Chat To Fanbase Music Magazine, About their Career And New Music

 

 

Intro

 

The Hollywood Allstars are the brainchild and handpicked Supergroup of Grammy Nominated Songwriter/Producer/Keyboardist, and former Epic/CBS Recording Artist, Steve Gaspár on Hammond Organ & Piano. Some of the artists Steve has performed with include James Brown, B.B. King, Gene Cornish (The Rascals), and Peter Criss (KISS). Gaspár has put together music’s supergroup of session royalty for The Hollywood Allstars release “FIELD OF GRACE” on Deko Entertainment.

Featuring vocalist Tommy Bowes, who for seven years sang with the incredible Tower of Power. Music journalists have consistently praised Bowes’ high range, powerful voice, and unique versatility, after hearing his performances on TOP’s debut album on Epic Records, Monster on a Leash.

The Uptown Horns played with The Rolling Stones on the Steel Wheels Tour. Keith Richards personally praised them as being the “only horn section up for the job,” before they went on to work with Joe Cocker, the J. Geils Band, and providing the horns on James Brown’s Grammy Award Winning Single, “Living in America.”

Scott Spray (Bass), Grammy recording bassist from the Johnny and Edgar Winter Groups, has recorded on over 800 albums.

Tony Cintron (Drums) A tour with Joe Bonamassa placed Cintron on stages with the Derrick Trucks Band, the Doobie Brothers, Dr. John, and the legendary vocalist Roberta Flack at Carnegie Hall.

Andy Abel (Guitar) has played with Blood Sweat & Tears and The Talking Heads.

Eddie Torres (Percussionist), is best known for “Turn the Beat Around” with singer Vicki Sue Robinson. 

 

 

Interview

Hi guys and welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine, How did you all get into music?

Music has been each of our passions since we were all young children. Many of us have even been working together since we were young teens, just starting out.

The Hollywood Allstars is a pretty cool band name, can you tell us how that name came about?

Years ago after racing back from a recording session, I was doing on the West Coast, I went straight to a gig we were playing on the East Coast. I was still wearing my West Coast garb, Hawaiian shirt, etc. Our sax player looked at me and laughed, and said “You look like you just flew in from Hollywood. I’m gonna call you Hollywood”. Well, the name stuck and all these years later, still remains. My publishing company is Hollywood Music East, and the band is The Hollywood Allstars.

How would you describe your sound and genre?

I’d put us in the Pop/Rock/R&B category. The band is comprised of studio musicians, so the comparison has previously been made between us and Toto. I’d describe The Hollywood Allstars “sound”, as a cross between Toto (strong guitar and keyboard influence) and a modern Rockin’ Horn band ala Blood Sweat & Tears or Chicago. The songwriting however gives us our own unique sound and sets us apart. It really is all about the “Song”.

Who are the band’s main influences?

I’ve always been drawn to the sound of the Hammond Organ with a Horn Section. Think Tower of Power, Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, etc. Those influences are obvious from the performance aspect. As a songwriter/producer, David Foster would be at the top of the list of people whose work has influenced me. The work he did with Chicago and Earth Wind and Fire especially. I love a “Polished” sound.

Okay, let’s talk about the new EP, what is the EP called?

FIELD OF GRACE

How did you come to the EP title name?

During the Covid lockdown, I decided to take the band to the next level and started writing the original songs which would become. “FIELD OF GRACE”. That was the first one I wrote, and it seemed like the natural choice for the album Title.

How many songs are on the EP?

Five

Where was it recorded and what was the recording process like?

A good deal of the tracking and vocals were done at The Carriage House in Stamford Connecticut. However, much was also done at our guitarist Andy Abel’s studio in Trumbull, Connecticut. We were fortunate that the actual recording began at the end of the covid lockdown, and we were able to record basic tracks and vocals with us all together in one room. Andy and I, however, spent countless hours after the fact working on overdubs & mixing, etc. Andy was my co-producer of the CD.

The Hollywood Allstars – Field of Grace lyric video

 

When you write music, can you explain the process, do you write lyrics and come up with music after that, or vice versa, and also when does the rest of the band put their talent into the song?

The process is different for every songwriter and even for myself from song to song. One thing however that I think remains consistent, is the feeling that as a writer, I’m more a “conduit” that the song’s “flow-through”. I’ll sit at the piano and run my fingers over the keys. I call this the “Noodling” stage. Elements connect and it’s sort of a “weeding out” phase. Sometimes I’ll have a lyric idea first, which was the case with the song “FIELD OF GRACE”. However, other times, as was the case with the song “THE RIVER”, a musical idea will appear first and the lyric comes after. So you see, it’s always different. You have to remain flexible and open to the process. In the case of writing for The Hollywood Allstars, production ideas are something I’m always thinking about, even in the writing phase. With such a large, talented group of musicians, I want to give every one of them a chance to “shine” and add each of their incredible artistry to the songs. From the Vocals to the Horn Section, Rhythm section, etc., I want everyone’s talent to come through. This needs to be a rather un-selfish process, which is why you’ll notice all my keyboard parts are designed to “fit into the record”, rather than be a “feature” per se. This is definitely intentional and was very carefully thought through. 

Do you play live and if so can you explain a Live experience?

We do play live and have done numerous concerts up and down the East Coast of the US. You have to remember that it’s a 13-piece band, so audiences are seeing and hearing something that isn’t the norm. The sound is HUGE!! It’s always a thrill hearing fan feedback after our shows. I’ve even saved many of the comments and posted them on our website. I feel a responsibility for this music. I’d like to introduce it to a whole new generation of music lovers, who might not otherwise be familiar with a band like this. It is however challenging with a band this size. Obviously, we need the room, physically and sonically for something this big, so that eliminates a lot of smaller clubs. We’ve also just been voted through to the second round of a contest called “Opening Act’ which, if we win, will give us the opportunity to perform in front of an audience of 18,000 people, which will do wonders in helping us advance our record. The winner is chosen strictly by votes, so I’d love your readers to log on daily and vote for The Hollywood Allstars. Find the link:  HERE

The Hollywood Allstars- Living in America (Live)

Can you give us your social Media links?

 

Thank you for doing this interview, do you have any last messages for our readers?