INTERVIEW WITH
Ralph Saenz
of

 By: Scott Redeker

 How long have the Atomic Punks been performing?
  6 1/2 years

 How would you describe a Atomic Punks show?
 Explosive, powerful and fun...Lots of fun..It's Van HAlen's music.. if you play it right it tears your fucking head off.

 How do you pick a set list for the shows?
 We have a master set list and 10 minutes before we go on we create a 20 song  set.All the venues we play we perform  there once a month so we change it from show to show.. It stays fresh and exciting for the audience.

 Are there any songs you refuse to play?
 No

 Will the Atomics Punks ever do a full tour acoss the U.S.?
 Looking at next summer.

 What is your favorite Van Halen song?
 Dont have one, I love them all. However I love to perform Unchained and I'm the One.

 What about your favorite Van Halen CD?
 I think Van Halen 2 is awesome but the again Fair Warning rules..  Van Halen one kicks ass..Women and Children First is so Live.. I dont have a Favorite Van Halen Record. I love them all.

 Is there any song you dislike from Van Halen?
 NOpe

What is your favorite Van Halen tour?
Fair Warning

 Will you be recording with the Atomic Punks?
 Yes

What kind of cd will it be? Live? Re-recorded Van Halen Songs?
 A Studio recorded Heavy Fucking Metal cd dude

 If you did, would it be a live cd or something unrelated to Van Halen?
 The Atomic Punks are all about Van Halen, and only Van Halen..

 Whose idea was it to record the Van Halen dance CD?
The Record Company that hired Bart and I to record it..

 Do you think it was a good idea?
Yes I think it was a great idea that never really ended up like the great idea it   sounded like it was going to be.

 I heard two incredible songs with you and Doug Aldrich. I think they were called "Back Off" (MP3)  and "Give It"(MP3).
 Any plans to record more with Doug? Will these songs ever get released?
 Thank you.  I like them too. Doug and I wrote those in a week.Doug and I recorded those for a management firm that was going to pass them on to Sony Records..  Doug at the time and still is under contract with a label in Japan and was unable to continue..
 

 Any other projects besides the Punks?
 I Work with a band called "Metalshop" This is a comedy show about late 80's metal/Hairbands...We perform every Monday night at Johnny Depps place the Viper room on Sunset in Hollywood. Russ Parrish plays guitar and is amazingly
hilarious.

What kinds of songs does "Metalshop" play?
All Heavy Metal from the Mid To Late 80's Dokken/White Lion/Cinderella/Whitesnake/ACDC/ Warrant/ Gun & Roses ect...

What makes it a comedy show? How would you describe it?
 Spinal Tapp on Cocaine, but the band can play really good

 What cds do you like to listen to?
 Right now VH bootlegs/ recordings of our own shows / Kid Rock/Buckcherry/GNR/The Ducks. In L.A. there is no Metal Radio. This really sucks.. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you like to see a Van Halen reunion? Or do you think the legend of  Van Halen should be left as it is.
 They are the Legend. I would love to see them together again... When you are a true fan of somebody it dosent matter. I went and saw them with Gary.. I totally ejoyed the show.. I went and saw Dave and enjoyed seeing Dave... Believe me when they are together on stage after about 10 shows or so LOOK the FUCK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! because they will kick your ass. Man this VAN FUCKING HALEN we are talkign about here!

 Would you rather see Van Halen do a tour or record a new cd first?
I would like to see them go out and play for a while together.. Then go write.. But then again what happens if they fight and  the tour ends? then we dont get a record.. I dont fucking know man.

 Do you think they can put on a show with the same energy they did in the past?
Hell yea.. Dave is totally healty and in great shape.

 Have you seen any other Van Halen tribute bands?
 No not in person

 Are you still doing the disco tribute band?
 Yes every Thursday at the Bitter End/Downtown Sand Diego.

 You sang songs on the L.A. Guns cd "Wasted" and also had a few live tracks  on the Killing Machine cd. Do you still talk to Tracii or any other members  of L.A. Guns?
 Yes I had dinner with Tracii and I see them out when I go to see other bands play..

 How did the live songs "Sex Action" and "Ain't Talking About Love" end up on the Killing Machine cd?
 They didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the songs.
 Tracii added them to the tracks because the label wanted it.

 I read great reviews of the L.A. Guns show while you were in the band. Then  the new CD came out and you were out of the band. What happened? It seemed  like pretty bad timing.
 They always say:  "timming is everything"  as you know sometimes labels take their sweet ass time releaseing records. While the band is out on the road starving waiting for the record to be released the label is fucking the band with the release date. I must have told 30 shows that we had a record coming out on a certian date.. When we came back to those same shows the record still had not been released.. L.A.Guns was one of the best bands I had ever been in.. Tracii and Steve became very closes friend of mine..The problem was not the band but the music industry.. No one would even give us the time of day. They wanted Phil the original singer back in the band. That's why we ended up on a small label with no official release date.. At the time it was a drastic move but now everything is they was it should be with L.A. Guns.. Phil is the man for the job.

Are you glad you joined L.A. Guns or do you regret it?
 Hell yes I am glad they gave me the opprotunity to be the singer of that band.. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Steve and Tracii taught me soooo much out there on the road.. They gave me the chance to play in front of 15,000 people.. A Dream come true. I miss those guys..

Final words:
For people that may come out to check out an Atomic Punks show. One thing that is important to us is that no one leaves the venue thinking we think we are Van Halen.
WE DONT THINK WE ARE VAN HALEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
We love vintage Van Halen and we enjoy paying tribute  to the worlds best band ever! Come join the party man....