John Corabi, Interview – The State of Rock, Benefit Show and More

2023-10-12

John Corabi image

John Corabi – Story by Anne Erickson, courtesy photo via John Corabi

John Corabi discusses the state of rock music, his upcoming cancer benefit show and more in this in-depth interview

Longstanding rocker John Corabi will headline a special benefit event, the G4L Records Cancer Benefit Show for “Elizabeth & Chris,” on Oct. 17 in Nashville at The Eighth Room. The cause is near and dear to Corabi’s heart, as he’s lost some friends and family to the deadly disease, including his mother. He talks about that and much more in Audio Ink Radio’s fresh John Corabi interview.

G4L Records founder Markus Muller-Stac came up with the idea for the show while his wife was battling breast cancer. The show was meant as a way to honor her and give her some enjoyment with an evening of great music. Sadly, she passed away before the concert. Now, the show is a tribute to her life.

Following the show, Corabi will head back on the road with his main band, The Dead Daisies. Find tour dates here.

Speaking with Audio Ink Radio, Corabi talked about the state of rock shows today. When asked if people seem more appreciative of live music today, since it was taken away during the pandemic, he says it goes both ways.

“The funny thing is, even my solo shows, even in Europe, just throughout the world, it’s been hit or miss,” he says. “It’s either incredibly packed or it’s just a little, eh. I still think we’re still being manipulated with new versions of Covid and all the s*** that’s going on in the news. Also, I think you’re finding that some people got very complacent and comfortable just sitting on their couch, and they’re like, “F*** it. I don’t want to go out anymore. I don’t care.'”

He adds, “I think to a degree, some of these companies which will remain names that were doing the biggest concerts – one that comes to mind is the Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett extravaganza – that concert kept getting postponed for the better part of two years, and a lot of the fans were complaining, because Live Nation, for example, had some little stipulation when you bought a ticket in advance that once Covid hit, you had a small window to request a refund for the tickets, and if you didn’t do it then, they had the right to hold onto your money and just postpone indefinitely. So, so a lot of fans, I’m seeing the fans aren’t apt to buy ticks in advance like they used to do. They’re waiting until the last minute and just walking up to the door and buying it at the door.”

Switching gears to how people consume music these days, from TikTok to Instagram to streaming, Corabi says it’s getting to be overwhelming to the listener.

“I think we’re inundating people with way too much information,” he says. “It’s really, the technology is- I don’t know, man, it’s weird. I can understand why the SAG and actors and writers just went on strike, because they’re dealing with the same thing with companies like Netflix and Paramount Plus. They’re trying to figure out, how do we try to calculate the amount of hours people watch these movies? Whereas before, it was simple… so, the technology, it’s awesome that I can sit and watch a movie on my phone while I’m flying somewhere. But, it’s also kind of scary. It’s ruing a lot of s*** at the same time.”

As for new music from The Dead Daisies, it’s on the way. But not yet. “At some point,” he says. “We’ve discussed doing a new record in the future. We haven’t nailed down a specific date to start working on a new project, but at this point. we just released kind of a 10-year marker. The band has been around now for 10 years, and it’s an anniversary for the band. It’s a best-of record, and it’s like, here’s everything we’re done in the last 10 years.”

Listen to the full interview with John Corabi above or on the Audio Ink Radio podcast on Apple Podcasts here and Spotify here.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Features, Interviews, Music, Rock