This past spring, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie joined forces with Canadian rockers FALSET, who feature in their ranks his son, drummer Chance LaBrie, to record a cover of the MÖTLEY CRÜE classic “Kickstart My Heart”. Asked in a new interview with Kyle Meredith how the track came about, James said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “My son, he’s in FALSET. They came up to me. Chance and the guitar player Zach [Copeland], who also is the singer in the band, they just said, ‘Hey, would you be willing to sing on this track?’ Because I used to be in a band back in the ’80s called SHOCK CANDY and we used to cover a lot of MÖTLEY CRÜE. I’ve always thought Nikki Sixx [MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] is a brilliant freakin’ musician and writer and I did love MÖTLEY CRÜE. So, anyways, they knew about that and they said, ‘You have a history. You sang this stuff.’ I said, ‘Yeah, for sure.’ And they said, ‘Well, would you be willing to do this track?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely. Let’s go for it.’ So I sang it in my studio here in my house and we had a great time. And Zach also sang on that as well and he should be credited.”
He continued: “But here’s the crazy thing: so my tour manager who’s been our tour manager, DREAM THEATER‘s tour manager, for the last — oh my God — almost 20 years, Rikk Feulner, he e-mailed me and he said, ‘Hey, man, I just got an e-mail from Mick Mars [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist], and he heard the track and he absolutely loves it. He thought you guys did a brilliant job.’ So when I told my son and his bandmates that, they were flipping out. ‘No way.’ It was really cool.”
When FALSET‘s cover of “Kickstart My Heart” was first released in early June, James said: “To cover MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s ‘Kickstart My Heart’ with FALSET was both a blast and reminiscent of when I was in a band called SHOCK CANDY back in ’86. SHOCK CANDY was a MÖTLEY CRÜE cover band and I had one hell of time touring with this band. Needless to say, when asked to be involved and sing this MÖTLEY classic with FALSET, I jumped at the opportunity.”
He added: “The CRÜE was always to me that raw, down-to-earth, kick-ass rock band that many acts wish they could imitate and attain, but such heights were enjoyed by very few, and the CRÜE did it and played it like no other.
“Hope you all enjoy this cover by FALSET and myself and do yourself a huge favor and check out FALSET‘s originals. This band has it all going on — great structure, killer riffs and undeniable hooks. They are an undeniable emerging musical force to be reckoned with.
“Crank this tune up to maximum and see you all out on tour sometime soon.”
Added Chance: “I remember as a kid I’d always look up to my dad. I thought being in a band and travelling around the world to play songs was the coolest job ever. I still think that. Flash-forward to now and we are now dropping a song together… it’s absolutely crazy. We all had a lot of fun working on this one. We hope you enjoy this homage to the great MÖTLEY CRÜE.”
FALSET released its debut album, “We Follow Or Lead The Way”, in October 2020. Produced by Zach Copeland and mixed by Nolly Getgood (PERIPHERY, DEVIN TOWNSEND), the LP combines metalcore, modern rock, djent, and prog elements highlighted by heavy-hitting breakdowns, soaring melodic vocals, and virtuosic guitar solos for a collection of exciting and memorable material.
