EX LA GUNS Singer- Dilana Robichaux

Transcription

Magazine Staff Credits
Interviews
JROCK Houston - [email protected]
Graphics:
Leith Taylor - [email protected]
Editor: Leith Taylor
Chaotic Riffs Magazine.com – Issue 24 – Copyright 2012
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Table of Content
• Jack Russell’s Great White…..6
• Live Wire with David Grant ….. 18
• EX LA GUNS Singer- Dilana Robichaux ….. 23
• Jaison in LA …. 29
• CD Reviews …..31
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Available At:
Amazon France
Amazon UK
Amazon Germany
Amazon Japan
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Like many Hard Rock/Metal fans worldwide I've been a fan of the band Great White for years. Great White is a band
that has had many ups and downs throughout their career. The most serious was being the Station Night Club fire
which took place in February of 2003 in Rhode Island. This was one of the worst times during the band's career and
many fans, road crew members, and the band's Guitarist Ty Longley were killed or seriously injured that night.
This fire brought lawsuits and made it very difficult for the band to do any live performing for a while because a lot of
promoters just weren't interested in having a Great White Concert in the days that followed the aftermath of the Station
fire. I point out that the fire was probably the worst period in Great White's career because that's when you think the
band would have fell apart but that's not what started the current fallout between lead Singer: Jack Russell and his
former bandmates in Great White. Great White is just the latest in a huge line of bands where
bands are fighting over the ownership of the band's name...First came Dokken, then there was Ratt and LA GUNS.
Initially I reached out to Singer: Jack Russell after seeing him on a recent episode of VH1's THAT METAL SHOW
where he talked about the fallout between him and his band GREAT WHITE. As most Great White fans know Jack
Russell had been taking a break from touring with GREAT WHITE for the last few years because of the fact he was
suffering from several, major health issues. Over the last 2 and half years it seemed as though Jack Russell and the
other Great White guys were on the same page which was Jack was just taking a break from the band and that he
would be returning to the band once he got the OK from his Doctors. That was the plan until last December when
things started to break down between Jack and Great White......Jack claims that the band started making demands on
him such as telling him he could only return to the band if he would agree not to take any of his needed pain medication
and that he'd be required to constantly be taking drug test in order to return to the band. Jack claims that his
medication has no effect on how he performs and when he told the rest of the Great White band that he wasn't going to
give into their demands and that he was going to fire them, take his band's name and hire some new guys that's when
the battle over the Great White name began.
I want to go on record as saying that I reached out to Mark Kendall and the other Great White guys to get their side of
the story but they turned down my offer to do an interview and tell their side of the story. Like most fans I think it's very
hard to replace a Singer in a band. When i think of Great White I think of Jack Russell as the Voice of Great
White...he's the guy who wrote and sang all those songs! When I go see Great White in concert I want to see Jack
Russell fronting the band! Sorry folks but that's the truth! As I was saying I originally reached out to Jack Russell to do
this interview not just because I was a fan and wanted to get his side of the story but because I had seen him recently
on VH1's THAT METAL SHOW and I found him to be really honest, sincere, and very lucid and aware of what was
going on. Mark Kendall and Michael Lardie have been making claims that Jack Russell has been performing under the
influence, high and that the way he's been performing they think is just awful and that's why they can't allow him to
tarnish the Great White name. For years it's been common knowledge that Great White was formed in 1978 by Jack
Russell and Mark Kendall and that's the story that Jack continues to tell...While Mark Kendall is now claiming he formed
Great White and that there was another singer that came before Jack was ever in Great White. Jack Russell gave a
great interview here and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed it when I had the privilege of talking with
Jack Russell over the phone. I found Jack to be a guy who was very friendly, down to earth, 1005 brutally honest and a
guy who speaks the truth and talks from the heart...That's a very rare breed in the world today and I have a new level of
respect for Jack Russell not just because he's a great Singer but because he's a great Human being! Jack Russell is
really one of the good ones and that's why I wish him nothing but the best of luck in his career! I'd be very surprised if
the GREAT WHITE name didn't end up staying in the hands of Jack Russell!
By JROCK Houston
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Exclusive Interview With
Jack Russell’s Great White
By JROCK Houston
Singer: Jack Russell
JROCK: Hello there. Is this Jack Russell?
JR: Why yes it is.
JROCK: Jack I'd like to thank you for taking
time out of your very, busy schedule to do this
interview. I really do appreciate it.
coma for 5 days and not a single person in my band
even called me or my wife to see how I was.
JROCK: That must have really hurt and kind of
showed you who your friends really were.
JR: Well here's the thing...At first I thought Ok I get
it...They're mad at me because I cost them some
JR: No problem man, it's my pleasure.
money but then I stopped and thought about it and
JROCK: If you don't mind why don't we start off realized how really rude and cruel that was. I mean I
don't care how mad you are at somebody or how much
with the fact that you formed the band Great
money they cost you.......we've been friends for 30
White back in 1978 isn't that right?
something years most of us. I mean Audie and I go
back to 1976 and Mark and I go back to 1978 and so
JR: Yeah it was November 1978.
anyways I recover from all that and then I fall and broke
JROCK: A lot of fans like myself were under the my hip and then I fell and I broke my pelvis. so things
impression that you were out sick for a while,
kept getting postponed and then they finally asked me
had these other guys come in and take your
well what should we do? Should we postpone the tour
place for a while but were under the impression
or what? So I thought about it for a while and I asked
that the plan was for you to eventually return to
my good friend Jani Lane if he could fill in for me for a
the band once you were well enough to do
while because I really didn't want to cost those guys to
so...That was the plan original wasn't it?
lose any more money. Jani really didn't want to do it
but he reluctantly agreed to do it. he said "Ok Jack I'll
JR: Well that's exactly what it was and I just got do it for you." He went out with them for a while but
tired of all the conditions being laid down to me. then something happened and then they got this terry
I started thinking about it...they hadn't talked to
guy and I even called and thanked him for filling him.
me for over a year. I mean here's the thing..I got So all this time they had him filling in and I was
hurt in '09 I fell on stage because I had tripped
supposed to eventually come back. So then on
over a monitor cable because I was still
December 10th I finally got tired of all these guys not
unsteady from my back. I had had back surgery calling me, putting down all these conditions on me all
and I shattered my femur, so I finished the show the time, I thought did I really want to play with these
and I was rushed to the hospital for emergency
guys who were always mad at me? They told me that I
surgery that night after the show and they put a
couldn't take any pain medication if I returned to the
bar down my leg and I lost two inches in the
band so I then told them Ok then I'm taking the name
process and I went back home to recover from
of the band that I started in 1978 and you guys are
that and then I got a perforated bowel and I
fired! They didn't want to be fired so now they're trying
almost died. I was in a
to say the band name is theirs. I'm
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JROCK: That's interesting that you say that
because like you've said you're the only one who's
been in the band since day one and oddly enough I
was listening to an interview that Mark Kendall
recently gave I believe was on http://
www.blabbermouth.net/ where he was saying that
when you and he first met that you had joined his
band which was named something else at the time
and you went to jail for something and you were
gone for a few years and then you came back
the only member of the band who has been here
since day one! In 2001 Mark Kendall left the
Corporation known as Great White he decided he
wanted nothing more to do with it and he quit. Also
in 2001 I fired Audie and I fired the Bass Player Sean
so they were gone as well! At the end of 2001 I put
together this band for that last few shows and we
called it Thank You...Goodnight! after that last show
I dissolved the band...I told the guys in the band at
time you guys can now do your own thing and I'm
going to go do my solo thing. Well here's the thing if
the band name was really theirs why didn't they just
take the name and continue on and say...well we're
happy you're going to go do your solo thing but we're
going to keep the band going...because it wasn't
their band. And the only reason they're trying to do
all this sneaky stuff now with the trademark is
because they couldn't fire me.
JROCK: It kind of makes you think that they kind of
had this planned for a while now...I mean they now
have a new album that is set to come out sometime
in May that's already in the can, then they tried to get
the trademark of the band's name 3 days before you
actually fired them.
JR: Well I don't know if they ever really thought I'd
really heal up and be able to return to the band. But
here's the thing.....I was under the impression that
The Manager was on my side. He told me Jack this
is your band..You can return anytime you want. I
was in the band all that time I was out because I was
actually allowing them to make money through my
corporation. They were working for my corporation
earning money, they were hired hands of mine and
Mark Kendall because Mark Kendall and I owned
The Corporation.
JR: He was talking about some other band he had
called Wires and then it became Dante Fox but
Great White didn't actually start until 1982. The
original members of Great White were myself, mark
Kendall, Lorne Black, and Gary Holland so what is
he talking about? We're not talking about Wires or
Dante Fox, we're talking about Great White!
JROCK: I seen you last week on the VH1 show
That Metal Show and I kind of agree with a lot of
what you're saying because when most people
think of Great White they think of Jack Russell
because you are the Voice of Great White. I mean
Terry Louis may be a great Singer but when most
people think of Great White they think of you as the
Voice of Great White because you wrote and sang
those songs!
JR: Yeah right.
JROCK: And on that note I know you've been out
playing live with your version of the band. How
have the shows been going?
JR: Really, really incredible. I mean I've found two
of the greatest Guitar Players out there Matthew
Johnson, one of the Guitar Players and the
Drummer: Derrick Pontier also used to play
in Great White so I have as many former members
of Great White in my band as they have.
JROCK: I know you're playing the Great White
catalog of music but are you also working towards
creating some new music?
JR: Oh yeah we've already got some new stuff in
the can.
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JROCK: And so when do you project a new album
coming out?
JR: You know I really don't know. Right now, we're
just concentrating on getting out there and playing
live.
JROCK: How have the fans been reacting?
JR: Just great! Not one person has complained
about where's Terry? , Where's Kendall, Where's
Lardie? , Where's Desbrow? Nobody cares.....They
want to hear the voice! I mean sure the other guys
are going to have their fans! I get it but I mean most
people and I'm talking 90% of people when you close
your eyes you want to hear the voice you heard on the
records not a cover band or a really great cover
band which is what it has become!
JROCK: It's kind of like the situation that's currently
going on with Warrant! I mean Jani Lane was
Warrant and I guess they're kind of keeping his music
and his legacy alive but even with as good of a Singer
as they have it's just a whole different band. Now you
were talking a little bit about Jani filling in for you and
what great friends you were. How did you and he first
meet?
JR: It was actually on The Ratt/Great White/Warrant
Tour. I met Jani then, he was just a great Singer, just
a great guy, we became great friends then! Actually,
his Wife, my wife became really great friends because
Jani and I had a lot in common except for the fact that
he died and I didn't.
JROCK: And like I said last week I saw you On That
Metal Show and you seemed really lucid, seemed to
know what you were talking about so I don't see why
the band had such a problem with you taking pain
medication if it was just being taken to control your
pain.
JR: Well it shouldn't have been a big deal but they
just wanted to control everything I did. I think Michael
Lardie is also liking his new position as the new King
Cheese and sitting on the throne. You know he's
liking his time in the spotlight so now he's got his
chance. It just makes me really upset and hurts that
those guys would go so low and release my personal
medical records.
JROCK: I also read somewhere that they were
trying to get a mutual friend of yours to go to your
shows and take photos of you.
JR: Oh yeah they asked a mutual friend to go to
rhis one show, I won't mention the show or her
name but they asked her to go to this one show
and take photos of me when I was all fu****
up ...Well good luck...Come and take all the
pictures you want
JROCK: Have you had to hire new management,
and an all new crew and everything?
JR: Yeah I've hired new management, a new road
crew, everyone's sober.
JROCK: I understand that you're going to be
doing a tour with Pretty Boy Floyd, Lillian Axe, and
Bullet Boys. How did that tour come about?
JR: Our agency Artists World Wide put it together.
JROCK: It's a shame to because you think you
guys went through something like the fire a few
years ago and then you let something minor like
this, well not minor but I mean something that's out
of your hands and control like you getting sick that
breaks the band up.
JR: And here's the thing...You had the Manager
telling me Ok Jack I'm behind you but I have to tell
you something you're going to ruin your career
because the Promoters are upset with you so just
tell me what you want to do and I'm behind you
100%! So he asked me "Ok do you want to ruin or
career or go on tour? I let them go out and tour
with a new Singer so they could make some
money and they spit in my face! I was always
there for them! When Audie couldn't play on an
album I got Myron Grombacher to play the Drum
tracks...Everyone had their problems!
JROCK: That's why I think you're doing it the right
way going out as Jack Russell's Great White until
this whole name situation gets straightened out.
you're not trying to confuse
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fans with what this is and in most people's
eyes Jack Russell is Great White! I don't
think there's any confusion there because the
fans know they're getting the guy who wrote
and sang all those songs!
JR: People are still confused...I still gets
calls asking...So you're playing a show
tonight? No That's the other band!
JROCK: And oddly enough I don't know if
you're aware they had a third guy named Paul
Shortino who also filled in for you for a while
and I asked him he was ever offered the Gig.
What he told me was "No and to tell you the
truth is that it was kind of a political thing
because the Manager wanted to get one of his
guys who he represented which was jani or
this Terry guy and basically that way he'd get
a piece of whatever for getting one of his guys
in the band.
JR: Yeah right!
JROCK: It's just sad when people realize that
it's just all about money.
JR: Yeah and it's never been about money
for me. I would never sell my friends down
the river like they did for me for thousands of
dollars. I mean we're not talking millions of
dollars, we're talking thousands of dollars!
JROCK: Rather than wait for you to get
better you allowed these guys to go out and
make a living.
JR: Yeah in fact when that first happened
Michael Lardie called me and said "Thanks for
doing that dude!" I mean I was the one who
got sick...I didn't want them to suffer...If they
didn't want to play with me any more they
should have just called me up and said so or
said let's figure out something for the name
because we know it's his...We could have
probably worked something out. They
couldn't fire me though so they tried to go
behind my back and get the trademark which
got turned down by the way.
JROCK: Let me ask you Jack you released a solo
album in 2002 called For You.......
JR: And then there was Shelter Me which was the first
solo release which came out in '96.
JROCK: So at that point did you decide to release For
You because you had decided to end Great White then.
JR: Well I released it because that's where I was at that
point and time in my life...It was no longer any fun doing
Great White so I just thought ok I'm going to go solo.
We had a deal for another Great White record with John
Kalonder at Sony but I turned it down.
JROCK: And so did you do any solo shows?
JR: Yeah I did some shows and it tanked so that's when
I called up Mark Kendall and asked him if he wanted to
join Jack Russell's Great White as an employee as Jack
Russell's Great White and nobody had a problem with
that. Michael Lardie didn't come screaming at me "Hey
you can't do that!" So, this is just coming out of
desperation! They never owned the name, I do, I've
always been in charge and everyone knows that and
everyone who's ever been around this band knows that.
These guys are now just coming up with different ways
of how we met...especially Mark "MR. Christian" Just all
these lies.
JROCK: So do you anticipate going to court over this
really soon?
JR: I think it's going to be really soon.
JROCK: Well you know other bands like LA Guns and
Ratt have gone through this and I just don't see how you
could not end up with the name.
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JR: And it would be a total rip off for the fans if
they were allowed to call themselves Great White
because they're not Great White! They're just a
cover band, They've got a new Singer, They
should just change their name!
there's people going around the building. Alan Niven
decided he wanted to go with EMI America, which I never
heard of, we were, then on our own and got our own label,
and then Capital records came and released the first
album and the rest is history.
JROCK: So the first real record to be a big hit for the
band was the Once Bitten record...Why do you think it was
JROCK: If anything for Terry Louis it's a great
album? Do you think it was just a matter of being at the
career move because it's going to up his career
for the simple fact that Great White has more fans right place at the right time and that was a time when that
type of music was popular?
than XYZ.
JR: I can't name one XYZ song...I'm sure he
sings his stuff well but I've heard what he's done
with my stuff and it's just awful! He’s not as
bluesy of a Singer as I am. Jani did a great job,
he really did!
JROCK: I heard that you were really influenced
by Robert Plant and Steven Tyler. Was there
anyone else who influenced you?
JR: Oh sure Ian Gillian, Alice Cooper, I loved
what he did as a vocalist. Oh god Steve Marriot.
the Beach Boys and The Beatles they were all
influences on me.
JR: Well there was some of that......
JROCK: But you also have to have the goods so to speak
right?
JR: That's right. You can't be all hair and makeup! You
have to have the tunes and we did. The great thing was
we were our own musical directors...We had no A&R guy
telling us what type of songs we had to write.
JROCK: Every great band has 2-3 guys who were the
core of the band. I guess in Great White's case that would
have been you and Mark. What do you think it was about
you and Mark that worked so well together once upon a
time?
JR: Well you know we had a lot of respect for each other's
playing and we were both really good and we wrote some
great songs together! We had great chemistry together
and the chemistry was there right up until the last album
we did together! After that though the bottom fell out
JR: It was a blast...We were down rehearsing at because he got sober and I didn't so as it turns out he
a Garage of a friend of ours in Huntington beach turned his back on his oldest buddy which kind of hurts.
and the Manager: Alan comes on down and says
JROCK: I know this is probably a hard thing to do but is
hey you guys want to hear something...All of a
there one Great White album that is just your favorite?
sudden they announce the first single and it was
just really exciting.
JR: Yeah I would say Can't Get There From Here. That
was on John Kalonder's label and that was a hard one
JROCK: Alan Niven of course went on to
because John didn't want to deal with anyone but me.
manage Guns N Roses as well...Did that ever
John was telling me "Jack I don't know if Great White has
interfere with Great White?
another great album in them but I believe in you and your
voice so I'm going to give Great White another chance." I
JR: No...He always took real good care of us.
was like "Alright!"
JROCK: Take me back Jack a little to the time
when Great White was just starting out. What
was it like hearing one of your songs on the radio
for the very first time?
JROCK: Do you remember how the band got it's JROCK: Do you have a website people can check out?
first record deal?
JR: Yeah it's Jack'sgreatwhite.com and then there's my
FACEBOOK page. I got more pages than a novel.
JR: Our first record deal yeah...We played the
Troubadour all through the streets and my Road
Manager tells me Jack you guys are going to
have to do two shows tonight, it's sold out,
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Bassist: Dario Seixas
JROCK: When I was researching top do this interview
with you Dario I found out that you're originally from
brazil.
DS: That's the other thing...I tell people the
reason my accent isn't as deep as other people
who move here from Brazil because I was
insistent on learning to speak English the correct
DS: I was from a town across the Bay from Rio
way. First of all, I have to thank Bon Jovi for
Dejanaro.
teaching me English because I grew up listening
to Bon Jovi records. Even though I didn’t know
JROCK: What was the music scene like there when you what I was saying I would try and pronounce the
were growing up?
lyrics the way he did or the way Def Leppard did.
When I first moved here I still had a real thick
DS: It's the reason I moved out here...For years Brazilian accent and I couldn't understand anyone. I had
music was the only thing you could perform there. The
many years of English lessons in Brazil but it's
local scene was loaded with Rock music but there was
not the same learning from a book. So I moved
just so much of it that it wasn't worth staying...I mean
here and I couldn't understand anyone and no
there was no hard rock...Now it's much better. I was the
one could understand me and it took me a few
only guy walking around the streets with ripped jeans and months before I was able to communicate with
stuff.
other people. I did the opposite of what most
people do. Most people get mad when you
JROCK: How old were you when you first started playing correct them. I'd get mad if I didn't get corrected.
the Bass?
So I told all my friends and everyone to correct
me so I could learn the right way to speak. To
DS: I was 14 and it was actually kind of an accident. I
this day I don't understand why people get so
saw a Bass Guitar and thought it was a distorted guitar
upset when they get corrected. I mean if you're
and that the regular guitar was the clean guitar. So I liked going to learn how to do something learn the right
the way the Bass looked, got it and started playing and
way to do it and not the wrong way to do it! The
just stuck with it. I've actually never had a guitar lesson.
other reason is most people who move to a new
All I've had is Bass lessons. I learned to play guitar years country most of the time move to a part of town
later on my own but I was strictly a Bass Player.
where they're surrounded by nothing but their
own culture which is why you have places like
JROCK: What year was it when you finally moved to the China Town and Korea Town. They all gather
U.S.?
around in their own community where they end
up speaking only their own language all of the
DS: I actually moved to Atlanta at first and I was 19 at
time and they only speak English when they
the time. I moved to the U.S. in 1990. I was in Atlanta for need to.
about 2 years. I had $300.00 to my pocket. i moved to
Atlanta because I knew someone there. My first band
JROCK: I know the first major band you were in
was called First Wish. Then in '97 I finally made the
when you first came here was FIREHOUSE.
decision to move to Los Angeles.
How did you hook up with them?
JROCK: Was that a huge culture shock for you? I mean
leaving Brazil and coming to live in the U.S. ?
DS: Yeah it was pretty intense but I stuck it out and I
honestly think I made the right decision to come here.
JROCK: You don't sound like you have a real deep
accent. How long did it take you to lose that?
DS: At the time I was in a band called
Amterdamn and we were opening up for Ratt.
Actually the first show we did with them was 911
so we were driving to Arizona and anyways
during that tour I got to meet the guys in Ratt and
especially Robbie Crane who is one of the nicest
guys in the business, and he really
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liked me. he kept coming early to catch our
show because we were opening up for them
and he kept telling me "You're really a great
Bas Player you have to get in a better band."
I said "Well help me out if you want." and he
gave me his number and then when I got to
LA I gave him a call and first he tried to put me
in LA GUNS but they had just found a Bass
Player the week before so that did not work.
Anyways two years later he called me and
said "Dude I got a band for you." He put the
word in for me and I got hired.
JROCK: When you joined Firehouse were you aware of
who they were or did you have to learn their catalog of
music?
DS: Oh I was a huge fan of theirs. I had their first two
records and I really liked their stuff so I was already a fan.
I had to learn some of their stuff but here's the thing I
already knew a lot of their material because I had played
at least 3 of their songs in cover bands before. I played
like "All She Wrote", "Don't Treat Me Bad" , "Shake And
Tumble". I had played those three songs. They sent me a
live recording of their songs, I practiced and learned the
arrangements for all the songs for about a month. and the
first time the four of us actually played together was right
there on stage.
JROCK: So did you try and play the songs note for note
the way the original Bass Player did?
DS: Yeah pretty much. I tried to ass a few, little things
here and there but pretty much I really didn't have to
change anything.
JROCK: Why did you leave Firehouse?
DS: - Actually I don't really know why but one day they just
basically decided they wanted somebody else.
JROCK: So did you actually have to
audition or did you pretty much just get the
gig based on his recommendation?
DS: I briefly auditioned if you well but he put
in his recommendation when they were
looking at a bunch of people but at the time I
already had a full on website and had music
that was available on-line. At the time this
was 2003 and not too many people had that
kind of stuff. I've always been on top of that
kind of stuff than most people. They already
had the word from Robbie that I was a really
good bass player but they also wanted
someone who could sing backgrounds and
so I went into my own studio and recorded
one of their songs which I think was "All She
Wrote" and I played all the instruments and
sang all the harmonies> I recorded the song
all the way through to the solo part and then I
just faded out. After they heard that a week
later I was hired.
JROCK: And then the next gig you got was with Stephen
Pearcy. Did you actually get that gig through Robbie
Crane or meeting the Ratt guys a few years before and
touring with them?
DS: No, actually I had met Pearcy's Guitar Player Erik
Ferantinos who I had hooked up with when we were
working on his project The AntiDivision. It's an Industrial
Rock type of project. and at the time Pearcy's Bass Player
had moved and they wanted someone local and I was
asked "How would you like to play in Pearcy's band?" and
I was like "Well yeah!" I ended up playing with them for
about a year and a half and I think we only played liked 6
shows together.
JROCK: And did you guys play a combination of his solo
material and Ratt songs?
DS: - It was a combination because Ratt was still together
and they didn't want him playing all Ratt songs in Concert.
It was like 50/50. I grew up listening to Ratt so it was a
pleasure to play those songs.
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JROCK: So how do you feel about being in Jack
Russell's band and there being this battle over the Great
White name?
when Mark formed the band back in 1978. Now
no disrespect to Terry Louis but I read that article
and I just couldn't believe what I was reading. I
mean Terry Louis wasn't in Great White was
DS: Well I really have no say in the decison that will be formed so he's only repeating what Mark Kendall
made by the Court but then I read an article recently
is now going around and saying. I guess Terry
where Terry Louis made the comparison that when David Louis stepped up to the challenge of trying to take
Coverdale left Deep Purple he didn't take the Deep
Jack's place in Great White but the truth is there
Purple name with him...I just thought that was the
are more Great White fans out there than there
stupidest thing because David Coverdale was not an
are XYZ fans. The interesting thing about this
original member of Deep Purple and did not form the
article is after I read it I forwarded the article to
band. He is the only original member of Whitesnake and Jack's Manager who forwarded it to him and the
he did form Whitesnake just like Jack Russell formed
next day he responded to it on
Great White and is the only original member in Great
www.metalsludge.tv. What do you think about all
White right now!
this?
JROCK: How did you hook up with Jack Russell?
DS: A few years back I did a show when I was in
Firehouse and playing on that same bill was LA GUNS
and Great White....When I came off the stage I was really
thirsty and tired...There was a huge barrel full of of water
backstage and as I headed for it Jack Russell came up
tome, put his hand on my chest and said "Man I've never
seen a Bass Player who played as great as you just did"!
That was like the greatest compliment I ever got in my life
because it was coming from Jack Russell of Great White.
He had been around playing the LA scene since like the
beginning and that was just like one of the greatest
compliments I had ever received at the time and I also
had become friends with Derrick who was the Drummer
in Great White back then as well. Me a Derrick actually
started hanging out, became friends and played in some
other projects other than Great White, i hadn't been in
touch with Jack until earlier this year when Jack called
Derrick and said "Hey I'm looking to start something up
again and Derrick told him "Well I've got just The Bass
Player!“
JROCK: To give you a little bit of background on the
interview I did w/jack..I had seen him a few months back
on the VH1 show That Metal Show and unlike what
Jack's former bandmates are saying he didn't seem to be
drunk or high on anything. he actually seemed very lucid,
was aware of what he was saying..Seemed to be talking
honestly and openly from the heart. I've been a Great
white fan for years and it's always been common
knowledge that Great White was formed by both Jack
Russell and Mark Kendall. Then there was that article
where Terry Louis made claims such as Jack wasn't even
in the band
DS: I think Terry Louis should have kept his
mouth quiet! I've known Jack through his worst
which was last year when I first met him. He was
still recovering from surgery and he was on a lot
of pain medication and was still battling with
Alcohol when i met him last year. I started
hanging out with Jack and the truth is not one of
those guys in Great White ever called or stopped
by to see how he was doing.
JROCK: Yeah that's what he was telling me.
DS: He was so depressed because none of
those guys ever called him, stopped by or even
text him to see how he was even after he almost
died in the hospital. Jack's just one of the nicest
guys and that's why I just couldn't understand it.
I've been good friends with Jack for about a year
and a half and we hang out all the time and go
fishing and he just really didn't deserve what
those guys did to him!
JROCK: And that's part of the reason why I
wanted to talk to you and some of the other guys
in the band. I told Jack's Manager that I think
there are 2 big comeback storied this year and
that is Van Halen and Jack Russell! I think Jack
is more honest and open than the other Great
White guys. I also wanted to allow you and some
of the other guys in the band to tell your stories.
DS: I don't know anything yet but if I was a
betting man I'd bet that Jack ends up with the
14
Great White name and that they'll have to end up getting a new job.
JROCK: I think Jack was smarter than them because he's not trying to confuse fans...He's calling it what
it is which is Jack Russell's Great White.
DS: Hopefully it will be a few more months and a decision will be made by the Court. I was telling Jack if
they want to call it Mark Kendall's Great White who cares because who the hell will want to go and see
that?
JROCK: The other interesting thing is before they got Terry Louis they first had Jani Lane come out and
do some shows with them because he and jack were good friends and he did it as a favor to jack. Then
they had Paul Shortino come out and do some shows with them as well. I interviewed Paul Shortino a
few months and I asked him if he was ever offered the gig. He told me "No and I'll tell you why I wasn't
offered the gig...it's a very political thing. he explained that the Manager involved also managed Jani Lane
and Terry Louis and he wanted to get one of his guys who he represented into Great WHite which was
either Jani or Terry. Jani Lane of course died which left Terry to get the gig. Paul Shortino explained by
getting Terry Louis in the band that the Manager would get some money since he represented both Great
White and Terry Louis.
DS: And the sad thing about all that is that it took Jani Lane dyeing for Jack to get sober. jack has not
had a drink since then and it's all because Jani Lane died.
Guitarist - Robby Lochner
JROCK: First of all Robby I'd like to thank you for
taking time out of your very, busy schedule to do
this interview. I really do appreciate it. Now you're
one of the Guitar Player's in Jack Russell's Great
White. I would like to start off by asking you where
are you originally from and what was the music
scene like there when you were growing up?
RL: I was about 10 years old. I had an older brother,
actually a couple of brothers and other neighborhood
kids who started to play and then I kind of picked it up
and followed them.
RL: I'm originally from Tucson, Arizona and the
music scene was really great there when I started
RL: Probably I'd have to say Ritchie Blackmoore.
JROCK: Do you remember how old you were
when you first started playing the guitar?
JROCK: And like I said now you're playing in Jack
Russell's Great White. How did you initially hook up
with Jack?
JROCK: And who were the guys who really
influenced you on the Guitar?
15
RL: Through the Drummer: Derrick. He brought JROCK: Wow that's really a great story. So did you just
me and Dario over to meet him I think it was last do the one tour with Rob?
January.
RL: Yeah. He was really cool, and a really cool,
JROCK: And how big of a Great White were you professional guy but to be honest the rest of the band
prior to working with Jack?
really wasn't.
RL: You know what I was a jack Russell fan. I
was one of the people on his well wishers page
when he first got sick. So to be honest I really
didn't have too many Great White albums in my
collection.
JROCK: So let me ask you since you were saying Rob
was really cool to you if the opportunity ever presented
itself would you work with Rob again?
RL: Oh yeah!
JROCK: With the 2 Great White thing currently...How do
you feel about it? What have the shows been like since
you first launched the band in January?
RL: It's been really, really positive because people come
and check out the guys in the band and so far the band
keeps getting better and better.
JROCK: So once you had the gig with jack how
long did it take you to learn the Great White
catalog of music?
RL: It really didn't take me that long. He gave
me like 20 songs and I had 5 days to learn them
and I did.
JROCK: A lot of people are under the
impression that the guys in Jack's band aren't as
experienced of musicians as he is but that really
isn't the case. I mean you previously played
Guitar in Rob Halford's band: FIGHT. I
understand you replaced Russ Parish on Fight's
War Of Words tour. is that correct?
RL: A friend of mine who worked at KNAC was
a DJ named Razor Ray and he told me to send
a demo in to Rob Halford's management. I
didn't hear anything for a while...Then one day
out of the blue I got a call saying that Rob
wanted me and he knew I was the guy he
wanted, that I'd be able to play anything they
needed me to play. Rob's Manager: John
Baxter told me my tape was the very last tape in
the very last box.
JROCK: That's part of the reason why when I set up this
interview I told Jack's Manager that I wanted to speak to
some of the guys in Jack's band because a lot of people
are under the impression that this is Jack Russell's band
with a bunch of Garage musicians that he's hired and
that's really not the case.
RL: The one thing I can say about Jack is he's a very
personable guy...he's really friendly and cool with
everyone.
JROCK: So it's not like this is the Jack Russell band...he
gives you guys an equal say? I mean you guys actually
get a say in the set list?
RL: Oh yeah and he's really open to any suggestions hat
we have. I mean we're putting different songs into the set
and Jack gives us each our own moment to shine.
JROCK: So right now there's the fight over the name.
So after that is decided you guys will start thinking about
getting some new music out there to the fans.
RL: - Yeah right now we're pretty much just doing live
shows, continuing to write new songs and we'll get
something out there once the court decides on who owns
the name Great White.
16
17
So far 2012 has brought a plethora of new videos from new, old, and reunited bands across the globe. Don’t
have time to scour YouTube? No problem, here’s a peek into what has been released…
FUEL FROM HELL has unveiled the first video from their new album 'Easier Said Than Done', for the single
"Anything Goes.” I am a fan of low budget videos so I immediately enjoy the makeshift studio created by black
sheets draped all around the room. Another bonus: Elvis chops! The video itself pans back and forth from the
band and the lead singer, who is reading. I was beginning to get frustrated by the lack of violence until at 3:05
when pages from the book were ripped out. No book burning, but at least it was something…
Next up its Californian rockers UGLY KID JOE who returns after a 15 year hiatus with their new single "Devil's
Paradise.” The song appears on the band's 'Stairway To Hell' EP. The video begins with a cat in the alley and
then lots of dilapidated buildings. Is this Detroit, MI or Camden, NJ? No. We realize this when we see the
hookers who are clearly higher priced than the aforementioned cities. As for the song, it’s pretty typical UGLY
KID JOE with a hook centered on drinking, popping pills, and paying for hookers. Has it really been that many
years since ‘Ugly As They Wanna Be?’ Listening to this, it sure doesn’t feel like it…
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s the NEW (my description) GREAT WHITE and their video “(I’ve Got) Something
For You” from their latest studio album 'Elation', the band's first with new front man Terry Ilous of XYZ fame.
FUN FACT: The setting used to shoot this video had an actual outhouse. Okay, I just made that up and am not
sure why. Ilous fits in well as the new vocalist, he has the bluesy raspy voice, incorporates “1-2-3..” into the
lyrics, and does the “finger pointing” move well while singing the chorus. Two other highlights: 1. The
serenading of the dog as it walks by. 2. The long shark guitar solo. If you don’t love long shark guitar solos,
you should check your pulse!...
Reunited New York rockers BEGGERS & THIEVES have released a video for the song "Innocence", the
second single from their latest album 'We Are The Brokenhearted.” We begin alone in the desert with the
band wearing leather jackets and a lot of flirtatious (SEE: voluptuous) girls in ripped jeans having fun.
Everyone is drinking beer which makes the scene SUPER fun! Now the guns appear. Girls and Guns? If
there wasn’t drinking this would (what I assume to) be a Ted Nugent wet dream. Guns are coming out and
going into cars. What are they going to shoot? I’m guessing beer cans…shooting aluminum cans is as
American as baseball and apple pie. Then something weird happens, the Modello beer cans are thrown to the
side and six packs of Budweiser bottles appear. This is actually what happens. Now this looks like a beer
commercial complete with a gratuitous ass shot at 3:55…then just like that the video is over and the band is
shooting up their guitars, speakers, and other equipment. Am I the only one slightly aroused?...
Norwegian heavy metal band HART, featuring vocalist Rock Hart together with lead guitarist Julian Angel,
have released their first single and music video entitled "Untamed Heart Of Rock N' Roll.” The song is the first
single from Hart's upcoming debut album 'Neon', due for release on September 4th. Hart describes the video
as “totally 80s. Think Billy Idol mixed with Power Station.” Yes, this is the eighties alright. We even get the
lyrics ‘REBEL IN THE NIGHT’ across the screen in between neon outlines and a fist pumping Rock Hart. At
1:45 the “woman” outline caresses herself and the ‘AAAH! AAAH! AAAH!’ across the screen is more distracting
then awesome. As intended, this is the ultimate
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tribute to the eighties and could be used as a promo for VH1’s Metal Mania. NAILED IT!...
Brazilian based hard rockers KILLER KLOWNS released their first full-length album 'Rollercoaster Ride' in
March, and now the four-piece have posted a music video for the CD's first single "Until The End.”
Leather vests, fire, and screaming! This is the type of intro that would have Beavis and Butthead jumping on
their couch. I also respect the fact that when “brain” is used in the song, the singer makes a fist and beats it
against his head. This should be a rule for all videos…
Earlier this year AMERICAN DOG gave fans a taste of their new album, and now they have released a Rob
Kern directed video for the debut single "Just Like Charlie Sheen.” The track appears on AMERICAN DOG's
sixth studio album, 'Poison Smile.' The video shows the band members dressed as Charlie’s characters from
‘Platoon’, ‘Major League’, and ‘Two and Half Men.’ There is also a “girl” in heavy red lipstick that is both
disturbing and VERY HIGH on the comedy scale. The song is typical AMERICAN DOG, very course and very
high energy blues. This band is big with the biker crowd which makes sense given Charlie Sheen seems like
he may be appreciated in this group as well. It would have been nice to see a “Bud Fox” character and
maybe a reference to Blue Star airlines would have been nice. Still, this video is entertaining and the song
will play well at the Hamburg Harley Days Event in Germany and the Rock and Blues Custom Show in
England!...
Reunited New York rockers GRIMM JACK explore the Hollywood lifestyles of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and
the other West Coast tabloid queens for the single "Damned.” The track appears on the band's recent threesong EP of the same name. Immediately we are greeted with “Lemmy” style cranium accessories and liberal
use of “Sunset Strip” and “Hollywood” in their lyrics. This song would have been perfect back in the day if
Hillbilly Jim and The Junkyard Dog had they ever wrestled as part of a WWF Wrestlemania event. Of course,
if I remember correctly, both of these guys were “good guys” so that could never happen, but if it had (and this
song was around) it would have been a perfect….
HARDLINE's new studio album, entitled 'Danger Zone', was released on May 18th in Europe, shortly after, the
band unveiled the music video for the album's first single "Fever Dreams.” Two things immediately catch my
attention, first, is the bad-ass keyboard player (VERY bad-ass looking), and second, is this being shot in a
PVC tubing warehouse? There is a girl and she is trapped, behind glass, or just tired. We never really know
the truth and it is more distracting than interesting. Distracting from what you say? The lead singer and his
“Jon Bon Jovi wishes his songs sounded like this” vocals belted throughout the song. Seriously, going
forward anytime I hear Bon Jovi I’m going to wish this guy was singing. Sorry, Jon, at least you’re still VERY
rich!...
Philadelphia based rockers JULIET’S VICE recently released their new self-titled album, and now they have
posted a music video for the first single "Dirty Little Princess.” The video starts with the band walking into a
barbershop and for a moment I’m very excited there’s a chance of an Ice Cube cameo. There is a laundry list
of “fun video moments” that include: Billy Idol impressions in the sound booth, leopard print blazers, makeup,
and lots of chains being worn. At 1:45 we get a crotch grab and then at 2:25 some real hairspray action.
Apparently this song was written after a member of the band was dumped by a VERY hot and slutty girl (my
interpretation). It’s going to be okay, here’s what you do. Get the band together, write a song, make a video,
and more slutty girls will show up soon. It’s the circle of rock and roll life! Sadly, I must report that there was
no Ice Cube sighting, and no haircuts inside the barber shop….
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We continue along with Swedish band DYNASZTY and their video for “Sultans of Sin”, the track off their
album of the same name. The video begins with a beautiful girl, cash, and gambling. After watching the first
thirty seconds I wanted to hop in a taxi and head straight to Atlantic City. Yes, the list of vices is pretty long on
this side of the keyboard. After establishing that this is a high stakes poker game (the lead singer appears to
be very lucky) we see the band on the stage. The band looks the part of “Swedish Rockers” and the thrusting
by the lead singer compliments his old school front man rocker persona. Back at the poker table a man in
dark glasses and black knit hat looks like trouble. More gambling, more winning by the lucky lead singer, and
then it happens: black knit hat guy has had enough, erupting into a full throw down at 3:05 in the video. Of
course, the fearless leader gets away with both the cash and the girl. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but
this video does confirm that beautiful women who deal poker can’t be trusted, especially when there is a
briefcase full of cash nearby!...
The new video/single, “You Can’t Take This”, from THE TERRORHAWKS begins with the lyrics “This is a
tale.” Unsure if I wanted to be told a tale, it took a lot not to stop watching at this point; however, I was
rewarded at 0:44 by a random roundhouse kick. The next verse begins with “This is the end of the same old
story”, and again I drift away. The random shots are far and few between so I wonder how the roundhouse
kick and wine pouring into a coffee cup at 1:44 made the cut. NOTE: I enjoyed the guitar solo best in this
song. I finished the video unsure what “I can’t take?” This may be in reference to a roundhouse/wine-coffee
combo that most people would not be able to handle (at least not on an empty stomach)…
The next video is from the German band, SHOTGUN EXPRESS, with their video for “From the Gutter”, a
single from the album titled ‘Gypsy Blues.’ All around solid song/video with three highlights: 1). A strong
choreographed kick leg near the beginning. 2). The use of “rock and roll” in the lyrics and 3). Rhyming the
word gutter with mother fucker. I find it strange that it’s not until 2:34 when the video flashes from color to
black and white, but it doesn’t matter due to the strong leg kick in the beginning which always sets the tone
for a rocking good time!...
WARRANT has posted a video for the track “Home”, the latest single from their album Rockaholic. As the
title would indicate this is a song/video about wanting to be home with the one you love and a view into the
tough road of private jets and abundant leg room, not too mention the carpal tunnel that comes with signing
gigs. The band sounds good, but I can’t shake the fact that this is a remake of Bon Jovi. Also not sure if more
disturbed by the amount of Starbucks consumed in this video or that the scenes of “home” mainly consist of
chef uniforms and lifting weights. Ladies and gentlemen: The new WARRANT!...
The next video is titled “Bullets in the Sky” from MILLION DOLLAR RELOAD. Lead singer, Phil Conalane,
has a familiar sound… Not sure (a little Bon Scott maybe), but it sounds familiar and it sounds good.
Favorite part of the video is in the beginning when the guitarist puts on his cowboy hat. Does the cowboy hat
turn on the amps? It sure seems like it does…
WILD KITTEN is next with their video for F.U.C.K. The first twenty seconds are pretty exciting if you like
leather and rocker girls dressed like strippers. The song falls off for a while, picking back up at 1:15 (wait for
it), but in the end I kept thinking this video needs a pole. Should anyone decide to start a record company
titled F.S.B.S. (acronym For Strippers, By Strippers) then I would expect WILD KITTEN to be a priority…
“I Like It” is a new video from BANGO TANGO’s album Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt. Fans of Bango
Tango will like this one. It’s dark and creepy. For anyone with an iPod playlist titled STALKER this one fits
nicely after “Night Prowler” by AC/DC…
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Finally, a look at JUNKYARD 69 and their new video “We Want War” from their debut EP On a Wing and a
Prayer. The video begins with a burning barrel which means there are tough dudes around. Sure enough,
unkempt guys in leather appear. Cut to the stage and the drummer is in a cage. Girls wander the stage
during the song and there are random inserted shots of girls in thongs on top of guys who are holding bottles
of Jack Daniels. As the video goes on the girls become more sexual with the movements and they appear to
be getting hotter which is strange because I haven’t started drinking yet. Why does this band want war? It
appears they have already won!...
David S. Grant is the author of “Blood: The New Red”, follow David on Twitter @david_s_grant.
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22
I have been a life long LA GUNS fan and a huge fan of the band's founding Guitarist: Tracii Guns and
over the last few years LA GUNS has splintered into two separate groups...One fronted by Tracii Guns
and the other fronted by Phil Lewis. The 2 separate versions were able to co-exist because both Tracii
Guns and Drummer: Steve Riley each own 50% of the band's name and neither of them were willing to
give up their 50% of the band's name. That was until 2012 when Tracii Guns decided to put his version
of LA GUNS to rest and allow the Phil Lewis
fronted LA GUNS to carry on and now believe it or not both camps seem to be on much friendlier terms
than they've boon on for years. Tracii has re-dubbed his band Tracii Guns's League Of Gentleman and
is currently recording that band's debut CD. Towards the end of 2011 though the Tracii Guns fronted LA
GUNS released their final album Acoustic Gypsy Live which was a live unplugged/acoustic performance
of some of the band's biggest hits re-done in an unplugged/acoustic setting. Just a few days after the
CD was released Singer: Jizzy Pearl announced he had left LA GUNS for the 2nd time.
Following the departure of Singer: Jizzy Pearl it was announced that Singer: Dilana Robichaux would
step into pearl's shoes as the band's new Singer. Tracii Guns received many negative comments from
his former LA GUNS band members such a Phil lewis and Steve Riley, as well as from fans and critics
alike when it was learned that Dilana had joined the band and that LA GUNS was now being fronted by
a woman. Tracii though took the comments in stride, stood by his new Singer Dilana no matter what
anyone had to say. 71 days after she joined the band Dilana shockingly announced that she had
decided to leave LA GUNS. Following her split from the band many people speculated that she had
just joined LA GUNS to get a bigger name for herself, so she could write a book, and
re-launch her solo career.
When I learned Dilana had left LA GUNS I reached out to both her and her Manager to land this
interview because I was interested in hearing her story of where she came from, how she landed the LA
GUNS gig and what her reason was for leaving the band after only 71 days. This interview with Dilana
turned out even better than I had hoped it would for the simple reason because I got Dilana's own story
from her very own mouth! The thing I enjoyed the most about this interview was just the experience of
talking to Dilana and finding out for myself that she's really very friendly, down to earth, and just all
around so easy to talk about. Dilana has a reputation of being very aggressive, that is to say that she's
very brutal or so many people think when she speaks her mind and says exactly how she feels and
what's on her mind! The truth is that Dilana is just a very open and brutally honest person who isn't
afraid to speak her mind.....Some people may see that as a very aggressive person but I see that as a
person who able to talk so openly and honest, and someone who seems to be very proud of who she is
as a person. After reading this interview I hope what you'll get is the whole Dilana story to date! I really
found it interesting to get her side of the story to why she left LA GUNS but it was equally interesting to
learn that she's from South Africa and what her life there was like.
By JROCK HOUSTON
23
EX LA GUNS Singer- Dilana Robichaux
JROCK: Hello there...How are you doing? This is for
an interview for an on-line magazine called Chaotic Riffs
Magazine http://www.chaoticriffs.com/ . Why don't we
start off the interview by talking about the fact
that
you're originally from South Africa...What was it like
growing up there?
JROCK: Let me ask you when you made the move
to Holland you said you were 23...Did you make the
move all on your own or take any friends or family
with you?
DR: Really difficult.....Sorry about that...That's a
different kind of question than I'm used to being asked. I
think politically it was a totally different thing. I grew up
in the a partied area and that was a totally different thing
than growing up in the states.
JROCK: Wow that must have been quite an
adventure...Now let's talk about how you first got into
music. Did you always play instruments or just get
into singing or what?
JROCK: I imagine so....And how old were you when
you left South Africa. I understand the next place you
went was Holland.
DR: I think I officially left South Africa when I was like
22 or 23.
DR: I went all alone.
DR: At first I just got into music when I was really
young...Just as a means to get out of the house
because me and my Mom did not get along.
JROCK: I understand that you got your first big
break in Holland...So how did that come about?
DR: Well first of all, I made the decision to leave
JROCK: And I imagine when you moved to Holland
South Africa because I just couldn't take the violence
from South Africa it must have been quite a change.
that was going on there. A friend of mine had been
murdered when she was 7 months pregnant and she
DR: Oh yeah that was kind of my first real shocker
was shot straight in the stomach. It happened as the
because that was the first place I went to since South
result of a car jacking incident. It literally happened
Africa. I noticed right away the thing about me was I
one week before I decided to leave. I sold
was much more aggressive than the European people
everything I had, which wasn't much and I hoped on
were, I was always watching my back and making sure I a plane and I didn't know anyone in Holland. I was
was safe. I was also conscious of the fact if I'd go into signed to a Dutch label at the time but that didn't
a bar or something like that I'd lock my car and the
mean anything. I was alone and broke in a foreign
Dutch people would just go in with leaving their windows country. I then got my start very quickly in a cover
down and their cars unlocked. Little things like that
band and we worked in some of my
made me realize "Wow I'm really different than most
people."
24
original stuff and within 6 months I was touring the
JROCK: As a result of that I seen some video clips of
entire country. I stayed in Holland for almost 5 years. you on YOUTUBE performing with John Corabi. What
I then met my now Ex Husband who was an American was that experience like for you?
and that's how I ended up coming to the States.
DR: Oh that was awesome...John and I were actually
lovers for a while when we were touring and
performing together. John is just one of the most
talented musical people I know.
JROCK: You've always had a reputation of being a
really aggressive person...I mean a lot of times it
seems as if people take what you say and twist it
around...Do you think that has anything to do with
maybe most people in general don't know where
you're coming from?
JROCK: And I guess the first, big thing that
happened to you when you came to the States was
Rock Star Super Nova. How did you find out about
that? What do you remember most from that
experience?
DR: Well it put me in front of the eyes of the world
for the very, first time. I was well known in Holland
and I was pretty well known in South Africa as well
but it felt to me like I had to start all over again here
as well. I was on the first season of that show which
was Rock Star INXS and got kicked off and I thought
I was way better than all the other Singers on that
show then when I heard there was going to be a
second season which was Rock Star Supernova I
sent in my stuff and eventually made it into the final
25 people who would go on to do the show. I ended
up being the runner up which is exactly what I
wanted because I really didn't want to be the front
woman for the band: Super Nova. It just wasn't my
style of music, and I didn't want to be controlled by
someone else. I wanted to be the one to determine
what I was going to sing and how I was going to do
it!It was the perfect situation so I'm really happy with
the way that turned out.
DR: I think most people are Bull Shitters and
pretentious! Most people just don't speak their mind
and say how they really feel. I mean I'm aware of
other people's feelings but I'm not going to be
pretentious and just say things that people want to
hear! I honestly speak my mind and I honestly just
don't give a shit! My name is Dilana for a reason!
JROCK: Did you internally pick to be known by one
name such as Madonna, Dilana
DR: Yeah people are always saying Dilana Madonna
it has a ring to it! (LAUGHS) I just decided to make it
a one name thing because it's effective, real easy to
remember. I just thought it was more effective that
way.
JROCK: You know your Manager sent me a link to
your latest single "Sexaholice" which you sound a lot
like Janis Joplin. Was she at all an influence on you?
DR: You know when I was younger I really loved
her.....I don't know if this happens to you but you know
sometimes when you're younger you really love
someone but now when I hear Janis it just really
irritates me. I mean i used to love her and listen to
her over and over all the time but I'm just really over it
now.
JROCK: I guess the next thing I want to talk about is
the time you spent in LA GUNS. How did that come
about?
25
DR: Yeah Tracii just contacted me out of the blue.
We met a few days later and he gave me some LA
Guns CDs...I had never heard of LA GUNS before!
So after I listened to them I text him and told him "This
is the most disgusting bullshit I've ever heard in my
whole entire life. I am not kidding this is the gospel
truth. and I went on to tell him I like some of the
songs and I hear some potential but whoever is
singing here it's just WOW.......He then gave me a list
of songs to learn that he thought would be great for
the tour and there were a few songs I just refused to
sing. He took those songs off the list. I learned this
songs, kind of made them my own and actually
learned to really love the songs and we rehearsed
then for about two weeks. We then hit the road and it
started out really great because I just loved the energy
on stage. It was though the worst tour I had ever
been on in my 25 year career.
JROCK: Now would that be because of the inner
workings of the band, the controversy with there being
the 2 LA GUNS or what?
DR: It's just a combination of so many things. In a
nutshell this is my reason for saying that...Tracii Guns
is a great guy but the worst business man on the
planet! That's it and that's all I'm going to say on the
subject.
JROCK: Interestingly enough I've been a fan of his
for years and followed his career for years. I've never
met him personally so I don't know what he's like to
work with but he seems like he's a pretty talented guy.
DR: He's just a really great guy.
JROCK: Another interesting thing is that Tracii
receives a lot of attacks/criticisms from some of his
former band mates and fans alike because of his
decision to hire you...They were saying things like
"How could Tracii be so stupid and hire a chick Singer
to be in LA GUNS...while I myself never saw you
perform with the band I thought it was kind of a ballsy
move on his part.
DR: Listen I don't regret doing it for a minute! On stage
I connected with Tracii like nobody before....He's a great
musician, great guitar Player, on stage we just had
awesome chemistry but he just makes the worst
business decisions that puts everything into jeopardy!
We had to cancel dates because he didn't service the
van! he put our lives in danger because the van was
just in such horrible shape. The hotel we stayed in was
just disgusting..The list just goes on and on...he just
made really bad business decisions!
JROCK: Yeah I get it!
DR: He still hasn't paid me, he hasn't paid the Bass
Player, He still hasn't paid the Tour Manager. Listen I've
heard these stories from tens of people...He thinks he
can pay people He left two amps at my house and told
me "just keep them" . He made me pay for all the
Hotels on my credit card because he didn't have a credit
card and he promised he'd pay me back as we got
money for the shows...and well he never did.....He
hasn't paid me for that, he hasn't paid me for the second
tour at all! I believe he's done the same thing to the
Bass Player who's also just left recently.
JROCK: The Bass Player: Eric Grossman didn't he
come from your band originally?
DR: Yeah he was my Bass Player and we don't even
talk anymore because of the whole LA GUNS thing.
JROCK: Before we go any further would you like me to
keep this part of the interview out of what I print?
DR: No, no I don't care you can go ahead and keep it
in. You're actually the first guy to get all this out of me.
JROCK: That was going to be my next question
because I think it's very interesting that you've never
spoken about this before...i think if you had more people
might be like "Oh so that's what really went down!" I
mean not that everything you read on the internet is true
but I've read things like "Dilana just joined LA Guns so
she could get a bigger name for herself, leave and go
have a solo career, write a book".
26
DR: I've wanted to talk about this and believe me I've got it all
documented...E-mails, Text Messages and I've decided to save it
one day for part of a movie or part of a book. I don't feel though like
I have to defend myself. I've read comments people have had to
say to and all I'll say is "Just give me a break!" On the entire 2 tours
I did with LA GUNS not once did we sell out a room, most nights we
had between 30-40 people in the room! There were some nights
when we made only $7.00 between each of us! and as a solo artist
myself both before and after LA GUNS I almost always sell out all
my venues. Most of the time I make a lot more money than seven
bucks. So I did not need LA GUNS! I didn't even know who LA
GUNS were before I joined the band. I just wanted to go and do
something a little different for a while. That's why I even told Tracii
this was just a temporary thing. I didn't want the bill to be LA
GUNS...I wanted it to be LA GUNS Featuring Dilana. That's how I
wanted it to read on the bills and in the contracts because I did not
want to sell my soul to LA GUNS.
JROCK: Is that why shortly before it was announced that you had
left the band he had made the announcement that he was going to
change the name of the band to Pretty Fuc*** Ugly?
DR: That was a project that Tracii and I were going to start. After a
few weeks of playing together we realized that we had a pretty
awesome chemistry playing together. We were talking about
starting up something new and fresh because of the whole two LA
GUNS uh shit and stuff! I told him "Dude why don't you just give up
the whole LA GUNS thing and all because it's come and
gone.....Let's you and me start up a new thing! The name was
because I was Pretty and he was pretty ugly. (LAUGHS) I was
extremely excited about that idea. I still think if things had worked
out between me and Tracii that we could have come up with some
really great material and a really rockin’ project. It's a real shame
that never took up because Tracii and I just have super chemistry
musically.
JROCK: Since you left the band it seems as though he's finally
decided to end his version of LA GUNS.
DR: That's right.
JROCK: So right now you're working on your next solo album. Any
idea when that might be released?
DR: Well first I'd release it on I-Tunes, and Amazon and then I'd
make hard copies available to sell at all my shows like I always do.
27
28
The Questioning of the Clasp
Prioritize. Time management may be your most effective tool once everything else is in place &
accounted for. With all the necessary skills as an artist or musician, your level of productivity will be
determined by the intensity of your focus in conjunction with your daily routine. This is when the exact
stages of your adaptability & resourcefulness will be revealed. At this crossroad, you will have every
opportunity to procrastinate, & every possible excuse will emerge disguised as reason. The illusion of
time will attempt to either travel too slow for you to stay motivated, or too fast for you to accomplish
anything. This can easily transform into a struggle that operates as an undetected, mental disease
which conceals the beauty of life behind a veil of false reality. Hundreds of thousands of books, songs,
poems, paintings, & movies have been dedicated to this dangerous, illusory realm of negative thinking
but only by the fortunate few who survived long enough to remove themselves. There is however, an
invisible cloak, which consists of appreciation & gratitude, 2 powerful properties known to protect
against the harmful effects of this dark, & mysterious place. To fabricate one of your own will prove to be
invaluable but only if you pay special attention to detail when fastening the clasp. Metaphorically
speaking, this suggests that how you choose to attach these traits to your identity is equally important
as the actual strengths they are to incorporate.
With that in mind, the question of how these traits actually offer protection arises. A consistent attitude of
gratitude frees you from the over-analyzation that fuels the merciless torching of creativity. To be in a
constant state of appreciation brings forth every positive, inspirational aspect of your entire existence,
creating an overall atmosphere incredibly conducive to progression & creativity. These 2 combined traits
can create an impenetrable barrier as long as they are firmly held into place.
This is a questioning of the clasp.
The human aspects of Appreciation & Gratitude are unending. Their power & influence have assisted in
moving mountains long before we could read any such article on the subject. Forced resistance &
disbelief can only create a vibrational frequency incompatible with the benefits of these traits. They will
never cease to exist but can however, become hidden from certain perspectives. Understanding this in
its entirety clarifies the importance of our clasp; how we mentally fasten these traits to ourselves to
maintain an outlook from the proper perspective & what we choose to do in order to remain focused. If
you want to be appreciative & grateful for every little thing in your life, then you are 1 step closer but you
may become pre-occupied again. Write it down & read it to yourself everyday & you'll be 10 steps
closer. If you can't possibly imagine feeling sorry for yourself because of what you don't yet have, look
around & take notes because you may already be there.
Of course there are innumerable scenarios but in the case of an artist, it's more effective to maintain this
mentality as a direct, conscious focus.
2929
The eccentric minds of most true artists aren't as easily entertained as their
uninterested counterparts who have become content with mediocrity, but they can
however, become rather distracted. Stacks of garbage fill the minds of these counter
parts each day bringing them further away from their own inner guidance. Victims of
the many clever tricks designed by the media to keep the masses at bay in fear. They
are trained like dogs to sit on command & will only ask questions such as "may I use
the restroom?" They don't read food labels & research the disease causing chemicals
in every brand name product. They don't understand the importance of proper
nutrition because their doctors are only trained to perform surgery & prescribe
medication to generate income. They turn a blind eye to the schemes of the rich & the
war generating double standards of religion just as they are taught to do as children.
Why would they dare to question the state of their existence? After all, there are way
too many compelling television shows on even more useless channels to fill their
brains with anti intelligence instead.
There is less effort involved in following a crowd through a hall of shit than there is to
lead a single subject through a maze of beauty, but this is the unending task of the
artist & the reason it is so important to consciously focus. While others wander
aimlessly searching for the cool table, utilizing nothing more than rumors of the
common folk, the artist has already taken his seat & carved his name on the table top.
If he is to look beyond himself for anything, it will only be for inspiration. There is no
convincing him that his mere existence is shameful & that salvation awaits only after
he submits & sacrifices the true power he was born with. There is only shame in
clipping the wings of the masses to cut the expense of building cages. An artist who
becomes distracted & pre-occupied can breed fear & anger which transforms to
hatred & indifference. An existence of beauty & the responsibility to avoid amplifying
negativity can easily be forgotten when operating from the mentality that only focuses
on what seems to be wrong in the world.
Spend time getting to know the many groups of artists in LA & you'll see how many
jaded souls there are in the industry. Get to know some of the girls who were raised
here & you may witness their sad assumption that renders personal disappointment
as inevitable. Unfortunate mothers who teach their poor daughters there is no
escaping the lies of the Lover. Parents who choose to train their children to make the
same mistakes rather than give them the necessary skills & encouragement to
overcome. They become unpleasant young men & women who can never accept a
genuine complement because they are convinced no such thing exists & that true
Love is a fluke. In their minds, they have been shit on so much that they come to
mistaken every mouth for an asshole. This unfortunate mentality is contagious & can
be contracted by anyone unless they are conscious & aware of the remedy. It is
our responsibility to permeate this remedy.
An agreement made silently to ourselves is all it takes to create the necessary
momentum. From there, the progression & intensity of this momentum will be
dependent upon the conscious effort we place into holding the vision. The intensity &
amplification of our focus will determine the strength of our clasp; the thread & fabric
of that which connects us to our many waking dreams. Bring forth every aspect of
your existence in which you have to be grateful for & you will find yourself in the midst
of the motivation that is appreciation. Make a list, write it down, say it out loud & then
repeat yourself. Do this often & you can only add to the list.
30
Artist: Quiet Riot Label: Shout Factory Release Year: 2012
Like many fans when QUIET RIOT Lead Singer Kevin Dubrow died from an accidental overdose in
November 2007 I was saddened that the Hard Rock/Metal world had lost another legendary figure and
when Frankie Banali announced that he had decided to put QUIET RIOT to rest it looked as though the
world had heard the last of QUIET RIOT. I'm happy to report that is not the case! Frankie Banali did put
QUIET RIOT to rest for a few years but then a few years back he decided to put the band back together
and now QUIET RIOT is quite active on the Nostalgia scene where Frankie has made it clear that his main
reason for putting QUIET RIOT back together is to keep the legacy/memory of the band's fallen frontman
Kevin Dubrow alive.
That's exactly what you get on the latest QUIET RIOT release which is a CD/DVD of QUIET RIOT Live at
The US FESTIVAL which took place on May 29th, 1983. Quiet Riot have put out a couple of live
compilations throughout the years but none of them really stood up to other classic hard rock/metal
albums such as Kiss ALIVE or Cheap Trick - Live At Budakon. While it's nice to finally have a loud/in your
face quality live album from QUIET RIOT the CD is a nice soundtrack piece, something you'll love listening
in the car to but the best part of the release is the DVD portion which is basically just the band's live
performance from the US FESTIVAL in it's entirety but you get to see great/fantastic/over the top quality
video of QUIET RIOT in their heyday, during the prime time of their career! Looking at the video what you
see is a ban in it's prime, the very minute when they were at their very best and the future looked very
bright! It's great to watch the live concert DVD portion and see QUIET RIOT LIVE IN ACTION when they
were still the best of friends and at the very top of their game....I can't wait to see the QUIET RIOT
member Frankie Banali has been working on the last few years when it finally gets released! Do yourself
a favor and pick up QUIET RIOT Live At The US Festival...If you have trouble finding it in the stores you
should have no problem ordering it from www.amazon.com or any of the other on-line stores.
31
Artist: Viper Venom
Album: IN VENOM VERITAS
The line up currently consists of:
Miriam Venom on vocals, Mark J. On
bass and guitars (study)
and Dario on drums.
This band offers that original raw sound that true rockers have come to love. The vocals are
strong and varying in pitch for every song. While many criticize female vocals in rock bands,
Miriam is a powerful resonance in the band. The fluctuation of her vocals carries the bands
presence along with the styling of the guitars and heart pounding drums.
Many of the songs stick to the true roots of the style of rock like the song Distress and Soul
Embolism. The final track on the album, Eve, is probably the mildest song on the album but still
delivers a unique vocalization and a collaborative instrumentation.
www.myspace.com/
vipervenomita
32
Artist: LA GUNS (Featuring Tracii Guns)
Label: Flavored Nations Release Year: 2011
Acoustic Gypsy is the final release from the Tracii Guns fronted version
of LA GUNS. Just as the CD's title suggest this is a Live CD of some of
LA GUNS biggest hits re-arranged and performed unplugged/
acoustically and I have to tell you that while this is an unplugged/
acoustic performance that he really manages to capture LA GUNS
power and in your face ability as a Live band....To me this has a much
more powerful in your face feel to it than the band's previous live album
Live From The Strip. I think Tracii Guns ended his version of LA GUNS
on a high note with this release because what you get here is much
more than just another live recording of the band's classic
hits..........Because this is a live acoustic/unplugged performance Tracii
and
his LA GUNS band were smart enough to re-arrange many of these
songs in order to make them work in an accoustic setting and in the end
what you get is something really fresh and original sounding....Many of
these songs have taken on a new life of their own...Case in point is on
"It's Over Now" Also you won't believe how Rockin Raw and in your
face "Sex Action" sounds when Tracii and his boys play it acoustically!
With Acoustic Gypsy you're getting much more than just a new LA
GUNS GREATEST HITS LIVE COLLECTION! The band also covers
"Love Hurts" by Nazareth and "These Arms Of Mine" which was
originally done by Otis Redding!
Not only is this Tracii Guns's final LA GUNS release but it's also the final
release to feature Singer: Jizzy pearl. This was the CD that Tracii Guns
released just prior to Jizzy Pearl leaving the band and Tracii Guns
naming Dilana Robichaux as his replacement...Following two tours with
LA GUNS Dilana then announced her departure from the band after only
71 days...Please read my exclusive interview W/Dilana in this very issue
to read all about her time in the band and why she decided to leave the
band after only 71 days.
33
Check Out the New Music
Video Show
Riff Mania TV
By Clicking Below
www.RiffManiaTV.com
34

EX LA GUNS Singer- Dilana Robichaux

Transcription

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