According to Al

Spent Christmas in Cape lately? If you have, then you've no doubt heard of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Last year TSO played to a near sellout crowd of just over 5,000 at the Show Me Center. The year before that 4,300 people watched them rock out Christmas, baby.

But that still doesn't tell you what the heck TSO is. Here's a quick lesson: TSO is a band featuring members with heavy metal cred that plays Christmas music.

Sound strange? It is. TSO is a specialty group -- nothing sounds like them, nothing looks like them. The band is made up of dozens of people, and the sound combines rock heaviness, classical musicality and a little bit of theater to create a Christmas concert even fans of Megadeth would love. Throw in a light and laser show to make Pink Floyd jealous, and you've got yourself a concert.

Every year the band splits into two touring acts of about 100 people, counting band and crew, and tours the country delivering Christmas-season entertainment for those who like to rock.

This month OFF Magazine had a quick chat with TSO guitarist and co-songwriter Al Pitrelli before the band's upcoming Nov. 15 concert at the Show Me Center. He's a man who used to play rock 'n' roll in smoky Jersey dives and toured with Megadeth as a guitarist.

Now he spends all his time touring or recording for TSO, a family operation with heavy rock roots.

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OFF: So what's up Al? You were just in Cape last November. How are things going with TSO right now?

Al Pitrelli: Right now we're rehearsing, getting ready for the tour. We've been in New York City for about a week and a half.

It just seems like we got home from the tour last January, and now it's "Oh my God, we're back already."

The bigger it gets, and God bless the more successful, the longer it takes to tear it apart and the longer it takes to get ready again.

Our first tour was in 1999, and our first record came out in 1996, "Christmas Eve and Other Stories." It took three years for its to catch on to the point to where we were like, "Yeah, let's do some live shows."

And we did ... I guess it was seven or eight shows, maybe nine tops, and this year I think it's 115 or 116 shows between both touring companies. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would go on this long or get this big.

OFF: How did you hook up with TSO?

AP: I think I got involved by default. He (lead composer Paul O'Neill) needed a good guitar player and he just kind of threw his hands up in the air.

Paul was working on a band called Savatage ... and he was having trouble finding a guitar player that could understand what was going on in his head. He was writing "Christmas Eve Sarajevo (12/24)" (TSO's first big hit), and it was this dark and poignant story. I started to play and he said "that's what I've been looking for." We became the best of friends within 10 minutes. I knew what he meant, so he didn't have to do backflips to make me understand his point.

My thought was "nobody's going to buy this record, but count me in." This was when Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were at the top of the charts, and we were writing a rock 'n' roll Christmas record.

OFF: So what was it like touring with Megadeth and Dave Mustaine's notorious attitude?

AP: I was in Megadeth for a couple of years, and it was ... (pauses) special.

It was pretty bizarre, they're such a great band and incredible players and Dave Mustaine is incredibly talented, and I like to take the positive with me.

I'm just better dressed in this band, I guess. Music is music, and playing in Megadeth was cool, but that was Dave's music for the most part. TSO is something I started with Paul, Bob and Jon (Kinkel and Oliva, two other composers). Every time I walk on that stage, regardless of how I feel ridiculous about wearing a tuxedo, this is something I had a hand in creating.

OFF: So what's the atmosphere like on a TSO tour? I bet it's not the typical kind of rock 'n' roll party you used to take part in.

AP: I'd love to say it still is, but it's not.

We're a little older than we used to be. There's some young folks in the band that have that misconception that's it "Wayne's World" out here. Yeah, it's a rock 'n' roll band, but it's grown from this little weird thing that happens around Christmas time ... it started out small and grew into the enormous organization.

If you let it fail, you're foolish. As a musician, if lightning were to strike once or twice in a career, you feel blessed. If lightning were to strike in perpetuity, why would I let anyone get out of hand and jeopardize that?

OFF: So what's the appeal of this Christmas rock/classical/whatever-else mix of music?

AP: When we were making this record, we didn't paint ourselves into a corner stylistically. It's gospel, blues, choir, rock, classical.

I think everybody has one or two things that they can say "Oh, I like this kind of sound," then listen to all of it and learn a style of music they don't listen to normally.

Paul surrounds himself with gifted musicians and singers, and when he finds talent, he knows how to use it. There are so many talented people involved with TSO, the possibilities are endless.

~Al Pitrelli was interview by OFF editor Matt Sanders.