Radio Station: WQYZ (Q-92.5 - Great music of the 70s and 80s)
Time: 8.50am to 9.05am CST
Show: Gary Michiels
Live Internet stream

Gary: We’ll be back in a moment, we’re gonna be talking with a gentleman, KAY-sim, KA-sim, that you might have heard of before, you’ll certainly know who he is when we finish chatting this morning. We’ll be back in a moment.

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8:55 in the morning, good morning. I’m Gary Michiels we have a special guest this morning, and it’s probably someone you’ve heard very often on people, on musicians, or songs by Todd Rundgren, Meat Loaf, Joan Jett, Hall and Oates, Patty Smith, and Mick Jagger, and Celine Dion, and maybe you have not heard the name Kasim Sulton, you started hearing it last year whenever he stepped out and got involved in his own CD and we’ve got a copy of that and we’ve got him on the line. Good morning Kasim, how you doing?

Kasim: Good morning Gary, hi everybody, how you doin’?

Gary: We’re doing great.

K: I’m gr… I’m okay

G: Tell us about the decision to step out into the spotlight yourself.

K: Well actually this is my second solo CD… I had a album out in the early eighties and it was about time for me to do another one. You know, so just got a little less busy with other people and had a little more time on my hands and decided to devote most of my extra time to my own solo stuff.

G: Do you have a style that you can give a name to that people might recognize or can you give us a description of what you feel your music is?

K: Well it’s just really melodic pop songs, um you know, as opposed to stuff that… you know, I… really, it’s really difficult for me to pigeonhole it and say ‘you know, well, it’s… it’s heavy metal,’ or it’s - well it’s certainly not heavy metal - it’s rock and roll, it’s this or that it’s just real pop, it’s just pop music.

G: Hmm. Tell us about Meat Loaf. How was it, was it fun to play with Meat Loaf?

K: Well, it’s… that’s always an interesting thing. It’s a great, great, great gig and you know I thank my lucky stars for being able to play with this guy. He is the consummate performer; he gives 200% every night. The minute he steps on stage, it’s always something different. He always manages to get the audience going and does a great show every night and it’s just a real… it’s a real pleasure to be working with him.

G: Looks like Bon Jovi kept you out of town a lot

K: Um, Bon Jovi? (G: Yeah) Well, you know, I work with Jon every once in a while not too much, but he’s… he’s a good guy too.

G: Well Richie Sambora I guess is what I really meant…

K: Yeah well, Richie, I did a couple of tours with Richie on his solo stuff and he’s just an amazing guy. He’s not only the one of the best guitar players that I’ve ever worked with but just… just a real gentleman.

G: People in - is it hard to relate to people whenever you get to places like Germany and Holland and England? I mean do they… I’m sure they hear the music, they can understand that real well…

K: Yeah, they… you know, it’s funny because other than the language barrier it’s really the… music is a universal language so as long as you’re there and you’re not like, you know, doing something like computer consulting, which there’s nothing wrong with that, but you know, when you’re playing a concert and you’re playing music and people are coming out to see you it’s… it’s kind of like, you don’t necessarily, there is really no… no barriers, it’s just all, we’re all one big happy family.

G: (Laughs) We’re going to spin this song, excuse me I just gave away my age we’re gonna hit the digits here with the CD

K: OK (Laughs)

G: It’s… it’s been a… a long career and the name of the song is “Before She Was Gone”?

K: Yes.

G: That’s the one that we wanna hear?

K: Yes

G: That’s the one we’ve got playing for us right now let’s find out

[Plays song]

G: Kasim Sulton, and what a great song that is, “Before She Was Gone.” And I could hear some influences in that particular set, that song, it’s fantastic!

K: Well, you know, I… I worked with Todd Rundgren for… for 10 years in close quarters and a lot of what I know about song writing, arranging, background vocals and recording and… I learned from Todd and he is, he’s certainly real good at that stuff and a lot of that rubbed off on me.

G: You learned well. Gotta run, but tomorrow night people can see you at the Beau Rivage, you’re performing there, is that correct?

K: Yes, they can!

G: What are the show times, Kasim?

K: You know, I believe its eight o’clock… I don’t know that we’re doing two shows, I think it’s just one show, but it’s probably right around eight o’clock. And I go on and I open up the show for Meat Loaf and then one other band member comes on, Patti Russo, does three songs, and then Meat Loaf comes on right after that.

G: We’ll be looking forward to seeing you. Great song, great CD, thanks for letting us be able to premiere it for you down here.

K: Well, it was my pleasure, Gary, and it’s always nice to talk to you.

G: Thank you, Kasim.

K: Okay, bye-bye now.

G: Bye-bye.