Kevin Roentgen of GOLDSBORO
We Just Want To Rock and Roll
Interview by The Dedicated Rocker Society

Goldsboro is a power trio based in Los Angeles with influences that read like a roll call of the greatest hard rock and heavy metal bands of all time: Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Judas Priest, AC/DC.

The band have already received the backing of Guns N’ Roses and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. GN’R handpicked Goldsboro to be their opening act in 2012. And Jones has given Goldsboro’s track Great White Buffalo heavy rotation on his Jonesey’s Jukebox show for LA radio station KROQ.

And now comes the band’s debut album –simply titled Goldsboro. The Rocker and I spoke with the band's frontman, Kevin Roentgen, as he enlightened us on his band and other things. Here is what he shared with us....

First off, Kevin thanks so much for calling in.
KEVIN ROENTGEN: No problem, it's my pleasure.

Alright can you give us the lowdown behind the name of the band, Goldsboro?

KR: The name of the band came about from a joke we had about our producer, Noah Shain. The joke was about his haircut and how he looked like Bobby Goldsboro (laughs).

Didn't Noah actually want to be in the band?

KR: That is true. It all went down like this. Me and Johnny told him that we were putting a band together and that we wanted the band to sound like Black Sabbath, Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy. Noah wanted to play drums, but we told that Chris (Cano) was playing drums. Noah was cool with it and said he wanted to produce the album. On one condition though, we name the band Goldsboro.

The lead off track, Great White Buffalo, what was the inspiration behind the song? Was it based on the Charles Bronson movie or was it inspired by the Thin Lizzy song, "Massacre"?

KR: It was actually from the name of the studio where we recorded the album, Buffalo studio. The song waves the flag proudly for metal. It’s a song for people on the outside. It’s about the freedom that I find in rock and roll. And that’s the force behind Goldsboro. I can understand where the Lizzy influence can be heard. If so, so be it. For me it's about carrying on the spirit that was inspiring to me. Even Steve Jones (Sex Pistol), who produced a band that I was in, America Pearl, said when he heard the song, "It sounds like Lizzy". Steve actually played with those guys a few times. Now he plays the song on his radio show.

How long did it take to record?

KR: It was spread over a year. We actually have another albums worth of songs to make a second record. Hopefully it won't take us that long to make it. Hopefully we can finish it in about two weeks.

Old school bands you listen to?

KR: It's a standard list. As a kid I would listen to bands like Kiss, Zeppelin and some punk stuff as well like, Dead Kennedys and Sex Pistols.

What about any of the new bands on the scene right now?

KR: There are a lot of new bands that sound great. My I-Pod is loaded. I also have a daughter, so you'll hear some Rhianna as well.

You mentioned America Pear earlier. Would you ever consider re-working any A.P. songs for Goldsboro?

KR: A lot of my friends have told that the Goldsboro album could have been the second American Pearl record. While I appreciate the fans I made in that band, for me Goldsboro and American Pearl are two separate bands.

The trend right now for most rock bands here in America is, conquer Europe and Asia and then come back to the States. What are your thoughts?

KR: There is romanticism between Europe and America. Their bands want to come here and bands from here want to go there. Kings Of Leon, The Killers and even Jimi Hendrix did it. It pretty much has been like that for a while.

Speaking of Europe, are you ready? Are you playing any warm up gigs before you fly over?

KR: We've played a couple of shows already. We have a campaign going on right now in the UK. We're doing this to embrace the fans there, through Classic Rock magazine and Kerrang. We've done a couple of shows there already. There is something about playing in the UK. The fan base there is more accessible there than here.

Without radio play how do you think people are finding out about Goldsboro?

KR: For us right now the biggest thing is through social media for exposure. For the mere fact it is everywhere you want to be at any moment. Word of mouth and people coming out to the shows as well. When it comes to the shows, for us it is all about winning over the true rock fans.

Any words for your fans?

KR: Thank you for all the support. We are looking forward to putting the second album together for you. Also looking forward to meeting all the people here and in Europe. Thanks to you both, it means a lot to us. Thank you so much.

The Rocker and I would like to thank Kevin Roentgen, John Bentjen, Chris Cano and Noah Shain for putting out one of the best rock albums released this year. A big THANK YOU to Kevin Roentgen for sharing his time with us, we had a blast. Goldsboro's debut release is out now. Take it from The Rocker and I, this band rocks! - The Dedicated Rocker Society

for more info on Goldsboro, please visitors:
http://goldsboroband.com/