Deluxe Edition of The Way Life Goes (2017)

Release Date:  Oct. 20, 2017
Label: Cleopatra Records

Date of Interview November 28, 2017

Review and Exclusive interview with Tom Keifer by Anita Maree Brodersen

The Way Life Goes Plus Bonus Deluxe Edition (2017) What You Find Inside

It is back! Originally released in 2013, the brand new Deluxe Edition of “The Way Life Goes” has Tom Keifer taking it up a few notches adding bonus tracks with his touring band and a duet with Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) while adding a bonus DVD with live concert footage and studio footage.  The Deluxe Edition is a six panel set with one CD, one DVD, cool art work, and booklet included.

Tom Keifer Keeps Evolving In Music

Tom Keifer just keeps evolving in the right path and so does his music. As the main songwriter from his band in the 80’s – Cinderella, his songs have held up with his classics like, “Nobody’s Fool,” “Gypsy Road,” and “Don’t Know What You Got (Till Its Gone)” to name a few. Keifer has moved on forming a new band that takes his music to new levels. His album showcases hard rocking, blues-filled songs like his first single “Solid Ground,” followed by “It’s Not Enough” and “Mood Elevator.” Keifer also showcases some heart-touching ballads like “Ask Me Yesterday” and “The Flower Song.” The Way Life Goes Plus Bonus Deluxe Edition (2017) features a cutting edge duet with Lzzy Hale from the band Halestorm performing the classic “Nobody’s Fool” and the Keifer Band does a super cover of “With A Little Help from My Friends.” This is a must for rock fans. Grab your Deluxe Edition of “The Way Life Goes” and submerge into some of the best rock songs of the year.

ONE on ONE Interview with Tom Keifer

Anita Maree Brodersen for Unrated Magazine: Tom, thanks so much for taking time out to speak with Unrated Magazine

UR: I am holding in my hands the brand new Deluxe Edition of your CD – The Way Life Goes. Super packaging and inside there is an updated CD plus a brand new DVD.  Since this was originally released in 2013, can you talk about the updates and why the re-release?

Tom Keifer: The record came out in 2013.  It was very well received by the fans, press, and had great reviews.  We were talking about doing a deluxe edition back then, but we ran into a roadblock – legal issues – and I can’t really talk about the details but there was a corporate shake-up and we almost lost the masters and we had to lawyer-up. Long story short, the The Way Life Goes Plus Bonus Deluxe Edition (2017) has not been available over the last two years and we had people purchase it in 2013 and it just disappeared from their iTunes account.  The history of the album is it took us nine to ten years off and on recording it. We did what we had to do and we did get the masters back last year and we decided to release the Deluxe Edition once we received distribution.  We continued touring and playing the new songs with the band and our fans could not find the new songs but we are happy now to have it back out with new editions added. It was fun to put the deluxe edition together with the bonus track and DVD.

Tom Keifer Musical Career

UR: Following your career over the years Tom, The Way Life Goes Plus Bonus Deluxe Edition (2017) is just on the upward path from where you should be.  The album is so strong with such powerful tunes and catchy lyrics.  It is a rock masterpiece. Not sure if you notice but besides your fans singing along to your classic Cinderella hits, they are also singing word to word many of the songs off The Way Life Goes. Do you notice that when you are on stage?

Keifer: Yeah, you know it is funny, we are in such a different world these days; sales don’t necessarily reflect the popularity of music. There is streaming, online radio, and people ‘borrow’ music and put it on YouTube. Everywhere we play from the States, to Canada to Europe, the fans are singing with the classics and along with the new songs. You know when you have the set list where Solid Ground (first single off The Way Life Goes) put in the set list after Nobody’s Fool and Don’t Know What You Got (Till Its Gone) and the energy level soars – we definitively notice that and it is a good feeling on the response to the new songs.

Bonus Tracks with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm

UR: Talk about the bonus tracks on the CD and also the newly released DVD.

Keifer: Usually bonus tracks on albums are leftover tracks from the original session.  We wanted to do something a little different.  Our bonus tracks are newly recorded tracks that we did last year and we picked “With A Little Help From My Friends” and “Nobody’s Fool” because they were both arrangements from the tour trail.  In the case of “Nobody’s Fool,” we did some shows with the band Halestorm and Lzzy and I ended up on stage together during the encore and fans just went crazy and really loved it.  We saw such positive feedback on social media and requests for a studio version were coming to us. It made sense for the Deluxe Edition to include this version as a bonus track.  It is the same reasoning we recorded “With A Little Help From My Friends” because this is song we have been playing in the encore with my solo band since we started the tour a few years ago and this was my band’s first creative collaboration because the record was made with session players.  So we went into the studio and our goal was to take the Joe Cocker arrangement of the song and put it on steroids and make it a more amped-up hard rock version. So last year we went into the studio and you can hear our version on the Deluxe Edition.  The DVD is the documentary of the recording of these songs.  I want to give credit to Tammy Vega. Most documentaries are quite sterile but Tammy did a very artistic job on the filming.

The DVD for The Way Life Goes Plus Bonus Deluxe Edition (2017)

UR: Yes, the DVD really is an awesome edition to this package.  How can fans get a copy of the Deluxe Edition of The Way Life Goes?

Keifer: The only way to get the six panel digi/pak CD/DVD package with all the art work is to buy it at the shows or on Amazon.  The record label Cleopatra (www.cleorecs.com) has them on their site to purchase.   If you only want the songs, then head to iTunes.

Tom Keifer’s 2018 Outlook

UR: Tom, you are out touring constantly. What is in the plans for 2018?

Keifer: We will tour in 2018. Agents are booking dates now to continue promoting the Deluxe Edition.  Then in the fall 2018 we have our sites on starting a new follow-up record and I will use the band we are touring with in the studio since the chemistry is so great.

UR: What is your creative writing process?  Do you and Savannah (Keifer) write together?

Kiefer: We both approach writing by grabbing that inspiration right away.  It always starts with a lyric idea followed by a melody with it.  You can’t force it.  You just live your life and you might be in aisle six at the grocery store and it just pops into your head.  Just the natural process works best for me.  If the idea is sticking with me then I sit down and grab an instrument and start to write it or expand on the idea.  It works the same way for Savannah for the most part.  When we write together we use ideas floating around. We kick ideas back and forth and then the writing process starts.

UR: Tom, we are out of time but thanks so much for the call.  Unrated Magazine will see you on the road and good luck with your new Deluxe Edition of The Way Life Goes.

 

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