| 1. What are you currently up
to? |
Currently, I am in the midst of a worldwide Y&T tour, while
simultaneously performing with my solo band to support the release of
my second solo CD "Meniketti." In 2003, I will also be writing for
my next solo CD, and will be assembling previously unreleased Y&T
material to release this year.
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| 2.
What has been the highlight(s) and lowpoints(s) of your career
to date?
|
Highlights: First record deal; playing on American Bandstand; playing
for 66,000 people in my hometown at the Oakland coliseum; and present
day - the fun we are having playing for incredibly enthusiastic
audiences again; and, being able to stretch my chops and creativity
with my solo band.
Low points: Dealing with the record industry; dealing with the
entertainment industry; dealing with the music industry; having the
unfortunate insight as to what goes on in the business and why.
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| 3. Who have been your main influences through the years?
|
Jimi Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, Stevie
Wonder, James Brown, Gary Moore, Leslie West, Grand Funk, Alan
Holdsworth, Pat Metheny, and so many more that I can't recall at the moment.
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| 4. How did Y&T get their first break? What do you think made Y&T so
successful?
|
All of our breaks came with a lot of hard work on our part, paying
off in small increments along the way. Our intensity, the genuineness of our songwriting and playing, and
our devoted fans are all contributed to the success of Y&T.
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| 5. Y&T are playing the UK for the first time in a long while. What
sort of setlist can the fans expect and who is in the band now? Are Y&T purely a touring band now or could there be some new material in
the future?
|
Fans can expect to hear as many fan favorites as we can squeeze into
a set. Me (Dave Meniketti) on lead vocals and lead guitar, Phil
Kennemore on bass, Leonard Haze on drums, and either John Nymman or
Stef Burns on second guitar. As I mentioned above, we are putting
together a new CD of previously unreleased Y&T material. We are
taking it a step at a time.
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Photo: Bill Frates
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| 6. You also tour with your own band. Have you plans for more solo
albums in the future?
|
Absolutely! Being one of my biggest creative outlets, I will continue to further my solo career. I'll be writing for my 3rd solo
record in 2003.
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| 7. What has been the best career move you have made and why?
|
Making the Black Tiger record in England. Because of that move we
were able to take that opportunity to play big shows which led to
large tours and the opportunity to make a name for ourselves in the
UK and Europe, which furthered our career.
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| 8. Which song(s) give you the most pleasure to perform live and why?
|
In Y&T, I Believe In You, and Winds Of Change.
In Meniketti (my solo band), Take It Like A Man, Until The Next Time,
and Lay Me Down.
Each one of these songs takes me somewhere emotionally, many times to
the closest thing to an out-of-body experience. I'm a sucker for
ballads. Every night when we play these songs it's a different
performance.
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| 9. What do you do in your spare time outside of music?
|
Watch movies, hike, mess with computers.
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| 10. Message to your fans...
|
Thank you for decades of loyalty and incredible passion for the
band. That's what keeps us going. Please drop by meniketti.com and
join in with fans from around the world in the discussion forum. I
drop in to answer questions and chat with fans as often as I can.
It's a great big family atmosphere.
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