By Andrew Catania
Looking at my caller ID, it says “Beverly Hills, California.” “Hello, Andrew, Mark Kendall here.” I met Mark and Jack Russell when they were on a coheadlining tour with Tesla back in 1989. We spoke about their new album, Full Circle.
“It was a great experience working with Michael Wagner again,” Kendall said. “Michael is used to having all of the material ready to be recorded; we did one song at a time.” “We were recording as a band and not having Terry do vocals separately, then me doing lead guitar. Michael had us record as a band.”
With hits like “Once Bitten,” “Save Our Love.” was he trying to capture the sound of that era?
“Great White has always been evolving with our songwriting” assures Kendall. “We grow with each record,” I asked Mark how different it is working with Terry than Jack Russell. “Terry is a musician. Terry contributes to the songwriting and music process where Jack did not.” Does one person do all of the songwriting or is it a band effort? “It is most definitely a band effort. Everyone contributes and has a say.” I asked Mark if he had a favorite song on Full Circle. “They are all my favorites!”
Mark has been sober for nine years. He has an online group where he mentors others with their sobriety. “It started as me tweeting if anyone needed someone to talk to turned into a group of 94 people.”
Great White’s new album, ‘Full Circle’ carries on their bluesy rock sound. Songs like ‘I’m Alright‘ and ‘Give It Up‘ are songs that stand out. I was hoping for Great White to get out of their comfort zone and have a heavier sound on this record. They stayed faithful to their roots which Michael Wagener did a good job of doing. I rate this album 7/10 stars. Full Circle will be available June 2nd via regular distribution channels.
Full Circle, the new album from Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum recording artists, Great White, teams up the rock and roll band once again with its original producer, Michael Wagener. It is an honorable nod to their first EP Out of the Night (Aegean Records, 1983) and debuts self-titled full-length record (EMI,1984). Wagener, is, of course, the legendary producer behind the iconic Alice Cooper, Megadeth, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and a slew of other rock gods. Full Circle’s chemistry is palpable – Wagener’s influence is immediately felt…however, take note, this is not one-and-done swan song for a band that has churned out chromium-laced hard rock since the early ‘80s. No, this is far from the word ‘finished.’ It is back to work and back to where it starts – one song at a time.
Recorded at Wagener’s Nashville-based WireWorld Studio, Great White spent the majority of January and February 2017 sequestered in Music City. Set for worldwide release, June 2, Full Circle’s packaging includes a must-have companion DVD called “Making of Full Circle.” Rockslide Entertainment (produced by Todd Sadowski) captured the band developing the songs in the studio – a never-before-seen band access. The footage is just another look at how Great White works together, puts egos aside for the love of their fans.
Great White is:
TERRY ILOUS – VOCALS
MARK KENDALL – GUITARS
MICHAEL LARDIE – GUITARS, KEYBOARDS
AUDIE DESBROW – DRUMS
SCOTT SNYDER – BASS
