Tony Harnell (the former voice of Norwegian/American band TNT) is racing ahead with one eye in the rear-view fronting EchoBats, a new all-star, quarantine inspired project alongside Whitesnake/Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Joel Hoekstra (guitar), Night Ranger's Eric Levy on keys and the tight, crackling rhythm of Matt Starr's (Mr. Big, Ace Frehley)  kit and James Lomenzo’s (White Lion, Megadeth) bass. He recently spoke with Madness to Creation about the band, TNT, and his bried time in Skid Row. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

MTC: (New EchoBats single) "Save Me From Loving You" is quite a musical departure. For all of you guys, I guess.

Tony Harnell: "Yeah. I think it’s funny for people who didn’t follow maybe TNT as closely as… If you weren’t a hardcore fan that didn’t follow my stuff into the 2000’s, you would think so. I did a couple of songs that were kind of in this sort of direction with Ronnie (Le Tekro), but no offence to what I did with Ronnie because I really love all of the songs that we wrote, but I think, dare I say, this is a better song. In this style, in this sort of '70s, some people now call it a power pop, which is really interesting because I just sort of see it as a '70s glam or Brit pop kind of vibe."

MTC: Did you feel then that you always had this interest in doing other genres, other styles. Do you feel then maybe what you’ve done in the past, you mentioned there at TNT was kind of limiting in what you actually wanted to explore musically?

Tony Harnell: "It wasn’t limiting from the standpoint of what Ronnie and I could write or wanted to write. And we broke out of the box, I think a lot, especially in the '90’s and 2000’s with the last four albums that I did with him. From Fireflies through All The Way To The Sun, the last four. I think the box was created more by what we had done in the ’80s, and that’s what sort of the fans came to expect. So limiting in that regard, limiting from when the success comes with a certain sound, that becomes the limitation. Especially for hard rock bands, because hard rock fans, which I am one, sometimes contend to not let the artists grow as much as maybe other genres."

MTC: Just looking at your musical legacy, you had that brief period in Skid Row, I just wondered how you view that? Do you prefer to overlook that period or are you happy enough to talk briefly about that?

Tony Harnell: "I don’t talk about it too much. For me, I actually had a lot of fun and all I’ll say is it was a good learning experience for me. I was going through a lot of… It was kind of a dark period in my life and I was going through a lot of personal things. So it was sort of just a bad collision of the wrong project for me at the wrong time in my life. I won’t go as far as to say it was a bad decision, because like I said, I learned a lot from the experience. I learned a lot about my limitations. I learned a lot about what I could do if I stretched a little bit. And I also learned a lot about myself. So it wasn’t all bad. I think, however, I’m… I don’t talk about it. I don’t think it was a great match. Put it that way, but I don’t think it was all bad."

Read the complete interview here.

“Save Me From Loving You”, mixed by Chris Collier, is the surprise new summertime, 70’s glam-infused single that brings a Penny Lane-style spark to the pop side of Harnell’s sound with the bite of this banging EchoBats band. Highway fidelity for self-isolating rockers.

Says Harnell: “The lyrics for ‘Save Me From Loving You’ are ironic for such a happy song! They’re kinda dark; describing someone who’s pretending to be something that looks good to the world while hiding a dark and empty soul. I think, against the happy melodies, it gives it a kind of cinematic mood. “Isn’t there more to you than shine, or are you an empty room”. A friend of mine described the song as Bop-Noir:) I kinda like that!"

"The video for ‘Save Me From Loving You’ is just us using what we had around us in quarantine; I’m in England and had a phone booth nearby and the guys were at home across the US!

"It was totally off the cuff and fun. The music and melodies are kinda 60’s/70’s, and I went with that for my shots, and Arielle edited the video with that energy and flair.”

“Nothing could be more welcome in this paranoid pandemic than a paisley perfect throwback love song. Tony Harnell and his electrified EchoBats have crafted a deliciously infectious, instant summer classic. I dare you to find someone to save you from loving this song.” - Lonn Friend, author, Life on Planet Rock

"While Echobats members like singer Tony Harnell and guitarist Joel Hoekstra are known for raucous '80s-style hard rock, 'Save Me From Loving You' finds them riding an effervescent '60s pop vibe. The style is classic, the sound a bit more modern, and it makes for a fun summertime tune." - Bryan Reesman