Interview

Scott Rockenfield of QUEENSRYCHE

1. You are a man of many many hats. What are you
working on next? Whats going on in the SR world?

SR: Many things right now...This year (2003) has been very busy for me....QR is currently planning things for the tour to resume sometime this march or so (2004)...My new company RockenWraps.com ('the most unique and innovative new concept in drum finishing') has just launched, and the response has been very OVERWHELMING!! ....My other band Slave To The System is going to be back in the studio in january 2004 to complete our second release (due sometime this spring!!!), I am composing music for a soon to be released excercise program that is being done by a fitness instructor on the east coast, and Paul Speer and I will be working on our next project together (coming spring 2004!!)...

2. In addition to being the drummer for QR, you have
also formed another great band with STTS and you have
released your solo cd as well. (Whew! I am getting
tired just typing this question out!) Now you are
launching ROCKENWRAPS......What is the top priority at
all times?

SR: All of these ar top priority to me...No matter what my current project is, I always consider them all TOP priority....!!

3. How do you change focus from one project to the
next?
SR: Coffee, coffee!!!

4. What is the deal man, are you on a quest for
world domination?

SR: Uh, yeah, that's it........!!!!

5. Scott, at the rate you have been going for the
past few years, I imagine that in a few years you
will probably be surpassing your neighbor Bill Gates
as the worlds richest man. Definitely the busiest
man?

SR: Yeah, Bill, pocket change compared to me..!!! haha....

6. Where do you find the time what with having a
family as well?

SR: Life is balance...

7. After being in QR for the past 24 years, what are
some of the motivating factors that have kept you
going in recent years?

SR: I am a musician and composer...That is my passion....

8. Collectively what do you think motivates QR
collectively and what keeps you guys tight.

SR: Same as the above answer...Music and passion to create together....

9. How has Mike Stone changed the band? Maybe not
musically but as a whole?

SR: 'Stonie' has been a very welcome addition to our touring line up, and is also a very creative individual. Very much like the rest of the core of QR....

10. How did you guys come to meet Mike?

SR: He has been an friend for sometime now...

11. With the exeption of Ed, you all seem to have a
lot of outside projects going on...something that for
the first 20 years was just unheard of in the QR camp.
Do you think that people should be worried that QR
may not be tops on the list anymore?

SR: Absolutely not!!! Our lives will continuously take us all into other fields, etc...QR will alwyas emain one of theose fields, that's all...And by the way, Edbass (as we all call him!!) is kindof his own side project!!! haha.......

12. Tell me about you ROCKENWRAPS. What are they
made of, who comes up with the designs and how is the
project going?

SR: RockenWraps is something that I have been working on for a number of years now. I have always strived to be different with my drums for the last 23 years, and in my journey to create something different , I stumbled into the developement of RockenWraps...I am the founder/owner, and also create all of the designs by my own hands...The response has been so overwhelming, and I cannot thank enough everyone who has called or written to us...!! You can learn more about RockenWraps at our website at www. RockenWraps .com...

13. What the hell is going with STTS? You guys put
on a killer show and the cd just fucking rocked. Why
was there no tour last year? Is there another STTS
cd on the way and what is the realistic chances that
the rest of us will get to see STTS live?

SR: yes STTS is going to be in the studio completing our second release this January...!! We will keep everyone posted at www.SlaveToTheSystem.net...

14. Does it frustrate you to hear all the
expectations surrounding Operation Mindcrime? By that
I mean that does it bother you that people keep
comparing everything you have done since to that
album?

SR: I believe that QR has done some really incredible stuff through the years, and i am grateful that our fans continue to find pleasure in them....

15. O.M is indeed one of the most brilliant
collection of songs and ideas to be put together.
How much of an input did you have in the making of
that album?

SR: OMC was a very collective efort on the entire bands behalf. We all spent about two years working and composing the record..it was a brainstorm of ideas...!!

16. One of my favorite things to do from time to time
is to put on some headphones and blast OM from start
to finish and I keep thinking to myself that this was
just a result of 'sheer genius' or some kickass mind
altering substances. Which is it?

SR: Well absolutely, some mind altering subs....!! haha...

17. There are some pretty heavy underlying themes
throughout that and all the rest of the QR albums,
what inspires you guys to write? What is your
favorite subject matter to write about?

SR: Our inspiration usually comes rom whatever we are surrounded by and experiencing at that time of our lives.....

18. How was the recent tour you guys did with Dream
Theatre? How did the guys all get along and is it a
possibilty to team up wiht those guys again? I keep
thinking about how cool it was to see the 10 of you
jamming together for the encores nightly.

SR: The tour with DT was very satisfying...We all had a great time, and it seems that the fans really enjoyed what we did with that tour...Thanx to all that attended..

19. How hard was it to share a kit with Mike Portnoy
for the encores? How was that possible?

SR: We just lubed each other up, and jumped right on in..!!! haha...

20. You are one of the top drummers in the business
yet you are playing on an average sized kit. What
did you think the first time you walked out onstage
and saw Portnoys kit? What went thru your mind?

SR: The first thing through my mind was, what a drag for the drum tech to put away everynight...!! haha...

21. Have you had any contact with Chris DeGarmo
lately? He was on Tribe and I was wondering if he
made it out for any of the shows out west to maybe
jam?

SR: Chris worked on the TRIBE record with us, and since then we have not heard anything from him...?? he is just on his own these days....

22. Do you foresee that happening anytime soon?

SR: anything is possible I suppose....

23. Who are some of your early influences? Who or
what made you decide that you wanted to be a drummer?

SR: Just music in general was my inspiration....

24. What other bands or drummers do you think are
making a meaningful contribution to the music
business?

SR: Music is a soulfull thing in my eyes, and so anyone who likes to create with an instrument, is contributing to the cause of music....

25. What did you think of your opening band ECHO7 on
this last tour? Did you guys hangout a lot? How do
you feel they did opening up for you guys?

SR: Echo7 were cool...!

2/8/2006