Employing a dazzling mix of glam rock, hard rock, and progressive rock, Angel’s outrageous, white-satin-heavy image and equally over-the-top stage shows, made them one of the more colorful arena rock bands of the mid-’70s and early ’80s. Discovered by Kiss bass player Gene Simmons, the group issued their eponymous debut album in 1975, which hewed closer to prog rock than the glam pop that would inform future endeavors like On Earth as It Is in Heaven (1977) and Sinful (1979). The group went their separate ways in 1981, but re-formed in the late ’90s with a new lineup, and released two studio albums (1999’s In the Beginning and 2019’s Risen) and numerous compilations.

​Formed in Washington, D.C., the group’s self-titled 1975 debut was recorded for the flamboyant Casablanca Records label — home to Kiss — with a line-up comprising Frank DiMino (vocals), Punky Meadows (guitar, ex-BUX), Gregg Giuffria (keyboards), Mickie Jones (bass, ex-BUX), and Barry Brandt (drums). A heady slab of heavy pomp rock with lengthy songs swathed in Giuffria’s atmospheric keyboards and featuring the longtime stage favorite “Tower,” it was followed in 1976 by Helluva Band, which continued in a similar vein, with the group’s famous white satin stage clothing making its debut on the album sleeve. On Earth as It Is in Heaven saw a distinct change in musical direction, as the band adopted a a more pop/rock-oriented sound, and introduced a clever logo that read identically when upside down.

​1978’s White Hot, with Felix Robinson replacing Jones, was helped by Eddie Leonetti’s sympathetic production, and produced minor U.S. hits in “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” and “The Winter Song.” Leonetti subsequently produced Sinful and the in-concert set Live Without a Net. Angel’s record sales never quite reflected their popularity as a live act, and a legal dispute with PolyGram prompted the band’s breakup in 1981. Giuffria attempted to revive the band in 1984, but the abortive reunion led to the formation of the more successful House of Lords. Robinson, meanwhile, appeared in an early White Lion line-up and played with 707. Brandt and DiMino re-formed Angel in the late ’90s to record In the Beginning, with the help of guitarist and songwriter Richard Marcello. They staged an Angel reunion of sorts by persuading former colleagues Robinson and Meadows to play on the track “Set Me Free.”

​The group performed on and off during the early 2000s and issued a handful of compilation albums. In 2015 Frank DiMino released his first solo album, Old Habits Die Hard in which Punky Meadows guested on the track “Never Again”. Then in 2016 Punky Meadows with the help of Danny Farrow released his first solo album, Fallen Angel, in which Frank DiMino appeared on the track “Lost and Lonely”. In 2018, Meadows and DiMino toured under the name Punky Meadows & Frank DiMino of Angel which inevitably lead to the reformation of Angel now joined by Danny Farrow, Charlie Calv, Steve E. Ojane, and Billy Orrico. The newly reactivated Angel released their seventh studio effort, Risen, in October 2019, to rave reviews and landed them on numerous Billboard charts. The band has also just recorded a brand new studio album Once Upon A Time scheduled for release in April of 2023.

All together Starz recorded four studio albums, Starz, Violation, Attention Shoppers, and Colesium Rock and gathered critical acclaim with their ability to mesh the smooth with the hard. “We loved pop melodies,” admitted Ranno in retrospect, “and we also loved heavy guitars. We liked to combine hooks with a harder edge. Our singer Michael Lee Smith had a great sense of melody. In the course of four albums, we only used orchestrations or keyboards once, preferring to mix heavy rock productions with melodic overtones.” Their success has been documented in the historical chapters of hard rock and heavy metal. In Kerrang’s critical listing of the 100 greatest heavy metal albums of all time, Starz was listed at #94, with Violation at #84. In a similar poll in Hit Parader magazine, Violation was listed at #82. Starz’s greatest asset was their live performance and until a chance meeting between Metal Blade’s founder and Starz guitarist Richie Ranno, one of rock’s greatest secrets was buried in the archives. At the height of their career, Starz released a special “radio only” live record intended for broadcast, bot not liscenced for sale. It was called Live In Louisville and only a scant 2,000 copies were pressed. It was heralded by Kerrang as the greatest live record never released! “One day” Richie said, “out of the blue, I got a letter from Brian Slagel, who wrote that he was a big Starz fan and was interested in re-releasing the Starz albums for the first time on CD. He asked if I owned the liscenses to any of the records, and I told him I had the rights to the live record.” Starz Live In Action is a combination of the famous Live In Louisville performance recorded in 1978 with another concert taped in Cleveland in 1977. Together it is over sixty-five minutes of classic Starz music, covering songs from all four studio albums and the famous “Waitin On You/Colesium Rock” medley which includes a clever collection of the greatest rock guitar riffs of all time. “We always considered ourselves a live band,” Richie confessed. “In fact, we toured with Peter Frampton in major halls before we even had any product to sell! We felt confident that we could get any audience up on their feet and got encores wherever we played.” This same spirit is captured on Starz Live In Action. If you are a Starz fan, this special recording is a must for your collection. If you are unaware of this great band, consider these thoughts. Many of the Eighties most successful bands were influenced by Starz, from Cinderella and Poison to Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe. Tom Keifer said the first concert he ever went to was a Starz show… “They really kicked ass,” he remembered. Jon Bon Jovi met guitarist Richie Ranno backstage at a Bon Jovi concert in New Jersey and took the time to tell 30,000 screaming fans that when he was young, he looked up to Starz. They were the band he imitated when practicing in the garage. In Jon’s words, “What ever your dreams may be, always shoot for the Starz!”

The Revolution!!!! We are looking forward to many positive things,Recording, Performing and being able to see friends old and new! With David Lawson of Nick Fury Lead Vocals and Steve Crucianelli of Old Junk, Nick Fury, Br6ther on Bass Guitar and Vocals / Joe Gajan of Spider xXX, Joe Gajan Group, Soul 69 on kill Guitar and vocals / Billie Pulera of Nick Fury, Br6ther on Drums and Vocals! with the vision of creating and performing music , Hard,Heavy, soulful, Dirty Blues based 70s flavored Hard Rock and Roll,Its of our roots, Back to the vibe of bands like Deep Purple, Zeppelin,Grand Funk, Mountain, Montrose, you know of the good shit! So please keep your ears and eyes open for up and coming info and details about the Electric Revolution! With peace and much love!

The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, known for their distinctive roughed-up power pop sound, has garnered attention on Chicago’s WGN radio and TV, as well as WXRT’s Local Anesthetic, Q101’s Demo 312, WNUR’s Powerpop Shoppe, and CHIRP Radio. Their single “Hold You Up” earned them WXRT’s Big Beat artist of the week recognition. With memorable performances at esteemed venues like Metro, Lincoln Hall, House of Blues, Bottom Lounge, Reggie’s, and Cubby Bear, the BDSC has made a solid impact on Chicago’s music scene. Their national and international ventures took them to New York, Liverpool, and London, showcasing their albums “End Over End” (2019), “Please Stand By” (2022), and the “Vanishing Point” EP (2023). Fronted by vocalist/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist William Giricz, the band features drummer Dave Boenzi, high-energy rhythm guitarist Darin Greg, and the multi-talented Mark Watson on bass, ensuring each live performance is a high-energy, visual and auditory spectacle.