bassist CAROL JADZIA

Interview by Robert Urban for GAY GUITARISTS WORLDWIDE

CAROL JADZIA of the U.K. rock group OESTROGENIX - "Born in Burmingum, sorry Birmingham,England. moved to Weston Super Mare when I was 11, (You like just like get on the motaway ‘n’ keep goin till you like see the sea like) I went to college to play the drums, played in a sea cadet band, a rock’n’roll band and the school orchestra. That’s why I am now the bass guitarist! LOL, well fancied a change. I now live in Bristol, (Yes-but-no-but) where I rent a house with Thumper. Tends to be an open house with many passing friends.

We have the band equipment set up in the dinning room (hope the folks don’t want to come to Xmas dinner!) As we use an electric drum kit we can keep the noise down, the neighbours seem happy with us (You can amplify anything, it’s the quality that counts) . My partner Thumper, plays the drums, met her at a beach party I held last year, well we had chatted loads on the internet, just never met. We get on great and I look forward to many years of making music together. Hoping soon that she will be moving over here permanent.

I like motorcycles, big Kawasaki’s to be exact, well they are my favourites anyway. Got an old GTR1000 at the mo, relic of my motorcycle Instructor days. Prefer the unfaired variety, will see what happens when funds allow. Looks like I have to put my Instructor hat back on again, Kira and 2 friends seem to have caught the motorcycle bug! Love sci-fi, farscaper (Bring it back!), music, floyd & placebo especially, computers, sunsets, getting totally off my head and burbling lots. What was the question again?"

- What brand/model/year instrument(s) do you record and play out with?

In my dreams or in reality? What a question for a struggling guitarist! I have a ‘warlock’ bass guitar, only a Stagg one, Wish I could afford more but it is well looked after and is laced with ‘Signature’ Lt strings. And I love her, sounds ok to me and plays nice.

- what brand/model/year amps & effects do u use?

Use a little stagg practice amp or the computer for practice, we hire equipment in for shows depends what we can find at the time! As for effects I run it through my computer soundcard or through the ‘Korg’ recording studio, prefer to record the guitar ‘un-effected’ then alter the sound if required. We tend to work in partnership with computers, we don’t want to rely on computers to make the sounds, just to amplify and record them.

- Any special/favorite instrument tones/effects/approaches/techniques you've used/discovered in recording and/or performance that you really like?

I like spaced out trippy sounds with lots of reverb and trail, although we have not written any suitable material for the sounds yet, work in progress. The whole concept of ‘Faster Faster’ is something I still want to do more with, changing tempo through the song, and also the concept track ‘After vibes’ which starts at the end and plays backwards.

- Who are your main influences as an instrumentalist? Which artists? Which bands? Instrumentalist? Which artists/bands were your favorites in your youth?

From my youth – Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Electric Light Orchestra, AC/DC, Jethro Tull, lots of Rock ‘n’ Roll as well.
More recently the biggest band to really influence me has to be Placebo, also into movie soundtracks like ‘Matrix’ and ‘Gladiator’
My tastes are varied, from classical to Techno, like all sorts of music, more recently us coming together and just ‘jamming’ has been very inspirational, sharing ideas and creating with the other band members.

- How many different kinds of stringed/fretted instruments do u play? (e.g. - guitars, banjos, madolins, basses, etc) Do you play any other instruments?

New to the world of strings really, been playing just over a year, However my drumming and band experience goes back to my school days, school orchestra ‘drummer’ for 3 different schools, played in a rock ‘n’ roll band, oh yes, did play a bit of strings, we had a ‘bass’ made out of a tea chest, a broom handle and a string!

- Do you play/compose/record only your own original music? Do you do any other work in music - e.g. teaching, recording session work, hired gun, producing, etc?

As a band we only create and record our own music, we have never released a cover song, I have had a part to play in every track we have released so far, not always on guitar but there is normally a bit of my bass in there somewhere.
As for playing previous to Oestrogenix, apart from many years ago in my ‘R’n’R’ days and a couple of minor incursions into bands over the years as a drummer, I have not been very creative musically, however I worked as ‘local crew’ for a couple of years, met and worked for some major names.

- Can you tell us about the music scene in the U.K. as it differs from your impressions of the U.S. music scene?

From what I have seen there is more opportunity for ‘like minded’ musicians to come together over there, we are limited in the amount of other musicians over here, example would be that I have seen shows advertised that tend to be big lesbian and gay events over there, yes we do have a couple of such ‘pride’ type events over here but not on the same scale. I also see that America tends to have a ‘Transgendered’ community while over here the TS and TV elements have split, not that this is a problem, we are still happy to fly the TG or Gay banner, as TS we are just accepted as females, not big news anymore.

However as a band we hope to change that!

- Is there a particular favorite solo or part you played on a recording, or a certain piece of composed music you wrote, that you feel represents your finest work?

Well I don’t feel I have done my finest work yet, many more ‘projects’ to finish.
‘Faster Faster Faster’ is mine, I wrote, sang and developed the idea, however we are working on a new better version so I don’t class the current release as my finest. Union is our most recent work and I feel that it is the best we have created as a band so far, but as it is only the 1st track released by the new line-up I know there is far better to come.

- Can you relate any special feelings or experiences about being a glbt player in the mostly straight music world... especially regarding your formative/learning years on your instrument?

Well all the guitarists I have met who I have discussed my history with have all come back with the same answer, “so what?”
Feel it’s a case of us both being into playing, what does it matter about our past or our sexuality?
I am accepted as a lesbian female, nobody seems to have a problem with that. So many bands have had gay members these days that it seems to be accepted as the norm.

- For a glbt player - how does the overall music scene differ today
from years ago? How have trans players/performers/singers evolved in recent years?

Well I would not have been accepted say ten years ago over here, we as a band would have made the news, but for all the wrong reasons. I see us as breaking new ground, I have had a number of other TS ‘sisters’ take inspiration from us and started getting together to form bands, really nice to see.
I am just so glad that we are now just being accepted as people. I know this interview is for ‘Gay Guitarist’ however we seem to be doing ok on the merit of our music not because we are ‘Trans’. This is what we wanted.

- Any special thoughts on your instrument, and what it's meant to you in your life?

5 years ago I was living in a marriage as the wrong sex, ‘Dysphoria’ driving me mad, I classed myself amongst other things as a ‘drummer’.
I have now transitioned fully, post-op and getting on with my new life, I am also now a very happy bass guitarist, I feel the guitar is a reflection of me and how I have changed.
Oestrogenix is more than just a band it is the whole concept of the 5 of us, all lesbian and 4 out of 5 TS coming together and making music, we are all really into it and its such a nice feeling that we can work together in such an amazing constructive way, I am sure that the fact we are TS will come out at some point, but at the mo its so nice that people just like the music and the bands image without being judgmental about our sexuality or gender.
Me deciding to play Bass guitar is what started Oestrogenix in the 1st place, such a great feeling.

- Any advice for young glbt players?

The world is generally a more accepting place these days, just be yourself, people will appreciate you more for it.

- What are your current and future musical projects?

Loads and loads. We all have works in progress, everyone is doing some creating on fruityloops, loads of ideas coming out, Emma has written some lyrics that need music, Chrissy has written some music that needs lyrics, I have got some ideas about some ‘songs’ to bring it all together. we are in a little down time at the mo, Kira and I have moved our home and the bands studio, Chrissy is recovering from Surgery so we have not come together for a session recently, however the band is rearing to go, we have a new guitarist, so new she is not on our website yet. (Welcome Sioux) the studio is set up and we are all getting together regularly again.

for more info on Carol and OESTROGENIX visit http://www.oestrogenix.co.uk/