ATTRACTION is probably one of the best Melodic (Hard) Rockbands around these days. They released a killer CD titled 'Get up'n'shake' a few months ago and I urgerly ask you to check out the wonderful review I did of this record.
This band is right up there with HEAVENS EDGE, TYKETTO, VELOCITY, DANGER DANGER, SAVANNAH, RED DAWN, TYKETTO... Time for us to do an interview with these guys, here goes...
First off, congratulations for
releasing a superb pure melodic rock CD! Please introduce us your
fantastic band...
Brad(bass): THANKS! I really appreciate that!
ADRIAN(Vocals): Yea! Really that means alot, THANK YOU
JAY(Drums): Definitely! THANK
YOU VERY MUCH!
When did you guys form and did any of you play in bands before ATTRACTION?
Brad: Well, originally ATTRACTION had another singer and drummer. Myself and MARC(GUITARS) Have been with each other since High School. Then we Got rid of The other singer, it's not that he wasn't good enough. He was a good frontman, but his voice was lacking something special.
Adrian: Enter ME!(LAUGHTER)
Brad: Enter HIM!(LAUGHTER) Seriously though Adrian came in and it was OH MY GOD! SING THAT AGAIN!! He's just such a natural, it's definitely a gift!
Adrian: THANK YOU BRAD
Brad: Plus he's a great frontman and natural all-around nice guy.
Jay: Plus the chicks DIG HIM!
Brad: Then came JAY-BONE!
Adrian: our old drummer just
didn't have the punch we needed, plus he messed up alot. He
Wasn't really into it. We had a friend in STONE ANGEL that
introduced us, and it immediately clicked!
Your music is very cheerful and 80s oriented. Do you also agree with me the Grunge is over and people want to hear this kind of cheer-up melodic rock again where they can sing-a-long and party on?
Adrian: Oh definitely Gundge didn't last very long at all, i don't care what anyone tells me.
Brad: Plus you don't have as many Grunge heroes as oppose to the heroes of the 80's and 70's
Jay: Just Pearl Jam and Nirvana. I wouldnt call it such a huge success if their were only TWO icons from that whole scene. I mean the 80's had Bon jovi/ van halen/ areo smith/motley/ def leopard and the list goes on!! The 70's had VAN HALEN/ KISS and countless others as well.
Adrian: Plus the aor scene lasted an entire DECADE!
Brad: NAME ME one OTHER FORM OF MUSIC THAT HAS LASTED AN ENTIRE DECADE.
Jay: People liked to have fun! It was an escape from life and problems.
Adrian: Not much of an escape if the music is about shooting your classmates like in the song Jeremy. Or when guys like cobain Kill themself. It's sad. I understand that there are problems out there, but dont glorify them in songs, Kids are very impressionable and look to these bands as role models. LIKE it or not They look at them that way.
Brad: Bottom line the rock scene from the 80's dominated the entire market and DECADE. Of course with the occasional George Michael Michael Jackson and Madonna, but even they were FUN! And it has to be better than whats out there now if everything else is only lasting several months to a year at most.
Adrian: Plus kids are more fickle nowadays. When i was a kid and the new Def leppard came out, i would buy it regardless that i dint hear it yet.
Jay: Now if you ask a kid his favorite band he'll tell you, ask him the guitar players name or the BASS players name, and he wont have a clue.
Adrian: Look at No doubt. CAME
and WENT! I honestly think its coming back it just wont be as big
or fluffy looking.
Who influenced you?
Jay: KISS!!! Tommy Lee , VAn Halen
Adrian: Just good ol rock n roll
Brad: To many to name!
A lot of songs on
your wonderful debut CD are uptempo, this is your favourite style
right?
Adrian: Of course! (laughter) i do like to listen to other stuff though from time to time, like Michael bolton. Sometime you need to relax and you cant do that with UNCLE TOMS CABIN.
Jay: Yeah, i do like some current stuff though. As longs as it Kicks ASS!
Brad : I like everything melodic. If i can hum to it i like it!
There are some
European labels out there that are pretty hot for a band like
yours, would you like your CD to be released over here?
Adrian: We would LOVE IT! Of
course it would all depend on if our U.S.(KIVEL RECORDS) Label
thinks it would benefit us without jeopardizing our deal with
them. They have treated us great! We wouldn't want to damage that
for anything.
Brad: We have talked about this with John and Christopher over at
KIVEL and they have told us that they would like to allow a
Europe label to re-release it with 2 bonus tracks for Europe
only, provided they offer us a
good deal.
Jay: I want to go to EUROPE!!! I've always wanted to leave a
message on my answering machine,"i cant come to the phone
right now, i'll call you back when i get back from the European
tour"(LAUGHTER)
Brad: Yeah knowing JAY, he'll lose his passport and we will need a new drummer when we get back!
Adrain: We'll write you while you settle down in germany(laughter)
The songs on the
CD, can you tell me more about them?
Adrian: Well most of them are
pretty self explanatory, but i'll tell you what SAVE ME NOW IS
ABOUT! You see to many people think only of themselves, but
humanity is based on give and take. This song is the TURNING
POINT between the two.
Brad: Well said Brotha
Jay: Hey isn't TURNING POINT the name of the new STONE ANGEL c.d?
Brad: Nice plug!(laughter)
Have you been working on any new material yet, if so, tell me about possible songs?
Adrian: DEFINITELY! We have some songs that didn't make the cut to get on the album, because we wanted to save them for the next one.
Brad: We didn't want to shoot our load right away(laughter)
Jay: That was bad(laughter)
Adrian: We have a song that
might be the title track , called "DOWNTOWN SHUFFLE."
Smokin tune! Very Way cool Jr but a little faster. Another called
"all caught up in you" it's about losing sight of
everything when you are hopelessly lost in someone and they
really dont feel the same way back. Shinning Bright is another,
thats what we open our shows with.
Basically what are the plans for the coming months?
Brad: Well we are going to ride this little merry go round till it's done than probably around sept we will release a LIVE c.d. that we have in the can and will have stuff from both the first album and the above mentioned as well as some other little treats.
ADRIAN: Then we will start recording the new album and have it ready for that Nov So it will be almost a year from when "GET UP 'n' Shake" was released.
Jay: Im going to see if MOTLEY wants me!(laughter)
Adrian and Brad: LAUGHTER
Anything you would
like to add to the readers...
Adrian: Yes. I just want to truly thank them. Without them and people like STRUTTERZINE bands like us wouldn't be able to get a chance, and i really do appreciate every single one of them! I plan on writing back every single one of you!!
Brad: That i rely love them all! And that i hope to see them when we come there with STONE ANGEL
Jay: Now that's why i hate going
last how do i top those two!( Laughter) Seriously The letters
that we have already received has blown me away! the album has
only been out for less than a month! and i have all these
wonderful people writing me letters saying that we ROCK! It
really means a lot THANK YOU!
Thanks for the interview and good luck!
ADRIAN: Thank you! And keep up the great work you guys have a great site!
Brad: Thanks! Any time, we love it when people like us!
Jay: Thanks! GOD BLESS!