Former TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA vocalist Peter Shaw is featured in a new interview with Dan Roth for Music & Art Interviews. An excerpt is available below:

Dan Roth: Your first tour as a featured vocalist for Trans-Siberian Orchestra was in 2005. How did you connect with them?

Peter Shaw: At the time, I was doing sales for Hilton...doing real well, making six figures. I was working out at the Reebok Gym here in New York one day and I met (TSO Talent Scout) Dina Fanai. Dina asked me to sing something for her and to sing as if I was signing at Madison Square Garden. So I jumped on a bench press and began (sings QUEEN's 'Somebody to Love'). I did the entire song standing on this bench press. Dina looked at me and said, 'You're going to sing with TSO this year.'"

Dan Roth: Are there any moments or times with TSO that stand out or are very memorable to you?

Peter Shaw: "I was a hired gun, like the rest of the singers, so it wasn't like I was singing anything that I helped create. But, I will always remember walking on their stage with Mark Wood looking at me with his reassuring smile.

The memory that is stuck with me now is the first time I sang 'Eyes Open Wide' to a live audience - their reaction was just incredible and that was my song! I created that moment so I will always remember that.

One moment I do think back on was when we were in Detroit on my first tour in 2005. We did three shows, and no one was applauding for the narrator, Bryan Hicks. At the end of the first act as we all came out to take our bows, we were all in a row: there was me, James Lewis, Jay Pierce, Stevie Broderick, then the girls. I was the one on the outside and Bryan always took his bow next to me. Bryan would take his bow and hardly anyone would be applauding for him. So at one of these shows in Detroit, I went behind him and started waving my hands in the air with my energy as he was introduced - I was jumping behind him and pointing to the audience and the audience started roaring with applause - so finally Bryan could hear and feel the applause. Paul O'Neill came running from the soundbooth, shook my hand and thanked me for doing that.

I did that to make Bryan feel good, and he gained some confidence from hearing those applause. He started performing with more confidence and the applause started coming naturally as the tour continued. Some others in the band looked at me funny that I did this, but I felt bad for him - he had a part in the show that was a lot of work. I never got a thank you from him, which was kind of sad, but I was still glad I did it for him and his ego - it's important when doing a show that your ego is up like the others or else you don't feel a part of it."

Go to this location for the complete interview.