:: INTERVIEW TO JAN KUEHNEMUND FROM VIXEN - versione italiana

So, what driver you to come back “on the road”?
"New" band, new records being released this year (Studio & Live) and it's what I love to do!!

It’s clear that your line-up is changed...Could you introduce us the new members of the band?
The members since 2001 are: Jenna Sanz-Agero-lead vocals, Kat Kraft-drums, and Lynn Louise Lowrey-bass.

What do “the ex-Vixen” do today? Are you still in touch with ‘em? I am in touch with them occassionally...I just hung out with Roxy at the Rainbow in Hollywood about a month ago, along with Jenna, & Chris our keyboard player also! I email Janet & Share from time to time too...

In the last months you came in Europe to play several shows together with Girlschool. Are you satisfied about the results you obtained from this tour? It’s been a long time since you came here...
We had a blast!!! We can't wait to come back!! Girlschool was a fun band to tour with!!

How did your audience react by seeing you again? Do you think you gained more fans?
Yes, hopefully we gained many more new fans!! I would say every audience was really receptive to the new band!!

What things could have Vixen and Girlschool in common, besides the fact that you both are “all female rock bands”?
That’s a tough question!

I’d like to make a jump back in your career, tell me about your “first days”; was it a hard thing to find right people to buil the band? It has always been a rare thing to see an all female band in hard rock/heavy metal scene...
My first band was composed of all of my best friends, and that was easy because we were (and still are ) great friends and we had the same dream and the same goals, and mutual respect for each other, and we were a real "team". It became a little more difficult when, one by one, the very first original members left for different reasons, and they had to be replaced by new members , who were not necessarily "friends" at first, so it really started to change the dynamic of the band. As for the new lineup, we have already become great friends, and the chemistry we have is really wonderful and amazing, and the musician part works perfectly too, and I couldn't have asked for any better combination of friendship and musicianship!!!

You were, and you are still today very beautiful girls; but was there competition between the members of the band or you were true friends?
Haha - you are very sweet, and thank you for the compliment!!
With the original band, we were friends first, and then musicians...with the later lineup(s) we were musicains fullflling a necessary place in the band first, and then we became friends later.

Then, here’s your first album, and I remember that you had very famous songwriter, like Marcy Levy, Fee Waybill, Jon Butcher and above all Jeff Paris and Richard Marx. How was determinating for you the fact that your management wanted absolutely an album for radio and top-tens? I think, several songs are less spontaneus...
Well, it was our first record, and we thought we should listen to the advice of our mgmt., producers, record company, and it turned out it was pretty good advice, since we were able to have a couple of hit songs written for us from those talented songwriters you mentioned! Since it was our first record, and you don't get "many chances" in this business, we thought it was a good way to start our record career!

I knew you when you played with Scorpions in tour. What do you remember about that period?
Playing on tour with the Scorpions, was our first tour to play large arenas, our first tour in Europe, and the Scorpions were sooo wonderful to us, and we learned alot just from watching them every night on stage!! It is a period in time I will always cherish, and have the greatest memories from (and pictures too!)!!! It was also in the middle of that tour, while we were in France, that we found out our first album had gone GOLD in the US!!!! I will never forget that night!!

By the way Rev It Up drives you to the top of your career. What do you think about that album?
We had alot more control on this album, as far as songs, and the recording process, etc., than we did on the first album... One of my fondest memories from Rev It Up, is working with Dennis MacKay, who engineered Rev It Up, and was there for the entire recording. I sought him out to work with the new band, and he just finished producing & engineering our NEW record, "Live & Learn"!!! Dennis is SUCH a pleasure to work with and he is soooo talented and charming, and I can't say enough wonderful things about him!!!

What happened then? Why Vixen’s career stopped?
Musical differences, "future goal" differences, etc...and we just couldn't seem to keep the band together...

With Tangerine in ’98 Vixen came back, but you were no more in the band... you were not sure to come back with ‘em?
I was not asked to be part of Tangerine. I found out Janet & Roxy were doing a record without me (and without Share), through a friend who heard about it on the Internet...

Can you tell your fans what will they expect from your next album...
Our new record, "Live & Learn", is a combination of some heavy, + melodic songs that rock!!

Would you like to say something more?
We look forward to coming back to Europe sooon, and hope to see you all in Italy!!!!!!!!! Much love, & Peace & ROCK & ROLL!!!!
Love, Jan

R

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