| "Live & Learn" is VIXEN's first studio recording to feature founding VIXEN member and guitarist Jan Kuehnemund since 1990's "Rev It Up".
Kuehnemund reformed VIXEN in 2001 for the Voices of Metal tour with a lineup that had to be revamped 10 dates into the tour. Undeterred, with less than a month of rehearsals, the three new members — vocalist Jenna Sanz-Agero, drummer Kat Kraft, and bassist Lynn Louise Lowrey — successfully finished the tour and the lineup of VIXEN has been solid ever since.
"I was nervous at first because we had very few rehearsals, but Jenna, Lynn, and Kat really stepped up and met the challenge beyond what I could have hoped for," Kuehnemund said. "I feel like we pulled off a miracle, as the rest of the tour was very successful. We had genuine support from VINCE NEIL, RATT, and SLAUGHTER, and that was very encouraging."
"After the Voices of Metal tour, we spent the next four years writing and rehearsing," said Sanz-Agero. "We recorded a demo of six songs, five of which ended up on the new album. With a whole new lineup, new songs, new look, and a new sound, we spent those few years reconfiguring our entire 'team' so that when we were ready, the fans would be happy with what we brought to the table."
VIXEN entered the Bull Dog Den studio in Eagle Rock, Calif., in 2005 and the recording was completed in May of 2006, due to the band touring in between the sessions. "Live & Learn" was produced, engineered, and mixed by Dennis MacKay, who also engineered "Rev It Up". The album was mixed at the Bulldog Den and mastered by Brian Gardner of Bernie Grundman Mastering.
"It felt absolutely wonderful getting back in the studio to record a new album after all these years," Kuehnemund said. "The approach this time was so much more relaxed than in the past. In the past, we were always working against the clock, and there was a lot of pressure from the record company about different things, but this time we had none of that, mostly due to our producer, Dennis MacKay and the Bull Dog Den Studio. Dennis was an absolute riot to work with. He kept us laughing the entire time and kept our spirits up. This was the best time and the most fun I've ever had in the studio."
"Live & Learn" includes 11 new VIXEN songs plus a cover of DAVID BOWIE's "Suffragette City".
"On the surface, the lyrics might seem pretty dark, but there is a lot of irony and sarcasm involved in the way they're delivered, so most of it is about empowerment rather than settling into a victim role," said Sanz-Agero. "We've all experienced some heavy stuff — it's about what you do with it."
TRACKLISTING of "Live & Learn " |
