QUEENSRŸCHE Singer TODD LA TORRE: 'I Am Not A Formally Trained Vocalist'

Greece's Burst magazine recently conducted an interview with former CRIMSON GLORY and current QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Burst: Have you taken up singing lessons or are you more self-taught? Do you think that s inging lessons are essential?

Todd: I am not a formally trained vocalist and have taught myself what I know so far. I do think that anyone, including myself, could benefit from a good vocal coach as there are many things to be practiced as games, such as breathing techniques and learning how and where the sound actually resonates in the body. I don't think that the work is ever done.

Burst: Can you share with us the way you joined CRIMSON GLORY? How does it feel being compared with legendary singer Midnight?

Todd: I was introduced to CRIMSON GLORY by my friend Matt Laporte, who played guitar in JON OLIVA'S PAIN. I was asked to be a guest vocalist for a concert the band performed in memory of the fallen singer Midnight. I feel I was able to capture some of those qualities that Midnight had, but I would never truly compare myself to him because he was so unique and special in his own way. I was just so very honored to be accepted by those fans and I did the best job that I could.

Burst: What let to your leaving CRIMSON GLORY? Could you shed some more light on this matter?

Todd: Well, I basically left a CRIMSON GLORY due to the band's inactivity. We were working on a new concept album and things were going very well, but after some time the correspondence seemed to fade. Weeks turned into months and it was just something I was not willing to continue to wait for. I wish all the guys the best and they're really great people so there are certainly no hard feelings.

Burst: How does it feel being on stage?

Todd: Being on stage is a very comfortable place for me. I have been performing, at least as a drummer, on stage since I was 14 years old. Being out front is different, of course, but the stage and being with the band makes me feel right at home.

Burst: Do you think the social media and the new technologies have influenced the music industry in a positive or in a negative way? Have those new technologies affected your music and how?

Todd: Obviously, the technology available has made it much easier for musicians to record their own music and promote it online. The downside to today's technology is that there is so much downloading music that the artists suffer monetarily because of the decline in album sales. Bands have to primarily rely on income from touring and merchandise.

You can read the entire interview from Burst magazine (go to page 37).