Lauren Boquette

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Interview

This week’s interview is with one of my favorite singers, Lauren Boquette (Drown, Famous, Six, Lords of Ruin).

Lauren Boquette 1 CM: First off, any chance of a new Drown album?
LB: It’s coming…..and sooner than you think.

CM: I have the “Hollywood Rocks” compilation CDs and Yesterday’s Tear (Drown’s original name) is included with bands like Keel, LA Guns, Dokken, etc. You guys were the only band on the comp that didn’t wear makeup and hairspray or are there some old photos floating around like the early Pantera pics?
LB: Nope there sure isn’t. We were part of and very influenced by a cool scene in L.A, a very eclectic underground world (same world where Jane’s Addiction came from). It was the complete opposite of the Sunset Strip scene. It was like a completely different planet. A lot of those strip bands felt they needed some over the top image or something. It was all lame. My heroes never went that route so neither did I. I’ve always just been me.

CM: Speaking of metal bands, wasn’t Marco in Leatherwolf?
LB: Our second drummer Marco Forcone was in a few of “those” types of bands and yes he did perform with Leatherwolf toward the end of that band. Never recorded with them though. When he & I met I turned him on to a world of music that he had never been exposed to, he was from Orange County, CA where a lot of my scene never ventured.

CM: So I build these pages for the site and I link to videos of the bands. I can’t find a Drown video. Is it possible that you guys were signed to 3 major labels and never made a video?
LB: Pretty much, we made one for a song off our first album called “Transparent”. Marco and I also made a mini promo movie about the band called “Education for the Unknowing”, but that was it. I gotta transfer them and get them on-line, I just never think of it.

CM: You’ve been on major labels and currently run your own label (1605 Records). Do you think the old model of the music business is still viable?
LB: I really don’t know what is even viable anymore. All I can do is write and perform from my heart, the rest I’ve learned you never really have any control over.

CM: Would you consider yourself a musical genius? You have heard my bands, would you consider me a musical genius?
LB: Nah i just do what I do. Some people might dig it, others may think it sucks…who knows. You on the other hand? Complete genius! It would take a genius to want to interview me. lol

Drown

CM: As I was writing these questions some band just parked a truck across two lanes of the 101 Freeway and played a song (stopping traffic for miles) then jumped into another car and left the truck blocking the road…So what is the craziest thing you’ve done to promote a band/show?
LB: I’ve always been a promo whore. From the very beginning I tried to find different angles to get my music out there. Without a lot of money in this business you better have a lot of creativity and hustle. One time back in the early days we stenciled “Yesterdays Tear” on tons of stop signs around LA. That way they said “Stop Yesterday’s Tear”. We did so many that some city people showed up at the Whiskey one day at our sound check and threatened to cancel the show, the Whiskey was pissed too, we just denied any involvement and blamed it on “our crazy fans”. The show went on!!

CM: You and Alfunction are transforming SiX into a new project (Lords of Ruin). Why change the name? Why start over after all the work promoting SiX? Aren’t bass players and drummers kind of interchangeable (I can say that I was a bass player).
LB: It was kind of a long time coming. When we started SiX it was just before the world turned to finding and buying music mostly on-line. You Google the word “six” and we’re impossible to find, that combined with quite a few other six bands popping up around the world and we just got sick of the fight. Worse thing you can do is be impossible to find on-line these days.

CM: Do you think Elvis was overrated? I mean Danzig sings pretty much sounds just like him and the Misfits and Samhain were so much cooler.
LB: Here’s where I piss everyone off…I think Elvis was lame. Johnny Cash is the king of rock & roll, not Elvis. Elvis is the king of pop! You can draw a straight line from Elvis to Justine Timberlake, the darkness, power & grit of rock came from Mr. Johnny Cash!!

CM: It’s a little know fact that you are a huge fan of broadway musicals (I made that up). Other than Cats, because that’s my favorite, what’s your favorite musical?
LB: Gonna have to go with Grease on this one. Come on the T-Birds? Pimps!!!

SiX

CM: You’ve been compared to a young David Lee Roth (I just made that up as well). Is that because of your similar singing styles or your bad ass scissor kicks.
LB: “You’ll get some leg tonight for sure!” It’s gotta be the scissor kicks. But while we’re on the subject, Roth was a badass! He invented a style as a front man that has been copied by all of those types of bands but no one can touch Diamond Dave. I met him once in a strip club in LA and I went up to him and said “David Lee Roth you are the man!!” He simply smiled, lifted his glass and replied “yes I am” lol that was the epitome of cool.

CM: Anything you want to promote?
LB: Check out the new band Lords of Ruin, www.lordsofruin.com . We’re writing the album now and should have something out soon. And if you are unaware of how you are being lied to by your government please get into www.infowars.com, it’ll blow your mind.

CM: What 5 obscure or under appreciated bands would you recommend people check out?
LB: This list could be huge, I’m a big fan of so many obscure and appreciated bands…
Rose Tattoo (my all time favorite band)
TSOL (heroes of mine when I was a kid)
The Bicycle Thief (or any of the music by singer Bob Forrest)
The Gaslight Anthem (best new band to come out in a long time)
Steve Earle (Been a fan of his since 1987)

And I have to add in Bruce Springsteen here, not obscure obviously, but in a lot of circles totally under appreciated. I get tons of shit for my love of the Boss but if you haven’t REALLY listened to his music or been to a show, do it. He’s a god. (You can ignore the Born in The USA album though lol)