Adrian Smith

[Kalata]

Stumbled upon this interview with Andy Makin from 2018 that had some interesting behind-the-scenes info about Psycho Motel’s Welcome To The World, as well as some of Makin’s post-Psycho work.

WTTW is an underrated album for its style. It seems like they didn't release 2 songs from the 1997 writing sessions and maybe Rain and Underground (the latter is great) are leftovers from the previous album. Iirc, a demo from that era was called ''Winter's Child''. Into The Black is Drop C!

Steve really liked the album? I never knew that. Like AOB and TCW. Come to think of it, I'd have liked to hear another album from the 1997 lineup of Psycho Motel. But Adrian joining Bruce's band was the right move.

 

[GhostofCain]

Stumbled upon this interview with Andy Makin from 2018 that had some interesting behind-the-scenes info about Psycho Motel’s Welcome To The World, as well as some of Makin’s post-Psycho work.

Also, here’s a playlist for Henry’s Child’s Satellite Trampoline 3, the only album Makin recorded with the band, which came immediately after Psycho Motel.

Thanks for sharing the interview.

Andy sent me a copy of the Henry’s Child album some years ago. Such a nice guy!

 

[Kalata]

In a new interview, Adrian said that he might think about playing some different material during the upcoming SK tour: ASAP/Urchin, Psycho Motel songs (he likes The Last Chain, he really likes the 2nd album; this material will fit them great), even a different Maiden song from Wasted Years (the interviewer brought Back In The Village and Sea Of Madness), but I guess with 2 albums to choose from now, it would be tough with 15-16 songs. And Richie should want it. He also added that he had forgotten about all of these songs. It would be great to hear some of them.

About the songwriting, he said he was inspired by Thin Lizzy for Black Light's vocals and chords. And he couldn't come up with some jazz fusion bits like in the middle of Taking My Chances by Richie.

 

[Rob77]

Also is open to doing a third album with Richie in the future. Good hes keeping busy maybe 2027 if Maiden have the year off?

 

[Kalata]

Also is open to doing a third album with Richie in the future. Good hes keeping busy maybe 2027 if Maiden have the year off?

I thought they won't be in a hurry, but in this new interview with Adrian, he said they're already talking about different songs and writing new stuff (the same style, it's great for him to play clubs again), so he's hoping for another album and tour, why not in 2027 (didn't say the same about Maiden). He said maybe, he's not sure. He writes stuff all the time.

He also said they will be playing a lot of songs from the new album. Richie likes to improvise with longer solos live, and he is looking to doing that on the new tour as well (like adding a harmony to a SK song that isn't on the album version), they didn't do that in Maiden.
''Good melodies are timeless'' - so true.

 

[Kalata]

Interview: Adrian Smith On 2026 Smith/Kotzen Tour, Knebworth And Urchin

Adrian Smith talks 2026 Smith/Kotzen tour with Richie Kotzen, raw club gigs, returning to Knebworth, and memories of his early days with Urchin.

www.metaltalk.net

I still see the Urchin guys, my old band. We still play when we get a chance. You know, just some fun. We’re like brothers, really.

I think people will enjoy this show, because we’ve got a fantastic band. We’ve got Julia Lage, an incredible bass player. Bruno Valverde is one of the best drummers in the world. They’re very musical, so they slot right in. Anything they do usually enhances the songs. They instinctively know what is best for the songs. I have to say, we tried some very well-known people as rhythm sections, and it was good. But there’s something about the way they play together.

Spoiler

Richie and I share the vocals, so it’s not a tremendous strain, like doing the whole show yourself. It’s enjoyable. That’s one of the things I like about Smith/Kotzen. It was always my ideal to link up with someone else who likes to sing, and you can bounce off someone.

Blindsided and White Noise, I think, they’re gonna sound like really, really, really heavy.

It is a fantastic album, and both were pleased with the fans’ reception. It was very, very positively received. I think it’s a progression from the last album. It’s a little bit more cohesive, it’s a bit more focused, it’s a bit more uptempo, a bit heavier. Although I loved the first album, this was up a couple of levels as well.

Rise Again came from a Mike Portnoy drum track that Richie received. I listened to it and I started thinking of Frank Zappa and all this fusion and stuff like that. I came up with this thing, and then Richie put all this fusion stuff in. It turned out great. We didn’t have enough songs for the set, so we said, let’s try it. I thought it was not gonna work. But it worked so well, and it was such a lot of fun.

We did it a few years ago with Maiden. That’s an overused word, iconic, but it really is an iconic venue, and it should be a special day. Twickenham was amazing as well, because that is just an incredible stadium. I’ve never been before. The London stadium was incredible, 73,000 people, what a night that was. But Knebworth House will be very special. It sort of gets a bit more than a gig at this stage. It’s like an occasion. Having said that, it is another gig, so you try to go out, and you play the same as you always do, and try to do the best show you can.

I mean that would be brilliant if we could get some live stuff. My favourite albums are live albums. Deep Purple in Japan and Humble Pie live at the Fillmore, where they capture the band and the audience. You’ve just got to record it right and mix it right, and it can be fantastic. Hopefully, we’ll do some recording and Knebworth? I don’t know about Knebworth, but it would be a shame not to, wouldn’t it?

Full live show from the SK tour would be cool and something they should do.