Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: August 2009

Brian Rademacher: Hello Lizzy and welcome to RockEyez.com

Lizzy DeVine: Thank you very much Brian!

Brian Rademacher: You guys originally started out in Sweden; what were some of the other bands that played the club scene at that time?

Lizzy DeVine: We started the band in late 2004, early 2005. We were living in this small town in Sweden called Falkenberg; the town where we all grew up. There wasn't a lot of cool bands around where we were living, but in other cities, things were happening. Especially in Stockholm, where bands like CRASHDÏET where getting a buzz. In Gothenburg, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR had been around for quite a while and of course the BACKYARD BABIES always toured the clubs all over Europe.

Brian Rademacher: Still Sweden seems to be the new L.A. Strip, so many great sleaze bands coming out of Sweden why do you think that is?

Lizzy DeVine: I guess people just wanna have fun. Sweden get's pretty depressing sometimes, especially in the winter time. So I guess it's a savior of sorts for a lot of people, to play rock n' roll, to party with your friends and feel united. Sweden's got so many good musicians and a lot of new cool bands get started every day.

Brian Rademacher: How did you guys get to stay in the US so long being Swedish citizens and how come other bands don’t come over like CRASHDÏET , CRAZY LIXX, H.E.A.T. and DYNAZTY?

Lizzy DeVine: We've been here on visa's and we're here on a visa right now. It's a lot of paperwork and money involved to be able to do what we do and I guess a lot of bands don't have the funding, determination or the knowledge of how to do this right. All we had was the determination. But we found the right people to work with that could help us out. Anyone can do it with a little bit of luck!

Brian Rademacher: I want to know what the hell were you doing on the Viva La Bands Tour with CRADLE OF FILTH? I photographed you on that tour at Starland Ballroom and some asshole threw a bottle at you and I saw the look on your face. I might even have pictures of that. It looked as if you were going to do an Axl Rose and jump in the crowd after him because you pointed at him. What went through your mind at that point?

Lizzy DeVine: Ha, yeah that was a crazy tour. That was one of the few times I've had things thrown at me and sure, I got pissed but the show must go on. All you want to do is to pull and Axl on the guy but it's not worth it. I'll save my energy for something better.

Brian Rademacher: By the way I went to that show just to see you guys even though I was on assignment to shoot CRADLE!

Lizzy DeVine: Thank you very much!

Brian Rademacher: The first time you hit L.A. what were some of the things you wanted to do?

Lizzy DeVine: We wanted to see everything. The Rainbow, Whisky, Sunset strip, Hollywood Blvd. and we did. We had a great time. It was a dream come true.

Brian Rademacher: Your first tour of the US; tell us what it was like and were there any of those horror stories of the road?

Lizzy DeVine: The first tour we did was the Metal Sludge tour. It was VAINS OF JENNA, THE EROTICS, TEENAGE CASKET COMPANY and TUFF. We had a blast. We played smaller clubs all over the East coast and the Midwest. Nothing too bad really happed on that tour. But there have been other tours when shit happened. Our van always breaks down in the middle of nowhere and that's never fun.

Brian Rademacher: You’ve played clubs in Sweden and toured the US; tell me the comparison of the two?

Lizzy DeVine: It's pretty much the same. Rock fans are the same all over the world. The good thing about touring in the States is that it's such a big country and you can tour more often than you could in Sweden. Sweden is such a small country and if it's not a weekend it's hard to get a show. So touring over there is basically shows on Friday and Saturday, wait a week and play the following weekend. Over here you can play any day of the week in a city you haven't been in for a while.

Brian Rademacher: What was the first concert you ever saw?

Lizzy DeVine: The first concert I ever saw was ROXETTE when I was really young. The first show I went to by myself was THE OFFSPRING.

Brian Rademacher: When you left Sweden to come to the US did your family give you any advice?

Lizzy DeVine: They have always supported everything I've ever done and they still help me out to this day. Without them I would not be able to be here or do what I do. They’re the best family you could ever get.

Brian Rademacher: Now let’s get to the new release "The Art Of Telling Lies", why did you decide to name it that?

Lizzy DeVine: It's the title of one of the songs that's going to be on the album and it just fits as the album name too. I had that line in my head for a long time. I tried to use that title for every new song we wrote and finally we wrote this song and the title and lyrics just fell into place.

Brian Rademacher: The new track "Get It On" has that great sleaze sound with killer hooks but the song I really want to hear is Tom Petty’s "Refugee",. That’s such a great song. Why did you pick that tune and were there other covers in the mix you were thinking about?

Lizzy DeVine: Well, thanks again. We've been playing "Refugee" at our shows for a long time now, so we decided to put it on the album. I really love that song. We weren't planning on putting any cover song on the album at all, but it's just such a good song and we couldn't resist.

Brian Rademacher: Are there any ballads on the new CD?

Lizzy DeVine: "Better Of Alone" is the ballad on the album and we've got "Paper Heart", which is an epic, big sounding song. I don't know if I would call it a ballad, but it sounds awesome.

Brian Rademacher: Is there anything different on the new CD that stands out in your mind compared to past VAINS releases?

Lizzy DeVine: Oh yeah, this album is different. First of all the production is killer. Our producer Brent Woods did a great job. The songwriting on the album is the best we've done so far. The album is a mix of Sleaze, Rock n' Roll, Pop, Arena Rock, Funk and everything in between.

Brian Rademacher: Did you have any guests on the record?

Lizzy DeVine: No.

Brian Rademacher: Were there any tracks left off the CD that might pop up later?

Lizzy DeVine: Who knows, you have to wait and see. Ha-ha.

Brian Rademacher: So what is a typical day for Lizzy like these days? What do you do once you get up until you go to bed at night?

Lizzy DeVine: I wake up at 9-10am, drink coffee and smoke a cigarette, start singing. At 1 pm I head for the rehearsal studio. We rehearse until 8 pm. Get home. Me and my girl Melissa head out for a drink or two. Have fun, pass out. That's when I'm off tour.

Brian Rademacher: Looking at your MySpace so many people are saying you’re a good person and have a great heart. Do you try and keep to the values you mother gave you?

Lizzy DeVine: Everyday!

Brian Rademacher: If you had one wish come true what would that be?

Lizzy DeVine: Free health care for everyone!

Brian Rademacher: Lizzy I really can’t wait for "The Art Of Telling Lies" to come out. I’m sure it will be a killer release, would you like to say anything in closing?

Lizzy DeVine: The album will be out in September, so be sure to check out www.vainsofjenna.com and www.myspace.com/vainsofjenna for tours, news and updates. And thank you for doing this interview. You rock!