Page 54 - ISSUE 24

ROXY BLUE
PAGE 54 ROCKNATION ISSUE 24

Hello Roxy Blue and welcome to Rocknation.
Hey this is Todd Poole from the band Roxy Blue. First of all I’d like to say thank you for
having me on this interview, it is a pleasure to be here.
Your band has a connection with Jani Lane, please tell us about that.
I remember the first time I met Jani Lane, I was playing a bar called Rascals in Memphis
Tennessee, and after we got done playing the bar owner came up and said Jani Lane
from Warrant would like to meet you and talk to you. Of course I didn’t believe him at
first but then I went up and met Jani and he was super cool. He wanted to talk to me about helping the band with management. He said he loved the band’s
performance and energy and thought that we could do something in the music world. I know we drank tons of tequila so it’s a miracle that I remember
anything about that night. He invited all of us to go to the Warrant show the next night at the Mid South Coliseum. We met all the guys and from there we
all developed a long lasting relationship. I remember we flew to LA and just hung out with Warrant for a week or so. I developed a really close relationship
with Jani and would hang out with him at his house and play guitar and write songs. He was a great songwriter. Unfortunately we ended up going with Doug
Thaler and Top Rock Management Motley Crue’s manager. Jani’s passing was very hard on me He was a great guy. The world has lost a great talent, I still
stay in touch with my friends in Warrant.

The band hooked up with MÖTLEY CRÜE’s manager Doug Thaler how did he help the band?
After signing with Tom Zutaut ( GNR, Motley Crue, Tesla) and Geffen Records, finding the right management was very important. Tom suggested Doug
Thaler ( Motley Crue) Doug and his Top Rock Management team came to see a Roxy Blue performance to a sold out show and we were immediately
signed. Doug was an amazing person and an awesome manager. He was very hands on with our career decisions. After the Westwood One broadcast at
the world famous Troubadour, Roxy was scheduled to hit the road with Motley but unfortunately that tour never happened. Being connected to Doug Thaler
(Top Rock) and Tom Zutaut (Geffen) definitely had its perks. We were able to go to all the cool parties and hang with all the top Rockstars. We got VIP to all
the cool clubs. Life was good!!!

You worked with a well known producer Mike Clink (Guns N’ Roses,Whitesnake, Triumph) what did you learn with him in the studio and how well
did he work with the band?
We met with a number of producers to record our record but in the end Mike Clink was the perfect match. Mike was super cool to work with. He was all
about capturing the band’s live energy in the studio. Mike has a great ear for tones and a great sense of placement. Mike and the band really became close
friends. I think it was important to Mike to know who we were and where we were coming from musically and emotionally. Mike did work us hard and pushed
us to get the right performance but he always made sure the sessions were fun. He had a ping pong table brought in and set up at every studio we worked
in except at Steve Vai’s studio. We would have tournaments in between sessions. Working with Mike also had its perks. We had allot of cool rockers drop
by the studio to say hello ( KISS, Motley Crue, Warrant, Slaughter, Jimi Jamison, and Faster Pussycat to name a few) Mike Clink will always hold a special
place with Roxy Blue. I think what I learned most from Mike was to always stay true to the music. I still live by those words today.

Please tell us some cool stories about touring the USA with Babylon A.D. and Wildside.
Stories of the road. There are just too many and I wouldn’t know where to start. I mean everyday was a new crazy adventure. We didn’t really hang too
much with Babylon AD when we were out on tour with them but all the guys were really cool. It’s just by the time they hit the stage we were knee deep into
something else. Rest time then meet and greet then party on the bus, and then off to the next show Lol. Pretty much how it went. And with our brothers in
Wildside along for the ride it was double trouble. A full blown 24-7 Rollercoaster ride. Good times. Roxy Blue would often break from that tour and go open
for other acts or do MTV. Seems like there was always something going on. Interviews, photo shoots & live radio performances. We stayed super busy all
the time.
If you had to tell someone what your music sounded like, what bands would you mention?
I’m not really sure how to answer the question of who do I think our music sounded like. I think allot of people heard references to early VH. I know that we
all had different influences but I don’t remember trying to sound like anyone. I do think we got caught up a little in the glam rock scene more than I would’ve
liked. But I did f#cking dig the LA rock scene at the time. The music was cool and there was allot of energy, a great vibe going on. Our label Geffen also
had big things going on so we were excited. New GNR and. new TESLA releases. But then soon, somewhere in the mix I heard a new band Geffen signed.
NIRVANA. As much as I didn’t want to, I absolutely f#cking fell in love with the Nevermind cd. I noticed soon after that release that the scene on Sunset strip
started to change. I mean it was kinda crazy how everything just sorta changed overnight, at least that’s how it felt. I think at that point allot of bands were
questioning their future and even their own identity. It’s like the record labels just closed
the book on that chapter of music. It’s as if they forgot about the people that made
them millions of dollars. But with that said evolution is real. Things must change to
grow and survive. Unfortunately we were with the group holding shovels.

What album was your favorite of your band and why?
Although Roxy Blue did write a new CD that was never released by Geffen that
showed so much growth in the band’s writing. I thought it was a very cool CD. But I
would have to say ‘Want Some’ just because my life completely changed in the making
of that CD. We also have 3 CDs of demos, live and acoustic songs that are available
now on FNA RECORDS. ( fnarecords.net ) I am really proud of that collection. There
are some really cool songs on the studio cd that I dig. The live cd is reliving the
moment and the acoustic cd is just something really cool to have because it’s off the
cuff. REAL

Thank you for taking time for this interview, any last words to the fans?
Thanks so much for having me. Any advice I could give anyone would be the advice
given to me STAY TRUE TO THE MUSIC!!!!! Thank you to all the ROXY BLUE FANS
\m/ \m/