Interview with Guitarist and Songwriter Myke Gray (Shades of Gray, Skin)
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Myke! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
CV: Is there a level of consideration or
even concern to deliver on fan expectations when you announce a new album? Does
your audience effect how you write new material?
Myke Gray: The entire Shades Of Gray album is a thank you to the fans who have supported me for 30 years. They have stuck by me thru jagged Edge, Skin, Red White & Blues, Schism, and even my instrumental album. So it was made entirely for them…so I certainly hope they like it. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to achieve with this album so I didn’t have to second guess the writing process. I have always had a passion for Glam Rock from the 70s 80s & 90s. Bands such as Kiss, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Queen, The Sweet, Twisted Sister, WASP, etc., but I’ve always worked with singers who never really suited that style of music, plus they were never really into it. So this was my opportunity to put all those influences onto one record.
Myke Gray: The entire Shades Of Gray album is a thank you to the fans who have supported me for 30 years. They have stuck by me thru jagged Edge, Skin, Red White & Blues, Schism, and even my instrumental album. So it was made entirely for them…so I certainly hope they like it. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to achieve with this album so I didn’t have to second guess the writing process. I have always had a passion for Glam Rock from the 70s 80s & 90s. Bands such as Kiss, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Queen, The Sweet, Twisted Sister, WASP, etc., but I’ve always worked with singers who never really suited that style of music, plus they were never really into it. So this was my opportunity to put all those influences onto one record.
CV: Tell us about your new album,
"Shades of Gray." Does the album feature any song collaborations or
special notes that you feel listeners would be interested to know about?
MG: This is a big milestone in my musical development as it is the first time I have sung lead vocals. I have been extremely lucky in my career to work with some phenomenal singers. Phil Mogg, Bruce Dickinson, Matti Alfonzetti, and Neville MacDonald are some of the best singers in the world, so I have always been very reluctant to step up to the microphone.
I tend not to write with anyone else anymore as over the years I have given away too much writing credit to people who really didn’t deserve it. So to avoid any arguments or legal issues, I normally write alone.
MG: This is a big milestone in my musical development as it is the first time I have sung lead vocals. I have been extremely lucky in my career to work with some phenomenal singers. Phil Mogg, Bruce Dickinson, Matti Alfonzetti, and Neville MacDonald are some of the best singers in the world, so I have always been very reluctant to step up to the microphone.
I tend not to write with anyone else anymore as over the years I have given away too much writing credit to people who really didn’t deserve it. So to avoid any arguments or legal issues, I normally write alone.
CV: Do you feel artist collaborations
widen the playing field for overall audience awareness and reach? Can
collaborative artist efforts bridge the musical gap for the fans as well
exposing them to something possibly different?
MG: It certainly can, but if I’m honest I feel it’s a double edge sword. In lockdown I have seen some amazing collaborations but I have also seen some of my favorite songs butchered by a lot of over playing. Obviously I don’t want to name anyone as we are all musicians struggling to be heard but time will always sort out the good from the bad.
MG: It certainly can, but if I’m honest I feel it’s a double edge sword. In lockdown I have seen some amazing collaborations but I have also seen some of my favorite songs butchered by a lot of over playing. Obviously I don’t want to name anyone as we are all musicians struggling to be heard but time will always sort out the good from the bad.
CV: How has the COVID pandemic and the
restrictions that ensured affected the album’s production and promotion?
MG: Lockdown actually made it possible for me to make this album. I was unable to do my day job so it allowed me to work on my album pretty much every day. My plan was to print 1000 copies and hopefully sell them over a couple of years but to my huge surprise the album has nearly sold out before its even been released so the worry of marketing isn’t really a concern. I was just making an album for the fans. The pre-orders allowed the album and videos to be made. Retaining control over the rights to my music is something that is very important to me. The idea of handing over the recordings to a record company for a few thousand pounds or dollars and losing the ownership of the recordings is not very appealing to me at this stage in my life. Hopefully I will be able to do some shows at some point but the whole music industry is waiting on the green light.
MG: Lockdown actually made it possible for me to make this album. I was unable to do my day job so it allowed me to work on my album pretty much every day. My plan was to print 1000 copies and hopefully sell them over a couple of years but to my huge surprise the album has nearly sold out before its even been released so the worry of marketing isn’t really a concern. I was just making an album for the fans. The pre-orders allowed the album and videos to be made. Retaining control over the rights to my music is something that is very important to me. The idea of handing over the recordings to a record company for a few thousand pounds or dollars and losing the ownership of the recordings is not very appealing to me at this stage in my life. Hopefully I will be able to do some shows at some point but the whole music industry is waiting on the green light.
CV: Do you feel releasing the album
during the current world conditions will have any wavering results on the
album's overall success?
MG: The driving energy behind the making of the album was just to say thank you to the fans for their decades of support. The response has been overwhelming and humbling and without the backing of the fans the album couldn’t have been made. If the fans that pre-ordered the album like it then it will of been a success for me.
MG: The driving energy behind the making of the album was just to say thank you to the fans for their decades of support. The response has been overwhelming and humbling and without the backing of the fans the album couldn’t have been made. If the fans that pre-ordered the album like it then it will of been a success for me.
CV: Regardless of the differing beliefs
related to the COVID pandemic, it has greatly affected us all. For some
artists, a livelihood of any kind has been ultimately altered and for others,
things have come to a complete halt, unfortunately. This is both on the
professional and indie level; no one has been spared. Do you see the music
industry being forced to make a radical change just to maintain its relativity
in what's becoming a "new norm" based on all the restrictions?
MG: I think the industry is always evolving but seldom has it ever been in the favor of the artist. The foundation of the industry is built upon the sacred bond between the artist and the fans love of their music. Everything else is just an exploitation of that. In the beginning the contracts offered to artists were horrendous, with artists signing their lives away for a Cadillac. Even when I first signed contracts in the 80s & 90s the contracts were daylight robbery. Over the years the musicians had to get smarter to survive. The current rape of musicians is the streaming services. No one buys albums anymore so touring was the only avenue left for artists to make a living and of course COVID put an end to that. I think that real musicians have such a calling to create and perform music that nothing will stop them. I have dedicated 16 months of my life to making an album that I will be lucky to recoup the cost of making, but the desire was too strong not to finish it.
MG: I think the industry is always evolving but seldom has it ever been in the favor of the artist. The foundation of the industry is built upon the sacred bond between the artist and the fans love of their music. Everything else is just an exploitation of that. In the beginning the contracts offered to artists were horrendous, with artists signing their lives away for a Cadillac. Even when I first signed contracts in the 80s & 90s the contracts were daylight robbery. Over the years the musicians had to get smarter to survive. The current rape of musicians is the streaming services. No one buys albums anymore so touring was the only avenue left for artists to make a living and of course COVID put an end to that. I think that real musicians have such a calling to create and perform music that nothing will stop them. I have dedicated 16 months of my life to making an album that I will be lucky to recoup the cost of making, but the desire was too strong not to finish it.
CV: For many artists 2022 is shaping up
to be the year of all years to tour given the current state of affairs. Are
there plans to support the new album with a tour next year?
MG: At the moment I don’t have any plans to tour Shades Of Gray. First I need to find out if the fans actually like it. If there is a demand then obviously I would love to perform the songs live. I don’t think a song is fully evolved until it has been played live and the audience has interacted with it. The energy and emotion that the fans put into the songs are what takes them to a higher level.
MG: At the moment I don’t have any plans to tour Shades Of Gray. First I need to find out if the fans actually like it. If there is a demand then obviously I would love to perform the songs live. I don’t think a song is fully evolved until it has been played live and the audience has interacted with it. The energy and emotion that the fans put into the songs are what takes them to a higher level.
MG: It’s all about online now…Facebook, Patreon, Instagram, etc. When I was a kid I would of been in heaven if I could of interacted with Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen & Michael Schenker. Now fans can interact with their heroes online which is very cool.
I don’t think this will be changing any time soon so artists have to embrace it.
CV: Do you feel the industry will change
for the better following the COVID pandemic? Will it be an “artist’s market” so
to speak once things go back to “normal” in your opinion?
MG: The industry will always have the
same objective…to exploit the talent of artists for money. Obviously the most
talented artists will take the lion’s share and leave the rest of us fighting
for scraps but it’s always been that way, and in all industries. The artists
will have to get smarter and more proactive in running their business. When I
think back to my time in Skin, it’s embarrassing how naive I was, but of course
the record company and managers like it that way. As Keith Richards famously
said, “It’s the price of an education.”
CV: In addition to the new album, “Shades
of Gray,” what more can fans expect to see coming from you in the second half
of 2021?
MG: If the government allows, then I have some festivals lined up, but writing is my real passion in life, and I am already working on a new concept but I am unlikely to start recording until 2022.
MG: If the government allows, then I have some festivals lined up, but writing is my real passion in life, and I am already working on a new concept but I am unlikely to start recording until 2022.
CV: Thank you again Myke for
spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure. I
wish you all the best and continued success.
Check out Myke at:
Official: www.mykegray.rocks
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MykeGrayMusician
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ShadesofMykeGray
Instagram: www.instyagram.com/mykegraymusician
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MykeGrayMusic
YouTube: www.youtube.com/mykegray
Official: www.mykegray.rocks
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MykeGrayMusician
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ShadesofMykeGray
Instagram: www.instyagram.com/mykegraymusician
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MykeGrayMusic
YouTube: www.youtube.com/mykegray
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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