Queensryche

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Comment by Paul - Voodoo Johnson on September 17, 2009 at 10:39am

Can't wait to play with Queensryche in December... rock on!

Paul
VJ

Comment by TourTV on September 17, 2009 at 10:33am

September 17, 2009



QUEENSRYCHE TO ENLIST SERVICES OF
LITA FORD FOR AMERICAN SOLDIER TOUR
DATES BEGINNING ON OCTOBER 15TH

THE QUEEN OF HEAVY METAL TO PERFORM BRIEF
SONG SELECTION DURING QUEENSRYCHE SET


QUEENSRYCHE -- who have been touring since late March in support of their newest effort American Soldier (Atco/Rhino) -- will be taking The Queen of Heavy Metal, Lita Ford, on the road with them for over two dozen dates beginning October 15th (see full itinerary below).

Ford will hit the stage during the QUEENSRYCHE set to perform three songs including her Top 10 Billboard hit (performed with Ozzy Osbourne), "Close My Eyes Forever," which she will duet with QUEENSRYCHE front man Geoff Tate.

For all songs, Lita will be backed by QUEENSRYCHE -- Geoff Tate on vocals, Michael Wilton and Parker Lundgren on guitars, Eddie Jackson on bass and Scott Rockenfield on drums.

"We're elated to have Lita Ford performing with us," comments Geoff Tate. "I have been a fan of Lita's as long as I can remember and look forward to the upcoming tour with her."

The feeling is mutual as Lita comments, "I'm so excited about how we're doing this tour. It's a really cool way to do a show. I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing my fans again as well as meeting Queensryche's fans. It should be a real fun time for all."

Earlier this month, the video for QUEENSRYCHE's new single, "Home Again," made its worldwide debut on Military.com (the largest military and veteran membership organization) and can now be seen on the band's official website at www.queensryche.com. The video features photos submitted by service members from all over the world.

As for the song, itself, it's become a fan favorite along the tour. Performed by Geoff Tate and his 11-year-old daughter Emily, "Home Again" examines the emotional toll of war from two perspectives -- Geoff singing from the soldier's point of view and Emily singing the point of view of the child left behind.

Prior to the performances with Lita Ford, QUEENSRYCHE will be joining Chickenfoot (Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith) beginning Friday, September 25th, for three consecutive California performances in Berkeley, Valley Center and Universal City, respectively.

Also on the QUEENSRYCHE horizon is the forthcoming ShipRocked Cruise (www.getshiprocked.com) which sets sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman) on November 15th for a five-day music festival on the sea. Those on the cruise will have an opportunity to be a part of a private QUEENSRYCHE-hosted wine gathering and drink Geoff Tate's wine, Insania (www.threeriverswinery.com). For an advance donation of $20, fans will have access to the special onboard event. All proceeds of the wine party will benefit the National Military Family Association, an organization that QUEENSRYCHE has been involved with since the inception of American Soldier.


# # #



QUEENSRYCHE AMERICAN SOLDIER TOUR DATES


SEPTEMBER

25 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre*
26 Valley Center, CA Harrah’s Rincon Open Sky Theater*
27 Universal City, CA Gibson Amphitheatre*
OCTOBER

15 Louisville, KY Coyotes
16 Montgomery, AL Montgomery Perf. Arts Centre
17 Pensacola, FL Saenger Theatre
18 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
20 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
21 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
22 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of The Living Arts
23 Norfolk, VA The Norva
24 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center
25 Westbury, NY Capital One Bank Theatre
27 Covington, KY Madison Theater
28 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
29 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
30 Fort Wayne, IN Piere’s
31 St. Louis, MO The Pageant

NOVEMBER

1 Joliet, IL Rialto Square Theatre
2 Fargo, ND The Venue
4 Missoula, MT The Wilma Theater
5 Spokane, WA The Knitting Factory
6 Boise, ID The Knitting Factory
7 Stateline, NV Harrah’s Lake Tahoe
10 Houma, LA The City Club
11 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
12 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade – Hell Stage
13 Jacksonville, FL Plush
14 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution
15-20 Grand Cayman & Jamaica ShipRocked Cruise

*with Chickenfoot


www.QUEENSRYCHE.com

Comment by Donna Marie on June 18, 2009 at 10:03am

Looks like I may have to be a "Jet City Woman " to catch the next gig...Cheers,Bros!

Comment by Donna Marie on June 18, 2009 at 9:58am

Ok Let's ROCK!! Thank God our Seatown Bigdogs are still out and kicking ass! Can't wait for the next live show...!

Comment by TourTV on June 18, 2009 at 9:31am

Updated Tour Dates


Tour

Date City Venue Country
American Soldier Tour
06/18/09 Queensryche in Saarbrucken Garage DE
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
06/19/09 Queensryche in Hannover Capitol DE
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
06/21/09 Queensryche in Clisson Hellfest FR
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
06/22/09 Queensryche in Dusseldorf Stahlwerk DE
Time: 10:15pm. Buy tickets.
06/23/09 Queensryche in Langquaid Gate DE
Time: 9:45pm. Buy tickets.
06/24/09 Queensryche in Pratteln Z7 CH
Time: 9:30pm. Buy tickets.
06/26/09 Queensryche in Zaragoza Metalway Festival ES
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
06/27/09 Queensryche in Milan Gods of Metal Festival IT
Time: 6:15pm. Buy tickets.
06/28/09 Queensryche in Bucharest Rock the City Festival RO
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
06/29/09 Queensryche in Sofia Rock the Balkans Festival BG
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
07/09/09 Queensryche in Zoetermeer De Boederij NL
Time: 9:00pm. Buy tickets.
07/10/09 Queensryche in Zwolle Hedon NL
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: 38.00. Buy tickets.
07/11/09 Queensryche in Bruksallen Rockweekend Festival SE
Time: 9:00pm. Buy tickets.
07/12/09 Queensryche in Weert Bospop Festival NL
Time: 3:00pm. Buy tickets.
07/22/09 Queensryche in Wilmington, DE The Grand Opera House US
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
07/23/09 Queensryche in Richmond, VA The National US
Time: 7:30pm. Admission: 20.00. Buy tickets.
07/24/09 Queensryche in Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights US
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: 27.50. Buy tickets.
07/25/09 Queensryche in Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance US
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: 37.50. Buy tickets.
07/27/09 Queensryche in Toronto, Ontario Phoenix Concert Theatre CA
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
07/28/09 Queensryche in Montreal, Quebec Club Soda CA
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
07/29/09 Queensryche in Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino & Ballroom US
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: 24.50. Buy tickets.
07/30/09 Queensryche in Boston, MA House of Blues US
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: 25.00. Buy tickets.
07/31/09 Queensryche in Lockport, NY Molson Canal Concert Series US
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
08/01/09 Queensryche in Columbia, MD Merriweather State Fair US
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.
08/15/09 Queensryche in Acoma, NM Sky City Casino US
Time: 10:30pm.
08/27/09 Queensryche in Perth Capitol AU
Time: 9:45pm. Buy tickets.
08/29/09 Queensryche in Brisbane Hi Fi Brisbane AU
Time: 10:30pm. Buy tickets.
08/30/09 Queensryche in Melbourne Billboard The Venue AU
Time: 10:00pm. Buy tickets.
08/31/09 Queensryche in Sydney The Metro AU
Time: 10:00pm. Buy tickets.
09/02/09 Queensryche in Monroe, WA Evergreen State Fair US
Time: 7:00am. Admission: 25.00. Buy tickets.
10/20/09 Queensryche in Charlotte, NC The Fillmore US
Time: 8:00pm.
10/24/09 Queensryche in Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center US
Time: 8:00pm.
10/28/09 Queensryche in Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall US
Time: 8:00pm.
10/29/09 Queensryche in Indianapolis, IN The Vogue US
Time: 9:30pm. Buy tickets.
10/30/09 Queensryche in Ft. Wayne, IN Pierres US
Time: 8:00pm.
10/31/09 Queensryche in St. Louis, MO The Pageant US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/01/09 Queensryche in Joliet, IL Rialto Square Theatre US
Time: 7:00pm. Admission: 26.50. Buy tickets.
11/02/09 Queensryche in Fargo, ND The Venue US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/04/09 Queensryche in Missoula, MT Wilma Theater US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/05/09 Queensryche in Spokane, WA Knitting Factory US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/06/09 Queensryche in Boise, ID Knitting Factory US
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: 25.00. Buy tickets.
11/07/09 Queensryche in Stateline, NV Harrah’s Lake Tahoe US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/10/09 Queensryche in Houma, LA City Club US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/11/09 Queensryche in Nashville, TN The Cannery US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/12/09 Queensryche in Atlanta, GA Masquerade US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/13/09 Queensryche in Jacksonville, FL Plush US
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: 29.75. Buy tickets.
11/14/09 Queensryche in Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution US
Time: 8:00pm.
11/15/09 - 11/20/09 Queensryche in Fort Lauderdale, FL ShipRocked US
Buy tickets.
12/05/09 Queensryche in Prestatyn, North Wales Hard Rock Hell III UK
Time: 8:00pm. Buy tickets.

Comment by TourTV on March 25, 2009 at 11:06am

THE EYES OF A SOLDIER

Queensrÿche Salutes The Troops With American Soldier


Concept Album Inspired By Veterans’ Stories Examines The
Consequences Of War From The Soldiers’ Perspective
Album Available March 31 From Atco/Rhino;

U.S. Tour To Begin April 16 In Seattle


LOS ANGELES — Queensrÿche envisions war through the eyes of a soldier with the band’s twelfth studio release, the epic concept album AMERICAN SOLDIER. The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group’s singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts—from World War II to Iraq—Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war. AMERICAN SOLDIER will be available from Atco/Rhino on March 31 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital).

Tate, Michael Wilton (guitar), Ed Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) recorded the album in 2008 over the course of nine months. The idea for AMERICAN SOLDIER, Tate says, came from hearing stories from fans that are veterans, as well as his own father, who served in both Korea and Vietnam. “My father was a career military man, but until very recently he never spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world. This is an album about the soldiers, for the soldiers, as told by the soldiers themselves.”


Those stories resonate at the heart of AMERICAN SOLDIER, imbuing each song with vivid details about both the emotional and physical impacts of war, evoking war zone battles (“Middle Of Hell”), sacrifice (“The Killer”), loss (“If I Were King”), the longing for home (“Remember Me”), and adjusting to society after returning from war (“Man Down!”).
Tate recorded many of his interviews with the soldiers, and some dialogue from these discussions is mixed into several of tracks, allowing the soldiers’ own words to help tell their compelling stories. The band also brought a few of the soldiers into the studio with them to record vocals. The verses of the track “Unafraid” feature the voices of Chris Devine, a Vietnam veteran, and Sean Lenahan, a veteran of Somalia, recalling their war experiences while Tate provides the anthemic


chorus. Also making a guest vocal appearance is Tate’s 10-year-old daughter Emily on the gripping duet “Home Again,” which examines the emotional toll of war from two perspectives, with Geoff singing from the soldier’s point of view and his daughter singing from the viewpoint of the child left behind.

Making the album, Tate says, was an enlightening process. “I was surprised to learn how little has changed through the generations. I spoke with a Vietnam vet whose experience wasn’t all that different from a soldier who fought in Somalia almost 30 years later. But what surprised me the most was how antiwar most soldiers are. To me, that makes their sacrifices even more moving.”

Soon after the release of AMERICAN SOLDIER, Queensrÿche will launch an extensive spring tour of the U.S., with international dates to follow later in 2009. The shows will be presented in three suites, with the band performing sets from AMERICAN SOLDIER, Rage For Order, and Empire. The first date of the tour will be April 16 at Snoqualmie Casino in the band’s hometown of Seattle.

For additional information regarding Queensrÿche, please contact, or Jason Elzy in Rhino’s Media Relations Department at (818) 238-6220 or jason.elzy@rhino.com or Jeff Albright at (770) 664-5977 or rockstarpr@aol.com.
AMERICAN SOLDIER

Track Listing
“Sliver”
“Unafraid”
“Hundred Mile Stare”
“At 30,000 ft.”
“A Dead Man’s Words”
“The Killer”
“Middle Of Hell”
“If I Were King”
“Man Down!”
“Remember Me”
“Home Again”
“The Voice”
Queensrÿche U.S. Tour Dates

APRIL

16 Snoqualmie, WA Snoqualmie Casino

17 Snoqualmie, WA Snoqualmie Casino

18 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre

19 Chico, CA Senator Theatre

22 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues

23 San Diego, CA House Of Blues

24 Los Angeles, Ca House Of Blues

25 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues

26 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot

28 Denver, CO Paramount Theater

29 Kansas City, MO Voodoo Lounge @ Harrah's

30 Milwaukee, WI Northern Lights Theater

MAY

1 Milwaukee, WI Northern Lights Theater

3 Walker, MN Northern Lights Casino

5 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection

6 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues

7 Chicago, IL House Of Blues

8 Chicago, IL House Of Blues

9 Mt. Clemens, MI Emerald Theatre

10 Greensburg, PA Palace Theatre

12 Verona, NY Turning Stone Casino

13 Stamford, CT The Palace Theater

14 Sayerville, NJ Starland Ballroom

15 New York, NY Nokia Theatre

16 Atlantic City, NJ House Of Blues

17 N. Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues

19 Tampa, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall

20 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues

21 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues

22 Houston, TX House Of Blues

23 San Antonio, TX Hemisfair Park

24 Dallas, TX House Of Blues

29 Albuquerque, NM Kiva Auditoruim

30 Phoenix, AZ Dodge

JUNE

4 San Francisco, CA Fillmore

5 Kelseyville, CA Konocti Harbor

# # #

Comment by TourTV on March 16, 2009 at 12:32pm

Comment by TourTV on March 10, 2009 at 9:41am

QUEENSRΫCHE

Geoff Tate – Michael Wilton – Ed Jackson – Scott Rockenfield


“…And people sometimes lose the vision of where we came from. They’re sitting in the laps of luxury in a country that was built on over 3.5 million deaths…”
So begins the saga of American Soldier.
Brace yourself for the boldest statement of Queensrÿche’s storied career.

“We began the project that would become American Soldier right after Mindcrime II was released,” says Queensrÿche frontman and visionary Geoff Tate of his band’s ambitious new release, their fourth for Rhino. “The process started with a conversation with my dad. He was a career military man, with the Marines in Korea and an Air Force tour of duty in Vietnam in ’68. He was with the Air Force my entire life–I was born on a base in Germany–and when he retired he ended up taking a job with the Navy. He had never talked about his experiences in war, and all my life I’ve been asking questions and waiting for the stories that I never heard. These past couple of years he started talking, and I taped one of the conversations. That was the beginning…”

American Soldier is more than a concept album; it is a statement of mission, a revelation of purpose, and a march for understanding. One thing that it is not is political. “People have a tendency to misconstrue the difference between political and social issues. This record is not political at all,” affirms Tate. “It’s very much a statement of the soldiers; it’s where they are at and what they have experienced. I hope the album, as a whole, is a statement that can get them talking to each other and begin that process of connecting that needs to happen between people.”
To make that statement, Tate interviewed dozens of enlistees and veterans, the oldest having served in World War II and the youngest still in active duty in Iraq, with every American war in between represented. For an artist accustomed to writing from personal experiences, the lyrical process for American Soldier proved an invigorating challenge. “This was one of the more challenging records for me to write, lyrically, because I am not involved in the songs. It is not about me, and it’s not about how I feel. It is me interpreting stories from the perspectives of the soldiers and putting their words into lyric form, retelling the story in the most honest way that I could.

“As an artistic statement, I’m very happy with this album. I think we’ve said what we want to say and we’ve done it in a way that is respectful to the people that are involved,” he continues. “I hope that people talk about it and debate about it, and I hope it rubs some people the wrong way, because that rub is what inspires conversation. That’s what art should do.”
American Soldier was written by Tate and producer Jason Slater, along with drummer Scott Rockenfield, and contributors Kelly Gray and Damon Johnson. Slater returns to the Queensrÿche creative process in the same capacity that worked for the band with the writing and recording of Operation: Mindcrime II, which was released in 2006 and debuted at #14 on the Billboard Top 200, selling more than 40,000 records in its first week. The album was Queensrÿche’s highest chart debut since Promised Land, in 1994. Both Promised Land and Operation: Mindcrime (1988) have been certified platinum, selling more than one million albums each in America alone, and Empire (1990) has reached triple-platinum status. The band’s first three albums–their self-titled EP (1983), The Warning (1984), and Rage for Order (1986)–have all been certified gold, selling more than 500,000 copies each.
In a first for Queensrÿche, all of the guitar tracks on American Soldier were recorded by Michael Wilton.

With American Soldier Queensrÿche’s epic career continues, proving yet again that the only thing that can rival the band’s music is their vision. As Geoff Tate’s father says in the chilling introduction to “The Voice,” the album’s closing track, “You reap what you sow…”

Don’t be afraid…


-Paul Gargano (02.09)

Comment by TourTV on March 10, 2009 at 9:39am

QUEENSRΫCHE

AMERICAN SOLDIER

Track-by-Track with Geoff Tate


“SLIVER”

“Sliver” is the introduction of the soldier into the military environment. It is “boot camp”. Time to grow up and let go of your childhood and become an adult and move into the world arena.

Military Drill sergeants use the phrase, “welcome to the show” when referring to warfare and I used this as one of the main lines for the song. I had interviewed A.J. Fratto, a Navy rescue swimmer and crew chief for the Blue Angels, and later had him down to the studio to sing the lines for the song. All the lines of the songs were taken from the interviews I had conducted. These are the soldiers words: “This shit’s for real; there’s no where to hide.”

“UNAFRAID”

“Unafraid” is an interesting and different song for Queensrÿche. It’s different because we used the soldiers’ own words from the interviews as the verses for the song. Not only do we have people other than myself performing the verses, but they’re not even singing—they’re speaking. The two men are talking about conflicts of different time frames—one Vietnam and the other Kosovo—and in listening one would get the impression that they were talking about the same situation, because they are saying some of the same things.

Musically, it’s a pretty adventurous track. We constructed the music around the verses. If you listen, the guitar in the verses is in mono, not stereo, so there is room to hear what is being said. On the chorus, the music changes to stereo again with me singing the lyrics. There are a lot of interesting audio things going on with this record, which is what makes it so effective to listen to with headphones.

“HUNDRED MILE STARE”

This is one of my favorite songs on the collection. I like the idea of what this song is saying, and the lyrics are almost hard for me to sing, because the soldier is saying, “What ever happened to people feeling a conviction and having faith in an idea and a belief? People can’t stand their ground. I’ve always known that it’s very black and white, and I have no fear of any judgment. The military has taught me that . . .” I find that statement to be really challenging, because I’m one of those vacillators that goes back and forth and tries to think of every angle, the cause and effect. That’s definitely not me talking! [Laughing]

The chorus talks about the mentality of the unstoppable force. If you’ve ever played a sport or have been on a roll writing music as a musician, you know that unstoppable feeling—that’s what this song is getting at. It’s a combat song, really. It’s one of my favorite melodic Queensrÿche songs. It’s very anthemic with really beautiful parts.

“AT 30,000 FT”

This song is about a pilot and his experience, which is very different from ground personnel. Pilots have a very different perspective on things, a very different job. The song deals with this particular soldier’s feelings of being separate from the devastation he is inflicting. He’s above it all, flying 30,000 feet in the air, dropping bombs on targets. He’s not involved in hand-to-hand ground combat. He said that it’s a strange feeling to know that you’ve just wiped out an entire city with a touch of a button, and then you’re back at the base, watching reruns of a TV show. It’s just another day at the office. There’s no emotional attachment to it like a guy who was in a platoon and may have lost buddies. The pilot is dealing with a whole different set of issues that are a lot harder to define . . .

I wrote this song, and then months later I got a chance to play it for Lynn, the pilot whom I wrote it about. We have it on camera. He was reading it, and tears were running down his face. I asked him what moved him, and he said the line, “The tortured, painful cries will never fall upon my ears, and never stain my elder years. My heartbeat is all I’ll feel.” He was disconnected from it all at the time, but now he thinks about it regularly.
There is a very effective musical section during the solo where Michael used the guitar to be representative of an airplane flying over the city dropping missiles and bombs, very chaotic.



“A DEAD MAN’S WORDS”

This was inspired by a situation that is very prevalent in the military. They have a policy that no soldier is left behind: If somebody is shot down behind enemy lines or in a man-down situation, the military mobilizes to get them to safety.
This is a story about a soldier that was shot down behind enemy lines and how a group of volunteers went in to rescue him. It’s told from the perspective of the soldier who was shot down and injured and the soldier who volunteered to go in and get him.

Last year on our American tour we had a contest to win a chance to sing on our record and a gentleman named Vince Solano won and sings the part of the rescuer.
The story is set in the Middle East, so we gave the music that feel with Middle Eastern modes and Arabian scales.

“THE KILLER”

Shoot or die? What are you going to do? On the battlefield, you have to make that decision and you have to react quickly. Fundamentally, I think the song is about judgment—making the call and standing by your actions. This song wasn’t inspired by any one interview; it was a combination of all of them. All the battle veterans I interviewed had the same perspective, kill or be killed.
The other idea represented in this song was how do non-military people relate to what the soldier experiences in battle. One soldier said that on his return from the Gulf War, his mother wouldn’t even talk to him because she thought that what he did as a soldier was disgusting; it went against her religion. She felt so strongly about it that she couldn’t even look him in the face. There’s a line in the song that other people have written before, and I have used in other songs, “You can’t begin to imagine where I’ve been until you’ve walked in my shoes.” It’s a very true statement and one that maybe we should all contemplate.
“MIDDLE OF HELL”

The title of this song came from a something a soldiers’ dad had said on the eve of his son’s deployment. He asked his son to be careful because he was going into hell. The soldier wrote back to his family a month after being overseas and told his dad “you were right, I’m in the middle of hell”. A soldier named Anthony was on humvee patrol in Baghdad. His vehicle was blown up with a buried mine and Anthony was severely injured and almost died. He said that patrolling the streets was incredibly tense because every time the vehicle would stop there were hundreds of people surrounding you and they didn’t seem happy. They didn’t want soldiers there. Everyone was dressed as a civilian so how do you know who the enemy is? How do you deal with that? You’re on constant alert, watching for something out of the ordinary.

He also told a story about being back home from his tour of duty and was pulled over by the police. When he asked what he was doing wrong, the officer said that he was driving down the middle of the road. Anthony said he was sorry, but he’d just gotten back from Iraq, where they couldn’t drive in the actual lanes because that’s where the bombs were. That inspired the line in the song, “We drive straight down the centerline. No mistakes, not like last time. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of Hell.” The chorus says, “I’m all right. I’ll be all right,” and that’s a mantra these guys constantly repeat to themselves. They may have lost an arm, a leg, and an eye, but they’ll still keep telling themselves they’re going to be all right.

Musically this turned out very hypnotic, it’s very representative of driving. I put down a saxophone solo that Michael plays off with the guitar, intercepting and colliding at different times so the song has a mesmerizing feel with an underlying tension.
“IF I WERE KING”

This is a song about guilt. A soldier who lost his friend in a firefight and spent a lot of time afterwards struggling with his feelings, wishing he could have done more to save his friend. The song is saying if I were king, if I could do anything, I’d have you back in my life again, back by my side. I thought that was a very interesting and inspiring viewpoint.

“MAN DOWN!”

This was a bizarre story to me. It’s about a soldier who came back from his tour of duty and felt like he couldn’t connect and fit comfortably back into civilian life. He felt like he could not stay in one place. He had to keep moving. So he bought a car, packed everything he had into it, and spent six years driving across the country, back and forth and up and down. That struck me as very David Lynch-like.

The military has an expression, “Man Down,” which identifies an injured soldier and is a call to organize a rescue. To me, this soldier was injured, in need of rescue because he didn’t have the tools to handle his emotions. There are a couple of lines in it that are taken from his description of his never-ending road trip. “The Cavalry of God” was a tour bus painted with religious slogans carrying pilgrims and gospel singers

“REMEMBER ME”

One of the soldiers was telling me about his experience with his wife. He had been married very young, at 19, and the stress of being away from each other and in a very dangerous situation, as well as the age factor, made the relationship one that didn’t last. That seemed to be a common thread with a lot of the people I talked to.

“HOME AGAIN”

There is a lot of emotion attached to this song. The whole idea of separation between loved ones is one of my favorite topics, perhaps because I live and breathe it being away from my kids and my wife while touring. You miss them so much, and it’s like you live two separate lives. When you’re a soldier and you’re away, it’s very difficult to bridge those two worlds.
This song is inspired by a series of letters. The correspondence was between a soldier/father and his young daughter back at home. He was laughing about how he thought it was really cute to him that in the letters, they were both saying the same things and even using the same terminology. Those kinds of coincidences really get to me. Because it was a father-daughter relationship, I asked my daughter Emily, who is ten years old, to sing the song with me. She did a wonderful performance, so innocent. I’d never shared a lead vocal with one of my kids before and emotionally; it was one of the toughest songs for me to sing on the record.

“THE VOICE”

The song opens with my father talking. All my life I’d been waiting for him to open up and talk about his experiences in Korea and Vietnam. Now in his seventies, he finally did and it was my inspiration for this record, so it only seemed natural to have his voice on it.

Several of the soldiers I interviewed talked about being injured, being on the edge of death and being brought back. That kind of situation is always interesting to me, hearing what they felt, what they saw, and what happened. Some people see a light and others hear voices, and that is what this song is about, the voice you hear in your head. From what I gather, there’s quite a struggle for people at that point. Some people say they’re ready to go, and others will kick, scream and claw, clinging to life with all their strength. “Don’t be afraid” is a very powerful phrase that we all grow up with. Our parents constantly tell us, “Don’t be afraid.” I think that if you were lying there badly wounded, the voices you’d hear in your head are your parents’, saying “Don’t be afraid.” Or … maybe it’s God.