Interview with Joey Vera for Rocket Queen *Promotion* (02/2011)
(Original article located here: http://www.rocketqueen-susi.de/Interview11_JV.php)
Hello Joey, I welcome you to the interviews with Rocket Queen. I hope you are doing fine and thank you very much for this opportunity to talk to you.
1.Please introduce yourself to my readers in some short sentences.
Joey: I’m a bassist of 25 yrs or so, and made my start with Armored Saint. Since then I’ve played on many records and other bands such as Anthrax, Chroma Key, OSI, Tribe After Tribe, Seven Witches and Fates Warning which I’ve been a member of since 1996. I also produce records which I’ve got about 30 records to credit that.
2. How did you ran into the phenomenal Fates Warning?
Joey: I’ve known them since 1984 when they came to a tour we were playing in their area, and they were also signed to Metal Blade which we had a relationship with. We became friends over the years and when they needed to replace Joe Dibiase, they called me.
3. I see that you are playing in Essen/Germany this year on 10 february. So what is new with Fates Warning? Could we maybe expect a new CD in the near future?
Joey: Fates is still in the writing process which takes some time as you can imagine. We hope to have a record out late this year or early next.
4. With Amored Saint you released your latest album in March 2010. So whatis Amored Saint doing at the moment, are you guys writing new material?
Joey: No we are not writing. Again, it takes quite some time for us to make records so at the moment we are trying to put together some European shows.
5. You mentioned in facebook that you are learning vocals for John Archs record. So it seems that hes doing a second Solo CD, sounds great. So are you singing or playing bass, doing both? On how many songs do you support him?
Joey: Mmmm no not singing, but playing bass. I’m playing on the whole record.
6. What are you favourite bass guitars and which bass do you play mostly?
Joey: My favorite is my ’72 Fender PBass. I have 2 others as well but they are newer and those are the one’s I play most. I’ve retired my ’72 to only recording so that’s the one I’m using on the John Arch record.
7. Please give us a short overview on your current equipement.
Joey: I’ve been using the same gear for years. Ampeg SVT head (1981) and 2 SVT 8×10 cabinets. That’s basically it. I change around the effects depending on the gig.
8. You and John Bush did some cooking videos which we saw on You Tube. Was it
your idea to do so? And what is the background behind the cooking thing?
Joey: The label wanted us to do something to promote the release of the record but we didn’t want to just sit there and answer questions so we thought we’d do something different.
9. Do you have your own studio?
Joey: Yes I do, in my house. It’s a Pro Tools HD3 studio with a Control 24 surface controller. I mainly do mixing here but I can track almost anything.
Which are your favourite bands of all time? And which bands are you listening
to at the moment?
Joey: Too many to mention. I listen to lots of stuff.
10. You are a bass player and producer. Is Heavy Metal still your favorite music or is there some kind of other music you prefer today?
Joey: I just like honest, good music. Some of it is heavy but some of it is not.
11. Is the first EP with the song “Lesson well learned” still available?
Joey: No it has been out of print since 1984 but you can sometimes find it on Ebay.
12. Last but not least.. please leave a message for me and my readers!
Joey: Thank you for all the years of support, we cannot do any of this without you!!
I thank you from the heart for answering my questions. I wish you all the best and wish you a super rocking weekend, SUSI
Leave A Comment