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and coming bands like Disciple, Ultimatum and Oil were thrown into the mix in an attempt to attract the young and older metal crowds. The show was very successful and many people that night either dedicated or rededicated their lives to Christ, which is the ultimate goal of anything and everything we do. Looking back, I’m not sure if I would have called it Extreme Mardi Gras or just left it as is, but too late for regrets now. (The Ultimatum show is chronicled on the new DVD release we are putting out in 2012.) The Vengeance Rising reunion was honestly a lot of work and stress, as everyone probably knows that Roger Martinez denounced his faith in God many years ago. I was attempting to get them all to reunite with Roger at first, because I thought maybe if he could see this all again, or if he could get in a room and just talk with those folks, that maybe he could at least put the past behind him and remember all the hard work and love that came out of this joint effort. But, alas, it was not meant to be. We kept the show alive and added Scott Waters from Ultimatum as the vocalist for the closest thing to a full Vengeance Rising reunion you will ever see. Luckily, we were able to capture that historic show on video and release a DVD by Once Dead titled Return with a Vengeance. (Though it was supposed to be a one-time reunion show, the band continued to do shows and record for years to come.) Then we started the Up From The Ashes concert series, which we have done three installments to date. This was started initially in conjunction with Daryn Hinton, legendary former Stryper manager and Holy Soldier manager. We did it to try and raise money for ‘Rockers helping Rockers Across the Nations’ to help a church in Mexico that had come under some serious financial issues. It was the first reunion of Steven Patrick and Holy Soldier in nearly 15 years at that time and it was another very successful show and the start of a series of shows that has seen reunion shows from bands like Saint, Deliverance and many more.
In my honest opinion, Roxx Records was born out of necessity of what we were trying to do with Roxx Productions. Many of these bands we were working with didn’t have a CD or the ability to do one. Our first CD was actually a compilation to support and advertise the Extreme Mardi Gras in 2002. After that compilation, we decided it was time for us to become a full-fledged label and it just took off from there. We are still a small indie label and probably always will be. In all honesty, we never launched this to make money. I’m not going to say we don’t want to make money. Of course, it would be nice to make a few bucks. But if all we can do is keep it alive by making sure our expenses don’t outweigh our earnings, then so be it. In other words, as long as we can balance at the end of the day, it’s all good. This truly is an avenue to help get some otherwise untouched Christian music genres out to a world that needs to hear it. I have a few good people we employ that are very supportive and helpful of our mission and that helps keep us going strong and keeps the work getting done! All of us involved in keeping Roxx alive have day jobs that help offset this work, too. It truly is our passion and mission to share the Word of God through the artists we support. People that know me, know that I am truly not a very outspoken person. That’s just the way God built me. I often tell them that the artists I support and promote are my way to be that outspoken person and, through the words of these artists that I give 110% to, you know, is where my heart is. If you're ever curious of what someone is all about or what they support these days, all you have to do is take a look at their Facebook walls. That is a true picture of an individual's support and beliefs. It’s not hard to hide these days, but people wear their hearts proudly on their Facebook walls!
There are so many to try and recall I could probably talk all day. I have been blessed to make many friends along the way as well. Scott Waters and I have become very close through the years and I consider him a close personal friend. As well, Mike Phillips from Deliverance and The Sacrificed and James Jenkins from East West are both good friends, and many more.
Roxx Records is now approaching our 40th release and we have really been ramping that up the past 2 years. Punk Roxx Records is a subdivision of Roxx Records and we just launched that this year with our debut signing Jump Ship Quick! The punk scene is really in need of some good hardcore Christian punk and that scene is seeing a bit of resurgence in the last year or two! The thrash scene as well has come full circle in the last few years and we have new releases out or forthcoming from Join The Dead, Ultimatum, Boarders and ”the Big D.”
You are the owner of Roxx Records and Punk Roxx Records as well. How was Roxx Records formed?
For our full discography and a timeline of past shows you can take a look on our website ( roxxproductions.com/?page_id=30 ).