate songs and then
just played them for each other. Then, he adds guitar parts to the songs
I write and I add lyrics and melody lines to the ones he writes. It’s a
system that works for us and seems to get the best results. It also
inevitably provides us with a good mix of piano and guitar. There was
definitely pressure to avoid “sophomore slump”, but I think we could
tell right away we had a good group of songs.
Jason: When record labels are not involved, the pressure is only
within yourself and your own expectations. The hurdles that I wanted to
overcome were more on the sonic level of “how” the CD sounded. It was my
goal to get the guitars to sound better and to have the drums to have
more thump then we worked with Dan Furmanik, our engineer and
co-producer, to make that happen. As far as songwriting, like Lissa
said, we basically write separately, although we do show each other
where we are thinking of taking the song. Sometimes, it will be
something like me adding a guitar interlude to a song and it becomes the
reoccurring theme to a song without planning it and, at other times, the
song is basically the same as the original demo that either of us
recorded and very little is added or changed.
Island: While working on your sophomore release, out of nowhere enters Beau Hill. Apparently he heard your material on MySpace and was interested in working with you. When Beau made contact with the band, what were your initial reactions?
Jason:
Beau had contacted us on Myspace, and as we all know - not all the
people on Myspace are who they claim to be. So at first, we were not
sure if it was legit. We exchanged further emails and then Beau and
Lissa talked on the phone.
Lissa: I knew within the first five minutes of talking to Beau
that he’d be fun to work with. He’s hilarious and super talented.
Immediately, we could sense that he understood what the Bad Side sound
was all about.
Island: "II" contains 14 dynamite tunes, it was hard to find the standout tracks. We've chosen 7 tracks that we would like to know a little more about. Can you tell us the meanings or maybe a story that goes along with each of the following?
All That I Can Get
- Lissa: I wrote this when I was pissed about a story I heard on the
news. Some people, claiming to Christians, were going around protesting
at funerals for American soldiers. I got pretty fired up. So I wrote
this song regarding some of the things people do (that are often cruel)
in the name of Christianity.
Call Me If You Want To - Jason: This one started out as the
guitar riff. I had this Led Zep/Whitesnake influenced riff kicking
around with a basic melody line running through my head. I made a demo
of the riff and then gave it to Liss and she basically had the same
melody line running through her head, too. She then came up with the
great lyrics to call back and forth with the guitar and bam! the song
was done!
Lie - Lissa: I wrote this after watching some TV special
regarding the legal case of those boys from Duke who were falsely
accused of rape. For quite a while they were treated like hateful scum
just because some b#tch had an overactive imagination. A similar thing
happened to a friend of mine, but he was actually friends with the
person that accused him. This girl just wanted to make his life hell for
no reason! It makes me sick that a woman can do that to a guy and
totally change his life just because she wants to. So those two stories
combined are what inspired the song. I still get mad when I sing it
sometimes.
Cheap Liquor & Live Music - Lissa: This song was inspired by all
the fans who used to show up at crowded smoky clubs on the weekends to
see us. God bless ‘em. I love just relaxing with my buddies and catching
a live music show, especially if you’ve had a crappy week. Throw in some
cheap liquor and it’s gonna be a “GOOD NIGHT”!
Venomous - Lissa: “Venomous” is a term I used to use when
referring to my friend’s relationship with her ex. She seemed to hate
him and they fought constantly, yet they stayed together for years. It
was a very poisonous relationship for both of them. I think a lot of
people suffer in that type of situation.
Living In Fear - Lissa: This song is about a serial killer that
was recently apprehended. He’s been committing murders since the
seventies and everyone in his neighborhood thought he was the nicest,
most normal guy. Until he got caught. Even his family had no idea he was
a killer. It just goes to show that anyone you know could be a
completely different person, perhaps dangerous. But living in fear is
truly a state of mind.
Let It Roll - Jason: “Let it Roll” came about in similar fashion
to “Call Me if Ya Want To”. The main riff was something I had been
kicking around. Lissa then took it to the next level with the melody,
the chorus and the lyrics.
Island: The artwork for your debut as well as "II" are extremely fun to look at. How did the artwork come about? Are there any hidden meanings or a story as to how the art goes along with the feelings/emotions of the album(s)?
Lissa: My brother, Andrew Krahnke, is a very talented artist who did both album covers. He listened to the songs on this album and came up with the art concept. We loved it immediately. It’s good to have someone who knows us so well doing the art. He really captures our image and attitude perfectly.
Island:
We remember reading that when Jason enters the studio and rips out a
guitar solo, it is done without anything written down. Is this is the
case? If so, why is this done? We assume it has to do with trying to
keep things fresh in the studio, but we've been wrong before.
Jason: Yeah, for the most part, that is true. I do work on a
couple of root ideas usually the night before – just to have a frame of
reference, but when it comes to the actual recording. I just tune up and
let ‘er rip, so to speak. I usually do about two or three takes and just
pick the one that sounds the best.
Island:
One thing that really makes Bad Side stand out in our opinion has to do
with "all killer, no filler", which was something that was mentioned on
your MySpace Page. That is quite a statement to make, in today's age of
music where it seems like 75% of albums contain mainly filler tunes. How
do you think this philosophy has helped your music?
Jason:
We kind of stole that philosophy from Mutt Lang. Mutt’s approach to
recording Def Leppard’s Hysteria was that the band should look at it
like they are trying to write and record a “Greatest Hits” album. With
that in mind, we have strived to write and record the best we can do in
the time allotted. It sure is motivating to look at every song with that
same critical eye – “would this song be good enough to make a greatest
hits package?”
Island: Looking at some of the live photos that are on your MySpace page, one has to wonder if a live DVD is in the works. Any chance that a live CD or DVD could be released by Bad Side in the future?
Photo Courtesy Of
Detroit Rock Review
Jason: It’s definitely something that we want to do. Now that we are starting to headline more shows in cities like Detroit, it opens the door for a little more control into the situation. We need to be able to get good audio recordings as well as video – if we are to do it right! We have some festivals coming in 2008 that may make for a perfect opportunity to get both done right.
Island:
Continuing on the "live" questions, another thing that caught our eye
was that Bad Side is looking for a permanent Bass player as well as a
drummer. We know that there are some great musicians working with you
both for live shows. So one wonders if this move toward finding some new
blood is a hint that you are looking to expand out and do live shows
outside of Michigan on a more regular basis or is there a different
reason behind the search?
Jason: Our hope is to make the situation as close to permanent as
possible.
Island:
Live shows are always a fun experience and we know you've played some
big shows with a variety of musicians. Out of all the shows you've done,
did you have one that stood above the others? And in following, is there
an artist that you would like to do a live show with sometime?
Jason: To be honest – so many of them are special for different
reasons that it is hard to say that one stands out from another.
Sometimes it is because the band is just in top form or that the
audience is phenomenal. Our first headlining show in Detroit was a
special night just for that reason alone. Playing the Emerald Theater in
Detroit and performing on the same stage as people like Paul Stanley,
Alice in Chains, & Kid Rock is a pretty cool feeling, too. As far as
doing a live show with someone, if you mean maybe opening for someone, I
would have a huge list but Whitesnake leaps to mind, as well as
Aerosmith & KISS are right up there at the top of the list, too. Now as
far as jamming with someone – I would love to jam with Paul Stanley or
Sammy Hagar – I just get the sense that Sammy would be a fun guy to
share a stage with sometime.
Lissa: I’ve always wanted to play piano with Elton John or Axl
Rose. I’ve also dreamt of singing with Steven Tyler, Joe Lynn Turner,
Bob Seger, Klaus Meine, and Honeymoon Suite. So if anyone out there can
make that happen, I’ll kiss your feet.
Island:
Guitarists can switch to different guitars whenever they like when
playing, but a vocalist cannot magically take out their vocals and put
in new ones. Is there anything special you do Lissa in order to keep
your vocals in tip top shape?
Lissa:
Sleep,
sleep, sleep. Get the full eight hours each night before a show. I also
try to refrain from talking the day of the show. I’m sure it’s a nice
break for my band mates. I stay away from cigarette smoke and perfumes
too.
Island:
As this interview comes to a close we'd like to thank you for taking the
time out to talk with us. We will continue to follow your career with
much excitement and can't wait to see what you guys do next! Are there
any final thoughts, words of wisdom or anything you'd like to mention to
our readers, your fans?
Jason: We’d just like to thank the rock fans out there that
understand what it is that we are trying to do. Rock is supposed to be
fun and it’s supposed be a party. It is supposed to be the soundtrack
for our lives. That is what it started out as and what it was in the
glory days with KISS, Aerosmith, AC/DC, et al. Things like American Idol
have trivialized music and have tried to manufacture it for the masses
with a brand and a stamp. True musicians are people that write, play or
sing their own music. They are not people that use digital pitch
correction and outside songwriters to create a phony product to sell to
the masses. People need to not only EXPECT more – they need to DEMAND
it!
Lissa: Yes, definitely! Expect more from artists these days. If
an artist lip syncs, doesn’t write their own tunes, and doesn’t play
their own instrument, they don’t deserve YOU as a fan!!
For more Bad Side music & information, make sure to check out: