Hendrix performing on the Dutch television show Hoepla in 1967
I have had many conversations about Jimi throughout the years. There are those who laud his playing, and those who deeply criticize him. Myself, however, have a different opinion on Mr. Hendrix.
I believe that Jimi played the heart and soul. He felt the music coursing throughout his every fiber and was able to bring that out through his writing and playing, and that was good enough.
I don’t feel he was the greatest or most technical player. I feel that he felt the guitar talking to him and he listened to it and not the limitations the musical world had imposed, and that was good enough.
I have said before and I stand by it, music lives within all of us, some of us listen, and some hit the mute button. Jimi turned it up to 15 and beyond. You can see the magic in his live performances. When Jimi, Mitch Mitchell, and Noel Redding took the stage it was a spectacle to behold.
In conclusion, Jimi was not the greatest guitarist ever (I don’t think that title can ever be granted to one guitarist) but he did pave the way for others to realize it was ok to experiment and take their music to new levels. He influenced so many guitarists that I to think he is a legendary guitarist but not the best ever.
If you want to see musicians truly lost in their craft check out this video for “Purple Haze”. Put it on the big screen, turn it up as loud as you can, and stare into their faces, you’ll see what I mean:
Be true to the music within, it your friend that will be with you no matter what.
Frontiers Records has just released a video of Red Dragon Cartel members Jake E. Lee, Ronnie Mancuso, Darren James Smith, Jonas Fairley telling the tale of how Red Dragon Cartel came to be. Check it out it’s pretty cool:
RED DRAGON CARTEL RELEASE VIDEO FOR “DECEIVED” FROM BAND’S UPCOMING SELF-TITLED DEBUT OUT ON JANUARY 28th
Band Set To Hit The Road For The First Time This March
(New York, NY – January 21, 2014) – Red Dragon Cartel have been making waves since the band announced the release of their upcoming debut last year. Now, the band made up of guitar legend Jake E. Lee, bassist Ronnie Mancuso, singer D.J. Smith and drummer Jonas Fairley are unveiling their debut video for the song “Deceived.” The song comes from their soon-to-be-released Frontiers Records album Red Dragon Cartel out on January 28th. The video for the song can be seen at and fans that pre-order the album digitally on iTunes at http://smarturl.it/reddragoncartelreceive the song as an instant download. The album is also available for pre-order on Amazon.com at http://amzn.to/1aYjMng.
Jake E. Lee is best known for his work in Badlands and as guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne on Bark at the Moon and The Ultimate Sin albums. Red Dragon Cartel also features various guest appearances from some of music’s most notable faces including legendary Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander, original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, Kill Devil Hill/Pantera bassist Rex Brown, Sass Jordan, Slash’s Conspirators Todd Kearns and Brent Fitz and In This Moment front woman Maria Brink. The album was produced by Ronnie Mancuso and Jake E. Lee and was executive produced, mixed and mastered by Kevin Churko (In This Moment, Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch).
Red Dragon Cartel will be hitting the road in the road in March to showcase Jake E Lee’s return to the world. The tour kicks off March 5th in Tempe, AZ and runs all the way through April 6th, where it wraps up in Seneca, NY. The tour will make stops in Oklahoma City, Houston, Raleigh and Philadelphia to name a few. The band will also be heading over to Europe where they are confirmed to perform at this year’s Download Festival in Donnington, England and the famed Sweden Rock Festival. More dates are being added around the world as the band looks to bring the music of Red Dragon Cartel to every corner of the globe.
From the opening riff of “Deceived” to final sustained piano chord of “Exquisite Tenderness,” it is clear Red Dragon Cartel has created an album that stands amongst some of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. Infectious songs such as “Shout It Out,” “Wasted” and “Slave” showcase the band’s ability to write memorable hooks and vocal melodies. Robin Zander of Cheap Trick lends his voice to the track “Feeder” and a lyric video for the song can be seen athttp://tinyurl.com/FeederLyricVideo. Maria Brink of In This Moment lends her unique vocals to the track “Big Mouth.” Paul Di’Anno and Sass Jordan also lend their talents to the band’s debut. Jake E. Lee’s trademark playing style instantly shines through and picks up right where he left off.
1. Deceived
(Lee/Mancuso/Churko/Fairley)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars
Ronnie Mancuso: Bass
Darren James Smith: Vocals
Jonas Fairley: Drums and Vocals
2. Shout It Out
(Lee/Mancuso)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars,Keyboards and Sound Design)
Ronnie Mancuso: Bass
Darren James Smith: Vocals
Brent Fitz: Drums
3. Feeder
(Lee/Mancuso/Churko/Zander/Peterson)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars
Ronnie Mancuso: Sound Design
Robin Zander: Vocals
Tom Petersson: 12-String Bass
Jeremy Spencer: Drums
4. Fall From The Sky (Seagull)
(Lee/Mancuso)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars
Ronnie Mancuso: Bass
Darren James Smith: Vocals
Brent Fitz: Drums
5. Wasted
(Lee/Mancuso/Di’Anno)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars
Ronnie Mancuso: Bass
Paul Di’Anno: Vocals
Brent Fitz: Drums
6. Slave
(Lee/Mancuso/Churko)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars and Sound Design
Rex Brown: Bass
Darren James Smith: Vocals
Jeremy Spencer: Drums
Ronnie Mancuso: Keyboards
Kane Churko: Background Vocals
7. Big Mouth
(Lee/Mancuso/Kevin Churko/Kane Churko/Brink)
Jake E. Lee: Guitars
Ronnie Mancuso: Bass
Maria Brink: Vocals
Kevin Churko: Drums and Vocals
Chris Howorth: Trade Off End Guitar Solos
8.War Machine
(Lee/Mancuso/Churko/Fairley)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars
Scott Reeder: Bass
Darren James Smith: Vocals
Jonas Fairley: Drums and Vocals
Ronnie Mancuso & Louie Merlino: Background Vocals
9.Redeem Me
(Lee/Mancuso/Fitz/Jordan)
Jake E. Lee: All Guitars
Sass Jordan: Vocals
Todd Kerns: Bass
Brent Fitz: Drums
Darren James Smith: Background Vocals
10. Exquisite Tenderness
(Lee)
Jake E. Lee: Piano
It’s funny how things work out. I heard rumors of the return of one of my favorite guitarists Jake E. Lee and here I am writing a review from an advance copy of his new project Red Dragon Cartel.
The self-titled debut from Red Dragon Cartel is poised to be a contender for one of the top releases of 2014. I have been waiting a long time for some new stuff from Jake E. Lee and this release does not disappoint. Don’t expect to hear something like the stuff he did with Ozzy or Badlands, this is an entirely new entity.
The guitar playing is easily identifiable as Jake, but there’s something new and fresh to his playing. Jake, it seems, has come out of exile and the world has gotten a little brighter in his doing so.
The Red Dragon Cartel project came to be when Jake joined forces with session guitarist and Beggars & Thieves bassist Ronnie Mancuso. Jake appeared in a Beggars & Thieves video for the track “We Come Undone” which sparked an outcry for new music from Jake. The chemistry was right and the sparks started flying. Ronnie shares Hideout Studios with producer Kevin Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Ozzy Osbourne) who was asked to be the executive producer for their new “project”. The pair then searched for a singer and drummer and came up with a couple of Canadian musicians, vocalist D.J. Smith and drummer Jonas Fairley. The Cartel was complete and worked commenced on the record. Magic was made and the music world got an adrenaline injection to the heart.
The CD opens with “Deceived” and a guitar riff that is immediately identifiable as Jake E. Lee. I f you didn’t know anything else about the track you would know it was Jake playing guitar. This one is a fist pumping song that the crowd can get behind . I can already hear the crowd shouting out the chorus in unison, ahhh the power of music. We are also introduced to the powerful voice of Darren James Smith who is a great fit in this band. Ronnie Mancuso and Jonas Fairley provide and excellent rhythm section to the track.
“Shout It Out” features guest drummer Brent Fitz (Slash, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, The Guess Who, Lamya, Streetheart, Harlequin, Econoline Crush) and again is a head nodding track that will surely be a crowd favorite live.
“Feeder” features guest appearances by Cheap Trick members Robin Zander and Tom Petersson, and drummer Jeremy Spencer (Five Finger Death Punch). This track has a retro feel, kind of trippy sounding and one of my favorites on the record. Very cool to see the Cheap Trick guys part of this amazing body of work.
“Fall From The Sky (Seagull)” again features Brent Fitz on drums has an ethereal feeling to it. There are great vocals and melodies to be found right here. The feelings that Jake invokes on the solo just fill you up with so much positive energy and emotion.
“Wasted” features vocals from my favorite Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno and again Brent Fitz on drums. The music fits right around Paul’s vocals like a glove. This song has a classic hard rock song but with a modern edge to it. Thumbs up on this one. Guitar is smoking on this, love the talk box in it (you gotta listen for it).
“Slave” features some killer bass from the man Rex Brown (Pantera, Kill Devil Hill), drums again from Jeremy Spencer and background vocals from Kane Churko (Modern Science). Killer groove and powerful track with great riffs.
“Big Mouth” features guest vocalist Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth (In This Moment), Kevin Churko (production of: Ringo Star, Ozzy Osbourne, Simon Collins, In this Moment,Five Finger Death Punch, Slash, Hinder, Gemini Syndrome, Modern Science, Shania Twain) on drums and vocals. This is the “grooviest” track on the record and the vocals from Maria give it good vibe.
“War Machine” features guest bassist Scott Reeder (Kyuss, The Obsessed, Sun And Sail Club) and Louie Merlino (Beggars & Thieves) on backing vocals. This is the longest (6:11) and heaviest track on the record. Reminiscent of older Sabbath this is easily my favorite track on the record. I find myself getting lost in the track time after time. Jake provides a doom laden groove all the way to full on shred in this one.
“Redeem Me” features guest vocals from Sass Jordan and bass from Todd “DAMMIT” Kerns (Slash, Age of Electric, Static In Stereo, Sin City Sinners). Sass provides some soulful vocals over a solidly built track.
“Exquisite Tenderness” is an instrumental piano piece. This is the first piece that Jake E. Lee ever composed as a child. I find it in good taste that they included it here. It gives insight to the beauty that was to come from the mind of Jake in the future.
While I love all of the guests on the album (I think it’s a cool move to bond with your fellow musicians) I can’t wait to see how the core band of Jake, Ronnie, D.J., and Jonas bond and make all of the songs their own. Ronnie Mancuso is a solid songwriter and player and that is quite evident on this record. Jonas holds his own on the kit backing these heavy players. Darren James Smith shows his vocal versatility here, going from smooth vocals to in your face raw power. I am hoping that they continue to grow and develop into band that will be around for a LONG, LONG time.
I would give this album 15 stars out of 10, it’s that good. Jake E. Lee is back in a big way and I’m glad.
it’s loud,it’s dirty, it’s the RED DRAGON CARTEL!!!
Well, I have read and listened to people discuss the debut performance of Red Dragon Cartel at the world famous Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood. Darren James Smith was raked over the coals and drug through the street. Apparently he had an off night, well that sometimes happens. If you have ever performed on stage in any capacity you know what I’m talking about. There are many things that can affect a performance: nerves, illness, preoccupation with something, or sometimes you are just not feeling it. I have been there before, it happens. It pained me to see people attacking Darren as they did, I’m sure it hurt him. People were saying “he’s no Ray Gillen” we know that and I don’t think Jake E. Lee was trying to recreate another Badlands either, this was a new band with new life. There are several things that I feel (and these are just my opinions) affected this show in particular. First off the amount of press this show got was immense, no pressure there right? A lot of bands have time to hone their live performances before the press descends upon them. Not these guys, we were inundated with minute to minute updates. Second, I understand he had strep throat which sucks on any level but for a vocalist it’s devastating. Being sick and performing really does suck, been there, done that. Pile on these things to pushing yourself, learning songs, traveling it all adds up.
I am sure that Red Dragon Cartel did not just pick Darren James Smith arbitrarily. There was something there and some chemistry between them that sparked the fire. Let’s give them the chance to find their groove and rock our ears!
I does my heart to good to see the smile on the face of Jake E. Lee. He is writing songs and back on stage where he belongs.
Oh yeah, “Bark At The Moon” – Thanks Jake we know you wrote it!
It has been a while since I have seen Jake E. Lee with such a smile on his face. I am glad he is returning with this exciting new project. It is definitely a release that I cannot wait for.
In case you’ve been in exile here is the official press release:
RED DRAGON CARTEL TO RELEASE THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT VIA FRONTIERS RECORDS
New Album by Band Comprised of Former Ozzy Osbourne/Badlands Guitar Legend Jake E. Lee, Bassist Ronnie Mancuso, Vocalist D.J. Smith and Drummer Jonas Fairley Set for Release on January 28th
(New York, NY – November 20, 2013) – The newest band ready to take aim at the creative void in the hard rock world, Red Dragon Cartel, are set to release their debut album via Frontiers Records. The self-titled debut by the band, made up of guitar legend Jake E. Lee, bassist Ronnie Mancuso, singer D.J. Smith and drummer Jonas Fairley is set for release on January 28th. Jake E. Lee is best known for his work in Badlands and as guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne on Bark at the Moon and The Ultimate Sin albums. Red Dragon Cartel also features various guest appearances from some of music’s most notable faces including legendary Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander, original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, Kill Devil Hill/Pantera bassist Rex Brown, Slash’s Conspirators Todd Kearns and Brent Fitz and In This Moment front woman Maria Brink. The album was produced by Ronnie Mancuso and Jake E. Lee and was executive produced, mixed and mastered by Kevin Churko (In This Moment, Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch).
From the opening riff of “Deceived” to final sustained piano chord of “Exquisite Tenderness,” it is clear Red Dragon Cartel has created an album that stands amongst some of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. Infectious songs such as “Shout It Out,” “Wasted” and “Slave” showcase the band’s ability to write memorable hooks and vocal melodies. Robin Zander of Cheap Trick lends his voice to the track “Feeder” and a lyric video for the song can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/FeederLyricVideo. Maria Brink of In This Moment lends her unique vocals to the track “Big Mouth.” Paul Di’Anno and Sass Jordan also lend their talents to the band’s debut. Jake E. Lee’s trademark playing style instantly shines through and picks up right where he left off. The album is available for pre-order on Amazon.com at http://amzn.to/1aYjMng or digitally on iTunes at http://smarturl.it/reddragoncartel that comes with an instant download of “Deceived.” Eddie Trunk is premiering “Deceived” in the 11:00PM hour Friday night on his weekly radio show that can be heard on Q104.3 in the NYC area, streaming on Q104.3 website or with the free iheartradio app for any smartphone.
The track listing for Red Dragon Cartel is:
1. Deceived
2. Shout It Out
3. Feeder with Robin Zander
4. Fall From The Sky (Seagull)
5. Wasted with Paul Di’Anno
6. Slave
7. Big Mouth with Maria Brink
8. War Machine
9. Redeem Me with Sass Jordan
10. Exquisite Tenderness
The band will be bringing these new powerhouse songs on the road playing a handful of dates before embarking on a full tour in 2014. The band will be stopping in Los Angeles, Tempe, San Diego and Las Vegas and is a must-see for anyone in those markets. Tickets are currently on-sale and all information can be found on the band’s website.
December 12th – Los Angeles, CA – Whisky A Go Go
December 14th – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater (Support of Queensryche)
December 15th – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
December 20th – Las Vegas, NV – Count’s Vamp’d
We got ROCK LEGEND Phil Soussan to get with us on some questions. You know him from his stellar bass playing and songwriting with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Vince Neil, Johnny Hallyday and John Waite, as well as a membership in Beggars & Thieves. Soussan has also played in bands featuring Jimmy Page, Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter and Richie Kotzen. Let’s check out his interview:
I am thankful to my mother for being instrumental in exposing me to various forms of music. Was there someone who opened your ears to music?
Phil: Yes, my Mom used to play the radio all day and sing along to songs. I was bought a kid record player at about 4 years old, and I used to sit in front of it changing records and singing along. About that time, my Mom’s musical cousins – two brothers who played just about every instrument, bought me a real 1/4 size acoustic guitar. The rest is history!
When was it that you decided to learn music? Were you formally educated or self-taught?
Phil: Both. I was self-taught on the guitar, melodicas, recorders – anything that made a sound! At about 8 I started taking proper recorder lessons and at 11 began classical violin and music theory studies.
I think all of us at one time cranked up some music and played air guitar to our heroes music, what were some of the bands you jumped around in your bedroom to?
Phil: The Carpenters… NOT!! David Bowie, T-Rex, Sweet, Slade, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Move, Wizzard, the Yardbirds, the Stones and of course the Beatles – all of these the first time round!
What were some of your early bands experiences? Did you take any lessons learned from those experiences and they are still relevant to you today?
Phil: I had a lot of American friends growing up in London and they placed a lot of importance on the quality of sound and their technique, compared to UK musicians that were not very polished. I started to practise a lot by watching in the mirror and I was able to see my technical faults better. I knew how it should look. I still do this today.
I’ve talked to a lot of musicians who have been “starstruck” by other musicians, has that ever happened to you?
Phil: Very few times… when I first had a chance to meet Jimmy Page, once I got to know him the familiarity kicked in and we became friends.
If there was any performer alive or not you could work with who would that be?
Phil: Elvis during the Sun Sessions era, Hendrix, Zeppelin during the LZ III years.
I love the idea of one-off “supergroup” projects, what would your ideal project be?
Phil: Big Noize with Sebastian Bach!
Is there a singular moment in your musical career that you are most proud of?
Phil: Walking on to the Stage at Wichita for my first US gig with Ozzy, and at Donnington in 1986.
I love your solo work and have a copy of “NO PROTECTION” can you tell us about the CD?
Phil: Thank you! I played and recorded virtually all the instruments on the record. I wanted to do a record where I performed and arranged the entire record. I first heard McCartney do it with “Maybe I’m Amazed” and I wanted to try the challenge of doing it myself. It was tough but I learned so much about imagining arrangements in my head. Some people think it’s because you want to be able to control everything, but it’s not. I think I wanted to do it is because I wanted to really get inside of music, from every perspective. And it was very difficult to do. But when you come through it, you are a better musician for it: you understand arrangements better, you understand all the instruments better. It takes four times as long to change one part, and I don’t have three other guys to say, “Hey, let’s change this”. I had to change it, record it, change that, record this, and then listen and realize, “No, it’s not working. I think I’ll do something else”. But what I got out of it was a sense in my head that, when I hear an idea now, I can imagine exactly how it should be arranged. And that’s something that I was not doing very well before. So it’s an amazing exercise. My last album “Vibrate” was fun to do but it was what I would call a compilation, a compilation meaning songs one written there, one written here, one written there, and every song put together into a collection written over a long period of time. This album was written at one time from beginning to end, all songs written around the same time, and there’s a thread of continuity that goes through it. As I started recording it, I was in my studio and I started coming up with arrangements.The record itself is really a snapshot of my life at the moment, at a point where I had to go through a lot of realizations and changes in the you cannot stop life from taking its course.
Here is “Free My Soul” from NO PROTECTION:
Are you still involved with the Grammy’s and how did that come about?
Phil: Yes, I am Vice President. I have been a member for many years and about 6 years ago a put myself on the ballot to run as a Governor, which I did. I wanted to find a way to give back to the musical community and the Grammys was the best way. I became involved in advocacy issues, fund-raisers for MusiCares and education issues. I wanted to do something for MusiCares as they were the entity that did so much for by best friend Randy Castillo when he became so ill.
What does the future hold for you? New recordings, touring, etc….?
Phil: All of the above, We just got back from doing a festival in Bulgaria with Big Noize and we had a change of singer from Joe Lynn Turner to Sebastian Bach; it was awesome and we are now looking to book more shows with this line up. I really want to do more shows out of the Los Angeles area with my solo band doing material from this new album and some of my other hits written for other artists, but it is proving difficult to tie down local promoters as most of the agents are closed off to new projects. Maybe I shall try to approach local venues myself.
If you were asked to give a lecture to musicians looking to start their careers, what advice would you have for them?
Phil: Ask yourself if this is really what you want to do and if it is then go for it, never say die and never give up.
What era appeals to you the most and why is that?
Phil: The era before digital music – I loved making records and selling records was the way in which we made our money. Today everyone feels that music should be free and it has become such a s challenge to be able to pay your bills and continue making music for people with no income. It is not as if recording equipment manufacturers give you free equipment!
Being a veteran of the music industry what are your thoughts of the sate of things today?
Phil: We are getting back in to the T-Shirt business. We use music to invite people to a gig and if you sell them merchandise then you walk away from the deal with some income. If not then you come up zero.
If we were hanging out and I plugged your MP3 player into my stereo would I be surprised at what was on it?
Phil: Just a varied assortment of music.
This last one is open, tell us anything you want to:
Phil: Listen to my record, enjoy the songs and if you like them please join my mailing list at www.philsoussan.com and write! I try to reply to everyone as much as I can. Please follow me on Twitter at @philsoussan and although I have a Facebook “page” I am not on Facebook anymore – I hate Facebook as I don’t know anyone on it who is not made miserable/ jealous or had their friendships and relationships compromised… and I want to make people feel good – My music makes people feel good!
Thanks so much for considering this. I know there are some questions you have answered a million times over the years, I’m just hoping to bring them to a new audience!
Phil: You’re welcome! Rock on!
Let me know if you are tied in to any local promoters or radio stations and perhaps I can arrange to come out to NM and do some shows!
Phil
Thanks Phil!
I am gonna leave you with Phil’s version of the classic “Shot In The Dark”:
I often wonder if Ozzy himself reflects on his history of guitarists. I know I have on several occasions. I have also wondered about other guitarists and how they would have fit in Ozzy’s band. Let’s look at the history of Ozzy’s guitarists and then we’ll imagine some other players and see what we think.
RANDY RHOADS 1979 – 1982
Blizzard of Ozz (1980), Diary of a Madman (1981), Tribute (1987)
Any fan of Ozzy knows of Randy. When the world first got their ears filled with the sounds of Randy’s guitars they knew everything had changed. It is in my opinion that Randy changed the game forever.
“Crazy Train” -Randy version
BERNIE TORME 1982
No albums made with Ozzy
Bernie was the immediate successor to Randy following his death. Big shoes to fill as he was hired to play makeup dates, and he was playing through Randy’s gear, AND he had to learn all of the songs in a week. Bernie only stayed on tour for three weeks before leaving to form his own band.
“Crazy Train” – Bernie version
BRAD GILLIS 1982 – 1983
Speak of the Devil (1982)
Brad came in following the departure of Bernie. He filled in and recorded a live album with Ozzy before leaving for Night Ranger.
“Crazy Train” – Brad version
JAKE E LEE 1983- 1987
Bark At The Moon (1983), The Ultimate Sin (1986)
Jake E Lee was in the running with George Lynch for the coveted spot. He obviously won out which I think was good move for Ozzy as Jake seemed suited for his band. We got some good songs from the Jake E Lee lineup as well.
1988: No Rest For The Wicked, 1990: Just Say Ozzy (live album), 1991: No More Tears, 1993: Live & Loud (live album), 1995: Ozzmosis, 2001: Down to Earth, 2002: Live At Budokan (live album), 2007: Black Rain
Zakk Wylde (he seems to make a lot of my blog posts) was, in my opinion, Ozzy’s strongest guitarist. The successful period with Zakk cannot be ignored. The writing combination of Zakk/Ozzy made some of the most memorable in Ozzy’s career.
“Crazy Train” – Zakk Wylde version
STEVE VAI 1994
No recordings
After one of Zakk’s departures Steve filed in temporarily for Ozzy. Vai began writing and recording with Ozzy Osbourne. One track from these sessions, “My Little Man”, was released on the Ozzmosis album. Despite Vai penning the track, he does not appear on the album.
No video found.
ALEX SKOLNICK 1995
No recordings made
Alex had a brief stay in supporting Ozzy and not much else was done other than that.
“Crazy Train” – Alex version
JOE HOLMES 1995–1998, 1999–2001
Song “Walk on Water” From Beavis and Butt-Head Do America Soundtrack (1996)
In 1995, after Ozzy Osbourne had finished recording the Ozzmosis album, a replacement for Zakk Wylde was needed for the tour. Joe got a call from Dean Castronovo (Oz’s drummer) to let him know they were seeking a guitar player. Joe went down to Audible studios in Los Angeles and played three Ozzy classics. Holmes did not mention that he had taken lessons from Randy Rhoads as he thought it would hurt his chances at the job.
“Crazy Train” – Joe Holmes version
JERRY CANTRELL 2004–2006
Under Cover (2005)
Jerry did Ozzy’s cover album for him and it was a damn fine job. If you haven’t heard it you should definitely check it out.
No video found
GUS G 2009-present
Scream (2010)
Gus was brought in when Ozzy and Zakk parted ways. Ozzy was trying to get away from what he perceived as a blurring of the lines between himself and the BLS sound. We shall see what becomes of writing future records with Gus. More power to him!
“Crazy Train” – Gus G version
Whew! What an impressive list of players! But what if Ozzy had tapped Dime, EVH, Herman Li, Buckethead, John5, or DJ Ashba? Something to think about…..thanks for playing!
the Hellion Rocks 