’80s glam metal bands Great White and BulletBoys rock Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on March 19, 2022
From a press release:
It was announced today that Grammy-nominated ’80s rock band Great White will perform at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Saturday, March 19, 2022 with fellow glam metal band BulletBoys.
Doors at Penn’s Peak (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe) open at 7 p.m., and the concert starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $30 in advance or $35 the day of the show, go on sale next Friday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, the Penn’s Peak box office, and at Roadies Restaurant and Bar (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe). Box office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only; no phone orders.
Great White has gone through changes, even fallen off the path, but slowed down? Never. After 36 years in the game, the hard rock legends took on their third frontman in 2018. With a respectful nod to the past, they forged ahead with their tried-and-true mantra – these songs are bigger than any one member.
“Mitch Malloy is the lead singer of Great White. He’s an incredible singer, artist, songwriter, and engineer,” lead guitarist Mark Kendall said. “We’re beyond excited to stretch our musical muscles with a fresh new take on Great White’s catalog of hits.”
That arsenal of songs include the Grammy-nominated Best Hard Rock Performance hit “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” as well as “Rock Me,” “Mista Bone,” “Save Your Love,” “House of Broken Love,” and “Lady Red Light.” Great White has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, has six Top 100 Billboard hits, nine Top 200 Billboard albums, two platinum albums, and clocked the top of MTV four times.
To experience their hits live in concert is to ride an emotional wave of sultry connections, arousing lyrics, and an all-out marathon of hard-hitting orchestrations. The California-based band continues to tour worldwide while celebrating numerous milestones, including sold-out performances, a return to Switzerland’s Rock im Tal Festival, the 10th anniversary of the M3 Rock Festival, and occasional intimate acoustic performances.
They returned to the classic rock radio charts with “Complicated” off 2012’s “Elation.” The band’s 12th studio album garnered high marks from numerous rock journalists behind the pesky “Something for You,” the cheeky “Shotgun Willie’s,” and the emotional Top 10 classic rock radio entry “Hard to Say Goodbye.”
In 2017, Great White reunited with its original producer Michael Wagener on the thrilling “Full Circle.” The nine-track album spawned the balls-to-the wall single “Big Time” and, for the first time in their career, the group gave a peek behind the curtain with the accompanying DVD “The Making of Full Circle.”
Great White is currently Mark Kendall (guitar), Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards), Audie Desbrow (drums), Scott Snyder (bass), and Mitch Malloy (vocals). Since 1982, the band’s sound has captivated audiences worldwide with crushing blues-based guitar riffs and swagger that invokes an emotional high for anyone that listens. The core writing team of Lardie and Kendall forged numerous hits over the years, and when Desbrow joined in ’85, the grooves hooked an amazing stride.
For nearly a decade, Snyder has merged his unforgiving rhythm to Desbrow’s relentless percussion. New to Great White but well known and respected in rock music, Malloy charted his first solo single, “Anything at All,” in 1992. His subsequent hits “Nobody Wins in This War” and “Our Love Will Never Die” also made Billboard’s Top 100.
In 1996, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Van Halen asked Malloy to take the reigns as its singer. Although he didn’t take the gig, he further established his reputation as a universally- respected frontman. He’s thrilled to be a part of Great White and not trying to be a “clone” of previous singers Jack Rusell and Terry Ilous.
“I have to represent this music honorably,” Malloy said. “I respect what has come before me and have to remind fans of where they were when they first heard these songs. I also have to be myself at the same time. When I first heard my own voice with Great White’s music, I knew something special was going on.”
Lardie praised Malloy for his musical chops and reputation.
“We had an immediate rapport with Mitch,” he noted. “I’m positive the fans will embrace Mitch and continue to support Great White. This music is bigger than any one person.”
“We’re ready to rock with Mitch,” Desbrow added. “Don’t ever count us down and out. It feels like we’re just getting started.”
BulletBoys formed in 1988 at the very peak of the Los Angeles glam metal movement. As a collection of talented musicians, the band was able to quickly capture the attention of music fans around the world. Unlike other rockers of the day, the BulletBoys possessed more hard rock/blues fusion than pure hair metal. Thanks to comparisons to the likes of Aerosmith and Van Halen, talent scouts came running and the band quickly received their first major label contract.
The group’s self-titled debut was released in 1988 via Warner Bros. and peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned two hit singles, a cover of the O’Jays classic “For the Love of Money” and “Smooth Up in Ya,” both of which charted on the Mainstream Rock chart and saw regular airplay on MTV.
They went on to release two more albums, 1991’s “Freakshow” and 1993’s “Za-Za,” before splitting up, but members continued to produce music under the name throughout the ’90s and 2000s.
Now the original lineup – Marq Torien (vocals), Mick Sweda (guitar), Lonnie Vencent (bass), and Jimmy D’Anda (drums) – is back and touring once again.
