tag:timbranom.com,2005:/blogs/april-20-2018-alice-in-chains-collaborator-teases-layne-staley-mike-starr-tribute-song-aa4d6de3-8511-41ef-892a-12b08d37024e?p=2
April 20, 2018 Alice In Chains Collaborator Teases Layne Staley & Mike Starr Tribute Song
2023-07-08T23:52:39-07:00
Tim Branom
false
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/7238930
2023-07-08T23:52:39-07:00
2023-10-16T07:52:30-07:00
Gypsy Rose Singer Tim Branom Does Layne Staley Tribute Performances
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/296692/4864ad2679a6cbd825ca76919ac1c78aec376679/original/tim-branom-press-photo-2023.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></strong></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/296692/698fa39afce2c52f8fbac1e8dd16a0503b3ad9a6/original/tim-branom-2022.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Original Alice In Chains collaborator and <a class="no-pjax" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Gypsy Rose</a> singer Tim Branom will be making some rare Layne Staley-related performances in Bagnone, Italy and Seattle, WA this Summer. He brings with him, bassist <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/tararaebass/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Tara Rae</a> of the Los Angeles-based band, <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.ragdolls-band.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">RagDolls</a>. The duo will be performing select songs by Alice In Chains as well as the Branom-penned “Eagles Of Night”, which exemplifies the tragic lives of Staley and Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr, both who were roommates of Branom.</p><p>Branom shared, "This is the first time I've ever spoken in public about the old days and our antics. I think most people would be surprised to discover that Layne was a kind, gentle soul, always full of laughter and jokes.”</p><p>Tim Branom began as a young Producer for the first lineup of Alice In Chains with Layne Staley in Seattle during the 80s. Then in <a class="no-pjax" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Gypsy Rose</a>, for a brief time, band members included future Alice In Chains members Jerry Cantrell and Mike Starr. After moving to Los Angeles, he performed or recorded with <a class="no-pjax" href="https://timbranom.com/days-of-the-new" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Days Of The New</a>, <a class="no-pjax" href="https://timbranom.com/carly-smithson" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Carly Smithson</a> (American Idol, We Are The Fallen), <a class="no-pjax" href="https://timbranom.com/fifth-angel" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Fifth Angel</a>, adding <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tim-branom-mn0001841731/credits" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">a slew of album credits</a> before going out on his own as a solo artist.</p><p>Exploring the enduring appeal of Layne Staley, Branom observes, "I believe Layne's connection with a new generation stems from young people resonating with his pain and that he could understand them. He gives a voice to those who feel unheard." He further adds, "Italian fans will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear untold stories from me, with a special book reading by <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/giuseciotta" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Giuseppe Ciotta</a>, Author of '<a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.amazon.it/catene-storia-Layne-Staley-Chains/dp/8899759529/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2HSLNA0SP46FY&keywords=in+catene+layne&qid=1564749158&s=gateway&sprefix=in+catene%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-1" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Layne Staley: In Catene</a>'. The night ends with a special unplugged performance by myself, Tara and Giuse playing Layne’s music.” This event will be live streamed on Facebook by <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/thelandofthemoon" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">The Land Of The Moon</a>.</p><p>Branom had previously performed for the annual Layne Staley Tribute in Seattle in 2004, along with Aaron Lewis (Staind) and Kevin Martin (Candlebox). For this year’s tribute, Branom and Rae will perform as guests with <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/jaroffliestributeband" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Jar Of Flies</a>. You can see them both nights – the Acoustic Show on August 18 and the Main Event on August 19. Layne fans from around the world gather to celebrate his legacy.</p><p>Performance Dates below:</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/296692/44026c335d45e2d4925b714eda47966306e4af87/original/layne-staley-poster.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />July 11, 2023, 3PM ET / 12PM PT (United States) / 9PM CEST (Italy)<br>“Layne Staley: In Catene” Book Reading by Author Giuseppe Ciotta, Tim Branom Q & A, and Music Performance by Tim Branom, Tara Rae & Giuseppe Ciotta.<br>Live Stream: <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/thelandofthemoon" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">facebook.com/thelandofthemoon</a><br>Piazza Santa Maria, Bagnone (MS), Italy</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/296692/7020969e325937b0eda902610b14efff51ead735/original/lst-2023.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />August 18, 2023<br>Layne Staley Tribute 2023 (Unplugged Show)<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/jaroffliestributeband" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Jar Of Flies</a> (Alice In Chains Tribute) with guests including Tim Branom and <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/tararaebass/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Tara Rae</a> (<a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.ragdolls-band.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">RagDolls</a>)<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.thecrocodile.com/madame-lous" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Madame Lou’s</a>, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.ticketweb.com/event/layne-staley-tribute-featuring-jar-the-crocodile-tickets/13092165" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://www.ticketweb.com/event/layne-staley-tribute-featuring-jar-the-crocodile-tickets/13092165</a></p><p>August 19, 2023<br>Layne Staley Tribute 2023 (Main Event)<br>Jar Of Flies (Alice In Chains Tribute) with guests including Tim Branom and <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/tararaebass/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Tara Rae</a> (<a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.ragdolls-band.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">RagDolls</a>)<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.thecrocodile.com/the-crocodile" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">The Crocodile</a>, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.ticketweb.com/event/layne-staley-tribute-featuring-jar-the-crocodile-tickets/13092165" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://www.ticketweb.com/event/layne-staley-tribute-featuring-jar-the-crocodile-tickets/13092165</a></p><p>For more information and tickets, please visit:<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://timbranom.com/events" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://timbranom.com/events</a></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5948690
2019-10-03T23:10:00-07:00
2022-02-06T14:57:31-08:00
Tim Branom Included In New Pacific Northwest Metal And Hard Rock Book
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_small">October 3, 2019</span><br>In Los Angeles, Tim Branom met tonight with </span><a contents="NW Metalworx " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://nwmetalworxmusic.com" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">NW Metalworx</span><span style="color:#e74c3c;"> </span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">Book Authors / Record Label owners James Beach & Brian Naron from Seattle. Nearly complete after three years is a 1000-page book called "Rusted Metal: A Guide To Heavy Metal And Hard Rock Music In The Pacific Northwest (1970 - 1995)."<br><br>Branom signed hundreds of autograph pages for the Hard Cover Editions alongside other notables from the Seattle Rock/Metal scene. The book, the only one of its kind, includes photos, gigs, concert posters, band lineups and a detailed history of the then-popular and even unknown (but important) bands spanning twenty-five years. Some of Branom's bands and affiliations in the book include </span><a contents="Gypsy Rose" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Gypsy Rose</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Sentence" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/sentence" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Sentence</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Juvenile" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/juvenile" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Juvenile</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Fifth Angel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/fifth-angel" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Fifth Angel</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and working with members of </span><a contents="Alice In Chains" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/news/blog/jerry-cantrell-it-s-electric-interview-p2-beats-1-apple-music" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alice In Chains</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> as the band was formed.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;">"Rusted Metal" is expected to be released in Spring2020, but can be pre-ordered at the website of </span><a contents="NW Metalworx" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://nwmetalworxmusic.com/collections/1262739-books-by-nw-metalworx-music" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">NW Metalworx</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. There are three versions: E-Book ($9.95), Paperback Edition ($34.95), and the Signed / Slipcased Hard Cover Edition for $125.</span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/4574cba54460aa0707ecc4a660cd8f40e1300acc/original/tim-brian-james.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/41fdd91b1c772541a37ebf5380bba1423e41dedf/original/tim-signing.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/920d31c272c2dfbcf9130c31fc0d8fdbcd3daf49/original/rusted-metal.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5867123
2019-09-20T18:35:00-07:00
2022-02-06T14:58:26-08:00
Unreleased Layne Staley Music
<p>Unreleased Layne Staley Music <br>There are plenty of unused songs, outtakes, rehearsals and demos with Layne singing that have never been released.<br><br>Over 19 songs and over 30 versions of songs from 1985-1987 have never been officially released. Then there are also the outtakes recorded during his years with Alice In Chains. But the style of his music before Alice In Chains is very different than what you would expect, so this probably makes it unmarketable to fans of Grunge in the eyes of a record company. But to shed some light on the subject, I'm going to show you five different collections of Layne recordings that I know about. </p>
<p><span class="font_large">1. Tim Branom Cassette Demos </span><br>Pictured below are 4 cassettes I have of rehearsals, rough mixes and 4-track demos of Layne's bands called Alice 'N Chains and Sleze. I recorded some of the tracks myself, including Layne's vocals at <a contents="this home" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.redfin.com/WA/Shoreline/714-N-182nd-St-98133/home/80643" target="_blank">this home</a> and at the <a contents="Music Bank" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/110511915619/" target="_blank">Music Bank</a>. But they are poor quality. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/036c0ea9ad9feb73d7801f2b89602e3ab48d6aef/original/cassettes.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large">2. Alice 'N Chains Demo #1 </span><br>It's no secret that Layne recorded 2 different times with Alice 'N Chains that were used as demos in 1987. I Produced the first demo of three songs which were given away as 100 cassettes in January of 1987. Grunge fans may not like the music, but the quality is very high and certainly releasable: "Fat Girls", "Over The Edge", "Lip Lock Rock." <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/5b4770ad612511233b5d67912993a5aad7fc00b5/original/1987-00-00-anc-cassette-insert.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="Listen here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://timbranom.com/track/1793181/lip-lock-rock" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/2b280001c036d8de81f95be2477351e16199c988/original/1987-00-00-anc-cassette-demo.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/21e0901c0dc784c8db7567f7137bf63099b0c0c5/original/tim-branom-alice-n-chains.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" />Listen here</a></span><br><br><span class="font_large">3. Alice 'N Chains Demo # 2 ("The Treehouse Tapes") </span><br>Engineer PC Ring had a studio outside his home in Issaquah, WA that resembled a treehouse, hence the nickname by fans. These songs were recorded on a 16-track tape machine in 1987 and if were stored properly and didn't become damaged, they could be released. "Sealed with a Kiss", "Ya Yeah Ya”, "Glamorous Girls”, "Don't Be Satisfied", "Hush, Hush”, “Football”. </p>
<p><span class="font_large">4. Forty Years Of Hate </span><br>Second Coming Bassist/Songwriter Ron Holt assembled a group of musicians with Layne on vocals and Jerry Cantrell on Guitar in late 1987. He called the band Forty Years Of Hate. I have seen some remixes/mashups on Youtube of Layne's voice from these recordings but it does not include the original music that was originally recorded with it. In 2016, one of the tapes of six songs was for sale on Ebay, but the auction was ended early and was not sold to anyone. <br>* 16-Track Recordings (without Jerry Cantrell): "It's Coming After”, "Throw Me Down”, "I Don't Care”, "Tell Me How To Love You”, "Dance It Up”, "Party People." <br>* 4-Track Recordings (with Jerry Cantrell). "It's Coming After”, "Throw Me Down”, "I Don't Care”, "Tell Me How To Love You”, "Dance It Up”, "So Susan." <br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="BcEr5Ue_NOo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/BcEr5Ue_NOo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BcEr5Ue_NOo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="540" width="960" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><span class="font_large">5. Jesse Holt Demo </span><br>Second Coming Guitarist Jesse Holt (and brother of Ron Holt) recorded at least one more song with Layne but took it to a different style entirely. In 2016, Jesse reached out on Twitter to Mike McCready asking to help him bring the Holt Brothers songs to light, but there was not a response from the Pearl Jam guitarist."Things You Do” was uploaded on Youtube:<br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="wklpgVPEVnw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/wklpgVPEVnw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wklpgVPEVnw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="540" width="960" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><span class="font_large">6. Uproar Demo </span><br>I do know of at least one more song recorded with some old friends of mine (Uproar) with Layne on vocals, in either 1986 or 1987. And I'm sure there are many more, but the problem always come down to the marketability and if someone can make money off them or not.</p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5832150
2019-07-23T21:13:43-07:00
2021-09-24T09:10:38-07:00
Alice in Chains and the myth of Layne Staley "In Catene", the first Italian Biography
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.it/catene-storia-Layne-Staley-Chains/dp/8899759529/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2HSLNA0SP46FY&keywords=in+catene+layne&qid=1564749158&s=gateway&sprefix=in+catene%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/aa68cab56414a1035b058194812d1c893490e987/original/in-catene.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">"<strong>In Catene</strong>" ("In Chains") is now available for ordering. With a Foreword by Federico Traversa (co-founder of Publisher </span><a contents="Chinaski Edizioni" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/CHINASKIOFFICIAL/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Chinaski Edizioni</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">), this 352 Page, softbound book, is currently only in the Italian language, but could be translated to English in the future, depending on sales. It It is available to order worldwide for approximately $20.84 / €18.70 at </span><strong><a contents="Amazon.it." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.it/catene-storia-Layne-Staley-Chains/dp/8899759529/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2HSLNA0SP46FY&keywords=in+catene+layne&qid=1564749158&s=gateway&sprefix=in+catene%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Amazon.it</span></a></strong><a contents="Amazon.it." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.it/catene-storia-Layne-Staley-Chains/dp/8899759529/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2HSLNA0SP46FY&keywords=in+catene+layne&qid=1564749158&s=gateway&sprefix=in+catene%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">The unrepeatable artistic legacy of Layne Staley - Singer, Composer, Poet and Idealist, has generated an echo that continues to reverberate. This book tells all this, based on three years of journalistic work by </span><strong><a contents="Giuseppe Ciotta" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/giusenervi" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Giuseppe Ciotta</span></a></strong><span style="color:#ffffff;"> that collects facts with interviews, and articles from all over the world. Ciotta travelled from Italy to Seattle and Los Angeles to gain interviews with colleagues and friends of the vocalist.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/03da3b921e2ac40051f7e0c8dcc9fdac62dd3ec4/original/layne-chinaski.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span style="color:#ffffff;">Alice In Chains are part of the four great ones of Grunge, with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Their story is made of hard self-denial, music with an emotional depth and self-destruction. Layne Staley remains one of the greatest and regretful singers of his era, in which the band won the first Seattle Sound title. After the bestseller "Dirt", Alice In Chains placed two consecutive songs at the top of the US charts, establishing record exploits never touched before. Despite the explicit lyrics about drugs and suffering, they have achieved global success with over thirty-five million albums sold and continue to perpetuate it even today. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Although the excesses have undermined careers - claiming the lives of the iconic frontman Layne Staley and bassist / founder Mike Starr, Alice In Chains have stood the test of time, thanks to lead guitarist / singer Jerry Cantrell, and all affection of the fans. From their anonymous beginnings - between Glam Los Angeles and Vintage Metal, the planetary explosion of Grunge, until the disappearance of the tormented vocalist, "In Caten" explains the influential intensity of their music.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="A4espxWHsU8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/A4espxWHsU8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A4espxWHsU8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="540" width="960" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="Lt6G8Cvhm7s" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Lt6G8Cvhm7s/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lt6G8Cvhm7s?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="540" width="960" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Giuseppe Ciotta</strong></span><br><span class="font_regular">A Sicilian journalist and musician, was born in 1976. He has written for the La Sicilia newspaper and IlSussidiario.net.<br>He loves the Italian rock scene including The Afterhours, The Verdena, The A Toys Orchestra, and The Zen Circus.<br><a contents="In Catene" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.it/catene-storia-Layne-Staley-Chains/dp/8899759529/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2HSLNA0SP46FY&keywords=in+catene+layne&qid=1564749158&s=gateway&sprefix=in+catene%2Caps%2C273&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><strong>In Catene</strong></a> ("In Chains”) is his first book, an act of love for the band, Seattle and its' music.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:null;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/6f8acec2a2e5e6c8efc24367bee528da2e0484c5/original/giuseppe-ciotta-in-catene.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5785421
2019-06-09T10:15:00-07:00
2022-02-06T14:59:31-08:00
Stolen Guitar From Alice In Chains’ Early Days Returned 30 Years Later In Emotional Story
<p><a contents="Gypsy Rose," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/603fcb14b711b4f30b055ee62ebcffc54aba19e8/original/1987-00-00-af-033-tim-mike-g-mike-s-2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#e74c3c;"><strong>Gypsy Rose</strong></span>,</span></a><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> 1987. L-R: Mike Starr, Mike "Bones" Gersema, Tim Branom (Flying V in hand). Photo by </span><a contents="Alan Fuchs" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/alan.fuchs.98" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alan Fuchs</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. </span></span><br><br><strong><span class="font_regular"><span style="color:#3498db;">Story Updated June 9, 2019<br>By</span><a contents=" Doug McCausland" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/doug.mccausland.5" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;"> Doug McCausland</span></a><span style="color:#3498db;"> and </span><a contents="AlternativeNation.net -" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.alternativenation.net/stolen-guitar-alice-chains-early-days-returned-30-years-later-emotional-story/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">AlternativeNation.net -</span></a><span style="color:#3498db;"> Nov 26, 2017 • Also published by </span><a contents="UltimateGuitarcom" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/community_feed/stolen_guitar_from_alice_in_chains_early_days_returned_30_years_later_in_emotional_story.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">UltimateGuitarcom</span></a><span style="color:#3498db;"> - Dec 08, 2017</span></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">“My 1975 Gibson Flying V guitar was first purchased at age 16,” recalls Seattle-area producer and musician, Tim Branom.<br>“It became one of the first 200 guitars to have a </span><a contents="Floyd Rose tremolo" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialFloydRose/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Floyd Rose tremolo</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> installed, by Floyd Rose himself.”</span></strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/40ac6550f1d1f44b9c41b85b91440956c749c56a/original/1983-00-00-tim-shorewood.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_small">Tim Branom at Shorewood High School, (Shoreline, WA) in 1983.</span><br><br><strong>“I saw a </strong></span><strong><a contents="Guitar Player magazine interview with Eddie Van Halen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://jasobrecht.com/eddie-van-halen-complete-1979-interview/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Guitar Player magazine interview with Eddie Van Halen</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;"> </span></strong><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>and it listed Floyd’s address, so I asked my mom to drive me there and just knocked on the door. I used it through my last few years of high school and I think people still associate me with that guitar.” </strong></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">That was 1982, and the beginning of a tumultuous 35 year trek for the Flying V, a story threading together the lives of strangers in a heartwarming way in this increasingly dark world. </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Tim, a former vocalist for</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span><a contents="Fifth Angel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/fifth-angel" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Fifth Angel</span></a></strong> <span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>and session musician for acts like</strong></span> <strong><a contents="Days Of The New" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/days-of-the-new" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Days Of The New</span></a> <span style="color:#ffffff;">might best be known to grunge fans as a key individual in the early years of </span><a contents="Alice In Chains" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://aliceinchains.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alice In Chains</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“My brother introduced me to a band at my high school who needed help in the studio,” Tim explains. “They first called themselves Sleze then Alice N’ Chains and finally Alice In Chains.” </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>For a six month period, Tim acted as their producer. Nick Pollock, later of</strong></span> <strong><a contents="My Sister’s Machine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Sister%27s_Machine" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">My Sister’s Machine</span></a></strong><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>,<strong> u</strong>tilized the Flying V on these recordings, while Tim helped Layne Staley, a budding drummer turned vocalist, to shape up his voice. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Tim and Layne bonded during this time. At one point, the both of them ended up homeless together: “After we finished the studio recordings, somehow Layne and I had nowhere to live, and we ended up both living together in his rehearsal room at the </strong></span><a contents="Music Bank" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/110511915619/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;"><strong>Music Bank</strong></span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>. We kept our clothes in just a couple of plastic bags, and then I had my Flying V the corner of the room.” </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“I had a sleeping bag on the floor and Layne slept on the couch. Above the couch was a family portrait that he had put up as a joke. But Layne was not able to make the same photo session as the rest of his family, so the photographer just inserted Layne into the photo, but at a much larger size than the rest of his family. We would refer to the giant in the family photo as ‘Super Layne.’ Every once in a while, I would pull out the Flying V, Layne would get on the drums and we would play some very bad music while laughing at Super Layne.” </strong></span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/a6aca99c955551c79a48f3ce642ff50acb4c7fc2/original/tim-with-alice-n-chains.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span class="font_small"><strong><a contents="Alice N' Chains" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_N%27_Chains" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alice N' Chains</span></a> </strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">in London Bridge Studio, December 1986. <br>Top Row: L-R, Tracy Goodrich-Frontz, Producer Tim Branom, Engineer Peter Barnes, Bassist Johnny Bacolas, Guitarist Nick Pollock. <br>Bottom Row: L-R, Vocalist Layne Staley, Mike Mitchell (former Sleze bassist)</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">After witnessing misadventures like this in the Music Bank, the guitar would end up being utilized by more future Alice In Chains members on demos for the band </span><a contents="Gypsy Rose" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Gypsy Rose</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">,</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> of which Tim was a member; at one brief time, Gypsy Rose included Jerry Cantrell and Mike Starr. The band also included Mike “Bones” Gersema, who went on to play with LA Guns and MSG. (Editor’s note: Gersema’s current status is unknown.) <br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="vimeo" data-video-id="341692810" data-video-thumb-url="https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/790378018_295x166.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/341692810" frameborder="0" height="540" width="960"></iframe></span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_small">Lars Ulrich interviewing Jerry Cantrell about the beginnings of Alice In Chains. Feb 11, 2019</span></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/626d8feb23c9e667da5320401425197b67d01bc3/original/1987-00-00-af-032-tim-mike-g-mike-s-1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#e74c3c;"><strong>Gypsy Rose</strong>,</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> 1987. L-R: Tim Branom (playing the Flying V), Mike "Bones" Gersema, Mike Starr. Photo by </span><strong><a contents="Alan Fuchs" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/alan.fuchs.98" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alan Fuchs</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span></strong><span style="color:#e74c3c;"> </span></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:null;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/539d96aa316bd4edba63820e4297a0a93d5e9580/original/tim-v-gypsy-rose.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></span></strong><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Tim Branom playing the Flying V in 1987 at the Gypsy Rose bandhouse. Photo by </span><a contents="Alan Fuchs." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/alan.fuchs.98" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alan Fuchs.</span></a></span><br><br><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">“Everybody knew the guitar and we would pass it around to show each other ideas. There was a time where we were just a three piece band, searching for a guitarist, so I just played the guitar parts myself, but we were always clowning around.” </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">On Halloween night in 1987, Tim’s beloved guitar was stolen as everyone slept. The perpetrator remains unknown to this day. </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">“I heard the front door open at the Gypsy Rose house while we laid in bed, and someone walked inside, picked up my prized Flying V, and walked out the front door.” </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">It happened in the blink of an eye, and Tim was convinced he’d never see the guitar again. </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">“I was devastated,” Tim said bluntly. </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">It may seem like a minor setback that can be corrected with the purchase of a new instrument, but Tim claims that it was like a big chunk of his life was stolen from under his nose. </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">“You spend 13 hours a day playing your guitar as a kid, it becomes the most important thing in your life. You know every part of the guitar because you touch it with your bare hands and communicate with that piece of wood. When it was stolen, it was like a piece of my life was taken from me and I had to decide what to do next.” </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">“Every time I saw an Alpine White Flying V, I thought it might be mine.” Tim’s hopes and suspicions were grounded in reality, given the limited number of the guitar produced in 1975. “I’ve owned and played many guitars since then, but the emptiness was present every day and I found myself in a conversation about that guitar at least once a week the past few years.” </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">To Tim’s shock and overwhelming joy, he received a Facebook message from a vocalis</span></strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">t </span><strong><a contents="Alexis Ames" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/alex.rea1" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alexis Ames</span></a></strong> <strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">(Singer Sergeant,</span> <a contents="The Nicholas Russell Band," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/NicholasRussellBand/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARDIjqQGqzgDoL3tzaYTzgG-447DYEvXyjOE-tXmXttTcKHQulpSgfTPai_JLz9wfLQuepxLbNqP78s3&hc_ref=ARRELoLA4Yy_zmrCo69FHD89ss_EfcZR9dMjEEnjmkiEmCcXGSeIWtrelalgYDyx3L0&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBg0z_JcmC4Ij4klxM9_VmT7s-M3ZFPIF7ANgBzZM56EHFGVm3A24U4yEwmJcub4ZvxJ7z8dXyssdIXtlYZzBtjsw_9DHdjbYBYlWuWxgkF9J8bUX12uzpn2NYqHBsB9t15TbU6VGrYCGSxxW1y0DGBhMUBqcTZqsHyCZT2TEiYrBlI5QsqoQfx5RZtUFIn4XUhbSvVduPDwtE6Tas5I52uHl7CFtC14__314dSlXcWhgLQdbZ2Gl0oLJ-rxMRs3W4CWplfHwhbf-iP5kzuEvQVEAqxRWA0ZD-AhpBXv8JZHcwRDDmyDqB-ImHNZMaR2OoN3NUIOx5KNOC50JHqaF7544vBLPwKMCoLk4t_oLgu9i4uJBen-hxZ-6i4FVT4FfcRBPvej4v6cr6vaZNdTxdZTOssKcp9RNawoRIAf0_VRmYI" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">The</span> <span style="color:#e74c3c;">Nicholas Russell Band</span><span style="color:#ffffff;">,</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span><a contents="Evo Floyd" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/EvoFloyd-140059876032576/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Evo Floyd</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">)</span> <span style="color:#ffffff;">in early 2017, thirty years later: her brother-in-law had his guitar. </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Alexis’s beloved deceased husband, Stan Smith (the namesake of</span> <a contents="Rockin’ Stan Records" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.rockinstanrecords.com/wordpress/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Rockin’ Stan Records</span></a> <span style="color:#ffffff;">in Seattle), purchased the guitar for $200 many years ago. Unfortunately, Stan passed away in 2003. The Flying V went into storage for over a decade, his close family reluctant to get rid of their dearly departed’s prized guitar. In the mean time, Alexis remarried a man named</span></strong> <strong><a contents="Dave Ames" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/dave.ames.33" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Dave Ames</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;"> </span><span style="color:#ffffff;">(who plays bass guitar in the Scorpions tribute, </span><a contents="Second Sting" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/secondsting/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Second Sting</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">). The couple were completely unaware of the guitar’s origins in the Seattle grunge scene, and they decided to gift it to Dave’s brother,</span></strong><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span><strong><a contents="Abel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/abel.ames.9" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Abel</span><span style="display: none;"> </span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. Abel plays in the band<span style="display: none;"> </span><strong> </strong></span><a contents="The Kennydales" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheKennydales/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">The Kennydales</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. </span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“It is one hell of a sexy axe,” Abel explained. Abel and Dave also play together in a band called </strong></span><a contents="Elizabeth Better" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/elizabethbetter/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;"><strong>Elizabeth Better</strong></span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>After Abel opted to have the guitar restored, a curious tag with the name “Tim Branom” was discovered inside:<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/2249812605abb44355de84abbffb2a166459ae0b/original/tim-v-inside.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></strong><span class="font_small">The key to recovering the stolen guitar, was Tim Branom's name written inside in 1984. Abel Ames discovered this after he was gifted the guitar by Alexis Ames.</span></span><br><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Alexis reached out to Tim. She was horrified to learn that the guitar was actually stolen property, purchased secondhand by her husband at the time. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Abel wanted to do the right thing and return the guitar to its original owner. Alexis agreed, saying that Stan would have wanted this. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“But Alexis said I needed to fly to Seattle to get it.” </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Alexis was afraid that the guitar would be damaged in the mail. Besides that, it would bring more proper closure to physically hand Stan’s guitar to Tim. Tim immediately purchased a plane ticket to Seattle from Los Angeles. The moment was caught on video with over 13,000 views:</strong></span><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="540" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Falex.rea1%2Fvideos%2F10212266501481410%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="960"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="color:null;"><span class="font_small"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/af983306a27e63aaf3bb977c20350a0e4badbd27/original/tim-and-ames-collage.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></span></span><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_small">(Left Photo): Tim Branom and Alexis Ames <br>(Middle Photo): Alex Ames, Abel Ames, Dave Ames <br>(Right Photo): Tim Branom & Mark Arnquist (The "Guitar Doctor")</span></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“So when the guitar was returned to me by the Ames family, and after 30 years, it had a much deeper meaning than you can imagine. So many comrades and roommates had died over the years, and I feel like it was given to me to make new music.” </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“The extraordinary travels of this guitar makes it difficult to put into words!” says Dave. You can also check out Dave in the bands <a contents="The Disco Ballz" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Disco-Ballz-1016045901745850/" target="_blank">The Disco Ballz</a> and <a contents="Chrome Molly" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/chromemolly" target="_blank">Chrome Molly</a>. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“I want to publicly thank Alexis Ames, Dave Ames, and Abel Ames. You have changed my life and given me a fresh perspective on life and music!” Tim gushed. </strong></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Many people who have an association with the guitar, including Tim’s brother Scott Branom, Layne Staley, Mike Starr, and guitarist Brock Graue of </span><a contents="Gypsy Rose" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Gypsy Rose</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> have tragically passed away over the years. The Flying V is a beacon of light to Tim, to keep fighting on and playing music in their memory. </span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“Sometimes letting go of something so precious for the good of another not only heals their wounds, but your own,” says Alexis. “It becomes so much more and sweetens the memory. </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“This guitar is a symbol of how a positive can always arise from a negative no matter how much time goes by,” agrees Abel. </strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>“For 30 years, we all wondered who took the guitar. But then to be given the guitar back by Abel Ames was even more of a shock,” Tim concludes. “This is living proof that there are some great people among us. And I intend to make some great music with this guitar. Maybe it needs a name?”</strong></span><br><br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gzpDxhO9lKk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/gzpDxhO9lKk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gzpDxhO9lKk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="540" width="960" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/a5fac94acf8c183a9bd8bcce9fe53f34b82bb853/original/tim-dean-karr-499a.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Tim Branom in 2018 with the Flying V. Photo by</span> <strong><a contents="Dean Karr" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.deankarr.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Dean Karr</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span></strong></span></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5647807
2019-02-18T18:48:23-08:00
2022-02-06T15:01:18-08:00
Interview with Layne Staley's mother, Nancy McCallum
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/17e77ccf7af347a3b74a4ab7d716993f09f046af/original/nacy-layne-2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>In a rare, exclusive interview, I sat down to discuss Layne's childhood and how the voice of<br>Alice In Chains</em></span><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>continues to speaks for new generations. </em></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><span style="color:#ffffff;">By </span><a contents="Tim Branom" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Tim Branom</span></a></span><br><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#ffffff;">This interview first appeared on August 3, 2015 on </span><a contents="Alternative Nation" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Alternative Nation</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and has since been updated here with more information on February 18, 2019.</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_small"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/470eff6d096dfc3f27b7f3d760e078dd693de413/original/layne-family.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></span><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Nancy, you obviously have some musical talent. Were you the one who first exposed Layne to his musical abilities? </strong><br><em>Everybody in our family has really nice voices (except for a couple of people) and we all just sang. There was always music. My parents had beautiful voices. Layne first heard the most beautiful voice in his environment when I was pregnant with him and I was taking voice lessons at Cornish School in Seattle. My voice teacher had been a voice coach in New York on Broadway for forty years. That was the first really big, full, male voice that he ever heard. I think I would credit that voice more than anybody else's. I was in choir six years with very demanding choir directors. Thank God for them. David Sanarud was my junior high choir teacher and boy, I’m telling you, my choir teachers expected a lot. If your eyes left them, they stopped the whole practice and said, “From the beginning...” We got A++ for our regional competition. Then I took the year of voice at Cornish. I was chosen to be in the first musical to open The 5th Avenue Theater, but I was pregnant with Layne and it just wouldn’t have worked with me climbing on a ladder. So somebody else got the part and I got Layne. </em></span></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/7a37a419e430cbd2d19b6df43038436c3a748e0a/original/facelift.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em></p>
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<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>What were your thoughts when you heard the first Alice in Chains album?</strong><br><em>When Facelift came out, and he and I were talking on the phone about it (because, I had listened to the tape several times) I said, “Layne I think there’s a sleeper on this album.” He said, “Which one, Mom?” and I said, “Man In The Box.” And he goes, “Oh that's our next single.” And I said, “Oh Layne, it’s so beautiful.” And he’s like, “I wrote that, Mom”. So I am very proud of him for that song. He wrote the lyrics, I'm sure, is all I thought he meant. But I don't know that for sure. I don't know how much he participated in making the music. So, you'd have to ask another band member about that. </em></span></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/609f5525fa7ae0caab7513fffd85cebfb02c88e0/original/layne-on-drums.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>I understand that Layne may have played drums before he started singing. </strong><br>First he took trumpet, because, in fifth grade everybody got an instrument, and he used Uncle Bob's trumpet. Our friend, Fred, had a set of drums and Layne was interested and he gave them to us. He loaned them. Then Layne bought a set of drums from the neighbor boy. So that's how his interest in drums progressed, but I don't remember him taking lessons. </span><br><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>So he had his own drum set, set up in the house? </strong><br>Yeah. In the living room, the bedroom and the garage. It depended on where they got the best sound. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>My take on Layne was that he was not a very judgmental person. I never heard about him ever getting in fights or even having an enemy. Does this sound accurate? </strong><br>Pretty much. Yep. He was pretty mild-mannered about that even though he certainly had his opinions about people and things and events; but ,he wasn’t a fighter. He didn’t make trouble. Nothing I knew about. I heard later funny stories about naughty things he did. And I went, “What!? I can't believe that.” But you know, boys don’t tell their mothers all the naughty things they do. I knew of a few things that he did around the junior high age that make me angry. But I guess that's to be expected. </span></p>
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<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>In your opinion, do you think Layne would have married Demri Parrot? </strong><br><em>Layne and Demri loved each other dearly. They wanted to be clean and sober. </em></span></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/e1b1c02600a59146046c85e6b0c385c203dd7272/original/layne-in-tree.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Tell us something we don't know about Layne.</strong> <br><em>I think people would be surprised that he was raised in the Christian Science Sunday School for twenty years. They asked if he believed in God? And I thought, oh, for heaven sake, listen to his music. Of course he did. And we’re all challenged to demonstrate our understanding, and I'm sure that he was very shocked to find that God isn't going to dig you out of every tunnel that you put yourself in to. You’ve got to do that yourself. And I think that was where he was – that was probably in my world, if he is at all like me, he would've been very disappointed in himself for getting himself in something that he couldn't dig himself out of. And we hear about miracles every day. I even struggled with why didn’t our prayers work? Well there’s, you known, there’s – the universe has a bigger novel to write. And we don't know about the afterlife, and we do not know what he’s up to these days; but, I’m sure it’s full of humor and trying to make things better for himself and others. If indeed there is an afterlife, and I tend to think there is, he better be behaving, because when I get there I’m checking on him. </em></span></p>
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<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Tell us something about you that we don’t know.</strong><br><em>You know, I spent fifty years taking care of children…and people think, well…? Well, that includes a lot! It’s a really important job. And I worked with five women friends and started the first parent co-op in a public school in the United States (Mountlake Terrace Elementary). We were on national news when we started it, and then again years later when the kids were now going into junior high. That all grew out of the Edmonds Community College Family Life Program, where we had preschool. We had kids in preschool as they were the little lab rats. And the parents were the students. And it’s a fabulous program. I would recommend to young families to get involved in your community college family life program. It’s amazing. And it just took off from there. There’s PTA and there’s Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and all the things that moms do. And camping, well we didn’t go camping but we went on vacations. And mom’s jobs are huge. They’re huge. And they’re multi-faceted and they’re full-time and, you know, you have extended family and church. And so in life I've done a lot that just fills me as a wife and mother, homeowner, pet owner, car repair gal. </em></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>What are your future plans with Layne's music? </strong><br><em>Please clear this up. It won't be up to me anyway and won't be new music. It would be anything that he has the copyright to, and it will be up to professionals. I'm not at all capable of making those decisions. The (same) way the people ask about the artwork. </em></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Layne had some recording equipment at home. Would any of this music be worthy of release?</strong><br><em>There is nothing. We’ve listened to everything and — Just because he had the equipment didn't mean that he had the professional ability to pull it all together. I know that he practiced on it a lot. Just unfinished little ditties. And I don't even know if he did them. It might have been a friend going "doodly-wop". I don't know. His music room was completely pristine and clean even though the rest of the house was an artist’s home. So I value the possibility, but no. Don’t you suppose that after 13 years if there was something valuable, it would've been heard by now? </em><br><br><strong>Do you know who may have been the last person to see Layne?</strong></span><br><em><span style="color:#ffffff;">According to the stories, it was Mike (Starr) and he went to the store for Layne. So that's all I know. </span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/00618d7e2856fef1e8ea42caa392ce7ec1ca3792/original/rolling-stone.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">It's heart-breaking to think it was you, his mother, who was notified by Layne's management that there had been no spending activity from him in two weeks. You (and Jim Elmer) then went to his home with the police, broke down the door of his </span><a contents="Seattle condo" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/dT2s5BmEvtc" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Seattle condo</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and discovered him lifeless on April 19, 2002. Is there anything you can clear up? You brought him in this world, and you went to save him. </span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>I didn't know I was saving him when we were checking on him. And the phone call that I got said, “Now, don't be overly concerned because it's not unusual for Layne to take out a sum of money and then just use cash”. And when I got there, I had been there a couple of days before; because, Demri's brother had died in February and I hadn’t known about it and I didn’t know if Layne knew about it, so I had been there a couple of days before to talk to him about it. There was no answer. I think that would've been a Wednesday, yeah. Then when I got the phone call to check on him on Friday, I wasn’t surprised that there wasn’t an answer. He had a little bit of mail by the door, but the kitty meowed, and she had never done that before and somehow that just alerted me. And when he didn't answer after a while, I thought, well, I better have somebody come and check on him. So that's when I made the 911 call. The police first went in and then they said – I said, well, I need to go in and be with him. And they said, “Oh I wouldn’t do that.” And I said, “I can do this.” I’ve always promised myself that if anything happened to my children I would be there for them. And I went in, and he was tiny and I thought at first that he had made like a life-sized mannequin of himself because he had lots and lots of art projects always. And I thought, you know, somebody could have thrown that little guy over their shoulder and walked down the street and nobody would have even know that it was a real person. </em></span><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>So, and I sat with him for a few minutes. And I told him that I was really sorry how things had turned out. Because, of course we tried to not pressure him. We always felt like pressure would just push him to the wrong place, and he knew what he had to do. He had to go in treatment, stay in treatment, communicate with his sponsor, stay with healthy people - but the music industry doesn't afford you the time to do that. And those aren’t healthy people - a lot of them are not. It was pretty tough to get cleaned up. By then he had pretty much secluded, been secluded. So it was shocking to see my child like that. It should have turned out better. And it's been amazing how many people have expressed their love and support. And they say, “Gee, I hope Layne knew how loved he was.” And I think, Wow, how could he not have known?” I’m sure he did. And then there was the crying and the storytelling and the making the plans. You know I think people who are sweet-hearted deserve to know the truth, and you know, “Warning, warning. Don't kid yourself. The best of the best succumb to drug addiction. Stay away.” </em></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Why do we lose certain people?</strong><br><em>Once Layne and I were on the phone and he was saying, "You know why, Mom? Why did this happen to me?" And I said, “Honey, that’s a witch hunt. Just go to treatment. And move on with your life. We have no idea. We have no idea of the why.” Believe. Don't take yourself out to teach somebody a lesson. He didn't. And I mean, everybody's circumstances are different. I understand that. Don’t judge somebody else. Don't think you know things you don't know for sure. You were not there. But the whole why thing is part of a distraction that the world wants you to get distracted away from your purpose. Let it go. You don't want to blame – what if you figured out the reason and it was someone's fault? Are you going to go through life judging and blaming? No. Just drop the why and move on.</em></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/ff5cbb45e326036243af5806793893baafea8f2d/original/blue-moon.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">There is a small bar next to Layne’s last home called the </span><span style="color:#e74c3c;">“</span><a contents="Blue Moon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/bluemoonseattle" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Blue Moon</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">”.</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> Did he go there? </span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>Yeah, to just hang out and be around people. To come on down and see a band play. I think he knew that he was kind of safe there because they knew not to make a fuss over him. Just let him be. </em></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">You often get asked about your </span><a contents="lawsuit against Alice In Chains" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Mother-of-Alice-in-Chains-front-man-sues-dead-4507093.php" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">lawsuit against Alice In Chains</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> Can you set the record straight here for all those who ask about the outcome? </span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>It really isn’t anyone else’s business, is it? </em></span></p>
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/c9f19b2f3b39ad0a6e00a09782bf6dbc2acbd977/original/the-real-musician.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/7756878d2606ae5c7795acc6449e376b34672617/original/metal-up-your-ass.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span style="color:#ffffff;">Do you have any plans to officially release any artwork or photos by Layne? </span></strong><br><em><span style="color:#ffffff;">Well, I think that it will be up to someone who promotes and that's probably part of the future. You know, I once asked someone about poetry because we’ve received so many poems. And he has some lyrics that are just – they’re poems, they’re not lyrics. And I thought, well somebody would love that in a poetry book. And I talked with someone who publishes and he goes, “No, we don't do poetry books.” They just don't sell very well.” So it has to be a self-published thing or…I don't know. Until I knew what the parameters were of what my rights are, I really couldn't make a plan around future projects. He does have some interesting art. And of course he didn't release it, so did he want it to be released? Those are decisions that are hard to make. I wasn’t a part of his business, and when he came home, it was brownies or chocolate chip cookies and meatloaf and the longest nap he needed and a hot long shower and no interruptions and just visit about other things, be around family and the pets and be home. And so, it wasn't a lot of talk about business. </span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/76b6524d1f7699c44a7bc5cd74dd039ed8b408c3/original/layne-staley-tribute-2015.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">The </span><a contents="2015 14th Annual Layne Staley Tribute" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://bravewords.com/news/14th-annual-layne-staley-tribute-show-confirmed" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">2015 14th Annual Layne Staley Tribute</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> is coming up in August with three locations of memorials and celebrations. I assume you will be at all three events, but will fans have easier access to meet you at the first gathering – </span><a contents="the Fountain" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.seattlecenter.com/locations/detail.aspx?id=8" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">the Fountain</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">? </span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>Absolutely at the Fountain. Because it's quiet there. At the other events, fans come up and they want to tell me stuff and it's like, “Hey, I want to hear the bands that we've asked to come and play.” I want to hear their music and their renditions, and by the end of the night if I have to talk to people I have such a sore throat. And so if you want to come and visit, come to the Fountain and then we can really visit. And there is always a little acoustic time where we hang out underneath the covering by the Fountain and people bring their guitars, and they bring their cell phones so they can read the words to the music and it's a sing-along and it's really sweet. Prior to that, people visit. So that starts around 7pm at the Seattle Center International Fountain. </em></span></p>
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<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>You have been known to get up on stage and sing the Mad Season song, "Wake Up." What are your personal reasons for this choice of a song? </strong><br><em>I can’t sing most of Layne’s songs. They're too hard. But I do love them, and I don't know the words, you know, I'm Layne's mom. But, I’m talking to the audience. He was. This is the song that mom would sing to this young crowd of people who think that drugs are recreational. They are not! Wake up. He was singing it to them. And I would sing it. It’s you know, I’m not a showman; so there is some music in there where I just sort of hang out on stage and wonder what should I do with my microphone. </em><em>But it's a beautiful song and it means a lot, and you know, it says ‘10 long years of leaves to rake up.’ There’s a Bible verse that said that ‘the leaves were for the healing of the nations’. Our purpose is to be healers and be helpful and be kind and live quietly in your heart and love other people and don't blame them and don't judge them. People ask sometimes about, “Oh, did you forgive whatever so-and-so for whatever?” And I go, “You know, to forgive means I had to have judged”. I’m not a judge. And everybody has to square things up with the universe themselves. </em><em>So, I kind of love that song for a lot of different reasons besides the fact that it's easy to learn and I can sing it. But since then I've actually learned more of the songs just because of repetition and the environment. You know, I hear bands playing and if I go to a show and they’re on the radio and once in a while I put the music in myself; but, it’s very painful most of the time. And I don’t watch the videos because people say, “Oh, but you have all those videos”. You can watch them. It’s like, do you know what it’s like to see him there and not have him in my world just for everyday stuff? </em><em>And besides, that guy onstage was only part of Layne, and he was so many other parts. And he meant so many other things to other people for other reasons.</em> </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>What else can we expect at a Layne Tribute? </strong></span><br><em><span style="color:#ffffff;">At The Crocodile, two years ago, it was such a spiritual experience. I cannot describe it well enough, but I can tell you that when everyone sang along, it sounded like a choir, like a church. And at the end of the night I jokingly, but not really, I said, “You know it felt like going to church with Pastor Layne presiding”. It was amazing. And people who had been to many, many concerts said they had never had that experience before. So bless his little heart, if that's what he does. He brings people together to love one another and have a happy memory, and make happy memories. We do little things different every year; but one year, I just said, “You know if you've lost a friend to addiction, call their name out. And that was a really sweet few minutes where people just called out their dear friend's name and everybody was flicking their BIC’s. I don't know if you can do that anymore because Washington is in a drought. If you want to bring a glow stick, oh, Layne loved glow sticks. Everybody bring your glow sticks. That would be so cool. I also have a friend who wrote a beautiful song for Layne and it's my understanding is that it will be played at the Crocodile. And I've heard it and it’s gorgeous. </span></em></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/75bcdcd4ac8a89fac5b6ebc127fc47fade186ae1/original/wake-up-lyrics.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Do you have a message you wish to give to fans of Layne's? </strong><br><em>What would Layne say? He said it in his lyrics. He warned you. He described what he was up against. He said stay away. Don't follow. And in the end, he said we’re alone. And I say we’re all alone together. Each of us has our own experience and past; but, we are walking alongside one another. And ask for help, for heaven’s sake. And for heaven's sake go to 12-Step if you need help. 12-Step for anything. I don't care what your obsession is. If your obsession is green and you can't stand it anymore, go to a 12-Step program. It doesn't matter what your obsession is. The 12-Step program is the same. If you do too much for others, if you don't do enough for others, if you smoke, if you gamble, if there's a sex addiction, if there's a drug addiction or alcohol, or you can’t talk to people because you sweat, I don't care what it is, the 12-Step problem solving process is for everyone and for everything. We all have parts of ourselves that are not socially acceptable, that scare us in ourselves, that might not be acceptable in our families, or things that are hidden; because, we don't want to talk about them or relive them or whatever. But I think that's the nerve that Layne hits for some people in his music, (but) not everybody. I’ve heard people who said, "Oh, I get so much joy out of his music". I thought, ‘Do you listen to the words? Because they're not nice stories.” We know what was going on in some of that and it was very painful. And it's a part of ourselves that need release and relief. Not that we had to go crazy and wild about, you know stuff, but stuff has to have some kind of outlet. You know maybe you just – maybe you cook or maybe you bang on the drums or maybe you run or ride your bike, whatever it is - stuff has to have an outlet. </em></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Is it true that eventually you answer all fan emails sent to you? </strong><br><em>I do. Thirty-one thousand so far and counting. I have one thousand waiting for me at home, but only about three-hundred haven't heard from me. And I’m still trying to catch up with them. So have patience, and don't change your e-mail address. Plus a few thousand letters (to answer) because not everybody you know has computers or they want to write. It’s really sweet. </em></span></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/8a1305e4501f675fbbb1d9a437d50ef509a231e3/original/meadowdale-highschool.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em><span style="color:#ffffff;">Layne Staley, June 1985 at </span><a contents="Meadowdale High School" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://mhs.edmonds.wednet.edu/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Meadowdale High School</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>You went to Layne’s twenty-year high school reunion. How was that? </strong><br><em>I asked people, “Is Calvin here? Is Calvin here?” (Because he had a friend Calvin that I had never met; but, he used to talk about him). Well several people said, “Layne Staley was Layne Elmer!?” (Because he went to school with his stepdad's last name). “He was the quietest boy in our class!” So I'm going out, Calvin is coming in, and someone said “There’s Calvin.” And I went up and I said, “I’m Layne’s mom. And I know that you were Layne's friend.” And we started to talk, it’s kind of a narrow hallway and his back was leaning against one way and I'm facing with my back against another as people are going through, and he said, “That kid could not run a drill press.” And I said, “Well you know people are telling me that he was the quietest kid in class.” And I said, “But once he got out on that stage, he used it for other things.” And Calvin said very seriously and sweetly to me, he said, “Nancy, Layne did it for us all.” </em></span></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/72343ee7c2916547556beaef213f234df6484aa4/original/memory-layne.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>I was surprised to hear that you still go to concerts. (Referring to House of Blues, Fri., July 19, 2015) </strong></span><br><em><span style="color:#ffffff;">The band was Michael Grande’s band, </span><a contents="Memory Layne." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://artistecard.com/memorylayne" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Memory Layne.</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;"> </span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> They played "Queen of the Rodeo" at the House of Blues on Friday night. That‘s a funny song. And it’s on (Alice In Chains’) live album, which is my favorite album; because, it’s so causal. The audience is right there and the guys are wearing their cowboy hats, and then they do “Queen of the Rodeo” in Texas. I just think that's funny. I also attended the Mad Season concert at Benaroya Hall recently, in Seattle. What a night! </span></em></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Washington State has now </span><a contents="decriminalized recreational marijuana" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/press-release/2015/07/marijuana-legalization-washington-state-one-year-status-report" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">decriminalized recreational marijuana</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> What are your thoughts on this? </span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>Any state that decides to legalize marijuana is asking for what they get. </em></span></p>
<p><em><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/e56faa83e9d04e933732e638788d21f2ed174aca/original/alan-berner-layne.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></em><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Photo by Alan Berner (Seattle Times)</span></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">It's interesting that donations for the Layne Staley Memorial Fund go to the </span><a contents="Therapeutic Health Services" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ths-wa.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Therapeutic Health Services</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> - the very same company you were working for when Layne passed. </span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>When I worked at THS it was a brand-new job. I had been there three weeks (with) my girlfriend (it was her first job out of high school). And THS had been in existence for over forty-some years now. They have seven locations. They do alcohol and drug addiction including heroin. They also have family programs for moms who are pregnant and are using, and for the addicts, their support system. All of the counseling includes a support system for those people who want to help. Most of their locations have heroin treatment. They do co-presenting, which means that if you have a drug addiction and something else going on, a mental health issue, or physical, they coordinate the service. So that is the whole approach. Oh, I feel so lucky. I got to know many people at THS in my short, well, I was there two years altogether. And I got to know the administrators and the Executive Director, and these are some of the finest people you could ever work with and they love everyone who comes there. They will do whatever they can to accommodate any kind of financial need, because people think, “Oh, I don't have any money for treatment.” Well, if you don't have personal money and you don't have insurance and your company doesn't have insurance for you now, there is Medicare, Medicaid and ACA, which is the Affordable Care Act. And there’s funding from the cities, counties, state and feds through grants that the facility applies for and uses on behalf of people who cannot pay for their own treatment in one way or another. So there’s – I mean there’s ten different ways that the treatments center will try to make treatment possible. And yes, it's a revolving door proposal once in a while, and yeah, you might have to go back a few times. But stay as long you need and get the help that you need. And don’t give up on yourself because everybody has a clean and sober core. But I am not involved at all in the (Layne Staley Memorial Fund) finances anymore. The only thing that I get involved in is if there’s a copyright issue. At the end of the Hungarian tribute, the Italian tribute, the Swiss tribute, the Bulgarian tribute, Seattle's tribute and anyone else's, it’s up to the coordinators to pay their expenses and then any money left over, goes to THS. And then if I find money on the street, it goes in an envelope. At the end of the year they get that along with any checks that people have sent to me, because sometimes a letter will include a donation check. But it should be made out to THS (Therapeutic Health Services). And I think people need to know about the website, because it really is a gift of love. One woman said, “I went to the website.” And she said “I thought it was really kind of weird”, and then she said “I realized how much you love us”. Layne-Staley.com. Please spell his name correctly, because he just hated it when people spelled his name wrong. </em></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong><em>What made the Seattle scene so special? </em></strong><br><em>Because you were all brothers. That's what made this Seattle scene so unique. They weren’t competing. They weren’t undercutting one another. They cared about one another and they shared musicians and instruments and practice space, and it was a brotherhood. It was like Robin Hood's band of Merry Men. </em></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/7de5a063dd06c1cda26041abb2defdc13da20dc7/original/layne-mike.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>How were Layne & Mike Starr together? </strong></span><br><em><span style="color:#ffffff;">They were funny together. They were a comedy team - the two of them. But you should talk to Gayle Starr about that. Because she had more experience with them sitting at the piano bench and you know, being silly. </span></em></p>
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/58368b87952e87523c90c9a73949fb8701d98062/original/babypic.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span style="color:#ffffff;">People sometimes name their children after Layne. </span></strong><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>We have Layne, Delayne, Elayna, Dalayna, Alice in Chains - that’s the cat. All these parents send me pictures of their babies that they’ve named for Layne. It’s really sweet. And they’re the cutest little kids. And sometimes they send me Christmas cards later. And they're growing up. Now they’re four and then they’re ten, and it’s just precious. One little boy’s name is Layne Staley and then his family’s last name. It’s humbling. It’s very sweet. </em></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/a4b412e19b4fd4f890b5a7e2dc12d2f527f842bc/original/layne-very-very-young.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Originally, your last name was Layne? </strong><br><em>Yeah. It’s my maiden name. And my dad had three daughters. So when we had Layne, I thought that that’s kind of a cool first name and it carried the name another generation, Then Layne chose his middle name, Thomas, when he got a little bit older. </em></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">To donate to the Layne Staley Memorial Fund online, please visit </span><a contents="here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/TherapeuticHealthServices/form-online-donation.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">here.</span></a></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>Donations are also accepted by mail:<br>Therapeutic Health Services<br>1116 Summit Ave. <br>Seattle, WA. 98101</strong></span><br><strong><a contents="Layne-Staley.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.layne-staley.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Layne-Staley.com</span></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/0135b502021b068e3da2d031fb5350729c00cf62/original/img-0514a.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></strong><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#ffffff;">July 19, 2015 in Santa Monica, CA. (Left) Tim Branom, (right) Nancy Layne McCallum.</span></span><br><br><br><span style="color:#ffffff;">©<span class="font_small">2019 Tim Branom</span></span></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5641534
2019-02-13T11:19:20-08:00
2022-02-06T15:01:34-08:00
Jerry Cantrell dives into how Alice in Chains formed, their album releases and one of the final, and most iconic, performances with former lead singer Layne Staley.
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_regular"><span style="color:#ffffff;">I get a little mention in this interview by Lars Ulrich. And we played together for much longer than “a few days" obviously (or I wouldn’t even be remembered). But our story is long and detailed. (You can read more about </span><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Gypsy Rose</span><span style="color:#2ecc71;"> </span><a contents="by clicking on this link." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2ecc71;">by clicking on this link.</span></a><br><span style="color:#ffffff;">Here’s a look into the formation of Alice In Chains in the words of Jerry Cantrell: </span><br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="1zZEhplx2jY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/1zZEhplx2jY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1zZEhplx2jY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="480" width="720" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/466a59e1ddb5dd2bb3495d56e64f0a3f718c40c3/original/gypsy-rose-pose-with-lynn-credit-and-logo.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></span></p>
<p><a contents="Gypsy Rose" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Gypsy Rose</span></a><span style="color:null;"> </span><span style="color:#ffffff;">on August 28, 1987.</span><br><span style="color:#ffffff;">(L-R) Mike "Bones" Gersema (Drums), Mike Starr (Bass), Tim Branom (Vocals), Brock Graue (Guitar - later replaced by Jerry Cantrell in late 1987)</span><br><span style="color:null;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/6a79a8f9f91f56966233f00b4614810fc6b2ced5/original/1987-10-4-gypsy-rose-music-bank-audition.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="LY7FZ-n6MP8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/LY7FZ-n6MP8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LY7FZ-n6MP8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="480" width="720" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5576907
2019-01-01T18:00:00-08:00
2022-02-05T05:08:00-08:00
Free Download of Tim Branom 2018 Four Song EP
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_large">As we begin 2019, we'd like to start the year off by giving away a free download. </span></span></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://timbranom.com/album/972222/2018-four-song-ep" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/f1e9bb6db4e13d9d884f9f225af0a78c8a2fa74d/original/tim-branom-2018-four-song-ep.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="http://timbranom.com/album/972222/2018-four-song-ep" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://timbranom.com/album/972222/2018-four-song-ep" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Click here for free download</span></a></span></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5576917
2019-01-01T17:00:00-08:00
2022-02-06T15:02:13-08:00
Free Download of Gypsy Rose 1987 Four Song EP
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">As</span></span><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> we begin 2019, we'd like to start the year off by giving away a free EP download.</span></span></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/8e040d36dc598bdb952087b41c1ae708b34c2429/original/gypsy-rose-1987.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="Click here for free download" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/album/849504/gypsy-rose-unreleased-songs" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Click here for free download</span></a></span></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5575728
2018-12-30T14:15:00-08:00
2022-01-17T16:38:47-08:00
Layne Staley Unseen Video & Tribute Song Set For 2019 Release With “Eagles of Night”
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="Layne Staley Unseen Video Set For 2019 Release With “Eagles of Night”" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/layne-staley-unseen-video-set-for-2019-release-eagles-of-night/?fbclid=IwAR0f-TsC3ghOV7WJBoDC258avU7MtrQHQhFoajWZkg6ti5J6-bDGbZmQ0ZY" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">AlternativeNation.net by Brett Buchanan</span></a></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/faf02d42899c5950de7db07567b4ea3d3bc0272d/original/screen-shot-2018-12-31-at-4-16-41-pm.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Tim Branom, who was an early collaborator with late Alice In Chains members Layne Staley and Mike Starr, is releasing his tribute song for them called “Eagles of Night” in 2019, and it appears that it will feature never before seen home video of Staley. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="Branom posted a photo on Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156900423775477&set=a.10150840925490477&type=3&theater" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Branom posted a photo on Facebook</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;"> </span><span style="color:#ffffff;">with the caption, “I can’t believe this is finally happening. For fans of Alice In Chains, Layne Staley and Mike Starr, it looks like we’re now just a few months away from finishing the tribute video and song (“Eagles Of Night”). And we have some nice home footage. Special thanks – you know who you are. </span><span style="color:#000000;"> </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Branom discussed the tribute song in a</span> <a contents="Music Festival interview" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.musicfestival.gr/News/NDetails/ID/1200/an-interview-with-Tim-Branom-and-his-story-with-Alice-in-Chains-Layne-Staley-and-Days-of-the-New" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Music Festival interview</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;"> </span><span style="color:#ffffff;">in April. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">“Yes, I’ve held onto a song until the time is right to honor Layne Staley and Mike Starr. So I’ll talk about it since we spoken of them today. It’s called ‘Eagles Of Night’, because to me, they were eagles of the Seattle music scene. It’s tragic that they lost their lives doing what they loved to do. In other occupations, they don’t encourage you to live on the brink of death. The song couldn’t be rushed because it had to be very good and it represents their lives. In short, and in an almost cartoon-ish, but sad way, it tells the story of how they met, made music, became famous and died, maybe because of their fame. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">For the recording, I’m even using the </span><a contents="same guitar we used back in the 80’s with the first Alice In Chains lineup" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/stolen-guitar-alice-chains-early-days-returned-30-years-later-emotional-story/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">same guitar we used back in the 80’s with the first Alice In Chains lineup</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and the photo for the cover art (of the eagles) was taken by Abel Ames, who personally returned the stolen guitar to me after 30 years, [with his brother (Dave Ames) and brother’s wife (Alexis Ames)]. When you put a lot these elements together, something magical happens. I know people will really love this song and it is my gift to Layne and Mike. They both gave me a place to stay when I needed it and didn’t hesitate at all – which probably saved my life. I wanted to make a music video for it, but it seems like it becomes a licensing nightmare with their name and likeness. So I’m just going to release the song and hopefully fans will put their own photos and videos to the song.”</span></span></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156900423775477&set=a.10150840925490477&type=3&theater" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/df5c1bbeab7252a04e59b8a543b3e0a41b7316e1/original/fotokem.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></a><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/363e5ba25bcc30321e56859c69ce0fb4d15c462d/original/eagles-of-night-idea.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5260523
2018-05-27T19:20:00-07:00
2021-09-24T09:07:21-07:00
Photo Shoot with Legendary Photographer Dean Karr
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="timbranom.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">timbranom.com</span></a></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">I had an amazIng photo shoot with</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span><a contents="Dean Karr" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.deankarr.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Dean Karr</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> just over a week ago. His resume is ridiculous! (He Photographed or Directed videos for Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver, Johnny Cash, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy, Lisa Marie Presley, Stevie Nicks, Audioslave - just about everybody). We have hundreds of photos. Here are just a few. Also, amazing hair / makeup / grooming by</span> <a contents="Peggy Wright" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.peggywrightmakeup.com" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Peggy Wright</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">.</span></span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/bf37fd41a08b2f2b87114ab2645e8dae6112ae7d/original/untitled-499a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/0480ee33cd420b4e03216b87aff414be5b12d15f/original/untitled-820a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/8e675d8a4b19f5af0377b84b0d825af78fb174e0/original/untitled-802a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/b37fc2abbe385b76b9e07b6e5db87f1b06d2afee/original/untitled-702a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/f4c787edd63767cca3bd3903fee4b5bf02d31a52/original/untitled-694a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/1e7668c0e1244243cf871c02d4a0d79f8f2cae49/original/untitled-790a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/97dd93cb75b9f30d0162c3cd617067b628e0640c/original/untitled-899b.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/572b7eec5c50621a77311e10039eb3a88c1848a2/original/untitled-225a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/717a08f05cf427147167565446c227440093b608/original/untitled-268a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/2cb4221ff0f2f39e5266437392a16178fd4d8609/original/tim-dean-karr-855a.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/5cd33698740d93d9697c3fb50a1775f40342d6a4/original/untitled-831a-smaller.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/6b2020071ac2af8a66a8f77645b0f01f8d60fd79/original/untitled-840a-smaller.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/f92792e76922351b8bfe12cebedc02211650c4ad/original/untitled-767a-small.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/ada4a880eff7b2cafcb7f0af3dade83e371a54f3/original/untitled-794a-small.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5195434
2018-04-20T17:25:00-07:00
2022-02-06T15:02:44-08:00
Alice In Chains Collaborator Teases Layne Staley & Mike Starr Tribute Song
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="AlternativeNation.net by Brett Buchanan" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/alice-chains-collaborator-teases-layne-staley-mike-starr-tribute-song/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">AlternativeNation.net by Brett Buchan</span></a><a contents="AlternativeNation.net by Brett Buchanan" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/alice-chains-collaborator-teases-layne-staley-mike-starr-tribute-song/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">an</span></a></span></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/alice-chains-collaborator-teases-layne-staley-mike-starr-tribute-song/" target="_blank"><span style="color:null;"><span class="font_large"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/5000671cb0c352945978f0e00be23ef5e8aefdbe/original/tim-branom-press-4-20-18.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></strong></span></span></a></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Tim Branom, who was an early collaborator with late Alice In Chains members Layne Staley and Mike Starr, discussed a tribute song he is working on in a new </span><a contents="Music Festival interview" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.musicfestival.gr/News/NDetails/ID/1200/an-interview-with-Tim-Branom-and-his-story-with-Alice-in-Chains-Layne-Staley-and-Days-of-the-New" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Music Festival interview</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">“Yes, I’ve held onto a song until the time is right to honor Layne Staley and Mike Starr. So I’ll talk about it since we spoken of them today. It’s called ‘Eagles Of Night’, because to me, they were eagles of the Seattle music scene. It’s tragic that they lost their lives doing what they loved to do. In other occupations, they don’t encourage you to live on the brink of death. The song couldn’t be rushed because it had to be very good and it represents their lives. In short, and in an almost cartoon-ish, but sad way, it tells the story of how they met, made music, became famous and died, maybe because of their fame. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">For the recording, I’m even using the same guitar we used back in the 80’s with the first Alice In Chains lineup and the photo for the cover art (of the eagles) was taken by </span><a contents="Abel Ames" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/abel.ames.9" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Abel Ames</span></a><span style="color:null;">,</span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> who personally</span><span style="color:null;"> </span><a contents="returned the stolen guitar to me" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/stolen-guitar-alice-chains-early-days-returned-30-years-later-emotional-story/" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">returned the stolen guitar to me</span></a><span style="color:null;"> </span><span style="color:#ffffff;">after 30 years, [with his brother (</span><a contents="Dave Ames" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/dave.ames.33" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Dave Ames</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">) and brother’s wife (</span><a contents="Alexis Ames" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/alex.rea1" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Alexis Ames</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">)]. When you put a lot these elements together, something magical happens. I know people will really love this song and it is my gift to Layne and Mike. They both gave me a place to stay when I needed it and didn’t hesitate at all – which probably saved my life. I wanted to make a music video for it, but it seems like it becomes a licensing nightmare with their name and likeness. So I’m just going to release the song and hopefully fans will put their own photos and videos to the song.”</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="color:null;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/17ec980d12adc27da904e303c0aade2da05a2464/original/eagles-of-night-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></span></p>
<p> </p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5196404
2018-04-19T17:20:00-07:00
2022-01-17T16:37:18-08:00
Unreleased Layne Staley Songs Revealed By Bandmate
<p><a contents="Rock Rebel (UK) by Redmistuck" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.rockrebel.co.uk/tag/layne-staley/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;"><span class="font_regular">Rock Rebel (UK) by Redmistuck</span></span></a></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.rockrebel.co.uk/unreleased-layne-staley-songs-revealed-by-bandmate/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/3e211674688835511e405d7d6700451741221ef0/original/tim-branom-press-uk-4-19-18.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Tim Branom, who was an early collaborator of late Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley, discussed unreleased songs in a new Music Festival interview, and why he doubts an official release will happen. Note that versions of some of these songs are available online, but these appear to be different versions. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">My brother had a couple friends (Johnny Bacolas and James Bergstrom) who eventually formed a band. By the time of high school, they were all in the same grade. My brother came to me one day and said his friends wanted to work with me and I ended up Producing their three-song demo. I had a certain knack of getting good sounds and an instinct for studio tricks and which Engineers and studios to use. I think we worked out the pre-production for about three months. We worked on the arrangements and even the equipment to be used in the studio. The guitar used by Nick Pollock on these recordings was stolen but eventually returned to me. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">The singer (Layne Staley) had a natural ability but I felt he needed some training to get a bigger sound when he sang the higher notes and the screams. So about once a week, he came over and we went over strengthening his voice. We did this for a few months. I had been taking vocal lessons with David Kyle and so we used those methods. We needed to do this because the studio rate was about $65 an hour and we couldn’t waste time on Layne having a bad day or not singing good or we would run out of money. And I‘m not sure why, but Johnny Bacolas (the bassist) left the band temporarily and Mike Mitchell joined on bass. </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">I recorded the first two songs (“Fat Girls” and “Over The Edge”) on my four-track recorder as demos at both the Music Bank and in my bedroom in Shoreline, WA. </span></span></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="YjqINWlKNNk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/YjqINWlKNNk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YjqINWlKNNk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="600" width="1024" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;">Because the band was well rehearsed and we had already recorded a preliminary recording, we then went into the 3 big studios (London Bridge, Robert Lang and Triad Studios), and just did the same thing but of much higher quality. Then later, Johnny Bacolas was back in the band and we did the third song called “Lip Lock Rock.” </span></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="H5Ci4fP6utI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/H5Ci4fP6utI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H5Ci4fP6utI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="600" width="1024" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;">All the guys were extremely talented and very young (16-18). Every one of them would end up being in successful bands during the Grunge era (Second Coming, My Sister’s Machine). But I doubt these three studio songs or the two four-track demo songs I recorded would ever be released. I think that type of decision would have to be approved by too many people.</span></p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5196512
2018-04-16T17:55:00-07:00
2022-02-06T15:03:05-08:00
An Interview With Tim Branom And His Story With Alice In Chains, Layne Staley And Days Of The New
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="Music Festival (Greece) by Chris Tsantalis" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.musicfestival.gr/News/NDetails/ID/1200/an-interview-with-Tim-Branom-and-his-story-with-Alice-in-Chains-Layne-Staley-and-Days-of-the-New" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">Music Festival (Greece) by Chris Tsantalis</span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/99db3f46ac13053f4757a5baccb9c3631e9410e5/original/tim-branom-with-blue-guitar.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span class="font_small">Tim Branom recording at his home studio in 2018. Photo by Cindy Kraus.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Hello Tim, welcome to MusicFestival.gr</strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Thanks for having me. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Give us a brief Bio. </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Google seems to overly simplify me. I’m a guy from Seattle who left for Los Angeles right when the Grunge scene was about to explode in 1990. I had an opportunity to sing for a band on a major label in California, but unfortunately they broke up soon after I moved here. Then I watched a lot of my previous bandmates and friends became famous in Seattle. But I slowly held on and worked at record label, as well as constantly having my foot in the writing and performing side, mostly with a band called </span><a contents="Cloud Nine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/cloud-nine" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Cloud Nine</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. Over the years, I’ve played with a few people you may have heard of - </span><a contents="Days Of The New" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/days-of-the-new" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Days Of The New</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Carly Smithson" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/carly-smithson" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Carly Smithson</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> (American Idol, The Fallen), </span><a contents="a few of the guys from Alice In Chains" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">a few of the guys from Alice In Chains</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and even a Metal band called </span><a contents="Fifth Angel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/fifth-angel" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Fifth Angel</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> for about a minute. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Name your 10 favourite bands and singers. </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">It might surprise people to know that who I like and was influenced by, might not sound anything like the music I create. But if I had to name just ten, it would be a mixture of old and new: Chris Cornell, Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury, Ronnie Dio, John Lennon, Audioslave, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Linkin Park, Stone Temple Pilots, so many more… </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>What is your favourite album you made so far what is your fave music era? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">My first big break came in 2000 when Travis Meeks and Interscope Records flew me out to Louisville, Kentucky to play guitar and bass on the third </span><a contents="Days Of The New" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/days-of-the-new" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Days Of The New</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> (“Red”) album.</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/c776f8990c3ac9cdf70c7eeeac8a105fa75a6714/original/tim-with-days-of-the-new.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span class="font_small">Tim Branom (left), Travis Meeks (right) recording the Days Of the New album, “Vol. 3" in 2000.</span></span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font_regular"><span style="color:#ffffff;">After a week and a lot of things happening, the recording budget was over for that part of the process and I went back to LA. I had played on two songs – “Fighting W/ Clay” and another – but they had some problems with a recording engineer – (I think he was fired) – and my parts didn’t make the album. So that engineer and myself both went uncredited.</span></span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="4tFzCa_--JQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/4tFzCa_--JQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4tFzCa_--JQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="600" width="1024" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">But when I got back in Los Angeles, everyone wanted to work with me and I could do mo wrong. I got </span><a contents="my first paid Producer credits" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/Martinis-Mistletoe-Tunes-Christmas-Cocktail/dp/B002WGTM1S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1533152341&sr=8-6&keywords=martinis+%26+mistletoe" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">my first paid Producer credits</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and those three CD’s sold well. (They were three similar Jazz/Rock Christmas albums on the Laserlight label).Then </span><a contents="JVC Records Japan started working with me" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/branom" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">JVC Records Japan started working with me</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, and had plans to, but never signed me, and then went bankrupt in the US. You could just feel that something was happening in the music industry – and it wasn’t good. </span><a contents="I’ve worked on a lot of albums" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tim-branom-mn0001841731/credits" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">I’ve worked on a lot of albums</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> but for others instead of myself. But now you will finally see albums released by me as a solo artist and with other bands I was in a long time ago. My favourite music era? I seem to really like 70s meets the 90’s sound with modern recording technology. So that sort of becomes a 2019 sound, I hope!</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/85ec7f23f5691f27f8debf6f66e9c2a994d2c843/original/branom-japan-2000.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span class="font_small"> Tim Branom live in Japan in 2000.<br>L-R. Guitarist Brian Davis, Drummer Jackie Ramos (Bangalore Choir, Hericane Alice, Bad Moon Rising), Vocalist/Guitarist Tim Branom, DJ Billy Pleasant (The Brian Jonestown Massacre), Bassist Mike Davis (Rob Halford, Dramarama, Lizzy Borden).</span></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>When should we expect a new album from you? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">I think sometime at the end of this year, I will have a full-length solo album with at least 15 songs and more videos. On this album, I write all the songs, play all the instruments (except drums) and even record most of it myself. I’ve been finishing one song at a time and then making a video for each one. And I am offering a free download for your readers of a recent song called </span><a contents="“Blind” " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/track/1455569/blind" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">“Blind” </span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">on my website: </span><a contents="timbranom.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://timbranom.com" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">timbranom.com</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. I have also been approached recently by a few labels to release music I made in the 80s and 90s by my bands </span><a contents="Gypsy Rose" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Gypsy Rose</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and </span><a contents="Cloud Nine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/cloud-nine" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Cloud Nine</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">. So that might take a year to clean up the old tapes and make them releasable. But it’s fun to revisit those old songs and put together a nice package of all unreleased songs. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>You collaborated with Alice In Chains. Tell us something about this. </strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/f77b0c9dfde89bd6ccbde1dee7962880ab8c659d/original/tim-with-1986-alice-in-chains.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></strong><span class="font_small">Alice N' Chains in London Bridge Studio, December of 1986.<br>Top Row: L-R, Tracy Goodrich-Frontz, Producer Tim Branom, Engineer Peter Barnes, Bassist Johnny Bacolas, Guitarist Nick Pollock.<br>Bottom Row: L-R, Vocalist Layne Staley, Mike Mitchell (former Sleze bassist)</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">My brother, Scott, had a couple friends (Johnny Bacolas - bass and James Bergstrom - drums) who eventually formed a band. By the time of high school, they were all in the same grade. My brother came to me one day and said his friends wanted to work with me and I ended up Producing their three-song demo. I had a certain knack of getting good sounds and an instinct for studio tricks and which Engineers and studios to use. I think we worked out the pre-production for about three months. We worked on the arrangements and even the equipment to be used in the studio. The guitar used by Nick Pollock on these recordings was stolen but eventually </span><a contents="returned to me" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.alternativenation.net/stolen-guitar-alice-chains-early-days-returned-30-years-later-emotional-story/" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">returned to me</span></a><span style="color:#c0392b;">.</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">The singer (Layne Staley) had a natural ability but I felt he needed some training to get a bigger sound when he sang the higher notes and the screams. So about once a week, he came over and we went over strengthening his voice. We did this for a few months. I had been taking vocal lessons with David Kyle and so we used those methods. We needed to do this because the studio rate was about $65 an hour and we couldn’t waste time on Layne having a bad day or not singing good or we would run out of money. And I‘m not sure why, but Johnny Bacolas (the bassist) left the band temporarily and Mike Mitchell joined on bass. <br>I recorded the first two songs (“Fat Girls” and “Over The Edge”) on my four-track recorder as demos at both the Music Bank and in my bedroom in Shoreline, WA. Because the band was well rehearsed and we had already recorded a preliminary recording, we then went into the 3 big studios (London Bridge, Robert Lang and Triad Studios), and just did the same thing but of much higher quality. Then later, Johnny Bacolas was back in the band and we did the third song called “Lip Lock Rock.” All the guys were extremely talented and very young (16-18). Every one of them would end up being in successful bands during the Grunge era </span><a contents="Alice In Chains" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://aliceinchains.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">(</span><span style="color:#c0392b;">Alice In Chains</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Second Coming" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/secondcomingonline/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Second Coming</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="My Sister’s Machine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/mysistersmachine/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">My Sister’s Machine</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">). But I doubt these three studio songs or the two four-track demo songs I recorded would ever be released. I think that type of decision would have to be approved by too many people. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">At first, the band was called Sleze just to make a statement and to show that they didn’t care about anyone’s rules. But they would change their name to Alice N' Chains when the cassette demo was first “released.” (100 copies were duplicated and handed out). The drummer, James Bergstrom, asked me what I thought about the new name before the cassettes were made as if to get a verbal OK to proceed with confidence, and (I just assumed it was influenced by Guns N’ Roses, because Layne always knew about LA bands before the rest of us did). But a few months later, they changed their mind again and slightly changed the spelling to Alice In Chains, so they would have to change the remaining cassettes by hand-drawing the new spelling. I gave one of the cassette demos to DJ Jeff Gilbert to play on his radio show, KCMU and he started promoting them. They became very popular and always had a party after every show. But all of them (except Mike Mitchell), lived with their parents because they were so young. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">When the record store I worked for closed, I was broke and had nowhere to stay, so the band let me stay in their rehearsal room at the Music Bank. Then one day, Layne shows up with his stuff in bags and says he needs to live there too. We had many fun times in that room with just the two of us talking about ridiculous things. Layne ended up moving to West Seattle and I ended up moving to Burien. But both of us were jobless and just sleeping wherever people would have us. Alice In Chains continued playing shows but as bands do, they broke up. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/ce4b4152728de64d2036af74ea2a2c6290af99aa/original/gypsy-rose-1987.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_small"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Gypsy Rose in 1987. Photo by Lynn DeBon-Gracy. Gypsy Rose logo by</span> <a contents="Alan Fuchs" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/alan.fuchs.98" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alan Fuchs</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">.</span></span><br><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_small">L-R, Drummer Mike Gersema (LA Guns, MSG), Bassist Mike Starr (Alice In Chains), Vocalist Tim Branom, Guitarist Brock Graue</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Almost a year later, my band, </span><a contents="Gypsy Rose" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/gypsy-rose" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Gypsy Rose</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, was in need of a guitarist. I was living with our bassist (Mike Starr) and I slept on the couch in front of a set of white drums that belonged to Sean Kinney. My friend Kari brought me and our drummer (Mike Gersema) to a party at the house of </span><a contents="Vinnie Chas" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinnie_Chas" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Vinnie Chas</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and his roommate, Jerry Cantrell. Jerry seemed eager to play with us and played me his demos of his songs. They were full of guitar harmonies and sort of reminded me of the band “Boston”. You could tell that he spent a lot of time working out all the parts. He ended up moving into our band house for about a month and slept on the floor right near the drums in the basement of the Gypsy Rose band house in Des Moines. They worked up a bunch of Jerry’s songs and were waiting for me to write words. But I had agreed to make a video and record with a band called Suite 69, so I stayed a few weeks with my grandma to be closer to that band. So Cantrell, Starr & Gersema would call me and just set the phone down and play new songs to me full blast! Of course it was all distorted but I could still hear the music. But I think there was a different musical direction for some of us. We wanted to be dark like Motley Crue, Whitesnake, and Def Leppard, but it seemed like Jerry was writing a different style, and so Jerry was told we weren’t a good match. All of a sudden Jerry was gone and all these years later I found out he must have been pissed because he also lost his place to live. But because Jerry needed a place to stay, he ended up moving into the rehearsal place called the Music Bank. Then shortly after, there was a fight between Gersema and Starr over a girl, and now Mike Starr was also out of the band. One day, Melinda Starr gave her boyfriend Sean Kinney, a ride to the Music Bank to see Jerry. Sean then suggested Melinda’s brother, Mike Starr who was suddenly available, and it was that easy. Now they had their bassist. But what was really strange to me, was that Layne ended up working with them (after they couldn’t find a suitable singer). Layne was also back living and working at the Music Bank. (I think he was paid $4 an hour or credit towards a room). But to me, it was a strange combination because Layne came from the opposite end of town and didn’t seem to have anything in common with them musically. But he changed his voice by singing low and dressing differently than he had before. And it must be known that this band came up with their new sound and songs in only six months! At first they used the name Diamond Lie (Jerry’s previous band name), but a month later called themselves Alice In Chains (Layne’s former band name). I went to their Music Bank rehearsal space after they were organized and Jerry proudly played some of his new songs with a Cry Baby pedal, which was very unique at the time in Seattle, which was full of Metal bands. (You can hear that guitar pedal sound on songs such as the guitar solo on “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses). Jerry had incorporated that into his sound and was very good. Also, his music was suddenly much more angrier than anything he played with Gypsy Rose. The sound was almost like Black Sabbath, but something new. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>In Greece, Alice in Chains has a huge following and Layne is an iconic singer, how was he as a human being? </strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/61bbf51ee706ecbff70ce16835548a3916c5e85b/original/layne-staley-1989.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></strong><span class="font_small">Layne Staley in 1989. Photo by Darren Balch.</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">I would take a guess that Layne was completely different in person than you would expect. I met him when he was 18. He was very shy, yet confident / Very quiet, yet processing information around him / Very open to being told what to do, yet very confident with new ideas. He was very non-judgmental and I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He looked at life as a wave and just rode the wave – whatever came to him, he adapted and took the ride. He didn’t complain about things. He just did what he had to do to get good and took his music seriously. But I think in the end of his life, fame was not what he envisioned. In the late 90s when I had already moved to Los Angeles, I was on the phone with a friend in Seattle and Layne was there in the room, and heard our conversation. I could hear Layne angrily answering some of my questions about being him being rich, drugs – things like that. He was venting his anger about the illusion that fame and money bring. He knew the anger was not towards me and I let him get it out. And it seems he spent his last few years mostly by himself. He lived right there across the street by the old Peaches Records, but no one knew because he would never open the door or go anywhere except to the Blue Moon Tavern or a nearby store to buy games. I think what people need to know is that, you may like his music, but as a human being, he was also amazingly nice. But I am sure that he felt that many people had taken advantage of his kindness. So he was very vulnerable and needed to stay away from leeches – which ended up being most everyone around him. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>How do you feel about the demise of the great Chris Cornell? There are a lot of theories. What do you think? </strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/28027f0cb6b9c4404ff01b06422d0a828a49ffce/original/tim-at-cornells-grave-square.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><span class="font_small">Tim Branom at Cornell’s gravesite in 2017.</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">I am still extremely saddened by his death. His music, voice and personality are very comfortable to me and we have lost another great songwriter. It was hard for me to visit his grave (in Los Angeles), but I went with my friend Angel and a group of friends from Seattle on my birthday. It helped me emotionally to have them with me. It was very quiet and final – to see all the flowers and notes from people was like seeing all of our thoughts in front of us. Maybe I identify with him so well because we are both from Seattle and we both went to the same singing teacher (Ron Anderson). I also went to high school with Chris but don’t remember ever meeting him. He used a different last name then (Boyle), so I only recently found out we were in school at the same time (he was a year older), and I think our high school expelled him for poor attendance or he just dropped out. Apparently he just worked a day job instead of graduating and played in bands as a drummer. This would be right about the time Def Leppard had the big hit “Let It Go”, so everyone looked and sounded like that. As far as a theory on how or why he died, as a fellow singer, I think you have to consider the last thing he spoke about, and apparently he said he “blew his voice out.” That might not sound important to anyone else, but to a singer, if you can’t sing, you’ve lost your gift. People need to hear what they are told when someone is troubled and on medication. Don’t ignore someone’s words. They are literally telling you their problem. Suicides can be prevented. Please listen. Words matter. Now we have lost the last great rock singer (and don’t forget Chester Bennington). I almost feel it is my duty to carry on where Chris left off. Chris must have been talking about himself in the future when he sang: “No one sings like you anymore.” </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Your favourite Seattle musicians. </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Chris Cornell, Soundgarden and Temple Of The Dog </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Which are your instructions for the new bands? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Because record labels made many bad decisions and did not get hip to the internet in time, now a band must only make music for the love of it. You cannot expect to ever sign with a major label or become rich, famous or even make a living by playing music because most music is given away or shared freely on the internet. But in a way, this will make music better, because the only people that will be in bands, are those that do it for the right reasons. You don’t have to be the best musician to make music that people love, but you do have to have passion for whatever you do. So if I could give advice to myself at age 17, I would tell myself to believe in my music, practice like crazy, get a band together with enough songs to play for 45 minutes, and then record an entire album of your best songs. If you have an entire album, now you have a sound and a style that people can understand. Most bands never make it past the point of a photo session and writing a few songs. But most importantly, having an entire album now gives you a product. You can now sell that product, create a movement and you just may be the next Nirvana, Elvis or whoever. And don’t ever forget how powerful one song can be. Some artists have a whole career off one song. And when you write your lyrics and music, allow your feelings to come out - the public can feel when you are being sincere when you put that into your music. People can identify with your feelings if you write about something that happened to you, because it may have happened to them. And now, you have spoken for them in a song. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Who were your childhood heroes? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">I loved Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and The Beatles, but also local Seattle bands like Jimi Hendrix, Heart, Rail, TKO, SATO, Q5, Suicide Squad, and Myth. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>What are you listening to lately? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">I’m like anyone – I can be influenced by anything or anyone. So if a friend sends me a link of their band or a new band is being talked about, I can learn from it and take something from it. I listen to all types of music. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>How is the rock scene in Seattle nowadays? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Well I don’t really know what’s happening in Seattle because I moved to Los Angeles in 1990. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Which are the things that made you proud through your music career? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">I think I was a great organizer of people when I lived in Seattle and put together some musical combinations that are still relevant. And all through the 90s, I was in band called </span><a contents="Cloud Nine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/cloud-nine" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Cloud Nine</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, which I loved and will probably see a release at some point. But what a lot of people don’t know about me, is that when I worked at the record label, </span><a contents="Delta Entertainment" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Entertainment_Corporation" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Delta Entertainment</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, I had amassed so many </span><a contents="CD credits" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tim-branom-mn0001841731/credits" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">CD credits</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, that I think eventually if we would have gone a few more years, I would have got into the Guinness World Of Records! It was the parent label and distributer for certain releases worldwide by Time-Life, Reader’s Digest, Yamaha, Laserlight, Delta, Capriccio, Black Cat, BMG Special Products, and MCA Specials Products. But the label went bankrupt. And as I felt the entire music business lull, opportunity knocked again, and I became a music consultant for </span><a contents="Thomas Tull (CEO of Legendary Pictures)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http:///www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/thomas-tull-exit-legendary-entertainment-965108" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Thomas Tull (CEO of Legendary Pictures)</span></a><span style="color:#c0392b;"> </span><span style="color:#ffffff;">and also worked with guitarist </span><a contents="Steve Vai " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Vai" style="" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">Steve Vai </span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">to try to start a label called Classical Nation. But my heart lies in creating songs, so I am most proud of all the songs I have written. </span></strong></span></p>
<p><br><span style="color:#3498db;"><span class="font_regular"><strong>Are you working on anything special? </strong></span></span><br><span class="font_regular"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">Yes, I’ve held onto a song until the time is right to honor Layne Staley and Mike Starr. So I’ll talk about it since we have spoken of them today. It’s called </span><a contents="“Eagles Of Night”" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/news/blog/aopril-20-2018-https-www-alternativenation-net-alice-chains-collaborator-teases-layne-staley-mike" target="_blank"><span style="color:#c0392b;">“</span></a><a contents="Eagles Of Night”," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/news/blog/layne-staley-unseen-video-set-for-2019-release-with-eagles-of-night" target="_blank">Eagles Of Night”</a></strong></span><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;"><a contents="Eagles Of Night”," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/news/blog/layne-staley-unseen-video-set-for-2019-release-with-eagles-of-night" target="_blank">,</a> because to me, they were eagles of the Seattle music scene. It’s tragic that they lost their lives doing what they loved to do. In other occupations, they don’t encourage you to live on the brink of death. The song couldn’t be rushed because it had to be very good and it represents their lives. In short, and in an almost cartoon-ish, but sad way, it tells the story of how they met, made music, became famous and died, maybe because of their fame. For the recording, I’m even using the same guitar we used back in the 80’s with the first Alice In Chains lineup and the photo for the cover art (of the eagles) was taken by Abel Ames, who personally returned the stolen guitar to me after 30 years, [with his brother (Dave Ames) and brother’s wife (Alexis Ames)]. When you put a lot these elements together, something magical happens. I know people will really love this song and it is my gift to Layne and Mike. They both gave me a place to stay when I needed it and didn’t hesitate at all – which probably saved my life. I wanted to make a music video for it, but it seems like it becomes a licensing nightmare with their name and likeness. So I’m just going to release the song and hopefully fans will put their own photos and videos to the song. </span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_small">Temporary artwork for the still unreleased song called “Eagles Of Night.”<br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/news/blog/layne-staley-unseen-video-set-for-2019-release-with-eagles-of-night" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/363e5ba25bcc30321e56859c69ce0fb4d15c462d/original/eagles-of-night-idea.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></a>Photo credits: Dean Karr, Abel Ames</span></span><br><br> </p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="HyeAgxRnLSk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/HyeAgxRnLSk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HyeAgxRnLSk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="600" width="1024" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="nXkokORnpj0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/nXkokORnpj0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nXkokORnpj0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="600" width="1024" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></p>
<p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="qb3Ac5BJJFI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/qb3Ac5BJJFI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qb3Ac5BJJFI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="600" width="1024" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></p>
<p> </p>
Tim Branom
tag:timbranom.com,2005:Post/5384906
2014-11-23T18:35:00-08:00
2021-09-23T06:52:46-07:00
Tim Branom Releases Music Video “TAXMAN”
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXkokORnpj0" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/a02c516ecf7b321c07c346f855b7a702670e5996/original/taxman-music-video-press-release-photo2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Press Release by<a contents=" Brent Strickland" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://mailto:brentworks@gmail.com" target="_blank"> </a></span><a contents=" Brent Strickland" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://mailto:brentworks@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Brent Strickland</span></a><span style="color:#e74c3c;">.</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span class="font_large">Los Angeles CA, November 23, 2014</span></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="timbranom.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#3498db;">timbranom.com</span></a></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">What do babes in bikinis, hot tubs, clouds of cash, and a thieving IRS have in common? They all come together in Tim Branom’s rocking new video “</span><a contents="Taxman" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXkokORnpj0" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Taxman</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">”, due to be released on November 23.</span> </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><!-- more --></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Tim Branom (</span><a contents="Fifth Angel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/fifth-angel" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Fifth Angel</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Cloud Nine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://timbranom.com/cloud-nine" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Cloud Nine</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">) resumes his guitar-driven assault on metal in his new music video "Taxman", a modern take on Cheap Trick’s under-appreciated classic. Speaking about his rendition that takes the song to an entirely different level, Branom said: "I love Cheap Trick’s original and could always hear a heavier version. I just don’t hear enough guitar anymore and it’s time to change that.” </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">As on most of his songs, Branom plays all instruments on the studio recording save drums by Chris Ross. For the video, Branom gets a little help from his friends: turning up the volume are guitarist Lance Turner (Atomic Punks), bassist "Bumper" (Zero1), and drummer Troy Patrick Farrell (Gilby Clarke, White Lion, Tantric). </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">The video blows the lid off the IRS’s biggest secret: that they steal your hard earned money to party with hot tub vixens. In hiding from the government, Director </span><a contents="JJ Vazquez" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://loco-motionpictures.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">JJ Vazquez</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> was reached at his off-the-grid location. "We were lucky enough to find a bevy of sexy party girls and assemble the band for a few days. Let’s just hope there isn’t an accounting firm like the one in the video." Laughed Branom, “Yeah, that’s exactly what the government wants you to believe.” </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">“Taxman” was mixed and mastered by powerhouse Claudio Cueni (Beware Of Darkness, 2Pac). </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><span style="color:#ffffff;">The cast includes</span> <a contents="Damian Anastasio" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0025705/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Damian Anastasio</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">,</span> <a contents="Gabriel Devine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4729134/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Gabriel Devine</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Damien Augustus" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4740520/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Damien Augustus</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Alissa Christensen" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4345830/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Alissa Christensen</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Jessica Mayorga" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4651760/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Jessica Mayorga</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">,</span> <a contents="Rachel Alig" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4131336/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Rachel Alig</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Camilla Gimenez" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/ilikecamillagimenez/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Camilla Gimenez</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Anne McDaniels" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1938310/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Anne McDaniels</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Kenzie Harr" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.modelmayhem.com/kenzieharr303" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Kenzie Harr</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">, </span><a contents="Will Miller" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/will.mill.315" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Will Miller</span></a> <span style="color:#ffffff;">and</span> <a contents="Brian Lira" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5768596/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Brian Lira</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">.</span></span></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="nXkokORnpj0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/nXkokORnpj0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nXkokORnpj0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="540" width="960" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><span style="color:#ffffff;">For press inquiries, contact:</span> <a contents="Brent Strickland" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://mailto:%20brentworks@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style="color:#e74c3c;">Brent Strickland</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">.</span></span><a contents="press-branom@brentstrickland.biz " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://mailto:%20press-branom@brentstrickland.biz" target="_blank"> </a></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/timbranommusicpage" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/89563cd440a941ba1025334038de85af46f7a854/original/facebook-round-logo.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.png" class="size_s justify_none border_" /></a><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.instagram.com/timbranom/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/1f14b1c17c76646d4f1d05bf358b9396d665e5b7/original/instragram-logo.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.png" class="size_s justify_none border_" /></a><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/timbranom" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/d0fc0948343dcf43ebe6d25f62f2f3808e4d68d1/original/twitter-logo-white.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.png" class="size_s justify_none border_" /></a><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/taxman-single/id576863596" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/296692/c290513a54df9c94d4086c7e9482addd6d03bc96/original/itunes-logo.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_none border_" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
Tim Branom