Interview by Tony (The Atomic Chaser)
The first time I saw Tribe Of Gypsies perform was at The Palace in Hollywood, California. It was at memorial show for Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott. I had heard so much about the band and to finally hear them and see them perform simply blew me away, needless to say so were a lot of people there that night. Their performance was filled with vibrant energy and lots of rock and roll soul. When I left that night I knew what I had to do and that was to get my hands on any CD done by Tribe Of Gypsies! The search was on.
Though the search was long, it was worth it. I finally got my hands on the band's self-titled debut release and must have played it over and over for weeks! Then when I got my hands on the band second release, Nothing Lasts Forever, the affect was the same. It was safe to say that the band found themselves a dedicated fan. Its something about the way the band projects their sound, a sound that comes from the heart and hits the listner straight between the eyes with a lasting impression. Combining a rock sound that is filled with a Latin influenced percussions and grooves. While the band enjoyed local success in Los Angeles and in Japan, I was really surprised that the band did not get support from any of the local radio stations. All the information I got about the band was from local rock critics. Just goes to show how bad of a scene it is for rock bands to get a break here, especially a band as talented as the Tribe Of Gypsies. I have feeling the times are changing and it won't be long before the rest of the world, thanks to the internet, that Tribe Of Gypsies will finally get the recognition that they truly deserve.
The driving force behind the tour de force sound of Tribe Of Gypsies is guitarist, Roy Z. Truly one of the finest guitar players that have graced this rockers ears. The sound that Roy creates is filled with energy, power and melodic grace. His guitar wizardry will simply hypnotize and captivate you. Aside from performing with Tribe Of Gypsies, Roy Z. has also wore the hat of "Producer". He produced such artists like LIFE AFTER DEATH, WARRIOR and of course, BRUCE DICKINSON where he also plays in Bruce's band. Roy is truly a person who is totally dedicated to his work and all his hard work is evident in the magic he creates through his music, be it with Tribe Of Gypsies or any other band he works with. I had the opportunity to ask Roy Z. a few questions about Tribe Of Gypsies and the band's latest release, Revolucion 13, and here's the lowdown.
What is the story behind the title of the new CD, Revolucion 13 ?
Well, everyone has there own interpetation and it's open to interpretation. As for my self, the number 13 is a number that used culturally to identify yourself with who you are. I feel there is revolution happening among our people, so thus the title. Also, the number 13 in Aztec numerics is a very significant number. Thats what inspired the artwork for the CD. The moon revolves around the sun actually in 13 months not 12. The number 13 for christianity is a bad number, so they made fit into 12. So, there you have it.
The new CD features Gregory Annalla formerly of Seventhsign. How did you get him to join the band, and did you have to audition any other singers? If so, who were the other choices?
Well, Greg is our new singer, he was the first singer I wanted in the band originally. I couldn't get a hold of him. I had seen him in a band called, 9.0. He was recommend to me by Mike Varney of Shrapnel records. He told about a singer who he thought would fit perfect. At the time, Greg was moving back to New Mexico and I couldn't find him or get a hold of him, so basically , a friend of ours, Chris, got his number and when we played in New Mexico with Bruce, his band opened up. So we got to talking and it went really good and next thing you know, he was the singer. We did get tapes from around the world , but I just felt good to go with Greg he just seemed to be the perfect fit. Plus, he was a nice guy.
Dean Ortega was the band's original vocalist, what was the reason behind his departure?
Actually, Dean was the third vocalist of the band, the original singer was, Robin Garcia, in fact Robin and I wrote, Nothing Lasts Forever. Then there was, David Young, he was only in the band from a short time then came Dean. The reason that we let Dean go was basically it was becoming very difficult working with Dean and one of the things that made it difficult was he didn't want to sing in Spanish. Though we do incorporate a litte spanish influence in our music, our plan eventually in the future is to re-do all our songs in Spanish. Not right now though, we do not want to confuse people. Yeah, Dean was not into that at all, he just said, "No, I not gonna do it." So that and acculmanation of other things. I was just not right anymore, it was time move on and get somebody new. I feel we made the right choice and all of us are really with Greg.
Some would compare the sound Tribe Of Gypsies to bands like MALO, AZTECA or SANTANA, how would you describe the band's sound?
Yeah, you can say that bands like those pave the way for new bands like ours , but we're morphing, melting other forms that maybe these guys did not have. Although we may have similarities, we're doing it a little bit different, a little more modern. You can definitely say that these bands did influence us in one way or another. To describe the sound of the Tribe, the Tribe is basically a melding of musical identities of roots, of ideas. Some people call it Latin Rock, some call it Tribal Rock and some call it whatever. To me it's the sound of the Tribe. To me, that would be the best way to describe our sound, the sound of Tribe Of Gypsies.
As a guitar player, who are your influences ?
In no particular order. Jimi Hendrix, for different reasons other than the playing. Also his songwriting. Jimmy Page, because he influenced me not only as a guitarist, that amazing riffs and solos, but also a producer. Uli Jon Roth, is another big influence his phrasing really blew me away as did his sound. All the guys that were in Thin Lizzy, especially Gary Moore. Peter Green for sure. Peter Green influenced me a lot. Those are just a few guys, there are a whole bunch more guitar players that influenced me, thats all I can think of right now.
Aside from being a brilliant guitarist, you've also produced such bands like, LIFE AFTER DEATH, WARRIOR, DOWNSET and three albums by BRUCE DICKINSON. How do you find the time to do all this? Will you be producing anymore new bands in the future ?
Well, I really don't know how I find the time. Its so hectic, especially when I'm producing and playing. The way that I find time is that I have to make time. Because I have to get the job done, usually I have a deadline. I love producing and I love playing. Doing the two at the same time, is very difficult. Althought I like doing once in awhile, sometimes it gets really hard. As far as doing new bands in the future. There are some new things that I will be doing. I will be doing the DOWNSET album. There are some new things that are not set in stone yet. So, until they are set in stone, I won't talk about them. Basically, I like working with the same people a lot, 'cause I already know what I am going to deal with. That's an important thing. This year, I do want to work with new people because I need to broaden my horizons a little, as far as musically styles.
I thought the Tribe Of Gypsies releases, the band self-titled debut and Nothing Lasts Forever were great. How will the band's latest release, Revolucion 13, match up to the band's previous works ?
I think the band has grown since then and I think the new CD will be a little more focused. Not jumping from one musical style to another. Although the new CD is not a concept album, it sorta built that way musically. Where all the songs fit together and conicide with one another. There are a lot more insturmentals on the new CD because, we wanted to showcase more of the guys in the band, the percussion and the keyboards. So, you'll hear a lot more percussions and keyboards in the insturmentals. That's the difference, but it's still the same style and it still rocks with a little more depth in the songs, for sure.
All three releases by Tribe Of Gypsies have been released in Japan only, why is that?
Basically, the reason for that is, we had a hard time getting deals in Europe and especially here in the United States, that we liked. We don't like getting ripped off, so the thing is, why put it out if people are going to rip you off? That's our philosopy. We are working on a deal in 1999 for the European market that looks really good with a release some time this summer. As far as the States, it's not looking that great, but I'm still hoping.
Aside from opening for bands like DIO and IRON MAIDEN in '98, are there any other shows planned in the future?
We'll been playing shows on and off, but currently the next shows we do will be warm up shows before we hit Japan. We'll be doing guess opening slots like we did with BLUE OYSTER CULT. To do the club grind here, to me, seems pointless. We'll do a few gigs, but again it's just pointless. Although, people do show up, it's just like the promotors are ripping everyone off and like I mentioned before, I am not into getting ripped off. So, I rather not play, unless it's to get new exposure for the band like the BOC show. We made a lot of new fans, those are shows we like doing. It's the club grind that we are not interested in. The next concrete gigs we do will be the ones in Japan.
I've heard a couple of the new songs from the new CD, all of which are fantastic, which ones are your favorites?
I love the whole new album, I really enjoy it. Its the first album I can listen after it's done. To pick one song would not be fair or a few songs. I would say the whole thing is my favorite. I am really please with the way it came out. We really didn't have enough resources to do this CD. I thought with what we had we created miracles. I really can't just pick one song, the love the whole piece.
It's been a long time coming, but the band finally has an official website, what are you thoughts about the internet? Do you think it's a necessity? I've been told by some record labels that it's not.
I love the internet, I love going to the website and I like interacting with the fans as much as I can. I think the internet is a necessity. You are able to get feedback from fans all over the world. You can comunicate with other people, you can network your band, especially if you get a few good links. You can definitely multiply your bands fan base. So I would say that the internet is a great thing. Having a website is fantastic. I would like to thank Julien and his brother Clem for setting up and mainting our website for us. We are very happy working with them and they are great guys. These guys have done a fantastic job and we're really happy with it.
Thanks, Roy for your time, you have really shed a lot of light about the Tribe Of Gypsies and your thoughts. I know all the Tribe fans really appreciate it! You ROCK!
Thank you very much and we'll see you, bye.
For those who haven't experienced the tribal rock sound of Tribe Of Gypsies I can this, you are really missing out on hearing one of the most powerful, energetic and truly talented rock bands to come on to the Rock Music scene! To the Tribe Of Gypsies, thank you for the music and to Roy Z., thank you for your time and your insight. Tribe of Gypsies fans around the world appreciate it and look forward to hearing more great music from you guys!
Tony aka The Atomic Chaser