Shock
      Hazard
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      few
      weeks
      ago,
      CIMN
      Music
      Director
      Kevin
     
     
      Smith
      spoke
      with
      Freddy
      Curci,
      lead
      singer
      for
      the
     
     
      band
      Alias.
      Here
      are
      some
      excerpts
      from
      that
     
     
      ~
      interview.
     
    

    
     
      CIMN:
      How
      did
      you
      and
      Steve
      (DeMarchi)
      meet
     
     
      Michael
      (Derosier),
      Steve
      (Fossen),
      and
      Roger
     
     
      (Fisher),
      and
      what
      was
      it
      about
      Alias
      that
      made
     
     
      them
      want
      to
      join
      the
      band?
     
    

    
     
      Freddy:
      First
      of
      all,
      we
      met
      Michael
      last
      summer
      in
     
     
      our
      manager’s
      office.
      Mike
      was
      doing
      some
      session
     
     
      work
      in
      L.A.
      He
      knew
      our
      manager
      because
      he
      had
     
     
      toured
      with
      Richard
      Marx
      on
      his
      first
      tour.
      Our
     
     
      manager
      manages
      Richard
      Marx
      as
      well
      to
      clarify
     
     
      any
      confusion.
      He
      was
      sitting
      in
      the
      office
      visiting,
     
     
      doing
      whatever
      he
      was
      doing.
      We
      said
      "Hi"
      and
     
     
      Started
      up
      a
      conversation.
      We
      really
      got
      along
      well
     
     
      and
      decided
      to
      go
      for
      a
      few
      drinks
      in
      the
     
     
      neighbourhood
      bar
      and
      six
      hours
      later
      we
      were
     
     
      becoming
      real
      good
      friends.
      I
      had
      a
      cassette
      of
      our
     
     
      demos
      in
      my
      pocket,
      so
      I
      looked
      at
      Steve,
      did
      the
     
     
      telepathic
      thing
      and
      said,
      "Do
      you
      wanna
      give
      this
     
     
      guy
      a
      cassette?”.
      So
      we
      gave
      Mike
      the
      cassette.
      He
     
     
      really
      liked
      the
      stuff
      and
      he
      came
      up
      with
      the
      idea
     
     
      of
      getting
      the
      other
      guys
      in
      the
      band.
      He
      said,
     
     
      "Look,
      can
      I
      send
      this
      tape
      up
      to
      Seattle."
      We
      said
     
     
      that
      would
      be
      a
      great
      idea.
      Then
      Roger
      and
      Steve
     
     
      loved
      the
      material
      and
      we
      got
      together
      and
      now
     
     
      we're
      a
      band.
     
    

    
     
      CIMN:
      Now
      you’re
      out
      on
      the
      road.
      Since
      all
      of
     
     
      you
      are
      experience
      live
      performers,
      what
      can
      a
     
     
      person
      expect
      when
      they
      go
      to
      see
      Alias
      in
      concert?
     
     
      Freddy:
      A
      kick-ass
      show.
      There
      are
      no
      low-points
      in
     
     
      this
      show.
      Even
      the
      slow
      points
      are
      not
      low
      points.
     
     
      We
      really
      pride
      ourselves
      on
      getting
      out
      there
      and
     
     
      getting
      audiences
      excited
      and
      having
      a
      lot
      of
      fun.
     
     
      This
      band,
      we’re
      not
      a
      bunch
      of
      posers.
      We
      just
      get
     
     
      out
      there,
      have
      a
      great
      time,
      play
      our
      songs,
      and
     
     
      party
      with
      the
      people
      because
      we’re
      not
      a
      hairspray
     
     
      band,
      we’re
      not
      pretentious
      in
      that
      way.
     
    

    
     
      CIMN:
      How’s
      the
      tour
      been
      going?
     
    

    
     
      Freddy:
      Actually,
      really
      good.
      It’s
      been
      sold
      out.
     
     
      CIMN:
      You
      went
      down
      to
      New
      York
      between
      PEI
     
     
      and
      Nova
      Scotia?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Freddy:
      I
      was.
      It’s
      been
      a
      hectic
      tour,
      but
      I
      love
      it,
     
     
      I
      love
      every
      bit
      of
      it.
      Love
      these
      frequent
      flyer
     
     
      points.
     
    

    
     
      CIMN:
      And
      getting
      through
      customs?
     
    

    
     
      Freddy:
      Actually,
      getting
      in
      customs
      through
      Halifax
     
     
      was
      100
      times
      more
      difficult
      than
      it
      has
      ever
      been
     
     
      in
      Toronto.
      Can
      you
      imagine?
      It’s
      like,
      here
      come
     
     
      10
      long
      hair
      hippie
      freaks
      who
      haven’t
      shaved
      in
     
     
      three
      days.
      It’s
      like
      sure,
      ok.
     
    

    
     
      CIMN:
      I
      was
      reading
      the
      biography
      I
      got
      from
      your
     
     
      record
      company
      and
      there
      was
      a
      line
      that
      said
      that
     
     
      the
      Alias
      sound
      was
      apparent
      on
      all
      the
      tracks.
      How
     
     
      do
      you
      describe
      the
      Alias
      sound?
     
    

    
     
      Freddy:
      Well,
      put
      the
      5
      of
      us
      in
      a
      studio
      together
     
     
      and
      that’s
      the
      Alias
      sound.
      I|
      think
      it’s
      very
      sincere
     
     
      and
      true
      to
      what
      we
      believe
      musically.
     
    

    
     
      CIMN:
      Straight
      from
      the
      heart
      basically.
     
    

    
     
      Freddy:
      Exactly.
      I
      don’t
      think
      there’s
      anyone
      that
     
     
      sounds
      like
      me
      as
      a
      vocalist,
      not
      that
      I’m
      getting
     
     
      high
      on
      myself
      at
      all
      in
      any
      way.
      It’s
      just
      that
      I’ve
     
     
      always
      wanted
      and
      worked
      towards
      getting
      a
      singular
     
     
      sound.
      When
      I
      used
      to
      be
      in
      cover
      bands
      and
      stuff,
     
     
      people
      would
      go,
      "You
      sound
      like
      this
      guy"
      and
      I’d
     
     
      get
      upset
      because
      I
      want
      to
      sound
      like
      me.
      I
      guess
     
     
      it’s
      sort
      of
      a
      compliment,
      but
      I
      always
      wanted
      to
     
     
      sound
      like
      no-one
      else
      and
      I’ve
      been
      striving
      for
     
     
      that.
      I
      feel
      hopefully
      I’ve
      achieved
      that.
     
    

    
     
      CIMN:
      .There’s
      a
      song
      on
      the
      album
      that
      I
      wanted
     
     
      to
      ask
      you
      about.
      The
      song
      "Heroes"
      stands
      out
      a
     
     
      bit
      from
      the
      rest,
      a
      different
      premise.
     
    

    
     
      Freddy:
      Well,
      actually
      it’s
      one
      of
      my
      favourite
      songs
     
     
      on
      the
      record.
      It’s
      a
      long
      story
      so
      pull
      up
      a
      chair
     
     
      and
      let’s
      get
      into
      it.
      Get
      a
      girl
      and
      ignore
      the
     
     
      interview...just
      kidding.
      "Heroes"
      was
      written
      about
     
     
      two
      very
      special
      people
      who
      are
      unfortunately
      no
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      longer
      with
      us.
      It’s
      about
      a
      guy
      called
      Baxter
      and
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      guy
      called
      Anthony.
      Anthony
      was
      my
      nephew
      who
     
     
      died
      of
      crib
      death,
      SID,
      sudden
      infant
      death
     
     
      syndrome.
      It’s
      also
      about
      a
      guy
      named
      Baxter
      who
     
     
      died
      of
      cancer.
      Anthony
      was
      the
      first
      nephew,
      the
     
     
      first
      grandchild.
      My
      entire
      family,
      the
      only
      people
     
     
      I
      have
      in
      North
      America
      are
      my
      immediate
      family,
     
     
      my
      parents,
      my
      brothers
      and
      sisters.
      Everyone
      else
     
     
      is
      in
      Italy.
      My
      parents
      come
      from
      Italy
      so
      having
     
     
      this
      first
      grandchild
      was
      the
      largest
      event
      in
      our
     
     
      lives,
      and
      when
      he
      passed
      away
      at
      three
      months
      of
     
     
      age,
      it
      was
      a
      major
      drag.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      12,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      20