By Paul Autry Stryper is probably the best known Christian rock band in the world. During their career, they managed to spread the word of God while cranking out some kick ass rock 'n' roll. Who can forget the explosive "To Hell With The Devil" album? Success, of which Stryper had a fair share of, couldn't keep them together and they broke up a few years later. Now, fans of Stryper can rejoice once again because former members Tim Gaines and Oz Fox have reunited, along with Bobby MacNeil and John Bocanegra, in a hot new band, Sin Dizzy. After hearing their debut release, "He's Not Dead," I was at a loss for words. This album is raw and aggressive and a bit heavier than most of the Stryper material. I recently had a chat with Tim Gaines and Oz Fox and they were kind enough to answer a few questions for me and this is what they had to say! PAUL AUTRY: I've seen interviews where you mentioned that, after Stryper, you had some problems with alcohol, health, stuff like that. What's the story behind all that? TIM GAINES: During the last couple of years with Stryper I began to drink. In the beginning, it was out of depression but soon became a habit. It was an escape for me from all of the pressure I was under from being in the band. It's rather hard to explain why. But, I felt like everyone was against me. I felt like I was just a puppet in the band just going along for the ride but not really taken seriously as a member or a musician. It was like I was there just because I fit the suit. From the audience point of view I felt like I was a liar.... they would tell me how great I played on the albums and I would say "thank you" but reality was I didn't play on the albums.. it was a studio cat. Well I drank everyday for 8 years until I had lost everything. Eventually I lost my health and I realized that I was going to die if I didn't turn my life around. I quit drinking and smoking in early 1996 and I haven't looked back. I have slowly been rebuilding my life. I got a job in a music store and later started my own production company, TGM. PAUL AUTRY: You read a lot about musicians who go through a "down" period in their lives, which you've already experienced. But, you're one of the ones who survived. You didn't put a gun to your head or a needle in your arm & end up like some of the other "casualties of rock & roll," which is something I really admire. What did it take for you to turn your life around & how did you handle your personal comeback? TIM GAINES: Well I did bottom out but I also wanted to live.. I didn't want to be a casualty so I was determined to get my act together. I had some really good friends that cared enough about me to help me out . They gave me pep talks and helped me to believe in myself and my abilities. My main thing was to get back into heavy practice on my own. My playing had improved tremendously in just a year. Other things that helped was going back to church and getting support from that end. Getting involved in and forming Sin Dizzy and my own production company was a big boost too. PAUL AUTRY: With Sin Dizzy, your music seems to be more mature, more full of life. But, before we get into the album, can you give us a little band history, how you got together, stuff like that? TIM GAINES: Well, while Stryper was still together on the "Against The Law" tour, Oz had been writing some songs that we thought would end up on the next Stryper album. Shortly after the tour Mike Sweet departed to pursue a solo career. We had been asked to do some European concerts and Oz filled in as lead vocalist. It sounded really cool and was more aggressive. Stryper officially disbanded in 1993. At this time Oz went into the studio to demo some songs and asked me to play on the tape. In 1994 we put a band together based on the songs on his demo. It sounded great and we started writing new songs on our first day. The other 2 members are Bobby MacNeil on guitar, and John Bocanegra on drums. John came up with the name Sin Dizzy. We recorded more songs and I released our first CD on my production label TGM to try to get a record deal. PAUL AUTRY: What can you tell us about the other half of Sin Dizzy, guitarist Bobby MacNeil & drummer John Bocanegra? They're both "unknowns," so to speak. TIM GAINES: Both Bobby and John are younger than Oz and myself. They are schooled musicians. Bobby is a honor graduate from GIT and John has had a lot of musical training as well. Bobby is from Florida and when Stryper was looking for a new guitarist he was one of our first choices. We have known him for many years and he is a great guy. John - Oz had met while at work. He was like 17 or 18 at the time and kept bugging Oz to jam so we finally all got together in John garage one day and jammed... thus Sin Dizzy was born. John is one of the best drummers I have ever had the pleasure to play with. PAUL AUTRY: In the liner notes of "He's Not Dead," you mention that these songs could have been the next Stryper release. After hearing the album, the only song that comes close to sounding like Stryper, in my opinion, is "Long Way To Heaven." TIM GAINES: Yes, " Long Way To Heaven" and "Hebrew Kings" were written around that time. "Hebrew Kings" was actually played by Stryper during sound checks with Oz, Robert and myself on the ATL tour. Oz wrote those songs as well as "Rise Above" and "When the Son Comes Back" during this period and they sort of reflect the sound of that time. Songs like "He's Not Dead" were written about 4 years later by the whole band, Sin Dizzy. PAUL AUTRY: You went from being in a major label band to being on your own. So, you've more than likely experienced the business side of the music world. What are your thoughts on that? Also, since you have the knowledge of what goes on "behind the scenes," will that affect Sin Dizzy and how you approach any possible deals that come your way? TIM GAINES: Yes we have experienced the politics of the music business. At this time being on our own label is much better than being on a major label that could care less about us. Stryper has a huge world wide fan base and I have tapped into that fan base over the internet.The music scene today is much different than it was 10 years ago. Record companies are not willing to invest a lot of money or time into new acts. Even if a band has a hit record they are willing to drop an act because someone else comes along that they are putting all of there efforts into. MTV also plays a major role in who is going to have their 15 minutes of fame. Being in control of my own business is better because I see every dime that comes in and I am the one making the decisions. We get to keep 100% of what we make off of the cd sales not 1% if we were on some other label. At this point in our career we are concerned with longevity. If we want to make this work we have to be established. We are still looking for the "right" record deal but that's something that just doesn't exist in todays world. Nothing lasts in this business and making it again is a big gamble, especially now that we are getting older. Some of us have families to support and it doesn't make sense to throw away good paying jobs on a pipe dream that we might have another hit record. If we do that would be great but being realistic make much more sense. Being in control allows me to continually invest my spare time into the project in all aspects. Therefore I see to it over a period of time that we do become established. It may take one or two years or it could take ten. PAUL AUTRY: One thing I really admire about Sin Dizzy is the fact that you have a positive message in your music. Have you noticed if your audience is getting into what you're saying or if they're getting into you just because you're a great band? Also, how would you describe your live show? TIM GAINES: Well our audience knows what we are speaking of because the majority who buy our cd is a Stryper fan too. We are finding that the audience seems to like the way we present our message of Jesus Christ in a more bolder fashion than we did when we were in Stryper. Our live shows are loud and high energy. We do throw in a few Stryper tunes just for kicks. PAUL AUTRY: Since I mentioned your message, can you tell us about some of the songs on the album and which ones are your personal favorites? TIM GAINES: Well, the title song "He's Not Dead" pretty much says it all as far as our theme. It speaks of Christ, who is alive and well. Some of my favorites are "Psalm 23," taken from the Bible, "Sacred Blood," a rock opera of the crucifixion, "Enter Me" and "Back In Time." PAUL AUTRY: Besides Sin Dizzy, you've been involved in some other projects. Could you tell us a little about those? TIM GAINES: Being in Sin Dizzy and being associated with Stryper has allowed me to start my own production company, TGM. I used the Sin Dizzy CD as a test to see if I could actually do it. About the same time that I started TGM in 1996 I started working with a songwriter named Irene Kelly. We started playing and writing songs together as a duo. She sings and plays acoustic guitar and I play fretless bass behind her. We played the coffee house circuit around Los Angeles and did quite well. She asked if I would produce a CD for her and I said yes. We have been in the studio working on her project for about a year and a half and it is almost ready for release. I will be selling it over the internet just like the Sin Dizzy CD and have already gotten a great response from people who have preordered the CD. Other projects I have been involved in since Stryper broke up were a short run with Robert Sweet in his Danger Angel project. I spent a year and a half with my former singer from Stormer in a band called No Stranger. I auditioned for other groups like Great White, Hardline and Quiet Riot. I played bass on the King James project with Robert Sweet and did one video with them that got some air play. And recently, I played bass on Tourniquet's "Crawl To China" CD in which I got to show off some of my jazz abilities. PAUL AUTRY: What are your thoughts on The Blues Brothers? TIM GAINES: Love the music!! PAUL AUTRY: You've been involved in music for a long time now. Have you accomplished everything you wanted to accomplish or are there still some things you'd like to do that you haven't done yet? TIM GAINES: I would like to play in Elton John's band and I would like to play in Heart. I would also like to see, someday, a Stryper reunion. PAUL AUTRY: Well, before we end this interview, I've gotta ask the one question that I'm sure has been asked a million times. Since you did mention it was something you'd like to see, what are the chances of a Stryper reunion? TIM GAINES: It is still a ways off. But, it is a good possibility. We have been getting together and doing radio interviews and have been hanging out together a lot more. PAUL AUTRY: Final comments? TIM GAINES: Thanks for the opportunity to be able to speak and God Bless. PAUL AUTRY: When Michael Sweet left Stryper, you became the vocalist there for awhile. What was it like being up front, were you nervous or did it come natural for you? OZ FOX: It came naturally. I've had "front man" type of experience in the past. I sang solo in my high school vocal jazz ensemble. I sang and played guitar at backyard parties. I entertained at family events. The first time I fronted for Stryper was for some dates in Europe when Michael was diagnosed with pneumonia and couldn't fly over. Instead of cancelling the tour, I proposed to cover songs I could easily play guitar and sing on. Everything worked out great. The fans were pleased. Michael recoverd. I just wanted the show to go on and be in good standing with European fans. Being nervous is somthing that just happens until you start performing, then you just have fun. PAUL AUTRY: How did your vocal style affect the Stryper material & how did the fans react, did they accept you? OZ FOX: The fans at first seemed skeptical, but by the end of the show they loved it. We were asked to come back again after Michael had left Stryper, so we went and it was great. As far as my vocals with Stryper, I could only do the songs my voice could handle; mostly heavy lower range stuff. I could never replace Michael, but I could have kept the tours rolling. Kinda wish I had. PAUL AUTRY: Not to take anything away from Stryper, because it was a great band, but, in my opinion, Sindizzy blows away everything in the Stryper catalog. One of the main reasons I feel this way is because of your vocal style. You give the music more of an edge where Stryper seemed more polished. Are you comfortable with the way you sing or would you like to try something different? OZ FOX: Well, I don't feel comfortable with the statment.... "blows away everything in the Stryper catalog."I appreciate your favoritism, but in my opinion, Michael is an awsome vocalist and I could never replace him strongly in Stryper. If you listen to "Against the Law", Michael tore it up! As far as my voice goes, I just sing what feels good for the song. My roughness probably comes from the influnces I've had, Rob Halford, Ronnie James Dio, Joe Cocker, just to name a few. I don't have any plans to change yet. PAUL AUTRY: I heard that after Stryper broke up, there was a time where you gave up on music and were working as an electrician. Is this true and, if so, what brought you back to music? OZ FOX: In fact, I've had several jobs and am currently employed by Harman International. Electrical was quite an experience. I did it for a year. Crawl spaces can be ugly! Creepy! I did block wall for a while, that was grueling! I did slab work too! Now I'm a pen pusher! I run a 12 man crew. Music can only be in "hobby" status right now. But if the Lord leads, someday I may do music full time again. I got back into music when I met our "vato" drummer, John Bocanegra. He wanted to be in a christian rock band and I wanted to be his singer/guitarist. When we hooked up with Tim and Bobby, I knew I was doing it again. PAUL AUTRY: What are your thoughts on the time you spent with Stryper? OZ FOX: There were a lot of great times. God did so much. I travelled the world several times and met so many people. I was truly blessed! Not till now have I seen awsome life changes with fans. There may have been rough spots, but I cherish the memories and smile when I see my gold and platinium record awards. I have more wisdom now, and I hope to use it with Sin Dizzy for the Lord's will. I owe much to those days and to my Lord who brought me through it all. PAUL AUTRY: What are your thoughts on The Blues Brothers? OZ FOX: Funny movie. Love the scenes with James Brown. PAUL AUTRY: What would you like to say to the people who will be reading this? OZ FOX: In closing, I would like all to know that we appreciate your loyalty to us. The fans are what supported our ventures and it will always be that way. That is why I try my best to stay in touch with everyone through our website discussion zone, chatroom, and e-mails. I pray for more time to do this as well as music. It's hard when you have a family, but my gorgeous wife Leslie is very supportive. http://www.sindizzy.com Editor's Note: Sadly, during the course of trying to get this interview in print, it has come to my attention that Tim Gaines has left Sin Dizzy to pursure other interests. It's sad to see him go, as the man is an exceptionally talented performer who gave a great deal to the band. It won't be the same without him. But, now, we can look forward to hearing something new from Mr. Gaines, something that should be just as good as his work with Stryper and Sin Dizzy. He's got a lot of creative talent inside him yet and it's always a pleasure to hear something new from him. We'd like to wish him all the best and we wish Sin Dizzy continued success as well. Copyright 2001, BallBuster, The Official Int'l Underground Hard Music Report