Keith Slack

You will remember Keith as the fella who took over the vocal duties on the Unforgiven World Tour in 1999. I got chatting to him about those hazy crazy days, and we decided to let you eavesdrop on our conversation....

So... Keith ... a lot of people have said that you were the one MSG vocalist who did justice to both the Mogg and Barden songs. Many UFO fans cringe when they hear anyone other than Phil Mogg singing Doctor Doctor or Lights Out - but you didn't seem to have that effect on us! Did you feel it was a big challenge to step into their shoes, or did you set out intending just to sing the songs your own way?

Well, I wanted to do the songs justice first off. Secondly, I know how it is being a fan and hearing your favorite songs being butchered. So I did a lot of studying and listening, but at the same time I wanted to put a little bit of soul and depth in there too. Because I didn't want to be known as just a cover tune singer, I wanted people to get a taste of who I was and where I came from and not just say 'Oh, look there's another singer up front again'.

What was your favorite MSG song to sing live? Hmmm, I would have to say that "Written in the Sand" was my favorite MSG song. I know fans are probably saying; WHAT? But really, it's the closest song to my natural style so I was very comfortable singing that song, and it was soulful too. I think Leif (Sundin) could have taken MSG to the next level had the timing been right.

And your favourite UFO song? My favorite UFO song to sing was ALL OF THEM! No, if I had to choose just one I'd say "LIGHTS OUT". I like the parody beat that takes off of "Achilles last Stand". I think every band in the 70's tried to capture that groove for their own. UFO did a damn good job of it too.

Are there any songs that you've heard (by any artistes) that you would love to tackle in a different way to how they are traditionally sung? Oh heck yeah! Lots! I think nowadays is an especially good time to do all the stuff that's been overlooked. The markets are flooded with this new alternative (what's that anymore?) dreaded de-tuned 'Oh my life sucks' music. Which I guess has its place like all, but I think the markets have to eventually get back to realism and where it all came from. So yeah, I'd like to do some killer re-makes of stuff like Sly and the family Stone, Motown etc… but make it rock and swing too. Great!

Schenker has a reputation of being difficult to work with on tour. How was he when you were with him? You know, he was very nice and polite to me. I didn't see much of him though. Maybe I didn't get to see what other people have seen, but I only judge the way a person treats me personally and not what I've been told by others. That's fair!

Would you work with him again? Depends on the circumstances. I mean, we're at different places in our lives musically, but you never know what will happen in the future.

Who are the vocalists you most admire, and who were most influential on your style of singing? Wow, I could go to the extreme here. But I'll try and keep it short. I have been influenced by every singer with soul. I don't necessarily mean soul singers when I say that. Everyone from Ronnie James Dio to Kim Wilson of the Thunderbirds. My favorites change all the time. The ones that are moving me all the time are: Hendrix, Robert Plant, Doyle Bramhall II, Paul Rodgers, Doug Pinnick etc… etc… etc… Those guys never stop amazing me.

At what stage in your life did you decide music was the way forward? Forward??? Ha ha. I started playing drums at age four. I tore Mom's Tupperware to shreds, and they finally bought me a drum set. Which I also tore to shreds! Ha ha ha. Popular child, huh? And how did the transition from drums to vocals happen? You know, friends had always told me to sing. I just though my voice sucked and wasn't going to budge on the subject. Finally sometime in '95 a friend dragged me out to an open jam in LA, and after many beers, talked me into singing a few Zep songs. I thought, hell, here we are in a small club no one will see this. Wrong, everybody was there, I just didn't see them. Being sloshed and all. Well, I thank that guy everyday. 'Cause the next day the phone was ringing to come and sing and I was like 'Oh Hell what Have I done!' It worked out great though. Dave Marshall is whom I first sang with. It taught me a lot, and I had great fun working with him.

What job would you like to do if you weren't in this business? Well, if I couldn't choose any aspect of the music business, then I would have to say: Dirt Bike Racing. It's been so long though, I would probably break my neck.

Looking back at everything - the Mudpie, MSG, Steelhouse Lane days, etc., which part of your career are you most proud of? All of it. It's all been an unbelievable journey. Many ups and downs that couldn't and wouldn't be traded for anything. Even though some of it was really different for me stylistically, I've learned things that have taken musicians a lifetime to acquire. Just watching and learning from Mike Slamer advanced me by ten years at least. So I have no regrets whatsoever. That's a good result! Which was your biggest challenge? Steelhouse Lane! Mike is a perfectionist. The guy hears things that dogs only hear. He hears two cents sharp or flat either way. I am lucky that he has the patience that he does; otherwise I would have been without a gig. Anyone who has recorded six records with Mutt Lange has to be good. And he is. Awesome!

Which was the most rewarding, in an achievement kind of way? Recording-wise it was Steelhouse Lane. Touring-wise it was MSG. Mudpie was my own baby and the first attempt at songwriting, so it was awesome in a totally different way.

We love Barry and Shane cos not only are they excellent musicians, but they are errr..... a bag of laughs... a double act (Beavis and Butthead?) ... what was it like working with them on the Unforgiven World Tour? The absolute BEST!!! My throat never hurt from singing, just laughing. Man, hanging with those guys will stay in my memory book as some of the best times ever. That doesn't come as any surprise! I read that you were building your own studio. Tell us more about that. Well, I've been building this damn studio forever it seems! No, it's up and running fine but I always find something else that I have to have or need to get the tones I want. It's too expensive is what it is. From the time I started this project till now, I know how to assemble, build, tweak and speak computers. One time I didn't come out of the house for two weeks. Ha ha ha. I had computer parts sprawled across the floor everywhere. You say that like it's a bad thing, hahahaha. My friends were starting to get a little concerned. But it's all-good now!

What are your thoughts on the whole Napster/Audiogalxy thing - downloading music from the internet? Is that good or bad, and why? And does it affect the fortunes of any genres of music more than any other? Oh what a dichotomy this is. On one hand it lets people hear music that they might not have ever been able to get before. Also, it takes the power out of the corporate monsters' hands and places it with the artist, which is where it should have been all along. On the other hand, we musicians can't work for free. We have big bills to pay other than party expenses. It costs a fortune to record a record now days, not to mention promoting it and touring for it. So, I don't have any quick resolutions for the problem. I don't know if it affects one genre of music more than another or not. I would think that the older catalogues would suffer the most but I don't really know for sure.

What are your plans for the future? You said you have a new project in the pipeline which involved a lot more than just singing! Tell us all about that. Yes, the future! I am sooo excited about the new project I am doing that I don't know where to start. I'll start with the guitar player. Blake Sticker is his name and guitar is definitely his game! He's an eighteen year old prodigy from right here in Beaumont TX. I've been keeping a close eye on him for about three years now. He's a cross between Audley Freed from Cry of Love and Stevie Ray Vaughn. The new band "Six Ft. South" is a melting pot of everything that Blake and I love in music. The two of us do the songwriting. I am also playing drums, producing and engineering the whole thing as well. We'll probably get a drummer as it takes off, but for now I am really enjoying playing again. We're currently shopping a deal in Europe and Japan, so there are high hopes for this one. There is a local music and arts site that has really been good to us if any of you want to check us out, it's www.setmaar.com. You can either search for Keith Slack or Six Ft. South, and they stream the first three songs we've written. Hey, write a review! OK, will do! Thanks for chatting to us, and good luck with the Six Ft. South project! Thanks for the interest and thanks to all the fans everywhere who still make this business what it's supposed to be. FUN!

OK, you heard the man. Get down to www.setmaar.com and listen to the music and write a review, ok!