Andrew Lawrence Fortier (born July 14, 1987) is an American musician, guitarist, filmmaker, actor, and author. He is best known for his work with
The Lucid
The Lucid is an American hard rock group consisting of vocalist Vinnie Dombroski ( Sponge), guitarist Drew Fortier (ex- Bang Tango), bassist David Ellefson (ex- Megadeth), and drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy, Raven, Fear Factory).
Background ...
; which he cofounded alongside
Vinnie Dombroski
Mark "Vinnie" Dombroski (born December 4, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and main songwriter for the American rock band Sponge. He also fronted the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has been a member of se ...
(
Sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
),
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
(ex
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
), and
Mike Heller
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
(
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
).
He was guitarist for the now late
Chuck Mosley
Charles Henry Mosley III (December 26, 1959 – November 9, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter, who was the frontman for Faith No More from 1984 to 1988. During his tenure with the band, they released two albums, ''We Care a ...
(
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
).
He has directed and edited the documentary
Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie as well as the
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
produced horror film ''
Dwellers'' which Fortier also wrote and stars in.
He is the author of ''Dark, Depressing, and Hilarious'' which is an autobiography on his career thus far.
Biography
Fortier was born and raised on the southside of Chicago. He met hard rock band
Bang Tango
Bang Tango is an American hard rock band. The band was formed in Los Angeles in 1988 and was signed to MCA Records the same year.
History Formation (1988)
Initially the band was founded by guitarist Mark Knight and bassist Kyle Kyle in 1 ...
in June 2011 where they offered to let him shoot a studio documentary while they were in Chicago recording their album ''Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt;'' Fortier agreed to the project which eventually grew from a studio documentary to a feature-length film about the band's career up to that point titled
''Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie''. After completing the film, Fortier went on to join Bang Tango as second guitarist alongside
Rowan Robertson
Rowan Wingate Robertson (born 22 November 1971) is an English rock guitarist who currently performs in the Las Vegas production show ''Raiding the Rock Vault'' and plays for Bang Tango. He also plays for DC4. Robertson also played guitar for A ...
.
After Bang Tango, Fortier joined
Chuck Mosley
Charles Henry Mosley III (December 26, 1959 – November 9, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter, who was the frontman for Faith No More from 1984 to 1988. During his tenure with the band, they released two albums, ''We Care a ...
's band as guitarist up until his passing in November 2017 which led to him writing a memoir about his experiences with Bang Tango and Mosley titled ''Dark, Depressing, and Hilarious''.
As an actor, Fortier appears in the films ''Her Name Was Christa'', ''Brimstone Incorporated'', and
''Dwellers'' which he also wrote, directed, and edited.
In 2021 he cofounded
The Lucid
The Lucid is an American hard rock group consisting of vocalist Vinnie Dombroski ( Sponge), guitarist Drew Fortier (ex- Bang Tango), bassist David Ellefson (ex- Megadeth), and drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy, Raven, Fear Factory).
Background ...
alongside
Sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
vocalist
Vinnie Dombroski
Mark "Vinnie" Dombroski (born December 4, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and main songwriter for the American rock band Sponge. He also fronted the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has been a member of se ...
, ex
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
bassist
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
, and
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
drummer
Mike Heller
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
. The band released their debut
self titled album in fall 2021.
Film career
''Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie''
Fortier took 4 years filming and editing what would become a documentary on 80's
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
band Bang Tango. Originally intended as a studio documentary, the scope of the film grew once original members of the band became involved and more information was revealed regarding the band's history. The film was never given an official release due to clearance issues regarding usage of Bang Tango's back catalogue of music in the film which is owned by
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
.
Aside from the inclusion of various members of Bang Tango throughout the band's career up to that point, interviews featured throughout the film include:
Howard Benson
Howard Benson is an American music producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was nominated for the Producer of the Year Grammy Award in 2007 and 2008.
Early life and education
Benson was born and raised in a middle-class family in greater Philadel ...
,
Riki Rachtman
David Alan "Riki" Rachtman (born June 15, 1962) is an American television and radio personality. He is best known for his association with the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s hard rock and heavy metal scene, hosting MTV's ''Headbangers Ball'' f ...
,
Chris DeMakes
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxop ...
,
Mandy Lion
Mandy Lion is a heavy metal/hard rock singer. He is the lead singer of the heavy metal band World War III.
Biography
He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1986 and formed World War III. He caught the attention of manager Don Arden, who signed ...
,
Andrew Wilkow
Andrew Steven Wilkow (born August 18, 1972) is a conservative political talk radio host on the Sirius XM Patriot channel on SIRIUS channel 125 and XM channel 125. Until July 2006, Wilkow had been on WGY in Schenectady, New York, (weekday morni ...
,
Chip Z'Nuff
Enuff Z'Nuff (a sensational spelling of "enough's enough") is an American rock band from Blue Island, Illinois, founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff. The Chicago-area band is best known for their charting singles " Fly High Miche ...
, as well as an opening narration by
Twisted Sister's Dee Snider.
The film had one free public screening in Fortier's hometown of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
with Bang Tango in attendance in April 2015.
Fortier became a member of Bang Tango days later as the band's second guitarist.
Fortier released the film for free on YouTube in early 2016.
In June 2018, Fortier released an 11-minute deleted/extended scene from the film, which contained footage from being on the road with the band as well as more insight into how the band operates while on tour. Fortier made note that the footage was initially removed from the film due to its portrayal of the band members featured in the scenes.
Reception
Reviews of the film were positive. The general consensus is that despite its low budget, the film still manages to get its point across in an unbiased, artistic, and engaging manner while being able to appeal to not only fans of the band or genre, but to anyone not familiar with Bang Tango.
''Thanks. And Sorry: The Chuck Mosley Movie''
Summer 2017, Fortier was recruited as guitarist for (Ex-
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
frontman)
Chuck Mosley
Charles Henry Mosley III (December 26, 1959 – November 9, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter, who was the frontman for Faith No More from 1984 to 1988. During his tenure with the band, they released two albums, ''We Care a ...
's solo band. During his time with the band, Fortier and Mosley explored the idea of a potential documentary to where Mosley would be the subject. Prior to his passing in November 2017 Mosley confirmed with Fortier that a documentary about his life should be made. The film is being produced by Mosley's long time manager and percussionist, Douglas Esper.
In February 2018 it was announced that ''Thanks. And Sorry: The Chuck Mosley Movie'' was officially in production with a TBA release date.
''Dwellers''
In May 2019, it was announced that Fortier will be writing, directing, and starring in the found footage horror film ''
Dwellers'' which is being produced by
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
bassist
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
and
Thom Hazaert
Thom Hazaert is an American musician, author/journalist, music executive and radio personality. He was co-founder and president of Corporate Punishment Records and currently runs THC: MUSIC, a management firm and label. With David Ellefson, he r ...
via their newly formed production company Ellefson Films.
Along with Fortier, the film will also star
James L. Edwards James, Jim, or Jimmy Edwards may refer to:
Politicians
* J. Fred Edwards (James Frederick Edwards, 1902–1978), Canadian politician
* James B. Edwards (1927–2014), American politician
* James Bevan Edwards (1835–1922), British politician and a ...
, Douglas Esper, Rick Jermain, and
Jeff Hatrix. Ellefson and Hazaert will also be appearing in the film as featured cameos.
In August 2019, Ellefson Films released a 50-second teaser for the film which included a voice over from Canadian radio personality Mitch Lafon.
Ellefson Films hosted a Q&A panel at Rue Morgue's Frightmare in the Falls horror convention where Fortier and Ellefson revealed that the film will be a gritty found footage horror film that plays out as a documentary gone horribly wrong. Dwellers is described as being highly influenced by
''The Blair Witch Project'' and ''
C.H.U.D.
''C.H.U.D.'' is a 1984 American science fiction horror film directed by Douglas Cheek, produced by Andrew Bonime, and starring John Heard, Daniel Stern, and Christopher Curry in his film debut. The plot concerns a New York City police officer a ...
''
The full trailer for ''Dwellers'' was released via Ellefson Films in November 2019.
Dwellers went on to be featured in various film festivals and won a selection of awards.
The film was released on Blu-ray/DVD/streaming October 12, 2021.
Other works
As a way to hone his filmmaking skills to aid the process of creating and completing ''Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie'', Fortier experimented with shooting and editing music videos for Bang Tango, which resulted in clips for their songs: ''Live Life,'' ''I Like It, Bring on the World,'' and ''Suck It Up'' from the ''Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt'' album. This led to Fortier, through word of mouth, being hired to produce and edit promotional videos for such acts as:
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 forma ...
,
Slaughter,
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...
,
Great White,
Kix,
Autograph
An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...
,
Lynch Mob,
Vixen
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
,
Marty Casey
Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey (born September 26, 1973)
"New sensation: Marty Casey is a hit!" (news report/bio),
Karen Budell, ''Metromix Chicago'', October 17, 2005, webpage:
Metromix-New-Sensation: states, "Oct. 3,
2005-- Marty arrived in h ...
,
Les Warner
Les Warner (also known as Lez Warner) is a British born musician and producer, primarily a drummer best known for his work with The Cult. On the reverse of the ''Electric'' album, he is in the far right picture. He currently resides in Las Vegas ...
,
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
,
Mark Slaughter
Mark Allen Slaughter (born July 4, 1964) is an American singer and musician, and one of the founders of the glam metal band Slaughter.
Career
Slaughter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 4, 1964. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fr ...
,
Jesse Camp
Josiah Jesse Holden Camp IV is an American musician and television personality who was the winner of the first '' Wanna Be a VJ'' contest on MTV.
Career
Camp entered MTV's first '' Wanna Be a VJ'' contest in 1998. Portraying himself as homele ...
,
Doll Skin
Doll Skin were an American rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The band's final lineup was made up of Syd Dolezal (They/Them) (lead vocals/rhythm guitar). Former members of the band are Nicole Rich (bass/backing vocals), Alex Snowden ...
,
A Killer's Confession
A Killer's Confession is an American alternative metal band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 2016. The band consist of vocalist Waylon Reavis, drummer Morgan Bauer, bassist JP Cross and guitarist Tommy Church.
In September 2016, Waylon Reavis ann ...
, and more.
After completing ''Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie'', Fortier was in talks with
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
for a proposed documentary on the band's career. A treatment for the film was drafted which led to meeting with members of the band to speak further about the idea. It was ultimately decided that due to the band's ongoing litigation with former members, it was not the right time for a film to be made.
Music career
Bang Tango
After completing and screening ''
Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie'' in April 2015, Fortier would go on to join the film's subject,
Bang Tango
Bang Tango is an American hard rock band. The band was formed in Los Angeles in 1988 and was signed to MCA Records the same year.
History Formation (1988)
Initially the band was founded by guitarist Mark Knight and bassist Kyle Kyle in 1 ...
, as their second guitarist making his live debut with the band at the 2015 edition of the M3 Festival in Maryland. The decision to bring Fortier into the band was at the suggestion of
Rowan Robertson
Rowan Wingate Robertson (born 22 November 1971) is an English rock guitarist who currently performs in the Las Vegas production show ''Raiding the Rock Vault'' and plays for Bang Tango. He also plays for DC4. Robertson also played guitar for A ...
who, as Bang Tango's lead guitarist, felt the band should be represented as having two guitarists to properly perform the material which was originally written and recorded with two guitarists.
Despite having Fortier become a member of the band, frontman Joe Leste' showed disdain toward Fortier in the press regarding the way Leste' had been portrayed in the film.
Fortier took a year long break performing with the band to work for
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
Bassist
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
's
EMP Label Group
EMP Label Group, also known as Ellefson Music Productions, is an American record label formed in October 2015, which was founded by former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson.
History
In October 2015 it was announced that Ellefson had launched a r ...
as their Operations Coordinator. Fortier worked closely with Ellefson and the label's Operations Director
Thom Hazaert
Thom Hazaert is an American musician, author/journalist, music executive and radio personality. He was co-founder and president of Corporate Punishment Records and currently runs THC: MUSIC, a management firm and label. With David Ellefson, he r ...
up until he returned to Bang Tango in August 2017.
Chuck Mosley
Fortier joined Chuck Mosley's solo band early summer 2017. It was during this time that plans for a documentary on Mosley's life were discussed which would become ''Thanks. And Sorry: The Chuck Mosley Movie''.
The Lucid
In September 2021 it was revealed that a new band consisting of
Sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
vocalist
Vinnie Dombroski
Mark "Vinnie" Dombroski (born December 4, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and main songwriter for the American rock band Sponge. He also fronted the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has been a member of se ...
, ex-
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
bassist
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
,
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
drummer
Mike Heller
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
, and Fortier on guitar. The Lucid announced their debut single ''Maggot Wind'' along with an October 15 release date for their debut self titled album. The band released two more singles, "Damned" and "
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
", leading up to the release of their eponymous debut.
Other works
In 2011, while shooting ''Attack of Life: The Bang Tango Movie'' and 4 years prior to joining the band, Fortier performed additional guitar and backing vocals on Bang Tango's ''Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt'' album. His lead guitar parts can be heard in the choruses of the track ''Live Life'', and his backing vocals can be heard in the choruses of the song ''Boombox Seance''. In 2015, Fortier co-founded the supergroup
Zen From Mars along with Chip Z'Nuff (
Enuff Z'Nuff),
Brynn Arens
Brynn Arens (born April 7, 1961) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is best known as guitarist and frontman of the rock band Flipp, as well as guitarist for the alternative rock ban ...
(Flipp),
Mike Heller
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
(
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
),
Stephen Shareaux
Stephen Shareaux (born September 16, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as lead vocalist for the hard rock band Kik Tracee. He is a solo artist as well as lead vocalist and co-founder of alternative rock ba ...
(
Kik Tracee
Kik Tracee was a 1990s hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988, during the last years of the glam metal movement, before the influx of grunge and alternative rock.
History
The band was formed in a Los Angeles suburb in 1988 by ...
), and Kate Catalina. As of 2021, their debut album has yet to be released. In June 2018, Fortier joined 90's hard rock band
Flipp
Flipp is an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1994, founded by singer/guitarist/producer Brynn Arens. They were signed to Hollywood Records and later Artemis Records, releasing 3 studio albums up until their dissolution in ...
as their guitarist for a one-off show in Minnesota.
Acting career
In 2017, Fortier made his acting debut in the horror film Her Name Was Christa, written by, directed by, and starring James L. Edwards who would go on to become a frequent collaborator of Fortier's.
''Her Name Was Christa''
July 2017, Fortier was cast as a lead role in the
Horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
''
Her Name Was Christa
''Her Name Was Christa'' is an American horror film written by, directed by, and starring James L. Edwards. The plot of the film follows a lonely middle aged man who falls in love with a prostitute and is faced with a horrific choice after their ...
''. Directed by, written, and starring
James L. Edwards James, Jim, or Jimmy Edwards may refer to:
Politicians
* J. Fred Edwards (James Frederick Edwards, 1902–1978), Canadian politician
* James B. Edwards (1927–2014), American politician
* James Bevan Edwards (1835–1922), British politician and a ...
, the film was released in February 2020 to very polarizing reviews.
''Brimstone Incorporated''
In 2021, Fortier co-starred in the low budget horror anthology ''Brimstone Incorporated'' as Gregory Asmodeus, who is the main character of the film's wraparound story. Fortier was praised by critics for his work in the film with Horror Society opining that, "Fortier was phenomenal as the sleazy corporate goon over interviewing the recently deceased. I really loved the character and the energy he gave him." HorrorNews.net commented, "Drew Fortier did an amazing job as Gregory. You can tell he had a blast with the role and his performance is top-notch."
''Trivial''
In fall of 2021, it was announced that Fortier would be starring in the revenge horror film ''Trivial'' along with Sasha Graham.
Writing career
''Dark, Depressing, and Hilarious''
Fortier wrote an autobiography titled ''Dark, Depressing, and Hilarious'' which covers his career up until 2018.
''Rock Star Hitman''
In November 2020 it was announced that Fortier along with
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
bassist
David Ellefson
David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.
Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadin ...
had co-written a fiction thriller novel titled ''Rock Star Hitman'' released in December 2020 via The Ellefson Book Co.
Health
In May 2022 it was revealed that Fortier had been diagnosed with
Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility.
Risk factors include an ...
leading to him to have surgery removing his right testicle; as of June 2022, he is cancer free.
Filmography
Feature films
Acting roles
Music videos
Discography
With Bang Tango
* ''Pistol Whipped in the Bible Belt'' (2012) - additional guitars and backing vocals
With Obszön Geschöpf
* ''Master Of Giallo'' (2018) - guitar on the song "The Death Kiss"
With Ellefson
*''No Cover'' (2020) - lead and rhythm guitar on cover of "Downed" by
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
With The Lucid
* ''
The Lucid
The Lucid is an American hard rock group consisting of vocalist Vinnie Dombroski ( Sponge), guitarist Drew Fortier (ex- Bang Tango), bassist David Ellefson (ex- Megadeth), and drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy, Raven, Fear Factory).
Background ...
'' (2021)
Bibliography
*''Dark, Depressing, and Hilarious: My Bittersweet Journey In and Out of the Music Business''
**2018 Hardcover
**2018 Paperback
**2018 Paperback (Amazon Edition)
*''Rock Star Hitman''
**2020 Hardcover
**2020 Paperback
Accolades
Fortier has received numerous awards internationally for the film
Dwellers.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortier, Drew
Living people
1987 births
American heavy metal guitarists
Alternative rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American male songwriters
American rock songwriters
Film directors from Illinois
Songwriters from Illinois
American actors
Actors from Illinois
American music video directors
American heavy metal musicians
21st-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Chicago
American funk guitarists
American film editors
American documentary film directors
Documentary film editors
Male actors from Chicago
American alternative rock musicians
American rock guitarists
Fingerstyle guitarists
Lead guitarists
Alternative metal musicians
Alternative metal guitarists
American autobiographers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century American male writers