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Interview with LEE AARON

This time saw the release of an new record by the first lady of rock LEE AARON. Tattoo me offers her first Cover Album and it`s great. Time for an exclusive Interview with her. Enjoy.

Congratulation for the new excellent record „Tattoo me “. What can you tell us about inspiration, songwriting and recording of it?

Tattoo Me is my first ‘covers’ album ever. I’ve written 15 original albums in the past so a covers album seemed like a real fun idea at this point in my career. We were wanting to pay homage to artists that influenced us and that we were fans of. Of course, I wanted to cover HEART and LED ZEPPELIN as well as FLEETWOOD MAC and NINA SIMONE…all those artists were very influential to me when I was young. I have continued to be a fan of music throughout my whole career so we ended up diving into songs from the 90s and 2000s as well. The whole project is kind of a reflection of my own eclectic taste. I like rock, metal, Brit pop and blues, but I think that as a band we play the songs in a way that makes them our own and makes them sound like they all belong on the same album. We all have home studios but the majority of it was recorded in my studio and produced by me and mixed by Frank Gryner.

What can you say about the musicians on the album?

The musicians are my long-standing band: Sean Kelly (guitar), John Cody (drums), Dave Reimer (bass). I’ve worked with John and Dave for 20 years and Sean for 11 so we have a great chemistry together. We all just do what we do best and the tracks come together pretty easily. I feel very lucky to be working with these guys. They’re my creative family – my brothers.

Do you still have contact to your old music mate back in the days and do you know what they are doing these days?

Yes, I still talk to John Albani (my former songwriting partner for BodyRock and Some Girls Do). He is down in Nashville and has a studio there called SONIC EDEN. He’s an incredibly talented engineer and mixer. He’s also a fantastic photographer and does a lot of architectural photography these days. My other former writing partner George Bernhardt (Metal Queen) is still playing guitar and most recently was on the road with Rick Springfield.

Any tour plans in the future, especially Germany?

Yes! This month I start doing some Canadian dates which take me all the way into September. Most of our dates are in Canada unfortunately because I am able to play big festivals and concerts here. I will perform with Motley Crue this summer on the big stage at Festival D’ete Quebec which is the biggest festival in Canada. I would LOVE to return to Germany soon and play Bang Your Head or Wacken again. We will be in Switzerland in November for UrRock festival so if you feel like travelling I’ll be there!

Your voice is still powerful and crystal clear, what do you do to stay in this perfect shape?

Great question! Nothing really special. I try to care for my whole body a lot better than I did in my 20s, ha, ha! Good food, good sleep, no drugs or crazy partying. I also do vocal warm ups and sing regularly and always before shows which is important. I also walk and run every day and get some exercise.

Have you got hobbies or interests besides music?

I love watching classic movies and going to art galleries. I LOVE art. I also love theatre. Next month I’m in New York and will see 3 Broadway shows.

You are a very long time in the business, what do you think about the changes in the scene with all the streams, internet and so on. Was it better in the 80ties for a rock band?

I’m not sure it was better in the 80s because record contracts were so terrible artists didn’t make any money back then either! Streaming is the new reality. You MUST put your music on streaming platforms to compete and also for exposure to a younger audience. The remuneration to artists for this is very unfair but I’ve come to look at it like advertising for your physical product and your live shows. I’m lucky because my audience is older and they still like to buy vinyl and CD. I still make some money from physical which is nice.