Rachael Rine - Cockpit
Cockpit makes the party happen. They are the band you crank up so people can go just that much more crazy. This all female metal band from So. Cal are burning up the scene and with their debut EP, Mission To Rock, they have achieved that mission. Rachael Rine, their hard hitting drummer, took the time to talk to Exiles about what it took to get this far.
An interview with Rachael Rine of Cockpit.
By William Alexander
Metal Exiles: Cockpit is a total offering. Great sound, great energy, a lot of talent, extremely hot looks and an EP that never gets old no matter how many times you play it. In so many words, how did this all come together to get you to where you are now in 2010?
Rachael Rine: We started a while ago and the main thing that brought us to where we are all is an undying love for rock and roll and a passion and a drive that just won’t stop. We all came together quite a while ago, me and two other members of the band, and went through a number of lead guitarists until we ended up where we are at. Throughout the entire time from the time Linda, who is the singer and guitarist, came out to LA on a business trip from Philadelphia and a mutual friend introduced us, we got together and jammed before she left. She planned a date to move out here. She would fly here, I would fly there where we worked on music together until we ended up landing in the same city. When you have a common goal and people coming into your life with the same goal you just pedal to the metal and keep going. That’s what we have done.
Metal Exiles: Well said, you mentioned a guitarist; I think Alicia left the band in March right?
Rachael: Yes, she did.
Metal Exiles: So enters Stephanie. Can you talk a little bit about Stephanie’s style and what she has done so far?
Rachael: She’s kind of a fill in player so the way things go. Alicia is completely awesome, we miss her to death, she had to go on her personal goal and do other things and we support her to decision to get out. We saw her two days ago, so we’re all still dear friends.
Metal Exiles: Any chance she’ll come back to the band?
Rachael: You’ll have to ask her that question.
Metal Exiles: Consistently I see a reference to you guys being the female version of Motley Crue, for you as an artist, is that a compliment or label and why?
Rachael: I love you. That’s a huge compliment. We love Motley Crue. They are heavily influential to me and my playing and what I do definitely. Tommy Lee is one of the reasons why I play drums. They are good guys, I know sometimes they get a bad rap from people and the press, but my experience with them over the years, meeting them and hanging out and doing stuff with them, they are good guys.
Metal Exiles: It’s amazing what they have been able to accomplish they have never fallen out. I would take that as a compliment too. That has been my perception. Speaking of EP, Mission to Rock just blasts off and hits you right in the face. Where are you guys right now on recording new material and bringing forth the follow up to Mission?
Rachael: We’re constantly writing new stuff, even when we were recording the Mission EP we were constantly writing new stuff. We really want to do a full length; our fans want a full length. We definitely have the material to do it, it’s just the matter of us getting into recording we’re working out how we are going to do that so to us the sooner we can get on tape and to you guys the better. Unfortunately, none of us are millionaires, so things take time.
Metal Exiles: I saw where you guys wrote a song with Rachel Bolan of Skid Row. Can you tell us a little about that song and can we expect it on the next record?
Rachael: Oh yeah definitely, there were actually a couple of songs we worked on with him and they weren’t songs we wrote from scratch, they were songs we already had. He’s an old friend and a prolific song writer. We just thought it would be fun to get together and do something. I thought he would bring a lot of fun and energy into the room. He’s the first time we brought in an outside writer to work with us. I love him to death, I can’t say enough good things about that guy, and he’s really a great, great, great person, great energy, great writer and a lot of fun to hang out with. He came in and we had a few songs, like this could be really good, but some things not right, we need fresh ears and he was the fresh ears. It was really awesome working with him. His ideas really lent themselves to the songs well. He brought in a really good vibe into the room. We’ll work with him any chance we can get; it’s just unfortunate that he lives across the country.
Metal Exiles: Out of the two songs that you wrote was it more the stuff of Skid Row or the power ballad?
Rachael: Rachel works with a lot of bands. The songs we worked on with him are not really like Skid Row, you know Skid Row is really unique unto themselves and they have their own sound.
Metal Exiles: Your totally focused on Cockpit and that’s what matters
RR: Yeah, and someone like him, he has been around long enough and their smart enough to write their own songs. I’m sure he has a whole catalog of songs that he has written on his own that is not Skid Row material. Most writers have material that is different than the band they are in. It is kind of one of the songs we worked on with him. It was a song we had forever and we were stuck on the chorus and he came in with some ideas on the lyrics for the chorus. None of our songs are like girl songs, they are just rock songs. Not female oriented. The one song we have, the lyric idea Rachel came up with like a guy and his ex-girlfriend and how you, you know, the most chick song we have was Rachel’s idea. We joke about that on stage a lot.
Metal Exiles: You guys have played some dates with one of my most favorite bands, Vains of Jenna. I recently interviewed Jacki Stone and that guy just rocks. Thus far, what band has been the best to play or tour with?
Rachael: I thought you were going to say Last Vegas.
Metal Exiles: No, I do like Last Vegas, I have seen them a couple of times. I haven’t had a chance to meet them yet, but I saw them when they opened up for Motley Crue here in Nashville, about a year and a half ago.
Rachael: Definitely Last Vegas, I have found that they are great guys and we go really well together, we rock the stage together. We can cause some trouble, so it’s a lot of fun.
Metal Exiles: What has been your most memorable moment on stage for you and what has been the moment you want to forget?
Rachael: We were doing a show piece in LA once and I almost had a heart attack because right before going on stage a girlfriend of mine said Tommy Lee is suppose to come watch you play. I had known Tommy casually but that just made me “shit my pants”. We started playing and I saw a tall guy walk in and I went AWH!!!!!!
Metal Exiles: Was it him?
Rachael: No. He ended up not coming, but I had a heart attack. Another really memorable moment was, like I said I have been friends the Skid Row guys for years and we’ve written with Rage and Snake was my neighbor for a while. Gosh it was a few months ago we did this benefit for Haiti that we put together and we asked Snake to get up on stage and do a couple of songs with us. So he came down to rehearsal and we jammed “Piece of Me” and we did a Judus Priest song and then he came to the show and he played with us. I love the guy like a brother, but when I was on stage with him I looked up for a moment and my 13 year old self came out and I got butterflies and I thought this is so cool. It was a cool feeling. As we got off stage, I grabbed my bass player and was like we just played with Snake and she was like I know this is so cool... You’re like you guys are dorks
Metal Exiles: No I think thats good. Did you get a video of that, I’m sure you did?
RR: Yeah we did, I actually had it emailed to me a couple of days ago. Once I figure out how to open it and download it you’ll see it on our sight.
Metal Exiles: Your drum beats drive the Mission EP, it’s an amazing powerful source behind the whole sound and to me you have a distinctive drumming sound. Who would you consider your one greatest influence and inspiration and why?
Rachael: I actually have two. There are two reasons why I play the drums. One of them is Tommy Lee, because he’s just a bad ass and I love that he plays for the songs. He doesn’t over play and that’s important to me. I hate players who over play for the song. It’s all about playing for the song. Tommy Lee is definitely a big influence and I love drummers who put on a show when they play live. I hate guys who just sit there. I want to see something. I want a reason to be drawn to the back of the stage. I want a reason to look past the singer and be like holy hell. Tommy definitely does that. The other person who really influenced me to really playing drums is Randy Costillo. Part of the reason he influenced me is that I grew up in a little town in New Mexico, in the middle of nowhere and I remember being a kid and thinking God I’m stuck here in the middle of nowhere. Realizing one day, at the time I think Randy was late in his career with Ozzy and I was a kid and I was like you know, that guy got out he can do whatever he wanted, why can’t I? That really inspired me to step beyond the boundaries of where I was from and where I lived and to go bigger. When I moved to LA we got to be good friends and it was a very sad moment in time when we lost him. He really looked out after me and really pushed me to be my best and do my best and I’d see him at the Rainbow and he would be like “hey Rach did you play your drums today?”. I would just blurt out “no not today”. When you first move to LA from a small town there are a lot of distractions and he would be like “did you play your drums yesterday?” I would just say “no not yesterday either Randy”, he’d grab me by the scruff of my neck and drag me out of the Rainbow and throw me out. He’d yell at me in Spanish and be like get out of here I don’t want to see you until you complete your song, you need to make me proud, get out.
Metal Exiles: That’s really cool that you mention that and you mention him, because a lot of people you ask them that question and they’ll go the route of well this guy plays great drums so that motivated me and you gave a very qualitative answer based on an inspiration.
Rachael: There are tons of drummers out there and Randy was one hell of a drummer, but there are tons of drummers out there that are really phenomenal players, that are insane players, there are tons of them. My inspiration comes from peoples personalities more than it does their technical skills. I am more inspired by Tommy, like f_ _ _ you all I’m having a good time and my doing my job and feeling the attitude. I’m more inspired by the heart and soul that Randy had, he’s was really such a gentle amazing human. Another person that really inspires me is Kenny Aronoff who is a renowned session drummer and really phenomenal at what he does, but I forget the fact that he’s such a great drummer because he has such as warm sweet personality that lights up the room and that inspires me. So my inspiration comes from different places.
Metal Exiles: What in your mind, are the attributes that makes this band work so well?
Rachael: Me, Linda and Terry. Honestly that’s how it has always been. It’s always been the three of us that have always been the three that have done everything. All the business, all the writing and all the booking, planning, pictures. It has just always been the three of us and the three of us have worked together so unbelievably well for three women to come together. We all see the common goal. We are three very different people and three very strong welled women, but we all have the common goal of our business and the band is our business. We work towards that. It’s not about the individual, it’s about the whole and about making it the best it can be. None of us have egos that get in the way of that. It’s all about the common good. We love each other like sisters so we move forward and we do what we have to do.
Metal Exiles: Given that cohesiveness of business focus and artist focus as well and your success thus far, those project out to the end of 2010. What will Cockpit have accomplished this year and where is Rachael Rhine?
Rachael: By the end of the year and knowing the time frame of the industry and how things work I would love to do some great summer tours while we finish writing for the full length and come the end of the year is a perfect time to be wrapping up the album and getting a relief after the New Year.
Official Cockpit Site!
BUY MISSION TO ROCK!
An interview with Rachael Rine of Cockpit.
By William Alexander
Metal Exiles: Cockpit is a total offering. Great sound, great energy, a lot of talent, extremely hot looks and an EP that never gets old no matter how many times you play it. In so many words, how did this all come together to get you to where you are now in 2010?
Rachael Rine: We started a while ago and the main thing that brought us to where we are all is an undying love for rock and roll and a passion and a drive that just won’t stop. We all came together quite a while ago, me and two other members of the band, and went through a number of lead guitarists until we ended up where we are at. Throughout the entire time from the time Linda, who is the singer and guitarist, came out to LA on a business trip from Philadelphia and a mutual friend introduced us, we got together and jammed before she left. She planned a date to move out here. She would fly here, I would fly there where we worked on music together until we ended up landing in the same city. When you have a common goal and people coming into your life with the same goal you just pedal to the metal and keep going. That’s what we have done.
Metal Exiles: Well said, you mentioned a guitarist; I think Alicia left the band in March right?
Rachael: Yes, she did.
Metal Exiles: So enters Stephanie. Can you talk a little bit about Stephanie’s style and what she has done so far?
Rachael: She’s kind of a fill in player so the way things go. Alicia is completely awesome, we miss her to death, she had to go on her personal goal and do other things and we support her to decision to get out. We saw her two days ago, so we’re all still dear friends.
Metal Exiles: Any chance she’ll come back to the band?
Rachael: You’ll have to ask her that question.
Metal Exiles: Consistently I see a reference to you guys being the female version of Motley Crue, for you as an artist, is that a compliment or label and why?
Rachael: I love you. That’s a huge compliment. We love Motley Crue. They are heavily influential to me and my playing and what I do definitely. Tommy Lee is one of the reasons why I play drums. They are good guys, I know sometimes they get a bad rap from people and the press, but my experience with them over the years, meeting them and hanging out and doing stuff with them, they are good guys.
Metal Exiles: It’s amazing what they have been able to accomplish they have never fallen out. I would take that as a compliment too. That has been my perception. Speaking of EP, Mission to Rock just blasts off and hits you right in the face. Where are you guys right now on recording new material and bringing forth the follow up to Mission?
Rachael: We’re constantly writing new stuff, even when we were recording the Mission EP we were constantly writing new stuff. We really want to do a full length; our fans want a full length. We definitely have the material to do it, it’s just the matter of us getting into recording we’re working out how we are going to do that so to us the sooner we can get on tape and to you guys the better. Unfortunately, none of us are millionaires, so things take time.
Metal Exiles: I saw where you guys wrote a song with Rachel Bolan of Skid Row. Can you tell us a little about that song and can we expect it on the next record?
Rachael: Oh yeah definitely, there were actually a couple of songs we worked on with him and they weren’t songs we wrote from scratch, they were songs we already had. He’s an old friend and a prolific song writer. We just thought it would be fun to get together and do something. I thought he would bring a lot of fun and energy into the room. He’s the first time we brought in an outside writer to work with us. I love him to death, I can’t say enough good things about that guy, and he’s really a great, great, great person, great energy, great writer and a lot of fun to hang out with. He came in and we had a few songs, like this could be really good, but some things not right, we need fresh ears and he was the fresh ears. It was really awesome working with him. His ideas really lent themselves to the songs well. He brought in a really good vibe into the room. We’ll work with him any chance we can get; it’s just unfortunate that he lives across the country.
Metal Exiles: Out of the two songs that you wrote was it more the stuff of Skid Row or the power ballad?
Rachael: Rachel works with a lot of bands. The songs we worked on with him are not really like Skid Row, you know Skid Row is really unique unto themselves and they have their own sound.
Metal Exiles: Your totally focused on Cockpit and that’s what matters
RR: Yeah, and someone like him, he has been around long enough and their smart enough to write their own songs. I’m sure he has a whole catalog of songs that he has written on his own that is not Skid Row material. Most writers have material that is different than the band they are in. It is kind of one of the songs we worked on with him. It was a song we had forever and we were stuck on the chorus and he came in with some ideas on the lyrics for the chorus. None of our songs are like girl songs, they are just rock songs. Not female oriented. The one song we have, the lyric idea Rachel came up with like a guy and his ex-girlfriend and how you, you know, the most chick song we have was Rachel’s idea. We joke about that on stage a lot.
Metal Exiles: You guys have played some dates with one of my most favorite bands, Vains of Jenna. I recently interviewed Jacki Stone and that guy just rocks. Thus far, what band has been the best to play or tour with?
Rachael: I thought you were going to say Last Vegas.
Metal Exiles: No, I do like Last Vegas, I have seen them a couple of times. I haven’t had a chance to meet them yet, but I saw them when they opened up for Motley Crue here in Nashville, about a year and a half ago.
Rachael: Definitely Last Vegas, I have found that they are great guys and we go really well together, we rock the stage together. We can cause some trouble, so it’s a lot of fun.
Metal Exiles: What has been your most memorable moment on stage for you and what has been the moment you want to forget?
Rachael: We were doing a show piece in LA once and I almost had a heart attack because right before going on stage a girlfriend of mine said Tommy Lee is suppose to come watch you play. I had known Tommy casually but that just made me “shit my pants”. We started playing and I saw a tall guy walk in and I went AWH!!!!!!
Metal Exiles: Was it him?
Rachael: No. He ended up not coming, but I had a heart attack. Another really memorable moment was, like I said I have been friends the Skid Row guys for years and we’ve written with Rage and Snake was my neighbor for a while. Gosh it was a few months ago we did this benefit for Haiti that we put together and we asked Snake to get up on stage and do a couple of songs with us. So he came down to rehearsal and we jammed “Piece of Me” and we did a Judus Priest song and then he came to the show and he played with us. I love the guy like a brother, but when I was on stage with him I looked up for a moment and my 13 year old self came out and I got butterflies and I thought this is so cool. It was a cool feeling. As we got off stage, I grabbed my bass player and was like we just played with Snake and she was like I know this is so cool... You’re like you guys are dorks
Metal Exiles: No I think thats good. Did you get a video of that, I’m sure you did?
RR: Yeah we did, I actually had it emailed to me a couple of days ago. Once I figure out how to open it and download it you’ll see it on our sight.
Metal Exiles: Your drum beats drive the Mission EP, it’s an amazing powerful source behind the whole sound and to me you have a distinctive drumming sound. Who would you consider your one greatest influence and inspiration and why?
Rachael: I actually have two. There are two reasons why I play the drums. One of them is Tommy Lee, because he’s just a bad ass and I love that he plays for the songs. He doesn’t over play and that’s important to me. I hate players who over play for the song. It’s all about playing for the song. Tommy Lee is definitely a big influence and I love drummers who put on a show when they play live. I hate guys who just sit there. I want to see something. I want a reason to be drawn to the back of the stage. I want a reason to look past the singer and be like holy hell. Tommy definitely does that. The other person who really influenced me to really playing drums is Randy Costillo. Part of the reason he influenced me is that I grew up in a little town in New Mexico, in the middle of nowhere and I remember being a kid and thinking God I’m stuck here in the middle of nowhere. Realizing one day, at the time I think Randy was late in his career with Ozzy and I was a kid and I was like you know, that guy got out he can do whatever he wanted, why can’t I? That really inspired me to step beyond the boundaries of where I was from and where I lived and to go bigger. When I moved to LA we got to be good friends and it was a very sad moment in time when we lost him. He really looked out after me and really pushed me to be my best and do my best and I’d see him at the Rainbow and he would be like “hey Rach did you play your drums today?”. I would just blurt out “no not today”. When you first move to LA from a small town there are a lot of distractions and he would be like “did you play your drums yesterday?” I would just say “no not yesterday either Randy”, he’d grab me by the scruff of my neck and drag me out of the Rainbow and throw me out. He’d yell at me in Spanish and be like get out of here I don’t want to see you until you complete your song, you need to make me proud, get out.
Metal Exiles: That’s really cool that you mention that and you mention him, because a lot of people you ask them that question and they’ll go the route of well this guy plays great drums so that motivated me and you gave a very qualitative answer based on an inspiration.
Rachael: There are tons of drummers out there and Randy was one hell of a drummer, but there are tons of drummers out there that are really phenomenal players, that are insane players, there are tons of them. My inspiration comes from peoples personalities more than it does their technical skills. I am more inspired by Tommy, like f_ _ _ you all I’m having a good time and my doing my job and feeling the attitude. I’m more inspired by the heart and soul that Randy had, he’s was really such a gentle amazing human. Another person that really inspires me is Kenny Aronoff who is a renowned session drummer and really phenomenal at what he does, but I forget the fact that he’s such a great drummer because he has such as warm sweet personality that lights up the room and that inspires me. So my inspiration comes from different places.
Metal Exiles: What in your mind, are the attributes that makes this band work so well?
Rachael: Me, Linda and Terry. Honestly that’s how it has always been. It’s always been the three of us that have always been the three that have done everything. All the business, all the writing and all the booking, planning, pictures. It has just always been the three of us and the three of us have worked together so unbelievably well for three women to come together. We all see the common goal. We are three very different people and three very strong welled women, but we all have the common goal of our business and the band is our business. We work towards that. It’s not about the individual, it’s about the whole and about making it the best it can be. None of us have egos that get in the way of that. It’s all about the common good. We love each other like sisters so we move forward and we do what we have to do.
Metal Exiles: Given that cohesiveness of business focus and artist focus as well and your success thus far, those project out to the end of 2010. What will Cockpit have accomplished this year and where is Rachael Rhine?
Rachael: By the end of the year and knowing the time frame of the industry and how things work I would love to do some great summer tours while we finish writing for the full length and come the end of the year is a perfect time to be wrapping up the album and getting a relief after the New Year.
Official Cockpit Site!
BUY MISSION TO ROCK!
