TYKETTO lead singer Danny Vaughn - Interview

Tyketto lead singer Danny Vaughn has a new solo album coming out “Myths, Legends & Lies”, a live cd/dvd with Tyketto “Strength and Numbers 25th anniversary tour" an Eagles tribute band The Ultimate Eagles, an acoustic side project with Dan Reed called Snake Oil & Harmony and somehow he still found time to talk with hairbandheaven.rocks.

HBH: You’ve got a new solo album coming out called “Myths, Legends & Lies”. Can tell us a bit about the album and when the release date is?

Danny: Myths, Legends & Lies is the realisation of a dream I have been having for decades. Over my entire career there have been songs I have written that I refer to as my orphans. They aren't cut directly from rock and roll cloth and don't seem to have a place in any of the other projects and bands I am a part of. Finally, I've been able to gather them all together and give them a home under one roof. The album is my attempt to stand toe to toe with my song writing heroes like John Hiatt, Sting, Don Henley and Bruce Hornsby. It will be released in the first week of June so we will see what the listeners make of it.

HBH: I know that a lot of artist as well as yourself have had problems with PledgeMusic lately. How can fans go about getting the new solo album? And was there ever a resolution from Pledge as far as your campaign?

Danny: Pledge remains shut down and saying nothing. They still have a couple of weeks to make good on their 90 day promise of finding a buyer who will then satisfy all debts. I remain skeptical but hopeful. In the mean time, most of my fans were able to get refunds issued before Pledge fully shut down and so my album was able to made. Every person that pledged on my campaign will receive what they paid for from me by mid June.

HBH: Tyketto has a new DVD coming out called “We've Got Tomorrow, We've Got Tonight” that includes strings and horns as well as backing singers. What can you tell us about the DVD?

Danny: In the summer of 2018 we set up camp at a small theatre venue called The Muni in Pontypridd, Wales, UK. Over a period of two days we put on two special shows for a seated audience that involved not only deconstructing our best known Tyketto songs but also adding a wealth of talent and new instrumentation into the mix. "The Last Sunset" became a stand up, Rolling Stones type rocker, while "Forever Young" became a heart wrenching ballad. We involved a trio of string players, a trio of horn players and the wonderfully talented young ladies from the band "Kane'd" as backing vocalists and created a sound that is very special and any number of spine tingling moments. It's one of the hardest projects any of us have ever worked on and also the most rewarding. I think it's a must for any Tyketto fan.

HBH: Tyketto also has a new live cd from the “Strength and Numbers 25th anniversary tour" coming out, is the album recorded from one show or is it from multiple shows?

Danny: We recorded all eight of our UK shows on the anniversary tour. I've already heard some of the rough recordings and they sound fantastic. There was so much love and energy coming from the audiences at those shows and I think we have captured it all "on tape". We hope to have this released in the fall of this year.

HBH: Tyketto played ROCKLANTA on March 30th, how was the show and will there be more U.S. tour dates in 2019 for the band or as a solo artist?

Danny: Rocklanta was a huge success for us and we were so happy to see and meet so many people that have waited a long time to see the band live. From the reaction of everyone I talked to I think it's safe to say that we delivered the goods! I do wish that we had more opportunities to play in the States but it's nearly impossible to put together a tour that is financially sustainable in a country that is so large where you may have to drive 1,000 miles in between shows.

HBH: You’re also in a Eagles tribute band the Ultimate Eagles that sound amazing! What led you to joining that band?

Danny: It's no secret that, quite often, one's own music doesn't pay the bills. I helped found the Ultimate Eagles with three of the other guys 9 years ago because we all love and respect the music of the Eagles and felt that no one else we saw was delivering the music very well. It takes a lot of hard work and research to get all those guitar parts and vocal harmonies correct. So it's very rewarding that we get to play all over the world with it. It's also a lot of fun.

The Ultimate Eagles - Take It Easy

HBH: I’m a huge fan of the album you recorded with Waysted. I always thought “Heaven Tonight” was a great song! What are some of your memories of that time? If I remember right you guys opened up for Iron Maiden on the ’Somewhere In Time” Tour when it rolled into The Toledo Sports Arena in 1986/87.

Danny: "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times". I learned a great deal of my craft from being in that band. I recorded my first album, shot my first video and did my first world tour. Working with Iron Maiden wasn't just a learning experience every day it was a rewarding one because of the gentlemen they all are in that band. In Waysted I also learned some of the things not to do as drug abuse got worse in the camp and they allowed themselves to be mismanaged into financial ruin and career suicide.

Waysted - Heaven Tonight

HBH: You have a ton of stuff going on in 2019 with a solo albums, live album, new DVD tour dates etc. Is there a timeline for when Tyketto will possibly make it back into the studio?

Danny: We will start working on new songs at some point but there is no time line as of yet. We all feel that we raised the bar pretty high with our last album, "Reach", and so we have that as our watermark for how good the next album must be. We have never allowed ourselves to become a nostalgia act and pride ourselves on always making music that moves us, first and foremost. Hopefully, that will translate to the fans as well. So fingers crossed for something in the not too distant future.

HBH: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Danny: Yes, I also take great pride in my musical partnership with Dan Reed, both a spiritual brother and a phenomenal singer/songwriter. We have done three tours together as the acoustic duet, "Snake Oil & Harmony". They have met with such enthusiasm by the fans that we are going to write and record an album together this summer/autumn. So be on the lookout for that!