Empire Extreme got to meet up with Keith St John of Kingdom Come at his Hotel room a day before their M3 performance and talk about being the new guy in the band and how his career has seen some amazing things.

EE: Are you all excited about playing M3?

Keith: absolutely, I know other members of the band have played M3 before, but this will be my first time, I’m breaking the cherry. I’m excited.

EE: How was it like coming into the band replacing the vocalist, any nerves?

Keith: No I really wasn’t, for me when they first asked me to join this band and I’ve been in the position before I had them make sure that their singer still wanted to do this tour first. They asked and he didn’t want to, so we started to take it more serious. After a few months I’m learning the songs I had them ask Lenny again just to make sure he still didn’t want to do the tour, but Lenny was set in his retirement from the band. He just wished us the best. For me a singer I really won’t take on a project or a band unless I can be myself and sing my way. If I can’t have any of my Artistic license.

EE: You also have been in a few other bands working with Neil Schon from Journey, Quiet Riot and Nazareth for a while, how was that like?

Keith: They are really fun when I get called in to do these gigs. I helps build my fan base. The only band I was pegged for being in the longest was Montrose. Being with Ronnie Montrose he such a iconic guitar hero. Working with him changed my life with learning about the business. From being a singer in a bar to singing in arenas. Most of these situations have been perfect fit with how I sing and fit in.

EE: You also have another project with Doug Aldrich Burning Rain and just released a new album with that.

Keith: Yeah the album is called Face the Music. Doug and I just played a Europe acoustic promotion tour. We have Blas Elias from Slaughter on drums and Brad Lang from Y&T on bass. They are both super monster players.

EE: Is there an Artist that you haven’t worked with that you would like to?

Keith: Eddie Van Halen. He’s part of that California guys I haven’t worked with. I’ve been told that Eddie has seen me play but I haven’t met him. I would love to have a conversation with Paul McCartney.

EE: What Musician would you like to bring back from the dead?

Keith: well there’s different reasons for different guys. Let me give you a couple of answers. One guy since I’m a huge fan of this band and would have liked to seen them with him would be John Bonham. For me on a personal level and be able to hang with them and maybe talk to him or co-write with them would be a toss up between Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix.

Kingdom Come put on a hell of a show at M3. Keith and the gang look and feel like they have been playing together for years. It was great to see all the guys that put out such great records and amazing songs. I think that they were one of the best bands that day and the fans were really digging it. I can’t wait to see them again in the future.

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Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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