Grand Funk is known for some of rocks’ greatest songs like “Inside Looking Out”,”I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)”,”Feelin’ Alright”,”Gimme Shelter”, “We’re an American Band”,”The Loco-Motion”,”Some Kind of Wonderful”,”Bad Time .  Their tour dates are listed below.

A: Hi Don thanks for taking some time to talk with us.  We are excited for this tour.  Grand Funk is a very influential band. What do you have planned?

Don: We always focus on doing the hits you know. We do “Some Kind of Wonderful” “Closer to Home” “I’m Your Captain” “Locomotion” “Where an American Band” foot stompin’ music rock n’ roll.  Then we go on to do a few things. We do “Bottle Rockets” “Sky High” and this one that is all percussion called “Lightning and Thunder” and of course we close the show with “We’re an American Band”.  It’s kind of a combination that leans heavily toward the hits”

A: After being a touring musician for so many years what do you think has helped you keep going because it has become so difficult with all the changes taking place?

Don: Well, we have been very fortunate since we have seen “Classic Rock” stations being born and we have seen it move from albums to CD’s and now MP3’s. People keep updating their catalogue and we are contently getting new audiences.  I am always surprised to see at ours shows… you can see three generations… kids, parents and grandparents all knowing the words to the songs, you know? So I really [think] it goes back to the music and when it was created, that Grand Funk created in the 70s which has stood the test of time.  It’s just that singular.  I do get disappointed these days and feel bad that I don’t hear music being created that [feels] “Classic” anymore.

A: Yeah that leads me to the questions I was going to ask is. What do you think is the state of music these days?

Don: I do start to hear some melody these days but then we went off into the “Rap” thing and the “Hip Hop” world…it just has gone bye –bye… and even with the rock stuff “Grunge” It has just become non-melodic and I guess that is because it was “in”.  I kind of feel that is coming back around.  I know that the point is to get a new band on the radio. I mean that is a whole other trip.  I mean when we came up it made a lot sense. You’d develop a local following and regional following and pretty soon you were being played on the radio in few other states. Then the record companies started to look at you… and now that has all gone bye-bye now.

A: Do you think that the big record companies losing some of their power is a good thing or a bad thing?

Don: I think it is a bad thing. I don’t see record companies promoting bands allowing them to have a career.  That is what it used to be about.  It seems record companies are only interested in getting one “hit” instead of making ten years of hits or albums… that is what the record companies were about. I mean a band could have a prolonged career.  I think when the record companies got too big they were too controlling. And of course they got to the point that they were controlling radio. But they don’t control radio anymore.

A: Well then who does control radio today?

Don: The owners of the radio stations: CBS, clear channel.  They have gone across the country and bought up a lot of the radio stations. They pay a bunch of consultants to go out and test people. They will get a bunch of people and test a bunch of songs and then develop a play list … whether it be “Adult Contemporary” or whatever it is and develop a playlist. Then they go to all of their stations and say this is what you are going to play.  So they control what is being played.  And they have tried to get rid of all the personalities and all that kind of stuff… and they are spoon feeding the people and well there you go.

A: Wow that does not sound very good from my perspective as a listener. I never knew it was that bad.

Don: Yeah well there still are a couple areas that have a small radio station that are always competing with the big guys all the time. My wife used to be in the radio business. So I have a little bit of first-hand knowledge of how they do things.  So what it is… is that you really need to play that game.  You can’t break apart and do your own thing

A: So making a 50 year career in music and being one of the top bands … what would you say is the highlight of your career?

Don: …There have been a few of them.  When we first started out we played the first Atlanta Pop festival in 1969 and we had no fans nobody had ever heard of us. Then all of a sudden everyone was talking about Grand Funk Railroad. That was a major step. We sold out Shea Stadium faster than the Beatles in 1971 and it was incredible. Then we went through that huge lawsuit with our manager and our attorneys and they we suing us like crazy. Then radio had changed into being Top 40  instead of an album oriented format so we came out with “American Band” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” and Locomotion. We had a really bad thing… but kept on churning  and here we are 47 years later and we (still) have a live band. We love playing live… after all this is what we wanted to do and we are having fun doing it.

A: When you started out did you ever anticipate that you could ever achieve this level of success, make a career of it?

Don: When we were 25 years old making a career of it would have been 5 years long. I thought “ Gee if I could make it 5 years that would be great”. I mean we never knew what we were going to be doing when we got into our thirties… so to be 62 or actually 63 and still be doing this thing I mean I never dreamed of it.

A: I mean your music still resonates today and I hear it all the time it’s great

Don: We were really fortunate.  We were able to come up with some things that are really timeless. I mean here we are and people are still getting turned on by it. If I hear “American Band” come on the radio it takes me back. I crank it up and it still sounds to me like a “Hit” record.

A: I can remember when I first started to listen to you music we were smokin’ stuff we weren’t supposed to, I am sure you were too… I mean it brings back great memories listening to your stuff.

Don: Well we weren’t supposed to but we wanted to smoke it. – ( Laughter)

A: I read you’re a big fan of Buddy Rich, why do you think so many drummers cite him as an influence. I mean almost every drummer has him in their list? What is it about him that resonates so much with so many?

Don: I mean I saw him on Johnny Carson and Johnny was a “want-to-be” drummer and he is just one of the all- time greats. He was very entertaining to. He was a funny guy. When he would play he just had this energy about him. It wasn’t that he had great chops… but he had this energy… so you wanted to be like him.  So I like to carry that with me today.  I have a vision of him entertaining the audience and being so involved that you are kind of being carried away.  He was like way more than that.  That is what really sets him apart.

A: Do you think that is one of the things that allowed you to endure, your onstage energy?

Don: I mean I still get excited before I go on. I get butterflies. You never know what is going to happen. You have a job to do and [get] everyone by the end of the show up on their feet and dancing… having a good time

A: What drum kit are you playing these days?

Don: I have DW’s. They are still made in the USA. [They are a] great company out of California and just terrific quality drums. It is a pretty basic set. I used to play a 5 piece set. I play a six piece now and I add a tom now and again to give me a little versatility…three cymbals and a high hat; pretty basic stuff.

A: Are there any up and coming drummers you are watching?

Don: There is a guy out of Nashville, Donnie Marple… (I think he plays with) “The Elmwood Band”… incredible.  He has great YouTube videos.  Bruce (Kulick) our guitar player just sent me a link of a nine year old girl (Alexey Problete) playing “I Could Tumble” by Grand Funk (Railroad) and she plays it… every single lick exactly. She plays it perfectly. Amazing!

A: What was it like working with Frank Zappa?

Don:  I really liked working with Frank.  He took me over to meet his family.  Everybody has this vision of Frank as this completely wacked out guy. He was just a very down to earth family man and a genius in music. We were excited and surprised when we invited him to be the producer of our record and he accepted. And when we able to work with him he was just a joy to work with. I think we made a great album. It is just unfortunate that album never saw the light of day. We were in the process of leaving “Capitol” (Records) and moving down to MCA. There (were) some problems with the band and never really got much attention but I think it was a great album.

A: What is your relationship like now with Mark Farner?

Don: It is pretty stiff and uncomfortable.  Mark left the band in ’98 and there have been issues over the name and everything. So we really don’t have a lot of conversation other than business conversations

A: What is playing on you IPod?

Don: I have Joss Stone. I have got some “Prince”, one of his last releases.  I have “Sly and The Family Stone”. I have a Michael McDonald album. I love the band “Train”. I think they keep coming up with great stuff. I think for a long time people kind of forgot about writing songs. I know some people think they are too pop. They really do put out some stuff that you can sing along to.

The summer tour of Grand Funk Railroad tour starts out in Michigan

06/22/2012 – San Diego County Fair, Del Mar, California

07/07/2012 – Indian Ranch, Webster, Massachusetts

07/13/2012 – National Cherry Festival, Traverse City, Michigan

07/21/2012 – Moondance Jam Festival, Walker, Minnesota

NEW! 07/27/2012 – Casino Rama Entertainment Centre, Rama, Ontario

08/04/2012 – Paragon Casino Resort, Marksville, Louisiana

08/08/2012 – Napa Town & Country Fair, Napa, California

08/11/2012 – Aberdeen Base, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

08/17/2012 – Wheeling Island Casino, Wheeling, West Virginia

08/18/2012 – Mt. Airy Casino, Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania

08/25/2012 – Music City Festival, Nashville, Tennessee

09/01/2012 – Septemberfest, Schaumburg, Illinois

09/02/2012 – Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, California

NEW! 09/07/2012 – Tennessee Festival, Martin, Tennessee

09/14/2012 – OC Bike Week, Ocean City, Maryland

NEW! 09/15/2012 – Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, Florida

09/22/2012 – The Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, Connecticut