The Most Un-Commerical Band in the Land

VH1 Classic is the latest television network to fall victim to struggling finances.

The cable music channel recently let go of nearly every staff member, and now programming is suffering.

Before his contract ended with the network, syndicated radio host Eddie Trunk taped his final Hangin' With episode.

Poison were the featured band on the episode.

During the interview, Trunk asked the boys about the now infamous Atlanta Guitar Slinging Incident.

After Bret Michaels and Bobby Dall explained what happened on stage that fateful night, the conversation moved to the band's new album Poison'd.

Bret and Co. explained their song selection process, and how they narrowed their list of proposed choices from 200 down to about 25 and then to the handful of new tracks that actually made it on the album.

Eddie and Poison spend much of the 30 minute interview laughing. The boys reminisce about their Sunset Strip days and explain the secret to their success.

Says drummer Rikki Rockett "It would be 1 A.M. and the other bands would be hanging around the Rainbow looking cool. We were out flyering. That's how we made it."

Bret says Poison is one of the most un-commerical bands in the business. They have a do-it yourself mentality, and they put any money they make right back into their stage shows.

Eddie also asked Poison about their experiences recording with legendary producer Don Was. On Was, guitarist C.C. DeVille says "Don is no stranger to eccentric behavior. When you're poor, you're crazy. When you're rich, you're eccentric."

Finally, the biggest revelation for me: the reason why the band chose electric green as their signature color.

As the story goes, the band was (obviously) dirt poor back in the early 1980s. They needed paper for flyers to post on the Sunset Strip. The quartet went into Sir Speedy with three bucks. The store owner said they couldn't have a lot of white paper for that money. Instead, they could choose between yellow or electric green. Poison didn't want yellow because it was too common at the time, so they went with green and it became their signature marketing and merchandise color. Brilliant!

You can catch Hangin' With: Poison at various times all this week on VH1 Classic.

Wanna Be in the Show

During the height of grunge popularity, a motley band of glam-loving musicians gathered together and formed Psycho Gypsy. After several years and tours later, the band broke-up and Eddie Electra joined the now legendary outlandish glam outfit Peppermint Creeps. Tragedy has brought Psycho Gypsy back together. Now, Electra - along with Timm Tantrum - are back with a vengeance. The duo recently spoke with Bring Back Glam! about the band’s future, performing on the same stage as their idols, and music fans today. Transcription follows.

Bring Back Glam!: Tell the readers a little about the history of Psycho Gypsy.

Timm Tantrum: Eddie Electra and myself began forming the band in 1992. By, 1994 we had found a guitarist and a drummer and were starting to play live. Within a year or two, we were starting to tour to other states. We created a very large local following in our hometown of Phoenix because of our distinction as Arizona's only glam rock act. All the glam fans of Arizona only had one band to see, so we did quite well for ourselves.

BBG: What was it like opening up for major acts like Warrant and Poison?

Eddie Electra: It was a lot of fun to be opening up for people whose posters were still on our walls! The Poison show in particular stands out for obvious reasons. That has to be the most people I've ever played to.

Timm Tantrum: Growing up watching some of these guys on MTV made the experience a little surreal. Although we won't name names, what I can say is many of the bands we played with were very gracious and pleasant to be around. Others were not. Some seemed like they had a lot of bitterness that they weren't in their heyday any longer. One name I will drop is Tracii Guns. Not only was he great to be around, but also hung out with us a lot. We were never treated like "the lowly opening act." He always treated us as equals and always took the time to hang out with us on a first name basis. No rock star egos anywhere within L.A. Guns.

BBG: Why the desire to reform the band after the break-up in 2000?

Timm Tantrum: This is kind of a hard one so here it is. On July 28, 2006 Psycho Gypsy's former drummer Mykel Geyman died in a tragic motorcycle accident. Mykel and I had been working on putting together another band. Through that time, Mykel had told [me] over and over that I should work with Eddie Electra again at some point. Shortly after Mykel passed away, Eddie left the Peppermint Creeps. I approached him about doing Psycho Gypsy again largely because Mykel had always wanted to see that happen…he just wanted to see Psycho Gypsy live again.

Eddie Electra: A lot of things happened leading to the re-formation. Tim and I started talking again, and he had actually come to see me and joined me on stage when I came through his town on tour with another band…At the same time I was no longer happy in the situation I was in band-wise, so it was a no brainer.

BBG: Plans for a new album? If so, a tour of the US?

Timm Tantrum: Song writing is almost completed for a new album and recording has been going on for a while. As far as the U.S., we will be returning to our original stomping grounds soon. Of course, there will be shows set up soon for Hollywood. After the new CD drops, we will be taking aim at the rest of the U.S. We also hope to have someone sponsor us to go overseas and visit all our friends and fans over there. We have quite a large following in Europe and would love to see everyone over there. If anyone knows someone who will fly us out there so we can play, contact us on our Myspace page.

BBG: How does playing live music rate now as opposed to a decade ago? Are fans more or less interested?

Timm Tantrum: The funny thing is that I did a Google search for Psycho Gypsy and found out that we became more popular after we broke up then when we were together the first time. So, the response so far has been better than we expected.

Eddie Electra: It almost seems like they are more interested now. We formed at the height of the grunge era; nobody was doing glam anymore - that mattered anyways. It seems like every 20 years trends recycle themselves and it appears to be happening with glam again. Nobody talks about grunge anymore, yet all VH-1 seems to show are videos and stuff on all the bands we grew up to! In Hollywood, there is a new weird scene with kids like 14 to 20 years old and you would swear they are from the 80's. They look so vintage! These kids are getting into stuff like Shotgun Messiah, Skid Row, Motley [Crue], while their friends are into My Chemical Romance and A.F.I.

BBG: What was it like to be a new glam band during the height of the grunge era?

Timm Tantrum: When we first started, we were told by everyone -- especially other bands -- that we were going to fall flat on our faces. No one in the industry thought there was any market to speak of for glam. The result was that while we were headlining clubs that held 2,000 plus people, all of the alternative bands in the Arizona scene at the time were playing small clubs on Tuesday night for 7 people. We drew much more attention to ourselves in the press and otherwise because we were different and not following the trends.

Eddie Electra: It was hard to get a gig, but it was fun! Those were some of the best times of my life. It’s taken a lot to happen over the years to realize that, and [to] count my blessings.

BBG: Who are your main musical influences?

Timm Tantrum: First and foremost KISS! And of course Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, Twisted Sister, Ozzy [Osbourne]. Maybe some things you would not expect. Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, 18 Visions, Black Label Society, Pantera. I also listen to classical music like Mozart and Beethoven.

BBG: Do you have any crazy stories from the road?

Timm Tantrum: We once had some girl sneak her way backstage when we were playing in Scottsdale, Arizona. Both of the bathrooms were "occupied" and she had to pee. Jokingly I suggested she pee in a cup. She then dropped her pants and began to pee in the cup I handed her. I guess she really had to go!

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/psychogypsy.

For a Good Time Calll 281-7668

You know those days when you get one song stuck in your head and you listen to it over and over again?

I've had Faster Pussycat's "Bathroom Wall" stuck in my for about two weeks.

No lie.

I'm basically obsessed with the song for some unknown reason. I suppose that fact that it all-out rocks doesn't hurt.

I love the video, especially the black and white production. Plus, a song featuring a phone number is immediately appealing.

"Bathroom Wall" will also be featured on Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's. You can pre-order the game by clicking the link.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Faster Pussycat at Rocklahoma. Right now, the band is scheduled to play the main stage Saturday, July 14.

Of course, if you follow the drama that is sometimes glam Metal, you probably know there are two versions of Faster Pussycat. A more traditional version lead by original guitarist Brent Muscat and an industrial version fronted by former lead singer Taime Downe. Brent's version is slotted for Rocklahoma, but there have been rumors of a possible reunion during the massive festival. I doubt it, but that would be music history to witness if it actually happens.

Watch this video: Faster Pussycat "Bathroom Wall"

Get On the Ride

Bring Back Glam! recently interviewed Vains of Jenna drummer Jacki Stone and bassist J.P. White on their newfound success. After legal issues kept White Lion off the Poison/RATT tour, VOJ stepped in. During the interview, Jacki and J.P. discuss touring, the band’s future, moving to America and Rocklahoma. Transcription follows.

Bring Back Glam!: How do you think the Poison/RATT tour will change your lives?

Jacki Stone: This is a great opportunity for us to get the name and music of Vains of Jenna out to a lot of people every night! We all are grateful that Poison and RATT decided to bring us along on this tour. We will get more fans out of this and it will be a good experience... I hope we will be able to continue touring and that our own tours get bigger and bigger. We'll see after this tour how it might change our lives!

J.P. White: Yeah, this tour will definitely give us a lot more experience and also a lot more confidence as musicians. We will see and do so much new stuff during this tour that will help us later on in our careers. Already after the first show we did on the tour we learned tons of shit. I think that all this will get us stronger as a group and make us prepared for the future.

BBG: You landed a major tour relatively quickly. What do you think this means for the state of rock in the U.S.A.?

Jacki: Yeah, it's amazing. I think it really shows that rock n' roll is on the way back again. Hopefully, we'll get some kids to start a band too. We need more RnR here in the states!

J.P: Like Jacki said “It’s amazing" to be on this kind of tour and play in front of thousands of people after two and a half years as a band is almost unreal. I think it means a lot to the rock crowd in the States. Hopefully we can show them that rock n’ roll isn’t dead! It is a new generation of rock n’ roll coming up to keep it alive. Soon people will understand that it’s cool to start a rock band with guys or girls that actually look like “rock stars” again.

BBG: Are you surprised by your success?

Jacki: Well, no not really. We have worked really hard to get to where we are right now. I know we are a kick ass band with great songs! Live we are even better and we have also met the right people along the way at the right time that has helped us. But it's all about taking changes in your life and believing in what you do.

J.P: I knew that this band would be something right from the start. It’s just that right chemistry between the four of us in the band and we all feel the same way. I think that’s the reason that we could make it this far so fast. No one in the band hesitated on giving up our old life in Sweden and get to the next level.

BBG: Will Vains of Jenna play Rocklahoma in some capacity since the festival is an official tour stop for both Poison and RATT?

Jacki: I don't know yet... it would be really cool to do it, so hopefully that will happen!

BBG: Who are your major musical influences?

Jacki: I listen to a lot of different music... we all do...everything from like N.W.A to Slayer. But the "major" influences would probably be bands like Aerosmith, GnR, Nirvana, Motley Crue, and The (Rolling) Stones.

J.P: I just have to mention Avenged Sevenfold is a great band with killer songs!

BBG: Talk about your new song "Enemy in Me" for the Viva La Bands II disc. Who wrote the song and is this the direction you are going with your next album?

Jacki : The song "Enemy In Me" we wrote sometime during the summer of 2006. We have worked with it off and on and when we got the opportunity to be on the Viva La Bands compilation we wanted a new song to show the people. Our producer for this song, Brent Woods, loved the song and we decided to record it. Brent helped us some with different stuff to get the song even better, and Lizzy (DeVine, lead singer) made most of the lyrics and melodies, which came out just great! It's definitely a direction to how we might sound like on the next album. It is still raw rock n roll but so much better!

J.P: I don’t think that anyone in the band expected the song to come out that hard and raw as the final product is. It’s definitely in the direction that we wanna go and it sounds killer.

BBG: When will Vains of Jenna return to the studio to record a follow-up to Lit Up/Let Down?

Jacki: Don't know. We hope that it will be in the next six or nine months.

J.P: Hopefully it will be with Brent Woods, it’s a cool chemistry between the band and him as a producer.

BBG: Will the next album be on Bam Margera's Filthy Note label, or will you jump to a major?

Jacki: I have no idea.

BBG: Will the recording process take place here in the U.S. or Sweden? And do you have intentions of permanently moving to America?

Jacki: Well, our visas expire in October, but we are working on that now so we can at least stay here for another year. The dream is to permanently live in U.S.A. making it big over here and continue touring and then also do tours in the rest of the world!

J.P: Right now it feels like the only thing that is 100% is that we are on this summer tour with Posion and RATT. We don’t know what will happen after that.

BBG: What's your favorite - and least favorite - aspect of Lit Up/Let Down?

Jacki: I'm very proud of the CD. We did it by our own in a cabin, in the woods, in the middle of January 2006 and it only took us a week. To get this far from that album is a pretty fucking cool thing!

J.P: Of course there is parts that can be better and tighter. If we knew that the songs on the record would end up as an album we probably get more time and (put more) work into it. It’s raw and punky and reflects the way we live and I’m fucking proud of it!

BBG: What's the best part of touring?

Jacki: I love everything about it! Being on the road with my best friends is absolutely the best thing ever. Going to city to city, meeting new people, fans, girls and have that gift to be able to perform every night is a dream coming true!

J.P: That’s true. Just the feeling of going somewhere all the time, you never know what to expect the next day; it’s a great way to live. It’s almost like sex: you arrive, you play, you say "Thank you" and you go away to the next one (laughs).

W.A.S.P. Out, Replacement Needed

BREAKING NEWSFLASH, GLAM FANS:

W.A.S.P. Cancels Appearance. Replacement band to be announced within hours.

W.A.S.P. has cancelled its previously announced appearance at the Rocklahoma festival, set to take place July 12-15, at the Catch The Fever Festival Grounds.

W.A.S.P. recently called off its U.S. tour "due to its North American label losing its distribution," according to a posting on the band's web site. The tour will be rescheduled to a later undisclosed date.

There are not a lot of bands left as viable replacements at this time. My two predictions are Lillian Axe or Vains of Jenna. VOJ is a bit dicey because they are a new band and VH1 Classic is taping the show for a nostalgia Pay-Per-View package (U.K. glam rockers Gypsy Pistoleros were moved from their planned performance with L.A. Guns because of the media agreement).

Stand by for news!

Update on Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 05:44PM by Allyson B. Crawford

Folks, the replacement is Queensryche.

Sorry to all you Kix fans!

Tell the World

Last night in Cincinnati, I saw Poison/RATT/Vains of Jenna in concert. I had high hopes for the show, and I wasn't disappointed.

Naturally, Eric and Heather were along for the ride. We flew down the Interstate, trying to beat the clock in an attempt to catch Vains of Jenna.

Riverbend Music Center typically starts shows promptly, and we knew VOJ were set to perform at 7 p.m.

By some miracle, we made it the venue at 7, but had to fight with ticketing issues. I had a media/photo pass that I had to hunt down. By the time everything was straightened out, we missed most of Vains of Jenna, but we did hear their signature tune "Don't Give A Damn" and the Swedes looked right at home on the big stage. I'm told they  only performed about 25 minutes.

Check out this picture: lead singer Lizzy DeVine wipes his brow. It was about 1400 degrees last night in the crowd, so I can imagine just how hot it must have felt on stage. VOJ also had some minor technical difficulties. As we were finding our seats, Lizzy said he was out of tune. Still, the band played as hard as they could. I say good for them.

Next up was RATT!

This I most excited about, as I've never seen RATT in concert. This is almost a full reunion tour with Stephen Pearcy singing vocals again. Remember, original bassist Juan Croucier refused to participate in the tour. Taking his place is Robbie Crane.

RATT sounded great during their hour-long set, but they played some deeper cuts than I was expecting. Of course, they still performed "Way Cool, Jr.," "Wanted Man," "Back for More" and "Lay it Down." Pearcy sounded especially good on "Body Talk" and "You're in Love."

They naturally closed with "Round and Round."

I kept hoping for my favorite "I Want a Woman" but it didn't happen. Maybe at Rocklahoma.

Check out this picture: Warren DeMartini playing a solo during RATT's set. Watching Warren play was pretty amazing and regular readers of this site know how I feel about John Corabi. He sounded pretty great too. Others said they thought RATT was either "boring" or "just o.k." I would disagree and say this is a gross understatement.

Then it was time!

I used my photo pass to get up close and personal to the  Poison boys. Bret and Co. looked especially glam last night and I love that their show incorporated fire and other pyro.

Poison opened their set with "Look What the Cat Dragged In," followed quickly by "Ride the Wind." These are my two favorite Poison songs, so this made me very happy.

When the rest of the band took the stage, singer Bret Michaels actually rose from a "faux stage" of sorts. This got the crowd going in an immediate frenzy.

The band then went into a long set of covers from the new album Poison'd. Guitarist C.C. DeVille performed his solo song "I Hate Every Bone In Your Body (But Mine)," and Rikki Rockett gave a nice drum solo. At one point, his kit moved and lifted from the stage. It's nothing as elaborate as Tommy Lee does with Motley Crue, but it was still cool and the crowd seemed to like it.

Poison naturally performed "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "Fallen Angel" and "Unskinny Bop." They closed with "Nothin' But a Good Time" and dropped a sea of confetti on the six thousand or so concert attendees.

I saw Poison last year with Cinderella, and I must say this was a much more entertaining show from start to finish. I love Cinderella, but VOJ and RATT made for a more interesting ticket, and Poison had elaborate stage props. Last year they relied on a video screen to project images of naked ladies. That's cool but I need a little fire, too. 

At the very end of the show, Bret said "We'll see you all next summer."

Does this mean a Poison Summer Tour 2008 is already in the works?

Tomorrow on Bring Back Glam! an interview with tour openers Vains of Jenna!

Rocklahoma: Extra Night Schedule Announced

MORE BREAKING ROCKLAHOMA NEWS...

The extra night line-up is confirmed and announced.

British glam boys Gypsy Pistoleros will open the entire festival at 4:15 p.m.
Next up is TigerTailz at 5:30 p.m. and then Hollywood Roses at 7 p.m., the Off Beat Road at 8:30 p.m.
KISS Army landed the primo 10 p.m. spot...and at 11:30, a "very special guest T.B.A."