Spiders & Snakes is a Los Angeles–based glam metal/hard rock band fronted by ex-London co-founder Lizzie Grey until his death, and by former London drummer Tim Yasui (aka Timothy Jay). The band draws heavily from British glam rock of the 1970s and performs regularly on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood and throughout the Los Angeles club scene.
When Lizzie Grey left London in 1988, he made a conscious decision to return to his roots in 1970s British glam rock. Grey began a project under the name Ultra Pop to pursue this end, recording the first album, Ultra Pop (1988), largely as a solo effort.[1]Kerrang! magazine critic Malcolm Dome gave the self-titled Ultra Pop album a 5-"K" review in 1988, after which Grey formed a band and began to tour under the "Ultra Pop" name with members Vince Votel, Chris "Cupcake" Taylor, and Ernie Machado.[1] According to drummer Tim Yasui, "Ultra Pop borrowed their stage image from a combination of Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange film and the Rocky Horror Picture Show."[2]
Grey hired ex-London drummer Tim Yasui (stage name Timothy Jay) in late 1990 to replace departing drummer Ernie Machado during the writing of a third album, and decided to change the name of the project to "Spiders & Snakes" to reflect the heavier sound that Yasui brought the band,[3] as well as to quell confusion and fan dissatisfaction the name "Ultra Pop" was creating.[4] The name "Spiders & Snakes" is taken from the song of the same name by country/western artist Jim Stafford.[3]
Under the name Spiders & Snakes, the band released two EPs, Arachnomania (1991) and Arachno 2 (1992), followed by the full-length album 2000 Retro (1993). The album's single "Lost for Words" reached number one on the import singles charts in Denmark in 1994.[1] Leigh Lawson was added as bassist to the touring lineup in 1993 in support of the 1993–1994 tour for 2000 Retro.[5]
Oddities: The Glitter Years was produced by Kim Fowley and released in 1995.[3]Astro Pop (1997) was produced by Flipside magazine contributor Martin McMartin and former The Humpers guitarist Mark "Anarchy" Lee, who together went for a fast, punk rock-influenced sound with minimal production. According to Yasui, the album has become a fan favorite "because it does have that punk edge."[3] The band adopted a silver spaceman look with silver makeup for this phase of the group.[5]
In 1999, Spiders & Snakes' version of "Public Enemy #1" was chosen for inclusion in their Cleopatra Records' electro tribute to Mötley Crüe entitled Shout At the Remix;[6] Spiders & Snakes' version was remixed by the British gothic rock group Rosetta Stone for the album. "Public Enemy #1" was originally written by Grey and performed by London; the song was subsequently recorded by Mötley Crüe and released on their debut album Too Fast for Love (1981). Cleopatra Records then signed Spiders & Snakes to their Deadline imprint, where they released London Daze in 2000.[2]London Daze features rerecordings of songs that were recorded or played by Grey's and Yasui's previous band London. The most successful track on the album was the rerecording of "Public Enemy #1". According to Grey, the track received "a great deal of airplay both domestically and international[ly]."[4] The album also includes three tracks from a 16-track demo recorded by London in 1980 featuring ex-Mott the Hoople vocalist Nigel Benjamin on vocals[7] and Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx on bass.[8]
One month after the release of London Daze, the band's bass player, Leigh Lawson, died.[3] The band canceled their 2000 tour, and hired a friend of Yasui's named Joe Petro to replace Lawson.[9] Late in 2001, Yasui and Petro teamed up with Jeff Duncan of Armored Saint and Odin and Happenin' Harry of The Haptones to form a one-off group named Forever Say Die!. This group recorded a cover of Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" for Cleopatra Records' tribute album Evil Lives: A True Metal Tribute to Metal Tribute to Black Sabbath.[9]
Spiders & Snakes began working on new material in 2004, initially as a duo consisting of Grey and Yasui. The two began recording in 2005 to lay down a song written by Yasui about the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal entitled "Bill's Cigar", but ended up recording more songs with the remaining studio time. The two then continued writing and recording more songs until they had enough material for an eleven-song album. The album was released as Hollywood Ghosts in 2005, and included a bonus DVD of videos covering the band's career dating back to 1990. Hollywood Ghosts featured four songs with Yasui on vocals, marking the first time Yasui ever sang lead vocals for the band.[3] The band then signed to Big M.F./Zain Records in Japan, who released Hollywood Ghosts to the Japanese market in 2006.[8] Initially, Grey and Yasui were performing an acoustic duo, but put together a band to tour for the Hollywood Ghosts album. The band rehired guitarist Doug E. Sex from the London Daze lineup,[10] and added bass player Phil St. Vincent on bass.[7]
During the summer of 2006, Spiders & Snakes were featured in a TV commercial sponsored by the California Department of Conservation's recycling program centered around a song entitled "Who Threw the Bottle in the Trash?" that eventually aired during the Super Bowl[citation needed] that same year.[7] In 2007, Spiders & Snakes signed with Corporate Punishment Records, and released Melodrama, which, according to the band's website, attempted "to create an album on an independent budget in the spirit of Bob Ezrin's earlier efforts with KISS and Alice Cooper."[11]
On October 29, the band released a video for the single "Kawasaki City" from Year of the Snake.[15] The song and the video document and recreate a particularly memorable night the band spent at a rock nightclub called "Groupie Dolls" in Kawasaki, Japan.[14] The track features vocals and songwriting by Tim Yasui.
Spiders & Snakes performed at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, on December 18, 2014. This the official record release party for Year Of The Snake and also a commemorative celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band's formation.[15]
Lizzie Grey died in August 2019.
Band members
Current members
Timothy Jay (aka Tim Yasui), drums (1991–2001, since 2003)
Phil St. Vincent, bass (since 2005)
Chris Sheridan, guitar (since 2011)
Former members
Lizzie Grey, guitar, vocals(1991-2001,2003-2019, died August 2019)
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. They have also achieved seven platinum or multi-platinum certifications, nine Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, twenty-two Top 40 mainstream rock hits, and six Top 20 pop singles.
Glam metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam rock.
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, being the only member to remain throughout their entire history. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister bandmate Lizzie Grey. In 2000, he formed side project group 58 with Dave Darling, Steve Gibb and Bucket Baker, issuing one album, Diet for a New America. Also in 2002, he formed the hard rock supergroup Brides of Destruction with L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns. Formed in 2006, initially to record an audio accompaniment to Sixx's autobiography The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, his side band Sixx:A.M. featured songwriter, producer, and vocalist James Michael and guitarist DJ Ashba.
Too Fast for Love is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. The first edition of 900 copies was released on November 10, 1981, on the band's original label Leathür Records. Elektra Records signed the band the following year, at which point the album was remixed and partially re-recorded. This re-release, with a different track listing and slightly different artwork, has become the standard version from which all later reissues derive. The re-recorded album also removed the song "Stick to Your Guns", though it is featured on a bonus track version of the album. The original mix of the album remained unreleased on CD until 2002, when it was included in the Music to Crash Your Car To: Vol. 1 box set compilation.
Robert Alan Deal, known professionally as Mick Mars, is an American musician best known as the former lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He is known for his aggressive, melodic solos and bluesy riffs.
Mötley Crüe is the sixth studio album by heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. It was released on March 15, 1994. It was the band's only album released with singer John Corabi, and was the first album of new material released by the band since their 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood.
Decade of Decadence 81–91 is the first compilation album by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released in September 1991. It peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was the band's sixth album overall and the first of several greatest hits compilations.
Generation Swine is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on June 24, 1997. The album marks the return of lead singer Vince Neil following his last appearance on 1991's Decade of Decadence and the last to feature drummer Tommy Lee until the 2008 album Saints of Los Angeles. It is also the band's last album to be released on Elektra Records. The album's name as well as the title track is derived from Generation of Swine by Hunter S. Thompson.
Pretty Boy Floyd is a glam metal band from Hollywood, California, formed in 1987. They are most famous for their 1989 debut album Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz and the two singles from it; "Rock and Roll " and "I Wanna Be with You". The band broke up in 1994 but reformed in 1995, releasing several new records since that time, and continue to the present.
The Last Vegas are an American hard rock band from Chicago whose style draws from glam, punk, and sleaze metal. Composed of Chad Cherry, John Wator (guitar), Adam Arling (guitar), Danny Smash (bass), and Nate Arling (drums), the band released the album Whatever Gets You Off, in April 2009, on Eleven Seven Music. The album was produced by Nikki Sixx, Sixx:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba, as well as Marti Frederiksen.
London is an American glam metal band formed in Hollywood, California in 1978. The band included several members that would go on to play in more famous bands, such as Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, W.A.S.P. and Cinderella.
"If I Die Tomorrow" is a song by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe released on their 2005 compilation album Red, White & Crüe. The song was one of the new songs recorded by Mötley Crüe for the album and the single charted at number 4 on the Mainstream rock charts. It is the first single since "Beauty" to feature drummer Tommy Lee.
"Home Sweet Home" is a power ballad by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. It was originally released in 1985 on the album Theatre of Pain, and again in 1991 for the Decade of Decadence 81-91 compilation album. It has been covered by several artists, most notably country singer Carrie Underwood, who released her version as a single in 2009.
Non-Stop Rock is the first studio album by the American glam metal band London, released in 1985 by Shrapnel Records.
Daren Jay Ashba is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He was the lead guitarist of Sixx:A.M. He is also known for his work with hard rock bands BulletBoys, Beautiful Creatures and Guns N' Roses. He has worked with various artists including Mötley Crüe, Drowning Pool, Marion Raven, Aimee Allen and Neil Diamond. He is the CEO of Ashba Media.
London Daze is the sixth album by Spiders & Snakes, released by Cleopatra Records in 2000. The album features rerecordings of songs that were recorded or played by frontman Lizzie Grey's previous band London.
Stephen M. Perry, who used the stage name Lizzie Grey, was an American musician. He is perhaps best known for his membership as a guitarist in the heavy metal band London and for co-writing the Mötley Crüe song "Public Enemy #1". From 1990 until his death in 2019, he performed with the glam rock band Spiders & Snakes. He is not to be confused with Lizzi Grei, a Russian hip-hop artist.
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Pop metal is an umbrella term for commercial heavy metal and hard rock styles which feature prominent pop music elements such as catchy hooks and anthemic choruses. It became popular in the 1980s among acts such as Bon Jovi, Europe, Def Leppard, Poison, Mötley Crüe, and Ratt.
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1 2 Beardsley, Ryan D. (February 7, 2008). "Big Hair, Big Dreams". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Bernard A. Oravec. Odgen Newspapers. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
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