Charles V.Rox (Lipstik) – Interview

Charles V.Rox (Lipstik) – Interview

24 Dicembre 2014 0 Commenti Denis Abello

interview by Denis Abello
italian version

MR: Hello Charles. thank you for this interview. Would you like to start introducing yourself? When and how did your passion for music begin?
CVR: Thank-you for having me! My name is Charles Vaccaro A.K.A. Charles V.Rox. Born Calogero Vaccaro, on June 16,1969 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada by Sicilian immigrant parents. I speak English, French and Italiano. My passion for music starts back as far as I could remember. I was maybe 5 years old. The guitar was always my fascination.

MR: When and how did lipstik start their adventure?
CVR: A version of Lipstik started when I was about 17 years old, in 1986. We were called “Rapid Fire”. We were all friends from school, we were all from Italian descent and also we pretty much lived in the same neighborhood.

MR: Your manager was the mighty Whitney Houston! how did you start this partnership?
CVR: That encounter was quite special because at that time (1989) Whitney Houston and Madonna were the biggest female performers. In the summer of 1987, our singer Paul Gala (Paolo Galati), went to Wildwood, New Jersey for vacation and he met a girl who knew someone who worked for Whitney Houston. We sent him (Wade Perry) our portfolio and he was very impressed. By that time we had already self produced our 2 videos, You’re All I need and I Want You Want, (http://fandalism.com/vrox) and our music. After a few showcases he was confident that his employer would not hesitate to manage Lipstik. In 1989 we signed our management deal with Whitney Houston’s company, Nippy inc.

MR: Lipstik had means to become a great hair metal band. In your opinion why didn’t it work out?
CVR: Once we signed with Nippy inc., although no one ever said anything, we all thought we had it in the bag. Mission accomplished! Not so. The music industry in my opinion is a scary beast and it is a business. So the people that handle the business aspect are there to earn money. Prior to that the deal (recording contract) has to come in. So, with several attempts and showcasing for some major labels, the company reps were already shifting their interests to different styles of music. In that period, the grunge scene had an enormous impact on the music consumer and the new generation of music listeners. Nirvana was the new thing and so the industry stopped signing bands in our genre of music. At this point we were disappointed and left with no options. In 1992/93, we stopped the journey.

MR: Are you still in touch with the other members of the band?
CVR: Yes I am. There was officially two versions of Lipstik. Early version was Paul Gala (singer/songwriter and co-founder), Charles V.Rox (guitarist/songwriter/co-founder), El Cicora (bass), Lucky Lee AKA Gianni De Fazio (drummer). In 1989, we got Ange E. Curcio (drummer) and in 1990, Micheal J. Amico (bass).Having lived an experience at this level, we encountered experiences that very few people share. Although we all work and have families today, we find the time to communicate every once in a while. You develop a brotherhood and most days were great and some days were not so great, but the experience was exceptional.

MR: Can we expect a Lipstik reunion in the future? Or maybe have you been working on any projects at the moment?
CVR: We have discussed this option at a more local level for 2015. There is also the options that you crazy rocker “paisani” organize for us to play in Italy. LOL

MR: What is your main musical influence and who is your favourite guitarist?
CVR: My musical influences although in rock, are wide. I grew up with The Beatles, Elvis, Hendrix and the music of that era, which were introduced to me by my uncle Leo. The eighties were awesome, Van Halen, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Ratt, Poison, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden ect….. Today I still follow the trends but it all changes so fast , although I like today’s music, there are really no artists that will experience the respect and longevity of our heroes.
Favorite guitarists, I have many. Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, Richie Sambora, you know… The one that I feel a connection in style, both playing and image would be Jake E. Lee from Ozzy and Badlands. My favorite!

MR: If you could pick up just one record, what is the one that changed your life?
CVR: My all time favorite record is Abbey Road by the Beatles. That’s the one that made me enjoy the art of exploring songwriting.

MR: If you could turn back the time, is there anything you would change about Lipstik?
CVR: Awesome question! If I could turn back time, I would change the time back two years from 1989 to 1987. We were a little late in the game and that was the only thing that we couldn’t control.

MR: It seems that lately melodic rock and hard rock are slowly coming back. Do you know the current scene? What do you think about it?
CVR: Thanks to you guys! “MelodicRock.it” , “Rock Of Ages (Radio City Trieste)”, “Dimensione Rock“, ect… Last month when Walter from “NoRespect Webzine“, Desiderio De Nitto and Settimo Bisconti found me on Facebook, I was flattered and shocked with happiness and felt a sense of accomplishment. Lipstik put a lot of hard work and determination to achieve what never happened at a commercial level. At a spiritual level, groups and fans such as yourselves show otherwise. Today the music is mass produced, more electronic and caters to the generation of today, just like our music did in our time. The only difference is that I see a lot of young people today wearing, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and Guns N’ Roses t-shirts just like when we were the same age. You can’t beat the classics. The pioneers will always be in demand and respectfully remembered. That’s what made me want to play that crazy guitar.

VIDEO

Lipstik (1991) – from L to R – Paul Gala (Singer), Ange E. Curcio (Drummer), Michael J. Amico (Bass), Charles V.Rox (Guitarist)

© 2014, Denis Abello. All rights reserved.