Greg Smith

Exclusive Interview with Strangers [Part 3]

The man who appeared in Wayne's World continues to showcase his versatile talents,
heavily backed by the tight connections and spirit of mutual support within the New York network


Greg Smith, the bassist for RAINBOW this time around, is widely known for his time playing in Joe Lynn Turner's band, but he was also simultaneously a member of Dave Rosenthal's RED DAWN. That said, making a massive fuss over questions like "So is he juggling both?" or "Is there a chance he'll return to RED DAWN?" is completely pointless. As John O'Reilly mentioned, musicians in New York all know each other inside out, and both Joe's band and RED DAWN were born out of that tight-knit spirit of mutual support... a reality beautifully highlighted throughout this interview...

Around when and through what circumstances did you end up joining this band?

Greg Smith (hereafter G): One day, Ritchie asked Joe Lynn Turner, "I'm looking for a bass player, do you know anyone who would be a perfect fit for the band?" Joe gave him my name. I went in and played for him... and that was pretty much it.

Around when did that happen?

It was September of last year. It hasn't even been a full year yet.

I heard that John O'Reilly had already joined a bit ahead of you in April of last year...

Yeah, before I joined, there was a bassist named Rob De Martino, but he didn't work out... I don't really know the exact reasons why, though.

People also associate you as a member of Dave Rosenthal's RED DAWN. Is RED DAWN still active?

That band has actually never played live; it was purely a studio project that just released a record. We hoped to visit Japan or go on a proper tour, but it never materialized. I'm pretty sure Dave is planning the next album right now. I heard he recently finished building a home studio. He'll probably be working away meticulously in his basement. Down the road, if I can find a window between touring and working with Ritchie, I'd love to jump in and participate in the basic tracking.

So RED DAWN was strictly a studio recording band, meaning you were primarily a core member of the JOE LYNN TURNER BAND?

Exactly. We played a massive number of live shows with Joe's band, particularly across the East Coast and sometimes into the Midwest. Unfortunately, with RED DAWN, we never managed to play a single live show. Chuck Burgi is busy playing with BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, I'm committed to Joe, and Dave is out touring with Billy Joel... because everyone is tied up doing so many different things, getting everyone together in one room was simply impossible. But I know that deep down, everyone genuinely wanted to gather and play together eventually.

Is Dave Rosenthal still playing in Billy Joel's band right now?

They aren't touring at the moment, so he should be off right now. Billy likes to take a substantial amount of time off between tours. Dave is a fantastic musician and he always keeps himself busy, so aside from prepping for the next RED DAWN record, I'm sure he's involved in something else too.

In that case, do you think Dave will join Billy Joel on tour again once he starts touring?

Yeah, probably. He'd likely be one of the first guys they call. I think he'll do it; it's a very steady, secure gig.


Is Chuck Burgi still with BLUE ÖYSTER CULT?

Yes. In fact, I'm actually going to be playing a gig with them later tonight.

Tonight?!

Yeah, their current bass player bailed, so I have to drive up to New Hampshire.

Who was the bass player that left?

A guy named Jon Rogers. When he quit, Chuck knew that I was staying local for the summer, so he asked if I could fill the slot until my duties with Ritchie started up. I told him, "Of course, no problem." They perform live almost every weekend—playing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and then heading home on Sunday. They're all great guys, and playing with them is a blast. Plus, I've been a fan of theirs for ages.

What kind of songs do you play?

Songs like "Burnin' for You," "Godzilla," "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"... you know, the tracks the crowds absolutely love. I actually get a bass solo during "Godzilla." (laughs) But I can only play with them for about two weeks because our rehearsals are about to kick off. What I am looking forward to most right now, above everything else, is playing with Ritchie. We spent a massive amount of time in the studio crafting the exact album we wanted, and after that, everyone took a long break, so I think we're really solidifying now as a band.

Hearing that, it sounds like there's a great network of musical peers in New York; as soon as word gets out that someone is doing a show, everyone rallies together.

Exactly, whenever it's possible. Just two days ago, I ran into Al at a SAVATAGE session. Derek (Sherinian), the keyboard player for DREAM THEATER, was there too. I used to play with him back during the Alice Cooper days. Whenever he's in New York, he tends to crash at Al's apartment, so since we had nothing else going on, the two of us dropped by Al's session, watched them work through a few tunes, and chatted with the band members. It was a lot of fun. The musicians in New York share a massive bond of friendship and we help each other out whenever we can. For instance, if Chuck Burgi needs a bassist and my schedule is open, I'll step in to help out. If down the line I ever need a drummer and his schedule is clear, I'll call him up. It's a mutual support system. The same goes for Al Pitrelli and Joe Lynn Turner.

You also participated in Joe's recording sessions. Did that cause any issues?

No, none at all. Ritchie and Joe are good friends, and they have mutual respect for one another. They have a solid relationship.

From your perspective, why do you think Joe isn't fronting RAINBOW right now and is doing solo work instead?

I think when it came to bringing in fresh musical ideas, Ritchie simply wanted to play with new musicians. He wanted to experiment with a completely different, new sound. Since he had already worked with Joe twice before — once in RAINBOW and once in DEEP PURPLE — I think he just wanted to try working with a new singer. And Doogie is a truly spectacular vocalist.

Did you listen to old RAINBOW records back in the day?

I've always been a fan of RAINBOW. What first got me into playing the bass was listening to a copy of DEEP PURPLE's Machine Head that belonged to a friend's older brother. I was about 12 or 13 at the time. I used to constantly sneak his brother's records away to listen to them. Out of all of them, Machine Head was my absolute favorite. At that point, I didn't even know which instrument I wanted to play yet, but I knew I just desperately wanted to play music. My older sister played guitar, and one day she just said to me, "Why don't you play the bass?" and I said "OK," and that's how I became a bassist. I had to teach myself completely by ear, and the very first song I figured out was "Smoke on the Water." I played it in the wrong key, on the wrong strings, and it was completely butchered, but I managed to learn it anyway. As for favorite albums... for DEEP PURPLE, it's definitely Machine Head, and for RAINBOW, it has to be Rainbow Rising.

Comparing that classic era to the period when Joe was in the band, how did you feel about it?

They're two completely different eras of RAINBOW, and musically they aren't the same at all. Ronnie had that medieval style of vocals, and his lyrics reflected that. When Joe joined the band, the sound leaned much more toward radio-friendly rock... so you could say they are entirely different styles. But I think both eras are brilliant. Ritchie has always maintained a track record of hiring fantastic singers.

During this recent recording session, did you play the bass exactly according to Ritchie's directions?

I brought plenty of my own ideas to the table, but since the vast majority of the songs were already fully written by the time I joined the band, a lot of Ritchie's original ideas were naturally incorporated. I offered my own suggestions too, but there were numerous times where the idea Ritchie put forward was simply better. Ritchie will suddenly get a flash of inspiration for a bass line during a specific section of a song, and he'll tell me about it. There were so many moments where I thought, "Wow, that's a brilliant idea."

I understand you were the final member to join the lineup?

Yeah. As soon as I joined, we went straight into rehearsals... and we put together a rough demo tape for BMG just to see how the tracks were shaping up. After that, we jumped right into the actual rehearsals and recording. It was out in the middle of nowhere in Massachusetts. The workflow was basically trying out an idea and then tracking it immediately. That's how we did almost all the songs. Because we recorded things immediately after rehearsing them, we never over-rehearsed anything, and every track was captured while it was completely fresh.

Looking back at RAINBOW's history, Ritchie has a reputation for being exceptionally strict with bass players, sometimes even replacing them after recording has already begun...

Personally, I think as long as you're a skilled player, play with confidence, and give it 100% effort, you won't run into any issues. Plus, a lot of it comes down to whether your chemistry clicks with Ritchie and the rest of the band members. But if a player isn't putting their heart into it, is distracted, or keeps making continuous mistakes, Ritchie will definitely get frustrated. If that frustration turns personal, I can see how it might lead to someone getting fired... but that's just my own take on it.

On the Long Live Rock 'N' Roll album, Ritchie actually ended up playing the bass himself on four tracks...

Oh, really? Wow.

Yes, because the bassists kept changing...

I see. There's no doubt he is incredibly demanding when it comes to the musical side of things. He has a very specific sound envisioned in his head, and if that sound isn't executed exactly as he hears it, he isn't happy. Fortunately, it seems he's been happy with my playing.

What kind of bass player have you personally always aimed to be?

There are a few bassists who heavily influenced me. One is John Paul Jones from LED ZEPPELIN. I think he's a phenomenal player; he doesn't try to hog the spotlight and instead provides an incredibly solid foundation from the back. Plus, he delivers a very solid, groovy sound. He's a fantastic musician. Geezer Butler from BLACK SABBATH is another favorite of mine. I also love Roger Glover; I think he's a spectacular player and I used to listen to those old records constantly. Those three are my absolute favorites. Whenever I try to look back to when I was about 17, those are the three names that instantly pop into my head.

What do you think about Glenn Hughes' bass playing? Very jazz-influenced?

I think he's great too. But more than that, his vocals are incredible. His bass playing is excellent, but when you listen to those classic DEEP PURPLE records, he coaxes a highly distinct tone out of the instrument. When I was a kid, I bought Made in Europe using money I saved up from a newspaper route, and I noticed Glenn Hughes playing a red Rickenbacker bass on the back cover. I remember saving up my newspaper route money all over again just to buy a red Rickenbacker bass for myself. I desperately wanted the exact same bass Glenn had.

Are you aware that Glenn has released a solo album?

Yeah, I know he put out a solo album. I'd love to check it out. We actually shared a bill with TRAPEZE once at a downtown club called Irving Plaza. The JOE LYNN TURNER BAND performed at that TRAPEZE show. It was a benefit concert for Ray Gillen. We performed as Joe's band, and John O'Reilly was playing with us too. That was where I met Glenn. That night was the very first time I ever met him in person. Since I was a big fan, it made me incredibly happy.

Looking ahead, regarding how long you'll remain in RAINBOW — don't you think that if you take on too many outside session gigs, it might end up rubbing Ritchie the wrong way?

As far as I'm concerned, I want to stay in this band until Ritchie says he doesn't want me anymore. I absolutely love the musical style, I love being part of Ritchie's circle, and this band is incredible. As long as they'll have me, I want to be in RAINBOW. I only take on other sessions when RAINBOW is completely on downtime. Even though I haven't been in RAINBOW for very long, any outside sessions I've done were always strictly scheduled during gaps when RAINBOW wasn't doing anything. RAINBOW is my absolute top priority.

Do you know who will be handling the bass for Joe Lynn Turner's upcoming tour?

I don't know for sure, but rumor has it that his touring lineup is pretty much the same as ours. It seems like it will be around the same time, so I'm sure he'll gather some talented musicians. But if by some off chance Joe goes on tour after RAINBOW finishes touring, and RAINBOW isn't doing anything at that time, I think John and I will definitely participate in Joe's tour. Touring with Joe is a lot of fun. However, since we've sworn allegiance to RAINBOW, RAINBOW takes priority.

But is Ritchie okay with you touring with other bands?

I think it's fine as long as they don't overlap...

When interviewing people like Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale, and Ian Gillan, most of them say that "Ritchie Blackmore is a difficult person to work with." Are you genuinely enjoying your work with him so far?

Yeah. So far, it's been incredibly fun, comfortable, and great. Anyone can get into a bad mood, and when that happens, you just need to know to stay out of his way. We've gone out drinking, had meals together, watched movies, played pool, and done all sorts of things, and it's been great. Since these are all people I've never met before, I don't know why they couldn't get along with Ritchie, but for me, and for the other current members of RAINBOW, it's been great so far.

On this album, please tell us if there are any songs you particularly like or don't really care for.

Actually, my favorite song—the one where I really loved the bass line was cut from the album (laughs). It was a ballad... and I played a fretless bass on it. That was the first time I had ever recorded with a fretless. I really liked my own playing on it, but unfortunately, we couldn't finish recording it (laughs).

That is unfortunate (laughs).

Let me think for a moment. Some of the song titles have changed. (Looking at the tracklist) "Wolf To The Moon"... I don't even know which song that is. The lyrics changed after the bass was recorded, or the titles changed depending on the vocals, so they've become titles I don't recognize. "Ariel" is a wonderful song. "Too Late For Tears" is also good. I like them all. "Hall Of The Mountain King" is a fun track. I like them all. I don't have a specific favorite just yet. By the time the tour is over, I'll probably know which ones are my favorites and which ones aren't. It's been quite a while since the recording finished, after all.

Where do you think this album ranks among all of RAINBOW's previous albums... or even including DEEP PURPLE, within Ritchie's body of work?

Hmm... I hope it holds up as being just as good as his past work. I think time will tell, but I believe it's one of Ritchie's best works, and I feel very proud to be a part of it. The other musicians who have played in RAINBOW are all great, and the current members are great too — we're good friends.

There is a rumor in Japan that "after the tour, Greg Smith will be returning to RED DAWN"

What?! Why? I've never heard anything like that.

Do you have any plans to quit RAINBOW and return to RED DAWN?

No way. I intend to stay in RAINBOW for as long as possible.

Have you heard anything about RED DAWN going to Japan or touring elsewhere?

There was some talk about going to the UK in June, but it ended up just being talk. I don't know anything else. Chuck is busy with BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, and I can't imagine him quitting BLUE ÖYSTER CULT.

Well, we look forward to seeing you come to Japan as a member of RAINBOW.

I'm looking forward to going to Japan too. I've never been there before. There was some talk about going with ALICE COOPER once, but that fell through.

That was around the time you appeared in Wayne's World as a member of that band, right?

Oh, you knew about that? I had no idea it would become that popular. I was surprised (laughs).


© BURRN Magazine no 10 - October 1995