Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Dave Gleeson been up to lately? OR Being the baby goat in a boy band!!
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
A live debut of a hidden Santana cover creates an electrifying moment on stage.
Join us as we sit down with the charismatic Dave Gleeson, youngest member of the Fabulous Caprettos, former frontman of the Angels and lead singer of The Screaming Jets. Dave shares the thrill of performing with Swanee and opens up about his solo journey, revealing the deeply personal stories behind his debut album, Wanted Man. Get an intimate glimpse into the heart-wrenching inspiration for his emotional track "Rusty Train Tracks," a song so poignant that performing it live brings him to tears.
In this nostalgic chapter, we pay homage to the timeless legends who continue to shape the music world. Reflect on the indelible impact of artists like Bon Scott, Russell Morris, Glenn Shorrock, and Daryl Braithwaite, celebrating their enduring influence and passion for music well into their seventies.
Laugh along with us as we chat about Daryl's extended rendition of "Horses", shine a spotlight on Ray Thistlethwaite's international acclaim and versatility, and reflect on the talents of fellow Capretto members.
Join us for a heartfelt tribute to these iconic artists and their lasting legacies.
What has Gleeso been up to lately? Let's find out!!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
That Radio Cheek Cheryl Lee here. Welcome to the Still Rocking it podcast where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. Legends of rock unite on stage. You ask for it. They are back. Nine dates across the country in October. Thursday, the 10th of October, at the Norwood Town Hall in Adelaide. Get onto the Google-o-meter to snag your tickets. Russell Morris says that someone jokingly referred to them as the greatest of all time, or GOAT G-O-A-T, but they didn't want to appear egotistical so they replaced the acronym with the Italian word for goat, capretto. Hence the fabulous caprettos were born. We speak to the youngest and newest Capretto, dave Gleeson, previously 12-year frontman of the Angels and frontman of the Screaming Jets in his other job as a goat, and find out all the goat goss. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to that radio. Chickcomau. How are you?
Speaker 2:going.
Speaker 1:I'm good. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm very well, thank you.
Speaker 1:That's good. We have to stop meeting like this, Dave.
Speaker 2:Ah, Zooming, it's all the rage.
Speaker 1:We'll get stuck into it, shall we? Let's You're with Cheryl Lee and I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today Dave Gleeson, the guy who needs no introduction, hey.
Speaker 2:Cheryl Lee, how you doing.
Speaker 1:Good, thank you. You are hot off a great gig with your friend Swanee last week and, if we can just talk about that for a quick moment before we talk about what we're here to really discuss, which is your boy band, the set with Swanee was full of killer songs, including the one that you sing with him on his album. Am I right in saying that was the first time that's been sung live?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that was. I'd only heard it for the first time just before I recorded it for Swanee. I didn't know it was a Santana song, I thought it was one of his songs, but yeah, and then to get up and play it live was unreal Fantastic.
Speaker 1:That answers my next question, because I actually didn't recognise it and I thought, oh, is that a cover, or is you know who wrote it? So it's a Santana song.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's the version that we were doing was the Santana version, so it's nice when you discover songs like that that you've never heard before, that you feel like you kind of should have heard before you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, but I can't get that at the minute to play on the radio yet, can I?
Speaker 2:Not yet. No, I think Swanee's looking at releasing in the next couple of months for his album, so I can't wait to hear it. He's done duets with a bunch of other people as well, so it's great. Look, 72 years old out there still making music. It's bloody phenomenal.
Speaker 1:I know right. Well, we're talking about who wrote songs, because I play your one and only solo album on the radio all the time. But one question I've never asked you is where those songs came from.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I've always been a country fan and it seems that when I write songs they generally have that country flavour to them. That's mostly because I'm a terrible guitar player and I find it hard to come up with chord structures and arrangements that are anything more than kind of quite simple. But yeah, I love writing songs. That kind of doing country stuff kind of gives you more scope to be honest, whereas when you're writing rock songs you've got to be a bit more metaphorical and kind of use cool, funky terminology, whereas country you say my dog died, that's, you know, my dog died and I'm sad.
Speaker 1:And my wife ran away with the truck.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a much simpler art form for me, and I mean, I do love writing rock songs, but generally when I write rock songs, I need to collaborate with someone. So, yeah, those songs come straight from the heart.
Speaker 1:That is amazing, I mean. So you, when you write alone, write in the key of country, then yeah, that's exciting. They are all beautiful songs and sometimes when I'm sitting alone at Coast FM playing them, especially those Rusty Train tracks, you know I get a tear in my eye. They really are personal and heartfelt and sad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, that one especially I. Actually I tried to work out whether I could play it live, and I can't. I cry too.
Speaker 1:Well, you and the audience, we can all cry together.
Speaker 2:You are listening to Still Rocking it. The podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:Here it is right now, the song I've been talking about Get your Tissues, those rusty train tracks, written and performed by Dave Gleeson on his Wanted man debut solo album, and we'll be back to speak some more to Dave shortly. Guitar solo.
Speaker 3:That's where my mama lies buried, at the end of those rusty train tracks.
Speaker 3:It don't take very long to walk down there, but I may be a while coming back.
Speaker 3:I never go down there myself much, cause it fills me with sorrow so deep. So I lie in my bed, talk to her in my head and she sends me off into my sleep, and I still see the funeral as clear as a bell. I still have the pain in my soul, cause a woman so happy to love me at all Should have had half a chance to grow. That's where my mama lies, buried, at the end of those rusty train tracks. Won't take very long to walk down there, but I may be a while coming back.
Speaker 3:There's a grief in my heart I haven't dealt with, and I'm doubting that I ever will Cause the pain that I felt at her graveside. That's a pain that I can feel still. She was taken away oh so quickly. There was nothing that no one could do. So I sit and I cry us Lord above. Why was it something he thought he should do? That's where my mama lies buried, at the end of those rusty train tracks. It don't take very long to walk down there, but I may be a while coming back. So forgive me, dear mama, each time, each time that you see me pass by, but I can't bring myself to accept it at all, because that would be saying goodbye. Oh, that's where my mama lies, buried At the end of those rusty train tracks. It don't take very long to walk down there, but I may be a while coming back.
Speaker 1:What we're really here to talk about is your boy band, the Fabulous Caprettos. Can you wrap them up in a quick minute?
Speaker 2:What it's all about is I get to hang out with absolute legends of the music industry Russell Morris, jack Jones, ray Thistlethwaite, and I hear Joe Camilleri's doing a couple of shows on this run as well. We all sing our own songs, probably three or four songs each. But the difference between the Caprettos and a lot of other things we see shows with like multiple singers we all actually stay on stage and accompany each other, harmonise with each other. I play tambourine for everyone's listening enjoyment, but it really is. It's great fun. We're so interconnected. I did some shows at the start of the year and had so much fun. I can't wait to be doing it again.
Speaker 1:Well, we can't wait and you are coming to the Norwood Town Hall on the 10th of October it's a Thursday night. Get onto the Google-o-meter people and get your tickets before it sells out. So you've collaborated recently with Swanee, chatted to a great collaborator of yours just recently, crafty, and you've got these guys in the boy band. But if you could choose anybody, alive or dead, that you could collaborate with, who would you choose?
Speaker 2:Oh, it would have to be Bon. I mean I'd love to be able to incorporate Bon's cheekiness into my lyrics. It's I mean. Knowing that he was like 30 when he died and I'm 20-something years older than he made it to, I still can't believe his turn of phrase. It was just so unique. So to this day it's still so very fresh. He was one of a kind, so to be able to sit there and put my head together with Bond and come up with some good, tongue-in-cheek, yet not cringeworthy lyrics would be my dream.
Speaker 1:And he could wear his jeans pretty tight too, couldn't he? Just from the female perspective.
Speaker 2:My favourite bit of footage is when they did a thing for Countdown when they were over in the UK, and it's films of them running down the street just all dressed in their normal clothes. Normal clothes for Bond was no shirt, thongs and tiny, tiny little cut off jeans.
Speaker 1:Oh bless him, he could pull it off though.
Speaker 2:Somehow you know what He'd be famous. Now They've got that rat boy. Look that's become sexy. He's got rat boy all over him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's timeless is our Bon. Yeah, yeah, absolutely Speaking of timeless Russell, one of your greatest of all time. Russell Morris, he's timeless is our bond. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Speaking of timeless Russell, one of your greatest of all time, russell Morris, he's 76. Joe, your guest goat, also 76. Glenn Shurick's 80. Brian Cat's 77. John, as we said, is 72. So you're a babe. You're 56. Have you got another 20 years in you? You reckon you still going to be rocking?
Speaker 2:I hope so. I mean seeing those guys do it. I was talking to a friend last night just about how lucky we are that all those so many of those bands and artists that made the Australian music scene what it was in the late 70s and all through the 80s they're still out there playing. You know James Rain's still out there, dragon is still out there playing. You know James Rain's still out there, dragon is still out there, choir Boys are still doing it and it really does give you and the Angels of course they're in the 70s as well To see those guys still going around. It gives me kind of a drive and makes me think, yeah, you can do it as long as you look after yourself a bit better than you are.
Speaker 1:Ex-goat Daryl, of course. We just saw him at Mundy Mundy. He's still got it, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I saw him two years ago. We were doing the bash and he was there and the crowd kept yelling out play horses, play this. And there were a lot of young people there. Then he started, you know One Summer or something, and the crowd would go nuts anyway, because those songs really are so well known across generations that he is an absolute icon. That's when they said do you want to fill in for Daryl? I was like I don't know horses.
Speaker 1:Have you learned it yet? Because can I put in a request? I'd like the rest of you goats to play horses in tribute. Yeah, that's right of the left member In tribute. Yeah, that's right of the left member.
Speaker 2:I'll see what I can do. They can play anything. Obviously it's a great band. Jackie Barnes I don't know if he's playing drums with us this time, but he was with us last time. He's obviously a fantastic drummer, but the bass, the whole band is fantastic.
Speaker 1:So Ray Thistlethwaite, just for a special mention, that guy's a freak, he's a bit of a genius, isn't he?
Speaker 2:He is. He works on Ray Time. He's just absolutely. I could watch him all night.
Speaker 1:If you do manage to twist their arm and get a version of Horses on, don't do the 12-minute version that Daryl used to do when he was in the Capretto. You had time to go to the loo, get a drink and go to the loo again.
Speaker 2:And still sing the last choruses.
Speaker 1:Still off in the podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee. Every single time I speak to Ray or Russell or Jack or Dave from the Caprettos, and of course Daryl I've played Horses his version, not the 12-minute version, mind you, but today let's have the original, shall we? Ricky Lee Jones, the Horses and this version is hers from the Jerry Maguire motion picture soundtrack. And then back to speak to Dave again If I pick you up, pick you up. If you say, if you plow, pick you up. I don't want to railroad you. So I'm giving you two choices about your fellow goats. You can either tell me one thing that we might not know about each member, or what happens in the capretto stays in the Capretto's and you can't tell me. Then you can fall back to what is your favourite thing about each of the members.
Speaker 2:Okay, right. Well, I don't know if everyone knows about Ray, but he is not just big here, he is so sought after around the world. Not just big here, he is so sought after around the world. He's currently over there playing with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony out of Van Halen. They're off there doing some Sammy Hagar Van Halen shows. He was on with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani recently, so he's like he is world class, our Ray. Now Russell Morris. I love Russell Morris. I met him through the Angels where we were playing Red Hot Summer. But my favourite thing about Russ is one day I walked in. We were up at the Birdsville Bash and we were all having dinner. I walked in and Russell said here comes my favourite Australian singer, oh. And from that time on he's held a very special place in my heart.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so cute.
Speaker 2:And Jack James. Well, jack James is an absolute sweetheart. He's full of hugs and just well the fact that he's one of the greatest guitarists Australia's ever produced and has that voice, as everyone knows, but he is an absolute sweetheart.
Speaker 1:Oh nice. I don't know if you can get your people to speak to their people, but I tried to buy a Capredos T-shirt online.
Speaker 2:No, I know there was Capredos chocolates when we did the shows earlier in the year. I did not know. I'll have to ask about that. I'll have to ask our merchandise department.
Speaker 1:Yes, because for Support Act, each year I do the T-shirt challenge. I've done it, I think, for the last five years, and last year I wore 60 T-shirts.
Speaker 2:Right, right, you cut off your circulation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just about I got them on, and then I'm like to my son and my husband quick, get them off. I realised I don't have a Capretto's T-shirt, so I'll just put in my order for that, if I may. No worries. Speaking of T-shirts, I was going to wear my Screaming Jets T-shirt, but I don't want to wear it because I realise all you guys have signed it, including Paul, and I don't want to wear it because I realise all you guys have signed it, including Paul, and I don't want to wash it.
Speaker 2:No, that's one to keep for sure, for sure.
Speaker 1:I bet you're missing him sort of this time of year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's coming up for a year now. You know kind of yeah, you kind of take a bit of stock of what's happened in the last 12 months and how we've been able to kind of continue on and find a ray of hope in the, you know, in the fact that we've got Paul Elliott playing bass for us now. He's been a real spark and brought something along that kind of well, certainly re-inspired me anyway. So, yeah, coming up for a year is I can't believe that it's been a year, but it seems like you know last week really that it's been a year, but it seems like you know last week really. But yeah, he'll always be in our hearts and our minds, old Paulie.
Speaker 1:We'll have to have a fireball in his honour.
Speaker 2:Yeah me, one fireball for the year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:You are listening to Still Rocking it, the podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:We're going to have a song that Paul wrote. In fact, he wrote it with Brian Cadd. It's Time from the Chrome album in 2016. We miss you, paulie. Back to speak to Dave again after this. We were talking earlier about longevity, so you're going to have to look after yourself. You had a little incident recently and had to take some time off.
Speaker 2:Actually, I had a hernia for a long time and it was just getting a bit bigger and I was having to, you know, push it in after I hit my big notes.
Speaker 1:Did your hand stand on the stage?
Speaker 2:And because it's an operation where it's right in the core, you just can't do anything. So I kind of there's been stuff that I've needed done over the years but you kind of put it off, and put it off until you can find a bit of a gap in the calendar. But yeah, we had to take eight weeks off, which is probably the longest I've never sung for in my life. But yeah, all good, now 100%. The doctor said it's the best one he's ever done.
Speaker 1:Of course it is. Was it affecting your singing? Has it affected your singing since the operation?
Speaker 2:It wasn't affecting my singing. But since the operation I've probably done, I reckon, about eight gigs now I'm pretty well back to normal. At first I was a little bit kind of gun-shy of pushing down in that area, but no, it's all 100% hunky-dory. So I'm ready for the next 30 years or so of performing.
Speaker 1:Good on you, good to know that we've got, you know, a lot of years of Dave Gleeson left Great tambourining, by the way, with Swanee the other night.
Speaker 2:I do have the guitar on and do a bit of accompaniment on guitar when I'm up there, but, as I said before, my guitaring is a bit limited. So any song I don't know how to play on the guitar, out comes the tambourine and when you play tambourine and bang it on your leg, you've got to do it with conviction and that leads to big bruises on your leg. I've actually got a small one from the other night, but I'm hoping that I'll have a beauty to show all the fans when I'm on the road with the Cabrettos.
Speaker 1:I'm just offering my services. I'm not cheap, but I'm good. If you need a backup, tambourines.
Speaker 2:Here we go.
Speaker 1:I'm your woman.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a good one too. I've only got the Half Moon Stevie Nicks style tambourine. I noticed.
Speaker 1:I thought I should have brought you my professional looking one.
Speaker 2:You've got the full Josie and the Pussycats-looking one.
Speaker 1:I think that belongs to one of the master's apprentices, the drummer. Oh, okay, brian Vaughton, he lent it to me and I've never given it back.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's the music business for you, that's right, right, that's probably my questions, Dave.
Speaker 1:Was there anything else that you wanted to cover?
Speaker 2:No, that's all fine. Thanks, that's perfect.
Speaker 1:All right, well, you look after yourself. Thanks again for spending some time with me. Again, Did you look at the?
Speaker 2:list and go oh my God, not her again. No, absolutely not Love it.
Speaker 1:See you down the front at the Norwood.
Speaker 2:No worries, Dale. Thanks very much.
Speaker 1:Still off on the podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee. Oh, remember Josie and the Pussycats on Saturday mornings back in the 70s, animated TV series based on the Archie comic. Let's play the theme song, thanks to Hannah Barbera Productions and Archie Comics. I'll take the tambourine connection. Thank you very much. You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.