Riot on the Rocks spanned five awesome years of my life. Work started in 2004 with my first interviews with the New York Dolls and the MC5, with Issue 1 released Easter 2005. Then came 3 more up to the last issue, in Spring 2009.

I decided to write this post as a closer really, a fitting full stop at the end of rock and roll adventure.

Over the course of my time doing the zine I have been lucky enough to pick the brains of almost all of my musical heroes, to hang with some of the lovliest people in rock, to have life-changing experiences (dance on stage with the Flaming Lips anyone?), to attend two SXSW’s, to support amazing new bands on their journey and to gain enormous pleasure from meeting and conversing with my wonderful readers all over the world. Oh, and to talk to Sebastian Bach on the phone while sitting on my parents’ sofa. That was pretty rad.

For me ROTR was a great big two fingers up at the mainstream music media. I did my time as a freelance journalist, and wasn’t impressed. When I picked up a magazine in a newsagents, nine times out of ten I would roll my eyes and put it back, rather than eagerly devour its content. I was bored of hype, and hungry for good honest writing about good honest musicians. I wanted magazines that oozed with passion for their subject, not cooler-than-thou cynicism.

With ROTR, I feel like in my own way I gave people exactly that. I put a huge chunk of my own heart in to a bunch of photocopied pages and it turned out people got it. They liked it, they understood why I was doing it and they recognised what made me different from other writers, from other publications. I built up great relationships with bands, labels, PR companies and fans alike, was offered awesome opportunities and seized all I could. As cheesy as it sounds, I am so thankful to have had the chance to do what I have done. If my 14-year-old self could see me now, she would definitely high five me.

I want to thank all kinds of people for supporting and believing in me, and all the wonderful people who contributed in some way: Sarah for being my ever-present +1, writing, networking, shoving dictaphones and video cameras in people’s faces and a few late nights with scissors and glue, Mum & Dad for infinite patience, the loan of a long-arm stapler and the odd lift to the printers, Dylan for his help with the first two issues writing and drawing fabulous front covers, Rachel, Miranda, Jim, Davo, Rob, Dav, Dyson, Jenny, Sian, Vicki, Ro, Kai and all the other writers, artists and photographers who took part, everyone who helped out with the ROTR night at the Social in 2009, Mel for tolerating the production of Issue 1 in the flat, and Mike for his web-mastery. I would also like to thank Will Ginno for being there at the very beginning, when Riot on the Rocks was a super cool Wednesday evening radio show on Sussex Uni student radio.

I want to thank the PR’s and label reps who gave me the time of day, and most importantly, I want to thank all the musicians, big and small, who took time out to talk to me and my gang, and gave a little bit of themselves to a humble DIY zine, helping it become what it became.

To everyone who read, bought, stole or found a copy of ROTR, who thought it looked worth shoving in your pocket or parting with a couple of quid (or bucks) for, thank you so so much for validating this whole labour of love.

I said this was a full stop, but it might be a comma or a semi-colon. Who knows? Maybe one day I will dig it out again. Like, if the Hellacopters re-form, it is only right that I should get the exclusive first interview. Right?

Until then, if you need a fix, you will be able to read and download the PDF versions on this site a while yet.

I have got other projects going on that I should probably tell you about. One is Glue Me Down (gluemedown.wordpress.com, launching 21/3/2011), a new blog where I write about and review zines and also the umbrella under which I am going to be running an exciting interactive zining workshop as part of the Editions Of You Zine Fair in Oxford on April 9th (more info at editionsofyou.com), and hopefully more in the future. I am also going to be speaking at an evening event at the O3 Gallery in Oxford as part of the Editions of You festival on the 31st March. The whole brilliant thing is being curated by Dr Lisa Busby as a celebration of self publishing in music.

The other is Hrrr Club (www.hrrrclub.com) which will, when it is finally up, be a light hearted but firmly female perspective on all the wonderful horror films I fill my time watching. It’s a total indulgence but check it out if that’s your bag.

Okay then. Over and out for now.

Sian B. Rockin’ x

Download issues as PDFs on the right ———–>

It’s worth it. There’s loads of cool stuff in them, like exclusive interviews with the Flaming Lips, MC5, New York Dolls, Hellacopters, Datsuns, Gang of Four, Marah, SSM, Judah Bauer, Ben Kweller and loads more besides. As if the content isn’t enough, it’s all lovingly cut and glued. Like olden days. It’s all brilliant. Really it is.

The new issue – issue 4 – has an exclusive Black Lips interview and an amazing cartoon strip about those Atlantan Bad Kids. Plus- an interview with Sebastian bloody Bach AND the amazing Pack A.D.

See below for our rolling blog of reviews, interviews, rants, photos, videos and web-only content. Mmm.

Follow us on Twitter please.

And click here to get in touch and join the mailing list.

SBR x

Not only is Ginger alive, but the Wildhearts are too. After almost 20 years of keeping fans, critics and record executives perched on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next dramatic tour bust up, near fatal drug overdose or magazine office trashing, they’re still doing the one thing they have always done best. It’s the one thing that was always more important than the controversy and the chaos: hard rock with a heart. Their enduring ability to pack a poppy punch – no matter how hard the riff – is what, combined with the unlikley pairing of fuck-the-world attitude and proven musical intellect, has forged them a place in the hearts of British rock fans for two decades.

No one could have predicted that a band that made crashing and burning an art form would pull through, heads held high, and be around in 2009, looking great and sounding awesome, to deliver a highly polished, ultra-modern rock record like Chutzpah!, which is out at the end of the month on Backstage Alliance.

Having rarely lasted more than a year with one line-up, the band have been in their current form – Ginger, CJ, Rich and fresh meat Scott Sorry – since 2006. Could this be a sign that they’re older and wiser now? Or has Ginger finally found the perfect formula? Either way we thought it would be best to get the low-down from the man himself, so read on…

ROTR: Let’s start with the new record. What would you say to your fans to prepare them for hearing it?

Ginger: It sounds more expensive than anything we’ve done before and everyone who’s already heard it loves it to bits.

Which song was the hardest to write and why?

There’s a song called Vernix, that won’t make the final album. It’s three and a half minutes of twists and was a bit of a challenge. Absolutely mental stuff.

Which was the easiest?

A song called ‘Mazel Tov Cocktail’, which seems to be the second most popular song on the album. It’s so simple that I still don’t think it’s finished. Writing simple songs comes really difficult to me.

Looking back to when you first handed Don’t Be Happy, Just Worry to the label way back when, how did handing over this record compare? Do you feel the same excitement or is it different now?

Back then there was tangible excitement in finishing something, now it’s more like relief. We kind of know what were doing now, so it’s not such a surprise when it ends up sounding good. Jesus, we’ve been doing this for 20 years, we’d better be quite good at it now.

With Scott now a mainstay in the band, and a solid line up that’s lasted two consecutive records, have the Wildhearts found a stability you think will last?

I absolutely think that, 100%. I wouldn’t want anyone to leave this line up, and if someone did leave it would undoubtedly be the end of the band.

Is Scott a good influence on you, creatively and/or personally? He seems to be your right hand man these days.

Scott is my brother. He tells me when I’m being negative, he’s been through the wars with me and he amazes me as a lyricist. His energy is one of the main driving forces behind the band now.

You hand the reins over to Scott and CJ more than usual on this record – was it difficult to surrender some of your control? Was it democratic or did you still have the final say? Did you ever have to bite your tongue?

Sometimes I have more of a final say than I’d like, for instance doing all the interviews about an album that was such a team effort. It’s nice that people want to speak to me, but it seems a little inappropriate. I’d like to keep pushing the democracy angle in this band. I’d like this to feel increasingly more like a team, and for that I’m prepared to hand over 75%of the control.

The Wildhearts have always been traditionalists in terms of releasing records on all formats, with proper b-sides. How do you think the digital download age has influenced or is influencing the band’s approach to making records?

We don’t sell enough albums for the digital revolution to affect us too much. Our fans still buy our albums and we’ll keep on making them. I’m not buying this ‘the album is dead’ bullshit. You can believe what you want to believe but your reality isn’t necessarily mine. I don’t see albums, books or DVDs becoming obsolete in my lifetime, and I remember when people were saying that concerts were going to die out.

This time last year you were playing the Earth Vs 15th Anniversary show. How does it feel to have a legacy?

It doesn’t mean a great deal to me. All the bands I like are lifers and I would have expected the same for us. Maybe the 25th anniversary will mean more, or the 50th, but the 15th? We’re just getting warmed up.

Do you consider yourself to be British rock legends now, or do you still have something to prove?

We really haven’t done enough yet to be called legends, although one day I’d like to feel that we’d achieved that status. We still have an awful lot to prove, mostly to ourselves.

What are your biggest fears in terms of the future of the band?

I don’t have any. The future is none of my business, so I’m happy to live in the moment.

And what are your biggest hopes?

That we manage to make a living at doing this, and get recognition as simply a good band, not just a soap opera. We’d also like to have an audience in every country that loves rock music. One day I’d like us to be able to play proper world tours in support of our albums.

Is writing therapy for you or is it something you just can’t not do?

Absolutely both! I couldn’t stop writing as long as there are things to inspire me, but as therapy this ability that I was blessed with has worked much in the way that antidepressants and counseling work on others. Music has got me through some really tough times. It really is a blessing.

Do you find your solo work is an escape from the Wildhearts, or are they inextricably linked? Do you ever get ideas for Wildhearts songs when you’re working on solo stuff, and vice versa?

I usually write for an entire album, so I don’t tend to mix up my duties. Although The Wildhearts used a couple of songs on this album originally written for my next solo album. They’re just songs, y’know? Meaningless until they mean something to someone.

Through the ups and downs of your life, both personally and with the band, what keeps you going?

Writing new songs. Just the thrill of creating something that didn’t exist before I breathed life into it. It’s something that amazes me, and confounds me.

Any regrets?

Everything got me here. Regrets would be so ungrateful.

If you had to name now the most perfect song you have written what would it be?

I’m still trying to write it. And I live in dread that I will one day succeed!

Chutzpah! is out on August 31st, and the band’s UK tour starts on September 17th in Brighton, ending in London on October 1st. Full details here.

Follow Ginger on Twitter here. Amazing.

“It’s called the Almighty Defenders. We went to Germany – we weren’t expecting to be there but we booked our tickets from India and were in Berlin 8 or 9 hours later.

“We wanted to record just a single and do a couple of songs. When we got there we started recording, and BBQ had a song, and King Kahn wrote one, and we just decided to do a whole album because everyone was having a lot of fun. It was like all of us jammed in this house, and BBQ was staying there, and his daughter has just started playing violin this year so she played violin on one of the songs. We’ve been listening to a lot of gospel music lately, and the whole album is kind of like that. We did 11 or 12 songs, already finished the artwork and now we’ve just got to find a label to put it out on (it’s out on Vice on September 22 -Ed).

“I’m really happy with it. I like it more than the record we just made (the Black Lips’ 200 Million Thousand -Ed) because it’s kind of sloppy and done really fast. But I love imperfections. It was like the happiest week of my life. Berlin is a second home to us. Making an album can be kind of stressful sometimes but we didn’t give a shit about this one, it was just for us, and it turned in to an album out of nowhere. When I do that it makes me really happy.

“It’s like a gospel record, but minus the Jesus.”

To hear the Almighty Defenders’ ‘Bow Down and Die’ click here. They are on MySpaz here.

They say so here.

As you can see bass player Tommy Dean loves us the most.

We caught up with the guys in London’s legendary Crobar after their blistering, blood drenched industry showcase at the 100 Club last night. We’ve got a real treat of a feature on everyone’s favourite Norwegian rock deviants in the next issue of the zine. Sweet.

Thanks to Hydar for the photo – www.dewachi.com.

If we were dickheads, we’d go round telling people about how we were there when White Denim broke, man. You know, SXSW 2007, when a series of blistering home town shows earned the Austin threesome more than just a few high fives. Everyone’s been banging on about them ever since, and we don’t blame ‘em.

But how much do we really know about White Denim? They’re a power trio for a start. They’re male, that’s for certain. They don’t have two songs that sound the same – or even like they’re by the same band. They’ve been releasing different stuff in the Europe to back home. It’s all terribly confusing but the good thing for us is they have a new record, out this week in the UK, called Fits. It swings from deep bassy rumblings and chaotically multi-layered drum tracks to psychedelic jams, still staying faithful to the song-structure-is-for-losers way of doing things.

Even better news is that they’re touring all over the UK for the next two weeks, finished in London on July 8th. You can check out all the dates on their myspaz here.

In the meantime, have a gander below at what drummer Josh Block had to say for himself when we fired some buring questions his way.

ROTR: To what extent do you feel the band has been put through the UK music scene hype machine and how do you view the industry over here?

JB: We feel like we’ve been chewed up and spit out and that no one gets us or will get us, but we love that. We view the industry over there as a really clean, courteous, place that has no good Mexican food.

ROTR: Why do you think English fans have taken to you so well? Do you get a better reception here than at home?

JB: They love our American accent. We do not receive any reception in the trailer, unfortunately.

ROTR: Given that for the last 2 years you’ve seemed to be everyone’s new favourite new band – who do you think is good right now?

JB: I doubt that we are “everyone’s” favorite band because if that were so my girlfriend wouldn’t want to dump me. On a side note, I think that Black Sabbath’s new record is really dark and good.

ROTR: Choosing a band name can be a real minefield. What shit ideas did you bandy around before settling on White Denim?

JB: It was pretty much White Denim, White Dinner, Dwight Venom, and Totally Revolution.

ROTR: Coming from Austin, was it frustrating not being able to use the chat up line “I’m in a band”, because everyone is?

JB: Not frustrating at all because we still got mad honeys regardless. But really, I can’t think of a question besides “Who is in a band?” that would yeild the response “I’m in a band”.

ROTR: Was it embarrassing when you broke out at SXSW 2007 in your home town – did you get any stick from the scene there and was there a sense of competition?

JB: Yes, we’re just a bunch of frustrated, embarrassed, shy, confused individuals and when we read on a blog that we were the breakout band because of SXSW we considered moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, but then we ultimately decided to just leave the country for a few months. When we got back everyone was congratulatory.

ROTR: We’ve been to SXSW twice and were struck by how cool everyone is. But in Austin is it cooler to be uncool, because everyone is cool?

JB: You nailed it. There are an incredible amount of uncool people making very uncool music and it’s great. Their bands last 3-5 weeks, and it’s so neat to see the uncool unfold nonstop. After 3-5 weeks it becomes cool and then everything must stop.

ROTR: Every good power trio needs a trio of powers. What are your respective super powers?

JB: James can make nuclear fajitas, Josh can make dizzying daquiris, and Steve can run fast.

ROTR: Listening to your music it’s clear that you value the importance of production techniques in achieving your sound how does this translate in to your live performances?

JB: We approach the live setting and our recordings separately. We don’t wear our shirts in the studio and we sweat less.

ROTR: Let’s Talk About –what? What are your top three topics of conversation?

JB: Language, athleticism, human waste.

ROTR: We heard a rumour you like your food. How on earth do you stay so slender? Is rock and roll a real calorie burner?

JB: Indeed. Have you seen the amount (in ounces) of sweat that we leave on the stage? That and powerball.

ROTR: Have you ever considered getting tattoos of each other? If no, does that mean you’re not committed to the band?

JB: Never. We’ve only thought of getting tattoos of very patriotic ideas that each of us have come up with. That would display the ultimate commitment to one another.

ROTR: What should we expect from Fits? Given the success you’ve had with Workout Holiday, was the writing and recording process different for the new record?

JB: You can at least expect onr more song than Workout Holiday for a total of twelve. We already had Fits completed before we realized how much pressure we were going to have making a second record, from blogs like you and other publications. Really, Fits is our first record.

ROTR: Why is it called Fits?

JB: Because that’s what we were throwing nonstop while recording this record and while we were away touring.

ROTR: Is it true you once recorded in a caravan? What are the pros and cons of trailer life?

JB: We still do record in a caravan. We are in the caravan now. Pros: Mean roof bronzing action, colorful neighbors, we can go and scream outside and no one calls the cops. Cons: chiggers, deer poop, scorpions, hippies.

There you have it – straight from the trailer to the Riot. So what have we learned? They’re bronzed. They got mad honeys regardless. They like to talk shit.

SBR X

“Whoever retreives this ring from my scrotum, be it man, woman or beast, I will marry and take back to Norway,” announced towering, tattooed frontman Max Cargo as he teased one testicle from his flies and placed a silver ring upon it. He didn’t seem too offended that no one took the bait.

Check out the pictures, and stay tuned for a Cumshots interview in the next issue of Riot on the Rocks…

Sian B Rockin’ x