Doug Gordon Band A Little Q&A with Doug Gordon, singer / guitarist / songwriter with the Doug Gordon Band, aka DGB. Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself, and your band. Doug: In the year 2005 I assembled "The Doug Gordon Band" to perform songs from my "self titled," first independent CD. The debut CD was recorded in 2004 at Breeze Bayou Studios on Long Island with producer/engineer Rich Belkin. Some songs have found their way to the airwaves. The song "Angel of my life" was released in "Car and Audio" magazine in Japan as one of the songs in a promotional issue in which 30,000 copies were distributed to their subscribers. The song "War Heroes" was the bonus track on the single "Proud to be Americans are we" on Cooch records. "The Hole, War Heroes, 'Til Death Do Us Part, & Oneonta" also made it to some college radio stations, while most of the CD has been in rotation on many internet radio stations thanks to plenty of digital distribution like iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody etc. Throughout the years there have been subtle line-up changes but the current band features top musicians from the New York/Long Island music scene. Frank DeGiorno (guitar & vocals), Ken Jockers (keyboards, sax, flute, vocals), Warren Kurz (bass) Richie Kurz (drums & vocals) LB: How did you start out making music? Doug: I started playing guitar when I was 14 years old. With some friends, played parties and talent shows throughout high school. I had some local success on Long Island playing bars with the original band Satyr. Had more regional success playing NYC and the US East Coast with original bands Tabitha (BMC music) and Mr. Nasty (Screaming Skull records). All along I was writing original music, contributing to the bands I was in and songs for myself. That is when I wrote and recorded the debut CD "The Doug Gordon Band". LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now? Doug: As a young boy my first influence was The Beatles and The Stones. When I got into my teens the bands that mattered most were Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and eventually Motley Crue. The Crue were vital to shaping my way of thinking about music. I realised that the song was more important than the band. Since then that has been my credo. I feel that getting across passion and attitude is more important than skill. LB: Tell us about your latest release. Doug: The 2009 follow up CD "SPIN" was recorded at VuDu Studios, Parcheesi Studios & Cove City Sound Studios on Long Island with producer/engineer Bob Stander. "SPIN" was mastered by Grammy Award winning engineer Gene Paul at dbPlus Sound in NYC. This CD is a full band collaboration and is sure to make some noise within the industry. "SPIN" is a Rock record, but it is also a musical journey. With every track a new mood is achieved, not only musically but lyrically. The musicians all get to shine individually as Doug welcomes you into his tales of life experiences. One track "Broken" was already chosen to be on a "Best of Long Island" CD before it was even in it's final mixing stage. LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Doug: Yes, we just begun playing shows to promote the new release. The audience can expect a mix of hard rock and acoustic rock with varied instrumentation (guitar, sax, flute) and 4 out of 5 members singing in harmony. It is a fulfilling show. We will throw in some cover tunes also. LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Doug: I love the live interaction with a crowd, there is nothing like a great night live. I do enjoy the creative process of recording also. I like when a song goes from just an idea and it becomes a completed piece. I do enjoy collaborating with the members of DGB in the writing process. LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music? Doug: CD Baby, iTunes, Napster, Amazon and a few others. Also there is tons of information and CD purchase links on our websites (links below). www.douggordon.org www.myspace.com/thedouggordonband