BOBBY BLOTZER's RATT Announces Line-Up Changes; STACEY BLADES, MITCH PERRY And BRAD LANG On Board

Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer, who is currently touring his own incarnation of the band that does not include any of his former bandmates, has checked in with the following update after splitting with bassist Robbie Crane and guitarists Nicholas “Blaze” Baum and Doc Ellis.

“Just a quick note regarding our Ratt tour. We have some leaving, and new great musicians coming on board. Stacey Blades (LA Guns), my long time friend, just played with us on two huge festivals over last weekend and did a fabulous job. Also sitting in thru next week’s shows on bass is Todd Kerns. He is such a great talent, Slash is lucky.

Starting Sept 3rd and 4th onward will be the great Mitch Perry (MSG, Talas) on lead guitar, Stacey Blades (rhythm and leads) and Brad Lang (Y&T) on bass, along with the awesome Joshua Alan still fronting of course, and yours truly chopping wood behind the kit. All these guys are long time road veterans from very well known lists of bands. We’re definitely looking forward to playing with them.

The shows over the weekend just as always is a testament that people love Ratt music as performed by us with our intensity, and with great replication emphasis on the interity that Ratt music be treated with. (We had) 35,000 people in Sturgis going nuts thursday, then last night 10,000 going crazy at our performance full set at Rockin the River festival was epic. It never gets old!”

Go to this location for the Ratt tour schedule.

At a Ratt show on July 30th in Oklahoma, drummer Bobby Blotzer left the stage after three songs, complaining of problems with his monitors. In this audio clip from an interview on the Eddie Trunk Show, Dokken leader Don Dokken comments on the situation, wondering, “has he lost his mind?” Listen below:

Following the above-mentioned incident, Bobby Blotzer posted the following message via social media:

“Quick explanation of the stage exit last night in Oklahoma. Well, I’ve never been in such a position that it was virtually impossible to play the songs. We had incredible problems with the sound on stage. And I mean disastrously bad. My kit also was in disarray from its locked in set up and after 3 tunes in to it, just wasn’t fair in my evaluation to the audience to continue until it was rectified.

“The injuries I got falling off the riser, that was road wear, a bit on a higher scale, but thank God I fell in to a stack of Marshall amps. The show did complete and the sound was radically adjusted and on we went. Very stressful and endangering to my hearing and what’s left, when it sounds like a train smashing off a train track, somethings gotta happen and quick.”

On July 29th, three members of Ratt’s classic lineup – Stephen Pearcy (vocals), Warren DeMartini (guitars) and Juan Croucier (bass) – reunited at former RIP magazine editor Lonn Friend’s birthday party in Los Angeles. Also on hand were drummer Greg D’Angelo (ex-White Lion), who is a member of Pearcy’s solo band, and guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who performed on Ratt’s last studio album, Infestation, from 2010. Drummer Bobby Blotzer, who has been embroiled in lawsuits with his former bandmates over control of the Ratt name, was absent from the gathering. He is currently on the road with his own incarnation of Ratt.

Taking to Facebook, Stryper frontman Michael Sweet commented on the conflict between the two Ratt camps:

“I wish these guys all the best and hope they can resolve their issues. Ratt was a house band at Gazzarri’s when Stryper was a house band. Blotzer wasn’t in the band at the time and they were amazing. I used to chat with all of them back in the day and they were great guys. I think it’s sad and unfortunate when a member of a band (who isn’t really even an original, mind you) decides to drag the name and reputation of the band through the mud because he feels he has the right to do so. I’m looking forward to seeing/hearing what Ratt (NOT BB’s version) does. One of my favorite bands from the 80’s and here’s to more…”

The voice of Ratt, Stephen Pearcy, guested on Episode 247 of One On One With Mitch Lafon.

In the show’s only interview, Pearcy talks about: his upcoming solo album Smash, recently singing alongside Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, the Ratt album Dancing Undercover, and the recently released picture of him sitting along side Ratt bandmates Juan Croucier and Warren DeMartini. Was it simply a photo or was it a hint of things to come? “Never say never… the picture spoke a thousand words.”

See the photograph in question, and listen to the audio interview below:

Earlier this year, bassist Juan Croucier was accused of using his ex-band’s trademark without permission. Blotzer and DeMartini are the only remaining shareholders in WBS (the corporation which owns the Ratt trademark). WBS claims Croucier formed his own band in 2015 called Juan Croucier’s Ratt’s and is intentionally infringing on their trademark in an effort to capitalize off of their band’s recognition.

According to the TRO application, Croucier has been using the Ratt mark on advertisements, websites, merchandise and marquees and has been “referring to himself as The Other Voice of RATT, even though he was never the lead singer.

U.S. District Court judge Dean R. Pregerson isn’t convinced either party owns the trademarks.

Read more at the The Hollywood Reporter.

Fonte: Bravewords.com