RATT Singer Stephen Pearcy - "We Wanted Juan Croucier To Join Us, But He's Still AWOL"
January 8, 2010, 14 years ago
Sunset Strip hard rockers RATT recently spoke to Noisecreep about the band's current roster for the writing of their forthcoming crusher Infestation.
Having roughly formed in 1976 - though it wasn't until 1981 that the band became known as Ratt on LA's Sunset Strip - many notable guitarists like Jake E. Lee and the late Robbin Crosby have graced the band over the years. Now, as Ratt prepare to unleash their 7th studio album, the band stands tall with their newest guitarist Carlos Cavazo taking the dual lead role alongside Warren DeMartini.
Says frontman Stephen Pearcy about the addition of Cavazo, "He's perfect for the band. He co-wrote a couple songs and he plays like a motherfucker on this thing. Great live, great guy and great integrity for what he does. And as far as the double solos thing goes, he and Warren knew exactly what they were doing. It was like the old days."
"Playing together was just like being old friends hanging out," Cavazo said. "Doing the record was fun and very easy. It was one of the easiest records I've recorded in my life. No one was arguing or yelling at each other in the studio. It went really smooth."Ratt moved into a house in Virginia Beach to write and record 'Infestation,' but before they left, they made one final effort to bring back longtime bassist Juan Croucier. But too much animosity still lingered between the bassist and his ex-bandmates, with whom he had last played on 1990's 'Detonator.' In 1996 he was replaced with Robbie Crane, who remains in the band today.
"We wanted Juan to join us, but he's still AWOL," Pearcy said. "Sometimes it's better to let things lie where they may. It's his decision, not ours. We can actually say that we did ask him to come out and play and get back in the cellar, and his demands were extremely ridiculous. It was almost like, 'Well, I'm gonna get you back now for everything you did to me.' He just wanted a lot of things. It's like opening old wounds. You don't really need to do that to heal or get on with business. It's business. It pretty much came down to three words: in or out. And he chose out."Read the rest of the interview right here. And stay tuned for more details on Infestation.
