Steppchild wants to save your soul with rock and roll
By CHRIS HANSEN ORF
Get Out

I had heard the rumors, the myths and the legends about the hard-rocking Tempe band that is Steppchild. That all three members were named Adam. That there were psychic connections between the band from their separate childhoods spent on different continents. That one of the members was an opera singer of some renown.

I had to find out the truth about the band for myself. So I sent out feelers on the streets of Tempe that I was looking for them. Weeks passed. Then one of my sources finally came through, and a brief, cryptic missive turned up in my mailbox, reading “Steppchild Beckons” with a date, time and address under the band letterhead.

I had found them.

The address led me to an industrial complex in Tempe. The door buzzed open, and I entered a long hallway with an ominous staircase at the end. I climbed the stairs and found the members of Steppchild — lead singer and bassist Adam Jacobson, guitarist Adam Carter and drummer Adam Roach — waiting for me in a room full of Marshall stacks and Kiss posters.
I addressed the rumors and myths, and this is what they told me.

Q: Are all three of you really named Adam?

Jacobson: Before we start this interview, let me first say this: We play rock and roll, not rock ’n’ roll or rockin' roll or any other bastardization of the term. We play rock and roll. We rock, and we roll. Now, to answer your question, all three of us are named Adam. Most people think that we should have named ourselves something with “Adam” in the title because of it, but we are all brothers — our mother married rock and roll, so thus we are the stepchildren of rock and roll. We named ourselves Steppchild with an extra “p.” And the second “p” stands for success, just like Led Zeppelin, or Kiss with the second “s.”

Q: You all have diverse backgrounds. How did you all meet?

Jacobson: We were all brought together in 1987 by a force stronger than ourselves to create something stronger than ourselves, and that force was rock and roll. We were brought together to save rock and roll.

Carter: We were all selected by the gods of rock and roll. I was raised in Germany under the tutelage of opera great Haasenfren Ferdilaun, who recently passed away in his 100s. Another young man he was mentoring was Ausome Reinhorne. Ausome led me to rock and roll, he gave me my (Gibson) Flying V (guitar).

Q: Do you still sing opera?

Carter: Yes. I am a mezzo-soprano. I sing like a 7-year-old girl and can hit a fourth-octave C. In fact, on our recent tour of Australia we had a Sunday afternoon free, so to relax, instead of going to the beach with Adam and Adam, I played Dorabella in “Cosi fan tutte” at the Sydney Opera House. Then, later that night, Steppchild rocked the place down.

Q: Are all of you opera singers?

Roach: No. I am a classically trained pianist. I was raised in a primitive commune in Indio, Calif., and I didn't learn to speak until I was 8 years old — our way of communicating was solely through music. When I was happy I'd play “Ode to Joy,” and when I was angry I'd play (Russian composer Sergei) Prokofiev. When I learned to speak I became known as “Talking Adam,” as I am still known to this day. Jacobson: I was actually pulled from an orphanage in the nether regions of Scandinavia to be schooled as a portrait artist. The art movement I was part of was called “no seeing, only being.” I didn't even see a painting until I was 13 years old. Then once I saw art, I was able to be art, and that's when rock and roll exploded inside of me. The first time I picked up a guitar, I knew how to play it. I am still painting portraits with my words and music.

Q: Tell me about your new album, ‘‘Pledge Allegiance to Rock and Roll.’’

Jacobson: What can I say about it — other than it rules? We turned down every major label that came knocking because we feel like we don't have to put out a million records yet, you know? It's double platinum waiting to happen, but we want to build it up slowly.

Roach: We turned down every single major because it's just not our thing right now. I mean, we even turned down Sony twice, and I have a message from their rep on my machine right now that I have to get around to returning at some point. The guy just doesn't get it.

Jacobson: That dude at Universal is just as bad, man. What we'll do is just put out 10 to 15 thousand copies of this record to create this — we're whispering in the ears of people, because you have to whisper before you can scream.

Carter: We let our music scream, but we, as a band, we just whisper, like we're doing now. (Whispers) This is the best rock and roll album ever.

Jacobson: It certainly is. We recorded it at Terry Garvin's Citrusbeast 4 Studios in Phoenix, where he produced and mixed it. We wrote everything communally — that's something that goes back to Adam's commune days.
Carter: And we're already working on the next record. It's a rock opera called “The Adventures of Captain Guitar and His Evil Foe FM Radio.” I love opera and I am really looking forward to this record.

Jacobson: It's already scored. All we need to do is choose the orchestra for the piece.

Roach: We're leaning towards the Prague Symphony Orchestra. They kick ass.

Jacobson: Absolutely!

Q: So what is your philosophy? Your mantra?

Jacobson: Our mantra is this: Only rock and roll can save you. Roach: Rock and roll is the only thing that can save any of us.

Carter: The rock and roll gods have begged us to save rock and roll.

Jacobson: Our music isn't always family-friendly. We say some pretty lascivious things, but the point is, now that I have your attention, there is something important I want to tell you: Your only salvation is rock and roll, so say goodbye to your old God. Do you want to go to hell and listen to FM radio all day? Or would you rather spend eternity with Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhoades and Mark Bolan? We all want to go to heaven — rock and roll heaven! Forget the pearly gates, brother, this place is diamond-(expletive)-studded!