Dec 8, 2009

Lost Angels: Profile of the Los Angeles band


Alright, Nagaland, here is a profile of the LA rockers who will be playing for you live and serious time loud on the evening of September 29 at the DDSC stadium. High-profile metal vocalist former Motley Crue singer John Corabi, former Alice Cooper/Slash’s Snakpit singer/guitarist Eric Dover, White Lion drummer Troy Patrick Farrell and Gilby Clarke’s bassman Muddy Stardust will be pulling your eardrums out live and without anesthesia. The rock stars are all from different bands but being from Los Angeles, they are to perform as ‘Lost Angels.’ The opening acts for the Los Angeles rock stars are Kohima’s OFF and Eximious.

John Corabi

John Corabi is a, well, what else, your you-know-who heavy metal singer and guitarist who has worked with bands including some glam rock superstars of the 80s called Motley Crue and RATT, KISS members, The Scream, Union and ESP and many other we don’t have the space to print about here.

Born on April 26, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he took off for big time when he joined Mötley Crüe after the group kicked out sports-car loving Vince Neil in 1992. According to motormouths, bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee were convinced that the band would benefit from John's deeper and more powerful voice than the shriek and scream of Vince Neil. Corabi recorded the self-titled Mötley Crüe album in 1994 and the EP Quaternary, heavier and more elaborate offerings than any of the Mötley Crüe albums.

Anyway to cut the story short, Corabi did Generation Swine and Red, White & Crue with Motley Crue, another six-song demo with Angora, Let it Scream with The Scream among others. Then he had a jig with a KISS guy called Eric Singer on the Eric Singer Project, three albums actually. The others are well, no space here.

Eric Dover

Now here’s a kindred spirit to Clarke. Born on January 19, Eric Dover is Alabama-born – the state which Southern greats Lynyard Skynard immortalized as the band’s home in “Home Sweet Alabama.” So he’s basically new to Nagaland’s Dimapur too. So what’s in a name? Well, christened with a name that has much to do with docks, amphibians and slithering reptiles, singer and guitarist Eric Dover has associated his talent with bands having equally-related names – Jellyfish, Slash's Snakepit, and Alice Cooper.

Legends say Dover began playing guitar at 11 and started playing around town “wherever he could.” He performed with Kim Boyce and was in The Extras in the mid-1980s. (For your info, Dover’s side project Love Bang’s album The Rule of 72's, was released this year March 26, 2009.)

In 1993, he joined Jellyfish and later, Doverman with Roger Manning. Hey these two guys are the cameos in the 1995 The Brady Bunch Movie. Then before Doverman started recording, Dover auditioned as lead vocalist for the first solo album of a hat-loving mean 6-bender called Slash from a band called Guns N' Roses. Dover did vocals on the Slash's Snakepit’s album It's Five O’clock Somewhere.

Later he joined the just-renamed Imperial Drag (from ruralish ‘Doverman’). After Imperial Drag retired on superannuation in 1997, Eric Dover appeared on several albums as a session musician before joining another group. Man, Eric Dover must love snakes joining bands with names like Slash’s Snakepit and Jellyfish. Because the next band he joined was one, also, that single handedly raised the humble Python to superstar status during the 70s and 80s –Alice Cooper. Dover did time with Alice Cooper for the Brutal Planet tour in 2001. He played on 2001's Dragontown and has big name on most of the 2003 album The Eyes of Alice Cooper as well.
Latest news says Dover is fronting a band called Sextus (no reptilian association here this time). Sextus’ debut Stranger Than Fiction was released March 18, 2008.

Troy Patrick Farrell

Listed among the most in-demand drummers in Los Angeles today, Troy Patrick-Farrell is no stranger to Dimapur. He was in the city December 2008, pounding the machine for Mike Tramp’s White Lion. In Dimapur, Farrell got to do a lot of other cool stuff aside from tearing up the stage during that visit – he got to pose with IRB (NAP) Jawans for endless photographs for them uniformed guys! This time, he’s gonna wear shades at night when them IRB guys from Chumukedima mob him.

Originally from Chicago, Farrell moved to LA to go bite into the rock scene. He is touted as one of the most dedicated and hard-working musician in the LA scene and is now one of the most sought-after drummers on the circuit, it is said. “Troy Patrick Farrell is one of the hardest working musicians in rock today,” a critique says of the man. He’s been playing drums since 12. His influences are Bun E. Carlos and Vik Foxx.

Recent projects point to (Guns N’ Roses keyboardist) Dizzy Reed's band Hookers 'n Blow and most recently plated with CC Deville of Poison, the original bad-ass six-stringer for the biggie 80s band. Earlier this year, Troy toured the country with White Lion and dates say he’s headed for Europe with the band early next year. He has also performed with Donnie Vie and Gilby Clarke. “Troy brings his unique drumming technique to every project that he is involved in and adds a special classic, yet modern, approach to the 80's songs that his fans have come to love,” a critique says of him.

While engaged in a “crazy schedule” of side projects, the most important project for Farrell is what a critique said of his “kick ass in your-face pop/punk” band called Fastmaster, with Beautiful Creatures’ drummer Matt Star on guitar/vocals and Curtis Armstrong on the bass.

Muddy Stardust

Muddy Stardust is the one responsible for Clarke’s low duties. Unlike his bass playing, Stardust is pretty low-profile. He did stint for Gilby Clarke’s solo band and toured North America as part of the Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp. For someone who cites as his musical influence Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Big Star, The Beatles, the Kinks and Radiohead, he wouldn’t come across as your natural hard-jamming rocker. But when he jams your stage, he’s like totally happening. Man’s he’s gotta be. If you to have happened to play for some guys called the LA Guns, you gotta be.

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