Hi Robert , to kick things off , would care to introduce your self and the other members of Alliance to the readers of HardRockHouse.com?

RB - Of course Dougie. It is good to be speaking with you. This is Robert Berry and you may know me from my work with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer in the band 3. I think you know the rest of the guys from the bands they play with. Gary Pihl is on guitar and he plays for the band Boston. Alan Fitzgerald is on keys and he is from the band Night Ranger and over the last 10 or so years has played keys for many touring bands like Van Halen and Bruce Springsteenn. On drums is David Lauser and he has been with Sammy Hagar since the early days. In fact we have all been in Sammy's band at one time or another. That is what originally brought us together. Oh yeah. I play bass and I am the vocalist.

Who are and were your personal heroes and influences?

RB - I have many but to name of few I would say the Beatles for production, Jeff Beck for guitar, Lou Graham for vocals and John Bontom for drums. But I am still being influenced by bands like Tool and Fall Out Boy.

Robert Berry

Could give us a potted career history before Alliance? I’ve heard your name mentioned in connection with the bands Hush,3 etc

RB - My first professional band was Hush. It was all my college age mates and myself doing what we loved to do best. Progressive Rock. By the way the guitar player in Hush, Paul Keller was the touring guitar player with 3. We were together for a long time and had an album out that almost got into the top 100 in the US. In the 80's I started the Robert Berry Band and this was the music that led me to Carl Palmer and then Steve Howe who I played with in GTR. I stayed with GTR for about a year but left feeling it wasn't a good fit for me. That is when I had a meeting with Keith Emerson and 3 was formed. That was my big break and put me on the map playing with some of the greatest musicians of all time. After 3 disbanded we formed Alliance and have been working together ever since.

One of my particular favourite albums is Pilgrimage To A Point,  is the album still available and do you have a similar albums in discography ?

RB - Pilgrimage is still available through my web site at www.Robertberry.com. That album is full of songs that I wrote with Steve Howe and Keith and Carl for second albums that were never released. They are also supposed to show my vision for the way those bands should progress. I am very proud of that album and it has treated me very well. I do have an album coming out at the end of the year that is on the same track as Pilgrimage. But right now Alliance is at the top of my list. And it is receiving great reviews so I think we have really got it right this time.

How did Alliance form ?

RB - Sammy Hagar went to Van Halen in 1986 and the infamous John Kalodner suggested to the remaining band that they check me out as their new singer. John Kalodner has done so much for my career.

What does each member of the band bring to the table in terms of style and sounds ?

RB - We are all so different but the secret is that we do exactly what we all want to do and it just fits like a glove. Gary plays these great Keith Richards like guitar licks that give each song a real musical hook. David is a master at finding the perfect power groove and extends his playing way past what he can do with Sammy. And Fitz, well you have to check out the new album to hear exactly how fantastic Fitz is. To play keys in a guitar band is a tricky thing. You have to fit in the right space and if you want to put keys as big as Fitz has put on Road To Heaven you have to be a master at it. What I bring is the more open arrangement ideas from my progressive background and my lyrics. I really feel that I have written my best lyrics with Alliance.

So how would describe the band’s sound ?

RB - The perfect blend of four unique and individual musicians. A fusion of guitar and keyboards within a powerful rhythm section.

How is the typical Alliance song written ?

RB - Gary and I write most of the songs by sending MP3's back and forth. We fine tune the chords and lyrics but the song only comes together when the band comes into my studio Soundtek and plays together in the room. At that point we call Fitz the axe man. He cuts out the fluff and adds his touch. David always comes up with a fantastic beat and sometimes the whole feel of what Gary and I have written changes at that point. After we have the song tracked and everybody goes home, I do the vocals and decide if anything more is needed. If it is I send a digital file to the guys and they update what is needed. But we are always together to invent each songs energy and style.

Alliance

Which three songs would you play to somebody who has never heard of Alliance ?

?Album 1 - True Meaning of Love, The Best of Me
Album 2 - I'd Give Anything, It's A Long Way To Go
Album 3 - Road To Heaven, I Can Breathe

Sorry I know that is two from each album. One on each I consider a hit and one on each that has more depth.

Alliance's debut album was released in two different versions (European and Japanese), which version is on the reissued Destination Known release which came out last year?

RB - Both versions were combined on the Destinations album. So you heard a lot of the European mixes and added in were the Japanese songs that weren't on the Euro version. The Japanese cuts also featured less keyboards and more guitar. A little more basic mix.

I guess the obvious question to ask with regards to the new album is why has it taken 9 years to record?

RB - There were a few reasons. The first and most unsurmountable to me was that my dad passed away. I had a very difficult time with that. It took me years to want to write a song of my own or do anything that used to bring me joy. The next was that Classic Rock had a big resurgence in the US. Sammy, Boston, Van Halen, Ambrosia. They were all in demand so we were all touring quite a bit. And of course I produce a lot of music at my studio so that keeps me busy. A few years ago though after I left Ambrosia I decided that Alliance was the band I had always wanted to have and we needed to get this album done. The guys are always ready to work together. We all feel that Alliance is the best work of our careers. But our careers sometimes get in the way of finding enough time when all of us are available at the same time.

One thing I have always wondered is whether Alliance have ever played live or, if not,  are there an plans to play live in the future ?

RB - Only in the studio. But our plan and Escape's plan is to get us over to Europe and do some shows. We are very excited about the possibility. Hopefully by the end of the year, say September, October, the record company will have something for us.

As you mentioned you were a  member of Ambrosia, a band if I'm honest I've never really heard of them, what was your role in the band and could you give us some background ?

RB - I was the singer and acoustic guitar player. Ambrosia started in the 70's as a progressive band. And later in the 80's they became a smooth rock, top hits band. So I wanted to join them and try to rejuvenate their career. It almost worked but I couldn't get them to put out a new album. And I believe that without a CD we couldn't do anything.

Which musical genre gives you the most satisfaction progressive rock or melodic rock ?

RB - It's funny but all music is the same to me. What I care about is that it's done right. I even play a lot of country music at the studio. Most people have a hard time believing that. LOL But I will say that what matters to me the most is being able to sing a good melody and a good lyric. I want to get the feelings across with my voice.

You've obviously been really busy over the last few years so what’s planned next for the Robert Berry?

RB - I am doing my best to get Road to Heaven the fan base it deserves. I really appreciate your help. And of course to get over there and tour.

And finally, the standard HardRockHouse question. Is there anything further you would like to mention that we haven't covered so far?


RB - I am going to put up an unfinished Alliance song on Utube soon. And I want to put the word out that I want musicians to put their parts on it. It's kind of a global collaboration to finish the song and play together. They will play any instrument or vocal and then do a little video of a part of it. That way when I put the playing in to the final mix I can edit their video in there too and post the finished product on Utube. It should happen in May or June. And please let me know if there is anything you need from me or the members of the band to get the word out on Alliance - Road To Heaven.

Thanks for your work Dougie. I really do appreciate it. Barrie and Khalil at Escape Music always do such a good job for us but it is the press that can really make this happen.

Cheers,
Robert Berry

Alliance's new album, The Road To Heaven, is out now via Escape Music and you can check out the HRH review via this link. To find out more about the band and Robert then you an visit his official website @ www.robertberry.com

Dougie