JONNY COLA & THE A-GRADES release a new single, ‘Straight To Video/Marlborough Road’ next month and play their first gig since Jonny Cola’s operation on March 22nd at the Buffalo Bar. If you like Mott the Hoople by way of Bowie and Pulp then read on…

What are you currently up to?

JONNY: We’re getting ready for our first gig since my operation – and actually our first in six months – on March 22nd at the Buffalo Bar with more London dates to follow over the next few months. Also we’re working on the last few tracks for our next album, which will be out later this year. Essentially, we’re doing our best to make up for lost time.

JEZ: Busy.

Brief history of the band…

JONNY: Mauro and I had been friends for years when we started playing together. I used to go and see him in his previous band and be struck by how great he looked on stage. Oh, and sounded, of course. I was a keyboardist in another band at the time but, when that broke up, I decided I wanted to give the frontman thing a go. Mauro was the first person I approached.

JEZ: Jonny, Mauro and I kind of bonded over our love of Hanoi Rocks and Josie & The Pussycats before I was in the band. Then at some point I ended up depping for Mauro and stayed on!

SIMON: I was initially asked to cover for two gigs they had booked, but I knew straightaway that I’d be staying! Jez joined when Mauro buggered off to South America for a bit, and Marco (who knew Jez) came to an audition and knew how to play ALL the songs, really well!

Jonny – how important was music and creating music in helping you recover from your operation?

JONNY: Playing with the band was one of the main things that kept me positive during the eight months between diagnosis and transplant. We didn’t play that many gigs because I found them so exhausting, especially once I was having dialysis, but the ones we did do will always stand out to me as triumphs over adversity and incredibly intense experiences. Since the op, I’ve mainly just been excited about the prospect of getting back on stage and getting things moving again. Very excited indeed..

(Photo by Nikki Q photography)

The upcoming video for ‘Straight To Video/Marlborough Road’ is very good. Who came up with the visual ideas and does having your own video help spread the word on YouTube, which now seems to be the MTV of the current generation?

JONNY: Me, Jez and Heidi Heelz conceived and directed the videos. It’s the second time that the three of us have collaborated in this way and these are, ooh, the fifth and sixth A-Grades vids that Jez and I have made together. We think these are the best yet, but we would say that,
wouldn’t we.

JEZ: YouTube has become a great way to listen to music now since the quality has improved. People get to share music through YouTube on their Facebook walls, so it’s very important to have your music up there. Even if it’s just a still with the song playing… although we like making videos too much to have done that yet.

It has been a while since you last played live. What sort of set can fans expect at the gig on 22nd March? Are you a band that likes to put on a good stage show to accompany the good songs?

JEZ: An awesome set! We like to put on an awesome stage show to accompany the awesome songs!

MAURO: Yeah, you could say we’re “flamboyant” onstage (we like to pose and throw shapes anyway!). You have to think, “If I was in the crowd, would I find this worth watching?”. We’re generally quite demanding of what we want other acts to deliver, so we have to make sure we’re doing our bit! The set on the 22nd will feature some old classics and also some new tracks that’ll be on the next album…

How important is social media like Facebook, Twitter etc for the band in getting your music out there?

MAURO: Lord knows about Twitter, we’ve tried using Twitter and so far it’s almost completely incomprehensible to us. Facebook we’re on quite a bit, I guess it helps. Who knows how you do anything these days??

MARCO: I recently got hooked on Instagram, which I love… Tweeting next.

What have been the live highlights for you and why?

JONNY: I enjoyed that time in the basement in Soho when a number of Jägerbombs had been consumed beforehand. It was far from our greatest gig and there were probably only 20 people there, but it was good messy fun.

MAURO: Oh God that gig was well ropey. I remember the Lexington show we played (right before Cola was admitted to hospital) was pretty special, partly cos we just went bang-bang-bang with the set, short sharp shock-style, that always wins favour with me! (Anyone in the band will tell you I don’t like to FAFF AROUND). A couple of the shows we did when Cola was on dialysis – sometimes he’d literally come to do the gig straight from four hours of it – were also great, very intense.

MARCO: Ha! That Soho gig was amazing, sooo hot in that basement! And the ones Mauro is talking about were also great. And a couple of shows at the Windmill I remember as particularly good ones too.

SIMON: Playing the 100 Club on New Year’s Eve was pretty memorable for me.

Any good rock ‘n’ roll tales to tell…

JONNY: None that are printable without causing a great deal of trouble. Anyway, it’s good to preserve a bit of mystique innit.

MAURO: Ahem!

SIMON: Playing Supernormal festival was quite an experience! That’s festivals for you…

JEZ: I seem to remember, when we were playing in Glasgow, a punk rock disco in our hotel room with lashings of Buckfast. Or was it an Aerosmith disco…

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from music?

JONNY: Spare time? I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question.

MAURO & SIMON: Ha! Ditto

JEZ: More music!

Anything else to add and a message for your fans…

JONNY: When disaster strikes, play some rock ‘n’ roll.

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 20 October 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 22 October 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)