Ross “The Boss” Friedman is a guy that doesn’t mince words. The guitarist’s take-no-prisoners persona and accompanying musical ethic have put him at the forefront of not one, but two musical genres. You can practically feel the Bronx personified over the phone during a conversation with the legend in his own right.
For the few reading this who may not be familiar with his titanic past, Friedman was a founding member of seminal New York City punk band, The Dictators – an outfit that E-Street Band mainstay and cool-cat garage-rock radio shaker Little Steven Van Zandt once called “The connective tissue between the eras of The MC5, Stooges, New York Dolls, and the punk explosion of the mid to late 1970’s.” He was also an originator of legendary metal mavens, Manowar – a band largely influential in what would become power metal (or “true metal,” as the guys themselves might be apt to say). Never at a loss for a gig throughout his four-plus decades in the music business, Friedman’s discography is a dizzying read of guest appearances and one-offs, as well as full band efforts – always carrying that signature rough-stuff tone for which he’s become synonymous.
In 2012, Friedman began a powerful collaboration with vocalist Sean Peck, guitarist Stu Marshall, drummer Steve Bolognese, and bassist Mike Davis as Death Dealer (ex-Manowar drummer Rhino was an original piece of Death Dealer, and the band’s only lineup change, leaving the band in 2013). A true metal “supergroup,” the band includes in its pedigree names like Cage (Peck), Empires of Eden (Marshall), and Lizzy Borden (Davis). Death Dealer’s debut, War Master, was released in 2013, followed by Hallowed Ground this past October – an effort which is currently receiving favorable mention from metal circles worldwide as one of the most dynamic aural assaults Friedman’s ever been involved with.
Intent on growing Death Dealer into the snarling beast that his other defining musical outlets have proven to be, Friedman talked to Rock Revolt openly about the band’s sound and current possibilities – this group is clearly a labor of love for him. He also relates some interesting and moving experiences he recently had on the road with The Dictators, which is very much still a living, breathing, working band as well. Friedman is honest to the bone, conveying a spirit of rock ‘n roll survival when talking up his storied past – he lays it all out on the table. Both The Dictators and Death Dealer are likely to have an active 2016 – and that’s not even taking into consideration a special “non-metal” project Friedman is contemplating.
Read on to absorb the personality of one of the most defiant forces in hard rock lore.
I have to comment on how aggressive the new Death Dealer album sounds. The production is incredible, with that wall of sound that really seems like a trademark of anything Stu Marshall is a part of. How much of this sound was intentional, and how much was just simply the band’s performance?
Ross: Death Dealer live is like that too; it’s very, very heavy, and buoyant – I don’t know if I can use that word. You put the five of us together and you get that sound. It’s probably even heavier live than on the record.
The music is very intense, but not overly so – it’s a very natural type of heavy.
Ross: I hear some records that are over-produced like that in the metal genre, and to me, it falls short. Some groups just aren’t getting it. You can tell they spent a lot of money on production, and it’s just pro-tools to death, you know? Then, when you go and see them live, it’s just not there.
That’s interesting because I’m sure you’ve seen production change so much since you first started. Do you think a lot of records now are too lacking in that natural ambience?
Ross: Yes, it’s too perfect. With the onset of pro-tools and digital stuff, what’s lost is the live freshness, spontaneity, and all that. You have a little of both, I think. You have to have a little of the old school, which I think we got, and a little of the new school production sound because no one will even give your CD a listen without that. A lot of the feedback I’m getting from my interviews is that “this is so high-energy,” “the energy level.” Well, that’s right – that’s because we are a high energy band. This is what we are. We do have a rock ‘n roll street cred within the band as well, which is very important – especially live. I think it serves us well.
With this being the band’s second record, was it talked about that you might do anything different this time around? Was it put together pretty much the same as the first record?
Ross: I think I had more to do with the second record, as far as the writing. I had a lot on the first, but this one was a pretty big slice, and we just had more gelling time from the inception of the band. I think it’s a natural maturity that goes down with the band. The songwriting – we’re already into the songwriting for the third record already, and Hallowed Ground just came out. I think it’s just a maturity of vision, and it’s really starting to clarify and come together. Quite honestly, the way we can write these songs and spit them out at a high level is very satisfying as songwriters.
I know much of the material is written with you guys being at different locations. Is that tough to accomplish, not being in the same room at the same time?
Ross: I’ve already done that a bit with the Ross The Boss band, where I’m in New York and they’re in Germany. Most of the time, the three of them were in our main studio in Germany, and I was in New York. As far as demos and the whole thing, it’s great – it’s instantaneous. When you’re in a room together working on stuff, it’s cool, that’s the real thing. But, the other thing is, we’re all on Skype together – we’re all linked up in real-time. If I have an idea, I send it to Stu. Stu, in five minutes, has a template. We can then put drums on that idea before Steve gets it, just to hear what it would sound like. Michael will slap a bass on it, Sean will have a vocal idea, so in a matter of days we have that template up to speed. For us, this is a great way to do it. The songs breathe; it’s spontaneous, and we have harnessed this technology.
The next thing that’s going to be happening is real-time Skype rehearsing. What is comes down to is that everyone will have a screen, everyone will have great speakers blasting, and a mix. Everyone’s going to be able to rehearse in their own room with the band at the same time (laughs). From Australia, to Los Angeles, to New York. Believe me, it’s almost there.
Death Dealer – “We Three Kings” (Official Video)
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I’m curious about what your relationship is like with Stu as a guitarist. I ask because I’m always interested in the dynamics between players.
Ross: For these songs, and for who Stu Marshall is, I heard him play, and I was absolutely blown away. First of all, I’m not a shredder, and I’m not into that thing, but I respect when it’s done well – and there’s only a few guys that do it well. Otherwise, I can’t listen to it. Stu is one of those guys who is melodic, says that I influenced him to play guitar – that was my introduction to play guitar. He says, “You’re my idol, and I started playing because of ‘Hail To England.’” Stu is an incredible guitar player, and as you can tell on both of these albums, you’ll know exactly who’s playing – there’s no separating my and Stu’s styles. But, we complement each other to the fact that no matter what the song needs, that’s what the song gets. If it’s me that has to play the solo, I play the solo. If it’s Stu that has to play it, he does it.
I’m at the point, and Hallowed Ground is my 30th record, I don’t really care who does what. First of all, the song is everything – solos mean nothing to me. It’s all about the song and the singer. That’s what it’s always been, and that’s what made Manowar – that’s my ethic. There are no egos in this band, no bullshit – it’s whatever makes the band better, whatever makes the song better, whatever makes the performance better. Whatever that is, that’s what we do.
It seems like in Death Dealer, it’s a great opportunity to gain fans and attention from each of your respective bands you’ve gained a name in from the past.
Ross: Of course – I bring my pedigree. People say I helped start two genres of music – I didn’t think of it at the time, but that’s what they say. I think there are a lot of fans that I have their ear, I have their respect, that I’ve earned over my 40-year career, and I wouldn’t put my name on something that I didn’t believe in. If I do new music, I have an immediate audience – it’s not gigantic, but it’s substantial. They know I don’t bullshit. Even bands that call me for solos and stuff like that, I know what they want to get out of it, but I have to listen to the song. I mean, I like working, I like making money, but I need to see some substance in it. I just did a solo for this band Absu – I did this black metal solo, and they loved it. They hired me, and I said, “okay.” But, I investigated them, and it was great! I don’t do things just to do them – there has to be some musical merit. To that same point, I do have to feed my family (laughs).
It’s tough to get fairly compensated for any musical project today…
Ross: That’s because Spotify saps the life out of you! (laughs)
So, is it safe to say that you’re still eager to try new musical projects after all these years? It really seems that way if you’re willing to put the time in to investigate what these newer artists sound like.
Ross: Yes. In fact, I think my next project is going to be a blues thing. I’m a blues guitar player from the get-go. If no one can hear that, it’s like…you know. My idol was B.B. King, and I miss him. He was an immortal giant of God on guitar. So, I think my next thing is going to be blues. All the other projects are ongoing. Death Dealer is just getting started – it’s going to be a big force in metal, I predict. The Dictators NYC are going better than ever, We played 65 shows this year, and we just got back from a tour in Europe. We have a new single; I’m writing new music with Handsome Dick Manitoba, and I’m doing these other things like going to Israel with Titans of Metal – Chuck Billy, Uli Roth, Vinny Appice, Sean Peck – he’s going to sing “Hail and Kill” with me. Then, I also got hired to do the Lords of Loud in Europe in March with Dee Snider, Sebastian Bach, Ripper Owens – so, I’m very busy, but I’d really love to do the blues thing. I’d have a lady singer, or someone – just sifting through the right people to do it right now in my head. Believe me; I’m going to do it (laughs).
You mentioned The Dictators, and I know you guys played in Paris just after the terrorist attacks in November. Tell me about that because I can’t even imagine what the atmosphere must have been like.
Ross: Well, it was just the way it was set up. We were in Burgos, Spain, the second or third night of the tour, and our bass player, Dean Rispler, he was looking at his cell phone – he had it out because he takes pictures of us on stage. I saw his color just go from white to grey – just sullen. I said, “Dean, what the fuck? Something wrong?” I thought it was a bombing because we were in Basque country. The updates kept coming in; we finished the set, and it was just a horrible night. When we found out what had happened, we were scheduled to play Paris that next Wednesday – this was Friday. So, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, they had the three days of mourning. We were scheduled to play Bordeaux on Tuesday and Paris on Wednesday. So, we played Bordeaux, and Paris – we heard we’d play the Trabendo, but the government cancelled the show. I said, “Wait a minute.” We already knew that U2 had cancelled, and Eagles of Death Metal had gone home, Foo Fighters cancelled their whole European tour, Lamb of God cancelled their whole thing. I said, “How about we’re not cancelling, and we’re going in. We’re going to find a place to play.”
I told our agent to find us a place to play – I didn’t care if we had to play on a street corner, we were playing. We were not cancelling because that meant they were going to win. We played La Mécanique Ondulatoire – it looks like the Cavern Club in Liverpool. So, we took a bath with the money and everything, but I don’t care, man – we’ve got to make a statement here. We’re New Yorkers – we’ve been through this. We’d heard that Stiff Little Fingers from Dublin played Tuesday somewhere in Paris – I said, “God bless those boys.” They’re an old-school band, too, from Dublin. We were going to play. We had a double motivation – because we’re all Jewish, except for our drummer, J.P. They hate us more, and the terrorists singled out Le Bateclan because the owners were Jewish – 89 people died at the Bateclan. So, we went in and played, and French TV was there – they filmed everything. People were giving us hugs – it was such a joyous show for the people that braved to go out on the streets. You gotta understand, the city is still jittery – because it’s loaded with Jihadis; all of Europe is loaded with them.
I told our agent to find us a place to play – I didn’t care if we had to play on a street corner, we were playing. We were not cancelling because that meant they were going to win.
Does that thought ever enter your head – the target onstage that Eagles of Death Metal became? Even after Dimebag Darrell was killed, I know a lot of musicians were freaked out about getting back onstage.
Ross: You step onstage, you’re a target. You open your soul to people, you’re a performer – that’s our job, that’s what we do. If we’re going to do something different now, at this stage of the game, then let’s just find other jobs. Stay home and teach guitar or something, which is boring as shit. I mean, I like it, but… My point is, now is not the time for faint-hearted men, my friend. We should be celebrating our lives, we should be celebrating the fact that we can play music, that we can go to school, that we cherish our women and don’t brutalize them. We respect all religions and creeds here – it’s bullshit, you know? We’re not going to change – this is the fear they spread, they’re not going to win over us. “Oh, we can’t be in a big crowd, we can’t go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, don’t go the Giants game.” Do you have to be careful – yes. Do you have to be diligent – yes. If you see something, say something – yes. But, that’s it – you gotta keep going, man.
I love that attitude, Ross – it really ties in to what you started doing with The Dictators back in the 70’s. You guys were really a fist to the face of popular music at the time. Did it feel like you were part of something really groundbreaking and defiant?
Ross: In the very beginning? Yes. When The Dictators first started, there was really nothing like that, ever. We knew we were on to something, and we thought we were going to be the biggest band in the world. When the first album came out and did shit, the music world gave us their answer (laughs). But, that’s cool. There were definitely some better-breaking bands there: New York Dolls, Ramones, and even KISS. That time was really great, plus all the bands that would play CBGB’s – the groups in town that played. Say what you want about punk, but Debbie Harry, Television, Ramones, Dictators… AC/DC even played there. AC/DC opened up for us at The Palladium in ’77, and then, they packed up and went to CBGB’s to play. Then, we opened for them in Cleveland, and they never opened for us again, ever. There were so many great things that happened at CBGB’s. The Dictators played there 34 times, and we closed the place. We played there the last Friday and Saturday in 2006 – it was very, very sad.
What was it like stepping into Manowar after The Dictators? Manowar was equally influential, but a very different type of imagery, especially.
Ross: Well, since I invented it with Mr. DeMaio, the whole thing – it was our brainchild… I was in Shakin’ Street after The Dictators, and after Shakin’ Street, Ronnie Dio introduces me to Joey in England – it was Dio’s first tour with Sabbath, and Shakin’ Street was opening because we had the same manager. We decided to make the band, and I’m coming from different places, but the imagery is what we wanted because we didn’t want to be the same as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon; bands like that. The denim and leather was great, but would Manowar be noticed with denim and leather? I don’t think so – it blended in to all the rest. We knew we weren’t like all the rest with these songs and lyrics. So, the whole thing made sense to us, and people just can’t believe that I came from one thing like The Dictators and went to something like Manowar. I always had this thing for history – Richard Wagner in music, the Third Reich, Rome, Thor, Marvel Comics – it all blended together.
I’m sure you’ve seen it all, business-wise. Do you think new bands – especially rock and metal bands, stand much of a chance these days in this over-saturated market where a metal band, for example, might already be behind the eight ball in terms of pop-culture acceptance?
Ross: It’s difficult. It’s difficult to start something new right now. It’s even difficult for Death Dealer to move the needle, and look who we are. Thank god we’re doing it, but we’ve got to be unbelievable top quality. Things always happen – they can happen. I mean, look at Maroon 5 – they’re gigantic. If you come in and you connect, and you’ve got the songs, you can do it – it’s always possible. Someone is always doing it; it just doesn’t happen as much anymore. The odds are just much more stacked against you. A lot of the ways bands made it have been taken away from us with the internet, with thievery. Are you making money selling records? If you sell your own records at the shows you can make some money, but it’s not like selling five million records anymore – those days are gone. You have to work harder, you have to play more, you have to be more inventive with your attack. I wouldn’t give up, though, if that’s in your heart to do it. If you’re a musician, you’re going to need something to fall back on – you don’t want to be in poverty your whole life because of music. But, you know, the cream rises to the top, I always say.
