Jeff is ROCKING out with Tom Keifer formerly of Cinderella

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Thanks for checking out the eight Showpodcast. I'm Jeff Stevens. So excited
to talk to rock vocalist and amazingfrontman for Cinderella for so many years,
Tom Keefer, formerly of Cinderella.Hello, Hello, Tom, How are
you doing? I'm doing good?How are you, my friend? I'm
doing really well, man, TomKeefer, the Tom Keefer Band, former

(00:20):
frontman of Cinderella, of course.And man, I was just sitting there
jam into some of your tunes lastnight, and how does it feel just
still being out there and playing livemusic and sounding awesome and writing good material
and making cool videos. It's gotto feel pretty good. Yeah, you
know, I feel very lucky andgrateful to still be able to do what

(00:43):
I love to do after all theseyears. And I attribute that to all
those people will come out every nightand sing the songs, and it's just
that's my favorite part of what Ido is touring, and touring with Keefer
Band for the last ten years hasbeen amazing and the fans have been great,
and I just feel very grateful.It's still something I love so much

(01:08):
to do play in live. There'snothing like it, you know, It's
just it's just great experience. Yeah. The Liveloud Tour kicks off June fifteenth
in Atlanta, and I got tosay, I saw you at well you
tell me what, tell me whatthe summer of nineteen eighty nine was look
was like for you? Because Isaw you. Let's see, it was

(01:29):
Cinderella, Bullet Boys, Winger andbon Jovi at Buckeye Lake outside of Columbus,
Ohio. And I just remember,as you know, as a I
think a college student, I guess, just watching you guys going, man,
I just I want to be upthere. I want to be doing
that. You guys were killing it. I remember that tour specifically that package
those bands you mentioned born touring togetherthe whole for the whole summer. That

(01:55):
was a one off show where ourtour had teamed up with John bon Jovi,
who we had toured with on theprevious tour. So that was kind
of a one off special show wherewe were out. That was a long
called Winter tour. It was US, Swinger and Bullet Boys, and we
jumped on that that one date forBuckeye Lake, right yeah, yeah,
talking about yeah with John and amassive crowd, and it was a yeah,

(02:19):
it was a block. I rememberthat one specifically because it was kind
of a one off thing where wekind of joined back up with John for
a show with our tour, andit was pretty cool, very great day.
I remember. I remember that one. Well, I actually somewhere have
a poster or a picture that's that. I think John gave it to me.
Someone took an overhead in a helicopterof the crowd and and I've got

(02:44):
it's probably it's rolled up somewhere Stewardsomewhere right now, but it's probably six
six feet by four foot giant legsfrom that day. Yeah, Yeah,
And I remember that one that wasthat was a fun fun one. I
was about ten uh what would bethe equivalent of ten rows back, So
I'm sure I'm sure it'd be easyto pick out there in the Yeah,

(03:09):
that is so funny that you Imean, you've played so many dates for
for so many years. That's funnyyou remember that one specifically. But I
was there, man, and youguys were awesome, and and uh,
it's you know, like I said, it's kind of feel so cool to
still be out there doing it andwatching a lot of us who came to
see you back in the you know, the mid to late eighties and well

(03:29):
into the nineties and everything else.To see you out there now with key
for band. Uh, just stillkilling it and doing what you love.
Yeah, I still love getting onthat tour bus and got a great bunch
of folks that I've been touring.You're within the band. This new band
has been amazing and uh, thisis our ten year anniversary. We've done
two records, so yeah, it'sit's it's a really I feel like a

(03:53):
lucky guy. And the uh,you know, the show is you know,
we played actually we played the BlueNote last year and really looking forward
to that show again. The crowd'sjust amazing there. Ohio is a real
rock and roll statement. People reallyfairly really bring it out there. So

(04:14):
we're looking forward to playing there again. And it'll be what you know that
people who will always say, oh, what's the show, like, it's
like, what the show's all thesongs you want to hear, you know,
there's Cinderella, there's some of thesolo stuff. It's you know and
high energy loud. It's the onlyway we know how to do it,
to get out there and crank,crank it up and just blessed your favorite
tunes. And and just have thatlive, spontaneous moment with the crowd.

(04:38):
You know, I always say,you know, there's nothing like live music
because you know, there's a wholekind of ritual. I go through the
warm up, my voice and allthat stuff and get in that mental place
before you get it get out there. But the second you hit the stage,
all bets are off. You know, it's like you go with the

(04:58):
flow with the crowd, and youknow it just kind of you know,
I love that. I love it. Well, the show is June seventeenth,
that Tom was referring to at theBlue Note in Harrison. It is
with Winger by the way, sothat is June seventeenth as part in the
tour kicks off the fifteenth, soit's gonna be fresh right at the beginning
of your tour. Yeah, yeah, I think it's the second show.

(05:18):
Maybe. I remember the first timeI saw I guess it would have probably
Gypsy Road on MTV, and Iremember thinking, wow, I mean I've
just because you know, obviously bandswere written. It was you and bon
Jovi and skid Row and Winger andWarrant and Bullet Boys and all these great
bands out there, but obviously yourvoice was just so unique, and then

(05:42):
I was thinking, how does hedo that? So it's interesting to me
when you said, you know,I would imagine, especially after doing it
since the eighties, that you dohave to go through and really take care
of your voice because there's a lotof I mean, I've heard you,
man, your voice sounds awesome.There are a lot of folks from the
eighties who it had it really hungaround like your voice has, so you
obviously take care of it. Well, thank you. I went through a

(06:04):
lot of problems with it for years. I had a neurological condition which is
a very long story I won't getinto, but it took me years to
build it back and it's still alot of daily maintenance to keep it there.
But I'm just thankful that I wasable to overcome that. So thank
you. Well, yeah, you'rewelcome. And do you shoot do you
have a ritual? Of Several artiststhat I've talked to you from the eighties,

(06:27):
I know recently talking to Vivian Campbellof def Leppard talking about their ritual
of like, you know, Imean, those guys they're like, we
don't use a bunch of backing tracksand everything else. We want to sing,
and so they really spend a lotof time properly warming up, which
I'm sure a lot of bands don'treally do. Yeah, I do an
hour of vocal warm ups, anda vocal cooldown is very important to kind

(06:47):
of stretch the chords back out afterwards, if you you know, I mean
through a workout in that ninety minutes, So the cooldown is as important to
kind of stretch things back out.But yeah, and our band is one
hundred percent live. I mean there'snot there's no tracks or anything. So
you know, it's a and youknow that's that comes with the good,

(07:10):
the bad, and ugly too,you know. I mean, you know,
sometimes you hit a bum note.You know, it's like tough shit.
You know, it's live. Yeah, And but yeah, no,
I I spend you know, mymy routine or ritual as you put it,
is actually gaily because of that neurologicalcondition I have. Whether I'm on
the road or not, I'm doingthe voice exercises because I have to keep
them tuned. Yeah up. Youknow, you know, I did a

(07:32):
bunch before I got on the phoneto do this radio stuff today too,
just to you know, get thevoice kind of setting in place, you
know well, and Tom, I'mglad you said that because as somebody who
does a morning radio show every dayfor five hours and I do a eighty
show syndicated show on the weekend.Um, people don't realize just talking requires

(07:55):
being properly warmed up, warmed up, and you can really hurt yourself just
by talking too much too and additionto really putting it through a workout like
we're talking about with with you singing. So you know, I'm sure that
that's really cool to hear that youdo that as well. I know we
only have a minute or two lefthere, but really want folks to check
out the key for band. Juneseventeenth, Harrison Ohio at the Blue Note

(08:15):
with Winger. I know you guysjust did a new video for the song
A Different Light, Right. Thatone came out in January this week.
That's from the first solo record,right, and the tenth anniversary goes and
yeah, this just this past Tuesday. The newest one is it's called untitled,
and that was released Tuesday. That'sfrom our second record Rise. Oh

(08:37):
nice, So that one actually justcame out, So we're making up for
some lost time. With Rise becausethat record cycle got cut off by the
pandemic. Unfortunately, Broe It cameout September of twenty nineteen. We worked
the Deaths and Me at radio forthe year and charted it and we got

(08:58):
into our second single in February offthat record, had a huge tour plan
and then that all, you know, everything went south. So um,
yeah, but we've yeah, we'vereleased two recently this year Different Light was
from the first record, and thisweek just we just did untitled from Rise.
So we're still putting some some contentout there from the solo records.
I still love making videos. Ilove that art form, and we've had

(09:22):
some great producers and directors we've workedwith, so that's still really a lot
of fun to do. Cool.So you still like making making videos.
I still remember you sitting there playingthe piano. Don't know what you got
till it's gone video, and youknow, and sometimes you guys were rocking
on stage and other times obviously youknow the powerballut. You guys did both
of them so well and you stilldo today. Are the videos fun?

(09:43):
Yeah? Yeah, I still loveyou know, especially when you have a
great producer and director. You knowthat makes it easy. You know,
we've we've with with Key from band. We've been really fortunate to work with
a multiple different people who are justreally talented, work fast, professional,
and just you know, you getthe first cutback and it's like wow,
thank you. And sometimes sometimes theediting process can be torturous, you know,

(10:09):
like mixing, and you know,we've had we've just had some great
people, you know, so it'sbeen it's been really fun. It's really
fun when when you know you knowyou're on the same page. Yes,
creativity, it's a there's no there'sno right or wrong, it's just being
on the same page with somebody.You know. It's really more what it's
about. So we've we've been luckyin that since. That's awesome. Tom

(10:31):
Keefer, Keefer Band, Cinderella.Congratulations on all the success with both and
we look forward to seeing you ontour this summer and especially June seventeenth,
Harrison, Ohio with the Blue Note. Tom Keefer, great talking to you
man, so nice too, Sonice to chat with you and uh and
best of luck this summer. Thanksso much, great talking with you too,
and you have a great day.