Former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate was a guest on a recent episode of the “Hangin’ & Bangin’: Artists On Lockdown” online show, where he was joined by Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO), Carmine Appice (OZZY OSBOURNE, VANILLA FUDGE) and Denny Seiwell, a founding member of PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS. You can now watch the discussion below.
Asked which musicians — other than the members of his current band and the drummers on the “Hangin’ & Bangin'” panel — he would pick for his “all-star band”, Tate responded: “I played an acoustic show a couple of years ago, just me and Bumblefoot [former GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Ron Thal]. And he is incredible. I love his guitar playing, and as a person, he’s just a gentleman. I really, really enjoyed playing with him. So I’d pick him on guitar. [Instead of a bass player] I’d probably take a keyboard bass, actually. So I’d probably take somebody like Claude Schnell [DIO]. ‘Cause Claude could play a mean left hand and take care of the bass parts and also do cool keyboard stuff too… Drummers… probably… What’s that kid that plays for DREAM THEATER? What’s his name?” When the rest of the panel said, “Mike Portnoy,” Geoff countered with, “No. The other guy.” Tate then added: “I’d probably take Portnoy, ’cause he’s so flamboyant. I like that about him.”
Last week, Tate announced around a dozen U.S. dates in late summer and fall as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE‘s “Empire” and “Rage For Order” albums.
For more information, including ticket links and links for meet-and-greet passes for purchase to meet Geoff and his band after the live shows, visit www.geofftate.com.
Early last year, Tate was forced to postone a number of his tour dates due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.
Tate spent the first two months of 2020 performing the QUEENSRŸCHE albums “Rage For Order” and “Empire” in their entirety on the “Empire 30th Anniversary Tour”, which kicked off in January in Norway. Prior to that, Geoff celebrated the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE‘s “Operation: Mindcrime” album on European and U.S. tours.
Tate‘s post-QUEENSRŸCHE band OPERATION: MINDCRIME released three albums over three years as part of a trilogy: “The Key” (September 2015), “Resurrection” (September 2016) and “The New Reality” (December 2017).
In 2019, Geoff released the debut album from SWEET OBLIVION via Frontiers Music Srl. The project saw Tate teaming up with a stellar cast of Italian musicians led by Simone Mularoni, the mastermind of prog metal masters DGM. The second SWEET OBLIVION album, “Relentless”, will arrive on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. This time the production was handled by Italian metal maestro Aldo Lonobile (SECRET SPHERE, TIMO TOLKKI’S AVALON, ARCHON ANGEL).
In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012.
Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.
