LOUD!! PROUD!! AND IN YOUR FACE ROCK N ROLL!!!!! Tafoyas Lost Boyzz LIVE AT ROCKET FEST 2014!!! Saturday July 26th at Bobby Rockets!! Mike Tafoya is a man on a musical mission. Armed with his guitar and his three-piece power trio, Tafoya’s Lost Boyzz, Mike is pioneering a new genre music that can only be described as New Classic Rock. The goal is simple; to bring his innovative yet classic sound to as many people as possible and evoke memories in the hearts and minds of the listeners, even when the music is being heard for the first time. Mike’s mission is to re-connect music fans with passion and excitement they felt then they first fell in love with Rock ‘N Roll. “The Lost Boyzz are here to change the culture of the listener,” explains Mike. “It doesnt matter what kind of music you like and listen to. Theres only two types of music ...Good and Bad! So make it real and listen to someone whos sticking their neck out instead of making a buck crapping out something like a fake juke box!” Mike’s crusade began more than thirty years ago in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, Illinois. He first made a name for himself in the mid-70s as the explosive lead guitarist for Epic recording artists, The Boyzz (from Illinoizz). After the release of “Too Wild to Tame” and a six-year run that included national tours with acts like Aerosmith, Rush and REO Speedwagon, Mike left The Boyzz and in 1982 landed yet another Epic recording contract with his new band, The B’zz (with Steve Riley of W.A.S.P. and LA Guns). Throughout the 80s and 90s, Mike continued to play, record and tour the nation with bands like Tafoya (with Boyzz guitarist Gil Pini) and Raw Dogs (with B’zz singer Tommy Holland). Through it all, Mike has been committed to making his own music on his own terms, a choice that eventually left him broke and alone and living in the streets through two harsh Illinois winters without a guitar to his name. His last axe had been stolen. “It was horrible,” says Mike. “Nobody would buy me a burger but they would buy me a beer. But I knew I had to do this. I needed credibility to put my project together and make it work.” Finally, through open mic jams, he met drummer Chris McCoy and bassist Ian Shindlbeck in 2010 and a new band with a new yet classic sound was formed. Old and new collided once again when Mike turned to his old friend and former Boyzz bassist Dave Angel to co-produce the band’s first CD, LIFE (2007 Rave Song Records). There’s no denying the echoes of Led Zeppelin, Santana, The Doors, Audio Slave, Rush, hard core blues and even The Boyzz in The Lost Boyzz sound. But from the soul of Classic Rock, Mike has managed to forge a completely new and innovative sound. Whether it’s the uplifting title track, “Life,” the heavily distorted “Hammerhead,” the bluesy “Over Now,” or the more melodic “Sturgis,” Mike has found yet another platform to showcase his blistering yet soulful guitar work. The drums and bass provide a rock solid foundation over which Mike’s guitar screams, rants, sears or soars. And wherever it goes, the listener goes with it. “We’re a three-piece band,” says Mike, “but we can make it sound like six.” 2010 finds Mike once again in the studio with Dave, working on the follow up to LIFE. They’re currently culling through over thirty possible tracks. Many are new compositions, but some are from Mike’s extensive archive of notions, ideas, riffs and melodies he’s composed and saved over the years. Mike and the band (with Dave Angel at the board) are in the middle of recording a new Tafoyas lost Boyzz CD. Its a continuation of the first studio CD LIFE. Filled with hard. soft. melodic, screaming rock with guitar solos that make sense and melodies that make you want to sing out. Watch for pre-release tracks from the new CD to appear on the TLB website: tafoyaslostboyzz Mike Tafoya has been a loud, raw and completely original part of the Chicago and national music scene for more than thirty years. He first made a name for himself in the mid-70s as the explosive lead guitarist for Epic recording artists, The Boyzz (from Illinoizz). After the release of “Too Wild to Tame” and a five-year run that included national tours with acts like Aerosmith, Rush and REO Speedwagon, Mike left The Boyzz and in 1982 landed yet another Epic recording contract with his new band, The B’zz (with Steve Riley of W.A.S.P. and LA Guns). Throughout the 80s and 90s, Mike continued to play, record and tour across Illinois and the nation with bands like Tafoya (with Boyzz guitarist Gil Pini) and Raw Dogs (with B’zz singer Tommy Holland). Through it all, Mike has been committed to making his own music on his own terms, a choice that eventually left him broke and alone and living in the streets through two harsh Illinois winters without a guitar to his name. His last axe had been stolen. “It was horrible,” says Mike. “Nobody would buy me a burger but they would buy me a beer. But I knew I had to do this. I needed credibility to put my project together and make it work.” Then through open mic jams, he met drummer Chris McCoy and bassist Cesare (Metters) Salad im 2012 and a new band with a new yet classic sound was formed. There’s no denying the echoes of Led Zeppelin, Santana, The Doors, Audio Slave, Rush, hard core blues and even The Boyzz in The Lost Boyzz sound. But from the soul of Classic Rock, The Lost Boyzz have managed to forge a completely new and innovative sound. Whether it’s the uplifting title track, “Life,” the heavily distorted “Hammerhead,” the bluesy “Over Now,” or the more melodic “Sturgis,” Mike has finally found a platform to showcase his blistering yet soulful guitar work, which is not to dismiss the rest of the band. They work together as the ultimate power trio, complete with layers of vocal harmonies that seem so effortless they will likely go under-appreciated. Chris and Erik provide a rock solid foundation, and then Mike’s guitar screams, rants, sears or soars and wherever it goes, you go with it. “We’re a three-piece band,” says Mike, “but we can make it sound like six.” Mike reunited with his old friend and former Boyzz bassist Dave Angel to co-produce the band’s first CD and with the release of LIFE (2007 Rave Song Records) we finally hear the sound Mike has been chasing and creating for more than three decades. And as good as the CD is, it’s even better to hear the band play it live and the bigger the venue the better. The title track in particular needs plenty of room to expand. Tafoya’s Lost Boyzz are pioneering a new genre that can only be described as New Classic Rock. The music brings back memories even when it’s being heard for the first time and re-connects true music fans with the reasons why they came to love Rock ‘N Roll. a rather nice (very) review from John OToole Recently, I was lucky enough to get to watch a clip of Michael Tafoya playing lead guitar with Tafoyas Lost Boyzz at Chicagos Nite Cap Lounge. Sad to say, I live two thousand miles away, or I would be there every night they perform. They play classic rock, Tafoyas electric guitar work displaying the unusual combination of raw power and musical complexity. Watching his fingering would be an exciting experience alone, so much so that I believe even a deaf person would grasp what he is trying to convey. That kind of skill can only come from years of experience, and indeed, Tafoyas original group, The Boyzz, was formed in 1975 and signed to Epic records, as was its followup group, The Bzz. That Tafoya and his current group have been loyal to rock n roll in its hardest form, rather than slavishly following every new trend, speaks to the authenticity of their music. At one point in the clip, Tafoya was playing with what I believe is called a slide, and doing so with as much apparent ease as he had shown with his trusty pick. The stream of melody that emerges from his highly creative mind, passing down through his nimble fingers, is a continuing wonder to hear. I should add in conclusion that, unlike many bands in this genre, Tafoyas lead guitar, though as hard-driving as is required in this kind of rock, never drowns out or overshadows the drums and bass. His drummer, Chris McCoy (whos dad drummed with the Rocking Rivieras California Sun, provides a dependable beat, along with a creativity and finesse not often heard in what some might term bar bands. The bassist, Cesare (Metters) Salad, lays down a solid foundation, complimenting Tafoyas guitar riffs with his own expert inventions.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 22:37:46 +0000
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