Love AMERICAN HEARTBREAK Style

American Heartbreak's assault on the SF music scene perfectly coincided with our publishing schedule, and we featured this introduction to the band in Teenage Kicks #1. 

Originally published in Teenage Kicks #1 (Summer 1997)

By Devorah Ostrov

Billy Rowe & Lance Boone - American Heartbreak
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

"We're ready to conquer the world!" Lance Boone, lead singer for American Heartbreak, has no reason to doubt his enthusiastic proclamation.

American Heartbreak is:

Lance Boone
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Lance Boone: Dark-haired, good-looking, charismatic frontman. From New England. Used to be in Diamond Star Halo. Worries (unnecessarily) about sounding stupid in interviews.

Billy Rowe: Guitarist with superstar potential. Goes from blonde to redhead in the blink of an eye. Formerly with Mindzone and Jetboy. Credentials include two sadly overlooked albums on MCA. Can boast about a member of Hanoi Rocks joining his band!

Erik Lannon: Drummer par excellence. Curly hair and a mischievous smile. His résumé involves just about everybody from Mordred to House of Wheels to the Bay City Rollers. Big fan of the Sweet and thinks Phil Lynott is God!

Mike Butler: Dynamic bassist. Sports waist-length hair and a shy demeanor. Hails from Florida. Played in Exodus and Mindzone.

Curtis Grant: Tattooed and muscular. Plays guitar with a vengeance. Like Billy and Erik, he's a San Francisco native (the three have known each other since childhood). Spent some time with LA's Black Cherry.

* * *

Curtis Grant and Mike Butler
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Formed a little less than a year ago from the ashes of Mindzone and Diamond Star Halo, American Heartbreak has been gigging constantly, with the intention of "turning the City upside down," says Lance. They also want to "bring back the element of fun, which is desperately missing in a lot of the bands on the local scene."

Billy Rowe
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

The group took its name from the Girl song "Heartbreak America," and collective influences include the Dictators, D Generation, the Wildhearts ("I can't say enough about the Wildhearts," remarks Lance), the New York Dolls, and Blondie.

Lance describes American Heartbreak's sound as "very heavy, dark pop. It's rooted in punk, although it has an underlying pop beat."

Currently, the guys have three demo tapes in circulation, featuring such originals as "Methadone Baby," "Another Wasted Day" and "Nobody Likes Me," as well as "Richey James" — their tribute to the Manic Street Preachers' guitarist.

Lance's semi-autobiographical tune "Dead at Seventeen" is also included on the demos. Discussing the inspiration behind the lyrics, he reflects: "I remember not having any money, being bored on Saturday afternoons. And feeling like, shit, if this is all there is at 17, I might as well be dead."

They're already packing San Francisco clubs with an ever-growing following. And as one of their press releases points out: "A lot of people are about to pay attention to American Heartbreak." Be one of the first!

Jetboy: A Press Conference Is Held To Announce The Release Of Feel The Shake!

Originally published in Rave-Up #16 (1989)
By Devorah Ostrov (with thanks to Alison for transcribing duties)

Jetboy - Feel The Shake LP cover photo

MCA Records (1988)

Jetboy recently held a press conference at the Stone, in their hometown of San Francisco, to discuss the band's debut album as well as video and tour plans.

On the press side, there were three of us: me (Devorah), Sadie O. (technically a Rave-Up staffer, but she was covering this event for another 'zine), and some guy with a vague connection to MTV (who hadn't seen the video and asked confusing questions; we refer to him as MTVdude because we don't know his name).

On the band side, there was: Mickey Finn (vocals), Billy Rowe (guitarist), Fernie Rod (guitarist), Sami Yaffa (bassist), and Ron Tostenson (drums).

* * *

Jetboy (MCA publicity photo)

L-R: Ron Tostenson, Billy Rowe, Sami Yaffa,

Fernie Rod, and Mickey Finn

Devorah: So, now that the album is out and you're on MTV, can you come home? Or do you have to stay in Los Angeles?

Billy: We don't have any home anymore. We're going on tour!

Devorah: I've heard that you're opening shows for Kix. Is that the story?

Fernie: No, that's half the story. We're going out on our own first.

Billy: Until we meet up with Kix on the East Coast.

MTVdude: In terms of the first music video you guys did ["Feel The Shake," the title track from Jetboy's LP], how was that experience? I mean... you know... you're obviously used to being onstage, but I mean...

Sami: But not for twelve hours solid!

Fernie: We did a twelve-hour show of the same song.

MTVdude: I haven't seen the video. Is there a theme, or is it straight-forward rock 'n' roll?

Jetboy - publicity photo

Fernie: When you look at it, you think that we're really doing it.

Devorah: But you're not?

Fernie: I mean, we are really doing it, but we sound just like the record.

MTVdude: So, when you guys do the next one, is there going to be anything different? I mean, in terms of...

Fernie: I think we're going to do "Make Some Noise" and the band is going to be naked.

Sadie: Yay! Oh, excuse me.

Devorah: How did you guys come up with the concept of a skull for your backdrop? Is this LA trendiness showing through?

All at once: Noooo!!!

(Sami threw whatever was handy in my direction — it happened to be a copy of Rave-Up. I threw it back and kicked him under the table for good measure.)

Ron: That's a kamikaze pilot — a "Jetboy"!

MTVdude: When you talk about attitude... I mean, when she says "Los Angeles"... I mean, there's obviously an attitude difference between North California and South California [his phraseology].

Billy Rowe and Mickey Finn meet Stiv Bators at a Lords of the 

New Church in-store appearance - Rainbow Records, 1985.

Photo: Judy Jansen

Fernie: Well... See, LA needs an attitude adjustment.

Sadie: At least you're closer to the music industry there. At the moment, if you're not thrash, San Francisco is a very bad place to be business-wise.

Fernie: Yeah, it's all relative to time and place. Before we officially moved to "that hellhole down there," we were living here and commuting back and forth. But the labels had their beady little eyes on us all the time.

Fernie Rod in action (probably 1985)
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

MTVdude: So, what kind of logic is it in terms of the record company... Why would they put out funding for a band to put together product, and then not get it off the shelf?

Billy: Are you talking about in our case?

(It's eventually decided that the question is about Jetboy having been dropped by Elektra Records shortly before the release of Feel The Shake, after which the band was promptly signed to MCA.)

Fernie: We call it the ninth wonder of the world. We don't really know what the heck happened. It could have been a multitude of things. There was a personnel change; some political things were going on. It isn't like we told Bob Krasnow [head of Elektra] to rot in Hell. Oh, hi Mick!

(As if on cue, enter Mickey Finn.)

Sadie: But it looks like it might be a positive factor for people to see that you slogged through all this shit, and you're still going.

Mickey: Yeah, I think people know that we're not a fly-by-night band. I mean, we've been through the mill, you know. We basically got all the bad breaks. Now that things are finally going good, I think people can be sure that we're gonna be around for a while.

MCA advert for Jetboy's debut LP

Fernie: It's just like life. There's no guarantees in life; ain't no guarantees in anything you do. Nothing you really want comes easy. You have to earn it.

Sadie: You know, that's probably what separates you from the attitudes in LA. Those bands have this idea that if they do their hair right, everything will fall into their lap.

Fernie: That's true!

Sadie: So, since I'm like hopelessly stupid, what kind of thematic shit do you deal with? I mean, I've seen the one video...

Fernie: Thematic?

Sadie: That's all about making noise and stuff.

Fernie: There is no theme, it's just a matter of your own personal...

Mickey (mumbled under his breath): Zen...

Sadie: Zen? What!?

Mickey: No... I said, "Yeah." We wanted the video to just be live and raw, like when we recorded that record. And I think it does capture that. I mean, halfway through the video, my pants were ripping apart and we were all dripping with sweat, but we didn't say, "Hold everything! We gotta blow-dry our hair and change our clothes." You look at the video, and it looks like a live show.

L-R: Mickey Finn, Billy Rowe, Fernie Rod, and Ron Tostenson

Photos: @scarpatistudio

Fernie: I did have a stand-in on some of the jumps and splits.

Sadie: And you had a harness, so you could...

Fernie: Did you see the strings?

MTVdude: When you guys talk about creative freedom... Like you want to express your attitude being raw on the video... Did you find that anybody wanted to like, shape your attitude in the studio... And when you came to do the video, did they try and like... "Here's some ideas, and you get to pick and choose."

Jetboy is the "Metal Pin-Up"

Mickey: Yeah, they did a little bit.

Fernie: But you know, it's the old "goes in one ear, out the other." We just did our thing. In the studio, it was just us and the producers and the engineer. When it came time to do the video, the suggestion [from MCA] was to just go for it. Just do what we do best — play live! There were really no major conflicts.

Sadie: Did an audience come in and watch you do the same song for twelve hours?

All at once: Yeah!

Sadie: That's devotion.

Fernie: I don't think it was devotion. I think it was the promise of food.

Devorah: How did you guys feel the first time you saw "Feel the Shake" on MTV?

Sami Yaffa onstage with Jetboy
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Fernie: I thought I looked taller!

Mickey: For me, the first time I saw it... I thought it would be so exciting. Then when it actually came on, I felt self-conscious like, "Oh my God, the whole world is watching this! It's not good enough." But then, after that, it was a good feeling.

Sadie: You guys got any other exciting interests or something? I mean, apart from Jetboy.

Mickey: Skateboarding... motocross… pet iguanas... I've always been into reptiles. In fact, I used to live in this house on 11th Avenue, and we got raided about a year ago. You might have heard about it 'cause it was on the news, in the newspaper. They were all: "Poisonous snakes lurking in San Francisco!"

Fernie: Well, the only thing I've noticed... In certain publicity shots, you're beginning to look like some of those things.

Mickey: Then there's our fascination with the blues... harmonica... slide guitar... On the next album, there'll be a lot more harmonica and slide guitar.

Sadie: Do you have any people that you emulate?

Billy: James Cotton... Johnny Winter... all that stuff. We're crazy about it!

Mickey Finn - Jetboy's 2006 reunion
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Devorah: Are you looking forward to playing for all your friends in San Francisco again tonight [the second of two SF shows]?

Mickey: It should be fun. We rocked last night! You know, we're starting off the tour in San Francisco, and I said, "I'm gonna take it easy, be mellow, pace myself." But last night it was like, "Aarrgghh!"

MTVdude: As far as your earlier fans and friends... Are they... you know... When a band starts getting capital and cash... It's strange... People are really turned off; it's like they feel deserted.

Mickey: Once a band starts seeing some success, it's real easy for old fans to start cutting us off, "Oh, the record's no good. I like their old stuff." How can you help being a little jealous, or like you said, feeling betrayed by the band? It's like, yeah, we took up and went to LA and now we're doing it. We're doing what we always wanted to do. Some people can't accept that.

Fernie: Yep. I'm doing what I always wanted to do — sitting in the Stone, in the early afternoon, drinking my Beck's beer.

Ron: Out of a can.

* * *

2018 update: Jetboy has completed work on a NEW album, which will be released through Frontiers Music.

Please click on these links to read my other interviews with Jetboy:
devorahostrov.blogspot.com/2018/05/jetboy-sami-yaffa-joins-group
devorahostrov.blogspot.com/2017/10/jetboy-year-into-their-glittering-career

Jetboy: Sami Yaffa Joins The Group As They Travel The Rocky Road To Fame And Fortune

Originally published in Rave-Up #13 (1988)

Interview by Devorah Ostrov

Jetboy got all dressed up for this publicity photo!

L-R: Fernie Rod, Ron Tostenson, Mickey Finn, Sami Yaffa & Billy Rowe

Talk about your ups and downs... Over the last year, Jetboy was signed to Elektra Records then dropped by Elektra Records; lost a good friend and bass player to drugs but gained a new friend and band member with former Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yaffa; opened for Mötley Crüe at a Day on the Green and suffered broken bones getting there. I spoke with Sami and guitarist Billy Rowe (just out of the hospital and still wearing a cast on his arm) for this up-to-the-minute status report.

Sami Yaffa and Billy Rowe (with his arm still in a cast)

Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Q: Let's start with Elektra Records. A year ago, you were signed with a lot of enthusiasm. And now, just before the release of the album, you've been dropped. What reason did the label give you?

Billy: There were a lot of reasons... It was political bullshit. It's actual political bullshit within the label. It's really weird. Everyone at the label loved the record. They gave us extra money to record it. It had a release date. The records and CDs are printed up. Everything was ready to go, and the head of the label pulled the plug!
     He doesn't really give a shit about any of the rock bands on his label. He wants to steer the label towards Top 40. Whatever, we're happy to be out of there. It's for the best. Both MCA and Chrysalis are real interested in signing us. We just can't stand the waiting. I know one thing, this band has gone through more shit than any other band.

Q: I know! For every good thing that happens to you guys, something bad happens.

Jetboy "Taxis for Takeoff" on the 
cover of Music Connection

Billy: Well, we're just looking at a real long streak of good luck after we get signed. I mean shit, we've been through the wringer!

Q: You went to Florida to record the LP [which will be called Feel The Shake]. Why there instead of locally?

Sami: That was because our producer [Tom Allom] knew the studio really well. That's where he's from and where he's worked.

Q: Was recording the LP harder than you thought it would be?

Billy: Easier!

Sami: You know, I have major experience in recording, but this was a piece of cake. It was so easy.

Q: Easier than with Hanoi Rocks?

Sami: Yeah! Everything just went so smoothly. There were no major arguments, no fights, no problems. We never worked for more than 10 hours a day. With Hanoi, we fucking stayed in the studio for 20 hours, weeks and weeks... And in the end, we'd still be yelling, "I want this to be there!"

Q: I know you were in the studio when you heard that Todd [Crew, Jetboy's original bassist] had overdosed. Do you want to talk about it at all?

Billy: I don't know what to say, really.

Sami Yaffa
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Sami: It's a really tragic thing.

Q: Did Todd get heavily into drugs after Jetboy moved to Los Angeles? He didn't seem that bad when you lived in San Francisco.

Billy: He was like that here, but people just didn't know. We hid it because we were so embarrassed about it.

Q: Then why did you wait so long to replace him?

Billy: I don't know. I guess because we tried to help him for so long. But we finally figured that even if it set us back, we had to replace him. He just couldn't handle it. He wasn't holding his part up.

Q: Did you see much of Todd after he left the band?

Billy: Yeah, we'd all hang out together. There were no real hard feelings. He knew what he did; he fucked up. What happened was too bad, but it was his own fault. We gave him plenty of chances.

Q: Sami, how did you hear that Jetboy was looking for a new bass player?

Sami: They fucking called me up! It's a weird story. I went to London to see if I wanted to work with Nasty [Suicide] and Andy [McCoy, both ex-Hanoi Rocks]. And I thought, "Nah, not really." When I finally got back home, there was a message from my girlfriend saying there was this band in LA who's trying to get ahold of me. I thought, "Stop bullshitting around..." But the telephone rang, and it was Bridgette [Wright] saying, "I manage a band called Jetboy. Would you be interested in coming and checking it out?" I said, "Yeah, sure. Send me a ticket."

L-R: Billy Rowe, Ron Tostenson, Sami Yaffa,

Fernie Rod and Mickey Finn

Q: The last I heard, you'd given up rock 'n' roll. You were an artist living in Spain.

Sami: I was. For about a year, I didn't do shit! I was taking it easy — painting, drawing naked girls... Which was quite fun! And I was raising my son [Nicholas, named after the Hanoi Rocks drummer who was killed in a head-on collision while riding in a car driven by Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil].

Q: Did you know anything about Jetboy before you came over?

Sami: Yeah, when I got the message, I went to my old manager and asked him if he'd ever heard of them. He said, "Yeah, sure. Cherry Bombz played a gig with them." Then he asked if I wanted their demo tape. I remember I didn't like it too much.

Sami Yaffa & Bill Rowe
Billy's broken arm kept him from playing the October 1987
Day on the Green show with Mötley Crüe.
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Billy: It was old songs.

Sami: But it had such fucking personality, and I thought there was a lot of talent in the band.

Q: Billy, I know you guys are all big fans of Hanoi Rocks. You must have been pretty excited when you found out that Sami was coming over.

Billy: Yeah! We were like, "Shit!" But something inside all of us knew it was meant to be. Everyone just trips on how well it's worked out. It really pulled the band together.

Q: In October, Jetboy opened for Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, and Poison in front of thousands of people at the Day on the Green. How did you guys arrange that?

Billy: It was all arranged through our agent. [Jetboy share the same booking agent as Mötley Crüe.] He said, "We need a band for the Day on the Green. Do you think they could do it?" Bridgette said, "Of course they can do it!"

Jetboy's Mickey Finn shares this 1986 BAM
cover with Poison's Bret Michaels.

Sami: And then Billy goes and breaks his fucking arm the day before the show!

(On the way up to the Bay Area from Los Angeles, Billy's car was hit almost head-on by an elderly man who'd had a heart attack and lost control over his car. A truck following Billy missed his car by inches and slammed into the other car. Mickey and Sami, who were riding with Billy, were slightly shaken up. However, Billy was put in the hospital for five days, with his arm broken in three places.)

Q: Maybe it's an omen. You're not meant to go anywhere near Mötley Crüe.

Sami: Not me! It freaks me out. I don't want to play with them again, to be honest. Keep them at a distance. They're nice guys, but it's a bad mix. I feel sorry for Vince, y'know. After the accident... I would hate to be in his fucking shoes. Let's talk about something else.

Q: Let's get back to the Day on the Green show. Did you expect that wild of a reaction from the crowd?

Billy: I knew they'd eat us up! Our tunes are pretty fucking rockin'! I mean, when people first look at us, they think we're fucking freaky looking. But after awhile they're saying, "but their tunes are sure kicking my ass!" I think we're gonna win over a lot of people, more so than people think.

Apparently, there are individual pics of each of

the guys from this sensationally sartorial photo
session. However, Rave-Up was only sent this
one picture of Sami Yaffa.

Q: Was [concert promoter] Bill Graham impressed after the set?

Sami: I think he was impressed that we pulled it off without Billy; that we didn't cancel it because Billy broke his arm. I think a lot of bands would not have done it.

Billy: It's only gonna help us. And half those people, when they buy the record, won't even have noticed that I wasn't there.

Q: I can't wait to hear this record!

Sami: I'm so fucking happy with that album!

Q: How does it compare to Hanoi Rocks' albums?

Sami: Well, you can't really compare Hanoi Rocks to Jetboy. They're totally different. I loved the time I was in Hanoi. It was a great fucking band when it was together. There was never anything like that band and there never will be again. Jetboy is a totally different story, but it's the same kind of thing. There's never gonna be another band like Jetboy!

* * *

* Please click on these links to read my other interviews with Jetboy:
devorahostrov.blogspot.com/2018/07/jetboy-press-conference-is-held
devorahostrov.blogspot.com/2017/10/jetboy-year-into-their-glittering-career

* 2018 update: Jetboy has completed work on a NEW album, which will be released through Frontiers Music.

Jetboy: A Year Into Their Glittering Career, I Caught Up With San Francisco's Favorite Glamsters!

Originally published in Rave-Up issue #11, 1986
By Devorah Ostrov

L-R: Ron Tostenson, Fernie Rod, Todd Crew, Mickey Finn & Billy Rowe
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

When Rave-Up first interviewed Jetboy, they were rehearsing in Billy's garage, looking more like ragamuffins than pop stars. Now, a year later, the image and music have been perfected and Jetboy is on the verge of taking off!

Q: So, what have you guys been up to lately?

Fernie: Well, we just got off a major [California] Jetboy/Kix tour! It lasted about two-and-a-half weeks. It was a lot of fun!

Q: Is that the first time you've been "on the road"?

Mickey and Billy pose in the Mabuhay alleyway

Photos: Devorah Ostrov

Fernie: Yeah. You've got to start somewhere. I never had so much fun in my life. Living on the road, traveling... It wasn't a lot, but we got a taste of it. Now we're starving for it.

Q: What cities did you play?

Fernie: The first night we played with Johnny Thunders in Long Beach. From there, we went to Glendora and Anaheim, or some ridiculous place. Then we played in Turlock — to a whopping crowd of three!

Jetboy in JAPANtown!
Cover photo from Rave-Up issue #11
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Billy: Seriously.

Fernie: And Kix stole the show! They had a crowd of five.

Billy: 'Cause we were up front!

Q: How did your relationship with Kix get started?

Fernie: Kix decided to come out here and do some opening slot shows. Bridgett [Wright] mentioned she was our manager; the band heard a tape of ours and liked it. It's gone really well. We've kept in touch. Kix said when they come out again, they'd like us to open their shows.

Q: The first time we interviewed you, you weren't sure how the band would go over in the Bay Area. Since then, it seems to be going great!

Fernie: It's going really well, but I think we may have overplayed the Bay Area a little bit. We're doing much better in Los Angeles than here in San Francisco. Our music and look are different down there; we're new. But we don't want to overplay down there, either. One thing we did accomplish was to get the major labels interested. A lot of them went to the Los Angeles shows. The people from Capitol Records came to see us at the Thunders' show and loved it. Elektra Records and MCA Records have seen us.

Mickey Finn
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Q: Have any of them said anything negative?

Fernie: No, except for Island Records. One of the A&R guys said he didn't like me! Now we're just waiting to see what happens. We're at a crucial point with the band. We're trying to get signed now... The way things are with the music business and trends... We want to get on top of it and get a head start because I think more and more bands will be doing this kind of stuff.

Q: Have you already noticed bands trying to copy your style?

Billy: Sure, bands try to. They're not copying us, but they're into the same kind of thing.

Fernie: It's pretty crucial right now. We have to give our all right now and do our best. We're going to be working really intensively on our show; we're going to get more organized. The record companies want to see a band that's developed in all areas. They want to see a band that has their sets, stage show and movements together — a complete package.

Billy Rowe & Fernie Rod in Japantown

Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Q: Over the last year, the band has become much more professional in a lot of ways. You must be aware of the changes from the first shows.

Fernie: We were much more raw.

Billy: We like our new songs a lot more! They're more, I don't know... I think we've created our own style.

Fernie: It's been a natural development. When we started, I'd say we were more "punk." Our songs were a little faster, like "Car Sex." Now, we're thinking along the lines of... The music is just coming out more. It's hard to put into words.

Q: Vince Ely [ex-Psychedelic Furs] produced your demo tape, right?

Fernie: Yeah, great guy!

Q: How did that come about?

Fernie: I don't know the complete story. He was invited to one of our shows [the Country Club in Los Angeles] because at the time we were looking for a producer. He liked the show; he liked everything. We were scared of going into the studio with him. With his background, we thought he might try to make us sound different, but...

Billy: We sounded better!

Early Jetboy publicity photo by Teri McDonald
Back row L-R: Billy Rowe, Mickey Finn, Ron Tostenson
Front row: Todd Crew, Fernie Rod

Q: So, you're really happy with the way it turned out?

Fernie: Well, yes and no. The sound quality could have been better, but that wasn't anyone's fault. We just didn't have enough time to work on it.

Todd Crew in Japantown
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Billy: We learned a lot in the studio. We were in there seven or eight hours a day, sleeping on the couch in the kitchen. Vince would wake me up at 6:00 in the morning to do guitar parts. It was great! I loved it!

Q: What songs are on the demo tape?

Fernie: "The More You Cut Me, the More I Bleed," "Fire in My Heart," "Bad Disease," and "Little Teaser."

Q: That's a good mixture. There's a couple of old songs and some new stuff. Your early songs were mostly about girls and sex. Now, it seems you're writing about deeper thoughts.

Billy: It's been a natural progression.

Fernie: We still have a long way to go. We're still a bunch of young punks. We still watch cartoons, eat pizza, and stay up all night!

Q: So do we!

Billy: We drink coffee. Coffee is cool!

Fernie: It's Chips Ahoy or nothing!

Billy Rowe
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Q: When the band first formed and you thought about your look, did you picture this image?

Fernie: Yeah, we had an idea of what we wanted. It's developed into this. I think we were more feminine looking when we started out, fishnets... We figured this look and style was eventually going to happen. When we started out, the metal thing was still pretty big, but we knew something else would take over. People's interest was going to shift a little bit and look for something different. We thought it might be us, and other bands like us. To a certain degree, that's how it's happened.

Q: And you guys are all big rock 'n' roll fans as well as musicians...

Billy: That's true! Everyone in the band is a total fan! AC/DC, Aerosmith, Hanoi Rocks, the Dolls...

Fernie: You know what's funny? I haven't really heard anybody say that we're like any of those bands. There's never been anything like, "You guys are copying Hanoi Rocks," or anything.

Q: No, but your style and songs aren't really like anyone else's.

Mickey Finn in Japantown
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Fernie: And we're very conscious of that when we write songs. We believe in catchy, fun choruses. We're very song oriented. People look at us and all they think is, "They probably spend more time blow-drying and spraying their hair." That's not true, but if they want to think that, it's fine with me.

Q: The people who think that probably have no idea how hard you've worked and how seriously you take your music.

Billy: We're not like those bands you see whose parents buy them all their equipment and clothes. When we started out, we had nothing. We just had our guitars. We scraped the money together to buy equipment.

Fernie: It's definitely not been a breeze. The payoff though, without a doubt, is when we play live. That's where we get the most satisfaction. That's what we live for! Playing and working on music. We have to work at it though. Nothing comes unless you work hard at it, nothing at all.

Billy: You've just got to keep pushing.

★ ★ ★

Fernie Rod in Japantown
Photo: Devorah Ostrov

Find out more on Jetboy's website: www.jetboyrocks.com

Like them on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/jetboyrocks

Watch them on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/jetboy

Follow these links to read my other interviews with Jetboy:
devorahostrov.blogspot.co.uk/jetboy/sami yaffa joins the group
devorahostrov.blogspot.com/jetboy/a press conference is held