Mark: It’s an inspiring story and has produced such a great album. What are some of your favourites on there: there’s hardly a tune that doesn’t grab you from the off and the opener ‘Don’t Step Out of Line’ is a great start? And as you said there’s variety there – ‘Over and Over’ comes on like a sixties ballad almost?
Lizzie: Absolutely, we threw that in the mix too, both that song and ‘The Digital Church’ have a sort of Sci-Fi theme and I guess a lot of that comes from the fact that we had Billy Sherwood come over and play keyboards for us on those tracks. He really put a colouration on it that was really great. And of course both ‘Don’t Step Out of Line’ and ‘Too Angry’ we love and both include the sax work of Angelo Moore of Fishbone.
Mark: I was going to ask that especially on ‘Too Angry’ which has a real energy and aggression to it.
Lizzie: ‘Too Angry’ was really difficult for us to release I was kind of worried that we were kind of exploiting the horrifying thing that teens are going through these days with bringing guns to school and everything. We weren’t as much trying to exploit it as saying “gosh when we were your age we were out, what’s the word, getting laid? Well we were out enjoying ourselves and bringing a gun into the picture made no sense whatsoever.
Mark: The world has changed in so many ways…
Lizzie: Yeah and for me growing up was Rock and Roll! Ian Hunter was such an influence on me and that period of time for me was about having fun and I don’t see kids having too much fun anymore they are too busy shooting each other. It’s terrifying it really is, the whole world has changed so much and maybe it makes us look a little naïve when were busy trying to carry the torch for Rock and Roll and everyone else is out there trying to end the world. I don’t know what to make of any of it.
Mark: I think you have it spot on and it’s hard to see where it all started to fall apart so bad. It’s not like it was when I was a kid that’s for sure.
Lizzie: Maybe we are naïve for believing that Rock and Roll is the saviour of the whole big picture?
Mark: I’m still with you on that! The album title ‘Year of the Snake’ presumably comes from the fact that the album was recorded mainly 2013 into 2014?
Lizzie: Yes, and again it was one of those things where so much was happening with my sickness and people brining in different songs, so it ended up taking a little longer than that but we still loved the title so we’re fine with it.
Mark: Will you be playing a lot of the album at the Whisky in December?
Lizzie: We will, we pretty much play all of it except the heavy keyboard stuff ‘Over and Over’ and ‘Digital Church’ as at this point in time we don’t have a full time keyboard player for live shows. All the others will make it and who knows down the road we might even talk Billy into coming on stage with us.
Mark: It’s a great mix of guests on the record as you’ve mentioned as well as Billy and Angelo, we have Betsy from Bitch, members of Asia and Yes!
Lizzie: Yes it’s great and we knew we wanted them all and with Billy it was great to have someone like that with that background working on our material.
Mark: I love the song he plays on; it reminded me of The Sweet.
Lizzie: That’s great and we’re all huge Sweet fans and one of the highlights of our live show is when Betsy and I do ‘Ballroom Blitz’ together. She’s so good with that song and I’m a a huge Sweet fan so it’s the perfect closer. I think people are going to enjoy the Whiskey show – it will be just like it was in the 70’s. I think this material is strong enough to pull it off.
Mark: That would be cool.
Lizzie: We’ve been doing this for so long, 25 years plus that these days for us success is that we got the record made! People say to us what are you still doing Rock and Roll, why are you carrying the torch for the Hollywood scene – it’s as dead as a doornail. I say it’s only dead if you let it be that way. But if you believe in it and you enjoy it it’s still there! It’s about loving the sound of that Marshall blasting out, people having fun, decked out in fancy dress, and just having a great time and that’s what Rock and Roll is all about for me.
Mark: Yeah I agree, I think we should be past the time when people started taking themselves too seriously by now, but you still see so many bands out there that have forgotten that the essence of Rock and Roll is all about having a great time. It would be great to see that spirit back in Rock and Roll.
Lizzie: Exactly taking it too seriously means no fun!
Mark: It’s the whole getting out and seeing a live band and so many people miss out on that these days.
Lizzie: Absolutely.
Mark: As someone who has already had such a long and interesting career, what have been some of your personal highlights over the years?
Lizzie: Well I think the original London band when I first met Nikki, who was still Frank at the time, he and I hit it off so well and had such similar influences and success came so quick but for such a short space of time and then it was over, and boom! Nikki shifted gears with Motley Crue – and it was boy how did he do that!? But I was always more into the Seventies thing than the Eighties, even though the eighties was a lot of fun. For me though it’s pretty much every time I put out a record it’s a great moment for me, I love creating. So there’s no one particular defining moment other than the one thing that most people define Lizzie Grey with – in that I had a ‘Rock and Roll school for stars through the eighties’ – everyone that came anywhere near London or any of the other bands I was with ended up with a platinum album! I could get a little bitter about it, but I judge my success by just putting out and album, it doesn’t have to be platinum!
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