Jake E Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel have brought back original singer Darren James Smith – after four other vocalists had taken his place over five months.
He will front the band for their shows in September, then work on their second album, which is expected in early 2016.
Smith left in March and was replaced by Michael Beck, Chas West then Paul D’Eath, before Shawn Crosby last month said he hoped he’d become a permanent fixture.
Now the band say, “We would officially like to welcome Darren James Smith back to Red Dragon Cartel! He will be reuniting with the band for shows on September 6th and 10th in California, followed by a tour of Japan that begins on September 15th.
The band will be taking the rest of 2015 off from touring to hit the studio and start recording. The highly-anticipated second album from Jake and RDC will be ready for release in the first few months of 2016.”
additional source: classicrock.teamrock.com
11 Responses
Man, I’m glad I got my goofiness out on the Paul Stanley page because I don’t want to crack a joke at Jake’s expense. He dropped off the face of the earth for so long and I was so thrilled he finally got back into the game but he’s had a lot of trouble with keeping a band together. I personally think Jake’s name alone is enough, meaning he should just do another solo album. If Red Dragon Cartel becomes stable and can grow into a viable band with a real future, then more power to them. But at the end of the day, Jake is the star and the one everyone is there to see. I want Jake to succeed so badly, not just because I’ve been a fan since I was 14 but also because I hate what Sharon Osbourne did to him so much. Sure, that’s ancient history and he bounced back with Badlands, a band I really liked. But even that didn’t last. He should have had the career Zakk has had, but things just didn’t work out for him the way they did for Zakk. I’m pulling for him and hope the best for him.
And if Ozzy has a heart and the guts to stand up to his old lady, he would demand Jake gets the full credit and publishing for BARK AT THE MOON that he is owed, plus intrest. . The Osbournes are filthy rich, so what would it hurt?
If he got Stephen Pearcy, Jake could have revived and renamed the band Mickey Ratt, from their San Diego days.
Kidding aside, I agree with James K. Glad Jake is back in the music world, after being away for so long, and hope he remains playing for a long, long time. He’s a great talent that, unfortunately, hasn’t had the career his talents deserve.
Wow, this is one long-awaited reunion. Forget Led Zep, GNR, or Journey with Steve Perry – I’ve had my heart set on Seeing Darren James SMith get back into the cartel …for a whole month!
I saw them last month in nj.less than half the venue was filled.no alcohol was served.Jake played for about an hour and was done.the band seemed upset about the no Bozz thing but I didn’t care I saw Jake front row do bark at the moon solo five feet away from me.priceless.rock on Jake..
This is Spinal Tap(esq) with the exception of exploding drummers, it is the revolving door singers. Jake should scrap the whole deal, come back as a solo artist and get the equivalence of a mulligan ( do-over for you non-golfers). The joke of the singers has become the focal point, not the music. I saw Jake with Ozzy in Germany for the Ultimate Sin tour and he is a presence. This poor decision making regarding singers is making me wonder if it is the same poor decision making in the past that led to him being screwed out of royalties for BATM. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.