Interview with Eddie Smith conducted by "Switchgears"
Mad Margritt...
Come Feel the Madness....
Mad Margritt a four-piece rock band formed in Miami Florida, is comprised of Eddie Smith on lead vocals and guitar, Brad White on bass, Davay Ray on guitar and Danny Belli on drums. They have stayed true to their art form of heavy metal although the Alternative Sound era, at times threatened to pull them under. We who love that style of music are gratefull for that. Their sound is crunching guitars, great vocals and heavy back line.
Latest two releases... "STRAIGHT THROUGH THE HEART'
& "NEW SENSATION"
Straight Thru the Heart is reminiscent of Mutt Lange projects, such as Def Leppard and AC/DC. Catchy and well written. Eddie Smith, lead vocalist is one of the best rock singers out there today. He has a very impressive range and is also the writer of this and all of Mad Margritts songs.
"NEW SENSATION" has been receiving rave reviews here in the United States and a huge buzz in Europe!
Mad Margritt has opened up for several noted acts such as KISS, Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, Tesla, Mr. BIG, Quiet Riot, Skid Row, Poison and Great White.
Recently, this reporter had a chance for an interview with Eddie Smith. Since he is on the road almost 24/7 it wasn't easy catching up with him. He's a great guy, with a quirky sense of humor. Hopefully you will enjoy reading about his band and listening to his music. I know I did!!!
This interview conducted by e mail...
From : mad margritt <[email protected]>
Sent : Sunday, February 13, 2005 2:57 AM
To : "Multi-talented verbalist" switchgears (address removed) Subject : Re: Interview Questions
Switch... How old were you when you went into music, Eddie?
Eddie...Believe it or not, I was into disco music when I was a kid. My favorite band at the time was the Bee Gees. Around the age of 15, I heard my first Ted Nugent album and my life was changed forever! I got my first guitar a few months later.
Switch... Was your family supportive? (first guitar? music lessons?)
Eddie... I would say they were pretty supportive, for the most part. I had a savings account, that my mom started for me when I was a baby. Anytime I got money as a gift, she would stick it in my account. Through the years it had added up to a good little amount of money. When I wanted to get my first guitar, my mom let me use my savings account money to get it. I also had enough left over to get a small amp. I believe it was a Crate.
Switch... How did the band get it's name?
Eddie...We named ourselves after a one legged prostitute from South Beach (Fla). Just kidding, we have actually decided to keep the story as sort of a mystery for now. Besides, if I told you I would have to kill you!!! LOL
Switch... How long have have you been together as a group? Do you have nicknamesfor each other?
Eddie...The band started back in the early 90's but I'm the only original member. As far as nicknames, we call each other a lot of things but none of them are clean enough to print!...LOL
Switch... Who writes your originals? music? lyrics? Are they from your experiences?
Eddie...I write all the lyrics. Some of them are from personal experiences and believe me, those are the ones that are the hardest to sing. Especially, if its something that's real personal. You have to be willing to open yourself up, sometimes when you're writing lyrics and that's not always an easy thing to do. As far as the music, it always comes about in a different way. A lot of the music I write by myself, but sometimes Davay (guitar) will give me something on tape that he's working on, or we'll be jamming on something at rehearsal and it will turn into a song. I think each song we have ever done has kind of come together differently.
Switch... Where do you record? Do you go in all together or a track at the time?
Eddie... Most of the stuff we've done has been recorded at Exocet Studios in Atlanta. The last few songs that we recorded were done at APC Studios, which is also in Atlanta. We've been using the same engineer since 1997. His name is Bruce Bennett and he's a total rocker!! He definitely brings out the best in us. We usually all get together and cut the basic tracks at the same time, so we can capture the energy of our live show. Once we get a good drum track laid down, we'll go back in and re-cut the rest of the parts individually.
Switch... Ever co-written with the perfect partner?
Eddie... I actually prefer to write by myself, I usually like to be alone without any distractions. Even if someone else in the band comes up with the music, I will take what they've written and work on the lyrics and arrangement, by myself.
Switch... Who do you consider to be a great lyricist?
Eddie...I've always loved Steve Harris from Iron Maiden. I also like Neil Peart from Rush, especially his early stuff from 2112 and Hemispheres.
Switch... Have you ever done the same song in different music styles?
Eddie... We've done that before as a joke. We turned one of our heaviest songs "In The Name Of Rock" into a reggae song, it was pretty funny.
Switch... Have you ever considered doing commercials or soundtrack?
Eddie...Sure, I would love to!! I've got some songs ready right now, that would work great for a porno!...LOL
Switch... Who does your booking?
Eddie...We work with four or five different booking agents. Sometimes I'll book some shows for us myself, but I usually book only local stuff.
Switch... Some bands don't do this, but do you play college gigs?
Eddie... All the time, college gigs are awesome!! We also play at a lot of clubs that are located close to colleges, so we'll get a lot of the college kids out at those shows. They can get pretty crazy! By the end of the night, it usually turns into an episode of Girls Gone Wild!!
Switch... Can you do sound effects with your guitar?
Eddie...We do all sorts of crazy stuff with our guitars. Dive bombs, sirens, bird chirps, engines revving. You can make a lot of strange sounds with a wha-wha peddle.
Switch... A little bird told me that if Pamela Anderson and Gene Simmons had an illigetimate son, he would look and sing like Eddie Smith. Is this true or is somebody yanking my chain?
Eddie... LOL... Switch...Some people have said, that I look like the illegitimate son of Skid Row's Sebastian Bach and Warrant's Jani Lane. Although I'm sure that it's meant as a compliment, the thought of them having a child together is pretty disturbing! Actually it's rather repulsive!!!
Switch... There was a trend several years back, where girls threw their underwear on stage.(LOL... trying to keep a straight face) Has this ever happened to you?
Eddie...Switch You're putting me on the spot. You did say this newspaper was a spoof, so here goes... (also trying to keep a straight face)
Eddie's dissertation on ladies underwear...... Ladies underwear... Hmmm... I have always been fasinated by ladies underwear. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about wearing it... although... nah... I digress. Most guys see a woman and they're plotting to get to first base...Me... I see a woman and I wonder is it briefs or a thong? You know like the commercial boxer or briefs commercial. What color are they? Plain or with messages? Lace, satin or cotton? I guess this obsession started, when I was a kid and saw girls throwing their underwear on stage with the bands. I know I will have arrived in my career, when that first pair of panties comes sailing thru the air... LOL
However...
We knew that we had reached a new milestone in our career, when we were playing at Club La Vela in Panama City Beach, Florida. Someone threw a pair of underwear at us from the audience. The only problem was... they were Fruit Of The Looms .... boxers, if I remember correctly!!
I want to thank Eddie Smith, for taking the time to share some of his thoughts with us... Rock on Eddie...
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