Laura Cox: “I don’t really pay attention to what’s going on on the internet”
LAURA COX is a young and very talented Hard Blues/Rock guitarist and singer. She began playing guitar listening to her guitar heros when she was 14. After a few years studying the instrument, she began to play covers on YouTube. Then she decided to jump into the de stage, and that was a relaly good idea.
We have talked to LAURA COX a french Hard Blues Guitar Hero that started playing in youtube and now is one of the most promising female guitarists.
RnB: Hi Laura, It is great to talk to you. We would like to thank you for giving Rock and Blog this opportunity to talk to you.
Thanks a lot for having me!
RnB: For people who don’t know you, how would you introduce yourself briefly?
I’m Laura Cox, a french guitarist. I started as a “youtuber” more than 10 years ago, I quickly reached millions of views without even realizing it! Then I decided that I wanted to be a musician, tour, play in a band, and that’s when the real thing started. I’ve been in love with guitar for years, and I couldn’t imagine my life without it.
RnB We love to see young people who make music with that classic style but full of new energy. What are your musical influences? What music do you listen to?
I grew up listening to bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, Guns n’ Roses… A lot of Classic Rock and Hard Rock from the 80s. I learned guitar with their riffs and solos. I think Slash, Bonamassa, and Mark Knopfler played an important role in my musical education. I could spend hours trying to play their licks, it was a real source of motivation for me.
Now I’m mostly listening to “new” rock bands like Airbourne, Black Stone Cherry, Blackberry Smoke, Rival Sons, etc. They are not the “guitar hero” type of rock bands, they’re more into songwriting and I really like that.
RnB: Your first stages in the show business were on YouTube publishing videos in which you were covering famous songs. How do you decide to make the leap to the offline world?
There wasn’t a precise moment when I decided that… I think Mathieu (the other guitarist of the band) made the decision for me! We met in 2010, and a few years later, he told me it would be great to have a band together, so we started working on it. Now the band is my priority and my main activity, but I don’t want to give up on Youtube. It’s where I started, and I’m thankful for that.
RnB: How is fame lived in each of these worlds? I mean, behind the glass and now on stage
Very easy to live! I don’t really pay attention to what’s going on on the internet. Most of the time, people are very nice, but sometimes they can be insulting. It’s so easy to say bad things about people when you’re behind your screen. On the other hand, fans are always respectful in “real life”, when I meet them on tour, I feel really lucky to have them.
RnB: We have recently spoken with Jared James Nichols who, as in your case, is one of those young musicians who are kicking at the door and that are making a dent in the international music scene with so much effort. Do you think these are good times for young musicians?
It’s a good time for rock n roll for sure! There are many new rock bands and guitarists that are emerging, and it’s really reassuring for the future. I think it’s hard to find its place, but if you do, don’t let go!
RnB: Let’s talk about Burning Bright, your latest album that you will be performing next month live here in Spain. We listened to it, several times, and we have to say that It´s a great classic rock album. We love it! What about the audience? How is being the audience reaction to this album?
I heard people say it was different from our first album, but not in a bad way. We evolved and it’s normal that we don’t sound exactly the same than we did 2 years ago. I guess we also spoke to a younger audience with this latest album.
RnB: Which band members are part of the writing process?
I write songs with Mathieu (guitarist too). Since we’ve known each other for a long time, it feels really simple and natural to work with him. We’re not afraid to tell each other when we don’t like something, and I think it’s important when it comes to writing songs. When we’re done with the structure, guitar parts and vocals, we arrange everything with our bass player and our drummer during rehearsals.
RnB: Our favourite song of the album is Bad Luck Blues, we love the chorus!. What’s your favourite song?
Thank you! This one is fun to play… I couldn’t tell you about my favorite song of the album, it’s too hard to chose! but I can tell you about the one I prefer to play live. It’s weird but I have the most fun when I don’t have hard guitar parts to play and I can focus on my singing. River is one of these songs, when I can let go and just sing and play without thinking about anything.
RnB: About your band. What can you tell us about the musicians who are currently playing with you?
We’re going to introduce our new bass player on this Spain tour!
As I said before, Mathieu is the other guitarist, we founded the band together, and I couldn’t play music without him.
Antonin has been our drummer for 5 years and even if he’s playing in different projects, we managed to find the right balance and we feel good with this lineup.
RnB: Is France a good place for Rock and Roll?
France isn’t a Rock n’ Roll country… It’s more about electro, pop, RnB, but I’m glad we have a strong fan base here anyway. Rock fans are the most devoted fans! We’re lucky we get to tour in other countries too, and we can’t wait to be back to Spain.
RnB: What about the future? New album, summer festivals…?
We’re currently working on new songs, and you can expect our third album to be out next year. We’ll have a great summer, we’re going to play at some of the biggest festivals in France. I can’t wait!
RnB: We are almost finished, but we still have a few more personal questions. Don´t worry, this is not about relationships, the only lover we’re interested in is rock and roll (hehehe):
- What was the first live concert you attended to, as an audience? Elton John
- What was the first record you bought? I think it was “Come on Over” by Shania Twain.
- Who first turned you onto loving rock and roll? My dad.
