Chris Van Dahl (Angels in Vein, ex L.A. Guns)

Chris Van Dahl is the singer for the band Angels in Vein. He was previously in the Aerosmith tribute band Aeromyth, and also sang with L.A. Guns and Cherry St.  Angels in Vein has a new album coming out titled “Long Time Coming” which we discuss. We also talk future plans for the band, meeting Steven Tyler, musicians he’s worked with, run ins with Slash and so much more!

0:00:00 - Intro
0:00:52 - Angels in Vein Backstory
0:10:03 - New Album "Long Time Coming"
0:14:01 - Boneyard & Sunset Strip Scene
0:16:31 - Joining L.A. Guns
0:21:10 - Cherry St.
0:26:06 - Run Ins with Slash
0:31:28 - Meeting Your Heroes
0:33:25 - Future Plans for Angles in Vein
0:35:40 - Pack of Wolves w/ Kid Rock's Guitarist
0:43:36 - Flirting w/  Bang Tango & Ratt & Bass in Love/Hate
0:48:59 - Leaving Aeromyth
0:55:05 - Meeting Steven Tyler & Tom Arnold Run In
1:01:22 - Nail Business
1:03:45 - Ozzy
1:05:45 - Animal Charity
1:06:50 - Merch
1:08:18 - Outro

Angels In Vein website:
https://www.angelsinvein.com/

Humane Society website:
https://www.humanesociety.org/

Chuck Shute website:
https://chuckshute.com/

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:00

Chris Van doll is my guest today, and you may recognize him as the Steven Tyler impersonator in the Aerosmith tribute band Aerosmith. Or you may remember him from his time in LA guns, or with the Sunset Strip band Cherry Street while he's back with a new band now it's called Angels in vain. They have a new record out called long time coming, and I've heard the whole thing and it's a fun rock record. So we're gonna chat about the new album, plans for the band plus stories of his other bands. Working with Kid Rock guitarists hanging out with Steven Tyler his multiple run ins with slash almost joining a famous Sunset Strip band and so much more. Stay right there welcome, nice to meet you, Chris. I've been trying to get on the show for a few years actually. And now you have something to promote. So here you are. I love it.

Chris Van Dahl: 0:59

Yeah, I'm happy to be here, man. Yeah, I don't usually say much these days unless I actually have something to say. So you're right. We've got something there's there's reason.

Chuck Shute: 1:11

Yeah. Well, it's funny because I think I downloaded the single for angels in vain. I feel like it was like 2016 Is that right?

Chris Van Dahl: 1:19

That is? Yeah, that's what started Yeah, it's

Chuck Shute: 1:23

the single was called what is it? It's no one gets out alive. I love that song is like one like the song like, where's the rest? And was it seven years later? Here we go long time coming. Love the name of the band. So yeah, tell me about how this band formed because it was right after you left aramith Right.

Chris Van Dahl: 1:42

Um, actually, Darrell myth was still happening for quite a while username was happening. Basically, this band came to be because I was performing as Steven Tyler for legends in concert, big shock. What else am I going to do with this face. But so I was performing for legends in concert as Tyler and it got to the point where I was doing 11 Shows a week and I was performing six nights. So that's almost two shows a day for years straight. And I woke up one day and I was just like, ah, and as much as I love what I do, you know what I mean? Because what I do, makes people happy. It's the coolest thing in the world to be able to make a living seeing the best rock music ever written, you know, emulating one of the greatest frontman to have ever existed. But I woke up one day and I was like, Man, I don't know where I start. And Steven ends or vice versa, I was like, I gotta do something different. I gotta, I gotta do something original. So I called up Tazz. My brother from another mother, like, we go back so far that we originally moved to California, from Detroit, from Detroit together in the 80s to go from the van Cherry Street. So I called him up and I said, Listen, I need to do something, I just, I want to do something original. It's not about rock star shit, or, you know, making money or anything. But the music, let's just write a record of the stuff that we would like to listen to, you know, if it was us. And the next day he sent me like 13 songs, he had a bunch of stuff that he just had, sitting, they're all very different, you know what I mean? And we've always had a very cool working dynamic, we've always been able to just either get in a room together or pass ideas on cassette tapes back when we first started doing this, that's, you know, I you record your ideas. And he sent me this stuff. And I've got a home studio and I sat down and I just started picking through it. And this feels like this. And this feels like that. And this is working. This isn't. And before long, we had a really solid handful of songs about that somebody

Chuck Shute: 4:03

sent you Was it just the music? Or was there lyrics and vocals on a tour?

Chris Van Dahl: 4:07

No, no, no, no, it was it was just it was just ideas. Like a snippet, a guitar with, you know, a patch of drums or get me stuff like that. Some cases, they were near complete ideas, you know, as far as like the music was concerned, but then we would have to go back and rewrite and work arrangements and stuff. No, no vocal stuff or anything like that. Just just musical ideas. But about that time, David Bowie had passed away. And I got a call from an old friend of mine, Stacy blades, who was a guitar player in LA guns. Sure. At the time, and Stacy was like, Look, man, he's like Eric, Stacy and I are working on this benefit for Bowie would you like to sing? And Stacy and I had kind of been trying to do something on and off For years, but the timing was never quite right. You know what he means that we'd always been friends. But he was busy, I was busy, and we just, you know, so this was an opportunity to be like, Well, that would be cool. So they were gonna do this benefit, it was going to be a charity and boy's name because they said he had just passed. And they had a bunch of really cool people involved in it. And so we were in touch, and he's like, so what do you been up to? And I told him about this thing that I've been working on, you know, just kind of mentioned in the past. And he's like, Well, let me hear something. And I was like, nah. He's like, Come on, man. I'm here. So I sent him the songs. Well, like two hours later, he called me back on fire. He was really excited. He's like, Look, man, he's like, I just played this stuff for Eric Stacy. And, you know, for those of you who don't know, Eric was a bass player and faster pussycat. And he's like, he loves this man. We want to be your band. And he's like, Yeah, let's, let's let's do a band. And it's not what was on my mind at the time. But I thought about it. And I was like, You know what, and I called the hazard. I threw it at him. And he was like, well, let's get in a room and see what happens. So we're like, alright, but we're gonna need a drummer. So next thing was Vic Fox, from enough's enough, was stepping in. Okay. That was that was the conversation anyway. It looks really good. Looks like a

Chuck Shute: 6:31

supergroup at this point. Yeah, I mean, I love all these guys. So yeah,

Chris Van Dahl: 6:36

they they were a super group. But anyway, so. So when you're now in touch with Vic more talking to Vic about it, and it was going to happen, and then something came up, him and his wife, they own a business, and I can't remember exactly what it is, but it's outside of the realm of music. And it requires a lot of time and attention. And he, I gotta leave, and I don't think it was even town man. I think it was like the country to take care of. Okay. And we're like, Well, you know, there that as he goes, but he goes, I have a friend who's amazing. And this guy kills him for me and we do stuff for each other, whatever. And that Stuart Patrick Farrell, my buddies. He's still there you go. So Vic can pick Troy Patrick Farrell for the band. So we called Troy up. Yeah, that's that was Vic's replacement. And Troy was like, yeah, man, I'm into it. Let's let's get together and see how it goes. So we did. We got everybody together in a room. And we were rehearsing over there at Danny Coker. That's for those you don't know, counting cars, Danny is the he's the count, you know, Danny's account. So his place desert moon in Vegas. And we got in and started working through something, it seemed to be going well, and now cigar now we got to write more we would it's got to be a record, there's got to be a band because it's not really a band at this point, is to guys up to this point that I've been writing everything. So we started getting together in the home studios and gobbling away whatever. And I'm like, so Alright, if we're going to do this, let's people let people know we're working on something. And that's when I put out the teaser for 1973. And it just blew up. It was like, holy shit. One time, I looked at my Facebook and it's like, you know, half a million people talking about this. And I said, this has got to be a mistake. And I checked my inbox and it wasn't a mistake because now it's like management companies booking agents, record companies alike all kinds of people were contacting the band trying to find out what the deal was. Press broke with all the webzines and stuff. It's like an error that the whole supergroup thing right, like so. Because I mean, you do you got a lot of pretty well known guys that that had gotten into this thing. And it was pretty cool. But it was nowhere near ready for that. It wasn't off the launchpad. You know, they mean? I mean, there were like I said there were three or four songs. There was a lot of writing to be done. And in a nutshell, it just didn't move quickly enough for everybody. Because I mean, you got a group of guys that are that's how they make their living, right? I'm performing six nights a week. How am I gonna get away to tour? You know what I mean? I'm under contract. I'm under a long term contract with legends and stuff. months here, six months there a year here. So things started to change. And from the very beginning again, this was a labor of love. It was never about rushing to get a record out to make somebody a living or to make somebody else happy. It was about the music. So I don't know. It took years because everybody's been busy. But here we are. I promised it would get done at some point. And it's done. And it launches April 7. For those of you that don't believe me actually opens The back cover. Yeah, yes. No, it's

Chuck Shute: 10:03

great stuff. I got to listen to advanced copy. Obviously, you can hear the single 1973 and no one gets out alive. And there's I think there's a couple other ones are already out on Spotify. I want to ask you how, how do you do? How do you change your vocal style because like the second song with me tonight, you almost have on your channel, a little bit of Ozzy on that one. But then other times, I feel like it's more like like the 1973 that reminded me more of like rock skiing. Like he kind of got the raspy kind of bluesy style like, how do you it's still you singing on every track, right? Yes. Yeah. How do you change your style like that?

Chris Van Dahl: 10:43

Okay, so that I guess it just comes down to influence. Like I said earlier, I'm writing for the song. There wasn't, there wasn't a bullseye or, or objective and we didn't set out to write this kind of music or that kind of music, we just set out to write great music, we wanted it to feel good. So as we work through this stuff, Tassie and I, music would speak to me like this. And that's the way I approached it. And I'm such a huge fan of not only different artists, but different types of music, that I just have never really been locked into any one thing. I mean, I consider myself a rock singer. My, my favorite stuff is the old school classic rock stuff, you know what I mean? My, my heroes, my inspirations going back from like, like Sabbath, you know, in the Ozzy, and even the DAO days, because Ronnie was amazing. But Led Zeppelin, of course, Aerosmith. The early kiss records, you know, I mean, just where all this stuff came from, and back then there weren't any rules, you got to remember, like, those bands didn't sound like they were completely independent of each other. And I grew up listening to and singing in cover bands performing all this stuff. You know, I remember the first time I heard Appetite for Destruction. And I had the same reaction. I was like, wait a minute, it's just the same guy.

Chuck Shute: 12:16

That's what I was gonna bring up the exact same example. Yeah, it's so easy. You're like, Wait, this is a different singer, right?

Chris Van Dahl: 12:23

Yeah. On a Sunday, but you know what I mean, and then you've got the top of the range in your leg. Go from from Nazareth to I mean, you know, just so many different bands in the early eras with a baritone vocalist, or whatever. So, I mean, I'm not comparing us to Guns and Roses by any stretch of the imagination. But if you if you were going to say, what's that record, like, and you had to choose something, I said, the approach was probably the same. Axl was writing for the song. And he's got the range, and he's got the ability to move from, from here to here. And that's kind of what's going on with this record.

Chuck Shute: 13:01

Yeah, it sounds like she is that's another one where the vocal sound completely different. That's just like another sign of the range, I think on on your vocals.

Chris Van Dahl: 13:10

I mean, I got a box of crayons. Man. I've got all the colors. Black one in the white one. I mean, here's a little pink baby and some green and some blue and some you know what I mean? Yeah, that's and that's the thing about it. That's a cool. I mean, music is still art. So yeah. Yeah, I mean, so I guess I hope there's something for everybody there. You might not love everything, but I'm willing to bet. If you're a music fan, if you're a rock music fan in particular, you'll find something on this album that you can sink your teeth into.

Chuck Shute: 13:42

Yeah, it is it's a eclectic little it's got a ballot if only is the kind of a ballad, slower song and then don't want love. I feel like that's like poppier, catchy or it's kind of a splash a punk almost kind of reminds me a little bit of like a lit song or something.

Chris Van Dahl: 13:55

Interesting. Yeah, they would dig that. That's really funny. And I say that because before they were lit, they were a band called razzle

Chuck Shute: 14:05

dazzle. Didn't you play with them or something? Yeah, well,

Chris Van Dahl: 14:09

I was in a band called boneyard and we actually shared a rehearsal space for quite a while. And before that, when I was in Cherry Street, we were always very did a lot of camaraderie between the two bands. So like we all came up together sort of in the same scene.

Chuck Shute: 14:26

Yeah, tell me about boneyard because I've heard you talk about it. I couldn't find anything on that. I found Cherry Street. But Boneyard. You said that could have been like the next Guns and Roses. Like what year were you in Boneyard?

Chris Van Dahl: 14:40

That was a back and forth kind of thing. There were actually two different versions of that band that I worked. I was in an interesting thing is in a original members in both versions, but not at the same time. So yeah, I know it's I'm confusing it unnecessarily. So bye. One yard would have been 9091 right there and about start now. I left Cherry Street in 91. And yeah joined Boneyard. And these guys were amazing man. I mean, these were like living under the overpass musicians. These are guys. It was it was the most dysfunctional, fucked up mess. But it was so real and these guys could play and I mean all of them like the original guitarist in boneyard wasn't a member when I joined there were two guys actually, one of the guys wasn't in the band. And then I later ended up with the other guitar player that was in that band after having left the original version that I was in. And there's a song of fact on this record, it's it's interesting you asked me about it because his name is Paul Alvarez and Paul and I co wrote trip of a lifetime and you'll actually see on that's a

Chuck Shute: 16:11

cool song. I was like really a fast paced aggressive. That was a fun one. Yeah, better. All right.

Chris Van Dahl: 16:18

That was probably that probably would have or could have been a boneyard as long as one Okay, so yeah,

Chuck Shute: 16:24

so So you left Cherry Street and then Boneyard. What so what did you do between that time and then because I think you joined La guns in 95. So there was a

Chris Van Dahl: 16:35

so yeah, what happened was a guitar player in boneyard went to buy some guitar cabinets. And that's back in the days like the recycler like the newspaper, right? Where people would advertise stuff for sale different. There was no online back then not like it is now. Computers like I mean, maybe in your maybe in your school, but really not in your home yet. So he's like, Hey, I'm gonna go pick up this guitar cabinet. Do you want to come with me? I said, Sure. So it turned out to be Tracy guns selling the guitar cabinet. Didn't know, he didn't know. I didn't know. And we got to the house. Interestingly, the guy was going on. And you know, it's funny because Tracy and I sort of already met we knew each other. Not well, but he did a cameo in a Cherry Street video called The walk in Phil Lewis both did they appeared in that video. And we talked about it and kind of reminisce or whatever. And we were heading to soundcheck. We're playing FM station in Hollywood that night. And we're like, Hey, man, we're we gotta go, you know? And he's like, why don't I come? To Tracy? Sure. To Tracy. She shows up at soundcheck, we soundcheck and he's looking kinda like huh. All right. Well, he disappears. But he shows up later that night with Steve Riley. And after I get off stage, he says, Look, man, he goes, elegans is done. It's over. It's not common knowledge, but the band is through. He goes. If you join, we'll keep the band together. Talking about our left field, right. And I was like, think about this for a minute. But oddly, earlier in the week, I had two different band members approached me telling me they were going to quit the band because they were having issues with another member. So like I said, amazing, but dysfunctional, and this kind of show all the time. And I was like, You know what, this is an opportunity to really do something great. The possibility exists. So they said, well, let's see if we write together and I want to bring Johnny with me. Johnny cripples the other guitar player in boneyard when I joined, and Tracy said well, Mick Crips isn't staying with the band, so I don't see a problem with it. So the conditions were met immediately I went to his house the first song we wrote was give which is actually on the American hardcore album. And we're like, this can work and that was the start of my being in LA guns. So that was like 95 through like 97 or whatever. So a lot had a touring in that time.

Chuck Shute: 19:20

Did you do you guys do shows with other shows like rat or slaughter bang tank or something like that? Right?

Chris Van Dahl: 19:26

We actually we went on tour we took things hanging out on tour with us and we toured with except Moody Blues I know we played with I don't know if we toured with thinking foreigner but that might have been Cherry Street. Yeah, but we did. Oh RADLE of thorns. I think band later became became video drone. But yeah, we would take younger bands out that were up and coming and really known bands. We would go out with so never toured with rat we actually toured with

Chuck Shute: 20:04

Warren for a while. Okay. Wow.

Chris Van Dahl: 20:07

Which, which was interesting because Steven sweet and I really good friends. We many, many years when Cherry Street was in the studio. Eric CO produced that record with Tommy Thayer who's now he's really in Kiss basically. I mean he's keyword aces. He goes by ACE really hear anything like that. But yeah, but so So Eric and Tommy CO produced that Cherry Street record and we needed a different snare sound. So Eric went to borrow a snare from Steven and I rode with him. And Steven and I met and became fast friends. We actually met once before, back when I was living in Detroit when Walt was on tour before anybody knew who they were. So everybody knows it's just a very weird kind of,

Chuck Shute: 21:00

I don't know, I just I'm so fascinated by that era, like I actually grew up in Seattle in the 90s. But I'm more fascinated by the Sunset Strip and the 80s scene. And so talk about Cherry Street like, because you guys did have some success. You had a record deal. Did you have a video on MTV? I watched this live clip of or was, it was a segment was like a 30 or 40 minute concert of you guys at The Troubadour. And I was like, Dude, this is amazing. Why do you think that band didn't make it? Because I mean, you were like, amazing. As a frontman, you're doing all the moves. You had the look, the the guitars were loud. I mean, it was it's looked really cool. Why do you think it didn't have the success that like, say a warrant or a rat had?

Chris Van Dahl: 21:40

Well, I guess coming from Seattle, you probably know the answer as well.

Chuck Shute: 21:45

Was it just timing as God gave

Chris Van Dahl: 21:47

us, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam? And I mean, my God, Andrew would just so many amazing bands coming out of Seattle, and people were ready for a change. They were tired of it. But you know, you talk about, you know, emoticon of success. And that's definitely a part of my history. But this is the past year like Cherry Street. Yeah. Released Cherry Street? I don't Can you see that? Disappeared? Oh, that's what's going on there. Right.

Chuck Shute: 22:30

That's better.

Chris Van Dahl: 22:32

It's a magic trick. Look, the spirit rereleased. There's another one.

Chuck Shute: 22:37

How many did you because they had a couple without you. Like I remember, I think Mark Torian saying a couple songs on one album, did you do three with the Cherry Street?

Chris Van Dahl: 22:46

Um, you know, I think it was two albums. And maybe two demos. But that stuff just keeps finding its way to the surface. And it keeps getting released by as records, if not by the actual company that has the right to release it, or as close to anybody, which would be Paris records. Because one of our guitar players, we founded that record company with Cherry Street. Nobody would sign the band. So we just invented a record company. And we put out the record and we outsold a bunch of other artists. And then the record companies will wait, how are they doing this? You know what I mean? They're they're getting placement and all these record stores, and they're getting window space in there. Because people wanted it. They were buying it. And then we finally got a record deal. Like we got a legitimate record deal in the early 90s. But by then it was too late. It was just gotten that music was on the way out. There was a stigma attached to it. But you know, I feel fortunate because like, I left the band and there was a plethora of great guys like helix frontman came in, I guess for a while. I think they had the rocks gang guy. I can't remember if he was going to did but I think maybe Jason McMasters. But they had some really good guys come in after after I left the band. So it was like, all right on. We must have done something right.

Chuck Shute: 24:16

Yeah. What was your highlight in that band? Because I know you guys got a star at the you were the first star Khazaria or whatever, which that's kind of cool.

Chris Van Dahl: 24:25

The first we were the first colored star. It's kind of a weird honor. But for all of us all the band names the bill Bizzarri godfather of rock and roll, God rest his soul. He would choose his bands with a bullet, the ones that played his stage that he believed were bound for great success. And those bands would get a star and that star was mounted to the front of the Zarzis which is legendary. I mean, that places like Everybody that's anybody that's ever taken off is played that stage. Some some huge bands have actually Van Halen had a residency there, if I remember correctly before, they were, you know, huge, but he chose us. And our star was presented to us in color, which means the cherry was red. And it was like, the chick and the T had blonde hair and stuff. And it was like, wow, that's not standing out in the middle of all these black and white stars. I don't know what is it was it was a trip and felt like it was a bit much like, you know what I mean? Like we got in there with our sharpies or something. The other bands were gonna see that and be like, Oh, really, you know, but, but yeah, it was amazing. He actually presented it to us onstage in the middle of a sold out show. We were doing like a whole weekend of shows were sold out. They're headlining his Ari's. So, yeah, that's the that's the, you know, whole bizarre thing. But it was the same like the Roxy, the Trube the whiskey. I think the first time I met slash, we were getting ready to hit the stage at the Roxy and I was running late, get to get on stage. The guys in war were introducing us, which was cool. So I'm not paying attention. And I'm backstage and I'm running. And I ran right into this guy, man. I bowled them over and he had a whole like, thing a beer like, like a Rubbermaid full of ice just knocked it out of his hands. And I'm like, Shit, I'm on my knees and I'm like, grabbing the bears. I'm like, sorry, man. He's like, don't worry about it. Go Go, go, go go. And I looked up as I put in the beers, and it's slash

Chuck Shute: 26:46

was this What year was this was after they were huge.

Chris Van Dahl: 26:49

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Huge. Like, what do you and in public Jad know everybody in the world who goes through roses were 90 Wow. Yeah, like 90. And it was so funny, because after that night, I was a Jeff pilson xplace. For those you though don't know Jeff pilson bass player for dokkan and do now he's doing black swan and foreigner I think right or worse foreigner? Yeah. But he also has something brand new that he just released. And I'm feeling the shame because I can't think of the name of it. And he's my buddy, but Google, Jeff pilson And what he's doing will come up but best guy in the world. But he invited me to a party. And I was at the party. And Ronnie James Dio was there. Like every band. Everybody was there. Don Dokken was there. But slash showed up. So imagine this whole night goes by it's the end of the evening, there are like four people left. It was like, Jeff, and slash the girl that slash was there when he was there with her name's Kim. I knew her from years before, you know, but there's like nobody left. And we're sitting on the floor. And we're all talking and he looks up at me and he goes, You don't remember me, do you? I said, Excuse me? I said your slash. Because that's what I mean. Because you don't remember me. He's that hurts my feelings. He goes, Yeah, we met that need to get a chance to finish. I was like, yeah, the Roxy I ran you over backstage? Because all you do remember, the fact that he remembered that tells you something about the kind of guy slashes and this

Chuck Shute: 28:41

is back when he's drinking and drugging. And, wow,

Chris Van Dahl: 28:45

you didn't remember that night after the fact. There were a second go. I can tell you I got so many stories, man. You know about that time period. And those guys. I was I was house sitting for Pilsen. And that's where slash it later I found out that's where he came when he wanted to decompress when he needed to get away from the world. He would show up at Jeff's house.

Chuck Shute: 29:06

I didn't even know they were friends. Interesting.

Chris Van Dahl: 29:08

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Everybody's friends with Jeff just the most lovable guy on the planet. But I think it was dogs him for him. And slash showed up. And we had this whole crazy night. Why had this watch I was in I was in LA at the time. And it was really cool because the front cover of the watch was a cylinder from a 38. So it had the holes. And he just loved the watch. So I gave it to him. You know and I found out years later from his girlfriend at the time that that watch because it's a piece of crap. I mean, it was junk. It was costume jewelry, but it was cool. It kept falling apart and he kept paying to have a fix and put back together and fix it back together. Well, years later, I was on the red carpet MusiCares event I'm in Hollywood. And he walked right past me. And this is when volatile revolver where they were looking for a singer. And I go, Hey, man, he looked at me, he goes, What's up, man? No idea. No idea who I was. And now by this time, we spent a lot of time together over dinner like you don't I mean, it's like, we actually knew each other. It's not like people go, I know it's flash. It's like, actually did you know, I had no idea who I was. And there's more to the story. But I later read his book. And he says, in his book, there are whole patches of his memory that are just gone. And I think out those were periods that I'm where he just doesn't remember stuff.

Chuck Shute: 30:48

That's crazy.

Chris Van Dahl: 30:51

Yeah. Having said that, he's got a beautiful heart. He's very, very loving guy, you know, I mean, deserves every iota of success he's had.

Chuck Shute: 31:01

Well, yeah, he's such an he's just such a great guitar player. He's amazing to watch.

Chris Van Dahl: 31:06

I know, you know, that. See, that stuff? To me, in my mind is a given. It's like, I don't think you get there without that level of that something that unquantifiable? You know, and I mean, just the level of talent and whatever in the chemistry, the rock chemistry in that band, but as a person, you know, it's like, I've met guys that I loved, like, I love their music and a big music fan. Sure. But I've got I've never met him, because I ruined the music for me because of the personalities. But the best thing is when you meet the biggest guys, and they turn out to be the most humble, you know what I mean? It's like, that's a lesson. Right?

Chuck Shute: 31:45

Well, like Alice Cooper. I mean, I've heard nothing but good things about that guy. Most of the guys at the top, it's like, it seems like it's the guys that maybe kind of didn't, they had some success, but they didn't make it and they're unhappy or something.

Chris Van Dahl: 31:56

Those are the mad guys. Right? Yeah. Because they were huge for a minute. And they're like, what happened? Don't you know who I am? Yeah, but nobody cares. It's like, the music was great. That's what matters. You know, the rest of it is just your it's a time, it's a moment in time. There's so much music looking now the world's changed man with the internet and stuff like that, you know, to beat us, there's no such thing really, as a record deal anymore. And a band record companies don't develop bands. So if you're fortunate enough, you get your music out there. For people to actually recognize it and have interest in it. It's a really, really hard way to make a living now, it used to be like, at least there was a one in a million. Now. I don't think it's even there. So

Chuck Shute: 32:42

what's different? Yeah, cuz I mean, anybody can have a record put out to the world with Spotify and YouTube, but then that's the problem is anybody can have it. So there's like a flooded market. So it's like, how do you stand out? It's nobody's just doing podcasts helps a little bit.

Chris Van Dahl: 32:57

Yeah, well, there you go. Well, that's, we figure it out. It's stuff like this. You don't I mean, if you've got an interest in somebody, and you chase them down to do your podcast, there must be a reason. So if there are enough guys like you out there, and the phone rings, and they're like, hey, we want to do an interview. That's what makes the music big. Now, that's that's how people find it. So you know, it's fantastic that you're doing this.

Chuck Shute: 33:21

Yeah. Well, do you have other plans? For angels in vain in terms of are you guys going to do tours or one off shows or festivals or anything like that?

Chris Van Dahl: 33:31

There's a lot of conversation. But what I've been telling people right now is, let's let the record come out. Right? It's been six or seven years, that it's like, hey, the records done. And to be fair, we had the pandemic, right. So we had like a three year period where the world the world got really, really weird. There wasn't even really a possibility at touring, you know, and that's something now. But I'm waiting to see what happens, the record is going to come out, see if anybody cares, see if they're interested. I mean, I'm overwhelmed by the response that we've seen just by the advanced copies that have hit, people seem to love it. I love it. I think it's a great record. But I'm bias, right? That a little bit and a little bit to deal with it. But I think people are gonna really dig it. And if there's a demand, and it's really sincere, then I'm sure the band will sit down and we'll have a conversation about it. But remember, like, you know, my drummer is in Gilby Clarke and tantric and he plays with white line and you know what I mean? The guy's amazing. Like, he plays a lot of different guys. TASMAC guitarist is, you know, he's a guitarist for union underground. He plays with Craig Fisher, he's he's out there doing it. Plus, he's a brilliant engineer, you know, blue ocean music. He's produced a lot of the bands that you love, you know any man he's done the bank tank It was in the rats. I don't know specifically if rat but like, just for examples like bands that he produces and engineers. My bass player is he's in Candlebox. Sons of silver like everybody's doing stuff. Yeah. I'm probably the only guy right now in the band that isn't actively pursuing any other music. This is it. This is all I'm doing. I'm not doing Aerosmith anymore. I'm not in Legends, a concert currently. I've got other things going on. But as far as music is concerned, angels in vain is the only thing that I'm doing.

Chuck Shute: 35:39

Yeah. So talk about that. Like, I totally understand that. Like, sometimes you just need a break. I think I heard you talking about at one point, you got in your car and you drove back to Michigan and you went and lived in the woods. You're like, I just need a break from the music business. And then you end up finding kid rocks, guitarists and starting a band with him. So like, explain that whole story.

Chris Van Dahl: 35:58

You've done your homework. Yes. So that's true. That's true. I just got I got fed up. And I got done with it for a while at one point. And this is this is quite a while ago, early 2000s. And I Okay, so I was done with La guns. And I ended up signing with a management company, my agent, it was full circle management. And I was doing demos, and I was in mood. I was doing movies. I mean, go right. So anybody wants to see me get brutally murdered? Go ahead and rent Candy Man dad the debt. You want to see me shorter? That's probably the only time you ever gonna see that either.

Chuck Shute: 36:46

Yeah, I was thinking about that after you finish this story. But yeah,

Chris Van Dahl: 36:49

but but so that leads into it. Right. So management company wanted me as a solo artist. And at the time, I had my band, which was the valve, which is basically revised version of Boneyard. And the guys in the band were nervous because I was under management, and they weren't. And they thought I pick up and leave them and that wasn't going to happen. And to make them comfortable, I kept going to my management company. I'm like, you've got to bring them under, you got to bring them. They said, We don't care who you play with them. It's fine. They're your band, we don't care. But we're not interested in them. We're not signing them. So it became a fight after a while and said, You know what, this isn't working out. Let's just go our separate ways. So of course, a week later, the band broke up. That's how it goes. You know, that's what happens. And I said, That's it. I'm done. So packed up, moved back to Michigan. I'm living in the woods. I'm seriously living in the woods. I mean, I got a house. But, you know, I'm a half mile up a dirt road. You know what I mean? And there's nothing I got 500 acres of woods behind me. And I go to the dentist. My stories are weird, man. But they're true. They're true. So I gotta go to the dentist. And I'm sitting in a dentist's chair and he's like, so are you going to the Tom right event? I'm like, What's that? He goes, Tom, right, the photographer. I go. Okay. He goes, Look, man, he goes, Tom Wright is the photographer to travel with the Rolling Stones, and the faces with Rod Stewart and Led Zeppelin and the who. And the old grande ballroom down in Detroit. When it still existed. He was the photographer that shot all those bands and the Eagles and he's like, Well, he's doing an exhibit here in town tonight. All the photos that the world has never seen as like, we're in we're in the middle of Northern Michigan. We're like up here in the thumb. It's like six months of winter and six months of road repairs. And this is where you choose to do it. I'm like, Yeah, I'd love to come. So we end up going to this thing. afterwards. There's an after party at this club called Ground Zero. So we hit Ground Zero. Half these people show up. You got people you got guys from the Rolling Stones. You got guys from Bob Seegers band you in this little club. What town is this? Traverse City, Michigan. Okay. All right. It's a it's a resort destination for a lot of people. It's beautiful. So all these people are there. And my wife's had a few. So she's like, my husband was in LA God need to go sane? And that's not her way. She's not that person. Right? But we were having a good time that night. We're cutting loose and whatever. Sure enough 15 minutes later, all these guys from these bands are onstage, someone steps up to the microphone and they say, Hey, we're here. There's somebody else. Come on up. So I got up, and I ended up singing a couple of Seger songs right secrets guitar player was. And what a great experience. Well, there was a guy there named dad Russell and dad own tribal motorsports. They make custom motorcycles. And parents out dad's best friend his whole life growing up through high school, whatever is Kenny Olson, Kid rocks lead guitar player. Well, apparently, Kenny had been looking for the right singer to do something original. God calls Kenny, Kenny comes back into town. His parents live a mile up the road from me in Traverse City. I get the phone call from DOD. Ken. He's in town. He wants to meet you. Here's his address. I was going to be there. But my dog ran away and I gotta go chase my dog. He's in the woods. Also true. Like this is how clear that I remember. So jumped into the car, jumped in the car drove over there knocked on the door. Here's Kenny Olsen with a beer in his hand. Hey, brother, come on in man. So that night, we ended up sitting around a campfire with acoustic guitars singing songs, and that was to start a pack of wolves. And that's the band that Kenny and I formed he quit Kid Rock to do that band. And he didn't tell Bob who is kid, right? That's his actual name is Bob Bob Ritchie. He didn't even tell Bobby quit. He just stopped showing up. And like he really think this is a good idea. He's like, Yeah, man, I got to do something different. He goes, This is killing me. We got I got to do this. This. This is what we're doing. So I brought in Adam Candlebox. His bass player Adam and I originally met when I was on tour with Cherry Street. And he's the basis for like the legs, diamond, the other 80s real, you know, really into that stuff. So Adam becomes our bass player and Shannon Boone, the drummer for the Holland Diablos who was actually I think he went on to join puddle of mud. I don't know if he's with him now. But that's our drummer. And we locked ourselves away in in my basement. And we wrote a record I think we wrote two records where the material we bought we bought block Bucha and Rutan, who was kid Roxy engineer, Ted Nugent's engineer, kisses engineer. We brought him in to actually record the record with us. We built a studio in my basement. And then we and we recorded the record. We did our first show at ground zero, which is the place that I told you about when the stones guy and it was taken off. And then the red Dave started. The Kid Rock Camp. wasn't happy about what was happening. Obviously, I don't blame him. But it got weird. And it got weird quick, and that kind of put a kibosh on the record. And specifics. I mean, I don't know how much I actually know about what really happened there. But long story short, that record is sitting in the drawer, and it's never been heard. And that may come out at some point. I ran into Kenny A while ago, we were on a plane together. And he's like, Hey, we should put out that record. We haven't talked about it since but you know, it's a cool record. So at some point, I think it might see the light of day. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 43:34

so many bands and projects. You've been a part of Jimmy Crespo. That was another one that your Jimmy Crespo project. Was there other other ones that you tried out for? That you didn't get like I know I heard you say you almost maybe we're going to be the singer bang Tango for a little bit. Did you try out for like rat or I'm trying to think like Skid Row Do they ever have you try out or any of those other bands?

Chris Van Dahl: 43:57

Circle right. Okay, so the session was circle rock and roll i Let's see. So, so Jimmy Jimmy Crespo? Yeah, Jimmy's The reason I moved to Vegas from California. He's the reason I'm here so I have him to thank for that. Which is what

Chuck Shute: 44:09

I guess now.

Chris Van Dahl: 44:10

I'm in Vegas. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 44:11

so with Troy So Troy's in Vegas.

Chris Van Dahl: 44:14

Right. So here no show. Well, no, I can't because I get the stupid background on it. I don't know how it works. But I was gonna show you where I'm at. Because you can see the strip from my house. Awesome. Yeah, yeah, it's pretty cool. But yeah, Jimmy's The reason I'm in Vegas that worked out beautifully. I love Jimmy dearly. So the the Jimmy Crespo project we did that for a while and Kyle Kyle from being Tango was our bass player. Right. So Kyle two times I call him he we toured together before when I was in guns that he thought of me because he had been talking with Mark about reforming tango and it just was We're working with Joe for whatever the reason was. And I've always been a big Tango fan I love, I love the music and stuff. And we actually got so far as you know, Kyle and Mark and I came over to my house and we sat down, and we're like, we talked about it. And I haven't tracked some material, because I was like, How well can I sing this, and it came out pretty well. And so I sent it to him. And we were making a plan. And then the legends thing just was like, and now you're gone for four months, and now you're gone for six months. And now you're gonna I was like, I had to make a choice between being the stepping singer for bending tango with no idea if there's going to be a future. And I'm not opposed to putting it on the line, I take chances I've been doing it my whole life, you don't get anywhere, you know, if you're not willing to take chances. But this was a little different, because they didn't even know if they wanted to be bank Tango anymore. So we just put it on hold, and remained friends. And it just never happened. And I know that there was a reunion with Joe and I think that's great. And I wished it had worked out. But as I understand it, just, you know, Joe has his version of a tango, he's always been doing it, like, whether it was original members are different guys. And he just found do the band or whatever. He's kept the band alive, the name alive, and he's been out there torn on it. He never stopped. So you know, God bless him. So that's the bank Tango story. So yeah, that was in the offing. I talked to one about rat. But interestingly enough, that was more kind of like, I was hit up to do a TV show. And this has been like a set of like three times where, you know, I've been approached to do reality show about like, what it is I do, whether it be you know, Steven Tyler lunches or concert, the bands that I've been in. There's some interesting stuff there. I guess at least people find it interesting. And I was like, Alright, so what would be kind of cool. And I thought about it, and I bounced off. Like I said, maybe we do a version or rap or we do a rap audition, or we do you know, I mean, because they weren't playing with Steven at the time. You know, and I know Steve and I love Steven too. We don't know each other well, but I mean, him and Tracy grew up together. So I was there for his 30th birthday or whatever. And I've seen them a handful of times since my guitar player from Aerosmith was in the Steven period. She's wrapped basters. So yeah, yes. Like I said in session was circled or whatever. But so we talked about it, it just never came to fruition. And never it never happened. It was a fun idea. I played bass in love hate.

Chuck Shute: 47:56

Yeah, I think I heard you talking about that. That's interesting.

Chris Van Dahl: 47:59

Yeah. And at the time, I think like, before going into was funny. I played bass and love hate GZ sang for polygons. But right before, right before we started touring, getting out doing shows and playing love, hey, Jersey, left his own band to think brat. So just he went to St for rattle and now he's seen it for quite right. Yeah. Nice to say, you know, I was a huge love hate fan man. When I was a kid living in Detroit. It was like, the blackout of the Red River record was in for me. Like I had it before anybody knew what it was. Yeah. So, you know, he walked into rehearsal. He'd be 15 minutes late, and I'd be in there singing. You know, why do you think they call it over angel or he'd walk in? He's like, I'm the singer. Yeah, that's good stuff. So yeah.

Chuck Shute: 48:58

So explain to me the story. I don't think I ever got the full story of like, why you left arrow myth. Because it's funny you got you guys came to Arizona and I have a friend who works at the airport. She saw you at the airport. I think she might even got a picture with you. And she was telling me about and I was like, Oh, they doing a show and you guys did a show at the talking stick Casino. So I show up the day of the show. I can idiot and I'm like I'm now I'm gonna go see arrow method like yeah, that's sold out. I was like, it's sold out why like, you were selling out places and then I never got a chance because obviously the band broke up. So was it you were just sick of like you said you didn't know where you began and Steven Taylor ended or what was the just burnt out?

Chris Van Dahl: 49:35

Well, first let me let me correct a misconception. The band didn't break up. They're still together. Or they they're still together. They're out there their plan. They're doing their thing. The difference? Yeah, and fact they just replaced the singer that they brought in when I left with another guy. So I don't know if they're stepping up their game. Are they done? I quit. I don't know what the story there is. But they're still around, they're still. I left the band for a number of personal reasons. Part of it was, I think big, I think really big. And I felt with Ben had done what we could. As far as touring and playing out and I wanted to do a residency, I had this idea. And it was called Aerosmith. The evolution of Aerosmith. And I wanted to do a show and I wrote it from top to bottom. And that concept behind the show was from the band's inception, the biggest moments through their career to the pinnacle of their career, built into a single stage show, like a full hour, 90 minute or like two hour production show in Vegas. And I got us a residency in New Hampshire. It can be Lake Park, an entire summer doing the mini version of this show. So we could build it, put it together. And I did all the digital backgrounds and production, the piano stuff like the whole nine. And it went really well. And then it was time to try to go after the residency in Vegas. And a bunch of things happened that just went against it. Not least of which Aerosmith said, Hey, let's do a residency in Las Vegas. Because I had Rachel Barnum, who is Raymond, he prefers Raymond he's always preferred crazy Raymond de bato, who was actually the co founder of Aerosmith, he and Steven Tyler formed that band together. He was the first guitar player. So it was it was him and Joe Perry. And then they event they eventually replaced Raymond with Brad Whitford. So Raymond was part of the show, he was going to be part of the show, I had Jimmy Crespo on tap for parties like these, these guys were in mind. And I have very little doubt that they would have been into doing it because Jimmy losing town. You know what I mean? Sure, I'll get paid a lot of money to tell my story and have fun, you know, so you get a couple of the original members of the band and some guys that have actually have real history. It just didn't work out. And I didn't see how else to move the band along. I had some health stuff going on at the time. And it was serious. That was a big part of it too. Because the traveling was, it was becoming increasingly painful for me. I'm doing a lot better with that stuff now than I was. But I think it's probably because I was doing 11 Shows a week. And my shows weren't just stand in front of a microphone, I was doing backflips man, like, literally, I was doing backflips, you ask anybody that's ever seen me do a legends concert show. So it was a lot. And then there was the whole the residency thing and the pushing and pulling internally with the band. And I was like, I just, I can't I can't do this anymore. You know, and I wanted the guys to go on and be successful. And I wasn't trying to take anybody's living away from them. But it's a lot. It's a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility when you're the guy in front. You know, I mean, those guys all had replacements. You know, I mean, if if Neil couldn't do a show, he had a guy that he could replace himself with, or, you know what I mean, in a multitude advance. He always made her own method probably going to be fair, he always made Aerosmith a priority because that was kind of conditional. But he was in seven or eight or nine or 10 bands. And he had some guys for all these bands. And they wanted to do it with like members of our band. And I was never willing, I was like, this is the band. If people are paying to see the band, this is who they expect to see. I'm not going to give them a second rate Joe Perry, when I've got the first rate guy standing here because he's got something else to do that night. It's not right. So we can disagree on that kind of stuff. And to them it was like more about them. They might tell you different it was more about get out there and camaraderie and make a few bucks and drink some beers. To me it was about I'm fucking serious. This is how I make my living and I want this to be the best show I possibly can. I'm very a type that way. So I can be hard to work with because I Yeah, you know, I mean, it's like I love it, but I take it seriously. So that's kind of what happened. They're

Chuck Shute: 55:00

okay. Yeah, that sounds like it was a it was a fun ride at least you got to meet Steven Tyler party with him in a while and all this. I mean, it sounds like some crazy stories that happen during that time.

Chris Van Dahl: 55:12

Yeah, Steven was amazingly graceful. He saw me during the day backstage at the MGM not backstage, I'm saying actually out in the stage area, in the afternoon when they were getting ready to do a show. And he sent his assistant to come get me and brought me backstage. And we spent a lot of time together. And after the show, he invited my wife and I out to Hawaii, where he just bought a place and for New Year's Eve. And it so happened I was doing legends in concert. We have a venue in Waikiki. And I had a almost year long contract out there. So I ended up flying from Waikiki, to Maui for that event that night. And he talked about a crazy night it was like Steven Tyler Weird Al Yankovic, Michael McDonald, like Alice Cooper. I think somebody said that, like Oprah and Clint Eastwood were there. It was just like, you know, you can imagine, you can't imagine. So that's crazy.

Chuck Shute: 56:28

Did anyone mistake you for Steven Tyler at that party? Because they knew he was there? Right?

Chris Van Dahl: 56:33

It was actually in a hotel. Like a hotel bar area or whatever. And, yeah, Tom Arnold, like, as in Roseanne, Tom, started babbling. And when I say babbling, I'm not gonna get specific, but he started telling me all kinds of stuff that he shouldn't have been talking about. And his drontal struggle, talk. And he, and he looked at me, and he really looked at me for the first time when he goes, Oh, God, Oh, Jesus, oh, shut off. And I said, this conversation never happened. And he wandered off, and I think he was legitimately upset, like, and he was mad at himself. But he turned it on me. You know what I mean? Like, I'm the guy that shouldn't be there. I shouldn't exist. You know, I mean, what the hell is this guy? That looks just like Steven Tyler doing it, Steven out. But I'm thinking to myself, have you ever met Steven? Because if you met him, he had no, I mean, his kids knew I wasn't no actually Taj sort of fell for it. That's when understood. The day Stephen had me backstage, he put me in his makeup chair and called his son up and hid behind tapestry in a closet. And I turned in the chair and Taj was standing there and I go, Taj, I said that he doesn't feel like himself today. What do you think it is? And he goes, what? And it's just tears like rolling on the floor. Man. It was really funny.

Chuck Shute: 58:18

That's hilarious. But didn't that get annoying too? Because, like, you couldn't even walk down the street, like people thought you were Steven Tyler. And you're like, No, I'm not. And then they're like, you're just an asshole. You want to take a picture with me? And

Chris Van Dahl: 58:29

yeah, I call myself the president. That's not under the Christmas tree. I'm socks, right? Like people like it's stupid. It's stupid. Man. You know what I mean? It's like, I got my favorite person. And I opened it in his socks. That's me. I'm socks, right. But yeah, I mean, it would happen all the time. And I would tell people, but I learned. I basically tell you once I'm like, Hey, listen, I'm not Steven Tyler. People don't care. They want to believe what they want to believe. They're so excited. They want to believe they've met Steven Tyler. And if I'm not gracious about it, what happens is Stevens in Asheville, you're just an asshole. Because you don't want to take a picture with me. And I don't want anybody running around thinking Stephens an asshole because I didn't have time to stop and take a picture. But I tell them the truth, I've always been honest about it never taken advantage of it really said that one time at the airport, I was running late, and they moved me to the myrtle line. Whatever. So quickly. I mean, you know, but seriously, everywhere I went, you know, when that changed during the pandemic when I was wearing a mask. Yeah, it was really weird because I was like, going some places and I had a mask on and every once in a while people will be like, You know what I mean, trying to see through the mask kind of thing and I'm like, but it's all right here, you know? But it's funny because like people will comment that will come On the angels in vain photo there looks Stephen toiler want to be your guy looks looks to you. And I'm like, guys do some homework, you know, I've got a whole career I got 10 years of making a living performing as Steven Tyler. Not because I'm trying to look this way, or whatever, but because I just do. So it works. And that's why it works, you know? But yeah, it's not like I'm setting out to be even Tyler, although are many people that are there cool. I gotta do something.

Chuck Shute: 1:00:32

So yeah, if you're gonna look like somebody, Steven Tyler's not a bad person to look like, there's a lot worse people look like I'm sure.

Chris Van Dahl: 1:00:40

I remember the first time I actually saw a picture of him. I was a kid, and I've got an older brother. And I used to get into his record collection all the time. And I catch hell for it. Man, I'd wait for him to leave, right. And I'd be like, looking at his albums and stuff. And he had a magazine or something. And there was a picture of Steven Tyler. And I was like, he looks like an ugly woman. Does he have a comb? I remember that was my first thought. If I knew then what I know now.

Chuck Shute: 1:01:10

Yeah. So during after you, you quit aramith. And then now you're doing angels in vain? There was like that, that what were you doing for those few years? I know, I think I saw something about you open up a business like a nail a nail thing or something like that. Is that kind of been your main focus last few years? Have you taken a break from music?

Chris Van Dahl: 1:01:27

Well, it has been my main focus, because it's required a lot of time and energy my wife is was a nail tech. And by nail Tech, I mean, she was a rock star man like she was doing Olivia Newton, John and JLo and Mariah Carey and like, get it. I mean, that's how good she was at what she did. And we went back to Michigan for a while to, to be with family members, we had reasons we needed to go. And while we were there, she had no clientele, there was nothing for her to do. And we didn't know whether we were coming back here or not. But we believe that we were going to Michigan, and we were going to be there for an extended period of time. And it was like so what do I do now? And she thought about trying to build a clientele back up and you know, completely different thing there. And she had ideas about developing a product line that out of practicality, right? Because that's what she did to kind of wish this existed. And I wish that I said why don't we take this time and develop it. You know, I've been chasing my dreams my whole life. You've been a part of that for a long, long time. Let's figure yours out. And so that's what we did. We got together and developed a product line. And it started by filling bottles sitting at a kitchen table, right. And we used her reputation as a nail tech basically to launch it. But the thing is the product line we developed, it was exactly what we advertised it to be. And it was amazing. It is amazing. And it's called luminary now systems. And in the past five years since its conception, it's blown up. And it's become this real thing. It's a real company now with warehouses and employees and stuff that we're managing and taking care of on a daily basis. And neither one of us had any wild conception that it would become what it has. But it's this monster. We've we've taken Readers Choice categories and now pro magazine. Best of multiple categories the past two years in a row. I mean, who saw that comment? But yeah, so that's kind of what we've been doing. So is

Chuck Shute: 1:03:45

are you still able to like evangels in vain gets offered the opening slot on? I don't know, Skid Row two or something like that. Could you do that? Could you do a tour or what's that?

Chris Van Dahl: 1:03:56

They said the Ozzy Osborne No more No more chairs tour. Thinking about torn wheelchair now.

Chuck Shute: 1:04:04

Yeah, no, I think he's gonna do something I thought I'd

Chris Van Dahl: 1:04:08

show I think he's amazing. Like, yeah, he's a hero, man. Guys slip that in there because I thought no more tears. No more chairs. All right, that's rotten, but, but I love the guy. But yeah, if if I got the phone call from Sharon Osbourne and she said we want you to open Ozzy's tour. How do you say no wonder that you know, I guess I did. aramith did a show they opened for Ozzy on the bark at the moon eclipse. There was there was a one jet one off show. And it was it was some like full Eclipse thing. It was a once in a lifetime deal. And they got off to show it and do it. And I couldn't do it because I was contracted with legends. But that was performing already. I actually could not there was no way I Could I was contractually obligated to be where I was. So I missed an opportunity to open for us. Having said that, yeah, if something like that came up, obviously, it would be a serious consideration. If not just for myself for the other guys in the band, you know what I mean? We all grew up with the same dreams, you know, saying those, plant those venues with your heroes? It's like, I mean, what an honor. So, yeah, absolutely. Well, I

Chuck Shute: 1:05:35

know you got to get going yet proud of other interviews or things to do. But I always end promoting a charity or nonprofit or a cause of some sort of, there's something that you want to promote here at the end, besides obviously, the new angels and being album.

Chris Van Dahl: 1:05:49

Yeah, anything animal related. Anything that saves an unwanted creature that somebody decided irresponsibly, that they were going to take home because it was a great idea in the moment and they got kicked to the curb. You know what I mean? I'm I'm a big advocate of animals. I love animals. I mean, way more than people because ditional people you got to wonder about sometimes you have cat or dogs or both, or I have three German Shepherd. I've got a nine year old, a seven year old and a 10 month old boy who's just a monster named Chaka. Wow.

Chuck Shute: 1:06:35

He did a good job than keeping them off camera because usually like people's dogs are barking when they have dogs in the podcast. He was he

Chris Van Dahl: 1:06:43

was sitting next to me almost the whole time getting his head scratched. So nice. Yeah, he was compared. He was compared. He's a good boy. Cool. Well, I

Chuck Shute: 1:06:51

love the new album. People should definitely get it. Is there going to be merch that goes along with it? Like, can people get T shirts and stuff? I don't know if I saw.

Chris Van Dahl: 1:07:00

No, we we had T shirts back when this thing was first launching. And I still have some somewhere. In fact, somebody just hit me up about that. And I gotta get back to him. Because I told him I said they're in their nickel box in the garage. Man. I gotta go find him. But yeah, very, very likely. If, if there's a demand, and we know it. I'll get more T shirts made because they're really really cool. It's the logo. This guy me. Yeah, you can see what you do

Chuck Shute: 1:07:27

with the artwork.

Chris Van Dahl: 1:07:29

I did the artwork. Yeah, all the angels in the guys see, that's me. That's cool. And that's kind of like, you know, thing, a thing or whatever. But we did the we did the three quarter length jerseys. And then we did just the black T shirts. So those might be available again in the future.

Chuck Shute: 1:07:49

Okay, cool. Well, I hope I hope this album takes off and hope you guys can tour and if you do a show, and we'll definitely be doing in Phoenix. I can go I live in Phoenix, but Vegas only like five hours. So if you do a Vegas show, I might be able to depend on the weekend or whatever. Hopefully, it's a weekend I might build a drive up for that. So

Chris Van Dahl: 1:08:06

it could happen. I mean, we do have Vamped out here. So it's a good costume. Never say never. But thank you for having me.

Chuck Shute: 1:08:12

All right. Thank you for all the stories. Great stuff. Thanks so much, Chris. I'll see you later. Okay, once again, the album is called long time coming. The band is angels in vain. The album comes out April 7, or may already be out depending on when you're listening to this. So just make sure to support the band by following them on social media. And you could do the same for the show along with sharing, liking and commenting. All that stuff helps out. And also make sure you're subscribed to the show. Wherever you watch it. Listen, I've got a couple of big names coming up that have been trying to get on the show for years and they both finally happened. So stay tuned for that. Thanks for watching or listening. Have a great rest of your day and shoot for the moon.