DOUG ALDRICH Says New THE DEAD DAISIES Album ‘Sounds Amazing’

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Prior to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund's 10th Memorial Awards Gala, which took place at The Avalon in Hollywood, California on February 20, Doug Aldrich spoke to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" about the forthcoming album from THE DEAD DAISIES, the hard rock "collective" founded by Australian musician and businessman David Lowy. The group's fifth LP was recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France and is due in late May. The follow-up to 2018's "Burn It Down", will be the band's first to feature Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), who joined the group last year as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY). Aldrich said (see video below): "It sounds like THE DEAD DAISIES, but with a new lead singer. Of course, we miss John and Marco, but Glenn is a force. I used to call him 'Hughes Force One,' 'cause he's just like a force — you can't stop him. This is one of the greatest musicians, singers of our lives — Glenn Hughes. And I'm super excited about the record. It sounds amazing… The new DEAD DAISIES stuff is really awesome. And I think people are gonna be happy with it." He added: "You make a change in lead singers, there's always people that are gonna be missing the old lineup. But that's the thing about THE DEAD DAISIES that's not dissimilar to DEEP PURPLE. In the beginning, DEEP PURPLE was a roundabout. DEEP PURPLE was, like, 'Hey, come in, make some music and go away.' And that's how it was. And it's the same with THE DEAD DAISIES. And so now we've got Glenn Hughes, and we'll keep him as long as we can." Aldrich also talked about what it has been like to bounce musical ideas off Hughes and drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo in the current DEAD DAISIES lineup. "Deen is so talented," the guitarist said. "I love him. He's a beautiful human. We made friends a few tours back with WHITESNAKE and JOURNEY, and then we've always been close. We did some projects together, kind of session projects — something called REVOLUTION SAINTS — and Deen's got an amazing voice. So him and Glenn [singing] together, it's massive. "Glenn's bass tone is so big, it's so nasty and sexy and fat, you don't even need a guitar," Doug explained. "So me and David Lowy are gonna be filling in the gaps… What else do you need? You've got drums and that bass and the voice — that's a band." Aldrich went on to praise Lowy, noting that THE DEAD DAISIES leader — who is also the son of billionaire Frank Lowy, the founder of one of the biggest retail groups in the world, Westfield — has "been around the block. He knows everybody. He knows all the rock stars, more than I do," he said. "This is a guy that plays guitar with reckless abandon. And I can't do that. I've been playing guitar for 40-something years, and the way he plays is an enigma — it's a mystery to me the way he pulls out this youthful, honest approach on guitar. "Me and Glenn were tracking guitars and bass in France at that session, and it sounded amazing, but when David Lowy put the guitar on it, then it became THE DEAD DAISIES," Doug said. "He's really got a thing. He's got a thing." Last August, THE DEAD DAISIES released "Righteous Days", the band's first song to feature Hughes. According to Wikipedia, since the band's formation in 2012, THE DEAD DAISIES has featured two dozen different members (including "session" players and "temporary substitutes"), including drummer Brian Tichy (FOREIGNER, WHITESNAKE), GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus and GN'R keyboardist Dizzy Reed. The group has toured with the likes of AEROSMITH, KISS and BLACK STAR RIDERS.