Chuck Shute Podcast
In depth interviews with musicians, comedians, authors, actors, and more! Guests on the show include David Duchovny, Billy Bob Thornton, Mark Normand, Dee Snider, Ann Wilson, Tony Horton, Don Dokken, Jack Carr and many more.
Chuck Shute Podcast
Jeff Scott Soto (Sons of Apollo, ex Journey)
Jeff Scott Soto is a singer/songwriter who has been the vocalist for many artists including Journey, Yngwie Malmsteen, Sons of Apollo and Talisman. He most recent release is an album recorded in the 90s with former Rick Springfield guitarist George Bernhardt titled “Slam.” We discuss that album, his time with Yngwie, working with Vinnie Vincent, soundtrack work and more!
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - Welcome Jeff & Connections
02:50 - New Slam Record
05:28 - Recording & Touring
06:34 - Goals & Expectations with New Record
09:15 - Songs & Recording of The Slam Record
10:51 - Jeff's Current Bands & Upcoming Project
11:53 - Relationship & Project with Jason Bieler
15:05 - Ups & Downs of the Music Business
19:10 - Music Deals & BMI Statement
21:10 - Sons of Apollo & Bumblefoot
23:10 - Motown Roots & Influences for Slam
24:50 - Becoming a Rock Fan
25:50 - Joining Yngwie Malmsteen's Band
30:30 - Kryst the Conqueror with The Misfits
32:15 - Singing Background Vocals & Hired Gun
35:38 - Making Peace with Yngwie
40:40 - Yngwie Songs & Albums & Deal
42:10 - Scare Them with Crazy & Trolls
45:00 - Making New Music & Affecting Others
46:55 - Recording with Vinnie Vincent
49:20 - Backup Vocals for Slaughter & Vinnie Vincent
50:15 - Monsters of Rock Cruise
53:35 - Soundtracks, Commercials & Various
55:10 - Animal Rescue Charity
56:40 - Outro
Jeff Scott Soto website:
http://jeffscottsoto.com/retribution/index.html
Rock & Roll Rescue website:
https://www.rocknrollrescuedogs.org/
Chuck Shute website:
https://www.chuckshute.com/
Thanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!
Jeff Scott Soto is my guest today one of the most prolific singers of all time. He's played with envy Malmsteen Trans Siberian Orchestra, sons of Apollo, with David Ellison from Megadeth. A bunch of other ones that you might not know about, and we're going to discuss those in this interview. He's got a new album out, it's actually an unreleased recording with Rick Springfield's guitarist George Bernhardt. The band was called slam. So we're gonna talk about that lots to discuss coming right up
Jeff Scott Soto:Hey, how's it going? Oh, I look terrible. I should turn it back off.
Chuck Shute:No, you look great. It's amazing. Like you've don't look like you've sang in the 80s It looks like a
Jeff Scott Soto:a I'm trying to defy time without the surgeries and the Botox and all that other stuff that everybody else is doing that.
Chuck Shute:I think that stuff makes you look worse in my opinion. I don't know.
Jeff Scott Soto:Everybody starts looking related. That's that's how they call it they all start looking like brothers and sisters from the same family. It's like it's kind of weird, but to each his own, you know?
Chuck Shute:Yeah, yeah. I mean, the thing is, is like it's kind of like makeup on girls like if I can't tell you're wearing it, then you then you're doing it right. Like if you got Botox and I don't I can't tell then. Hey, it worked. But if it's like I can totally tell you got botox like you look like a clown with the makeup like it's too much.
Jeff Scott Soto:It reminds me of Dice Clay when he said hey honey who raised her face
Chuck Shute:can make you know dice cuz you're friends with my buddy, a DECA who's like good friends with dice.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, well, I Steph, he told me that you guys are friends and that I'm going to be talking to you. And he wanted me to pass a message basically saying you talentless hack riding my coattails to life? Well, I made that up, but I'm sure it sounds like something Steph would say. Yeah, no. I love Steph.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, how do you guys know each other? Did you play? No, I
Jeff Scott Soto:know him to Derek Sherinian. And Eric Singer, we, we chat each other. We chat with each other every day, which we're always texting. Some silly stuff. We're always making fun of each other. It's great.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. Okay, so then yeah, so because he knows Derek from a from like, I guess like when you're in that business? You guys, you guys all just hang out and play together? And
Jeff Scott Soto:no, I think it's when you play with Alice Cooper, you basically one big cluster family. And everybody's played with Alice. So everybody knows everybody. But Derek and Alice were there at the same time without Petrelli. So they kind of have their own clique each, I guess, each level of Alice's band. They all have their their individual cliques. That sounds like they all hang out with each other and do picnics and barbecues.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that's cool stuff, though. So. So this new record, this is interesting, because it's, I mean, it sounds like it was made in the in the 80s. I mean, I'm assuming that was the goal with it.
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, it was made in the 90s. It was, these are the original demos from 91 through 93. And it really was okay, yeah, oh, no, no, no, these are, these are the original demos that we made. We never got signed. But we we got a demo budget from a label and they didn't want us basically if they we go to the studio, you do like two or three songs. If they like it, then they have the first option to sign you. They didn't want us but instead of investing the money on making two or three songs we actually invested in home studio and back then the best we could find that was affordable. Were the old Tascam eight track Porter studios, you know, they were the the master tapes or cassette tapes. So we made the entire record all those songs that you're hearing were done on that eight track and it's it's not bad quality for what we you know, that's what we had to work with back then. And it turned out really good for what it is.
Chuck Shute:Oh, yeah. Cuz I was gonna say it sounds like it was made today in terms of production, but I'm just saying that yeah, so that, that makes sense. Because I thought you just went back and tried to make an album that sounded like, I was like, Okay, that makes sense. Because it's interesting to what I think is cool is that there's like some rap stuff on there. That's like, and it sounds like that kind of 80s 90s Yeah, rap. I was like, Oh, this is cool. Like, because you just don't hear that stuff anymore. Who's the rapper that you had on that? That was
Jeff Scott Soto:me. On the latter part, there's some some of the really hard to understand stuff. That was our bass player, Ricky. He was, he was a crazy, that guy was a freak on a leash. She was a he's one of these amazing bass players, but he could rap and he was just just a silly wacky guy. And we wanted to put that on some of the songs so yeah, he did some of that. I'm trying to think if I did any this like the song Love parade. I do. There's a rap in there that I'm doing. And I guess the ones that the wraps that are legible, those are me, the ones that are not legible. Those are Ricky.
Chuck Shute:Okay. Yeah, I think the one that's really was a long one was why you dog and
Jeff Scott Soto:yeah, oh, that's Ricky. Oh, yeah.
Chuck Shute:What's his last name? Because he's a phenomenal bass player. You're rocking
Jeff Scott Soto:it W O L. K ing walk. be
Chuck Shute:okay. Does he play in any other bands? I've never. He's been
Jeff Scott Soto:in Austin for. He's done a number of things, but nothing I can actually just name a rattle off the top of my head.
Chuck Shute:Okay. I know it's, it's you and it's George Bernhardt, who plays with Rick Springfield now.
Jeff Scott Soto:He's retired now from touring and playing. Yeah. I mean, we're all old guys. Now I'm the only one that's still kind of like, hanging on a thread.
Chuck Shute:Do you are you have any plans to retire at some point? Oh, God,
Jeff Scott Soto:no, I am. Why, what am I going to do this? Every day I'm singing every day I'm recreating I'm doing something I'm doing an appearance of performance. Why Why quit now it's, I'm having so much fun still.
Chuck Shute:You have more fun recording, or you have more fun, like playing live?
Jeff Scott Soto:You know what, they're both par for the course because without one, I can't do the other. And, and that's I mean that in the sense of, I have to miss the touring part of it by going into the studio and working that way. And vice versa. I miss I miss being in the studio when I'm on the road all the time. So they kind of trade off and they make me miss one another. So that way, I can keep paying pocket ping ponging back and forth. If I had to choose only one and stay in one lane with that. I think I would be bored quickly. And I probably started fishing or something like that.
Chuck Shute:Oh, that's that makes sense. Yeah, that's the same way I feel about like podcasts like doing like musicians, and then I'll have like odd musicians. And then I'll be like, Oh, it's so fun. But I'm getting burnout in musicians, and I'll have an author on or something and then I'll be like, I want to be a musician. Yeah. So yeah, absolutely. That's perfect. So what are your expectations? For this record? Do you have any? Is it just to kind of get this out into the world? Since? Yeah,
Jeff Scott Soto:we didn't we didn't pursue this it was the label 20 century music. I know, the guys for years were kind of in the same social circles. And they reached out to me saying, you know, these demos have been they've been everybody's been training for years, it cassette copies third, fourth, fifth generations with haste and noise and pops and crackles. And they, they came up with the idea, you know, there's, there's an interest is a, there's a, I guess people want this. So do you if you have the original master tapes, and we can put something together and make a presentation of it, we'd love to do it with you. And they talked us into it. Basically, this stuff has been laying dormant for close to 30 years. And along the way, I've the songs were so cool to me back in the day, I've used picked and selected certain ones for certain things that I've been doing. But for the most part, these versions just been lying dormant collecting dust for all these years. And we kind of adjusted it and mastered it and put all the levels the right way and, and presented it as the album that never was kind of thing.
Chuck Shute:Okay, do you I mean, so when you put out a new record typically like, especially if it's something you just worked on, though, do you have like high expectations for you ever?
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, every artists every every band, every artist does. I mean, if you didn't have any expectation for it, why would you do it. And something like this, this is more like a bucket list of, you know, people have been listening to these demos and all these different variations for so long. Let's put them all in one collection and just say, Now you can finally have them all in one in one setting. And that's basically all it is. It's we're not expecting this explode or become something that causes a reunion or tour or putting the band back together, none of that shit. So it's really just, it's mainly for us that we can say, all that hard work 30 years later, finally, we can actually see it in the collection together. And we can share it with the guys in the band and anybody's interested in it.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, so you don't usually typically have like, you're not expecting to, you know, sell millions of records when you put up new records. And nowadays, because it's so hard to do that. Yeah. But I mean, you get, you can still get streams, right? I mean, I guess.
Jeff Scott Soto:And for the most part, I mean, it's gonna be a select audience that finds this that's interested in this. There'll be a lot of people that have been following my career. But they're, like I said, there were a lot of people that were trading and selling these tapes as as something like a little hidden treasure, a little gem. And now we're giving it to them all clean and mastered and sounding great. So but once again, I'll reiterate, these are the original demos that we made back in 91, to 293. And we toyed around with the idea of maybe re recording them and making them updated and make him sound badass based on the technology today. And I said, Well, why would we do that? This is more impressive that when you're listening to this, that we were able to capture so much magic in the course of these little cassette tape masters. So I would say let's pat ourselves on the back for something we did back then that sounds like this, instead of what we could do to it now with 98 tracks in digital, you know,
Chuck Shute:ya know, I liked the way it is because it sounds like you know, it's a throwback, and then you get a lot of new music from the 80s and 90s. I mean, you have some bands that are doing stuff like that now that's like, you know, they're making it sound like that, but this is like legit is officially stuff from that era. So very cool.
Jeff Scott Soto:What I really love about I mean, I sound totally Do I sound so yeah, I was 26 and I'm going to be 58 this year so it's over 22 years ago I started singing this I mean 32 years ago singing this stuff. And for me it's it's nice to listen to what I used to sound like as opposed to taking those songs that I love so much and redoing them now and listening to him back the way I sound now doesn't will it won't capture the same spirit of what we were doing back then.
Chuck Shute:Right? So when would you play any songs live like with your solo band or anything, though, just for fun.
Jeff Scott Soto:I have. I mean, as I said, I, I've taken a few hits there, and here and there for different things throughout my career. And some of them were performed live throughout the course of my live shows and tours. At this point, it is kind of older, and I have a lot of newer stuff. And I'm with bands like sons of Apollo and other things that doesn't really fit the format. But if I'm doing a solo 12 I'll always throw in stuff from the past. It's always a collection of the variations of things that I've done. I don't just do solo material. When I tour solo tours, I'm always doing things from the different walks of life in my career.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, I mean, so what reminded me what your bands you're a part of right now as Ellefson salts. Soto, yeah, tons of Apollo and then your solos, those three years or more of
Jeff Scott Soto:those three I tour every year with Trans Siberian Orchestra. I'm doing these weekend worried dates with Jason Beal from Saigon kick, we do like a comedy acoustic thing. Every weekend that we're both free. There's something new that's launching in September, I can't talk about yet. And it's going to be something that's going to pretty much consume most of 24 for me, but it's it's really cool. It's gonna be really cool. So that's, that's about it. Nobody's reading between the lines, hopefully, because I'm not supposed to be talking about that about the release date. But bottom line is, it's coming out September, and I'm excited for that. And that's going to be something I can really dig sink my teeth into. Is it
Chuck Shute:with somebody else? That's like famous musician? Yes. Oh, now I'm curious. Or a deacon kept telling yourself
Jeff Scott Soto:I've always got, I've always got different irons in the fire. So it's I never sitting back and waiting for something to happen. I'm always making sure something's happening. Yeah,
Chuck Shute:tell me. So tell me about your relationship with Jason Beeler. Because that sounds interesting. He, he reached out to you and he was like, 18 or something?
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, I actually reached out to him. i Oh, I wasn't even looking. And his bait. What his what became his bass player, a guy named Tom defile was he just came to LA. He was looking for a gig. I was in the studio doing something. It wasn't it was kind of a solo thing. I didn't know what it was going to be. But I'm like, yeah, come on out. Maybe I can try you out. playing bass on this stuff. Didn't really work out. But when he was in town, he played me a demo. And Jason Vela was on the demos, two songs that he was playing with him. And I go God damn, who's the guitar player. So I called Jason and I said, Hey, I'd love to meet you. On his own dime. He came out to LA we met in 1988. I wanted to get him on that project. That project just fell flat. And it wasn't like a year and a half later, I call them again, I said, Hey, I just recorded this album with a band or a project called talisman. That guitar player that played on the records got stage fright. There's no way we get them on stage, would you be willing to go and do like a month of touring and Sweden? say great, you learn this stuff. And that's how Jason and I got our feet wet together, playing live together back in 1990. I've known him ever since. And he went back home after that tour and started Saigon kick and the rest is history.
Chuck Shute:Oh, that's really cool. And So explain to me what it is. It's a comedy duo. What is it?
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, Jason, if you've ever seen any interviews or met him, he's a very witty, dry wit. It's all about humor. It's all about sarcasm. And he never cracks a smile. But man, that guy will but he'll have you on the floor and stitches. So he has a natural wit and sense. And he's he was started doing his own when Saigon kick broke up for the last time he started doing his own acoustic gigs. And naturally, he's got that wit and that kind of characteristics in his set. So when I would kind of, we would say, Hey, come on and do a couple songs with me or coming guests with me. We have a natural witty banter with each other because we've known each other for so long. And he said do we were on this something I wish you'd turn this into something. So we're four years deep, and we've turned it into quite the thing. We're doing a lot of festivals, a lot of really cool stuff together. So it's a lot of
Chuck Shute:fun. That sounds fun. So it's kind of like a steal.
Jeff Scott Soto:We just stripped down Saigon kick songs, things that would work. But we never even play full songs. We'll do like maybe a verse and a chorus of a song we move on to something else. It gives us more time for comedy and to throw more music.
Chuck Shute:So it's like Steel Panther, kind of like that with the banter in between the songs. Yeah, without the
Jeff Scott Soto:X rated, we're not we're not trying to it's that potty mouth kind of stuff. It's more make you think kind of stuff. And it's, it's, you know, it's a lot of self deprecation. It's just a lot of fun. It's, it's really hard to put into words when you say it, you go oh my god, I totally get this. Okay, that sounds like a Tenacious D kind of thing. Where Yeah, okay.
Chuck Shute:You guys, and you said you tour with that.
Jeff Scott Soto:We play weekends. You know, we do like Thursday through Sunday kind of things when we'll take like a couple months out of the year, and we'll go out and we'll do fly dates. Okay, imagine flight of the Concorde meets Tenacious D that's kind of what yeah,
Chuck Shute:that'd be cool. Yeah. Have you ever come to Phoenix? I'd love to see that sounds really fun. Absolutely. Even Vegas or LA or something.
Jeff Scott Soto:I was supposed to do Vegas in October, so hit you up. I'll let you know.
Chuck Shute:That sounds fun. So what does it explain this to me? Like because your career, it's so crazy, like how many things you've been a part of. But like when you first start like with with Malmsteen, you get that gig like at that point, you got to think like, Okay, I've made it. And then that like goes away, and then you got this other thing, and then that doesn't work out. And then you know, your joint journey, like, how do you deal with the ups and downs of like, okay, I got this thing like, this is it, this is the thing that and then it's like, then that goes away. But then you get something else, you just kind of know that if something falls apart, you go, well, there's something else coming around the corner,
Jeff Scott Soto:you kind of have to compare it to relationships. I mean, if you're with a girl and doesn't work out, what are you going to stop dating, you're going to just give up on love give up on relationships all together? Of course not you try and try and try again, until you get it right or until you get it at least right enough to last long enough, until the next thing has to come around. So the bottom line is, it's it's what I do. It's what I do for a living. I'm not I'm a soldier of fortune, but I'm not I'm not looking, I'm not joining things that jumping into things because I'm looking for the next big thing that's gonna make me a star. I'm looking for things that I know I can work with and progress with and grow with for years. And unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't work out. It's not necessarily me or the other person. It's a circumstance that that breaks it up or makes it move forward. So it's, I just don't want to give up as it's in my blood is it's, I have more to say before I leave this earth.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. So when you pick different projects and things you have a manager or a talent agent or somebody that help you decide what to do, or is it just all you
Jeff Scott Soto:I've had in the past, and I've learned a lot and I've learned how to kind of represent myself where I don't need to be giving commission to somebody who can do or doesn't do things that I would be doing myself or would rather be doing myself, there have been so many situations where I could again suggest, well, why don't you answer this this way? And maybe we can get that and then in the end, I don't get it. Like if I had done it, I would have gotten that why am I paying you for not getting it. So at this point, I've actually been I've actually been managing and working with other bands as well, because I realized that this part is not going to be working for the rest of my life, I better tap into something else that I can stay within the music business and I can actually continue giving or helping somebody else grow and move forward. So I learned a lot about the business and and I can represent myself as much as I can represent somebody else. That's how I see it.
Chuck Shute:Okay, I didn't know you did on managing and stuff do you like producing as well? And yeah,
Jeff Scott Soto:all those things just come the that's par for the course you do it for so many years. And it's even one of the things I when somebody says if you had any advice for a young musician, I always tell them learn the business. Don't trust that this guy or that guy or even your your folks are going to be looking after you. You're looking after your best interest. And that's the best way you can you can look at it. You there's nobody else that's going to have the your best interest more than yourself. And I learned that when the band Soto, I put together, we went through four managers until finally bass player looked at me, he said, Dude, you seem to be doing all the work and you do a better job than everybody else that you brought on board. Why don't you just manage the band too. And I said, I think you're right. And I had a partner who he was just getting into the game, he needed to learn a few of the tricks, etc. And I said Come with me I'll you'll be my sort of apprentice along the way. But you will also be my my go to guy when I need to be the artist and step back and let somebody represent me. And we've been doing it like this successfully for the past six years.
Chuck Shute:Wow, that's nice. Do you have a lawyer that has to do all the last stuff?
Jeff Scott Soto:Absolutely. You build that little team as you go? You learn who he can trust who you would actually let raise your firstborn kind of stuff and yeah, and from there you just you know who your people are?
Chuck Shute:Yeah, cuz I would think some of those contracts get kind of yeah,
Jeff Scott Soto:very wordy. Yeah. wordy and unnecessary text.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, it's like they try to trick people I feel like Yeah.
Jeff Scott Soto:Oh, yeah. It's I've signed many crappy contract and that's again, that's where I learned the business. I mean, if I go back to even the eBay record, and I see what I signed away, it's heinous you know, it's it's robbery what I what I gave away for that I haven't made any money for those albums that sold hundreds of 1000s of copies, but you live in you learn and you try to move forward with the with the knowledge and, and the education of where you fucked up.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, so what you didn't get the songwriting credit or the performance credit, or
Jeff Scott Soto:I would get the songwriting and the performance credit, but what I gave away was the publishing on it, not realizing I was signing it away, based on the wording of the contract and it was one of those is like your blank and next thing you know that they're taking everything from you.
Chuck Shute:Wow, great, but you have so many recorded albums, like do you just have like a giant What is it though they call the ASCAP list or whatever, like,
Jeff Scott Soto:it's, yeah, it's a ASCAP or BMI um, with BMI is it? Yeah, it's just a catalog. It's a catalogue of all your works. Everything's got its own serial number and the, you know, the administration and all that stuff. Yeah. But I learned all of that along the way. Some of it, I learned a little late in the game. But I learned enough now that especially now, the things I've been doing for the past 10 or 15 years have been more successful than the stuff I did the first half of my career. So luckily, I knew what I was getting into now. And I can actually make sure I manage it a lot better now than I was able to back in the day.
Chuck Shute:Okay, that's, that's interesting. So then what is like, can you say like, what is your number one? Best? Number one top of the thing of your BMI list.
Jeff Scott Soto:At the moment, sons of Apollo it says proposes, it did pretty well. And obviously, I was a co writer on every song so that that helped on the financial end, as far as collecting and everything. But for me, I just look at it as I just want to work with people, I get along with him that have the same end game as me. It's not about rich, it's not about being famous. For me. It's all about the quality of the work. And being proud of it. Everything else follows.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. So what's the status with sons of Apollo? Is there another record? Because I think it's been like three years?
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, we've been dormant. I mean, we were obviously we're a bit sad. And then the blow of the whole pandemic, because we dropped that record, literally, January 2020. And three months later, we basically had to sit it out, and it just, it fizzled away. But unfortunately, because of all the time that passed, and everybody was dormant, now everybody's playing catch up with a lot of stuff. So we're just it's a waiting game. We got to wait till everybody's free you know, Billy's with Mr. Big and winery dogs Mike's and Ronnie dogs, Derek's with Black Country communion. And everybody's just doing we're all over the map. So I'm sure when the timing is right, we'll put it put our heads together and we'll start making a plan for the future.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that's cool. I had bumblefoot on he said, he's, he's such an amazing guitarist like, you just get wowed by watching him
Jeff Scott Soto:and say, I'm so blessed and humbled by some of the amazing guitar players I've been, I've had the luxury of playing with the year. But this guy just takes the price in terms of his personality and his playing. He comes from another planet when it comes to his playing. But when it comes down to his personality, he's the most down to earth individual I've ever met in my life.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, he seems really humble actually. Because I saw that I saw him with Guns and Roses, Chinese Democracy, and that, like he wasn't a big fan of that album. But then when I saw him perform it live, I grew like a different appreciation for it. I was like, wow, like he just watching him play. It's like you realize how like complex the music is and how he just makes it look so easy, though. It's I don't know, it was really cool to see that. Like,
Jeff Scott Soto:this phenomena. He truly is a phenomena he can play anything. And that's, I love being around people like that, that, that you can just throw anything at them. And they'll play it and they actually challenge me as well. They'll give me something Oh, geez. I don't know if I can do that. But it makes me want to do it or at least makes me want to try because you know why? Why would I say no to a challenge?
Chuck Shute:Yeah, have you played any other besides the things that are what's the most like different kind of music that you've played? That's not rock and metal I mean, because you can sing soul and funk and r&b and all that other stuff?
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, that's that's where my roots came from. Originally, I didn't even like rock until I was about 16. So by the time I got a name based band, I was only into heavy metal and hard rock about two and a half years. But before that it was all Earth Wind and Fire Motown cooling, the gang Commodores, you know, Jackson, five temptations that I grew up with all that stuff. And and this is kind of the antithesis to what led to slam because all those old influences were kind of on the way but kind of sitting dormant while I was doing all the metal stuff and like I really miss that. I want to put those two worlds together the way extreme Living Color, Dan Reed network that those kinds of bands where they were mixing that that kind of Prince Mies Van Halen kind of thing. And that's what we were going for with slam because I just felt that in my blood that that was something I really wanted to do.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that song for you. It totally reminded me of prints. I was like, Oh, this is like a blatant.
Jeff Scott Soto:Oh God, total ripoff. And there's a song on there called dancer Body Electric is a total extreme ripoff. But it's a rip off in the sense that we're paying tribute to something that really made us excited for that time. So but the prints thing is absolutely laced in for you when George played me the music for it. I could have easily just sang it in a normal male voice. And then I just started toying around with doing in falsetto. And I did the entire thing is do that you're onto something that's really cool. He wasn't a big Prince fan. But knowing that I was he trusted that I was tapping into that, that level of excitement for a song like that.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, and then so then when you said you were 16 you're influenced by all that. So what what was there one rock band that really made you kind of switch?
Jeff Scott Soto:Toto was the one that pretty much introduced me to toto and Queen. Mostly toto because Bobby Kimball was you can you until that dude was a total soul singer that it was like a black guy stuck in a white guy's body in terms of the way he's saying he had that essence and that of that total white soul and Blue Eyed Soul. Yeah, when you play a song like hold the line or use of all supply the love you have the heavy guitars, but you have that soulful guy just wailing like he's, he comes from that whole Motown school. And that's what that's what basically told me that you can marry the two genres and, and that's how I got into rock. I eventually got into rock from that, and then sticks in Germany and queen that became the norm, then into Van Halen, then all of a sudden it was Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. And it just, it progressed. It's kind of like the gateway. Toto was my gateway drug.
Chuck Shute:So tell the story, I know you probably tell the story a million times. But tell the story about how you You joined in Vaes band is like you saw an ad on MTV and you you mailed a demo tape. And like, I mean, even if it was the right address, like it's kind of a crazy thing. Now it's so easy to get a hold of people. But back in the day, it's like it was kind of hard to find people.
Jeff Scott Soto:The demo tape, the demo tape, I scenting there was a first original band I was in a band called Canaan. And I was 16. When I did the demo, I was in Colorado at the time I was 18. And I went out there because my band Canaan broke up. But my buddy told me Hey, there's a cover band needs a singer. You can make money. We can have fun. We can hang party. I didn't party. I didn't drink or anything. But I love to hang out. So I joined this band. It was great in the beginning. Then we started losing gigs. And it got to the point where I was so broke. I was stealing food from several levels just to get through the night. And I just I said I give up. I gotta go back, move back to LA move back. And my mom, this is not going to work. So literally nights before I was going back. It was a week before I was coming back home. There was an MTV ed. I was hanging. We were hanging at a friend's house. Everybody went upstairs to get some pop. And I'm watching the commercial came up. Then mark Goodman comes on the screen says hey Yngwie Malmsteen has left the band Alcatraz. I was a big Alcatraz fan. And he's doing a solo album and he's looking for a singer and it could be you and he put his finger on the screen like that. I'm like, Whoa, no way. I told my friends today left. No way. You got to send your tape. But yeah, right. 16 year old when I sang in 18 years that he's looking for real estate. He's looking for a man. He's not looking for a kid. And they said, no, no, no, your tape is good. You got to send it. They talked me into it. We sent it to LA I told my mom Hey, before I get home, if I get a call from Yngwie Malmsteen. She's like we were you know, nobody could pronounce his name back in the day. And not even a week after being home. I got a call from them saying they may wanted to meet me. The funny thing is after the audition, after I got the gig, the manager pulled me aside he said I just want to let you know, we there were only two tapes that we pulled out of the box to play for AV and one was the worst one of the bunch of the second one was yours. So we play them the worst one first as kind of a joke. You guys, you gotta be kidding me. You want me to check this guy? No, no, we're just joking. This is the guy we want you to check out. I was the only one he listened to. And I was I got the gig. So that's it. I
Chuck Shute:didn't know that part of the story because I was going to ask you like, was there other people who were up against like veterans that had now interesting.
Jeff Scott Soto:They basically went with a box of tapes that people submitted from the whole MTV thing and it just it's ironic. It took him three weeks to finally tell me I had the gig because he was kind of stringing me along and I started feeling us because I didn't drink so I would borrow my mom's car. I didn't even have a car I was living at home. I borrowed her car to go to his house, which at that time, I lived in Sylmar and he was Canoga Park. It's kind of foreign as gas guzzler. But as I get to come on to the house, so we're going to, we're going to work on some stuff together. Okay, and after we work on stuff, okay, I drive me to the rainbow and you get shit faced drunk. And I have to drive them home and I'm just like, he's just using me for a taxi for three weeks and then finally, three weeks and I finally get the call from management saying I got the gig.
Chuck Shute:Wow, that's that's got to be exciting as a teen I mean, I I read I was reading about bands and metal edge and stuff and I was like 1617 I can't imagine like actually being in one of them. That would have been surreal.
Jeff Scott Soto:You know, it's, I was at the right place at the right time. Thankfully, I was you know, LA was the see that's where the scene was, everything was popping here. Unfortunately, I didn't find a band that really suited me. And I probably would have eventually because that was right at the crust of when everything was happening for quiet riot to read Motley Crue. They were all getting signed, et cetera. So I was trying to find that niche but unfortunately wasn't happening. So English was a godsend for me. It opened up the doors and started my career for me.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, and then you did this band. I guess it didn't nothing ever came of it. But I didn't know about this one either. That with Rudy sarzo and Tommy Aldridge and Mark St. John from Kiss and I guess it only lasted a few months.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, I left. I left eBay for that. And it sucks because when I left it for that and it didn't work out. I was a free agent again. I started a band and started from scratch again, but I eventually went back to England for a second tenure with them. And that was an 86. So the guy that replaced me Mark Bowles, he basically got sacked. And they asked me to come back and finish out the tour. And I was with him until the beginning of 87. Which was there was no no real okay, you're done. Or I'm leaving. It was none of that. It just kind of we just there was no communication. Next thing I know, they introduced Jolin Turner's the next singer.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that's crazy. And then and then you did that band with the misfits that I guess nothing really came about either.
Jeff Scott Soto:But I did. Yeah. That I wasn't never. I never expected to for that to be more than just a session that when they hired me in I didn't realize they were hoping that I was going to continue with them. And they put this thing, Christ the Conqueror together, and God bless him. I love Merlin Doyle. They just great guys, but it just wasn't my music. It wasn't my scene. musically. I had a completely different idea of where I wanted to go and but we did some stuff together. It was great. It was a lot of fun doing it and and like I said, I get to meet these two guys. Just really, really good guys.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, with someone like that. Does that do you get paid for something like that? Or because? Yeah, okay,
Jeff Scott Soto:so they paid me as a as a session player as a session singer for you. And because I didn't know what it was about a new, they told me after the fact when I was there, they would fill me in on what their plans and intentions were. But they also didn't tell me before I did it, they were hoping or planning on me staying along and I Christ a conqueror would have been my character I would have been Christ, the Conqueror and like, not into this whole concept thing and being characters and stuff and I just want to be Jeff and go up there and sing and move my ass.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, why? Why were they trying to do you know why they were trying to do Christian metal it just seems kind of like out of sorts for was it just something
Jeff Scott Soto:I'm sure it had a lot to do with the the the trauma that they had to deal with with Danzig. And it, I think they just they were born against from that they just wanted to kind of veer away from that whole thing. And then I think this eventually got back to where they where they are now. You know, the misfits eventually got back together. And, and Doyle is still doing this thing, solo thing. And, you know, like I said, I met some really good people out of the situation, unfortunately, musically, just wasn't for me in my wheelhouse at the time.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. And then I mean, you've done a lot of session where like the background vocals Is that is that kind of a lucrative gig to sing background vocals. It's like a big album, like with Lita, Ford, and Steelheart. And those things
Jeff Scott Soto:is great because it was a great way to make money and it was a great way to utilize my voice being behind the scenes because what the first one I met in that cat when it started really branching off was Tom Werman. And I didn't, I only went in because I knew the striper guys, they asked me to come in and help them kind of build stronger, bigger harmonies in their past free the past albums they've done. But from that I met Tom Werman. And then he was bringing me for everything that he was doing from that point on until his retirement I was singing all the all the records he was producing. I was doing all the backing vocals for Babylon a D Steelheart. Lita Ford, pariah there was a bunch of stuff and then he went into retirement, got pulled in got roped in for the rock star thing. And when they were asked him, okay, give us some names of people to sing for the lead character, he dropped my name, Lou. So it was one of those things. Thank God, I had his blessing. But I also had Zach and Jeff pilson and Jason bottoms blessing and this on the other end, because they're in the movie as the band and that they were the musicians that were on this those recordings as well. So they backed me and that's how I was able to get the rock star thing as well. So it's who you know, really, and as long as you have good relationships with everybody, you can work you can constantly work in this business.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that is a huge part of your success, I'm sure and like I had like resources, and he was telling me the same thing. Like he's like, look, I can play the bass but a lot of people can play the bass like you got to be like a cool guy to hang with you got to be reliable. And all the things you must have that to keep getting work so much with so many different people.
Jeff Scott Soto:There's a saying I got from Eric Singer and I live by it every day and I pass it on to a lot of people know the gig. Keep the gig it's as simple as that. Know your place know what deliver be on time. Don't Don't be an asshole. All of the above know, the gig and you get to keep the gig.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that's interesting, though, for as a singer, because typically as singers are the frontman, but sometimes you're hired kind of like it's almost like a hired gun singer, which is a little bit more unusual.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah. Yeah, let me be like Germany, for instance. So the Hired Gun initially when I when I got the gig, it turned into a permanent gig and then it turned into them letting me go, but in the beginning, it was exactly that I had to I had to make sure I didn't overstep my boundaries in terms of what I normally do what I what is expected of me and when I that people come to my shows, that didn't work for Germany, they they didn't want David they brought they didn't want Paul Stanley fronting journey. They wanted somebody who's a little more somber, so I had to kind of hone it back, rein it back a little bit. And I found my legs with that band and and exactly what to do and what not to do. But you know, For all intents and purposes, if you know the situation you know how to actually treat it you know how to respect it and actually stay with it.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, one in you guys have a nail back the nail in the coffin. I mean, it's all it's all water on the bridge now Yeah, me on everything. Yeah.
Jeff Scott Soto:And we call with each other we we have a contact here and there you know it's not like we're hanging out and having coffee and you know, we're not besties again but I'm glad that with this at least the narrative now there's there's no negativity between us and we can actually reach out to one another and you know we broken bread already so
Chuck Shute:so it's okay that you still have
Jeff Scott Soto:I was just gonna say the next one I'm trying to trying to get that that whole thing just ironed out is ng Bay. You know, I don't want to leave this planet with any enemies i This life is too short and I've I've been around the world I've been around the sun too many times to say you know, screw you screw you I'm this I'm that I want. I just want peace and harmony. And I want the people that I've worked with the people that I love the people that I'm close to, I just want to make sure that they know that I feel that about them. So that's that's, I don't want anything else from them.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that's that's what it seems like your reputation, you know, speaks of that. Because all these people that you keep consistently working with like Deen Castronovo, even though you were in the band before Germany, then you're in Germany, and then he's singing on your duets album and kept a relationship with him.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, and I do the same with I mean, I have a connection even with our nail. I've never met the guy. But obviously because of our connection, we're family in some strange way. So I want to make sure that there's there's no bad blood with anybody between any of the people that I've worked with any the people that I work with the people I work with, it's just, we're all connected. You know, it's, it's much easier to get along than it is to break apart.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. Do you think sometimes finding the piece is just kind of letting it go and saying, well, this person doesn't like me or whatever, they got beef with me, but I'll be for them.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yes and no. I mean, I'm kind of persisted with the holding me thing. And I continue to extend the olive branch, even though there have been a few instances where that olive branch gets broken or cracked, but I see I just continue extending it because I know someday we're gonna end up you know, it's gonna be brotherly love hugs and, and we could just water under the bridge as well.
Chuck Shute:Wow, that's a positive thing. Yeah. So
Jeff Scott Soto:yeah, had it. Go ahead. Yeah, I was gonna
Chuck Shute:say sometimes it feels like I just, I don't like to give up on people. But sometimes just like, alright, this person, just whatever reason, they don't like me, I, you know, I'm here, I'm opening up my bike, I got the same phone number and stuff. But I gotta just sometimes let it go. It feels like,
Jeff Scott Soto:I mean, I'm not chasing it. I'm not gonna go. Even to the point of bothering somebody, like, Oh, my God, leave me alone already. I just there's little little hints and little things that I put out there to make sure that he knows I want peace. I just want peace with him. And like I said, I don't want anything else from him. I don't, I'm not looking for another chance to sing for him. I'm not looking for anything. I just, he's an important factor in my life. He's the reason why I started I got my career started and where it started. So I want to make sure that he understands that I appreciate that.
Chuck Shute:Oh, that sounds like a totally positive. I mean, it sounds like you're just really grateful.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, and I got the this heavy metal awards thing that that happened a few years ago, they started a few years ago, I think I was inducted in the second one. And that was part of my induction speech. And you know, I said, I started as his Puerto Rican kid and, and a Swedish ex slinger, discovered me and gave me his shot and everything that I'm representing standing on this stage I owe to him because it started with him.
Chuck Shute:So why is he like, it seems like he's like mad at you or something.
Jeff Scott Soto:You know what it's, I'm sure it's a communication cross. I'm, like I said, once that olive branch is taken, a lot of this stuff can be taught and spoken, we can just finally get it all out in the table and, and find ways and reasons to be friends from this point onwards. So I'm not giving up on it. Like I said, I'm not chasing it, but I'm not giving up on it either.
Chuck Shute:One, it sounds like you don't even necessarily need to be friends. You just want to have peace that he used to be cool with each other. Like when you go to the show the concert and you're trying to see the opening band, you don't like sneak out that whole thing is just seems kind of I see your point, you know, you didn't want it you know, but it's like, you should be able to just go there and say hi and say hello, or whatever it should be.
Jeff Scott Soto:And you know what? Next year is the 40th anniversary. The next year is the 40th anniversary for me as a professional singer, and that started within bass So 40 years deep. I would love to shake his hand I'd love to even if I sing if he wants me to sing a song with him if he wants me to even just have a coffee with him just to say, Dude, we did this 40 years ago together. How cool is that? And that's it, you know? I'm not gonna get I'm not getting younger and we're not you know, we're not our days are numbered on their years and numbered on this planet. So I want to go out with peace with everybody. Yeah,
Chuck Shute:so you don't you don't necessarily want to have a union or whatever. But are there fans that want that? I mean, are
Jeff Scott Soto:you kidding me? If, if that if that if that was ever something that was on the table? I mean, of course I would do it, of course, I'd be silly not to do it, we, I'd be celebrating something that's that important to, to should be to both of us. But it's very important to me. And of course, I would do it, I would do it for the fans, because they still remember that to this day. That's I almost every day I hear you're my favorite singer during the you know, for the FBI records for you are my favorite singer that he's ever had on all that stuff. So it's still there. The interest is there. And of course, I would follow up with it. Absolutely.
Chuck Shute:And you play those songs live still, I'm assuming? Well, I
Jeff Scott Soto:have I dabbled into like, we do what I called an envy medley. Because I didn't want to do an entire version of I'm a Viking or entire version of I'll see the light tonight. It's it's it's a little more self intelligent to do that. Like, look at what my guitar player can do. And look, I can still do those high notes. It was more like let's let's pay tribute to those songs. And I would do like a three song montage of the English stuff that I did back in the day.
Chuck Shute:That's cool. Yeah, yeah. Why are those records? Am I crazy? Are they not on Spotify?
Jeff Scott Soto:They're not on Spotify. I don't know why. Hmm. I didn't know if it was. I really don't know. I don't know what the tie up is in terms of who owns the licensing and the and the reissues side of things. I have no idea.
Chuck Shute:Wow, that's interesting. Yeah. Because that might be why well, I guess you said you don't get as much from those anyways, those I don't
Jeff Scott Soto:get anything from them. My royalty rate or return on there's like a fraction of an eighth of a penny or it's something it's probably the same as Spotify. Royalty. It's really bad. Yeah, I, I signed it. It's my fault. I could have taken it to a lawyer I decided I know what I'm reading. I know what this is. And I just signed it. I didn't realize what I was signing away. It's not anybody's fault. It was the people that representative at the time and you know, they were they were doing the same thing to him. So it's
Chuck Shute:Oh, sure. It seems like it's very common. And then also I hear all these stories about like bands playing clubs and then like you gotta get the money and the club owners like yeah, I don't have the money.
Jeff Scott Soto:Many a time. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Are they not happy with how many people you bring in they say, well, we're not going to pay you because when you we expect it to be full? Oh, yeah. Wait till you see your dressing room when you come back.
Chuck Shute:Is that what you do? You trust the dressing.
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, then I learned the best way to to escape a fight especially if you know this person can kick your ass is to just show that you're crazy, just the crazier so when they told me this information when they were bending and budging, I pounded my fist on the on the dressing room door and all my beats can smattering everywhere. And I was going crazy. And they're like, This guy's a lunatic. And next thing you know, they had the guy on the phone. You better get the money right away. You scare them with crazy. You don't scare them with words. You scare them with crazy.
Chuck Shute:That's good advice. Yeah, sometimes.
Jeff Scott Soto:It can work most of the time unless they got a gun. That's why.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, there's probably stories like that, too. It's, it seems like it's harder for people to do that kind of shit now because now all you do is just tweet to your 40,000 followers or whatever. And then nothing thing can go viral or whatever. And then this person's like been publicly shamed. Yeah. That's that's the good thing about social media.
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, that's there's good and bad. I mean, everybody hides behind those things. And it's the big energy and Little Man Syndrome all in one. Social media. I mean, like, social media. Yeah. I mean, everybody's everybody's got a big mouth when they just they can type in their responses.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that is so weird. Like, it's weird that I'm sure you must get trolls because even I get some trolls, which is like really weird. I'm like, why are you taking the time to comment on this? It seems very strange.
Jeff Scott Soto:I used to bother me used to actually really get under my skin. Now I really just I walk away from it's like, you gotta be kidding, I don't have time for this shit.
Chuck Shute:Like they, what do they say? Well, they
Jeff Scott Soto:they want to they want to spark me they'll say something knowing that I'm going to reply or defend myself or defend somebody else. And I just say whatever. And I usually just say one thing and I let my people who know how to defend me get in the vault and they usually just shred them and they eventually go away. I refer to it that way. I have a lot of really strong of defending fans that will really just go to bat for me. So it's it's great to have I don't expect them to do it but it's nice to know that they got my back and I appreciate them and you know, this is what I do this for I do this for the people. I do this for me one number one but I make music so people can enjoy it and people can have a good time with it. And if if that's happening, then my job is complete.
Chuck Shute:And you still feel No, like it's working. You're still entertaining tons of people that absolutely,
Jeff Scott Soto:yeah. And there's no there's not one iota in me that said that I don't want to do new music anymore. Nobody cares about the music. I want to do music I want to do for me, I don't care if it doesn't sell, I don't care if it doesn't make money. I carry that it's given me a creative outlet. This is this is my therapy, the whole lockdown and everything music is my therapy. It gets me through life, it gets me it makes me tick without it I just to do shit that I've already done and rest on my laurels. It's it's that's boring. It's I'm not interested in that.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, and you must get some good feedback to like that must that must be nice to get those compliments.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, and once in a while you get something that that resonates in a bigger way than some of the other stuff and you kind of like get to touch gold a little bit. So I'm cool with either way. All I care about is the having the outlet to be creative and to continue doing what I'm doing. Because there's I don't have an ounce of me that wants to stop.
Chuck Shute:Do you have a you must have those stories to like, were people like, hey, this song really like helped me through a tough time or like it really meant a lot to me or those kinds of things.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, I mean, everybody's got that. It's, that's the thing about music. And it sounds cliche. It sounds like your general answer, oh, this got me through that. And all that. And you hear it all the time. Somebody will say this song, I got married to this song. I played at my daughter's funeral, you get all these different walks of life, based on the songs that you put out there. And that's to me the bigger reward than finance or buying a new car or any that when it resonates with somebody that close that and you make that connection with somebody. To me, that's the biggest reward of why I do this.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, no, exactly. That's why you should keep doing it then especially if it's still happening. That's really cool. Kind of so many things that you've done. Oh, I want to ask you about this one. I don't really know a lot about it. But you did something with Vinnie Vincent. You guys recorded some demos or something? Oh, yeah. What was it like working with him?
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, it was it was great. It was easy because Vinnie, he's a he also came from a very r&b soul pop bass before kiss especially, or before Vinnie Vincent invasion. And he always wrote for other people. He wrote songs for Celine Dion, he wrote for Michael Bolton. He was a songwriter, as well as a songwriter for other people as well as the songs that he was doing for himself. So during the second Vinnie Vincent invasion album, I was working with marks I mean, sorry, I was working with Dana strum on an album he was producing and he was doing both albums at the same time. We would go in and do the Cooney album during the day and then he would do Vinnie at night. So every day it was ping ponging back and forth in the same studio. And it was from that he told Vinnie about me, he goes, Do I think you, you might want to use Jeff for some stuff because he's not just a metal guy. He's very soulful. And Vinnie had some stuff he was writing songs for a publishing company, submitting songs and he needed a voice to complete these things. So I went to his house, they sang four or five songs and nothing to do with rock. They were so sultry and, and I was Clooney balladeer kind of stuff, and nothing to do with rocket at all. And that's why people say, Oh, what about this new Vinnie thing that you guys didn't know, was never intended to be any more than me singing on his demos, so he can submit them to his publishing company, they can place them for wherever he wants to sing them. And that's all that ever was, was his four or five songs and he paid me a little dough to just demo them in his house, so you can submit them to the publishing company.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that's interested in it. You know, if no songs got sold, did they ever I
Jeff Scott Soto:don't know. I know he eventually I think he did a or he tried to do another album after the whole slaughter thing. And the he found another thing. I think he covered one or two of those songs in more of a rock way. But I don't think they really saw the light of day.
Chuck Shute:He's an interesting guy. I'd love to get him on the podcast that because he kind of disappeared for a while. I think he kind of came back and then he just can't Yeah,
Jeff Scott Soto:yeah, he's he's he's definitely got his he's, he's battling his own demons of what he's trying to do and who he's supposed to be and who he's who he actually is. So, yeah, God bless him. He everybody deserves a shot. So whatever he's doing, God bless him. That's all I can say.
Chuck Shute:Absolutely. Well, you mentioned Dana strum. I was gonna ask about this too. Did you? Did you sing backup vocals on slaughters album wildlife? You did? Okay. Um, so
Jeff Scott Soto:I think one or two songs on that album. Yeah, I think me and Randy Jackson from Zebra the singing background. I'm on the same song. I forgot what it was. But I think back I did backing tracks on well actually marked it some backing tracks on the album we were doing with Dana producing. And Dana took one of those tracks and reversed it and it was the intro for a Vinnie Vincent invasion song. So I can say it I can say I'm actually on that Vinnie Vincent invasion because they took something that was meant for the Cooney album. He reversed it and made some cool back backing back masking track thing Which song was that? I think it was Ashes to ashes. I'm not sure. I think so. It was definitely from the all systems go album.
Chuck Shute:Can you That's amazing. You can can you remember all the stuff? I mean, it's like you've done so much stuff. Do you ever get confused? Like I guess I did play on that or it's starting
Jeff Scott Soto:to go so boys point in case the last month is a rock cruise. I was was a late night hang we I was about to go to bed me my bass player. Let's just go get a bite. We went to the buffet and we're just sitting there and they they're always playing nonstop music from all the artists that are on the boat. And back when I first did my first cruise, they said, give us as much content which is dumping in. It's like a big Spotify playlist and just going to be playing. So your songs just pop up randomly. So we're just sitting there having a bite. And Tony looks at me goes isn't that you? I'm like I'm listening to Yeah, it's me. But What song is this? I'm listening. Oh, I have no idea. And somebody overheard us. The person said, that's from the first photo album. no recollection of the song. Wow. We're finished eating and I'm laughing to myself. Like I can't believe I didn't recognize my own song that I submitted for these people to play on the boat. So we're walking out I run into the guys in striper. And the latest the new guy I called the new guy Perry firehouse. Yeah, Jeff, I heard this song. I'm like, man, who is that? I put Shazam up and it's you. That's all was bad as he was giving me all the compliments like, cool, but I told him I didn't even know it was me. Wow. I've done so much stuff that sometimes times I forget I've done things. Yeah.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, those cruisers sound like so much fun. I got to do that when it's on my bucket list. Are you playing next year?
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, I'm going I think I've only missed one since 2016. The year that that sons of Apollo played because we were until I couldn't do it and I was dark on 2018 And I think they went out in 20 and that was another one sons of Apollo were already busy so I missed that one. So there's two of them I missed since 2016. But yeah, we on the next one is well,
Chuck Shute:is it what and it's under Soto would it be elephant Soto or we go
Jeff Scott Soto:i We go into Soto because that's how we they initially booked us. But soda was more contemporary metal like its power metal kind of It's really heavy. It's not really formatted for the boat. And I learned that the hard way the first time we played on there. I think people were expecting the JSs catalog stuff. When I do the JSs tours. I tap into all the different things throughout my career. And when they wanted to book us again, I thought I think we should mix it up more JSs stuff or throw in some talisman thrown something they thrown a bunch of different things because those people are more my age. They remember the stuff I did in the past they remember even going as far back as sing they they're not going to be interested in brand new music I just released six months ago, that's not even on their Spotify or their wheelhouse and I'm just gonna sit there and bore them to tears playing stuff that that's not really they're not really interested in so it's gone over really well that they book us a soda but I just tap into the Jaysus catalog hard like big time. Rockstar, talisman inveigh soul circus, you know what some solo stuff, we tap into a lot of stuff that and there's a lot to tap into.
Chuck Shute:Oh, yeah, that sounds fun. Yeah, it's interesting, because like, I think I had milyon I talked to him about that, like performing those Rockstar songs live you know, it's like, you don't get to hear those very often. So that's cool. You do like all three you did? You played three I think in the movie. So
Jeff Scott Soto:yeah. Wasted generation stand up and live in the life. Yeah,
Chuck Shute:yeah. Those are all great songs. Do you do any other like movie or TV commercial? Why have
Jeff Scott Soto:I sang on the soundtrack for Biker Mice from Mars? I don't know if you know that cartoon. It was kind of the the bastard answer to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Okay. And that was a lot of fun. This is the first time my kid was like six or seven or something. The first time I was a hero to my son as a singer. Oh, that's super cool. Yeah, I've done tons of commercials. I've done a bunch of movie things. On assuming things I did stuff. Something for Danny Elfman ones, Marc Shaiman. I sang backgrounds on the George of the jungle movie soundtrack. You know, George George George of the jungle. That's me on there. So
Chuck Shute:Oh, wow. That's really Danny Elfman did you actually get to like meet him? He's, uh,
Jeff Scott Soto:yeah, I did. I did something for him for the long time ago. Jesus Bubble Boy, I think was able to take it was Oh, yeah.
Chuck Shute:Long time ago. Wow. That's fun, cool. God so much cool stuff. And now the new album is called slam. It's just the band is slam and the album is slam.
Jeff Scott Soto:And it's this analogy take back on something that never came out and it just came out. So 30 years, 30 years later finally came out.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, it's fun stuff. It's like yeah, it's like any new music that came out for that I'd never heard I never heard that. Right, right, right legs or whatever. So yeah, it was great. Great stuff. Cool. Why always ended up promoting a charity? Is there a charity that you've worked with before?
Jeff Scott Soto:Well, there's a charity that I, I wish I'd gotten the name. My dear friend Brent Woods, who plays in she plays Sebastian Bach. He's also part of this, this group called Chevy metal that Taylor Hawkins was the drummer. And they're doing a big benefit show next week, here at the canyon club in Agoura Hills. And unfortunately, I'm not going to be here for it, but he's got an animal rescue thing that he started, okay, really, I asked him for the link. And he told me, he's gonna send me a QR code, but I don't even have the name of it. And I wish I could push it. But I figured
Chuck Shute:out I'll put it in the show notes. So people donate to that, and I'll put your website
Jeff Scott Soto:Absolutely. As we both we communicate all the time that we love animals more than we love people. So I really champion any, any charities that are trying to help and save animals and foster them and all that stuff. I've I've helped do that. Even through my sites. It was a dog that was hours away from euthanization. And I put it out on my website and on my socials and the dog got picked up and saved. So those kinds of things. I'm always actively trying to get behind.
Chuck Shute:Oh, that's great. Yeah, I love that stuff, too. Yeah, I was actually just thinking today, I was like, God, you kind of cool open up like an animal sanctuary, like, and I'm like, I don't know if you could do it in Phoenix because it's so hot here. But Right, right.
Jeff Scott Soto:Yeah, I dream of doing something like that.
Chuck Shute:Right. I mean, I feel like that'd be even more fun than doing podcasts. salutely Thanks so much for doing this. I appreciate it and be in touch. Thanks so much. All right. Take care, man. Alright, see ya. Bye. Once again, the latest album is called slam and the album is also called slam. And it might be a little tough to find because there's so many slams on Spotify. So if you type in lonely shade of blue as a song, the band and the album should come up. Jeff is a very busy man. So make sure to follow him on social media to keep up with all his projects. You can follow myself and the show on there as well. And please make sure to subscribe wherever you watch or listen and if you have the time. Please give us a rating and review because that helps people find the show. And it helps our guests so that people can find out what they're up to. So I appreciate all your support for the show and our guests. Have a great rest of your day and shoot for the moon.
