Hard to believe Rocklahoma is only a week away!!  But first things first...have some bad news to report.  Cinderella has been forced to cancel their appearance as well as their summer tour since Tom Keifer has lost his voice due to hemmoraging on his vocal cord.  We're very disappointed, as Cinderella always puts on such a great show, but we wish him a speedy recovery.  We know this is breaking his heart most of all!! :(

So here it is, the fourth and final installment of the Rocklahoma preview, showcasing Sunday's lineup, plus the bonus day, Wednesday line up...

AXE

Founded in Florida in 1979, under the name Babyface, original members Edgar Riley-vocals, Bobby Barth-guitar, Mike Turpin-bass and Teddy Mueller-drums changed their name to Axe when they added a second guitarist, Michael Osbourne.  They were signed to MCA and released their self-titled debut album in 1979.  The band proceeded to release 3 more albums, and then tragedy struck when guitarist Michael Osbourne was killed in a car accident that nearly also claimed the life of Bobby Barth.  The band soon dissolved.  In 1997, Barth reformed the band that consisted of vocalist Bob Harris(Frank Zappa), Riley on keyboards, Mueller, and Blake Eberhard on bass, and released the album Five.  Barth eventually rejoined Blackfoot, and is currently touring with them.  The current Axe lineup is BOB HARRIS (lead vocals/keyboards), original AXE member and co-songwriter EDGAR RILEY (keyboards/vocals), BRAD BANHAGEL(guitar/back-up and lead vocals), DAVID LANDES (lead guitar/back-up vocals), GERALD BERGER(bass), and CHRISTOPHER LEWIS (drums).

ZEBRA

Zebra is made up of 3 very talented men, Randy Jackson-lead vocals and guitar, Guy Gelso-drums, percussion and backing vocals, and Felix Hanemann-bass, keyboards and backing vocals.  They started out in the trenches, playing school dances and clubs until they were finally signed by Atlantic Records in 1982.  They acquired a strong regional following in Long Island and Louisiana, where they originated in New Orleans.  Their self-titled debut album(1983) became the fastest selling release in Atlantic history, and would proved to be Zebra's best selling album.  The band was eventually dropped after their 3rd release, but continued to play live shows and still do today, plus several solo projects, much to the delight of many Zebra fans.

UFO

Hailing from England, the original UFO lineup, formed in 1969, consisted of Phil Mogg-vocals, Mick Bolton-guitar, Pete Way-bass, and Andy Parker-drums.  Over the years, the band has released 19 studio albums and seen several lineup changes.  They enjoyed early success in Japan, and by 1976 their popularity had grown in England and America.  The band introduced keyboards into their sound and continued to tour and record, but the ever-changing lineup and patchy critical and commercial success eventually wore them down, and the band dissolved briefly in 1983.  Several efforts to reform occurred throughout the years, and in 1995, a reunion of the lineup that recorded what is considered the pinnacle of their studio career, 1977's Lights Out, saw Mogg, Way and Parker together again with guitarist Michael Schenker, and guitarist/keyboard player Paul Raymond.  Currently, Mogg, Way, Raymond, and Parker are touring with new guitarist Vinnie Moore, however, due to problems with a work Visa, Pete Way is unable to join them on the US tour and Rob DeLuca(Sebastian Bach Band) will taking the bass duties.

STEELHEART

Don Stroh discovered Miljenko Matijevic's voice while when he saw him perform at a bar in Connecticut.  He paired him with studio musicians James Ward-bass, Chris Risola-guitar, and Jack Wilkinson-drums to form the band Red Alert.  John Fowler replaced Wilkinson and they added guitarist Frank DeCostanzo, signed with MCA and became Steelheart.  Their self-titled debut album(1990) quickly went platinum and produced such hits as "She's Gone", "Never Let You Go(Angel Eyes)" and "Everybody Loves Eileen".  A successful world tour led to a follow up album, Tangled in Reins.  While touring in support of Great White, one show was added opening for Slaughter.  While performing, Matijevic climbed a lighting truss that was improperly secured, which collapsed to the stage with Matijevic underneath it.  He broke his nose, jaw, cheekbone and twisted his spine, and needed 28 stitches in the back of his head.  This was the end of Steelheart.  In 1995, after a painful, lengthy recovery, Matijevic was not ready to throw in the towel.  He reformed the band with Kenny Kanowski-guitar, Vincent Mellebass-, and Alex Macarovich-drums.  They recorded Wait in England which produced the hit single "We All Die Young", featured in the movie Rock Star, in which Matijevic provides the vocals for Mark Wahlberg's character.  Today, Matijevic has his own recording studio, which will release Good 2b Alive in September of this year, and has created an incredible clothing line centered around the Steelheart winged heart logo.

ACE FREHLEY

After a successful run as a founding member and lead guitarist of Kiss, Ace Frehley embarked on a moderately successful solo career once his legal ties to Kiss were severed.  By 1984 he had put together a band that included Anton Fig on drums, John Regan on bass and guitarist Richie Scarlet.  Frehley's Comet was released in 1987 and was a mix of hard rock and pop metal.  After the 1996 performance of Kiss on MTV Unplugged, marking the first time that all four original members performed together since 1979, Kiss embarked on a reunion tour and released Psycho Circus in 1998.  Apparently, Frehley was the only member of Kiss to take the "Farewell Tour" of 1998 literally, and he left the band and was replaced by Tommy Thayer, as Kiss continued to tour.  Frehley began performing again in late 2007, and has toured Europe and North America, and is looking to release a new solo album in 2008.

TESLA

Tesla does not fit the stereotypical 80s "Hair Band" or "Heavy Metal" description.  They certainly had some hair, but glam, they were not.  Jeans and T-shirts were their standard costume, and though their music was hard rock, it had a bluesy feel to it.  Though they toured with the likes of David Lee Roth, Def Leppard and Poison, the history of Tesla does not rank comparatively with the eccentricities, tragedies and conflicts of these counterparts respectively.  But like many other bands of that era, substance abuse crept its way into an otherwise seemingly stable group of guys.  The band took a near six year hiatus as guitarist Tommy Skeoch dealt with demons in an attempt to get clean.  He was eventually replaced by Dave Rude.  The band today consists of four original members Jeff Keith-lead vocals, Frank Hannon-guitar/keyboards/backing vocals, Brian Wheat-bass/piano/backing vocals, and Troy Luccketta-drums/percussion, plus Rude.

QUEENSRYCHE

For you loyal fans of Retro Active, you know that we featured our entire February newsletter on Queensryche, and if you missed it, check out the archives for the complete background.  What's not mentioned in that article is how Queensryche managed to raise $80,000 for VH1's Save The Music Foundation through their "Rock and Ride Across America" with help from Buell Motorcycles.  Fans were able to ride along with front man Geoff Tate and guitarist Mike Stone in select cities on their 2006 tour.  Queensryche has really made an art of finding ways to connect with fans.  Their meet & greets are not the "shuffle-you-through-the-assembly-line" variety.  Instead, fans are allowed to mingle with the band in a relaxed atmosphere, chat and take photos without feeling rushed.  They have also run contests for fans to be a part of the stage production of Operation:Mindcrime II, as well as an audition contest to win a chance to sing on stage with the band and record backing vocals on their new album.  Most recently, for those who can afford it, Queensryche has offered the chance to buy a "ride-along" to be a part of their European tour entourage.    

FIREHOUSE

Often mistaken for an 80s hair band, Firehouse's self-titled debut album was actually released in 1990.  But the roots of Firehouse can be traced back to 1984 when drummer Michael Foster joined guitarist Bill Leverty's band White Heat.  They came across a band called Maxx Warrior, with a rangy lead singer, C.J. Snare and a talented bass player, Perry Richardson.  When Maxx Warrior broke up, Snare joined Leverty and Foster and played as a three piece until Richardson fulfilled a commitment to another band, and then Firehouse was formed in 1989.  They spent days recording and nights playing and were eventually discovered and signed to Epic Records.  After several platinum and multi-platinum records, Richardson left the band due to personal conflict.  The band has toured steadily throughout the world with the original lineup, minus Richardson, plus Allen McKenzie on bass.

JACKYL

Since 1991, Jackyl has toured steadily, breaking only to record albums periodically.  Known for their legendary live performances and "dirty" sense of humor, Jackyl has built a loyal fan base that has kept them going for more than a decade and a half.  They performed at the 1994 25th anniversary of Woodstock in Saugerties, NY, and frequently participate in bike rallies across the country.  In 2004, their live performance was recorded at the legendary Sturgis rally at the Full Throttle Saloon and released on DVD on Sanctuary Records.

RATT

The first four albums released by Ratt went multi-platinum, they have sold over 16 million records nationwide and nearly 30 million worldwide, they have sold out arenas, and posted numerous top hits, and they have done all this without a hit power-ballad.  In an era when glam metal found its way into mainstream culture by an early, strategically placed power-ballad release, Ratt enjoyed commercial and critical success with a power punch combination of Stephen Pearcy's raspy vocals, brilliant guitar work by Warren DeMartini and Robin Crosby, obvious sexual under toned lyrics and just enough of a touch of blues to take the edge off.  After many bumps in their long road, including a losing battle with substance abuse, internal conflicts and legal battles, three original members, Pearcy, DeMartini and drummer Bobby Blotzer (original bass player Juan Croucier toyed with the idea of a reunion but decided against touring), combined with John Corabi on guitar and Robbie Crane on bass are touring and putting together music for a new Ratt album.