Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: June 2008
Brian Rademacher: What kind of kid was Michael growing up?
Michael Olivieri :
I was the youngest of seven, pretty much a spoiled brat, I loved playing baseball. I always thought I was going to be a pro baseball player. I still play in a Mens baseball league, still have a high-eighties fastball. I was into having fun, I wasn’t abused or abandon or anything like that. Parents had a little bit of money, had food on the table, and had a (good)  childhood. I had a lot of older brothers and sisters that played instruments; there was a lot of music in our family.
Brian Rademacher: Did you have any pictures on your walls as a child?
Michael Olivieri : (Laughing)THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY posters, as a matter of fact I joined their fan club and they sent me this giant poster of David Cassidy. I put it up in my room and my brothers tried to tear it down. I had to go crying to mom and she said ‘he spent his own money on that you’re going to let him hang it in the room’. They had to live with that David Cassidy poster in there. That was the stuff then, man. I grew up with a lot of music; the ALLMAN BROTHERS, THE EAGLES, CSN & Y, a lot of harmony in our family.
Brian Rademacher:
What was the first record you owned?
Michael Olivieri : I would have to say THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY . All my older brothers would listen to THE BEATLES, John Denver and others.
Brian Rademacher:
How about the first concert you attended?
Michael Olivieri :
I would say RUSH and Pat Travers at the San Bernardino Auditorium, I was twelve and blown away. It made a huge impact on my career.
Brian Rademacher:
What did you like to do after school with your friends?
Michael Olivieri : Hung out and smoked pot a lot (laughing). Played baseball, played sports, tried to pick up chicks.
Brian Rademacher: How were your grades?
Michael Olivieri :
I was a really exceptional student through elementary school, but when I got to high school things went kind of downhill. I met Geoff Gayer, we were in guitar class in high school, it was more important to me to learn guitar and JUDAS PRIEST songs. I did really crappy in high school.
Brian Rademacher:
As a kid what were your parents most impressed with you for?
Michael Olivieri :
Some tough questions… probably that I was an all-star in baseball and stood out on the team. They always went to my games; I kept my head on straight. I would say I heeded to their morals and their upbringing and stayed true to the person they raised, that would be the biggest ones; that I didn’t turn out to be a total dickhead (laughing)!
Yeah ,I have a nine-year-old daughter and this is the first year on minor league soft ball, she pitched her first game and I wanted to buy the ball from the coach, I told him I wanted to buy the ball and he said I knew you would want it so I held on to it, here it is. That was cool I was happy as hell.
Brian Rademacher:
Yeah, I have a nine-year-old daughter too. What was your first job?
Michael Olivieri :
I was a janitor in a school; cleaned up the classrooms. Then Winchell's Donuts; me and Geoff Gayer were walking home from school with our guitars and stopped in for a donut and there was a sign in the window and Geoff turned to me and said ‘dude you should get a job here so you can by that Marshall amp you wanted’. The lady behind the counter heard that, she said ‘you looking for a job’ and I said ‘well not really, why are you hiring?’ (So) I filled out the application and she says ‘can you start now?’ and I’m like ‘are you serious? She hired me and she left and went to a SUPERTRAMP concert and left me in charge! The baker came in about 9 o’clock and said where is the girl (I forget her name)? I said she left and they fired her and kept me. I was the donut man, and I worked at Baskin-Robbins too.
Brian Rademacher:
Looking back as a teenager what is the thing that is most still in your head?
Michael Olivieri : Going to parties; trying to look cool and fitting in. At that time turning into a teenager things change, your outlook on fun and what you do on weekend’s kinda changes. In California, we had backyard parties everywhere that was a good time that don’t happen anymore. Cops shut that down real quick. That is how Leatherwolf started we would play backyard parties. The first couple years that’s all we did.
Brian Rademacher:
Tell me about DESPERADO,
THE EAGLES Tribute band.
Michael Olivieri : Yeah, I did that for a while, about a year. Like I said I grew up on THE EAGLES and a friend of mine was doing it and asked me to join. It was kinda fun being in a vocals band. Five people sang and I’m into the vocal harmonies. I got tired of that really quick and left.
Brian Rademacher:
When you worked for the Carnival Cruises Ms. Jubilee, what is the thing you most remember?
Michael Olivieri :
HAIL MARY just broke up. HAIL MARY derived from LEATHERWOLF in 90-91 and it kinda went south, we got strung on by Epic and MCA for two years and NIRVANA came (along) and nobody was getting a deal. A friend of mine asked if I still played guitar and asked how would I like to go on a cruise ship. Although it was a cheesy lounge band I had a good time.  People get crazy on those ships; teachers, librarians, secretaries… the funny thing was on Sunday when the husbands drop them off and say have a good time, these ladies turn into maniacs! We hit the port of Mazatlan and clothes start flying off! It’s pretty crazy. We then get home and their husbands are picking them up asking how the trip was. They say it was ok. Yeah, right! (Laughing)
Brian Rademacher:
Were there two videos for “Behind The Gun”?
Behind the Gun
Behind the Gun
Michael Olivieri :
If I’m at a party and a guy is there filming me, I’m not going to say don’t film me. Little did I know it went up on the internet and we hated that. I think there were two on YouTube. That one you are talking about was filmed at The Keep It True Festival in Germany. We didn’t do that video.
Brian Rademacher:
Is there new material ready to go?
Michael Olivieri :
I have a solo record I have been working on a few years now. I got all my tracks done. I’m putting some lead vocals down and hope to be mixing by mid July and have it mastered and out by fall. I got some names, “Brand New Life”, “Yesterdays song”, “All That You Can Give”, “Freedom”. I have a couple buddies doing a few tracks but it’s basically just me. It has 12-13 songs on there. Not a metal record; its closer to Lenny Kravitz and Elton John then it is LEATHERWOLF f. Its really rock, kinda PINK FLOYD, there’s some southern Rock in there and couple heavier things. It’s an honest interpretation of what I am musically. I tried to keep it general and kinda put out the best songs I had. I think it’s going to be called “Brand New Life”.
Brian Rademacher:
Tell me what did Leatherwolf ask for on their rider back in the day and what do you ask for now?
Michael Olivieri :
Back then I think we weren’t clued in and even had one (laughing)! Now we need three Marshalls and a deli tray; we are basic.
Brian Rademacher:
I know dad is always working; does it prey on your mind when you miss one of your children’s school functions?
Michael Olivieri :
It really does man, as a matter of fact when we went to Europe for three weeks and there were a couple things at the kid’s school and I couldn’t be there. It kinda hurts a little bit. My kids are a top priority of mine. I try to show up and be part of there lives on a daily basis. Being in a traveling band, it’s not an easy thing to do sometimes. We just made this record “New World Asylum” and we need to get out and promote it, so we feel we made a pretty good record under the circumstances. I had no part of writing it or the music and I just came in and re-did the vocal tracks. I’m pretty proud of it.
Brian Rademacher:
I read your wife is a great cook, what is your favorite meal that she cooks?
Michael Olivieri :
She’s ok; I’m not going to say she’s the greatest. She’s French-Canadian. She makes some great homemade pizzas, but I’m actually the better cook.
Brian Rademacher:
Wait until she reads that (as we both are laughing).
If you could donate money for any cause what would that be?
Michael Olivieri :
Probably abused kids, orphans or single moms, which is kinda hard being a single parent these days. If there were a charity for moms with deadbeat dads, that’s a tough call. I know nobody wants to pay for someone else’s mistakes, but still there is a lot of struggling families and dad didn’t show up that’s really problem in our society these days.
Brian Rademacher:
What are your feelings about the world we live in at the present time?
Michael Olivieri :
I’m not really thrilled about it; I’m actually kinda concerned about it. My wife is Canadian and really wants to move back to Canada and I’m running out of excuses and reasons (not to). We need a new president, I’m not a real political guy and don’t know much about it, but I do know our president kinda screwed us up a little bit. Our economy is super bad and I live in Southern California and see a lot of foreclosures all around. People are losing their houses left and right.
Brian Rademacher:
Do you ever think about the future for your kids?
Michael Olivieri :
That bothers me a lot, so many issues from taxes to our food and water. Global warming and the list goes on. Our kids are either going to pay for our mistakes or they are going to be the generation to fix it. America is not the living dream anymore, a lot of freedoms have been taken away from us and some good some not too good, most not too good.
Brian Rademacher:
Hey Michael, this was one helluva interview I really appreciate you opening up to us. Would you like to say anything in conclusion?
Michael Olivieri :
I just want to see people give our new record a shot and go to our MySpace and listen to a couple of our tunes or even iTunes. Hopefully you will want to pick it up. I think its LEATHERWOLF’s best record. Thanks Brian, it was fun.
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