Interview by On The Rocks.
First of all: Congratulations for your great new album "Standing on the shoulders....". I think it's another big step forward for TRIBE OF GYPSIES. How satisfied are you with the new album?
“Thanks for the compliment. It's definitely a step forward for us I think and I am happy with how it turned out. We managed to cover a lot of ground on 'Standing.' but I think there's still a flow to it all and the album does not sound disjointed.”
In comparsion to the first two albums, "Revolucion 13" and "Standing on..." are less heavy and move into a more poppy direction. How do you think about that and did you plan this new style or was it a natural change?
“Yeah, I guess 'Standing.' is a bit more pop-oriented for lack of a better term than 'Revolucion 13' was. It was a conscious decision on our part to try to be a bit more accessible with this new album. 'Rev13' had all these long epic songs, which is what we wanted to do at the time. At first, we were even thinking about doing an instrumental album with 'Rev13' because we didn't have a singer when we wrote those songs, so we didn't worry to much about how long the songs were. When it came time to write the new album we went for more of a song-oriented approach if you want to call it that. The other thing with the Tribe is - we are trying to keep things fresh and challenge ourselves. You'll never hear the same record from us twice. In fact, our next album will probably be heavier again.”
How did you find the title for your new album and what is the meaning behind it?
“The title is actually part of a quote attributed to Isaac Newton, the famous 17th Century British scientist. The words 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants' are also engraved on the British 2 pound coin, which is where we got the idea from. Actually, our manager, Merck Mercuriadis, suggested it to me when we were looking for an album title. The original album title was gonna be 'Designed For Life' but then we found out that there were a couple of albums out there with similar titles, so we scrapped that idea. That's when we came up with 'Standing on the Shoulders of Two Giants', which we then shorted to 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.'”
Did you know, that the Brit-Poppers OASIS plan to entitled their next album "Standing on the shoulders of a giant"? Ain't it a pity?
“Yeah, it's pretty unfortunate that they hit on the same thing at the same time even though we had the title first. 'Standing.' was originally supposed to be out back in August in Japan but ended up getting pushed back a couple of times for different reasons. Our fans know that we didn't steal the title from Oasis, but it may look that way to much of the world because Oasis' album will be out worldwide before we get a European release. We've thought about it and came to thge conclusion that it would be best to change the title for all the other territories.”
Just a personal question that suddenly crossed my mind: What means the "Z" of your name? Zorro!?
“Zorro, huh - that's pretty funny! Actually, the story how I came to be Roy Z is pretty simply. My real last name is Ramirez, but back in the 80's it wasn't really all that cool to have an ethnic last name, so I flipped it around and it became 'Zerimar'. Eventually, people just started abbreviating it for convenience sake's and called me 'Z', and it stuck.”
I think that the time couldn't be more perfect for a new TOG album: Latin pop is storming the charts and SANTANA's successful comeback is simply unbelievable. How do you think about that?
“I think it is pretty incredible that Santana have made a comeback of that magnitude and it's great to see Latin music making inroads and finding acceptance with the mainstream. You would think that a band like the Tribe would be a shoe-in for a major deal at this point because we are basically what's happening right now. Unfortunately, and as hard to believe as it sounds, none of the majors are beating down our door. Sanctuary shopped the album to some of the majors months ago and got turned down by everyone! We did a string of shows late last year and had a few label people come out but nothing came of it.”
What do you think about SANTANA's "Supernatural"?
“I think it's a very good album. I mean, I'll always prefer the first 3 or 4 Santana records because those are the classics, but it was a great idea on Clive Davis' part to hook up Carlos with all those different writers and artists. It's what he needed to do to appeal beyond his core audience and obviously it's worked incredibly well. Hopefully it'll help open doors for Latin rock and bands like us will benefit from it.”
Do you know the ABRAXAS POOL album Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie recorded some years ago? What do you think about it? I simply love it.
“It's a good record even though the Latin influence isn't very prevalent compared to the Santana stuff, especially the early stuff which Schon, and Rolie and Michael Shrieve were part of. Maybe they should re-release it or do another Abraxas Pool album now that Santana is so commercially successful. Although - those guys are probably busy with Journey right now.”
On the other hand some people could impute you to jump on a new trend, coz they don't know about the long history of TOG. Are you afraid that this could happen to you?
“No, not really. It may actually help us if we look like a brand new band in the eyes of these labels. A&R's tend to think there's something wrong with you if you have 3, 4 albums out and nothing big has happened yet, so it may actually work in our favor if they think we are new. They can think we are jumping on the bandwagon for all I care, even though nothing could be further from the truth, as long as they take an interest in the band.”
I must be true when I say, that I'm a little bit missing the unique voice of Dean Ortega. Don't understand me wrong, I like Gregg Analla´s voice (especially on the new album), but I think Dean's voice had something more special. How do you think about that? Why did Dean leave the band and do you know what he is doing today?
“I have not talked to Dean since he was asked to leave the band in early '98. We didn't exactly part as friends although I really have no animosity toward him. He on the other hand still seems to be very bitter about the whole thing from what I've heard through mutual friends - maybe because his band, Revolution Child, doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Dean really has himself to blame though. He decided that he wanted a different manager while the band was gonna still be with Sanctuary; he pretty much refused to ever sing in Spanish, which was something we had discussed and are still considering for a future album. Dean is and was a great singer and I would never take anything away from him in that regard, but it just wasn't working out anymore on a personal and also a business level, which affected the creative aspect, too, so we cut our losses. I think we were incredibly lucky to find Gregg who is not only a great singer and a great frontman, but also very easy to get along and work with, which wasn't always the case with Dean. So in my opinion it's all worked out for the best.”
I think, that Gregg's voice has really increased since "Revolucion 13". He sounds more mature now! How do you think about that?
“I think Gregg's performance on 'Standing.' is top notch. If he sounds more mature to you it's probably because he's had time to adjust to the Tribe and grow into the situation. You've gotta to remember that 'Revolucion 13' was already written and recorded when Gregg joined and all he could do is add his lyrics and vocals. He went from doing Queensryche-type metal to doing Latin rock, which required a totally different style of singing, almost overnight. The Tribe are basically a band whose sound is rooted in rock and hard rock band rather than metal, so that required some adjusting on Gregg's part. I think he feels more comfortable now singing Latin rock and it's only natural that he is exploring different aspects of his voice and growing as a singer.“
Is Gregg still singing for SEVENTHSIGN?
“No, SEVENTHSIGN are no longer active although Gregg has mentioned they may do another record down the line. I think we were lucky in a sense that Seventhsign did break up because Gregg may have never accepted our offer to join otherwise. He was actually the very first guy we had in mind when the Tribe first came together. Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records recommended him to me after his band, 9.0, had broken up. But by the time we tracked Gregg down, he had already moved back to New Mexico and started Seventhsign and wasn't interested in moving back to L.A. because the whole experience had left a sour taste in his mouth.”
When my information is correct, then TOG have a new bass player!? Why this?
“That's correct. We let Eddie Casillas go in early 1999 because things just weren't working out anymore with him in the band. Its like, if we're not making money with this Tribe thing - at least I want to have fun, and that wasn't the case anymore before we made the change. Our current bass player is Juan Perez from Kkleq Muzzil and Civil Defiance. Juan is a great player and everybody in the band loves playing with him. He actually filled in for Eddie when he and Dave (Ingraham) were touring Europe with Bruce for 'The Chemical Wedding' in late '98, and once we let Eddie go we knew Juan would be the perfect guy.”
On "Standing on..." you have been working Richie Podolor and Bill Cooper (Steppenwolf). How did this come cooperation come together?
“We have known Richie and Bill for years - ever since we recorded at American, which is their studio, for the first album and 'Nothing Lasts Forever'. I've also done work there with some of the other bands I've produced, like Downset and more recently, Rob Rock. It just made sense to have them get involved because they have a natural understanding what a band like the Tribe is all about. Our music is rooted in the classic rock sound of the 70's and Richie and Bill have been part of a lot of classic stuff from that era. We had three more songs we wanted to do for 'Standing.', which was originally supposed to be an EP only, and it seemed like a good opportunity to cut those tracks with Richie and Bill. They are great to work with although we were under considerable pressure. We basically wrote those songs, 'Rays of The Sun', 'Admit It', and 'Don't Bother Me', in the studio, arranged them, Gregg wrote the lyrics, and then we cut most of it live with minimal overdubs.”
"The Flower" was co-written by Bruce Dickinson - that's unbelievable! The song shows absolutely no parallels for what Bruce is known for as songwriter for IRON MAIDEN or his solo career!?
“Bruce appreciates all kinds of different music and he is a lot more diverse as a musician than most people think. 'The Flower' was actually not a 50/50 co-write - I had the music and most of the lyrics pretty much written, but Bruce helped me out with the vocal melodies, especially in the chorus, so he deserved to be credited.”
You did a cover of "Parisienne Walkways" on the new album. I think, that's a real unusual choice, coz the song comes from a totally different musical direction! Why did you cover this song?
“First of all, I am a huge Thin Lizzy and Gary Moore fan. I don't think the song is an odd choice at all and it really isn't a stretch for the Tribe. We actually played 'Parisienne Walkways', along with 'Johnny The Fox', at the Phil Lynott Tribute show at the Palace in Hollywood back in '97 and people loved it. Phil's mom was there too watching us from the wings and I think she cried when she heard us play it. 'Parisienne...' is dedicated to Philomena if you read the credits in the booklet.”
I listened really intensively to the song "What cha want" and I mean to notice, that the background vocals were maybe done by Bruce Dickinson. Is that correct or am I totally wrong?
“Nope, there's no Bruce in there anywhere. It's all Gregg. Plus we had a friend of ours come in one night to adlib a few things just to give it more of a party vibe. If you listen closely you'll hear a bunch of crazy yelling and whistling during the break down before I go into the guitar solo.“
With TOG you play latin rock. With artists like Bruce Dickinson, Rob Rock, Warrior or Rob Halford you play pure Heavy Metal. How do you manage these totally different directions inside your musical mind? Which musical direction do you prefer in private?
“I've always listened to a wide variety of music from very early on and that's never changed. Latin music is something I was exposed to because I am Mexican and grew up in a Hispanic neighborhood. And of course classic rock and hard rock, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, etc., was everywhere. Eventually I started getting into heavier stuff in school, everything from AC/DC to Maiden. I love metal, but it is not the be-all end-all. Great music is great music, period, no matter what the style is, and every genre has something to offer. The fact that I keep and open mind in terms of music has helped me to be able to tune into all these different worlds as a player as well as a producer. So whether it's Latin rock with the Tribe, metal with Dickinson, Halford or Rock, or more hardcore-type stuff like Downset - I would like to think that whatever I do sounds authentic and not in any way forced.”
Do/did you play live with TOG?
“The Tribe has been playing live around L.A. since '93, but there have been periods when we didn't play out much. We did a lot of gigging before getting signed to Mercury, but then that whole thing fell thru and at the same time we started getting more involved with Bruce Dickinson. I really didn't see the point of playing L.A. just for the sake of playing gigs, not making any money or worse having to do pay-to-play, so we cut back for that reason, too. Other than L.A., we played in Japan opening up for Bruce, and we also did a gig in London at the Borderline in '94 while we were in town recording 'Balls to Picasso'. We would obviously like to play more and go on tour, but that's really not possible from a financial point of view without tour support from a label, especially since we are a 6-piece band. A tour would only make sense if we had an album in stores instead of people having to shell out 30 bucks for an import. So until that changes we're pretty much confined to doing shows around Southern California only.”
What's on with a record deal for TOG in Europe and the States? I always hear some rumors, that you finally found a deal, but so far they sticked rumors!?
“Well, the European deal is finally happening. We've just signed with Bruce's Air Raid label for Europe, and it looks like 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants' will be out sometime in early June. There has also been talk of us coming over to Europe for a string of shows in the summer, but it's too early to say if and when it will happen. Sanctuary Records will be handling it for the US through Never Records, but we don't have a release date yet. I'm guessing it will be around the same time as Europe.”
What are your main musical influences and influences as a guitar player?
“I think the Beatles, Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin are bands that have influenced me probably more than anything else - Jimmy Page was an incredibly imaginative songwriter, producer and guitar player. As far as guitar players go - Jimi Hendrix is my all-time favorite, but I also love Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Peter Green, and Uli Jon Roth who's got the most amazing vibrato.”
It's already some years ago, when you recorded the legendary DRIVER EP-Cassette with Rob Rock. When I take a look inside of the cassette to read the songwriting credits, then I can see: Written by Roy Z. But when I take a look on the IMPELLITTERI CD "Answer to the master" that features the DRIVER songs "Warrior" and "Fly away" then the songs are said to be written by Chris Impellitteri. Did you know that and what happened behind the curtains?
“I lot of people think that Rob and I wrote that song in Driver but the truth is - 'Warrior' was a song Rob had written with Chris Impellitteri when they played together in the 80's. We just sort of re-arranged it a bit for Driver and ended up recording it for the cassette EP. When Rob hooked up with Chris again, they decided to do their version of the song. That's how it ended up on 'Answer to the Master.'”
I don't want to ask you any deep questions about your latest cooperations with Rob Rock and Rob Halford, but maybe you can give a shot little comment to each album about what we have to expect musically!?
“Halford's album will pretty much be a back-to-the-roots affair. It's classic Priest-style metal with hints of 'Painkiller' and maybe a little bit of 'War Of Words', although I'm trying to avoid going too much in the latter direction. I definitely think fans of the old Rob will be very pleased when they hear the album. As for Rob Rock's album - it is heavier and more metal-oriented, partially because there are no keyboards to speak of, than what's on the Driver EP. We didn't record any of the songs from the EP but ended up re-arranging or using parts of several of songs we had demoed back in 1990 and never got to record properly, like 'Never Too Late', 'One Way Out', 'In The Night' and 'Beautiful Lady.' It's a kick ass melodic metal album and Rob really sings his ass of on it. He is really stoked about how it came out and the people at JVC who've heard it love it.”
Do you know, what's on with WARRIOR?
“WARRIOR have signed or are in the process of signing a new deal with a European label. Joe (Floyd) has been really busy with his studio working on his own or helping me with Halford and Rob Rock, but they're finally starting to work on the demos for the upcoming record. Time permitting, I'll probably be involved one way or another. I think they're trying to shoot for a summer or early fall release for the new album.”
The final question for now: What do you think about latino-beauty-queen Jennifer Lopez?
“I wouldn't mind if she stopped by my place sometime, ha ha...”
Thanx for the time and patience you take to answer all my silly questions...
“My pleasure. Hopefully we'll see you and everyone else in Germany later this summer.”