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Started By
Message
Any Richie Kotzen fans here?
Posted on 12/4/24 at 11:27 pm
Posted on 12/4/24 at 11:27 pm
I’m actually embarrassed as someone who considers himself a follower of music and fan of quality music, especially rock and blues, that I’m just now getting on this train.
Now, I certainly knew who Richie Kotzen was. But I knew him as a young guitar prodigy, and later heavy metal/hair band shredder from the late 80s to mid 90s.
His biggest claim to fame that I knew of was getting kicked out of Poison for fricking Rikki Rocket’s fiancée Deanna Eve, who he later married. Pic below, because I know the rules:
This is a young Richie and Deanna Eve:
A couple months ago, the YouTube algorithm kicked a video of his into my feed. I’ll post it below.
I was intrigued by the bluesy song, the power trio and especially his finger-picking style of playing the guitar.
Kotzen is one of the best guitarists in the world, but I was surprised at his voice. I didn’t know he sang at all.
So I started listening to more, and more and more. I did a deep dive on his entire catalog. He has 20 solo albums, plus 3 albums with The Winery Dogs (Billy Sheehan, Mike Portnoy) and 3 albums with Smith/Kotzen (Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden) including a soon-to-be released album.
But what really hooked me in was a concert video that I will link in a reply post.
Now, I certainly knew who Richie Kotzen was. But I knew him as a young guitar prodigy, and later heavy metal/hair band shredder from the late 80s to mid 90s.
His biggest claim to fame that I knew of was getting kicked out of Poison for fricking Rikki Rocket’s fiancée Deanna Eve, who he later married. Pic below, because I know the rules:
This is a young Richie and Deanna Eve:
A couple months ago, the YouTube algorithm kicked a video of his into my feed. I’ll post it below.
I was intrigued by the bluesy song, the power trio and especially his finger-picking style of playing the guitar.
Kotzen is one of the best guitarists in the world, but I was surprised at his voice. I didn’t know he sang at all.
So I started listening to more, and more and more. I did a deep dive on his entire catalog. He has 20 solo albums, plus 3 albums with The Winery Dogs (Billy Sheehan, Mike Portnoy) and 3 albums with Smith/Kotzen (Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden) including a soon-to-be released album.
But what really hooked me in was a concert video that I will link in a reply post.
This post was edited on 12/5/24 at 12:02 am
6
Posted on 12/4/24 at 11:39 pm to Bjorn Cyborg
This may sound like hyperbole, but the concert video below is the best I’ve ever seen.
Now, I didn’t know a single song. But I watched it start to finish. I’ve now watched it 3 complete times, plus listened to the album versions dozens of times.
The sound quality, camera work, lighting and the musicianship are phenomenal.
It was filmed in Japan, but they need to teach a class on making a live music video.
The entire power trio is first-rate. Kotzen’s guitar work is among the best I’ve ever seen. His vocals are top notch and the bassist and drummer are great.
He sounds, and looks, like Chris Cornell. If you read the comments, his hardcore fans get mad at the comparison, but it’s true.
This video has 7 million views and 7,000 comments.
Most of the songs are from his 2014 album The Essential Richie Kotzen, but a few are from 2011 24 Hours and 2015 Cannibals.
The Essential Richie Kotzen is a fantastic album, but the other two are great as well.
If he had put out this work in the mid 90s instead of still being a hair metal guy, which was a dead genre, he would probably be a superstar.
Now, I didn’t know a single song. But I watched it start to finish. I’ve now watched it 3 complete times, plus listened to the album versions dozens of times.
The sound quality, camera work, lighting and the musicianship are phenomenal.
It was filmed in Japan, but they need to teach a class on making a live music video.
The entire power trio is first-rate. Kotzen’s guitar work is among the best I’ve ever seen. His vocals are top notch and the bassist and drummer are great.
He sounds, and looks, like Chris Cornell. If you read the comments, his hardcore fans get mad at the comparison, but it’s true.
This video has 7 million views and 7,000 comments.
Most of the songs are from his 2014 album The Essential Richie Kotzen, but a few are from 2011 24 Hours and 2015 Cannibals.
The Essential Richie Kotzen is a fantastic album, but the other two are great as well.
If he had put out this work in the mid 90s instead of still being a hair metal guy, which was a dead genre, he would probably be a superstar.
Posted on 12/4/24 at 11:49 pm to Bjorn Cyborg
This is the set list for the live show.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 7:04 am to Bjorn Cyborg
Richie is underappreciated for sure. I've seen him with The Winery Dogs a couple of times.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 7:26 am to Bjorn Cyborg
Yes, he's an absolutely fantastic guitar player. His voice is very Chris Cornell-ish. I haven't had a chance to see him live yet though.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 9:13 am to Bjorn Cyborg
I remember buying his self-titled debut on Shrapnel the day it came out in 1989. Little did we shredheads know just how good of a singer and songwriter he really was, or at least would become.
Devote a weekend to his discography snippets over time and not only will you realize he is truly a total package talent, he has gotten better and better and better with time.
Devote a weekend to his discography snippets over time and not only will you realize he is truly a total package talent, he has gotten better and better and better with time.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 12:52 pm to TheFretShack
Agreed. His catalog is great. And varied.
He made a blues album in the late 90s.
He made a blues album in the late 90s.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 1:51 pm to TheFretShack
Listening to his metal instrumental albums and then his current stuff which is just pure rock, is so drastically different
Posted on 12/5/24 at 3:51 pm to A12 Oxcart
This is a good one.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 3:58 pm to Bjorn Cyborg
This one is recent.
He looks like a different person.
He looks like a different person.
Posted on 12/6/24 at 3:55 am to Bjorn Cyborg
He’s an unreal talent. I don’t remember all the details, but when he was fired from Poison he built a studio. All the solo albums he’s done since were done without a record label. I think that’s the same with the Winery Dogs and assume the same with Adrian Smith.
He’s got it figured out. He’s a big deal in Asia and South America, but can walk down the street in the U.S. and no one knows who he is. He’s clearly been a savvy businessman too. One of the Winery Dogs videos was filmed in his driveway. He’s done it all on his own.
He’s got it figured out. He’s a big deal in Asia and South America, but can walk down the street in the U.S. and no one knows who he is. He’s clearly been a savvy businessman too. One of the Winery Dogs videos was filmed in his driveway. He’s done it all on his own.
Posted on 12/6/24 at 8:56 am to Bjorn Cyborg
I knew Kotzen from the old guitar hero days, or at least I knew him from the ads in Metal Edge or some of the rags popular back in the day. I never actually heard him play or sing until the Poison record. I was kinda mesmerized by this homeless looking dude in like bell bottoms and no shirt playing shite like string skipping arpeggios and then this crazy soulfull voice just cut through even as just background vocals. I promise no homo in any of that 
It was years later once the internet and youtube became more prevalent I found a bunch of his old stuff and realized Poison just wanted him so they could steal some of his songs.
It was years later once the internet and youtube became more prevalent I found a bunch of his old stuff and realized Poison just wanted him so they could steal some of his songs.
Posted on 12/6/24 at 10:35 am to RoscoeSanCarlos
Yea, his wife is a hot bassist from Brazil. He's huge in Japan and South America.
A lot of his songs have a "frick the music industry" theme to them.
This post was edited on 12/6/24 at 10:37 am
Posted on 12/8/24 at 10:17 am to Bjorn Cyborg
Forty Deuce was a great release!!!
Posted on 12/9/24 at 11:39 am to fore4
That's the album with the Japanese dudes?
I haven't listed to that one much but I will check it out.
I haven't listed to that one much but I will check it out.
Posted on 12/9/24 at 7:05 pm to Bjorn Cyborg
Yeah that's the one. Pretty solid
Posted on 12/10/24 at 9:45 am to fore4
I listened to the whole album. Apparently Forty-Deuce was a side project Kotzen did with some Japanese punk rockers and they only made one album.
It is very good. Not as great as his solo stuff, but I enjoyed it and will listen again.
In doing a deep dive on Kotzen, I think the reason that someone as talented as him is not a superstar is that he has bad timing.
He was in a hair-metal band (Poison) when the grunge scene took over, and then proceeded to spend most of the 90s making instrumental metal/shred albums. This was basically a dead genre at the time.
Then once the grunge/rock era was ending and the 2000's emo bands started taking over, he went to more of a grunge/rock sound.
His rock albums since 2000 would have probably been big hits in the 90s.
Now he is making traditional power-trio rock music, which is great, but there is not a big commercial appetite for it.
The Essential Richie Kotzen is a fantastic album, but few know about it.
Seems like he's been about 10 years off of the right timeline.
It is very good. Not as great as his solo stuff, but I enjoyed it and will listen again.
In doing a deep dive on Kotzen, I think the reason that someone as talented as him is not a superstar is that he has bad timing.
He was in a hair-metal band (Poison) when the grunge scene took over, and then proceeded to spend most of the 90s making instrumental metal/shred albums. This was basically a dead genre at the time.
Then once the grunge/rock era was ending and the 2000's emo bands started taking over, he went to more of a grunge/rock sound.
His rock albums since 2000 would have probably been big hits in the 90s.
Now he is making traditional power-trio rock music, which is great, but there is not a big commercial appetite for it.
The Essential Richie Kotzen is a fantastic album, but few know about it.
Seems like he's been about 10 years off of the right timeline.
Posted on 12/11/24 at 11:30 am to Bjorn Cyborg
Here is a great interview with him from about a month ago.
Posted on 12/11/24 at 4:53 pm to olemc999
I will watch it.
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