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Members of REO Speedwagon, Tesla assist the Easthills

written by REO Speedwagon January 27, 2016

REO Speedwagon keyboard player Neal Doughty says he’s happy to lend a hand to emerging rock bands.

Supplying honky-tonk piano to the new single by Indiana’s Easthills, for instance, is a matter of paying it forward.

“The same was done for us way back when,” said Doughty, who co-founded REO Speedwagon in 1967. “We had some big names who put us on their tours and taught us the ropes.”

For the Easthills, Doughty’s participation carries the prestige of a Midwestern band that sold more than 40 million albums. Illinois-bred REO Speedwagon continues to perform hit singles “Cant’ Fight This Feeling” and “Take It on the Run” in arenas and amphitheaters.

And Doughty isn’t the only high-profile guest on the tune titled “Holiday Women.”

Tesla’s Frank Hannon (whose band has sold 14 million albums) plays slide and acoustic guitar.

Released today in advance of Easthills album “Fear and Temptation,” the song unfurls classic-rock riffs that Doughty and Hannon couldn’t resist.

“It immediately hit me as a Rolling Stones vibe,” Doughty said. “So, I tried to channel Nicky Hopkins. I hit them with all the honky-tonk licks I knew.”

Hannon said “Holiday Women” reminded him of “early Rick Derringer and Joe Walsh style — good old rock ‘n’ roll style of music.”

In Indiana last August to play a Tesla show with Styx and headliner Def Leppard at Klipsch Music Center, Hannon spent a day recording with the Rushville-based Easthills(vocalist-guitarist Hank Campbell, vocalist-guitarist Will Barada, guitarist Banner Morgan, bass player Brad Morgan and drummer Wade Parish).

“The guys are great and hard-working guys and I really appreciate that,” Hannon said. “It takes a lot of work to succeed with a band. To meet guys who want to work is refreshing.”

“We’ve played shows with these guys and the REO members all respect them as a live band,” Doughty said of the Easthills. “They’re the real thing, as we say.”

The band’s list of admirers includes guitarist Doug Gillard, known for his work in cult band Guided By Voices. Gillard plays guitar on six “Fear and Temptation” tracks, including “Mothers & Fools” and “Snake in My Gut (Caroline’s Heart).”

The Easthills will celebrate the release of their all-star album on Feb. 27 at Fountain Square’s White Rabbit Cabaret. Doug Henthorn, the album’s producer, and singer-songwriter Miles Nielsen, son of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, also will perform.

“I prefer being the last guy to put on parts,” he said. “Your ‘spots’ have become very obvious by then. I’ve always been better at punching up a song, rather than creating the foundation.”

The song, available for purchase via iTunes, can be streamed at SoundCloud.com.

Regarding the state of rock in 2016, Doughty said, “I’m just happy that REO still has a place in it. We’re lucky to have started at a time when you could build a large body of work that would keep you working for decades. Not enough young bands have that chance.”

“Holiday Women” appears to the be the first-ever “collaboration” between a member of Tesla and a member of REO Speedwagon.

Hannon, who reached Billboard magazine’s Top 10 with Tesla singles “Love Song” and “Signs,” said he grew up as a fan of REO Speedwagon and Gary Richrath — the band’s guitarist-songwriter from 1970 to 1989. Richrath died on Sept. 13, 2015.

“I loved REO Speedwagon as a teenager and still do,” Hannon said. “They have great songs and that’s why you remember any band. I wish I could’ve met Gary because he was a great guitarist who played with a lot of feel. It’s a shame that he didn’t make a comeback.”

 

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