work
Photo Credit : Jason Adam Photography
ON-THE-UP
Classic 80’s style melodic metal
is alive and well in the debut
release from marylands, Thrill ride.
THRILL RIDE is the project of singer/songwriter Denny Grace, a fixture in the Baltimore, Maryland music scene for over 30 years. What started out as
a solo project quickly turned in to something bigger. Denny set out to record a fun hard rock album that you just don’t hear much of these days. Once the
E.P. was released, Thrill Ride, people started to take an interest, so it was time to put a band together to bring the songs to life.
Denny recruited long time friend, bassist/backing vocalist Bill Yost, guitar/backing vocalist Silas Yost, and on drums, Caleb Yost. With the lineup intact,
the band began rehearsing. With E.P. in hand, Denny reached out to HighVolMusic label owner Bill Chavis and a development deal was inked.
With the down time the band began writing additional material for a new full-length release for their official label release.
How did you get that classic 80’s
guitar sound on the record? Why not wait around to put
out a full length release?
DENNY: I played through a PVS 6505 and then I
played through a little Orange. It’s those two amps
together. It was actually the producer’s idea. I’ve been
running everything through a Kamper for my home
demos. It’s kind of heavy, nothing like those two amps
just cranked up together and sounded amazing. At first
I’m not hearing it. And then when I heard them togeth-
er combined, I’m like, That’s the sound for the album. DENNY: Okay, so, it kind of gives the story of the
band too a little bit. So how it how it played out was for
years I’ve always been like, the side guy in the band.
Always the harmony singer, guitar player, over the past
probably five or six years. People have always asked
me why I didn’t do my own thing. I just never really
thought much about it. I’ve always written songs, but I
never really thought much about putting anything out.
Over the past five or six years, it started to get under
my skin a little bit. I ended up with these five songs and
really liked them. And it’s all due to a friend of mine,
who has a studio here in Maryland. I did an album
with him back in 2005, I think it was with a band called
Silver Tongue. Those guys are still doing it.
Was adding layered vocal
harmonies, ala Def Leppard,
a part of building your sound?
Photo Credits:
Denny Grace
Social Media
Page 72
DENNY: I love that stuff! My favorite spot on the
album is on the song “Goodbye,” when the solo stops
and it’s just the acapella harmonies. It makes the hair
on my arm stand up every time! It’s not that I think
it’s the greatest thing on earth, but it just sounds like
everything I love, and it was so cool to capture that.it.
I booked some time, and we kind of went in and took
everything I had, because my home demos are just,
you know, they’re just rough to get ideas down. So
I went in, and we basically tore all the ideas apart.
Nothing was necessarily written from scratch,
Thrill Ride is
Denny Grace - Guitars/Vocals
Bill Yost - Bass/BG vocals
Silas Yost - Rhythm/Lead Guitar
Caleb Yost - Drums/BG Vocals
but we kind of set for Goodbye.
“Goodbye” we kind of wrote there. I
had one little tiny part and we wrote the
whole thing around it. So anyways, long
story short, again, when I record these
songs on my phone, quality’s great and
I really love what Tony did with it. Tony
Crowley is an amazing producer. We got
some good feedback on the initial tracks.
I thought it would be kind of fun to go out
and just play them you know, as a passion
project. I needed somebody I knew could
sing the high stuff. I think I’m actually
the worst singer in the band, to be hon-
est with you. I had a guitar player that
was lined up but he just didn’t have the
time to put into doing it. I understood. So
between bassist/vocalist Bill Yost, his son
Silas on guitar and the guys who played
drums on the EP, Thomas plays drums
on the EP, everything went great! Then,
everything shut down.
What happened when every-
thing got shut down?
DENNY: The shutdown was a blessing and a curse.
I’ve known Bill Chavis and High Volume Music for quite
a while, going back 20 years or so now. I know he had
the label and I’m funny about asking favors. It not that
we were really close, I just felt funny going, hey man,
I need to get a label. So Bill Yost calls Bill Chavis and
says “Have you heard any the stuff? You should check it
out! I think you’d really like it. It fits what you’re doing
with the label.” Chavis sent me a message and said “Hey,
you know, I’d love to hear your stuff. Send it to me.” So
I sent it to him. It wasn’t a half hour later he called and
said, “Do you have five more like it, because I’d love to
put this out?” I told him I’m in the process of writing be-
cause we’re not doing anything, we’re just home. He said,
“Well get to work. Let’s see what we can do.” So I went
to work and wrote 11 new songs in about two months, and sent him two demos. He said,
“Alright, Let’s run with it.” I went back into the studio with Bill and Keith again for another
five songs that are going to be on the full length that will hopefully be out in another month
or two. It’s a full fledged band and I am ready to roll.
What are your thoughts on how bands
put out music?
DENNY: I miss the good ole days. I miss flipping on MTV and seeing the “Photograph”
(Continued on page 78)
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Photo Credits: Thrill Ride
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