Richie Kotzen is always remembered as one of the most virtuoso guitarists in the world of rock, with a very solid solo career.
Having previously been part of groups like Mr. Big and Poison Nomad , this Friday, the 27th .
Besides being a guitarist, he is also a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. In this new recording, his technical skill is evident, with a series of elements that enrich his compositions.
In an exclusive interview with Wikimetal , Kotzen discussed Nomad , Mr. Big, the future of his other project, The Winery Dogs , and more!
The new tracks are influenced by a range of different musical styles, such as hard rock and jazz. The musician explains that this is “a product” of who he is: “I think that, from the outside, someone listening would have the impression you described. But the reality is that, for me, it's one thing, it's just my music. And so I never in my life thought, 'I'm going to try something in this style or that style or the other.'”
“It’s always been a case of, I wrote something, here’s what I wrote and here’s how I recorded it, and this is how it sounds. So I think it really comes down to being a product of my environment. What I listened to as a child, my upbringing, and what I was exposed to is reflected in my music. And it’s a kind of pendulum swing back and forth.”
Regarding the album's name, it has an interesting story. Although it's sometimes a little difficult to choose, Kotzen often uses song titles as album titles, but this isn't a pattern, and Nomad was one of those. “I started thinking about how, as a touring musician, you can feel like that sometimes. And then I also thought, my general personality when I finish a creative endeavor, my attitude is always, 'okay, what's next?' And I'm ready to move on to the next thing. You know, I thought that was a fitting title for this phase of my life.”
It's not uncommon for musicians to dream about guitar solos, song lyrics, or even entire songs, and that's what happened with "Escape" and "Insomnia": "I was sleeping on two different occasions, and in my dream, I heard these melodies, woke up, and forced myself to document them. And the next day, I went in and worked on the music."
“And that’s something that happens to me from time to time. It happens quite frequently, and you’ve heard other artists talk about it too. The first time it happened to me, I thought, ‘oh, I’ll remember when I wake up.’ Of course, the next day comes, and I don’t remember. So, what I’ve learned is to act on it, when I have that kind of moment of hearing something like that, I know how to work with it.”
Another track that emerged from an interesting situation is “The Test,” which was actually the result of a test: “I was sitting in my office and I set up a portable studio because I was traveling, and I was testing the studio to see if it was working, and I was strumming the guitar, I was singing, I was recording both at the same time, and I was playing a chord progression, and every now and then I would sing. And I was singing a melody, and every now and then I would sing the phrase, 'this is a test.' And I did that three or four times in the process.”
“And after about two minutes, I stopped, went back and listened to make sure it was recorded correctly, and it was. And I realized, 'wait a minute. This isn't a test. This is a song.' And right there, I realized, 'I have a song here.' And so I kept the title, 'This Is A Test.' And that's how it was written. It was literally written as a test.”
When talking about his time in Mr. Big, he chose "Shine" as his favorite track. The group went on their farewell tour, and vocalist Eric Martin commented that he would have liked to have Richie Kotzen as the opening act, which did not happen.
“I remember Eric wanting me to get involved, but it never came to anything, and I was never asked to get involved. Someone somewhere along the line decided that it wasn't something they wanted to do. Sad, but true. I would have loved to participate, but it simply wasn't offered to me.”
The Winery Dogs is a trio featuring some big names. Besides Kotzen on guitar, Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy handle bass and drums, respectively. They released their album III in 2023, before Portnoy returned to Dream Theater .
"The band won't be active with Mike returning to Dream Theater, the reality is that I'm very happy for Mike. I think it's an exciting time, and I 100% support what he's doing, not that he needs my support. It doesn't matter in the big picture. It doesn't matter at all," she added, happily wishing him the best.
Regarding coming to Brazil with the new album, there are no plans right now, but he would love to bring his new music to the country.
READ ALSO: The best songs from Mr. Big's Kotzen era
