Lisa Condit spoke with Paul Sinclair from Get the Led Out. The band comes to The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts on Thursday, November 7. Read on for highlights from the interview or listen to the full interview below, then tune in to WCRN 830 AM Saturdays at 1 PM for more behind-the-scenes interviews.
Lisa: So Paul, how did you fall in love with Led Zeppelin and how did you get involved with Get the Led Out?
Paul: I grew up in the 1970s, so I’m 54 years old, I wear this as a badge of honor at this point. I’m all about it. The sounds of the 1970s, for those that didn’t live through that time, oh they were just wonderful. I mean it didn’t matter if it was hard rock or disco or funk or pop, the music was just extraordinary. I fell in love with all of it really, but I gravitated towards heavy rock as I started to get into my teens. By the mid to late ’70s hard rock was everything for me, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith being at the top of that heap. Those two to me were the end all and be all when it came to heavy rock music, and I just wanted to sing like that. So I’ve spent all these years trying to emulate my heroes and all the while trying to create a career for myself.
Throughout our pursuit we were really staying true to our love of the ’70s. We just cared about the music that we wanted to make and the stuff that inspired us, and hopefully that would turn into a career for us. So when everybody else was doing Bon Jovi-esque music and dressing that way, we were still focused on that Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith vibe that got us going in the first place.
You’ll find a lot of bands out there that have put more emphasis on let’s say their costume or just the idea of portraying a performer and being inside of an impersonation than actually honoring the very songs that has these people in the first place in front of you. The reason they’re there is because these melodies have moved them deeply. I know because I’m one of those people. If I wasn’t in my band, I’d be watching this band every night because I think they’re staggering at how beautifully they play these songs.
Lisa: What was the moment that you just knew this was it?
Paul: Well here’s the thing. I think since I crawled out of my mother it’s been a part of me. It turns out I actually come from a line of opera singers in Spain, but I didn’t know it because I was adopted.