Jan Kuehnemund, lead guitarist of the all-female rock band Vixen, knows bikers and rock 'n' roll go hand in hand. "Bike festivals are always a lot of fun," Kuehnemund said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. "I'm not a biker myself, but our first album, 'Vixen,' has a cool motorcycle on the cover.
" Vixen will play at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Guitarist Gilby Clarke -- of Guns 'N Roses and the newly formed supergroup Supernova -- will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday.
The festival also will include a biker build-off, a motorcycle show, a biker burn-off, a bikini contest and a biker parade. Rick Fairless will be the guest celebrity bike builder; he has appeared in "Biker Build-Off" on the Discovery Channel and "Texas Hardtails" on the Speed Channel. Vixen broke out in 1988 with MTV favorite "Edge of a Broken Heart" and later had the hits "Cryin" and "Love Is a Killer.
" The band has three albums: "Vixen," "Rev
Paul, Minn., said she was inspired by the musicians in her home state. "Bob Dylan and Prince are from Minnesota, so they were both definitely an inspiration to me," she said.
The band -- guitarist Kuehnemund, singer Jenna Sanz-Agero, drummer Kat Kraft and bassist Lynn Louise Lowrey -- has been playing songs from its upcoming album during a European tour. "We barely got back from Madrid," Kuehnemund said. "The music scene is great there, and the people loved us and we had a great time.
" Two of Vixen's best-known songs, "Edge of a Broken Heart" and "Love Is a Killer," appeared in the group's first live album and DVD, which was filmed at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2005. "Our music is melodic with a hard edge," Kuehnemund said. "Our music is based on real-life experiences, and sometimes dreams.
" Sanz-Agero writes most of the lyrics, though Kuehnemund and Lowrey contributed heavily to the latest album. The band also covers David Bowie's "Suffragette City" on the new disc. "Our producer Dennis Mac-Kay, who's an independent producer from England, worked on the original recording with Bowie, and he recommended that we do it," Kuehnemund said.
"We are very proud of that." Carlos Flores, owner of Premiere Entertainment and coordinator of the event, said he wanted to put together an event that would bring bikers together. "There are many bikers in the area," he said.
"And many people were complaining that there wasn't a bike fest in the area." "The Rio Grande goes through Albuquerque and El Paso," he said. "So we would call the fest in Albuquerque the North Rio Grande Rock-N-Roar Bikefest.
" Like Kuehnemund, Flores said bikers and rock 'n' roll are a natural fit, which is why Vixen and Clarke will make the weekend special. "Supernova has been such a big deal that we had to bring Clarke down ..
. and he's a biker," Flores said. "He rides his bike from Los Angeles to bike fests around the country.
We got Vixen because they play some great soft metal and because they are an all-female band that looks great in their late 30s. This is the kind of music that bikers listen to." "Flores bringing in Rick Fairless is amazing.
He is a high-profile bike builder," said Tim Hanlon, vice president of Mean Street Products, a manufacturer of high-end suspension products for the custom motorcycle industry. "That's the type of talent that people want to see." Flores said about 5,000 people attended last year's bikefest.
This year, he expects 15,000 fans over the two-day event. "You'd be surprised to see families going crazy over this show," he said. "The young kids love the motorcycles and enjoy taking pictures with the bikers.
" Humberto J. Vergara may be reached at hvergara@elpasotimes.com; 546-6354.
m. Sunday. Vixen will play at 8 p.
m. Saturday and Clarke will perform at 7 p.m.
Sunday.
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