Jimi Jamison
Interview December 2008

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

Hardrock Haven: Jimi, Thank you so much for taking time out to discuss your new outstanding album, Crossroads Moment on Hardrock Haven. Well, you have read my review, so let's discuss your thoughts about the album. First of all, what is so inspiring about the new CD is that it takes you back to one of the greatest genres of music, the '80s. Tell us what inspired you to write Crossroads Moment?

JAMISON: I think it's the depth of the CD that's so interesting to me. The lyrics lead you from a feel good / lighter style to some deeper situations that we all need to think about and act upon in whatever way we can. I think it gives the listener a lot of food for thought.

HRH: What does the title Crossroads Moment denote to you?

JAMISON: It just seemed like the right title because I was at that moment with my decision to leave Survivor, just as many people are about their careers and their life making decisions.

HRH: Would you say that Crossroads Moment is a concept album?

JAMISON: You know … it didn't start out as any plan to be a concept album, but as we proceeded throughout recording the CD each song began to make sense with the previous song until they each became like a piece of a puzzle that just fit together perfectly. It was strange that it worked out that way but I'm glad it did. It's always great when you start a project from scratch and it just turns out the way you felt all along. So I guess you could call it an indirect concept album.

HRH: Over how long a time period did it take you to write Crossroads Moment?

JAMISON: We had to work in spurts as we both had previous live show commitments that we had to fulfill. So I think it took about eight months to complete the writing process.

HRH: How did it feel to be re-united with your friend and writing partner Jim Peterik again? How did the meeting transpire? Did you keep in contact over the years?

JAMISON: It felt really good. … like coming home and seeing family again. A friend and fellow musician Fergie Fredricksen held a benefit and invited us both to perform. Actually we hadn't seen each other in about five years at that point When we got to the show we were so glad to see each other that we decided to perform "The Search is Over" as a duet. Just Jim on keys and me on vocals.

When we started playing all our friends, who just happen to be some very famous singers and musicians, came out and formed a kind of semi-circle behind us and cheered us on. The crowd was crying and screaming for more … at that point we knew we had to do something together.

HRH: The song," When Rock Was King" is a tribute to the '80s and features a vast array of musical guests including Joe Lynn Turner, and Mike Reno from Loverboy. How did you come up with the concept of this song and how did you get together all the fabulous guest stars on this song?

JAMISON: Jim and I were at a bar having lunch one day and someone suggested we do a song about how it was in the 80's. The next thing I knew Jim had the perfect song.

I have been performing with all the singers who sang on the CD for several years a special shows and had become really good friends, actually more like brothers, to the extent that we always helped each other out in any way we could. They refused to even take pay for their fabulous work.

HRH: One thing so inspiring about the '80s was the lyrics and catchy melodies that you heard on the radio. It is so exhilarating to listen to an album such as Crossroads Moment that paints a beautiful canvas of emotions and your journey to the top of the charts. In your opinion, what made so many bands that emerged out of the '80s music so timeless? You can still hear "The Search Is Over" and "The Eye of the Tiger" on radio today. I want to commend you on such an accomplishment.

JAMISON: Thank you. I think we all inspired each other. Somehow, with our lyrics, we were able to put our thoughts and feelings down on paper and the melodies were the paint that put them on canvas much like a painting. Beautiful things always seem to last in this world because I believe that basically everyone wants to feel good and with all the bad things that are happening now it creates an escape.

HRH: Jimi, How has the music industry changed since the '80s. Do you feel it is harder to get new music played on the radio today?

JAMISON: Much harder. Its seems that anything in the '80s is taboo now and not many folks in radio want to take a chance or be the first to play what they really want to play. I know so many DJs that would much rather be playing something different but need to keep their jobs. Radio pays advisors to tell them what to play these days like they are experts or something. In music … there are no experts in my opinion. If it sounds good PLAY IT.

HRH: It seems like this year there has been a resurgence in '80s music? Do you see the trend leading towards the '80s again? So many bands of the '80s have reunited and are touring once again.

JAMISON: I think so. As I said in the previous question … not many want to take the chance but a lot of them are waking up and realizing that ... Hey this is good music and my station is going to play it. Plus more '80s bands are playing live shows everywhere because most of the people in the world are baby-boomers our age who foot the bill, so more and more its coming full circle again … just as it always does.

HRH: Do you think Survivor will ever re-unite?

JAMISON: I think it already has with the reunion of Jim Peterik and myself. We just don't call it Survivor.

HRH: Do you have any touring plans in the works to support the new album? I know the Wolf Den in Connecticut would be a perfect place for you to perform. Who is in your line-up these days?

JAMISON: Oh yes I do. I'm not quite sure who will be in the band yet. I have so many friends who are great musicians. I do know it's going to be a fabulous band.

HRH: Do you have any new projects in the works that you would like to discuss with us?

JAMISON: I have a couple of ideas but I think I'm going to concentrate on promoting CROSSROADS MOMENT right now.

HRH: Jimi, you have a career that has spanned over 20 years. What would you say the highlight of your illustrious career has been so far?

JAMISON: There are so many ... I think it's just that I have been able to make a living doing what I love to do for so long.

HRH: During the grunge scene and the demise of the '80s, as we know it, what inspired you and kept you going on and continuing to write great music?

JAMISON: It's just what I had always done and its what I knew how to do better than anything else so I just kept doing it without worrying about what was going on around me. Live shows never stopped during that period, which helped a lot.

HRH: As an artist, did you always want to become a singer? Who were some of your influences that inspired you to embark on a musical career?

JAMISON: Oh yes … always wanted to be a singer. I couldn't afford to buy any equipment so I was lucky I could carry a tune. Elvis, The Beatles, Mitch Ryder, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding were some of my big inspirations.

I thought that it would be great for the readers to get your insight on the new album and you could break down the album Crossroads Moment Track By Track. Again, we would like to thank you here at Hardrock Haven for your time and appreciate your support. Best of luck with the new album, I hope to see you out on the road performing live soon.

JIMI JAMISON BREAKS DOWN CROSSROADS MOMENT TRACK BY TRACK

l. Battersea - I thought we were finished with this album when Peterik called me and said "get your butt down to Chicago, I just wrote the opening track". Well he did- and it is!!

2. Can't Look Away - One evening Jim and I were having a drink at a local pub and on the TV was a news flash of the latest high school massacre and suicide. We wanted to ignore it and continue to celebrate a good day's session. But we couldn't ignore it. We couldn't look away. The next day we tracked the song Jim had stayed up all night writing.

3. Make Me A Believer - I guess I've always been kind of a Doubting Thomas. I sang this song with a lot of feeling because I was thinking about my daughter and how her birth gave me something to believe in.

4. Crossroads Moment - This song means so much to me because this is exactly the point of life I was at when Jim first played it for me. I really was at a crossroads between my past and all the options of my future. Recording this album helped me find myself and take all the right turns.

5. Bittersweet - One of Jim's most emotional songs- the moment we find the right person and fall in love. You have to take all the good and the pain that always seems to come along for the ride. I was lucky enough for my dear friend Mickey Thomas to come to Chicago and duet with me. Just like back in 1984 our voices blended like magic. Thanks Mickey!

6. Behind The Music ?- This was the song we recorded to see how this new team was going to work. It is also what convinced Frontiers to move full steam ahead with the project. They heard in it the sound of the past and the future. In a way this song tells the story of Jim and I. He has always been a mentor to me.

7. Lost - "Dear St. Anthony I'm asking you for your kind and urgent help". Jim called me with that line and we talked about a man that is lost without the woman he loves. Later that day Jim called and sang it over the phone. Even through an intermittant cell phone the desperation came through.

8. Love The World Away - I guess you could say I got the ball rolling on this one. I was watching a movie one night. There was a scene of a couple making love so passionately that they didn't even hear the sirens outside their window. Turns out their hotel was on fire! Peterik thought this would make a great concept for a song. I think it's one of the most rocking songs on the album.

9. She's Nothing To Me - I always loved that John Waite smash "Missing You". When Jim first played me this one I heard the same contradiction in the lyric. This man is desperately trying to convince himself that she doesn't matter to him one bit.

11. 'Til The Morning Comes - I can't get enough of this song. It reminds me of the first time Jim and Frankie played me "Is This Love." It is pure pop with a rock edge. I hear echoes of the Doobies, Hall and Oats and of course vintage Survivor.

12. That's Why I Sing - This is the most joyous song I've ever sung. Every harmony. Every melody. Every lead line puts a smile on my face. This is all about the reason I fell in love with music in the first place. The music fills my heart- that's why I sing.

13. Friends We Never Met - This song is our tribute to the true royalty in rock and roll- the audience. I think I recall almost every show I've played through the years. It never stops being a thrill when the crowd connects with a band and suddenly it's just one big band. People singing along, clapping, laughing- really another member of the band. I've made thousands of friends over the years- friends I've never met.

14. When Rock Was King. - This song is our tribute to the larger than life '80s. Helping me celebrate that era are some of my best friends. Mickey Thomas, Joe Lynn, Don Barnes, Jim Peterik, Dave Bickler, Mike Reno all weigh in with their signature vocal style. "big hair- big dreams- big visions" says it all. It's not like any of us have stopped moving forward and growing but it is fun to look back at an era "when ro rock was king!".

A BIG thanks to RockHaven.net from me for such a great interview.

JIMI JAMISON