– What’s new in the world of Trev Lukather?
ZFG and more ZFG. I just got back from a killer tour with my bro What So Not for Laneway Festival all over Australia. It was unreal! I’ve been on tour with WSN for the past year and it’s been one hell of an experience and one bucket list check after another. Now, the ZFG chapter is just starting and I couldnt be more excited. This band is everything to me. We are brothers in arms and ready to do whatever possible to make our music known to as many people as possible.
– Making Lyric videos like the song “Special” must not be too easy. Esspecially since it almost looks like a video. Where did this idea come from?
I gotta hand this one to our manager John Gomez. We had a few band meetings about ideas for the Lyric Video. Lyric videos are new to me so I didn’t have much to say. I was more into the performance video idea but I’m glad John took initiative and found the guy who made such a fresh lyric video come to life. The response has been killer and us ZFG boys couldn’t be happier with it.
– How was it recording the upcoming EP with the group? Since you guys have such great chemistry.
It was an exciting experience. We blocked out 2 weeks back in October and just went for it. We were writing and arranging a bunch of songs and narrowed it down to 6 of our favorites. “Special” was last minute. We wrote, arranged and recorded it in the studio. Had Lenny Castro come in and lay down his legendary percussion which brought the song to a whole new level of groove. It was a full circle moment. Lenny being my Godfather and playing with Toto since the beginning and now playing on Sam and my record was quite the amazing trip for us all. Josh grew up a huge Jeff Porcaro fan so playing with Lenny was a huge moment for Josh. We really bonded as a band watching what we created come to life. Everyone brought their A game and too many laughs to count in between. Watching everyone push their boundaries and bring their heart to every song was a treat. It’s like we are all fans of eachother and geeking out every time someone’s up to bat. We knew we were creating something really “Special”.
– How do you build a song up from nothing to become something?
That’s the best drug. That is truly the beauty of being a musician and creating music. You’re creating a baby one note at a time. I personally just pick up a guitar and see if the universe wants to speak. I consider myself a vessel of something greater. I don’t believe it’s just me creating. I believe there is energy in the room giving me some information when it’s the right time. A riff will hit me and then I really hone in on it. I’ll take me sometimes a few days to make sure I’ve painted the right piece. With this band especially. I always want to bring something to the guys where they’ll get super excited about it which leads to everyone saying, I got something for this. Josh brings that JD beat with serious feel. Sam brings that Sammy P/Dr. Pocket groove and those tasty bass licks. Jules starts throwing amazing melodies out and boom! We have something killer! It’s been so easy with ZFG. We haven’t had a writing session yet where we all didn’t giggle from excitement. That’s a rarity in this music world.
– You are going to embark on your first tour as ZFG this Spring 2019 with Adelitas Way and The Winery Dogs. How did this tour come to be?
That’s another shout out to our General John Gomez. We call him General. We wanted a foot soldier in our corner and we got a General. He brought some great people to the table that are helping us build. Adelita’s Way tour will be our first tour as ZFG. The excitement is deep. We appreciate AW for bringing us out. They’ve been in contact with us on Instagram. They seem super cool. The Winery Dogs are more close to home. I’ve know Richie Kotzen for years. What a gem of a dude he is. What a talent! Still to this day, one of the best shows I’ve ever seen was Richie Kotzen’s solo band in LA. His playing is fire! His voice is fire! Adding Bill Sheehan and Mike Portnoy to the mix is where we as ZFG have to bring our A++ game. I think their fans will take to us tho. We have some new songs in the works that are very riff and music driven with anthemic chorus’. I think we’ll bust those out for that run.
– Without social media could bands today manage to survive?
I think it’s possible but not the smartest move. Some bands don’t have social media and still do a killing on the road. Word of mouth still works but fans now a days want to see what you’re up to on a daily basis. Makes them feel more connected to you personally other than just the music. They feel like they really know you. It’s fun to share your experiences with people and to read messages from them. I get a lot of humbling messages and they make my life! It’s why we do what we do. It’s not about us, it’s about them. We provide a piece of ourselves as an escape from life’s bullshit. Our escape leads to another’s escape. Then seeing their faces when you play and the euphoria it gives both sides, It doesn’t get any better than that.
– What would we be surprised to find in your music collection at home?
At this moment, Taylor Dayne. Sammy P and I got called to do a couple shows before we take off on our ZFG run. I love getting out of my comfort zone and playing in different situations. Learned that from my Pop. Taylor is a beast of a songwriter/singer. “Love Will Lead You Back” is an amazing song. That might not be very rock n roll to people but all different kinds of music lead to your influences on your own sound. If you think Slipknot doesn’t blast Toto, you’re crazy! We dive into all styles to be influenced for the next set of tunes. You might not know it by listening to what we do but we do.
– Where do you see music in general going in 100 years from now?
That’s an amazing and hard question. Who knows what kind of technology will be floating around. (no pun intended) Rock will never die. There’s something so soulful about pluggin in and playing real instruments that will stand the test of time. It’s human. Dates back to caveman times. Beating on whatever you could other than your private parts. Hearing notes in nature. Acoustic instruments will live. I’m curious about the rest.
– Any words of wisdom to share with aspiring artists?
Be yourself. A lot of people are gonna tell you what you should sound like. What your next song needs to sound like. It never works if you want to last. You think the person who creating that song you have to mimic was thinking that? No. Be your own trend setter. People will connect more because they will feel your soul through the sound waves! I’m a victim of following the trend. Not with ZFG tho. Fuck the trends. We will be ourselves and we will find our future fans through that. Stay strong and love yourself. Self love is key! Make them believe because you believe!!!
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