{"id":762,"date":"2020-01-20T17:34:12","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T16:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aormusic.de\/?p=762"},"modified":"2020-02-27T17:28:13","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T16:28:13","slug":"interview-shayne-malone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aormusic.de\/?p=762","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Shayne Malone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Lawyer in Love (For His Music) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A month earlier, I had no clue who the hell Shayne Malone was. Then I read about him in the internet,  listened to his music and was really impressed. Then I dug deeper and immediately recognised that this not the usual rockstar kinda guy. How could he, because he is living in New Zealand. All this made one thing crystal clear \u2013 I need answers. And Shayne has a lot to say\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shayne, for there probably might be none of our\nreaders ever heard your  name before \u2013\nwould you please be so kind and introduce yourself?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hi, thanks\nfor this opportunity to have a chat\u2026  I\nam Shayne Malone, all the way from down under. I am a New Zealand artist and\nhave just released my fourth album \u2018The Crossroad\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I read somewhere in the internet that your main\nprofession is being a lawyer in trade. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started\nplaying in bands when I was 12 years old (Elvis, The Beatles, The Shadows etc)\nand I was making money too. I never looked back after that and played\nthroughout my teens, twenties and thirties, I played wherever I could and it\nwas a great time to be in a band too, because in those days crowds supported\nlive music, which is not the case here in NZ now. As a teen I bought all the great\nrecords from Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard etc. Then Bon Jovi hit\nthe scene with Slippery When Wet and Def Leppard became huge and I said to\nmyself, \u201cthat\u2019s what I want to be like\u201d. It was hard in New Zealand though and\nthere wasn\u2019t the internet in those days. So trying to get noticed was not easy.\nWe had some good times and some good supporters though. There came a time that\nI needed to think about how I was going to support a family, and the music\nindustry had changed dramatically by the time I got married and started having\nkids early 2000\u2019s. So I went to law school and am a lawyer by trade. It pays\nthe bills and funds my music so it worked out well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You also have a wife and two children. How does\nthose facts leave you the time to blow out two proper records in just a year or\nfour in three years. Sounds you are a magician\u2026.. or just well organized, which\nfor me would be the same. Have you ever had a holiday since 2017?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be honest:\nthe first album \u201cONE\u201d, we had recorded in 2010 in rough form and due to limited\nresources couldn\u2019t do much with it until I released it officially in 2016\/17.\nThe band still had limited resources at the time it was released, however, did\nthe best job we could. There are some great songs on the first album but the\nproduction is what it is. Those songs are great live though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next\nalbum \u2018Rocket\u2019, the band and I worked hard to get that finished. Once that was\ndone I had no intention to release any more albums for a couple of years.\nHowever, an opportunity came about to use some gear which resulted in the\nself-titled album being recorded soon after \u2018Rocket\u2019. I recorded all\ninstruments. It was the first album I didn\u2019t use my band. This was all me and\nboy it was hard work. I am the type of person who when I start something, I\nneed to finish it. My friends and especially my wife and kids didn\u2019t see me for\ndays or weeks. On that album I really dug deep and had the freedom to do so. I\nlooked at this from a different perspective, especially that it was\nself-titled. I wanted it to be good. I believe they are some of my best songs\nthat I have written. Yes, it is very Bon Jovi style compared to the latest\nrelease which is more Def Leppard style. That wasn\u2019t intended, it just came out\nand may have been what I was listening to at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It definitely\ntook a lot of organisation and now I feel burned out, which is why I am taking\na break for a little while. As to how long a break I have, we will have to see.\nIdeas may start flowing at any time and the next thing I could have a new album.\nThat is how The Crossroad happened. Again, I didn\u2019t intend to do that album\nwhen I did, but I wrote Every Little Thing and then the rest of the songs\nflowed. So I had to get it out asap because I loved it. I didn\u2019t think anyone\nelse would like The Crossroad to be honest but it seems to be the one that has\ndone the best so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musically you are a self made man. Sounds really fascinating creating all the songs, playing and recording the music alone. You even mixed and mastered everything. Do you sometimes need to have a little outside help?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It takes a\nlot out of me to do it all myself, but it worked. I love my band and the way\nthey do things. Vinnie and Frazer are top musicians and excel in what they do.\nThey will be back on the next albums. They are the only outside help I have. I\nmastered The Crossroad album myself but usually have that done professionally.\nThe first three albums were mastered by various engineers. I believe it\u2019s important\nwhen it comes to mastering to have someone independent do that. However, The\nCrossroad was an exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell me about your song-writing \u2013 do you sit in\nyour studio and jam around on your acoustic? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes I will\nwrite songs on an acoustic, or I might be playing a piano and come up with accidental\nideas or melodies. Sometimes I might be playing my electric guitar and come\nacross an idea. I have been walking down the street and an idea pops into my\nhead. A song can be born from all sorts of situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe\nCrossroad\u201d mostly happened in the studio though. The first song I wrote for\nthat album was \u201cEvery Little Thing\u201d. That came about by playing my acoustic one\nday and I came up with the chorus. When I started recording that song, I ended\nup singing it an octave higher than what I had originally intended. Everybody\nasks me why I sing it so high lol. I think that song is one of my best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And how do you collect your ideas \u2013 do you use\nmodern technologies?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not really to\nbe honest, I think a song should sound good just played on an acoustic. Gone\nare the days in the modern pop world where you can do that. However, the\nkeyboard\/synthesiser plug in programmes available now would be the most tech I\nget, and ideas do come from that at times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m writing reviews and interviews for 25 years\nplus now but never had the pleasure of talking to someone from New Zealand.\nApart from Crowded House (who I hate!) I don\u2019t know any other band from your\ncountry. Do you have a vivid music scene in your country?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haha, yes\nNeil Finn is the highest profile artist from New Zealand. There are people who\nstill play melodic rock here in NZ but it\u2019s not as big as in Europe. NZ is\neclectic and the music scene is difficult here. You do it for love really. Live\nmusic has declined here badly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason we are doing this interview is your\nexcellent new effort \u201cThe Crossroad\u201d which is album number 4, if I\u2019m counting\nright. What do you think is the main difference (if there is one) to all the\npredecessors?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, number\n4. I think the difference with \u201cThe Crossroad album\u201d is that I have honed in on\nmy skills. I spent more time on this album. I think there is a progression and\nthat I am doing things better and better each time. I would hate to go\nbackwards and want every album to be better than the last. Some people love the\nself-titled album better than \u201cThe Crossroad\u201d, I think that comes down to taste\nthough. As above, I wasn\u2019t sure people would care about \u201cThe Crossroad.\u201d I was\nwrong and it was a pleasant surprise. Blood sweat and tears went into all\nalbums, but with \u201cThe Crossroad \u201cI felt it more. I could envisage a great live\nshow around that album and that is what I had in mind while writing and\nrecording it. The main difference from the predecessors is that \u201cThe Crossroad\u201d\nwasn\u2019t produced for hit or catchy songs, it was more rock n roll and from my\nheart, not saying that the first 3 albums weren\u2019t from the heart, but this one\nmore so. This album was for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CD contains some of the best music Def\nLeppard never recorded since 1992 and you probably sound more like Joe Elliott\nthan the man himself nowadays. Surprisingly enough on your previous record your\nvoice had a Jon Bon Jovi feel. Coincidental or purely intentional? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for\nyour kind words. They are two of the greatest vocalists and frontmen of all\ntime. I am a big fan of both bands. I mentioned above how it might have been\nwhat I was listening to a lot at the time. While writing \u201cThe Crossroad\u201d I do\nremember listening to \u201cHigh N\u2019 Dry\u201d and \u201cPyromania\u201d a lot. I love the early\nLeppard stuff. It must have just come out lol. But they are both huge\ninfluences on me regardless. I would love to tour with Leppard. They are\nbrilliant!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My absolute favourite of the album is \u201cStop\nBreaking My Heart\u201d. Each time I listened to it in preparation of the review I\nfound myself rising my fist in the air and singing the chorus loud but bad.\nReleased 30 years earlier this would have been a massive hit. Do those\ncompliments make you proud and keep you pushing as a musician?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow, thank\nyou. It is comments and stories like that that keep me inspired and want to\nkeep pushing as a musician! \u201cStop Breaking My Heart\u201d is a good song. Actually,\nthat was the second to last song I recorded for the album and it nearly didn\u2019t\nmake it onto the album. I had another song I was going to use instead which was\na more Bad Medicine Bon Jovi type song, but decided at the last minute not to\nand used \u201cStop Breaking My Heart.\u201d The other song will no doubt be on the next\nalbum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tend to\nthink \u201cMasquerade\u201d, \u201cBurning Like Fire \u201cand \u201cSmalltown\u201d of the self-titled\nalbum are the same style as \u201cStop Breaking My Heart\u201d. I sometimes think that\nsong should have been on the self-titled album, but I am glad it is on \u201cThe\nCrossroad\u201d. It breaks it up in my opinion. It is a good song that\u2019s for sure. I\nloved hearing about you singing it out loud and raising your fists in the air –\nthat is awesome! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly equally as good is the title cut on which\nyou\u2019ve packed in 12 minutes everything we love about melodic rock. How did this\nsong come to life?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, I am\nreally happy with this track! I had the album title ready to go and thought\nmaybe I need to write a song as a title track. Two weeks before the album\nrelease, I started getting ideas for this song. It came about by playing around\nwith my electric and acoustic guitars and then transforming into different\nparts. I recorded the parts intending them to be separate songs, but then put\nthem together and made them one longer song. Musically, it took a great deal of\nwork over the two weeks I wrote and recorded it but it blew me away and I\ncouldn\u2019t wait to get it out. It is a personal song and recently I have had to\nmake a lot of choices that required some deep thinking and reflection…choices\nabout life etc. It was like I was facing a crossroad and I was feeling as if I\nwas pressured to choose a path, never to look back. If I chose the wrong path,\nI would never be able to change things and would have to make it work whether\nit was the wrong choice or not. This spilled out into other areas of my life\nand so the lyrics came about rather easily. Vocally, I sang the song in one or\ntwo takes and left it as is. I wanted it to feel and be real. Mixing the song\nwas the hardest part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which of the tunes on the album mean the most\nfor you personally and why?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like all\nthe songs on that album, but my favourites are \u201eHello\u201c, \u201eTime Has Come\u201c,\u201c Every\nLittle Thing\u201c and \u201eThe Crossroad\u201c. However, \u201eThe Crossroad\u201c is definitely my\nfavourite and means the most. This is because of the relevance to life at the\nmoment and what path I am to take from this time forth, career, family, music\netc. 2020 is going to be a big year for me personally and I have choices to\nmake. I hate to be vague but things are vague to me also at the moment. So this\nsong was a result of those feelings. I am certain things will work out though\nand life will go on. \u201cEvery Little Thing\u201c is high on my list too. I am proud of\nthat song because I believe I put all my feeling into it. My heart and soul is\nin that song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I read comments from you about you denying to\nbecome a rock star. Come on man \u2013 everybody who has the chance to become one\nwould be  more than happy. What are your\nreasons \u2013 are you lucky about your status or is it because of the music\nindustry in general?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I agree,\nand when I started out playing guitar and in bands, I wanted to be the next\nSteven Tyler or Jon Bon Jovi. Don\u2018t get me wrong, I just want to share my music\nnow. I am a down to earth type of person. I love recognition, who doesn\u2019t? But\nI am not interested in stardom. Success, yes, but stardom doesn\u2018t appeal to me.\nI am just me and I hope others enjoy the music I produce, that is all I wish\nfor. I am unsure how else to explain it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you playing your music live or are you just\na studio cat? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love\nplaying live, however, lately I have been in the studio. I played live often\nover the years until 2015. I would love to take these songs out on tour and\nhope that one day I will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we speak you are probably busy preparing\nanother record or are you planning to keep it more relaxed and release the\nfollow-up to \u201cThe Crossroads\u201d in 2021? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is hard to\nknow to be honest. Frazer, my bass player told me the other day that he is\nitching to get back into writing and recording. Because I did the last two\nalbums myself, I think he is feeling a bit left out. Who knows, maybe a new\nalbum might come about this year. Definitely 2021 though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So support\nthe man and his visions by buying his music either via bandcamp or from his\nwebsite www.shaynemalone.com <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andreas Hoehn<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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