September 13th, Los Angeles -- LOVERBOY guitarist PAUL DEAN was a veteran Canadian
rock musician in a dozen bands before breaking through in 1980 with the multi-platinum group. His newest single/video, “Hell Yeah,” pays tribute to those years with a shout-out to many of his contemporaries with an accompanying video that literally takes us on a tour of those “downtowns” and “cow towns.” Performing the song live with original Streetheart (and current LOVERBOY) bandmates drummer Matt Frenette and Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve on the stage of the Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg, Dean sings the vocals and plays his Floyd Rose equipped Les Paul. The single, which follows the release of “Be With You,” earlier this year, goes online September 13th for streaming at all major sites, including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon and Deezer.
“Hell Yeah” was recorded as part of a whirlwind 10-day session at Dallas’ Maximedia Studios with co-producer Mike Pisterzi, which yielded 4 songs that are slated for Dean’s upcoming 12 song solo album, his first all new material without the band in more than 20 years, since 1997’s Blackstone. Last year, Dean also digitally released his 1987 solo debut, Hardcore.
All this activity is meant to “augment Loverboy, not take away from it,” insists Dean, who remains committed to his group.
The original idea for “Hell Yeah” came to Dean from watching military movies featuring a group of marching Marines chanting, its refrain meant to serve as a rallying cry for warriors about to go into battle, a sports team taking the field, or a rock band climbing on-stage. “It’s a call to action,” says Paul of the chorus: “Hell Yeah, We’re gonna get some/We’re gonna keep it between me and you/Hell Yeah, We’re gonna get some/It be the best thing that we do.”
“The song is about national pride, a salute to my own country,” says Dean, a way to thank his Canadian fans for supporting him all these years even before achieving his lifelong dream of succeeding in the rest of the world. “It’s a pretty basic tune, but there’s a lot going on if you listen carefully,” continues Paul regarding the mix of electric and acoustic guitars, and even a hint of a keyboard line.
The video offers a travelogue of Canadian cities, shot from Vancouver Island’s Victoria to Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, Halifax and St. John’s. It features the likes of April Wine’s Myles Goodwyn (imitating a lighthouse in Halifax), Headpins (breaking out into a wrestling match in front of Vancouver’s PNE), Honeymoon Suite (lip syncing in Quebec City), Helix’s Brian Vollmer (hitchhiking unsuccessfully to Montreal), singer Darby Mills (during a long weekend in Edmonton), Goddo’s Greg Godovitz (bungee-jumping off Toronto’s CN Tower) and Glass Tiger (getting back to the rock in St. John’s). Dean also gives a nod to veteran cover band Toque and his own Streetheart.
Look for a backstage “Hell Yeah” from LOVERBOY’s Mike Reno and Doug Johnson as well.
More songs will be released over the course of the next several months.
LOVERBOY's four-decade-long career began in Calgary when vocalist Mike Reno was introduced to guitar legend Paul Dean, the two eventually joined by keyboardist Doug Johnson, drummer Matt Frenette and bassist Kenneth "Spider" Sinnaeve, who replaced the late Scott Smith in 2000. The band’s releases include the four-million-selling Get Lucky, and three double-platinum releases in their self-titled 1980 debut, 1983's Keep It Up and 1985's Lovin' Every Minute of It, including the hits "Working for the Weekend," "Lovin' Every Minute of It," "Hot Girls in Love," "Turn Me Loose” and "Queen of the Broken Hearts."
