Sully Erna Unveils ‘Turn It Up’ Song With Father, Offers Godsmack Update
As a onetime drummer, Sully Erna is well versed in rhythm and we get to hear the Godsmack vocalist put that to the test on the swinging new solo single "Turn It Up." The song is Erna's ode to giving back to the music, in more ways than one.
He tells Billboard, who premiered the track, "As the song developed, I realized it was gonna be a real swanky kind of jazzy blues thing, and I was like, 'This needs horns.' And when I was thinking of horn players and was like, 'I'm gonna put this one on it and that one on it,' but then I was like, 'Oh...My dad!' this was a perfect opportunity to pull my dad into this. He started me in music; I was three-and-a-half-years-old and I used to just sit in the basement and watch his band play -- little jazz bands and Italian marching bands and stuff he did. But I never got to play with my dad and certainly never got to record with him, and this was just the perfect opportunity to do so."
Erna has even invited his father to join him onstage and he says it's helped bring them closer together. "He was so honored and you could tell he was almost nervous to do this, but he's a great player and he came in and it sounded great. For me it's just a proud moment to be able to take that with me, 'cause at some point he won't be here and at least I have that, and it's just a blessing," says Erna.
He goes on to add about the track, "Its a song about giving back to the music. That song is just all about music and how it makes you feel and how it makes you want to stand up and tap your feet and move your body and how it passes through you." "Turn It Up" is featured on Erna's Hometown Life album, which is due Sept. 30. You can pre-order the disc here.
In other Erna news, the vocalist says that Godsmack are currently on hold while the band members pursue outside projects, but he expects that things may pick up again by late summer 2017. "I think the general plan is gonna be to try to get together and start writing and recording by late next year. We could've done something this year and dropped it next year, but we thought it would be cooler to wait until [the 20th anniversary]," says Erna, who suspects there will be an early 2018 release and tour.
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