Zoe Vette: Interview

TCZ: Give us a thumbnail description of Zoe Vette, musician.

Zoe: Eclectic.

TCZ: You seem to have a real knack for writing songs with great melodies and big, juicy hooks. What's your normal songwriting process?

Zoe: Divine inspiration, in most cases. A lot of my songs have just come to me instantly while I'm driving or sleeping. In a collaboration situation, it's not always that smooth. Ground Ginger, for instance, took me a year of re-arranging lyrics and re-writing before the music came to me. Luckily, that seems to have paid off!

TCZ: You entered the music business at an early age - when did you first realize that you had the ability to create original songs that you'd enjoy listening to?

Zoe: I think I'd attempted writing songs as early as 12 or 13, but nothing to brag about. Upon entering the studio with Wulf Gang in 1993, I started contributing arrangement ideas that were used on the recordings. That gave me the confidence to try co-writing songs, but it was only about 10 years ago that I became confident enough to front a band and sing my own songs.

TCZ: You went to New York City while still a teenager. It seems that in spite of your obvious talent, you had trouble finding your niche. Can you tell us about some of your experiences there?

Zoe: Part of the difficulty was not knowing my capabilities. Although I'd fronted high-school bands, I started out as just a rhythm guitarist in Wulf Gang. After the band's breakup our singer/songwriter, Izzy Guerriere, took me under her wing . She saw something in me that I couldn't see in myself and she pushed me into developing as a front person. She helped me mold my attitude and command the mic while holding a guitar. She was relentless, but I'm grateful. Where ever she is now, I'd love to tell her thanks for believing in me! I was released into the wild and I took off like a whirlwind, forming band after band, trying to find my place. But I get bored in bands without an image or a gimmick. I grew up on that and it's what I expected to become!

TCZ: Give us the low-down on your Gretta X band-mates, Nixey Lixir and Butchy Marx.

Zoe: Butchy and I have known each other for a few years. We were introduced by a mutual friend, but we didn't click the first time we met. We gave each other the wrong first impressions, however he and I have become good friends over the years. I think we have great stage chemistry because of that. He's nuts on stage, jumping into the crowd and climbing up on the PA monitors. He's got his own fan base.
Nixey used to come to our rehearsals and shows when Butch and I were in the New Recruits. She had been in drum-line in school and I think she secretly had her eye on the drummer position from the get go. Because of that training, she's got a unique style that enhances my songs and takes them to the next level. She hasn't played live shows with us yet, but I know she'll go over very well with the fans!

TCZ: You've had a lot of experience in the music industry for someone so young - what would you say is the most important lesson you've learned since you started?

Zoe: I've learned so many lessons, both good and bad. Being in a band is exactly like being in a relationship. There needs to be compromise, teamwork and communication. There also needs to be enough diversity to make your music and show interesting. Beyond that, I've picked up that it's really easy to get taken advantage of or not be taken seriously, especially being a female in this industry.

TCZ: Best concert you've ever attended?

Zoe: Just one? I have to say the obvious: Joan Jett. There's something within her live show that no one else can deliver. She involves everyone in her show by making eye contact with as many people as possible, and having the audience sing along. Admittedly, I have adopted those techniques. I talk to people, make people sing into my mic and laugh with people who are having fun. I have to add that seeing KISS reunite in makeup was a MAJOR highlight, and also seeing Iggy Pop several years ago in NYC was amazing. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

TCZ: Give us an idea of your pre-show routine - how do you get yourself ready to go onstage?

Zoe: My heart races pretty badly, so I run around schmoozing my brains out so that I will have pure energy, not nervous energy, once I hit the stage. I attempt to address everyone I've seen at previous shows and thank them for coming. I also always have ONE shot of whiskey 30 minutes before I go on. It soothes my throat, and that's my story!

TCZ: On the Gretta X website it says "We're on a path to destroy boredom rock". Ironic self-consciousness and pretension are lauded as virtues in many corners of today's music industry - are you worried that you seem to be fighting an uphill battle against the "shoe-gazing" crowd?

Zoe: I'm not naturally a competitive person, so I believe there is room for everyone. I even like some shoe-gazer rock myself, but I don't go see them live. I think people will rather see us live after they realize they have an option. Poll our fans, and they'll tell you how crazy our crowd gets when we just do a simple little move on stage. They, too, seem to be bored with the current state of music.

TCZ: What's your favorite pastime when you need a break from music?

Zoe: Music is my life! But I do have other very specialized interests. I am an avid seeker of knowledge, from cryptozoology to quantum physics to history. If it's slightly mysterious, I'm all over it. I'm a fan of TV and I watch a lot of it.... History / Discovery Channel mostly, of course, although I love my cartoons. I'm a fan of Drag shows as well. They remind me of Cabaret shows; Camp, glamour and beauty!

TCZ: Judging from numerous photos, you definitely have a flair for visual theater. Talk about your sense of style and any major influences you've had in that area...

Zoe: Take a look at my major and earliest influences: KISS, hair metal, David Bowie, Marc Bolan, The Runaways, etc. I'm a visual person and I take in everything I see, and everything I see influences me. Aesthetics are important to me, and that's not to say I'm shallow. I'm not talking the way someone physically LOOKS... I'm talking style. Self __expression is key, and it tells that person's individual story. That's all I try to do.

TCZ: What three albums are seeing the hottest action on your personal playlist these days?

Zoe: Skunk Anansie: Post Orgasmic Chill, T. Rex: The Millenium Collection, Velvet Goldmine Soundtrack.

TCZ: What's your position on touring - are you thinking of taking Gretta X out on the road cross-country in the foreseeable future, or will you be focusing on building a strong regional base?

Zoe: With the insane price of gas, I'm thinking strong regional base! But my intention is to tour the hell out of this band ASAP.

TCZ: We've heard you mention Suzi Quatro as one of your influences. Can you describe how you discovered Suzi and what sort of impact she's had on you?

Zoe: I first heard her in my older sister's record collection when I was very young. I rediscovered Suzi on Happy Days as Leather Tuscadero when I was 13 and I flashed back to hearing her when I was younger. I went out and bought every album I could find and I fell in love with her self-titled 1973/74(?) release which had '48 Crash' and 'Can the Can' on it. I still have that record and it's in my record player right now. She has serious spunk and it was a flag to me, being that most women in rock that I saw in the 80's were girlie and painted up to be a T & A show. She was business and leather and attitude. I could identify with that a lot more!

TCZ: You've mentioned that you felt welcomed when you left New York to go back home to North Carolina. What's the music scene like in the Carolinas?

Zoe: The Myrtle Beach scene is small, but all the bands are good! There's a pretty tightly knit group of people down there who are themselves eclectic in style and musical taste. It's by far the most responsive crowd I have yet experienced. I can't say a lot about the Wilmington scene, although there are a couple of good bands that I've run across.

TCZ: What are your plans for Gretta X in terms of recording? Should we be looking for a full-length album, an EP, or is it still too early to be able to say?

Zoe: We are planning a full-length CD in the very near future. The songs are ready and so are we. I plan to begin recording in the next couple of months. I'm not promising anything, but I'd like to have it done before Summer's out.

M. Ramsey © June 2006