Warrant's Erik Turner Dishes Out Some Cherry Pie

Warrant

It's been about 20 years since Warrant catapulted into the rock world with their debut album. With worldwide album sales near the ten million mark, and a handful of Top 40 radio singles that includes "Cherry Pie," "Heaven," "Down Boys," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "I Saw Red" and "Sometimes She Cries,” it would be hard not to know who Warrant is.

With the current roster consisting of new vocalist Robert Mason (formerly of Lynch Mob) and original members Erik Turner (guitar), Jerry Dixon (bass), Steven Sweet (drums) and Joey Allen (guitar), Warrant are continuing to bring the magic of Cherry Pie to the world.

RockStar Weekly had a chat with Turner, one of the founding members of the band to see how Mason is fitting in.

Things are moving pretty fast for Warrant in 2009 with a couple festivals to add to your normal tour dates. How do they compare to regular touring?

You’ve recently brought in a new singer. The video on the website sounds amazing. He sounds like he should have been there from the start.

The reunion with Jani Lane was pretty short lived. What exactly happened?

It’s been pretty heavily reported on various websites that he had a pretty bad time in the last few years, with short concerts and voice problems. Did you approach the reunion with caution to begin with?

Out of that event, you did manage to hook up with Robert. Is this like a rebirth of sorts for you?

How is this version of the band different from the one in 1989?

Is there inspiration to record a new CD with Robert?

With Robert on board are there certain songs you might be playing live that you wouldn’t have done before?

Since the last time I saw Warrant, Jamie St. James was singing. Was there a reason he didn’t continue on?

Jamie was there for a few years, what would you say his legacy was?

I’ve heard Cherry Pie pop up in movies and commercials. That really is the definitive Warrant song. I know it pays really well, but do you support its use in commercials and films or was that done without asking you?

What’s your favorite Warrant CD and why?

There seems to be a resurgence of the 80s hard rock brewing in North America. Can you feel it?

Europe has always had a love of hard rock. Do you think with shows like Rocklahoma, we’re moving in that direction as well where concerts like Donnington reign.