GENERATION LANDSLIDE Looks to Bring the Album Experience Back With Existence

LAS VEGAS — While much of today's rock landscape is driven by standalone singles and streaming playlists, GENERATION LANDSLIDE is taking a different approach. The Las Vegas hard rock outfit has returned with its sophomore album, Existence, released through RFK Media, delivering a record intentionally sequenced as a complete listening experience. Led by vocalist and guitarist Anthony White, whose résumé includes Xcursion alongside Mark Slaughter, the original Cold Gin featuring future KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer, and MCA recording artists Cold Sweat, the band continues to blend classic arena rock influences with modern songwriting.

In this exclusive interview with This Rocks!, members of GENERATION LANDSLIDE discuss the evolution of the band, working with Ron Keel's RFK Media, the creative process behind Existence, and why they still believe albums should take listeners on a journey.

This Rocks: Anthony, your roots run incredibly deep in the rock scene, from powering Xcursion with Mark Slaughter to playing in the early days of Cold Gin with Tommy Thayer, and signing with MCA in Cold Sweat. How does that lifetime of heavy rock experience shape the specific vision and standard you hold for Generation Landslide today?

Anthony: It made it easier to figure out what direction I wanted the band and the songs to go in right from the start without the trial-and-error factor.

This Rocks: Your new album Existence drops via Ron Keel's RFK Media. How did the partnership with Ron and the label come together, and how has it felt having an iconic figure like Ron backing this record?

Anthony: Aaron Fischer brought us to RFK Media. He expressed interest in the band after the first record, Ruling the Street Scene, came out and we were able to make it happen for the second record. It feels great. Ron has a huge presence of positivity and enthusiasm, and it rubs off on all of us in the band.

This Rocks: Aaron Fischer at the label described your sound as arena rock heavily influenced by early KISS, Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper—which makes sense right down to your band name. How do you take those specific classic '70s rock ingredients and make them feel vital and fresh rather than just a retro tribute?

Anthony: I try and find the certain elements that make those bands stand out and I tried to capture that instead of just ripping them off.

This Rocks: "Runnin' Outta Time" was chosen as the lead single for the new record. What was it about that specific track that made you all say, "This is the song that needs to introduce the world to the Existence album"?

Anthony: I felt like it has just the right melody hook and lyrics to get people to perk their ears up and ask who is that band. Plus it has a connection to the album cover.

This Rocks: Your first album was titled Ruling the Street Scene. When you look back at that debut collection of songs compared to the tracks on Existence, what do you feel has been the biggest evolutionary leap forward for the band's songwriting and chemistry?

Anthony: I think it's the maturity and cohesiveness in the songwriting and in the chemistry of the four members of the band.

This Rocks: Anthony, you've spoken about wanting to bring back the experience of listening to an album from top to bottom, taking fans on a true musical journey. In a modern music world completely dominated by short digital singles, how do you approach the pacing and sequence of Existence to make sure it holds a listener's attention from track one to track 10?

Anthony: The album has to start with a bang ("Are You Ready") to get people's attention and then it moves up and down through the next three single-type songs ("Dirty Little Blonde," "Runnin' Outta Time" and "Love Has Saved Me"). Then to a different type of ballad ("Be Here For You") and that ends side one. Then it goes back up but heavier this time to start side two ("Live Life"), then a singalong song next ("I've Been Looking For You"), and then a unique and more complex song ("Existence"), then a fast rockin' road song ("From Dusk to Dawn"), and end the album with another fast but more country-flavored song ("As I Fade Away").

This Rocks: Sandy, your lead guitar work has to balance providing massive arena-sized hooks while locking in seamlessly with Anthony's guitar playing. How do the two of you collaborate on the riffs and solos to build that classic dual-guitar attack?

Sandy: We figure out what guitar parts and/or solos fit best according to our individual playing styles.

This Rocks: Lisa and Jonathon, anchoring the rhythm section for a high-energy hard rock band requires an immaculate pocket and serious power. How do you two work together in the rehearsal room to ensure the low end hits with that driving, arena-ready groove?

Lisa and Jonathon: We try and approach it as two people being solid as one when it needs to be and still have the two of us playing our own individual parts within each song.

This Rocks: Based out of Las Vegas, you're operating in a city with a massive entertainment landscape but a very unique local rock community. How has the Vegas scene shaped the band's identity, and how does the energy of playing your home turf compare to taking the show out on the highway?

Anthony: The Vegas scene hasn't really done much for us because we always feel like we are out on the road every time we play a show anyway.

This Rocks: From playing a co-headline spot at the M3 Festival Pre-Party in Maryland all the way to the historic Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, you've proven your live appeal coast-to-coast. What is the key to winning over a brand-new room of rock fans the second you step onto the stage?

Anthony: The songs and the energy that goes with playing those songs.

This Rocks: Modern studio production can sometimes trap rock bands into sounding overly edited, sterile and digital. What was your collective philosophy while tracking Existence to make sure the organic, human chemistry of the band remained completely intact on the final master?

Anthony: That every song has its own identity. That was the approach. No two songs sound the same on the record.

This Rocks: Tracks like "Dirty Little Blonde," "From Dusk to Dawn" and the title track "Existence" hint at a wide variety of moods on the new record. Lyrically and thematically, what were the main real-life inspirations or stories that fueled the writing of this album?

Anthony: I think I consciously set out to write songs that would create a different mood or vibe throughout the album. Some songs are made up and some have real-life meaning behind them.

This Rocks: Every musician has that one definitive, lightning-bolt moment in their youth where they saw a band or heard an album and realized, "This is exactly what I have to do with my life." What was that moment for you?

Anthony: I had two moments. One was seeing KISS on The Paul Lynde Halloween Special and the other was seeing Thin Lizzy live when I was a teenager.

This Rocks: Now that Existence is officially hitting the streets, what is the immediate next phase of the operation for Generation Landslide as you look forward to the rest of the year and into the future?

Anthony: To play live and do videos. We are currently looking for a booking agent so we can start playing these songs for everyone across the country.

Learn More

Official website: Generation Landslide

Merchandise: RFK Media Shop – Generation Landslide