Interview with Sons of Liberty new Frontman Russ Grimmett and Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
RG: I’m quite diverse really. But I am a powerhouse vocalist that carries a great melody and what I’ve been told “ a great voice to work with sonically”. I love being dynamic and getting my passion into singing. Push and pull type thing, you know which is very much a part of Sons of Liberty where we lock in, play off each other and we play straight up hard southern classic sounding rock!
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
RG: My life has been full of music since the outset. My dad is Steve Grimmett (Medusa, Onslaught, Lionsheart, Grim Reaper & Steve Grimmett Band) so being a singer was almost inevitable. Although, from an early age he always said “I will never push you into music, if you show interest then I will be by your side” He stuck by that! Since the age of about 8/9 I always had the radio on and loved singing along to music – I always sang and felt passion but never did anything with it. I was 17 when forced to do some local Karaoke stuff and started to enjoy it. Got myself an acoustic guitar and started writing pop/rock songs and I started to evolve more into rock and back to my classic rock roots in a couple of my own bands and some very successful tribute acts…until very recently asked to audition for Sons of Liberty. It’s a very good fit for me vocally and stylistically.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
RG: Dad, quite simply put. He has always been my influence and hero. His passion for music is unrivaled. Passion for music is everything, it outweighs a lot of things. Other influences (some strange choices you may not expect) Lionsheart, Grim Reaper, McFly, Oasis, Black Stone Cherry, Nickelback, Those Damn Crows, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Toto, The Darkness, Daughtry, Def leppard, Green Day, My Chemical Romance…and SO many more! I like to write about everyday things that you think about more than normal (or forget easily), songs that are relatable and touch the hearts of more people mean more to me.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
RG: To inspire young musicians, to shower the world with great music, to show the world you are not alone, and to make sure music never dies.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
RG: The first time I got on stage to sing with Dad. Seeing how proud he was, I will never forget that and it breaks me I can never do it again.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
RG: Before just trying to “promote music” you need something that is worthy of promoting. It is far harder nowadays to promote it with all the platforms and digital music as it’s such a busy market. You have to be as active as possible and just keep going and believing in yourself.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
RG: Freddie and Moose (guitarists) in the band book all of our own shows, we’re very active on socials and our PR agent gets behind us 100%. We have LOADS of Sons of Liberty gigs coming up, including a tour with Molly Hatchet, Maid of Stone and Firevolt festivals, and Bully On Rocks in France which are all going to be EPIC!
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
RG: It is the way it is. There’s no way it’s going to stop unless all of the big names pull out, so you need to do the absolute best you can to make it work. The main issue is you don’t earn as much money as an artist, so you can either become completely independent and try to sell music separately, but you won’t have the online presence. As I say, it is what it is, best to go with the flow and use it as a tool for promotion and presence. If people can’t hear it, they aint gonna hear about you.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
RG: ‘Happy Birthday’ or ‘White Christmas’…. royalty wise! Joking aside, Toto’s Rosanna as it’s an absolute BANGER!
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
RG: I guess just the royalty scenario for online streaming and bands being able to keep going. For instance, in a previous band we had over 35,000 streams of the debut album in 6 months and I don’t even think we got £20 for that. Imagine selling 35,000 albums at £9.99! I get that it may have been listened to by some people more than once. But let’s say only 1000 people streamed it 35000 times…still selling 1000 albums at £9.99 would be a very good start for a band to record another album.
PD: So what are you working on at the moment?
RG: My focus is Sons of Liberty now. The guys are amazing, the songs are great and the new album is shaping up to be an absolute BEAST. I can’t wait for the world to hear this one. It sits perfectly within my range and sound, I can honestly say it’s the best I have been vocally ever!
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
RG: www.sonsoflibertyband.com you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Apart from that, check the tour section of the website and come see us live…it’s a show you won’t want to miss!
Sons of Liberty links:
Band location – Bristol England
Website – Facebook – You Tube – Soundcloud – Merch –
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – Last Fm
Check our page for Sons of Liberty
