Rising Stars - RATTLESNAKE REMEDY

What are you currently up to? (E.g. touring/studio, etc.) Matt - Both! Never even have time to scratch our own arses...
Dave - Touring the U.K and Europe, you gotta love travelling - one of the perks of the job.
Ben - Touring, recording, writing, fucking and occasionally sleeping.
Mark - We're looking forward to the single release, too.

Brief history of how you got into the music business and the style of music you play Lee - The love of blues and wanting to get laid Ben - We play hard blues rock born from anger, frustration and listening to far too much Free and Led Zeppelin!
Dave - Playing instruments when I was younger opened a lot of doors for me to play in bands and hang around long haired ruffians who liked rock... the best way to get started. I soaked up as much music as possible and now I'm squeezing it out!
Mark - Playing guitar's the only thing I've cared about since my early teens, the way I play is influenced by everything I hear and love.

How do you hope to get Rattlesnake Remedy heard above all the other bands and singers vying for attention out there?
Lee - We are the people's band
Matt - By doing what we do: we're a live band and that's how we'll get remembered the best.
Ben - We have no agenda, we just share our love for music with whoever wants to listen, and have a good time everywhere we go...surprisingly that combination is quite infectious.
Mark - Get out there and get in people's faces, if no one knows who you are it's because you're not working hard enough at it.

How do you view the current live scene as regards new bands getting exposure?
Lee - It's hard as fuck, you gotta keep playing and just work hard.
Dave - There's a cool retro rock thing going on with bands like Roadstar and The Glitterati, as well as us, so things are looking up.
Ben - All the big record companies are scared to do anything new, which is why everything sounds so similar in mainstream rock. They don't want to risk losing money so they play it safe. We've decided to go independent so we can do it our way...we're not afraid to stand out.

How has the Internet helped spread the word about the band? Do you think downloading is helping or killing music?
Lee - It's helping us `cause it gets our music out there Matt - I don't understand how bands ever got by without the net!
Dave - It brings us to an audience you ordinarily can't reach so it's helping us out a lot.
Ben - With bands like us, downloading is not as detrimental because we are primarily a live band, so people still want to come and see us regardless. You have to remember that that is what it all used to be about...live music! The Internet helps with sites such as MySpace, you can spread the word quicker than an STI.

You have toured with many bands including LA Guns and Roadstar.
Which tour(s) did you enjoy the most and did the headline bands treat you okay? Who else would you ideally like to go out and tour with?
Matt - Some bands can be dickheads *cough - Malmsteen - cough*, but generally they're cool. They're especially cool when they need to borrow one of our Marshall cabs.
Lee - Every band has been cool. I'd actually like to tour with Oasis. It'd be great to blow `em off the stage, though!
Ben - We have a blast with everyone we meet, I'd love to tour with Velvet Revolver.
Mark - Steve Riley (LA Guns) was cool to hang out with, but that was probably `cause he wanted our drugs...

What bands/artists do you admire and/or are an influence?
Lee - Stones, Aerosmith, Oasis
Dave - Led Zeppelin, Floyd, Free.
Ben - Bands with feel...all the great blues players Mark - Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, early Aerosmith, Pantera....
I could make a big list here!
Matt - We all love the blues, and I'm listening to Reef a lot at the moment.

What have been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your career to date?
Ben - Touring abroad is one big highlight. Lowpoints usually involve too much beer and a kebab.
Lee - High point: playing shows to people who are up for a good time. Low point: mopping sick up out of the tour-bus.
Dave - Finally realising we could make a damn fine live album, that's the highlight so far.
Mark - High point - getting to play with artists you've grown up listening to. Low point - the kebabs in Finland are shit!

What ideally would you like to achieve by this time next year?
Matt - Plenty more overseas gigs, and hopefully our album will be doing well.
Lee - I'd like to get sucked off by Keira Knightly.
Dave - A decent reception for our debut album - I just want our songs to be heard worldwide, and then go there to perform `em live!
Ben - A reliable wage would be pretty kick-ass!

What's the most rock n roll moment you have had so far?
Dave - Going to Europe if that's rock n' roll - travelling is a big part of what I think rock n' roll is - and doing what we feel like.
We all felt like playing in Finland... so we did it.
Ben - Having a sauna backstage on tour in Finland...and pissing on the coals.
Mark - When our van driver filled our DIESEL van with petrol. We'd just got back on the motorway, ground to a halt in the hard shoulder and ended up having to reverse at about 5mph back to the services. A very Spinal Tap moment. Needless to say we missed the gig.

What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be purchased from?
Ben - We had a limited edition tour EP that we'd be selling at gigs but we sold out everywhere we went an they're all gone already! The debut single will be released in UK & Ireland May 1st 2006, available in all good record stores!
Mark - The album will follow shortly.

Message to your fans...
Matt - Buy a t-shirt...we're poor!
Ben - I promise I'll last longer next time...
Dave - Buy our single you'll love it, see us live you'll love it!
Get close enough to smell us... then regret it!
Mark - Don't piss up an electric fence.

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