BILLY ROWE OF JETBOY
By: Scott Redeker
Who was responsible for the release of the new cd?
Myself was responsible for this release.
Why was it released now instead of an earlier date?
This recording took place when we signed with Elektra Rec
and were all the songs we were playing for that time and was used for sending
to producers for our debut. So this was never meant for release, but I always
felt was a great a magical moment for Jetboy. And I kept the masters!
Will JETBOY get back together for some shows or a new cd?
We all have been talking since I released this and there is
talk about a few reunion shows, when I‘m not sure. As being a band again, NO!
Where did the new songs come from and why weren’t they used
on previous releases.
These songs are all pre “Feel The Shake” so they are old songs
that we played the first two years of our career. By the time we did “Feel The
Shake” we had a whole new slew of songs so only three from this made our debut
Were the songs worked on or touched up for the cd or are they
as they were originally recorded.
They are pretty much as recorded. All I did was do a little
mastering to it but not much.
Will there be any other released like a cd with new material
or a live video? I would love to hear MAKE SOME NOISE live.
There are about 10 or 15 unreleased tracks from the end of
the Jetboy career and the second demo which is before this release (A DAY IN THE
GLAMOUROUS LIFE). As for LIVE, all there is are video’s mostly from our 1st tour
“Feel The Shake” and Make Some Noise is in there.
What has everyone been up to since JETBOY stopped recording.
Since the end of Jetboy which was 1993, Sam Yaffa is still
doing music and I have a new band AMERICAN HEARTBREAK. As for Fernie, Ron and
Mickey, they don’t do music except Fernie still plays. But not pursuing it like
before.
How many copies of the first 2 cds were sold?
“Feel The Shake” and “Damned Nation” sold about 200 thousand
copies and 20 thousand in Japan.
What are some bands that you listen to now?
The Wildhearts, Backyard Babies, Swingin Utters, Hellacopters,
D-Generation
What do you think caused the lyrics and music to change over
the years? Lyrics used to be about fun things like parties and girls.
The band was just growing and we just kinda changed from a
real Glam-Punk thing to more a AC/DC hard rock blues thing. (weird) (It was all
fun though)
In the July issue of Metal Edge there is a story on COAL CHAMBER
written by Paul Gargano. Can you comment on a few lines from the article. “We
always say that we don’t have fans, we have friends. We hang out, you can always
catch us at the bar after the show. We’re not like these reclusive rock star
idiots. I think thats the attraction, we’re all just down to earth and don’t
want to be big rock stars, we just want to make a little bit of money and a
little bit of good music for people.” the frontman explains of his bands success.
“You know what it is? Remember in the late ‘80s, all those f*ckin hair bands
that used to do the big stage, a lot of pyro, limos? You know what? It wasn’t
reality.It wasn’t their real music and their real f*ckin feelings. You take
a band like Korn, or a band like us, and your getting real emotion and real,
heartfelt, down to earth things.”
First off, who fuckin cares what he thinks. But thats his
opinion. I was part of that 80’s thing but we never made it big enough for limos,
pyro. The bands I believe he is talking about (no names) were selling 3 to 5 million
records. Its like a whole other world. Enough said!
What was the best show and your favorite place to play while
in JETBOY?
My favorite time was with Cheap Trick in Denver Colorado and
we jammed “He’s A Whore” with them. It was amazing.
What was the your favorite group you have played with on tour?
Cheap Trick
If you could tour with any band at any time, who and when would
it be?
Any year tour with KISS