Straight-forward, aggressive rock and roll is definitely still alive in the South, and it's riding out of Nashville, Tennessee on a horse called Every Mother's Nightmare. Recently, ROX had the opportunity to speak with EMN guitarist Steve Malone and drummer Jim Phipps about the band's emergence onto the national scene.
In late 1987, vocalist Rick Ruhl and Malone began EMN with nothing but a small, windowless warehouse sudio and their dreams. After picking up bassist Mark McMurtry and Phipps and with the support of their manager, Doc Fields, the unit began playing the club scene in Nashville and Memphis.
1988 found Every Mother's Nightmare going through personnel musical chairs as Phipps and McMurtry left the band for other ventures and were replaced, only to eventually return to reform the original lineup.
By April 1989, less than two years after the band's inception, EMN was showcasing for major labels and enjoying a strong following in Tennessee. Only two months later, the president of Arista Records, Clive Davis, was on his way to Memphis to hear this band that he heard so much about. The Nightmare was scheduled to play at the Omni New Daisy that night, but when the second act refused to let EMN use their lights and sound equipment, they were forced to play for Clive at producer Eli Ball's warehouse studio. Phipps remembers the makeshift concert hall's inadequate electrical system cleary: "We'd be playing and you would hear a 'POP' and we'd be playing in total darkness!"
However, blown circuits didn't stop Every Mother's Nightmare from playing a full set of straight-from-the-gut rock and roll. This perseverance, along with their music, impressed Davis enough to offer the group a record deal with Arista one week later.
By watching and listening to this band play, you may not be able to tell what makes them so special immediately. They have no gimmicks and they aren't breaking new musical ground; however, EMN has honesty and integrity in both their music and their attitude. This is what sets them apart.
Malone explains that this is partly the result of their relative isolation from the industry mainstream. "We didn't feel that we had to be like anybody else because we didn't know that much about what else was going on," he admits. "We don't make an attempt to be different because if we did, we'd be like everybody else." Prophetic words, Steve.
How do they sound? Well, EMN definitely shows a wide range of influences including KISS, The Beatles, and The Allmann Brothers. Their sound is reminiscent of early Motley Crue but with better, bluesier chops. Add a pile driving rhythm section and sizzling vocals and I think you might have it.
Phipps describes the sound as "real hard straight-forward rock with just a little bit of groove." "Yeah, a little boogie," Malone adds.
You have to experience their live show to know why this band is making such waves. When EMN sent ROX a three-song live video instead of a demo tape, it seemed a little wierd at first. But I watched, and I understood. On stage, EMN is furiously intense. They were in tune with each other as well as with the audience. In fact, you might say that the audience was furiously intense too!
If you truly want to get a taste of the Nightmare, then pick up their self-titled debut album on Arist Records, or listen for the all out rockin' single, "Walls Come Down" and their unbridled cover of the Charlie Daniels Band's "Long Haired Country Boy." Also watch and wait for them to ride into town on their upcoming club tour.
With Every Mother's Nightmare, there is no doubt that the South's gonna rise again!