Hi Alessandro, nice to talk with you, and thank you for your kind words about "Heaven Knows" Is there any particular reason after this "one-man band" choice for your main project Newman?
In the passed I have played in many bands, mostly as a guitarist, backing vocalist. When I started to write songs for the first Newman album I enjoyed the freedom that working alone gave me. As the albums have progressed I have had the chance to perform with many different musicians, and finally this year, I am once again taking a band out to play some live dates. So I really get the best of both worlds!

Do you think you're more talented as a songwriter , as a vocalist or as a musician?
I started my musical life as a guitarist, so I guess I tend to think less about that when performing. I have only really been singing lead vocals since just before the first album was released and I think I have learned a great deal over the passed few years. I’d like to think that my singing and songwriting has improved, certainly I find it easier to perform or write what I feel inside.

After your appearance in the AOR Gods in 1999, Newman are scheduled for the preshow party in the forthcoming Firefest III next October. Any further gigs in your plans for the near future?
We have a warm up gig confirmed for the 21st October in Portsmouth UK. I would like to perform more dates later in the year if the demand is there. The band are really looking forward to Firefest, it’s been too way too long since we played.

When you go onstage, which instrument do you play besides vocals?
Guitar.

In my humble personal opinion, you' re actually the best european expression of the traditional AORster, in the same vein of such classic US artists as Stan Bush and Tim Feehan. Do you think my description fits your musical
purposes?
Thank you very much for your kind words, It’s very humbling to be talked about in the same sentence as artists such as Stan Bush and Tim Feehan. I listen to a lot of music, not only AOR, and those artists you have mentioned, and I guess that influence comes out in my songwriting.

Lets talk about your fantastic brand new album, "Heaven knows". The track "Ain' t gonna cry forever" sounds like an outtake from a timeless classic as the "the Storm" debut album, "Learning to live" has the same flavour as a
Giant' s gem, but all the songs in your last release have an extremely high-quality standard. Are there any stylistic innovations you aimed to include on "Heaven Knows" in comparison to the slightly heavier, but yet
extraordinary, previous chapter "Sign of modern times"?
That’s a good question, because I had the opportunity to record and mix the album myself this time I was very aware of the sound of my previous albums and the production quality they had. Recording wise, I tried to blend the AOR sound with a slightly more “in your face” feel. Musically, I think the title track is the most modern sounding song I have recorded, recently I have been listening to a lot more modern rock so this has been an influence. I never write songs thinking “oh, I want this to sound like that particular band, or that guitar should sound just like the way that guitarist plays it” I only ever write what comes from my heart.

The moody "On any other Sunday" seems to be concerned with a tragic experience. Would you love to share with your listeners the circumstances that stimulated your artistic sensibility so deeply?
Yes, The concept behind “Any Other Sunday” was really a love song about someone coming to terms with either a break up or the loss of someone close to them. It was written shortly before the tragic events in the Indian Ocean that Christmas. I had visited Sri Lanka the year before and had experienced the people and had made some good friends over there. When I first saw the images on TV I was stunned and much like the rest of the world I watched in horror as that story unfolded. The Tsunami happened on a Sunday, and by sheer coincidence the song I had written seem to fit in very well with the events and the lyrics seem to go some way to express what people may have been feeling, not only Sri Lanka, but also, the other countries that were affected. Of course, these people are still trying to rebuild their lives to this day, and it will take many years for these people to overcome this tragedy. My heart goes out to them.

On "Heaven knows" there' s a great tune co-written with Anders Rydholm of Grand Illusion, and your previous albums have seen the contribution of first-rate musicians like Pete Jupp and Paul Dean. Do you often happen to
appear on other artists' recordings as well?
Not until recently, A few years ago I went over to Sweden to write some songs with Anders, I regard him very highly as one of the best melodic songwriters of recent years. When I had the opportunity to write with him I jumped at the chance and the lovely thing was he is so easy to get on with and is such a nice guy. The song your referring to “Sport Of Kings” was actually written in those sessions over in Sweden, it was a pleasure to record the song for “Heaven Knows” and have Anders perform. I wrote some lyrics for the excellent Grand Illusion album “Ordinary Just Won’t Do” and have recently been involved in a few projects, one of which involves the ex-Praying Mantis, Sweet vocalist Mark Thompson-Smith, which should be released sometime in the new year, If time will allow, I would love to get involved in more projects in the future.

Despite featuring the likes of such "solar" artists as Steve Morris and Chris Ousey of Heartland fame, your third cd "Dance in the fire" featured a darker sound approach in comparison to the rest of your musical production.
Was that a stylistic choice, or just the consequence of a particular mood of yours at that time?
It’s funny you should say that, I felt the same about “DITF”, the songs were very dark, and the melodies weren’t as immediately apparent as the previous albums. I don’t think this was a conscious decision, but it’s amazing how many people have said that they only started to like the album after about the 4th listen!

Your name tends to appear on music magazines only when a new Newman release is out. Do you prefer to stay away from spotlight or what?
Yes, I earn so much money out of AOR, I’m really a recluse!!! Hahaha.
No, really, I am always busy with music in one form or another. Recently I have made some contributions to various forums on various topics. Melodic rock is a huge passion, and at the end of the day I am a fan just like you.

Do you have a regular job or music is your only profession?
For the passed 5 years or so I have worked in IT, previous to that I was making music for a living , playing in duets around the south coast of England.

Is your own recording studio Blue Room open for rental to external bands, or is it for strictly private use?
I am hoping to carry out some pre-production/mastering work there in the near future, it’s something that I have always wanted to do and now that I have the facilities to produce high quality product I will be advertising some services through the newmansound website. Please tell us something more about your "Butterfly tattoo" side-project.
I was involved in doing something a little different with regards to Butterfly Tattoo. I got together two other musicians, a bass player, and a drummer and we spent around 2 months in the studio writing songs with the intention that this was to become the next Newman album. We started to actively write together and could see almost immediately that this was going to be nothing like any other Newman album! After the songs were more or less completed I presented them to Khalil, and we both came to the conclusion that this was too different to be released under the Newman name. I hope to re-record and master that material some time in the future.

What are your three all-times fave albums?
Just three !!! hahaha. I’ll try.
1. Raised On Radio : Journey
2. Any Jeff Paris album
3. I’m going to have to say Ra : Duality, no album has impressed me more in the passed few years.

I personally consider you a true AOR master, at the same level as Tommy Denander. Did you ever consider to join your skills on a common effort?
I love Mr Denander, I have listened to a lot of his recent work, and rate him very highly, I would love to work on some stuff with him although I think he’s now concentrating on more work outside of rock, but who knows. Do you have his email address ? hahaha

You' ve got the rare gift of always crafting high-quality tunes and albums, just like my personal idol Dann Huff of Giant. Is there any secret after your ability, and could you reveal it to us?
Thanks once again for your kind words. There is no secret, but if there was do you think I’d share it with you? ! haha. I would only say that I have always believed that any song lives or dies on it’s Chorus, and I always consider this when writing. I also strongly believe that just like a painter, the ability to put to canvas what you have in your mind is the strongest gift anyone can have. I will always work to achieive this.

Thanks Steve
Thanks Alessandro and good luck with the webzine, and I’d just like to say a big thank you to all your readers that have bought the latest album and supported not only Newman, but melodic rock in general. Maybe we’ll see some of you at Firefest this year.