From Lita Ford...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
BEST "FOOT" FORWARDLITA FORD PUTS HER BEST "FOOT" FORWARD THIS SUMMER
Legendary Female Rocker Recruits Guitar Guru Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
for Her Touring Band
Lita has added another dimension to her upcoming tour by enlisting
fellow guitar giant Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal to duty by playing in her
backing band.
"I'm really looking forward to getting out on the road with
Bumblefoot," says Lita, who'll break a 15-year touring hiatus with
the jaunt, which will be preceded by a slew of festival dates both in
the states and in Europe. "It only took a couple of practices before
we really connected -- and that hardly ever happens. I've played with
some terrific musicians, but this combination is really something
special."
Lita should know something about the qualities that make a musician
special. Throughout a career that stretches back to her mid-'70s work
with groundbreaking all-female punk pioneers The Runaways, she's been
acknowledged as a masterful string-slinger by dedicated fans and
peers alike, with nods from the folks at The GRAMMY Awards and seven
Metal Edge Readers' Choice Awards, among other kudos.
She opted to put that part of her life on hold in the mid-'90s,
however, when she married fellow rocker Jim Gillette (best known for
his work in Nitro) and concentrated on raising sons James and Rocco.
The family went about as far from the glammy Hollywood rock lifestyle
as possible -- moving to a quiet Caribbean island where tending
gardens and fishing replaced headbanging and crafting guitar solos as
pastimes.
"We're at a point where we can take the kids out with us, and let
them be part of the action," says Lita, who proudly points out that
her sons have never spent a night in the company of a nanny or a
babysitter. "My oldest is a really tough, cool kid. He's 12 and he
loves being a roadie -- he'll run across stage with my Gibson and
work the place like a total professional."
Bumblefoot, of course, brings his own unique brand of professionalism
to the mix. After more than a decade of winning fans and influencing
players as a solo artist and session musician, the New Yorker
bulldozed his way into mainstream consciousness as the primary
guitarist on Guns 'N Roses' Chinese Democracy -- a gig that didn't
get in the way of his own prodigious release schedule, documented at
www.bumblefoot.com.
"I was so impressed by the different styles I heard from him," says
Lita, by way of explaining her decision to team with Bumblefoot. "He
can be really heavy one minute and totally subtle the next. It gives
us an extra dimension."
Lita and her band -- besides Bumblefoot, the crew includes Trixter
bassist PJ Farley, drummer Dennis Leeflang and keyboardist Michael T.
Ross -- will treat fans to an incendiary blend of classics from her
catalog and soon-to-be fan favorites from her loud 'n' lusty new
album, Wicked Wonderland, which is set for release this fall.
"Getting out on the road again is gonna be such a trip," says Lita.
"It's not like getting back on a bicycle -- it's more like going back
to the gym and starting to really work out again after a long break.
But I'm definitely in shape and back up to lifting the heavy weights
again. It's gonna be a blast for everyone."
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