Wallner Vain- British ‘Rock’n’Roll’ Guitarist living In LA.
Interview conducted on Feb. 25, 2022
By Dan Locke
VIVIEN VAIN / WILL WALLNER
“Johnny B. Bad” is kicking off the countdown to Wallner Vain’s debut record, Duel. “I wanted to write a straight up rock song based around a 12-bar blues riff”, says Wallner in regards to the opening single. “I came up with the title after realizing no one had ever used it before on a song. The artwork was taken by Alex Solca in downtown Los Angeles on a cold, misty night. We both felt this image perfectly captured the vibe for “Johnny B. Bad”.
What is your upbringing?
WILL WALLNER :I was born in San Diego, but my parents moved to England when I was very young and that’s where I grew up. My father is German and my mother in English, so I legally have 3 passports (US/UK/DE).
How did you discover music?
My first love was the Spice Girls. I wanted to marry all 5 of them, but then I heard Deep Purple on Top of the Pops in the UK and I knew instantly I wanted to be a guitar player.
How did you start to write music?
I started out just jamming along to records (CD’s) in my bedroom. I started writing my own riffs very early on.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
My first guitar was an Epiphone ‘Zakk Wylde’ Les Paul. My mum bought it on financing, and I made the monthly payments with a weekend job while I was still in school- I was 15. Sadly, I sold it on eBay when I was in college.
What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?
My main guitar is a 1978 Les Paul Custom.
Did you build your Frankie Paul yourself.? Anything special put into it?
That’s my Eddie Van Halen Tribute Les Paul; the day Eddie died I went to Guitar Center in Hollywood and bought a brand new Les Paul with the idea to put his stripes on there. I’ve never seen a Les Paul with EVH stripes and I’m pretty sure mine is the only one. I hired a professional to do the paint job and everyone always asks me who did it. Unfortunately, he asked to remain anonymous because he works for one of the big guitar companies.
How did you and Vivien meet and form the band?
I met Vivien on the day I moved to Los Angeles in 2008. I was surprised to meet someone with a similar taste in music and who knew all of my favorite bands. She’s a bigger Thin Lizzy fan than I am!
How was it to live in Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead’s apartment?
I still live here, right across the street from the Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip. Sadly, there was nothing of Lemmy’s left in the apartment- it had been completely renovated. I’ve tried several times to speak with his ghost, but he won’t answer my calls…
Did you get any vibes staying there?
Not really, but it’s a great conversation piece when I’m at the Rainbow. Seriously though, living in Lemmy’s old place was a big inspiration to recording our new album.
Describe your music.
Our music is blues-based, hard rock. It’s old school.
What was your first performance together like?
Our first gig was at the Whisky A Go Go opening for Jake E Lee in 2013. It was actually pretty cool. Eddie Trunk was there and introduced us before our set. We were the direct support to Jake.
How was it to record with Vinny Appice?
Like a dream, Vinny is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet and he plays on all of our stuff.
Royalties never appear like magic. Royalties are only sent to you through work undertaken by a PRO to ensure that their members are getting paid. If you’re not yet signed up to a Performing Right Organization like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, you may not be receiving all the royalties you deserve. Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the international singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?
Yes, I have a publishing company that takes care of all that stuff.
What makes a good songwriter?
The best advice I can give is to write about things you have really experienced. I always hear bands singing about stuff which they’ve clearly never experienced in their real lives.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
The first song we did was called “Dreamstealer” and yes, we recorded it. Vivien wrote the song and Vinny played drums along with Jimmy Bain (RIP) on bass. It also has a keyboard player named Tony Carey who played with Jimmy on the Rainbow Rising album. Those guys are all legends!
What is the process of writing your music?
We are very slow at writing, but usually I’ll put together the music and Vivien writes the lyrics and melodies.
What inspired you to record “Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)”?
It’s a Thin Lizzy song about Hollywood, so seeing as we live here it seemed like a fun idea. The lyrics from Phil Lynott are incredible. It’s a really cool song and the original Thin Lizzy version is much better than ours.
Tell me about Johnny B. Bad?
It’s a simple hard rock song based around a 12-bar blues riff I had. Most bands don’t do 12-bars anymore so I thought it would be fun to try. The song is about a musician I used to know in Hollywood who was a bit shady. The lyrics are all about real things that happened. Only in Hollywood can you meet guys like that.
Can you say it is a play on words to “Johnny B. Good”? Which actually was about Chuck Berry piano player?
Yeah, that’s the idea. We had the song written and recorded but originally it was called something else, then I thought it might be funny if we called it “Johnny B. Bad”. I don’t think anyone ever used that for a song title before.
Tell me about your full-length LP Duel?
It’s an album we decided to make after moving back to LA in 2020. The goal was just to write a simple rock and roll album that captured something real from our life experiences. The main theme is about musicians in LA who never make it. I know a lot of musicians who’ve spent their whole lives trying to become famous. None of them did, including me.
What is your favorite track on your album?
Right now, it’s a song called “Pay to Play”. If I ever get famous, it will be because of that song.
What are your feelings about streaming music?
I don’t mind it. Actually, I like it. I stream music all day long!
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag.
Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
This is the world we live in. As you said, musically # means sharp but for virtually everyone it’s used to tag stuff online. I use # on all my social media, like #badass.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Digital.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
I’m thinking about the David Lee Roth song “Skyscraper”. It means nothing, but my friend just posted a picture of the album. I guess he just bought it on vinyl. I haven’t listened to it for a while, but I like the song and album.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
I hope not. I think we are getting close to the end of this thing.
Do you think that Covid-19 has been a plus to an artist’s career?
Not for musicians. Bands make their money touring, so this was really tough for a lot of my friends
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
It was only during the lockdown that I decided to give music another shot, so I had to teach myself how to play guitar again after not playing for a few years. I also wrote a book and started painting as a hobby. I like to be creative!
Why did you pick to record “I Don’t Know”?
I love Ozzy Osbourne’s music and it was just a fun idea I had with some fellow musician friends. In my opinion, it’s the best Ozzy song!
How do you stay healthy during the lockdown?
I honestly lived off Rainbow pizza for most of the lockdown because they were only open for takeout orders. I felt bad that they had to close so wanted to support local business.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Yes, painting along with Bob Ross! I’m actually pretty good.
Recently the virus has come back with the Delta outbreak and then with Omicron, which has caused many people in the industry to worry about the future of live music. How would you like live shows to be held and still keep you and the fans safe?
Truthfully, I’d rather not answer. I’ll abide by whichever rules are in place whenever I go to a show. That being said, I don’t really think there’s a right answer to the problem.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like playlisting on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
‘Pay to play’ has been part of the music industry for decades. It exists now more than ever. I was just offered a tour with a well-known band for the price of $15,000. That’s standard for the industry, by the way. It’s happening all the time. Bands pay to get on Spotify playlists, they pay to get likes on Instagram- it’s all a game. That’s why I wrote a song called “Pay to Play”.
The show Star Trek introduced people to the holodeck: an immersive, realistic 3D holographic projection of a complete environment that you could interact with. Today holograms are already being used in a variety of way, such as medical systems, education, art, security and defense. Performers like Tupac, Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Buddy Holly, Ronnie James Dio, Marylin Monroe, and Whitney Houston have done it already. The band ABBA just announced that they will be doing a comeback together after nearly 40 years as holograms on their next tour. With ABBA, it was with the help of George Lucas. If the cost was down to the point where you could do it also, would you be willing to do holographic concerts in your living room?
Sure, why not!
In the past, if a musician stops doing music they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years. Dan Spitz, guitarist for Anthrax, became a master watchmaker and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister did voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
I’ve experienced this. For 6 years I lived in Berlin, Germany and started my own business away from music. I made a lot of money too!
What is your happy place?
Right now, it’s Japan. After buying my dream home in LA, I only have one more place I really want to experience living and that’s in Japan. After I release my new album Duel, I’m most likely going to quit music and move to Japan.
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