| Badlands
Biography
From Badlands Tourbook Like the Phoenix rising from its ashes, four musicians have shed the chains which bound them to their previous units to combine their talents in a shared musical vision. That vision is Badlands. Born from a desire to blend hardened metal rhythms with blues-based melodies, the members of Badlands came together out of an innate sense of musical brotherhood. In so doing, each brought with him a background richly steeped in the very foundations of rock history.
Axe master Jake E. Lee earned his stellar guitar reputation as a member of Ozzy Osbourne’s band for four years, during which he appeared on two albums, Bark At The Moon and Ultimate Sin. By the time he left that unit, in 1987, his onstage gyrations and sizzling, six-string histrionics marked him as a guitarist who spewed forth hard rock tunes with a strong emotional edge. Wielding his battered white Charvel like the ultimate instrument of metal attack, lake established himself as one of rock’s most adventurous and exciting guitar heroes. Now, as a member of Badlands, he hopes to take rock guitar to new artistic heights. "We’re all influenced by the blues. Flay isn’t the world’s highest screamer and Eric isn’t your typical thrash or techno drummer. He comes from an older school and so does Greg. We all play with a lot of feeling." Singer Ray Gillen cut his musical teeth on tout with Black Sabbath in 1986 His charismatic stage persona and his searing vocal power turned on audiences everywhere—both the guys attracted by Gillen’s macho stance and the girls drawn to his raw sexual aura. But this New Jersey native will never be satisfied being rock’s latest pin-up king. He wants to live and die on the strength of his music. "I’m really into bluesy singing. This is the first time I’ve been able to write music that really sounds like me. I never fed that ‘special thing’ before about any band I was in, but now I know what it feels like—this band is it." Eric Singer paid his dues as the hard-hitting drummer for Lita Ford, Gary Moore and Black Sabbath. His association with Gillen in Sabbath made him the obvious choice as Badlands’ power percussionist. His kinetic energy both onstage and off makes him Badlands’ most outgoing member as well as the rock solid foundation of the band’s sound. "Our music is not singles, hit-type music. It’s very concert-oriented and dynamic. It’s very raw and real and geared towards our audiences. I call it ‘intensely real’ because we have incredible intensity when we play live." Bassist Greg Chaisson is the perfect complement to Badlands’ high-dying musical attack. His steady rhythms and fleet-fingered approach provide the anchor for the band’s sound and keeps it on its steady, unrelenting course. Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Chaisson’s laid-back personality and passion for the martial arts and "muscle" cars characterize the aggressive stance he brings to Badlands’ broadbased appeal. "I like being in a family-type band and that’s what this is. We all hang out, we’re all good friends, there are no egos, no attitudes and no poseurs." Badlands....The name conjures many images. Visions of rocky, raw terrain. Forgotten. lonely expanses. The wilds. Unexplored. alien territory. The unexpected. The challenging. The rough and tough. The name Badlands emblazoned across a biker’s leather. A streetwise encounter. Going it alone. probing the depths of your soul. "A spiritual place, land the American Indians am believed to have held sacred for centuries. A state of mind. A mood. An attitude. A bad-ass band.... In keeping with the theme. guitarist Jake E. Lee and the other Badlands boys have gathered for a nocturnal photo shoot in a desolate industrial area of North Hollywood, barren except for abandoned cars and railroad tracks that haven’t seen a train for a long time. Bassist Greg Chaisson and vocalist Ray Gillen stroll down the middle of the tracks while drummer Eric Singer roams a few feet away to investigate a weather-beaten Olds Cutlass. "Great." says producer Paul O ‘Neill. "we’ll have half the band arrested for stripping cars, and the other half will get run over by a train!" The spotlights and flood lamps are set up. and the generator starts humming. Band members drape themselves around a junked Chevy El Camino. Everyone’s blowing Greg up about posing for a "Hunk of the Month" shot. A good sport about the razzing, Greg says he’ll take the picture lying on the hood of the thrashed automobile. "The hunk on the hunk of shit." he quips. "Actually, we’re all in a new spread called ‘Junk of the Month.’ " Ray jives me. Turning to Eric, who is in skintight leather pants, he teases, "Got your sock in Eric?" Not to be outdone. Eric retorts. "No. can I borrow yours?" Pop! The camera captures Badlands bathed in blue light. The band moves to the other side of car, and Jake perches atop the roof. Flash! The band is illuminated in fiery red. A van drives by, and a passenger yells, "you f?!kin’ longhairs!" None too soon, it’s time to return to the rehearsal studio. Eric fills me in on the "incestuous" history of the band—how Badlands came together through being "related" by members who once belonged to the same bands. Eric had been in Lita Ford’s band when Lita and Tony Iommi were going out together. It was Eric. who took Randy Castillo’s place when Lita lost Randy to Ozzy. Eric met Tony lommi through Lita. and after his year long stint with her, joined Black Sabbath for two years and two albums. Sabbath’s bassist Dave Spitz (now in Impellitteri) found Ray in Rondinelli. Rumors got to Ray that he was being considered for the Sabbath gig, but he still thought it was a practical joke when he was called for the audition. Ray rehearsed with Sabbath for two days and did his first show with them using cue cards. Says Eric. "Ray added new life. new blood. We did maybe 25 or 30 gigs. but there were complications. and dates got canceled. Tony lommi made unwise business decisions, and it fell apart." Ray and Eric did work together on the Eternal Idol album, but soon after. Eric heard from bassist Bob Daisley (who had replaced Dave in Sabbath) that Gary Moore was looking for a drummer for his touring band. Eric got the gig. One night Jake (who’d played with Bob in Ozzy) came with old friend Warren DeMartini to a Gary Moore show. As everyone sat around b.s.-in’ on the tour bus. Eric mentioned he’d be free after the tour was over. Meanwhile. Ray briefly teamed up with John Sykes’ Blue Murder. then moved from England back to the States. Eric, Ray and Jake connected. Greg also came to Badlands through the Ozzy connection. when he went to Europe to audition for Ozzy’s band prior to Ultimate Sin. Though Greg didn’t get the Ozzy gig. he and Jake kept in touch. In early 1988 Greg completed the Badlands lineup. "Before Badlands, I was a hired gun,’’ says Eric, "My responsibilities were limited and defined. I had to conform to a style, and I shut up and did the gig. Now we all answer for our actions, songs, time and money. Jake and Ray are the leaders and define what Badlands is about. I’ve got the freedom and responsibility to create my own parts. We’re all equal members, and every one’s opinion counts. We’re finding our direction and our sound."
‘’When I was in Ozzy.’’ Jake says, I never sat around thinking, "When I leave, I want a band like this or that. " Ozzy had a predetermined audience and I had to keep that in mind and couldn’t go too far off. With this band, it’s nice not to have restrictions. We had no preconceived ideas musically. Everything fell into place. We’re four people who get along and have the same musical upbringing. "I never started playing to become famous, make lots of money or get laid. I began playing piano at age six. I was musically inclined and didn’t do it to impress people or to entertain. Now when I’m up onstage, it’s a big adrenaline rush-kinda like when you kick somebody’s ass you don’t like, or street racing and beating a car you didn’t think you could beat. On a good night your mind and body’s on ten: you can do anything! Most people in the business are very competitive, and it’s their band versus your band. But I feel we’re all in it together. I see it like a rock ‘n’ roll brotherhood. One thing people always say to me is that I always seem to be so relaxed. I never get upset. I never worry. It there’s a problem, I’II try to find a solution, or I ride it out. It’s almost the way I approach music. Bands worry. ‘Are the kids gonna like this?’ ‘Is it better than our last album?’ Is it gonna sell a million copies?’ Ozzy worried about that. I always told him. ‘Don’t worry. What comes out, comes out. If we like it, people will too. "You’ve got to get out and make your own luck. What I’m about to say is definitely not an endorsement for drugs, but when I was in high school, I did drugs and partied out all the time with my friends. When I hit my last year of high school, I decided it was time to quit dreaming. I quit doing drugs and started staying home Friday and Saturday nights and playing guitar. I got a band and gigs. You’ve got to have a focus. Some bands who may not necessarily have all that much talent worked hard and broke their butts to make it. They deserve their success more than someone who is talented but sits around and whines about not getting a break. People with initiative deserve success. It you want to accomplish something, get oft your butt and do it!" Time for Jake to get off his, as the band is now set up and waiting to rehearse. I’ve been properly primed, but what comes next is entertaining beyond my expectations. It cranks. It’s unpredictable. It’s dynamic. Elements of every rock style I’ve ever loved are in Badlands’ music. It’s rootsy. all right-bluesy too. But their sound transcends any one style to become the skillful interpretation of many, fused into a result that is truly original. And Jake’s playing.... This guy is a monster! Best of all, as the guys work on a section, it’s obvious that Badlands is a real group effort. The man, the
tan and the diligent one speak the blues
Having three loquacious types in the group is fine by Jake, the more talking they do, the less will have to be done by the reticent Mr. Lee. THE TAN "My grandfather was very spiritual. He was a Cherokee (Indian)." obliges Ray, who was created in television's image. He gave me this chest that I can't open until I'm 30. It's got all this stuff in it like books and letters. It's pretty neat." Mr. Gillen has got all of those enviable qualities that make up a star. Charm, unjaded innocence, amiability and "the look", not to mention competent vocal cords. Among other things Ray Gillen shares the same birthright as Jon Bon Jovi, they are both from New Jersey. Ray is the pride and joy of his parents, the best vocalist the fraternal group Rondinelli ever had and he has the esteem of being one of many former Black Sabbath vocalists. -Ray replaced Glenn Hughes on Sabbath's last tour and did the vocals for the 'Eternal Idol' album. Then he left the band to work with John Sykes. "They weren't treating us right. They didn't pay Eric (Singer), they didn't pay the bass player (Dave Spitz)" Ray recalls "So I wasn't Ibeling too much loyalty to them. While I was queshoning whether I should continue with Sabbath. John Sykes contacted me, and asked if I would be interested in working with him." Ray tells of the primordial days of Blue Murder In the summer of 1987. "He seemed to have a more positive thing going, so when I finished all the vocals. I said to the manager. "l'm quitting, may I have my plane ticket home. Then I went to John's place and jammed." When Ray speaks, his New Jersey inflected voice and his face reek from unabashed honesty. He's so nice, he could make a Motorhead aficionado puke. "The John Sykes proleel was more of a desperate jump because I was pissed off at the guys from Sabbath," Ray admits, having reconciled his former situation. ''I never even got the opportunity to jam with Cozy Powell or Tony Franklin, just John and a drum machine," Ray explains. "I need to work with the whole band and let things develop" he continues. 'John Kolodner (ears, Geffen Records) hears a Black Sabbath demo and decides, "This guy can sing", "John knows I can sing" Ray states decisively. Cover
on Badlands Tour Book
Article written
by Laurel Fishman
|
Formed
in the summer of 1988 when guitarist lake E. Lee contacted vocalist Ray
Gillen, the two quickly added bassist Greg Chaisson and drummer Eric Singer
and hit the Los Angeles rehearsal studios to polish material for their
debut LP, Badlands (released on Titanium Records). The stark, gripping
tunes that emerged from those sessions paid homage to rock’s hallowed past
while paving the way for its future. Songs like "Hard Driver", "High Wire",
"Dreams in the Dark" and "Streets Cry Freedom" are potent compositions
filled with both the passion and power which mark Badlands sound. Yet it
is the individuals which comprise this fierce fraternity which merit special
attention:
Jake
and discuss the Badlands sound while Eric gets his gear together. "People
are gonna expect an Ozzy Black Sabbath sound.’’ Jake says, "but it’s not
what they’re going to get. It’s very American—hard rock with a blues root
to it—but not your standard blues. We like to put little twists and bends
in there. In a way, it’s ethnic, using American rootsy music—funky in a
dirty, gritty kind of way.’’ Jake throws out some of the terms they’ve
coined for the Badlands style: Delta Thrash, Appalachian Boogie, Swamp
Rock/Voodoo Blues. Jake claims that in the same way Creedence was distinctively
American. So, too, is Badlands—but with a harder edge.
