Being a front-man for a band is never an easy gig. The idea behind being the main voice and leader for a group of collected musicians to create one solid musical union is…well, put simply…it’s difficult. With the somersault of Knoxville’s newest craze The Pop Rox onto the scene, front-man Valerie Buckner has taken that task head on and has made her voice the only standing sound that resounds through these southern hills. Buckner’s vocal style is filled with explosive energy and defies the typical idea of a female lead. She has taken the stage by the reigns and has made it her own. As she and The Pop Rox continue to take Knoxville by storm, I sat down with Buckner to get the low-down on how she is taking a view from the front.
Well…I have to admit…I’ve been pretty excited about doing this interview since the first time that I saw you perform at Latitude 35. For our readers, and myself included, give us the back-story on how you initially got into music. Was it at an early age?
Yeah. I was really little. When I was around 4 or 5 both my parents decided to learn guitar. As they learned to play music so did I. They sang mostly country music and I sang right along with them. My dad played lead guitar in several local bands so I was exposed to southern rock and blues at an early age as well. Luckily people recognized my love of singing and gave me every opportunity to perform in school, church and in the community growing up.
When you started singing, did you have an influence or a personal role model that inspired you to be creative musically?
My parents were huge role models. My mom sang and still sings all the time. She is my favorite duet partner. My dad gave me a cassette tape of Bonnie Raitt when I was in 5th or 6th grade and that was probably the first artist that had a lasting influence on me. I took my dad to see her in Atlanta, GA at The Tabernacle a couple years back. She is phenomenal. She fronts a band of extraordinary musicians and her voice expresses every human emotion with ease and sincerity. And it was only fitting that I share that experience with my dad.
Did you take lessons or have any formal training as an artist?
My parents bought me a piano when I was in 2nd grade. I started taking lessons and continued taking lessons for the next 10 years. By the time I graduated high school I was a classically trained pianist. It wasn’t until I was approached by my high school choir director when I was a freshman did I start vocal lessons. My sophomore year I auditioned for The Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts and was accepted. For one month I received very intensive classical and operatic vocal training. I landed the role as Mabel from The Pirates of Penzance during our department’s finale performance. That was my first experience with opera. In high school I performed and competed with our show choir, The AristoCats, for three years. I learned various dance styles, how to do choreography and sing at the same time and jazz hands, which is really the most important part of any show choir show. During my senior year in high school I became very serious about pursuing music in college and found a vocal teacher, Jaclyn Fisher, from Belmont University and studied under her until I was accepted to The University of Tennessee School of Music in Knoxville. When I arrived at UTK I studied voice under Marjorie Bennett Stephens until 2007.
Do you remember your first experience performing with a band or on stage?
I can remember singing backup for my mom at a local country music talent show called “South Jackson Goes Country” in my hometown of Tullahoma, TN when I was 6 or 7. We sang Patty Loveless’s “I’m That Kind of Girl”. My big break was my role playing Mr. Clause in my 3rd Grade Christmas musical. [Laughs] My mother was dumbfounded that I just got up there, acted and sang multiple solos without making any prior fuss about it. It was very apparent at that point that being on stage came naturally to me.
Do you play any instruments or do you stick specifically to being a front-man and vocalist?
I still play a little piano. I taught myself guitar with a little help from my dad back in high school and even wrote a few songs. A couple years ago I got a guitar for Christmas so whenever I hear a song I want to learn I’ll pull it out and teach myself. But I don’t think those talents are going to reveal themselves on stage anytime soon… unfortunately The Pop Rox don’t do any tunes from my Eagles beginner guitarist book. [Laughs]
How do you feel about what’s going on in the music scene in Knoxville and where do you fit in that picture as a female front-man?
I love the music scene in Knoxville. The styles of music here are very eclectic. For someone like me who is getting her feet wet you couldn’t find a better place than Knoxville. The musicians are down to earth and eager to help one another. There are so many different venues to play that ask for various styles of music and entertainment. For a front lady, it’s really great. There’s not many of us. I get the opportunity to stand out.
If you could sing for any band on any stage…what band and where?
My own band on the Main Stage @ Bonnaroo. I’m from Coffee County so it would be one heck of a homecoming!
It’s a well-known fact that your band The Pop Rox is quickly becoming the new cover band to see. Recently I overheard a few patrons at a local venue here in Knoxville say that they think The Pop Rox are better than the Breakfast Club…with that said…tell us about The Pop Rox…how you got involved with that project?…and what it’s all about?
Wow! Really? That was awful nice of them! Back in January of 2009 I got an email from a Dave Whitaker [The Pop Rox Drummer] asking if I was interested in singing for this cover band he was putting together. Whitaker and I went to college together at UT and he played drums for another cover band that often played shows with my college cover band Valerie’s Guilty Pleasure. I hadn’t performed with a band since Valerie’s Guilty Pleasure so I was game. Couple months later a line up was finalized and we started rehearsing. We all came to the table understanding that we wanted to play crowd pleasing stuff and be able to play bars, weddings, Greek events, bar mitzvahs etc. [Laughs]
Now…is The Pop Rox completely a cover band…or can we expect some originals in the near or distant future?
We are stickin to the covers. I don’t think you’ll hear any originals from The Pop Rox. If we decided to do originals I think we would create a completely separate band.
For those that don’t know or haven’t seen The Pop Rox live…you’re a female front-man in a band with four other guys…how has being a female front-man worked out with booking venues, crowd, etc.?
The crowd is extremely receptive. I think it takes some people aback to see a local chick sweating… and I mean really sweating… [Laughs], dancing, making the occasional dirty comment and singing everything from Scorpions and G&R [Guns and Roses] to Madonna. It must be working out for our booking, because places we play usually want us back or book us for a regular monthly spot.
What I like the most about The Pop Rox is that everyone in the band has a specific role. The musicians in the band are top-notch…but what I love most…is that your stage presence and vocal ability sometimes over-shadows all of the amazing things that they’re doing on their instruments. How do you do it? How do you make your vocals and stage presence so mesmerizing to the audience?
Well, that’s very generous. I try to keep in mind that The Pop Rox are not just playing covers. We want to put on a show. That’s why we added lights, fog, lasers etc. I don’t want to be background music. I want to give people something to watch as well. When we started this band I didn’t plan my stage presence. I didn’t decide that I was going to dance continuously; head bang or swing hair… that stuff just happened. [Laughs] My vocal range lends itself to the high stuff so if you aren’t used to seeing a female front-lady around town and you start hearing the high stuff belted out… I can see how it would catch your attention.
The rules kind of change when you’re a female artist with an all guy band…how have you dealt with…well lets be honest…a bunch of dudes with musical egos?
Ummm…I don’t think they changed any rules for me. [Laughs] Fortunately, we are a collection of the most down to earth folks you could find. Everyone is so talented and, like you mentioned before, has something special that they bring to the table. I think it helps that we all have a mutual respect for the talents of the other members of the band. We hang out outside the realms of The Pop Rox and I consider these guys great friends!
I got to catch The Pop Rox live at Latitude 35 recently in downtown Knoxville…your performance of “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morrissette was phenomenal. It felt as if you owned the stage at that very moment when the chorus hit…is there something special about that song and the way you perform it?
[Laughs] Yeah, anyone would think that I was seriously damaged by a previous relationship after watching that ditty… but that’s not the case. I’ve always loved that song. It was one of the first songs that I suggested we learn. It has the most female angst of all the songs we do. The contrast between the sarcasm in the verses and the anger in the chorus are really fun to perform. To be honest I’m not sure what gets into me… I start channeling some jilted women and go with it!
What is your favorite song to sing…the song that makes you feel free when you sing it?
“You Oughta Know”, Toto’s “Hold the Line” and Guns & Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”. Those 3 are probably the tunes that I really get pumped about. The crowd instantly gets into them as soon as they start. The more they like it the more I’ll sling the hair. [Laughs]
What’s next for The Pop Rox?
I think there was talk about starting a Pop Rox cover band. We are just going to cover all the tunes The Pop Rox do. I think the name is going to be The Popped Rox.
What’s next for you? Do you have any intentions of releasing a solo project?
Between my full time job and The Pop Rox I stay really busy. I don’t see any additional projects as of right now. I’d love to get into the studio and record the songs I really like to sing but that would be purely for my own selfish pleasure.
Where can we plan on seeing you perform next?
Wild Wing Café Saturday July 10th. Paul’s Oasis Saturday July 31st. You can also check out our myspace page (www.myspace.com/thepoprox) and view our calendar of events for the months ahead. You can also befriend us on facebook.com and get personal invites to upcoming shows.
Any parting words of enlightenment?
That’s a lot of pressure… Bacon goes well with any meal.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VALERIE BUCKNER AND THE POP ROX GO TO:
www.myspace.com/thepoprox
