A Dirty Dozen with TODD THANHAUSER from A.D. 2020 – July 2021

According to a recent press release: “A.D. 2020 released their new single “Ricochet” to all major platforms today. “Ricochet”, written by Mark McNelley, Dan Reed and Todd Thanhauser, is the first single from the band’s forthcoming album Lockdown Diaries due out independently on August 10, 2021. “Ricochet” is available to stream and download on Itunes, Amazon, Spotify and all major digital platforms.” We get drummer Todd to discuss new music, influences, and 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 forthcoming album being released on 8/10/21 is called Lockdown Diaries and is a collection of songs written at the height of the pandemic last year. Yes we have included a few nuggets on the album. One of them was a nod toward our Producer Dan Reed’s amazing ballad “Stronger than Steel;” we have a line in the song “No Regrets” that goes ‘our love is solid stronger than concrete.’ There are lots of nuggets in the artwork of the album.

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

I was onstage at about 6 years of age singing and playing hand percussion and writing songs. Being a child of the 70’s, in my teens I discovered all of my sibling’s music, they were much older than me but I found the love for all of the 60’s band and even lots of the 50’s stuff Elvis and novelty records of the 50’s. My father played Big Band Music all the time so there was always music around me. I started playing drums professionally around the age of 15 getting paid for my first gig and while playing with bands I was exposed to many of the bands of the 70’s Bowie, Kiss, Jeff Beck, Rush, Queen as well as British Metal bands and 80’s New Wave. For me it was about the age of 16 or 17 that I was bitten by the musician bug.

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

I was a big fan of 70’s progressive rock and so bands like Rush, ELP, Yes and Genesis were certainly my influences and led to my style.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

In no order, Beatles, Rush, Dan Reed Network, Kiss, and Led Zeppelin for many different reasons.

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

To spend a day with John Lennon would’ve be amazing. On the album we did collaborate with Dan Reed of Dan Reed Network and so that bucket list item has been checked off. I love the idea of collaborating with new writing partners and so I hope to do more of that in the future.

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?

The album is unique in that all the songs form a complete package and are really a memory of 2020 and what were all going through. The songs are different with influences being drawn from many different places. The songs take the listener on a journey and cover many different musical landscapes. Being that the album has not been released at this writing we haven’t received many reviews.

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

Being able to express oneself through art and seeing your music being played and appreciated by fans is the best thing. Live performances are also important to making the connection with the audience.

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

This is a hypothetical question because the players on the album have never been in the same room at the same time, we collaborated remotely on all of the tracks but I will take a stab at it.  Greg Smith gets the drinks, Dan Reed cooks and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal plays acoustic guitar. I want to attend this party 😊

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

I don’t tend to get star struck but I was at an event in Washington DC a few years ago and through a comedy of errors I ended up sitting with Buzz Aldrin and Dog the Bounty Hunter and his amazing wife Beth Chapman was there and we were all hanging out and having a great time taking selfies and Beth asked to take a selfie with me which was really cool. She passed away a few month later and I feel privileged to have spent a small amount of time with her.

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

I kind of like Sir Richard Branson’s gig, he has an island gets to throw amazing parties and fly in space. I would want his job! LOL

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 would not have a do over, there are “No Regrets” in my life or career. I would have balanced my work and life situation better and maybe not listen to nay sayers or people with opinions that weren’t qualified to offer opinions to me.

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

This is a really tough question because I am a history buff and could come up with 20 records to answer this question with. However if I had to pick one it would be Queen A Night At The Opera  because the band was at the height of their career and the level of songwriting was amazing. There are so many different styles of songs on the album and to me it’s definitely a desert island pick.  Also Rush Hemispheres and Beatles Sgt Pepper would be my other choices.

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Category: Interviews