Whatever happened to the guys in WALL OF SILENCE ? I left Wall of Silence in 1992 shortly after the release of the 2nd album. We had a number of issues at A&M considering that they had been purchased by Polygram. The corporate shuffle left us hanging and our record didnt get the attention within the record company.
Do you still see any other members of THE WORKS/WALL OF SILENCE ? I havent seen any of the guys since the split. Unfortunately, Phil Parmentier who joined as our bass player in1991 after the recording of the second disc, was tragically killed in an automobile accident about 4 months ago. Im not sure what any of the other guys are doing.
You also worked with LORELEI ... what did you mainly do with her ? Lorelei was great. I wrote some songs for her and we wrote a couple of songs together. I also produced a number of other tracks for her. About two years ago, she decided to go out live and has been singing on a cruise ship in the Carribean ever since.
Now your working with CY CURNIN of THE FIXX, when can we see the result of that ? Cy and I started working together about four years ago. We have written some great stuff together, including the title track on his upcoming solo release, "Mayfly". The disc was produced by Bruce Gaitsch and recorded in L.A. I spoke to Cy last week and he told me that the disc will be coming out in Europe first, sometime around July,1998. The Fixx also have a new disc coming out in America in April,98. Ill keep you posted on that.
Is "Cast Off" your 1st solo album ? "Cast Off" is my first solo project. I had started to catalogue the backlog of song ideas and I realized that there was a common thread running through a number of tracks. Having been classically trained as a kid, I had always been fascinated by strings and orchestra and thought how cool it would be to amalgamate those ideas with a new kind of percussive/ambient sound.
How long did you worked on this CD ? Three tracks for "Cast Off" were written around March-April, 97, and the rest were written from August, 97 to November, 97. I recorded and mixed the CD from August-December,97 and mastered in January, 98.
What audience do you think to reach with this solo album ? My intention when I did this disc was to get this music from in my head on to CD. I wasnt thinking at all about demographics. Now that Im hearing comments back from people, its interesting to note that my kids love it and their friends call it "scary music"!!! and adults are finding other elements pleasing. Id love the best of all worlds and appeal to anyone, any age who likes this kind of music.
Do you still perform live on stage in Canada ? I havent performed live in Canada since "Wall of Silence". Touring is certainly not what it used to be. Ive spent most of my time in the studio, producing and writing. Which doesnt say that I wont tour this CD. Im thinking about possible setups for live playing, including the possibility of live strings etc.
Who are your favorite musicians to work with in the studio & on stage? My favorite players to work with include Cy Curnin, who is the most accurate, professional vocalist I have ever worked with. Its a pleasure to be in a room with him. Brian Stanley, who played bass for Cy and I in New York, was also unbelievable. Hes played with Joe Cocker and Bryan Adams. I loved working with Brian because his rapport in the studio makes it easy to communicate ideas back and forth and therefore come up with great tracks. My guitar player, Kevin Briggs, is an awesome player. Hes schooled in rock and jazz and has an amazing understanding of music theory. His ability to quickly get to the meat of the track is evident every time we work together. Kevin is coming in to my studio soon to record some new material that he has written. Im also presently working with a singer/songwriter from Ontario named Dave Anderson. Hes an excellent writer and Im producing a CD for him.
Whats the next step for STUART ZALTZ after this solo album? The next step for me is gathering material for a new CD. I hope to start recording some time in September, 98. We are also actively looking at the film industry for some film-scoring opportunities.
How many albums did you sold with THE WORKS ? and with WALL OF SILENCE? The Works had a great run in Canada and had 2 top-10 singles. As far as sales go, I have no real idea of numbers except to say that we never recouped the full monies that A&M put in.
Ready to form a band again ?If so who will be part of your outfit ? Were not quite commited to a line-up yet, but players will include Kevin Briggs on guitar, Dave Freeman on bass, Fannie Raine on vocals and percussion, and me.
Who is your keyboard hero ? I would have to say that my keyboard idol would be Mozart. Having been fortunate enough to play some Mozart during university, and study his life and works, he would be the one composer/player that I take a tremendous interest in and one whose life fascinates me.
If people try to buy this album but they cant find this somehow in their shops, where can they write & how can they pay for "Cast Off" ? If people would like to buy this disc....at present we are looking for distribution and until then you can e-mail me at castoff@interlynx.net |
