This is a never-before-published full in bloom interview with guitarist Chris Impellitteri.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVELY ON PATREON. An excerpt from the interview has been embedded below.
DESCRIPTION:
Chris talks the ‘Black’ EP, Rob Rock, Gene Simmons, His Alcatrazz Audition, Steve Vai, Bryan Adams, Mikey Davis, Rudy Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge, Project Driver, and more.
Chris Impellitteri Interview Excerpt
You can watch the entire interview segment on Patreon @ this location.
Graham Bonnet: It’s that time of year again where we all get together and pay tribute to the master, the g.o.a.t., the best that ever lived…… Cozy Powell. It’s hard not to feel sad on this day because I loved him so much, and he was taken away far too soon, but I’ve chosen to celebrate him and feel so blessed that I got to make as many records and play as many shows with him that I did. There are 1 million stories I could tell you with Cozy but before I do, I want to mention that it was Cozy who took me in and taught me the ropes. Without him, I don’t think I would be where I am or have the body of work that I do. He really believed in me and brought me into a lot of projects that might not have been interested if I hadn’t come recommended by Cozy.
I know I’ve told the story before about the famous “haircut incident.” It’s become embellished over the years and no, Colin was not parked outside my room preventing me from leaving to get a haircut and no, I did not sneak out a window. That being said, Ritchie was quite pleased when my hair had started to grow a bit. He thought “Yes, finally our singer will look like the rest of us,” when I did indeed notice the barbershop when out and about. That night, when I got on stage to do my part, Ritchie took one look at my fresh haircut and went behind his amp and refused to come out for the rest of the night because he was so angry with me. The next day he called a meeting of the band, and when everyone arrived in his room, Cozy asked Ritchie “What’s going on, what are we meeting about?” Ritchie responded by saying “Well, it’s Graham’s hair.” Everyone’s mouth dropped open and Cozy lost it with laughter and the rest of the band followed suit.
I wish Cozy were here right now to reminisce and laugh about the old days. I raise my glass to you Cozy on your 75th birthday and hope wherever you are, you are celebrating too.
I’m posting this lineup promo for you to enjoy the purity and style that was Cozy.
This is a full in bloom interview with Megadeth/Kings of Thrash guitarist Jeff Young.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW VIA THE EMBEDDED YOUTUBE CLIP BELOW. You can access the video directly on YouTube.
DESCRIPTION:
Jeff talks about arriving in Los Angeles in 1984, going to THE GUITAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (GIT) – Musicians Institute, Randy Rhoads, auditioning for Ratt & Alcatrazz, Stephen Pearcy, Graham Bonnet, and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Graham Bonnet:
Last Saturday at the Michael Schenker show, I had the distinct pleasure of being introduced to vocalist Ronnie Romero. There was an instant bond between the two of us. We have so much in common as musicians but also as human beings. He’s a really great person. I was very happy to see him playing with all my old pals from MSG and doing an absolutely bang-up job!
Metal Edge: Joe Lynn Turner talked to us about his heavy new album, (not) wearing a wig and his wild odyssey with Yngwie Malmsteen. You can read the entire interview @ this location.
An excerpt from the interview can be found below.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
During the course of your career, did the fact that you wear a wig ever become an issue with any artist or band you worked with?
Joe Lynn Turner:
It was an open secret. I wasn’t trying to hide it by wearing a wig, they didn’t care if it was a wig or not as long as it looked good, which I thought it did and which is why I wanted it. But I just decided it was time. It’s like a wine, no wine is good before its time. I’m older now and I can deal with that, but you still have to be courageous to do something like this. Plus, it’s a time for truth, for people to accept themselves, to motivate and inspire people no matter what the challenge is.
Graham Bonnet is an absolute hero because he was spot on, he came right out, he scolded the business side of it and all of their false pretensions because he was a subject of all of that too with Blackmore where his hair was too short, etc. Because we all had to wear a uniform. And today they’re still wearing uniforms, with the chains, the gear and the get ups, and the hair.
Earlier we were discussing the esoteric subject matter on your new album. I first came across your interest in these kind of topics after hearing your work with Yngwie Malmsteen on his Odyssey album, with songs such as “Déjà Vu” and ‘Crystal Ball.” How did you come to be part of that project?
Jim Lewis from Polygram had phoned me up and said, “Look, we want you to do with Yngwie what you did with Rainbow.” Which was to make Yngwie commercial but still keep the hard edge. And Jim knew I had the songwriting abilities and all. So I went out to California and met Yngwie, and he was like a trainwreck. I figured out psychologically I needed a whip and a chair like a lion tamer to find a way in so that he would welcome me. I guess because we partied heavy for three days and talked a lot, that sort of convinced him I was worthy.
Soon after that, I went back to New York to get some clothes and pack some stuff, and when I returned, Yngwie was in the hospital from a car accident. So instead of abandoning ship or anything I stayed in L.A. because with the Johansson brothers [keyboardist Jens Johansson and drummer Anders Johannson] I was the “elder” in the band. At one point we were going to have Bob Daisley and Eric Singer in the band, but Yngwie was rebelling against that because he wanted his Swedish guys in the band who were amazing players, yet there was a lot going on.
I was the one taking care of him in the hospital. I was getting wire transfers of $80,000 from Polygram to keep him in ICU to save his life, otherwise they were going to send him down to the county hospital. On top of that, he had a manager who spoke in the third person, had a Rolls-Royce and carried around cocaine and a .44 Magnum.
So I stayed there and took Yngwie’s tracks, and I just wrote to them and Odyssey became a very successful album. It had accomplished what we needed; it was commercial but at the same time it retained his identity, and I think he plays brilliantly on it, regardless of what people may say. But then he started to butt heads with me and there was no way I could stay in the band anymore, so I moved on.
You can read the entire interview @ this location.
Graham Bonnet:
Hi all. Graham here. I’m posting this photo of my friend Joe Lynn Turner because I was moved to tears today when I saw it. Joe exemplifies the meaning of rockstar. His bravery is staggering. This industry is ruthless (especially in our genre), particularly when it comes to hair.
I still hear the tale about Ritchie Blackmore posting a guard at my hotel door to keep me from getting a haircut. BTW, that never happened, although he was so pissed when I did visit the barber. But I digress……
I don’t know if Joe will see this, but I want him to know how proud I am of him and how moved I was at his honesty. You have blazed a trail today, Joe. If you are reading this, I want you to know that I never realized what a beautiful man you were until I saw this photo. ♥️
MORE INFO ON JOE LYNN TURNER & HIS UPCOMING ALBUM @ THIS LOCATION.
With Graham Bonnet in Detroit in 2019! pic.twitter.com/ocGVJQzylL
— Joe Lynn Turner (@joelynnturner) August 26, 2022
In 1979, vocalist Graham Bonnet was approached to join UK glam rock band The Sweet as replacement for Brian Connolly. However, he was soon chosen by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to replace Ronnie James Dio as the new singer for Rainbow. Blackmore shares a story from the Rainbow/Bonnet era.
Ritchie Blackmore:
I said, “Graham, our audience expects you to be a bit more not shaved, bit of long hair, a bit more dirty. He said, “Yeah, well, I used to have long hair,” and we’re going, “ok.” I went: “Yeah, but our audience doesn’t want that Las Vegas style jacket and smooth hair. They want a rough looking guy.” So, I thought, if we let him grow his hair longer for the first night in Newcastle, which was about three months away, at least we could get his hair to his collar – rough him up a bit.
He kept threatening to have his hair cut and really short. That’s not going to work with the fans in ’79-’80, everybody was like, the look – long hair, rough, whatever. So, we got Colin Hart (Rainbow’s Tour Manager) to room next to him. I said: “You know what? You make sure Graham doesn’t leave his room. He might go and get his hair cut.” It’s just starting to get a bit longer, and he’s looking a bit rough. Colin goes: “Leave it to me. He won’t get past me.” He kept his door open, and he was right next to Graham’s room. I said, “Good.” At least he’s now looking a bit the part that we can kind of play to our rough audience. They don’t want to see a smooth Las Vegas guy. So, what happens is, Colin calls me up, “Oh, no, guess what?” I went, “What?” He goes, “He got out the back window, got into a taxi and has had his hair cut.” I was seething at the time.
It’s the whole principle of the thing. It doesn’t matter if you’re losing your hair, or whatever. He went out and purposely shaved his hair. He shaved it short like he was going to appear as David Copperfield. I was seething. And he knew, we told him a thousand times not to cut his hair, “Just let it grow and be natural, and I think you’ll be accepted by the fans.” Nope, went out, came back. Of course, he looked ridiculous.
On stage that night, I was seriously contemplating hitting him over the head with my guitar. He was singing to the audience and doing his bit. I saw the back of his shaved neck, and I went, “I’m just going to put my guitar across his head,” but then I’m like, “I’d be back in prison again.” But I really was so tempted to just take it and go, “Whack.” Because he had done it deliberately out of contempt. He knew that to be in our band, it was about roughness, and he had gone out of his way to be Mr. Smooth again.
After that, there was no communication. It was a total breakdown. It was like: “You’re in another world. Go to Las Vegas. You need to be in Las Vegas. We have our audience, which is heavy rockers. They don’t need to see Mr. Las Vegas.”
Graham Bonnet:
It wasn’t my plan to be weird or anything like that. I cut my hair at the suggestion from my then girlfriend. She said, “Why don’t you do something different?” My hair used to get in the way when I was recording, and I was using headphones, so I went for it. I went for the button up shirt with jeans. It was a very 1950s style, which fit in the sense that it was the music that I grew up on. When I was a kid, I would listen to Little Richard, Buddy Holly. I’ve always liked that kind of music and the style of the time or fashion if you will. I stuck with it because it’s what I was I was comfortable with.
When I went for the audition with Rainbow in London, I said to my manager, “You know, I’m not going to fit with these guys. I just don’t think I’m the right guy for this.” They looked different than I did, and I really didn’t think I was right for that band. I had never heard of them because I was in my own world. I never listened to hard rock or heavy metal or whatever. -from an interview with SleazeRoxx.com
I didn’t know about Rainbow at all. I didn’t have a clue about them! I knew Deep Purple, but I certainly didn’t know about Rainbow at that time. Roger Glover got in touch with me and asked if I wanted to come to France to audition for the band. He added that they had already auditioned 79 singers (laughs)! I had nothing to lose. So, I bought a couple of Rainbow albums and flew to France.
I wasn’t into rock at that time. I preferred more R&B stuff, like Stevie Wonder and, of course, The Beatles, my favorite band ever. I wasn’t so much into Purple or Zeppelin because I preferred the singing side of a record and not so much the technical aspect of a song.
Anyway, when I started singing “Mistreated,” I was so loud they started laughing immediately because the microphone wasn’t even on (laughs)! When I sang a little bit with the microphone on, they said after a couple of minutes that the job was mine! It was that simple. -from an interview with Rockpages.gr
full in bloom: Vocalist Graham Bonnet Talks About Firing Yngwie Malmsteen from Alcatrazz After Getting Strangled by the Guitarist & Eric Carr’s Ex Carrie Stevens Says She was SILENCED in KISSTORY Documentary – VIDEO
full in bloom News Story:
Misplaced Straws Interview w/ Graham Bonnet:
Release Date: 7/17/2021
Format: 2 x LP
Label: Silver Lining Music
Quantity: 1200
Release type: RSD Drops 2021 Jul 17th
The hard-hitting, melodic heavy metal band Alcatrazz celebrates RSD Drops 2021 with the release of a colored double vinyl edition of their latest studio offering, Born Innocent. The 13-track opus, having previously only been available on CD and digital formats and never on vinyl will be a must-have collectible for anyone who considers themselves a fan of rock (pun intended!)
Their first studio venture since 1986’s Dangerous Game. Alongside the unique vocal prowess and range of star frontman and founding member Graham Bonnet, Born Innocent also features fellow founding members, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea. And from the classic album art, featuring the mighty rock itself, Born Innocent is a journey into the sort of heavy, melodic, and supremely articulated hard rock that is a cornerstone of the likes of Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group, territory Alcatrazz successfully strode in the ‘80s before going on hiatus.
Born Innocent was produced by Jimmy Waldo with Giles Lavery and mixed and mastered by Andy Haller and features many former stars from Graham’s long career. Guest appearances include Chris Impellitteri, who wrote the music and played all guitars on the arpeggio-powered “Born Innocent”, with Bonnet’s vocals soaring to old-school heights, as did Bob Kulick for the majestic “I Am The King”. Virtuoso Japanese guitar maestro Nozomu Wakai similarly wrote and played guitars on the double-kick steel-plated Irish warrior ode “Finn McCool”, while the six-string legend that is Steve Vai wrote “Dirty Like The City”, with Bonnet once again powerfully hitting notes that are beyond the business of most humans.
As fans will immediately hear, Alcatrazz is back doing what only they can do with Born Innocent, delivering quality hard rock with genuine storyteller lyrics, virtuoso performances, and an added layer of modern ‘heavy’ that underscores the melodic excellence. Don’t miss out on this piece of rock history.
Born Innocent/Polar Bear/ Finn McCool/We Still Remember/London 1666/Dirty Like the City/I Am the King/Something That I Am Missing/Paper Flags/The Wound Is Open/Body Beautiful/Warth Lane/For Tony
Alcatrazz, the Los Angeles-based iconic heavy metal band, has released its new single “Turn of the Wheel” today via Silver Lining Music. The song is available now on all digital platforms @ this location. The video for the song can be viewed below.
The new album featuring original members Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea, along with new vocalist Doogie White, drummer Mark Benquechea, and guitarist Joe Stump will be released in the fall of 2021. Pre-order will begin on July 23rd.
“Turn of the Wheel’ was the first song we wrote together.” states vocalist Doogie White. “When I heard the riff and the groove, I thought HERE WE GO! From that moment, it was all hands on deck to do the best album we could. ‘Turn of the Wheel,’ as a complete RAWK tune works brilliantly.” Doogie continues “we spend so much time wondering about how the mistakes we made yesterday could be made better tomorrow that we forget about today. Today is what we have. Yesterday is gone, and we may not have tomorrow”.
Formed in 1983, Alcatrazz became famous for its blend of melodic and progressive rock and for introducing guitar hero’s Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Steve Vai. Emerging in 1983 with No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll, which featured the hit “Island in the Sun,” the band continued building popularity in 1985 with their sophomore effort, Disturbing the Peace, which contained the hit, “God Blessed Video.” The band issued one more studio LP, 1986’s Dangerous Games, before ceasing operations the following year. The band regrouped and released Born Innocent in 2020, their first studio album containing all-new material since 1986.
Alcatrazz released the following statement in regards to 2021: “We are extremely happy that our good friend Doogie White will be our singer for the 2021 Alcatrazz tour dates. We are all fans of Doogie’s voice and impressive catalog of music. We promise an explosive live show of the Alcatrazz classics that you know, plus some added selections from Doogie’s work with Rainbow and Michael Schenker. We might even have a couple of new songs for you as well! We look forward to seeing all our fans and friends in what we hope is a much-needed return to live music next year! See you all soon…Be safe! – Jimmy Waldo, Joe Stump, Gary Shea & Mark Benquechea”
Alcatrazz is:
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
Gary Shea – Bass
Doogie White – Lead Vocals
Joe Stump – Guitar
Mark Benquechea – Drums
AVAILABLE JULY 7, 2017
Legendary rock vocalist Graham Bonnet is back with a new live album and home video captured during his acclaimed performance at Frontiers Rock Festival III in Trezzo (Milan, Italy) on April 24, 2016.
Accompanied by a stellar band featuring founding member Beth-Ami Heavenstone on bass, South American guitar sensation Conrado Pesinato on lead guitar, and Mark Zonder (known for his work with Warlord and Fates Warning) on drums, Bonnet masterfully delivered a thrilling “Best of” set which included songs from his stints with bands such as Rainbow, McAuley Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, Impellitteri, and of course his solo material too.
Bonnet says: “It’s been a very long time since I last released a live video, 33 years to be exact, with Alcatrazz. Myself and the band were very excited to film and record our performance at the Frontiers Rock Festival for a live album and video and are very happy with the final result!”
The Graham Bonnet Band has spent the last two years touring regularly around the world and this past winter, released his latest successful release, “The Book.”
GRAHAM BONNET BAND
Graham Bonnet – Vocals
Beth-Ami Heavenstone – Bass
Conrado Pesinato – Guitars
Mark Zonder – Drums
CD:
1 EYES OF THE WORLD
2 ALL NIGHT LONG
3 S.O.S.
4 STAND IN LINE
5 GOD BLESSED VIDEO
6 WILL YOU BE HOME TONIGHT
7 JET TO JET
8 NIGHT GAMES
9 SUFFER ME
10 DANCER
11 DESERT SONG
12 ISLAND IN THE SUN
13 SINCE YOU BEEN GONE
14 ASSAULT ATTACK
15 LOST IN HOLLYWOOD
DVD/Blu-Ray:
1 EYES OF THE WORLD
2 ALL NIGHT LONG
3 S.O.S.
4 STAND IN LINE
5 GOD BLESSED VIDEO
6 WILL YOU BE HOME TONIGHT
7 JET TO JET
8 NIGHT GAMES
9 SUFFER ME
10 DANCER
11 DESERT SONG
12 ISLAND IN THE SUN
13 SINCE YOU BEEN GONE
14 ASSAULT ATTACK
15 LOST IN HOLLYWOOD