Richie Kotzen Interview On The Winery Dogs, Touring, Guitar Tips

Richie Kotzen, the lead singer of The Winery Dogs, whose self-titled debut album was released in July, had a pretty zen appraoch to the project. "We never made the record with preconceived ideas, we had no expectations other than making rock and roll and make music we all care about," said Kotzen (pictured), answering fan questions exclusively for Uinterview. "But the reactions — we're really surprised and happy about."

For Kotzen, drummer Mike Portnoy and bassist Billy Sheehan, writing and recording the album came naturally. "The whole creative process was very rewarding and effortless," said Kotzen. After recently completing the South American and European legs of their tour, the Winery Dogs are touring in the U.S this fall.