LILLIAN AXE will release their new album, XI: The Days Before Tomorrow, on February 14th in North America. RockMusicStar.com recently interviewed lead guitarist Steve Blaze; an excerpt follows:

You have a new vocalist, Brian Jones, in the band. He really is a great fit judging from the new CD. What is the story behind him getting involved with Lillian Axe?

SB: "Getting Brian in the band was a true blessing. Brian was a fan of the band since he was 15 years old. His dad actually took him to see us, back in the day, before we were even signed to our first label. I remembered seeing him. He would always come up to us and talk, and he was always really energetic and eager to talk. And we kind of became friends over the years. Every few months or so, he would give me a call and we would talk. I knew that he was a really good guitar player, but I had no idea about his vocals. And then when Derrick LeFevre, our last vocalist left, Brian contacted me and said, 'Listen. I think that I can do this job, just give me a chance.' I told him to send over a demo, so I could hear it for myself, and I thought it was really great. I started thinking that bringing him in as vocalist could really work out well. I started studying up on him, and he has a really great command on stage. He has a lot of energy.

So, I brought him into my studio and showed him some of the new songs that I was working on, and had him sing on some of our catalog material, and then I decided it was time to get the rest of the band together and start rehearsals. This was about a six month long process, and everything kept pointing to Brian. His attitude, his desire and his talent. And having a guitar player/singer was also helpful in a lot of ways. Because, sometimes when you are dealing with vocalists who are not musicians, it is sometimes difficult explaining some of the basics of music, like keys and half steps and such. But, it’s a bit easier communication with a singer who is also a musician as well. So working with Brian went really well, he’s very knowledgeable and a very smart guy.

We really spent a lot of time with him, making sure that it was going to work. Bringing in a new singer is a big step, and we wanted to make sure that with this being our third singer, that we were making the right decision. We didn’t want to make a mistake and rush into things. But after six months, it was obvious that Brian was the right guy for the job."

To read the interview in its entirety, click here.