Monday, November 11, 2013

ROCK 'N' ROLL VOODOO 
Lawrence Case of Voodoo Vegas 
Interview by Tony & Bill @ The Dedicated Rocker Society

Voodoo Vegas hails from Bournemouth in southern England – the happiest place in the UK and a resort town. Bournemouth is probably the happiest place in the UK because they have such bands as Voodoo Vegas to sport in their clubs. Fronted by Lawrence Case, they have been called “The best band on the south coast of England today…

With the beautiful Merylina Hamilton and the hard edged Nick Brown on a lead guitar onslaught, Ash Moulton and Matt Jolly driving the rhythms on the Bass and Drums respectively, Voodoo Vegas are a rock band that are going places. They have toured all over the U.K, played shows in Italy, France, Belgium, and many of the UK’s top Live music venues, to huge audiences.

Malcolm Dome from Kerrang and Classic rocks says "Finally, an unsigned band worth checking out. if you enjoy The Answer. Voodoo Vegas come from Bournemouth and their self-released Live album suggests they’ve the ability to take their Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC influences into their own territory. Keep an eye on ‘em." Voodoo Vegas are a raw and explosive rock band giving us a snapshot of what, will soon be a powerful force in British rock music. They have the sound, the songs, the band, and everything that’s needed to go far in the world of rock.

The Rocker and I wanted to get the low down from the band's frontman, Lawrence Case on what Voodoo Vegas is all about. Here's what he shared with us.....


For those reading about Voodoo Vegas for the first time, what is your band all about?

Lawerance Case: We’ve got Nick and the lovely Meryl on guitar, Ash on bass and Matt on drums. I do the singing and I also dabble in a little bit of gob iron when the time it right, Nick and myself started the band, Ash joined soon after that, we spent a few years playing shows around the UK, then in 2008 we decided we wanted a bigger sound and then Meryl joined the band as our 2nd Guitarist. When she first joined it was like the glue between the cracks was being filled, it made the band sound even bigger. Finally Matt joined in October 2011 after we spent years working with many different drummers.

You've been compared to, Guns N Roses, Aerosmith and AC/DC. How would you describe your sound? Who were your musical influences?

LC: My biggest influence is Aerosmith, I love them and I think their sound influences me a lot in my song writing. We all like the classic bands like Ac/Dc and Guns ‘n’ Roses as people have said it does influence our sound a lot. I also think we’ve got some modern influences like The Answer and Black Stone Cherry. Plus I like the idea of writing a song that I can get the crowd singing along to  or is full of hooks. That influences me a lot. Making people hear a song that they will get stuck in their head.

Let's talk about your debut, 'The Rise Of Jimmy Silver'. 

a. How long did it take to record?

LC: We started recording the album on July 16th at the famous Rockfield studios in Monmouth Wales, our last day there was July 29th. I then went to Pedro’s (our Producer) Rock Shack in London to do some more vocals. In total there were 21 days of recording.

b. Memorable moments good or bad in the making of the album?

LC: I think the moment that I will remember forever is the first morning at Rockfield, Ash and me were walking down to the studio from our accommodation at Rockfield, I will always remember saying to him how the hell are we here. It really hit home how grateful I was to all our fans who pledged towards us getting there. Rockfield is an amazing place, it certainly helped us with the recording, the history, the vibe and all of the staff at Rockfield, the town of Monmouth, we all loved it. I would certainly recommend any band to go and record there. Another highlight was while I was at Pedro’s rock shack finishing off some vocals. It was the day we got Stevie Vann Lange in to do some backing vocals, I was sitting there while Stevie was working with Pedro and thinking to myself about all the big names they have both worked with, and now they were working on our record, it blew my mind for a few seconds, it was a crazy thing.

c. How did you come up with the title?

LC: This album comes from all the years we’ve been gigging around the UK and Europe, it’s a long time in the making. Jimmy Silver is the name of the first song we ever wrote. Jimmy is a character I made up in my head about a guy who just love’s to rock in his heart and in his soul. This album is The Rise Of Jimmy Silver, from the first song we wrote, to all of the gigs we’ve played, to the amazing pledgemusic campaign we ran. Its 11 songs of rock ‘n’ roll, good music, good times, and stories from the years of gigging.

What was it like jamming with Gilby Clarke of Guns N Roses on stage performing, "It's So Easy"?

LC: That will always be a highlight for me, I’m a huge G’n’R fan. We were booked for two shows with Gilby last year, one in Ipswich and one in Sutton In Ashfield. Gilby was a great dude, we got talking at the Ipswich gig, he liked our band, and he also liked NFL as do I and that night me and him had a good chat about the Superbowl which was taking place that night. The following Thursday came the Sutton In Ashfield show, we were chatting and I asked if I could go and sing with him, he said no. I was gutted!! But when he was on stage he called me up, I was totally unprepared but it was awesome to  sing a G’n’R classic with him. I was buzzing for days about it. We also gave Gilby a lift back to Gatwick from Sutton In Ashfield, that again was awesome, hearing all the g reat stories about G’n’R and advice he gave us.  Although next time we see him he owes me a coffee!!

Looking forward to playing in America? Who would you like to tour with when you do come over?

LC: If we could play in America, that would be the dream. When we first started I never thought we would play in France, Belgium, Germany and Italy, so who knows playing in America isn’t out of the question. If you know anyone who can help get us there Tony please suggest them to me. To play in the states would be amazing but if we could play with anyone on tour I think my dream would be Aerosmith, they are and always will be my favourite band, that would be the ultimate dream come true.


Complete this sentence....You should check out Voodoo Vegas because......... 

LC: The Rise Of Jimmy Silver is one Kick Ass Rock ‘n’ Roll album, all the reviews say so, all the fans say so, and if you love Rock ‘n’ Roll in your heart and in your soul then Voodoo Vegas are a must for you!

Any comments for you fans?

LC: I want to say a huge thank you to every single person who pledged to make The Rise Of Jimmy Silver, you helped make 5 peoples dream come true.  And to the new fans we’ve made since the album has come out, welcome to the Voodoo Vegas family, it’s going to be an awesome ride.

Big thanks to Lawrence for taking the time to do this interview. The Rocker and I have feeling that Voodoo Vegas will be rocking the shores of America. When they do, like Lawrence said, "It's going to be an awesome ride!  - The Dedicated Rocker Society

For more info on Voodoo Vegas:
http://voodoovegas.com/

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