Wayne Johnson

I recently had the good fortune to conduct my second interview with Caroline Blue vocalist/guitarist Wayne .W Johnson! A lot has changed since my first interview with the Central New York Rocker; a new, more powerful lineup AND a brand new album! [the band`s debut] Let`s get down to business....

West Side Dave: Tell us about the new album. When/where was it recorded? Wayne W. Johnson: The CD was recorded at a place called Eastwind Studios in Syracuse, NY. It doesn't exist anymore-we were the last band to record there. This CD project actually started in 2002 but due to lineup changes, money, availability & more, it took awhile. All the recording/mixing/mastering was financed by myself-which is one of the reasons it took so long. WSD: It`s been a couple of months since the album was released. Are you happy with the overall results, or is there anything you`d like to change? WWJ: Outside of one or 2 little things, I'm very satisfied with the end results. It's so awesome to have something that was originally just an idea in your head become reality-something that you can actually hold in your hands. I think Dave Huyck & Mike Jaffarian did a great job. WSD: I`d assume there`s a backlog of material. Do you plan to record more of the older songs or stick with new songs exclusively? WWJ: As of right now, we'll probably do alittle bit of both. This 1st CD took a long time and there has been a lot of material waiting in the wings to be recorded. But we also want to write stuff that showcases the talents of this lineup so I would probably say it would be a combination of both. WSD:Tell us about the new Caroline Blue lineup. WWJ: The Current CAROLINE BLUE lineup has only been together since November 2004 but IMHO it's the best lineup the band has ever had. No offense to anyone in the past lineups, but this lineup blows them all away. We have Billy Pierce on Bass & Backing Vocals and Metal J on Drums & Backing Vocals. They're great guys and it's such a pleasure to work with everyone that's on the same page. WSD: Any plans to tour outside Upstate New York? WWJ: We've been in contact with several people outside of New York in regards to shows and we're going over all the logistics of everything. Keep checking our SHOWS page on our website http://carolineblue.com/ for the latest!

The boys in Blue! From left: Bill Pierce, Metal J, Wayne W. Johnson.

WSD: Caroline Blue`s music isn`t exactly the "in" thing in the US these days, wheras in in Europe [esp. France, Germany, Italy and Finand] it NEVER went out of style. Any chance of a trip to Europe in the future, where your type of Rock receives more appreciation? WWJ: Yes,we have discussed going outside of the US and, like the previous question, we're in contact with a few people and we're going over all the details. WSD: How are you promoting the new album? WWJ: Any way that we can. We have them available in retail stores, on the internet, at our shows....thru emails, our website, going out to shows and talking to others about the CD....putting up flyers announcing that it's available, requesting interviews/reviews with fanzines/newspapers/websites (such as this one), doing videos with UMTV.....just anyway that we can think of. WSD: Any plans to record a Kiss cover? WWJ: Not that we're aware of,but you never know. KISS Tribute albums are still being made every year. In fact, a couple of years ago I tried to get the band involved in a tribute project from Australia,but by the time I contacted them, they had over 300 bands apply! So that didn't work, but you never know...... WSD: What`s next for Caroline Blue? WWJ: Right now we're promoting the CD and trying to reach as many people as we can to expose them to what we do. We're trying to get as many people as we can to see/hear us. Later we're gonna start working on CD #2 WSD: Last word, Wayne! [make it good!] WW: I just want to thank you very much for giving me the honor of being interviewed on your site again. Now there's 2 interviews and a CD review-I think I now hold the record! :) [Sorry Wayne, someone already beat ya to it! Maybe next year...] And I want to give a HUGE thanks to all the people who have supported & believed in us. It is very much appreciated and we hope to see you at a show soon! Btw-when are we gonna start seeing West Side Dave Shirts? And thank you too, Wayne, for ANOTHER great interview! West Side Dave Shirts? Hmmmm......