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 Alex Grossi has a rock and roll resume that would make any 80's musician proud. These days, Alex is performing with GNR keyboard player, Dizzy Reed, and Love/Hate featuring Jizzy Pearl. He is part of a young, new breed of Hollywood musicians that are carving an inspiring new edge for metal. The ex-Beautiful Creatures, ex-Quiet Riot guitarist has a guitar technique that can easily be compared to a young Randy Rhoads or Eddie Van Halen.
In 2005, Alex spent most of the year on tour with Quiet Riot and joined in on the Rock Never Stops Tour. He also has toured with ex-GNR drummer, Steven Adler, on the Bad Boys Of Metal Tour.
I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Alex, and in this exclusive interview for Glam-Metal he discusses his current projects that include: Quiet Riot, Love/Hate, Hookers n’ Blow and a portrayal of Mick Mars all while he anxiously awaits a glittering pink Paul Reed Smith guitar made just for him.
Hi Alex. It has been awhile since we last spoke. There have been a lot of great developments in the past few months. First of all, how are you doing? You recently attended NAMM at the Anaheim Convention Center. How did that go? You performed with Jizzy Pearl, Chuck Wright and Troy Patrick Farrell, is that correct?
I am doing great, thanks Deb! Yes, I did perform w/ Jizzy Pearl, Chuck Wright and Troy Patrick Farrell at NAMM this year. It was for Paul Reed Smith guitars at their annual NAMM party. Every year it gets bigger and bigger, this year they had Joe Lynn Turner, Pat Travers, Michael Bolton, Al Di Meola, Dee Snider as well a bunch of others. Paul (Reed Smith) came out and did an AC/DC song with us, which was really cool, considering I have been playing his guitars since I was 17. A good time was had by all!
NAMM has to be the best music convention for every musician in the business, what was the highlight of NAMM this year?
Probably just hanging w/ Troy at the Hilton on Saturday night and seeing all my friends that I haven't seen in a while, it is kind of like a High-School reunion on crack!
Now Alex, you have some exciting new music news. You will be performing with Love/Hate on their European Tour, when will the tour begin? What cities will you visit?
All I can say right now is we start in the U.S. at the end of April and go into May. It looks like we will hit Italy, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Spain and the UK.
Who else is in Love/Hate these days?
Myself, Jizzy, Robbie Crane (bass) and Dave Moreno (drums), Jon E. Love will be doing the U.S. dates with us too, which is gonna be really cool.
Do you think the tour will reach the U.S. this year?
It's all being worked out now.
Are there any plans to record a new Love/Hate CD? Love/Hate have a sort of punk/glam sound that will go great with your guitar technique. It is sort of Guns ‘n Roses meets Gene Loves Jezebel.
Nice comparison. As of right now there has not been any talk of recording, but anything is possible.
Recently you re-joined the Dizzy Reed Band. How does it feel to be performing with one of the original members of GNR again?
I never left! (ha ha) Hookers-N-Blow has been a rotating cast of band members since day one. I always love playing w/ Dizzy. We have a lot fun on tour, sometimes too much!
Now that you are back in the band, will you be performing and recording any new original tunes in Hookers-N-Blow?
No. We are gonna stick to covers, It's more of a fun thing.
Also John Corabi has joined Hooker-N-Blow. Will he be doing some singing as well?
John is gonna sing and play guitar. Between him and Diz, it should sound pretty big; I am really looking forward to it. We have done one show with Corabi so far and it was very cool, (other than Jimmy Fallon trying to sing)…We couldn't get him off the stage!
You recently performed on John's tribute to Motley Crue on the song "Home Sweet Home."
How did that project come about? When will the CD be released? What other artists are on the compilation?
I don't know who else is on it but I can tell you that it is for a European label and our track was produced by Fred Coury (Cinderella). They called me and an hour later I was at Fred's studio doing my best Mick Mars impersonation!
How do you feel about the Motley Crue re-union? It is still going strong.
Good for them. It is good to see a real rock band going out and doing well. Their success might open some doors for other bands for that genre.
Alex, we were all sad to hear the news of your departure from Quiet Riot. You certainly contributed a lot to the band during your time touring with them. Did you feel you were going in a different musical direction? I know Kevin and Frankie are such wonderful people. It must have been such a great opportunity working with them. Quiet Riot, are actually one of the first bands in Metal that started it all. Along with Motley Crue, Poison, Dokken, Quiet Riot, these 80's band are still going strong in 2006.
Kevin and Frankie were totally cool to work with, both onstage and off. I feel lucky to have been able to play with guys who have really been through it and have seen it all. I learned a lot from them and had a blast on the RNS tour. I am still very close with the guys and I talk to Kevin all the time. We have become great friends.
Were you surprised to hear of Tracii Guns departure in Quiet Riot right after the first rehearsal?
I couldn't tell you either way, I have never met Tracii, but I am a fan of his playing.
Alex, who are some of your favorite guitar heroes? Were you a big Randy Rhoads fan?
Loved Randy. I am really into Slash, Eric Johnson...anyone who has chops, but uses them tastefully.
What do you most enjoy about touring?
Meeting new people, playing music every night. I have the best job in the world and am very thankful for it!
You have accomplished so much in your musical career, what are you most proud of?
I am probably most proud of, maybe, influencing kids that come out to the shows and want to play music. When I was that age, anytime I met a "Rock Star" it was a big influence on me and if they were cool, it made a big impact on me and was very inspiring. If I can do that for someone else then, well… cool!
You spent most of last summer performing with Quiet Riot on the Rock Never Stops Tour. Are there any funny stories that you would like to share with us?
I would love to, but what happens on the road, stays on the road!
Do you have any special guitar exercises that you do to warm up before a show?
I run through scales 10 to 15 minutes before a show, but I don't have a set routine. I think the best thing to do is just relax and enjoy yourself.
How many guitars do you own? What is your favorite to use onstage? Any special endorsements in the works?
I own about a dozen right now, mostly Paul Reed Smiths. They are currently building a custom model for me that I designed at NAMM with my rep. It's gonna be really cool, one pickup, one knob, that's it. Sort of taken by EVH's old Kramer-- simple, to the point, no frills, and they are doing a pink glitter paint-job on it. I can't wait!
Do you think you will re-join Bang Tango or Beautiful Creatures down the road? I really enjoyed your playing on the new Bang Tango and Beautiful Creatures CD.
Thank You. Anything is possible, and as much as I love Anthony and Joe, I would say probably not.
What is your favorite track off of these CD's?
I love "Ton of Lead" off of Deuce, and "Rainy Day" off of Ready To Go.
How long have you been playing guitar? Can you give the fans some insight on your musical background?
I started when I was 15, and I just turned 29, so 14 years. Before that, I played piano and French horn. I grew up around music on both sides of my family. My grandfather was a professional musician, my mother is a dancer and my father was always playing for someone, whether it was Tony Bennet or Barnham and Bailey's! So it was sort of inevitable that I would end up a musician.
You also have worked with Steven Adler, Jani Lane and Joe Le Ste, and Chuck Wright on the Bad Boys of Metal Tour? Do you think you will ever work with Steven again? I really liked how you played the GNR tunes.
I love playing GNR. "Appetite" was my first record. As far as working with Adler again, I was asked to do the ill-fated European tour around Christmas time. Nothing ever came of it (thank god), but if he had his shit together and stopped being a jackass, I would love too. He is a really funny guy, I wish him nothing but the best. I am sure we will jam again in the future, even if only for fun.
What can we expect to see from Alex Grossi in 2006?
Lots of cool shit is coming up. Most recently, I have been writing with Jani Lane. The songs are really good and I can't wait to demo them!! But as always, anything and everything will always be posted on my site: www.alexgrossi.com Thank you, Deb!!!!!
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