Talking with “Heart” Bandmates, Part Two

46m · DreamPath Podcast · 25 May 08:00

Roger Fisher

Born in Seattle, Washington on February 14th, 1950, Roger Fisher was the founding guitarist of the rock group Heart, globally known through the sales of more than 40 million albums. Roger has played in every major city in North America many times. He has also toured Europe, Japan, Australia, Uzbekistan and Russia, and performed at massive events in the Czech Republic, Japan, Canada and the United States for more than 300,000 people at a single rock show. He has appeared on a multitude of television shows including Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, and television broadcasts for more than 60 million people in Europe. Songs featuring Roger’s songwriting and iconic guitar riffs have been used in numerous TV commercials, TV shows, Guitar Hero (3 songs), and in several movies, including Charlie’s Angels and Shrek 3. Other artists have covered his material, including Eminem. His timeless anthem guitar intro to Barracuda is frequently used as the lead in for America’s number one rated radio talk show, Rush Limbaugh. Tony Robbins refers to it as part of the turning point in his life. It was also controversially featured by Republican presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, John McCain and Sarah Palin in the 2008 election.

The original line-up of Heart was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. His new albums,All Toldand Heart Of The Blues are the first of many new releases with brother Mike, aka Magic Man. The brothers are creating a massive multimedia endeavor, the One Vision Project.

Michael Fisher

Ever since the ’60’s, Mike has been involved in artist development, recording and producing, event production, and designing and building audio systems for touring groups, concerts, and large venues. He was one of the founders of Heart where he oversaw the business until his departure in about 1980. His roles included chief visionary, management, FOH sound engineer, and a producer of Heart. After leaving Heart Michael and his brother Roger built a recording studio and spent several years creating original music and recording other groups while also managing a series of performing bands featuring Roger and other notable musicians. Roger left with former Heart drummer Michael Derosier and bassist Steve Fossen to join a Canadian duo called Alias. Michael formed a sound company, Proshow USA which gave him an opportunity to work alongside some of the greatest entertainers of our time such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and other notables such as Bill Gates and presidents Bush and Clinton. His company has worked with many of the major artists in the music industry including providing sound production for Nirvana from their first theater shows continuing to their last show. More recently Proshow has focused on very large outdoor events around the country.

Michael and Roger have committed to creating THE ONE VISION PROJECT, an ambitious endeavor that encompasses their life’s work, including an interactive web portal, four albums which draw from a catalog of more than a hundred songs, music videos, an autobiography and more. ALL TOLD was the first release to be followed by Heart Of The Blues, an album inspired by many wonderful trips to the deep south. Their band Human Tribe is performing on tour.

The Brothers have created a brand, Human Tribe, and are promoting quality products that offer something beneficial such as their Human Tribe Tea and Heart Of The Blues whiskey.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Mike reads a chain of emails he shared with Ann Wilson with regards to being inducted into the Hall of Fame and getting the band back together for the ceremony
• Mike discusses some of the tensions and problems that took place around the induction ceremony and the issue of having other musicians play Barracuda rather than the original group
• Roger discusses the hurt feelings that were felt due to the induction and the tensions between original and later members of Heart, due to the later members not being considered a part of the induction
• Mike discusses feeling as though he should have been invited to sit at the band tables at the induction
• Roger discusses his former housekeeper Kelly Curtis’s involvement with the band during their touring days
• Roger talks about being voted out of the band, and he shares why he used that experience as a push to become a better musician
• Roger discusses struggling against feelings of entitlement after he was removed from the band, and he shares how it taught him humility and authenticity
• Roger shares when he realized that he was going to work toward becoming a rock musician through a clear vision he had at age 15
• Roger talks about his One Vision project and its origins, and he shares the overarching themes of the four-volume masterwork
• Roger shares how he plotted out each of the four albums and how he carefully titled them to reflect their themes
• Mike shares how he got involved in the One Vision project, and he discusses how he recognized the story found in the common threads of Roger’s music
• Mike discusses Roger’s development of a “hangover tea”, the challenge of getting people to buy music, and the opportunities found in creating things that can be held

Additional resources:

• Website:www.rogerfisher.com

The episode Talking with “Heart” Bandmates, Part Two from the podcast DreamPath Podcast has a duration of 46:30. It was first published 25 May 08:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.