The Dead Daisies are an Australian-American hard rock band formed in Sydney in 2012. Since their formation they have assembled a rotating lineup of musicians who have otherwise played with groups including Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, and Foreigner, among others. Although functioning as a sort of "supergroup" during its history, the band has been spearheaded by guitarist David Lowy while its various live and studio based releases have come out. The group's eponymous debut album was released by Spitfire Music in August 2013.
History Formation, debut album, and first tour (2012) The Dead Daisies were formed in the city of Sydney within Australia by musicians Jon Stevens (formerly of the bands Noiseworks and INXS) and David Lowy (formerly of the group Mink) in 2012. The singer-songwriter and guitarist got together after David Edwards, a music industry figure known for serving as ex-manager of INXS, had reintroduced them.
The band's self-titled debut album was recorded in two weeks at Wishbone Studios in Los Angeles in 2013 with American producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist John Fields. The album was released in North America on 9 August 2013 through Caroline/Universal, and later released in the United Kingdom in mid-November 2013. "Lock N' Load", their first single, was co-written by Slash (the lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses), who also played guitar on the track. The song was a Rolling Stone magazine Daily Download on 25 July 2013 and was also available on the website of BBC Radio 2. The song's music video appeared on more than 20 outlets, including Much Music. The single was released in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2013.
The band toured in 2013, including opening for ZZ Top and joining Aerosmith on their Australian and New Zealand tour. This was followed by the 25-date Uproar Festival in August and September 2013 (with Jane's Addiction and Alice in Chains, among others). These shows were performed by the first full lineup of the band, which consisted of Lowy and Stevens along with drummer Frank Ferrer (also of Guns N' Roses), guitarist Richard Fortus (also of Guns N' Roses, formerly of Thin Lizzy and Psychedelic Furs), bassist Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake/Thin Lizzy), and pianist Dizzy Reed (from Guns N' Roses). Lead singer Stevens performed for a while with casts on his hand and leg as a result of an injury sustained when escaping from a crocodile on a fishing excursion in Australia.
Lineup changes and Cuba Rocks (2013–2015) In the fall of 2013 the band played 18 shows in the United Kingdom with the Black Star Riders with new recruits Charley Drayton (who has performed with Divinyls, the Cult, the Rolling Stones, Mariah Carey, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Herbie Hancock, Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, Courtney Love, Iggy Pop, Seal, Paul Simon, and Neil Young, among others) on drums and Darryl Jones (longtime supporting musician for the Rolling Stones) on bass (instead of Marco Mendoza). On 20 November, they played the Underworld rock club in Camden, their first UK show as headliners. The band finished off their touring schedule in 2013 with a gig at The Barby in Tel Aviv, Israel.
"Lock N' Load" was also played at football stadiums, including at Wembley Stadium in London during the sold-out NFL American football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers on 27 October.
Coinciding with the tour of the UK, Britain's Classic Rock magazine included a feature on the Dead Daisies in its November 2013 issue. The band was also November's spotlight artist on the Metal Hammer and Classic Rock websites. In a Classic Rock magazine poll, "Lock N' Load" was voted 15th best song out of 100 songs of 2013.
In February 2014, the Dead Daisies regrouped with the line-up of Lowy, Stevens, Fortus, and Reed, with a returning Mendoza and new drummer John Tempesta (the Cult) to undertake their first full headline Australian tour, plus shows supporting Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes for two shows: Twilight At Taronga, at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and at the Bateau Bay Hotel.
The band embarked on two US tours in 2014, joining the Bad Company and Lynyrd Skynyrd tour in July, followed by the Heroes Tour with Kiss and Def Leppard in August.
During the summer of 2014, the Dead Daisies released the EP Face I Love with four new recordings: "Face I Love", "Angel in Your Eyes", "Your Karma", and a cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter". Along with the EP, a Facebook app was launched where fans would send in pictures of themselves to try and win prizes.
At the end of October 2014, the Dead Daisies were invited to join the fourth Kiss Kruise, which sailed from Miami to the Bahamas.
The band finished their touring in 2014 with a second visit to New Zealand as guests of Jimmy Barnes under the banner of the 'Angel In Your Eyes' tour to coincide with the release of the same-titled single, with four dates in Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and Hamilton, followed by a headline tour of Australia. The Dead Daisies played their first ever headline shows in Perth on 4 December and Brisbane on 5 December.
In late February 2015, the Dead Daisies became the first American rock band to play Cuba since the Obama administration reopened trade ties and made history as part of a cultural exchange as guests of the Cuban Ministry of Culture, Cuban Institute of Music and the Cuban Rock Agency. This tour saw Lowy, Fortus and Reed joined by returning bassist Darryl Jones, in addition to which vocalists John Corabi (frontman of Mötley Crüe for 1992–1996) and Bernard Fowler (longtime backing vocalist for the Rolling Stones) joined the band in place of the absent Stevens. During their visit, the band jammed in studio with Cuban musicians, played an energetic sold-out show at Havana's Maxim Rock Club, visited young Cuban musicians at the National Institute of Music, and finished with a performance at the Concert for Peace (Roc Por La Paz) in front of over 6,000 fans. David Lowy said the band members had immersed themselves in Cuban culture and it was "one of the best musical experiences of my life".
Jon Stevens' departure, John Corabi confirmation and Revolución (2015) On 16 April 2015, the Dead Daisies officially announced John Corabi would remain with the band as lead vocalist, and that Jon Stevens would no longer be a member of the group. The band headed for Sydney, Australia, and with drummer Jackie Barnes, son of Jimmy Barnes, sitting in, booked into Studios 301 with co-producer Craig Porteils (Guns N' Roses/Billy Idol), to complete the recording of their second album, Revolución.
In June 2015 the band, featuring Tommy Clufetos (formerly with Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie) on drums, supported Kiss again on their European tour, and also took in the Rock in Vienna Festival, Download Festival UK and Graspop Metal Meeting Belgium. The Dead Daisies continued to support the Kiss tour on its Australian leg in October 2015.
In late July 2015, the Dead Daisies joined Whitesnake for a limited tour in the US that ran until mid August. The groups met up for their first US show in Westbury, New York, and finished things off in St. Charles, Missouri, bringing American audiences the album Revolución as well as the world premiere of the documentary, titled the same, of their historic trip to Cuba on Twitter. In October 2015, the Dead Daisies joined Kiss for the Australian leg of the Kiss Tour finishing on the Kiss Kruise V. In November 2015, the Dead Daisies rejoined Whitesnake in Moscow, Russia touring across Europe, making a stop to join Judas Priest in Frankfurt, Germany.
Doug Aldrich, Make Some Noise, and Live and Louder (2016–2017) On 28 January 2016, it was announced that Richard Fortus (2013–2016) and Dizzy Reed (2013–2016) would be taking part in the Guns N' Roses "Not in This Lifetime... Tour" and that Doug Aldrich (2016–present) would join the band on lead guitar. No replacement was announced for Dizzy Reed. Aldrich had also performed with Whitesnake, among others. With Aldrich, the band recorded their new album Make Some Noise in Nashville with producer Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Gavin Rossdale, Mötley Crüe, Buckcherry) during February and March 2016. Make Some Noise was released globally on SPV Records on 5 August. The band also announced European dates and a US tour with Kiss for the summer as well as their first Japanese show at Loud Park festival in October.
The Dead Daisies kicked off their 2016 live appearances as special guests at Musikmesse Frankfurt with performances on the main stage followed by a guest slot with all-star band The Hollywood Vampires in Germany. On 14 July the group set off on the Make Some Noise Tour at Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen, Germany. The Dead Daisies played several more festivals as well as their own sold-out shows throughout the UK and Europe including an acoustic show at Hard Rock Cafe in Prague and at Maidstone's prestigious 'Ramblin' Man Fair' on 23 July 2016, finishing their European run at Komplex 457 in Zurich, Switzerland. The band released their much-anticipated third studio album, Make Some Noise, on 5 August 2016.
On 10 August 2016, the Dead Daisies joined Kiss on their "Freedom To Rock Tour" with shows across the US. For the first time, The Dead Daisies included headline concerts in Los Angeles at the famous Whisky-A-Go-Go and Webster Hall in New York. After doing a show for fans of the NFL team Arizona Cardinals, the album's title track, 'Make Some Noise', was adopted for their touchdown song.
In October, the Dead Daisies paid their first visit to Japan, to play the Loud Park Festival. They continued their journey with their first USO Tour playing shows for the US Military services in South Korea. In early November, the band rejoined Kiss on the Kiss Kruise VI for a record third time, then set off for a massive UK and European trek on a co-headline tour with Irish rock band the Answer to finish off 2016 with tickets selling out well in advance.
On 19 May 2017, the Dead Daisies released their new album, Live And Louder, featuring sixteen songs recorded during the UK/Europe Tour from the fall of 2016. Included is a 'Live And Louder' documentary DVD showcasing the 'Make Some Noise World Tour' and selected acoustic tracks along with a massive photo booklet. A headline tour throughout the world headed to the US via a special concert at Woodstock in Poland with a full orchestra.
The band has performed at the cream of the European Festivals including Download Festival, Sweden Rock Festival, Rock Hard Festival, Hellfest and Graspop Metal Meeting. Enthusiastic Japanese fans had clamored for the band to return to 'The Land of the Rising Sun' so they did to two sold-out shows in Osaka and Tokyo in July. After leaving Japan, the band headed to South America for the first time and played concerts in Brazil, Argentina and Chile before playing a sold-out gig in Mexico City.
In a major spectacular, the band played the Woodstock Festival in Poland along with the Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra to hundreds of thousands in the audience before heading back to the US for their first headline tour. Aptly titled 'The Dirty Dozen' kicked off in August and saw the band storm through major cities across North America including New York, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles and finishing up in Las Vegas. They have partnered with sports organizations like the New York Yankees and NASCAR as well as working on a promotion with Harley-Davidson including three exclusive biker shows at Sturgis Full Throttle Saloon on 9 August and two shows at the start of September, the Easyriders Rodeo Tour in Ohio and the National HOG Rally in Milwaukee.
Deen Castronovo and Burn It Down (2017–2018)