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Can you catch the readers up on the history of your involvement in music? |
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I started singing into an Old Spice container in my room when I was about eleven, and had an old turntable where I’d play classic rock albums. I always could hear myself singing the notes pretty good and, honestly, I still do the same s*** around the house now. From there I was always the singer who got the PA, bought the van, booked the gigs and babysat the players. When I moved to Orlando, I was lucky to find a man who rented us a warehouse under AC and I started an eleven piece Phil Collins/Stevie Winwood kind of deal with a full horn section and female singers.
As we progressed through the years, we got really good with some great horn players from Universal/Disney and went on to front a ton of huge acts like Sting, Cheap Trick, Hootie and The Blowfish and more on some bigger conventions gigs. During that time, I rented and lived in a warehouse of my own and started the band Us, where we wrote and recorded our own album; Oblivion.
After we split up, I started writing my own material and was lucky to meet up again with Dave Mikeal and we formed quite a unique songwriting partnership. I was only supposed to do a song or two with him and now we have a catalog of almost 50 tunes and our relationship is quite unique in the way we write and record. I’m very blessed to get to work with him. |
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| MSJ: This project is named “Boz.” Is it a solo project or a band (or a little of both)? |
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Well, as mentioned above, Dave (Mikeal) and I write the majority of the tunes together. But Dave is also a paid engineer/producer and makes his living off working with artists like me. So I write all the lyrics, arrangements, and most melodies and then let Dave paint the walls the rest of the way. Again, as mentioned, it’s quite unique and I’m very blessed to know and work with Dave. Without him, there would be no Boz, so I guess you could say it’s not really a solo project although I’m the brand we attached it to. |
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| MSJ: How does this differ from the band Us? |
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In Us, there were five of us living, eating, breathing and loving what we were doing at the time and we wrote/recorded that record in my warehouse studio (where I lived) and we also had the equipment, stage gear, clothing etc… for the convention work we were doing, In between learning GB (general business) material (“Brick House,” “Mustang Sally,” “Brown Eyed Girl” and more), we wrote some great progressive rock material enough for a record and a great video: “Apropos.” |
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| MSJ: If you weren't involved in music what do you think you'd be doing? |
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| Well, I’ve always been a business guy: sales, marketing, operations, and have always had full-time work while I’ve had bands, almost leading two lives, one during the day and one at night. I think, looking back now, if I wasn’t involved in music, I’d probably be doing charity work, etc… The egos and the politics in the business world are not for me. Although, if I wanted to play the game, I’d be very good at it. I truly enjoy helping others, so I’d be somewhere assisting someone else who has less than me. |
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| MSJ: Who would you see as your musical influences? |
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Sting, Phil Collins, Bruce Hornsby, Coldplay, Don Henley, Steely Dan, Bob Seger, U2, Peter Gabriel, Simply Red, Bonnie Raitt and many contemporary jazz artists like Rick Braun, Brian Culbertson, Jeff Golub and more. |
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| MSJ: What's ahead for you? |
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I sunk a ton of dough into a concept called “LIVE On I-Drive” for International Drive here in Orlando. We bring in over 50 million people here a year and we don’t have a contemporary concert event for them to attend. The show I’ve planned is stellar classy, with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, video, special effects and more. Our goal is to captivate the audience for two and a half hours with some of the greatest music the world has ever known both visually and listening-wise. |
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| MSJ: I know artists hate to have their music pigeonholed or labeled, but how would you describe your music? |
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I would hope people would say “genuine.” I truly do write from a very special place and hope that shines to the listener somehow. |
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| MSJ: Are there musicians with whom you would like to play with in the future? |
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Well, I just sent Robert Plant’s manager a note saying I wanted to take Robert on in tennis (we’re both avid players) and got a message from Robert saying “bring it on!” That would be incredibly special! But otherwise, I would have to say putting my heart and soul into LIVE On I-Drive with my special buds and players here in Orlando would be a dream come true. We’ve come a long way together and that show is more about them than it will ever be about me. I would be in Heaven to see the joy in their eyes if we can pull off what I can see in my mind for that concert. |
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| MSJ: Do you think that illegal downloading of music is a help or hindrance to the careers of musicians? |
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I don’t think people should be able to download music for free unless the artists give it to them. Just because someone is good at techie s*** on the computer doesn’t give them the right to steal the intellectual property of another. We give our music to fans in some cases to build a fan base and are happy to give it. We all know if there is any money to be made in this business, it’s in ticket sales. |
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| MSJ: In a related question, how do you feel about fans recording shows and trading them? |
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That doesn’t bother me because they paid to get in, in the first place. I would feel honored if someone wanted to film us and share it with their friends. |
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| MSJ: If you were a superhero, what music person would be your arch nemesis and why? |
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I’d probably say Batman, he always gets the girl at the end doesn’t he? And, I’d probably party with The Joker, he seems to be a party animal anyway, so why not? |
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| MSJ: If you were to put together your ultimate band (a band you'd like to hear or catch live), who would be in it and why? |
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| If this question was asked 15 years or so ago, I’d say “Steely Dan,” but since they’ve been out so much since then, I’m quite burnt on their shows being so boring. I do have to say, I think we’re putting together that band right now and hopefully you will be seeing that band on PBS next year with LIVE On I-Drive. |
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| MSJ: If you were in charge of assembling a music festival and wanted it to be the ultimate one from your point of view who would be playing? |
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| We just had a chance to woo Rock-In-Rio here to Orlando and blew it. Every other year they have the largest festivals ever drawing hundreds of thousands of people in Brazil and Lisbon. We could have done the same here in Orlando and I’d have to say probably Coldplay, Dave Matthews, Mariah Carey, U2, Sting and others. I’m really not into Gaga and Bieber, although truly respect them for their successes. |
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| MSJ: What was the last CD you bought and/or what have you been listening to lately? |
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The Cars! And can you imagine, it sounds just like the 80s tunes they had! Except with no Benjamin Orr (unfortunately). I listen to my iPod every day and love Pandora on shuffle. Bruce Hornsby is my favorite and I download his free shows and love the jams they get in. And, Brian Culbertson’s music changed my life in helping me slow down and find peace in many things. So it’s a mix, and I still love the old classic rock tunes by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foghat, Steely Dan, Bob Seger and more. |
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| MSJ: Have you read any good books lately? |
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Wide Awake by Erwin Raphael McManus |
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| MSJ: What about the last concert you attended for your enjoyment? |
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I think it was The Doobie Brothers. |
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| MSJ: Do you have a musical “guilty pleasure?” |
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Not that I know of, but hopefully I will find one! |
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| MSJ: What has been your biggest Spinal Tap moment? |
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Watching my band hide behind their instruments because they just went out and smoked weed and couldn’t play for s***. Toughest moment of my life in music watching people fake hang themselves with neck-ties in the audience…. |
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| MSJ: If you could sit down to dinner with any three people, living or dead, for food and conversation, with whom would you be dining? |
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Pope John Paul II - he was just a humble, sincere priest from Poland who changed millions of lives because he just loved so much.
Bono – I wrote a song for him called “Rhema” on my first record and we were born only a year and a day apart. I’ve always felt some kind of spiritual bond with him. I don’t know what it is, but it is.
Andre Agassi – Not many people know what it took him to get back to number one from number 153 in the world and he applied himself mentally better than any person I’ve ever seen. There was a lot expected of him, he got it, lost it and got it back on his own terms. Now he nurtures others with his fortunes and that impresses the heck out of me. And, I wouldn’t mind hitting a few balls with him! |
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| MSJ:
What would be on the menu? |
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I’m a steak and red wine guy on the weekends and probably would do that with steamed asparagus and hollandaise sauce and a salad. |
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| MSJ: Are there any closing thoughts you would like to get out there? |
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I’m very thankful you asked me to do this, and also very appreciative you have listened to our work. We feel very special about our songs and when anyone pays attention, it’s very special. Thank you.
View Our Web Sites:
www.bozmusic.com
www.facebook.com/bozmusicfanpage |
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| MSJ: This interview is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound. |
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