Please give a brief history of the band, including current line up.
The current lineup is Rachel Zilla on guitar, that's me.
Angie Zilla on drums killa Kim Zilla on bass.
We have been together for around 3 years. We started out in Detroit (where
we call home) and it kinda snowballed to where we are today.
Discography.
We have done some things when we were just starting out,
but Lady Luck will be our first official release. It comes out September
1st in England. It's already been released in the States and so far it is
doing really well. The title track represents Braodzilla, it kinda comes
from the heart – it's waiting for Lady Luck to shine on us.
So how do you know each other and what made you decide to form a band? And
what is the main inspiration behind your songs?
When I was young I saw the Runnaways, and Joan Jett and
bands like that I was really inspired by the whole female power. And then
I started getting into rock n' roll and I just knew from a really young age
that that's what I wanted to do. I put bands together, different bands – Angie
and I were in a band years ago. And then when I put this band together I
asked Angie to join and then Kim joined shortly after and we have been together
ever since.
I guess life in general inspires the songs and lots of experiences of us all
growing up in the city of Detroit. So it gives you lots to write about.
Where did the name Broadzilla come for and what are the best
band names you have heard?
When we started we were trying to find a name that was
kinda monsterous, but kinda female power of sort. So we tossed around some
ideas and Broadzilla was the one where everyone just went 'that's great – you
have to call it Broadzilla'.
Other band names I like are 'Little Stubby And The Disappointments' ha, ha.
There's some pretty great band names out there. There is a band in Chicago
called 'Evil Beaver' a two piece girl band and we love their name.
RP: Yeah there is one in Britian called 'Cupid Stunts', which
I is pretty clever.
Rachel: Oh yeah, yeah that's a good one. It's the story of my life ha ha.
You have been touring the UK for the last 12 days, how are
you finding it and how do the audiences differ?
I guess from bar to bar compared to the States or here
a lot of it's the same. You know you are still in a band, you're touring,
you're going club to club, but the audiences here are a little more enthusiastic
about us. Maybe because we are more interesting to them as we are from America
and we are not from here.
RP: I was going to say if you were a British band you would probably
not get as good as reaction here.
Rachel: It's probably the same way in the States and when a British band would
come to the States people would open their eyes more too. So in that way it's
the same.
RP: And is the same age range?
Rachel: Pretty much, yeah. We get a wide range because a lot of the younger
girls would look for inspiration and girl power and then a lot of the guys
from all ages look to us just because, you know…. we're girls. So it kinda
goes around.
I hear that you have had quite a bit of radio play, over
in the UK on national station Virgin and over in the States on XM Satellite
Radio. How did it feel the first time you heard your own track on the radio?
Very few non-manufactured or non dinosaur bands get on the radio here – what
is your secret and how hard is it to get played in the states?
The first time we heard it was pretty cool. You know
when you are a kid and you always imagine what it would be like to hear my
voice on the radio so you almost get a little bit of chills when you hear
it. Then after a while I think you get used to it, but it's exciting the
first time – you wanna call your Mom and tell her 'Mom they are playing me
on the radio'.
The radio and music industry in the States is domininet with manufactured bands
and pop idol. So that's why think we will just try and make our own way and
do the best we can.
When we first started we were on XM Radio before we had a deal. It is something
we just sort out ourselves. You find avenues to try and promote you band and
then we just got lucky with that and it snowballed from there.
What is the favourite song (and what band is it by) of each member of the band?
It depends what mood your in. We love mowtown like our
first single ‘Love Child’. We love ‘Sabbath’ and some of the heavier bands.
Actually we like a lot of British bands Judist Priest, Iron Maidon, Led Zepplin
stuff like that. And other times we might listen to Prince or Radiohead just
to mellow out.
So what is the music scene like it Detroit do many bands
including British play there? Who would you like to see?
The music scene is pretty huge in Detroit. There are a
lot of bands coming out Detroit right now, which if you look back over the
years it started with Mowtown and then went to Iggy and the Stooges and MC5.
And then in the 70s you had Bob Peter and Ted Nugent. And now you’ve got
the White Stripes and Eminem and Kid Rock, so it seems like there must be
something in the air. We breed rock n’ roll.
There have been a few British bands play Detroit. We get a lot of that come
through. Of course we get the national bands like Oasis come. There is a good
indie circit of British bands that make their way through Detroit.
If we could put any band on it would be Moterhead.
Plans, gigs and releases planned for 2003.
We go back to the states this weekend. We fly into New
York city and we’re going to play CBGBs which in America is a pretty ledgendary
club. And then we have got some other tour dates come up in the States. And
we are supposed to come back to the UK again in maybe October / November
time.
The Bulldog Bash want us to play again next year.
Any final comments?
Mmmmm, we say in America “Rock out with your cock out,
and jamm out with your clam out!”
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