Brian, welcome to Over Coffee. It wonderful to have you and Olivia here and I’ve been so looking forward to this interview.
Since you're short on time, we'll get right to it.
Tell me a bit about Sinners. How did you guys come together?
Hard to believe, but Sinners has been together for ten years now. Well, most of us have. Jace Seymour took over for our previous bassist just two years ago. I’ve known Trey Mills, our rhythm guitarist, since before he grew pubes. Met Eric Sticks at a party in high school. Trey and I were playing a gig with our band, Crysys, and Eric thought we sucked. Actually, Eric and Trey got in a fistfight over it, which somehow ended with Eric joining the band. He was trying to decrease our suck. Did a pretty good job with that actually. Crysys did suck until Eric joined us.
The three of us played together for a couple years, then Sed Lionheart decided he wanted to be our lead singer, took over, and rearranged things. He’s the one who renamed the group Sinners.
So even though he wasn’t an original member, Sed just took over?
Yeah, Sed is like that. He told Eric that he was hurting the band by being lead singer and that he should play drums instead. Eric sings pretty good actually, but he doesn’t have much star quality. Sed’s got both the pipes and the stage presence. He’s a great front man. And Eric wails on the drums. So win/win for Sinners. Right?
I suppose so. As long as there were no hard feelings.
Now I didn’t say that.
Your father was also a famous lead guitarist in his day. Was he the one who encouraged you to pick up the guitar?
Not really. When I was a kid, he’d go out on tour and I’d sneak into his studio to play his guitars. I don’t know how he knew I was messing with them, but man, that made him mad. No one touches Malcolm O’Neil’s guitars. Eventually, Mom bought me my own guitar, so I’d stop upsetting Dad. And despite all my success in Sinners, I’m still not good enough to impress the old man.
Can we talk about something else?
Sure. Whose music influenced you, Master Sinclair, to become the iconic guitarist you are today?
I do have a few influences, but I tried to find my own sound early on. You can’t be a great musician if you copy others your whole career. I think Hendrix was my biggest influence. I started trying to copy his sound when I was eight. I also learned from fast-fingered soloists like Randy Rhodes and Eddie Van Halen, as well as, masters of the metal riff, like Metallica and Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell Abbot. You’ll hear bits of all of them in me. I guess my dad influenced me, too. People say I sound like him. I don’t hear it.
Hey, did you know Olivia Cunning dedicated her novel, Backstage Pass, to Dimebag?
Yes, I saw that. He was an awesome guitarist.
I suggested it to her. His loss was a terrible tragedy. Playing Cowboys from Hell helped me build up my speed. Great workout for the fingers. Sick song! Uh, sick meaning good.
I really like the song too, Brian. I think I’ll let anyone who wants hear it give it a play.
If you had to pick a band on today’s scene you respect for their songwriting or music ability, who would it be and why?
There are lots of great bands out there right now. I don’t think I can pick just one. I do respect bands who aren’t afraid to vary their song structures and sound. Variety is good as long as you don’t go overboard.
We’re going to try to add even more variety to Sinners’ next album. So says Eric Sticks.
As a popular band, what are some of the good things that have come your way? What are some of the not so great things?
Fans are great. Performing live is great. Getting paid to do what I love is amazing. Living on a tour bus with four other slobs sucks. Just kidding, the guys are great. Just don’t feed them chili. I beg you.
I read on your website that you had some problems this past year with losing your creative spark or your muse. That must have been hard. Was it burn out?
Sed has a big frickin’ mouth. I don’t know why he posted that on our website. I’m not sure what the problem was. We’ve been on the road for a long time, but that usually inspires me. Maybe it was the pressure. Everyone always being on my case to write something. I think I just needed to relax and let the music come. Not force it, you know? I’m over it now. I’ve written a lot of new stuff recently. Great stuff.
So how did you finally find a way to relax and let it come? Come? Ummm....
Why, Brian Sinclair, are you blushing?
Psssh, no.
If you say so, lol! So what exactly inspired your creative spark? You can tell us.
Might as well. It’s all being published in the novel, Backstage Pass, anyway. There’s this woman. This amazing, sexy, wonderful, brilliant, beautiful, intelligent woman. When we, uhhh... how do I put this, get it on, I hear music in my head. It’s as if we were destined to be together. I think I’m being rewarded for finding her. Now I just have to figure out how to keep her.
Speaking of getting it on, how does it feel to have your sex life made public in a novel?
Hey, it's not so bad. Olivia Cunning makes me look like a total stud in the book. Well, except that part on page 253. I was just too excited before I started, you know, and Myrna had me all worked up and I just got off stage and...
Brian, you're looking a little flushed again, would you like some ice water?
Actually, I'd appreciate it if everyone would just skip that part.
Myrna? She the one who revived your muse, right? Is she traveling with the band?
Yeah, Myrna’s doing this research project on our groupies. Trying to figure out why they keep ripping off Sed’s shirt or something. She’s a human sexuality professor. I think she got her degree in how to make me a very happy man.
How do the other band members get along with her?
Oh, they love her. She busts their balls on a regular basis and they get off on it. Not many chicks feel comfortable bossing around a bunch of famous rock stars, you know. Myrna tells it like it is, so they respect her. Even Sed, who has no respect for women.
Being the significant other of one of the hottest band members can’t be easy. How does she deal with all the women who come on to you?
Women come on to me? [laughing]
Actually, though Myrna is still researching everyone else’s groupies, she stopped interviewing mine. I think she might be jealous. She has absolutely nothing to worry about. I’m a one-woman kind of man.
Unlike Sinners’ lead vocalist, Sed Lionheart. Or so I’ve heard.
Never fails. No matter who interviews me, they bring up Sed’s rep.
That’s because he tends to boldly flaunt it, Brian.
Seriously, you’ve got cut the guy some slack. After his fiancée, Jessica, dumped him two years ago, he became a real a-hole. I say good riddance to that gold-digger, even though it meant I had to deal with a bunch of b.s. from Sed while he got over her. Actually, I still don’t think he’s over her. Not sure what’s so great about her. You’d think he’d hate her after what she did to him.
Crap, I gotta go. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got to get on the tour bus now and head out for our next show. I’ll try to stop by your blog later and answer any questions.
Brian, it’s been a pleasure talking with you. I really appreciate you and Olivia taking time out of your busy schedule for the interview.
Sia. You’re a real sweetheart for having me. Olivia said she’ll stop by sometime, too. And maybe the rest of Sinners. You never know.
Oh, that would be fun.
~*~*~*~
For him, life is all music and no play...When Brian Sinclair, lead songwriter and guitarist of the hottest metal band on the scene, loses his creative spark, it will take nights of downright sinful passion to release his pent-up genius...
She's the one to call the tune...When sexy psychologist Myrna Evans goes on tour with the Sinners, every boy in the band tries to seduce her. But Brian is the only one she wants to get her hands on...
Then the two lovers' wildly shocking behavior sparks the whole band to new heights of glory...and sin... EXCERPT: Adult or PG-13 Read my review
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million
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You can find Olivia:
Website, Blog, Facebook Fan page
