Fred: When I left Dash Rip Rock, I had a deal with EMI. Rob, a friend from New Orleans, had moved to New York and gotten an A&R position with them.
Rob helped the Red Hot Chili Peppers revamp after their original guitar player died and their original drummer left the band. He helped them find both Chad Smith and John Frusciante. Rob was the A&R man for the Peppers as well as Queensrÿche during the “Operation: Mindcrime“ era.
He got me a development deal.
I recorded some demos, tried to form a band in Georgia, and then moved to Nashville.
About a year later I lost my record deal because the label fired my friend.
I was broke, back in New Orleans, and living in a $200-a-month apartment where I couldn't afford to have the electricity on in August.
But I had this vision. I had a vision of a band where the drums would be up front. Everybody would be up front…