Stepping Stone #2

Thanks to Dan who posted in the Stepping Stones post for giving me a heads up on the band Venrez.
It was his mention of them featuring Alex Kane (Anti-Product/Clam Abuse/Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg) that piqued my interest, and acted as a catalyst for my fingers to jump forward and dance over the keyboard to see what else I could prise from the clutches of the 'net about them.
So what's the skinny?
Well it turns out that Venrez the band is the baby of a colourful guy called Venrez who in a past life was a rather successful movie producer.
I say past life because he has left that one behind him as he sets forth in the world to realize his teenage dream of being a rock star.
Now if the majority of people decided at the age of 55 that they were going to quit their job and reinvent themselves as a modern day Jim Morrison, then family and friends would be forgiven for rallying round to implement an intervention to save them from the mid life crisis that they were having.
Not in this case though, as instead of just jumping in a van with some mates who were similarly tired of the rat race grind Venrez instead recruited Alex Kane on guitar, Jason Womack on guitar and vocals (Bassist for Juliette and the Licks), Michael Bradford on bass and Ed Davis on drums (Also ex Juliette Lewis and the Licks) and hot footed it into the studio to lay down the début album 'Witches Brew'
They had enough material to do two albums, but the rest of the tracks would have to wait as the band hit all the well known Hollyweird venues and slayed audiences wherever they went in support of the album.
Suitably impressed with how things were playing out the band then returned to the studio and recorded the follow up album 'Sell the lie'.
Fast forward to the present and it's in the can, out of the can, pressed onto shiny discs and available for your listening pleasure.
As I type they are getting ready to lay down the foundations for a presence in the UK by touring with LA Guns and flamenco glam punks Gypsy Pistolero.
This tour just seems to be getting better and better.
As you would expect of someone who is dipping his toe into the scene at 55 he has a wealth of musical influences behind him and a band that can deliver no matter what musical path they want to explore.You can give Venrez a listen on their website here (http://venreztheband.com/) and if the sounds are enough to wet your appetite then you can hop and skip about a bit and read a recent interview with the man himself.
The photographs are just gratuitous pics of my kids with Alex and Clair of AntiProduct from back in the day for no other reason that I want to post them.
Some kids squirm in embarrassment when a parent shares pictures of them reclining bare assed on a rug, but mine have to put up with this sort of shit.
Top picture is my daughter Alanna aged 6 and about to sing along to Blitzkrieg Bop with Alex at the Wickerman festivals. Bottom picture is my son Euan aged 10 with Clair Product and Alex make up on. This would have been 2005. he interviewed the band around that time to.