Alcatrazz

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST (Live at the O2 Academy, Newcastle, U.K., November 9, 2018)
Interviews

DOOGIE WHITE (ALCATRAZZ, SCHENKER, MALMSTEEN, RAINBOW): “As You Said Kindly Earlier On, Nobody In America Knows Who The Fuck I Am”

August 3, 2021 George Dionne

Come Taste the Brand Ten years ago, storied vocalist Doogie White released his first and only solo album As Yet Untitled. The album features guest musicians Tony Carey (Rainbow), Paul Logue (Eden’s Curse), Greg Smith (Alice Cooper), and Patti Russo (Meat Loaf) to name a few. If you missed this Hard Rock gem the first time around, it was recently re-released and repackaged for its tenth anniversary through The Store For Music. The 2021 version adds two new bonus tracks, plus a bonus disc of cover songs that Doogie White appeared on through the years. If you’re not familiar with Doogie White, than it’s well worth your time taking a trip down the rabbit hole of his career. White has fronted Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock, Michael Schenker Fest, La Paz, Midnight Blue, Cornerstone, Tank, and quite a few other projects. In addition to his re-release of As Yet Untitled, White has a soon-to-be released project on Frontiers Music called Long Shadows Dawn, and he was recently announced as the lead vocalist for Hard Rock cult heroes Alcatrazz. I had the chance to speak with Doogie White about all of this and more. Highlights Include Discussion of the rerelease of White’s only solo album As Yet Untitled What song did White perform in his audition for Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Writing songs with old band mates Why songs he wrote with Craig Goldy (Dio) didn’t make the album The negative impact of performing live with Emma Bunting (Spice Girls) Asking Ritchie Blackmore to play a couple of songs on his solo album Is there a second solo album on the horizon Playing a bar in Texas with a “bucking bronco” as a distraction What the Rainbow back catalog hasn’t been reissued Auditioning for Iron …READ MORE

Alcatrazz
Audio Interviews

JIMMY WALDO (ALCATRAZZ): “We Weren’t SURVIVOR And We Weren’t IRON MAIDEN”

September 27, 2020 George Dionne

Cult Legends Return to Disturb the Peace Once Again Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo, and Gary Shea founded Alcatrazz in 1983. That same year they released their first album No Parole From Rock ‘n’ Roll with a then unknown guitarist Yngwie Malsteen. In 1985 Alcatrazz released their second album Disturbing the Peace with then unknown guitarist Steve Vai replacing Malmsteen. Alcatrazz released one more album, Dangerous Game, in 1986 before calling it quits. Members moved onto various other projects in the decades that followed. After 34 years apart, Bonnet, Waldo, and Shea have reunited for Alcatrazz’s forth full length album Born Innocent [review], released July 31, 2020. This time they recruited well-know guitar legend Joe Stump and Mark Benquecha on drums. A number of artists from Graham Bonnet’s past also come along for the ride including Steve Vai, Chris Impelliteri, Nozomu Wakai, Dario Mollo, and the late Bob Kulick. Metal Express Radio interviewed keyboardist and co-founder Jimmy Waldo. Highlights include: Discussion of Alcatrazz’s latest album Born Innocent What got Joe Stump the guitarist position in the band Was this the first attempt at getting the band back together What prevented the band from getting to the next level Discussion Alcatrazz’s legacy Waldo’s work on Quiet Riot’s album with Paul Shortino …and more! Alcatrazz is: Graham Bonnet – Vocals Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards Gary Shea – Bass Joe Stump – Guitar Mark BenQuechea – Drums Band Links: Official Website Facebook Instagram Buy The Album

ALCATRAZZ - Born Innocent
Album Reviews

ALCATRAZZ – Born Innocent

August 16, 2020 Dan Whittle

At one point or another, English-American metallers Alcatrazz have counted  Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai amongst their ranks. This post-hiatus line-up is less well-endowed with ‘name players’, but it doesn’t seem to have forced the band in a different direction. For here amongst the glossy 21st century production, is tech-metal prised from an 80s time-capsule. It’s the type of thing that gum-chewing teenagers might have listened to as they arranged their mullets ahead of a night out on the strip. Big solos flavoured with arpeggios and harmonic minor scales.  Histrionic vocals aping the squeezed-ball highs of vintage Gillan. Frankly ludicrous subject matter that only lonely school kids and old rockers think is cool. It’s all here, watermarked with the neon stamp of 80s approval. The problem is that TARDIS-tunes only go anywhere if the songs are either spell-bindingly good or have something new to say. This album, alas, meets neither criteria. It’s not for want of trying:  Graham Bonnet and co. have recruited the likes of Steve Vai and Japanese shredder Nozomu Wakai to help out. But despite the credentials of the supporting cast, there’s just not enough here to warrant the big name reputation. Opener “Born Innocent” could just as well have been the victim of Emperor Joseph’s criticisms as Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio or Harem”. Notes rain down while Bonnet wails away in strictly functional fashion. Irish-influenced stomp “Finn McCool” follows a similar template. The epic reach of the band’s influences only surfaces by the time “I Am The King” rocks round. Here at least there’s a held-back melody and guitar soloing that occasionally lingers on a note long enough to project some meaning. The pick of the rest of the tracks is probably “Warth Lane”, a piece of mid-tempo sludge that features Mellotron-esque strings and …READ MORE

ALCATRAZZ - Parole Denied (Tokyo 2017)
Album Reviews

ALCATRAZZ – Parole Denied (Tokyo 2017)

December 11, 2018 Maxxxwell Carlisle

This nineteen track collection of 2017 live recordings and vintage 1985 unreleased demos is a real treat for Alcatrazz fans. Parole Denied features Graham Bonnet along with original Alcatrazz members Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea playing their classic material together for the first time in 33 years. For the live material, the band sounds great. They seem to have spent plenty of time in the rehearsal studio in preparation for this Japanese tour. From the recordings you would never know that these musicians had not played together in decades. Graham Bonnet sounds flawless. Considering how common it is for live recordings to be doctored these days, and given Bonnet’s age, his performance is suspiciously good. That being said, without any specific reason to suspect an altered recording, we can give him the benefit of the doubt and simply accept his performance as his best live work in recent years. All of the favorite Alcatrazz songs are there, including “Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live”, “Jet To Jet”, “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, and “Island In The Sun”, and the band has stuck to the original song structures and arrangements. They definitely seem to have had the audience’s best interests in mind. The demo tracks are fun, however it’s easy to see why some of them were not originally released. “Emotion” for instance, is a nice song, but doesn’t fit terribly well with the rest of the Alcatrazz catalog. Regardless, for die-hard fans, this release will be thrilling. TUNE INTO METALEXPRESSRADIO.COM at NOON & MIDNIGHT (EST) / 6:00 & 18:00 (CET) TO HEAR THE BEST TRACKS FROM THIS UPCOMING RELEASE!!!

GRAHAM BONNET BAND (Live at Trillians, Newcastle, U.K., August 12, 2018)
Live Reviews

GRAHAM BONNET BAND (Live)

August 13, 2018 Mick Burgess

Who would have thought that a “one-off” hit single in 1968, written by the Bee Gees would have kick started a career in music lasting half a century? During a fruitless search for a singer to replace Ronnie James Dio in Rainbow in 1979, Ritchie Blackmore recalled an old hit, Only One Woman, by a band called Marbles and set about tracking down that elusive voice. Graham Bonnet was finally found and was the man to bring a new, more streamline commercial sound to Rainbow and although he lasted only one album it yielded two huge hit singles and cemented Bonnet’s reputation as a top-class Rock vocalist. A short stint with Michael Schenker Group followed before forming his own band Alcatrazz in 1983, a band that shot guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai into the Rock spotlight, showed that Rainbow was no flash in the pan. Bonnet is back with his solo band, featuring his ex-Alcatrazz bandmate Jimmy Waldo on keyboards with a new album, Meanwhile Back In The Garage, that is arguably his best since his Alcatrazz days so it was with great anticipation that Bonnet was welcomed to a packed Trillians. An hour and a half is simply not enough time to cover every song that people want to hear but Bonnet certainly did a canny job of covering all the bases. Whereas previous tours tended to have a heavier slant towards his Rainbow days, this tour saw more of Alcatrazz and new material than ever before but still retaining those must hear songs. Kicking off with a quick-fire jab of Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live from the Alcatrazz debut; Rainbow’s classic All Night Long and his own solo hit Night Games got the pot bubbling nicely with Bonnet’s trade mark powerhouse, gravel edged voice …READ MORE