tag:johnnycolla.com,2005:/blogs/my-audio-obsession?p=2My Audio Obsession2022-09-28T08:22:42-07:00Johnny Collafalsetag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/70702422022-09-28T08:22:42-07:002023-10-16T08:00:24-07:00Putting the listener in the room<p>With "I Hear Other Voices", I tried to give the listener the feel that they're actually in the room with the singers by including banter, laughs, and instructions from the producer; stuff that’s usually cut out of most recordings. I think it makes for a fun listen -- even for me! -- and it's not often an artist can say they like hearing their own record. The singers were a joy to work with, and it comes through on the record. To this day, they put a smile on my face!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/70541992022-09-06T10:55:11-07:002022-09-06T10:55:11-07:00Johnny on the podcast Nacion Stereo<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://spoti.fi/3CSjh0h" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/a48aee5c7f9393fa33d26b5cafb4af13085f1879/original/johnny-colla-nacion-stereo.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Listen to Johnny's interview on the podcast Nacion Stereo at: </p>
<p><a contents="https://spoti.fi/3CSjh0h&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://spoti.fi/3CSjh0h" target="_blank">https://spoti.fi/3CSjh0h </a></p>
<p>Or if you prefer the Spanish version, go to: </p>
<p><a contents="https://spoti.fi/3CP0J1b" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://spoti.fi/3CP0J1b" target="_blank">https://spoti.fi/3CP0J1b</a></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/70317942022-08-05T15:38:59-07:002022-08-05T15:38:59-07:00Video - National Anthem At Giants Game<p>"Johnny Colla and The Sports Section Horns" had the honor of performing our National Anthem at Oracle Park in SF this past Saturday, retiring Will ‘The Thrill’ Clark’s # 22. Huey was also in attendance to announce The Giants starting line-up, and who knows? Maybe next time around he’ll conduct the section!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="_qz2nPFIJKM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/_qz2nPFIJKM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_qz2nPFIJKM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/70276322022-07-31T09:17:11-07:002022-08-01T17:12:55-07:00San Francisco Giants Game<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/1248d93fb2a721559609d3d929c05702cf154d71/original/giants-4.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/3e2934b74956a5e5f7812d2093861277ee6da05e/original/giants-5.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />What a day! There may be no bigger thrill than going on the field and playing the Anthem at Oracle Park for forty thousand people. Will 'The Thrill' Clark gave the speech of his life, and I was honored to be a part of retiring #22!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69962202022-06-17T10:23:51-07:002022-06-17T10:23:51-07:00Part 3: Music Night at the Majestic<p>"Johnny tells us about filming the video "Doing It All For My Baby", hanging out with and recording a few of the San Francisco 49'ers vocals on "Hip To Be Square", how Huey came to sing on "We Are The World" (he wasn't supposed to...) and a lot more..."</p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9uPrnFvd3yk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69750422022-05-19T10:45:59-07:002022-05-19T10:48:12-07:00Fans In Motion Podcast<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b_HmhF5aScg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>Check out Johnny on the "Fans In Motion" podcast as he shares stories about the early days of the Bay Area music scene. </p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69722332022-05-16T08:44:01-07:002022-05-16T08:44:01-07:00Sound Waves Magazine<p>Thank you to Sound Waves Magazine for the interview. "Johnny Colla's Hearing Voices Again" - <a contents="Read it here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.swaves.com/EmagV6/May2022/index.html?page=6" target="_blank">Read it here</a>: </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.swaves.com/EmagV6/May2022/index.html?page=6" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/52f68c6a7624b9ccc4c465600e3f5f88937fd93a/original/soundwaves-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69702822022-05-13T07:27:45-07:002022-05-13T07:27:45-07:00Music Night Interview - Part 2<p>Part 2 of Johnny's interview on Music Night At The Majestic. "Johnny Colla chronicles the bands albums from 'Fore!' to 'Weather', as well as his solo albums." </p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7iWcXevgnKo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69651802022-05-06T08:06:48-07:002022-05-06T08:06:48-07:00Interview - Music Night At The Majestic<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wFUWd70cNZE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>"In Part 1 of his conversation with Michael Boswell, Johnny Colla, an original member of Huey Lewis & The News, chronicles his career. From the bands of his youth to backing Van Morrison, becoming a member of Sly & The Family Stone and, of course, The News."</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69575112022-04-26T13:45:50-07:002022-04-26T13:45:50-07:00Mark Harrelson On The New Album<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/bdcf3ad7b88cbabef6b1709f104e154788c65e3a/original/mark-harrelson.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>“I just got a little preview of Johnny Colla’s newest release, <a contents="'I Hear Other Voices!!" data-link-label="Listen & Own It!" data-link-type="page" href="/listen-own-it">'I Hear Other Voices!!</a>' Know what I hear? I hear the musical brains and vocal arranging smarts behind a raft of gold and platinum hits for Huey Lewis & The News, along with the production and playing chops of someone who’s spent time in the trenches with the likes of Sly Stone, Van Morrison and many others. Johnny’s equally at home around the microphone or behind the console. His original tunes are solid and his covers are always refreshing. He blows a mean sax and he ain’t too bad on the guitar either! Take a listen. If you ain’t dead, I’m pretty sure you’ll dig it . . .” </p>
<p>-- Mark Harrelson – Producer/Musicologist, Boutwell Recording, Birmingham, Alabama</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69469482022-04-12T15:45:53-07:002022-04-12T15:45:53-07:00The Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White Show<p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write" frameborder="0" height="180" src="https://omny.fm/shows/rock-talk-with-mitch-lafon-1/johnny-colla-huey-lewis-the-news-hears-voices/embed?style=cover" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>Guitarist & saxophonist Johnny Colla (Huey Lewis & The News) drops in to talk about his latest solo album 'I Hear Other Voices'. Plus, we talk working with Mutt Lange, what's happening with Huey Lewis - "The Brand" and much more!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69418322022-04-06T09:17:14-07:002022-04-06T09:17:14-07:00The Mutt Lange Story<p>A segment from my recent interview with Mitch Lafon </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="nwtmJpcqWSQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/nwtmJpcqWSQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nwtmJpcqWSQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69173092022-03-08T14:22:00-08:002022-03-08T14:22:00-08:00More on ‘Naturally’ . . . <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/7c7c486224e4529d5ba2d42df21ee2e9f4d93211/original/naturally-track-sheet.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Before we were writing songs for what became "Fore!" I had an 8-track recording rig at my home; that's what I cut “Birds & Bees” on (the inspiration for “Naturally”). In 2012, when I was recording my album "I Hear Voices," I revisited my original demo and actually used some of the tracks. For instance, Chris Hayes and Michael Duke played on that original demo, and 30 years later their contributions are on my solo album. There's even a remnant of Duke’s piano on the follow-up album, “I Hear Other Voices!!” </p>
<p>(photo: Johnny's original track sheet for the song)</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/69059572022-02-24T07:49:40-08:002022-02-24T07:49:40-08:00"Local Legends" Interview<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="cJVrFXmRZWk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/cJVrFXmRZWk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cJVrFXmRZWk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>FRESH INTERVIEW! Johnny sits down with ‘Local Legends’ host (and good friend) Tony Wade. They discuss the new album, the project he is working on now, early bands, going on his first tour with Van Morrison, and, of course, his 40+ years in Huey Lewis & The News.</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68984832022-02-15T10:52:21-08:002022-02-15T10:52:21-08:00Naturally<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/7c7c486224e4529d5ba2d42df21ee2e9f4d93211/original/naturally-track-sheet.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>"With 'Naturally,' what were you looking to do differently from the a cappella version on Huey Lewis & The News' 'Fore' album?” </p>
<p>Johnny: EVERYTHING!!! It wasn't so much what I wanted to do differently, but more about returning to my original concept of the song. When I was recording my album "I Hear Voices!", I revisited my original demo and fell back in love with my '6/8 waltz’ concept. I think my version makes for a better ‘love song’ . . . how about you? </p>
<p>(photo: the original track sheet for what became "Naturally")</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68941552022-02-10T10:56:49-08:002022-02-10T10:56:49-08:00Pat Simmons of The Doobie Brothers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/0bdde21858b054da2113b58892a4de795a4a052f/original/pat-simmons-2.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><strong>Pat Simmons of The Doobie Brothers</strong> - “I just listened to Johnny Colla’s <a contents="“I Hear Other Voices!!”" data-link-label="Listen & Own It!" data-link-type="page" href="/listen-own-it">“I Hear Other Voices!!”</a> . . . man, those are voices I will never get tired of hearing! Amazing vocal and horn arrangements on some of my all-time favorite songs, and Johnny nailed it. As a kid I literally wore the grooves out on my ‘Lover Please’ single! It’s timeless music that’ll put a smile on your face and make you wanna dance and sing along.”</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68342452021-12-08T13:26:45-08:002021-12-08T13:26:45-08:00Kind Words From Jamie Kent<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/66c2aff23dc962c56d50017eb0ef1742a9055728/original/jamie-kent.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>"I always knew Johnny was a legend when it came to songwriting, playing and arranging; now I've got to add singing to the top of that list. Damn man, save some talent for the rest of us!" </p>
<p>-- Jamie Kent, Singer / Songwriter, on Johnny's new album "<a contents="I Hear Other Voices" data-link-label="Listen & Own It!" data-link-type="page" href="/listen-own-it">I Hear Other Voices</a>"</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68302412021-12-04T11:50:25-08:002021-12-04T11:50:25-08:00BBC Radio<p>Thank you to BBC Radio Cumbria for having me on to talk about the song "Working Over Christmas" by Wox...</p>
<p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="476" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbbccumbria%2Fvideos%2F964630524127166%2F&show_text=false&width=476&t=0" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="476"></iframe></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68240772021-11-29T05:12:48-08:002021-11-29T05:12:48-08:00Album Signing Event<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/bf34ee45e7b0dc7d9fe368de0120f270411d8bfe/original/suison.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Who says “YOU CAN NEVER GO HOME AGAIN”??? Johnny’s doing just that - along with CD signings and selfies - at his one-and-only hometown Suisun City, California, smack-dab between his childhood home and ‘Grandma’s House’!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68194642021-11-23T14:28:22-08:002021-11-23T14:28:22-08:00Christie-Claire<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/4cb22b195f1fd4165fa85f0fb2be27e422c2669f/original/johnny-and-christie.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>"This version of 'Mama Said' on <a contents="'I Hear Other Voices" data-link-label="Listen & Own It!" data-link-type="page" href="/listen-own-it">'I Hear Other Voices</a>' is also different because you threw in a flirting reference to your wife." </p>
<p><strong>Johnny:</strong> Singing this from a guy's perspective, it was only fitting I use a feminine name in that verse, and 'Christie-Claire' worked great; it sang great. (AND I think I scored some big ‘husband points’!) Interestingly, I recorded the line before she legally changed her name to Christie-Claire. How cool is that???</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68105242021-11-15T12:34:46-08:002021-11-15T12:34:46-08:00A Different Sound And Texture<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/3081a697cf1f3fc9c16f8d314cf8e521ca3b3755/original/other-cd.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>"Some of these songs on "<a contents="Voices" data-link-label="Listen & Own It!" data-link-type="page" href="/listen-own-it">Voices</a>" were staples of the Huey Lewis & The News a cappella set. Did you approach these differently / write up the charts for these differently for "Voices" than you did for HLN?" </p>
<p><strong>Johnny:</strong> First and foremost, Huey’s a baritone while I’m a tenor, so I had to move the keys up a bit from the HLN versions. I also (obviously) wanted a different sound and texture for my solo project, the most obvious being the addition of female voices. And really, between those two elements and some ‘almost a cappella’ percussion, I stayed pretty true to all my original arrangements. I mean, they worked for HLN . . . why not Johnny Colla?</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/68022092021-11-08T13:44:51-08:002021-11-08T13:44:51-08:00"Mama Said"<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/29ab495762efe6a5bca968da1cb096f68c5cfd3d/original/posed-7.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>As I was making the first "Voices," "Mama Said" was just a dead fish. It just laid there . . . no spark, no fire. It just wasn't ringing like all the other tracks. But when I took the instrumentation away and listened to the vocals, they were pretty darned good! I figured out how to prop the BVs up a little bit with some shaker, claps and a little bass, and it just fit right in with my vision for "I Hear Other Voices!!” </p>
<p>Listen at <a contents="https://smarturl.it/othervoices-colla" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://smarturl.it/othervoices-colla" target="_blank">https://smarturl.it/othervoices-colla</a></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/67818362021-10-20T10:43:06-07:002021-10-20T10:43:06-07:00"Slow Twistin'"<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-zIyMph-qVE" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/-zIyMph-qVE/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-zIyMph-qVE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Check out the new lyric video for "Slow Twistin'", the first single from the album "I Hear Other Voices!! (Hardly Strictly A Cappella)"! <a contents="Buy the CD" data-link-label="Listen & Own It!" data-link-type="page" href="/listen-own-it">Buy the CD</a> via the website! Download and streaming options available soon!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/67579502021-09-26T10:27:48-07:002021-09-26T10:27:48-07:00Power Of Love<p>The first “Power Of Love” song pitch to “Back To The Future” writer/director Robert Zemekis was a demo Huey and Chris Hayes worked up, now long lost. It didn’t get an outright ‘rejection’ - more along the lines of 'keep working on it, maybe make it a little more upbeat and peppy’ - those hazy suggestions non-musicians like to use. Huey proposed bringing me onboard to rework the tune, and Chris and I produced a subsequent demo with ‘UP!’ in mind. As small as my contribution was, those two chord stabs on beats 4 & 1 at the intro, choruses and outro (along with a different production ‘attitude’) radically changed the complexion of the song, and Zemekis bought the program.</p>
<p>And now it is part of the London Theater scene...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/2e84e1ba3685ec1760605e45f765372f91120252/original/bttf-musical.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/67186332021-08-16T12:45:21-07:002021-08-16T13:19:01-07:00A break from familiarity<p>"Why did you choose not to use members of ‘Huey Lewis and The News’ to make ‘Lucky Devil’?" </p>
<p>I didn’t use the guys probably for the same reasons Huey didn’t use HLN during his hiatus in 1993-94. I wanted a break from familiarity . . . something more edgy. I think Gibson plays on a track or two, but that’s it. At that point in time I’d put in over thirteen years with HLN, and I wanted to work with some ‘new blood’ for a fresh take on my stuff. </p>
<p>There’s that, and it’s a hell of a lot easier to tell folks what to play and sing when you’re the boss! HLN was (and is) a well-oiled production machine - a real democracy in that sense – and it served us well. I suppose ‘<a contents="Lucky Devil" data-link-label="Listen, Enjoy, Buy . . ." data-link-type="page" href="/listen-enjoy-buy">Lucky Devil</a>’ was my little autocracy, and I wanted some new ‘scrappy’ enthusiasm and attitude as the songs developed.</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/67048052021-08-02T13:30:22-07:002021-08-02T13:30:22-07:00A Critical Ear<p>There are those folks for whom music is just a soothing background soundtrack to their lives, and there’s nothing wrong with that. They hear a song and it makes them feel a little happier while they’re cooking, cleaning, changing a carburetor, whatever… it’s familiar and comforting. </p>
<p>Then there are those other folks who are not overly critical, but who like to go a little deeper. They think about the lyrics and their meaning, and maybe consider how that “marries” with the music. But that’s as far as they can take it. Maybe they played an instrument in high school or something. </p>
<p>Then there are the obsessed, like me, who constantly listen with a critical ear, which I’ve finally realized is both a blessing and a curse… I can’t just relax and listen to a song without picking it apart, but I also realize what a gift being able to do that is. What the hell… it's my career.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/6cbf31a3948ea6140c5546115243b34e6e575197/original/mixing-board.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66993132021-07-27T08:18:12-07:002021-07-27T08:18:12-07:00The "Lucky Devil" Musicians<p>(<a contents='Order your copy of "Lucky Devil"' data-link-label="Listen, Enjoy, Buy . . ." data-link-type="page" href="/listen-enjoy-buy">Order your copy of "Lucky Devil"</a>)</p>
<p>"Who are the players and singers on ‘Lucky Devil’?" </p>
<p>John Mader - drums </p>
<p>Glenn Letsch - bass </p>
<p>Ric Wilson - guitar </p>
<p>Garth Webber - guitar </p>
<p>Gary Potterton - guitar </p>
<p>David Fredericks – guitar, backing vocals - Dave was not only the ‘old fishing buddy’ I alluded to, but we also co-wrote several of the songs for ‘Lucky Devil’. </p>
<p>Henry Salvia - keyboards </p>
<p>Tony Lufrano - keyboards </p>
<p>Dalice Craft – backing vocals </p>
<p>Loralee Christiensen – backing vocals </p>
<p>Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals </p>
<p>Sandy Griffith – backing vocals </p>
<p>Conesha Monet Owens – backing vocals </p>
<p>Beth Reynolds – backing vocals</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/0e7c33f03822178b221f1f8c588007a888b1b08d/original/LuckyDevil-copy.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50LnNpdGV6b29nbGUuY29tIn0=/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66925792021-07-19T17:38:31-07:002021-07-19T17:38:31-07:00Time Ain’t Money<p>[<a contents='Get a copy of "Lucky Devil"' data-link-label="Listen, Enjoy, Buy . . ." data-link-type="page" href="/listen-enjoy-buy">Get a copy of "Lucky Devil"</a>] </p>
<p>"Why did you choose to record 'Time Ain’t Money’ for the 'Lucky Devil' album?" </p>
<p>I’m probably going to bruise a few egos, but in spite of John McFee’s burning, stunning steel guitar, HLN’s version of this tune on ‘Hard At Play’ missed the mark for me. I had always envisioned it as a tougher ‘Americana Grinder’, and there was never a doubt my original vision of the tune was going to end up on ‘Lucky Devil’. It was an early pick.</p>
<p> </p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66849512021-07-11T12:46:20-07:002021-07-11T12:46:20-07:00The "Lucky Devil" Songs<p>[<a contents='Get your copy of "Lucky Devil"' data-link-label="Listen, Enjoy, Buy . . ." data-link-type="page" href="/listen-enjoy-buy">Get your copy of "Lucky Devil"</a>] </p>
<p>"How did the songs for ‘Lucky Devil’ come about?" </p>
<p>You know, after a couple decades of songwriting in earnest, by the early nineties I had written and accumulated a lot of, shall we say, ‘misses’ (or were they misfits?) . . . songs that never got covered by HLN . . . or anyone else for that matter! But I felt like the songs fit me – they resonated with me - so at some point I started weeding through all of them in an effort to put a cohesive first project together. </p>
<p>The cowriters range from an old fishing buddy to Clover’s Alex Call, Producer John Tiven, and a host of other writers I never actually met. Even though I wrote or co-wrote eight of the ten tunes, I was not above cutting an outside song if I thought it fit the project. Such was the case with Alex’s ‘New Romeo’ and Eddie Angel’s ‘Your Old Boyfriend’ (originally titled ‘Your Old Girlfriend’).</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/ab4e57dc3a508e58de740622ed816c2d0bc7a370/original/JC.LD.Fix.Site.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50LnNpdGV6b29nbGUuY29tIn0=/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66843382021-07-10T11:35:08-07:002021-07-10T11:35:57-07:00The Start Of "Lucky Devil"<p>[<a contents='Get a copy of "Lucky Devil"' data-link-label="Listen, Enjoy, Buy . . ." data-link-type="page" href="/listen-enjoy-buy">Get a copy of "Lucky Devil"</a>] </p>
<p>"What was going on back in 1993 with Huey Lewis & The News when you started work on 'Lucky Devil'?" </p>
<p>Interesting question! After our ’Small World’ release (and thirteen years together!) Huey decided to break camp and do some recording on his own. ‘The Guy Who Wanted To Be A Singer’ (me!) figured this was the right time to finally go after my first solo project, and I jumped on it . . . at first. </p>
<p>I’m almost embarrassed to say I started the record in 1993, and when HLN decided to reconvene for ‘Four Chords & Several Years Ago’ I had to put my project on hold. Between touring and our ‘Plan B’ release (2001), I scrambled to find the time to get ‘Lucky Devil’ completed. I think it holds up pretty well!</p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="Listen, Enjoy, Buy . . ." data-link-type="page" href="/listen-enjoy-buy"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/0e7c33f03822178b221f1f8c588007a888b1b08d/original/LuckyDevil-copy.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50LnNpdGV6b29nbGUuY29tIn0=/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66814062021-07-07T10:48:16-07:002021-07-07T10:48:16-07:00That First Solo Album<p>[<a contents='Get a copy of "Lucky Devil"' data-link-label="Listen, Enjoy, Buy . . ." data-link-type="page" href="/listen-enjoy-buy">Get a copy of "Lucky Devil"</a>] </p>
<p>"What inspired you to make your own record?" </p>
<p>Well shoot . . . it’s no secret I’ve always been 'The Guy Who Wanted To Be A Singer In A Band’’. . . But after a few failed attempts in high school and college (must have been the song material!) success in the music business came my way in other forms. I mean, Van Morrison? Sly Stone?? Huey Lewis??? I learned it takes a whole lot more than just hitting the right notes from those three cats! I wore many hats working with those bands, and in hindsight I now realize it was all a learning experience leading up to my first effort, ‘Lucky Devil’. Maybe more importantly, I was learning how to write songs and make records along the way.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/0e7c33f03822178b221f1f8c588007a888b1b08d/original/LuckyDevil-copy.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50LnNpdGV6b29nbGUuY29tIn0=/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66782292021-07-03T12:37:39-07:002021-07-03T12:37:39-07:00Birthday 2021<p>Johnny: What more could a guy ask for? And thanks for all the birthday wishes.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="8LfRu8WGVeA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/8LfRu8WGVeA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8LfRu8WGVeA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66484892021-06-03T10:51:24-07:002021-06-03T10:51:24-07:00Mama Said<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/33e82058c8d89c483cacec0b47e1d71b236df8fe/original/shirelles-mama-said-scepter.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>While putting together my upcoming album “I Hear Other Voices!! (Hardly Strictly A Cappella),” I found an unfinished track . . . BONUS! Huey and The News fans might recognize my arrangement of The Shirelles' “Mama Said” because that’s when I first worked up my arrangement. Back when I cut “I Hear Voices!” I can remember thinking it was a dead fish. It was just laying there. This time around I punched it up with some hand claps and tambourine, added a few vocal parts to fill out the harmonies, and it really came into its own for this project.</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66427472021-05-28T12:02:11-07:002021-05-28T12:02:11-07:00Vocal Character<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/6d87673213a63eb357612ed4fdebb4f91e93b85d/original/dsc-0715.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>I never really had a lot of vocal "character" until I got older and started beating my voice up a good deal. A lot of singers do that, start smoking and screaming a lot in the shower, all that stuff. A good friend of mine, Bill Champlin, who's got an amazing voice, told me his story. He said when he was a kid, he wanted to sound like Lou Rawls more than anything in the world. He just loved Lou Rawls. So he started smoking, playing a million clubs, doing all those things we all did back then. He told me, "30 years later all I can do is sound like Lou Rawls!"</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66305232021-05-14T12:09:14-07:002021-05-14T12:09:14-07:00Different Musical Colors<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/fd6e86e112940ec509b1744e397dba50e5519d18/original/1176148-orig.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>For my solo projects, I could easily sing the lead vocal and all the backing vocals myself, but then it would just sound like 19 Johnny Collas… the sound becomes very homogenous. So the fun for me is to bring in folks who can just sing the hell out of this stuff and make my mediocre lead vocal sound better! (hahaha) On my soon-to-be-released album, “I Hear Other Voices!!”, there’s at least nine, maybe ten singers on backing vocals. I use them and think of them as different musical ‘colors’.</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66221112021-05-07T10:16:58-07:002021-05-07T10:16:58-07:00Backup Singers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/ca9b70938b60419626681d91ff35ffd695787e27/original/jclds06-copy.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>"For your solo projects, what do you look for in a backup singer?" </p>
<p>Johnny: I consider the song. What's the genre? What’s the song’s attitude and the message in the lyrics? What’s the song itself ’telling me’ . . . 2, 3, or 4 part harmony? Large group choir? Then there’s the production side; who’s the lead singer, what’s their singing style, and what is she/he looking for in the song? So it’s complicated, but then again sometimes the choices are very obvious. Arranging and laying down BVs in the studio is by far one of my most favorite ‘tasks’ . . . BVs aren't the ‘cherry on top', but they’re certainly the ‘whipped cream’ . . .</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66221092021-05-05T09:04:04-07:002021-05-05T09:04:04-07:00Quality Ideas<p>"What drives you be so productive?” </p>
<p>Johnny: I think I'm becoming more fruitful in my, uh, venerable years, and let’s face it; at some point in time you feel like you’re running out of it! I also feel like I have more ‘quality’ ideas than I did when I was younger - ‘riper fruit’ or some such thing - and that inspires me to see those meaningful ideas through. I’ve got about twenty songs ‘in the bag’ for future solo projects, and the oddest part is, I actually like most of them! Go figure . . . .</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66184032021-04-30T13:12:51-07:002021-04-30T13:12:51-07:00Drawn To Soulful Singers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/5e7f388c88711b78ead374cb710fff496bcc5b0f/original/johnny-37.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>"Who did you want to sound like when you were growing up, when you started singing?" </p>
<p><strong>Johnny:</strong> I don't know if I wanted to sound like anybody. I knew I could sing, but I for the longest time I didn’t know ‘who I was’ as a singer. One of my earliest musical memories is standing on my piano bench at ten years old or so, trying to emulate everyone from The Ray Conniff Singers to Ray Charles (when I was alone in the house, of course!). I’ve always leaned toward more soulful music, so maybe if I dropped dead and got a second chance on this planet I’d come back sounding like Lou Rawls or Paul Carrack . . .</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66160582021-04-28T07:33:37-07:002021-04-28T07:33:37-07:00Communicating With Backup Singers<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/b00daefffcd93e3182edb21dec44e366024afdc8/original/johnny-studio.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>"How do you communicate what you want to hear from a backup singer?" </p>
<p>Johnny - Well, for starters, I always have printed lyrics for the vocalists, and for most folks that becomes their 'scrawling pad’ . . . they doctor it up with breath marks, accents, swoops, capitals, cut-off slashes, dating service phone numbers, whatever helps them remember the nuances of the part. Ultimately, though, my most effective approach is to simply get in the room and sing the parts to them - work it out organically - until I hear what I’m going for, then go in the booth and press the big red record button.</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66141852021-04-26T10:19:26-07:002021-04-26T10:19:26-07:00Singing At Home<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/3728edfc2cae6526a5863ca9d56b28047e2aa9ab/original/B.WilsonFix.Site.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>“Are you constantly singing when you're at home?” </p>
<p>Johnny: Yeah, sort-of, but probably not how one would imagine. It’s mostly in my head and it’s more like constantly working; both the blessing and curse of this musical obsession I was born with. My home studio is just steps away, so whenever I have a worthy idea churning in my head I shoot downstairs and try to preserve it, either with pen to paper or recording. But do I walk around the house belting it out? Not really (maybe a little while I’m cooking!) My wife Christie is a classically trained singer, so when she puts the headphones on and starts letting loose I don't stand a chance . . . fierce competition! </p>
<p>(photo: Johnny, Brian Wilson, Christie)</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66101952021-04-21T10:21:43-07:002021-04-21T10:21:43-07:00Don't Let The Machines Control You<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/4892288c9dc40a3a69b103e6faad777dadd414e1/original/jc-cutting-hl-vocals.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>"What do you think about the advance of technology and the reliance on things like Pro Tools?” </p>
<p><strong>Johnny:</strong> So for those who don’t know, 'Pro Tools’ is a digital recording platform that has virtually replaced analog tape recording. I liken P-Tools to the Internet; there's a devil and an angel in there - and it has the capability of taking away the heart, soul and feel of a song . . . then again, that’s what some artists are after! Personally, I make sure I'm running the tools and the machines rather than the inverse. I use effects and ’studio tricks’ carefully (like the backward rocket sound at the beginning of ‘Hurry Back, Baby’) when I think it serves the song in some manner. A little ‘ear candy’ here and there ain’t a bad thing!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66082232021-04-19T09:55:12-07:002021-04-19T09:55:12-07:00No Formula<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/9bb88f70a3fce9dd64ee6b35f96e64475d403fcc/original/posed-2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Regarding songs I write for myself or outside artists, there's no formula. If I come up with a good lyric, I'll try and wrap suitable music around it. If I have a strong musical idea I can’t live without, I’ll try hard to find the right lyric. If I think I’m really on to something and I’m struggling, I might seek someone out to help me finish the idea off . . . in fact my next solo project has several collaborations.</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66062442021-04-16T14:38:42-07:002021-04-16T14:38:42-07:00The Goal<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/d8bc5b7dd8774d67ffb004dbe14485632bb8771b/original/johnny-46.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Good stories or heartbreakers . . . If I can put into words what someone else can't say themselves, I've done what I set out to do.</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66040252021-04-14T11:48:00-07:002021-04-14T11:48:00-07:00Unfinished Songs<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/989999e01ca09b40c0b75235b898d5d3c1fcc7f8/original/posed-3-christie-claire-colla.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Some songs just come out, you know? Pow! It's wonderful. And others . . . well, I've got some great hooks, lyrics and music from 15-20 years ago that I've never finished, but it looks like I’ve got a little time on my hands now to get ‘em all done . . . should be interesting!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/66017002021-04-12T09:13:51-07:002021-04-12T09:14:39-07:00Vocal Character<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/6af75f7f1a4577df858ccf78347267fd94914459/original/johnny-9.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>I suppose I’m overstating the obvious when I say everyone's voice changes over time, and this occurs throughout our lives. Mine has definitely roughened up a bit. It's got more character than it used to have, and it's actually changed the way I approach the ‘attitude’ of any given vocal . . . I think that's a good thing!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/65992292021-04-09T08:01:27-07:002021-04-09T08:03:16-07:00It Started As A Warm Up<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/e05db232eea1e4082c06c78ac9829e97e26ab40b/original/live37.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>HLN's a cappella got its start with us singing our favorite R&B ‘oldies’ backstage just to warm up the voices before shows. I’d been making little home demos of my favorite tunes for years, so this was a natural progression for me (and I didn’t have to sing all the parts!) With a little tweaking and arranging our backstage warm-up started to get real good, and I think it was Huey who one night suggested we just throw one in the set and see what happens . . . it stuck pretty good!</p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/65974082021-04-07T14:52:30-07:002021-04-07T14:56:24-07:00Discovering My Character<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/aa992605582fde5a697a3af28d0634cc1b7f2018/original/dsc-0715.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large">"How have you changed as a singer over the years?" </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Johnny:</strong> I think my voice finally grew up. I actually couldn't stand the sound of my own voice for a number of years, probably why I didn't become a lead singer earlier (hah!). I had what a lot of singers have tone-wise... very vanilla, not a lot of personality. That’s great for backing singers, but I’ve always had this ‘itch’ to, you know, 'be the loud voice in the middle’. I feel like I’ve finally discovered my ‘character’, and age has certainly helped with that!</span></p>Johnny Collatag:johnnycolla.com,2005:Post/65949642021-04-05T14:29:40-07:002021-04-05T14:56:32-07:00My Audio Obsession<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58693/803b5ea1bd4f10b8e79c758a7deb4441e1cfbb66/original/record-player.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;"><span class="font_large">Sometimes I'll think of a song and I’ll go put the record on . . . I have about 500 LPs. Then I’ll pull the same song up on the internet, or maybe get the CD out. I only have about 2,000 of those! (laughing). I’ll get two versions going at once, synced as close as possible, then listen for the differences in the two recordings. No one in their right mind would bother to do this, let alone think of it, but I like it. I suppose it stems from my lifelong obsession with audio recording and all that it is.</span></span></p>Johnny Colla