Interview with Oklahoma City, OK Superstars Slowvein and Danny Berry, Guitar and Vocals:

Lets start off with the basics. Tell us who you are, where you are from, old friends, favorite drinks, entertainer, who inspires you to greatness, family, hometown, song, book, we will find you in your spare time doing… what?
Danny Berry "Guitar, Vocals" from Yukon, Oklahoma. I grew up in Yukon and was inspired by Rush, Frank Marino, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Aerosmith, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck and many others. I enjoy all kinds of music including blues, rock, country and instrumental. Some of my favorite guitar players are Steve Vai & Eddie Vanhalen. My favorite bands to listen to now are Cry of Love, Extreme, Pink, Audio Slave & Aerosmith. I rarely drink but when I do I like to drink Long Island Tea, White Russians and anything fruity. I do not like the taste of beer so that is why I stick with the mixed drinks. I do nothing in my spare time because I do not have any spare time. I do find time to watch Survivor and both CSI and CSI Miami but other than that I am always either working, doing band work or spending time with my family.

Songwriting, who writes most of the songs, or do you all write with others, or each other? If so, who? What inspires you to write? What was your first original song done by Slowvein? By You? What qualities do you feel make a good songwriter?
Gary Leiter writes all of the lyrics and basic concepts of the Slowvein songs. We all add our own flavor to them and I have a lot to do with the over all production of the songs. Elizabeth even though she follows the lyrics and melody provided by Gary, she adds another dimension to the song with her unique voice. The first song we put out was a song called “Story of My Life”. It is a song about how hard it is to make it in the music business today and tells the story of our lives and local musicians. We pressed 100 copies of it on a cassette and released it as a single at some of our first shows

In playing cover songs, do you find there is a magic mix for the fans, or the venues?
That is always different. Some clubs will only let you play covers while others will allow you to do an all-original show. We have a lot of regular fans that come to see us and they enjoy it when we play all originals but when you visit a new town that has never seen you before they tend to want to hear songs they know. You can work in a few originals as you win over the crowd. For the most part we play about 50/50 mixing covers and originals, which makes for a pretty good balance and seems to make everyone at the shows happy, including the club owners.

How should cover songs be used by a new band starting out?
New bands should pick songs that they can play well. Don't try to be something you are not. If you don't have a keyboard player, don't pick songs that have a lot of keyboards. If your guitar player can not play fast and percise leads like Eddie Van Halen then don't pick and play Van Halen songs. The most important thing is to find songs that fit the singer. The first thing a band is judged by for the most part is the vocalist. If they can sing and pick songs that fit into their range, they will probably be accepted pretty well. Start working on originals as soon as you can because this is what will make or break you. If no one in the band is a songwriter then you might want to change members. If you can not write songs, get in a band with someone who can. You can not make it playing cover songs so originals "good originals" are a must.

How did Slowvein start? When? Why?
Slowvein formed in May of 1997. Mark Ramsey, Gary Leiter and Tommy Kruel had a band together called Sinners & Saints with a different guitar player "Dow" and singer Tracy Ross. They had not been playing for several months. I "Danny Berry" had also been in previous band in the past with Mark and Tommy called Lester Finwick with another singer "Shawn Mcarthey". I too had not been playing for a while and decided to put together a group called British Steel that mached Judas Priest. I had been running sound for several local bands at the time and felt that all of the local bands at the time were selling the audience short in performance and quality. I wanted to put together a band that put on a show where the band dressed the part, had a great light show and sound, giving the audience their monies worth. I called Mark and invited him to call Tommy and Gary and see if they would be interested in forming this type of band. They agreed to do it but we still needed a lead singer who could pull off the part of Rob Halford.
I called Shawn Mcarthey because he was the only person I thought could play the role. Shawn agreed and we practiced for several weeks straight, four to five days a week and perfected British Steel playing 90 minutes of Judas Priest songs note for note. We played two shows that went over really well and packed both venues. We decided that we wanted to take this more serious because of the response instead of it just being a hobby as was originally formed. Shawn could not fulfill a position in a band of this type because of his family and work obligations. We decided to run an add for a singer in the local Gazette and wanted to venture down a different road and hire a female vocalist. We tried out several girls, all of which were great and then found Elizabeth. She had never sang in a band before and lacked any type of experience but there was something about her that we all picked up on. She had star quality and we all saw in her, the ability to be something special. That was the beginning of the last seven years.

What are some of the toughest challenges you’ve faced to this point?
1. Getting record labels to simply open our package.
2. Accepting that everyone in the band is an individual and has their own feelings and opinions about things then learning how to agree to disagree. Most bands would never have the same members after seven years. We have kept everyone and even add Susan to the line up.
3. Sticking with it for almost seven years. It is very hard to keep plugging at it when it feels like nothing is going your way. This business is very hard but most of the bands that have made it have gone through the same things as we have.

How would you define the music you create?
Our music is very fresh and different. We feed off of each other and that shows in our performances. I can not put a finger on sounding like anyone else. I would rather leave putting us into a category up to you.

Do you play both acoustic and full band gigs? Which do you prefer, and why?
We have played a few acoustic shows but not may, our forte if playing with the full band. We are free to do what we want when we are together as a band and that shows in our performance. We would like to put together an acoustic set for special occasions but have not put much work into that.

Who would you cite as your biggest musical influence, also who has influenced your life more than anyone else would?
In life my Mom and Dad have influenced me the most. They taught me right from wrong and gave me the sense to choose between the two. In music, anyone and everyone I have ever heard have influenced me. I even learn from people who I don't like by learning what not to do.

How important is creative freedom to you, both as a writer as an artist?
It is everything. I would not be in a band or be a performer if I did not have the freedom to be myself. I would not want to be an artist who had to follow a floor plan to success.

What do you feel your greatest reward has been as an artist thus far?
The feeling that you get from your fans when you play a live show. Also hearing back a song that has been finished in the studio, knowing that you contributed to creating it from scratch. It feels great to just be able to sit back and listen to your songs and know that when you started, none of it existed.

What advice do you have for aspiring musicians? Any advice for bands starting out?
Never give up. It will be hard and it will feel like you are going no where at times. Be true to yourself and do it just because it makes you happy. Just like having children, there is no manual provided to follow. People will give you good and bad advice. Use logic to decide what to use and what to discard.

What were some of the toughest challenges that you faced starting out?
Finding people to play with that had the same vision and goals as me. Each time you change members you are starting over. Also finding a place to practice at where the police did not show up and shut you down. Another problem I had was finding the money to by equipment, I would get some equipment and then it would get stolen by other musicians.

How do you feel that the music market in Texas or Kansas or Arkansas differs from Oklahoma or Nashville?
Oklahoma radio and venues do not try to help local artists. There are several great bands in the area and Oklahoma radio and press could do a lot to help bands get noticed in a national sense but they don't. Nashville has a market for music so they have an industry setup to help and advance local artists. I do not know much about Kansas or Arkansas other than that we have been excepted by both when we have played there.

Do you/have you ever found it trying at times to try and balance both your personal life, and career?
Yes, it is very hard. I have a full time job and family. I have a nice house and truck to pay for and it is hard to balance everything. The only thing that makes it possible is the passion to play music and the support of my family and friends to accept my dreams.

What location do you all call home as a band, and how do you see the market there? How are the fans? How are the venues?
OKC is home for us. There are a few venues to play at and we are fortunate to make pretty good money playing. As stated above, the radio stations in the area do nothing to help the local scene. I guess I should take that back and mention one DJ that does support the local music scene. Greg Zoobeck at KATT radio does have a local program that features local bands at 2:00am on Tuesday's. I guess that speaks for itself because not very many people listen to the radio at two in the morning on a weeknight. He tries to help out but is being held back by the program director. As far as fans, we do have some of the best fans that anyone could have. We have several people who drive anywhere that we play. They are dear friends as well as fans and this band is very personable. We love to visit with people and make new friends.

What is the difference between Nashville and Oklahoma music?
Nashville is known for it's music and they break new artists all of the time. People go to Nashville to hear and make music. Oklahoma is not known for it music scene. People normally leave Oklahoma to pursue their music career. As far as the talent, I think Oklahoma has the same caliber of talent as Nashville does. There are some really good artists in this town.

Living in Oklahoma is there something special about Oklahoma and being from it that has helped or hurt your careers? Is Oklahoma music and its perspective different, if so, how?
Just another place to live. The fans are really good to us here and the cost of living is cheaper than most places. It does hurt your career somewhat because the local music scene his is not recognized in other cities as a stomping ground for well-known rock artists. I guess if we played country it would be different since Garth Brooks, Reba Macintire and others are from here.

Who is the best instrumentalist, and vocalist, you have ever performed with, and why? In these areas, who would you like to perform with and have not to date?
We have performed with a lot of bands that I listened to when I was growing up and in high school. We have played with Warrant, Ratt, Tesla, 38 Special, Jim Dandy, Blue Oyster Cult and several newer artists. We did have the opportunity to open for Kid Rock but that fell through. It was the difference of a five-minute phone call. The promoter called and wanted the first person he talked to, to commit to the show. That person wanted to call the other members before saying yes just to make sure everyone was in town because it was a last minute deal. After calling the other members and calling the promoter back five minutes later, they had already found someone else. I guess you live and learn. The best thing to do would have been to commit to the show then call back five minuets later to cancel if everyone was not available.

What big things, plans etc are in the works that you could and would share with the readers on Payne County Line?
We have just released our third album "What A World" and we plan to launch a nation wide campaign to promote it to radio. We need the help of the general public to make this happen. People have to keep coming to the shows and need to start calling their local radio station and requesting to hear Slowvein and other local artists. The public holds the power but yet seem to have no input. With your help we can become a big success.

What makes your music stand out? What is your "edge"?
The lyrics and musical content makes our music stand out. The band being fronted by Elizabeth's incredible vocal ability and Susan's backups in what gives us our edge. We put on a solid performance when we play live and do our best to entertain so that people go home feeling like the got their monies worth.

Who are some folks who helped you get started that you would like to recognize.. say thanks too, etc? Family, Friends, venues, etc?
Personally I would like to thank Brad Steggmen, Scott Coy, John Hill, Tommy Hannon, Johnny Brentsfield, David Darnell, Darren Rushing, Danny Chandler and everyone else I ever played with. They all taught me a thing or two. My family also played a big part in my pressing forward. A big thanks goes out to my brother in law, Kenny Creger for giving me my first guitar and Larry & Steve Smith for teaching me how to play.

What were some of the places you played around Oklahoma starting out?
For myself starting out I would play anywhere and everywhere. Friends bedrooms and garages. School talent shows and local parties. The first show for the band was at a club called Sipango’s. This show was cool because Elizabeth had never sung in a rock band before. She was very nervous and wore a dress like you would wear to church and she wore a flower on her dress like you would wear to a prom. She never took the microphone off of the mic stand. I think the second show we did was at a club called the Samurai. At this show the change in Elizabeth was like night and day. She wore some rock and role outfit and did not use the mic stand all night. She looked like a star and has ever since. We played the opening set for a local band called Nailed. A local guitar player “Brent Salisbury” was the guitar player of this band and he let us open for them to get our foot in the door. Since then he has made several appearances at our shows, getting up and playing with the band.

Do you want to share with us a “most memorable” time, or a.. “no one could have a worse night than this” event?
1. The most memorable show for me was the Katt Fest show. Playing in front of 16,000 people was an incredible feeling.
2. In Lester Finwyck we did have a pretty bad trip on the way home from the show. One of the vehicles that was carrying equipment left early so we had to load our trailer to the brim. We started traveling down the road and Tommy was pulling the trailer with an S10 pickup. The wind was blowing pretty badly that day and the trailer started to sway. Tommy lost control and the pickup and the trailer turned onto it side and slid down the hi-way. We had equipment in the back of the truck also which went sliding down the hi-way. Everyone was okay and no one got hurt. It was a good story for gig nightmare.
3. The most enjoyable show was when we were booked to play in Arkansas. On our trip down we got into traffic because there was a bad wreck on the road. This resulted in us being late. The show did not pay very well and we really did not like playing at that particular club. We were only doing it because the booking agent booked it for us. When we showed up late the owner started giving us a hard time about being late and did not even give us a chance to explain. We basically fired ourselves and left. There was another club in Fort Smith that we had played at several times and decided to call and see who was playing. Turns out some of our good friends "Seventh Veil" from Dallas was playing so we drove to Fort Smith to party with them. This turned out to be one of the funest nights that we ever had. It was just the band so we could be ourselves and did not have to worry about playing. We got pretty plastered and had the time of our life. We did do a small jam session, which probably wasn't the best idea we ever had considering the state of mind we were in at the time.

Is the band self managed, or is there someone helping with that? Do you do your own booking?
The band is self-managed. We have worked with booking agents in the past. It is hard to find someone who has "You" in mind when they do things. Management and booking agents normally have only themselves in mind and get mad when you can not play a show or do not have the same views as them on a given situation. We would love to find someone and would be willing to talk to anyone about helping us but at the present time feel good about what we are doing on our own.

How do you perceive a band to be? Is it family, business, friends, etc??? How does one work through problems that come up?
All of the above. The band is treated as a business, the members come together and back each other like family and we still manage to be friends at the same time. The only way to work through the problems is to except each other for who we are and realize that we will not all agree on everything nor have the same ideas and opinions. Agree to disagree as I stated earlier.

This is your call, anything you would like to add, this is your chance. Anything you wish to say to the hometown fans, the newer fans.. the golden oldie fans… to the venues.. etc. stick it here, and we will add it too.
I would just like to thank our fans for their continued support. We recognize your loyalty and appreciate it. I would also like to thank my family for supporting me for all of these years and allowing me to continue to make music. And I would also like to thank John Cronin, Larry Elliott and Christi Berry for all of their help. They have done numerous things for this band and I want to say thank you to them. Without the support of people such as these, we would not be able to continue.

Where have you all played? What was your best show to date?
We have played everywhere. Arkansas, Texas, Kansas and everywhere in between. We performed at Katt Fest in 1998 for 16,000 people. We have played with several regional acts and have done shows for 10 people to 16,000 people. I think our three best shows would have to be Katt Fest in 1998, the Battle of the Bands which we won in 2002 and our What A World CD release party at the Bricktown Brewery on Oct 10th, 2003.

Has the make up of the band changed much over the years? If so , how?
We have all the same members as the day that we formed, with the addition of Susan Lea on Backup Vocals.

What other bands started up when you guys started? Who was hot at that time?
Most of the other bands that started out locally when we did are probably not together anymore. A band that was hot at the time that we started was a band called Fanny Grace. I think they are still alive and kicking in another state. A local artist I have always looked up to is Otis Watkins. He is a GREAT guitar player and asked to help write an acoustic guitar part on a song called Train Wreck that we have on the new album. It is a great honor to finally be able to say that I have worked with him. He did a great job helping write the part.

Where do you see the band in the next 5 years? 10 years?
Hopefully on the MTV music awards. We have been trying so hard and with this type of dedication we should be able to push through to the other side.

What do you think has contributed the most to your success and longevity over the past years?
The members of this band sticking together through thick and thin. The fans have also held this band together and gave us a reason to keep on going. We are truly brothers and sisters and would do anything for anyone in the band.

Is Slowvein a 5 or 6 member band? Have you added someone to your lineup? Want to share how this came to be, and why?
We were a five-piece band but in recording our newest album "What A World" we hired Susan Lea to sing backups on a song that we wanted a different voice for. The Producer, Terry Spears knew Susan and called her up and paid her $50.00 to come sing backups. We fell in love with her as she did with us and we asked her to join the band. She has the talent and ability to sing lead in any band around or to sing backup vocals for any major artist but yet she is happy singing backups with us. That shows me that she is a true team player.