Questionnaire by Stefan: In an era where most bands are all too eager to sell their souls for streams and algorithms, ASKA stands tall as true warriors of American heavy/power metal. No glitter, no posing, no bullshit… just pure, honest U.S. metal. These guys have been around for decades, and while they still hold their ground nationally, breaking through internationally has always been tougher. They never abandoned the underground metal scene, and the underground never abandoned them; they’re still connected.
That makes them exactly the kind of band I want to spotlight with my newly founded webzine, Powerloaded: bands that deserve a fair shot at telling their story without filters or industry noise. In this interview, we pull back the curtain and let ASKA frontman tell the tale.
How and when did Aska originally come together, and what was the band’s initial vision?
GC: ASKA was the natural evolution coalesced of playing and performing in my high school bands and the desire to keep this music and all that came with it rolling into adulthood with other like-minded individuals.
It was no longer enough to go out and play covers sprinkled with a few originals. I wanted to expand into writing and recording our own music. Our vision wasn’t much more than the typical school kid’s dreams of fame, fortune and glory playing metal music. This seemed at least possible in those pre-internet days with it’s robust and viable, thriving music industry rife with huge monetary advances and a slick beast of a machine to work those lucky bands that got signed.
We strongly suspected that this dream was very likely unattainable for most and certain to be an uphill climb of unimaginable proportion no matter who you were. Being a dyed-in-the-wool KISS fan, I also figured that having some sort of image that separates the band from the audience would help and thus we started life with the band dressed in matching camouflage, military gear and dog-tags. How’s that for a schtick? And to be fair, we had such a great time playing out live and doing shows that we didn’t care how impossible the climb seemed. You’re only young once so we went for it.
The fringe benefits were also highly motivational, I’m not gonna lie.
Though drugs and alcohol were available in abundance, those were two things I had zero interest in. On the other hand, the ease with which we scored girls as a member of a band was mind blowing. Don’t get me wrong, nothing sounds cooler to me than an electric guitar blasting power chords through an amplified rig – but the sheer variety of ready and willing chicks, at least for me, was like a deer salt-lick or corn pit in that it keeps the animal coming back for more.
Heavy Metal music and girls were a good combo in my book. Like cookies and milk. Thus, band life became a great way to enjoy two of my greatest passions simultaneously.
Musical styles eventually changed in the culture and the trend-following girls seemed to evanesce from the metal scene but by this point, it didn’t really matter. The sound and feel of those guitars and power chords spoke to me in a language of its own and kept me plugged in like nothing else could.
Which musical influences shaped ASKA’s early sound –What did the very first lineup look like, and how did you all find each other??
GC: In my early days of rock conversion it was all about KISS for me. That band was and remains my reason for picking up and learning an instrument but as I became a better player, bands like Maiden, Priest, Manowar and Queensrÿche became important influences as well. The fact that we had three songwriter/singers in the band made for a very diversified sound as we all had our own sets of influences that though different or at odds in some cases, were mostly quite congruent in others. The commonalities outstripped the outliers and we forged ahead.
There were incarnations of the band prior to us recording our first album but for me those don’t really count. Think about your favorite bands. How many early permutations were there of Priest or Maiden and do we really care about the lineups prior to their first album? Of course some do to a degree but these kinds of fans are far and few between. The band as it appears on it’s breakthrough is the first and in some cases the only lineup most will ever care about.
Fans may well stick with a band as members come and go but rarely does the listener delve back or care much about who was in a band before they became a recording act as more than a triviality.
That said, ASKA’s first album lineup featured my brother, Damon Call, on drums, my childhood friend, Darren Knapp, on guitars and vocals, Keith Knight – who remains in the band to this day – on bass and vocals and myself on guitars and vocals.
Damon, Darren and I had all grown up together of course. Our missing link, if you will, the guy we had to find that completed our band puzzle was Keith Knight. We found him through an ad we had put out seeking a bass player. A member of a band Keith was in had seen the ad, told Keith to audition and then when Keith got the gig, to bring him in too. I think their band was imploding at the time. When Keith came out for his audition he impressed the hell out of us. For one, he could play like Steve Harris; with his fingers. For two, he looked like Mantas from Venom which was Damon’s favorite band. He had transportation, gear, ability and looks. I know those things sound like basics that any musician would or should have but you’d be surprised.
Another thing that impressed is that like us, Keith had left home and traveled thousands of miles to seek rock and roll glory. This was very similar to what the three of us had done when we left the Canal Zone, U.S. territory in pursuit of the same. It was this like-minded purpose that made ASKA feel truly complete for us for the first time since we’d decided to put the band together.
And finally, the oddest of coincidences of them all – Keith and I shared the same birthday; February 28th. Astrologers would say it was written in the stars. The cherry on top? Keith and I both owned and drove Jeep Comanches. It was not an overly common truck but there we were – same birthday, same truck havin’ rock n roller motherfuckers. This is the stuff Twilight Zone episodes are made of.
What were the biggest challenges for a young heavy metal band in the early ’90s?
GC: Well, right out of the gate practically, heavy metal had stopped being flavor of the decade. Alternative/Grunge music was now king. We were not only late to the party, we arrived after the cops had raided it! The other bands in our area were either breaking up or making drastic changes to their sound, style, look and repertoire. Most seemed more than happy to be riding the latest bandwagon.
That never appealed to us. We weren’t playing metal because it was in style, we played it because we loved the genre. Plus I figured if we started chasing trends now, where and when does that end? Music trends and their relevance to the public seem to flip every decade or so. We’d previously seen many of our hero bands perform these style-change stunts with their music to stay relevant in the changing times. In almost all cases the results were pretty pathetic.
What saved us was the fact that shortly after our first record dropped we’d secured contract work doing concert tours for the United States government playing gigs for U.S. military forces stationed abroad.
While bands back home were changing into Nirvana and Pantera clones we just kept doing what we’d doing. It wasn’t necessary for us to reinvent ourselves. We had steady work. Gigs all year long. And being out on tour for two to three months at a time, two to three times a year made our home crowd all the more rabid to see us.
The good came with a bad – it seemed impossible to secure a decent label in the U.S. for a band like ours at that time when the writing was so boldly emblazoned on the wall for our genre. Solution: While on tour in Europe for our third album, “Nine Tongues” we locked up a deal with an independent Italian label called Adrenaline/Energi.
This is how we managed to avoid and overcome the challenges that had killed or stopped so many other bands in their tracks. We accepted and even embraced our truly underground status while remaining open to the possibility of more.
Under the ASKA flag, three full-length albums and an EP were released in the ’90s. Which one do you value the most, and why?
GC: I’ve always felt like our first record sounded like more of a demo than a fully realized album. Maybe that informs our reluctance to rerelease it today despite the insistent demand for it over the years.
Our sophomore record, “Immortal”, holds a special place for me. I really like that record. Musically, like all of our first three releases, we were all over the map but it was fun to do. I think we sounded great; A bit raw and gritty but very catchy. And every member standing up front got to share in the lead vocal spotlight. We thought that was a cool thing. We eventually dropped the shared vocal duty because critics thought the different voices made us difficult to categorize. This resulted in “Avenger”, our fourth and most singularly focused release of any that had come prior
But I digress! The songs on “Immortal” were like I said, catchy, well performed and we even had a mini-hit of sorts in our area and in our neighboring state of Louisiana with our song “You Suck” which was getting regular radio play on a station called 99X in Shreveport. This quite popular DJ duo of Lonnie Haskins and Amanda Blunt heard our song, laughed their asses off at the audacity of it and just put it into regular rotation at the station every time they were on-air. People started calling in for it and it took on a mini-life of its own. Remember radio stations? Had Shreveport been a major market we might have been set. We managed to secure some really cool shows and festival appearances from that but in short order we were back to touring for the military.
Throughout your career as a metal musician, you’ve been active in numerous bands. Which band(s) stand out to you as the most meaningful?
GC: They’ve all had their impact for different reasons. In several cases I got to play in bands and work with musicians that had made their own impact within the genre of music I was active in or that I had been a prior fan of. I’ve enjoyed most of all of my experiences with the bands I’ve joined. Even the ones I’m no longer with.
I also gleaned some harsh realities about the nature of the business. As a member of ASKA and my high school bands prior, my experience was limited to playing with guys I’d known for years. Friends or people who became such in quick order. We had a “one for all, all for one” mindset. We weren’t out to take advantage of one another for personal gain. Nor were we trying to assuage fragile egos at another member’s expense. We were a team. Thus it was puzzlingly shocking to me to learn first hand that other more eatablished musicians don’t necessarily operate from a perspective of brotherhood, friendship or even basic respect for their fellow players. I get it now to a degree. This is a business. It’s not rock & roll friends. But if a band is going to embrace the most dog eat dog tactics of the corporate world, then by God, get yourself a job, join the working stiffs and go make the big money.
In ASKA, I make a point of treating my guys like we’re all in it together. Screwing over competent, talented, creative people just to make a few more dollars lacks integrity in my eyes and can be quite disappointing to witness. Especially when you see your musical heroes engaging in such. Call me old-fashioned but a band should encompass brotherhood, fraternity and camaraderie.
Again though, you fight the war in front of you not the one of your choosing. I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything in the world. After all, it taught me a lot, made many dreams reality and my life is richer for it.
The most meaningful of these side bands of course would be both Banshee, which I’m still in but is retired now, and Cloven Hoof. Mainly because I recorded five, full length albums between these two bands furthering not only the acts and their legacies but my own. I currently have another full studio album recorded and awaiting release with a band called, Legion of the Dog, which features Dangerous Toys’, Scott Dalhover, on guitar. Hopefully we’ll have that out there before year’s end.
You recorded three excellent albums with Cloven Hoof before you were, so to speak, shown the door and replaced by Harry Conklin (Jag Panzer). What was the real reason behind that, George?
GC: For clarity’s sake, I wasn’t shown the door with Cloven Hoof. I found it all on my own and walked out. Lee seems perplexed as to why I left. On my part, I can say I enjoyed my time with Lee Payne and the guys and our musical output was prolific and quite tremendous in my estimation and I’m forever grateful to Lee for our collaboration and my time in his band.
Unfortunately, the guy that books the Keep It True festival in Germany, Oliver Weinsheimer, has been nursing a grudge against me for well over fifteen years now. The details or the reasons for this grudge keep changing, or so I’m told, but the long and short of it is, the guy has banned me from his festivals and effectively encourages other promoters to do the same with any band that I’m in. I’m very aware of an entire host of bands and musicians he’s done the same thing to. I don’t take it personally. Those are his issues, not mine. When I performed at the Frost & Fire IV festival in Ventura, California I saw him at one point and tried to make the peace, as it were, with Lee Payne standing at my side but Oli wouldn’t hear if it. Embracing his grudge was more important to him than his platitudes about metal “brotherhood” and such.
Anyway, post-pandemic, Hoof wanted to play KIT. Oliver said they could but not with me in the band. That was his caveat and Lee agreed to his terms. To make a long story short, I expressed my outrage at what I felt was a capitulation to a promoter that did not have Hoof’s best interest at heart, only his grudge, and that if the band acquiesced to this demand that I would very likely then be forced to reexamine my membership in his band. I didn’t throw a tantrum or threaten to quit but I knew if the band did this it would be a betrayal of every principle I hold sacrosanct for participating in a band.
It’s not like I was being paid a king’s ransom to be in Hoof anyway so there has to be something more there that makes me feel it’s a worthwhile endeavor and a good use of my time. Doing a show for a “promoter” that insists on my exclusion from a band I gave three brilliant albums to, a band I spearhead, just doesn’t jibe or meet my criteria of promoting healthy band interrelationships. Quite frankly, I was surprised Lee was even entertaining the thought. We had other shows booked. I said let’s play those, forget Oliver, but Lee didn’t want to pass on KIT. He claimed management would be looking at the band that night which made even less sense to me. Why show them the band without your actual singer? That all but hammered the nail on the coffin of my continued role as his singer as far as I was concerned.
Hoof, or Lee as it were, as he is the sole decision maker within the band, went and played the show with the guy that had produced my last two records with the band, producer/keyboardist Chris Dando, in my place and I officially resigned the day after without discussion. There are no hard feelings on my part. Like I said, I’ve learned that not all bands operate the way we run ASKA. To his credit, Lee explained his side to me, I explained mine, and we are fine today. It’s more a sense of disappointment I have that one would think so little of ruining a well oiled, hard-driving machine over a promoter’s callous disrespect towards a band’s lineup and singer.
But he does love Harry from what I can tell so all’s well that ends well.
We had a great, three album run. We played many tours around Europe, the UK and I even brought the band to North America for multiple tours for the first time in the band’s long, storied history. On those tours, in addition to being the band’s vocalist, I was the band driver half the time, my own agent booked all of the USA/Canada dates, I provided gear, my trailer, I was road manager and merch guy. I mean, come on. I felt I’d earned the respect there if nothing else. I wasn’t one of those singers that just shows up, mic in hand and then disappears into the night after the show. I felt I’d earned my due in the band and when it wasn’t appreciated, valued or reciprocated, I made the very same decision to walk and that was that.
Had I myself opted out of the appearance or been consulted and allowed to discuss it instead of being told, I likely wouldn’t have left.
For the record, I’ve previously played KIT no less than three times as a member of both ASKA and Omen. Headlined it once even. There is no show that could ever be offered to me that could justify me performing without a member that was being railroaded by a megalomaniacal promoter, much less a singer, simply to placate the whims and grudges of an irasscible promoter. ASKA would have told him that those terms were unacceptable. But to each his own and I think that’s all I want to say about that.
Are you someone who can easily put things into perspective?
GC: As you can see from the answer I just gave you, yes, absolutely. This particular skill seems to evade many though. Far too many.
Was playing in multiple bands easy to combine with your daytoday life? I’m fairly certain ASKA always came first, right?
GC: ASKA has always been a priority to me as I am one half founding member. Nobody can do shows without me there or command how I should sing or what I must do. That said, we run the band quite benevolently. I always ask for Keith’s advice, thoughts and opinions while we are recording, etc and I trust his viewpoint as he does mine because we know we both want what’s best for the band. And the same goes for Danny White’s ideas. Nothing is dismissed out of hand and I am willing to try any and all suggestions. Doesn’t mean they all stick or get selected but we sure can try it.
If someone feels strongly about something and I feel differently, I may go with my feeling but I never dismiss anyone’s opinion out of hand. If their thought is indeed meritorious we often come back to it and give the idea its due course.
As for day to day life – I love playing, watching bands and listening to music anyway. It’s a huge part of my daily routine anyway so being in bands for me is but a natural extension of such. I’ve never understood those musicians that don’t listen to music today. Why are they still playing?
Between 2000 and 2024, four Aska albums were released. For me, “Avenger” still stands as the absolute favorite, closely followed by “Fire Eater” and “Knight Strike” (2024). Of course, I shouldn’t forget “Absolute Power,” although that one connected with me a bit less. How do you look back on these albums? Which one feels the most complete to you, and which individual track stands out?
GC: Oh boy. When it comes to these four records the best thing I can tell you is that what Joey DeMaio said to me when I asked him this selfsame question about his own album catalog: Father loves ALL his children.
Interesting to me that of those four, “Absolute Power” connected least with you as we view that one as the spiritual successor and brother/sister album to “Avenger”. They both start epically and end with epic instrumentals. They both feature a revised logo on their respective covers. We returned to the classic, original logo with the last two releases.
To me all but “Fire Eater” seem complete. FE could have benefited from one less cover or another very heavy song. When we started recording the album it was going to be one way, then it went another. It sort of turned into our “collaborative” album. In hindsight, we did too many songs with writers outside the band in an attempt again to show our versatility. We also went through some internal turmoil on that record.
Our guitarist of ten years, Daryl Norton, who had replaced Darren Knapp after “Avenger”, left the band partway through the album’s recording. He was replaced with French guitarist, Chris Menta. Chris joined the band and played a couple of solos on the FE record and was given credit for them and pictured on the album sleeve and booklet. After our German label, Pure Steel Records, released it, Norton was upset that Chris was pictured in the album since he himself had played more of the parts than Chris did. I was a bit perplexed. He had left the band of his own accord and we had an immediate replacement who we were trying to welcome into the fold. We gave both men credit for what they played in the liner notes and to be cool, ‘cause we’re like that, we even included a photo of Daryl in the band on the vinyl version’s back cover and the CD’s inner tray. It was generous of us in my opinion to include his photo considering that Daryl had left. I wanted him pictured because he’d been a brother, done much of the guitars with me and despite his departure, we genuinely liked the guy but he was mad that there were two photos of Menta in the album and only one of him. The road to hell, children, is paved with good intentions and here’s your proof.
We did the same with “Absolute Power” when it was rereleased by Pure Steel Records. Danny White, drums, whom I’ve played with in several bands outside of ASKA including Omen and Hoof to name just a couple, had joined the band by that point and had played on a track that made the final album cut; “Her Ghost: Remains”. We thought it was appropriate to have him pictured on the rerelease alongside our then-drummer, Jason Sweatt since he was now in the band and had played on the cut. Jason had been fine with it. We thought Daryl would be too. So there was no mean spirit behind it but you live and learn. I wouldn’t change it anyway.
Keith left at this time as well, a week or two before Daryl even, but he continued to work with me on the record night and day for weeks on end and was the only bass player on the record. For a guy that had quit the band he still remained committed to completing the album and you can’t respect the guy enough for it.
Daryl questioned why he had to share photos with Chris but Keith didn’t as they’d both left the band. We explained that Chris played on the record bro, and was now in the band. And Keith didn’t have to share the limelight because nobody else played bass on the album but Keith. Not sure what else we could tell him.
So for those reasons, looking back I think FE leaves us with all kinds of knots. There is some fantastic music on that record but as it turns, these records are a snapshot of a time in our lives and for the band itself, losing two integrally important members was not an easy pill to swallow. Lesser bands would have thrown in the towel.
Keith Knight was replaced by a musician named Dave Harvey that our drummer, Danny White, had played with prior and though we did a lot of shows and tours across the country with Dave, we just couldn’t get our shit together enough with Dave to record. That didn’t mean Dave didn’t record though. In that time he managed to crank out a record with a Christian project he’d been trying to get off the ground for some time called, Millennial Reign. As a member of ASKA, he was quickly able to shop the recording and get a deal for it with Christian label, Ulterium Records out of Sweden.
Then Keith decided to come back and it was exit Dave, enter Mr. Knight. It seemed like just moments after his return we were writing and recording as if he’d never left and we put out this new record that we are just so very proud of, “Knight Strike”.
When Danny proposed that title for the album, I thought it perfect because in a way, it paid homage to Keith’s return and Sir George was the knight that slew the dragon. The same knight who’s cross now flies on the English and British flags. It was a sign from the gods how easily we were able to write and get into record mode with him back in the fold.
Who remains from the original lineup, who decided to call it quits, and who replaced them? As we speak, who are the musicians representing Aska today?
GC: Ok. From the original first album lineup, Keith Knight and I remain in the band. We are the only two that have been on all seven, full-length, ASKA releases. My brother, drummer Damon Call, left after our third album, “Nine Tongues”.
Enter drummer Jason Sweatt. Co-founder/guitarist Darren Knapp’s last record with us was Jason’s first – “Avenger”.
Enter guitarist Daryl Norton whose first album was “Absolute Power” as Knapp’s replacement. Sweatt left while working on AP. Enter drummer Danny White. Then Sweatt decided to return and finishes AP with us. Exit Danny. Then Sweatt was fired from the band some time after the recording of AP. Re-enter Danny White on drums.
Daryl Norton and Keith Knight quit during the “Fire Eater” sessions.
They’re replaced with guitarist, Chris Menta and bassist, Dave Harvey, respectively.
Chris Menta leaves after FE and is replaced with guitarist Bryant Contreras. Keith Knight returns. We record “Knight Strike”. Bryant decides to leave before the album’s release. Enter former Leatherwolf, Helstar guitarist, Eric Halpern.
So our lineup as it stands today with number of ASKA albums under our belts is as follows: Myself and Keith Knight, all seven albums. Danny White, two full albums and features on a third. Eric Halpern, no album yet. Incredibly, half of our original lineup, thirty-something years later remains intact. I bet you wish you didn’t ask that question!
Right now, buying music from outside Europe has become extremely expensive due to the absurd customs fees. Has this had negative consequences for a band like ASKA?
GC: To a degree sure but we have secured European distribution through Underground Power Records in Germany, for both vinyl and CD. Those in Europe seeking an affordable copy of our latest album feel free to find and hit them up online. We’re actually into our second pressing of “Knight Strike” on CD. I’m certain that if the prices weren’t so high to export we’d sell even more in Europe. It’s a very strong record. Fans can get autographed copies, tshirts, guitar picks and other goodies at our website: www.askahq.com/merch
How would you describe ASKA’s evolution since the 1991 debut?
GC:It’s been quite the surprise for many. Most bands put out a killer debut or early album and then spend the rest of their careers trying to live up to it. Keepin’ it real and as I stated earlier, our first album wasn’t produced or executed very well. It was easy for us to beat it because it was mediocre at best. Since then we’ve only got better as a band and as individual musicians. We remain true to our traditional metal roots while trying to find new and interesting ways in which to present our music without straying too far from what got us into this genre in the first place. For us, melody is king. I sing aggressively but melodically. Gruff and balls – like Dio did – but the operative words here are “I sing”.
Regarding the lyrics, what is the common thread running through all ASKA albums? On what basis are themes chosen?
GC: We have many themes. I like to think of our songs as aural, sonic, mini-movies for the ears. We tell science fiction tales, horror stories, theological and historical myths and facts.
Where we kind of stray from most other metal bands is that we aren’t afraid to include tales of love and drama.
Divorce, loss, suicide, mental health, broken families, drug abuse, vices, politics – none of these very real topics are off the table.
Most traditional metal fans and musicians are adults now, parents even, who have been through some of the things I write about. So though I don’t find it silly to sing about dungeons, dragons or how “metal” we are, I do find it one-dimensional to limit songwriting to only those topics deemed “acceptable” to the genre.
We’re all human with a diverse set of experiences, feelings and emotions. Why not embrace the full range of human experience and present it within our kind of music? I think we can all relate and it seems extremely short sighted and needlessly confining not to.
Can you share something about the many live tours you’ve completed over the years? Are there any remarkable, funny, or bizarre moments the band has experienced?
GC: There are so many stories but with the current political clime, I don’t think anyone would like us very much if I shared them. I’ve been touring around the globe since 1992. Long before the “everything offends me” generation. If you can imagine it, whatever it is, add your wildest fantasy to that thought and know that we’ve lived it. We were so debauched that we named one of our early runs the “Been there, done that!” tour because we literally have.
As the decades roll on, I’ve noticed the change in people’s attitudes to many of the things that were once acceptable for touring musicians. Nose thumbed up in the air at our antics like we’re crazy, while somehow it’s perfectly fine for people to pretend to be animals and pets and stuff. What am I missing here?
We’re not all bad now. We’ve certainly matured and mellowed with age and experience. Keith, Danny and I are parents. We cringe at some of the things we used to find acceptable. What was good then isn’t necessarily cool now but we do retain our share of stories that would grow hair in the palm of your hands brother.
Again though, we’re family men now so instead, let me regale you with this one bizarre moment that leaves me shaking my head to this day.
Sometime in the late 90’s, ASKA was offered a recording deal by Pavement Records here in the USA. We received the initial contract on the eve of us leaving for a military tour of Europe.
Record deal contracts require a degree of jockeying back and forth to get to a deal that works for both the label and the band. As you may know, only a fool signs the original contract as presented without some degree of negotiation. Unfortunately, we were not going to be able to give this contract the full attention due before we were set to leave on this tour but as fortune would have it, ASKA co-founder/guitarist/vocalist Darren Knapp, was sitting this run out due to personal reasons affecting his private life. Our roadie/guitar tech, Daryl Norton, not in the band yet, would be subbing for Darren on the tour.
This meant that Darren, a competent, intelligent man if there ever was one, was going to be home and have plenty of opportunity to work and negotiate this record deal on behalf of our band – his band as much as anyone’s – while the rest of us were on the road. For context, in our high school he was voted “Most Responsible” or “Most Likely to Succeed” in the year end annual or something to that effect. I just knew we were in good hands.
Up to that point we were on an Italian label called Adrenaline/Energi Records. The jump to this American label, Pavement Records, would have been just what the doctor ordered and another significant step forward for ASKA. Darren assured me, assured us all that he’d handle it and we had no reason to doubt him.
Three weeks into the tour I called him from Italy. I asked after the progress of the contract negotiations. He said all was great. He was on top of it. I hung up the phone reassured and confident that we’d have a new home-label upon our return to the USA. Tour ends. We’re back in the states. I ask Mr. Knapp where we are with Pavement. He gets this weird look on his face and hits me with one of his trademark, telltale signs he would give whenever he told a fib; he repeats the question asked – “The deal with Pavement?” I knew Darren since we were kids in elementary school. Anytime before he was going to tell a lie he would be prone to repeating the question asked of him, as if to buy time for what he was cooking up to say. It was no different this time. He told me that the deal fell through. I was incredulous.
I wondered why he didn’t say anything prior. I asked him what happened, to show me the emails, the proposals. He said he would get those to me. In fact, he never did. He left the band a week or two later. He had a new job, a new girl and most surprising of all, the only atheist I’d ever known growing up, now had a new faith. He was now, to all outward appearances, a hardcore, born again Christian.
I followed up with the label boss, Mark Nogara, directly. He informed me that my guy had stopped communicating with him out of the blue. Wouldn’t answer his emails or communiques. He figured we were no longer interested and he went with a different band.
You wanted bizarre, right? Well how’s that for bizarre? It was unexplainable… unimagineable to me how a guy that had been with me in the trenches for a decade plus, more if you count our high school bands together, would just sabotage us all in this way. Then he asked for his share of the band’s savings account as he was now retired from music. Needless to say I pointed him to Pavement Records and said they would settle up all accounts due. Did I remain his friend? Sure. But bruh….
I’ve come to see betrayal and the unexpected as just a part of the world of music. I’d like to say it’s a small part but it’s not, really. AC/DC’s Bon Scott laid it out quite succinctly in their song “It’s a long way to the top (if you wanna rock & roll)”. If it wasn’t so much damn fun and fulfilling to whatever that thing is that drives us ever onward, I’m certain we’d all quit in righteous indignation and outrage. Or turned to the dark side.
What does it do to a person when, after extensive touring, you suddenly return to everyday life?
GC: Well for certain there’s a readjustment period when you come home. Especially if you have a significant other or wife. On the road, you get used to doing whatever the heck you want to do, whenever you want within the confines of your schedule. You get catered to. You get praised by fans who are vying for a picture or your autograph. Girls you’ve never met before suddenly like you and think you’re great candidate for practicing making a family. Guys wanna be your friend. Or be you. Egos get massaged and reaffirmed. Then, the tour ends. You come home and somebody wants you to take out the trash. Cut the grass. Load the dishwasher. Or your other job needs you to come in and work a double. Just like that you come crash landing back to reality.
Flying from the U.S. to Europe has become extremely expensive compared to the past, harmful for many great American acts, wouldn’t you say?
GC: Oh for sure. It makes touring abroad, especially where flights and rentals are involved, cost-prohibitive for most bands at our level. To be fair, I haven’t toured abroad since the Covid pandemic when we were all supposed to die except for the vaccinated. I called it out then but I’m aware some people need to hear it from a news desk report before they believe their own lyin’ eyes.
Are there certain life challenges you’ve overcome, and how have they influenced your musical career?
GC: The four greatest challenges of my life were losing my father, the dissolution of my marriage and thus my family, the lack of contact with my youngest child and a throat surgery I had to have during the recording of “Absolute Power”.
I’ve overcome all but one. My father’s passing was unavoidable. He was 91. I was able to say goodbye, tell him I loved him and gave him good reasonable advice about his options near the end. On the marriage front, that part ended but I managed to stay and remain an integral part of my children’s lives and helped them grow into wonderful, productive, accomplished adults whom I couldn’t be more proud of. My daughter was class valedictorian in a graduating class of over 600 students. She graduated Summa Cum Laude on her first collegiate degree while my son graduated Magna Cum Laude on his four year degree. All those stereotypes about rock n roller’s kids, you can throw ‘em out the window. I do have some breaking news about preacher’s kids though.
My throat surgery could have been a career-ender for me vocally. There were no guarantees. I remember post surgery undergoing a period of about six months where I wasn’t allowed to verbalize anything or speak. I communicated through a notebook. My ex-wife claims those six months where I couldn’t talk was the best period of our marriage. In the end though, listen to my voice from “Avenger” on back, then listen to it from “Absolute Power” on. Listen to the Banshee and the Hoof records. Can you tell I’ve had surgery? I actually came out with a stronger, better and more powerful sounding voice than I’d had at any point prior. In my opinion. I know people love “Avenger” but my voice is so much more fire now than it was on that album.
The one challenge I haven’t overcome is the loss of contact with my youngest daughter. She was the result of a relationship, post-marriage. She lives out of state with her mother and without getting any further into it, I guess her mother figures: out of sight, out of mind is best – but we know better don’t we?
I’ve dealt with some of these issues directly in my songwriting and because of it I think my writing is more poignant and meaningful because it touches on the real.
I won’t go into all of our songs and their meanings or inspirations here as I’ve always felt it better to let the listener decide for themselves what the songs mean to them but I will divulge that the song “Love Then Oblivion” from “Knight Strike” is about my youngest daughter, whom I have no contact with, and her mother. So don’t say that I didn’t give you “the juice” in this interview, Stef.
Besides making music, what other activities or interests are part of your life?
GC: Huh? Do you mean to tell me that there can be a life beyond music, Stef? I do spend ungodly amounts of time with music. Playing, listening, writing, recording, watching, attending. When I’m not working with my original bands, I play in cover bands, tribute bands, whatever. If it’s music related, I’m game. I love music. I can’t relate to people that don’t listen to music.
I’m also an avid reader, I enjoy collecting things. I enjoy video games, movies and seeing my kids. I like to shoot guns, ride horses. I like shopping for records and spending time with my band members outside of the band. Even when we’re outside the band, we’re in the band. Hard to explain.
What type of music do you listen to the most? Are there bands you will always cherish?
GC: I truly do love all kinds of music but my favorite genre is and remains heavy metal. I can find something redeeming in pretty much any style of music. I enjoy medieval music a lot – the more basic, the better. I like old, outlaw country music because it reminds me of my dad. I’m a pop fan as well. I think to be an effective melodic singer it’s almost a necessity to be aware of pop sensibilities.
When you take a cool sounding melody and metal it up it can really work to great effect. Think Priest’s “Before the Dawn” or “Reckless” as great examples of such. Think Rainbow’s. “Can’t Let You Go” or “Stone Cold”. They’re such great songs with fantastic, singable melodies. And of course I will always love those bands I grew up with like KISS. KISS is old now. Not able to deliver the goods as they once did but I’m going to love this band til the day I die. I don’t agree with many of their collective band choices or decisions and some of their records have left me cold over the years, but I’m gonna love ‘em til the grave. Loyal to the end. Same with Manowar and Priest. Some of the decisions these bands make are extremely perplexing but hey, they’ve been there, done that. Do we really think they got where they are by listening to a bunch of other people’s opinions? The older I get, the more I understand that mindset.
As a musician, what would you still like to achieve, your ultimate dream, so to speak?
GC: Without a doubt that goal, that ultimate dream for me will always be and remain…. to crush the enemy, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentation of their women.
Can we expect a new Aska album sooner or later?
GC: Sooner! I always want sooner. Let’s put that out there. We do have a live album in the can we’d like to get out there. Let’s see how things roll.
To end on a very different note, George: the world is on fire ! Several wars are claiming countless innocent victims, and a solution seems far away. The arrogant posture of world leaders has turned the world into a battlefield that reaches far beyond its borders, with horrific scenes unfolding. How do you view all of this?
GC: Where have you been, my friend? Welcome to planet Earth, where the more things change, the more they stay the same.
That brings us to the final end of our conversation. I want to sincerely thank you for your cooperation and your time. I wish you the best of luck with everything you will accomplish as a metal musician, may life treat you well. Thank you, brother !
GC: Thank you so much Stef. Life’s been good. Sure there’s ups and downs, that’s life, but when you really think about it, every day above ground is up. Music is the sugar in my coffee. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity of sharing it with you and your readers. And even better, I’ve yet to hear a single person say that they don’t like “Knight Strike”. That’s music to my ears.
ASKA
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