hard rock

Glenn Hughes (born 21 August 1951) is an English musician, best known for playing bass and performing vocals in the hard rock band Trapeze and in the Mk. III and IV line-ups of Deep Purple, as well as briefly fronting Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s.

In addition to being an active session musician, Hughes also maintains a notable solo career. He currently fronts the supergroup Black Country Communion, and fronted California Breed from 2013 to 2015 and The Dead Daisies from 2019 to 2023. In 2016, Hughes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple.

The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s, and initially consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums.[1]

The group had its origins in Bowie's earlier backing outfit the Hype, which featured Ronson and Woodmansey, but Tony Visconti on bass. They were briefly signed as a band on its own, known as Ronno. With Bolder taking over bass, they were subsequently named via the landmark 1972 Bowie concept album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and were billed as such on the accompanying large-scale Ziggy Stardust Tour. Bowie had originally wanted keyboardist Rick Wakeman to join the band (Wakeman had played piano on Bowie's second album and on Hunky Dory and was active with the band The Strawbs); however, Wakeman declined and instead joined progressive rock band Yes.[2] Wakeman would feature uncredited on the album, and would collaborate with Bowie again on "Absolute Beginners". The Spiders from Mars were present again on Bowie's 1973 album, Aladdin Sane. Another leg of the tour followed that year, with the final show captured in the film, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.[3]

The group joined Bowie's stage persona, Ziggy Stardust in the theatrical style of the material's presentation. Ronson's guitar and arranging during the Spiders from Mars era not only fit into this style, but also provided much of the underpinning for later punk rock musicians.[4]

In 1975, Bolder and Woodmansey reformed the band without Ronson, and were joined in this lineup by Mike Garson, Dave Black, and Pete McDonald. Their self-titled album, released in 1976, was their only album before the group disbanded.

The band's name came from the UFO sighting on 27 October 1954, where a stadium crowd thought they had witnessed Martian spacecraft which cast off a thin filament material, later hypothesized to be webs from migrating spiders. The band's name did not come, as sometimes believed by Bowie fans, from the Martian areographic features often labelled as 'spiders' and 'baby spiders'.

De La Cruz were a 5-piece Australian hard rock band, founded in 2011 on the Gold Coast, Australia.

De La Cruz were formed in mid-2011 by Australian guitarist and Kramer Guitars endorsee Casey Jones, and Auckland, New Zealand born vocalist Roxxi Catalano. The band recruited Melbourne based drummer Lacey Lane, Brisbane Guitarist Rory Joy and local bass player Dennis Jaculli.

They recorded a self-funded and online released Self Titled E.P in October 2011 along with a video clip for the track 'Lust Fame Money'. The release of this E.P led to a full page article and album review in Classic Rock AOR Magazine. Track No. 1 'Good As It Gets' was featured on Episode 1, Season 6 of hit U.S television show Dexter. Shortly after release of the E.P, bassist Dennis 'Jakki' Jaculli left the band and was replaced by local Brisbane based muso Grant Daniell.

In mid-2012 the band signed a multi-album recording contract with European Record Label Frontiers Records and began work on their debut full-length album.

Ronnie Simmons and The Redback Spiders are a new punk influenced hard rock band from Sydney Australia, fronted by Ronnie Simmons (Rose Tattoo, Richie Ramone, ex-Faster Pussycat).

The band is about to release their debut EP, written and produced by Ronnie himself, recorded with Clay Davies at One More Time Recording in Los Angeles. Influenced by classic punk, Australian pub rock and with a tinge of ska, the album features Richie Ramone (The Ramones) and the late Chris Moye on drums, with Johnny Martin of LA Guns on bass, backing vocals by Danny Nordahl of Faster Pussycat and Scott Churilla of Reverend Horton Heat, lead vocals, all guitars – and saxophone! – by Ronnie Simmons.

In discussing the collaborative effort behind the EP, Ronnie emphasized the invaluable support from friends he worked with at various stages of his time in Los Angeles. “It was really cool to have my friends come together to help bring this record to life. Everyone’s support and involvement definitely brought a spirit of fun and energy to the recording process,” he elaborates. “Having drums played by Richie Ramone on songs I’d written is something I’ll eternally be proud of, and also being able to capture on record just how good of a drummer Chris Moye was really means a lot to me.”

The songs are an accumulation of Ronnie’s experiences leaving Sydney Australia, moving to Hollywood before returning to become a permanent member of Rose Tattoo. Stylistically and lyrically paying homage to elements of his journey and life in Los Angeles, they also are a return to his roots and where he started. Their debut single ‘Alone With You’ is due for worldwide release September 13 2024.

“You wanna know what it looks like to be in a relationship with a touring musician? Take out your phone and type ‘I miss you too’ because that’s basically it,” Ronnie says about the band’s debut single. “Being a touring musician is everything I dreamed of doing as a teenager, but there’s another side to it,” he adds. “Whether it’d be after a show or after a tour, physically and mentally exhausted, I’d be confronted with the solitude that I’d ultimately chosen. ‘Alone With You’ is about recognizing how lucky I am to get what I wanted, but realizing I’m allowed to want something else too and expressing that.”

When playing live, Ronnie is joined by his Redback Spiders: Hayden McGoogan and Sean Anderson on guitar, Tommy Hills on bass and Chip Scanu on drums. After just two live performances in Sydney, The Redback Spiders have signed with Suburban Records in the Netherlands and are fast picking up momentum.