BRUNETTE (pre- Hardline) – Rough Demos [CD release]

Melodic Hard Rock fans have been asking for years the release of all BRUNETTE material, the band that would become Hardline. Founder / lead singer Johnny Gioeli dig deep in his archives and made this music available for the very first time, and the second Brunette release is titled “Rough Demos“.

Gioeli, perhaps best known for fronting Hardline in the early ’90s together with guitarist Neal Schon (Journey) and for being the ‘singing voice’ behind many Sonic the Hedgehog games, got his start playing locally in LA and leaving behind a collection of songs that ultimately never got the proper treatment they deserved.
“Brunette Rough Demos” is the second part of two-CD collections of songs by Brunette that capture their complete tenure as a band, enhanced & mastered to get the best sound quality possible.

In 1987, The Gioeli brothers had put together a solid powerhouse band that went by the name of Killerhit in Pennsylvania. On the advice of good friend and fellow Pennsylvania native Bret Michaels (Poison), they packed up their bags and headed out to Los Angeles where their cream of the crop craftsmanship could be better noticed.
When they got to L.A., they had taken notice that the most successful bans all had a blonde front man. Since they didn’t follow the well-recognized blue print of having a blonde lead singer, let alone a blonde in the entire band, they changed their name to Brunette.

Undoubtedly, Brunette was one of Hollywood’s greatest unsigned treasures. Ingenious marketing schemes, standing-room only showcases, and sold-out venues led to the band being courted by every major label big wig in town.
From coast to coast (and even overseas), Brunette’s name was ringing louder than that of any other of their unsigned Sunset Strip cohorts.

Brunette was surely on a path that would give them the same stardom and worldwide recognition, like many of the bands that came before them, who successfully climbed the MTV-Generation X Express to the top.
But internal chaos led to the downfall of the band and what ultimately could be described as one of Melodic Rock’s best kept secrets and untold stories.

As its title makes clear, “Rough Demos” are indeed rather unpolished material than the demos appeared in the other Brunette release.
Anyway, there’s some killer melodic hard rockers here such as ‘Aiming for Your Heart’. ‘Lady Love’, the soaring ‘Keeper of My Heart’, the fine ballad ‘Yesterdays Gone’, or the hot ‘Keeper of My Heart’.

There’s even a Brunette version of the killer melodic rocker ‘Hot Cherie’ (a Steelheart original) later recorded by Hardline itself, and various bands like Steelhouse Lane, Captive Heart, Danny Spanos, Steve Thomson and who knows else.
We have 3 live cuts as well, but barely listenable. I mean, all are pure noise, what’s the point to be included here? To complete the CD space?

Johnny Gioeli would later go onto sing for Axel Rudi Pell while other members of Brunette went on to work with Vince Neil, Bangaloire Choir, Cinderella and Big House. So here we are, more than 25 years in the making, and the fans are getting what they have long been asking for, Brunette’s complete recordings.
The sound quality varies in “Rough Demos”, and while it isn’t that good, it’s a fine collectors piece from a band that shoulda been huge.

01 – Killer in Heels
02 – Aiming for Your Heart
03 – Yesterdays Gone
04 – Cure of the Heart
05 – Lazy Sue
06 – Lady Love (Version 2)
07 – Hot Cherie
08 – Keeper of My Heart
09 – Forever Yours
10 – Take It or Leave It
11 – I Scream My Heart Out
12 – Turn It On (Live)
13 – Do or Die (Live)
14 – Blue Eyes (Live)

Johnny Gioeli – Lead Vocals, Guitars
Joey Gioeli – Guitars
Christopher Paul – Guitars
Jay Scott King – Bass
Darek Thomas Cava – Drums

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Rough-Demos-Brunette/dp/B00P8FBXZI
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