Timeline
Alias | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Hard rock, [1] AOR |
| Years active | 1988–2014 |
| Labels | EMI, Angelmilk Records, Capitol |
| Past members | Freddy Curci Steve DeMarchi Roscoe Stewart Wolf Hassel Chris Sutherland Denny DeMarchi Roger Fisher Steve Fossen Mike Derosier Marco Mendoza Larry Aberman Robert O'Hearn |
| Website | Official Myspace |
Alias was a Canadian rock supergroup, formed in 1988 in Toronto by songwriter/lead vocalist Freddy Curci and songwriter/lead guitarist Steve DeMarchi of the Canadian arena rock band Sheriff, along with Heart founding members Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, and Mike Derosier. [2] [3]
Curci and DeMarchi were members of the Canadian rock band Sheriff from 1979 to 1985. Sheriff's popularity in the club circuit garnered the attention of Capitol Records, which led to their self-titled album Sheriff . Sheriff's singles, particularly "When I'm with You", [4] received a large amount of airplay and reached No. 1 in Canada. Although promotion and distribution problems stalled the record's initial American momentum, the song reached No. 61 on the Billboard charts. Reports of fans not being able to buy the record in stores plagued Sheriff's American tour. Rigorous touring, frustration and disappointments caused tensions that split the band; Sheriff disbanded in 1985.
With the financial backing of friends and family, and with the help of DeMarchi's brother Denny (who later played keyboard and sang backing vocals on the Alias album), Curci and DeMarchi built a recording studio in the DeMarchi family home basement. They worked as couriers during the day, while writing and recording at night. Most of these songs would end up on Alias' self-titled debut album. [5]
In 1988, their song "When I'm With You" re-entered and climbed the US Billboard chart for a second time. In January 1989, Capitol Records re-released the Sheriff album in the US. "When I'm With You" hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart in February 1989. Curci and DeMarchi tried to get Sheriff back together, but the other members of Sheriff, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Arnold Lanni and bassist Wolf Hassel (who had formed the band Frozen Ghost in 1985), were not interested. Curci and DeMarchi joined forces with ex-Heart members Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen and Mike Derosier, to form Alias.
The band released their debut album, Alias, [6] in 1990; it went gold in the US and platinum in Canada, scoring hits with the power ballads "More Than Words Can Say" [7] (#1 Canada, No. 2 U.S.), "Waiting for Love" [8] (#13) and "Haunted Heart" [9] (#18 on Mainstream Rock Charts). "More Than Words Can Say" was the band's biggest hit, climbing to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot AC chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.[ citation needed ] A North American tour followed through 1990 (including a stint as the opening act for REO Speedwagon) [10] but, while touring, the trio of former Heart musicians left the band due to musical differences.
In an interview with Strutter magazine, Curci said that Alias never formally disbanded: "Alias never split. Music changed. We couldn't get our music out there. No one wanted to hear it anymore. Grunge was in and, you know what, that's OK, 'cause music needs to do that. It needs to change all the time. That's how it stays fresh. Alias is still Steve and I. Alias will always be Steve and I. Steve and I will do a record tomorrow if the fans need one!" [11]
The band performed twice on The Tonight Show , with Jay Leno on January 8, 1991, and with Johnny Carson on March 8, 1991. [12] [13] They also recorded the Tonio K song "Perfect World" [14] for the 1991 Christina Applegate film, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead . [15]
BMI presented Freddy Curci and Steve DeMarchi with the "Million-Air Award" for "More Than Words Can Say". According to BMI's website, only 1,500 songs, including "When I'm With You", achieved Million-air status (one million air plays) among the 4.5 million songs by 300,000 BMI-represented artists. One million performances is the equivalent of approximately 50,000 broadcast hours, or more than 5.7 years of continuous airplay. [16] [ citation needed ]
In 1992, Alias recorded their second album, but grunge was on the rise and metal was fading. EMI Canada sat on the record and encouraged Curci to record a solo album, Dreamer’s Road, which was released in 1994. [17]
DeMarchi became a support and touring player for The Cranberries, then recorded and toured in support of Are You Listening?, the 2007 solo album by The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan. While on tour, he found that people were asking him to autograph copies of the second Alias album, which had not been released. Some of the songs from that album had appeared on Dreamer's Road and been illegally recorded and printed. As a result, in January 2009, EMI announced the release of Alias' second album, Never Say Never . [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]
In early 2005, an acoustic version of "More Than Words Can Say" was released on a VH1 compilation disc, Classic Metal Mania: Stripped. [23] Also in 2005, "More Than Words Can Say" was featured in a Subway commercial aired during the Super Bowl. [24]
Alias played New York's CMJ Music Marathon in 2005, [25] and the 2006 Dour Festival in Belgium. [26]
In 2010, Alias headlined, with an acoustic set, at the opening party of Chicago's Melodic Rock Fest 2. [27] On 21 August 2014, Alias played at The Sturgis Canada Motorcycle Rally and Music Festival in Merritt, British Columbia, which was the first full live show for the band in many years. The reunion band members included Curci, Hassel, Steve DeMarchi, Denny DeMarchi, guitarist Roscoe Stewart, and drummer Chris Sutherland. [28]
In 2013, Fossen, Fisher and Derosier were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as members of Heart. Fisher has continued to record, most recently with The Human Tribe. [29] On May 15, 2020, Denny DeMarchi died of cancer, at age 57. [30] Marco Mendoza and Michael Marquart continue to record; Mendoza as late as 2018, Marquart as recently as 2021.
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [32] | DEN [33] | US [34] | |||||||
| Alias |
| 121 | 31 | 114 | |||||
| Never Say Never |
| — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [35] [32] | CAN [36] | CAN AC [37] | NZ [38] | UK [39] | US [40] | US AC [41] | US Main [42] | |||||||
| 1990 | "Haunted Heart" | — | 35 [43] | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | Alias | ||||
| "More Than Words Can Say" | 30 | 1 | 1 | 37 | — | 2 | 2 | — | ||||||
| 1991 | "Waiting for Love" | 135 | 4 | — | — | 87 | 13 | 17 | — | |||||
| "The Power" | — | 32 [44] | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Perfect World" | — | 51 [45] | 33 | — | — | 90 | — | — | Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (soundtrack) | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Album appearances
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Into the Fire" | Nintendo: White Knuckle Scorin' |
Heart is an American rock band formed in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. The band evolved from previous projects led by founding members Roger Fisher (guitar) and Steve Fossen, including The Army (1967–1969), Hocus Pocus (1969–1970), and White Heart (1970–1973). By 1975, original members Fisher, Fossen, and Ann Wilson, along with Nancy Wilson, Michael Derosier (drums), and Howard Leese formed the lineup for the band's initial mid- to late-1970s success period. These core members were included in the band's 2013 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. The band's music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band's name comes from Spirogyra, a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckenstein had learned about in college.
Sheriff was a Canadian rock band in the early and mid 1980s, best known for their 1982 song "When I'm with You" which became a Billboard No. 1 hit upon re-release in early 1989.
"When I'm with You" is a power ballad by Canadian arena rock band Sheriff. The song was released in January 1983 in Canada as the second single from their self-titled debut album. A top-ten hit in Canada in 1983, the song later reached number one in the United States in 1989, four years after the band separated in 1985. This song is also notable in that it was one of the few number-one hits not to have a promotional video during the MTV era.
Dreamboat Annie is the debut studio album by American rock band Heart. At the time, the band was based in Vancouver, British Columbia; the album was recorded in Vancouver and first released in Canada by the local label Mushroom Records in September 1975, eventually reaching number 20 on RPM's Top Album chart and earning a double platinum certification. It was released in the United States on February 14, 1976, through the US subsidiary of Mushroom Records in Los Angeles, peaking at number seven on the Billboard 200. It also reached the top 10 in the Netherlands and Australia in early 1977. The album contains three commercially successful singles, two of which, "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man", became staples on North American FM radio. Producer Mike Flicker helped the group to polish their sound and obtain a recording contract with the label.
Dog & Butterfly is the fourth studio album by American rock band Heart, released in September 1978, by Portrait Records, following a legal dispute with Mushroom Records over the release of the band's second studio album, Magazine, in April 1978. Dog & Butterfly peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album spawned the singles "Straight On" and "Dog & Butterfly".
Bébé le Strange is the fifth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on February 14, 1980, by Epic Records. It was the first album without founding member Roger Fisher on lead guitar, who had left the band months prior along with his brother Michael.
Private Audition is the sixth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on May 20, 1982, by Epic Records. The album reached number 25 on the US Billboard 200, spending 14 weeks on the chart. It spawned the single "This Man Is Mine", which peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is the last Heart album to feature longtime members Mike Derosier and Steve Fossen, who left after the recording of the album and were replaced by Denny Carmassi and Mark Andes.
"Barracuda" is a song by American rock band Heart, released in 1977 on their third studio album, Little Queen, and was released as the album's lead single. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, "Barracuda" was named the 34th-best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
Frōzen Ghōst was a Canadian rock band formed in 1985 in Toronto by Arnold Lanni and Wolf Hassel, who were previously with the band Sheriff. The band received a Juno Award for "Most Promising Group of the Year" in 1987.
Roger Fisher is an American guitarist primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1967 until 1980.
"More Than Words Can Say" is a song by Canadian rock band Alias. It was released in September 1990 as the second single from their debut eponymous album. The power ballad became a No. 2 hit in the United States and reached No. 1 in Canada for four weeks.
Federico "Freddy" Curci is a Canadian singer and songwriter. He was lead vocalist for the rock band Sheriff and later founded and became frontman for the band Alias, a position he retains to this day.
Alias is the debut album from the Canadian rock band Alias, released in 1990 by Capitol Records.
"Cry for Help" is a song by British singer Rick Astley, released as the first single from his third studio album, Free (1991). It was written by Astley and Rob Fisher, formerly one half of the 1980s pop outfits Naked Eyes and Climie Fisher. The Andraé Crouch Choir provided backing vocals. The song is a ballad, unlike Astley's earlier dance-oriented hit singles.
Denny DeMarchi was a Canadian musician best known as a keyboardist and singer-songwriter. He was also a guitarist, backing vocalist, audio engineer and record producer. DeMarchi played with the Irish band the Cranberries during their reunion tour (2009–11), and also performed with Dolores O'Riordan as her keyboardist and guitarist during her solo world tour in 2007. He played the signature keyboard notes for the 1990 No. 1 Billboard hit song "More Than Words Can Say" by the band Alias, which features his brother, Steve on guitar.
Steven DeMarchi is a Canadian guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the bands Sheriff (1979–1985) and Alias (1988–1991). DeMarchi also played guitar for The Cranberries (1996–2003) and was the main guitarist for Dolores O'Riordan (2005–2008).
Never Say Never, released in 2009, is the second album from the 1990s hard rock band Alias.
Sheriff is the debut album and only album by Canadian band Sheriff released in 1982 on Capitol Records. The single "When I'm with You" jumped to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, seven years after its release.
"Waiting for Love" is a song by Canadian hard rock supergroup Alias, released in 1991 as the third single from their self-titled debut album (1990). Written by Brett Walker and Jeff Paris, the song peaked at number 4 in Canada, and number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
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