Signal 13

Signal 13-Vicky Starr

Interview conducted on May 4 2020

by Dan Locke

In 2019, Baltimore Magazine named Signal 13 as ‘Baltimore’s Best Band’ as well as Vicky Starr as one of the ‘Best Musician/Vocalist.’ Formed in the Mid-Atlantic region, Signal 13 is a high octane rock band fronted by lead vocalist Vicky Starr.Continuously performing in and around the Mid-Atlantic area, the band has built a tremendous regional buzz on the strength of their live show which led to opening spots with KIX and Great White including many festivals.

Band Members
Vicky Starr – Vocals
Johnny Sexx – Drums & Vocals
Jonathan Lassiter – Lead Guitars & Vocals
Patrick Jenkins – Bass Guitar
Chris Starr – Guitars & Vocals

Dan Locke: Nice sounding EP! What is your upbringing?

Vicky Starr: The entire band comes from a blue-collar background. We all have relatives that currently serve or have served in the military, police and emergency responders.

How did you discover music?

VS: My parents loved listening to The Beatles and The Monkees. I remember my parents were always listening to the radio and singing. I believe I started talking and singing at the same time. And I haven’t shut up or stopped singing since.

How did you start writing music?

VS: I’ve always written poems and lyrics. I used to sing them out loud but quickly realized, what was on the paper, didn’t always translate into singing.

Jon Lassister (lead guitar), Pat Jenkins (bass) and myself are the principle writers in the band. We have a chemistry together of having the ability to hear each other’s music and find the right words and melody for that song. We’re always in each other’s lane all the time. We definitely understand and respect each other’s opinion. If I come up with a melody, I understand it may change once we have the beat down and sometimes a word or words may need to change and vice versa. I believe we work very well together.

Your band is made up of law enforcement, military and emergency service people. How did you get the band together?

VS: Our families all have members of the military, law enforcement and emergency responders – that’s how we chose the name, Signal 13. It’s our way of honoring those individuals every day. The band was formed in 2017, but it wasn’t until late October of 2018 when Jon Lassiter (lead guitar) that we started to take shape and realized that we were moving in the direction of writing original music. Jon really ignited the fire and then in mid-2019, we found Pat Jenkins (bass) and Johnny Sexx (drums).

What does the name or term Signal 13 mean?

VS: Signal 13 is police call which means officer in trouble. If an officer is in distress they transmit ‘signal 13’ and the message is given the highest priority. It’s a universal communication broadcast that alerts every police officer in the field that one of their own is in need of assistance. If you look very closely at the cover art for our 5-song EP, “Destination Unknown” there’s text on the bottom right – most think it’s a design element, and it definitely is, but what that text is – is the meaning of ‘signal 13.’ Every night we perform, we thank everyone of those people every day for keeping us safe.

Vicky – what was the first song you wrote?

VS: The first song I wrote in this band was “Angel’s Weep.” It is about school shootings and how sad it is that young people today have to think about this every day they go to school. Even though we love that song, it wasn’t included on our debut release. We’re hoping to add a little more finesse and polish to it and maybe it will appear on our next release.

As far as I could tell your first show was at Scott Day Out, back on May 06, 2017. How was that show. And are my sources correct?

VS: That was our first show! You did your research! We were the opening band that night for a headliner. I’ve never been more nervous in my whole life. My stomach was so upset, I did not know if I was going to make it. Once the band hit that first note, it felt right and was amazing.

How does the band create its music?

VS: Jon, Pat and I write something every day. Once we have a set of lyrics or bass track or guitar riff, then we draw on what is being played and what feels best. We have a tendency to rewrite each song almost ten times before it’s finished. We’re brutally honest with each other. We move the guitar progressions around, change verses, lyrics and song structure unit feels right. Nothing is set in stone until each of us agree that it is finished. We like to think of it as our musical fusion.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

VS: We try to eat as clean as possible, drink tons of water and exercise. We take various vitamins, especially Vitamin C. We’re all really clean and straight. We try to get as much rest as possible so when we hit the stage, we’re ready for to attach. It’s such a rush to see everyone who comes out to see us live.

You have opened up for bands like Kix and Great White. Did they teach you anything about the music business that you would like to share?

VS: Opening for them was amazing. They had so much equipment and some of it was unusual. That gave us ideas on how to do things differently and we’ve implemented some of those ideas. Our entire band has in ear monitors – the stage is completely quiet except for the drums which is very different. Steve Whitman (lead singer of KIX) is amazing! He is also my vocal coach and has taught me so many techniques to strengthen my voice and how to keep my vocal cords from swelling. Most singers do scales and exercises for at least 30-45 minutes before they go on. As a singer, you really need to be completely warmed up to give your best performance possible.

How was the Monster of Rock Cruise?

VS: Monsters of Rock cruise is always so much fun! Chris (rhythm guitar) participated in the Cruiser Jam where they performed “Strutter” from KISS. He was joined onstage by Alex Kane (Enuff Z’Nuff). We made a lot of new friends and saw some old friends. It’s exciting to be part of a see so much music – 14 hours a day! One of my favorite things to do on the cruise to going to their auctions. I won a really nice leather tour jacket from Great White.

Your 5 song EP “Destination Unknown”, just got released. What are your fans thinking of it?

VS: Having only released, “Dirty” digitally, only the fans who have bought the physical 5-song EP have heard the entire release. Everyone that has the CD seems to have a different favorite song – which for us is really great to hear. We’ve heard from fans who have told us they really identify with the lyrics. That is one of the most important things for us – we try and relate everyday experiences in our music so everyone can relate to it.  

Tell me about the song “Dirty”?

VS: “Dirty” was originally inspired by hard working, blue-collar people. As we were developing the music and lyrics, we had a few unfortunate people who tried to afflict their shady business practices on the band, so we drew from that inspiration and then added a little sex appeal.

How did you get Dirty onto the video game Guitar Hero III-Legends of Rock?

VS: We are very fortunate to have built a great team around us who have connections in the industry and like our music. They reached out to various people who thought the song was a fit and they put it out there. Everyone in the band was completely shocked, yet so grateful. I love Slash – and he’s on the front cover of Guitar Hero III and this is a bonus plus for me!

What is your favorite track on the album?

VS: I’m very proud of all the tracks but the two that stand out for me are “Stay with Me” and “All Fired Up”. I believe those two songs stretch the band musically and the show depth in the music we make. You can hear the different instruments we play and some of our musical influences shine through.

How many cats do you have and what are their names?

VS: I have nine cats: Pumpkin, Reeces, Pinky, Maxi, Rocky, Laser, Fiji, Angel and Peaches Starr (she is the princess of the house). All of them are Raggamuffins. They are hypoallergenic and act like dogs. They know various tricks, when I whistle, they come and when someone rings the doorbell, they show up to see who is there.

What are your feelings about streaming music?

VS: Streaming allows us to reach more people with a variety of tastes based on the various playlists they follow. It’s nice that music fans can create their own playlists and download their favorite tracks. As a new band, the more people that hear us, the better! It’s giving us exposure in different countries and various states around the USA that we haven’t played yet…but can’t wait to get back out and see everyone around the USA and hopefully the world!

Digital vs vinyl?

VS: Both – I think digital is great for streaming, but I love the way songs sound on vinyl. I think it adds warmth and I love how music sounds on vinyl – it just sounds pure.

Any plans to tour?

VS: We were scheduled to do a tour with Tesla in late April and May but dates were moved due to the COVID virus. The same happened with dates we had with Slaughter and LA Guns in May. We do have one confirmed date that has now been rescheduled on September 26, 2020 at the Ranch in Ft. Myers Florida.

What song from the past is in your mind right now? 

VS: “Whole Lotta Rosie” by AC/DC. I love that song and band! I’m humming it right now. We sometimes play that in our live set. When you come out to see us, don’t be shy, ask us, we just may kick it out and give you a taste of this girl doing some Bon Scott.

And what is the meaning of that song?

VS: I love AC/DC and that song in particular. Not all girls are stick figures and a few of us are curvy. Not every man loves stick figures, and this song was about how much Bon loved a girl who had curves. Some of us have some ample assets! 

How do you feel the Covid-19 virus is going to affect the music business in the future?

VS: Personally, until there is a vaccine, we need to protect the fans and artists. I think venue sizes with crowds will go down to minimally a 1/3 or less. I believe, for safety reasons, anyone attending is going to have to wear a mask and maybe get their temperature taken. ‘Meet and Greets’ may be over for once things start back up. I think musicians will take off their masks, play the gig, then leave to go take showers and get their clothes cleaned after every show. I think if anyone starts to feel bad, they are going to have to get tested right away and anyone working with the bands will need to get an antibody test at the beginning and end of the tour – strictly for safety reasons. The last thing anyone wants is to be the cause of an outbreak.

What have you been doing during your self-quarantine?

VS: When I’m not playing music, I’m Clinical Specialist, RN for a pharmaceutical company. I’ve been working non-stop since this virus came out. During my down time, I’ve continued writing new songs and exercising. I’m working on perfecting my cooking skills as well. The band’s been trying to practice but the bandwidth on the internet causes us to drop out so we have been sending files to each other so we can continue writing. When it’s raining or I have some additional time I watch the ‘Tiger King’ and or a movie.

You were to open up for Tesla and LA Guns.  What is happening with those shows?

VS: COVID pandemic caused all of our shows to be postponed. Slaughter and LA Guns have been rescheduled for the fall. We’re waiting and hoping the dates with Tesla are rescheduled soon. Everything will depend on the virus, each state’s policies and what the virus is doing in that state. Not one musician wants to be the cause of a hot spot in that state and have fans ill or die from an infection they got at your concert. Everyone is being cautious to protect the fans, our crew, the people who work at the venues and ourselves. We would love to be out playing but public safety comes first.

Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?

VS: We have a mandatory stay home order and need to remain minimally six feet apart in the state of Maryland. Only people that are considered essential are allowed out in public, except to go to the grocery store, pharmacy etc. This does not include musicians practicing or doing concerts. Everyone is on their various devices at home using the internet. It is hard not to get a lot of interruptions when just trying to practice. I think once some of the restrictions ease up, we may consider doing a song or two online to get people pumping.

There was an article in the New York Times this week talking about that concerts may not start again until the fall of 2021. Do you think it could happen?

VS: I think what is going on in Georgia and the states that have started opening up even though the admissions to the hospitals and ICU’s are not on the decline will be the telltale in a few weeks. If those states have sudden spikes in infections, hospitals admissions, increased use of ventilators and deaths, I believe that playing music in large concert venues will not happen until 2021. If the states that have begun to re-open, sees their numbers stabilize or begin to decline, we could see music begin sooner. Right now, it is a wait and see. The most important thing is that everyone remains safe.

How do you see yourself in the next five years?

VS: Dreams are one thing and reality is another…we hope our music continues to thrive and we continue to grow our fan base across the globe. We want play festivals and venues all over the world. I would love to play for the military abroad.

Anything you would like to say in closing?

VS: Stay strong during this time. It’s hard seeing how many people are depressed from being in isolation – reach out to friend and cheer them up. No one every speaks up that they are feeling bad. Stay safe everyone, so we may live another day to rock! To our military, police force/K9’s and Mounted Units, all of the Emergency Responders, thank you for keeping us safe. You are our true heroes every single day! Hugs to all of you! We will see you soon! 

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