CINDERELLA

CINDERELLA Guitarist Jeff LaBar: "I Don't Think The Four Of Us Have Ever Been That Tight"



Press Of Atlantic City ( www.pressofatlanticcity.com ) has issued the following report from Scott Cronick:

When it comes to ‘80s metal bands, few are as respected as much as CINDERELLA. Mixing blues and rock with an edgy swagger, the boys from Philadelphia are celebrating 20 years since the release of their successful debut Night Songs with a co-headlining tour with fellow ‘80s icons POISON.

The band, which comes to the Wildwood Convention Center Sunday, August 6th, is one of the few bands that can boast having all four original members, including lead singer Tom Keifer, bassist Eric Brittingham, guitarist Jeff LaBar and drummer Fred Coury.

Cinderella promises to offer all of the fan favorites, including 'Shake Me', 'Don't Know What You Got (Til It's Gone)', 'Nobody's Fool' and 'Gypsy Road'.

LaBar took the time to talk to At The Shore about the Cinderella anniversary.

Q: It's 20 years. Did you ever think it would last this long?

A: "No. Actually, I'm a little surprised. But when we set off with Cinderella, it was our goal not to be a flash in the pan but to be a long-lasting member of the rock community like the Stones and Aerosmith. I'm not claiming to be there, but it is awesome to be around this long and still have as many fans as we do that really enjoy seeing us and hearing us."

Q: Fans of Cinderella always say the band was wrongly labeled as a “hair metal” band, yet you still go on the road and tour with bands that are or were clearly hair metal. Is it just too late to try to avoid it?

A: "I don't know we're trying to avoid anything. We are who we are. If people think we stand out as being better than so-called “hair metal” bands, that's awesome. I appreciate that. But we were popular during that time and dressed the part, too. We were doing what it took to be popular at that time. And we enjoy touring with other bands that were popular at that time. With Poison, it's very cool, because we're two of the only bands that have all of our original members. And we all go way back. We did our first tour together opening for a Japanese band called LOUDNESS. So as far as being bunched in that whole ‘80s thing, that's who we are, and we're OK with that. At the time, it was cool and awesome. It's a derogatory term after the fact."

Q: Will Cinderella ever put out new material?

A: "Who knows? We have a ton of material that we never played live and never released. And we're not about to go on a tour like this and start playing that stuff because while it would be cool for a die-hard fan to hear that, the average fans wants to hear our hits and see us rock as hard as we can. As far as something new, only time will tell. I would love to do another record with the band. But we would have to get with record companies and see who would be interested. I've been working with the band NAKED BEGGARS with Eric and his wife - we have two records. Tom has been working on a solo record. I played on some demos for that record a long time ago, so I'm not sure what's left from those sessions. But I am looking forward to him releasing that. And Fred does a lot of stuff from dance remixes to video games to cartoons. He's even acting. We all keep busy."

Q: Twenty years implies the four of you are pretty tight.

A: "To be honest, I don't think the four of us have ever been that tight. Off the road, we talk to each other when we have to or we want someone to check something out. But we're all pretty much about our families. We have always never been so close that we get on each others'nerves, but close enough to stay together. Eric and I were never that close until Naked Beggars."

Q: What's the biggest difference between touring now and touring in 1986?

A: "The party. When I was 25, every night was an insane party. I will tell you straight up: drugs, women and music. That's right, sex, drugs and rock ‘n'roll. But there's not so much of that anymore. We're all about putting on a really good show. For me, it's about my wife and kid. I would hate to disappoint people, but during the day I take care of the bus, make sure we have enough ice for the ride and stuff like that. We party after the show with out fans. How far we take it is the biggest difference. There's no drugs, sex and alcohol anymore, but the rock is still there."