Q + A: Portsmouth band is hard rocking "Black Winged Butterfly"

Sekshun 8 is a hard rocking band out of Portsmouth. Its members – former classmates at Woodrow Wilson High School  – are brothers Jason Tippins, lead vocals, and Jeff Tippins, drums, and Eric Briggs on bass and Jimmy Muhlenbruch on guitar.

Then there’s John – think Iron Maiden’s Eddie, the zombielike mascot for that heavy metal band. You can see John on Sekshun 8’s November 2008 full-length release, “Black Winged Butterfly.” “John is a little more of a teddy bear than Eddie,” Muhlenbruch said during a lively conference call with the band.

On the album, the band received production and backing vocal help from Stevie “Vann” Lange. Lange, who was married to record producer Mutt Lange, has served as backing vocalist for several well-known artists, including Elton John and Def Leppard.

During a music industry convention, “Jason and Jeff went out to L.A. to promote a stripped-down version of the CD and was lined up with a mentor,” Muhlenbruch said. That mentor was Stevie.

“She listened to us and said, 'I think you guys got something here. Let’s do some work,’” he said. On April 19, Sekshun 8 will take the stage at the Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach opening for Y&T. This is how they answered our questions:

What’s the best and worst thing about the Hampton Roads music scene?

The best thing about the HR music scene is that we seem to get new fans with every show. The worst thing about the HR music scene is that we seem to be an outcast. We are a band that plays its own music, and it truly has its own sound.

Where does the band get its inspiration?

We derive our inspiration from the numerous drugs that none of us has ever taken, nor wanted to take, but would only imagine the experience of taking.

Does the band have a pre-gig ritual?

We used to engage in midget tossing, but we ran out of midgets, so we’ve sacrificed that lunacy and began having a drink together.

Has the band ever been stiffed by a venue? What happened?

Every show we get stiffed because we are playing for exposure right now.

Patty Jenkins, (757) 446-2298, patty.jenkins@pilotonline.com