DAVE MENIKETTI
Y & T vocalist/guitarist
www.yandtrocks.com

(Winter 2005) by George Dionne

Thirty years in the music business is no easy task, but somehow Y & T mastermind Dave Meniketti has managed to do just that. Since Y & T inception in 1974, the group sold over four million albums and recorded 16 LPs and three greatest hits collections. These days Dave splits his time between touring and recording with his current band Meniketti (clever name), and doing a handful of live dates throughout the year with Y & T.

Although there is no new Y & T album on the horizon, Dave and company have released two new compilations that will satisfy salivating fans and hard rock coinsurers alike. UnEarthed Volume 1 (read CD review) & Volume 2 (read CD review) collects unreleased and demo material that Y & T have amassed over the years. The releases are available exclusively through Y & T’s official website, but will soon be in stores before you know it.

RIL: What’s the current status of Y & T? Who’s in it?
DM: Y&T is currently in business, touring & releasing new projects such as live CDs/DVDs, etc.

The band members are as follows:
Dave Meniketti - lead gtr & lead vocals
Phil Kennemore - bass
Leonard Haze - Drums
John Nymann - rhythm guitar

RIL: You have another band called Meniketti; tell us a little about them. Are they currently touring? Recording? Do they sound similar to Y & T?
DM: That is my solo band & we play a mixture of blues & rock. Certain songs may sound a bit like Y&T but the band definitely has its own sound different from Y&T. We are currently playing shows around Y&T dates and have 3 CDs available which includes a live form Japan CD. I will be writing for a new CD sometime this year.

RIL: Y & T have released via their official website, two CDs comprised of unreleased material and demos entitled UnEarthed Volume 1 & Volume 2. What made you decide to release this material now?
DM: We got the idea from fans on our website (www.YandTrocks.com). Phil & I searched through many of our tapes we had lying around the house & came up with enough good material for 3 CDs worth.

RIL: Did any of the demos on UnEarthed Volume 1 & 2 appear as different songs, or in different versions on any of the Y & T studio releases?
DM: Yes. “Hard Times” ended up as a different version on the 10 CD & “Dance Dance Dance” ended up as “LA Rocks” on the Contagious CD. There are
others as well that may come out in future releases.

RIL: Where any of the demos or unreleased material on UnEarthed Volume 1 & 2 re-recorded for this release?
DM: Only on the UnEarthed Vol.1 CD. We recorded new vocal & solos on 2 songs - "Give Me Rock" and "I Make Believe". These were tracked right over the top of the original backing track from a demo from the Black Tiger record sessions.

RIL: How many more songs do you have kicking around in ‘the vault’?
DM: Quite a few more. Probably 60 to 100 more, though many are not good enough, in my opinion, to see the light of day.

RIL: What’s up with “Rockzilla Rollaroid” on UnEarthed Volume 1? It’s pretty strange to say the least.
DM: Yes, it certainly is strange. It was a joke recording that we made as part of our very first demo tape in 1974. We were trying to emulate a space-rock band called Zolar X, and we also through in bits of David Bowie spacey stuff, all in good fun. Just thought some fans might find it interesting or funny. I think we made a bit of a mistake including it on the CD. :-)

RIL: On UnEarthed Volume 2, one of the riffs on “Crazy Make Love” sounds a lot like “Slow and Easy” by Whitesnake. Is it a coincidence or a tribute?
DM: I'm not sure, since Phil wrote that song. He's always been a big Coverdale fan & he writes as if he was in Whitesnake so that's just his influences coming out in his style of writing. I can't remember which was written first. I think Phil wrote this one around 1984.

RIL: Y & T released 13 studio albums over the past 30 years, which one are you most proud of? Why?
DM: I have no absolute favorites because we went through so many changes in our songwriting abilities & and our musicianship improved dramatically through the years, especially my vocals. So each has it's own place as favorites for different reasons.

RIL: Which was the worst album or could have been better?
DM: I would say that Down for the Count should have been much different & much better than how it turned out. We were having major problems arguing with our record company at the time & they put undue pressures on us with that record. Neither the band nor the record company ended up being happy with the outcome.

RIL: Y & T have written quite a few songs with Ronnie Montrose over the years, do you still keep in touch, and have you written anything together lately?
DM: Yes, we wrote 8 songs together of which 7 showed up on UnEarthed Vol.2. We also still play together occasionally, but have not written anything other than the 8 I mentioned.

RIL: What led to the end of Y & T in the late 90s?
DM: Our frustrations with the people that were controlling the music industry & our record company's lack of drive, belief and vision behind the band.

RIL: VH1 Classics show a few of the old Y & T videos from time to time, so I wanted to ask you about a couple of them. Do you ever look at the “Summertime Girls” video and say to your self, ‘I can’t believe I wore that!’?
DM: Sure I do & yes I say that to myself when i see it. However, that ended up being a very popular video on MTV that summer so I guess I don't kick myself too much about it. Kind of funny actually.

RIL: Who came up with the concept for the video?
DM: The director of the video company. We had no say in the project.

RIL: While walking down the beach did you run into Huey Lewis filming “If This is It”?
DM: We should have, that would have been a funny bit. I could have kicked sand in his face for writing wimpy music. :)

RIL: How about the video with the robot on stage (can’t think of the name of it), what was the deal with that?
DM: Rock was his name. Just thought we'd try our hand at a mascot. The fans liked it at the shows but it became dumb real quickly.

RIL: Was the robot a part of the live shows at the time?
DM: Yes, we had him come out onstage for a moment of 1 song in the set.

RIL: I read that you might be working on a live Y & T DVD, how’s that coming along?
DM: I'm working on it right now. It should be ready for release right before summer. The video is taken from our final 30 year anniversary shows in 2004 with everyone that ever played in Y&T coming up to jam songs with us.

RIL: What are the chances for a new Y & T CD?
DM: Anything is possible. Nothing has been discussed yet, but I think we'll get around to making a decision about that by year's end.

RIL: Why do you think that European & Japanese audiences are more receptive to Y & T and melodic rock in general?
DM: Probably because they don't rely solely on radio for their favorite music. I'm just glad that there is still a market for this style of music in the world today.

RIL: Can you give us a preview of a few of the songs that may appear on UnEarthed Volume 3?
DM: Not sure yet if we will release an UnEarthed Vol. 3 yet. We need to see if there are enough good songs to make up another CD or not.

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