Interview2 W/Crimes Of Passion Guitarist Juliana Tarter:
Current mood: electric
Category: Music

   This is my latest interview w/Crimes Of Passion Guitarist and founding member Juliana Tarter.  You may recall that Crimes Of Passion is a hot, up and coming band out of San Jose,Ca.....Juliana's main influence is Randy Rhoads and while she's only 17 years old she plays like she's on fire, and like she's been playing for years.  Juliana has shared her great story with us here at Rock Zone Productions and in this 2nd interview she's done with us she's updated on all the great things she's been up to since our last interview.

1.  Rock Zone: - You recently attended the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA.  which is a major event for professional musicians every year.....How did you get invited to attend the NAMM Convention?

JT: - Guitar Showcase had asked me and my parents if we would like to attend the NAMM Convention and we said yes since we had never been to one.  Then Sfarzo asked me if I would be an exhibitor since I was going to be there and I was like YES of course.

2.  Rock Zone: - I know that you had the pleassure of meeting legendary Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne/Dio Bassist Rudy Sarzo.  Tell me what it was like for you meeting Rudy and what do you remember most from the experience of meeting Rudy?

JT: - Wow, Rudy Sarzo was amazing .  I can not hardly describe how it felt except to say that I was overwhelmed.  He was so nice and when he hugged me and he knew who I was it felt so real, like there was nothing fake about him.  He was so nice and humble, he talked to my mom about his book Off The Rails and he told people that I was a fantastic guitar player like he had known me all my life.  I actually went to the bathroom and called my Sister cuz I started to cry.  It was really emotional for me, I just felt so special meeting him.

3.  Rock Zone: - Did Rudy share any memories he had about Randy Rhoads or discuss his book Off The Rails with you?

JT: - When he was talking to my Mom about the book, which is all about, the touring he did with Ozzy Osbourne and how Randy died.  Since Rudy was there, all he said was that he wrote it the way it really happened.  he also put an end to the rumors that people have spread over the last 26 years about the relationships between all the band members.  Everyone who remembers Randy Rhoads should go to www.amazon.com and order a copy of Off The Rails by Rudy Sarzo.  It is a great book written by a great man!

4.  Rock Zone: - Did you get the opportunity to meet any other famous musicians besides Rudy Sarzo?

JT: - Yeah, I met Nikki Sixx, and he was very cool, he gave me an autograph for my Sister cuz she loves him and he put to Jenifer the love of my life, that was really cool and my Sister loves it.  I also met two members of Kiss, and Mark mendoza, the Bass Player from Twisted Sister, and wow so many more people I can't think of right now.

5.  Rock Zone: - I know often times at NAMM that there are jams w/various musicians ....Did you get the opportunity to take part in such a jam w/anyone famous?

JT: - I played in several booths but I didn't play with anyone famous that I know of.

6.  Rock Zone: - As a result of your appearance at NAMM you are now being endorsed by Jackson Guitars who endorsed Randy Rhoads who I know is your biggest influence.....Can you tell me how this endorsement deal came about and what it will mean for you?

JT: - The Jackson people are amazing.  Chris Conella and his band Autums End came to the Sfarzo booth and watched me play and then endorsed me.  I just got my brand new Jackson USA Kelly guitar which is awesome.  I love Jackson guitars and to see my name on the same page as Zakk Wylde and Tim Armstrong was something I can't even explain.  it's like a dream come true and I still can not believe that they endorsed me.

7.  Rock Zone: - What do you remember most about your NAMM experience?

JT: - It was amazing.  I mean there are so many people there, and so many vendors showing their line of insturments and anything that has to do with music.  I was in the Sfarzo/Delany booth and Mike Delany and his Son Chris were great.  They designed the guitar that everyone in the booth played.  It was really so much fun and I get to go back next year and do it again.  We got passes to go to the Ibanez party in Long Beach with Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert but we didn't make it.  We spent so much time walking around and talking to people.  I also got to meet people that I have actually talked to on the internet but never met in person.  The whole experience was just amazing.  of course all the people from Sfarzo are great, Janine, Terry Lauderdale, Eric and Lynda Mortenson, who stood in line for 2 hours to get me Dave Mustaine's autograph on a poster, Char and Steve , Greg Sfarzo who rocks and his brother, even my Guitar Teacher Ry was there for me, Jesse, Mary Cary, Joe Walla, Kyoshi,  gosh so many I hope they don't get mad if I didn't name them all.

8.  Rock Zone: - What have you been doing since the NAMM convention?

JT: - The band has been performing, we just did an MS Benefit show and we are booked a lot in March.  i got my driver's license on Valentines Day so that was really cool.  I got a 98% so I was pretty happy.

9.  Rock Zone: - Your Mother Lois who is also your Manager recently told me you've also been spending time with a young girl who's suffering from Cancer, by visiting her in the hospital.....by the way I think this is a very wonderful thing you are doing.  How did you first come to know this girl and learn of her plight?

JT: - Actually, Greg Khin is the person who started doing things to help Briana.  he goes to see her whenever he he can and he tries to help her and her Mom anyway he can.  So we did a benefit show for her and to help her Mom with some of the bills from Briana's medical care.  She was not in the hospital; she was at the show we did.  We talked for the first time on the air on KFOX.  They called me at School and put us both on the air to talk about the show we were going to do.  Then we did the show and I wish we could have made more money but it was pretty good.  She is really a nice girl and I hope she can beat this.

10.  Rock Zone: - What is your band Crimes Of Passion currently up to?

JT: - We have a show next weekend at ST. James Gate in Belmont, then we have one on the 22nd.  at The Royal Oaks and on the 30th we are doing a KFOX Last Band Standing Showcase at The Saddle Rack in Freemont.  I might get to play at The Whiskey in LA for The Randy Rhoads tribute show but they have not confirmed it yet.  That would be awesome.  In April I am playing with Speak Of The Devil which is an Ozzy Osbourne Tribute band.  I am filling in for their Guitar Player which should be great.  We also have a Spring Fling and we are doing a Cinco De Mayo show, we have been busy.

11.  Rock Zone: - I know that your band has covered many great songs by classic rock acts and that you're working towards writing/recording some original material.......How's that coming along?

JT: - Well I write all the time, and I record everything by myself and I would like to do it with my band.  Everyone in my band has so much going on.  it is kind of hard since we play a lot and it's hard to work on new stuff since we have to be tight for a show.  But we will get it done.  I know we will, I am determined to record our own stuff.

12.  Rock Zone: - Are you the primary songwriter for Crimes Of Passion or is everyone involved in the songwriting?

JT: - My friend Jesse who used to be my Singer writes a lot with me.  He has recorded some stuff with me and I like a lot of it.  These are just raw tracks that we have done in my house.  I guess you could say that me and him do a lot of writing together but we also record some cover stuff to see how we sound.  I guess if we ever get around to it then the whole band would be involved.  Plus I want them to write stuff they like too.

13.  Rock Zone: - What can people expect from you and your band Crimes Of passion in the future?

JT: - Hopefully be a successfull band that people will want to always see or hear.  I know for sure that music is all I want to do, but I want everyone to like it and I want everyone to be excited about it so we have fun together and perform really well.  I guess I just want us to succeed.  But that is also up to the public, they have to like us.

End Of Interview

Part 2 Of Crimes Of Passion Interview:
Category: Music

   This is part 2 of my exclusive interview w/Crimes Of Passion Guitarist and founder Juliana Tarter.  Crimes of Passion is a band out of San Jose, CA. , and if you haven't already heard about them it's a safe bet that it won't be that much longer until Crimes Of Passion is a band known all around the world......Please read on and I promise you won't be disappointed.

1.  Rock Zone: - When you first contacted me about doing this interview you mentioned that the band was involved w/aT.V. competetion.  Can you tell me a little bit about that?

JT: - The band was not involved with the television program.  It was called Makin Music and they asked my Mom if I could be interviewed because of the Randy Rhoads guitar that was being made for me.  I thought my band was going to play with me but they wanted older musicians instead of kids.  They felt that I would play better if I had seasoned musicians.  It was a lot of fun and we ended up doing two shows that aired a week apart.  We used Scotty as the Singer since we played 4 songs by Ozzy with Randy Rhoads.  The radio contest is called Last Band Standing and it is put on KFOX, 98.5 FM.  The D.J. is Greg Kihn and this year we entered thinking we could win it but we got into the top 4, which is just as good as winning.  The problem was that the judges really hurt us so out of 12 bands we were the only ones who were treated wrong.  The station knew it but there was nothing they could do about it.  We are still in the top 4 but by the internet votes we should have won the contest.

2.  Rock Zone: - Whas has been the greatest thing you have experienced since becoming a professional musician or since forming Crimes Of Passion?

JT: - First thing on the list is meeting the Rhoads family and Dolores authorizing my custom Jackson Randy Rhoads guitar.  It means more to me than anything.  Being in the documentary is also quite a great feeling.  Getting my first endorsement from Sfarzo Guitar Strings has been great as well.  Of course getting to go to NAMM in January and being an exhibitor is huge for me.  For the band the greatest thing is that we finally have 4 people who play well together and we perform a lot.  We also have similar interest in music, which seems to favor more of a metal sound, but not the screamo stuff.  We have played with a lot of really great musicians and have been able to meet some amazing people.

3.  Rock Zone: - Listening to the CD you sent me one thing is quite clear.  That is that there is a wide range of influences within the band. I mean from Don Henley, Billy Idol, to Ozzy Osbourne, and Van Halen.  Would you say that each band member does kind of bring their own influences into the band?

JT: - I guess you could say that, we go over music, and like I said before we try to find harder stuff that we can take and rock out.  Like the song "Under My Thumb" we completely changed that one and "The Boys Of Summer" is not quite Don Henley's style, we are all into the Ozzy thing and we are trying to learn "I Don't Want To Stop" from his Black Rain album.  We try to bring something different than any of the other bands we play with.

4.  Rock Zone: - Are there any other tunes that you'd like to cover down the line from other artist?

JT: - I would like to try some Joan Jett stuff but I really want to do our own material.  I want to make a difference in the rock world but I do have a soft spot for playing anything Randy Rhoads did, like I want to also do MR. Crawley really bad.

5.  Rock Zone: - You mentioned that you met original Quiet Riot Bassist Kelly Garni when you filmed your part for the Randy Rhoads doccumentary that Dakota films will be putting out.  What do you remember about Kelly?  What was it like meeting him?  Did he share any memories he had about Randy with you?

JT: - I talked to him and and he told me that he lives in Las Vegas and that he is a Photographer now and that he had also driven a limo for awhile.  He is very close to the Rhoads family and never misses any of the memorials or/Randy's birthdays.  I had a few pictures taken with him also.  He is really an amazing person, he is very nice and humble and he looks really cool with his long hair and he was wearing a hat.  He does not come off as a rock star type.  He is just a normal person and I liked him a lot.

6.  Rock Zone: - Did you have the opportunity to meet anyone else that day?

JT: - Yeah I met Karl Sandoval and he talked about the original dot vee he made for Randy, also had some pictures taken with him and I also met his son.  They are really great people.  I met Dario Lorina who is amazing on guitar and is with Jani Lane band who used to be with Warrant.  I did get to meet Kathy who is Randy and Kelle's Sister and her three kids.  There were so many people there but these are the ones who stand out the most to me right now.

7.  Rock Zone: - I'm sure you must of met Peter Margolis, the film's Director.  I understand that Peter was a former student of Randy's.  What do you think about Peter Margolis?

JT: - I did meet Peter Margolis, it was brief because he was working so hard on the film and there were a lot of people around and I did not want to get in his way but I did meet him and he was really cool.  I think what he is doing with this film is the greatest tribute anyone could pay to Randy and to his family.  Plus he seemed really focoused on making sure everything was going okay and that the Rhoads were his primary focous and concern.

8.  I was curious if you've ever had the chance to check out any of the music Randy did w/Quiet Riot?  If so what are your thoughts on Randy's days w/Quiet Riot?

JT: - Yeah I have the DVD of The Randy Rhoads years and I have seen them.  I think Randy was so talented and he was the main focous on that band.  There is a part in the video where he plays a really long solo and people were just freaking out watching him since he makes it look so easy.

9.  Rock Zone: - Kevin Dubrow, the Lead Singer of Quiet Riot recently died? Have you heard any reaction about his death from the Rhoads family?  I was under the impression that Kevin was very close w/Randy's mother....I don't know how true that is.

JT: - From what Kelle has told us Kevin was at Randy's funeral and they have not heard or seen him since and that was 25 years ago so I do not think there was a closeness.  The only ones that I know who is close to them is Kelly Garni and Rudy Sarzo.

10.  Rock Zone: - Your mom, who also manages your band Crimes Of Passion tells me you have some original songs that you have written in which you also sing lead.  My question is how comfortable are you as a Lead Singer? Are you as comfortable singing lead as you are in your role as a guitar player?

JT: - Um, no I am not as comfortable but I do sing the songs I have written but in the band I have sang a few songs on stage.  I think I am way more comfortable with the guitar.

11.  Rock Zone: - Your Mother/Manager also told me that you have the last Randy Rhoads signiture model Jackson guitar ever made.  How does that feel?

JT: - Actually, the guitar I have is a custom Jackson Randy Rhoads and it is a one of a kind.  There is not another one like it.  I could not believe I was able to get the guitar made and I know from what the showcase told us it took some legal work whereas they could not copy certain things  but then it was able to get the ivory inlays and they had wanted to offset them so it was not just like Randy's guitar but then they were told I could have what I wanted.  So my guitar is the only one of its kind.  There are some knock offs of that guitar that were made but they are not allowed to be exact.  I still can not believe it is mine and we have a person who goes to the gigs with us to take care of it. plus he is our roadie Ryan.  It feels great to own it by the way.

12.  Rock Zone: - Of all the songs that Crimes Of Passion has covered which song is your favorite?

JT: - I think it would be "Crazy Train" because it's fun and it is the one song we dedicate to Randy Rhoads.

13.  Rock Zone: - What does the future hold for Crimes Of Passion?

JT: - Hopefully a lot.  We want to do our own thing and make people say Wow, who are those kids? We do not want to be the typical mainstream type of band, we want to stand out and have people notice that we are so serious about music.  All of us love it and for me it is a passion and I don't want to ever stop.

This ends my 2 part exclusive interview w/Juliana Tarter, Guitarist, songwriter, and founder of the San Jose, CA. band Crimes Of Passion.  In my getting to know Juliana a few things have become quite clear! For being only 17 years old she is a very, talented, gifted musician who sounds like a true professional guitarist who has been playing for years, she is wise beyond her years, well spoke, well educated, quite humble, has a real dedication and passion for the music that she plays which I have no doubt is going to take her very far in her career!  Mark my word when I tell you Crimes Of Passion is going to make their mark on the music world!

Jason Houston

Rock Zone Productions

Crimes Of Passion Interview W/Juliana Tarter
Category: Music

Crimes Of Passion Interview:

    This is my exclusive interview w/Crimes Of Passion Guitarist Juliana.  Crimes Of Passion is a hot, up and coming hard rock band from San Jose, CA.  Juliana is a very talented guitarist who was heavily influenced by Randy Rhoads....And as for her band Crimes Of Passion, based on a four song demo Juliana sent me the band is just as talented.  The band has yet to release a CD or any original material but after listening to the 4 song demo Juliana sent me not only could I tell was this a band loaded with talent but their influences vary.  Their 4 track demo Juliana sent me consisted of a cover of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" , Flying High Again" by Ozzy Osbourne, "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath, Van Halen's "You Really Got Me", and Don Henley's "Boys Of Summer."  Anyone who gets the opportunity to check out Crimes Of Passion live I strongly recomend you do.....You won't be disappointed!  Expect big things from Crimes Of Passions In the next few years!!!!!

1.  Rock Zone:  - If you don't mind me asking...How old are you? And how old were you when you first started playing guitar? I ask simply because you're a very gifted guitarist from what my ears can tell and you sound as though you have been playing for years.

JT: - I am 17 years old now, and I first started playing guitar right after I turned 14.

2.  Rock Zone: - Did you take guitar lessons or would you consider yourself to be self taught?

JT: - I played by myself for about a year and then I went to Ry Kihn for guitar lessons.  I have stayed with him now for 2 years.  He graduated from The Berklee School of Music in Boston and his first teacher was Joe Satriania.  His dad is Greg Kihn.

3.  Rock Zone: - What year was Crimes Of Passion formed?

JT: - The band was put together just so we could enter a battle of the bands called the gig, we weren't really a band yet.  That was 2005.

4.  Rock Zone: - How did you hook up w/the other members of Crimes Of Passion?

JT: - Wow, this band has had so many people in and out of it.  The first group was made up of just some friends.  Then all the changes started and now we are on the 5th Singer, Jordan, 3rd Bass Player, Brandon, and 5th Drummer, Erick.  I got my newest Singer from another band called He's Dead Jim, My drummer left but came back recently and my Bass Player is a friend of mine who replaced Donna who helped me start  the band, and then left for College.

5.  Rock Zone: - How did you come up w/the name Crimes Of Passion?

JT: - The name came from watching the Scott Peterson trial.  My Mom said it was a Crime Of Passion and that was the name I thought would work for us.

6.  Rock Zone: - I know you're a huge Randy Rhoads fan.  How old were you when you first discovered the music of Randy Rhoads?  What was it about Randy's playing that made you want to pick up the guitar and become a guitar player like Randy?

JT: - Okay, a lot of people ask me about this, I was just 14, and I was looking through a book of metal artist when I came across the song "Crazy Train".  I started fooling around with it and I learned the solo but I had never heard the song.  I loved it and swore someday I would play it in public.  We close every show with that song and it is dedicated to Randy Rhoads.  I felt an instant connection with his playing and him.  I thought he was brillant and had so many styles that no one had attempted before.

7.  Rock Zone: - What was the first song you learned to play on guitar?

JT: - The first song would be "Crazy Train."

8.  Rock Zone: - I understand that you have become very close with the Rhoads family.  What do you remember most about meeting the family for the very first time?  What was that experience like?

JT: -  Meeting the Rhoads family was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me.  They welcomed me into their studio and let me take pictures and videos of Randy's studio where he taught, they let me look at everything they had of his on display and they have been wonderful to me ever since.  I never felt like a stranger there.  They are the most humble,caring people I have ever known.  Dolores treats me like her own grand daughter and Kelle is the same way.  He even wrote a piece for me to ice skate to.  He played piano for me when I first went down there.  Dolores spent a lot of time just talking to me.  There are really no words to explain the connection I have with them, they just accepted me for who I am and I did not go down there to ask questions about Randy, I wanted to know them as people and I write to them and go see them as much as I can.

9.  Rock Zone: - Speaking of Randy Rhoads I was curious if you or your band Crimes Of Passion will be involved w/the Dakota Pictures film being made about Randy's life?

JT: - Kelle and Dolores wanted me to come down for the memorial this last March and yes I was interviewed for the film.  My Mom was with me as I am under age and she had to sign some consent forms.  the band was not with me.  It was more of a personal thing I did for the Rhoads  because they asked me to attend and be filmed.  They do not know my band members.  I don't know if they will end up cutting me out of the film.  But I do know that I was able to meet a lot of cool people connected with the film and family.

10.  Rock Zone: - Is Crimes Of Passion primarily a band that does covers or are you currently working on original material as well?

JT: - We have originals as well as the covers.  With the radio station we are involved with we are required to play covers.  They are a classic rock station and they require all bands who enter play classic rock covers.  They do not like the Ozzy stuff but they let us play "Paranoid"  and now "Crazy Train."  We had to fight to play that one.  I do have a lot of originals that I have written by myself as well.

11.  Rock Zone: - Is the band planning to release a full length CD in the near future?

JT: - That is the ultimate goal.  I want to do something big with music and my inspiration is Randy Rhoads, he took classical music and mixed it with metal and became an icon and I want to do something completely different like he did.  I don't know if it will be my band doing music I have written but we do have some originals that we play together.

12.  Rock Zone: - Has Crimes Of Passion toured w/any major acts yet?

JT: - No, we just play the local scene here in Northern California.  We have played the Concert On The Green opening for Foghat, Pat Travers, Greg Kihn and we also played The SHoreline where we opened for The Doobie-Brothers, Steve Miller. and Greg Kihn just this last September.

13.  Rock Zone: - Have you been approached by any labels?

JT: - No, I did get endorsed by Sfarzo guitar strings and I am going to Namm as an exhibitor but no one has approached the band.

14.  You sent me a CD that featured some great songs such as "Rebel Yell" , "Flying High Again" , "Paranoid" , "Boys Of Suumer" ,and "You Really Got Me".  How did you choose these songs to record?

JT: - We had to choose songs from the top 500 songs on the radio station, actually "Rebel Yell" wasn't on it but they let us do it anyway.  We tried to take songs that were a little more than three chords, where we could show that we play hard.

15.  What do you remember most about the recording of "Rebel Yell"?

JT: - We wanted to make it our own, the drums took the longest to record but we were really happy about the way it turned out.  We also picked it because we all like Billy Idol.

"Flying High Again"

JT: - This was actually recorded live at the Shoreline show.  We had our Ozzy Impersonator and you can see this on You tube.  We had a blast w/Scotty, (The impersonator) and the most memorable thing is that a lot of people thought he was Ozzy at first.

"Paranoid"

JT: - This was recorded a few weeks ago at the Avalon Nightclub.  We opened for Hot For Teacher who is an endorsed Van Halen tribute band.  We open every show with "Paranoid"  and the one thing I remember is that I was nervous because Terry Lauderdale, the guitar player for Hot For Teacher is amazing and I didn't want to let him down.

"Boys Of Summer"

JT: - This was a hard one, as I had to lay down three guitar tracks.  We took Don Henley's version and kind of mixed it up to make it more our version.  We weren't sure how it would come out but we really like it and the radio didn't even play it.  My Mom suggested that we do this one.

"You Really Got Me"

JT: - Another one my Mom thought of cuz of the way Van Halen played it and since we needed something quick for our demo for the contest we chose this song.

This ends part 1 of my exclusive interview w/Crimes Of Passion Guitarist Juliana Tarter.  Check back in a few days for part 2 of this interview which will be the final installment of this exclusiv interview.  For all the latest news and info on Crimes Of Passion visit www.myspace.com/crimesofpassionband