Steve Brown - from Trixter to Soaked to this....The oldest "kid" in rock n roll finds an home for his much loved 40ft Ringo.


Hi Steve, it's been a long road between releases - how does it feel to finally have this album out and in stores?
Very happy.....it's been a long time coming.

Let's go back a little....Trixter broke through when melodic rock was at it's peak. How was the roller coaster ride that was life on the road in the US heyday?
It was every dream coming true daily. Everything I ever wanted out of music was happening. We had #1 videos, sold out tours and met most of my heroes. Oh yeah.....lot's of girls and we made some money.......he, he, he.

Any particular story that stands out in your mind from that time?
The 1st time we played the Meadowlands Arena in 1991 on the SCORPIONS TOUR. That was the dream from day one , to play our hometown arena. We did it and received our gold records that night. The Bon Jovi + TESLA guys were there to celebrate with us along with all of our families + friends.

So the band have broken up, the grunge scene is wreaking havoc - what's the first thing you decided to do musically after it had all dies down for you?
I had just built my studio www.mojovegas.com and I began writing very cool pop tunes...the 1st one was "ABSOLUTE OZONE BABY" which became the launch
of THROWAN ROCKS.

Were there any thoughts of continuing the traditional hard rock sound onto your new projects?
No.....I wanted something different

The Soaked demos were excellent quality - what stood between those projects and a record deal? Did you come close at any stages?
BOTH band 's came close to deals. SOAKED was very close to signing w/ EPIC.

Among those visiting my site, some may accuse you of selling out, or at least playing whatever music is deemed popular at the time. How would you respond to any such comments?
Selling out???? That's my goal to sell out every CD, every show, every shirt....
The fact is, I've stayed true to what I love musically and that is MELODIC POP ROCK w/ crunchy guitars. The scene has finally caught up to what I've been doing for years.

The album is very much a feel good, fun modern rock n roll album. There is a distinct sound to the album and especially the fuzzy guitar sound. Why did you choose that sound and this path to travel?
I'm glad you said the thing about the CD having a distinct sound. I wanted a sound that was big + rock but not buried in that old reverb 80's sound. 40FT. RINGO is very present sounding…crisp + clean with crunchy rock guitars and up front vocals.

At the base of everything is catchy songs - which I think you guys have. You recorded 22 tracks as demos, what method did you use to scale those back to the ones featured on the album?
That's a good one because I know there are a lot of fans who thought we should have put other songs on the CD. We picked the best songs that we thought made the "best possible representation of what 40FT. RINGO is". I think we succeeded.

And what would you describe as a catchy song - what makes a good song in your eye?
Great melody, great riff, killer groove & cool lyrics = great song.

I heard another comment - that the demos were actually a better sound than the finished album. I don't think the two should necessarily be compared, but for answer to the question - what did you do differently to reach the final versions of the songs featured?
We did some remixing + mastering. Some versions on the CD are the original demos

The demos for the album seem to be well traded amongst the melodic rock circles! Do you think the fact that the songs have been in the public domain will hurt potential sales?
No. Real fans will always buy the finished product.

How does a band counter act this - how do you secure a deal and create a buzz around the band without letting some of the material reach fans and those that are involved in the scene?
You can't. The music has to get out there to create a buzz. I have no problem with the internet downloading issue.
Great music + great bands will always rise above.

What do you do now to keep the momentum going? How do you work the album now it's released?
We are waiting on the word on our 1st European / Scandinavian tour. Might be the 1st 2 weeks of June with shows in the UK, GERMANY and 2 festival dates in SWEDEN + DENMARK. I'm doing loads of interviews all around the world. ATENZIA is doing a great job with radio. So all the channels are working.
But I think, 40FT. RINGO IN CONCERT is the best way possible to promote this CD.
We are a great live band.

Any chance of a label deal in the US? Or will Atenzia try and reach retail with this pressing themselves?
That is in the works. Now that we have ATENZIA for Europe & UNIVERSAL for Japan we can build the Buzz around the world and then hit the AMERICAN record companies. I want to make sure that we get a great deal for the U.S. market. Not some Bullshit go- nowhere deal.

You are always playing live - what is it like playing to crowds in 2002/2003 compared with 10 years ago?
10 years ago was a lot of Arena shows...now it's club shows. I love them both.

Can you tell us a little about each song on the album:
Anyway = a song about the drive in getting some action + what you will put up with finally to get it.

Wired = How some people can't stay away from trouble

Inside Your Head = not knowing where you stand with some one that you are crazy about

Big Fat Smile = what ever you want to be in life......have fun + do it with a big fat smile.

Origami Mommy = a song about child neglect in the hands of substance abuse

Book Of Virtues = sometimes opposites attract but there will be trouble + fire.

Be My Fix = longing for that late night love or lust and the pain it brings when you don't have it

A Freak Like You = a song about never wanting to be a part of the general population

Unbroken = trying to change an insecure persons mindset

Miss You Blue = a song to all those people we've lost.

Fanatic = about those freaky people who show up at your doorstep and spy onto your windows.

Anti-Zero = never wanting to be a slacker.

Tough = a song about Parents who try to live their lives through their children and how some kids never feel that they measure up to expectations

Anything you would like to add Steve?
Thanx to you + all the melodic rockers for all the years of support......tell everyone you know about 40ft. Ringo + we hope to see on tour soon. Time to give the world a
"big fat smile"!!!!!!!!!!!! www.40ftringo.com

What are you listening to right now/currently?
Motley Crue Reissue Catalog......Love the Crue and as always my favorite.........40FT. RINGO "Funny Thing" on ATENZIA RECORDS. Shameless self promotion at it's best........see ya rock freaks!