Dan Spitz
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| Dan Spitz | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 28, 1963 |
| Genre(s) | Thrash metal |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1982 - 1995 2004 - Present |
| Associated acts | Anthrax |
| Website | http://www.SpitzWatch.com www.AmericanMetalWatchCompany.com |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Jackson Randy Rhoads PRS "Spitz" |
|
Dan Spitz (born January 28, 1963) was the lead guitarist of the thrash metal band Anthrax from 1983-1995 and 2005 to 2007. He is the brother of former Black Sabbath bassist Dave Spitz.
In 1995, Spitz was fired from Anthrax, due to a severe disinterest in playing guitar. In the meantime he opened his own watch repair shop. Born Jewish, he converted to Messianic Judaism[1] (which is seen as a form of Christianity to both Jewish and Christian groups). He and his wife Candi have Identical/Mirror Image Twin boys named Brendan Alan Spitz and Jaden Michael Spitz, born May 29, 2007. Dan also has two teenage daughters, Julia and Lianna.
On April 1, 2005, Anthrax announced an Among the Living reunion, and Spitz was reunited with the band. They embarked on a world tour and released a DVD with footage from those performances. Following the end of the reunion tour, Spitz again left Anthrax to concentrate on his watch designs. He has since been replaced by Rob Caggiano, who was Anthrax's lead guitarist immediately prior to the 2005 reunion.
Spitz was originally known for his use of Jackson Guitars (he was famous for his custom Jackson Randy Rhoads guitar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles painted on them). But most recently during the Anthrax Reunion tour he has been an endorser of Paul Reed Smith Guitars. Paul Reed Smith has created a special "Spitz" head stock (a first for PRS) and a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rendering was painted on this new guitar by tattoo artist and lowbrow painter JR Linton .
Before playing in Anthrax, Spitz was a lead guitarist for local thrash metal band Overkill, and also Thrasher, at which time he shared the stage with bass virtuoso Billy Sheehan.
Spitz stands at a very short 5 feet 1 inch. He does not appear to be offended by "short jokes", as his bandmates joke about his small size commonly (his nickname within the band is "Mini-Tower").
Spitz appears to have a taste in classical music, as he frequently plays classical-resemblant solos featuring use of the harmonic scale and harmonies. On the album Spreading the Disease, the track "Stand or Fall" was preceded by a short instrumental called "S.S.C.", which features Spitz playing an acoustic melody resemblant of a Spanish phrygian piece, before stopping all the music and playing a very fast neo-classical solo built around the harmonic scale. This was followed up on Anthrax's next album, on the track "Horror of It All", which was preceded by another instrumental called "A.D.I.", which simply features Spitz playing an acoustic classical melody unaccompanied.
Contents |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Anthrax albums
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Chart positions | US sales |
| January 1984 | Fistful of Metal | Megaforce | ||
| October 1985 | Spreading the Disease | Island | ||
| March 1987 | Among the Living | Island | ||
| September 18, 1988 | State of Euphoria | Island | ||
| August 21, 1990 | Persistence of Time | Island | ||
| May 25, 1993 | Sound of White Noise | Elektra |
[edit] EPs
- Armed and Dangerous (1985)
- I'm the Man (1987) (includes live tracks)
- Penikufesin (1989) (only released in Europe, collection of State of Euphoria sessions)
- Free B's (1991) (promo release, includes live tracks)
[edit] Compilation albums
- Attack of the Killer B's (1991) (collection of live, raraties and previously unreleased material)
- Moshers: 1986-1991 (1998) (import release)
- Return of the Killer A's (1999)
- Madhouse - The Very Best of Anthrax (2001)
- The Collection (2002)
- Universal Masters Collection (2002)
- Anthrology: No Hit Wonders (1985-1991) (2005)
[edit] Live albums
- The Island Years (1994) (recorded live in 1991 and 1992)
- Alive 2 (2005)
[edit] VHS/DVDs
- US Speed Metal Attack (1986) (split video with Agent Steel and Overkill, recorded live in Germany)
- Oidivnikufesin (1987) (recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon)
- Through Time (P.O.V.) (1990)
- Live Noize (1991) (recorded live on the Persistence of Time tour)
- White Noise: The Videos (1994) (released only in Japan, complete collection of the Sound of White Noise music videos)
- Return Of The Killer A's (1999) (includes live performances of the Persistence of Time tour)
- Rock Legends (2004)
- Anthrax Anthralogy: The DVD (2005) (includes live performances)
- Alive 2 (2005) (DVD version)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK | |||
| 1987 | "I'm the Man" | - | - | - | - | I'm the Man |
| 1987 | "I Am The Law" | - | - | - | - | Among the Living |
| 1987 | "Indians" | - | - | - | - | Among the Living |
| 1988 | "Make Me Laugh" | - | - | - | - | State of Euphoria |
| 1989 | "Antisocial" | - | - | - | - | State of Euphoria |
| 1990 | "Got the Time" | - | - | - | - | Persistence of Time |
| 1990 | "In My World" | - | - | - | - | Persistence of Time |
| 1991 | "Bring The Noise" (with Public Enemy) | - | - | - | - | Attack of the Killer B's |
| 1993 | "Black Lodge" | - | - | 38 | - | Sound of White Noise |
| 1993 | "Hy Pro Glo" | - | - | - | - | Sound of White Noise |
| 1993 | "Only" | - | - | 26 | - | Sound of White Noise |
| 1993 | "Room for One More" | - | - | - | - | Sound of White Noise |
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[edit] Notes
- ^ Back from the Belly of the Beast (February 2000.)
