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 When David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain and Arthur "Killer" Kane re-formed the New York Dolls back in 2003, there was really only one musician who could not only step in and fill the shoes of the late, legendary glam-punk guitarist Johnny Thunders, but also help the band sound relevant in this century. That guitarist was Steve Conte. For some of you who aren’t too familiar with Conte, he has a very impressive resume. In the early nineties, Conte's band Company of Wolves released their debut CD on Mercury Records. After the wolves disbanded, Conte played with many artists including WILLY DEVILLE, PETER WOLF, MACEO PARKER, CHRIS SPEDDING, ROBERT GORDON, BILLY SQUIER, SUZI QUATRO, CHUCK BERRY, WILLIE NILE, PAUL SIMON, SIMON & GARFUNKEL,YOKO KANNO, JILL JONES and for a bit with DAVID JOHANSEN & THE HARRY SMITHS.
Recently, the New York Dolls unveiled their first record in over 30 years. “One Day it will Please Us to Look Back on This” (Roadrunner Records) has the swagger of late 70’s Stones with hints of glam and punk from the New York Dolls past. It's the perfect soundtrack for a rockin' Saturday night party. This CD, produced by Jack Douglas, is being hailed by many critics as the record of the year. Although only two members of the original Dolls remain (Kane died shortly after the band re-formed and was replaced by ex-Hanoi Rocks bassist Sammi Yaffa), the spirit of the original gutter-glam-punk pioneers is still present. But the Dolls 2006 have much more musical muscle. Some credit for this has to go to Conte. His cool Ron Wood style weaving chords and rockin Chuck Berry type riffs plus his vast musical vocabulary has helped push the band to a new level. Conte truly is the perfect lead guitarist for the musically mature New York Dolls.
What follows is an exclusive GlamMetal.com interview with the New York Dolls lead guitarist Steve Conte. During this interview, Conte gives us insight into the new CD and the inner workings of one of the most important and influential bands in rock: The New York Dolls.
What is it like working with the New York Dolls and did you get involved with them?
It's a freakin' blast! Definitely the most fun band I've ever been in,(including my own!) David Jo called me up when he was putting the band back together for the meltdown shows in London. He got my name from a few well respected guitar players in New York…. they all said , “only make one call - to Conte!” so we met for lunch, talked and before we played a note of music offered me the gig.
How challenging and intimidating was it to step into the shoes of a legend like Johnny Thunders?
Not at all. I was not a Thunders worshipper growing up so it wasn't a daunting task...but I had learned every Chuck Berry & Keith Richards lick so it was totally natural to step into this role, musically.
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How did the dynamics of the band change when Sami joined?
When you take out an original Doll and replace him a new guy - of course the dynamics are gonna be different. Arthur was the glue that held David & Syl together in some ways. He was a spiritual being, full of love…I always felt honored to be in his presence. But now it's a good, fun rock n’ roll vibe w/ Sami - we laugh a lot!
What type of influence were the New York Dolls on your music career. Where you a big fan of theirs?
I was not a huge fan back in the day, but i became one when I joined the band and really listened to the music. It just kind of passed me by back then (I was still a pre-teen when they came out) because I was listening to Jeff Beck, the Who, the Stones, Hendrix, etc. and wanted to be a guitar hero.
Has this been the highlight of career so far?
One of them, for sure! Making this record and performing on the dvd with Killer Kane in the band. Playing onstage w/ Chuck Berry was another one. Also getting my first record deal with Mercury records for my own band “Company of Wolves” back in the 1990s (our drummer was Frankie LaRocka from David Jo's solo band!)
What was the writing process like for the CD? Were the songs written in the studio or were they in demo form and then presented to the rest of the band?
I put a bunch of ideas onto a CD for David and didn't hear anything from him for three months. I thought “shit, he hates everything” then the next time I see him he says “by the way, I wrote words for some of your tunes” those
tunes were “punishing world” (which was originally a song of mine called “Starving for Love”) and “rainbow store.” We did lots of rehearsals putting stuff together before we brought in producer Jack Douglas so the vibe was already
there. We knew on our own when things weren't quite right so we edited/changed stuff ourselves in the early stages.
Was there any bidding war to sign the band, and why was Roadrunner Records chosen.
I don't know. I think there was interest from a few different places but Roadrunner seemed to be the most committed.
Was the CD written before or after Roadrunner got involved?
No, in fact some tunes were written right before going into the studio. Syl had the whole feel and hook of “Dance like a Monkey” and “Running Round” but they weren't full songs yet…we hammered out arrangements on them and they really shaped up when David wrote verses. The verse of my song “Gotta get away from Tommy” was originally the chorus of “Rainbow Store” which we had thrown away but I thought, “that bit is too good to waste” so I put it with another chorus I had lying around and BAM! David said - “I already know what it should be about” and got into this thing about a crazy old friend of his. Also “take a good look at my good looks” was born out of a jam we had during soundcheck. We were playing the Ronettes song “walking in the rain” and Syl just stayed on the three bridge chord changes for awhile. I said “hey man, that's a new song right there.” It felt so good, what Syl was playing, but David thought it sounded too much like a certain Rolling Stones song so in a rehearsal one day we fixed that part and then the melody of the bridge just came to me. David had to add a musical chorus to my rainbow store verse before that tune got any serious consideration. Most of the other songs were already realized by the time of the RR deal…though David worked on lyrics right up until he recorded his vocals.
What was the first new song written? Were you involved in the songwriting?
The first songs written were, “Were all in Love”, “Plenty of Music”, “Punishing World”, “Rainbow store”, “Fishnets & Cigarettes” and “Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano”… they were the first ones we tried to play as a band anyway. David brought in his book of lyrics and said, “these words are to the idea you were calling 'Starving for Love' Stevie” - then I taught the music to the band and he sang his words. It was a beautiful process…and we edited and added as we went along.
At what point did you feel that this was going to be an amazing record?
After the first couple of days of basic tracks. I knew the songs were good, but you never can plan for how it's gonna sound and feel in the studio.
What was the most challenging aspect of recording the new CD?
Keeping it all feeling like a “dolls” record. There's so much history there to learn from and also there's a lot of stuff that you shouldn't do, otherwise it's out of the ballpark. We kept it to what the dolls always did best -good, simple, hook-y rock and roll songs with nods to girl groups, blues, garage bands, etc. It wasn't about playing virtuoso guitar solos, but getting it to feel right and in the spirit of the original band. But it wasn't really challenging to play that way. In fact, if I could do it over again I'd make my shit even more raw. We didn't try to do something “new' with the dolls like infuse the songs with reggae or funk.
Explain the title and who came up with it?
That's a Johansen-ism. You'll have to ask him.
Why was “Dance like a Monkey” picked as the first single? Who was responsible for writing that one?
Sylvain. The record company wanted to release a different song, one that didn't really have a hooky chorus. We all said “no, no…”Dance like a Monkey” is the one.” We thought it was a fun, infectious groove and a topical lyric… so we talked RR into it. Of course you never know what the response of the people will be or what could have happened if another song had been released, you just go on instinct.
“Were all in Love” is a great, hard rockin’ kick off track, tell us a bit about that song.
We fought hard to have that one open the record because it's the story of the dolls, if you listen to the lyrics. It was written by Sami and David. David heard Sami's demo with just distorted acoustic guitars and thought he heard words coming out of the overtones saying “We're all in Love”…so that was kind of a Devine gift.
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How would you best describe David Johansen work habits? Is he laid back or is he intense and in-your face?
Pretty laid back…but focused and serious.
How did you and Syl Sylvain decide who is going to play what parts?
When I was called for the band by David I was told I'd be replacing Johnny Thunders, the lead guitar player, so naturally I took on that role. But while making the album I saw that Syl was a bit frustrated with the way things were going and he thought he wasn't getting enough spotlight for his guitar playing. To me it isn't about, “hey, I'm supposed to be the lead player…” it's about, “how can I help the original guitarist be happy?” I respect Syl, he's one of the creators of this band's music & legacy…I'm the new kid on the block. So I said, “here Syl…why don't you take the solo in “dance like a monkey”…and while you're at it, take “we're all in love” and “Fishnets & Cigarettes” too”. I'm not greedy,..I got my licks in elsewhere on the record. I'm very happy playing rhythm too…but rather than just strum or chug 8th notes on a power chord what I like to do is create melodic “parts”. If you listen to the record w/ headphones I am in the right speaker and Syl is in the left. Most of the little “parts” you hear are usually me while Syl keeps it raw. I also play anything that's not straight guitar like slide, wah wah, etc. There wasn'to much discussion about who would do what. I'd usually just see what Syl was gravitating toward and try and doing something different than him. It was a bit difficult because he played the song different every run-through (keeps you on yer toes!) Sometimes Syl took over a part I played during rehearsals, like the octaves in the beginning of “plenty of music”. In every rehearsal up until pre-production I played that melody but once he took it over what was I gonna do, tell him he can't play it? It's his song and he's gotta have some fun. So I found
something else to have fun with, the 50's style chord stabs or “chanks” with reverb. It's part of the challange of this gig - playing fierce lead when it's called for and then laying back and supporting the original guitarist, allowing him to shine. Luckily, I'm happy to do both!
How do you feel this release compares to the first two and only NYD's records?
I think that it has the feel of the Rolling Stones “Some Girls” record. It's like 'the dolls grow up”. Even if it was the original band it would be a different record from the first & second dolls releases. It's 30 years later…people do change. David has certainly evolved. I have a lot of musical respect for that guy. In the past 30 years since the demise of the original band he's done r&b, jump blues, lounge, Spanish, acoustic blues and more. He's like me in that way, he gets inspired by different styles of music besides rock & roll. We share a love for African music, soul, old blues, opera…all kinds of shit. Rock & roll songwriters that just listen to rock & roll to get inspiration will create something that sounds very trite and one dimensional.
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Have you guys played any shows with the Stones yet. I think that it would be an incredible bill?
We haven't…but ya never know.
What are the bands tour plans?
We're planning on touring Europe in late September - late October, then coming back to the states and touring till the end of the year. But that could all change by the time you print this.
How long do you think that NYD's will go on?
For as long as it continues to be fun!
Thank you for your time and best of luck with the new CD and tour.
Thank you man!
www.nydolls.org
In addition to the New York Dolls, Conte also plays with his brother in The Contes, check out their site at www.crownjewelsnyc.com and www.myspace.com/steveconterocks
Click Here to purchase CD’s and DVD’s from The New York Dolls
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