We did an interview with the band Broken Romeo recently and now we bring it to you and we at The Coven hope you’re as excited as we are. So, come take a journey with us as we share a bit about the band.  We interviewed James Turpin who has been playing with the band for 28 years and he says it’s been a lot of fun he likes playing with the guys.  I ask him what made his band more different than other bands out there. He replied: “I think our band is different because we’ve been doing it so long, and we have always stayed true to who we are. Music trends come and go but we very much remain true to our brand of Rock Music. That doesn’t mean that new influences can’t/don’t find their way into our music. Quite the contrary, but at its core it is still Broken Romeo music”. Which Is very important when you’re a band, so many bands get wrapped up in the hype of becoming famous that they lose sight of who they first where and what sound they wanted, in the end selling out to the main steam. Broken Romeo on the other hand has stayed true to themselves and to their fans.

           Next I asked James what type of show they always hope they give their fans at the show, He said “We want to give them the best possible live performance that we can. We like to do a bit of layering in the studio that we can’t always recreate live but we make it up with the Live energy.” Which you can hear when you listen to their music, the have an energy there and you can feel them thru their music. They have a great vibe and sound when they play together.  I wanted to know more about How they come to writing music if one or more persons write the songs or if more a joint effort from the entire band. “It really depends on the song. Some songs are written by either Steve or myself and brought to the band. The band then helps refine the song by adding their own contributions to the song. Many songs start as Band Jams which turn into songs. This is my favorite way of writing as all member of the band are active participants in the writing process. After the music and basic melody are composed I will write the lyrics. The theme of the lyrics is driving by the mood of the music” So even down to the writing of the music these guys work well together and as a supportive effort come up with some amazing songs for all their fans to hear. This is definitely one band who is put together well and an example of how bands who want to become something need to be to have any chance in the music industry. So, what sort of influences are behind the music writing? “It really depends of the mood/atmosphere the music creates. I usually make up words (gibberish) while I’m finding the melody in the song. Usually a word or Phrase will stand out. Many times, the one Phrase will dictate the theme of the song.” The music really has a good sound and you can tell their hard work is definitely paying off.  I asked why he thinks people should come to their show: “We don’t play out that often. When we do we make it a special event! We pride ourselves on being prepared and like to give the crowd a great show!”  We definitely like a great show with lots of energy and a great time with great music. I have to say I think that’s exactly what these guys will give. So How do they look visually? “Visually, we are a four-piece band, with drums, 2 guitars and bass.  While we aren’t the kind of band that jumps and screams, we like to let the music do all the “talking”!”  Although sometimes having that loud trash type, I have to say some of the best concert are the more rocking more mellow types, when you can kick back, be intoxicated with the sounds and rhythm of the music. So, what and who were his personal influences to bring him to the music scene? “We all come from different musical backgrounds and all have different musical tastes. Steve and I were huge Queen fans when we were younger (still are). We also listened to bands like Pink Floyd, ELO and Led Zeppelin. When I was in High School I was really into U2. They are still one of my favorite bands. Steve was really into Guns’N’Roses and Alice in Chains. Ari tends to like Classic Hard Rock/Metal bands like Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Bill is really into the Progressive rock bands of the 70’s and 80’s like Rush, Kansas, Asia, Yes, etc.  They all find their way into our music. If you listen, you can hear them!” I can agree with James there if you really listen you can definitely hear a bit of all the greats in their tunes, yet you can still hear the unique sound the band has made of themselves as well, again not losing touch of who they are as artists. I wanted to know how music affects him on an everyday level and he simply states: “Music is the soundtrack to people’s lives and experiences. I’m no different. The music stays the same, just the technology changes…and fast!” Which led me straight to my next question, what did he think of the music industry of today? Did he feel that there is a lot of positive change from years past? “There are Pros and Cons. The pros being that it is easier than ever for bands to record music, sell music and merchandise, and reach audiences through social media than it ever was before the internet. The technology makes easy for bands to connect with their fans. The cons are that you can’t make enough money selling music anymore. That’s why bands must tour constantly. It’s the only way you can make Music your career except for a very small percentage of music industry elites. Making an album is almost a lost art. It’s more about the single. No-one need buy an album or an mp3 anymore. With services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify people can stream most songs for almost nothing.” Next I asked him what where his pet peeves with the music industry: “I suppose it would be the “Cookie Cutter” nature of today’s popular music. Not that there isn’t great music out there. There is, it’s just that listening to modern rock radio everything sounds the same. I miss the days of albums and diversity in Rock.”

I think he hit the nail on the head there with his statement. I personally feel that you have to feel what you play and mean it. It is not enough to just write a song mash lyrics together and play them on stage. You can’t sell good music let alone any music if we the fans aren’t feeling it. With so many bands starting to all sound alike people are running to the bands that have a unique sound and the other bands are getting left behind. Again, when you Hear Broken Romeo you hear the influences of their music but you can hear their own flare and creative sound which in my book makes them a really good band you’ll want to listen to.  Now bringing up technology also brings out another crucial element recording the music. It used to be you could only really record in a studio now with technology so advanced people are taking it out to the street the beaches different halls.  Is this something that interests the band or is there something to be said for the old recording studio? “Sure, but with us it comes down to time and money. We have recorded many albums in the old way and they turned out great. We recorded our most recent album “Side One” entirely ourselves. Everything but Mastering is done in house. This not only saves us a bunch of money, but also, we can work on the albums at our pace.”

       Finance can be just one burden for a band I asked James what struggles the band has faced together and how it impacted the group. “Through the years, some band members have come and gone. Some of them have returned. Ari and Bill had left Broken Romeo at some point and for different reasons only to find themselves back in Broken Romeo. Steve and I are brothers so leaving Broken Romeo would be like leaving family! Most challenges the band has endured are probably the most many bands have endured. Not enough time, money, waning interest from time to time, creative differences. So, far BR has weathered them all. Being in a band is a lot like being in a relationship. It’s hard work sometimes but in the end, it pros outweigh the cons.” James has a wonderful positive outlook so you can see if the other members are the same way you can be sure this is another contributing factor to why this band has been together for so long. So, I asked James about. what do you think most bands struggle with more when beginning and being a local band/ cover band? “Surviving long enough to where you can get to a point where you can find your sound, perfect your live show, and write enough quality material to move on to the next level.” I asked him if he any advice to the bands that are just starting out. “Spent time finding your sound. Know your limitations but don’t be afraid to push the boundaries. Stay up on technology because it can really help you. It moves at the speed of light. Practice enough and play shows. It’s the best way to get tight as a band. Stick through the abs and flows that come with being a band. You will have some successes and some failures. It’s part of the gig.” Now when A band is starting out getting heard and seen are also really important but also hard at times when you first start out. Not being a well-known band can make that much trickier than one would think, any advice for the new bands on promotions and getting seen out there? “Network with other bands. Get out and see other bands play. Have a social media presence and follow other local bands. Be encouraging and positive with other bands that are having success. Don’t be negative.”  Awesome advice for sure also If you're starting out and you get a sample cd get yourself heard on the radio even the smaller ones can help you, online radio even. They all get you one more step closer to a fan base you desire and can get you to the next level. Here at the coven we are heard nationally so we play both popular groups and the local ones from all over. No one is too big nor too small for us to play and get you the air time needed. Next thing we at Coven Radio always wonder what different bands think on the controversy of down loading pirated music? Times are changing so is technology but consumer wise it hurts the artist. What is your opinion? “It’s the reality we have to deal with. The value of a piece of music has been reduced so much by piracy and streaming services that many won’t pay money for a song or an album. Hell just giving your music away can be hard for many bands. Again, it has shifted the focus off recording and on touring. Touring and selling merchandise at gigs is the only way most bands, even most established bands can make a living in music. That’s why you see many great bands who were big back in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s touring nonstop.”

         I the interviewer still remember back in late 80’s early 90s and so on getting excited for a new release from a band or two that I liked and being so eager to wait in line to get it. We didn’t have the mainstreams to get and download anything. the technology for that wasn’t there. My next question as a band it’s your job to sell the music, do you find it easier to sing / play songs you cover or songs you have written. do you lack conviction in the music if it’s not your own? (if you don’t believe in the song do you think your listener will?) “We like to throw in a few covers to keep the audience on their toes. As long as we can pull it off musically and vocally we’ll do it.”  So, then I asked, you’re on stage you got the attention of the people close to the stage how do you reach the people or person at the back of the crowd how do you pull them in?  simply put he said “Be one with the crowd! ;)” Which is definitely the way to be you have to draw everyone in as if your talking and singing to them, let them see you notice them. Such a key element again you can’t just go on stodge jump around and not bring a personal presence to each person out there. I asked if there was any venue he liked or was a favorite. “My favorite was playing the old Fox theater in Tucson. It’s an old renovated Theater in the heart of downtown Tucson.” Our interview with James Turpin Is coming to a close with just a few more questions. Tell us About your next gig or show. Is It private or public?  Can You give us a sneak peek and tell us a little bit about it?

“We have been toying with the idea of producing a live Stream Cast of a full Broken Romeo show. Through Social Media we have reached a broad audience worldwide. We could never play many of the places where we have found an audience so this would be a way to play to many BR fans without having to tour in those places. The technology is there to do it” That certainly would be an amazing feature to see and I can speak for myself and say I would definitely love to see it and When and If you do it we here at The Coven Radio will definitely let fans know about it. Well that is our interview with broken Romeo and we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we have. It was great to have a sneak peek into the band and insight into their world of music. Be sure to listen to the song we have posted with the interview as well as checking out all their links to the band that we provided for you. Contact The coven radio at the comment section and let us know what you think about Broken Romeo