Rock N Roll Relics Presents: Part One: Behind the Mystery Randy Rhoads brown Stratocaster. An intimate interview about a guitar and the man who became the rock-n-roll James Dean of a generation.
As the owner of the guitar brand Rock N Roll Relics, founding Jetboy guitarist Billy Rowe is better known these days for building guitars for the likes of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Gilby Clarke, Bruce Kulick, Glen Campbell and REM’s Peter Buck.
Always ready to tackle anything guitar-related, Rowe was more recently approached to do a project that would include shedding some light on the mysterious brown Fender Stratocaster Randy Rhoads is pictured with in some historic photos from his Quiet Riot days.
Considering the project was proposed by no less than Rhoads’ very first guitar tech/roadie, Harold Friedman, Rowe had no choice but to jump at the offer.
“When Harold got in touch with me, the only thing I could say was, YES!” Rowe said. “Being a big Randy fan, this is an honor for me. We wanted to share the story about this guitar, because it has so much mystery around it with very little to no details about it until now.”
To help tell the story, Rowe called on his old friend and fellow guitarist Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns fame.
“Tracii and I go way back and I know he’s a huge Randy Rhoads fan, so he’s the first person I thought of to do the video with Harold,” Rowe said.
This project will lead up to a limited run of 25 replica guitars built by Rock N Roll Relics in memory of Randy. “I approached Rock n Roll Relics after searching for a boutique guitar manufacturer that I thought could do justice to this project.” Friedman said.
The project will also donate portion of the money to go towards helping kids buy instruments who otherwise couldn’t afford them. “Inspiring kids or anyone for that matter to be able to play music is something Randy would have done on his own if he was still with us,” Friedman said.
Part One of this intimately unique story about one of rock’s greatest guitarist and the mystery surrounding the brown Stratocaster is below. Enjoy and watch below.
Keith Valcourt of the Washington Times spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk and Sean McNabb about Ronnie James Dio at the Roll for Ronnie bowling tournament which raised money for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund. The interview appears in its entirety below.
Question: You were friends with Ronnie. What does a night like tonight mean to you?
Eddie Trunk: When Ronnie passed away, his wife Wendy asked me to host his memorial, which to me was one of the greatest honors I ever had. When I see pictures from that, it is still surreal to me.
Ever since she has asked me to host the fundraising events. I was a fan first and foremost, but over the years Ronnie and I became friends. Wendy said over the years Ronnie enjoyed my company. To be called on to do this sort of stuff is an honor, and it’s important. Not only to the cause to raise funds but because it keeps his memory alive and keeps the spotlight on his legacy.
Q: What brings you here tonight, Sean?
Sean McNabb: I’m a board member on the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up [and Shout] Cancer Fund. I have been for two years now. We’re here to raise money for cancer research. The cool thing is it actually goes to research. How cool would it be if there was a saliva strip that you could get as a marker for cancer? It’s all about early detection. You could have strips for use at home. The money goes to research and development of that at UCLA.
Q: How did you get involved?
SM: I have been a Dio “family” member since I joined Quiet Riot when I was 20 years old. I’m fifty one now. It’s been an amazing journey with this family.
Q: What do you remember about the first time you met him?
SM: I remember a very gracious human being who showed me how to carry myself. I had only been in local bar bands until then. Suddenly I got national gig. We flew to this Japan Aid 2 concert, and I just watched him and how he carried himself. He showed a lot of us how to carry ourselves and deal with people.
Q: You interviewed him a bunch of times and hung out with him, but did you ever bowl with him?
ET: No, I never bowled with him. (Laughs) Many pints and dinners over the years, but I never did bowl with him. Did he bowl?
Q: [Dio guitarist] Craig Goldy told he would bowl late at night after shows.
ET: I did not know that. That’s awesome. Because I live in New Jersey and he lived here, we got together at press junkets or at shows. We talked on the phone, but I never lived in proximity to say, “Hey, let’s go bowling.” If I had, I’m sure we would have.
Q: What is the one thing you know from hanging out with him people would be surprised about?
ET: He was a ballbuster. He had a sense of humor and loved to wind me up. I think people that don’t know him look at the heavy music and think he was dark and serious. But he loved to bust my balls.
The other thing some people don’t know he was a huge sports fan. Loved sports. He was Yankees fan; I’m a Mets fan. He told me some of his biggest songs were written and inspired by him watching sports. Stand Up and Shout is the [sports] crowd standing up.
Q: What do you miss most about Ronnie?
ET: The music and the friendship. Going to shows. Sitting backstage with him talking. Watching him sing so brilliantly. I miss his friendship and support.
He’s been gone for a little while now, but it still doesn’t feel like he’s gone. He is so much a part of the things that we do. Without trying, I always play one of his songs, whether it’s Rainbow, Sabbath or Dio on my shows.
Q: What are you working on now?
ET: I’ve got six radio shows on Sirius XM [and] a brand-new channel there called Volume on Channel 106. All talk about music. I do a live daily show there.
Then the Monday night show on Hair Nation. Plus my FM syndicated show and my podcast. And I’m hosting a show on AXS TV called Reel to Reel. It’s all music documentary films.
Q: Do you miss doingThat Metal Show,” and is there any way it will ever return?
ET: I miss it more than anything, and I hope it comes back. There is a way. And that way is really simple: We just need to find somebody at a network that believes in it and wants to do a rock talk show on TV. As popular as the show was, it is still hard to find that person.
Q: What do you think of the Guns N’ Roses reunion tour?
ET: It was great. I saw the first regular show in Vegas. I thought they were amazing. It is incredible how drama-free the tour has been. No late start times. Nobody complaining. The band sounded great.
People said Axl couldn’t sing anymore, and he is singing great. It’s great for rock ‘n’ roll. I’m curious to see where it goes from here.
Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler was a recent guest on Eddie’s Sirius/XM show, Trunk Nation. Highlights from the interview below (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net).
On reuniting with his former bandmates Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan for guest appearances at several shows during Guns N’ Roses’ 2016 Not In This Lifetime tour:
Adler: “Last year was just so fabulous, because I wanted this… Everybody knows that I’ve been praying for this for twenty-five years for us to have a reunion. It was something that was so magical, and I’m so proud of what we did, and I’m so proud of the guys. It was just too hard last year, ’cause they’d have me come down and do just one or two songs, and it’s, like, I’m standing on the side of the stage and I’m watching Frank [Ferrer, current Guns N’ Roses drummer], who’s a wonderful guy and a great drummer, play my songs when I’m standing right there. I’m going, ‘Dude, why don’t you f–king let me play? I’m right here! Let me play the songs.’ And it was just too hard to do that. And then the South American thing, flying fifteen thousand miles for just one song each night. It was just too much. But the great part about that trip was after the second show, I put on a private show at a club called Roxy in Argentina, and we played from two to five in the morning. We had all these guitar players and different great musicians come up. We played all of Appetite [For Destruction], we did You Could Be Mine, Don’t Cry… a couple of the songs that I [was] a part of writing but didn’t get to play on it.”
Talking about when he was first approached about being involved with the reunion tour:
Adler: “Well, it was January 2nd, 2016, and Slash and Duff both texted me and said that they wanted to get together and talk to me. So I went down to Duff’s house and we had a nice little talk. They had me sign some contract thing and whatnot just so they could talk to me, which is cool; I don’t care. Then in March I came down to rehearsal, and the second rehearsal, I got a pinched nerve in my L4 in my lower back. But I was only out for ten days. By the time they did The Troubadour show, I was ready to go. I called Duff up and I said, ‘Dude, I’m ready to rock. Can I do these shows?’ They had The Troubadour and they had, like, seven other shows. And he said, ‘No, you’re not gonna be part of this.’ I was, like, ‘F–k you!’ and I hung up on him. And I called him back and I said, ‘I’m sorry. I was just angry at myself. I feel like I ruined it for myself, and I was just saying mean things to you because that’s how I felt about me.’ You know, I [was] trying to move forward. And so one day, I think, like, July 3rd or July 4th, they called me and said, ‘You wanna come down to Cincinnati and Nashville?’ And I said, ‘Yeah. When?’ And they said, ‘Tomorrow.’ So, of course, I got on a plane, I went, I got to jam with them, and it was great. It’s just not the same. I was thinking it was gonna be the same as it was twenty-five years ago, but not having Izzy [Stradlin, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist] there, and just playing one or two songs, it was very hurtful and heartbreaking for me. And Richard [Fortus, current Guns N’ Roses guitarist] is a phenomenal guitar player — he’s a great guitar player — and the crazy thing is, from ten feet away, he f–king looks like Izzy. And they asked me to go to… they said either Japan or Australia or Thailand, and I said I’m not gonna fly twenty thousand miles to play one or two songs. It’s just too much.”
Was he paid for his guest appearance?:
Adler: “Oh, yeah. They gave me a couple of bucks. They’re good guys with that. But still, to be on the side of the stage and to watch somebody else play the songs, it’s heartbreaking.”
On why he thinks he wasn’t allowed to play more songs and at more shows:
Adler: “Dude, I was in Argentina. Why would they let me play [only] one song? I have no idea. And out of respect for Fernando [Lebeis, who is part of Guns N’ Roses’ management team], I have nothing negative to say, ’cause I was just so glad to be able to do it. And even though it wasn’t what it could be and should be, I got closure. And I feel so much better — like there’s a billion-ton weight lifted off of me, where I can move forward again. I can play with other people, I can do other things, and it’s the greatest thing. I’ve been practicing the four agreements [essential steps on the path to personal freedom] for the last three years, and it’s changed my life. I’m a totally happier person. I’m the person when I was young, a teenager, and excited, and had dreams and goals and wanted to do things. And I like it. Before, all I wanted to do was do a fucking reunion. And I got to do what I got to do, and I’m thankful for that.”
Did he ever ask the GN’R management team why he couldn’t play more songs?:
Adler: “Of course! I’d start playing another f–king song, and they’d tell me to get off. They’d say, ‘Okay, you’re done.’ And I’d start playing another song, and they’d just turned the sound of. ‘Beat it. You’re done.’ I was, like, ‘Okay, cool.’ I got to do that. It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, and I got to rock with those guys. And I love Slash and Duff and Axl, and I got to meet some great people that are working with them. And Fernando, who is GN’R’s main guy, he’s got some good ideas for hopefully this summer, for the thirtieth anniversary [of Appetite For Destruction] in July, something for the fans. I don’t know what it is, but he’s a good guy, and I think he’s gonna do the right thing… And there never will be an explanation [for why I can’t play more songs with them]. It is what it is, and that’s that.”
On what it was like seeing Axl Rose for the first time after he came down to play with Guns N’ Roses in Cincinnati last July:
Adler: “I only talked to Axl for literally ten seconds. The first night I played with them in Cincinnati, I got a fistbump and a little smile, and that was good enough for me. And then at Dodger Stadium [in Los Angeles], I got to give him a little hug and shake his hand and say I love him and he f–king rules and ‘thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I had the greatest time.’ And he walked on his way. And I went on with my life. And I’ve been enjoying it ever since. He’s Axl. He does his show and he gets so passionate and such emotion that he really just needs to relax and come down for at least an hour, ’cause he is a monster on stage. And he puts out so much feeling that he becomes those songs. And he’s been fabulous at it. And Slash and Duff are so much fun. When we’re together at soundheck, the crew was all, ‘Jesus Christ! You’ve gotta come down more, ’cause the only time these guys ever smile or have fun is when you’re here.’ And I was saying, ‘I would love to.’ But it is what it is.”
Discussing why he thinks Izzy Straddling decided not to get involved in the reunion:
Adler: “Because he wants to do it like me — the right way or not at all. And the reason I did it and needed to do it was because I got kicked out of the band for reasons I still don’t know. To say that I’m a drug addict in that band and getting kicked out for drugs is ridiculous. They were doing drugs way more than me, so it’s like calling the kettle black. But it was different stuff. Axl wanted more control of the thing. Then he wanted control of Izzy, and then he wanted control of Slash and Duff, and so one at a time everybody left until it was the Axl Rose band. But he still called it Guns N’ Roses. And I don’t blame him — I would too, ’cause that name is worth billions. So I’d use it if I could myself. [Laughs] I’d get Steven Tyler to sing though. [Laughs] Like I said, [Izzy] wants to do it the right way, with the five of us, and I needed to do it, because I neeed closure. I got kicked out, and all of a sudden… I had a road crew, I had management, I had accountants, I had stage people, I had a band, and then one day, literally in one afternoon, I had nobody — I was all alone. And I was scared shitless. I didn’t know what to do. What do I do? All I knew was what I was doing. And then I was left all alone. So being able to at least play the one or two songs at the five shows I did was severe closure for me.”
Talking about whether he had any interaction with the other guys and gals in the band — Dizzy Reed (keyboards), Melissa Reese (keyboards) and Richard — before he walked out on stage with GUNS N’ ROSES in Cincinnati:
Adler: “Oh, dude. The reason they fit perfect in that band is ’cause they’re like f–king ghosts. ‘Cause Axl doesn’t wanna see nobody. I would walk into the studio, I’d say hi to them, and then I’d turn around, and they’d be gone. And then when I was done playing, all of a sudden, [they’d be there] again. And I’m, like, ‘Where did you go?’ Very nice people — very quiet, just the way Axl likes it: nice and quiet.”
As previously reported, Art Of Anarchy, featuring new singer, Scott Stapp (Creed), will be releasing their new album, The Madness, on March 24th.
The band has posted a new lyric video for the gripping track No Surrender, which is also the instant-grat track, along with The Madness on all digital pre-orders starting tomorrow, Feb 24th. Listen to the song, below.
Stapp states: In No Surrender, I addressed those moments in life where you’ve reached a personal crossroads or crisis. That place where your back is against the wall and your left with two choices; cave in and crumble allowing whatever circumstance to break you forever, or to rise up and fight through holding on to that never give up spirit that lies deep within. I detail in the verses personal experiences, as I lived them, that have taken me to that critical place of choice. Am I to give up, stay down and fade away or get up, fight on and never surrender.”
To watch a video for The Madness, please click here.
Kim Allegrezza of AXS spoke with legendary guitarist Michael Schenker. Portions of the interview appear below.
AXS: We have been listening to Michael Schenker Fest Live Tokyo all week, watching the DVD too. We are really enjoying it. It is guitar heaven! How did it feel getting to perform with all those guys again?
Michael Schenker: It was fantastic. We started about three years ago, we had Graham Bonnet opening up for MSG. Then we decided to have him do a couple of songs with us. I was playing all my original music from the past, all my most popular Michael Schenker Group music and I thought wouldn’t it be great if I could get Robin and Graham and Gary on stage with me and make The Michael Schenker Fest. I’ve been in celebration mode, it is the third part of my life. The first part of my life was unconsciously developing things in the 70s that were later used and commercialized by other bands in the 80s. In the middle part of my life I withdrew. Now I am in the place where I am consciously enjoying what I unconsciously created in the first part of my life. I can see the three stages. I can mark them all. The second part of my life was about experimenting and developing as a person. It was out of that, in the third part of my life, I understand things now. You know, who I am and what I did. People seem to be ready to receive it now too, the celebration is growing by the minute. It seems like it is picking up now and we are going to the next level. We are already getting offers from the UK and Germany for dates. We even have someone investigating a tour in the United States. It is looking really good too. So we will do this thing in Europe in October, November and maybe get to you in February or March. It is a huge undertaking and there is a lot that goes into putting the shows together. The promoters need time to do things the right way. But everything is developing and we are moving forward. I am so happy I decided to do the DVD. The venue in Tokyo was sold out immediately and it is such a beautiful venue, I am just so glad I did it. Because if I didn’t record it nobody would have, it would just be a memory or a clip on YouTube.
AXS: Between UFO, The Scorpions and your solo stuff you have had quite the career. What are you most proud of or what stands out as a favorite memory?
M.S.: I am just very happy in general as a musician. My whole life has been an incredible journey. I’ve been able to taste everything there is and as a result my life’s design, my life’s structure was meant to be in three stages. I think everybody has a custom-made set of circumstances, not everyone recognizes this. I am a very conscious person so I can see the steps very clearly. I could understand what was happening. I am very happy with everything that has happened. You have to have those challenges in life to be your teachers. Without them you might as well not even come to this planet. You have to have the challenges, they are the way to build muscle in your head. It is an amazing set up, this so-called world. The older you get you can look back over things with common sense and see how it was all put together, everything starts clicking. You can actually understand what happened in your life and why it happened. It is very interesting.
Michael Schenker Fest “Live” Tokyo will be released on March 24th. It was filmed and recorded at Tokyo’s International Forum August 24th, 2016 and will be available on 2 CDs, 2 CD/DVD combo, LP, DVD, Blu-Ray and digital.
Ruben Mosqueda of Sleaze Roxx spoke with guitarist Steve Brown (Trixter). Highlights from the interview appear below.
Sleaze Roxx: I remember seeing Trixter was all over Metal Edge magazine, which focused on the hard rock acts of the time. I remember hearing rumors that Trixter was a fabricated band like The Monkees or something. Obviously, in that era, we didn’t have internet and our resources were limited.
Steve Brown: [Laughs] Man, that’s the furthest thing from the truth [laughs]! Trixter is a band that I started when I was 12 years old in 1983. We had been playing clubs for years before we got our record deal. We paid our dues, but there were a lot of bitter people that discounted us because of our ages. People were like “Who are these guys?! They’re 18 years old and they have a record deal?!” Then we got regular rotation on MTV and we had a #1 video on MTV, then we toured with Poison, then Scorpions. We were definitely not a ‘fabricated’ band in any way, shape or form.
Sleaze Roxx: Another thing that was floating out there about Trixter is that you guys were in your mid-20s but were claiming to be 18.
Steve Brown: I think people didn’t think kids could play instruments? I think that comes with the territory when you put yourself out there like that you know? I found that people that don’t want you to succeed will got out of their way to say whatever it takes to bring you down.
Sleaze Roxx: Steve, you were also part of a Van Halen tribute act. Was that something you put together or was it already in place when you came into the picture?
Steve Brown: It was already established. I played in a Van Halen tribute band with Ricky McCoy who played in Fan Halen and The Atomic Punks for a little bit. I really think that Ricky is just as good as Ralph Saenz or is it Michael Starr? Anyway, Ricky called me up to see if I wanted to do the gig and Van Halen is my favorite band in the world so why not? We played a lot of really cool shows and it was such a blast doing it.
Sleaze Roxx: So how did the [Def] Leppard gig come about? Does the phone ring and they ask you to audition?
Steve Brown: Not at all. Those guys are like family to me. Most people don’t know this but I go back with Def Leppard to about 1988 when they were touring behind Hysteria. Phil Collen is a like a brother to me. When Vivian [Campbell] was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, Phil said to the Leppard guys, “I have the guy that can step in while Viv is undergoing treatment. Let’s call Steve.” I was also friends with Joe [Elliott] and I think it helped that he was a fan of one of my other band 50 Ft Ringo. I think he knew I had the voice to do it. I truly believe that I got the gig not because of my ability as a guitarist but more because of my vocal ability. So I got the call in early 2013. I learned the entire set and fine tuned my parts and began playing some gigs with them in 2014.
Sleaze Roxx: What was the most difficult song to learn for you?
Steve Brown: I will say this; the Def Leppard catalog is not the easiest thing to learn. There’s some very intricate guitar parts, very unique guitar parts. Steve Clark wrote things in shapes and boxes that I haven’t played before. So it was challenging for sure. I have said this to friends of mine that are guitarists, “Man, the Leppard gig isn’t as easy as you think it is.” It was a challenge to dig in and learn the Mutt Lange/Def Leppard collection. They are not your typical ‘cookie cutter’ rock and roll band. They have an unique way of writing songs.
Sleaze Roxx: And most recently you performed on The Monsters of Rock Cruise with Danger Danger.
Steve Brown: I did. In fact, I played a couple of gigs with them last year. Let’s just say that I will probably wind up doing a lot more with them in the future.
Sleaze Roxx: So that tells me that you’re going to be a permanent fixture in the band?
Steve Brown: [Pauses] Well, we’ll see how it goes but they know I’m willing to do it. I love that band and Bruno [Ravel], Steve [West] and Ted [Poley] are like brothers to me.
Sleaze Roxx: Danger Danger is an incredibly underrated band.
Steve Brown: I agree. Much like [Def] Leppard, their songs are trickier than you think they are. It was a blast studying the Danger Danger set because it’s some incredible melodic hard rock.
Sleaze Roxx: You remember the first idol that you met?
Steve Brown: Oh, the first full on “rock star” that I ever met was Jon Bon Jovi. He was a hero of ours and he later became a close friend. He helped us out early in our career. Still to this day, I use Jon as a benchmark as to how to be. I remember Jon used to call us and give us pointers. Jon was actually instrumental in getting us on the Scorpions tour in ’91 as Doc McGhee was also managing the Scorpions at the time. Jon put in a good word for us and I remember the first night of the tour running into Rudolf Schenker and he said “You guys remind me of Bon Jovi. You’re young and hungry!”
Next after that it was meeting Eddie Van Halen at the NAMM in ’91. I got to spend some time with him. We became fast friends. In ‘92, we were making the second Trixter record [‘Hear’] and I got invited to his Malibu house where I got to play volleyball with him and drink beer [laughs]! It’s unbelievable and we’ve had a lot of great times together.
. On reuniting with his ... )
, will be releasing their new album, The Madness, on March 24th. The band has posted a new lyric video for the gripping ... )
. Highlights from the interview appear below. Sleaze Roxx: I remember seeing Trixter was all over Metal Edge magazine, which ... )
