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Rock The House: An Interview With Guitarist PAUL SABU

By George Dionne, Podcaster
Monday, January 9, 2023 @ 2:48 PM

“As goofy as [Hard Rock Zombies] is, I get letters constantanly [that say] if it wasn’t for [that movie soundtrack] I couldn’t get up in the morning. And these people are serious!”

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Photo Credit: Enzo Mazzeo

PAUL SABU is widely regarded as one of the masters of Album Oriented Rock (AOR). After toying with, *checks notes*… disco (?!), Sabu signed with Motown Records at the age 22 to become the label’s ‘rock guy’. Under the moniker KIDD GLOVE, Paul’s brand of AOR was unleashed to the world in 1984. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s PAUL SABU sort of played the name game, releasing albums under his full name, SABU, KIDD GLOVE, ONLY CHILD, and ALEXA. However, one thing never changed; Sabu’s brand of on-point Rock and Roll radio music.

PAUL SABU wasn’t just a performer throughout the‘80s & ‘90s. He went behind the boards to mix, produce, and collaborate with a who’s who of legendary performers including ALICE COOPER, HEART, JOHN WAITE, KIM CARNES, LEE AARON, DAVID BOWIE, W.A.S.P. and QUIET RIOT.

Sabu lent his talents to several cult classic movies such as Ghoulies II, Meatballs 4, MIllion Dollar Mystery, Vice Versa, and of course Hard Rock Zombies. When he wasn’t working in movies, he worked on music for television including the shows Baywatch, Sex And The City, Beverly Hills 90210, The Kids In The Hall, and The New Mickey Mouse Club.

Today, PAUL SABU is still playing a bit of the name game, only this time he’s typically a special guest on other artist’s projects. For the last decade or so Sabu has contributed numerous songs to Frédéric Slama’s AOR all-star studio project, which spawned The Best Of Paul Sabu in 2022. Sabu has appeared on releases by JESSE DAMON, SECRET SOCIETY, THEM, CORPORATE CONTROL, and many others.

PAUL SABU announced he signed to Frontiers Music on September 29, 2022. On December 9, 2022 he released his first album for the label entitled Banshee, under the moniker SABU. I had the chance to speak with PAUL SABU shortly after the album’s release.

Highlights include:

-What led to a new album after a 10 year break
-Discussion of SABU’s latest release Banshee
-Bringing Barry Sparks (DOKKEN) into the fold
-Was his latest single “Kandi” inspired by a real person?
-Is there a follow-up video single in the works?
-Resurrecting “Black Side of Water” originally from QUIET RIOT X
-Are his recordings with Frankie Banali ever going to be released?
-Why hadn’t Frontiers reached out to SABU prior to 2022?
-Will Banshee be released on vinyl in the future?
-His back catalog having multiple band names
-Hooking up with Frédéric Slama for his AOR all-star project
-Working with current Swedish Metal act THEM
-Working with past Swedish Metal Act FATAL SMILE
-The expansion of Frontiers Music over the years
-Steaming music’s impact on physical media
-The endurance of his work on the B-Movie Hard Rock Zombies
-And much, much more!

www.paulsabu.com

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