L.A. GUNS (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What’s LA GUNS currently up to?
Stacey Blades: Touring like crazy. The album was released on June 5th and we are ripping it up all over the States.
– You have just released “Hollywood Forever”. Have been 7 years since your previous “Tales from the Strip” come out so, how are you feeling about it? And how is the feedback for this record being so far?
SB: The 7-year gap actually really worked for us. The fans were so hungry for new music. We are really proud of this album and it is currently #25 on Hard Rock Debuts on the Billboard charts.
– “Tales from the Strip” got overwhelming reviews, did this make you work under more pressure for this new opus? And are you personally satisfied with the final output?
SB: Yes of course. There was a lot of pressure to write the new album. We all really stepped up and delivered an amazing album!
– First single off this effort is “You Better not Love me”, which is a really energetic and straight-forward song. Why did you choose it as your first single off this CD?
SB: We had thought about a few different songs, but that was the one that kept coming up so we went with it!
– On the tune “Venus Bomb” the ex-band member Kelly Nickels has appeared as “guest artist”. How and why did you decide to have him there?
SB: We have been hanging with Kelly quite a bit in the last few years. We thought, “let’s get him down for a tune on the record.” We thought Venus Bomb would be perfect. Kelly kicked ass on that song!
– If I’m not mistaken you recorded the album quite fast, it took you around a month so, how were the recording sessions like? Did you have everything written before entering the studio?
SB: We started working on the album with pre-production January 2nd and we finished recording at the end of March. The songs were so strong that the recording process was very magic. There was a lot of tension at times because it just happened so fast, you know. It had been 7 years since this process. I really enjoyed making this record. We wrote the album in 5 weeks, no lie! We worked our asses off for those 5 weeks of pre-production
– Due to this I guess your time in studio may have been quite spontaneous so, do you think this has had an effect on the final outcome?
SB: The band is on fire it and shows in the songs and the performances.
– Once more Andy Johns produced this new CD. What does this team so good for LA GUNS?
SB: Andy knows us so well! We really have a great relationship with him!
– On the other hand, “Hollywood Forever” has been your first release with Cleopatra Records. How did you hook up with them? And how is everything going thus far?
SB: We have known Brian Perera for years. He owns the label. The timing was right and they are so behind the record. It feels really good to have the entire label and staff behind you.
– The cover artwork caught my attention, as it’s quite different to the covers you usually have; was this what you were looking for? And what meaning does it hold?
SB: We wanted something classic and gothic
– And what do some of the lyrics on this opus deal with?
SB: Lots of stuff: Hollywood, death, drug dealers, hot rods. The good stuff haha!
– You’ve included a cover for “Araña Negra” by THE BICILETAS. How did you come up with this idea? And has been easy to perform a song in Spanish?
SB: Phil heard the song when he was in Argentina. We thought it would be a great way to break into the South American market.
– In fact you already released a covers album, “Covered in Guns” so, beside all the tunes included there and the aforementioned “Araña Negra”, is there any other track you would like to cover?
SB: I wish we had done Blondie’s Hangin on the Telephone when we did Rips The Covers Off.
– All this being said; how could you describe “Hollywood Forever” in just 3 words?
SB: Sonic Groove Fantastic!
– You’ve been around for a really long time now so, after all these years into the Rock world; what have been both the best and worst moments for/with L.A. GUNS?
SB: Well it’s nice to see the band having a rebirth, so to speak. We have always done well but now the album is really giving us the spotlight.
– Could you say you have achieved what you set up when you started the band?
SB: Being in LA Guns has given me a lot of great things!
– And what are your thoughts on the Tracii Gun’s version of the band? And due to being active two different L.A. GUNS, is it more difficult to keep people aware on what are you doing?
SB: People know what the real deal is: US!!!
– And finally, what the near-future plans are for L.A. GUNS?
SB: Really gonna work the new album!