A Dirty Dozen with DAN REYNOSO of THE AVIATORS – January 2019

According to a recent press release: “Bakersfield, CA hard rock band THE AVIATORS has released the official music video for the single, “Goodbye to the Rain,” filmed at The Canyon at The Rose, off of their latest album, Flowers and Moonshine. In an era when the perception that Rock N Roll is a dead art form, The Aviators have eschewed the apathy towards rock n’ roll and chose to release an incendiary piece of work that gives a nod to the legends of the past, but also blazes their own trail into the end of the decade.” We get rhythm guitarist Dan Reynoso to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our latest release is our fourth release. We believe that it is the best collection of songs that truly encompass what we are about as a band. We did not try to reinvent the rock and roll wheel, we just want it to keep it going.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

None of us started playing music to be in a band, most of us started in our school bands and started our musical journey there. Once the band was formed, we were pushed by our success and our desire to continue to get better.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Arena rock was always the ultimate thing for me, I was not interested in the smaller bands or much of the indie stuff. AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Rolling Stones, heavy hitters like them. Classic rock bands just seem to have so much more going on, band members are more like characters, the songs meant more to the listeners, the shows were huge events and the allure was just everything. Led Zeppelin at Knebworth, AC/DC live in Paris in 79,  footage from the Rolling Stones Tattoo You tour, Queen Rock Montreal, those are some of the best live shows you can watch. I could go on forever when it comes to that stuff.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

When it comes to rock and roll? I would have to say, Malcolm Young, Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and probably Mick Jagger. I always bring up Mick Jagger because I really respect the way he writes lyrics. Some of his stuff does not make sense and it is so out there, but his confidence when he delivers the line always seems to make the lyric work.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Jeff Lynne, easy question. Here is why: Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, they all thought it was a good idea.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I would describe our music as familiar. It’s a nod to all of the rock and roll bands that came before us, not a rip-off. We were compared to Golden Earring, did not make us cringe but it did make us raise an eyebrow.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

Being a musician or being a musician that performs live? Big difference. The best part about being a musician, in general, is the ability to create or recreate music. Playing an instrument really helps clear the mind, I think I like that the most.

8. When you have downtime and are hanging out with your family, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and how often is their an acoustic singalong or impromptu karaoke night?

The Aviators are a family, as cliche as that sounds. Typically if we make plans to do something outside of playing music, it ends up being with members of the band. We have all shared each other in our personal lives, shared holidays with each other, the relationship between the members of The Aviators is deeper than most bands.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

Last time and only time that I would say I was star struck was when I crossed paths with Steven Tyler, a story for another time.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

I have never been good at imagining a dream job. When I was really small, I wanted to be a bull rider.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I wont take time out of my day to have an “Uncle Rico” moment about what we could have done differently but I will address an overall thought that perhaps at times, we should have jumped even without a safety net at certain situations.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for anyone record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

It would be between Back in Black, Rumours, and Boston. Back in Black because it is so sonically pleasing to me, it’s Mutt Lange, Bon Scott just dialed and just has some killer tracks. Boston’s self titled just because how in the hell did that happen? Tom Scholz is an animal and Brad Delp would have been something to witness. Rumours, well for the obvious. Witnessing the recording session for Rumours would have been the most creative, drama you could witness.

THE AVIATORS LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Interviews