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Though nowadays they sport hairdos much shorter and significantly less teased than when they rose to fame in their respective bands back in the ’80s, the members of this rock ‘n’ roll supergroup obviously remain committed to delivering big, guitar-driven, drum solo-y arena rock tunes that pay as much tribute to Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger as they do to Led Zeppelin. Lead singer/guitarist Richie Kotzen is definitely channeling Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell when he belts out tunes like “Elevate” on the band’s self-titled release from 2013. Kotzen spent a couple of years in glam-rock act Poison, until he reportedly borrowed drummer Rikki Rockett’s fiancée without asking. He went on to spend some time with the still-active Mr. Big, though he no longer is in that band, either. Winery Dogs bassist Billy Sheehan has been rocking with Mr. Big since its inception in 1988 after leaving his spot in David Lee Roth’s backing band. And Dogs drummer Mike Portnoy co-founded prog-metal act Dream Theater. This current union seems to be a good fit, Kotzen recently told Houston Press: “What has made it work so well is that we had a very relaxed attitude when we met.” Expect anything but a relaxed live show, though. This should be a head-banging affair.
