H R H - I N T E R V I E W S

Tony Mills (TNT)
Interview October 2006

 

Hardrock Haven: First off, thanks for taking the time to talk with Hardrock Haven - we all appreciate it. Now, to start with, I know you just got back from Norway, playing and writing music for the first time with your new band, TNT. How did those sessions go? What does the new music sound like?

Tony Mills: Bit of a culture shock, after playing with British bands for years, but that was to be expected!
The attitude is completely different in Norway with regard to being a vocalist in a rock band. There is an undeniable enthusiasm that is shared not only by the band, but by the media and fans alike.

Live TV seems to be a regular thing and interviews are publicized the following day in national papers with a reassuring efficiency. The concerts regularly pull enormous audiences and I've seen 20,000 turn up in Oslo. Even gigs that we've played in small towns in the mountains are an eye opener, with the whole town celebrating before they even attend the show! So the live situation is very healthy in Scandinavia. Writing with Ronni Le Tekro is a also a very different experience from what I'm used to. In previous years, I have been tied to writing to finished pieces of music, whereas Ronni prefers to work together from the inception of an idea to its climax. In my opinion, the ideas that have been laid down so far have the feel of traditional TNT, with the colour and possibility of Queen and The Beatles appearing here and there.

Hardrock Haven: How and when did you first get approached to join TNT? Have you been friends with the band for a while, or was this an initial contact by them?

Mills: I had never met the band before May this year. It was a contact through a record company in the U.K. Having conversations with TNT's management company. As little was going on for SHY and hadn't been for a long time, TNT suggested coming to see SHY play in Berlin at the end of May. Sure enough, we all hooked up in the hotel before the show and we all got on great. After the show, I flew to Oslo to live with Ronni for a few weeks, do some rehearsing and play some shows.

All of this went without a hitch and the band became a family real quick.

Hardrock Haven: What were your first thoughts when asked to join TNT?

Mills: It some weeks from the initial phone calls and endless e-mails to get to Berlin, and even after that, a lot of rehearsing and some live shows before everyone actually sat down in dressing rooms after shows, look at each other and agreed that what we had was really hot. So it wasn't overnight. But we suit each other and I was very satisfied with the appointment.

Hardrock Haven: TNT's former singer, Tony Harnell, is flat out an impressive talent. Of course, anyone who's heard your voice would say the same thing. Did you have any qualms about joining a band with such a dedicated following, and also, did you have any hesitation about tackling TNT's music vocally?

Mills: I think the fan base have been suitably apprehensive over anyone taking Tony's place, as you rightly say, he is an awesome talent. I don't think I really have taken away much from Tony's performance in recent years, I just approach it differently. I feel that the live show takes precedent over accurate CD performances of the songs and it works for me. I wouldn't attempt to sing studio versions of songs on stage every night, quite the contrary, the feel of the live show can steer a performance from any musician and make you sing and play different things every night. Each concert is special and can have it's own characteristics with different audiences. I usually let the experience carry me. I'm pretty confident with TNT vocally, in fact I feel more confident, with every show we do.

Hardrock Haven: Harnell had a large role in writing TNT's songs. Will you be taking on the same kind of role with the new songs, especially with vocal melodies and lyrics?

Mills: I'm sure that's the plan. There are some songs that Ronni has had saved for this project for a while, which he already has melodies for, which is great. We can record and finalize those tracks relatively quickly, but moving on, I'll be choosing the melodies and writing the lyrics accordingly.

Hardrock Haven: You've been a success in the industry for a long time - in different bands and as a solo artist - and many fans first heard your voice when you were in Shy, especially with your hit "Break Down the Walls." Looking back on those days, did you expect to be doing the same thing - playing music in a band - 20 years down the road?

Mills: I don't think I really ever had any choice. Music came into me when I was 14 years old and I've never been able to shake it off since. Whether it's been recording, playing live, working as a session musician, or generally talking about it like we are now, it's been a daily diet one way or another ever since. I couldn't possibly ever consider doing anything else. There isn't anything else.

Hardrock Haven: How would you compare yourself as a singer today to the guy who laid down the vocals to "Break Down the Walls?"

Mills: Not dissimilar. My range hasn't really changed that much, apart from the fact that it has developed a nice low register to it as well. My outlook and expectations have matured obviously and my consistency as a live performer has developed to a great extent. I'm in a better position these days to put on a good show and these days I have a band with stronger songs to facilitate that.

Hardrock Haven: Getting back to TNT, you've had a chance to play a few lives shows already. How was the crowd reaction, and what kind of feedback has the band received with you on board?

Mills: Well the audiences have all been venue filling capacity and the responses have been exciting to say the least. I've been waiting for some bad reviews or cynical attitudes in the press anywhere at all and it just hasn't happened. The overall attitude is that TNT has proved they can move on and maintain their reputation as Norway's strongest rock act.

Hardrock Haven: As the "new guy," do you feel like you have something to prove?

Mills: Well, certainly not on the live front, I think we've done that over the last four months. The record will be the next stop. But then I have a studio at home and I always feel at home in any studio. Ronni's studio in Oslo is stunning and some of the work will be recorded there. I've pretty much been living at that studio for many months and it's a very relaxed atmosphere, so recording a new album there will be a stress free experience. I think we'll make a great record over the next few months.

Hardrock Haven: Obviously the band just had its first studio session, but when will TNT be ready to release a new CD?

Mills: As the writing and pre-production are only just beginning, and the plan is to record in Norway and Spain and possibly to mix in Denmark, I think it would be realistic to expect the new album to emerge in Spring next year.

Hardrock Haven: Is there anything I left out that you'd like to leave with our Hardrock Haven faithful?

Mills: I never really looked back when I left SHY for TNT. I had everything to do and we're pretty much there. I never expected the amount of fans waiting for me not only in Norway, but in many other countries as well. This has been a fresh challenge for me and I've enjoyed rising to it. I'd just like to say thanks to all the people in Scandinavia for their welcome and support since May and say that I think TNT are a great band and they still have a long and promising future.

www.tnttheband.com