Janet Gardner (Vixen) Interview on Upcoming New Album

Janet Gardner of the band Vixen is currently on tour promoting new music for her upcoming solo debut album!

Interview with Janet Gardner June 13, 2017 by Anita Maree Brodersen

Anita Maree Brodersen: Janet, thanks for taking time out of your schedule for this one-on-one with Unrated Magazine!

Janet Gardner:  You’re welcome.  Thank you for coming to our show and taking some great photographs!

Anita: First, congratulations on your upcoming solo album with Pavement Music. Can you let us know when the world-wide release date is and what your fans can expect with the new music?

Janet: Thank you, Anita! Yes, our worldwide release date is August 18th.  We’re so excited to be working with the great team at Pavement. This is a very diverse collection of music.  Justin and I combined forces with hard rock influences from the last four decades.  If you like the seventies, the song “The Good or the Bye” is the song for you. If you like the eighties, “If You Want Me,” “Candle,” and “Hippycrite” are for you.  If you like the nineties, you might dig “Your Problem Now” and “The Grind,” but they all have a common thread that is simply our sound together.

Anita: A few weeks ago you and your band gave us a sneak-peek of a bunch of new songs from your upcoming solo album at Lucky Star Bar in Bartlett.  Wow – the crowd was impressed!  Some of the stand outs were “Rat Hole,” “Candle,” “Your Problem Now” and “The Grind” – just to name a few.  Can you let your fans know of some of your favorites, and if you and Justin James wrote these together?

Janet:  That show was a blast and the crowd reaction to songs they have never heard before was really amazing! Justin and I wrote all of the songs together and trying to pick favorites is like trying to pick your favorite child! All of the songs have special meaning to us.

Anita: How was the process of writing and performing these new songs different from your experience when writing with your band Vixen?

Janet: Every creative relationship is different. Justin and I are married so we obviously have tons of trust in one another. No-one has any expectations of us, so we have a lot of freedom to do whatever we want.

With Vixen, we have an established musical style, so there is always that “Is this right for Vixen?” question looming over the writing process, but we have known each other for years, so it’s very comfortable to present ideas.

Anita: Any videos planned?

Janet:  Yes! We filmed a video for the song “Rat Hole,” which is going to be the first single. I’m not sure when it will be released but I think it will probably be out before the album.

 

 

Anita: Besides touring with Vixen are you and Justin looking to hit the road to showcase these new songs across the US?

Janet:  Yes, we are going to take this show on the road starting the beginning of September. We’re going to announce some tour dates soon.

Anita: Speaking of Vixen, have any of the members heard these new songs?  Did they offer any advice on any of the songs?

Janet:  Yes, I think they heard the songs on the teaser video and we played the song “Rat Hole” for Roxy on a drive to a Vixen show.  They made some nice comments.

Anita: What bands/artists have been an influence to you growing up over the years?

Janet:  Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Heart, Whitesnake, Stone Temple Pilots, and the list goes on and on!

Anita: Any new bands that you are listening to?

Janet:  There are some obvious ones like Shinedown, Halestorm, Sixx AM, Beautiful Creatures and then some European bands like Gotthard, Reckless Love, and Hardcore Superstar that most Americans have never heard of.

Thanks so much Janet!  This is going to be an exciting year so stay tuned…