Features
Another Queensrÿche Lineup Announcement
The fight over the Queensrÿche name between singer Geoff Tate and the other three founding members continued over the weekend with an announcement from Tate revealing the lineup for what he calls “the new Queensrÿche.”
In June Queensrÿche issued a statement saying that the group had parted ways with original frontman Tate because of “growing creative differences.” The band said the lineup now features vocalist Todd La Torre and guitarist Parker Lundgren along with founding members guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield.
Tate, who has been accused of punching and spitting on his former bandmates during a pre-show argument in April, filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates that month about his firing and the rights to the band name.
He tried to get a preliminary injunction to stop Wilton, Jackson and Rockenfield from touring using the name Queensrÿche but the judge sided with the trio.
Now Tate says he’s gathered a group of musicians for “the new Queensrÿche.” The Sept. 1 post on Queenryche.com, simply titled “New Lineup,” started off by telling fans that Tate knows the last few months “have been very frustrating for you. I know they have been for me.”
Photo: Rod Tanaka / TanakaPhoto.net
Bluebird Theater, Denver, Colo.
Tate brought up his former bandmates by saying that “after working with the same people for 30 years … there’s no spark, the chemistry is very tired and true and you just keep coming up with the same ways of expressing yourself.
“Today is a new day and I am thrilled to announce the new Queensrÿche.
“Joining me are: Rudy Sarzo, Bobby Blotzer, Glen Drover, Kelly Gray and Randy Gane.
“Together we shall embark on a new musical journey that will be a greater extension of where Queensrÿche has ever been.
“With this new project, with these new people, it’s a whole new scene. There are new ideas, different musical backgrounds and a whole new set of parameters. Everyone has ideas you haven’t heard before, and everyone is throwing them against the wall and suddenly … the music has a whole new life. I look forward to this new life and I hope to see you on tour as all of us come together and begin this new era.”
The website says that tour dates will be announced soon.
Gray and Gane founded the band Myth with Tate in the late ‘1970s. According to his bio on Queensryche.com, keyboardist Gane previously toured and recorded with Queensrÿche. Although Gray’s bio notes that the guitarist produced albums for Queensrÿche, for some reason his bio fails to mention that he temporarily joined the band from 1998-2001.
Blotzer is the best known as the original drummer for Ratt. Drover played guitar for Megadeth between 2004-2008 and also toured with Testament. Sarzo has been a member of Ozzy Osbourne’s band, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Dio.
When Pollstar interviewed Tate’s former bandmates in August, we told the musicians that the magazine was asked by Tate’s agency to list Tate as “Queensrÿche starring Geoff Tate – The Original Voice.”
Here’s how drummer Scott Rockenfield responded:
“To be honest, we haven’t followed or gotten a lot of that information. What we’re doing – we’re going on with Queensrÿche. … What Geoff chooses to do will be in Geoff’s hands. Our main focus is to do what we are doing and take it from there. But I personally haven’t paid a lot of attention to what’s going on over there; it’s not really important to me right now.”
For more information on Geoff Tate’s band visit Queensryche.com. His former bandmates are using the website QueensrycheOfficial.com.