Survivor's Dave Bickler, More Than a Tiger's Tale

In the movie Rocky, Adrian asks Rocky why he wants to be a fighter. His response: “Because I can’t sing or dance.”  Dave Bickler can sing; “Eye Of The Tiger” proved that. Whether he or Survivor could have imagined that song would go to #1 all over the world, win a Grammy, a People’s Choice Award, receive an Academy Award nomination, and become one of the greatest motivational songs of all time, well, probably not.

Sometimes though, the taste of success can be bittersweet. Following an extended tour, Bickler developed vocal problems and was forced to leave the band. Memphis singer Jimi Jamison stepped into Bickler’s spot, and Survivor recorded the extremely successful Vital Signs album.

After two more albums, Survivor went on hiatus, regrouped with and without Bickler, and finally in 2013, the band toured with both Bickler and Jamison together. The experiment proved to be successful, and with the one-two punch of both lead singers, Survivor hit the road on a larger scale this year.

After interviewing original band member Frankie Sullivan during the first tour with the two lead singers, and Jimi Jamison as this tour was getting underway, I was lucky enough to hear the perspective of the Survivor journey from Dave Bickler.

Kath Galasso: I’m going to ask you a question I asked Jimi (Jamison) when I interviewed him. In your vocal process, is there a certain way you work into it, or do you just go in and sing?
Dave Bickler: Well, I do just go and sing, but singing does require some thought. You have to be sure that you have enough breath to get through it, there is some thought that goes on in my head while I’m doing it. I couldn’t explain it exactly, but you use different parts of your voice too. There’s a full voice, a falsetto that you can transition between for certain things. So I do think about that.

Going back to your first stint with Survivor, and when “Eye Of The Tiger” happened, that whole roller coaster ride, what was the most memorable thing, what stood out the most?
Obviously we had the hit record so then we went out on the road, and doing the big halls, the big sheds, that was amazing. And I do remember when the record went to #1. We were doing phoners for the record company and they told us “your record just went to #1.” That was a good moment. Cause that’s why I got into it in the first place. I wanted to be in a band, I wanted to make records, to be able to do it for my living, and all that stuff, from when I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. It’s cliché but it’s true.

For the rest of the interview with Survivor's Dave Bickler, click on the link to OnstageMagazine.
Survivor's Dave Bickler, More Than a Tiger's Tale

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A Night With Survivor

Sunday May 6: Destination...Penn's Peak

The road trip from the weekend house to Jim Thorpe, PA wasn't too bad at all. Some smaller roads, but a few of them were roads we had traveled on before.  The new car was a joy to drive, especially on the return trip when the insanely great headlights lit the way. The 70 mile trip took about an hour and twenty minutes. Not bad at all.

The venue, Penn's Peak is spectacular. Perched on top of a mountain, the panoramic view from up top is breathtaking. The building itself is like a large wooden barn; inside are two levels with plenty of room and a friendly atmosphere.

Opening act was The Pat Travers Band. One of the first things Pat said Sunday night, was that they were gonna kick our asses. Well, they sho 'nuf did. You want loud and hard rock & roll...you got it.  A solid set fronted by a man who has paid his dues and still has the nerve to apparently love what he's doing.

Highlights included "Boom Boom...Out Go The Lights", which had a lot of crowd participation and "Snortin' Whiskey." After a terrific set, Pat & the boys had a fine Meet & Greet session with the assembled troops at Penn's Peak. Nice touch.

Next up, Survivor. Sunday night was the fourth show of this tour, which has lead vocalist Jimi Jamison fronting the band once again.

Opening the show with "Can't Give It Up," a nice surprise off the Too Hot To Sleep album. Second song in...must be time to throw in one of the hits: "Broken Promises," one of those songs which never fails to deliver the goods. Jamison and lead guitarist Frankie Sullivan both seemed relaxed...easily falling into a familiar rhythm, the payoff of doing years of live shows together.  "High on You" ...another crowd favorite was up next, followed by three songs which were not recorded by Jamison, but by original lead singer Dave Bickler. "Poor Man's Son," "Take You On A Saturday," and a gem version of "Summer Nights."... all from the 1981 album Premonition.

Jumping back into a Jamison era song, "Desperate Dreams" off Too Hot To Sleep, is a lyrically haunting song from the Peterik-Sullivan catalog.


"Two souls drawn to the fire in desperate dreams 
Two hearts lost to desire's desperate schemes 
One girl lost in a reverie 
Lost love found in a memory 
Those nights live on forever 
Two fools lost in a desperate dream"


The next song was a tasty treat to be sure. 38 Special had a #1 hit with "Rockin' Into The Night." Jim Peterik (former Survivor member and Sullivan's long-time writing partner) and Frankie Sullivan were two of the writers of that song. The crowd was pretty pumped up by this time, so this rocker was just throwing "a little gasoline on the fire."

Back to the hits: "The Search is Over," "I Can't Hold Back," and "Burning Heart"...how can you argue with the set choices there.


Another oldie from the pre-Jamison days "Somewhere in America" gave way to the finale, no surprise there... "Eye of the Tiger."  As the song approaches its 30th anniversary, it has become more than an anthem...for many people it has become their mission statement,


Survivor:

Drums: Marc Droubay has been with the band, well almost forever. Never missing a beat, his talent lies in complimenting the rest of the band and not overpowering it. As strong as ever.
Bass: Billy Ozzello is not a wallflower type bassist. A wild man with long flowing hair, his get-in-your face bass provided a huge dose of solid work and a lot of energy.
Keyboards/Guitar: Walter Tolentino is one nice surprise. Multi-talents and a great stage presence, boy it sure seemed like he had fun.
Lead Guitar: Frankie Sullivan works hard, real hard. Watching just how hard he worked got me a little exhausted to tell you the truth. And all the hard work pays off. He's damn good. Something which might go unnoticed is just how well his voice backs up Jamison's.  He fills in all the right places, creating a perfect blend.
Lead Vocals: Jimi Jamison, well that's the voice now isn't it? He is so acutely aware of his vocal abilities, it's scary. Still a master of the stage, throw in the still-strong vocals and you have one of the best singers to ever front a rock band.

This was a top to bottom fun show. The band is tight, talented and relaxed. With their music catalog, the choice of set list must be tough. At some point, would love to see them try something to knock the socks off the crowd...something like an acoustic set or letting Jimi back up Frankie on a song or two. It's early in the tour, hopefully they will continue to play nice together and record some new music.

The evening was definitely worth the road trip. A night to meet up with friends who like us, drove in from some distance and spent the night enjoying two old-school rock bands still ready, willing and able to "kick our asses."

...and that's how you do it son.

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The Music in Danville: Jimi Jamison Rocks Hard

Yesterday's post talked about Danville PA's own Hybrid Ice. After opening the night with a solid hour of rock, Ice then backed up former and soon-to-be-present lead singer of Survivor, Jimi Jamison.

In a venue this intimate, the performer quickly needs to establish a relationship with the audience...and he did. A man who is quick to smile, Jamison got the crowd engaged early with a Survivor classic "High on You" and lots of crowd interaction. After another Survivor song "Is This Love", Jamison went into the first of quite a few covers singing Gary Wright's "Love is Alive" which featured hard and heavy drums from Hybrid Ice's Rick Klinger. After "It's the Singer Not the Song" from Survivor's hit album "Vital Signs", the song chosen as one of the top ten catchiest ever "I'm Always Here" (the theme from Baywatch), was the next choice.

Then the real rocking began. Starting off with "Rock Hard" from his 1991 solo album "When love Comes Down", next up was one incredible cover of "Layla."  Doing "Layla" requires not only a good vocalist, but a guitarist and keyboard player to handle the solos that mark the true substance of the song.  Rusty Foulke on lead guitar and Bob Richardson on keys did just that...masterfully. As the song ended, I looked at my friend next to me and we both said at the same time "they nailed it."  Another friend, also a musician later told me it was the best version he had ever heard...aside from Mr. C himself.

Not missing a beat, Jimi Jamison then got everyone's 'motor running' with "Born to Be Wild." Talking 'heavy metal thunder'...yes, thunder courtesy of Mr. Klinger on drums. After a band breather with "The Search is Over," covers of "Separate Ways" and "Carry On Wayward Son," led the way for the song which rocketed Survivor to the top of MTV's 80's video rotation "I Can't Hold Back."

An excellent rendition of "Caught in the Game" was followed by another Survivor song "Didn't Know It Was Love", before leading into Jamison's title song from his solo album, "Crossroads Moment." CM featured really fine bass work from Jason Shaffer as well as a nice strong vocal from Jamison.

Tonight like most nights with Jimi Jamison, the final song was "Eye of the Tiger."  While not the original singer of the song, after many years and countless performances, Jimi Jamison is EOTT.

As a performer, Jimi Jamison owns the stage. Like the tiger, he prowls across it staking claim to every inch of it. Vocally, is the voice the same as it was 25 years ago? No, it is not, but would you really expect it to be? While the high range is not quite the same, a deeper, richer quality has taken its place. Instead of being all power, his vocals offer a give and take between power and pointed restraint.  This is a vocalist who knows his capabilities and delivers every millimeter of them to the crowd.

All in all, the night was an unending high note...so worth the road trip.

On a personal note, many thanks to both Hybrid Ice and Jimi Jamison for both a wonderful night of music and their personal grace. Their mommas definitely taught them "it doesn't hurt to be nice."

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