Interviews - Live 4 Metal

Interview with Michael Coons of Laaz Rockit
August 2008 by Metal Mark

The first time I heard Laaz Rockit was way back on their second album “No Stranger To Danger” in 1985. I took to their straight forward sound right away and kept up with the band’s releases through the early 1990’s. Now they have reformed and released a barnstormer called “Left for Dead”. I recently got to check in with vocalist Michael Coons to find out more.

Hello, tell us a little about your new album “Left for Dead”?
"Left For Dead" is a re-birth CD for us. Even with all the time that had passed between recordings, I believe that there was an overwhelming feeling among the band members that we were not done musically, that we had some unfinished business. None of us felt that we had left the stage properly, if that makes sense. This CD is the culmination of all the ideas we had that never came to fruition, and I have to say that we are proud of the results. This is really the disc we always wanted to make.

This is a very heavy album, perhaps your heaviest yet. Was that planned or did it just turn out that way? Did you approach writing and recording this album any different than for your previous releases?
Yes, the heaviness was definitely planned, but only with a natural feel to it. Songs like the ones on "LFD" are supposed to sound heavier because of the feeling that the music creates, but the lyrical content also pushed the overall human angst on the recording. I think the CD is our most "natural" representation of the band yet.
As far as the approach went, we did everything different. There was very little pre-production (because of all of our personal lives), and this helped create a lot of spontaneous moments in the music. We weren't "set in our ways with the songs", so to speak. We recorded with a very flexible schedule, so there was no pressure to complete it "on time". This really helped me, because I actually wrote some of the lyrics as we were recording, which I had never done before, and which brought a unique quality to the vocal feel I hadn't experienced before. We hadn't beaten the songs to death before we started the project, and though I was a bit apprehensive about recording in a "moment to moment" fashion, ultimately that was the reason it sounded fresh, in my opinion.

What has been the response to the new album so far?
Absolutely amazing. People who aren't fans of metal music have even told me, " Wow... this sounds great. This is you?!!" (Ha Ha...! ). That was when I knew that this record was gonna be good, you know? I don't think anybody expected anything from us, so the title makes a little more sense, in as much that many "music people" thought, "Those guys are doing a new CD...Why?", and we just turned the negativity into inspiration.
I've always been a competitor, especially with myself, and I draw strength from areas that others may not. So, that being said, I believe many of our fans must feel the same way, and are proud of us for coming through for them with this CD. It justifies their amazing belief in us. Yes, we hope it sells and the press like it and so forth, but we're really happy that our life-long fans feel it's great.

Why did you break up in the 1990’s? What was everyone doing after the band broke up?
It was time for all of us to do other things with our lives. All of us are unique in different ways, so we all had different pursuits that demanded our attention at that time.

When and why did you reform Laaz Rockit?
We decided to reform for a "FAREWELL" gig at the Dynamo Open Air in 2005, but once we started playing together again, it started rolling like a giant snowball!! We had such a great time on stage, talking to all the people, returning to places that meant so much to us, that the "farewell" turned more into a "HELLO!". We realized how much we missed it, so we did the most selfish thing we could do, start it all up again!!

What was it like coming out of the LA scene at a time when glam was so big?
Though we spent a lot of time in L.A. ( I actually have lived in L.A. for years now ), we were always a Bay Area band, and still are. We learned early on through some mistakes we made that you need to stay true to yourselves, not pay attention to trends and the like. The glam scene was fun to be around, but was a bit more of style rather than substance because of the sheer number of bands that were doing it, so we stayed away from it musically, it wasn't us. We were always more of a gang than a scene, anyway! We always strive to be remembered on our own merits, rather than
that of a certain "scene".

Did that create any problems for you since you were very much a metal band? Were you ever put a on a bill with glam bands?
We played with EVERYONE!!! It didn't matter...we played with Bon Jovi, Ratt, Stryper, Y&T - and we also played with Metallica, Slayer, Testament, Motorhead - we just lived to be on stage, bashing it out Laaz style. Some bands may have had problems with us, because it was hard for them to play after us!!! Playing live was always the thing that we did best. We won over a lot of people who didn't want to like us!!! Some people thought we were a bit too crazy, but, hey, you're only young once, right?

In recent years there have been a lot of younger thrash bands like Bonded by Blood, Fueled by Fire and Merciless Death popping up all over the place. What do you think of these bands and are they doing anything that thrash bands in the 1980’s didn’t already do?
You know, I have no opinion on that simply because I don't know enough about any of the new bands to make a qualified statement. I am happy that there is some influence of what we did as a collective (the thrash scene ) on new music being made, though. One should look at that as an outreach of respect, I believe.

What do you think of the metal scene in general these days? Is it getting better or worse?
I'll let you know how I feel on that after we have been out there playing some shows. One can only hope it is getting better, but truthfully, I have not been out there enough. I can tell that the people in San Francisco, L.A., and Las Vegas certainly kick ass, from the 6 shows we did with our metal brothers Testament early this year. Whenever there is a great gig, followed by gratuitous sex and partying, I believe that the scene is doing just what is supposed to do.

I noticed on your Myspace page that you have a few dates coming up including one in Eindhoven and several in California. Do you have plans to tour more in 2008? If so, then where?
Yes, we are planning to support "LFD" as much as we can, to see all the people we haven't seen in quite a while! Be patient, and we will be around your city soon. We have some plans, but there are still being finalized, so keep checking the web-site and myspace for details.

If someone had never heard your music before and could only afford to buy one album, then which one you recommend to them and why?
"Left For Dead" - Honestly, not because it is new, just because it is good from start to finish, and every member shines on it.

Is there anything else that you would like say about your band or your music?
It is great to be back, and it is greater that people are glad we are back. I always wanted to thank everybody for their support over all of the years, and now I will get the chance to. That is all I could have asked for or wanted.