Adrian Vandenberg: Performing Whitesnake & Vandenberg Hits
Adrian Vandenberg: Performing Whitesnake & Vandenberg Hits
Adrian Vandenberg
Every album paints a picture. Instead of utilizing a brush and canvas, Vandenberg paints with towering vocals, earthquaking rhythms, and the iconic and instantly recognizable fretwork of guitarist and namesake Adrian Vandenberg. Joined by vocalist Mats Levén, drummer Koen Herfst, and bassist Randy van der Elsen, the influential axe-slinger delivers a vibrant, visceral, and vital vision on the group’s fifth full-length offering, SIN [Mascot Label Group], brought to life in broad strokes of anthemic hard rock and airtight metal and produced by Bob Marlette [Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie]
“For me, music is very much like a painting,” affirms Adrian. “You have your ups, downs, lights, and shades. One song might make you want to jump on the table and party your brains out. Another song will inspire you to think. Either way, you’re thrown into a landscape, which my favorite albums still do to me. You could be in your car or at home with your headphones plugged into a soundsystem, and you’re in a different world.”
Adrian has always made records like this…
Exploding out of The Netherlands and onto the global scene with 1982’s self-titled Vandenberg, the Dutch phenomenon notched an international hit in the form of “Burning Heart,” paving the way for seminal releases such as Heading For A Storm [1983] and Alibi [1985]. The band canvased the United States, Europe, and Japan alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Rush, Scorpions, Michael Schenker, and many others. Sought out to join Whitesnake, Adrian famously ripped the legendary lead on the 1987 recording of the #1 smash “Here I Go Again,” which adorned the 8x-platinum Whitesnake and ended up touring the world’s largest arenas for a year-and-a-half when the 1987 album went through the roof in terms of sales. He co-wrote the entirety of 1989’s platinum Slip of the Tongue and spent the ensuing tour sharing axe duties with none other than Steve Vai. In addition to playing guitar on and cowriting Restless Heart from David Coverdale & Whitesnake, he performed hundreds of shows as part of the band for some twelve years. Speaking to the breadth of his output, he notably penned and recorded “A Number One” as the theme for his hometown Dutch football team FC Twente. 2013 saw him launch the acclaimed Vandenberg’s MoonKings, releasing MoonKings [2014], MK II [2017], and Rugged and Unplugged [2018].
Vandenberg as a band roared back to life with the comeback LP, 2020. Among many highlights, “Freight Train” gathered 1.6 million Spotify streams, while the record attracted praise. Sonic Perspectives enthused, “The end result sounds like the missing link between Whitesnake and Rainbow, and updates the group’s sound to the new generation of hard rock fans.”
In its wake, Vandenberg welcomed Mats [Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Yngwie Malmsteen] to the fold.
“He’s an amazing singer,” notes Adrian. “I’d heard him online, and we got in touch. It’s funny because his mom brought the first two Vandenberg records back to Scandinavia from England when he was in his early twenties—and he was a fan. He’s a workaholic like me. We picked up after COVID and put the new album together. The spark is definitely there. On top of that, Koen and Randy lay down the most solid concrete, grooving foundation that I could ever wish for. I’d say it’s one notch heavier than 2020,” he smiles.
Recorded in Holland and Los Angeles with Marlette, SIN represents a natural evolution for Vandenberg. Scorching pinch harmonics light up the first single “House On Fire” as the groove underlines a chantable chorus from Mats.
Bad Marriage
Bad Marriage is not just another band out of Boston. They come out of the gutter swinging with a thunderous rock n roll swagger that would make the ‘Bad Boys of Boston’ smile. Indulging their mutual thirst for tone and overdriven guitars, Bad Marriage pays homage to the British blues-hard rock of the past while etching their own signature style and sound.
Formed in 2015, Bad Marriage exploded onto the hard rock scene, setting the bar high with their airtight, energetic live shows that has created a massive following of support. Bad Marriage is made up of Jonny Paquin on vocals, Mike Fitz on lead guitar, Tommy Skeoch on lead/rhythm guitar, Ian Haggerty on rhythm guitar, Todd Boisvert on bass, and Michael Delaney on drums. The addition of Tommy Skeoch, formerly of Tesla, brings wall of sound to the band and adds a '3-D' feel with the triple guitar attack.
Bad Marriage has toured nationally with Tesla and Buckcherry. They have had the honor of opening for Extreme, Stephen Pearcy, L.A. Guns, Geoff Tate, Last in Line, Scott Weiland, and many more. As a result of the band’s success, they were welcomed to play on the 2022 Monsters of Rock cruise and 2022’s Monsters on the Mountain where they shared the stage
with legends such as Alice Cooper, Quiet Riot, Kix, Night Ranger, and Tom Keifer.
Bad Marriage has released two full length albums, titled ‘Bad Marriage’ and ‘Bad Marriage 2.’ The band is excited to release their next EP, ‘Artificial Mind’, that was produced by Brian Wheat of Tesla. The lead single ‘Tear it Down’ is ready to release to a mainstream audience in early 2023 with a US tour to start shortly after.