Steel Panther

Steel Panther

Steel Panther playing at the Claremont Showgrounds in 2012, with from left to right: Lexxi Foxx, Satchel, and Michael Starr.
Background information
Also known as Metal Shop (2000–2003)
Danger Kitty (2003)
Metal Skool (2003–2008)
Jam Prancer (2014)
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active 2000–present
Labels Open E Entertainment, Kobalt[3]
Associated acts L.A. Guns, Fight, Metal Skool
Website www.steelpantherrocks.com
Members Michael Starr
Satchel
Lexxi Foxx
Stix Zadinia

Steel Panther is an American glam metal supergroup from Los Angeles, California, mostly known for their profane and humorous lyrics[4] as well as their exaggerated on-stage personae that parody the stereotypical "glam metal" lifestyle in the 1980s.

Biography

Metal Skool

The quartet began to gain popularity in the Sunset Strip during the early 2000s under the name Metal Shop (soon changed into Metal Skool, then into Steel Panther). Their lineup consists of vocalist Ralph Saenz ("Michael Starr"), drummer Darren Leader ("Stix Zadinia"), bassist Travis Haley ("Lexxi Foxx"), and guitarist Russ Parrish ("Satchel").[1] The band did weekly shows on Monday nights at the Key Club, playing covers of 1980s hair metal hits while parodying the bands that made the songs famous. Despite the name changes, and some members putting in time in a Van Halen tribute band, they finally managed to gain some success.[1] In 2003 Steel Panther published Hole Patrol,[5] their self-produced debut. The band appeared in a Discover Card advertisement as Danger Kitty and in the sitcom Drew Carey Show as themselves. Also in 2003, their song "Death to All But Metal" was included in a compilation CD called Hey, That's What I Call Sludge! Vol. 1 put out by the Metal Sludge web site. Their cover of the song "Fantasy" by Aldo Nova was used as the opening musical theme for the MTV program Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. On November 27, 2007 Metal Skool played original songs as well as covers of KISS songs at the Gene Simmons roast, they can be seen in the background of Gene Simmons' reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels. That year, they also appeared as themselves on Las Vegas in the episode "The High Price of Gas".[6]

Steel Panther

Lexxi Foxx at Nova Rock 2014, Austria

In April 2008 the band decided to change their name from Metal Skool to Steel Panther, making a new debut at The Rockin' Saddle Club in Redlands, California.[5] In an interview with Michael Starr, he states that the band's name wasn't inspired by Steel Dragon, the band with Zakk Wylde and Mark Wahlberg in the movie Rock Star (in which Michael Starr makes a cameo appearance).[7] In May 2008, the band signed a contract with Republic Records (owned by record label Universal Records) announcing plans for a new studio album.[1]

The first single, an updated version of "Death to All but Metal", first appeared on iTunes on 27 January 2009, whereas the album, entitled Feel the Steel and produced by Jay Ruston, was published on 9 June, during the same year.[5] A promotional video, directed by actor Dean Cameron, was shot for the song "Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)."

Sometime collaborator Dean Cameron, also credited with co-writing "Supersonic Sex Machine" on Balls Out, directed and co-wrote a pilot presentation in an attempt to land Steel Panther their own television program.

On December 6, 2011, Steel Panther announced their second solo UK tour in support of their newest album Balls Out. Tickets for the shows went on sale on December 9, 2011, with many ticket providers selling out their allocations within a month. This Prompted another headline UK tour taking place in November 2012

Steel Panther played on the main stage at Download Festival in June 2012, during which they were joined on stage by Corey Taylor of Slipknot to play Death to All But Metal. They played in front of a crowd of over 100,000 people.[8]

Steel Panther played the main stage at Download Festival in Castle Donington, UK on June 15, 2014. They were watched by more than 100,000 people and shared the stage with Alter Bridge & Aerosmith.

Steel Panther appeared in a comedy sketch in the UK on Channel 4's The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night raising awareness for testicular cancer and as part of The Feeling Nuts Movement[9].

Steel Panther are managed by former Extreme drummer, Paul Geary.

History

Feel the Steel (2009–2010)

Steel Panther released Feel the Steel on June 8, 2009 in the UK and on October 6, 2009 in North America through Universal Republic, making it their major record label debut. Feel the Steel debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Comedy chart, No. 123 on the Billboard 200 chart and would eventually peak at No. 98 on the Billboard 200 chart. The record features hit singles, "Community Property" and "Death to All but Metal" as well as notable guest vocal performances from Corey Taylor, Justin Hawkins, and M. Shadows.

The record's success also caught the attention of the Grammys, making it onto the "Best Comedy Album" ballot in October 2010, yet failing to reach a nomination.

The track "Eyes of a Panther" from Feel the Steel is featured on the sound track for the video game Skate 3.

Balls Out (2011–2012)

Steel Panther released their sophomore effort Balls Out on October 31, 2011 in the UK and on November 1, 2011 in North America also through Universal Republic. Balls Out continued their revival of the 80's heavy metal genre and debuted at No. 1 on the UK iTunes Rock chart surpassing Megadeth's TH1RT3EN and Lou Reed's and Metallica's Lulu. Balls Out also debuted at No. 4 on the US iTunes Rock chart, No. 40 on the Billboard 200 chart and at No. 1 on the Billboard Comedy chart with first-week sales of 12,000 copies in the US.

British Invasion (2012)

Steel Panther released their first Live DVD British Invasion in September 2012.[10] The DVD was released worldwide on October 22, 2012.[11] The DVD was filmed at Brixton Academy in London and features a two-hour concert/documentary based on the band's sold-out British tour.[12][13]

All You Can Eat (2013 – Present)

All You Can Eat is the fourth studio album by the metal band Steel Panther, released on April 1, 2014 on the independent label Open E Music, via Kobalt Label Services.[7] The album was officially announced September 2013.[8] The first single from the album is "Party Like Tomorrow is the End of the World". The second single, "The Burden of Being Wonderful", was released January 21, 2014.

The third single, "Gloryhole", was released in April 2014 on Steel Panther's VEVO channel. On March 26, 2014 the album was leaked online and available for downloading on various websites, most likely after being streamed by the German tabloid Bild. The online stream was approved by Steel Panther.

Tours

UK Arena tour with Def Leppard & Mötley Crüe

Due to their growing popularity, Steel Panther were invited by Def Leppard to join them and co-headliners Mötley Crüe as "Special Guests" on the Mirrorball Tour tour in December 2011.

The Forum with Guns N' Roses

Exactly one week after ending the UK arena tour in London with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, Steel Panther opened for Guns N' Roses at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA on December 21, 2011.

Soundwave/Revolution

On May 11, 2011 Steel Panther announced that they would be playing the main stage (same stage as Van Halen) at Soundwave Revolution, however, the spin-off festival would be cancelled due to Rage Against the Machine being unable to commit. In fact, drummer Stix Zadinia was responsible for breaking the story via his Twitter account on August 9: "Soundwave revolution is cancelled. I am bummed." The news shocked Soundwave fans and caused a huge debacle resulting in Steel Panther trending on Twitter and fans accusing Steel Panther as the reason for the cancellation.

Though Steel Panther were disappointed by the news knowing that they wouldn't be sharing the main stage with Van Halen, the Soundwave Revolution cancellation ended up being a blessing in disguise for it allowed the band to finish recording their second major release, [Balls Out].

The band then proceeded to play the 2012 edition of the main festival, sharing a stage with System of a Down, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson and Limp Bizkit.

Australian Tour 2012

Brazzers sponsored the Australian tour of Steel Panther in early October 2012, which sold out in Brisbane, Sydney (two shows), Melbourne, and Adelaide.

European Tour 2012

In late 2012, Steel Panther's European tour was crowned a huge success. They played sold out shows, particularly in Germany:[7]

Australian Tour 2013

Steel Panther toured Australia in December 2013, supported by Buckcherry and Fozzy. Shows were sold out in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth between 6 and 12 December.:[14]

It has been mentioned that the Sydney show was recorded for a DVD for a deluxe release of their next CD, "All You Can Eat". At this time, it's unknown if this will be an Australia-only release.:[15]

European Tour 2014

In late 2013, Steel Panther announced a new tour in the year 2014.[16] It was titled the "Spreading the Disease (S.T.D.) Tour".[17] They toured Europe throughout February and March 2014.[18]

All You Can Eat Tour 2014

In support of their latest album, Steel Panther began touring North America in May 2014, their first headlining tour of America. In June, they moved the tour to Europe and will continue to tour through August 2014.[18]

Jam Prancer

On August 13, 2014, Steel Panther performed a secret gig under the name "Jam Prancer" to celebrate the 21st anniversary of The Viper Room. They played a short set of covers, and only played one Steel Panther song. The entire show was filmed and can be seen at JamPrancer.com.

Redeemer of Souls Tour with Judas Priest

During October and November 2014, the band will be "Special Guests" for all dates of Judas Priest's Redeemer of Souls Tour in North America.[19]

All You Can Eat Tour 2015

In June 2014, the band announced a short UK Tour with 4 dates scheduled for March 2015, supported by Skindred[20] and the Lounge Kittens.[21] The band sold out almost every venue on the tour, which included Wembley Arena, London.

Awards

Band members

Current members

Discography

Videography

Music videos

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lymangrover, Jason (2009-02-26). "Steel Panther". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  2. ↑ "Steel Panther - Behind The Music". VEVO. June 16, 2009.
  3. ↑ Pakinkis, Tom. "Kobalt Signs Steel Panther for Label Services and Publishing". Musicweek.
  4. ↑ "Steel Panther Lyrics Analyzed". Lee Bob Black. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Steel Panther". musicmight.com. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  6. ↑ "Las Vegas - 'The High Price of Gas' Episode Info - MSN TV". Tv.msn.com. 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "interview Michael Starr". entertaim.net. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4043842/fullcredits/
  10. ↑ "Steel Panther to Offend Conservative Types With 'British Invasion' DVD". Noisecreep. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  11. ↑ "STEEL PANTHER UNVEIL TRACK LIST + RELEASE DATE FOR ‘BRITISH INVASION’ DVD". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "STEEL PANTHER On Nashville's 102.9 THE BUZZ: Acoustic Performance, Video Interview - May 14, 2013". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "STEEL PANTHER’S ‘BRITISH INVASION’ DVD PENETRATES THE TOP OF THE CHARTS". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Steel Panther". Steel Panther. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "JB Hi-Fi - All You Can Eat (Deluxe Edition) STEEL PANTHER". Jbhifionline.com.au. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Steel Panther Tourdates. Vorverkaufstarts.de retrieved 14. Oktober 2013.
  17. ↑ EURO TOUR VIP PACKAGES! SteelPantherRocks.com retrieved 22 March 2014
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Tour". Steel Panther Fans. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "JudasPriest.com :: News - JUDAS PRIEST ANNOUNCE CONFIRMED DATES FOR "REDEEMER OF SOULS TOUR 2014"". Judaspriest.com. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "Steel Panther Announce 2015 UK Tour With Skindred". Rock Sound Magazine. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  21. ↑ "MUSIC NEWS: The Lounge Kittens Added To Steel Panther’s 2015 UK Tour". Bring the Noise UK. Retrieved 2 October 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steel Panther.