2L August 2003
OREGON MUSIC / AUGUST 2003 photo Buko Black ‘N Blue’s Geffen Records hometown debut at the Memorial Coliseum. Pictured (L to R), Pete Holmes, Jaime St. James, Pat- rick Young, Jef “Woop” Warner and Tommy Thayer. The band’s fi rst release on a Metal Blade compilation included another newcomer named Metallica. David Geffen signed Black ‘N Blue to his label in ‘84 and they recorded four albums, the last two produced by KISS’ Gene Simmons. Tommy Thayer joined the KISS family at the sounding board and as a musical contributor. Over the years he co-wrote songs and produced CD and DVD projects for the band including the title montage for New Line Cinema’s “Detroit Rock City”. Last year he assumed guitarist Ace Frehley’s Spaceman persona and replaced him completely this year. Page 2 - TWO LOUIES, August 2003 TWO LOUIES, August 2003 - Page 3 Page 2 - TWO LOUIES, August 2003 TWO LOUIES, August 2003 - Page 3 with so much talent. It probably felt like a compromise working together. Not that the results ever came across that way. Had Billy’s career not been cut short one can only speculate if, or what, they might have gone on to do had they had a chance to work together in artistic maturity. If overcoming all the ambition, ego, sibling rivalry, as well as the usual artistic demons that accom- pany most musicians wasn’t enough to warrant Lenny his well earned artistic and commercial success, well, that’s just it. In the end, it just wasn’t enough. Just when all the musical potential and years of struggle were fi nally paying off in the form of a fi nancially lucrative career writing and producing music for radio and television commercials, Lenny made what I would think must have been one of his life’s toughest John Leonard Rancher: Off the Grid decisions; to follow his heart and walk away from what was becoming a hollow success to focus his efforts in was checking my voice mail the other day Lennon was murdered, or upending Asteroids the pursuit of a higher cause; saving our forests and and low and behold a voice from the past.
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