VUE WEEKLY, MARCH 17, 2005.

 

ROCK’N TO THE CORE
By ROSS MOROZ
Vancouver band may be for real or it may be a spoof... or maybe it doesn’t matter either wayWhen I was asked to profile Vancouver retro-metal supergroup Rock’n for this edition of Vue Weekly, my editor remarked that “they sound like a joke metal band, but you can never tell for sure these days.”
Indeed. Had they been making this kind of music 20 years ago, by this point in their career Rock’n would have been releasing a double-live album recorded at Budokan and preparing to tour Europe with their supermodel girlfriends; during the grunge heyday of 10 years ago, though, it’s unlikely the band would have ever left their parents’ basements. But given the postmodern pastiche that is rock music in 2005, Rock’n find themselves perched precariously between irony and bombast, playing punk clubs filled with kids who can’t tell whether Rock’n are the second coming of Spinal Tap or AC/DC.
“Older guys in their 40s come up to us after shows and say, ‘Man, that was awesome,’ and guys in their 20s come up and say, ‘You guys are so funny,’” says Rock’n frontman Johnny Rock’n via telephone from New York City. “Some people come see our shows and they laugh at us, and some people come and party and go crazy, but either way they have a smile on their face. We’re a good-time band.”
This party-all-the-time, rock-’til-you-drop, ‘80s-metal-band-cliché attitude has been a hallmark for the band ever since Johnny got together with guitarist Rick Rock’n, bassist Buddy Rock’n and drummer Chad Rock’n while they were attending high school together in Cincinnati back in the ’90s. Five years ago, the band relocated to Vancouver and the boys have been criss-crossing the continent ever since, exposing audiences on both sides of the border to Rock’n’s occasionally stupefying live show.
“At first everyone is a little confused, I think,” Johnny says, “but the confusion seems to pass quickly, which is good, because we only have six songs.”
You only have six songs? “Yeah, we actually only have six songs,” Rock’n replies, adding that he sees nothing particularly absurd about averaging less than a song a year over the band’s career. I mean, it took us a few years to get the order down, but now we’ve got that figured out.”
To fill out the band’s decidedly slim repertoire, Rock’n’s live show features plenty of face-melting guitar solos, as well as the ceremonial unveiling of the official Rock’n flag. “We’ve had the flag since gig number one,” Johnny enthuses. “Rick made it in tenth-grade art class. He got a C, but when you see it, you’re going to think B-plus.”
As for what Edmonton audiences can expect to encounter at Rock’n’s upcoming gig at Seedy’s, the band is eager to pass along the following message: “We were ready to party with you guys yesterday. I was holding the guys back,” insists Johnny, who also claims to be planning a second Edmonton gig involving our city’s most beloved landmark. “We’ve asked the mayor personally if we can play in front of the Wayne Gretzky statue,” he says, explaining that a huge Rock’n fan in His Worship’s inner circle should help the band get approval for the stunt.
“He has a lovely wife, I’ve always said that,” Johnny says. “We want to thank her for her many e-mails.” V
Rock’n
With Hugh Phukovsky and Dead City Serpents • Seedy’s • Fri, Mar 18