Cold Shot Releasing Their Debut Twenty Years After Disbanding
Cold Shot Releasing Their Debut Twenty Years After Disbanding
August 4, 2014
Twenty years after laying down their metaphorical guns, Cold Shot’s music is being reloaded and is ready to roar once again. Eonian Records will release the band’s self-titled debut album on August 26th, produced and engineered by Mark Eisenstein and Russ Castillo (The Doors, Kansas, Pink Floyd).
Like so many good hard rock acts, Cold Shot was formed in the seething cauldron of excess and decadence that was the L.A. metal scene in 1988. Cold Shot was a band that came about through pure chance. Guitarist Anthony Gallo had been a part of the L.A. scene for quite some time, his disillusionment growing exponentially by the day. But that all changed when he heard singer/songwriter Adam Murray sing at a show. The power of Murray’s voice destroyed all of Gallo’s disillusionment like a dandelion in a dust storm. Realizing destiny was staring him smack in the face, Gallo vowed right then and there that he and Murray would record music together.
The two became fast friends and quickly formed a band called Shark Team, a name Murray hated right from the start. Eager to get their name — loathed as it might have been by his musical partner in crime — out there, Gallo booked a show at Gazzarri’s before they even had a bassist or drummer. Luckily it didn’t take long to fill these slots; Erin Bartley answered the ad for the bass player position and recommended his roommate Rikki Baggett for drumming duties.
Murray insisted the group deep-six Shark Team and redub the band Cold Shot. The name stemmed from a conversation Murray had once had with an elderly coworker in a delicatessen; as Murray shared some of the cruelty his ex had inflicted, the old dude commented, “Man, what a cold shot!” The phrase had stuck in Murray’s mind and he now applied it to their new band.
With the new name came a fresh burst of luck. The band caught the attention of well-known promoter Sam Sarkiss. They had their pictures snapped by legendary photographer Neil Zlozower, and Bartley and Gallo secured endorsement deals with Renegade Custom Guitars. Cold Shot headlined and sold out well-known venues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California such as The Roxy Theatre and Whisky a Go Go on a regular basis. They even recorded two songs — “Juicy Lucy” and “Higher” — for the soundtrack to Brad Pitt’s first indie film, “Across the Tracks,” the latter of which was co-written with Carlos Cavazo of Quiet Riot and Ratt fame.
All this eventually led to a deal offer from Virgin Records, but before anything materialized grunge came along and put the screws to melodic metal. The Sunset Strip was out and Seattle was in. When Tommy Lee shaved his head, that was the last straw, the final nail in the coffin of L.A. metal, and Cold Shot called it quits.
Now, 20 years later, Cold Shot is getting ready to take another shot. They celebrated the band’s 25th anniversary, and album pre-release party, on July 25th in front of a capacity crowd at Paladino’s in Tarzana, California. Turn the stereo up and prepare to feel the impact as Cold Shot nails a hard rock bulls-eye right between your ears.
Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com