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Billy Rowe - Interview Jetboy/ American Heartbreak

Still Shakin'

 

HE WAS STILL BASICALLY A KID WHEN JETBOY FORMED AND TOOK THE SAN FRANSICO SCENE BY STORM. UNFORTUNATELY JETBOY NEVER SEEMED TO GET THE ATTENTION THEY BOTH DESERVED, AND WANTED. BILLY ROWE RETURNED YEARS LATER WITH THE WELL-PRAISED BAND AMERICAN HEARTBREAK. BUT AS WE HEARD; BILLY STILL FEELS, AND BELIEVES; JETBOY IS HIS TICKET, AND HIS FIRST PRIOROTY AGAIN.

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July 2007

HOW ARE YOU GUYS AND WHATS IN THE WORKS FOR YOU AT THE MOMENT? Right now Jetboy are getting things together with everything, It's been 15 years or more since we were a band so a lot of rehearsing first off. We have two new members to get all the songs down with, which has been going great! So far we've done three shows with the current line-up and they all rocked. We also have been working on the DVD/Cd, we have coming out on Cleopatra Records titled 'The Glam Years Movie And Cd' which will include a show from 1986 at the Whisky A Go Go, interviews with each member from the re-recording of 'Feel The Shake 2007' and a slide show photo movie through the years. The audio side will have 21 tracks in a chronological order of old Demo's plus the two new recording's; one being the re-recorded version of 'Feel The Shake' and our cover version of 'Folsom Prison Blues'

which we did on the FTS tour in 1988.

1st LETS TALK JETBOY. YOU GUYS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THOSE ELUSIVE BANDS THAT LURK IN THE UNDERGROUND, GAINING MORE RESPECT THAN RECORD SALES? Yeah, it seems that way. Funny thing is we formed a few years before a lot of the bands that are known for that era!!??!! When Jetboy started to get attention there were two other bands receiving the same which were Guns N' Roses & Poison. What happened with us was that we got caught up In the business/political label crap which was outta our control & we lost our momentum from it. We were originally signed to Elektra records in late 1986 with the debut album FTS set to be released in 1987. Right before the album was ready to go, we were dropped!! Just like that! Advance tapes were out to radio & press & we got the big middle finger, right before Christmas.

We want you!

WELL YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY. MISFITS, HANOI ROCKS, NEW YORK DOLLS FOR EXAMPLE? This is true, at least for credability! For me personally I was always more into the underground/obscure bands so that part is cool. But right now it would be nice to pay off few bills for all our dues through the years ha! ha! ha! THERE ARE SEVERAL UNDERATED BANDS FROM THE 80’S ERA. THAT’S ALMOST TURNED INTO A SUB-GENRE. BANDS LIKE SHARK ISLAND, KIX AND A STACK OF OTHERS? I agree, and the list goes on. Outta the bands you mention, KIX were one of the hardest working and underrated bands of that time in my opinion. YOU GUYS COME FROM SISCO THOUGH? We do, San Francisco California. This town Is so know for the sixties era, Jefferson Airplane & The Dead but now we have bands like Metallica & Green Day who are two of the biggest bands on the planet! YOU GUYS DISSAPEARED IN THE EARLY 90’S, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN AROUND ’99 YOU CHURNED OUT 3 RECORDS OF UNRELEASED SONGS IN THE SPACE OF A YEAR? Well, we all went our own ways the beginning of the 90's after grunge took over and we all knew our time was up. In 1996 around when I formed American Heartbreak I put together 'A Day In The Glamorous Life' and Perris Records released it. After that I started to pull out old demos & unreleased material knowing that there were people still into this style of Rock, as well as a new generation of Rock N' Roll fans growing out there. This is part of what led us to reforming.

Special guests...Guns N Roses!

WELL, I DARE SAY OLD FANS WERE STOKED, TO SAY THE LEAST? I don't know??? I hope they were. We definitely got some attention from it, especially on the Internet which was new for music & bands at that time. NOW YOU GUYS ARE KICKING OUT ANOTHER CD ON Cleopatra, WITH A DVD AS WELL RIGHT. Yup!  Well it’s actually going to be packaged & released as a DVD. We thought it was going to be a Cd at first as well. Seeing how sales are for audio this was a good choice for the label to make. So, this will be In the DVD section at your local dying record store's or growing best buy's & wallmart’s! Oh and of course iTunes! YOU GUYS WERE KINDA SIMILAR TO L.A. GUNS? Ahh, not sure if I'd say LA GUNS but that's cool.... they're a great band. We actually just played with Tracii's version and the weekend of the 4th of July Mick Cripps was in town for my BBQ who I hang out with all the time. We did loads of shows together in the early days as well as rehearsing in the same SIR building In Hollywood after we relocated.. I just think it’s great all these bands & players from that time are still doing it. NOW EVEN PHIL LEWIS' OLD BAND GIRL IS GETTING ATTENTION. Well now that's was a great band! period! I was and still am a big, big Girl fan. That's a band that still never gets the credit they deserve. 'Sheer Greed' is one of my all time favorite albums, they were a big Influence on Jetboy ...take a look at both logo’s!!

the DVD/CD

SO WHAT ABOUT A TOUR? After we get this DVD out 'The Glam Years Movie and Cd' we will work on getting on a good tour. I can see Jetboy going out with a band from our time or even someone new. That's the one thing I've been told by new & old fans is; we don't come across as an 80's band, we still have something fresh, which I just love. YOU’VE BEEN PLENTY BUSY. AFTER JETBOY. YOU HAD MINDZONE AND THEN AMERICAN HEARTBREAK, WHICH HAS JUST EXPLODED Well, I've tried to keep as busy as I can with Rock N' Roll! It's a big part of who I am. I was a kid when Jetboy took off, so in a lot of ways it’s what I know best & love.

Liveboy

IT MUST FEEL GOOD TO KINDA HIT BIG AGAIN. I'm happy to be able to do what I do playing Rock N' Roll guitar. American Heartbreak hasn't hit as big as Jetboy did In Its prime, yet I see it definitely having a shot.

AMERICAN HEARTBREAK JUST TOOK OVER. HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO STAY ON TOP OF BOTH BANDS? Only as of the end of 2006, and this year I've been officially in two bands. Jetboy did a few reunion shows In 2005 & 2006, but It was really right before we did the Cathouse reunion In October that Mickey, Fernie & myself said let's do this for real again. Mickey was still living In Hawaii at that time & right before we did the Cathouse reunion In October of 2006 he committed to moving back to the mainland & being a Rock N' Roll singer again with Jetboy !! Mohawk and all!. AND NOW BOTH BANDS ARE LOOKING TO TOUR? Right now I'm focusing on Jetboy; American Heartbreak has done quite a bit since we formed in 1996. The band is writing new material and doing shows here & there. With Jetboy we are going to work on doing as much as we can this year and out & start with getting a good tour to support this DVD/Cd. After that, we are going to write a new album along with releasing more Live footage from

the 80's, I'd like to do a doco on the band too .

Billy, sliding it up

WHAT ABOUT THE NEXT AMERICAN HEARTBREAK ALBUM Not sure?? We have a few cover songs we did for some tribute Cd's like Motley Crue & Cheap Trick. WHAT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY LIFE, DO YOU FIND IT HARD TO JUGGLE IT ALL? I do what I gotta do, I don't have any kids but I have a kick ass dog!! I've always been a fully dedicated guitarist/band member, it’s my passion. YOU OBVIOUSLY LOVE YOUR JOB? I love my job as a guitarist & I love my job as a guitar builder which is my personal business building relic Tele's & strats.... http://www.rocknrollrelics.net/

Jetboy...back in action

WELL IT’S BEEN GREAT TALKING, GOOD LUCK WITH THE FUTURE AND HOPEFULLY WE’LL TALK AGAIN SOON? For sure!!! And I apologize for the delay of this Interview, too much to do somedays!! You have a great website & it’s always nice to see people do sites like this for their love & passion of this side of the Rock N' Roll world. Let's do it again soon.         AND FINALLY, ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD It's great to be a part of the 'Saviours Of Rock' I thank you for asking me to be a part of it. And I gotta plug the DVD! Go pick up the new Jetboy DVD/Cd titled 'The Glam Years Movie and Cd' out the end of summer 2007 on Cleopatra/Deadline Records, in record stores & iTunes!!! Get ready, cause Rock N' Roll is gonna make the earth shake!!!! AGAIN!!!!          THANKS TO BILLY FOR TALKING WITH SAVIOURS OF ROCK. HE'S A GREAT GUY AND WE WISH HIM ALL THE BEST FOR THE FUTURE. GO CHECK HIM OUT AT http://www.americanheartbreak.com/ http://www.myspace.com/americanheartbreak http://www.jetboyrocks.com/ http://www.myspace.com/jetboyrocks http://www.rocknrollrelics.net/   -J.L

 

 

 

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