By David C. Eldredge
B
lasting off like a screaming rocket in
2013, The Dead Daisies (TDD) have
watched its fan base explode into a
worldwide phenomenon. In just five years,
TDD has released four studio albums, two
EPs, and a double live record. The band,
featuring guitarist/co-founder David
Lowy (Red Phoenix, Mink), John Corabi
(ex-Mötley Crüe, The Scream), guitarist
Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Lion, Dio),
bassist Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy,
Whitesnake)
and
drummer
Deen
Castronovo (Journey, Bad English), were
already veteran rock warriors before they
even got together.
For the next two months, TDD will be
headlining North American shows with
former TDD member Dizzy Reed’s
Hookers & Blow as the opening act. They
make their way to The Forge in Joliet on
Aug. 17. “Chicago was actually one of the
first places we played when I played with
The Scream,” Corabi said during a recent
phone interview with IE. “I’ve got nothing
but fond memories of Chicago. The food
you guys come up with there is crazy. It’s a
cardiologist’s nirvana! It’s a great town,
and you have a lot of history with the old
Chicago blues sound.”
Riding high on the success of Burn it Down
(Spitfire Music), the album features ten
dynamic tracks that combine elements of
retro rock with modern production values.
“Without sounding clichéd, we just let the
music take us where it’s going to go,”
Corabi admitted. “We kind of went in a lit-
tle bit of a different direction; it’s still old
school. We do what we do and allow the
record to be what it’s going to be.”
Corabi was already a proven song-
writer in his previous bands before joining
TDD. However, now he has five other writ-
ers (including producer Marti Frederiksen)
who have a proven track record for creat-
ing great rock songs. “In most situations –
not all – but most situations with bands,
there’s usually one or two guys who are
carrying the weight musically for the band;
20 illinoisentertainer.com august 2018
they’re the writers,” Corabi said. “All the
weight is on their shoulders. But with
TDD, as far as Marco, David, Doug, and
Deen being great players, they’re also great
songwriters. Then you add Marti to the
mix – there’s six of us who are all equally
talented songwriters - so there’s not ever a
shortage of direction or ideas. I could liter-
ally show up to do a record with nothing,
and I still got five other guys that are going
to contribute and carry the weight.”
The production on Burn it Down is big,
loud, fat and meaty, a sound Frederiksen
has perfected over his illustrious career.
Plus, this wasn’t the first time Frederiksen
has worked with the band, and he has
since become like a sixth member (as
Corabi mentioned). “Marti just figured out
a way to walk a line between retro and
modern, and give it the best of both
worlds,” Corabi said. “He’ll sit down and
start tinkering. He hears things in a man-
ner where he already knows what he’s
going to do. I’m really praying that TDD
has hopefully found our George Martin,
that guy who’s going to help us translate
all these ideas.”
TDD’s international acclaim transcends
borders, as the band is massively popular
in Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and
Mexico. The band members feel a special
bond between themselves and their fans,
something Corabi attributes to letting the
fans peek into every aspect of their lives.
“When we get on stage, we’re just having
fun,” he explains. “And I think all that
stuff leading up to [the shows] brings the
fans in; letting them see the process of us
writing and recording Burn it Down and
then us at rehearsals for Burn it Down and
then the ultimate payoff [of] the show. The
band has always been fan-friendly, and we
don’t charge for meet & greets. The fans
are a part of TDD’s journey. They’re family
now, and I think that they thrive on that.”
Appearing 8/17 at The Forge, Joliet.