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You got a record deal with Perris Records. How did you get in touch with
them?
We have had a website almost since the start if this band. George from
Perris came upon our site and really liked the music. We decided that
since the major labels weren’t biting, we would put this out through
Perris Records.
Perris is a cult record company, they’ve got many talented artists,
but unfortunately they’re not huge and they don’t really do
much for the promo of the bands. Do you plan on stayin’ with them
or do you have bigger ambitions?
Perris is a small label and they don’t have cash to throw around
to promote their bands. Having said that though, they have been totally
cool to us and we really appreciate the fact that they truly believed
in our music when no one else did. Record labels are followers, they all
want to wait around and see who else is interested in a band. Its funny,
since we put this out on the Perris label, suddenly other record companies
are more interested in us. Who knows, maybe we will get a bigger deal
down the road.
You
said you’re influenced by 70’s ACDC and Kiss, Guns N’ Roses
and Cheap Trick. But do you listen to some current bands? What s the last
CD that you purchased?
Actually, the last CD I bought was Nazareth Greatest Hits! You know what,
those are great songs by a great band and I think that we try to keep
our influences based in the 70’s. Having said that, the 2 previous
Cds I bought were The Darkness, and Jet both bands that I think are similar
to us.
What
do you think of the “music crisis” with that big deal about
the internet downloads responsible for the decrease of record sales?
Well, downloads probably do hurt album sales but they also allow a lot
of people to hear your band. The fact is, there is a lot of crap out there
and if people can hear your band and you are lousy and they don’t
buy your album, its because your music is crap and didn’t deserve
to be bought anyways.
Do you think that this kinda way of sharing the music is bad for small
bands like you , or do you think it’s a good way to get more famous
in your country and in the rest of the world?
We think that the internet has helped us a lot. You probably would never
have heard of us without us putting samples of our music up for download.
It has allowed us to reach people in France, Italy, Dennmark , Sweden,
U.S.A, you name it, and we didn’t have to tour in those countries
just to be heard by a few people. It has lead to us getting a little deal
with Perris Records and now magazines and webzines are starting to interview
us. I would gladly give away some music for free if it allowed me to be
heard around the world and maybe get to play in countries other than Canada
and the U.S. Downloads only really hurt the big record labels and bands
that sell millions.
It’s obvious that since few years all the successful rock bands turned
the guitar solos down. Even a band like Beautiful Creature didn’t
put that much of solos on their first album, even though they had DJ Ashba
with ‘em. But now with the rise of bands like The Darkness and Velvet
Revolver this tendency seems to come to an end. What do you think of that?
Would you still have guitar solos in your album if it has been released
a few years earlier?
YES YES YES! I think that our guitar players are top notch and we as a
band think that the most important thing is the song. No guitar solo can
make a bad song into a good one. We also believe however, if you got it,
FLAUNT IT! We actually recorded A Night at the Cockfights before those
albums you mentioned came out. We put lots of guitar solos on them because
(in my opinion) Daniel Lee Damage and Zack Daniels can really RIP and
it would be a shame to waste that talent. A good guitar solo is a beautiful
thing and we think our fans like to hear us play.
As Americans playing some straight in your face rock n roll, what is your
opinion on the Scandinavian rock scene? Do you get to hear all the new
talents that come from the northern European countries, like Backyard
Babies, Gluecifier, Hardcore Superstar, Plan 9, Private Line, and many
more?
On the radio, we only get bands from Europe like The Hives. Zack and I
like The Hellacopters. We have talked to a band from Sweden called Speedfreaks.
We hear about most of these types of bands from the internet. What I like
about the Scandinavian rock scene is that its real, its dirty, its rock
n roll!
Is it difficult for you to put up some shows?
No, we can usually get shows pretty easily. One big problem with Canada
though is it’s a real big spread out country that’s for sure!
We can always play in our hometown, but the next big city (Edmonton) is
300 km away! And when we play Vancouver which is on the west coast, its
1300 km away. There is a lot of driving involved.
Do you plan to tour Europe? Is there a chance to see you live around here
soon?
We would really really LOVE to come over to Europe, for me it would be
the highlight of my life. I really think the European audiences would
like the live Stampede Queen show. It kicks ass! I think it might be a
while though. Moneys a little tight.
What
would you say to the people who will read this interview in order to convince
them to buy your album?
I would say, if you like good sexy powerful rock n roll, you need this
album. It’s a rock classic. If you don’t believe me, check out
our website www.stampedequeen.com. You can check out our tunes there.
Once you hear them, you will want to buy the album. Its that good! A Night
at the Cockfights will sound best at any party or when you are driving
down the road with your baby by your side and the stereo cranked UP! ROCK
OUT WITH YOUR COCK OUT!
Thank
you very much and good luck for everything!
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