An Interview with the Italian Hard Rock band

'Lizhard'

that took place 3rd February, 2009.

Interviewed by Glenn Milligan.

What are your main influences musically and how did they come into the sound & style of Lizhard?
First of all "HI" to everybody and thanks for your invite!
We love all 70's and 80's rock and hard rock and we grew up with bands such as Rolling Stones, Eagles, Whitesnake, Deep purple, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi... so it's easy: we just play what we feel and what we like!

Why did you decide to sign to Perris Records & hows it all going so far?
We sent out a few promos and in two weeks' time we had six contract offers, Tom from Perris Records was one of them, he's great and we're happy to work with him 'cuz he believes in us.

What's your part of Europe like for Rock & Metal?
We can talk about Italy, here there's a poor musical culture and the audience seems to prefer the usual cover bands to new and original music. It isn't easy for bands to play their own music live.

I understand that your name came as a joke as you had a vocalist called Liz and you played hard-rock - what were the reasons for naming the band after her?
She's LIZA like Liza Minnelli...(laugh), anyway..We thought it was a good idea and we kept it...

Why did Liza leave and what is she up to now?
She had a baby. Now I think she's a full-time mom!

What have been the most memorable places you have played so far and for what reasons?
Well, the CD release party with White Lion and Mad Max in Bologna was great, even though the gig with Eric Martin in a small club was equally exciting.

Where did the idea for the cover for that album come?
First, we took pictures of a model (a good friend of ours). They were good, but we didn't get the flavour we were looking for, so we just came up with another idea that included a sexy girl and a bunch of lizards! Perfect!

Who is the headless subject on the front and what's their head and face look like ?- lol
She's a beautiful brunette...lol

So how long did it take to get the reptiles to pose in the right position or have they been super-imposed with the joys of technology?
This is a secret! (-: but no, it wasn't the joys of technology!

How long did it take to record the album and what were the most memorable times during the process?
It took us 2 years..it was hard 'n' heavy, but we're so satisfied! Every lil' minute we spent together was amazing, expecially the Mix and Master with our good friend Alex Del Vecchio!!

What band(s) have you been compared to and how does it make you feel?
Like all bands, we don't really like to be tagged, even though it's virtually impossible not to be. But usually people say we remind them of Bon Jovi, Europe, Deep Purple or Gotthard.

What were the highlights of supporting Eric Martin & Twin Dragons and how did the support slot come to be?
It was an amazing dream come true. We're all great fans of Eric and Mr. Big and he's a great guy!

What are favourite songs on the album and what influenced them?
Songs are influenced by many things, true stories or funny things...We can't choose, we love'em all !!

Why you decide on doing that great cover of Eagles 'Life In The Fast Lane'?
We love Eagles and this cover was never released by a hard rock band, so we tried our best to do something good with it.

What gigs are you looking forward to doing in the future and what are your plans for UK gigs either as headliners or support?
We're planning some gigs in Europe and we would love to play in Uk! Maybe you could lend a hand??? (-:

What do guys do when not busy with the band and what are your hobbies and interests?
Ehh..mmm...got to tell you? lol ...joking...we like to travel, ride our custom motorbikes, have rock 'n' roll parties and sleep!

What are you most pleased about so far as both individuals and as a band?
That people like our music and support us!

Thanks to you and to your readers and don’t forget to check out our web sites!
www.lizhard.com
www.myspace.com/lizhardband

Special Thankyou's also to Nicky Baldrian