When anyone from overseas asks me about the best Australian Rock bands of all time of course the legends of yesteryear – AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and The Angels are in there but there’s another couple of constants on the ever-changing list and one of them is Electric Mary fronted by the inimitable Rusty Brown. Now that the pandemic is something we’re learning to live with rather than hiding from it’s great to see Rock music flooding back and what better way to celebrate that than with and Electric Mary show! It’s been a while since they’ve been in Perth so put this Friday 13th May in your calendar!
Rusty: I’ve got you mate!
Mark: Finally! Let’s get stuck right in! The first time I saw you guys was on the Whitesnake Tour many moons ago when I used to live over in Melbourne. Whitesnake might be finally throwing in the towel this year but you are still going strong and we get to see you in Perth again this week!
Rusty: Yes, it’s about time, we love it in the West!
Mark: It’s also the 20 year anniversary next year!
Rusty: Yeah the 20th Anniversary on 14th April. That’s when I was in Jimmy Hendrix’ studio.
Mark: Big plans?
Rusty: Not at the moment. We’ve just got big plans for this Friday at the Charles and then big plans for The Enigma Bar this Saturday and that’s as far as we’re going so far. And we’re heading back to Europe in September.
Mark: That’s great news after all the bad news we’ve had over the last few years. I was so upset when our State Government’s ridiculous restrictions on live music robbed us of ‘Under the Southern Stars’ whilst they pretty much allowed Sport to go unchecked over hear. So even though the Eastern States had a wonderful time we lost out. There is still a kind of isolation though backstage I understand that we need to get used to?
Rusty: Kind of, Cheap Trick were a little like that as Rick has just had pneumonia and Tom had just had an operation so they both weren’t interested in catching Covid and nor should they be, but we got to catch up with them.
Mark: I didn’t know that I was thinking more of the fact that even now with things opening up a positive test within the band could mean tour dates postponed or cancelled. A great event to get things started again.
Rusty: It was.
Mark: Back to Friday and Saturday and the rest of your tour – how much of ‘Mother’ are you playing for us? That was my album of the year back in 2019, I remember telling you that last time we met, it seems like so long ago.
Rusty: Well we play a little bit of it, but we’ve delved back a little bit too so that everyone can have a piece of something. We’re playing ‘Woman’, we’re playing ‘Gimme Love’, ‘I Like the Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Sorry Baby’ there’s quite a few in there.
Mark: That’s quite a few, it would be great to hear ‘Hold onto what you Got’ too, I love that one. And hopefully ‘The King of Rock and Roll’?
Rusty: Well hopefully! We should it’s our last single!
Mark: A wonderful song. And of course the tour rolls on all the way to the end of May in Ballarat.
Mark: Take us all teh way back now, with the anniversary coming up, you mentioned being in the Jimmy Hendrix Studios in New York and I know that’s where the band name originated, tell us that story I’ve never actually heard it from you before?
Rusty: Well I was in Irwin Thomas band, you know Jack Jones (Southern Sons, John Farnham band) I was playing bass in his band and he was doing a gig for BMG Records over there. We did a couple of shows, and he did one in the Bertelsmann Building in New York, a solo show. And after one of our gigs that was owned by Mr. Big and Whoopi Goldberg we played this gig and we met Electric Mary Campbell, I just knew her as Mary Campbell, and she said to me make sure you stay in touch and gave me her card and it read ‘Electric Mary Campbell’ and I said to her “That’s a great name for a band” that was on the 14th April 2003. So I named the band, or maybe she named the band! (laughs)
Mark: And Mary was the lady who looked after Electric Ladyland, she was the studio manager?
Rusty: Yeah, she had such great stories about Kiss and AC/DC, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Radiohead, Foreigner, The Kinks, every band that you could think of. She was a great lady.
Mark: Last time I saw you face to face was back stage at the John Corabi gig in Melbourne, he’s back over again, this time acoustic, it would be great to see you play acoustic with him, do you get to do that much?
Rusty: Yeah I supported Richie Kotzen when he was over, I did the show in Melbourne and Brisbane, he was great, he was really good.
Mark: It would be great to see you out there with John, he’s always great, I’ve loved his music for years.
Rusty: He’s very good man, John Corabi, The Scream were good and he was great in The Dead Daisies too. He’s got a great voice, I like that raspy style of singing that real Blues Rock type of vocal.
Mark: One of my favourites.
Rusty: Absolutely.
Mark: Now let’s talk influences: if you could have been a ‘fly on the wall’ for the creation of any album from the history of Rock and Roll what would you like to have seen being made? Watching the magic happen?
Rusty: ‘Let It Be’ (laughs) No I’ve already been there after watching that ‘Fly on the Wall; thing with The Beatles – that was great. But no I would say for me it would be being there for Deep Purple’s ‘Burn.’ That was the very first one after Gillan, who was the most known Deep Purple singer and they replaced him with two singers Coverdale and Hughes! I love that album, but actually I’d love to see all three – that, ‘Stormbringer’, because Blackmore was on his way so I reckon there would have been some angst, and I love ‘Stormbringer I think it’s their best record but so far away from Rock and Hard Rock! And then ‘Come Taste the Band’ where a completely new guitarist comes in, I would have loved to have been around that. Job Lord said that realistically it was a Tommy Bolin solo album that just had Deep Purple’s name on it because he just did everything. And that’s not disrespectful he loved it!
Mark: Yes Hughes and Coverdale at their peak! What a great couple of records. Three of the best. It’s a shame David is bowing out this year.
Rusty: Yeah, I heard he was going to finish it but get another singer and continue on.
Mark: I think they will, it makes sense.
Rusty: He’ll run it and make all the money!
Mark: We shall certainly see I’m sure…
Mark: Let’s step back further and I know this is different for everyone, for some it comes in a blinding flash of light for others it’s more gradual, others have always known and a couple are still deciding… when did you know that music was going to be such an important part of your life?
Rusty: I’ve always loved music, but I was forced into singing by a guy at school who saw me sing and said “You’re in my band!”
Mark: (laughs)
Rusty: So I was in his band, and I’ve always sort of been in a band. I had this little period between 21 and 23 when I didn’t do it, I got glandular fever for a long time and so didn’t feel I could, and then from about 23 onwards I’ve just played music. It’s part of you – you don’t decide you’re going to be a musician – it’s decided for you! So then it just depends what type of musician you are – you’re either a professional, a semi-professional or you do it for fun. But there’s plenty of good guys that don’t do it professionally, they’re good but they choose not that route.
Mark: Who was your first musical love then? What turned you onto especially Rock music?
Rusty: Any music really. When I was a kid obviously The Beatles were around but when I first really went “Wow” it was when I heard the opening chords of ‘In Rock’ (Deep Purple) when they start off with ‘Speed King’. When they started with that I was young and I went “Whoa!” That was it, and I went from there. But I like a lot of music. I’m excited by Rock and all the Genres that come within that, Hard Rock I love and the softer stuff – I love Tom Petty. But I like a lot of different stuff, and in fact there’s one album that’s really got me now, and I’ve never had an album by this guy before – Ryan Adams and it’s called ‘Wednesdays’.
Mark: That came out a couple of years ago – I love that one, he’s a great song-writer and he just has that knack of writing a song that touches a nerve with you.
Rusty: Yeah, I love it. I have a question for you though. Who’s your favourite Hair Metal band?
Mark: That’s an impossible question for me, I love some really obscure bands from that era but my issue is that there’s very few bands around in the late 80’s that I would refer to as Hair Metal anyway, I never liked the term.
Rusty: Well yes, the band that I love is exactly what you’re talking about. So who is your favourite.
Mark: I’ll take the fifth, I love bands like Thunder, Skin, Salty Dog, Babylon A.D. and so many others but none of them are what I’d call Hair Metal.
Rusty: I don’t know any of them except Thunder – I love his voice. They’re great. But I’m going to go with Enuff Z’Nuff. They are brilliant!
Mark: Mate Enuff Z’Nuff they’re absolute legends! One of the best bands ever, but so much more than Hair Metal though they we’re definitely of that era. I’m good mates with both Chip and Donnie which is always interesting of course, with them not being together these days. Whenever I talk to Chip I always talk to Donnie too. Those guys are geniuses and I love talking to those guys . I was lucky enough to catch them when they played the UK for the first time back in the day and I’ve been a fan ever since. What a great live band! I saw one of the last shows they payed together at Rocklahoma back in 2009 too. I always wanted to write a book about those guys! But I never knew that about you, I always had the upmost respect for you but now you’re just gone up a few more notches in my book!
Rusty: (laughs) A friend of mine did his (Donnie Vie’s) last record, the one that you had to buy online?
Mark: ‘Beautiful Things’?
Rusty: That’s it! My mate engineered it. I did some songs over in Chicago a while back with a mate of mine I went over and recorded two different EP’s and I just happened to mention them and he said “Oh they’re friends of mine, I’ll call up Chip and get him to come down.” And I literally shat myself and said “No don’t do it!”
Mark: He’s a lovely guy you would have really hit it off!
Rusty: I met him when he came to Australia, when was that?
Mark: Just before the pandemic in 2020 they played a few shows and ended at the Melodic Rock Fest in Melbourne.
Rusty: That’s it.
Mark: I was staying at the Hotel with them in St Kilda it was a great few days.
Rusty: I still speak to Tory (Stoffregen, lead guitar) from the band! I met him in the car park.
Mark: Great guitarist and they had Alex Kane too on that tour who still owes me an interview! Chip’s actually playing bass with The Quireboys on their American Tour at the minute.
Rusty: I saw that and I saw Donnie playing with John Corabi playing acoustics.
Mark: I’d love to have seen that, it’s going really well. A genius song writer maybe the best of his generation in my opinion. Songs that can make you smile and songs that can make you cry. Back to you guys though I hope that The Charles is selling really well I’d love to see everyone who reads this down there.
Rusty: I hope so, we haven’t been to Perth for a long time.
Mark: I know and the last time you did I was in the States! I remember seeing you at The Charles right at the start of The Rockpit maybe 2010. That was a great show!
Rusty: We’ll have another great show for you on Friday!
Mark: We’ll be there mate, see you soon. Thanks for your time Rusty it’s always great to catch up.
Rusty: Thanks mate. Come and say hello, you have to!
Mark: Will do.
ELECTRIC MARY PLAY THE CHARLES HOTEL IN PERTH FRIDAY 13th MAY. SEE YOU THERE! ADELADIANS CAN CATCH THEM THE NEXT DAY AT THE ENIGMA BAR.
TICKETS HERE – The Charles Hotel
