Question: This is your first solo album and some readers will recognise you as the guitarist with Wild Rose. Can you tell us about your background and how you got into music? Answer: Hi there! Well, I've started playing music very young around the age of 16 and I played with many different brands till I grew up , I was really hungry for music!!! In 2004 after a lot of search finally I made my own band Wild Rose! We made a few demos and finally last year we finished and released our first official album named ''Half Past Midnight''. Q: What’s been the reaction of Wild Rose to your CD release? A: If you mean the other guys of the band, the reaction was very good and they supported me with kindness !! I wanna thank them a lot! Q: “Into The Night” has a classic late night 80s AOR feel to it. Which bands encouraged you to pursue this direction? A: There are a lot of bands that inspired me through these years bands like Bon Jovi, Dokken, BAnd. andy rock Europe, Journey, Chicago, Russ album. into the night Ballard etc, while I'm a fan of Interview with. andy rock melodic rock from when I was a interviewed by. d. jamieson kid! Also the way that my life has turned to was a reason that inspired me a lot (many adventures) and of course my country especially the summer!!! Q: It truly is a solo album, as apart from the drums, you play all the instruments and sing lead vocals. How did you piece it all together? A: When you are working at the studio you don't have problems to piece it all together especially when you know to play all these instruments and when you know what exactly you wanna do!! I don't think it was a problem and I enjoyed it very much cause I did everything I wanted! Q: There are some great tunes on the record such as “Love Is Not A Game”, “I Wanna Be With You” and “Without You” for example. Which tracks are you particularly fond of? A: My favorite tracks from the album are different as the time passes... I mean before a while that it was summer, I was listening again and again to ''I Wanna Be With You''... ''Without you" also is a good one and... All the rest...! Q: Do you write your solo material differently than the material you write for Wild Rose? A: Not exactly, I mean the inspiration is the same but in Wild Rose I have in mind our singer George and his voice!! I have to write songs that will be perfect for George's style and of course for Wild Rose too! Q: What’s next for you Andy? A: Next coming is the new Wild Rose album "Dangerous" which is almost ready (some details left) and of course some other projects that I have in mind to do in the coming future so stay in touch... Focus on:
ANDY ROCK - Into The Night (AOR Heaven)
The unlikely named Andy Rock is guitarist with Greek melodic rock band Wild Rose. This is his debut solo album but any fears that it might be a self-indulgent, fretboard shredfest are dispelled from the off. The record teleports you to the late 80s when AOR walked the earth and ruled the airwaves. Considering it’s a guitarist’s record what strikes you about the record is the authentic 80s sounding keyboards , also played by Rock, that wrap up the music in a big fluffy cloud of hummable melodies. At different times the music brings to mind Los Angeles, Aldo Nova, Michael Bolton (Fool’s Game era) and even Robin Beck. On ‘Love Is Not a Game’ and especially standout ballad ‘I Wanna Be With You’ the music, especially the atmospheric keyboards and the sweet melodic guitar solos recall parts of Strangeways. Vocally, Rock’s voice is a little thin in places and a bigger production sound would have helped but if you like 80s AOR with songs about heartbreak, in the city, in the night, in the rain and often all at the same time then this is an easy album to like. Duncan Jamieson (86/100)