VIXEN Releases Music Video For 'You Ought To Know By Now'

Classic '80s rock veterans VIXEN have released a video for the song "You Ought To Know By Now". The track is featured on the band's new live album, "Live Fire", which was released earlier this month via Rat Pak Records. The clip was filmed live on June 17 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California and was produced and directed by Shane Stanley.

VIXEN drummer Roxy Petrucci told I'm Music Magazine about "You Ought to Know By Now": "It's a tune that we played back in the day when Jan [Kuehnemund, late VIXEN guitarist] was in the band. I don't know why we never recorded it, but we did it live and it's actually on YouTube and Jan is in it. It's such a great tune and I thought that we should record it. We did and I think that's how we attracted Rat Pak Records. They're VIXEN fans too and they wanted to get behind us."

Mixed by Michael Wagener, "Live Fire" features 12 live tracks and was recorded at Chicago's legendary Arcada Theater during the group's successful 2017 tour. In addition to the classic VIXEN songs, the effort also includes the aforementioned studio version of "You Ought To Know By Now", an all-new studio acoustic version of the hit song "Edge Of A Broken Heart" and a live version of a previously unreleased track called "Big Brother".

VIXEN's current lineup features three of the members that recorded the band's 1988 self-titled debut and its follow-up, 1990's "Rev It Up".

"I think Jan would want us to carry on the name because every show that we play, people think of her," singer Janet Gardner told the Chicago Tribune. "It keeps her alive in people's memories. It feels really great in that way. Plus, we're just having a great time out there doing it still."

More than four years after announcing its reunion, VIXEN has yet to begin tracking its comeback studio album. Bassist Share Pedersen told Finland's Kaaos TV about the band's plans for a new studio disc: "It's gone back and forth and in and out and around a few times, because when we initially got together, we were getting together and waiting for Jan, our original guitar player, and then she died of cancer. And so we carried on with Gina [Stile], and so then we started writing with that, and then band things change and stuff happens, and we decided to wish her the best and now we're moving forward with Britt [Brittany Denaro a.k.a. Britt Lightning]. So, rather than waiting to write another album, we decided to [release a] live [record] first for right now. And now we'll start putting ideas around together. We had to kind of get used to Britt as well, and she's phenomenal and she plays great and everything. So now we're gonna start putting our heads together and riffs and thoughts and lyrics."

According to Share, there are "no concrete plans" for VIXEN to return to the studio. "There's nothing on the schedule or anything like that, but we are talking about it, for sure," she explained. Gardner added: "There's no record company or anybody telling us what kind of record to make or when it has to be done or anything. We're just gonna take our time and try to make a great record."

VIXEN is:

Janet Gardner (vocals)
Roxy Petrucci (drums)
Share Ross (bass)
Britt Lightning (guitars)

Photo credit: Mark Weiss