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THE DEAD DAISIES – Down At The Fame
With Lookin’ For Trouble, The Dead Daisies dive headfirst into the raw, soulful roots of rock music, paying tribute to the blues heritage that inspired generations of musicians. But this isn’t just another covers album — it’s a heartfelt declaration of love for a genre born in the dust, sweat and soul of America’s juke joints, now filtered through the unmistakable sound of the band. We had the chance to chat with John Corabi, the band’s charismatic frontman and true rock’n’roll spirit, who told us how the project came to life (almost by accident, during a late-night jam at the legendary FAME Studios), the respect they hold for the original artists, their “What would Led Zeppelin do?” approach to arrangements, and the hope that this record might lead younger fans to discover legends like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Between anecdotes, laughs, and reflections on what it means to play blues in 2025, what emerges is a candid portrait of a band that knows how to have fun, how to move people — and how to never take itself too seriously. And when asked who the real troublemaker in the band is… well, you’ll find out soon enough.
Italian version HERE!
How did the idea for a full blues covers album come about? Was it something you had planned for a while, or did it really start with that famous jam session at FAME Studios?
This whole thing was a bit of a “happy accident.” We all wanted to go to FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, and our manager was able to get us 9 days down there to do some writing for the “Light Em’ Up” record. We were so in awe of the history of the building, and all the old equipment, and photos, that we at some point started jamming some old blues covers at night. Marti always keep the ProTools rig running and recorded some of the jams, and we all thought it sounded pretty cool. So we decided to do a blues record. We then decided on the songs to do, arranged them to make them sound like our style, and laid it all down live
What does the blues mean to you? Is it just a musical root, or also a kind of attitude or spirit?
It’s all of the above actually. A bunch of these artists that wrote these classic songs literally went from JUKE JOINT to JUKE JOINT making a minimal amount of money, and basically got to eat and drink for free to play these tunes to an enthusiastic audience. Most of “white America” didn’t appreciate the “DEVIL’S” music, or the behaviour at these clubs, so it was really a bunch of artists that wrote about topics that were relatable to that audience. So they walked the walk, talked the talk, and did it for the love of doing it, cause as I said, they weren’t getting rich, that’s for sure!!! And as far as the musical root, the blues is the seed to every genre of music with the exception of classical, in my honest opinion!
How did you choose the ten tracks for the album? Was there a common criterion, or did each of you bring your own favorites to the table?
To be honest with you, none of us are blues aficionados, so the idea was to do a bunch of these classic blues songs that were introduced to us by the great bands/artists of the 60’s and 70’s. For example, David really wanted to do “Little Red Rooster”, because that was the first song he saw them do on TV in Australia, and he fell in love with The Stones, and the song not knowing it was a blues cover. I became aware of “Crossroads” through Cream and Lynyrd Skynyrd. So all of these songs have a special meaning to us, and how we found them through other artists
How challenging was it to stay true to the original spirit of these songs while filtering them through your signature sound?
Again, to be honest we obviously wanted to keep the integrity of the tune intact. But, we had a running joke when we were arranging them. We kept asking ourselves “What would Led Zeppelin do?” As we all know, Led Zeppelin did a BRILLIANT cover of “When The Levee Breaks,” on Zeppelin IV, that was written in 1929 by Memphis Minnie, and Kansas Joe McCoy about the great Mississippi River flood of 1927. Zeppelin got a hold of that, and kept the lyrics, and the melody, but took the song musically under their wing to make it sound like them. Which is exactly the blueprint we tried to use for the whole record.
“Boom Boom” was chosen as the lead single — what made you go with that one in particular?
Actually, “Boom Boom” is our second single from the record. The label released “Crossoads” on February 27th I believe. But there is a video out for that. But “Boom Boom” was just overwhelmingly liked by everybody at management, and the label, so they wanted to put it out.
The Dead Daisies are known for having a rotating lineup of top-level musicians. How does that affect your sound and identity as a band?
Ugh….I hate this question…LOL If you really look at the line-ups for the RECORDS you’ll realize that there was a bit of a “core” line-up for the recordings. A lot of the names that are on the list of “former” members, are actually friends of ours that filled in for some reason or another temporarily. We just add them to The Dead Daisies “family list.” So, other than Jon Stevens, Glenn Hughes, and myself, in the studio. The line-up was pretty consistent for the most part…in the studio that is.
Sarah Tomek is a new and fresh presence in the band’s history — how was it working with her on drums?
Sarah was brought in because at the time Brian (Tichy) had just informed our management that there would be some scheduling issues with him. So when we started getting material together for “Light Em’ Up,” and what became this record we went into the studio with Marti’s son Evan, and Sarah to put this stuff together. As it turned out, Evan did the drums on “Light Em’ Up,” and Sarah wound up knocking the drums out for us on “Lookin’ For Trouble,” as Evan switched to helping with the recording process.. Tommy Clufetos is the drummer for The Dead Daisies…But, for the record, Sarah KILLED it on the blues record!!!!
How democratic is the band when it comes to writing, arranging, and making creative decisions?
The band is very democratic in the studio!! We all contribute to the writing process, and the overall design of the records. This is truly one of the easiest bands I’ve ever worked with when it comes to writing, recording, and being efficient about it!!!
In an age dominated by streaming, algorithms, and fast trends, what’s the meaning of putting out a blues album today — with songs that were written 50 or even 60 years ago?
Well, we were just inspired by the studio we were in. And historically we’ve always done a tribute, or “tip of the hat” to the bands that influenced us. So when we made the decision to record these songs we chose to “tip the hat” to the artists that influenced our heroes, like Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Stones, etc. As far as streaming, algorithms, and fast trends,…That’s up to people like our manager, and the label to figure out. I SUCK at Math…lol
Do you think younger fans might discover Muddy Waters or Robert Johnson thanks to Lookin’ For Trouble?
We hope so. It amazes me still to this day, that a lot of people don’t realize that “Midnight Moses” is by The Sensational Alex Harvey band. Oddly enough, I did an interview back during the “Make Some Noise” tour, and a music critic had no idea that “Join Together” was a song by The Who! So, we were really enlightened when we were recording these blues tunes because we were researching the songs, and who wrote them, when they were written etc., so hopefully that curiosity will trickle down to the listeners, and they can then research these artists, and others, and be enlightened as well!!!
Have you ever been tempted to write a full blues album with original songs?
I have written a few in the past, and I have a new blues tune I’m releasing on an upcoming solo record. After that…who knows?
If you could play just one of these songs live, in a tiny club with twenty people watching, which one would you pick — and why?
Hmmm….That’s a tough one. I really dig them all to be honest, but if pressed, I’ll go with “Black Betty!!!”
One last fun one: who’s the real troublemaker in the band?
Well I feel like I’m the practical joker…But if I have to go with “Troublemaker,”….I’ll go with David Lowy…That guy will never amount to anything…LOL
