Rob Carlyle – The Uber Rock Interview

Written by Dom Daley
Saturday, 17 September 2016 03:00

Why wouldn’t Uber Rock want to talk with New York rock and rolla Rob Carlyle? Man, the last record was all-killer-no-filler, and having criss-crossed the USA to play east and west coast and having recently hooked up with a couple of ex Guns n roses dudes this was a good time to grab the low down about all things Compulsions…

 

Firstly, let’s start with the last single, which was a Beatles cover [‘Revolution’] but what interests me is the fact you took on such a diverse bunch of tunes as the B-sides were Kiss [‘Shock Me’] and The Cure [‘Fascination Street’]. Not a trio of bands many would have put together. What drew you to those songs in particular?

 

I agree, those songs don’t seem to have anything in common and I don’t think most fans would’ve expected us to cover them. But that was kind of the point, to be unpredictable.

 

 

Are there any other covers you’d love to get down on tape?

 

Yeah, in fact we’ve got three covers in the works right now. But I’d rather not say what they are until we release them.

 

You’ve had some really big hitters in The Compulsions. What is it that you like about working with a well-known bunch of rock and roll lifers like Sami Yaffa, Frank Ferrer and Richard Fortus?

 

We just happened to play really well together.

 

I covered the last album for Uber Rock and loved the fact you embraced real, honest rock and roll and didn’t follow fashions. What or who are some of your influences?

 

Oh man, there are way too many influences for me to mention but I guess the biggest and most obvious would be The Stones, Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Dolls, Faces and Humble Pie. But there are also a lot of less-obvious influences, everything from Beethoven to hip hop to Moroccan trance music! Whatever, as long as it’s good.

 

It must have been great to hear Alice Cooper say such nice things about what you’re doing. It gives gravitas to your philosophy of rock and roll.

 

Yeah totally, all the fine folks at ‘Nights With Alice Cooper’ have always been real supportive of The Compulsions and I’m very grateful for that.

 

What have you got planned next? I read about you guys playing in NYC. Are there any plans to play further afield?

 

There are a lot of plans currently being made but I’m not at liberty to talk about them yet. But I can say that there’s a third Compulsions album in the works, which will likely be released in 2017. We’ve also been talking with a couple of booking agents about touring in the U.S. and Australia, so hopefully that’ll happen soon.

 

Is there still an appetite for live rock and roll in the Big Apple? Have you noticed an upsurge in people getting back in love with rock n roll that side of the pond?

 

Oh yeah, for sure. We have more fans now than ever.

 

‘Dirty Fun’ had a lot of vintage rock and roll and you weren’t afraid to mix it up and not just stay on one path. It was great to watch the performance of ‘Lucky’ on the Alice Cooper Show. You guys are the real deal. Ha ha! It sounded great as a duet as well as it did on the record. And I’ve seen the footage of you guys at Don Hill’s, even if it was a few years ago. You guys were right on the money on tracks like ‘Jungle Disease’! What was the feedback like over on the West Coast? Is it a different audience to say a New York crowd?

 

Thanks for that!

The Viper Room show was a lot of fun. It was packed. There were a bunch of girls down in front singing and dancing the whole time. A few writers were also in attendance and they wrote some amazing things about us: “No bullshit, heavy rock,” “So much cool, it’s off the damn charts,” stuff like that.

Is a West Coast crowd different than a New York crowd? I know New Yorkers have a reputation for standing there with our arms folded but that’s not entirely true. If the place is packed and the songs are good, people will move to the music. Even in New York.

 

Are there any collaborators you have your eye on for the next record?

 

Well, we’ve already started making our next record and I think the personnel will consist mostly of Bumblefoot, Alec Morton, Frank and me. But hey, if Steven Tyler or Slash wants to throw down on some tracks, tell them to call me!

 

How tough is it to be an independent musician/artist in NYC in 2016? Record companies don’t hand out money like they used to. Does it help keep you grounded and lean?

 

It’s tough in New York but you have to be tougher. Yeah, record companies aren’t handing out money like they used to. We’ve had a few offers lately but so far they haven’t been realistic. Does it keep me “grounded and lean?” I’m tired of being “grounded and lean!” I’m ready to be rich and bloated and out of touch with reality. Just kidding… kind of.

 

What are you listening to right now? Anyone we should know about?

 

That changes all the time. At the moment, I have ‘Flame Job’ by The Cramps on repeat. I’ve also recently rediscovered Son House. If you’re a Jimmy Page fan, you should definitely check out Son House and hear the influence he had on Led Zeppelin. Son House sounds like Jimmy Page on steel guitar or better yet, Jimmy Page sounds like Son House with a Les Paul.

 

If I were to turn somebody on to your music, what would you suggest I play? And how would I describe The Compulsions?

 

Oh man, that’s another tough question because I try to make every Compulsion track sound like the ultimate Compulsions track! Even the weird tracks. But these days, I guess ‘House Of Rock’ from ‘Dirty Fun’ is a good place to start. We mostly get categorised as a straight-up, dirty rock ‘n’ roll band, but I love that our music gets a little weird sometimes and ‘House Of Rock’ seems to straddle both sides.

 

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