TAKE TWO
EVERY MOTHERS NIGHTMARE is back ! RICK RUHL IS Rebuilding bridges and resurrecting the faithful .
American rock band ( EMN ) EVERY MOTHER ’ S NIGHTMARE hails from Memphis , Tennessee and is a quintessential artist that never follows trends doing things their own way . With a music catalog that rises above and is a far cry from their peers , EMN has released six albums that greatly differ from one to the next . Each one telling a story of good times , trouble pasts and life experiences . It has been said that the band “ writes what they live ”. Such is the case with their new studio album ‘ RESURRECT THE FAITHFUL ’ due out October 23 , 2020 on High Vol Music . In a very personal interview with lead vocalist Rick Ruhl , he discusses the early days of band , some mistakes made along the way , re-releasing past music , writing and releasing their first album in year , and the road to resurrect Every Mothers Nightmare .
Photo Credit : EMM Official Facebook
What were the events that led up to you re-issuing the older records and then following that up with brand new music ?
RICK : The biggest thing was , Bill Chavis has always been my number one supporter and fan . We met years ago , and we tried to work with each other . He has been the driving force in re-issuing older albums and the new record . We ’ re building bridges and in some cases re-building older ones . He wanted to rebuild the entire timeline of this band .
These tracks seem to come from a real personal place ?
RICK : It ’ s probably the first real organic record we ’ ve ever done . All of the pieces are right here in front of me just to to pick and choose from and God gave me the luck of word on here because I don ’ t write anything down . I ’ ve got dyslexia so bad and it ’ s hard to read stuff . So everything out of this , it just came out of me in the studio . It is probably the most genuine thing I ’ ve written about . Everything on there is real , everything . I watched it unfold and happen , tried to make it obscure enough so it wouldn ’ t hurt anybody ’ s feelings . Don ’ t get me wrong , there ’ s many good things that happened on there too . I can talk about the writing of this record forever because all of the song ideas just blew me away . They just hit me , and when you get one of those moments , you know , they ’ re few and far in between , when it all just falls into place . It just comes out of the air and lands in your head . It ’ s a beautiful thing .
It ’ s so ironic that an introspective song called “ Breathe ” on the new record , comes out in a pandemic .
RICK : It was a little bit of that was happening because , you know , we went on a three year run . We were playing for three years straight , then the COVID thing happened . So I ( Continued on next page )
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ON-AIR WAVES
RADIO HOST FROM PENNSYLVANIA
TALKS ABOUT THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS,
PASSION FOR MUSIC AND POST 9/11 RADIO.
Radio Host and DJ Bill Page has seen and done it all. From his days in college radio, terrestrial stations and his stint at iHeart Radio, radio is
all Bill ever wanted to do. Bill took those years of experience and has built a name for himself as the go-to DJ in his great town of Erie, PA.
In 2020 amidst the pandemic Bill brought his talents to 99WNRR with The Bill Page Biker Show every Thursday nights at 8PM est and the 99WNRR
airwaves has never been the same. As well as 99WNRR you can hear him on several different stations. He is also an Erie’s Choice Award Winner.
Station owner Michael Presti in a one-on-one discussion about his career and what it takes to be a successful and professional radio host.
Easy 1st question. Why choose
a career in radio?
BILL: I just really liked music. And as a kid,
growing up in the 80s, radio was about radio
personalities and listening to them. I wanted to be
in a band, but not as musically talented as I might
have wanted to be. I Just kind of got into the music
and stepped out of my shell and became my own
personality and life dictated that. If you would have
seen me as a sophomore in high school, I was the I was
the quiet shy kid.
Talk about that transformation.
How did it happen?
Photo Credits:
Bill Page
Social Media
BILL: There was a radio station down the street, and
I’d be going back and forth to the YMCA to play bas-
ketball. There was a radio station. One night, I said,
you know, I’m gonna swing over that way and see if
there’s anybody there. I became friends with the guy
who was the DJ. It was getting an opportunity to hang
out, watch what they did, and learn the ins and outs.
That guy’s name is Jay and he was actually he was
just doing stuff out of high school. So I’m like, Well,
if he can do it, um, you know, there could be oppor-
tunities. I started making tapes in my basement of
every opportunity I got, and I’d go and I’d hook in
through adapters and start, then that’s where I re-
ally started becoming more of a production person
of trying to create what I heard, to show people I
could do it, if I had better toys, I could make better
sounds and more. So I think it started evolving from
the getting in the door of seeing someone doing it.
I got an opportunity with a college radio station,
when I was a sophomore, that summer, my interest
in it got rolling. The college students would go home
for summer and they needed someone like they would
every once in a while, let high school kids fill in on
shifts. Then, I got a chance to do a shift from 10 at
night till two in the morning. Sometimes people
wouldn’t show up. I continued on at the local col-
lege station WERG while I was working part time job
throughout high school, filling in for the college stu-
dents when shifts became available. They were very
album orientated That was the early years of REM.
Whats are some of the frustrat-
ing things that happened while
in radio?
BILL: For the Longest time I couldn’t get on air because there
wasn’t opportunities, I was too young, too this or too that. It
was hard to get my food in the door. There were a lot of people
that told me I’d never be able to make it. My response was don’t
ever tell me what I can’t do and don’t bet against me… Maybe I
wouldn’t be the next Ryan Seacrest but i have a dream and can
definitely entertain. I loved creating “theater of the mind” paint-
ing an image for the listeners, telling a story. I learned how to get
people’s attention and keep them listening. Seinfeld was a master
of that “ Telling stories about funny things that happen in real life
and sharing that with my listeners on a local level. I always felt
that there’s a ton of local talent in our community why not listen
to someone from your home town. Providing Slice of Life type of
stuff that people can relate to… I’m working now at few stations
around the US, one of them is Country Format, They didn’t hire
me because I’m a country jock but more for the fact that I can
relate to listeners and tell a good story about what’s going on in
the world. It’s important to keep in mind that there’s a value to
life and that everyone’s life is important and so are their opinion
whether we agree with them or not.
Was there ever an experience where
you were on and had to broadcast
a traumatic event?
BILL: On 9/11 I was on the air when the information start-
ing coming in about what was going on. The situation was mind
blowing… “How could anyone do something so awful”? It was
shocking the loss of life and gravity of the situation as the story
unfolded. I don’t know how news people can separate their feelings
from telling a story, especially a tragedy like 9/11 or the Columbine
School Shootings. I’m not a news person, reading the stories was
really emotional especially when you add the human element to
the situation and start to relate to how the families felt during these
tragedies. I’ll never forget when we had a school shooting at a lo-
cal middle school dance just down the street that I was supposed to
work but was already booked. It was really sobering and hits close
to home when I realized how many lives were changed forever in
the blink of an eye.
Whats the best piece of
advice a host evergave you?
BILL: Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something. The older we get the
harder it is to live your dreams and make them a reality. I had a station owner that
said to me a long time ago.. “Bill if you’re a great personality on one station/format,
you can be a great personality on any radio station in the country.” Don’t limit your-
self to just one station or type of music and let it define your career. My best advice
is if you have a dream, do everything you can to make it come true, understanding
that it won’t be a straight shot to getting there and the road will be bumpy with
lost of curves and stops along the way. Being married for 20 years, having three
children,two great dogs, and living life has made me who I am today and I wouldn’t
change it for the world… Life experiences is what made me a good radio personality
versus just some voice on the radio.
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Photo Credits: Kenny Sturm
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