JJ´s Powerhouse is one of those so-called "obscure" NWOBHM acts due to the fact that it is nearly impossible to get their 7" single released back in 1983. But the word "obscure" does not fit to the two songs you will find on this little piece of vinyl. It is fast and heavy in-your-face heavy metal and it is a shame and a miracle that they were kind of lost in time until fans started to get interested in the days of the NWOBHM again during the 90s. "Running for the Line" was chosen as the opener for our debut album "NWOBHM For Muthas" because this song simply is NWOBHM in it´s roughest and purest form. And it is a great song. We are very happy that we were able to get in contact with the band in 2008 and now we can present an interview Oz Davis. Enjoy!

Your only 7" single "Running For The Line/Blackrods" was released in 1983 but in Malc Macmillan´s great NWOBHM-Book he talks about a demo tape with songs like "Thinking of you" or "Overlord", recorded in 1977 under the name Quad. Were these the first recordings of the band and do you still have these recordings or even the master tape?

It was our first recording and was done in the Spring of 1978.We put down 3 tracks, The Overlorde, Thinking of You and Saucers of Our Future. The tracks were done over a couple of days and we came away with just a few cassette tapes and the Master. The Master tape will probably be either demagnetised by now or eaten by rats, since Jon believes it to be in his garden shed. I managed to produce an mp3 version from the old cassette and am surprised it came out rather well after 30 years.The 3 tracks were widely played on local radio at the time and more recently, the track Saucers was played on the Hardrockin’ 80s radio show from the States.

Back in the mid to late 70s most of the classic Hardrock bands like Deep Purple, Black      Sabbath or Led Zeppelin have disbanded or at least changed their style. Sweet also stopped playing in-your-face-hardrock with the release of "Off the Record". So which bands did influence yourself as musicians and the whole band? Weren´t that sad days for being a metal-fan/hardrock-fan too except the fact that Judas Priest started playing heavier?

The giants you mention were winding down by then, but we were still heavily into their back catalogue. Indeed our live sets featured songs from all of them. The Sabbath was still going strong and I remember going to see them live at Preston (with support band Van Halen!) We even got one of our demo cassette tapes to Geezer Butler at the time. I’m glad you mentioned Sweet. Most people see them as just a commercial “bubble-gum” band of Nicky Chapman, and though this is true and must have made them a fortune, I bought their singles for the “B” sides alone. Listen to the fantastic “Burning” track and you will see where a lot of my inspiration comes from. Deep down they were a rock band. Other inspirations were Status Quo, Montrose (what a great band even in the early 70s), UFO/ Schenker, Wishbone Ash, The original Thin Lizzy, Hawkwind and Motorhead. The mighty Priest did fill the gap, as you rightly suggest. And it is because of this that they were seen to be the saviours of metal and a real influence on the NWOBHM bands that flourished in the 80s.

There was a US-release of a kind of Best Of Deep Purple called "Powerhouse". Was this record responsible for the name of the band?

Powerhouse was just a name that Jon liked. I remember him telling me the name and can still see the disappointment on his face when I didn’t jump up and down and say “Wow”!  I mentioned that I would have preferred JJ’s Powerhouse, especially as it had been his drive and determination through the years that had kept our initial passion for music going. So, it was a done deal, the label on the single said so. (I think he got his own back by printing Running instead of Heading for the Line!)

Many people call Samson the first NWOBHM-band and in fact their first LP was pretty early. On the other hand there were already many bands including you who played the clubs but had no record out. Would you agree that there was no real "first NWOBHM Band" at all and that it happens at the same time all over Great Britain?

Very surprised you say Samson. I regard them as a band that nearly made it but no cigar. I may be wrong but I thought they weren’t around till about ’78? I know they did quite a few support gigs for the big names, so perhaps that is why you say that. At the time, and I’m talking mid to late 70s, there weren’t a lot of bands doing our type of music. It wasn’t until a year or so later that there was a deluge. We never saw ourselves as part of a new musical genre but just as a heavy rock / metal band with our own sound variance. I suppose we were limited to our exposure of bands, living out in the sticks, but I would say the only bands around that we thought we sounded similar to were “Son Of A Bitch” (known now as Saxon.), possibly Budgie and maybe a Punky sounding Sabbath! Maybe we were the first NWOBHM band?!

When did you first noticed "Oh, we are a NWOBHM band and belong to that new scene"?

Up until 10 years ago, I had never heard of NWOBHM!! It wasn’t until the advent of the internet and record collectors talking to each other that this Genre appeared as a sort of label. These guys need to label things, that’s how they see the world! But we love them…especially Malc Macmillan. (Anyone who says that our single was probably the best NWOBHM song, can’t be all bad)!

When you enter a studio today you can see computers and digital effects. Each member of the band usually plays his own part (multitrack). When you recorded your 7" vinyl it sure was way different. Do you remember how many tracks the studio offered and how long the recordings have taken? Was it an expensive thing in these days?

Yes, I remember well. Being just a young lad from the country, I was amazed by the technology on offer. By today’s standards it was sparse and only supplied us with 8 tracks. However, it did the job didn’t it? Credit must go to Nightwing’s Bass player Gordon Rowley who produced it. He captured the live sound and attitude really well. A good days work that set us back about £100 at the time!

The record was released on Sillysybin Records. Was this your own label?

Yes the single was released on our own Sillysybin label (the magic name comes from a special type of mushroom fungus, Psilocybin, but that was too difficult to spell!

Both tracks were really heavy and "Running…" pretty fast for 1983. What about the other songs that didn´t make it on the single. Have you recorded some more tracks during these sessions?

As previously mentioned, the recording was done for a small amount of money and only the two tracks Running/Blackrods were recorded. Back in 2002, Jon created his own studio and at last we had the opportunity to record some of the songs from around that original time. These came out on the CD “In More Rock” 2003. As we only had limited equipment and time that we could all get together, the quality is “warts and all” but hopefully captures the live feel of the gigs at that all important time. The track Outcast goes back to 1978, as does Overlorde. The revised Blackrods was more in keeping with what was performed live in 77 as opposed to what ended up on the single. Other songs, such as Shout It Out Loud and Starsoldiers had their roots back in the 70s but morphed in the 80s when Jon was gigging with a different line up. Probably only the track Numbers is a creation of the nineties. This can be found on youtube supported by some band pictures of us recording the album.

Some months ago High Roller Records have released a full LP of JJ´s Powerhouse. This was a sursprise after all the years.

It was a real happy surprise for us. The High Rollers asked if we would be interested in doing a 500 vinyl limited release. After long and hard deliberation (probably between 5 and 10 seconds) we agreed. I believe they have all sold out now. I was impressed by the professional packaging, background and lyrics liner notes. The album cover has got to depict the Overlorde battling the Robots!

So, is JJ´s Powerhouse an active band right now and have you already tried to get on the billing of German Festivals like Headbangers Open Air or Keep It True Festival?

JJ’s Powerhouse is not an active gigging band at the moment, sadly our drummer Ted’s health is not good and I fear he may not play again. Jon and I would love to guest on a couple of tracks with Roxxcalibur at a festival. We are just waiting for the call!!

Any final words?

JJ’s Powerhouse is proud to be featured on the Roxxcalibur album. The song has been faithfully covered and only subtly updated. You guys have done an awesome job. It’s devotees like Roxxcalibur that deserve credit for keeping the NWOBHM style music alive and are able to broadcast it to a much wider audience than was possible back in the 80s. We salute you! Deutschland should be very proud. Say Hi to all the metal-nuts out there.Live long and prosper!

CHEERS  OZ DAVIES

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