Cheap Trick For Charity, Saturday, January 14th, 8 pm, Woodlands Tavern.
Read MoreCheap Trick #9 #9 #9 - Ranking the #9 Song on Every Record
Colin goes exceptionally high concept in his latest Cheap Trick opus.
Read MoreUpdated Cheap Trick Top 20: 2021 - by Colin Gawel
In tribute to Cheap Trick’s NEW RELEASE today, here’s an updated Top 20 from Colin.
Read MoreFour String Brew's Dan Cochran Talks About Playing in Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? is playing Ace of Cups Friday, April 8th. Click here for details
- What is is about Cheap Trick that motivated you to join this band?
Dan - I’ve been a Cheap Trick fan for years now. They have such a great catalog of tunes, and most of it is underrated. In addition to that, they have toured forever. It’s great for fans, because they come through most American cities every year. They headline their own shows, open for obscure bands, play corporate gigs, and come through on festival dates. If you pay attention, you can see them a couple times of year without having to travel very far.
- Tom Petersson and his 12-string bass have a very distinctive sound, how has your rig evolved over the years trying to simulate it?
Dan - When we started this thing four years ago, I really had no idea what I was getting into. The first few years, I used one of my Fender basses and my regular rig. I’ve always played with my fingers and continued to do so on the Cheap Trick tunes. In the end, it didn’t feel right and it didn’t sound right. What a lot of people don’t understand is that Petersson’s sound is most of what you hear in the Cheap Trick sound. His bass covers a giant frequency range, and the way he plays holds down the bottom end while creating melody and full harmonic range at the same time is truly distinctive.
Once I really started listening to the Budokan record, I realized that he was playing most of the parts. What I thought was guitarist Rick Nielsen in so many places was actually Petersson. Nielsen really just paints on top of everything with tasty leads (and writes nearly all of the tunes). Even Robin Zander plays more guitar live than people think…..and not like a pussy either (Bono). So, I realized last year that I needed to take the plunge and get the 12-string bass sound going. For those who don’t know, Tom Petersson literally invented the 12-string bass. His basses have multiple outputs and he splits his signal in many ways. Nobody knows for sure exactly how he is crossing the frequencies. He also changes his amplifiers on a regular basis. For me, part of the fun of going to see CT is to stand stage left in front of Petersson and look at what amps he brought out. It’s different every time, and always totally bad-ass.
Dan Working on Gonna Raise Hell at his Brewery. Photo by Chris Casella. Bass Tuning by Oscar.
I decided against buying a 12-string bass. What I would want is ridiculously expensive and I’m still not convinced it would sound right. So, the challenge is to get a distorted 12-string bass sound from a 4-string bass. With some help from bandmate Rick Kinsinger, I started building the rig. I have played with bass distortion for many years, and there is a major problem with it. No matter what pedal you use, the low end goes away when the distortion is engaged. So, the answer is to split the signal. I use my regular rig for a clean low end. It’s a Traynor 200 watt bass head on an Ampeg SVT ported 4x10. For the high end, I’m basically putting a guitar half-stack on top of my other amp. This year I’m using a Sovtek 50 watt head on a vintage Music Man folded cabinet. The high end signal is run through distortion and a pitch fork pedal. The pitch fork gives me the octaves for the 12-string sound. Together, it sounds killer!
The other issue is what bass to use. When I plug a Fender bass through it, it sounds great, but not like Petersson. Last year I used a vintage Gibson Thunderbird. It was perfect! Everything I wanted. Lately, Petersson has been playing a semi-hollow body Gretsch 12-string. I recently found a 4-string version of the bass that is really cool. That’s what I’m using for the show this year. The hollow body gets a great low end tone and tons of feedback! It’s basically a giant guitar envy setup, which has been a lot of fun.
- Do you feel like Tom gets enough credit strictly as a bass player?
Dan - No, I don’t think he does. I think it’s linear with Cheap Trick as a band. They are one of the great bands in rock & roll, and most people don’t realize it. Petersson is the same way. If you ask bass players who their favorite players are, his name doesn’t usually come up. It’s probably because of his crazy tone and 12-string basses. What CT fans need to know is that his sound IS Cheap Trick. His sound covers the entire stage. He’s more than a bass player. There aren’t many other examples of this. John Entwistle from The Who is one. I remember reading an interview with Pete Townsend talking about the reunion tour The Who did back in the late 80’s. They decided that because of hearing damage, the stage volume would have to stay below 90 db. The problem was that when The Ox wasn’t able to turn the full rig on, they had to hire strings, keys, and horns to sonically fill things out. Petersson does the same thing.
- What are your favorite Cheap Trick songs to perform live?
Dan - I really like the heavy stuff….Auf Wiedersehen, He’s a Whore, On Top of the World, etc.
- Who are some of your other favorite bass players?
Dan - There are so many: James Jamerson, Donald “Duck” Dunn, John Paul Jones and Paul McCartney are a few.
- Four String Brewing is going through a major expansion and you have two young ones at home, how do you find the time to squeeze in a project like this?
Dan - That’s a great question. My time has gotten really tight in the last year or two. We just built a new production facility on the West side, expanded the Grandview taproom, and opened distribution in the rest of the state. I decided a few months ago to promote my two year old son, Oscar. He’s basically running the show these days: running the brewery, booking gigs, and working as my bass tech. He gets a little whiny sometimes, but I don’t have to pay him. It’s a good deal. The brewers get a little pissed off that they have to report to a two year old, but whatever.
- If I stopped by the Four String Taproom and I hear some Cheap Trick playing, what beer would go best with that?
Dan - Definitely a Brass Knuckle Pale Ale!
- Any chance of a special edition 12 String Brew in honor of Tom Petersson making the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
Dan - I think we would have to brew (3) Four String beers for the math to work.
Dan Cochran is a founding member of the band Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? and the Four String Brewing Company. He also plays bass in Colin Gawel and The Lonely Bones and toured the world and elsewhere with the band Big Back 40. Four String Brew is available everywhere so look for it on a tap or in a store.
Tom Petersson Hoisting a Four String Brew to Honor Dan.
An Interview with Colin Gawel From Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? - Ricki C.
Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? will be playing their final show ay Ace of Cups Friday April 8th. Teenage Fanclub Fanclub opens the show at 6pm. FREE. Click here for details.
Ricki: How did the whole "Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?" project come about?
Colin: My son is big into basketball, so I spend an inordinate amount of time sitting in gyms during the winter months. At one point during halftime somewhere, I think maybe Olentangy Orange Middle school, I got to thinking about how it's total bullshit that Cheap Trick isn't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I used to have that thought a lot. Somehow, the idea of starting a band that was actually called "Why isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?" popped into my brain. I looked up the date of that year's induction ceremony, e-mailed the good folks at the Beachland Ballroom and pitched the idea. I had the whole thing booked by the end of the game. Of course, I had no plan or band, but I figured i could work that out later.
Thankfully, the guys from The Lonely Bones were game with helping on the project. I'm proud to say we have come a long way since that first year.
Ricki: Do you think you guys actually made an impact and helped Cheap Trick get into the Rock hall this year?
Colin: Obviously, Cheap Trick did all the heavy lifting by being Cheap Trick, but I think overall, the passion of their fan base pushed them over the top. I think we helped in a fun way and certainly our little band got lots of press in The Onion, Rolling Stone and Salon - among others - Andy Gray at the Youngstown Trib jumps to mind- so It was just a way to keep the idea alive and drink beer while doing so. But Cheap Trick has a huge network of dedicated fans working for this cause. Numerous fan pages and petitions were circulating. Ken Mills did a nice job on the subject in his podcast and DJ's like Lou Brutus, Howard Stern and Brian Phillips have been banging the Cheap Trick drum for years.
It just goes to show what an impact Cheap Trick has made on so many people. As much as people champion other bands for the Rock Hall on Facebook, nobody actually does anything to make it happen. Cheap Trick fans were active and engaged in the cause and that says a lot about their relationship with their fans. So if you want the MC5 or Journey in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, get off your ass and organize. It can be done. Cheap Trick is living proof of that.
Ricki: Many people hate the idea of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and say it's better to not be inducted.
Colin: I know. That's not my opinion. There are all sorts of museums. Why not have one for rock n roll? A hall of fame is supposed to encourage conversation and debate. (see: Steroids and the Baseball Hall of Fame.) I'm all for anything that keeps rock n roll alive and the rock hall serves this purpose. Even when bands like Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments dis the hall, if validates it all the same. I mean, they care enough to write a song about blowing it up. The worst thing that could happen would be indifference. That isn't happening. People have very strong opinions about the institution itself and who should be included. I could post something about Mott the Hoople and the rock hall right now and get 20 comments in sixty seconds. Also, I know a few of the folks at the rock hall and they are good people. Fans like you and me. I mean, who is cooler than Lisa V.? Umm, nobody. That is the rock and roll hall of fame.
And I suppose it makes me a homer but I like that it's in Cleveland. If we can't get a sports title at least I can stare at Keith Moon's drum kit when I feel like it. My son and I visit every year and we always have a great time. Once again, what's not to like? Lighten up people. It's only rock and roll.
Ricki: Watershed - when they were still a full-blown touring band entity - once did a show playing all Cheap Trick covers, kind of a precursor to Why Isn' t Cheap Trick In the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? What was the story on that?
Colin: If you have read the book Hitless Wonder you know Watershed only exists because of Cheap Trick. We cut our teeth growing up trying to play Cheap Trick covers so at some point we just decided to string them all together and do a free show. I think we did it at Skully's the same day the record Rockford came out. Not my favorite record, by the way. Click here to check out my complete Cheap Trick song rankings.
Trying to be like Cheap Trick helped Watershed become unique because nobody can be as good as Cheap Trick. It's just not possible. So we found our own little niche. Bands that aspire to sound like REM, U2, RHCP or even The Replacements just turn into half-assed versions of those bands. It's too easy.
Ricki: Most of the Robin Zander lead vocals on Cheap Trick tunes are pitched in your old bandmate Joe Oestreich's vocal range. How do you pull those vocals off now?
Colin: Before I answer that, let me say that drums, bass and guitar all have their challenges to do these songs justice. Herb needs to ride the snare, Dan has to get close to Tom's sound and Rick has to play all those quirky Rick licks. As far as vocals go, about two weeks before the first Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? gig I thought I better get it together on vocals or this shit could go viral in a bad way. For the first time in my life I started doing vocal exercises and stuff like that. I can do it, but I have to be in good shape to pull it off. I think it has helped my singing overall, though.
Ricki: What was the first Cheap Trick song you learned to play all the way through? And how old were you when you learned it?
Colin: The quick answer would be "Hello There," but as for a more proper song I would guess "Downed." Both from the soundtrack to Over the Edge. Probably 6th or 7th grade?
Ricki: What's the most difficult Cheap Trick song to play? And what is the easiest?
Colin: For us, they are all challenging. I mean, in theory a song like "Surrender" shouldn't be very difficult but it's hard to do right without being Cheap Trick. Try it with your band and it won't sound good the first 20 times you play it. It may never sound good.
Rick's writing is very quirky. Even the simple stuff suddenly drops in an A# just for the hell of it. "I Want You to Want Me" is pretty easy for me because it's basically a drum part and guitar solo with one guy singing over top. Rick and Herb have the hard work on that one. Vocally "Tonight It's You" is very challenging. And for songs like "Speak Now" and "Gonna Raise Hell" Dan has to have his bass sound locked in or it just sounds like over cooked pasta.
Ricki: Were there any Cheap Trick tunes you started to rehearse and then realized, "Damn, we're not good enough to do justice to this."?
We were doing "It's Only Love" from The Doctor for a while but it's a pain in the ass and nobody really liked it anyway, so we dropped it.
Ricki: These have always been free shows. It's obviously a lot of work to promote and perform. Why no cover charge?
It just wouldn't be a good fit for this project. We aren't trying to profit from the cause or from Cheap Trick's music. We have sold a decent amount of Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame? t-shirts but we plow the money back into advertising for the cause. We usually pass the hat at the end of shows and that helps us cover gas, beer and babysitters. Click here to read 'Your Shirt Sucks' a Cheap Trick recap.
Ricki: You guys promised to disband when Cheap Trick got the nod, what are you guys going to do now?
For me, I need to spend the rest of the year getting a new Watershed record together. And I'm shooting a video for my solo track "Dad Can't Help You Now" in the near future. With Pencilstorm, the coffee shop and coaching little league, my plate is pretty full. I'm sure we will show up sometime under a new name. I mean, it's just too much fun playing these songs: maybe, I Love You Honey But I Hate Your Friends - A Tribute to Cheap Trick. Yeah, something like that may work.
Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? Farewell Show Friday April 8th - Ace of Cups
On Friday April 8th, Cheap Trick is being inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame at 9 pm EST in New York City. Earlier that same evening, the band, Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? will be playing their final show at Ace of Cups in Columbus, Ohio. Doors 5 pm with WICHITRNRHOF? onstage at 7. Admission - as always - is FREE. And - as per tradition - Teenage Fanclub Fanclub will open the show.
Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? was founded many years ago with a simple purpose: to find an answer to the question, Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? Their yearly protest shows of Cheap Trick covers generated big press and even bigger bar tabs whenever they played. However, they always vowed to disband once Cheap Trick were rightfully given their spot alongside the other great rock bands of all time (and Billy Joel). That day has come. (click here for a recap of the press)
So true to their word, this will be their last show. Bassist and Four String Brew owner Dan Cochran added, "I'm extremely happy for Cheap Trick, though I have to admit, I just got Tom's 12-string bass sound down last year so I'm kind of disappointed that the band is breaking up. Though Colin was planning to perform a complete version of The Doctor in 2017, so I guess that is off the table. Thank God."
"We might still show up and play some Cheap Trick songs once in awhile under a different name, but Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? is finished." said guitarist Rick Kinsinger.
"I agree with Rick," said vocalist Colin Gawel, "our work is done. Justice has been served. And besides, with a new Trick record coming out, I'm going to need the extra time amending my complete Cheap Trick song rankings."
Drummer Herb Schupp added, "Maybe for our final show I can finally convince the guys to play "Who D' King."?
Below: Live at Ace Of Cups, 2015 - Surrender. Below that, 2014- Marci Mays on vocals. Below that, 2013 at Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH, Induction Ceremony day.