Doug talks to Detroit Musicians Aaron Letrick & Kenny Olson about a New Heartfelt Music Project

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Yeah, Hi, theret de Troit'swheels, Doug, Aaron and Kenny from
Electric Holson. Oh my goodness together. How you doing, Kenny? How
you doing? Aaron? You guysgood, We're great man. We get
to talk to you today. I'mover at the new studio and they've made
a lot of headway here, soyou know, well that's awesome. Well,

(00:23):
Kenny, I see now that you'vemoved back to Michigan, You're you're
not wasting any time letting any grassgrow under your feet there. You're right
in the studio working on new stuffalready. So that's pretty good. Oh
yeah, and uh, Aaron,I have to tell you I love this
song first off. And I knowwe're going to talk about the track Willow

(00:46):
here in a minute, but Ishould remind people that you were, uh
in a great band Cramer Electric andUh. I think I gave that thing
some pretty good spins back in theday. I love you for it.
And Kenny Olsen of course, withthe Twisted Brown Trucker band, the Jimi
Hendrix experience, you're still doing thatPink Floyd thing, right, Um yeah,

(01:11):
I mean sometimes like that supergroup outin La I always spent a lot
of I've been sent a lot ofmy winter times out, you know,
I having to go out to California. But sometimes we you know, we
did we were doing the Floyd thing, when we were doing the Wisdom and
we had the residency with you know, with Steve Perkins from James Addiction,
Norworth fanchist Bone and Scott Page andRoberta from Pink Floyd and UH. But

(01:34):
sometimes it's not always like we did, like the immerse Experienced Floyd thing.
But you know, we have abunch of other material and some of our
own materials, so it kind ofvaries with the circumstances might was going to
play. I might have heard acouple of Floyd licks in this new song,
but I'll I'll investigate that in justa minute. But you're also on

(01:59):
the UH and I'm probably to sayyou were a part of the w LZ
first MotorCity Rocks album that the newerversion here with the new Wheels and Kenny
I got to tell you what thecartel that is still one of my favorite
songs off the Up all Night.So right, I've got now that we
have the studio, we're going througharchives. I mean, I have like

(02:20):
hundreds and hundreds of songs and numerousalbums worth of material that was recorded in
that time period and up to evenpresent. Now we're kicking out so much
stuff. I mean, obviously weso I'm going to be releasing a lot
of stuff. We got a lotof new up and coming artists that we're
going to be bringing in ald legendaryartists that while they're still here on this

(02:43):
planet, we're gonna make it muchtime with music as we ken right here
and I love that. Excited tobe back home in Michigan, you know,
and it's uh goodn't yeah here.Well, you'll have to keep us
updated on on what's going on overthere. But Aaron, I have to
tell you about a month ago,I was at an event and I don't

(03:07):
remember the guy's name, but hecame up to me with a flash drive
and handed me this song and saidthat you and Kenny Olsen had had just
completed it and he really thought Ishould hear it. And it took me
about a week to finally pop thatin the flash drive. You know,

(03:28):
I mean, you know, youput it in your pocket, you go,
okay, I'll check it out.I was totally just blown away.
I mean I told my wife,I said, this may be some of
the best local music that I've heardin five years, no question about it.
But but then when I found outthe story behind this, I mean

(03:53):
I almost broke down in tears totell you the truth, Aaron, and
I don't want to start out ona sad note, but I guess there's
no other way around it. Tellus a story of Willow and how you
came about writing this song. Well, so she and I have been dating
for about six months, Dug.And it was a late night and each

(04:15):
night, you know, I wouldeither text her are you home safe?
Or you know, good night orsomething like that. And this particular Saturday
night, I didn't get a response, which wasn't a big deal because you
know, she went to bed beforeme sometimes. You know, she lived
in Grand Rappings and we saw eachother as often as we could. And
then I found out that next morningthat she had been killed by a drunk
driver that night, heading the wrongway in the expressway. And yeah,

(04:41):
and you know, my my piece, my thinking, my safe places at
my piano, Dug and I satthere with my heart beating out of my
chest and I couldn't make it makesense. And I found myself literally playing
the same chord progression over and overagain. And that turned out to be
the chorus of this song. Andthe heartbeat. You can hear the heartbeat
in there, and I just keptit in there. That was like the

(05:02):
tempo of it. And um,it was my salvation. It was my
therapy. I you know, howdo you deal with something like that?
And um, when I finished itand got a pretty strong down a lot
of it, I had no attentionto releasing this dog. This was for
me. This was for me toget my feelings out, to get my
thoughts out, to to you know, make this thing work in my head

(05:26):
somehow. And you know, whenI played it for Jimmy Jimmy Bones,
um he was the first one Iplayed it for. When I played it
for Bones, he literally said tome, this is so beautiful. He
says, I hope I can doit justice. And when Jimmy Bones said
something like that to you, youknow you got something so well, that's
where it's a that was, youknow. I mean I felt the same

(05:47):
way when I heard it. Ihad to go back and listen to it
here in the in the office nottoo long ago, and every every single
aspect of this song is great.But Kenny, I've never heard you play
like this. I've seen you doyour blues with the experience, I've seen

(06:09):
some of the Floyd stuff that you'vedone, but this you've taken yourself to
another level. And it's it's notcomplicated guitar work, but it sounds to
me like it's super heartfelt. Whatdid you think when you heard the song,
Kenny, Well, that when like, yeah, when when the bare

(06:30):
bones of the song when he playedit for me, I knew it was
like you were saying, I knewit was. It was an amazing heart
felt song. It was just Iwas very moved by. But then I
immediately in my head all these differentvoices to add to the guitar before even
did the solo stuff. You know, we're just like coming in my head

(06:50):
so as we put it together.But some you know, like the best
kind of soul. You know,it's more of a singing kind of soul.
When you were making much about likeGilmore earlier, you know, like
I always played the guitar. Iapproached guitar like a singer, you know,
when I listened to Gladys Night orAretha Franklin and stuff like that.
I knew in the body I wasborn and I wouldn't be able to sing

(07:13):
like that, but I wanted tobe able to express that emotion. And
some guitar players, you know,like that, and when it's the right
kind of song and you lose yourstuff within the song and go to another
you know, mention and don't evenremember what you did, and you come
back and you're getting your breath likeyou flatlin yourself or something, and those
are like, I mean, Ilive for those moments, and that's not

(07:36):
something that someone could like turn onyou off, because if they could be
fake, you know, because that'syou know, it was one of those
ones where when we did the GuitarSouls, we were up north and I
was like, you know, wehad the structure of the song arrangement down
how we wanted, Jimmy, youknow, everybody, you know, we're

(07:57):
piecing together, and it just itjust took me there, you know,
and it was an out of outof body experience. Probably the first It
was the first stake, wasn't it. Yeah, Well, you know he's
playing his parts, dog and hestarted playing this solo and Silvio with our
engineer who also filmed the video forthis, and at one point he stopped,

(08:20):
turned and looked at me, andI couldn't sing two vocals anymore because
I was breaking down, and wejust looked at each other with our mouths
open, like what is going onhere? Yeah, that's what it sounded
like to me. It sounded likeyou literally lost yourself in this song.
And it also sounds to me likeyour guitar is crying. I mean,
that's what it sounds like. Andyou know, whether it was you know,

(08:43):
it just came to you or itcame, you know, just pouring
out of you. Thank God,because it's amazing, it really is.
Yeah. I don't ever rewrite Idon't ever prewrite any guitar solos. I
just opened my mind the song andI usually, even if I do a
bunch of takes, I always endup coming back to the first things I

(09:05):
did when I wasn't overthinking it,and and then the way the song magically
happened, you know, like heireWillow, I it's like through how Aaron
came to us with the story ofher and but just how deep the song
was. It's like I already Ifelt like I knew her without even personally

(09:26):
knowing her. And since then we'vehad you know, I've met her family,
and it's like, I feel likethe song somehow is like her.
She's yeah, she's go with thememories the way that Aaron's vote with the
family. Everybodys who see the song, it's like, I feel like we

(09:46):
were guided by uh, you knowthat hand from above, the hand from
above? Hours Well, what didAaron, Aaron, what did the what
did the family feel like when youfirst present at it? Too? Actually
I played it for the mom,sent the mom first because I hadn't met

(10:07):
them yet, and so I methim first the funeral and then you know,
at another event after that. Andwhen I first played the song for
her, she immediately loved it.That it was a response, that she
was so moved by it, andshe said her actual words were, I
can't believe how much you captured herin the song, and you know how

(10:28):
well you must have known her rightoff. And her best friend told me
at the sentencing for the girl thattook Willow out that she said, Aaron,
you have no idea how much thesong is helping. The family said,
they play it all the time,and it really is helping them get
through the situation. And I was, I was breathless, dog. I
didn't know what to say at thatpoint. So I realized that it was

(10:48):
doing what it was supposed to dowell, I mean, on its own,
just on its own, merit.There's no way you couldn't like this
song. But then knowing the storybehind it, it really it moves you.
There is there's something there that's justmoving me. I can tell you
that. And uh, who's who'son this track besides Jimmy Bones and yourself

(11:13):
there, Kenny, Gimmy Bones,um, the one and only Jason Hartless
on drums. What Yeah, wegot Jason and drums, and then uh,
the incredible Kevin Chown is playing basson this. So everybody really stepped
up. And yeah, I wasjust gonna say, uh. And and
you've all you all come from adifferent different aspect than than what this song

(11:39):
uh is about or delivered, andyet you were all able to uh pull
it off because I mean Jason,I mean there he is pound in and
out with Ted Nugent, right,and yet the feel of those drums are
just fantastic, you know. Yeah, I don't mean a too, me
and Jimmy's horn. But you knowwhat happens to Jimmy Bones and I played

(12:01):
on the track together. Well,what was that like, you two guys
playing together? Yeah? How didthat? How did that feel to you?
Kenny? You know we've Jimmy andI've been you know, ever since
I quit the band. We stillJimmy and I are one of my dear
closest friends, and we've done alot of stuff. But you know,
it was fun to actually get inthe studio and and create some stuff again.

(12:24):
I mean we're always doing stuff,playing live and sitting at each other
and help each other out on ourown projects. You know if I've played
on his solo stuff and you knowit's uh, Jimmy, Jimmy's awesome.
But that's the Detroit supergroup with Jasonand Kevin and there you know, Aaron,
was that you knew the symbol theright? Uh? Yeah? Sting

(12:46):
in on Aaron. I've known eachother for years and I always talked about
doing music and we did a coverof Thank You Zeppelin with Jason and Kevin
and a how many years ago?It was in twenty twenty we did that
twenty twenty? Was it? Thatit was twenty twenty. Then COVID came
out and that's you know, yeah, well so that's why we didn't do

(13:07):
anything until retail. It was likeand it was so much fun, but
then um, something like this whichis such a this is I mean,
it's such a sad, sad thing. But the way this song and you
know, just kept her alive inthis way. But the thing that I
have to say, that kind ofit will bring a little bit of um

(13:28):
neither, I don't know if youcall it comical or insanity again Aaron's part.
But so when it came time toyou know, as the song was
completed, you know, it wastrying to do the video and Aaron,
you know, I ever played upin Traverse City. I go back forward
Detroit. You know, here's whenI go up there. And and so
what month was it? Because itwas cold, it was like October was

(13:50):
the end of our November. SoAaron comes up and we got you know,
some clear skys to do some videoshooting. So the scenes that we
were shoot, you know, wouldnormally require a quote to where you know,
but we're not because you don't wantto be like wearing a bunch of
coats in the video, you know, so you know we're being then about

(14:11):
it. But Aaron, you know, literally like walked out in the water
to Lake Michiman and will um thathe stayed today, which is at that
time that water was like, Imean more than three minutes of hypothermim I
mean easily, I mean your bodywould be immobilized. And not only did
he walk out into cold water,he walked out the coldest part of the

(14:33):
morning to what time did you dothat? It was brighten early in the
morning and my plan dog was tofall into the water as part of the
video, just standing in it forten minutes or whatever it was. It
took me three hours to recover becauseI was almost frozen to death. Yeah
I wasn't. I was like,yeah, you were sleeping. Yeah.
Those guys showed up over we starteddoing more of the shoot and I was

(14:54):
like, he didn't really get you. They showed me the footage back.
I was like, and it's likethat, but still circle Doug. I
have to give all the boys fullcredit for this, because these guys turned
this song, which was a simpledemo that I gave to him, they
turned it into what you've heard andI know that's speaking something that's you know,

(15:16):
obvious, but I mean they really, each one of them, their
contributions turned it into the piece thatit is. Yeah, forever grateful.
Yeah, well, you certainly surroundedyourself, Aaron, with some great players,
and it is kind of a supergroup, there's no doubt about it.
I'd love to hear more from youguys. But tell me how difficult for

(15:37):
you, Aaron? Was it kindof you know, reliving some of those
moments and having to go back nowand put it on videotape on top of
it. Well, it's kind oflike I said it, it's been my
therapy and I and the video.When you see the video about forty five
pounds heavier than I am right now, and that was the rush. And

(16:00):
wait, you know what I mean. So, um, I was struggling
to get through this and to dealwith it. And then at some point
I just with with her mom andI we just faced each other and we
said, you know what, it'stime to stop worrying about this and this
time starts celebrating her. And that'swhat I started doing after the video shoot.
You know, there were there werechurch jerking moments, and there were

(16:22):
there were rough moments, and youknow, especially when when Sylvia and I
went back and filmed that that introsection for it just kind of put everything
together. And after it was alldown and the video was done and the
recording was done, I had agood solid cry about it. And now
we celebrate. Yeah, well,I think there's going to be a lot

(16:42):
of people who are going to rememberWillow from this song, who who never
knew her before or never knew anythingabout her. But you know, she's
definitely going to be in the heartsof a lot of people. Anybody who
hears this song, Uh, it'sgoing to touch their heart. There is
no doubt about it. It's it'sthe way the way that the lyrics Aaron

(17:06):
Wayne's I've done it like literally youknow I like I said I as we
were watching the process was making thesong before the song was even done.
It really decides being very closely thereonand him confiding me and a son about
what he's come true with us overthe last you know, year a half.

(17:26):
It's been um. But the waythe song was, it's almost like
it's she's pictured in the song withoutwithout there being a painting of her or
urges fans like moving around and Ilike literally feel like a picture of her
moving around as you hear the song, even though it's kind even there.

(17:48):
Yeah, and it's moving people indifferent ways too, Doug. I was
interviewed about a week and a halfago by a guy and he said,
you know, Aaron, he said, my wife and I we've been having
problems. And he said, Iheard your song and I went and played
and I said, Babe, wemight be having problems, but we don't
have this problem. And he said, it's helping. Wow. Who Yeah,
that's that's like the biggest one ofthe best compliments through the years,

(18:11):
not like only God and his wifefor example. How many people have came
up to me and you know,and I'm taking that, you know,
in different guitar and all this songabout what you guys? Did you know?
Are these different songs that people rightand move people in different way and
it symbolically relates to them their ownlife situation. Yeah, you know it's
um and that's uh. And whenpeople can say this song got me through

(18:34):
this or that or that's one ofthe biggest compliments you can never get as
a writer a musician, right.So yeah, I mean I have a
friend of mine is an amazing painter, and he I have a song called
Psychedelic lap Dances Long instrumental crazy tripsout jam that I did and he paints

(18:56):
to it. Wow. Okay,well, Aaron, I know I know
from the past that you've written uhsome great ballads before, but this one,
this one is pretty special, myfriend. You really you really stepped
out of bounds and and and knockedit out of the park. This is
a great band. Have you guysthought about, you know, maybe trying

(19:18):
to record a few more songs,and we've got songs that we got oh
oh oh yeah. I just playedsomething for Kenny that that that he had
written an instrumental to he'd written themusic to it, and I just played
him the demo of the melody andchorus and lyrics that I had in mind.
Wow. Once again he came up, Well, and you've got thank

(19:42):
you in the can, right,So you got two songs to go right
now? And easier said them done. Now that we got people up there
that can tell them the computer towrite a song about avoiding or write some
quarter. Well, I know JasonHeartless is probably going to wrap it up
with Ted Nugent if decides to actuallyhang it up, so you know,

(20:03):
I mean he's available. And andJimmy Bones He's always here. I mean
I see him playing around all thetime. So Jimmy, Jimmy, he's
great. You want to keep thechord together as much as possible, you
know, and get out and dosome shows. We're trying to book some
stuff in between the touring and Kenny'sschedule. Um, our good friend Stacy

(20:25):
is actually you know Stacy very well. Um, she's trying to book some
you know, one off that fitswithin everybody's schedule. We've already done,
like you know, we've we've alreadyhit the stage. Yeah, it's not
like a project that we don't knowhow to take it to the streets.
We've already performed this song and othersof our own works and yeah, classics

(20:48):
stuff. But it's we've already It'sa very easy band that it doesn't it's
that's one of the I think oneof the coolest things about it is that
it's too fun. Yeah, it'snot. And the work everything that we
put into it is coming out ofit, not thought like playing out and
putting music out to make money andbe like look at me VV. It's

(21:10):
the quality of what we're we makeat the unit together that aren't we want
to leave behind no matter what,and just doing it for the right intention
it is the most important thing.Yeah. I think you've all gotten to
that point in your careers where youknow it's all just come together like that,
and that's when some of the bestthings come out of it. And

(21:33):
you're all at that stage in yourcareer where you can afford to, you
know, uh, step aside fromone project work on another, and yet
um make it so special and makeit your own. So I really got
to congratulate you Aaron and Kenny onthis, on this uh, on this
new song Willow, I highly recommendeverybody go to YouTube or to your website

(21:57):
and and bunch it up and downloadit and save it and uh and hey,
like like that interviewer that you werejust saying, Aaron, Uh,
you know, maybe pull it outonce in a while and just reflect back
on your own life and say,hey, you know, things, things
could be a whole lot worse.And that's a very tragic story, Aaron,

(22:18):
but you have somehow wrapped it upand put a bow on it and
made it special and I'm sure she'slooking down at you thanking you for that.
Well. I appreciate it, Doug. Your your words mean the world
to me, you know that.Yeah, everything you've done for all of
us, you know, I meanI can't count. I mean so many

(22:40):
things you've done for me through theyears and believing in stuff. But you
know, let's being like the familything. It is. It's like having
you say these kind words and beingon board and talking us right now and
putting the word out there. Imean, you are always like you're like,
you're part of our family. We'reforever grateful. Man. You tell

(23:00):
and you're no, I won't gothere. Uh but yeah, listen,
you tell Stacy if she needs anMC for that show, she knows where
to, she knows who to call. Absolutely I would have assist. I
kind of like that Captain Pode.This summer when we're out I got enough

(23:22):
nicknames, but this summer, whenwe're out in the water, you know,
because we always get together in thesummer, it's going to be yep,
we're out on the deck. I'mjust gonna look over there, you
go, all right, you guys, Well, listen, thank you so
much for the time. Uh,Kenny, congratulations on a fantastic job on

(23:44):
this track. And just a tipof the cap to you there, Aaron
on just an incredible job with thissong. I you know, I would
look, this is an album thatI would you know, have you know,
constantly playing at my house, sowe sists you finish it. Yeah,
you gotta finish it now. Yeah. Yeah, I have more verse,

(24:04):
so much music. I I mean, I've the best stuff I've written.
Yeah, I wouldn't doubt that.So it's time to whip all that
out. It's coming all right,Well Aaron, you you grabbed by the
horns and get it done. Itworks. I probably all right, a
little bigger than me. All right, Well, thank you guys, love

(24:27):
you both, my my best.To the rest of the guys in the
band, Congratulations to them as well. And uh yeah, I'm looking forward
to a little bit more here verysoon. So I love you. Thanks,
God, love you man. Allright, all right you guys,
Aaron, Aaron Electric, and KennyOlsen right here on Detroit's wheels. Here's