Your front-row seat to my nervous breakdown
Originally published on Dec 15, 2015 at SoundSpike.com
Back in the early ’90s, Richie Kotzen replaced the original guitarist in the band Poison for about five minutes, and if his brief and unlikely stint with that hair-metal outfit is the only thing for which you know him, then you don’t know him at all. In fact, you’ve probably got the wrong impression.
Photo by Jon Zal
Originally published on April 23, 2002 at SoundSpike.com
In addition to being the singer, bassist and marketer extraordinaire for rock juggernaut KISS, Gene Simmons is also a self-proclaimed egomaniac.
Originally published on September 25, 2001 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
A decade ago, Seal broke through on the American music scene with the hit single “Crazy,” a song that helped propel the British singer’s self-titled debut to sales of over 1 million copies in the U.S. alone. Even greater success followed with his 1994 release, also titled “Seal,” which spawned the massive hit “Kiss from a Rose” and went on to ship over 4 million copies in the U.S.
Originally published on July 18, 2001, at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
Almost two years after his short-lived gig as the third frontman for Van Halen ended, Gary Cherone has reemerged with his new quintet, Tribe of Judah. And while the pairing of Cherone and Van Halen was deemed a mismatch by many fans and critics alike, the singer’s new project seems to be a perfect fit for his theatrical stage persona and eclectic musical tastes.
Originally published on October 24, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
Over the past three decades, Sammy Hagar has established himself as one of rock-and-roll’s best-known figures. His history encompasses an early ’70s stint fronting Montrose, a successful solo run in the mid-’80s that yielded such hits as “I’ll Fall in Love Again,” “One Way to Rock” and “I Can’t Drive 55,” and an 11-year term at the helm of Van Halen.
Originally published on March 17, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
It’s 10:40am on a Thursday, and KISS frontman Paul Stanley, calling from his hotel room, sounds tired — which, admittedly, he has every reason to be; he’s just two days away from launching his group’s final tour, and has spent weeks preparing for a show that involves running around in seven-inch platform boots, flying on the end of cables, and dodging more bombs and pillars of flame than one might expect to encounter during a small war.
Originally published on March 1, 2000 at Ticketmaster’s LiveDaily.com
At the age of 31, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has accomplished more than any musician could ever realistically hope to — and he’s done so twice. Grohl’s initial rise to fame occurred while seated behind the drum kit in Nirvana. After recording just one studio album with the band — 1991’s phenomenally successful “Nevermind” — he became a rock star overnight. In those days, he was known as the shaggy-haired skins-basher who flailed wildly behind Kurt Cobain. And while Cobain’s inability to cope with Nirvana’s success resulted in his tragic suicide, Grohl’s path forked in an entirely different direction.
