Interview with high energy rockers, Spider Rockets!

Last month, we introduced you to a bad ass rock band Spider Rockets. You can read more about that here. Spider Rockets are from New Jersey and they have an incredibly unique sound that blends influences of punk, rock, metal and alternative and so much more.

Helena Cos is on lead vocals and she has such a charismatic energy while she sings that draws you in. Johnny Nap is on lead guitar and backing vocals and Greg Manning on bass guitar and backing vocals. On drums is Dan Prestup. These four together conjure up some bad ass rock. Spider Rockets s is ranking #1 on ReverbNation in their area and is currently ranking #9 nation-wide across all genres and #4 nation-wide in rock for the FIAT Band Prix competition. Here is the link for the competition and you can get a free song download from Spider Rockets.

Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Spider Rockets and are pleased to bring that interview to you here:

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Music Junkie Press: What is Spider Rockets currently working on?

Helena: We are writing, playing regional shows and looking for our next tour. We just did a tour run with Saliva and earlier this year had two runs with Trapt.

Music Junkie Press: We can’t wait for your next tour! We voted for you guys in the FIAT BAND PRIX and we are going to be sharing the links so everyone can vote. How did you guys get involved in the FIAT BAND PRIX?

Helena: we are pretty active on Reverbnation and that is where we first saw the opportunity. It was great to be selected to participate! It’s a great opportunity for fans to download a free song and vote for us all-in-one.

Music Junkie Press: We will be sharing the link for our audience to Vote as well! Your album Bitten is amazing! It is literally filled with KICK ASS songs, from the album, which song is your favorite or one that means the most to you? What is your favorite song to play live?

Helena: My favorite to play is “Better When its Loud” because I love the balls out attitude. Live I also like “Scream” because of the underlying emotional rage in the song and how it connects with audiences and slams it home. Love it!

Johnny: I like playing “Break” live because I like watching fans groove to it.

Dan: I love playing “Gasoline” live because of its faster and more aggressive live feel and how it is very driving. “Scream” is another one of my favorites because the chorus is easy to sing along to and I like watching people sing it with us.

Greg: Speaking as a bit of an outsider, who didn’t have a hand in composing the songs, I’d have to say my favorite song on the album is “Gasoline.” It has that little galloping riff during the verse that really speaks to my love of old school metal. I really love performing the vocals during the chorus of “Gasoline” too, so I guess “Gasoline” is my favorite to play live as well!

Music Junkie Press: “Bring Me Around” is such an intense song, can you tell me more about that song?

Helena: Musically the song was a Frankenstein for us. We recorded it in parts and pieced them together. We wrote parts of it in the studio, too. Also in the mixing process, parts were pieced together. It is really satisfying the way the music and vocals weave in and out bringing the mood of the song to the forefront. It’s a pretty deep song with some dark lyrics. A bit soul bearing…

Music Junkie Press: It truly is a soul bearing song and really is one of my favorites. When you play live, you are known for putting on an incredible live performance, do you have any pre-show rituals?

Helena: I jump up and down and swing my head around to loosen up.

Music Junkie Press: Lately there have been a rise in female fronted bands but Spider Rockets definitely is not just a female fronted band since you can rival any other band! What do you think of the sudden rise in female fronted bands?

Helena: There has been a rise in loud rock female fronted bands. I like diversity—it gets dull when all modern rock bands sound the same. With a female vocal, it changes the vibe a bit so that is a good thing. The more the merrier!

Music Junkie Press: It really is great to see women being taken more seriously in the music industry. What were some of the most influential albums for you that got you to pursue your career in music?

Helena: GNR ‘Appetite for Destruction’ Alanis Morissette ‘Jagged Little Pill.’ I saw myself as a female Axl Rose. I know that sounds goofy, but yeah, morph Axle and Alanis and that’s how I saw myself.

Johnny: Kiss ‘Alive’; Van Halen ‘Fair Warning’; Ozzy ‘No More Tears.’

Dan: My influences that got me into music were Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Dream Theater, Alice in Chains, Megadeth, Disturbed and Rob Zombie.

Greg: Death- ‘The Sound of Perseverance’; Opeth ‘Still Life’; Kamelot ‘Karma’; Emperor ‘Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk’; Dimmu Borgir ‘Spiritual Black Dimensions’; In Flames ‘Colony’; and Iron Maiden ‘Somewhere in Time.’ These were all transformative albums for me in some way or another, though the list of bands and albums from which I drew inspiration as a budding metal-head could go on forever.

Music Junkie Press: Can you remember what was the first concert you ever went to?

Helena: it was a school concert where I performed with a handful of other grade-schoolers. We all stood in front of the stage and performed “Mary Had a Little Lamb” together on violin. I blanked out and had to fake it. It was pretty embarrassing. The only thing that could have been worse is if I wet myself onstage.

Johnny: in grammar school a local band performed in our gym. They played “Jumping Jack Flash” and that hooked me.

Dan: My first real concert was OZZFEST with Marilyn Manson and Korn. I knew that’s what I wanted to do.

Greg: The first concert I ever attended was Cannibal Corpse, Dimmu Borgir, The Haunted and Lamb of God at a place called the Birch Hill in Old Bridge, NJ, which isn’t even in existence anymore. I was 15. The funny thing is that Lamb of God was the unknown opening band on that tour!

Music Junkie Press: Those are some very different answers and I love it! Today, technology has just taken over everything with social media sites, I pads, games, etc. What is something from todays’ technology generation that you wish you had when you were growing up?

Helena: my own cell phone would have been a great start! I’d feel naked without my phone now. But, I could go on and on. A laptop, Ipad, Ipod…. Technology moves so fast and opens up so many more ways to communicate with each other.

Music Junkie Press: If I could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song would I be most surprised at finding in there?

Helena: Amy Winehouse. “Back to Black” still kicks my ass.

Johnny: Stevie Ray Vaughan. I love the way that man played the blues.

Dan: Some songs and artists you might be surprised to find on my Ipod would be Lady Gaga, No Doubt, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and DMX!

Greg: It depends on whether pop or classical music is more surprising to you: Lady Gaga (I like to imagine the song “Heavy Metal Lover” is about me), or Holst’s “The Planets.”

Music Junkie Press: Those are all great! Do you have any plans for touring out here in California? We are hoping to catch you guys live out here.

Helena: as someone who grew up in California, I really want to tour more there. Hopefully this next year opens up more opportunity for us on the west coast!

Music Junkie Press: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?

Join us on online. We keep a running dialog with our fans on Twitter and Facebook especially. Stay in touch with us and tell us where you want us to tour next! Let me know how you like what I’m wearing onstage, I don’t care. Or just shoot the shit. It’s all good. It’s pretty great to have the tools at our disposal to bring us close with fans even when we are not close-by.

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Make sure to head over to the FIAT Band Prix Competition and VOTE for them! Let’s see Spider Rockets WIN THIS! Check out their video for “Going Down” which was released just last month and is on their CD “Bitten” which you can pick up on Itunes here.

~Marisol

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