{"id":72701,"date":"2018-08-10T00:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T00:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=72701"},"modified":"2018-09-16T19:23:13","modified_gmt":"2018-09-16T19:23:13","slug":"feature-enuff-znuff-08-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-enuff-znuff-08-18\/","title":{"rendered":"ENUFF Z\u2019NUFF – Transcendence (August 2018) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

ENUFF Z\u2019NUFF – Transcendence<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nAugust 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n

Enuff Z\u2019Nuff (l-r): Tony Fennell, Chip Z\u2019Nuff, Daniel B. Hill and Tory Stoffregen<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n


\nAugust 2018 full-length Diamond Boy<\/em> \u2013 the 14th studio affair from Blue Island, Illinois-based hard rock outfit Enuff Z\u2019Nuff \u2013 has surfaced in a day and age where frontman Chip Z\u2019Nuff feels a lot of fodder exists that can be used as sources of inspiration for authoring material, Chip having penned a plethora of compositions through the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a writing machine,\u201d Chip Z\u2019Nuff submits, vocalist and bassist of Enuff Z\u2019Nuff. \u201c14 albums of material we\u2019ve put out, but we have way more than that. We\u2019ve been putting records out for quite a long time. When Frontiers approached us about this album, first thing I said was \u2018We need to make a strong rock record, but going back to our roots.\u2019 As a band, we decided to make a 70s record – really hi-fi and lo-fi – exposing the warts, scars and tattoos of what we\u2019re all about as a rock band at the end of the day. <\/p>\n

\u201cI went into the studio in Chicago, a place called Chicago Recording Company, which is one of the most famous recording studios in North America. Because of our relationship with the studio, we record late at night. We usually like to make records at a normal time. When I first walked in there, the first guy I seen was Chance The Rapper. I thought \u2018Hey, we\u2019re in pretty good shape right now. We\u2019re making a rock record, and next door is one of the biggest rap stars in the world.\u2019 If you look around, you can see all of the vintage equipment they have, and the lineage of the greatest bands in the world; from Queen to Michael Jackson, to Metallica, to Page and Plant, to Pearl Jam, to Cheap Trick. There are so many different kids recording up there. We basically did the record in a couple of weeks, and it was a live record. We all played at the same time, so there were pretty minimal overdubs. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all hanging out in the studio. A lot of great musicians came by to visit us and a lot of girls came by of course, which is really good for our ego. We really nailed it in a short amount of time, and then it was just a matter of finding an open window through our label where we could actually put the record out. It just so happens that the record came out in conjunction with a fresh, new tour, which is the first time that has happened for us in 20 years, so it\u2019s all worked out very well for us. At the end of the day, it\u2019s still just a rock band, but boy it\u2019s a solid record if you ask me. I\u2019m real proud of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, the singer simply writes the tracks in question and presents them to the band\u2019s members. \u201cThese guys are all great writers, by the way,\u201d he notes. \u201cWe have Tony Fennelle, the former singer of Ultravox – he took Midge Ure\u2019s place years ago. He\u2019s playing guitar and singing with me. I have Tory Stoffregen from The New Black 7, and I have Daniel Benjamin Hill playing drums. Daniel is a solid as a rock session guy from here in Chicago. These guys are all writers. I just showed them my ideas, and they took it from there – they have a real sense of ballads, for example. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe legacy of Enuff Z\u2019Nuff has always been a combination of pop, hard rock, heavy metal, alternative. It\u2019s a big potpourri; that\u2019s what we looked at, and that\u2019s what this record is. We just said \u2018Let\u2019s just make a straight-ahead 70s rock record with all of the trimmings,\u2019 and I think that it\u2019s a strong record for this day and age. We\u2019ve always had problems when it came to trying to come up with what style of music for most journalists. It\u2019s hard to picture all this, because you don\u2019t know what we are. I know what we are. At the end of the day, it\u2019s a band that\u2019s got a lot of different influences. We\u2019ve never been afraid to wear those on our sleeves, and I think that this record is no exception. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the earlier Enuff Z\u2019Nuff albums that we did, we did them the same way; we recorded on two-inch, and it took us a month to record them. There were always extra curricular activities going on during the record, but the most important thing – at the end of the day – was coming up with great material. I\u2019ve lived with these songs for a while. They sounded great when I wrote them on acoustic guitar, so I knew that when we put pen to paper, got into the studio and etched them out with the band, with drums, that they would work. I think what we\u2019ve got here is something really special, at least I do. <\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n

Chip Z\u2019Nuff<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cListen: I make records for myself, okay? I really do. If they trip my trigger, I turn everybody else onto them, and I think that a lot of musicians are like that too. You make records, and nobody gears anything up for failure. Perhaps failure\u2019s not even in my vocabulary. Maybe it just means that I\u2019ll get it right the next time. I\u2019m looking forward to supporting this album on tour, and the fans have spoken. They seem to like the record, and there\u2019s a lot of stuff out there to pick from, so I\u2019m grateful that we\u2019ve still got another shot in the arm and that Frontiers is supporting us like they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

The legacy and roots of Enuff Z\u2019Nuff encompasses a wide variety of artists. \u201cWhen we were growing up as kids, our families would play records,\u201d Chip remembers. \u201cThere would be everything from Black Sabbath<\/a> to The Beatles, or from Led Zeppelin to Aerosmith. I got into a lot of underground stuff, too; bands like Captain Beyond, and Crack The Sky. A lot of stuff that maybe wasn\u2019t super-commercial, but there were strong songs and wonderful musicianship. I know when I was younger, my mom would always play a lot of Janis Joplin and Sly And The Family Stone. I\u2019m a big Stevie Wonder fan. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a potpourri; it\u2019s hard to just put handcuffs on us and name a style of music that we love. When it comes to getting played on radio, on rock radio, on metal radio, the pop community has embraced us as well as alternative. It\u2019s hard for even me to categorize us, and I think that that might be good. What do you call Led Zeppelin? Are they a metal band? I don\u2019t think so. Are they strictly just hard rock? I don\u2019t know. They\u2019ve got some… There\u2019s a lot of blues influence there, and a lot of country twinges to it as well. All of my favourite bands are really hard to just put under one category, and I\u2019d like to believe that we\u2019re under the same umbrella.\u201d<\/p>\n

To further illustrate the rhythmist\u2019s example, the Led Zeppelin cut \u2018D\u2019yer \u2019Mak\u2019er\u2019 \u2013 from March 1973 opus Houses Of The Holy<\/em> \u2013 was a more reggae-influenced number. \u201cI was into Bob Marley shit for the longest time,\u201d he comments. \u201cI love Bob Marley, I love Peter Tosh. I listened to tons of reggae for the longest time, and then I\u2019d switch over and listen to crazy stuff that people wouldn\u2019t even expect like Boards Of Canada or old Pixies records. There are so many bands out there that trip my trigger, and that I\u2019m influenced by. You might not hear it in the music, but it\u2019s there \u2013 it really is. I\u2019ve always paid respect to all of those groups out there. I think that for all musicians, it\u2019s more important to listen to all different styles of music, and then you\u2019ll find what you like the most. It\u2019s all a learning curve, at the end of the day. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn this new Enuff Z\u2019Nuff album, you\u2019re gonna get a potpourri of different sounds, and I think that that\u2019s really important because that\u2019s what we\u2019re about. I wanna keep making fresh, new records and I wanna keep challenging myself, and on this record, I think I have. Not only by having to sing every song on the record, because that\u2019s a challenge in itself, but just to be able to reproduce these songs live in a setting where I don\u2019t need an orchestra behind me, or six guys underneath the stage playing. It\u2019s just four guys plugged in. It\u2019s a real rock band, like Aerosmith or the Foo Fighters. That\u2019s my challenge. I think that I\u2019m up for it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A potpourri of different sounds\u2019 are exhibited via Diamond Boy<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s a mixture, my friend,\u201d Chip reckons. \u201cIf you put on this record, you can hear rock, heavy metal, pop. I think it\u2019s a real nice mix, and it\u2019s not an accident that it\u2019s happened \u2013 it\u2019s how all of our records are. It\u2019s a two-guitar band with three guys who can sing lead vocals, and even though I\u2019m fronting the band, these guys have great pipes. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that at the end of the day, when you put this record on the turntable, you don\u2019t see smoke machines and people shaking their asses and dancing around. You just hear the music, and I think there\u2019s some pretty good subject matter on most of these songs. They\u2019re not necessarily autobiographical \u2013 some of these songs are about other people as well. At the end of the day, I\u2019m picking the bones off of all of my favourite bands. Show me a band without influences, and I\u2019ll show you a band that doesn\u2019t have a fucking record deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The press release issued in conjunction with Diamond Boy<\/em> attributed the following quote to the Enuff Z\u2019Nuff mainman in relation to the album\u2019s musical content: \u2018Picture David Bowie and The Beatles fighting and Cheap Trick comes in to break it up.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to come up with a million excuses, or try to be profound,\u201d he reasons. \u201cI want people to just go \u2018What does the record sound like?\u2019 Well, it sounds like Enuff Z\u2019Nuff really, but those are three big influences on the record, for sure. Bowie, The Beatles, Cheap Trick, E.L.O., Queen. A big mixture, but we don\u2019t sound like those bands. Those are fantastic groups who I grew up to love and admire beyond belief, but there are certain leaders. There are little things off of all of those bands that have influenced me in my songwriting throughout the years. I think it\u2019s important for all artists to pay respect to their influences. When I read interviews with other bands and they go \u2018I don\u2019t listen to rock any more. I listen to Beethoven and Tchaikovsky and Mozart,\u2019 it\u2019s like \u2018C\u2019mon, please.\u2019 As I said earlier, show me a band without influences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A potpourri of different lyrics\u2019 are exhibited via Diamond Boy<\/em>, as well. \u201cI like to leave the songs open and vague, because what I feel a song is about might not be interpreted that way through the ears of the listener,\u201d Chip explains. \u201cSo, I like to leave it alone. When I listen to bands and read my favourite interviews, or listen to my favourite rock stars talking, they never really talk about the songs in-depth. It\u2019s important for the audience to have their own interpretation, but the songs on this record deal with a lot of different things, from substance abuse, to hope, to where we\u2019re at in the world right now with all of the fodder that\u2019s going on. Like I said earlier, there\u2019s plenty of subject matter to write about in this world. We\u2019re in a day and age right now where there\u2019s a lot of dissension and the country\u2019s divided. I think that at the end of the day, this record is one long thought. That\u2019s where we\u2019re at today, in 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n

Enuff Z\u2019Nuff (l-r): Tony Fennell, Chip Z\u2019Nuff, Daniel B. Hill and Tory Stoffregen<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Where the globe is at in 2018 is further expanded upon by the four-stringer. \u201cEverybody acts like we\u2019re moving forward,\u201d he observes. \u201cI\u2019d like to believe that because I\u2019m an optimist, and not a pessimist. There\u2019s a divide right now in this country though, and one thing we all need is faith, hope and love (laughs). I really believe that. Being cantankerous and disrespectful to each other is not in my vocabulary whatsoever, and at the end of the day, we\u2019re just a rock band. I\u2019m not here to change the world, but perhaps we\u2019re a little break where you can get away for an hour, hear some music, and take you away to somewhere else. Away from the hard things that are happening in life right now, with mothers working two jobs a day. There\u2019s dissension in our government, people trying to pay their rent and their bills, guys working at an auto mechanics, and doctors, and lawyers, and attorneys, and people who work at grocery stores. Everybody\u2019s working really hard to get ahead, and they\u2019re all chasing the carrot. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could provide just an hour or two of solace to those people who are listening to our music, and if it\u2019s something that excites them and makes them happy and gets them away from all of the drab of everyday life, that\u2019s a good thing I believe. For all of the bands out there, that\u2019s why I hope that the fans will go out and support them a little bit. You can buy a cup of coffee at Dunkin\u2019 Donuts or Starbucks and pay five bucks, or you can spend ten dollars and get a record that lasts a lifetime, whereas that cup of coffee or doughnut is gone in five minutes. I\u2019d like to see a little more respect given to artists, and not just myself either. I\u2019m talking about all of the bands; pop, and r \u2019n\u2019 b, rock, metal, death metal \u2013 whatever genre of music we\u2019re talking about. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese are artists who spend $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, a $100,000 to make a record. They should get compensated for their hard work, and that\u2019s for all walks of life \u2013 not just musicians. I see that we\u2019re in a day and age right now where Spotify and Deezer and Tidal, and all of these different sites and iTunes, provide a service to let people get a chance to hear the record right away. But man, I miss those old days of going out and buying a record or getting a CD. You brought it home, and everybody was excited about hearing new music from your favourite band. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d sit around, and smoke a joint or have a beer, and really dissect the record and look at all of the notes. Just right now, we\u2019re in a time where there\u2019s too much product and not enough demand. It\u2019s very difficult for people to get a little time away to hear the music. If there\u2019s something good out there and people are gravitating towards it, that makes me happy, and that\u2019s a win right now. I hope in the long run, everybody can pull together, and we can all work together. The world is too aggressive. Let\u2019s have some love, and at the end of the day, we\u2019ll all be much happier with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as digital streaming and download services being in existence, the effect of illegal downloading cannot be discounted. \u201cI think people have been bootlegging records for years, and that\u2019s okay in a certain way,\u201d Chip views. \u201cLook at Led Zeppelin; I just read a thing recently where they\u2019re the most bootlegged band worldwide. They\u2019ve sold over 300 million records, have Led Zeppelin. They\u2019re massive. They set the tone for rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, and for a lot of bands, actually. I know that it\u2019s very difficult for them to make a living with music, but bootlegging\u2019s been going on years. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow though, it\u2019s a little bit different where they can use the internet. At the end of the day mind, the music is getting to people\u2019s ears, and they\u2019re getting a chance to hear it. If you really want to find your favourite records of any bands out there, go to their shows. See the concert, and go to the merch booth afterwards. Most of the bands are selling T-shirts and hats, and there\u2019s records, CDs and all other paraphernalia at the shows. The groups will actually get paid for that, and of course, there are still record stores out there. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got some big ones still selling records, but there\u2019s not a lot of room right now. There\u2019s so many bands, but if you\u2019re a big band and sold quite a few records, it\u2019s not difficult to find you. It really isn\u2019t, and if you have a label like we do with Frontiers, there\u2019s many different ways to find records outside of social media. You still have Amoeba Records in Los Angeles and around the country. There are still ways to find it, but the easiest way to get records from your favourite artists are to see them live and get them there. That gives them a real chance to recoup the money they spent breaking their ass making these records.\u201d<\/p>\n

The revenue garnered from digital streaming is arguably pitiful. \u201cWell, that\u2019s the day and age we live in right now,\u201d the composer figures. \u201cIt all started with Napster, and then people started fighting about that. Shawn, the guy who started Napster, was providing a service. He wanted people to get the record. The labels had been getting all of the money since forever; the labels were getting $17, and the bands were seeing a small percentage of that. The rest of it went to the label to recoup, which means they helped the band further their career by paying for tour support and videos. They get that back on record sales, so nowadays a lot of people are just going out and touring and taking their show around the country, which costs a lot of money. You\u2019ve got to fly, you\u2019ve got tour buses, you\u2019ve got hotel rooms, you\u2019ve got fuel, and you\u2019ve got a crew to pay for. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of stuff that goes on there, but that\u2019s the best way to promote the band. Maybe someone will see the band on a movie, or a soundtrack, or a TV show, or a commercial, where someone will get a sync license and people will pay to have your music for a certain thing. Getting in a van, though \u2013 in an Oscar Meyer Wiener \u2013 or on an aeroplane and flying, and doing shows, and selling your merchandise every single night. That\u2019s the new template, I\u2019m sorry to say. If you want it bad enough, you better want it 24 hours a day. If you just sit back on your laurels, the chances of that happening are very minute. It\u2019s about hard work, playing great shows, meeting the fans, and then wash, rinse, repeat, and doing it every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Diamond Boy<\/em> marks the first Enuff Z\u2019Nuff full-length where Chip handles lead vocals on each and every track. \u201cIt\u2019s me singing on every single song, even on the early Enuff Z\u2019Nuff albums,\u201d he begins. \u201cI sang all of the harmonies, and sang on a couple of songs \u2013 leads on the records \u2013 which I thought was important in order to show a different side of the band. This is a new chapter in Enuff Z\u2019Nuff\u2019s career, though; it\u2019s a fresh, new label in Frontiers, and a fresh, new record in Diamond Boy<\/em>, and a fresh, new tour in Live Nation with Jack Russell\u2019s Great White and Bulletboys that starts in September and works its way all around the country all the way through to November. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we come to the UK in January to support the album as well. That\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. That\u2019s a lot of singing for me, my friend. 42 shows on this Live Nation tour in 44 days. I don\u2019t have any days off to do anything. Talk about discipline, and the old days of being brick shot full of drugs and alcohol on the bus? Now, it\u2019s Starbucks and Dunkin\u2019 Donuts coffee, and some Fiji water \u2013 if we can afford that \u2013 and travelling around the country, playing a different venue every single night.\u201d<\/p>\n

As opposed to occupying the lead vocal position on select tracks, the lyricist occupies the lead vocal position on each and every track. \u201cIt\u2019s quite a challenge, as far as I\u2019m concerned \u2013 taking my brother\u2019s place (Donnie Vie), because he left the band in 2013,\u201d he admits. \u201cI look at him as one of the quintessential lead singers of our generation. A wonderful voice, a great songwriter, and a wonderful partner. I lost Derek (Frigo, lead guitarist from 1988 until 1994) in 2004, our lead guitar player, and then Ricky (Parent, drummer from 1992 until 2004) passed away in 2007. There\u2019s been a black cloud that\u2019s followed the band for years. When Donnie left after the last UK tour in 2013, it was either sink or swim. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe said \u2018If you\u2019re gonna go out under the name Enuff Z\u2019Nuff, you should sing the songs.\u2019 I looked at all of the bands that are out there right now, like Journey, Foreigner, Styx, the Stone Temple Pilots \u2013 the list goes on \u2013 where they\u2019ve got great singers from around the country. I guess my template was looking at Genesis, of all bands, where Peter Gabriel left the band and Phil Collins got off the drums and started fronting the band. They moved forward, and they had some success with that. At the end of the day, I guess that\u2019s my template.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip\u2019s vocal traits inevitably contrast with those of predecessor Donnie Vie. \u201c(Laughs) You can\u2019t compare it,\u201d he argues. \u201cYou\u2019ve got one guy who\u2019s one of the greatest singers of our generation, in my eyes, and then you have me. It\u2019s not up to me to make that decision right now. It\u2019s up to the fans and the music listeners. Let them decide. When people go \u2018You\u2019re a rock star Chip,\u2019 no, I\u2019m a musician. If you look at me like a rock star, well, that\u2019s the way you interpret that. At the end of the day though, I\u2019m just a working musician. That\u2019s dedicating my life to playing music, and I\u2019ve been doing it for 35 years, professionally travelling all around the country. <\/p>\n

\u201cYears ago, I graduated from a small high school called Brother Rice. A week later, I was in a bread truck driving to California. I was in a band called Degeneration, who would travel around the country. I moved to California and before you know it, I was playing shows and opening for bands like The Dickies and the Dead Boys. We had gigs where our manager got us opening and playing festivals with Grateful Dead, and The Babies. I got the chance to play a lot of shows, and that really helped me hone my chops \u2013 when that band fell apart \u2013 to be able to put together Enuff Z\u2019Nuff. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe played clubs for years, opening for everybody. Cheap Trick, and Bachman Turner Overdrive, and Loverboy. We\u2019d just play shows as much as we could, for no money at all. Eventually, we got discovered by Doc McGhee in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and finally got a break. We were lucky. I don\u2019t take it for granted at all, the opportunities that have been given to us. We\u2019ve always been the kind of band where we\u2019ve written strong songs. We\u2019ve always been the critics\u2019 darlings, but we\u2019ve always found ourselves taking ten steps forward and 30 steps back. That was because of our behaviour maybe, or because we weren\u2019t happy with the way we were treated as a band. The hard work is such a sacrifice for all of the bands out there. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the old days, I\u2019d go to see a band like Queen or Thin Lizzy, and I\u2019d pay five bucks to see a band play. That\u2019s how much it was to go to those big concerts to see bands play. Nowadays, to go see your favourite band play, it\u2019s gonna cost you between $40 to $300. The day and age of music has certainly changed a lot, but what hasn\u2019t changed is people trying to find good songs. That\u2019s what it\u2019s all about, at the end of the day. I think we\u2019ve written some pretty good stuff, and people are going out there and supporting this new record. We have something special to offer, I think; another great rock record, and a band that can go on tour and play these songs live every single night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond Boy<\/em>\u2019s recording sessions weren\u2019t a long affair. \u201cThe songs came as fast as the recording,\u201d the frontman tells. \u201cWe put a record out in 2016 called Clowns Lounge<\/em>, and basically it was an archival record. It showed how the band were when we first started. They were all songs that were never released. We put that record out, and it did pretty well for us. When Frontiers approached us on this album, they said \u2018Yes. Send us a couple of songs.\u2019 I wasn\u2019t so sure that they would be in a position to embrace what we were doing, because there are so many great bands on their label. I wasn\u2019t so sure if there was any room for us, but I knew that we had good songs. <\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n

Chip Z\u2019Nuff<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI went in the studio, and recorded the whole record… It probably took me about two weeks to record with the band, and it took us another couple of weeks to mix the record as well. After we recorded at Chicago Recording Company, we took the mixes over to a place called Stonecutter studios to a guy named Chris Steinmetz. Chris Steinmetz cut his teeth as a kid by working with Alice Cooper, and he did Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s stuff, and he\u2019s got a wonderful sense of balance. I gave him these songs. He gave me confidence. He said \u2018You know what? This is a really strong Enuff Z\u2019Nuff album. Give me a couple of weeks to mix,\u2019 so we probably did the whole record in about a month, and turned it into the label. <\/p>\n

\u201cBy the way, the first two songs I gave the label, I didn\u2019t even put them on this record. They said \u2018Yeah, we love the record. Let\u2019s go ahead and record the rest of it.\u2019 Then I recorded all brand new songs. I put a whole new record out, excluding those two songs that I gave them in the first place. I felt that the record worked well in conjunction with the stuff that we were doing right now, story-wise. As I said earlier, this whole record is like one long thought of where we are in this day and age. They accepted it, and they seemed to really embrace our ideas. Then from there, I got a call from Live Nation saying \u2018We\u2019ve got a tour for you. You guys wanna go out and support Jack Russell\u2019s Great White and the Bulletboys?\u2019 I jumped on that, because there\u2019s nothing more important \u2013 when you put a new record out there \u2013 than going out and touring, and playing the songs live for your audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initial two tracks afforded to Frontiers with respect to Diamond Boy<\/em>, but ultimately not selected, may surface in future. \u201cI think they will; I think they will surface,\u201d Chip muses. \u201cIf I looked at my whole catalogue of material, my whole discography of unreleased material, there\u2019s four or five records there. I haven\u2019t reached back to that yet. New, fresh songs are coming to me. I\u2019m already recording a new record right now; I\u2019m six songs into the brand new Enuff Z\u2019Nuff album. Write that (laughs). That\u2019s how ahead of the game I am. I know that I\u2019m gonna be on tour for the next three months, so I thought \u2018Why not start recording some stuff right now?\u2019 I love the new stuff because it rocks, and it\u2019s uptempo. It just feels right, and they\u2019re the hardest songs to write. If I can quote the great John Lennon, all the great songs have already been written. It\u2019s up to us musicians to find them and bring them down to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether the new tracks will be similar in vein to the Diamond Boy<\/em> album is \u201chard to tell,\u201d the performer responds. \u201cI can\u2019t tell. I know if I come up with something, it\u2019s whatever trips my trigger when it comes to writing new songs; whether it\u2019s a cigarette and ash burning in an ashtray, or lipstick on a glass, or a certain metaphor that somebody says and I go \u2018Yeah, you know what? That rolls off of the tongue real nice.\u2019 There\u2019s so many different ways to put words to a little riff. I could be sitting in a room and Tony Fenelle grabs a guitar, and then he comes up with a nice little riff in two minutes. That\u2019s how he writes \u2013 he\u2019s just a really profound writer. I\u2019ll record it in the studio then. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf it sparks some kind of idea, I like to record it right away. I have my own recording studio in my house, so I constantly come up with ideas and record them, because there\u2019s so much in my head right now. There\u2019s so many songs. I like to clear my palette, so I can come up with new stuff. That\u2019s where I\u2019m at right now as a writer. As the frontman of Enuff Z\u2019Nuff, it\u2019s definitely a challenging job, but man, I love what\u2019s in front of me right now. It\u2019s another great opportunity for us to get out there, and let people know what we\u2019re doing. A lot of discipline right here, my friend. It\u2019s not easy. This is a challenging gig. I\u2019m pretty excited about what the future holds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from being \u2018uptempo\u2019 propositions, further information is not forthcoming. \u201cI think it\u2019s a little bit too early,\u201d Chip stresses. \u201cTo give you titles and stuff would be a shortcut way of thinking, because they\u2019re not songs. They\u2019re just in their infant stages right now, but they sound terrific. It\u2019s rock, it\u2019s upfront, heavy, and it\u2019s not your typical Enuff Z\u2019Nuff record where… It\u2019s very poppy, but I think it\u2019s very aggressive. We\u2019ve got two guitar players, so I think we\u2019ll take it to the next level on this next one. Some of the subject matter is very questionable too on this next record as well, because I think this next album is a little more autobiographical than the new Enuff Z\u2019Nuff album \u2013 Diamond Boy<\/em> \u2013 where I\u2019m picking out the bones of all of my favourite bands and perhaps writing songs about other people and through their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

That future effort\u2019s issue will arrive earlier than some might realise. \u201c2019, not 2020,\u201d the vocalist clarifies. \u201cWe\u2019re in a day and age where people want new product all the time. A lot of bands sit back on their laurels, and they can relive on their past catalogue because it\u2019s been so successful and people want to hear those songs. I think Enuff Z\u2019Nuff fans want to hear new material, though. This is the first record we\u2019ve had that\u2019s charted in over 20 years. It\u2019s #157 on Billboard, it\u2019s on the UK independent charts at number #16, and it\u2019s #34 on the independent charts here in the United States, so there\u2019s actually a little bit of traction right there with this new album. So, I think we should focus our attention on that right now. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know Frontiers are gonna want to put out another record next year. I don\u2019t think we have to wait until 2020. I can\u2019t predict what the future\u2019s gonna hold for any bands, including my own. I just know that I\u2019ll be prepared when they ask for the next record in 2019. With the good Lord\u2019s blessing, we\u2019ll be prepared to give them something that\u2019s really strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresh material aside, Enuff Z\u2019Nuff have the option to venture into the vaults once more, should they desire. \u201cIt\u2019s too hard to say,\u201d Chip ponders. \u201cClowns Lounge<\/em> was a fluke record. Derek Shulman, who used to be over at Frontiers, used to be in a band called Gentle Giant in England. They were popular in the 70s, and were a really progressive rock band. He ended up going with a label called Polygram Records, and went on to sign Cinderella, Bon Jovi, Pantera, and Slipknot to record deals. He signed a lot of great bands. He\u2019s the guy who called me, and said \u2018Hey, I\u2019m looking for another Enuff Z\u2019Nuff album.\u2019 After 20 years of not hearing from him \u2013 after two records that were certified gold, which was Enuff Z\u2019Nuff\u2019s earlier work \u2013 here he was calling me 20 years later, saying \u2018Hey, I\u2019m looking for another Enuff Z\u2019Nuff album. Have you got anything in the pipeline?\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d been saving everything forever \u2013 all of my recordings. All of the stuff that I did in the early days with Neal Schon from Journey, and Cheap Trick tracks I did with Nielsen and Zander. I looked at all of that stuff, and said \u2018You know what? I\u2019ve got this record that we did in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and we never put it out. There\u2019s 16 songs on it; I\u2019ll knock it down to the best ten or 11. I\u2019ll record a couple of new songs as well, and give that to you.\u2019 I think Frontiers were looking for the first Enuff Z\u2019Nuff album, and you\u2019re not gonna make that without spending a hundred grand nowadays. That\u2019s what it cost to make those records back then, but the band was different as well. I took those archival records and tweaked them up in my own studio a little bit, and put that out there. <\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n

Enuff Z\u2019Nuff (l-r): Tony Fennell, Chip Z\u2019Nuff, Daniel B. Hill and Tory Stoffregen<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s other material that\u2019s like that, too, that I have in the archives. They\u2019ll see the light of day one day. If I had my way, I\u2019d love to put out a box set like the biggest bands in the world do. Not implying that we\u2019re one of the biggest bands in the world, but implying using those great bands as a template. Almost like Gene Simmons put out The Vault<\/em> (November 2017), except I wouldn\u2019t charge $2,000 for it of course. I couldn\u2019t do that, anyway. I\u2019m not Kiss, but using that as a template, where you put all of the Enuff Z\u2019Nuff albums together. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s 22 records counting the Greatest Hits<\/em> and the live records. There\u2019s 14 studio records, I think. We could put them all in a nice box set for the die-hard fans to have, so they have all of the material, and just sell it at the live shows and nowhere else. You can\u2019t get it in stores. Maybe you can get it on the internet, on our website, but that\u2019s something that I\u2019d love to do one day. That would be a nice shot in the arm for Enuff Z\u2019Nuff fans and for the band as well, to get our material out there. At the end of the day, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music videos have inevitably been filmed to promote Diamond Boy<\/em>, returning to current affairs. \u201cThe first video is for \u2018Diamond Boy\u2019, the title track,\u201d the bassist lists. \u201cWe shot the video with Dave Steckert, who did a bunch of stuff for Lucinda Williams. He\u2019s worked with Paul McCartney, and is a wonderful videographer. He\u2019s got wonderful ideas, so we just let him run with it. We hang around Las Vegas and around the country, and the band\u2019s playing live. There\u2019s also intercut footage of us gambling. I think it\u2019s a terrific video, and it\u2019s not your phony lip-synching video. It\u2019s like a three-dimensional movie, in colour. <\/p>\n

\u201cThen there\u2019s another video that starts up after that one, for another track on the record. I think that will be for \u2018Where Did You Go\u2019, which is another song on the album. I think the way of the future for a lot of bands is a video for every single song. However, it gets quite expensive, but I\u2019ve been saying this for five years now, and bands are starting to adapt as well. If you make a ten-song, 11-song record, then guess what? Eleven videos as well. That will be the new template in the future, I believe. You\u2019re hearing it right here and right now, and it\u2019s just a matter of bands finding a way to make all of these videos. Where they help to enhance a song and not detract from it, and be able to afford it as well because videos aren\u2019t free.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to touring as support to Jack Russell\u2019s Great White across the States, Enuff Z\u2019Nuff will visit European shores. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about coming to the UK in January 2019, and supporting the Diamond Boy<\/em> record,\u201d Chip reveals. \u201cSome of our greatest fans are over there, and we love playing over there. We play small places like the Camden Underworld (London). We\u2019ll get to Glasgow, and hopefully we\u2019ll get a chance to do Sheffield and Birmingham, and all of those other little towns out there. Those are great little pockets to play shows, like Manchester, Liverpool. Right now though, I just don\u2019t know exactly what the schedule is, except that the label in conjunction with our booking agent wants to send us over in January to support the record. Then I think we\u2019re doing Italy in April. We\u2019re coming back to the UK again. We\u2019ll do a couple of shows, and then go to Italy. We\u2019ll play that Frontiers festival they have every single year out there. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a few plans. If I\u2019m not mistaken, I just looked at the schedule. In September, we\u2019re out in the UK as well. Three times we\u2019re coming to your country. In September, we\u2019re playing Hard Rock Hell in Wales. So January, a short UK run, April, Italy and countries around that area like Spain, France, and everywhere, and then back in September for the Hard Rock Hell Festival in Wales with a bunch of great bands. That thing\u2019s packed every single year, with tons of people partying and burning the candle at both ends. <\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, we did it with the Quireboys \u2013 my good buddy Spike. The Wildhearts will be on there, and Michael Monroe. It seems that they put some pretty good bands on that, usually. I\u2019m grateful to be a part of it. I\u2019ve played Donington, and you\u2019re really not gonna get much better than that \u2013 playing in front of tens of thousands of people. This Hard Rock Hell is indoors though, not outdoors. The fans come out in their droves; it\u2019s jam-packed, and sold out every night. They record the shows. It\u2019s really good for the fans, and it\u2019s great for the bands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond Boy<\/em> was released on August 10th, 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl.<\/p>\n

Interview published in August 2018. All promotional photographs by David Steckert.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ENUFF Z\u2019NUFF – Transcendence Anthony Morgan August 2018 Enuff Z\u2019Nuff (l-r): Tony Fennell, Chip Z\u2019Nuff, Daniel B. Hill and Tory Stoffregen August 2018 full-length Diamond Boy \u2013 the 14th studio affair from Blue Island, Illinois-based hard rock outfit Enuff Z\u2019Nuff \u2013 has surfaced in a day and age where frontman Chip Z\u2019Nuff feels a lot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4139,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-enuff-znuff-2","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72701"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72718,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72701\/revisions\/72718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}