Xoch

At the beginning of the year I introduced readers of the column I pen for 'Classic Rock' magazine to a young lady called Xoch (pronounced Zoach), who I had discovered on the internet selling her debut album, ‘The One’, through www.cdbaby.com.

Although Xoch signed to Now And Then last Summer and the European release of ‘The One’ was originally scheduled for October, due to a number of problems regarding distribution, the record has been delayed until the New Year. Still, I managed to catch up with Xoch recently to find out what's been happening in her life since she became something rather more than the best known face in  Poughkeepsie, New York!

But first, a little history.....

"I feel I was born to be a music person," reckons Xoch. "I was drawn naturally to it. And once I saw MTV for the first time I knew exactly what I wanted to do."

And the first record you bought?

"Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’!" She laughs. "But I got into more rock stuff over time, especially once I started being around other musicians. That helped me expand my boundaries and into the realms of classic rock and modern rock."

Who do you listen to these days?

"These days I listen to all forms of music. But I particularly  have a growing respect for Courtney Love. I think Marilyn Manson's great and Butch Walker is simply awesome. I've been a long-time admirer of Tori Amos too."

The aforementioned pop punk tinged The Fuzzies were the first band of real importance that Xoch played with.

"We played anywhere that would have us," she recalls. "We were really successful locally in the Hudson Valley, New York area."

The success of The Fuzzies, not only locally but throughout New York State, brought them to the attention of John Regan. And before I had even heard Xoch's music, I must admit that the thing that drew me to her particularly was the fact that she had been working with Eddie Kramer and John Regan. How did that relationship come about?

"Vince and I met Eddie in 1998 through John. The Fuzzies were signed to an independent label called Rick's Records and we liked John’s attitude. We wanted to work with him. He wanted to bring Eddie into the mix.

"Vince worshipped Eddie for his work with Kiss. I didn’t have a clue who he was at the time though. I remember he called my house and I told Vince this guy called Eddie Kramer was on the phone. You can imagine Vince’s reaction!

"We did seven songs and one remix with Eddie and two with John. We enjoyed the process of learning with Eddie, but he tried to mould us. Because we were starting out we certainly needed a sense of direction, but it didn’t really work out. Eddie didn’t have a great deal of tolerance for our ‘green-ness’. But I really enjoyed the experience of working with him.

"We began to self-produce ourselves – and we’re getting better at that – but we then got in touch with Neil Perry. He pretty much let us guide our own ship, but with plenty of his input. We did four songs with him, but only one of those made ‘The One’ record once I'd decided to go it alone."

So why did you decide to become a solo artist as opposed to being the frontwoman in a band like The Fuzzies?

"Doing The Fuzzies for so long was a blessing and a curse. I was growing as a performer and I had to evolve. The Fuzzies music was kick-ass live, but a bit stupid. I was getting bored with that direction and wanted a better sound. Vince and I talked about the need for me to change focus, so we came up with Xoch and ‘The One’.

"See, the songs we had begun writing were getting to be more meaningful than the fast, punky sound of The Fuzzies."

Since the release of ‘The One’ earlier this year, Xoch has been amazed at how she’s been finding herself "all over the world" in terms of press coverage.

"It’s really exciting. The whole thing has really snowballed. I mean, I never imagined being big in Belgium, for example, where I’ve sold a large number of CDs. In fact, 75% of all internet sales have been overseas."

So how about back home? Have you been given the keys to Poughkeepsie yet?

"I’m the most recognised person in Poughkeepsie!" she claims proudly. "I get asked for autographs in Malls, restaurants, all over the place!"

Xoch recently scored a track on a TV Movie called ‘Sex And The Single Mom’ (starring ex ‘NYPD Blue’ actress Gail O’Grady).

"A lot of people in the States watched that show! I believe the producers took the track through word of mouth. It was a real honour. It certainly got me attention. I had people calling me up all night saying they'd just heard my song on TV!"

Having just returned from a well earned holiday in Cancun, Mexico, Xoch is now going to concentrate on writing material for her second album. She and co-writer Vince will be looking to pursue the more modern approach favoured by critics (including yours truly) of 'The One' album.

To get an up to date take on where Xoch is at musically, check out some radio broadcast material currently posted on her website (www.xoch.com), including a re-recorded version of ‘The Letter’ (the original version is to be found on ‘The One’).

Pictures courtesy of Xoch