(antiMusic) Frankie Banali is not keeping quiet. In fact, the Quiet Riot drummer is involved in several different projects according to his latest update. Here is what he had to say: Earlier this summer I contributed drum tracks for a session that included Guns N' Roses man on the keys Dizzy Reed. Oddly enough, the tracks also had Alex Grossi on guitar and Chuck Wright on bass which everyone knows were both part of the final Quiet Riot touring lineup. This was a very cool session for me to have been a part of. And no, this had nothing to do with the Hookers & Blow band that Dizzy and Alex are a part of, which I am not a part of... Most recently in the early part of July, I recorded drum tracks for a new artist, Ashes And Acid, which were a lot of fun because my rhythm section partner was none other than the great Billy Sheehan on bass. Billy is a monster, but all of you already know that... All right Mr. Sheehan! It was also very rewarding for me since the producer of the project is the talented Neil Citron who I worked with when he engineered as well as participated in the guitar tracks for my 24/7/365 The Tribute To Led Zeppelin - Frankie Banali & Friends CD. Neil was also the guitarist on the Rehab Quiet Riot release.
The last week of July, I recorded the drum tracks for the Freakshow record in San Jose, CA. Markus Allen Christopher of M!ss Crazy wrote some really great all out rock songs which were a blast to play. I love Markus' vocal style and energy and he is really a very, very good guitarist as well! The amazing Tony Franklin is the bass player on record for these sessions. I love working with Tony and he and I have a rhythm section recording relationship that dates back to the first record that we did together, Gary Hoey's Animal Instinct in 1994. Jeff La Bar will be coming in to record guitar and solos on that project later this month. Jeff is the real deal, his guitar style is as authentic as it gets and I've been waiting a very long time for the opportunity to work with Jeff.
This past weekend I recorded one song for a Metal Christmas CD which is slated for release this fall. I don't believe that the track I played on will be included in the US release, but rather it will be a bonus track for the European version. It's a great line up with Doro Pesch on vocals, Michael Schenker on guitar, Tony Franklin on bass and yours truly pounding out some holiday cheer!
On Saturday, August 16th, I will be playing a set with the Big Ball Stars at the Key Club in Hollywood. It should prove to be a fun set! The lineup for this version of the BBS is scheduled to include Robin McAuley/vocals, Brent Woods/guitar, Phil Soussan/guest bassist, Neil Turbin/guest vocalist, Dizzy Reed/guest keyboards, Chris Holmes/guest guitars, and I will be the guest drummer for the evening.
I will be doing a rare drum clinic for the 11th annual Hollywood Vintage Drum Show in October courtesy of Todd Trent and Ontario Music. More details on this event to follow as they become available. I say 'rare' because unlike most drummers, I prefer to play as part of a group rather than have the singular attention...
There it is and that's that... for now!
