By Matt O'Shaughnessy

With The Very Beast Of DIO Volume 2 confirming once again the remarkable musical genius of the late RONNIE JAMES DIO, longtime Dio keyboardist and current DIO DISCIPLES Scott Warren called in from the band's tour bus recently with nothing but miles ahead on the road to the next Dio Disciples event. With the mission of carrying on Ronnie James Dio's music and legacy through their live appearances and shows, the Dio Disciples are without question an entity that perhaps has Ronnie himself smiling down on them with abundant approval and joy.

BraveWords.com:  Dio fans, some of the most rabid and loyal from literally all over the world, can now hear another stellar selection of Ronnie's pioneering music on the Very Beast Of Dio Volume 2. It's a tremendous compilation of some of Ronnie James Dio's work out now on Niji Entertainment Group. Without being naive, how important is this release in keeping Ronnie James Dio's rich and ground-breaking legacy going strong?

Scott Warren: "It's very important because its re-visiting a lot of great selections that Ronnie had done that may have been over looked from albums that came out through the 1990's. I think it's a good tribute to what may have been over looked and it's a great record."

BraveWords.com: In 2010, the hard rock world lost one of the quintessential vocalists of all time. As someone who knew Ronnie well and played in his band; what can you tell us about the rock legend that we may not know about his life?

Scott Warren: "He was really outgoing with his fans and with people and that is what a lot of the fans saw. That he took very seriously; he loved his fans. I thought it was remarkable how much he would use his voice when it came time to meeting people throughout the day which singer's don't usually like to do. He was a very generous, big-hearted man and had such an aura about him - you just knew he meant business."

BraveWords.com: You issued a very touching and eloquent statement on Ronnie's passing: "He was my surrogate Father, my brother, my friend, my teacher and my loyal advocate...our fearless leader. I have been blessed by his presence and his voice."

Scott Warren: "He meant so many things to say many people; whether it was the guy on stage or the guy offstage. He was just such an important entity. And so those are some of the things that he meant to me personally."

BraveWords.com: Dio Disciples are currently on tour now with more dates being added.

Scott Warren: "It's a good show so don't miss it! I think this time around we've been able to add a couple of new surprises from Ronnie's legacy and the Very Beast Of Dio Volume 2 is what sort of enabled us to do that now so there's some special moments in our show and of course the fans that we encounter are special too. It's an event, more than just a show, because of the bond we all had with Ronnie James Dio. And to his fans."

BraveWords.com: What does the Dio Disciples set-list look like on this tour?

Scott Warren: "We're doing a lot of the staples that people expect to hear. With The Very Beast Of Dio Volume 2 out that is a hint. There's some tracks on there that were never done live, even by Ronnie. So we are trying to give that back."

BraveWords.com: Ronnie James Dio was so many things to so many people; he was an innovator, a creator, pioneer and monumental musician. What more would you like to tell us about him?

Scott Warren: " He was a sports fanatic and really into that. More importantly, he was a really kind and generous person and he enjoyed every chance he got to talk with one of his fans and anybody he encountered. He would spend time with people and really get to know them. I found that remarkable for someone who had such a busy schedule and such demanding work load. He just carried himself with such power. I would say, 'This guy is a giant'. He was very friendly."

BraveWords.com: More on The Very Beast Of Dio Volume 2. From your vantage point, what else can you tell us about this record in Ronnie's honor?

Scott Warren: "There's some tracks that may have been over looked here I think as I mentioned earlier. One song that is special to me, of course, is 'This is your life' because in my heart that sort of became my anthem for Ronnie and his life. And also because that song was such an unusual thing because we did it with just a piano. It turned out so beautifully. That was unusual for his legacy for all the work that he had done which was all basically metal; but of course he had such a versatile voice - he could sing Frank Sinatra if he wanted to. So, 'This is your life' is one song where he didn't just jump in and crash in with guitars. It's a very special song. And then there is 'As long as it's not about love' which I am glad to see on this album."

BraveWords.com: Certainly Dio Disciples' mission is to keep the Dio flag raising high and pay tribute to him.

Scott Warren: "I wasn't sure I was ever going to play a Dio song ever again after he passed. I thought how are we going to even consider playing his music without him. But then after some real soul searching we started, I think, unanimously to get the inspiration that what would Ronnie have wanted... and that would be for us to continue on with his music and more or less heal us and all the fans out there that just got cut off so abruptly with his passing. He was a fighter, he wanted to charge on. We feel we need to charge on for him and embrace the wounds that his fans feel and the sounds of his music and keep his legacy alive."

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