An Interview with
'Tommy Röckit'
Frontman of Dublin Rockers
'Stone Trigger'
that took place on March 31st, 2017.
Interviewed by Glenn Milligan.
Glenn: In your opinion, what does it take to be a good frontman and what was your personal journey to where you are at now?
Tommy: To be a good Frontman you must be able to captivate the audience both musically and visually. I personally studied the greats - Freddie Mercury, Axl Rose, Gary Cherone all the way to Prince & Michael Jackson & more. I suppose I added sugar and spice from all the above to make my performance unique to me. It's taken many years to get here and I'm still learning and improving.. The small bars and clubs in the early days stand as a great apprenticeship and learning curve.
Glenn: For you personally, what are the do’s and don’t when it comes to being a frontman and why?
Tommy: Do enjoy it, Don't take it too seriously to the point where a mistake can't be turned to a positive.
Glenn: You have a great relationship with L.A. Guns, Tracii Guns especially – how did it all begin?
Tommy: It began in 2015 when we toured with ‘Gunzo’ Consisting of Tracii & Shane of LA Guns, Rudy Sarzo & Michael O'Mara. We really hit off a great friendship and it just continued on to this tour. It's kind of impossible not to get along with Tracii. He's just a nice bloody guy.
Glenn: Tell us about being on the Gunzo Tour and what stood out from it?
Tommy: It was our first UK tour, we were hitting the road with Rock Royalty. It was just what Stone Trigger needed at the right time. We made a lot of new friends and fans.. The Venues were a little more intimate this time round. It was something that will always live fondly in my memory, especially Rudy’s stories of yesteryear. That was fascinating.
Glenn: What were your thoughts when you were offered the LA Guns 'Reloaded Tour' with Phil & Tracii reunited?
Tommy: LET'S GO! Yeah It was pretty exciting and for me personally, I was relishing the prospect of touring with Phil Lewis as he is one of my biggest influences. The current line-up is very strong, so we knew that we had to be at our best.
Glenn: Were there certain places you were looking forward to playing and if so which ones and why?
Tommy: I was looking forward to all the places, I relish every second on stage. I particularly like playing Belfast, Sheffield & London as we've played all the above quite a few times now, so when you know that the crowd are game ball it makes you look forward to it all the more. HRH AOR was quite cool too. A thousand people and hanging out with Michael Monroe, Slaughter, Mike Tramp & LA Guns is pretty rad! Wolverhampton and Chester were wild too!
Glenn: Okay, let’s hear some cool tour stories with regard to either on your own and hanging out with the LA Guns guys?
Tommy: Oh you know the rule.. WHAT HAPPENS ON TOUR, STAYS ON TOUR!
Glenn: Over the tour what highlights stood out with regard to the various shows and why?
Tommy: Performing ‘Rip & Tear’ with LA Guns in London’s O2 Academy Islington was pretty special. Every little boy who dreams of being a singer has had the hairbrush duet moment with his favourite singers in his bedroom in front of the mirror. My dream became a reality at that moment... There was that and having a Gin & Tonic with Michael Monroe backstage at HRH whilst he gave me some priceless advice and guidance.
Glenn: I must ask what were your thoughts on the Sheffield show that I personally covered?
Tommy: Sheffield is always fantastic. That was a special night for various reasons. We performed for the first time as a 4 piece after Gav became unwell. Ronnie filled in on drums and we impressed even ourselves. We played out the duration of the tour as a foursome and it sounded huge.
Glenn: What have you learned most from them as a band unit and beyond from the LA Guns guys that has proved extremely valuable to know and for what reasons?
Tommy: A lot of personal things that I would never share, but mostly how after 30 years, there is always room to improve and upgrade yourself both on and off stage. They are a great example to us young fellas.
Glenn: Do you have certain songs you look forward to playing most at your shows and if so, which ones and why?
Tommy: On this tour I love playing the new songs ‘Children Of The Night’ & ‘Edge Of Insanity’. They're a real adrenaline rush to perform.
Glenn: How does the live scene differ and also have similarities when it comes to the UK vs Ireland? How are the fans for both with regard to age, sex and response?
Tommy: It's quite different from Ireland playing in the UK. People are more likely to support the upcoming bands over in the UK. Ages vary. There's a lot of pretty girls here in the UK and the response is fresh as people are still discovering Stone Trigger a lot of the time. We're one of only a handful of Hard Rock bands in Ireland. The scene is not on the same planet as certain places in Britain.
Glenn: No doubt you’ve been asked this many times but why did you decide on covering ‘Larger Than Life’ by Backstreet Boys’?
Tommy: Because people aren't expecting it and Heavy Metal should be spontaneous and exciting... and they're Andii Andrews favourite band!
Glenn: You’ve made several promo videos over the years – what are your thoughts to making them and what are your likes and dislikes with regard to the production processes?
Tommy: They're fun to make, there's not much to dislike really. If they were cheaper it'd be great.. lol.
Glenn: Tell us about your forthcoming album with regard to new songs, why you decided to call it ‘G.H.O.S.T.’? IS it self released or on a particular label – reasons why either way?
Tommy: It's a self released album and it's a combination of our best material with several brand new and Unreleased tracks, so the name G.H.O.S.T literally means ‘Greatest Hits Of Stone Trigger’. We're pretty proud of it & you should definitely go to stonetrigger.bigcartel.com and buy it from April 1st #ShamelessPromo
Glenn: How was the recording process for it as time took, recorded where and what stood out?
Tommy: We recorded the entire album at Trackmix Recording Studio, Dublin Ireland. In my opinion the whole thing stands out.. We got hard hitting up tempo songs, Catchy Choruses and ballads.. there's something for everyone on there.
Glenn: As a younger band, what are your thoughts to download sites of music and now the streaming of shows via youtube from fans who have Vevo accounts?
Tommy: I've never downloaded a song, I'm old school.. I want the album sleeve. YouTube is a great medium to get noticed, but for song streaming sites that starve the artist financially, I think they're a disgrace and need to be boycotted.
Glenn: What does the rest of 2017 hold for you and in particular what are you looking forward to and why?
Tommy: There's alot in the pipeline that I want to tell you about but can't say anything just yet.
Glenn: What do guys enjoy doing when not involved in music?
Tommy: We all have different hobbies.. I personally love football, I'm an avid Leeds United supporter and take the pilgrimage to Elland Road whenever I can. Ronnie loves animals, Andy likes Tennis and Pete is all about the Bass!
Glenn: What would you like to say to the fans who have read this interview and have supported you so far?
Tommy: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.. We genuinely appreciate all of your support and we look forward to getting back over to the UK very soon. Stay tuned to our social media sites. Peace, Love & Rock N Roll!
A big thank you to Tommy Röckit for this marvellous Interview!
Here's to a great future for the lads of Stone Trigger!
