Great White and Slaughter -- New Interview

I recently interviewed Mark Slaughter of Slaughter and Michael Lardie of Great White for the Dayton City Paper. Both bands are playing near Dayton, Ohio tonight. You can finish reading the interview on the DCP site - link at the bottom of this post. 

“Life is pretty darn good. Enjoy it while you can,” advises Mark Slaughter, front man for the band Slaughter.

Slaughter and fellow ’80s glam metallers Great White will team up for a show and some of the good life at Hobart Arena in Troy on Friday, Nov. 20.

Slaughter and Great White often play several shows together each year. The bands have the same management and the package works well for fans. Still, it’s been awhile since both bands have played the Dayton region. Great White played the Ohio State Fair earlier this year but neither act has been around the Miami Valley in years. This means there’s pent-up demand for a classic, straight-ahead rock show.

“You can say what you will about [music] trends, and New York and Los Angeles seem to dictate the newest thing, but straight ahead rock n’ roll plays really well in the Midwest and always has,” explains Great White rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Michael Lardie. “We literally could have a career playing from Ohio to Utah, back and forth up and down. We could do 50 shows a year just in that region. I don’t know if it is the realism of going to see a real band that actually plays their instruments … I think that might be part of the attraction. There is a certain authenticity to what we’re still doing.”

Great White formed back in 1977. Since that time, the band has had some super highs and even lower lows. Highs include platinum records, Grammy nominations and touring with some of the biggest bands in rock. Lowest lows include a break-up in 2000, floundering solo careers and the horrific Station nightclub fire in February of 2003. Eventually the band officially reunited only to face ongoing issues with singer Jack Russell. In 2010, the band members hired vocalist Terry Ilous to replace Russell.

Continue reading on the Dayton City Paper website.