Chris Van Dahl
Encyclopedia
Chris Van Dahl is a rock musician notable for singing on the L.A. Guns
album American Hardcore
. Van Dahl grew up in Detroit, Michigan
, but moved to Los Angeles, California
to try to make it in the music business. In the early 1990s, prior to joining L.A. Guns, Van Dahl was the singer in another Los Angeles band – the glam metal
band Cherry St. At this time, Van Dahl went by the stage name Roxy Dahl. He left Cherry St. in 1991 to form a new band, Boneyard. This group recorded a four-track demo, but never released a full album. So, in 1993, Van Dahl rejoined Cherry St., bringing Boneyard bassist "Redd" Rosell with him. That year, Cherry St. released the album Squeeze It Dry on JRS Records. In 1995, Van Dahl was recruited to be the singer for L.A. Guns
. He sang on their 1996 album American Hardcore
. Van Dahl also sang on the subsequent tour, but was let go from the band in 1997. After this, he formed The Vow with his former Boneyard compatriots Pauly Alvarez and Bobby Holder. In 2000, he joined a short-lived incarnation of Jizzy Pearl
's band Love/Hate
as a bassist, but it did not last the year. Next, Van Dahl formed a band with former Kid Rock
guitarist Kenny Olson
. The band, named Pack of Wolves, also featured Adam Kurry (former Legs Diamond
bassist) who Van Dahl had played with in The Vow. In 2005, Van Dahl moved to Austin, Texas
and hooked up with former Cherry St. guitarist Taz to form a new band, Black Beauties. Chris has a nephew Josh Tomalia who is a semi-professional golfer on the Michigan Amateur Golf Tour.
Chris currently sings in Huntington Beach-based Aerosmith tribute band "Aeromyth", and was the first singer for Las Vegas
-based band "The Jimmy Crespo
Project." Crespo, himself a former member of Aerosmith
, sometimes plays with Van Dahl in Aeromyth. He also plays Steven Tyler
in the Legends in Concert show in Las Vegas.
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
album American Hardcore
American Hardcore
American Hardcore is the only L.A. Guns album to feature singer Chris Van Dahl and the first to feature bass guitarist Johnny Crypt. This album continues the increase in heaviness by the band started on their previous album Vicious Circle....
. Van Dahl grew up in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, but moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to try to make it in the music business. In the early 1990s, prior to joining L.A. Guns, Van Dahl was the singer in another Los Angeles band – the glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band Cherry St. At this time, Van Dahl went by the stage name Roxy Dahl. He left Cherry St. in 1991 to form a new band, Boneyard. This group recorded a four-track demo, but never released a full album. So, in 1993, Van Dahl rejoined Cherry St., bringing Boneyard bassist "Redd" Rosell with him. That year, Cherry St. released the album Squeeze It Dry on JRS Records. In 1995, Van Dahl was recruited to be the singer for L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
. He sang on their 1996 album American Hardcore
American Hardcore
American Hardcore is the only L.A. Guns album to feature singer Chris Van Dahl and the first to feature bass guitarist Johnny Crypt. This album continues the increase in heaviness by the band started on their previous album Vicious Circle....
. Van Dahl also sang on the subsequent tour, but was let go from the band in 1997. After this, he formed The Vow with his former Boneyard compatriots Pauly Alvarez and Bobby Holder. In 2000, he joined a short-lived incarnation of Jizzy Pearl
Jizzy Pearl
Jizzy Pearl is an Irish-American vocalist born on March 17, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois. He first fronted the rock band Data Clan, which became Love/Hate, and has also sung for L.A...
's band Love/Hate
Love/Hate
Love/Hate is a Los Angeles, California based hard rock band who achieved their greatest fame in the early 90s.-1985-1988 unsigned:Love/Hate was formed in 1985 when Jizzy Pearl joined Jon E. Love, Skid Rose, and Joey Gold, in an '80s influenced electronica band called Dataclan, after their...
as a bassist, but it did not last the year. Next, Van Dahl formed a band with former Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
guitarist Kenny Olson
Kenny Olson
Kenny Olson is a guitarist from the Detroit, Michigan area. He played in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker Band. Along with Jason Krause, he played guitar on Kid Rock's studio albums Devil Without a Cause , The History of Rock , Cocky , and Kid Rock .Kenny Olson currently lives in Nashville,...
. The band, named Pack of Wolves, also featured Adam Kurry (former Legs Diamond
Legs Diamond (band)
Legs Diamond are a rock and roll band that has often been called "The American Deep Purple". They formed in Los Angeles, California in the mid 1970s and released their self-titled debut album for Mercury Records in 1977...
bassist) who Van Dahl had played with in The Vow. In 2005, Van Dahl moved to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and hooked up with former Cherry St. guitarist Taz to form a new band, Black Beauties. Chris has a nephew Josh Tomalia who is a semi-professional golfer on the Michigan Amateur Golf Tour.
Chris currently sings in Huntington Beach-based Aerosmith tribute band "Aeromyth", and was the first singer for Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
-based band "The Jimmy Crespo
Jimmy Crespo
James "Jimmy" Crespo Jr. is an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith from 1979 until 1984. Jimmy co-wrote Rock in a Hard Place with Steven Tyler...
Project." Crespo, himself a former member of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, sometimes plays with Van Dahl in Aeromyth. He also plays Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
in the Legends in Concert show in Las Vegas.
External links
- [ L.A. Guns article at Allmusic]
- Cherry St. article at Rock Detector
- Northern Express article on Pack of Wolves
- Mevyn.net Austin music article