Way back in the 80's there were a scene in New Jersey starting with Bruce Springsteen and continuing with act like Bon Jovi.
These where the major acts, though - now Escape Music has picked one the minor acts up - Angry Tears - but the sound and attitude is far from being minor at all.
Front figure and vocalist Joey Sinopoli has taken some time to answer my questions regarding their newest release. Read on and get a grip on the past, present and future for this band that has been true to what's all about - playing the music with real instrument with a healthy attitude towards acting and playing.
The record has been produced in collaboration with guitarist/producer/manager Jack Ponti. Joey Sinopoli is looking forward to come to play in Europe - so let's hope the environment and general attitude will get Angry Tears to our contries before to long!

The Interview:
Q: Whats the facts behind Angry Tears and what's your story so far?

A: We formed ANGRY TEARS in 1981, Every one on the Jersey scene was trying to be the next Bruce Springsteen. Not us. We were doing 8 of these songs on this album live to the tee. We were on to something new.
ANGRY TEARS was before Bon Jovi, Skid Row and Cinderella. We were a dirty little rock n roll garage band that kept it raw and simple. There was nothing pretty about us. We just went on stage and kicked ass night after night.
Ponti will tell you, ANGRY TEARS was the first Jersey band to use the 1-6-7 chord progression, which became the staple of the ''Jersey Sound'' song structure.
In other words, while everyone else was doing happy major key songs, we did hard minor key songs mixed with strong melodies.
That's how it all started. Ponti went on to write with Bon Jovi. And the rest is history.

Q: How have you matured as a band during the years - you have been there for quite a while now ?

A: As far a maturing goes, I'm NOW in the music biz. It's for real now. There's no more saying ''when we get signed and put an album out.'' We're signed! The albums out!
I thank God for that every day. I thank Ponti also. Now I have to take care the business end of ANGRY TEARS. But I have Jack to consult with on any matters.
Ponti managers 26 R+B and Rap bands, so you could imagine he's really busy. But I have a great staff: Scott Maemuru, Ricky Mulholland, and Jim Hillis. Without their help, ANGRY TEARS could not function. It's a lot of work. But we LOVE it. This is all we've been working for.
IT'S TIME TO ROCK N ROLL !!!

Q: The music business have changed over the last decade, how does that fact influence your music and/or attitude?

A: Yes, the music biz has changed over the years, especially for this type of music. For example, back when rock ruled, you could have put a band, say like SKID ROW, on MTV. The network would play the hell out of them, and in a month they were HUGE. No questions about it.
Granted, they are a very good band. But try to do that with a new rock band without MTV. FORGET IT !!! That will never happen today (or it's at the very least much more difficult).
So it's not that way any more. What are we gonna do?
It's a whole new ball game now. BUT I LIKE IT. I love doing interviews. The Rock websites and Rock magazines have been FANTASTIC to us.
Every day you can see a story, interview or review on ANGRY TEARS that wasn't there yesterday. I get e-mail from people all over the place that love the band.
That's what it's all about. We're building a strong world-wide fan base, but it can't happen over night any more.
Slow and steady wins the race, especially for a new band in this genre. To me it's not a problem. We're building this band little by little and step by step (as my pal Alice Cooper once sang).

Q:What can we expect from you in the future- tournews, new releases, etc?

A: We are doing a second album. We have plenty of great material.
I'm writing, picking and choosing only the best we have. I'm looking forward to doing the next one.
I can't wait to tour. I can't get to Europe fast enough. I'm putting a lineup together now. As soon as I get the chance, I'm there. I want to play the Escape Show in October.

Q:You seem to be thinking of the new album already? Is there a date and will it be released through Escape Music?

A: I don't have a definite time frame for the next album. I would hope Escape. But as long as I'm still alive, then we're doing "ANGRY TEARS TWO" We're just getting started.
The future for ANGRY TEARS is very strong!

Q:How would you describe the music scene in the genre of AOR and Melodic Rock today? As you can see it's difficult to get it here but on-line you can get anything - is this the future?

A: Good question. In the United States, BON JOVI, POISON, CINDERELLA, SKID ROW, KISS all still have record deals. These bands are touring and really getting attention. There are some labels in the United States that are very active in signing bands both new and old. New hard-rock bands are starting to expand their audience, and ANGRY TEARS is one of them.
The overseas labels, such as ESCAPE RECORDS, are also becoming great sources for the real rock fan to discover quality rock n' roll.
But in the year 2000, the big difference is that the days of the big album budget is gone. If you're a good, tight, well-rehearsed band, then you should be able to go in and knock a record right out!
Otherwise forget it.

Q:So, how was your work in the studio doing this album? How was the collaboration with Jack Ponti?

A: Believe it or not, the ANGRY TEARS album only took 90 hours to record. But we did a lot of preproduction. You always have to do your homework.
Also, Ponti and I don't fool around in the studio. We all have fun, but you come in every day prepared. Ponti also knows exactly what he wants when he walks in the studio. He is a brilliant producer. And he deserves all the great reviews he's getting both now and in the past.
But this time there was no big budget involved, and that's the true test of a great producer. He pulled it off without batting an eyelash.
Steen, I know this answer is a little left of center of your question you asked, but this is a very big part of what rock bands have to deal with today. It's the way it should be.
Rock music used to be raw and real.
Somewhere along the way, people forgot to play their guitars and learned how to utilize sound samples. It's great to put in an album that have living and breathing musicians performing with instruments and not just using computers. And how can you really enjoy going to see someone perform when you know that the basis of their sound is computer-generated and pre-recorded? Concerts were major events to see great performances, meetfriends, drink beer and get rowdy.
I see that aspect of what used to be iscoming back. Just plug-in your guitar and play!
The way things are today in this genre, you have to really want success. Like they say, "It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll !!!"
Steen, thanks for the interview! I really enjoyed answering these questions. God Bless,

Joey ...peace