In a recent interview on Greek newspaper Documento, ahead of his come-back to Athens to celebrate White Lion’s 40th anniversary, vocalist Mike Tramp talked with journalist Yiannis Poullos about the band’s beginning, the themes of the songs and revisiting those songs live.
An excerpt of the interview:
How symbolic is it to revisit these songs today, and what makes this second revival of White Lion different from the one in the 2000s?
Looking back, it’s clear I wasn’t ready the first time around. I was vulnerable and gave in to what promoters wanted: not Mike Tramp, but White Lion. When I realized it wasn’t working, I made the right call and stopped. I focused on my solo career. What I’m doing now is like pulling that old car out of the garage, washing it, putting on new tires, and giving it a fresh coat of paint. It’s the same car, just updated to run properly on today’s roads. So the idea behind the Songs Of White Lion volumes 1, 2, and 3 is to adapt the songs to the current era without losing their original soul. Yes, the tuning is lower—there’s no way I could still hit those high notes—but the essence is still there, and that’s what matters.
What role did the explosion of grunge play in the end of White Lion in the late ’90s?
Think of White Lion as a pizza, where each slice represents a reason the band broke up. Grunge was one of those slices. But in reality, the entire music industry was changing. It all ended when MTV—our biggest platform—decided they didn’t want those long-haired, well-groomed rockers anymore. Overnight, they stopped playing our videos. That meant record labels lost a crucial way to promote their artists. Everything spiraled. Radio followed. Suddenly, it felt like that old car I mentioned was just aimlessly driving down empty roads. Everything ended so quickly. I often wonder: if we had just taken a short break to clear our heads, maybe we wouldn’t have split up. Maybe we could’ve adapted to that new world. In fact, with Mane Attraction, Vito [Bratta, White Lion guitarist] and I had already started to introduce progressive elements into our sound.
Both Big Game and Mane Attraction were great albums that didn’t get the recognition they deserved—especially the latter. Why do you think that happened?
Big Game came out too soon—Pride was still riding high in the charts, and we should have taken a breather. We went into the studio without a clear head, thinking we could top Pride. With Mane Attraction, we took more time, but by then the industry had shifted. No matter how good the songs were, nothing could win that fight. The timing just wasn’t in our favor.
Released on April 2, 1991 via Atlantic Records, Mane Attraction peaked at #61 on the US Billboard 200. The album includes a rerecorded version of their debut single “Broken Heart” and additional singles with the robust “Lights And Thunder” and “Love Don’t Come Easy”.
Tramp is out now on tour supporting Songs Of White Lion – Vol.II. For a current list of dates, head here.
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An excerpt of the interview:
How symbolic is it to revisit these songs today, and what makes this second revival of White Lion different from the one in the 2000s?
Looking back, it’s clear I wasn’t ready the first time around. I was vulnerable and gave in to what promoters wanted: not Mike Tramp, but White Lion. When I realized it wasn’t working, I made the right call and stopped. I focused on my solo career. What I’m doing now is like pulling that old car out of the garage, washing it, putting on new tires, and giving it a fresh coat of paint. It’s the same car, just updated to run properly on today’s roads. So the idea behind the Songs Of White Lion volumes 1, 2, and 3 is to adapt the songs to the current era without losing their original soul. Yes, the tuning is lower—there’s no way I could still hit those high notes—but the essence is still there, and that’s what matters.
What role did the explosion of grunge play in the end of White Lion in the late ’90s?
Think of White Lion as a pizza, where each slice represents a reason the band broke up. Grunge was one of those slices. But in reality, the entire music industry was changing. It all ended when MTV—our biggest platform—decided they didn’t want those long-haired, well-groomed rockers anymore. Overnight, they stopped playing our videos. That meant record labels lost a crucial way to promote their artists. Everything spiraled. Radio followed. Suddenly, it felt like that old car I mentioned was just aimlessly driving down empty roads. Everything ended so quickly. I often wonder: if we had just taken a short break to clear our heads, maybe we wouldn’t have split up. Maybe we could’ve adapted to that new world. In fact, with Mane Attraction, Vito [Bratta, White Lion guitarist] and I had already started to introduce progressive elements into our sound.
Both Big Game and Mane Attraction were great albums that didn’t get the recognition they deserved—especially the latter. Why do you think that happened?
Big Game came out too soon—Pride was still riding high in the charts, and we should have taken a breather. We went into the studio without a clear head, thinking we could top Pride. With Mane Attraction, we took more time, but by then the industry had shifted. No matter how good the songs were, nothing could win that fight. The timing just wasn’t in our favor.
Released on April 2, 1991 via Atlantic Records, Mane Attraction peaked at #61 on the US Billboard 200. The album includes a rerecorded version of their debut single “Broken Heart” and additional singles with the robust “Lights And Thunder” and “Love Don’t Come Easy”.
Tramp is out now on tour supporting Songs Of White Lion – Vol.II. For a current list of dates, head here.
Make sure you are subscribed to the BraveWords YouTube channel.
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bravewords666?sub_confirmation=1
The post MIKE TRAMP Looks Back At WHITE LION’s Mane Attraction – “The Timing Just Wasn’t In Our Favor” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...