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BALANCE are back. After many years without any release 2009 brought up the extraordinary album “Equlibrium” and it was time to ask Peppy Castro (lead singer) some questions. He also sent me the photos, so they are really exclusive on our site. And there are only old BALANCE pictures, they don’t have any new ones yet.
M.R.: Hi Peppy, thanks a lot for the time you spent answering my few questions. You have just released the new BALANCE Album "Equilibrium" and It's been really a while since "In For The Count". I heard you worked with Michael Bolton and Kiss and so on before working in the jingle business. What did you really do in the past years?
P.C.: Hi Markus, First off thanks for opportunity to be heard again out in the media. I've always been a singer songwriter and I've never stopped doing what I love. Which is creating music. Even in the early days of Balance and through out the years of making the records I still did Jingles as well. However, the people I worked for always knew The band came first. In the absence of being in a band I started my family life and raised my son with my wife who has since passed away 3 years ago (She died from cancer, which is very sad, my heartfelt condolences, Peppy - M.R.). Jingles allowed me to earn a very nice living and still write my songs for me and others and allowed me the luxury of being home to raise my son "Jesse" now 20 and a monster talent.
M.R.: Why did you choose making jingles and not starting a new band/project or whatever? Because I think making jingles is more "lone" work. Didn't you miss the teamwork while playing in a band?
P.C.: Most people considered Jingles to be someone who sells out. I couldn't disagree more. First off most musicians and talented songwriters etc. wouldn't last 5 minutes in that business. Only the best of talent can even survive in that environment. You really have to have your shit down! All these know it all guys in rock bands think by being in a band that they're not sell-outs! When some one sits home and writes and records a song, that's the beauty of creating. It's pure. However the minute they take it out of their private domain and want to sell CDs or do gigs etc. and earn a living doing it they've already crossed over into the capitalistic society and sold out to an extent. When money changes hands it's sold. Record companies and industry related people have been ripping off artists forever. I choose to earn my living doing music and embrace and love all forms and challenges. It's the challenges that earned my respect of doing something like a jingle. Having a hit jingles is as hard as having a hit record. You have to win it. The competition is intense. Bands are democracies and it's very hard for people in bands to get all there ideas out. The more talent in a band the harder it is for everyone to be happy. Why do you think so many bands have broken up. I gig out now with Barnaby Bye. We've reunited as well. We have an amazing amount of love for each other and it's a joy. We're a family. Maybe if the Balance record shows some nice signs of life we can do the same.
M.R.: "In For The Count" has now been re-released via Rock Candy. Was that the starting point of BALANCE again?
P.C.: Frontiers Records approached Bob Kulick and Bob presented it to Doug and I. We considered it because we felt someone like frontier was willing to give it a shot. I'm glad they did because it's been nice to be able to go back. Again the Challenge. It's not easy trying to sing things I did many decades ago.
M.R.: How did you get in contact with the rest of the band again? Or did you have contact all over the years?
P.C.: We've all stayed in contact with each other.
M.R.: Who got in touch with Frontiers Records? Was it Frontiers that brought up the idea of another BALANCE album?
P.C.: Yes. As I said. Froniters was the catalyst and approached Bob.
M.R.: Who is responsible for the songwriting and the lyrics on "Equilibrium"? How do you create a BALANCE song? Still meeting in the jamming room and jam a little bit or sending ideas via E-Mail or whatever?
P.C.: This was not like the old days. Between, everyone's commitments and the distance of where we all live, we were in uncharted territory. The internet was instrumental. Myself and Doug were the main force behind the lyrics. I'm the more predominant focus as I'm creating the melodies. However Doug does have quite few songs that we're his babies and melodies. I jumped in and put my smell on it. Bob and Doug had a lot of the music from the old days and because Frontiers had requested that we keep it true to form from the old Balance we worked with a lot of that. I had to be talked into it because I didn't want to feel restricted. In the end, I agreed. So this is still very much a Balance time capsule. I do have a few songs on the record that I wrote solo. . Like The bluesy "Who You Gonna Love" and "Liar" etc.
M.R.: In my review I wrote, that "Old Friends" must have been influenced by HARLAN CAGE, it sounds like it has just been on one of their albums. Take this as a compliment because Harlan Cage are absolutely my heroes. "Equilibrium" seems to be influenced by the 80s. What exactly are your influences?
P.C.: Please excuse my ignorance as I've never heard Harlan Cage. I will do so now. I try and make it a point not to listen to too much out side talent as I think one subliminally gets influenced and then it creeps into the creative process. So I like to keep things pretty much Isolated. My influences are from my childhood and things along the way. Way too many to list.
M.R.: Are the songs all written in the last few months or has this been a process over the last years? There is so much variety in between the album, that I would bet the second one is closer to reality, is it?
P.C.: Haha. Actually For Bob and Doug most of the material they wrote has been around since the old days and reworked. For me, almost everything I wrote on the record was written recently and during the recording process. So it's very current and was written within the boundaries we agreed to with Frontiers.
M.R.: What can we expect in the future from Peppy Castro? Another BALANCE album? More Jingles? Or something completely different?
P.C.: Well you can be sure I've never wanted to become an imitation of myself. So here's a laundry list of some of things on the front Burner.
My own Solo Cd called "Peppy Castro's Therapy Tour". Almost finished and a labor of love where I've made a promise to myself to do after my wife passed away. Mostly me doing everything but I do have my good friend Joey Kramer from Aerosmith on drums on 2 songs. By the way, That's Joey Playing drums on " Who you Gonna Love". Which the drum track was recorded at his house with the great Paul Santo engineering.
Barnaby Bye's new Cd is out now and can be found on ITunes. www.Barnabybye.com However, totally different from anything that resembles Balance. Very lush vocal Harmonies around more pop material. Myself and The Alessi Brothers and Mike Ricciardella.
Reuniting my first band that gave me my first hit record. The legendary Blues Magoos. In the studio now. Only 42 years later.
Then there's my son Jesse who has a few projects of his own.
So I expect to keep myself very busy.
M.R.: Thanks a lot again. Hope to hear from you soon. And you have done a really great album!!!!
So come on guys, get the album and keep BALANCE alive again!!!
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