Great White, up close and personal
Interview with Jack Russell and Mark Kendall founding members of Great White
CV: Great White has had a wild ride since 78’. Some of it’s magic and some of it’s tragic. You’ve played huge arenas, toured your tires off with the biggest names in Big Hair rock... even called it quits before. Bottom line is, your still in the game, and still playing with an (almost) original roster to boot. That’s rare today to say the least. What’s even more cool (at least for all of us 30-40 year olds) is seeing Great White on stage at a local club up close and personal. Of course the band isn’t going to cash the huge checks the arena gigs paid in the small clubs but is there a bright side to touring in the intimate venues?
Jack Russell: Well, we get the same thrill the fans get. I look out in the audience – and I recognize these people. I’ve watched them grow up. You might not know the names, but you know the faces. We appreciate it as much as the fans do.
Mark Kendall: We do play some clubs but also play larger venues as well as outdoor festivals. We don’t mind the smaller shows though because we get to meet all of the long time fans and share stories.
CV: No doubt during the 80’s-90’s you felt pushed and pressured to write hits, top the charts and make those millions (even if most of it is for the “company”). You pulled it off a number of times as well. Now, all these years later what do you feel when you reflect back on the top 40 tunes the band has written?
Jack Russell: You know I love all of our songs. I don’t think we ever tried to sell out or do it strictly for the money. It has always been about what we like musically. I’m a very selfish writer, I write for myself. The bonus is when it becomes a hit. I’m just happy we’re able to write songs that connect with people.
I just want to keep making records. Even though I know our CDs aren’t selling as much anymore, I like making records to hear what the band sounds like. It’s great.
Mark Kendall: After being dropped off our 1st Major Label, EMI America due to poor Record sales after long tours with White Snake and Judas Priest in 1983 & 84, we kind of had to go back to the drawing board and try to prove ourselves again and it was a lot of hard work. We made our own record called “Shot In The Dark” and luckily got some airplay and it got the attention of Capitol Records. They were the father company to EMI America, so it was really unreal that of all the Labels out there they would sign us. They picked up our self made record and we did a couple re-mixes on it and toured a very short time and went in to write for our 1st Capitol release which ended up being titled “Once Bitten”. There was definitely a lot of pressure on us because we knew this was a do or die situation, so the writing process had my personal full attention, because I knew this was our last chance. We made a record we were proud of and lucky for us it was a hit and sold huge.
CV: Obviously fans will be crowding the stage singing along to hits like “Twice Shy”, “Rock Me”, “Save All Your Love” and the like. What else does the band dish out in today’s set list (please, please say Rock Ranger!)?
Mark Kendall: We don’t play a lot of new material but we do play some new stuff. We usually play all the hits with a few surprises thrown in such as jams and we like to involve the audience in the shows.
CV: Are there any tunes in particular you’ve written during the glory days of “Arena Rock” that didn’t get the attention you wished they had? Songs with special meaning to the band or songwriter that just got passed over for what ever reason. Do you incorporate those (or that) songs in your current show?
Mark Kendall: There are some songs on a 1999 release called “Can’t Get There From Here” that I believe if were written when people bought records this could have been a hit record with MTV Videos. It’s all about timing and marketing. John Koladner didn’t have the support he needed from Sony with the advertising dollars so I think that music was missed out on. We play a couple from that one live a song called “Rolling Stoned” is usually in the set.
CV: Acoustic sets are all the rage right now. Do you play any of your music in acoustic form in the live show?
Jack Russell: You know we do some stuff acoustically, we try and keep the songs the way they are written. I like doing stuff acoustically. We just had a big change - started changing the set around. The set was the same for about 10 years. We have so many records - and don’t want to bore people. It’s hard to write that be all to end all set list. Yeah, we do some acoustic form. Some songs are more fun than others.
CV: This may sound stupid to some but do you think the band plays better now than in the arena days? Has the vibe changed?
Jack Russell: I think the band is better than it was - yeah. We’ve grown into a better live band. Obviously it’s harder - it’s more demanding because you’re older. I think we’re a better band than we were 10 years ago.
Mark Kendall: I think the bands from our era for the most part are playing better than they ever have. Most people are sober and focused and really playing well. We have really noticed that and have spoke about it quite a bit.
CV: Have you ever considered creating a new release with all your big hits (and all the tunes you really wanted to be hits) re-recorded with a new feel? Maybe acoustic versions or new arrangements. Not some dumb “Best Of” crap (like Motley Crue and Poison did by the way), something more like “When Hell Freezes Over” from The Eagles. That release is arguably the best The Eagles has ever played in their career, especially considering it was recorded live. In my opinion it personifies the band’s talent and really is the best/most important release they have ever created. That was a damn good idea, fans tore it up. You certainly have a large enough fan base that would dig it and make it worth while!
Jack Russell: I would love to do something like that. We were talking about this the other day. We didn’t have the production we have to today when we originally recorded....a latest and greatest and re-record in a modern sound. We would make things sound more contemporary.
CV: Great White still has many hardcore fans. Couple excited fans with an intimate club venue and your bound to get some people freakin’ out. Give us some of your most memorable fan moments playing small clubs (as juicy as you wanna be).
Jack Russell: There are so many. People start crying, that kind of thing. The coolest thing for me is when you play and you see four generations of people, a grandpa with his grandson. You see an 8-year-old kid wearing a Great White t-shirt down to his knees. It’s amazing to me - I never would have thought about it when writing the songs. I had no idea how long it would have lasted. I’m still scratching my head - I’m 49 years old and been doing this since I was 17. It’s mind blowing to me.
Mark Kendall: I am just shocked from all the stories. I get people coming up to me saying “remember when I did all your laundry in Florida and we went over to my house and partied”. I am like sorry I don’t but please don’t be offended. It’s really fun to talk to everyone after the shows. When your playing for 20,000 people a night you can’t go out in the crowd and ask everyone how it has been going. When we play for 1,500 people we go out and do a meet and greet and really enjoy the fans.
CV: We can’t wait to see you at Buffalo Harry’s up close & personal and see if any of the hardcore Cincy Great White fans come out and earn the top spot on that memorable moments list.
Jack Russell: Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
Mark Kendall: Well Thank You:-) We will look forward to it!!!!!
You can see the Great White show up close and personal at Buffalo Harry’s on June 3rd. You can wait in line for tickets at the door or get them in advance at either Buffalo Harry’s or Money Lenders.
However you get in your guaranteed to have a hell of a good time. It’s not often we get to see a cool 80’s band in original form on stage 2 ft in front of you. Harry’s is big, but if you want those front row spots you had better get there early. The doors open at 8 and if I were you I’d get there at 7. You can bet dollars to doughnuts we’ll be there to snag a few awesome photos. Don’t forget to bring your camera (or phone) so you can too.
