Eyeliner, hair spray and a bit of glitter is making a comeback in rock and roll... and one band that did it better than most is re-emerging on the tour radar with much lip-glossed anticipation... You heard it here first Britny Fox, are on the path to a city near you. Best known for their video of "Girlschool" and a top 100 hit with "Long Way to Love", Britny Fox also had one of the most successful premiers of their debut album with record breaking sales and critical acclaim. It's twenty years later and the band has its ups and downs. However, with a new lineup that is currently featuring lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Jamie Fletcher, lead guitarist Greg Polcari, bassist Billy Childs, and drummer Henry, the band is foxier than ever. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Billy Childs about the glamorous past, present, and future of Britny Fox...
So, Britny Fox is coming to a stage near you - tell our readers about the new tour and what they can expect from the new line-up?
Well, hello to you to! This is basically at its core, what it always was, which is simply a tight, loud, heavy and entertaining band. It's also a different band obviously, that is writing and planning to record so you have that element as well. To get more in detail, Henry's been here a couple years at this point and the guy is a beast. I've never played with a drummer who has his energy and power, he's really compelling to watch. The guy's a freak of nature. Greg is one of the most underrated players I've ever seen as well, a guitarist who can play anything, but has the sense and maturity to lay back and let the rhythm carry things, while he picks his spots. Makes for a very powerful, full sound. Jamie is the newest, and vocally sounds remarkably like a young Tommy Paris. I don't know how he does it, but he has a growl to his voice that fits well with everything we do, both old and new. The entire band are also some singing motherfuckers, so we're able to carry harmonies that the older versions never could. Those versions sampled the backing vocs, as I was the only one who actually had a live mic (besides the lead singer), and I find it very refreshing to change what was a weakness into a strength. Besides, samples are a pain in the ass, and they don't carry the impact of actual parts being performed.
Britny Fox hasn't been underground per se, but what is the impetus behind a new tour and why now?
We were out last year, in '07, so it's not really a new tour, but more a continuation of that. We always viewed it and called it the '07-'08 tour because there's so many places we want to go we knew it would take awhile. We had a chance to do India last year, for example, but some contract details seemed a bit fishy and we decided against it. We would like to do that this year, along with some other places we've never been, S. America for one, and also get back to Europe and Japan.
You get the perfect attendance award for being the one consistent member throughout the years... what happens to the creative process with extensive member changes? Is it challenging or frustrating?
Both. Britny has never been the most stable lineup in the world, as I'm sure you know, it's really been the entity and the principals behind the music that drives this thing as opposed to individual players. Also, when you take a band that has been in existence since 1985 you’re bound to have changes. Obviously, the guys in the top of the food chain bands, eg: Poison, Cinderella, etc, would be very foolish to walk away from what are very good paying gigs. This is more of a labor of love, and as such is bound to have more changes. You’re not gonna get rich being in this band, so I think we approach it with a different mindset than some others. We need to turn a profit, as does every business in the world, but bottom line is everybody here just loves to play and it shows. The creative end is not that much different. This band never really thought in terms of "hits", we just come up with things that sound good to us, and that we enjoy, and hopefully others will dig as well. That being said, I know what this band is known for and what people expect, and I'm also the guy that wrote a lot of our Bite Down Hard era stuff, also an uncredited writer on our first couple before that, so those elements will always be there.
When it comes to a lead singers Dizzy Davidson was known for his signature style.. with his departure and various replacements over the years, do you find you have had to "re-brand" yourselves constantly?
No, I think I answered some of this in the above?, but the band has always viewed Bite Down Hard as our best work, and Tommy was one of the main reasons for that. Not to put words in anyone’s mouth, but I know how those guys feel in that regard. I think anyone with a set of ears and half a brain can tell the difference, and it's huge difference, between those two. I'll just leave it at that.
Let's talk about the upcoming tour... are you looking towards clubs, venues, or arenas and can we have a sneak peek at who will be joining you?
Arenas? You’re kidding, right? I couldn't draw that many people if I set myself on fire and went over Niagra Falls in a paper mache barrel with alligators at the bottom. Clubs, obviously, although in some of the odder markets (India, etc), we actually do get offered much bigger venues, but not in the U.S. As far as who, last year we played with Enuff Z'nuff, L.A. Guns, Bullet Boys, Steelheart, etc, so anyone from our genre is a pretty good fit. Those things have a way of sorting themselves out.
Any hopes for a new studio album from Britny Fox?
Yes, we have an agreement in place with Chavis Records at this point, who did very well for Quiet Riot a couple years ago, but it's just not gonna happen until I feel we have the material in place. Let me put it this way, if this album isn't better than Bite Down Hard, I'm not gonna do it. Our last studio album lacked, for many reasons, my level of involvement wasn't what it should have been, just all around a forced issue. You hear about bands not being in the same room for an album? This band wasn't even on the same continent. Hence the lack of continuity and somewhat weak songs. Nobody’s fault, the label maybe, for forcing us to do it. Just calling 'em as I see 'em.
So you have had the chance to view the music industry from both sides of the coin... the crazy tour bus confidential days to now... what would you change and what would you keep the same?
Ya know, I've answered this? a few times now, and anybody in that position would change a million things, as hindsight is 20-20. Realistically though, I came out of all the craziness relatively intact and sane so why change anything? I would try to keep more of an eye on the money. For some reason our ex-manager is a millionaire and we’re not, so... kinda makes you wonder how we were making $400 a week. I made more money playing clubs in the northeast, during the '90s, than I ever made in this band.
While we're day-tripping through the 80's- there is obviously resurgence and a new interest and not just from diehard fans but new devotees who are hearing this music for the first time... in your opinion why do you think this is happening?
I think it's because that was really the last time rock music had no competition from other musical styles, so the sales from that era are huge. Couple that with the perception that in many respects, those bands are "real" rockstars. It creates an intrigue and nostalgia that kinda transcends what the reality actually was, just my opinion.
What band(s) are inspiring you lately?
Well, inspire is a pretty strong word so I don't know if that applies, but newer bands that I really like are Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, My Chemical Romance, just bands that play rock music without trying to re-invent the wheel.
Who has influenced you as a bassist?
A million guys. I'm pretty sure everything I heard has had some influence, but it's different things for different music. What I play like in Britny is very different from how I would play a cover casino gig, for example, or even how I would play in a different rock band. There's a couple of tunes on Springhead that are very different than other Britny tunes, so my playing is also very different. I just try to make the band I'm in sound better than it did before I was there. I think that's a logical way for a bass player to approach the instrument.
Longevity in the music industry is often sought but rarely achieved... any words of wisdom for the 15 yr old bass player in PA somewhere, listening to "Boys in Heat"?
What town is that guy from? Look, this business is not for everyone, sometimes I wonder if it's even any good for anyone. For every Bon Jovi, there's at least 500, or 5000, guys like me that got close but never really made it. That may sound odd, because I realize that some people consider getting as far as I did "making it", but not really from my perspective. I've just been lucky, and good enough to work in this field for a long time. There's different ways to look at it, but for me there was never anything that interested me very much except this. I think that's why you do this, because once you enter into it, there really isn't an easy way out. You fall behind the rest of the world, in terms of job skills. So what happens after 10 years doing this? Your real world skills erode a bit. After 20, you’re so far behind you couldn't catch up if you wanted to. Think about that the next time you wanna make fun of some ex rockstar working at Starbucks. I'm very lucky to have avoided that, but close enough to see how and why it happens, and I find it very sad. That 15 year old should think long and hard about why he's doing it and what his goals in life are. Once you get to a certain point there's no going back, so be careful what you wish for. That being said, It's a fuck of a lotta fun!
Any final words for our readers?
If you come out to see this band, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I appreciate all the support we've received with this, more than anyone will ever know, and can't wait to hit the road again. Hope to see you soon, check us out at www.myspace.com/britnyfoxband. Thanks, peace, but don't take any shit.
