MOTÖRHEAD, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Members Featured On QUEEN V Compilation - "FREDDIE MERCURY, ROBERT PLANT Are Probably My Biggest All-Around, Go-To Singers"

July 12, 2013, 10 years ago

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By Martin Popoff

BraveWords recently caught up with QUEEN V who has put together a compilation of her music from over the years, out now on Royal Noise Records. Decade Of Queen V is a varied affair, belying the hard rock styles addressed by the disparate band formations showing up on the album. It’s complicated, so we’ll let her explain...

“I wanted to be able to hand someone a CD and say, ‘Here, this is what we’re all about. This is Queen V.’ Through the recordings, The Decade Of Queen V tells the story of this incredible ride I’ve been on, making stops at key points along the way. The Decade is just beginning though, so this album is also a benchmark signalling what’s to come.”

Asked to point out a few highlights, she figures, “Each track on this album is important for a specific reason. Certain songs do stand out because of how it feels to play them live. ‘Cry For A Minute,’ for example, takes on a life of its own with the band and is always a high point for me during the show. Songs like ‘America’ and ‘Die For You’ are always fun for me to listen to and perform, because of the energy and intensity. Those songs have also endured, taking on new, expanded meanings over time. I LOVE the recording of ‘Good Enough’… Ron Saint Germain did a brilliant job mixing that track. And of course, I love the new song ‘Cry Your Eyes Out.’ Making that video was so much fun, and that was partly because I am so happy with the track itself.”

The album also includes cameos by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tom Morello and MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister… “We were on tour for the NYC RNR Compilation,” explains Queen V, “and on this particular night, we were playing at the Viper Room opening for STEEL PANTHER (called Metal Shop, in those days). It was our first show ever in LA, so my band and I were already pretty amped up and ready to kick ass. Lemmy and Tom happened to be in the audience that night and caught our set. Afterwards, during the STEEL PANTHER set, I ended up singing ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’ with them. When Steel Panther singer Ralph comically demanded that I flash my upper lady parts to the audience, I guess my instincts took over and I gave him a really nasty look and just shook my head at him or something. Anyhow, I was introduced to Lemmy and Tom at the end of the night, and we became fast friends and stayed in touch. When it came time for me to do some recording again, I asked them to be part of it and fortunately they obliged. They have been very supportive of my efforts and I have a great deal of respect for them both.”

“FREDDIE MERCURY and ROBERT PLANT are probably my biggest all-around, go-to singers that I’ve dug into,” says Queen V, asked about biggest influences. “Not only did they write great melodies and lyrics, but their delivery is what astonishes me every time I hear them. I also love DAVID LEE ROTH’s showmanship and attitude, and JOAN JETT’s ‘Get out of my way,’ no-BS approach to vocals.”

As for transforming the career from independent and individual projects to more of a hard rock band situation, Queen V explains that, “The band Queen V started when I realized I wanted to be more than a solo artist. I wanted a gang! No, but seriously, the so-called ‘crazy pirate ship’ is filled with some of the most talented musicians on the planet. Whether for the studio or live or both, the “band” has come together over the course of many years, with people hand-picked for specific situations. So, my band is kind of like a baseball team… with a deep bench!”

Queen V closes with a favourite tour memory of the journey so far... “When we first opened for TWISTED SISTER in Long Island, it was by far the biggest show I had ever played and it really marked the beginning of that chapter for us. The entire Twisted camp was very kind, and let me tell you, their fans are loyal as the day is long. We managed to win a few of them over that first night, and they still turn up at our shows now, bragging to our other fans that they saw us back in the day with Twisted! Amazing. Funny thing is, a few years later we ended up winning the WDHA Home-Grown Spotlight Battle of the Bands. Our prize was to open for … (you guessed it) Twisted Sister, but the bonus was that the concert was at Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair, NJ, where I grew up! It felt like one big happy reunion. I remember it was one of those searing hot days in July where the heat and sun beat down on you like a ton of bricks and EVERYTHING you touch feels like it’s going to singe your skin right off. By that time, my band had already played big outdoors venues, but never one so hot. We all just kept laughing and wondering, whose brilliant idea it was to wear leather? Actually, I opted against it but I did wear all black (quelle surprise!), which I later regretted. SEBASTIAN BACH and 38 SPECIAL were also on the bill, so all in all it was a day of good music and good times.”

For more details visit Queenv.com.

Photo credits: Mia Tyler (group), Steve Prue (solo)



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