I find it honorable to be mentioned with Thin Lizzy as a reference: Interview with Ricky Warwick
A happy go lucky Northern Irishman with a cv that is quite impressive sits in a half cold California.
Talking a bit about the new album, the pandemic in the states, and the climate as a whole in his life.
Mr. Warwick is very invested and interested in talking about the whole election and you can feel the engagement from him when talking about the political climate and how it has affected life.
I almost get more energy talking about that then trying to get a few words about his new and pretty good album. We go via Northern Ireland to make some comparison in history there and what he sees as similarities between the countries and the effect that politics can have on a nation.
We also find out that the new album has also been recorded for a while but has not been released until now for obvious reasons. One area where Warwick has been quite active in is the digital concert business.
– I do more or less one show a month, through a channel I really like, you sell tickets and you almost build it up like a real (IRL) show. It gives me something to focus on, doing setlists, interact with the people watching. I have really, really enjoyed it and it has been really good for me. It has obviously helped financially as well. If you are not in the 10% of the mega selling artists of this world that can get by on record sales, you need to tour to get your salary. I would say that 70% of my income is from touring. As in all it has been nice to be able to play to people.
Going into the new album you find a few references that comes to mind when listening to this album; Bon Jovi, obviously Thin Lizzy and the more radio rock friendly references like 3 Doors Down. Personally, I did not expect this album to be as diverse as I found it.
– I find it honorable to be mentioned with Thin Lizzy as a reference. Me and Keith Nelson that co-produced this with me wanted to do a straight, in your face really simple rock n´roll record. Catchy melodies, guitar focused music. Not re-inventing the wheel really, we knew what we wanted to make from the get-go. I think we achieved that, and I am very, very proud of the album. I have been living with this album, it has been finished for almost two years.
With this I have to agree. The songs are not inventing anything new. But, they are as promised straight up rock songs. And good ones at that.
– Recording the album was a lot of sending file back and forward between us as a production unit and the guest artists that are spread around the world. It just makes sense to do that. Andy Taylor is in Ibiza, Joe Elliot is in Dublin. The only guest that came here and recorded in the studio was Dizzy Reed from Guns N´Roses. He is local anyway.
Going forward, how does life look for you during this pandemic?
– I think I am going to continue to do my digital shows, there is not really any choice. Hopefully with the vaccine being out there now and summer coming, I hope that touring can be an option soon. I do not see this summer as a reality regarding shows. Really not this year if I am honest. Hopefully 2022 we get back to playing live again. I cannot wait to get back out there again.
As you can read, we did not get into the new album so much. But we covered a bit of ground around how life is for a recording artist and how it effects life in general. I think for me, I might have to log on to one of the digital shows and see what it delivers.
