Stephen Shareaux | Kik Tracee | Revel8 | August 2000 |

 

This months interview...I'm so excited about... 

(but I'm starting to feel like Rikki from Headbangers Ball..

cause I say every band is my favorite band.. lol) 

anyway.. its Stephen Shareaux! former singer for Kik Tracee...see I do listen to what you people want..

and I tracked him down.. and forced him to talk about the old days...

BUT.. it gets better.. he's in a new band...  

and the stuff is amazing! you will not be disappointed! 

any fan of Stephens MUST have this... ok.. ok.. enuff of me...time for Da Man!

 

J-First we gotta start from the beginning….back in the day.. you sang for Kik Tracee…How did you hook up with the guys?

S-I had come out here to Los Angeles from Minneapolis in '87 and played around the scene with a couple of bands and got pretty tired of the whole thing about ready to head back home when I picked up a Music Connection magazine and called an ad that Gregory had placed and the rest is history.

 

J-How long were you together before you got signed…?

S-We were together about a year and half before we got signed to RCA in 1989. 

 

J-How did you all get along? Any fighting?

S-We got on quite well actually, there was definitely the same desire shared by all to make the best music we could.  I was known for some blowouts but never any fists flying just real passionate about what I'm doing.

 

J-Ok..now I gotta ask.. sooo many rumors are going around…about the first cd…did the band really play on it? Or was it studio guys?

S-Let's put the rumors to death, every track on the "No Rules" CD was played by each member in the band with the exception of a couple of drum triggers and samples everything was played live.

 

J-How was Dana Strum to work w/as a producer?

S-I personally learned a lot from Dana, he really helped us in areas where I thought we needed it such as song arrangements and tones.  In retrospect I think we were very young and impressionable kids with dreams of rock and roll stardom being given advice from a lot of different people, not necessarily all good.

 

J-What was the biggest crowd you've ever played for? And where?

S-I think the biggest was RIP Party at the Palladium in LA.  I'll never forget it, we were peaking on the scene and people were definitely out to see us and we rocked.

 

J-What was your favorite tour you guys did?and why?

S-The first tour we did was the best, we had the bus, a good buzz on the street, and people were excited to see the band, all the bells and whistles.  Plus there's nothing like going back home and pulling into town in your own tour bus, that made it for me.

 

J-Whats the craziest thing a fan has ever done to meet you? We want juicy stories!

S-You know I don't have anything too juicy, all my fans have been very cool and personable and I've had great pleasure in meeting each and every one of you.

 

J-What led to the break up of the band?

S-I think a general lack of communication and the fact that each of us was growing 

and moving into different directions, then the ego landed and it all got ugly.

 

J-Do you talk to any of the other members…? Or know where they are?

S-Yeah, I talk to Gregory more than anyone else, he's still involved in music with a band called Deep Audio, very cool.  I just had dinner with Mike Marcus the other night; he also has a band together called Hal Lovejoy about to record their second record.  Rob has his band Superfine together and Johnny I haven't spoken to for about 6 years or more, I know he's still doing his art and painting drums. I wish all the guys the very best.

 

J-When the band broke up..what did you do next? Take time off? Or work w/some new bands?

S-I continued writing with different people in New York and back in Minneapolis working up material but my heart just wasn't into it.  It was like being on autopilot, my body was programmed to keep working but my mind was elsewhere.  I eventually parted with RCA and took some time off from music to study acting for a couple of years which is where I met Stevo the bass player for Revel 8.

 

J-Tell us about the possiblility of joining Motley Crue when Vince left back in 94'…I heard your name thrown around a lot…did you ever go try out?

S-Talk about a dream come true.  It was actually '93 when Nikki called me up and said that Vince had just left his house and that he was out of the band.  He then asked me if I wanted to come down and audition and obviously I said yes.  I mean I grew up to the Crue, use to play a lot of their stuff in cover bands back in the day so this was definitely an honor to be considered.  It came down to myself and John Corabi, I didn't get the gig but I'll never forget the experience, it was a once in a lifetimer just to jam with those guys!! wow!!!

 

J-Now..your in your new band Revel8…how did you guys hook up?

S-Like I said earlier, Stevo the bass player and I met in acting school around '97 when we started throwing around the idea of putting a band together.  I was later introduced to Mike Gans the guitar player who's from Washington D.C. and had been kicking around the LA scene in several different bands for a couple of years.  We immediately hit it off; he just had the right Zen quality to him that I was looking for in a guitar player.  Next came the drummer position which was not an easy spot to fill, we finally came upon Paris Cronin through some friends and he completed the line-up that became Revel 8 at around the beginning of the year 2000.

 

J-How would you describe the new music to someone who hasn't heard it yet ?

S-Atmospheric rock with classic pop undertones.  Definitely grand in scale, 

the idea is to transport you out of body, out of mind into a state of euphoric bliss.  A musical abduction if you will.

 

J-Any touring plans?

S-None right now, just concentrating on writing and recording and doing a few local shows and showcases, but stay posted because we will definitely be going out in the near future.  Check the website Revel8.com for info.

 

J-What would you say is your favorite recording you have done so far..old or new?

S-My favorite recordings are usually not my favorite at the time of recording them; it's always afterwards when were listening back that I appreciate the process of what we went through to get those tracks.  "In the Silence" on the new stuff was pretty amazing for me, very challenging.  And, "Contact High" is one the best songs I¹ve recorded, it just has this vibe that can't be denied.

 

J-And which one do you not care for..or wish turned out better?

S-I'm pretty happy with most everything I've recorded, sure I could change a few things sonically here and there but as far as vocally I just got to put it out there and let it go.

 

J-Are you into any of the new bands out?

S-You know I still have Sly and the Family Stone's Greatest hits in my CD 

player and I don¹t listen to too much radio but I do like what I've heard from 

Travis and I can't wait for the new Radiohead record to come out.

 

J-The internet has become a great way to reach the fans..do you mind getting fan mail?

S-Not at all, bring it on.  We love to hear your thoughts and desires or whatever else may be on your mind.

 

J-How do you feel about mp3's being downloaded.. for free.. like on Napster?

S-A song here and there doesn¹t seem like a big deal, but it's definitely getting out of hand.  It's kinda like underage kids trying to buy alcohol, if they want it bad enough their going to get it.  Bottom line is that they're going to have to regulate it somehow and compensate the artists by the number of downloads on that particular song, it's only fair.

 

J-Do you have a website fans can be updated..and buy cd's etc?

S-We are located at Revel8.com for show info, merchandise, song downloads and much more!check it out!!!

 

J-Well that's about it Stephen..thanks for taking the time..What would you like to say to your fans reading this?

S-I appreciate from the bottom of my heart the continued support you've shown me in everything I've done and I look forward to seeing you all out on the road real soon! Let's Revel 8!!!