Episode 277: WALKING THE HARDLINE WITH JOHNNY GIOELI

One of my ALL TIME favorite singers, Johnny Gioeli’s voice grabbed me the first time I heard Hardline’s Double Eclipse record. Already a fan of Neal Schon, pals Deen Castronovo and Todd Jensen, the gritty rasp and soaring melodies Johnny pulled out on that record cemented the album in my all-time top 10 collection. Start to finish, the record is seamless and full of hits. Finding out later on about Johnny’s extensive career with so many other artists, as well as his contributions to Sega’s video game empire, and eventually learning of his humility and candor, I knew that a conversation on All Access Live was in order.

Johnny’s musical career began in the early 80s after forming the band Phaze with his older brother, Joey. The band underwent reform and he started drumming with the band Killerhit in 1983 at the age of 17. Sharing vocal duties with Joey, the four-piece act hit the East Coast club circuit with an enormous amount of success, earning enough by 1987 to purchase their own lighting rig, truck and tour bus (purchased from Jimmy Buffett).

Re-locating to Hollywood, Killerhit hooked up with Poison’s Bret Michaels. The singer gave them his former publicist Debra Rosner’s number who instantly became the band’s manager. Realizing the need for a front man, Johnny vacated the drum stool for center stage, Las Vegas native Derek Cava taking his place behind the drum kit. Soon after the band switched names to the more appropriate one Brunette. The band broke The Doors and Van Halen’s single-weekend attendance records on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood CA and became regionally successful throughout the U.S. They were signed by Capitol Records but the deal unfortunately fell through when the record company went under.

The Gioelis immediately went on to form a new and powerful hard rock band, Hardline – then brought in Journey guitarist Neal Schon as well as Todd Jensen, former bassist for David Lee Roth, and drummer Deen Castronovo, who later went on to join Journey. Hardline’s first album Double Eclipse released in 1992, and they had already been opening shows on tour with Van Halen and Mr. Big. Double Eclipse is still recognized as one of the top melodic hard rock albums of the era. Their first releases Hot Cherie and Takin’ Me Down can be heard on the FM airwaves today. As with many bands of the late 80s and early 90s, they largely disappeared for some time as the grunge music movement swept the U.S.. But in 2002 Johnny reinvigorated the band and Hardline returned with another album, “II” and at this time guitarist Neal Schon had been replaced by guitarist Josh Ramos, formerly of The Storm.

Since 1998, Johnny has also been the vocalist for the Axel Rudi Pell band. Axel Rudi Pell is a German guitar player who began in a German band called Steeler. These days Axel’s band tours in Europe, drawing in faithful fans and performing at the Wacken Open Air festival on a yearly basis. They will be attending the 2009 Wacken Open Air, the 20th anniversary of the festival. Albums that Johnny has appeared on include: Oceans of Time (1998), The Ballads II, The Masquerade Ball (2000)(one of his favorites), Shadow Zone, Knights Live (DVD), Kings and Queens, The Ballads III, Mystica, Diamonds Unlocked, and Tales of the Crown (2008).

Johnny has also been working for some time with video game composer and musician Jun Senoue and has delivered his vocals in the Sons Of Angels CD, Thrill Of The Feel, released in 2000. He is currently in the band Crush 40, where he sang several songs in recent Sonic the Hedgehog games, such as the theme tune Sonic Heroes, a bright, melodic song and in contrast What I’m Made Of, a distinctly dark, energetic hard rock song with metal sensibilities for the final struggle of the game. He was also the vocalist for the songs Open Your Heart, the main theme of Sonic Adventure (Though it was originally recorded with a different vocalist), Live and Learn, the main theme of Sonic Adventure 2, I Am… All Of Me, the main theme of Shadow the Hedgehog, and Never Turn Back, the ending theme from the same game. His latest work with Senoue is a cover of Runblebee’s Seven Rings in Hand, which was featured exclusively on the currently japan-only CD True Blue: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog. He also wrote the chorus lyrics for the Sonic the Hedgehog Next-Gen game main theme “His World”. As well as writing the chorus for the main theme (Performed by Matty Lewis and Ali Tabatabaee), he also recorded a version of the song with Crush 40 (featured as a bonus track on the games official soundtrack).

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Episode 276: DAVE WAKELING (General Public / The English Beat)

David Wakeling is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat and General Public. Having done many shows together, I’ve discovered Dave to be a warm, genuine and humble shining light. I can’t wait to share that light with you all!

Wakeling began his professional career when he formed the band, the Beat. The debut studio album by the Beat included the singles “I Just Can’t Stop It”, “Mirror in the Bathroom”, “Hands Off…She’s Mine” and “Can’t Get Used to Losing You”, all of which charted within the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The band also had UK hits from the studio albums Wha’ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982).

Wakeling then formed General Public with Ranking Roger in 1984, and they released their debut studio album All the Rage that year. He also recorded two other studio albums with General Public, Hand to Mouth (1986) and Rub It Better (1995), shortly after which the band disbanded.

He then produced the soundtrack for the John Hughes romantic comedy film She’s Having a Baby (1988), in which he also recorded the title track.

In 1991, Wakeling released his sole solo studio album No Warning, on I.R.S. Records and has lived in California for a number of years. He regularly performs as the English Beat in North America, and has recorded two new songs that feature in the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode “Dance of the Undead” which debuted in March 2013.”

Throughout his career, Wakeling has mainly used a left handed Vox Teardrop guitar aka: Vox Mark III, he was initially drawn to the guitar as his favourite artist and guitarist Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones used one. “I wanted to be him and I used to play my cricket bat or my tennis racket and pretend it was a teardrop in the mirror when my mom had gone out shopping. I even bought a blond wig from a second-hand shop and I cut it out into a bob. As soon as I heard the front door I would think “Great, she’s gone”. I would take out the wig, the cricket bat and play in front of the mirror.” On 8 April 2006, he donated his Vox of 26 years to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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EPISODE 275: ALL ACCESS LIVE with JEFF PILSON

Jeff Pilson is an amazing multi-instrumentalist, producer, recording & touring artist, and vocalist, currently the bassist for FOREIGNER. He joined the band in 2004. He produced Foreigner’s 2006 Live CD, “Extended Versions,” recorded November 26, 2005 at Texas Station, as well as tracks off of their “No End in Sight” CD in 2008. In 2009 FOREIGNER released “Can’t Slow Down” featuring Jeff on Bass and backing vocals. Jeff was also featured on the 2011 FOREIGNER release, “Acoustique” which presented their most famous songs along with some newer tracks, stripped-down. FOREIGNER released a LIVE album in 2016, “In Concert: Unplugged” with Jeff as the musical director for the project. Later that year the band dropped a new EP featuring “The Flame Still Burns” for Record Store Day’s Black Friday event.

Jeff was a member of melodic metal bands Dokken, Dio and MSG. Additionally, Jeff played in the band Wild Horses which also featured drummer James Kottack (Scorpions, Kingdom Come), guitarist Rick Steier (Kingdom Come, Warrant), and singer John Levesque.

Jeff also formed his own progressive metal group called War and Peace in 1989, handling all of the vocals, along with his instrumental work. Jeff released four W&P albums: 1993’s “Time Capsule”… 2001’s “Light at the End of the Tunnel”… 2004’s “The Walls Have Eyes”… as well as the 2013 reissue of “The Flesh & Blood Sessions” featuring tracks that pre-dated Time capsule along with a new bonus track, “Heaven Knows.”

Jeff Pilson is also an actor, having appeared in the movie Rock Star, 2001. Pilson played bassist Jorgen, of the fictional band Steel Dragon. The film also featured performances by musicians such as Zakk Wylde, Jason Bonham, Myles Kennedy, Brian Vander Ark, Blas Elias and Nick Catanese. He also played in the film’s soundtrack and served as Musical Director for the film.

Pilson produced the first two CDs of San Diego metal band Benedictum as well as the first release from Adler, featuring original Guns & Roses drummer, Steven Adler.

Jeff also worked with his ex-Dokken band mate, guitarist George Lynch (and drummer Michael Frowein) in a project called Lynch/Pilson, which in 2003 released the critically acclaimed “Wicked Underground” in 2003 where Pilson also handled lead vocal duties. This recording was later remastered and re-packaged in 2020 with a special bonus track, “Top of the World.”

Jeff & George have since collaborated on several projects & bands, including the 2012 release T&N “Slave to the Empire” which also featured Dokken drummer, Mick Brown and drummer Brian Tichy. Vocals on all new tracks were handled by Jeff, and a few re-worked Dokken classics were handled by guest vocalists.

Jeff was invited to play bass on Lynch Mob’s 2015 release, “Rebel” and later would team up again with George & Mick along with former Lynch Mob vocalist Robert Mason to record & release “THE END machine” in 2019, followed up by “Phase 2” in 2021. Jeff & George would like to record new music with this group!

And finally, Jeff balances TEM with another project group called Black Swan that features Jeff on bass with REB Beach on lead guitar, Matt Starr on drums and powerhouse vocalist Robin McAuley on the mic. They released “Shake the World” in 2020 and came back in 2022 with “Generation Mind.”

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EPISODE 274: ALL SMILES with BRIAN CUTLER

A grinning gem of a human, Brian and I recorded and performed together twenty five years ago. As I transitioned out of a difficult band departure, Brian swept me up and brought me into the recording studio to work on one of the most unique projects I had the privilege to track. His infection smile and warm camaraderie helped me discover new highs in the music biz, and we became fast friends. Read onward to know more about BC:

Brian Cutler began his professional music career at age 17 in San Jose, CA where he played in sandwich shops for tips with his $250 guitar. Attending college at California State University, Sacramento in the fall of 1974, Brian took up with some bluegrass musicians who put together a band and played five nights a week at Shakey’s pizza parlors in Sacramento.

Brian joined South Loomis Quickstep, an established high powered bluegrass band, in 1976 and immediately began touring and recording with them as their guitarist. South Loomis Quickstep played clubs, festivals, and opened for a long list of A-list bands and artists coming through Northern California. The band played primarily in California but toured throughout the western states, even venturing into Texas and playing for a festival in Amsterdam.

Brian relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 1986 where he started to emphasize playing the stand up bass. This complimented his guitar, mandolin, and keyboard work, and allowed him to perform in a variety of genres. In Portland, OR Brian backed up many notable singer/songwriters, all the while writing his own songs and looking for opportunities to perform them.

In 1999, Brian began sessions for his solo record, Wax Moons and Satin Roses, for Wrought Iron Records. The work was completed in 2000 and garnered acclaim from northwest media. Brian supported the record with club work and playing with some of the town’s best musicians.

In Seattle, Brian crafted Night Crossing, a record of songs he wrote for the voice of Samantha Thoe-Schechter. The production was purposefully sparse, employing only a solo guitar and their two voices. More critical acclaim followed from everyone who heard this anthology of songs. Community radio stations across the country with programming that accepts contemporary folk music enthusiastically played selections from the record.

Currently, Brian plays stand up bass in Fairground, an acoustic quartet that performs songs written by Brian and his musical partner, Oliver Rosenthal. Fairground will be featured at this year’s NW Folklife, Seattle’s premiere outdoor festival that takes place over Memorial Day Weekend.

Brian continues to write and produce music in his home studio as well as doing session work for other artists.

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CUT & RUN / UNEXPECTED DUETS with SARAH MOON

“Sarah Moon brings a blast of pure rock to our ears as she packs commanding vocals and flying guitars into every second of her new release ‘Cut & Run’. Both the melody and vocals carry the essence of great rock songs in their core and inject this directly into your veins. Her performance is passionate, charming and an absolute pleasure to listen to.”

Not only does Sarah have a new album of her material with a stellar all-star cast of the Pacific Northwest’s strongest talent, but she’s also producing a series of “Unexpected Duets”, the first of which she premieres live on All Access Live!  The new video and recording of The Mayfield Four’s “Summergirl” features a vocal duet pairing Sarah with The Loyal Order’s Jeff Buehner. Produced by Rob Daiker, the video is a hauntingly beautiful rendition one of Myles Kennedy’s strongest ballads. Can’t wait to share it with you and get to know more about the talented dynamo Sarah Moon!

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ALL ACCESS LIVE with APPETITE FOR DECEPTION

For those of you that missed them on AXS TV’s “World’s Greatest Tribute Bands”, Appetite for Deception is the world’s most authentic Guns n’ Roses Tribute. These guys have been touring the Pacific Northwest and beyond, amassing a trove of ridiculous and awesome experiences, and they plan to share them with you all on All Access Live! Some of the funniest guys I know, which we ALL need right now! Come join us live on Thursday February 9 at 7pm Pacific!

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STRAIGHT TO VIDEO with ROB LANE

“Never forget what made you – YOU”

“Bassist, Pop Culture Nerd and proud Fanboy, Rob Lane, talks to musicians, actors and all round interesting people who are willing to wax lyrical about their childhood, pop culture, growing up and what shaped them into who they are today. Get ready for stories of hometowns, trips to the Video Store, life changing first concerts and who’s poster hung on their walls as a kid.”

That’s the vibe you get from Rob Lane’s Straight to Video podcast. He’s a true jack of all trades: he’s quite possibly my favorite podcaster, he’s a talented graphic designer, a traveled and accomplished musician, owns a vintage video museum and so many more traits! We chat about balancing all of those gigs, his touring time with Bulletboys, our mutual love for Johnny Monaco and how to find something you are passionate about so that our lives feel fulfilled. Enjoy the great chat with a dear human on Monday February 6 at Noon Pacific, 8pm UK time.

www.stvpod.com – Podcast Website

www.80svideoshop.co.uk – 80S Video Shop

www.arcadeframes.com – Arcade Frames

Rob’s Linktree has everything you’d want and need:

https://linktr.ee/laney74

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ROCK OUT WITH SOUL METAL BAND R.A.R. (ROBERT ANTHONY ROBINSON)

I’m looking forward to FINALLY getting a chance to kick it with the legendary Robert Anthony Robinson on All Access Live! Robert first appeared on my radar with NW band Love Lode, and then word spread about his work with Passion Fatal. His new project is a culmination of decades of professional work as a player and performer.

Robert Anthony Robinson (RAR) is an American metal band hailing from the Pacific Northwest cities of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. The band delivers a dynamic range of heavy melodic groove with a ton of soulful vocals and shred guitars.

All those elements together produce a new genre they call “Soul Metal” The band had just completed their 2nd release before the pandemic and lockdown that followed. But now, the wait is over and they’re finally ready to unveil the “TRUTH”!

In addition to more videos for “TRUTH” they’ve already begun work on the follow up album as well as setting their sights on a U.S. tour. Check out their new brand new video for “Break it Again”:

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ROBIN McAULEY ROCKS ALL ACCESS LIVE

All Access Live with Kevin Rankin is excited to discuss the upcoming release of a new solo album by legendary Irish rock vocalist Robin McAuley. ‘Alive’ is out on 17th February 2023, with its title track available as a single and video today.

McAuley’s new album sees his voice continuing to defy time and sounding as inspired and powerful as ever, while the music is harder sounding than his previous effort, 2021’s ‘Standing On The Edge’, albeit still melodic, infectious and uplifting.

After re-emerging in recorded form with guest spots on Michael Schenker Fest albums and fronting the hard rock supergroup Black Swan in 2020, McAuley had felt reinvigorated and ready to explore further creative options. ‘Standing On The Edge’ was a stellar solo showcase at this time and was followed with a second Black Swan album in early 2022.

Work on ‘Alive’ began after this and features truly inspired and revelatory vocal performances on an album that is aptly entitled. As per his previous solo record, McAuley is backed by guitarist Andrea Seveso, bassist/keyboardist/producer Alessandro Del Vecchio and drummer Nicholas Papapicco.

Robin McAuley is acknowledged as one of the best singers from a golden period in hard rock music. His voice can be heard on albums by Grand Prix and Far Corporation, as well as the MSG records ‘Perfect Timing’, ‘Save Yourself’ and ‘MSG’.

It was via these that he was introduced to hard rock fans at large. After departing MSG he released a 1999 solo record, then joined AOR legends Survivor, but then re-grouped with Schenker in Michael Schenker Fest for their recent ’Resurrection’ and ‘Revelation’ records. 2020 and 2022 have seen him participate in Black Swan, for which he joined forces with Reb Beach (Whitesnake, Winger), Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, ex-Dokken) and Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr Big).

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OINGO BOINGO’S JOHNNY “VATOS” HERNANDEZ

Johnny “Vatos” and I have shared the stage many a time, celebrating the sounds and vibe of the 80s. We’ll discuss the crazy ride that goes along with being a drummer in an iconic band!

Johnny “Vatos” Hernandez’s professional drumming career began at age seventeen with a USO tour to South Vietnam. At nineteen, he was playing in local big bands, the LACC Studio Jazz Band and the Si Zenter Big Band. During the same time, Hernandez played in a variety of pit orchestras and backing acts, like Bob Hope, Billy Daniels and Gordon McCray. In the 1970s, he played with The Helen Reddy Band and served as the house drummer of “The Midnight Special” television show. There, he played with acts such as Frankie Avalon, Petula Clark, Keith Carradine and Martin Mull. When Helen Reddy hosted “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson,” Hernandez had the honor of sitting in with The Doc Severinsen Band. Playing the famous opening theme song was a lifelong thrill.

After having been heard drumming with Toni Basil’s band by composer Danny Elfman and his longtime orchestrator Steve Bartek, Hernandez was hired as a session drummer on Elfman’s first film score, “The Forbidden Zone” (which continues to have a worldwide cult following). Hernandez joined the original lineup of the famous band, Oingo Boingo, a position he held for seventeen years, until their breakup in 1995. During that time, the band released eight albums, toured the world and played thousands of concerts.

After the breakup of Oingo Boingo, Hernandez joined the band, Tito and Tarantula and was featured in the Robert Rodriguez film, “From Dusk Till Dawn.” He had a rewarding time, touring Europe with Tito until 911, but at that point, he decided to return to Los Angeles to play jazz again. In the 1990s, Hernandez returned to regular session work for composers, like Jason Johnson, Steve Bartek and Bear McCreary. He was the drummer for Bear McCreary’s hugely popular “Battlestar Galactica” live orchestra concerts.

For the past several years, Hernandez has been touring with his own Boingo Dance Party, a high energy, wild Oingo Boingo music show that features former members of Oingo Boingo. Hernandez is also drummer for the Don Kubec Big Band and recently formed his own avant-garde group, Vlatko, featuring composer and arranger, Michael Vlatkovich on trombone (with whom Hernandez has played professionally for the past forty years). Vlatkovich is one of the leading talents among the Los Angeles improvisational scene. Playing unrestricted free style music always will be good for Hernandez’s soul.

In November 2012, Hernandez received the esteemed “Los Angeles Certificate of Recognition Award” from the Los Angeles City Council.

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