Rocket Queen just released their first full length album One Last Night, An album that is in my view one of 2025’s best releases so far in a first quarter of the year that has seen several great albums. Founding guitarist Gabi Bultaco was kind enough to talk with us at The Rockpit about the album, His musical history, and all things rock n roll.
Rob: Good evening Gabi, Thank you for talking with The Rockpit. How are you?
Gabi: Hi Rob!!!!! I’m fine, and you?
Rob: Really good! It’s Friday and the weather is beautiful. Congratulations on a great record, How has the response been so far?
Gabi: Much better than we expected, honestly. We’re very surprised, Especially by what’s happening with the videos!!! And when we start with the live shows this is going to be on fire.
Rob: I came across your first video from the album “One Last Night” on YouTube and liked it so much I started checking out all of your music and had to own all of it, My editor Mark Diggins had the same response. You guys have a great sound.
Gabi: The video for “One Last Night” has undoubtedly exceeded all our expectations and has allowed us to reach places far from Spain that we would never have dreamed of reaching.
Rob: I don’t hear about a lot of rock bands coming out of Spain, You guys might be the first that I’m aware of. Is there a big audience for rock n roll there?
Gabi: No, not at all. In Spain there is currently room for our music, At least in professional terms. Rock is absolutely a minority.
Rob: It’s the same here in the states unfortunately. Unless it’s a legacy band like Motley Crue or Guns N’ Roses you don’t see a lot of newer hard rock bands getting exposure here and that’s why I’m constantly trying to open people’s eyes to the great music they are missing.
Gabi: Well… Yes, It’s a shame. Old bands stay around for too many years, Tribute bands prolong that effect even more, and the consequence is that new bands hardly ever have an audience and even more so because of the perverse “Tik-Tok” effect: listening for 10 seconds before hitting the “next” button.
Rob: A lot of people think that hard rock died in the 90’s and that’s so far from the truth, I make the argument that we are living in the most exciting time for new music in this genre since the 90’s. Bands like Rocket Queen are putting out phenomenal albums, it’s just hard for people to see I think because unlike Los Angeles in the 80’s or Seattle in the 90’s there really isn’t a localized scene, it’s scattered but there is a lot of great music and thanks to platforms like YouTube more bands can be heard. What are the pros and cons of the way music gets to people now for you as an artist?
Gabi: I totally agree, There are more bands playing from the 80s and 90s style right now than there were in the last 30 years.
The advantage: There’s a lot of music out there to discover and it’s very good!
The disadvantage: Since it’s not located in a specific place it doesn’t form a mass audience that can really give it the push it needs to reach the level of legendary bands.
Rob: When you think about it this particular style of rock music is almost half a century old and while it still feels nostalgic for many I would argue that it still feels cutting edge, What is it for you as a musician that makes you want to play 80’s style hard rock? What is it that you love most about this style?
Gabi: Hard rock is part of my blood, My dreams, and my life in general. Many great songs are the soundtrack to my life, From when I was a kid until now. I still listen to music every day in everything I do: At work, Walking the dogs, In the car… Every song, Every lyric, Every riff fits alone, It gives me sensations like nothing else in life.
Rob: I feel the same way. For a lot of us this is more a way of life than a style of music, it’s soul deep.
Gabi: Yes, it’s a part of us!!!! of our DNA!!
Rob: Hell yeah! And live shows are the pinnacle of that feeling. So as a fan and as an artist you get to experience both ends of that connection, What does it feel like being on stage and especially when the audience is really synched into the experience?
Gabi: Wow, That’s the best thing in the world! Our song “Like a Bomb” is about exactly that. I wrote it thinking about what you feel when you’re on stage!!! Connecting with the audience is the greatest source of adrenaline there is!
Rob: I hear a lot about that, I’m curious if coming off of that energetic high really wipes you out or does it just keep you charged and make it hard to sleep?
Gabi: That depends “on the neighborhood”. In my case, It definitely exhausts me, Because when you finish the concert you’re exhausted. You start packing up your gear, Take it to the venue, and when you’re done unloading the comedown is total!!!
And the next day returning to the routine is even worse, But what you experienced and felt that night, No one can take away from you!!!
Rob: I can only imagine. I go through what I call concert withdrawal after going to a show, the smaller the venue the more powerful it is. But for the next week I can’t decide what I want to do because all I want to do is go to another concert again. The experience of a good concert is unmatched in any other form of live entertainment.
Gabi: Hahahaha, exactly, the same thing happens to me!!!
In fact, Right now I like concerts in venues much more than those in big stadiums. With all the effort they require for me and my family, I’m no longer up for pushing, Spit, and chaos!!! The clubs are much better right now!!! at least for me.
Rob: I think small venue shows spoil fans. I go to Counts Vamp’d or The House Of Blues in Las Vegas and the shows there are so far superior to arena shows. Plus, They are more affordable for drinks and tickets.
Gabi: And they generate a much closer relationship between the fan and the bands!!
Rob: I totally agree. How old were you when you started playing guitar and who inspired you to be a musician?
Gabi: I started playing guitar when I was 16 and it was Slash who did this to me…
Slash, Zakk Wylde, Gary Moore… they are my mythical figures.
Rob: Slash is one of my all time favorite guitarists. I know I’m going to wreck some of my credibility saying this but I prefer Zakk Wylde over Randy Rhodes in terms of Ozzy’s guitarists. I like the albums he’s on more with the exception of blizzard of Ozz.
Gabi: Me too, I like the albums with Zakk better!!
Rob: Tell me about the history of the band, How did you all meet and how did the band form?
Gabi: I formed the band after closing a previous band of 15 years, Miss Diciembre. Two musical directions emerged: Some of us wanted to give more importance to the lyrics and melodies, and others wanted to make the band more Black Sabbath and more mystical direction, So we decided to separate. Three members decided to form “Rocket Queen” and put out ads looking for a bassist and singer and we immediately found them! That’s the lineup that recorded the first EP First Round with a formation of bass, keyboard and a single guitar.
Rob: When I was writing the review and going through the liner notes of your album it has listed you and Gaby as the two guitarists of the band but not really defining who does rhythm and who does the lead, Do you both do rhythm and lead or do each of you have your defined roles?
Gabi: We both play both roles. We both have an endless passion for the guitar, That’s why when the keyboardist left the band Gaby Rocketz switched from the bass to guitar and we took the band’s sound to something more hard. We both really enjoy playing both rhythm guitar riffs and solos and we share them.
Rob: It shows, the playing on the album is fantastic. Melody is king for me though and you guys have a great sense of melody in your songwriting.
Gabi: The lyrics and melodies are the most important part of our songs, They have to be the driving force behind the song. If you can’t sing the chorus we move on to the next one!
Rob: Spain is known for flamenco guitar playing, did you ever learn that style?
Gabi: Never… Electric guitar is my passion, The Gibson Les Paul is my wife!! hahahahaha
Rob: Accept no substitutes in my opinion. Sorry Fender Stratocaster players out there, Team Gibson Les Paul all the way
Gabi: hahahahaha
Rob: Judy wasn’t your first singer, What led to the departure of your prior singer and how did you come across her?
Gabi: Our first singer, Sandy, Was very, very young and her parents weren’t very keen on her spending part of her studies in a rock band. Our second singer, Sheila, Had personal problems that prevented her from continuing. Our bassist at the time introduced us to Judy, They shared an orchestra and it was love at first sight for both of us!
Rob: I didn’t know you had three singers, So I’m guessing it was Sheila and not Judy on the Back To The 80’s EP?
Gabi: No, Sheila couldn’t record anything with us!! Judy has recorded both, the EP Back To The 80’s and the LP One Last Night!!
Rob: That’s what I assumed, the voice sounded the same. Judy is great, She reminds me a lot of Lee Aaron.
Gabi: Yesss, she is a great singer and frontwoman!!!!
Rob: How long did this album take to record and how do songs come together for you guys?
Gabi: Gaby and I compose at home and bring the basics of the songs to the rehearsal room to develop together. For the songs Gaby composes, Once the basics are defined, I write the lyrics, and for the ones I compose, I bring everything together, including the music, melody, and lyrics. Then Judy comes (she lives in another city) and we teach her everything and she adapts it to her style and vocal register. The album took us a year to record, We all have jobs, Families, and Judy also lives abroad, so it’s complicated to fit it all in.
Rob: Do you guys record remotely or in a studio together?
Gabi: We all recorded the music together in the same studio, and Judy has been coming on weekends and holidays to record the vocals and the choruses. But Gaby and I were always present, As we are the ones in charge of producing the album. everything is self-produced and self-financed.
Rob: I imagine that gives you a greater degree of freedom than some bands get from record labels, these days record labels seem to want to own everything and do almost nothing which seems to me counterproductive for their own survival in a time when artists don’t need record labels.
Gabi: That’s right, There’s no one forcing you to do something you don’t want to do for the sake of the final product. But it’s also true that we don’t have the human or material means to get the best out of ourselves, Being aware that many times we know how we want it to sound, But we don’t know how to achieve it!!!
Rob: That’s the age old problem of an artist, we tend to have a vision and are constantly chasing it but often don’t quite achieve it the way we have it envisioned.
Gabi: Of course. None of us are sound professionals, But we try to make up for it with our enthusiasm, Affection, Hard work, and musical taste. I have dedicated hundreds of hours to this album from the beginning of each song in its origin in my head.
Rob: In any case you guys have a GREAT album, One of the years best so far in a year with some great releases and as great as your EP’s are I think One Last Night is on another level. What’s next for Rocket Queen? Anything you’d like to tell our reader’s about?
Gabi: This album was supposed to come out before the pandemic and look where we are! That’s why we don’t want to make any plans. Right now we’re focused on preparing the live shows, Which start on the 26th! But some new songs are in my head.
Rob: Here at The Rockpit we end our interviews with two questions, The first question is a two part question: If you could be there to witness the recording of one album recorded before the turn of the millennium and one recorded afterwards, Which two are you picking and why?
Gabi: Before: Van Halen’s first album from ’78 and Whitesnake’s 1987 album—I can’t choose one without the other.
Rob: Both are excellent choices, What is your pick for after the turn of the millennium?
Gabi: After: Queens Of The Stone Age first album (really is in 98) hahahahaha that album blew my head!!
Rob: Close enough to that timeline I guess, hahaha
Gabi: And a pure post millenium: Hardcore Supestar – Beg For It.
Rob: GREAT ALBUM
Gabi: YESSSS i hear it all every time at the gym.
Rob: Thank you very much Gabi for your time, it’s really been a pleasure to talk with you. I look forward to hearing more from you and your band in the future.
Gabi: Thank you so much, It has not only been a pleasure but also an honor to share this time together!!!
Rob: I appreciate that, thank you
