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Sleze
Sleze were a short-lived American glam metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1984. Although Sleze were mostly a cover band and went through several lineup changes before changing their name to Alice N' Chains in 1986 and breaking up a year later, its former members later formed other bands, most notably the influential grunge band Alice in Chains. History Sleze was established in 1984 by guitarists Johnny Bacolas and Zoli Semanate, drummer James Bergstrom, and bassist Byron Hansen, all of whom attended Shorewood High School. While walking between classes one day at school, Bergstrom ran into Ken Elmer, a friend from the school marching band. Elmer knew that Bergstrom and his bandmates were looking for a singer and suggested they audition his stepbrother Layne Staley, who at that time went by the name Layne Elmer. Elmer said that Staley played drums but "he wants to be a singer". Bergstrom agreed and Elmer paid Staley a visit to encourage him to try out for the band. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Bacolas
Johnny Bacolas (Greek: Γιάννης Μπάkολας; classical transcription ''Yiannis Bacolas'') (born March 3, 1969) is an American musician, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the post-grunge band Second Coming, where he played bass guitar.Stav, StevThe Second Coming of Second Coming "Intermittent Signals" September 1, 2001. Retrieved on June 8, 2011. He was also a founding member of the band Sleze, which was later renamed Alice N' Chains (a precursor to Alice in Chains that also featured vocalist Layne Staley), The Crying Spell, Lotus Crush, and The Rumba Kings. Early life Johnny Bacolas is a first-generation American born to Greek parents in Seattle, Washington. His father, George, was born in Athens, Greece and his mother, Patricia, was born in Lamia, Greece. Bacolas started playing guitar at the age of 12. Soon after, he formed his first band with childhood friend and drummer, James Bergstrom. Bacolas has cited a myriad of musical styles (parti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alice N' Chains
Alice N' Chains was an American glam metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1986 by former members of Sleze. Toward the end of their run as Sleze, discussions arose about changing their name to ''Alice in Chains''. However, due to concerns over the reference to female bondage, the group ultimately chose to spell it as Alice N' Chains. They performed under this moniker over about a 12-month period and recorded two demos before breaking up on friendly terms in 1987. One of its members, Layne Staley, ultimately took the name that he and his former bandmates had initially flirted with when he joined a different group a few months later that became known as Alice in Chains. History Vocalist Layne Staley, guitarist Nick Pollock, bassist Johnny Bacolas, and drummer James Bergstrom began performing in what would become the last lineup of Sleze in 1986, when founding member Bacolas rejoined after a brief stint in another band called Ascendant and took up the bass slot for the fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Bergstrom
James Bergstrom is an American musician best known as the drummer for the band Second Coming.Stav, StevThe Second Coming of Second Coming "Intermittent Signals" September 1, 2001. Retrieved on June 8, 2011. Before that, he played drums for the band Sleze (later renamed Alice N' Chains), which also featured future Alice in Chains vocalist Layne Staley. Biography Sleze and Alice N' Chains In 1984, Bergstrom co-founded a garage band called Sleze whose jam room was set up in his parents' basement.Prato, Greg. "Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music." p. 214. April 2009. At the suggestion of his friend Ken Elmer, Bergstrom and his bandmates recruited Elmer's stepbrother Layne Staley, who back then also went by the surname Elmer, as vocalist. They performed live at various high schools, playing Slayer and Armored Saint covers. This band went through several lineup changes before changing their name to Alice N' Chains.Prato, Greg (April 2009). ''Grunge Is Dead: The Ora ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley (born Layne Rutherford Staley; August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002) was an American musician, songwriter and the original lead singer of the rock band Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part of Seattle's grunge movement. He was known for his distinctive vocal style and tenor voice, as well as his harmonizing with guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell. Staley was also a member of the glam metal bands Sleze and Alice N' Chains, and the supergroups Mad Season and Class of '99. "Man in the Box", the second single from Alice in Chains' debut album, ''Facelift'' (1990), garnered Staley critical recognition for his vocal style. Alice in Chains' EP ''Jar of Flies'' (1994), debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Alice in Chains' first record—and the first-ever EP—to top the chart. However, Staley's deteriorating condition due to heroin abuse led him to enter a rehabilitation clinic. He began to work on a side p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne Staley. Starr was replaced by Mike Inez in 1993. William DuVall joined the band in 2006 as co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, replacing Staley, who had died in 2002. The band took its name from Staley's previous group, the glam metal band Alice N' Chains. Often associated with grunge music, Alice in Chains' sound incorporates heavy metal elements. The band is known for its distinctive vocal style, which often included the harmonized vocals between Staley and Cantrell (and later Cantrell and DuVall). Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on the 1992 acoustic EP '' Sap'', and his role continued to grow in the following albums, making Alice in Chains a two-vocal band. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick Pollock
Nick Pollock (born November 22, 1967) is a Seattle-based singer, guitarist, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge band My Sister's Machine. He has also played in various bands with other notable musicians, including Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley and Queensrÿche guitarist Michael Wilton. He graduated from Lindbergh High School in 1986. Biography Alice N' Chains Around 1985-86, Pollock was invited to play guitar with the band Sleze, whose other members at the time were vocalist Layne Staley, bassist Jim Sheppard, and drummer James Bergstrom. Sheppard would leave to focus full-time on his main band Sanctuary, and he was subsequently replaced by Mike Mitchell. Eventually, Mitchell also left the band and founding guitarist Johnny Bacolas would rejoin the band on bass, and they changed their name to Alice N' Chains. The band recorded two demos and toured throughout the Seattle area for roughly one year before they broke up in 1987. Staley went on to join the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
My Sister's Machine
My Sister's Machine was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989. Its members were Nick Pollock (lead vocals, guitar), Owen Wright (guitar), Chris Ivanovich (bass guitar), and Chris Gohde (drums). This band recorded and released two albums, ''Diva'' and ''Wallflower'', before they broke up in 1994. They reunited in 2010 to headline the Layne Staley Tribute and Benefit Concert that year as Pollock had previously played guitar in an early incarnation of Alice in Chains, the glam metal band Alice N' Chains that also included Staley. History Background (1984–1989) Before the formation of My Sister's Machine, guitarist Owen Wright and drummer Chris Gohde were involved in a band called Mistrust in 1984; this band also included former Culprit singer Jeff L'Heureux.Mistrust at Enc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soulbender
Soulbender is an American-Canadian hard rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2002. The band independently released their album '' Soulbender'' in 2004, which they reissued with four additional tracks through Rat Pak Records under the title ''Soulbender II'' in 2014. Though the band underwent multiple lineup changes in that ten-year timespan, both releases featured the original five-piece incarnation of two Americans and three Canadians who previously played in several different bands respectively from Seattle and Vancouver: Nick Pollock (lead vocals), formerly of Alice N' Chains and My Sister's Machine; Michael Wilton (guitar) from Queensrÿche; Dave Groves (guitar), formerly of Tin Pan and Fallen Angel; Wes Hallam (drums), formerly of Assault and Fallen Angel; and Marten Van Keith (bass guitar). History Soulbender has chiefly been noted as a side-project of Michael Wilton, borne out of his desire to return the heavy metal sound that his main band Queensrÿche had drifted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Schram
Kenneth George Schram (December 17, 1947 – May 29, 2014) was an American news and radio broadcaster. He was based in Seattle, Washington and was the former host of local-affairs show ''Town Meeting'' and KOMO 4’s evening news segments called "Schram on the Street." For several years he hosted a radio show, ''The Commentators'', on KOMO Newsradio with conservative John Carlson. That show was discontinued in September 2010. Starting September 20, 2010, Schram and Carlson each began hosting new, separate shows on the same station, with Carlson on from 9:00AM to Noon and Schram from Noon to 3:00PM. Schram is also known for his personal award, the "Schrammie", which he gave out on the air to "underscore what I think are among the worst of bone-headed decision, and/or the most appalling of asinine behavior", usually to local or regional newsmakers. After a 35-year career, Ken Schram was laid off from KOMO 4 and Radio on December 7, 2012, citing cutbacks to full-time employees. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PMRC
The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. The committee was founded by four women known as the "Washington Wives"—a reference to their husbands' connections with government in the Washington, D.C. area. The women who founded the PMRC are Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. The PMRC eventually grew to include 22 participants before shutting down in the mid-to-late 1990s. Early history The Parents Music Resource Center was founded in 1985. The group's formation was cemented with the financial help of Mike Love, from the Beach Boys, and J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has been noted for his powerful and wide ranging operatic vocal style and trademark leather-and-studs image, both of which have become iconic in heavy metal.Daniel Bukszpan (2003)"The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal"/ref> He has also been involved with several side projects, including Fight, Two, and Halford. AllMusic said of Halford, "There have been few vocalists in the history of heavy metal whose singing style has been as influential and instantly recognizable... able to effortlessly alternate between a throaty growl and an ear-splitting falsetto." He was ranked at No. 33 on the list of greatest voices in rock by Planet Rock listeners in 2009. He has also been nicknamed "Metal God" by fans. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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