Red Lightning were a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
–based rock band composed of English
guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...
Alain Whyte
Alain Gordon Whyte (pronounced Alan) (born 3 July 1967) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and singer. He was Morrissey's main songwriting partner and guitarist between 1991 and 2007.
Prior to 1991, Whyte previously been in the band ...
(of
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...
's band) on lead vocals and guitar, John DiMambro on bass guitar and Milo Todesco on drums. The band lists
U2,
The Clash
The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
,
The Cult
The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...
,
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
and
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...
as its influences.
Background
The three band members have a diverse musical background spanning
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
to
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...
to
English pop English pop may mean or refer to:
* pop music in the English language
* Britpop, the British alternative rock genre
* Hong Kong English pop
Hong Kong English pop () is a genre of music consisting of English-language songs that are made, perform ...
to
orchestral
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...
.
Alain Whyte
Alain Gordon Whyte (pronounced Alan) (born 3 July 1967) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and singer. He was Morrissey's main songwriting partner and guitarist between 1991 and 2007.
Prior to 1991, Whyte previously been in the band ...
was most renowned as a guitarist, supporting vocalist and co-writer in
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...
. Whyte has a background in rockabilly.
John DiMambro (aka Johnny Anger) is a long-time fan of Morrissey and The Smiths. John grew up in
Los Angeles' punk scene. He has recorded on bass with
Down by Law,
Jack Grisham
Jack Grisham (born July 22, 1961) is an American rock singer from Southern California. He is the vocalist for the punk rock band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty), which emerged from the late 1970s Los Angeles hardcore punk rock scene, along wi ...
of
T.S.O.L.
T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Huntington Beach, California. Although most commonly associated with hardcore punk, T.S.O.L.'s music has varied on each release, including such styles as deathro ...
, and the
psychobilly
Psychobilly (or punkabilly) is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It has been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional country rock, countrified rock ...
band The Rocketz . He performed live with
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
,
Jane Wiedlin
Jane Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actress, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The Go-Go's. She voices Dusk, the drummer and ba ...
of
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's are an American all-female Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar ...
, and
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the tactical uses of Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. T ...
.
Milo Todesco had recorded and performed live with
Down By Law,
Armen Chakmakian
Armen John Chakmakian (born February 11, 1966 in Glendale, California) is an American musician, composer, recording artist, and producer. Formerly the keyboardist for the GRAMMY® award-winning band Shadowfax, their 1992 CD, ''Esperanto'' was no ...
of
Shadowfax, Jim Cherry of
Strung Out
Strung Out is an American melodic hardcore band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1991. Their sound also includes elements of heavy metal. They have released nine studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords as well as one live album, two B-sides ...
,
Pully
Pully () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, located in the district of Lavaux-Oron District, Lavaux-Oron. It is one of the eastern suburbs of the city of Lausanne, located on the shores ...
,
Zero Down, and played timpani with UCLA Choir conductor Roger Wagner.
Band history
Red Lightning played their first official show on April 30, 2005 at the Knitting Factory in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
. They recorded a full-length album with producer David Newton (Mighty Lemon Drops, Fonda, The Blood Arm and Blue Aeroplanes) in 2005. Due to irreconcilable differences Red Lightning split in November 2006. The band announced their split via their Myspace page
Discography
EPs
''LA Crash Landing'' (November 2005)
#"Something out of Nothing"
#"Crushed"
#L.A. Crash Landing
#Sign Up
#I Miss You
#Black Dog Day
#Stuck (Acoustic Version)
#Were you ever in my Life (Acoustic Version)
References
External links
* http://redlightningmusic.com
* http://www.myspace.com/redlightningmusic
* http://www.alainmatters.com
{{Authority control
Rock music groups from California
Musical groups from Los Angeles