Interviewed by Denys (Site Founder/Senior Staff Writer) Myglobalmind Webzine
Myglobalmind: Hey CJ how are you? Thanks for taking some time to answer some questions for your fans and readers of our webzine.
C J Snare: MY Pleasure.
Myglobalmind: How you been CJ? Keeping busy with Firehouse I can imagine, you guys always stay pretty busy touring around the country and across the pond even after all these years right?
C J Snare: On Sept, 11 2011 we celebrated the 21st Anniversary of the release of our 1st CD
Myglobalmind: Before we get into your latest project Rubicon Cross, let’s take a little trip through time all the way to the early years and how you got into the scene. How was those early days of being a cover band and hitting up all the small local gigs like?
C J Snare: It was a vocational calling. We are all career musicians. It was a struggle and also a lot of fun.
Myglobalmind: Did you ever think that after coming together the guys from White Heat and joining forces to start Firehouse you guys had a good chance to make it?
C J Snare: There was never any doubt. We just had to be persistent enough to break through to the major labels.
Myglobalmind: I always thought about Firehouse as an enigma in comparison to the music industry in the early 90’s because you guys reached commercial success around the same time that grunge was taking off. Not that 16 Gold and Platinum Records is too shabby or anything….Do you ever wonder if only a few years earlier how things might have been different having so many 80’s rock bands dominating the airwaves as it was back then?
C J Snare: I think we all really wish that we had broken on to the scene a bit earlier. We had just arrived and it wasn’t long after that there was a changing of the guard in the music industry. With a few more years under our belt during the hey day we probably could have become more of a household name.
Myglobalmind: Of course you guys reached a level of success that many bands from that era failed to reach, winning the American Music Award for Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Band of 1991 still stands as one of the bands biggest accomplishments, do you personally feel that way?
C J Snare: To achieve the level of success that we have and maintain it for 20 plus years is extremely satisfying as an artist.
Myglobalmind: Let’s get into you’re new project Rubicon Cross with English guitar player Chris Green. How did you hook up with Chris and how did this EP come about?
C J Snare: FireHouse toured in Spain and the UK in late 2003. Chris’ band Pride was supporting us and we really hit it off as friends and then we discovered that we had a chemistry for writing songs that were going in the same direction musically. We have been recording and writing for the last 7 years so we decided to record this EP to give the public a taste of things to come.
Myglobalmind: Congratulations on the record by the way I’m sure you’re aware I really enjoyed the EP and on my review I gave it a very good endorsement, I felt like the sound is very updated and modern but still has that backbone of old school Hard Rock with some crunchy guitars. Both your vocals, and songwriting as well as Chris’s guitar playing are excellent. Talk a little about the musical direction on the EP you guys we’re going for?
C J Snare: Thanks for the kind words in the review. What you just described is exactly what we were going for. The fact that we are being classified as “Modern Hard Rock” is priceless. Seems like our listening audience is placing our feet firmly in the 21st Century !
Myglobalmind: What’s the next step for Rubicon Cross and is a full album coming anytime soon? It has received some good feedback from all the publications I have read.
C J Snare: The response to the EP has been overwhelmingly positive. That is what we had hoped for and helps to facilitate our strategy moving forward. The next step is to gather the reviews, and press we have received since the release and shop for a record deal so we can give our ever expanding audience a full CD. The song are already written and in demo form so the procees shouldn’t take too long.
Myglobalmind: Are you interested in tackling any other genres other then Rock for future projects?
C J Snare: Well, I do have a LARGE group of songs that I have written that might not fit with the FireHouse or Rubicon Cross styles. I am planning on recording them and releasing them under my own name.
Myglobalmind: You have always been prolific for very good songwriting, where do you get your inspiration from and what formula works for you in terms of writing?
C J Snare: There is no formula for song writing. You just have to grab the moment when inspiration hits and try and make the best of it. As a song writer, I come up with more misses than hits. The key, to me, is to just keep swinging the bat !!!
Myglobalmind: Hey CJ big thanks for being a great sport and super cool guy, keep on rocking and wish you the best of luck on tour with Firehouse and on the Rubicon Cross project.
C J Snare: Always a pleasure and thank you.
Webzine Review for Rubion Cross – Limited EP
https://myglobalmind.com/7594/rubicon-cross-%e2%80%93-limited-edition-ep/
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