Night Ranger’s Kelly Keagy On The New “ATBPO” Album, If He Has Plans For Another Solo Album, Japan, TV & More
Night Ranger — as comprised of Jack Blades (bass, vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals), Brad Gillis (lead & rhythm guitars), Eric Levy (keyboards) and Keri Kelli (lead & rhythm guitars) — has sold over 17 million albums worldwide, performed across more than 4,000 stages, and captivated a radio audience that exceeds a reported 1 billion people. In turn, Night Ranger has both epitomized and transcended the arena rock sound and style well beyond the early 1980s era which they originated from. With multiple songs having a significant impact on popular culture (e.g. a very memorable scene in Boogie Nights, Rock Of Ages on Broadway, an episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia being rooted around The Secret Of My Success), Night Ranger continues to grow an ever-evolving, multi-generational fanbase.
The California-based band recently unveiled its 12th studio album ATBPO, which stands for “And The Band Played On,” an ode to making music during the covid era. As released earlier this month via Frontiers Music Srl, the band began writing the album in early 2020, amid the rise of the global pandemic. COVID-19 aside, long-term Night Ranger fans ought to expect more of those radio-friendly, melodic rock choruses, dueling guitar solos and power ballads on ATBPO.
On August 11, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Night Ranger drummer/singer Kelly Keagy via Zoom, as embedded below. Besides ATBPO, we spoke about his plans for a solo album, life off the road, how Night Ranger became so big in Japan, and television. More on Keagy, Night Ranger and upcoming touring plans for the quintet can be found by clicking here, here and here.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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