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Click one of the above tracks
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Alliance Alliance DELETED esm012 What does it take to form a good, solid rock and roll band ? When does the friendship, the musicianship and the different experiences in life meld together and become one ?. A synergy of content and style ? In 1987 one such band, The Sammy Hagar Band, lost it's leader to Van Halen. As Sammy began a journey that would take Van Halen to new heights, Jesse Harms (Keyboards), David Lauser (Drums) and Gary Pihl (Guitar) started searching for that missing ingredient, a way to continue together but to also do something fresh. Geffen A&R guru John Kolodner gave them a tape of a new artist they had been grooming - Robert Berry. Phone calls were exchanged, tapes were traded and Jesse and David even went to see Berry's solo band perform. But a big part starting a new band is the timing. They never got that chance to play together. Harms hooked up with REO Speedwagon, Pihl was recruited by Boston and Berry went to England to play with Steve Howe in the band GTR.. Lauser joined a touring band and continued to help Sammy Hagar record new demos. For the next few years history ran its course, but Gary and David still had that desire to do something of their very own, something original. Early in 1993 Berry received a call from David Lauser. The passion to form a new band was still there. By this time Harms had been replaced by Nightranger keyboardist Alan "Fitz" Fitzgerald. The timing seemed right. David, Gary, Robert and Fitz got together in Sammy's basement studio and went through a few tunes and immediately knew that there was a common thread, a musical bond between their styles and their backgrounds. This was the start of something big., and so "Alliance" had finally been born. The recording first started in Sammy's studio, then to Boston to work in Pihl's home studio. The band was searching for a style and unity that most bands would have from growing up in the same town or playing in rival bands. Alliance were spread out across America, Gary in Boston, Fitz in Texas, David in Northern California and Robert in the heart of the Silicon Valley, California. To complicate things further Pihl was still working with Boston and Fitz was "Behind the scenes" keyboards player for Van Halen. David was playing in a travelling band that was on the road a great deal as well as recording with Sammy Hagar for his "Unboxed" release. Robert, after finishing a tour with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer was busy producing other artists as well as keeping his solo career alive. Despite the hectic schedules the four musicians progressed with the songs for Alliance and they would meet and record at Robert's Soundtek studios. The songs that make up the CD "Alliance" (Escape Music) are the end result of years of hard and dedicated work. The important point to make here is that this European release is radically different from the recently released Japanese CD "Bond of Union". There are several different recordings and the songs that are peculiar to both are different versions, very different in fact. These facts alone warrant this band to be looked at in a new light. The quality of song writing and musicianship is unsurpassed making this one particular "Alliance" to be respected by every melodic rock fan in Europe. |
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