"The Roolettes were formed in May 2002 and kicked off their career with a couple of tantalisingly wild shows in Italy, before returning to their hometown of London to tighten, excite and ignite with their raw rock n' roll sound, drawing on their simple philosophy, determination and single minded desire to be as loud and dangerous as possible. Short, sharp songs littered with riffs and bittersweet lyrics created the buzz which has continued to get stronger and stronger.
Roolettes have a really good Album out at the moment on Vinyl Japan well worth tracking down.
"Raw edge New wave, with hints of things passed but well and truly focused on the NOW that's The Roolettes..Sohostrut 2005"
Who are
you, what do you play in the band
Jimmy, drums and singing.
How did
you come up with the name of the Roolettes ?
I thought it up, its a corruption of roulette which is all about risk and
high stakes. And the "ettes" gives it a certain feminine twist,
which always confuses people when 3 men turn up...
How did
you all meet?
on the road to ruin
Jimmy
You must have played in other bands right ?
I played bass in a discopunk band who achieved a certain notoriety, but
you wouldn't have known it was me because I wore a disguise. And no, I'm
not telling you who it was.... ed has been cropping up on the London music
scene for a long time and was playing bass in a techno-punk band when we
rescued him, and fio was already a superstar - in his own bedroom at least.
What or
who makes the Roolettes Rock ?
I learnt a little from everything I am into, understanding more about arrangements
and dynamics. But I listen to very diverse things. This week on my stereo
I have gone through everything from the bronx, the mooney suzuki and turbonegro
to manu chao, bebel gilberto,
the shirelles, outkast, ojos de brujo....
Who is
the coolest band in Rock n Roll ?
I am allowed to say The Roolettes, right?
Any other
acts you would like to play the same bill with ?
I think Turbonegro would be incredible. The chance to see them play every
night, hang out and eat pizza would be great. Or else The Donnas, Manu
Chao, Velvet Revolver....
Any bands
that you guys have enjoyed giging with ?
We were very lucky to tour Germany with The Bronx, whose album was easily
my favorite of last year, and they're a great bunch of people, with an awesome,
wild live show, just how rock n roll should be.. Its just a shame they were
always on straight after us and I was too busy rehydrating and cutting off
my sweat drenched clothes after our shows to catch as much of them as I
wish I could've .
For any one out there that has not heard or seen the Might of the Roolettes, how would you say you soun ded ?
j:
Our style has definately evolved alot, which is natural after playing together
for a couple of years. We started off with songs that me or Fio had written
before the band was formed, so it was a question of moulding them
into something that sounded similar.. but since then we've all contributed
more of our own ideas and styles to each song. Ed's guitar sound and riffs
are very strong and distinctive, which is a major part of the overall sound,and
theres a consistent feel to each track because they evolve as we play them
more and more. in terms of inspiration, i would say i have perhaps always
aspired to writing songs in a rocket from the crypt kind of way, ed would
be gnr and fio would be the ramones. but we all take in alot of influences
from everywhere and use whatever inspiration we can to make us the best
we can be.
I like the way The band strike a good balance between old style Punky-new wave sounds and modern sounds. Do you guys prefer vintage instruments and gear, or is it all bang up to date ?
j: we have no choice about the "vintage" instruments we
play, coz we cant afford the bang up to date versions. my kit is vintage
in as much as its very old and has played hundreds of gigs. but once you
find a guitar, drum kit or amp you really like, its best to stick to it.
theres no point playing something that looks cool if it sounds rubbish.
What's your view on the way the music press seem to have taken garage
rock to their hearts again at the moment , Fickle or at last a real knowing
of real Rock n Roll ? Do you think the success of The Libertines has helped
bands like you and say The Paddingtons.
j: i wouldnt know, i dont read it ever. i gave up on the mainstream
music press years ago, its too fickle, vacuous and sycophantic, and really
doesnt contribute alot to the music scene. theres a few bands we know who
get some great press, and we know they know they suck.. but its no big deal.
we have no aspirations to being fashionable anyway - we aspire to just be
the best band we can possibly be, and enjoy ourselves in the process. the
cream rises to the top anyway, regardless of who the NME are into this week.
What kind of response does the band get in Britain and the rest of Europe? Any other European bands that you feel a kinship with or can recommend?
J:
we get a great reaction in europe on the whole. we have played alot of shows
in germany and holland during the last few months, and things have really
gone from strength to strength, with alot of people coming to check us out
and we've sold a good amount of records there too. its important to keep
going back to keep your profile current and we've also been lucky enough
to play some fantastic support slots too, with the likes of Danko Jones,
The Bronx, The Misfits, Electric Eel Shock.theres some great bands around
europe who dont get alot of coverage here. we've played a few times with
Green Hornet from Holland who are excellent, along with other Dutch bands
like Peter Pan Speedrock and Stella Reeves. i'd
definately recommend checking out The Launderettes from Norway and Taxi
from Italy too. the live music scene in Europe is really vibrant, theres
hundreds of great bands out there and the scene is driven by quality not
fashion or style which is refreshing and exciting.
Where have been your best gigs, the Rhythm Factory can be hot and sweaty right a great little venue.
j: yeah we had a good time playing there for sure. off the top of
my head i would say my personal favourite shows have been Den Helder in
Holland, Hamburg, Wiesbaden and most of the shows on the Danko tour in Germany,
Haarlem in Holland with The Misfits was really incredible... as for this
country, i think we all had a good time at the Dirty Water Club a while
back with The Parkinsons and Mr Airplane Man, who are amazing and you have
to check out.
Tell me about the record, what's the title and when did it come out?( for those who dont know).
j: its called "The Roolettes" and its been out for a while
now. its out across most of Europe and Japan, and finally got its release
across north America during December. its 13 original tracks, recorded in
our favourite rundown and raw studio in north London and produced by Grant
Ferreira who totally understands our style and sound, and we're pretty pleased
with it - it has a sharp, fresh, energetic sound.
Tell me about Viynl Japan how did that deal come about ?
j: There were a few labels sniffing around us and seeing what we
had to offer. we'd been through the normal thing of sending out hundreds
of demos and playing as many gigs as possible to try and create a buzz,
and gradually alot of people became aware of us. we had some contact with
VJ, who were really into what we were doing and we decided to go with them
because they have a great, open-minded attitude and are all very cool people.
the label has a great reputation for underground garage stuff, especially
across Europe, and being associated with VJ has certainly helped push open
a few
doors for us.
How are sales going, is it selling in the USA,if so do you plan to Tour there.What do you think is the biggest market you have to break.
j: The sales have been fine so far, we're happy enough, but there could
always be more! we shift alot of copies of the album when we're out on the
road, and have had quite alot of follow-up sales around Germany and Holland
after we've played there. It shifted copies out in Japan too, which could
lead on to a possible tour, which would be fantastic. As for the US, its
only been out a little while, and i think we shifted a few copies on Import
there before its release, but its hard to tell how many. We've had alot
of reveiws and mail from America and Canada, and we're heavily featured
on "Little Steven's Underground Garage" Radio show, which is highly
respected and goes out coast to coast. He even gave our song "Ciao
Punk" his award as "Coolest Song in the World" when it was
on, which was an incredible compliment. So fingers crossed for that support
slot with Bruce Springsteen, i guess...
Is there
a new single planned.
j: Not at the moment, no. We released a 7" across Europe which
was
"Cigarette Breakdown" from the album plus 2 new songs on the B-Side,
and its sold pretty well. I dont know if there would be alot of point releasing
another single from the album, as we've had alot of different tracks get
radio play anyway. We're currently working on a pile of new material, so
i think we will drive towards getting those recorded and something new released
for people in the near future.
Future Plans?
j: Just more of the same, but bigger and better! We're really working
hard on the new songs at the moment and trying to expand and diversify the
setlist and sound of the band. Its important to let the band and style mature,
evolve, grow-up and reflect your changing experiences. So we're keeping
busy doing that, and looking towards some more touring in the next few months,
hopefully to coincide with a new release.
Sum up the Roolettes in 3 words
j: Dirty. Fast. Fearless.
Say Good
night..
j: Thanks alot, We've been The Roolettes and you've been Friday night...