RYAN ROXIE INTERVIEW TO KOSTAS SAVAS
AUGUST 2009
PART 1

 

Hello roxie how ya doing????first of all personally i would like to tell u how excited and pleased i am with the new album ''Two Sides To Every Story''so far.

Thanks man, I'm excited about putting out this album as well, especially because I'm able to market and promote it in the way I want to. For example, I get to “give” songs away with the use of the “Conscience-FREE Download (C.F.D.)” and I'm able to “Split the Profits (S.T.P.)” of all the sales of the record with charity....it's a good situation for EVERYONE involved and I'm very impressed with the generousity of the Roxie 77 fans...!

So tell us about it...how did u do it this time?their two sides cause u are telling the story in two different ways
i mean two versions of each song?normal and acoustic


I came up with the concept of 'Two Sides' awhile back, because of what I was going through in my personal life, I started to see clearly that there are always at least two sides to every argument, two sides to every situation...doesn't always mean one is good and the other is bad...just means that there are different ways of looking at things...and I thought I might be able to apply that to my songs...different ways of hearing my songs....so hopefully people will have their favorite 'version' of my songs, but appreciate both versions.

Was it a fun adventure to record this album?i mean i saw u used different places to record your guitar parts haha we all saw the kitchen video!!!

I always say, 'If it's going all to hell, you might as well enjoy the ride!', so yeah...the whole process of recording and promoting the album is one great big adventure. I especially love the different types of instuments we've been able to add on this record.. There are horns, violins, mandolins, harmonicas and more instruments featured, and if you listen very closely, our producer (Johan Harrysson) even played a real HARP on the intro to Smell the Coffee...


Did u work with all the guys in happypill?

Yes, basically the name-change 'back' to Roxie 77 for us signified a new beginning here in Sweden (where we are based), plus a return to a familiar name outside of Sweden that people who have followed my career could easily recognize. The rest of the guys besides myself should all be mentioned here, because they make up such a huge part of the sound that we are now refering to as Roxie 77 (version 2.0)!...They are all great Swedish musicians that all deserve to be 'googled' and made friends with on facebook.. ha!..and heeeere they are-

Anton Körberg Drums, B. Vocals
Magnus Wikstöm Bass Guitars, B. Vocals
Eric Rydman Guitars/Piano, B. Vocals
 

What is your process of writing a song? Dose this process come easy to you?

The process always differs slightly...sometimes the guitar riff comes into my head first and I build the lyrics around that...but other times a catchy phrase or vocal melody comes first and then I use the guitar to build around the words...and then sometimes...and these are the times I fear most..... NOTHING comes at all!....but then all of a sudden maybe a few songs come very quickly in a creative spurt....and those are the GOOD times!

At what age did you get your first guitar? And when you learned to play, how did you get involved in the music industry to become who you are today?
Is there any advise you can give to any aspiring musicians who look to follow in your footsteps?


Even though I was playing guitar at the age of five, I didn't start to take it "seriously" until I was around seven years old or so...sounds funny now, because at 7, my heroes were pretty much the Jackson 5 (Michaels 'first' band!) and The Partridge Family (a T.V. show band consisting of good looking actors and poster idols)...but I knew as I kept staring at the posters on my wall..'that's what I want to do'....I kept 'imagining my reality'...which is something I still do to this day...
'Imagine Your Reality'....it's good advice and almost was going to be the title of the latest R77 album if the "Two Sides" concept hadn't stumbled it's way into my brain....

When did u start singing?realized that hey i think i can sing pretty good? cause your voice is just amazing feels like u are always singing straight from your heart

I have always been a singer since my 'first' band when I was 9 years old...'the Stratocasters'....but it was because I always felt that I HAD to sing because we couldn't ever seem to find the perfect 'lead singer' or even someone that just sang and wasn't crazy...so basically I always thought that I was a singer by default UNTIL I moved to Sweden and said to myself, 'no one knows who you are here...you no longer have to be a 'singer by default'...you ARE a singer...and no one is going to be able to sing your own songs that are closest to your heart better then you yourself'....so from that day on, I considered myself a good singer...and someone that should be listened to.
I always tell people that there is a 'lead singer' living inside each and everyone of them....as long as they sing with conviction and true feeling, it doesn't really matter if it's off key here or there...the best singers I know have 'style', not just a pretty voice...

In your new album- Two Sides To Every Story, do the song lyrics come from your personal life experiences, or are they just thoughts you come up with?

Oh...it's personal, I can promise you that!...Some of these songs are more like my therapy....

Is there one particular song from your present or past albums that has sedimental meaning to you? And, why if so?

There is a 2 minute acoustic song that I released on this record called "So I Thought"...and I almost always tear-up when I play it...especially in the 2nd verse....I wrote it right around the time that I was separating from my wife, but we we're still on a vacation together with the kids...and for some reason this song just came into my head...and put everything into perspective...it really is a bit of a mind bender, this thing called life! so simple sometimes....so complicated at others...

It was so cute to see your kids in the studio helping out their dad that was awesome!! do you see them wanting to follow in your footsteps in the future?
do they ever mention this to you? and, what are your feelings about this if they were interested


I never had the opportunity to "hang out" in recording studios, rehearsal rooms, or back stages when I was a kid... but hey, I STILL ended up doing what I dreamed about doing in life. All I hope for is that IF they decide to pursue music as a way of life, that they will feel very comfortable in the surroundings of creative people and a rock n' roll lifestyle.

I never 'push' them to play or sing...I'm just thinking that if they are surrounded by music in a way where they don't feel they HAVE to play, but it's always around them if they want to, it will be natural for them to gravitate towards it, but to be honest...I wouldn't care what career either of them would decide to choose...as long as they pursue and enjoy it with the same passion and joy that I have tried to pursue my job with. I love those two little ones so much, I will support them with most probably anything they decide to go for!

come on by www.Roxie77.com and see what all this talk is about...the site is set up so that it is pretty easy to get to all the 'familiar' sites you are used to viewing such as YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, and Bandcamp. Listen, Watch, Download, and enjoy the noise....!

END OF PART 1......

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Photo Credits:
Johan Alberg
Stefan Adolfsson
Thomas Mead

Links:
Anton Körberg - myspace.com Link
Magnus Wikstöm - myspace.com Link
Eric Rydman - facebook.com Link

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