Sound Matters Show, Episode #106, features Tom Leu's conversation with Doug Aldrich from The Dead Daisies and formerly of Whitesnake and Dio. A few excerpts follow.

On the honeymoon period in bands, and when new members come into the 'marriage': "When you've got a new member coming in, people are getting to know each other. And when you make a change, there's always this honeymoon period where you're always being polite and everything's nice, but it's maybe not your best work. Once you get past that, and into the down and dirty marriage type of situation, which is what a band really is, that's when you start getting the motherland. We were able to get to that much faster by living together (in France, recording the Holy Ground album)."

On why he says "I still have things to prove...": "It just means I've never done it perfect. And there's still more to me that I wanna get out there. On this record (Holy Ground by The Dead Daisies) it's more about the vibe and less about the technique. Sometimes you can get pigeon-holed into a (style)... I mean I have a basic style that is what it is. It comes from my heart, my personality. But there's always room for growth. Everytime I'm around another musician (whether it's a guitar player or other), it's inspiring to see how people continue to get better when they work at it. So, that's what I wanna do."

Why "You gotta be able to hang to be in a band"... on being difficult... and why he didn't get the gig auditioning for KISS: "There's a lot of musicians who are very talented, and a lot of great musicians that spend a lot of time perfecting their craft and everything, but you can't ignore the social skills that are needed to meet somebody and make a good impression. It's important that you are able to be comfortable around people. For example, when I was 18 I was asked to audition for KISS. I was a kid who was hanging around these guys who had travelled the world and done everything. We had nothing in common. It didn't matter how good I was, it was definitely awkward. It was awkward for me, and it was probably funny for them. They could probably tell right away that 'we can't hang with this guy... he's too young.' And then you get in situations where you've got a person who's super talented but sometimes they're a little bit difficult. So I think it was important for me to learn how to have social skills to be around other people. Like (when I was with Hurricane), I wasn't a diva, that's not the right word, but I definitely wasn't as easy to work with... I was really stubborn, really strong-minded about how I wanted that record to be."

On being a "journeyman" artist and guitar player: "I didn't take 'journeyman' as being a band thing. Everybody wants to be Mick Jagger, or Billy Gibbons, or Eddie Van Halen where it's like, you're in this band from the beginning when you were a kid, and then you grow up and you're still in that band... everybody wants that. But it's not in the cards for everybody. And it's okay. Some of my favorite guitar players are session guys that a lot people may not know that they've played on a hell of a lot more records than I have. And are just brilliant players."

On his legacy: "If I could say that I was good at conveying my personality through my music, through my playing, that would be a big compliment. Because I play hard, I play from the heart, I have a lot of interior feeling as a person, and some of the work I do, I try to have that come through in my playing. Because in the end, my fingers have always spoken better than my mouth."

Tune in here for the full interview / podcast.

The Dead Daisies recently released more behind the scenes footage from the recording of "Chosen And Justified", from the band's new album, Holy Ground. Watch the new footage, as well as the official music video, below:

Holy Ground is available via SPV. Get it here.

Influenced by '70s and early '80s rock, The Dead Daisies sound is soulful and accessible – equal parts of Aerosmith, Bad Company and Foreigner: muscular vocals, bluesy riffs, big choruses, powerful melodies and strong hooks. With stellar musicianship and pulverizing live shows, fans across the globe are discovering the band that is bringing back Rock & Roll!

Tracklisting:

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)"
"Like No Other (Bassline)"
"Come Alive"
"Bustle And Flow"
"My Fate"
"Chosen And Justified"
"Saving Grace"
"Unspoken"
"30 Days In The Hole"
"Righteous Days"
"Far Away"

"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)" video:

“Bustle And Flow” video:

"Unspoken" lyric video: