KNAC.com's Michael Fischer spoke to VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts follow:

KNAC.com: How did you discover your new singer James Rivera? (VICIOUS RUMORS, SEVEN WITCHES, HELLSTAR, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM)

Thorpe: "James and I have been doing shows for years in different bands, so I met him on the tour circuit. The first time I heard him was in Europe, both our bands opened for Judas Priest. He called me about doing some shows with his band Hellstar right at the time when I was looking for a new singer for Vicious Rumors. It felt like a message or something. James is just the greatest guy to work with. He's a really funny dude, and a very talented singer. We meshed well and it was a really smooth transition. Everything happened really fast. The next thing we knew, we had this incredible album called Warball we put out together, and we've been out on the road ever since."

KNAC.com: It seems humble to say that your late great singer Carl Albert would be very proud of the direction Vicious Rumors has gone to and arrived at right now?

Thorpe: "You know. (long sigh) Man, (Pauses) I would like to think that Carl is smiling down on us still. One of the reasons James worked so well in Vicious Rumors was that really embraced the legacy that Carl left behind with the band. Carl was one of the greatest singers ever. Instead of fighting with Carl's vocals, James embraced it along with his style and made it feel like Classic VR. With that approach it really works for all of us. Hopefully God willing, we can stay together, and stay healthy and keep it going. I think the band feels really good right now."

KNAC.com: If Carl were still alive, what do you think he would be doing tonight?

Thorpe: "(Laughs) This night exactly? That's an interesting question. That's a wide open chapter right there! Carl would probably be doing something interesting, and creative right now. (Staggers) And possibly something a little odd."

KNAC.com: What was it like rocking next to a singer like Carl Albert?

Thorpe: "Oh it was incredible! Most of the time we roomed together on the road. He was like my best friend in the band. Playing with Carl live was fun because when you see bands live, and go and see a singer. They may have some melodies that might be hard to hit, so they make an adjustment to go lower. Where it still sounds good, they just altered it so they could sing it live. Carl would alter his part the other way. He would hit it an octave higher (Laughs) and it used to blow people away. There were certain moments in the set I knew he was going to do it, and I would just look at the crowd so I could see the looks on people faces when he hit the high notes. People were just floored by the guy. We has so much fun together. It was a great experience being friends with Carl, and one I'll cherish the rest of my life."

KNAC.com: Amen. Carl was a good guitar player too wasn't he?

Thorpe: "Yes. He was a multi-musician. Vocals, keyboards, guitar, and he played some wicked harmonica on the bluesy intro for "Against the Grain" the first song off Word of Mouth the last album we recorded together in 1994."

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