10 Questions With…Fred Coury

 

Fred Coury needs no introduction. Fred drummed in Cinderella from 1986-1992 (and at other Cinderella shows since than) Fred also formed the brilliant ‘Arcade’ with RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy back in 1993. Fred has also  somewhat changed careers as well( persistence pays off!). Keep reading and thanks to Fred  for doing this! When I had sent him an email asking him if he would be willing to participate! He replied with  “Anything for a Canadian!’ LOL!

I should have asked him 20 Questions! Damn…maybe next time!

I remember flipping through the pages of Circus Magazine in the late 80’s and there you were playing drums with Guns N Roses! I know it was for a short period of time but how did that all come about? I got a call on my answering machine that simply said “learn the song on your outgoing message, I’ll call back in an hour”. (I had Welcome ToThe Jungle on my machine) it was GNR’s manager. 3 hrs later I was on a flight to Minneapolis to play a show that night with them. Steven had broken his hand and they asked me to fill in for the remainder of the tour. Everyone of course knows that you handled the drums in Cinderella. I will go on record and say that 1990’s “Heartbreak Station” was a phenomenal album! The band went in a whole opposite direction of what everyone else was doing in Hard Rock at the time. What was your line of thinking at the time? Were you happy with the outcome of it? I just listened to that record a few days ago at the gym. I hadn’t heard it in years. Love that record and I’m very proud of it. It was definitely a different direction for us. I don’t know if it was the right record to make at the time but it’s a great record. After Cinderella stopped recording and touring in the early 90’s you formed ‘Arcade’ with Stephen Pearcy. Speaking of phenomenal. That debut album is brilliant. Whose call was it to write tracks with Jim Vallance? My two fave artists of all time are Billy Joel and Bryan Adams. I think Stephen worked with Jim in the past. As soon as he mentioned Jim’s name I was 100% for it.  One of the things that I admired most about the debut Arcade album was that you and Stephen were able to score a Major Record Deal in 1993 when the whole rock sound had changed! Pretty impressive as many were losing deals or breaking up at the time. How did you feel about those 2 Arcade albums? I loved the first record and liked the second very much. The first one was “the one” though. When Arcade stopped what did you do? Moved to Nashville and eventually went back to Cinderella. Now I know you are a fan of Hockey(so you are an honorary Canuck) Years ago I seen an interview with you and Stephen on MuchMusic and you were wearing a Kings Jersey! Now I see you work for them in some capacity. How did that gig come about? I’ve always been a hockey fan. I wrote a song that I thought would be perfect for the team. I kept submitting it every 6 months for 3 years. Finally Luc heard it and offered me a 3 year contract. My first assignment was a new goal song and a theme. I’m entering my 10th year with the team this season and just signed a multi-year deal. I do all of their sonic branding. First album ever purchased? Chicago X If you had to go with 5 all time favourite albums. What would they be? Wow. Too tough. I get tired of things easily. Maybe Star Wars soundtrack would be in there. Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair, Journey Captured, Bryan Adams So Far So Good, Billy Joel, The Stranger. Arena/Stadium show. What was your favourite live performance as an audience member? Too many to name but Journey, P!nk and Mötley are up there. #1 would have to be The Who, Heart and J Giles at CNE Stadium in Toronto (that show changed my life) Feel Free to Plug whatever it is your currently up to! Thanks again for doing this! Now I’m a composer for tv and film. We recently wrapped a 4 season stint on NBC with my first drama The Night Shift, and I just finished my first full length film with live orchestra called Full Count. I’m doing a cartoon with John 5 at the moment and continue with the sonic branding of the Kings and Portland Trailblazers.

 

 

 

Arcade/Arcade (1993)

1993 ! Kurt Cobain and The Seattle Tsunami  wiped out everything 80s Rock or as the Kids would say Hair Metal!

Yeah, well tell Stephen Pearcy(ex Ratt Lead Singer) that! Steve-O did not get that memo! By quitting Ratt in 1991 he formed Arcade with drummer Fred Coury(Fred was in  the band Cinderella and left that band I believe around the same time.)

From there Stephen and Fred secured a major record deal with Epic Records while others from the so-called Hair Genre(Warrant, Posion,Winger,BulletBoys,White Lion and many more) just crumbled  into Quicksand known as Grunge!

This album on so many levels Kicks Ass! Even Til this day! Pearcy and Coury when they began writing tunes did the right  thing and did some co writes with Jim Vallance(Bryan Adams sidekick songwriter for many a year).

Some will say ‘its kinda like Ratt” Sure it is but this is Pearcys deal as Ratt was his deal as it was his voice but Arcade kinda kicks it up a notch a little more Sleaze Ball Sunset Strip Style RnR for my liking!

So Stephen and Fred along with Frankie Wilsex(guitar) Donny Syracuse(guitar) & Michael Andrews(bass) roll up their sleeves and slam down what I consider a real good blast from the past  LA Rock but at the time keeping  the eye on not being stagnant and trying to move forward in a market at the time that didn’t want to know about them!

The Songs…..

“Dancin’ with the Angels”
“Nothin’ to Lose”
“Calm Before the Storm”
“Cry No More”
“Screamin’ S.O.S.”
“Never Goin’ Home”
“Messed Up World”
“All Shook Up”
“So Good… So Bad…”
“Livin’ Dangerously”
“Sons and Daughters”
“Mother Blues”

Arcade light the Sleaze Fuse with Dancin With The Angels the opening track as they rocket out of the gate with the best song that Aerosmith didn’t write in the 1990s! Seriously Dancin sets the tempo with a ton of bottom end between Fred’s Drums and Micheals  Bass while  the buzz saw guitars lay down some slick slide  work at a pissed off pace set forth by the rhythm section! Add in some Steve Tyler ‘Yelps’ at the beginning and we’re off! Think Aerosmith finding there stash and dipping into it and hitting the Sonic Highway….Yeah Man This Rocks! Watch the video and Yup Crank It!

Nothin To Lose begins with some serious Bass and drums with some added percussion added to the fire and here’s the first of four Vallance co writes as  Pearcy and Company are not easing off the gas folks! Nothin To Lose is a straight ahead take no prisoners track and keeps the Party Bus rolling! Catchy Chorus and Pearcy could always nail down a decent hook. Must mention the two guitar players  Frankie and Donny as they play cool solos on this album not that dipity do dah wank fests of the 80s! This here is the 90s!

Calm Before The Storm is a beast of a track! The  song starts off with guitars a riffing at a slow yet heavy clip and almost with a tinge of Aero tossed in for good flavour! The verses here are dope sick excellent as Pearcy takes control of the song and the Arcade Boys back him up! Wowzer’s! The vibe is so good! The Video is posted at the top of page. Crank it!

Oh Oh! Track 4 is the Ballad! Cry No More is built around the piano but due to the excellent production this song does not whimper  but more like a kicker and I’m real good with this style of ballad per se! This not your Poison Ballad Like Drivel(take your pick)Arcade and basically Coury drives this song and I must mention on this album Fred has 7 co writes on this record of course Pearcy dabbles in all 12 tracks but give it up for the Drummer Guy!  Cry No More really ramps and catches fire at the end with a real sweet spot of Syrupy Hard Rock that is so freaking good that I  can honestly say that these 4 tracks stand up and in some cases are better than the first 4 tracks on some  Ratt albums….Yup! You read that right!

The rest of Arcade is No Frills Rock N Roll and Pearcy delivers as this is his style and he doesn’t  reinvent the wheel. Steve-o just adds air to the tires and blasts off!

Screamin S.O.S,Never Goin’ Home,Messed Up World,All Shook Up totally subscribe to the theory of Loud Guitars,Big Drums and Great Vocal Screechin!

At the back end of the album is the piano driven ballad So Good…..So Bad and for all the times I holler ” I hate syrup added with cheese” in regards to Sap Tracks. Pearcy man his vocals sound tortured and he digs deep into the vocal and pulls it off. Surprising? No not really even back in the Ratt Hey Day of the roaring 80s Steve could dial-up a decent slow-paced track and not syrup out the sonics!

The album finishes up with Sons & Daughters(short little acoustic ditty) followed by the end of the album Acoustic  Driven Mother Blues

Ass Kicker of a debut comes to mind and this album is a classic!

On a side note I have to Thank Aaron from the K.M.A who about a year was going to Toronto with Mikey Ladano and Aaron always asks everyone in the blogging community if they want him to look for albums that are hard to find! We call it the Holy Grail!

I tossed out Arcade!( misplaced this album years ago and my policy is I will not review anything that is not in my iPod )Aaron looked last year couldn’t  find it and that was that right?!

Wrongo! Sitting in my inbox a few weeks back was the full album sent to me! Aaron called it Christmas In May! Ha! So true and then a few days later the cd arrived via Snail Mail! Aaron living in Southern Ontario tracked Arcade down in Nova Scotia!

Thanks Heaps Aaron….

Community……….

Cinderella/Still Climbing

Cinderella even knows the deal in 1994 as it’s the first album of theres not to feature any pics of them! Let The Music Do The Talking!

The early nineties weren’t kind to Tommy Keifer and crew! 1990s Heartbreak Station didn’t sell as much as the debut (Night Songs) and followup(Long Cold Winter) as well there tour supporting Heartbreak Station had a few issues as well.

Myself,Oinks and Andre had tickets too catch the Cinderella/David Lee Roth co headline tour with Extreme opening in  Alpine Valley in Wisconsin in July of 1991 when the whole tour was scrapped due to lack of tickets being sold! SAY WHAAAAAAA…….

Just like that Cinderalla fell from the musical map. You can’t even blame Cobain/Seattle/ Grunge whatever the music shift change was as Heartbreak Station burned to the ground before that Nevermind business stuff happened.

I read that Tom Keifer was having some serious vocal problems and that the Docs shut him down! Just like that Cinderella was kaput until…

1994 Cinderella put out the insanely excellent Still Climbing record and no one gave a fuck except for the hardcore bunch of fans or would that be handful of fans left! I have no problem saying I was and still am a fan!

Cinderella on all 4 of there studio albums did not duplicate there sound from album to album….

Night Songs..I reviewed it here…https://superdekes.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/sonic-waves-cinderellanight-songs/

Long Cold Winter- they tell there drummer Fred Coury to stay home and The late great Cozy Powell slams the skins on the album which has a bigger more shift in hard blues rock sound and of course some biggie tunes that you know like Gypsy Road and that ballad tune…..ha!

Heartbreak Station-was a fantastic record. The title track is a epic piece of music and shit man it’s a ballad but Keifer spins it so it’s not a I Saw Red debacle that Warrant issued but of course Warrant had more success with there single…silly public! Heartbreak Station has tons of slide guitar,horns, cool percussion and Fred does all the drums!

Which now brings us to …

Still Climbing…Which just drops out of nowhere in November of 94 and I think I may have seen like two adds for Still Climbing one I think in M.E.A.T Magazine and the other in my brothers Guitar World Magazine ..that’s it ..no Vids (I know of and even you tube I’m looking for anything posted so it might just be story time today Folks!)

Tom Keifer,Jeff Labar,Eric Brittingham and hired drum guy Kenny Aranoff(John Cougar) put out what I consider the best ever unknown hard rock record that if your hunting around in shops and come across Still Climbing pick up the damn thing……

BAD ATTITUDE SHUFFLE-scruffy old school phonogram scratchy needle scuzzing across vinyl starts this song off and before it there’s Tommy  and his voice and man it still sounds like Tommy! Bad Attitude Shuffle just flat out rocks after that. Double bass smoking drums and a real hard rock polished produced record(not overdone) just gets your attention from the get go! Labar and Keifers guitar playing are top notch and they never got the credit they deserved as they could play! Bad Attitude Shuffle goes off the rails or should i say Tom does as he hails a bunch of F bombs at the end of the song! Street cred 101 and you will get your ass kicked if you mess with Toms scarf collection!

ALL COMES DOWN-kinda of a Aerosmithy bluesy late 80s vibe complete with horns and this is driving rock! Actually these songs would have fit and in some cases would have improved Aeros Get A Grip album! Yeah kids I said that! Tommy sez  ‘ when the shit hits the fan Ya gotta stick to the fight!” Agreed! Great solo from the Cinderdudes!

TALK IS CHEAP-the crash  of All Comes Down ends with guitar buzzing and Ken on drums and Eric on bass hold,down the bottom end! Another great rock track with a added dose of Aero included in the prechorus! This song crunches hard blues rock with some real nice percussive flair and that’s the thing with Keifer he did it all in this band wrote all the tunes man those other cats were lucky man or they claim to fame would have been “would you like fries with that?!” More great solos! Shit man this album cooks full steam ahead Captian Keifer!

HARD TO FIND THE WORDS- almost a slow Stones kinda of blues ballad with almost a bit of a country rock flair! Tommy sings in a straight ahead rock voice and when the chorus fires up he goes into his patented Kiefer screech! Think the song Heartbreak Station! Lots of slide guitar and the drums keep the song moving! Basically think a mash up of the Stones and Skynryd for this one!

BLOOD FROM A STONE- nice trippy Hammond b3 start and some serious wah pedal kick Blood From A Stone and its a  straight ahead rock track!

STILL CLIMBING- Kenny does some cool snare drum rolls and Keifer and Crew join the fray for the title track! It’s a slow builder of a track and shifts gears the Hammond B3 is a perfect mix with the slide guitar action going on.

FREEWHEELIN- Cinderella does some speed and this is a throwback to the debut! Straight ahead 4 on the floor rock stomper! Nuthin gets in  Tommys way! Double bass drums,loud guitars cymbals crashing yeah CinderRock is fine in 1994! Too bad many didn’t take notice!

THROUGH THE RAIN-think Don’t Know What You Got Til It’s Gone and you have Through The Rain. Piano drives this song. I always respected Keifers deal at writing ballads. Perhaps as he did it out of the gate on Night Songs with Nobody’s Fool and he has a knack for doing it. Sure he’s playing the game but in doing so he didn’t make it so obvious! Thanks Thomas!

EASY COME EASY GO- Tyler and Pery would have killed to have had written this track themselves! I will declare right here folks this is one of my all time fav Cinderella tracks! It’s Big !Bombastic! It Cranks! It Has Class! Ha ok,ok! Seriously though this is a absolute end of the album Gem! It sneaks sleaze and cool all over the place! Big power riffs and a hook so catchy it just grabs you and makes Ya scream for more! Ha! This is a Arena Rock Junkie delight! The song in the verses sounds like a page right out of Aeroville! The chorus when Kiefer belts “Easy Commmmes……Easy Goooooooooes!  The music underneath his voice is the Shit! Snap happy piano honkytonk mixed with hard rock guitars drums and cowbell! I’m tripping on a musical Ecstasy here folks….God this is gonna get ugly!

THE ROADS STILL LONG-think Coming Home from Long Cold Winter. It’s a mid tempo kinda tune! Not bad really and give these guys credit they stuck to there formula even in GrungeMania! That’s saying something!

HOT AND BOTHERED- hey man before Fred Coury bolted he stuck around and recorded this tune which was on the Wayne Worlds soundtrack! Hot And Bothered is a  straight ahead rocker! Listen to the video!

IN CONCLUSION-Cinderella stepped up huge when the chips were down and delivered a straight ahead rock record at a time when no one gave a Crap about 80s rock! Even Nikki Sixx changed the course of The Crue and we all know what happened there! (Motley Corabi great album,no one cared must have been the year 1994!) Scoff all you like but Tommy got his voice back ramped up his songwriting, gave the other guys in Cinderella (Lebar and Brittingham) some employment and by golly I will say this may just be my fav output of  theres……