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ENUFF Z’NUFF – Transcendence
Anthony Morgan
August 2018


Enuff Z’Nuff (l-r): Tony Fennell, Chip Z’Nuff, Daniel B. Hill and Tory Stoffregen


August 2018 full-length Diamond Boy – the 14th studio affair from Blue Island, Illinois-based hard rock outfit Enuff Z’Nuff – has surfaced in a day and age where frontman Chip Z’Nuff feels a lot of fodder exists that can be used as sources of inspiration for authoring material, Chip having penned a plethora of compositions through the years.

“I’m a writing machine,” Chip Z’Nuff submits, vocalist and bassist of Enuff Z’Nuff. “14 albums of material we’ve put out, but we have way more than that. We’ve been putting records out for quite a long time. When Frontiers approached us about this album, first thing I said was ‘We need to make a strong rock record, but going back to our roots.’ As a band, we decided to make a 70s record – really hi-fi and lo-fi – exposing the warts, scars and tattoos of what we’re all about as a rock band at the end of the day.

“I went into the studio in Chicago, a place called Chicago Recording Company, which is one of the most famous recording studios in North America. Because of our relationship with the studio, we record late at night. We usually like to make records at a normal time. When I first walked in there, the first guy I seen was Chance The Rapper. I thought ‘Hey, we’re in pretty good shape right now. We’re making a rock record, and next door is one of the biggest rap stars in the world.’ If you look around, you can see all of the vintage equipment they have, and the lineage of the greatest bands in the world; from Queen to Michael Jackson, to Metallica, to Page and Plant, to Pearl Jam, to Cheap Trick. There are so many different kids recording up there. We basically did the record in a couple of weeks, and it was a live record. We all played at the same time, so there were pretty minimal overdubs.

“We were all hanging out in the studio. A lot of great musicians came by to visit us and a lot of girls came by of course, which is really good for our ego. We really nailed it in a short amount of time, and then it was just a matter of finding an open window through our label where we could actually put the record out. It just so happens that the record came out in conjunction with a fresh, new tour, which is the first time that has happened for us in 20 years, so it’s all worked out very well for us. At the end of the day, it’s still just a rock band, but boy it’s a solid record if you ask me. I’m real proud of it.”

Generally speaking, the singer simply writes the tracks in question and presents them to the band’s members. “These guys are all great writers, by the way,” he notes. “We have Tony Fennelle, the former singer of Ultravox – he took Midge Ure’s place years ago. He’s playing guitar and singing with me. I have Tory Stoffregen from The New Black 7, and I have Daniel Benjamin Hill playing drums. Daniel is a solid as a rock session guy from here in Chicago. These guys are all writers. I just showed them my ideas, and they took it from there – they have a real sense of ballads, for example.

“The legacy of Enuff Z’Nuff has always been a combination of pop, hard rock, heavy metal, alternative. It’s a big potpourri; that’s what we looked at, and that’s what this record is. We just said ‘Let’s just make a straight-ahead 70s rock record with all of the trimmings,’ and I think that it’s a strong record for this day and age. We’ve always had problems when it came to trying to come up with what style of music for most journalists. It’s hard to picture all this, because you don’t know what we are. I know what we are. At the end of the day, it’s a band that’s got a lot of different influences. We’ve never been afraid to wear those on our sleeves, and I think that this record is no exception.

“All of the earlier Enuff Z’Nuff albums that we did, we did them the same way; we recorded on two-inch, and it took us a month to record them. There were always extra curricular activities going on during the record, but the most important thing – at the end of the day – was coming up with great material. I’ve lived with these songs for a while. They sounded great when I wrote them on acoustic guitar, so I knew that when we put pen to paper, got into the studio and etched them out with the band, with drums, that they would work. I think what we’ve got here is something really special, at least I do.


Chip Z’Nuff

“Listen: I make records for myself, okay? I really do. If they trip my trigger, I turn everybody else onto them, and I think that a lot of musicians are like that too. You make records, and nobody gears anything up for failure. Perhaps failure’s not even in my vocabulary. Maybe it just means that I’ll get it right the next time. I’m looking forward to supporting this album on tour, and the fans have spoken. They seem to like the record, and there’s a lot of stuff out there to pick from, so I’m grateful that we’ve still got another shot in the arm and that Frontiers is supporting us like they are.”

The legacy and roots of Enuff Z’Nuff encompasses a wide variety of artists. “When we were growing up as kids, our families would play records,” Chip remembers. “There would be everything from Black Sabbath to The Beatles, or from Led Zeppelin to Aerosmith. I got into a lot of underground stuff, too; bands like Captain Beyond, and Crack The Sky. A lot of stuff that maybe wasn’t super-commercial, but there were strong songs and wonderful musicianship. I know when I was younger, my mom would always play a lot of Janis Joplin and Sly And The Family Stone. I’m a big Stevie Wonder fan.

“It’s a potpourri; it’s hard to just put handcuffs on us and name a style of music that we love. When it comes to getting played on radio, on rock radio, on metal radio, the pop community has embraced us as well as alternative. It’s hard for even me to categorize us, and I think that that might be good. What do you call Led Zeppelin? Are they a metal band? I don’t think so. Are they strictly just hard rock? I don’t know. They’ve got some… There’s a lot of blues influence there, and a lot of country twinges to it as well. All of my favourite bands are really hard to just put under one category, and I’d like to believe that we’re under the same umbrella.”

To further illustrate the rhythmist’s example, the Led Zeppelin cut ‘D’yer ’Mak’er’ – from March 1973 opus Houses Of The Holy – was a more reggae-influenced number. “I was into Bob Marley shit for the longest time,” he comments. “I love Bob Marley, I love Peter Tosh. I listened to tons of reggae for the longest time, and then I’d switch over and listen to crazy stuff that people wouldn’t even expect like Boards Of Canada or old Pixies records. There are so many bands out there that trip my trigger, and that I’m influenced by. You might not hear it in the music, but it’s there – it really is. I’ve always paid respect to all of those groups out there. I think that for all musicians, it’s more important to listen to all different styles of music, and then you’ll find what you like the most. It’s all a learning curve, at the end of the day.

“On this new Enuff Z’Nuff album, you’re gonna get a potpourri of different sounds, and I think that that’s really important because that’s what we’re about. I wanna keep making fresh, new records and I wanna keep challenging myself, and on this record, I think I have. Not only by having to sing every song on the record, because that’s a challenge in itself, but just to be able to reproduce these songs live in a setting where I don’t need an orchestra behind me, or six guys underneath the stage playing. It’s just four guys plugged in. It’s a real rock band, like Aerosmith or the Foo Fighters. That’s my challenge. I think that I’m up for it right now.”

‘A potpourri of different sounds’ are exhibited via Diamond Boy. “It’s a mixture, my friend,” Chip reckons. “If you put on this record, you can hear rock, heavy metal, pop. I think it’s a real nice mix, and it’s not an accident that it’s happened – it’s how all of our records are. It’s a two-guitar band with three guys who can sing lead vocals, and even though I’m fronting the band, these guys have great pipes.

“I think that at the end of the day, when you put this record on the turntable, you don’t see smoke machines and people shaking their asses and dancing around. You just hear the music, and I think there’s some pretty good subject matter on most of these songs. They’re not necessarily autobiographical – some of these songs are about other people as well. At the end of the day, I’m picking the bones off of all of my favourite bands. Show me a band without influences, and I’ll show you a band that doesn’t have a fucking record deal.”

The press release issued in conjunction with Diamond Boy attributed the following quote to the Enuff Z’Nuff mainman in relation to the album’s musical content: ‘Picture David Bowie and The Beatles fighting and Cheap Trick comes in to break it up.’

“I didn’t want to come up with a million excuses, or try to be profound,” he reasons. “I want people to just go ‘What does the record sound like?’ Well, it sounds like Enuff Z’Nuff really, but those are three big influences on the record, for sure. Bowie, The Beatles, Cheap Trick, E.L.O., Queen. A big mixture, but we don’t sound like those bands. Those are fantastic groups who I grew up to love and admire beyond belief, but there are certain leaders. There are little things off of all of those bands that have influenced me in my songwriting throughout the years. I think it’s important for all artists to pay respect to their influences. When I read interviews with other bands and they go ‘I don’t listen to rock any more. I listen to Beethoven and Tchaikovsky and Mozart,’ it’s like ‘C’mon, please.’ As I said earlier, show me a band without influences.”

‘A potpourri of different lyrics’ are exhibited via Diamond Boy, as well. “I like to leave the songs open and vague, because what I feel a song is about might not be interpreted that way through the ears of the listener,” Chip explains. “So, I like to leave it alone. When I listen to bands and read my favourite interviews, or listen to my favourite rock stars talking, they never really talk about the songs in-depth. It’s important for the audience to have their own interpretation, but the songs on this record deal with a lot of different things, from substance abuse, to hope, to where we’re at in the world right now with all of the fodder that’s going on. Like I said earlier, there’s plenty of subject matter to write about in this world. We’re in a day and age right now where there’s a lot of dissension and the country’s divided. I think that at the end of the day, this record is one long thought. That’s where we’re at today, in 2018.”


Enuff Z’Nuff (l-r): Tony Fennell, Chip Z’Nuff, Daniel B. Hill and Tory Stoffregen

Where the globe is at in 2018 is further expanded upon by the four-stringer. “Everybody acts like we’re moving forward,” he observes. “I’d like to believe that because I’m an optimist, and not a pessimist. There’s a divide right now in this country though, and one thing we all need is faith, hope and love (laughs). I really believe that. Being cantankerous and disrespectful to each other is not in my vocabulary whatsoever, and at the end of the day, we’re just a rock band. I’m not here to change the world, but perhaps we’re a little break where you can get away for an hour, hear some music, and take you away to somewhere else. Away from the hard things that are happening in life right now, with mothers working two jobs a day. There’s dissension in our government, people trying to pay their rent and their bills, guys working at an auto mechanics, and doctors, and lawyers, and attorneys, and people who work at grocery stores. Everybody’s working really hard to get ahead, and they’re all chasing the carrot.

“If I could provide just an hour or two of solace to those people who are listening to our music, and if it’s something that excites them and makes them happy and gets them away from all of the drab of everyday life, that’s a good thing I believe. For all of the bands out there, that’s why I hope that the fans will go out and support them a little bit. You can buy a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks and pay five bucks, or you can spend ten dollars and get a record that lasts a lifetime, whereas that cup of coffee or doughnut is gone in five minutes. I’d like to see a little more respect given to artists, and not just myself either. I’m talking about all of the bands; pop, and r ’n’ b, rock, metal, death metal – whatever genre of music we’re talking about.

“These are artists who spend $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, a $100,000 to make a record. They should get compensated for their hard work, and that’s for all walks of life – not just musicians. I see that we’re in a day and age right now where Spotify and Deezer and Tidal, and all of these different sites and iTunes, provide a service to let people get a chance to hear the record right away. But man, I miss those old days of going out and buying a record or getting a CD. You brought it home, and everybody was excited about hearing new music from your favourite band.

“We’d sit around, and smoke a joint or have a beer, and really dissect the record and look at all of the notes. Just right now, we’re in a time where there’s too much product and not enough demand. It’s very difficult for people to get a little time away to hear the music. If there’s something good out there and people are gravitating towards it, that makes me happy, and that’s a win right now. I hope in the long run, everybody can pull together, and we can all work together. The world is too aggressive. Let’s have some love, and at the end of the day, we’ll all be much happier with that.”

As well as digital streaming and download services being in existence, the effect of illegal downloading cannot be discounted. “I think people have been bootlegging records for years, and that’s okay in a certain way,” Chip views. “Look at Led Zeppelin; I just read a thing recently where they’re the most bootlegged band worldwide. They’ve sold over 300 million records, have Led Zeppelin. They’re massive. They set the tone for rock ’n’ roll, and for a lot of bands, actually. I know that it’s very difficult for them to make a living with music, but bootlegging’s been going on years.

“Now though, it’s a little bit different where they can use the internet. At the end of the day mind, the music is getting to people’s ears, and they’re getting a chance to hear it. If you really want to find your favourite records of any bands out there, go to their shows. See the concert, and go to the merch booth afterwards. Most of the bands are selling T-shirts and hats, and there’s records, CDs and all other paraphernalia at the shows. The groups will actually get paid for that, and of course, there are still record stores out there.

“We’ve got some big ones still selling records, but there’s not a lot of room right now. There’s so many bands, but if you’re a big band and sold quite a few records, it’s not difficult to find you. It really isn’t, and if you have a label like we do with Frontiers, there’s many different ways to find records outside of social media. You still have Amoeba Records in Los Angeles and around the country. There are still ways to find it, but the easiest way to get records from your favourite artists are to see them live and get them there. That gives them a real chance to recoup the money they spent breaking their ass making these records.”

The revenue garnered from digital streaming is arguably pitiful. “Well, that’s the day and age we live in right now,” the composer figures. “It all started with Napster, and then people started fighting about that. Shawn, the guy who started Napster, was providing a service. He wanted people to get the record. The labels had been getting all of the money since forever; the labels were getting $17, and the bands were seeing a small percentage of that. The rest of it went to the label to recoup, which means they helped the band further their career by paying for tour support and videos. They get that back on record sales, so nowadays a lot of people are just going out and touring and taking their show around the country, which costs a lot of money. You’ve got to fly, you’ve got tour buses, you’ve got hotel rooms, you’ve got fuel, and you’ve got a crew to pay for.

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on there, but that’s the best way to promote the band. Maybe someone will see the band on a movie, or a soundtrack, or a TV show, or a commercial, where someone will get a sync license and people will pay to have your music for a certain thing. Getting in a van, though – in an Oscar Meyer Wiener – or on an aeroplane and flying, and doing shows, and selling your merchandise every single night. That’s the new template, I’m sorry to say. If you want it bad enough, you better want it 24 hours a day. If you just sit back on your laurels, the chances of that happening are very minute. It’s about hard work, playing great shows, meeting the fans, and then wash, rinse, repeat, and doing it every single day.”

Diamond Boy marks the first Enuff Z’Nuff full-length where Chip handles lead vocals on each and every track. “It’s me singing on every single song, even on the early Enuff Z’Nuff albums,” he begins. “I sang all of the harmonies, and sang on a couple of songs – leads on the records – which I thought was important in order to show a different side of the band. This is a new chapter in Enuff Z’Nuff’s career, though; it’s a fresh, new label in Frontiers, and a fresh, new record in Diamond Boy, and a fresh, new tour in Live Nation with Jack Russell’s Great White and Bulletboys that starts in September and works its way all around the country all the way through to November.

“I think we come to the UK in January to support the album as well. That’s what it’s all about. That’s a lot of singing for me, my friend. 42 shows on this Live Nation tour in 44 days. I don’t have any days off to do anything. Talk about discipline, and the old days of being brick shot full of drugs and alcohol on the bus? Now, it’s Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and some Fiji water – if we can afford that – and travelling around the country, playing a different venue every single night.”

As opposed to occupying the lead vocal position on select tracks, the lyricist occupies the lead vocal position on each and every track. “It’s quite a challenge, as far as I’m concerned – taking my brother’s place (Donnie Vie), because he left the band in 2013,” he admits. “I look at him as one of the quintessential lead singers of our generation. A wonderful voice, a great songwriter, and a wonderful partner. I lost Derek (Frigo, lead guitarist from 1988 until 1994) in 2004, our lead guitar player, and then Ricky (Parent, drummer from 1992 until 2004) passed away in 2007. There’s been a black cloud that’s followed the band for years. When Donnie left after the last UK tour in 2013, it was either sink or swim.

“He said ‘If you’re gonna go out under the name Enuff Z’Nuff, you should sing the songs.’ I looked at all of the bands that are out there right now, like Journey, Foreigner, Styx, the Stone Temple Pilots – the list goes on – where they’ve got great singers from around the country. I guess my template was looking at Genesis, of all bands, where Peter Gabriel left the band and Phil Collins got off the drums and started fronting the band. They moved forward, and they had some success with that. At the end of the day, I guess that’s my template.”

Chip’s vocal traits inevitably contrast with those of predecessor Donnie Vie. “(Laughs) You can’t compare it,” he argues. “You’ve got one guy who’s one of the greatest singers of our generation, in my eyes, and then you have me. It’s not up to me to make that decision right now. It’s up to the fans and the music listeners. Let them decide. When people go ‘You’re a rock star Chip,’ no, I’m a musician. If you look at me like a rock star, well, that’s the way you interpret that. At the end of the day though, I’m just a working musician. That’s dedicating my life to playing music, and I’ve been doing it for 35 years, professionally travelling all around the country.

“Years ago, I graduated from a small high school called Brother Rice. A week later, I was in a bread truck driving to California. I was in a band called Degeneration, who would travel around the country. I moved to California and before you know it, I was playing shows and opening for bands like The Dickies and the Dead Boys. We had gigs where our manager got us opening and playing festivals with Grateful Dead, and The Babies. I got the chance to play a lot of shows, and that really helped me hone my chops – when that band fell apart – to be able to put together Enuff Z’Nuff.

“We played clubs for years, opening for everybody. Cheap Trick, and Bachman Turner Overdrive, and Loverboy. We’d just play shows as much as we could, for no money at all. Eventually, we got discovered by Doc McGhee in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and finally got a break. We were lucky. I don’t take it for granted at all, the opportunities that have been given to us. We’ve always been the kind of band where we’ve written strong songs. We’ve always been the critics’ darlings, but we’ve always found ourselves taking ten steps forward and 30 steps back. That was because of our behaviour maybe, or because we weren’t happy with the way we were treated as a band. The hard work is such a sacrifice for all of the bands out there.

“In the old days, I’d go to see a band like Queen or Thin Lizzy, and I’d pay five bucks to see a band play. That’s how much it was to go to those big concerts to see bands play. Nowadays, to go see your favourite band play, it’s gonna cost you between $40 to $300. The day and age of music has certainly changed a lot, but what hasn’t changed is people trying to find good songs. That’s what it’s all about, at the end of the day. I think we’ve written some pretty good stuff, and people are going out there and supporting this new record. We have something special to offer, I think; another great rock record, and a band that can go on tour and play these songs live every single night.”

Diamond Boy’s recording sessions weren’t a long affair. “The songs came as fast as the recording,” the frontman tells. “We put a record out in 2016 called Clowns Lounge, and basically it was an archival record. It showed how the band were when we first started. They were all songs that were never released. We put that record out, and it did pretty well for us. When Frontiers approached us on this album, they said ‘Yes. Send us a couple of songs.’ I wasn’t so sure that they would be in a position to embrace what we were doing, because there are so many great bands on their label. I wasn’t so sure if there was any room for us, but I knew that we had good songs.


Chip Z’Nuff

“I went in the studio, and recorded the whole record… It probably took me about two weeks to record with the band, and it took us another couple of weeks to mix the record as well. After we recorded at Chicago Recording Company, we took the mixes over to a place called Stonecutter studios to a guy named Chris Steinmetz. Chris Steinmetz cut his teeth as a kid by working with Alice Cooper, and he did Ozzy Osbourne’s stuff, and he’s got a wonderful sense of balance. I gave him these songs. He gave me confidence. He said ‘You know what? This is a really strong Enuff Z’Nuff album. Give me a couple of weeks to mix,’ so we probably did the whole record in about a month, and turned it into the label.

“By the way, the first two songs I gave the label, I didn’t even put them on this record. They said ‘Yeah, we love the record. Let’s go ahead and record the rest of it.’ Then I recorded all brand new songs. I put a whole new record out, excluding those two songs that I gave them in the first place. I felt that the record worked well in conjunction with the stuff that we were doing right now, story-wise. As I said earlier, this whole record is like one long thought of where we are in this day and age. They accepted it, and they seemed to really embrace our ideas. Then from there, I got a call from Live Nation saying ‘We’ve got a tour for you. You guys wanna go out and support Jack Russell’s Great White and the Bulletboys?’ I jumped on that, because there’s nothing more important – when you put a new record out there – than going out and touring, and playing the songs live for your audience.”

The initial two tracks afforded to Frontiers with respect to Diamond Boy, but ultimately not selected, may surface in future. “I think they will; I think they will surface,” Chip muses. “If I looked at my whole catalogue of material, my whole discography of unreleased material, there’s four or five records there. I haven’t reached back to that yet. New, fresh songs are coming to me. I’m already recording a new record right now; I’m six songs into the brand new Enuff Z’Nuff album. Write that (laughs). That’s how ahead of the game I am. I know that I’m gonna be on tour for the next three months, so I thought ‘Why not start recording some stuff right now?’ I love the new stuff because it rocks, and it’s uptempo. It just feels right, and they’re the hardest songs to write. If I can quote the great John Lennon, all the great songs have already been written. It’s up to us musicians to find them and bring them down to you.”

Whether the new tracks will be similar in vein to the Diamond Boy album is “hard to tell,” the performer responds. “I can’t tell. I know if I come up with something, it’s whatever trips my trigger when it comes to writing new songs; whether it’s a cigarette and ash burning in an ashtray, or lipstick on a glass, or a certain metaphor that somebody says and I go ‘Yeah, you know what? That rolls off of the tongue real nice.’ There’s so many different ways to put words to a little riff. I could be sitting in a room and Tony Fenelle grabs a guitar, and then he comes up with a nice little riff in two minutes. That’s how he writes – he’s just a really profound writer. I’ll record it in the studio then.

“If it sparks some kind of idea, I like to record it right away. I have my own recording studio in my house, so I constantly come up with ideas and record them, because there’s so much in my head right now. There’s so many songs. I like to clear my palette, so I can come up with new stuff. That’s where I’m at right now as a writer. As the frontman of Enuff Z’Nuff, it’s definitely a challenging job, but man, I love what’s in front of me right now. It’s another great opportunity for us to get out there, and let people know what we’re doing. A lot of discipline right here, my friend. It’s not easy. This is a challenging gig. I’m pretty excited about what the future holds.”

Aside from being ‘uptempo’ propositions, further information is not forthcoming. “I think it’s a little bit too early,” Chip stresses. “To give you titles and stuff would be a shortcut way of thinking, because they’re not songs. They’re just in their infant stages right now, but they sound terrific. It’s rock, it’s upfront, heavy, and it’s not your typical Enuff Z’Nuff record where… It’s very poppy, but I think it’s very aggressive. We’ve got two guitar players, so I think we’ll take it to the next level on this next one. Some of the subject matter is very questionable too on this next record as well, because I think this next album is a little more autobiographical than the new Enuff Z’Nuff album – Diamond Boy – where I’m picking out the bones of all of my favourite bands and perhaps writing songs about other people and through their eyes.”

That future effort’s issue will arrive earlier than some might realise. “2019, not 2020,” the vocalist clarifies. “We’re in a day and age where people want new product all the time. A lot of bands sit back on their laurels, and they can relive on their past catalogue because it’s been so successful and people want to hear those songs. I think Enuff Z’Nuff fans want to hear new material, though. This is the first record we’ve had that’s charted in over 20 years. It’s #157 on Billboard, it’s on the UK independent charts at number #16, and it’s #34 on the independent charts here in the United States, so there’s actually a little bit of traction right there with this new album. So, I think we should focus our attention on that right now.

“I know Frontiers are gonna want to put out another record next year. I don’t think we have to wait until 2020. I can’t predict what the future’s gonna hold for any bands, including my own. I just know that I’ll be prepared when they ask for the next record in 2019. With the good Lord’s blessing, we’ll be prepared to give them something that’s really strong.”

Fresh material aside, Enuff Z’Nuff have the option to venture into the vaults once more, should they desire. “It’s too hard to say,” Chip ponders. “Clowns Lounge was a fluke record. Derek Shulman, who used to be over at Frontiers, used to be in a band called Gentle Giant in England. They were popular in the 70s, and were a really progressive rock band. He ended up going with a label called Polygram Records, and went on to sign Cinderella, Bon Jovi, Pantera, and Slipknot to record deals. He signed a lot of great bands. He’s the guy who called me, and said ‘Hey, I’m looking for another Enuff Z’Nuff album.’ After 20 years of not hearing from him – after two records that were certified gold, which was Enuff Z’Nuff’s earlier work – here he was calling me 20 years later, saying ‘Hey, I’m looking for another Enuff Z’Nuff album. Have you got anything in the pipeline?’

“I’d been saving everything forever – all of my recordings. All of the stuff that I did in the early days with Neal Schon from Journey, and Cheap Trick tracks I did with Nielsen and Zander. I looked at all of that stuff, and said ‘You know what? I’ve got this record that we did in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and we never put it out. There’s 16 songs on it; I’ll knock it down to the best ten or 11. I’ll record a couple of new songs as well, and give that to you.’ I think Frontiers were looking for the first Enuff Z’Nuff album, and you’re not gonna make that without spending a hundred grand nowadays. That’s what it cost to make those records back then, but the band was different as well. I took those archival records and tweaked them up in my own studio a little bit, and put that out there.


Enuff Z’Nuff (l-r): Tony Fennell, Chip Z’Nuff, Daniel B. Hill and Tory Stoffregen

“There’s other material that’s like that, too, that I have in the archives. They’ll see the light of day one day. If I had my way, I’d love to put out a box set like the biggest bands in the world do. Not implying that we’re one of the biggest bands in the world, but implying using those great bands as a template. Almost like Gene Simmons put out The Vault (November 2017), except I wouldn’t charge $2,000 for it of course. I couldn’t do that, anyway. I’m not Kiss, but using that as a template, where you put all of the Enuff Z’Nuff albums together.

“That’s 22 records counting the Greatest Hits and the live records. There’s 14 studio records, I think. We could put them all in a nice box set for the die-hard fans to have, so they have all of the material, and just sell it at the live shows and nowhere else. You can’t get it in stores. Maybe you can get it on the internet, on our website, but that’s something that I’d love to do one day. That would be a nice shot in the arm for Enuff Z’Nuff fans and for the band as well, to get our material out there. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”

Music videos have inevitably been filmed to promote Diamond Boy, returning to current affairs. “The first video is for ‘Diamond Boy’, the title track,” the bassist lists. “We shot the video with Dave Steckert, who did a bunch of stuff for Lucinda Williams. He’s worked with Paul McCartney, and is a wonderful videographer. He’s got wonderful ideas, so we just let him run with it. We hang around Las Vegas and around the country, and the band’s playing live. There’s also intercut footage of us gambling. I think it’s a terrific video, and it’s not your phony lip-synching video. It’s like a three-dimensional movie, in colour.

“Then there’s another video that starts up after that one, for another track on the record. I think that will be for ‘Where Did You Go’, which is another song on the album. I think the way of the future for a lot of bands is a video for every single song. However, it gets quite expensive, but I’ve been saying this for five years now, and bands are starting to adapt as well. If you make a ten-song, 11-song record, then guess what? Eleven videos as well. That will be the new template in the future, I believe. You’re hearing it right here and right now, and it’s just a matter of bands finding a way to make all of these videos. Where they help to enhance a song and not detract from it, and be able to afford it as well because videos aren’t free.”

In addition to touring as support to Jack Russell’s Great White across the States, Enuff Z’Nuff will visit European shores. “We’re talking about coming to the UK in January 2019, and supporting the Diamond Boy record,” Chip reveals. “Some of our greatest fans are over there, and we love playing over there. We play small places like the Camden Underworld (London). We’ll get to Glasgow, and hopefully we’ll get a chance to do Sheffield and Birmingham, and all of those other little towns out there. Those are great little pockets to play shows, like Manchester, Liverpool. Right now though, I just don’t know exactly what the schedule is, except that the label in conjunction with our booking agent wants to send us over in January to support the record. Then I think we’re doing Italy in April. We’re coming back to the UK again. We’ll do a couple of shows, and then go to Italy. We’ll play that Frontiers festival they have every single year out there.

“There are a few plans. If I’m not mistaken, I just looked at the schedule. In September, we’re out in the UK as well. Three times we’re coming to your country. In September, we’re playing Hard Rock Hell in Wales. So January, a short UK run, April, Italy and countries around that area like Spain, France, and everywhere, and then back in September for the Hard Rock Hell Festival in Wales with a bunch of great bands. That thing’s packed every single year, with tons of people partying and burning the candle at both ends.

“Last year, we did it with the Quireboys – my good buddy Spike. The Wildhearts will be on there, and Michael Monroe. It seems that they put some pretty good bands on that, usually. I’m grateful to be a part of it. I’ve played Donington, and you’re really not gonna get much better than that – playing in front of tens of thousands of people. This Hard Rock Hell is indoors though, not outdoors. The fans come out in their droves; it’s jam-packed, and sold out every night. They record the shows. It’s really good for the fans, and it’s great for the bands.”

Diamond Boy was released on August 10th, 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Interview published in August 2018. All promotional photographs by David Steckert.

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