Keel (band)

Keel is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California.

The band was primarily active in the 1980s and celebrated their biggest success in the 1980s, the era of so-called glam metal bands. The driving force behind Keel was and is the lead singer and namesake Ron Keel. Since November 2008, the band is active again.

  • 3.1 albums
  • 3.2 Singles and EPs

History

The beginnings

Keel was launched in March 1984 by vocalist Ron Keel to life after the dissolution of his previous metal band Steeler, which also includes guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen belonged. The founding members of Keel include not only singer Ron the two guitarists Marc Ferrari and David Michael -Phillips and bassist Kenny Chaisson and former Steeler drummer Bobby Marks. In April, the band recorded a two track demo with the songs Lay Down the Law and Speed ​​Demon and played the first concert in front of the sold-out 1500 visitors Perkin 's Palace in Reseda, California. Drummer Carmine Appice saw Michael Phillips at this concert and recruited him at once from his new band King Kobra. His successor on guitar at Keel was Brian Jay.

As of June of the same year, the band began in the Prairie Sun Studios to record their first album Lay Down the Law at the record company Shrapnel Records. Even before the album was released in the summer, Keel already signed for the second plate a contract with Gold Mountain Records / A & M Records. The debut album attracted the attention of Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, who offered himself as a producer of their second album. Meanwhile, left the band drummer Bobby Marks. He was first replaced by the future Cinderella drummer Fred Coury -, then by Barry Brant from the band Angel and ultimately by Steve Riley. Riley left the band, however, before the end of the recordings again after he was given the opportunity in the summer of 1984, Tony Richards at WASP to replace. New Keel drummer Dwain Miller was.

The successes

The Right to Rock, Keel's second album, was released in January 1985, ten months after the foundation of the band. The title song was released as a single and received massive airplay on American rock radio and on MTV. Keel toured extensively in the U.S. and played alongside club gigs headlined several concerts as a pre- band of bands like Dokken, Accept, Joan Jett, Triumph, Y & T, Loudness and Queensrÿche. In an episode of the series Throb, the group was also seen in this year as in the movie Never Too Young to Die ( German title Lance, die young never ) on the side of main character Gene Simmons. The band was nominated this year by the readers of music magazines Metal Edge, Circus Magazine and Hit Parader magazines "Best New Band ".

The third album The Final Frontier was again produced by Simmons and was released in March 1986. It contained a number of guest posts by fellow musicians like Joan Jett or Gregg Giuffria. Keel played in the U.S. as the opening act for Krokus, Quiet Riot, Queensryche or Aerosmith and the opening act for Dio first time in Europe, along with the Texxas Jam Festival at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas in front of 86,000 spectators, where Van Halen were the main band. In the fall of 1986 Keel toured as a headliner in Japan.

The supporting band name Keel follow-up album was recorded with producer Michael Wagener and was released in May 1987. The band opened in the U.S. concerts for Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi and played their own club tour as headliners. For the soundtrack of the movie Dudes they controlled at the Rose Tattoo Cover Rock ' n ' Roll Outlaw. In 1988, the band was in transition. Contractual problems and musical differences contributed to the fact that guitarist Marc Ferrari left the band and formed his own band called Ferrari to life, emerged from the Cold Sweat eventually. It was only replaced by keyboardist Jesse Bradman, this short it again by Scott Warren. During the recording of the next album, the second guitarist Brian Jay left the band. He was replaced by Tony Palmucci and the recordings were finished with him.

In 1989, the band released the album Larger Than Live, a board consisting of equal numbers of live and studio recordings from new. The shallower musical direction, the commercial failure of the album and the fact that Ron Keel was now the only remaining musicians of the original line, marking the end of the band.

After the end of the band

Ron Keel subsequently founded the band Fair Game, which consisted entirely of women except him. After he got a record deal with this band, he turned away from the metal scene and took a country album, entitled Western Country under the name Ronnie Lee Keel on. Keels return to Metal took place in 1996 with the Japanese band project Saber Tiger and the album Project One instead. A fusion of metal and country he played at Iron Horse. Songs with him as a singer were used in television series like Desperate Housewives or King of the Hill.

1998 Keel were formed as a result of the re-release of Larger Than Live new to the occupation of the first albums and released a new album titled Back in Action, which contains some demos next unreleased songs. Among other things, it also listen to the two original demos of Lay Down the Law and Speed ​​Demon from the year 1984.

Ten years later, on 28 November 2008, the band for their 25th anniversary came together again. Keel Ron Keel today consist of singers, guitarists Marc Ferrari and Bryan Jay, drummer Dwain Miller and bassist Geno Arce new. Played their first show Keel on January 31, 2009 at Club Vodka at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California. Middle of June, the group announced that it has started recording a new studio album titled Streets of Rock & Roll.

Trivia

  • Ron Keel was traded after the end of Steeler as a prime candidate for the position of the microphone in Black Sabbath.
  • The singer wrote the title song of her album Rev It Up for the female rock band Vixen.
  • The single The Right to Rock also appeared in a Spanish version as Derecho al rock.
  • The band has recorded some cover versions. So the song Because the Night comes (composed by Bruce Springsteen ) and Rock ' n ' Roll Outlaw by Rose Tattoo originally by Patti Smith; In addition, the group took on the title Let's Spend the Night Together by The Rolling Stones.
  • The Keel - song Proud to Be Loud was covered by Pantera on their fourth album, Power Metal.
  • The song Speed ​​Demon II is briefly heard in the film Men in Black.
  • Keel have sold about three million records worldwide.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

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