EVERY MOTHERS NIGHTMARE
Interview with Jeff
Caughron
Interview by Keith McDonald
Every Mother's Nightmare came out at a time when hard rock was still
popular. After signing with Arista Records, this Memphis, TN band had
some success until MTV and radio abandoned bands from their genre. The
band has kept the wheels in motion releasing albums that many fans don't
know are out there. The band, Rick Ruhl, Troy Fleming, Jimmy Phipps,
Travis Hall and Jeff Caughron, continue writing and releasing great
music. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jeff who gave me the
lowdown on the band. You can check out their website at www.emnonline.net.
Tell
me about the new album. What type of musical direction does the band
take?
Well, we just recorded five new songs in December in Knoxville,
Tennessee at the same place we recorded Back Traxx and Delta Voodoo. It
was good to get back there. Our sound has gotten heavier and our songs
have gotten more interesting, edgier, and people who have heard the
latest stuff just kind of go, wow, and really feel it, really relate to
it. It's cool as an artist to get that kind of feedback after you have
poured so much of yourself into something. The five of us have been
around each other for so long that we feed off each other during the
writing process. We can walk away from a practice session with several
songs in our pockets.
How did you hook up with Perris Records?
We heard from a friend that he was asking about us. Either he called
or we did. That's been many years ago. For the time, it was a decent
avenue for us to take.
How much of a difference do you see from a major label and Perris?
It all boils down to how much money do you really have and how much
are you willing to spend. I'd say a big difference. For one thing,
advertising is so important and so expensive. Without good money being
put behind a band, a fantastic album can get passed up because people
wouldn't have known it even existed.
How much has the music scene changed since EMN came out?
It's changed a lot through the years but music always revolves
in a circle. It is just starting to feel like it is time for real hard
rock again and EMN is going to be right there in the new wave. One thing
that has changed in a related sense is that there are computers now. I
think it is great that we get so many emails and we can keep our fans up
to date on our website which by the way is www.emnonline.net
Are
there any tour plans?
Yes! We just got off tour before Christmas and we are planning on
leaving again sometime in February. Hopefully we will be opening for a
largely known band.
How much harder is it to tour these days?
Surprisingly, not hard at all. It can be hard if you don't have a
good booking agent. You know, they may schedule you to play Chicago,
then the next night have you playing down in Tennessee somewhere, and
then the next night have you way back up north again. Stupid stuff like
that makes it hard but overall we all just kick back, ride, and have a
good time wherever we are. Touring is one big party for us and we live
for it.
Will there be a DVD available?
I sure hope so. We thought of some really good ideas for one when we
were on the last tour. It would probably have a bad rating though.
Material may not be suitable for children under 17.
What about a live album?
Our latest CD is a live album. It's called LIVE SONGS FROM
SOMEWHERE and it's available through Perris Records, Amazon.com, or
with any luck, your local record store will have it. We did songs from
our past albums and had two new songs and two new covers,
"Eighteen" by Alice Cooper and "Saturday Night
Special" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Who is currently in the band right now? Do you still keep in touch
with the former members?
Rick Ruhl, Troy Fleming, Jimmy Phipps, Travis Hall and myself, Jeff
Caughron. Some of us do occasionally talk to the former members.
How did EMN start? How difficult was it getting signed?
I believe that Rick put the band together with Steve Malone and
played about thirteen shows before they got signed to Arista Records.
The night that they were signed, Jim Phipps, our drummer, accidentally
hit Clive Davis of Arista with a drum stick. Supposedly, Clive knew this
was a sign that he had to sign the band. EMN had a huge following in
Memphis and word just spread. There were actually several labels
interested in signing and EMN took the better of the deals.
What lies ahead for EMN?
We have our brand new material that we are going to shop around. We
are all very excited about the new material and we are going to continue
touring as much as possible, making music, having fun, and raising hell
wherever we go.
Every Mothers
Nightmare Website