Q: Can you tell us about the beginnings of The Mandevilles?

A: Nick and I started off playing in different cover bands back in the day, both hoping to form an original group. He fired his singer and I joined the band. We started writing our own songs and got signed, travelled a bunch and the band evolved over the years into what it is now.

Q: Which musicians or artists have you enjoyed working with the most?

A: Daniel Lanois for the win! We’ve recorded and played shows with Daniel, he’s tremendously wise and effortlessly cool. It’s amazing to be around him. We’re currently on the road with Heart and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts which is a total trip. It’s a game changer touring with legends. Joan’s a die-hard Orioles fan just like Nick.

Q: Where have been your favourite gigs?

A: The city of Goole in the UK is in the top five for sure. We played this tiny pub and
sweated out asses off with a roomful of rock and rollers. We’ve also had the honour to
play Paradiso in Amsterdam. It’s a breathtaking place to see in the flesh.

Q: How do you see the industry evolving?

A: We’d love to see it become a better place for artists. Maybe the artist isn’t rolling in dough but they can sleep at night when they have more control.

Q: What are you most proud of in your music career?
A: Finally doing things on our own terms.

Q: Any wacky stories from the road?
A: I would have to say the time Taylor left behind his passport at a train ticket window in Belgium. He thought he needed to show it in order to buy a ticket. He realized it was missing en route to Holland, so he went back to retrieve it. The ticket concierge said he’d already sent it on the following train. Taylor turned back around to catch up to the rest of us and the passport (which we now had in our possession). When we finally reconnected, we told him they dumped his passport in the garbage.

Q: Who wears the wackiest socks?

A: All five of us have pretty extensive colourful sock collections, but you can see Brett’s the best since he’s always expecting a flood.

Q: What is the future plan for The Mandevilles?

A: Write, write, write! We’re chomping at the bit to get back in the studio.

Thanks to the Mandevilles and friends for the use of their art and words and for answering my goofy questions. This is what the CD looks like and “It’s all us on this record. There are very few tricks, no Auto-tuning of the vocals, and we’re all playing real instruments on every track,” said Pryne.  The Mandevilles have taken one giant, definitive leap for rock and roll.
For more information, visit www.heymandevilles.com.

Patrizia: Hello Mr. Zee! I want people to know that if they come with any preconceived ideas they will be shocked, that is “pleasantly shocked” or eyes wide open not unlike “a deer in the headlights” type of look!

t,rox: What’s special about attending the Friday April 4th show at the Mod Club?

Patrizia: People should do their utmost to come because first of all it is not only a show, but an event. We have taken the time and effort to make the whole evening very enjoyable for all those who are there. We want to make sure people are being entertained, moved, excited, provoked, challenged and awed . The show portion itself will be very riveting, backed by a band that includes the most seasoned rockers in Canada and an electric string quartet as I sing in many different voices – anything from Beethoven to Muse. Performing onstage with us is the brilliant Yoshi from “Rainbow Pictures” who will be manipulating the latest in visual mixes on 7 projectors in sync with a light show! In addition we will have silk aerialist, Katelyn McCulloch, bring danger to the mix. Our opening act “The Collide Project” will hauntingly begin the evening with a gentle collision of musical styles. Last but not least, we have DJ Sanga Genesis spinning the latest mash-ups and dance tunes all night. So, never a dull moment!

t.rox: What do you say to people that refer to you as “that Opera chick”?

Patrizia: I despise the label “Opera Singer” because it limits who I am as an artist. It puts me in a straight jacket and if anyone is paying attention, they will see that I am a rock artist with an operatic extension/angle/edge. I didn’t grow up with opera but with rock. I was a rock singer until I came across opera later in my life. I can do opera well but my rebellious nonconformist nature is born from a rock n’ roll spirit and not traditional opera. The reason why I am not pursuing an operatic career is because in opera you follow tradition – there is NOTHING traditional about me…always been a rebel and always will be!!!

t.rox: Awesome! That rox! Now could you please tell us about the concept of “Rock the Throne” and what it actually means to you?

Patrizia: The concept came out of the fact that I am referred to as the “Queen of Rock Opera”, I sing the song “Fury (the Queen of the night)”. Also, the connection to Queen the band. To “rock” the throne is to shake up the foundation and concept of ‘what is opera and what is rock’. It is my way of rocking their foundations by introducing a new idea and a new way of experiencing music on the concert stage. It is a general admission show but apparently there is some tiered ticket packages that get guaranteed seating and VIP access – can you provide details on the tickets and how we can purchase them? I care very much about my fans so I have provided for them by offering guaranteed seating in the VIP booth area as well as the Party Swag Bags (Vip seats, drink tickets and the new CD)

t.rox: Your Mod Club performance last year rocked and now are playing there again. What is it that makes MOD so special to you?

Patrizia: The Mod Club is my favourite club because not only it is a comfortable and beautiful venue, but it has a live concert vibe. It is huge and it has all the bells and whistles for a concert style show . I have played there so many times and it truly feels like home

t.rox: Great club! What happens after this event – what’s next for Patrizia?

Patrizia: After this event I go into the studio to record new material and I have my eyes on Asia and Germany for touring. I want to do what the 2 Cellos are doing ..keep shocking and pushing the boundaries (in an artistic sense) of course! No Myley Cyrus antics from me…LOL

t.rox: Well on that note, I’ll thank you for the chuckle and the chat! Your artistic beauty truly rox! Zee you soon Patrizia…

Patrizia: Thanks Billy! torontorox!

Hey yo! Here’s the clickables:
The facebook event page – Rock The Throne
The ticket packages available – Tickets

Ayden: When I won the Kid Mitchell Band’s guitar spot, it was awesome! I felt like I was about to cry from how excited I was and how I was going to meet Kim Mitchell and have my first real band!

t.rox: Tell us about what you guys do when you get together?

Ayden: When we get together we get right to work for our upcoming shows but we also fool around a bit and have fun all while rehearsing. Sometimes we will go out to the West Shore Bar and Grill’s Sunday Jam to practice the songs live with an audience.

t.rox: What’s in store for The Kid Mitchell Band?

Ayden: This Friday we have an opening show at Club 108! (formerly ENTEX) Then on May 16 we are opening for Kim Mitchell in Virgil, Ontario with about an hour of material. We’ll be opening for Kim again this spring so check us out on-line. The Kid Mitchell Band

t.rox: When did you start playing and when was your first live gig?

Ayden: I started fooling around with a guitar when I was around 4 years old but started taking lessons at around 9. My first gig was when I was around 7 or 8 and my dad taught me 2 really simple chords : A minor and E minor. I played rhythm and he played lead at a Sauble Beach gig.

t.rox: Other than Kim Mitchell, who are your influences?

Ayden: My influences are Slash, Randy Roads, Jake E Lee, Earl Johnson, Joe Satriani, my Dad and Kim, of course!

t.rox: Awesome, Ayden! Thanks for talking to torontorox! See you this weekend!

Ayden: Sure thing, Billy! Thanks!

t.rox: Check out Kim at Q talking about the Kids and introducing their video of Rock N Roll Duty

t.rox: What drew you to music and keeps you motivated?

MWA: The Simpsons really introduced me to music if you can believe it. Lisa’s sax playing, its tone and soulful vibe stirred something in me to pick up the sax when I was 10. I truly loved playing and played jazz, swing and classical music in stage bands up until I was about 15. The sound of the sax got my attention but being able to express myself is what got me hooked. I started writing when I was 10, nothing elaborate of course, but the compositions were mine. I wanted to be good so studied, practiced, performed and wrote, always taking risks and pushing the envelop.

t.rox: Jazz, swing and classical started you. So, how did you end up playing metal?

MWA: That’s funny man but I could never have stayed with just those 3 genres. When you go to school everyone learns the alphabet, then words, then sentences etc. Can you imagine if everyone was stuck in a phrase? Music is a language and being illiterate isn’t for me. I bumped into a guitar when I was 14. That first encounter with the ax was like a jolt of lightning tearing through my veins. It introduced me to an unbelievable number of possibilities, so many more than the sax offered. I studied rock and metal right out of the gate. A lot of people play piano then switch to guitar. By chance or maybe divine intervention I chose the sax and because of that choice I learned to play single note melodies which I transposed to the guitar. The move to guitar was a natural progression for me with a ton more possibilities. Besides hard rock and heavy metal are aggressive music genres that allow me to let my inner wild man loose both creatively and performance wise. After a show its like I just had a heavy metal work out. Its exhilarating.

t.rox: Who are your major influences?

MWA: I think that swing and classical are a huge part of me. So I’d have to say Benny Goodman, Mozart, Bach and Paganini really etched a notch in my soul. The guitar players that really influenced both my playing and writing are Jeff Beck, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Malmsteen, Satriani, Mick Mars (I think this guy is under recognized) and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Also, I was really interested in electronic music for awhile and I’d have to add Deadmau5 as well a Knife Party. But in reality I’ve studied so many more artists and genres because of my education at Berklee as well as my own curiosity.

t.rox: What was the motivation to choose Berklee College of Music?

MWA: Now this is a good question man. Get this one. On June 6, 2006 (666) I was offered my first record deal. While I was reading the contract inside with my parents, the deck on the side of our house was burning like a bat outta Hell. A lady who was passing by came to the door and asked if “we knew that our deck was on fire”. When the smoke cleared there wasn’t that much damage but I was on my way to Berklee and not the road. I chose Berklee because I knew that I had to go to a school that focused on guitar, on lots of genres and had great teachers. I really didn’t want to because the road looked more attractive at the time. I was 17. But my parents took me to LA to talk with another label that was interested in me. It was a small but killer label and the guy who owned it, its since folded, told me it would be smarter for me to hit the books instead of the bricks. He was right.

t.rox: After Berklee you moved to LA and then NYC. What happened there?

MWA: I always wanted to live in California. I cut my teeth on Van Halen, Motely Crue, Ratt, Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot), Skid Row and pretty much every other band that hung out on The Sunset Strip and played The Whisky. So after Boston I moved to LA and interned at Capitol Studios. My first day on the job I met Ringo Starr who was in town to get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Its all true about Ringo, he’s a really cool dude. I mean totally cool. Also, I played a lot in SoCal (lots at The Whisky because the booking agent really liked me), wrote/recorded 2 CD’s and finally got an agent through my entertainment lawyer. The agent was in NYC so I moved there but he wasn’t all he was advertised to be.

t.rox: How did MWA evolve?

MWA: Men Without Armies was born because I was sick and tired of being marginalized for my guitar playing. I performed as a solo artist for a few years, fusing rock, metal and neoclassical guitar to techno, dubstep and industrial. I captured fans on the fringe of the metal scene and those on the edge of the heavy electronic scene but not fans from both scenes as I had hoped. So in Fall/13 I advertised on Craigslist and got bass player and vocalist Bill Davis and drummer Roger Winter. I must have been lucky because we really clicked. I write all the music and Dude Diablo, a friend of mine, writes the lyrics.

t.rox: Where did the name come from and does it have a special meaning?

MWA: I wanted a name that first and foremost would resonate with people and secondly meant something to me. After spending a couple of weeks going over about 300 – 400 names I chose MWA because it really meant something to me and friends liked it. MWA to me means standing along, being your own person and walking your own path without the need of a posse to get you through. Also, I pictured 50,000 rabid metal fans chanting “MWA”. That sealed it. I like to think big what can I say.

t.rox: You are moving back to Canada. What does the future hold for MWA?

MWA: Yes, I’m moving to Toronto at the end of this month and the first thing I need to do is get another band together. I’m Canadian but both Bill and Roger are American so I’m getting that organized now. I’m shopping the EP to labels but who knows what will happen there. The only thing I’m sure about is Men Without Armies will be performing around Toronto this spring.

Steve: Second Pass are: Yours truly, Steve Pass on Guitar; Andrew Buntain plays Bass; Rich Rizzo on kit; and the very lovely and talented Veronica McNamee front and centre on vocals. Andrew and I started the band in 2008. It was an on and off project for about two years with several different lineup changes highlighted by the recording of an EP.

Andrew: After launching the EP, the vocalist and the drummer bailed. We didn’t want to give up on the band because we knew we had a good thing going. So, I invited Rich to join us on drums. I had played with Rich in a prog rock band before and knew he’d be a good fit.

Steve: We continued jamming, but as tends to happen when things aren’t perfect, we went on hiatus. Meanwhile, we continued our search for a vocalist. It took about two years to find perfection. I was playing with a blues group when Veronica McNamee walked in. I was so blown away I begged Veronica to do “just one” gig. Veronica’s first jam was on January 22, 2013.

Veronica: Yep. January 22nd. Something happened in that jam session. It was unreal. We just gelled. It was as if we had been playing together forever. The connection was immediate and just perfect.

Rich: Since Veronica joined, we recorded a kick-ass EP called
“Fragments” in August 2013; performed on a lot of stages; and began
getting radio play in Australia, Bolivia, Argentina, and Spain.

t.rox: How would you describe Second Pass’ sound?

Steve: We’ve described ourselves as Dirt Rock – Down and dirty, hard rock. It’s funny, really. We’ve received so much feedback since the release of “Fragments”. We’ve been told that we remind people of the great 1970’s arena rock bands. Others have said 1980’s metal and others have said the 1990’s Seattle Grunge bands. We think it’s great that we have a different effect on different listeners! Ultimately we are deeply influenced by all of those eras, but we don’t think we sound like anything other than hard rock.

t.rox: Tell us a little more about your musical influences?

Steve: Each of us brought our own unique background to the band. I have hard rock influences in my guitar work, but also have a deep love of the blues. Andrew began in jazz and funk genres to go with his love of hard rock. Rich played with various bands from metal to progressive rock…but his passion is prog rock. Veronica is widely diverse, but has sung a lot of jazz in South America.

t.rox: What was your craziest gig?

Veronica: We’ve had a few, but destroyed most of the evidence. One
night we ended up playing at 1 a.m. on a Sunday night. We figured
nobody was going to show up but we “thrive on live” so we said yes. As it turned out, the bar was packed and rocking. Sorry I can’t divulge any more details but it was just an epic night.

t.rox: What’s up next for the band?

Veronica: We have some live performances coming up that we are very
excited about. We are currently working on a music video for our song “Biting My Tongue” in collaboration with the Bolivian filmmaker, Jesus Villca Madeni. We are also looking forward to returning to the studio with some new songs. 2014 looks like it’s shaping up to be an exciting year.

t.rox: Blow the roof off Lee’s, okay?

Andrew: Yes! Thursday February 13th 2014. First band starts at 9 and we’re on at 10. It will most definitely rock! photos: b!||yzee

t.rox: Good to hear it! So tell me a little bit about the band, who you are, and a little about your sound.
EB: Well we’re a four piece straight ahead rock n’ roll band. We’ve been going strong since 2009.
FM: Sound wise, we are just straight for the gut rock n’ roll and we cover the full spectrum, hard rock, classic rock, pop-rock and even some sensitive ballads thrown in!
EB: Yeah the main thing for us is that it’s organic and real. We pride ourselves on our live shows and in the studio we try replicate that ‘live off the floor’ sound.

t.rox: Yes, that really comes across in your 2012 debut album “Before There Was No After” which really plays like an honest ‘working man’s’ rock album. Now you also released a single this summer “Coconut Day”, and that’s a completely different sound!
EB: [laughs] …Yeah we had a lot of fun with that. It’s our first ever ukulele based song, and it’s a very ‘Hawaiian’ inspired tune …and yes it’s definitely different!
FM: Yeah and that’s the cool thing, we don’t try to limit ourselves to a single genre …whatever comes out musically, we just go with it!

t.rox: And you’ve also released a Christmas song!
FM: Yes! “Home for Christmas” …we wrote that late last year and we did a YouTube video of Eric and I singing acoustically. We got a lot of great feedback on it so we decided to record it with the full band.
EB: …and it turned out great we couldn’t be happier, and again the response and feedback from fans has been fantastic!

t.rox: And can we expect more new music Shattervox in the new year!
EB: Absolutely. We’re currently working hard on our follow up album. We’re spending a lot of time writing and recording. We’ve got ten new songs in the works, and it’s sounding really great!
FM: Yeah, we are really expanding our sound and taking it to the next level on this project. We’re very excited.

t.rox: So tell me about your upcoming show …it must be a thrill to be back at the El Mocambo!
FM: Yeah it really is …It’s a special feeling being on the same stage where historic acts like the Stones and Stevie Ray Vaughan have performed…
t.rox: …and Shattervox!
EB: Yes! And we’ve got a great show planned. We’ve got a great show planned. We’ll playing lots of new material from the upcoming album, as well as some brand new songs we’ve just written and will be debuting for the first time ever! We also have a great opening act “The David McFarlane Band”, and I just love their sound. So we’re pumped! …and not to mention our illustrious emcee Billy Zee!
FM: Yeah, and it’s an all ages show, so my daughter’s going to be there and she’ll see Daddy rocking out for the first time ever! A lot of our friends are bringing the kids to hopefully spark a lifetime love of rock n’ roll!

t.rox: Great! Start them early! Hey thanks a lot for your time guys …I’m looking forward to it!
EB: Thank you Billy …We’re huge torontorox supporters and we can’t thank you enough for your support!
FM: Thanks Billy, and thanks to all the fans!