In this episode of the pod we visit with AJ Dunning, best known as the original lead guitarist for The Verve Pipe. Ross fan-boys out for well over three hours as we walk though the history of the band, and the making of their landmark record “Villains”. We walk through the writing process and dissect the different versions of their most popular song “The Freshmen”. After that we dive into the second record and AJ’s experience working with legendary producer Michael Beinhorn, and the differences between those records. AJ treats us to an alternative version of the song “Kiss Me Idle” that feature lots of Beinhorn’s synths. We move onto the making of their third record with songwriter and producer Adam Schlesinger, known for his own band Fountains of Wayne. We get the inside story on original bassist Brad Vander Ark’s departure from the band, and AJ gives us a listen to a cover of the Fountains of Wayne song “Hackensack” he recently played lead guitar on. Wrapping up we hear how AJ’s tenure in the band came to a close, and get some excellent road stories about Kiss and Lemmy. Plus ton’s more. Soak it in.
