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Submitted By: host | Added On: 7/3/2006 | Total Views (519) | Total Downloads: (0)

It’s been well over 20 years since they toured the world and ruled the airwaves as the “Yellow & Black Attack”. Gone are the days of major rotation on MTV, but the popular, Christian, heavy metal band, STRYPER, is on a comeback with a new album and tour that hits Nashville on November 5th @ Rocketown. Guitarist OZ FOX was gracious enough to spend a few minutes with NASHVILLEROCK.NET staff writer Josh Jackson to discuss the current tour, the new album, REBORN, and to give some advice to aspiring musicians everywhere.     NR.NET: So, how is the tour going? Oz: Well, we pretty much started pre-production around September, around the first week or second week of September and our actual dates started on the 22nd and a total of about 36 or 37 dates. I think right now we’re a little more than half way through with it and it’s been going well, a lot of people been coming to the shows which you know is really great. You know, we’re just plowing right along plugging our new album.   NR.NET: I heard you played some huge festivals overseas this summer like the LORCA ROCK FESTIVAL with Iron Maiden & Dream Theatre.  How was that this summer? Oz: That was really awesome. I mean that was just a really cool gig playing with two really great bands and especially Dream Theatre & Iron Maiden, I mean those two, what a combination to be playing with.   NR.NET: What was the crowd like over there? Oz: It was just a huge crowd I mean we must have had anywhere from 12 to 14,000 people there. It was amazing.     NR.NET: How do you balance doing bigger shows like that with mostly doing clubs and small theatres here in the U.S.? Oz: Oh, I mean, you know we came out of playing in the clubs so it’s not a matter of you know something we can’t get used to doing. For us, the smaller clubs tend to be a little bit cooler cause it’s more intimate. You can really talk to the crowd, we can single out, you can be a lot more personal and all that. It makes for a different kind of show. It’s not like you’re in a huge  theatre or arena, you kinda take the crowd as a whole and just kinda try to talk to ‘em, where when you’re in a small club you can relate a little more personally to individuals in the crowd  and what not. As well as, you know, take the crowd as a whole, you know depending on where you’re at. So that’s kind of fun to kick around, joke around a little more, it’s almost like you’re in your front room. (chuckles) It’s more entertaining.   NR.NET: I heard you may be doing some acoustic dates in 2006, some really smaller shows.  Do you know anything about what might be happening in the new year? Oz: We’ve been talking of the idea of doing an unplugged kind of thing and playing around at some fellowships around the country. Just doing something… we normally haven’t done anything like that and in this case it wouldn’t be a full production so to speak, it would be just kinda reaching out to those people that are in Churches and what not that would really appreciate maybe hearing from us and getting some information about us. Cause a lot of times the believers  out there you know that we’re brothers and sisters with don’t quite understand where we’re coming from and it’s nice to…It’d be nice to sort of go around and visit them and talk to them and reach out to them and that aspect of it. Not to say that we won’t go out and play clubs again,  that’s definitely a must and (chuckles) yeah that’s what we do and if it ever got to being in the  big halls again we’d do that, too. You now, we’re just kinda doing some things we’ve never done before which I think is a good thing, you know? It’s good that we can branch out and do some things that normally you wouldn’t see us do and we wanna be able to be as versatile as possible. And that definitely would show some versatility to be able to do something like that.     NR.NET: The new album is called REBORN, your first studio release in almost 20 years. How was it being in the studio together after so many years? Oz: It was…short lived, I mean to be honest with you it wasn’t like we were all together writing together and doing a full pre-production together. We kinda got all the demos sent to us and sat down and worked out our parts and individually went in and did our stuff. So, on that aspect of it, considering the way the band, the status of the band at the time…you know it was great to be able to get the new album out, but I mean the next thing that we do, the next project we do I’m definitely gonna feel like it’s gonna be, you know, something that we’ve all really gotten together to do and came together to make it happen as a band, you know? I mean the way things were at the time, I just didn’t have the time to get together and write music and do full on pre-production. The way my life was at the time, I still had a full time job and you know was trying to hold, you know, hold the finances together with that and so moving on to do more STRYPER activities and taking three and four weeks off to do a number of shows, I finally had to tell work that you know, I’m gonna be moving on. So, a big change, big step of faith with that.   NR.NET: So, Is the title, REBORN, a play on what the band is going through at this time? Oz: Yeah, that’s probably a good analogy of what’s going on. The band is re-grouped and was broken up in 1992 and there were no plans on getting back together until 2004. September of 2004. That’s when the decision was made by all of us to make a go of this. And it was agreed upon by all members of the band, so that’s what we’re doing, you know? We felt that this was the time. It was never a thing where oh look at all these bands that are getting back together and doing tours and what not. In fact, we were afraid of following after those kinds of footsteps. I mean, for us, it had to be the right time and the right chemistry and you know a few glitches came to the plate that we had to deal with and one of them, Timmy (Tim Gaines) the bass player wasn’t too happy being in the band anymore and so he gracefully bowed out and we got a new guy (Tracy Ferrie) and that was part of the reason why it works the way it does now. A lot of things like that. I mean, we had no plan to regroup up until September of 2004 when we did our first show with Tracy Ferrie. After that it was just like, wow, this can work.     NR.NET: There is a new version of your hit, IN GOD WE TRUST on the new album. How did you decide to re-record it? Oz: You know that was a last minute decision. Actually in 2003 we did a reunion tour, around the same time we are doing this tour and we wanted to do IN GOD WE TRUST on that tour but we wanted to change it around a little bit and that version that you hear on the album was  what we did live….so to speak, somewhat. There’s a few little tricks and stuff we added to the new version but for the most part we started off the song when we did the live show last tour with that same kinda vibe. That same kind of chunky, rhythm break intro to the song. So, everybody really liked that version of it and Michael (Sweet, lead singer/guitarist) just kinda said, hey it’d be great to re-record this with this new, you know, version. And it’s like wow,  great, great idea. So, we did it.                                        NR.NET: What kind of response have you been getting from the album? People that I know that have heard it love it, but they might miss a little of the “shredding” that you used to do. Can you tell me a little bit about the response you’ve been getting to your album and how maybe your style (as a guitarist) has changed a little bit? Oz: Well, I have to say as far as the album…it’s definitely an evolution from the old days to a  more modern feel. A more modern bend to the original STRYPER sound, but still sounding  like STRYPER. Maybe not so much in the vein of guitar solo-ing and all that kinda stuff, which is fine by me. Sometimes that can be a little too retro to the 80’s. We really want to see the band evolve into something that is gonna take to the listeners out there and hopefully win some new listeners. Which has been happening. We’ve gotten great response from everyone about the way this album sounds and feels. I know a few guys that were a little disappointed that there wasn’t a lot of solo-ing and what not to the album, but I’m real happy with the album. The album makes a statement and every song has something to offer with the lyrics and arrangements… the power that it portrays. And I’m very, very pleased with the way it came out and that’s really what matters to me was having a great album. As far as guitar solos and all that…if it calls for it, great. If it doesn’t, let’s think about the song, the substance. So that was my attitude towards it. I think Mike (Sweet, lead singer/guitarist) felt the same way. That’s basically what we were striving for, that overall…great album, great songs…some great guitar tones that are maybe reminiscent of STRYPER days but something modern in there as well. That kind of groove, solid groove.     NR.NET: As someone who has “been there” and “done that” and someone that’s back on the horse again, what kind of advice could you give to a someone who is out there trying to maybe follow in your footsteps? Oz: Definitely it takes a lot of patience, a lot of time…you have to really know how to work. There’s so many aspects to being a great band. There’s rehearsals and being a great musician on top of being a great songwriter and being a team player on whatever the songs call for. Attitude is one of the worst things that can destroy a band from the get go. If a guy wants to be the whole show, then you know, that’s not gonna be, that’s not gonna work for a situation. When you’re in a band you have to think of everybody else. Unless it’s a solo artist and then you gotta do what he says. I just think a lot of it is attitude and thinking about your relationships with one another and really concentrating on that. For us, being Christians, the most important  thing for us is having a great relationship with Christ. Ultimately, that’s what keeps our relationships correct with each other…is having that one special relationship with God and an individual, personal relationship. It’s not like we go by what some Church tells us. It’s what the Bible tells us to do. So, that is what keeps us together and keeps us feeling confidant and encouraged to wanna write and play music together. That’s been the common thing for us and that’s what brought us back together, to be honest with you. When you don’t have that to look forward to, then really you don’t have a guide to kinda get you back on track. You’re pretty much doing it every man for himself, so to speak. This is just one of the things that has brought STRYPER back together…that whole Christian relationship that we have with one another. So, I mean, I’m sure everyone has their own opinion about that, but that’s mine and I feel that that’s important for bands to think about, you know as far as their relationships go. Relationships with one another cause the family to work well together, if you know what I mean.       STRYPER will be performing LIVE Nov. 5th at ROCKETOWN. 401 6th Avenue South.  Doors @7:30, Showtime 8:30. Tickets ar $20 and all seats are GENERAL ADMISSION. For tickets go to www.etix.com or www.rocketown.com. For more information on the band, check out www.stryper.com.

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