By Martin Popoff

“Well I’d like to come and play Canada,” laughs RAINBOW, MSG and ALCATRAZZ legend GRAHAM BONNET, when asked what his prime musical goals are as he reaches dangerously close to what is retirement age for the less hardy of heart.

“I would love to,’ continues the vocalist, who has been out enthusiastically singing the praises of his slick new website, Grahambonnet.com. “I would like to get the band up there, especially when we get some new stuff. I’ve never even been to Canada! I don’t know why. Very strange, Rainbow never went there, or any bands I’ve ever been with. And it’s one of those places I would love to see because I’ve got lots of friends who’ve moved up there, from Australia and from England. And it would be nice for them to see me (laughs). ‘This is what I’m doing; I’m still doing it’ (laughs). ‘What are you doing, Graham?’ I get these e-mails from Canada. ‘Are you still alive?’ ‘Yes!’ So I would love, if there are any promoters who would like to get in touch with me. I’d really like to know. Yeah, if you’ve got anybody you can put me in touch with, I would love to know.”

Continuing our chat, Graham floats the idea of creating a package, bringing up a recent gig he did in Ventura with ULI JON ROTH. We discuss MICHAEL SCHENKER as a well, plus Y&T;, unbeknownst to Graham, acts that also have rarely, if ever, been north of the border.

But truth be known, it’s been a struggle for Graham and his main vehicle, Alcatrazz. “We’re trying,” laughs Bonnet, if a little nervously. “It’s been very hard for the band right now, because we’ve had a few gigs canceled this year. We were supposed to go to Russia, to go here, there and everywhere. It seems like everybody is like… the market has been overtaken by people clamouring for jobs, friends of mine, who were playing with other bands and things. Everybody is having a hard time playing anywhere. So a lot of singers are going out, in whatever country they are playing in, with the local band, so to speak. JOE LYNN TURNER and I have done a few things with people in Finland, Russia, Japan, whatever. And so we’ve had a few gigs canceled. But we’re playing on Thursday in Connecticut, so we’ve got that happening - it’s been a very hard year. In fact, the past two years, for a lot of people, have been really bad. Just the lack of interest in this kind of music, and also the lack of money.”

New music is also in the works for Graham and the band…

“Yeah, yeah, what were doing right now is I’m finishing off some sessions. We’ve made some new tunes for Alcatrazz, four years ago. We’ve got about six, I think, that are kind of ready to go. But we haven’t had time to record, because we’ve had to go out on the road to make money. Because when you record, you’re not making money. You’ve got to pay for studio time and all that sort of thing. It’s great, but it’s also kind of like downtime, because you’re working, but you’re not getting paid for it. So we have to go out and play live as much as we can. We’ve been to Japan, Russia, parts of Europe, etc., so we’ve been out, but it’s been a real drag. Or you have to do other sessions, paid sessions, and not be working on music of your own. But that’s what real life is about now for a lot of people who are around my age group. You know, I’m not 20 anymore (laughs). But the songs we have are really good. We’d like to get something up on the website – Mandy and Ainhoa have done a great job with that – a little snippet of each tune or something, so it gives people an idea of what the new Alcatrazz sounds like. I think we’ve got some good stuff. It’s not 1980s, but it’s modern Alcatrazz, if there is such a thing. It’s been 20 odd years since Alcatrazz have had a new album. I know there are other Alcatrazzes out there, or Alcatrazzi (laughs); I think there six Alcatrazzes throughout the world or whatever, but this is the one that I think people probably listen to because I wrote the music with the guitar player, of the other versions of the band, and I think they would be interested to see what I come up with Howie Simon, our new guitar player…”

In closing, call this an open challenge to Canadian promoters – let’s get Graham up to Canada before he hangs up that powerful mic of his!