MY ANGEL STORY

I was first turned onto Angel in 1977. I was in a record store buying (you guessed it) a record. On my way to give up my cold hard cash for more rock 'n' roll I passed this album that looked cool as shit. I picked it up and no matter which way I turned it it looked the same. Needless to say I bought the thing cause it looked cool. The record was "ANGEL", "On Earth As It Is In Heaven".

I got home and opened my new find and slapped the vinyl on the platter, dropped the needle and BAM!!. Being a drummer I was instantly blown away. Right off the bat the drum intro from hell. COOL!!. Fat drum sounds, monster guitar riffs and one hell of a singer. The poster went up on the wall and in the following weeks I bought "Angel" and "Helluva Band". I LIKED IT. I followed the band for the next few years, buying "White Hot", "Sinful and "Live Without A Net" as they were being released, also picking up anything that had that cool logo on it. Check out some of my memorabilia.

I can remember hearing the radio spot for the "Rock And Roll Marathon" while skipping school and hearing them announce Angel. It's time to party and the aroma of the gods was in the air.

O.K. We are at the show, the house lights dim and the crowd of people I was with were wondering who was gonna open the show. I remember seeing them walk out on stage in regular street cloths and no stage props. What a bummer. But they still blew everyone away. The word for the night was Punky Meadows.

I think it was '96 when I first got hooked up on the net. Naturally the first thing I did was start looking up all the good 'ol bands from 70's. A couple years go buy and I'm looking at a Kiss site and I see this advertisement for a Kiss expo. The expo was in Swansea Massachusetts. The week of my vacation, the day after my birthday and one of my all time favorite band's was gonna be there to perform 3 of their classic's plus the signing and release of their new cd "In The Beginning".

IM FRICKIN' THERE DUDE!

So my wife and I ride from Richmond Va. to Massachusetts, taken in the site's, chit chattin' and blowin' out the speakers in the rental car. We get to the expo and we're having a killer time. We kept hearing other people talking about this couple that came up from Va. to see Angel. It's true.

Frank DiMino and Barry Brandt came out and took their seat's behind a table and the talk start's and all the signing of my memorabilia begins. I thought it was funny that Frank had never seen a copy of the "Angel Radio Concert". He and Barry also got a kick out of my sealed "Bad Publicity". In talking with Frank and showing him my cd-r collection. I had a few demo's and live recordings that he didn't have. The e-mail addresses were exchanged and I was more than happy to make copies for them.

Also chatting with Gordon Gebert, who was promoting his "Kiss and Tell" book, was his first gig with Angel. We talked a little bit about Angel and exchanged e-mail addresses as well. Over the next couple of years I heard from Gordon, keeping me posted on what's happening in the Angel camp. Plus the exchange of decals that you see on his keyboards for a copy of "Kiss and Tell". Thanx Gordon. You da man!!

It's Easter weekend of 2001 and we decide to take a short trip in hopes of meeting Punky Meadows. But no luck. I get back into town and find out Angel is playing their first gig in Springfield Va. It's been a long time and I can't wait! The Thursday before the Angel show I get a call at work. It's Gordon. We talk a bit and he let's me know what time they'll be rolling into town.

IM FRICKIN' THERE DUDE!

So we meet the guys and we're all hanging out having the time of our life. I met this guy named Ed Locke, who turns out to be the guy that does Gordon's web site. The funny thing is we rode a hour and a half to the gig. Met this guy and it turns out he lives about 10 minuets from me. So anywayz, remember I'm a drummer and I got to help carry Barry's kit in. I had a grin so wide I could have eatin a banana sideways. I would have never imagined hanging out with Angel hours before the show, getting the chance to drive Steve and Randy to the gig, to see them do their sound check and hang out after the show. Guys I gotta tell ya, YOU ROCK!! So Frank, Barry, Gordon, Steve, and Randy,

Thank You!!

THE TOUR IN APRIL OF 2002

But wait..........the story continues. It's a few weeks before the tour start's and I'm keeping a eye on the dates. I'm on line one night and I get a instant message from Danny Stanton. "How many shows are you going to attend" was the question. At first it was only going to be 1 or 2 shows. The dates were kind of scattered and I wasn't sure if I could get the time off from work.

The tour is getting closer and the first 5 dates are locked in.

I'M FRICKIN' THERE DUDE

We are off on our 8 hour ride to Danbury CT. We get there, check into our room and now it's time to find the gig. We find the place and ask for Danny. When he see's us his first reaction is, "Fuckin' Mad Man." The rest of the guys greet us with hand shakes and hugs and I got to tell ya. It was great to see these guys again. We hang out for a bit, grab a bite of food and it's time to rock!! We are standing around and 2 people introduce themselves because they know me from this site. Richard and Larry. I couldn't believe it!! I have communicated with these guys via e-mail, traded tapes and what not and here they are. IT WAS GREAT TO MEET YOU!!

"LET THERE BE MUSIC ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN" and they go into "The Tower." Instant goose bumps!!!. If you have never seen this band live I feel sorry for you. They rocked our asses off thru their set. It was like the 70's all over again. Back when I had hair!!

The show is over and we are hanging out shooting' the shit & people are asking for autograph's. We end up outside while they are loading equipment & there is this light out back that has this automatic sensor on it. It detects movement ya know. Well, Barry was trying to keep the light from going off cause it was really dark and the crew was trying to load. If you can imagine him jumping around trying to get this light to come on........to funny. Barry is a riot to hang with!!! You gotta love him. Then for some reason, Barry and Frank start playing Paper, Rock, Scissors. Don't ask me??

Next morning and it's off to New Jersey. Once again we find our hotel and gig and grab a bite to eat. We show up about the same time as Randy and Keith and Imy. I'm standing out side and Frank and Barry and Steve pull up. They get out looking kind of tired but happy to be there when I noticed Barry carrying his shoes & walking across the parking lot in his socks. Looking like he had a rough night, I had to ask him if it would be easier to wear the shoes than carry them. He looked at me with this smirk and said "FUCK YOU." We are hanging out with Steve, Randy and Danny and he's talking a bout a 2 week tour of Japan. Then the million dollar question. Wanna go to Japan Joe? Well, what the hell do you think I said.....We get into the bar for the sound check and just hang out. Now this is on April 18th. My anniversary. 19 years people!!!

I met up with Dave, from New York. We are sitting at the bar and damn if Rod doesn't introduce himself. The power of the internet people I tell ya. We are sitting there talking and RICHIE RANNO OF STARZ walks in. I shit in my pants. People from my two favorite bands are in the same building.

Anywayz..........with the help of my sister Judy, I get a note to Frank asking if he could acknowledge my anniversary in any way. They come out and start kicking major ass. The get to a point in their set, when it is time to play "WAITED A LONG TIME". The band starts playing and Frank says, "I WANT TO WISH JOE AND MARIE A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY."

Well people, I have NEVER.........NEVER in my 19 years of being married, have I seen my wife speechless till that moment. It took a few minutes for her to get her chin up off of the floor. THANK YOU FRANK!!!!

We're off to New York. The 3rd show of the tour and we are loving every second of it. Everybody got a kick out of us because we were at the load in's and sound check's before the band got there. Yes we are die hard fans. We are enjoying the show and again this guy taps me on the shoulder and asks if I'm Joe. It's Steve from Florida who works with these guys. Crazy!! Afterwards, we are hanging with Frank, Barry and Randy. We are talking, taking pictures and Barry is hugging me & telling people that I am his buddy. Now the thought that ran thru my mind was the Skipper and Gilligan. THIS GUY IS A RIOT!!. So I'm taking pictures and this one time my flash doesn't go off. So I'm holding the camera down and the flash fires. "YOU STUPID FUCK, YOU TOOK A PICTURE OF YOUR 12 DOLLAR SHOES" Barry says. He got the biggest kick out of that and I did to. Because I only paid about 12 bucks for my frickin' shoes!!

Anywayz......we had a blast hanging with them and my wife and sister love Barry to death.

Next stop........Springfield Virginia, which is almost home for me and home of Punky Meadows. We do pretty much the same thing as the previous days before. We pull into the bar right behind Randy and Keith and find out we are staying in the same hotel, just a couple doors down. Once again they kick ass!!! Seems like this being a "home town" gig almost, there would be more people. The world just doesn't know what they are missing. That night we hung out with Randy at the hotel looking at the pictures I had taken the previous nights.

The next morning we meet up with everybody in the lobby for coffee and the usual "Good Morning."

Next city, Baltimore Maryland. We end up in the same hotel with the guys. We hang out for the sound check, go back to the hotel and off to dinner with the band. Let me tell you, I have been a fan for years and I will probably never again in my life get to shop a 7-11 with the guys in ANGEL or have dinner with them again.

This to me was a once in a life time opportunity to hang and travel with a REAL ROCK BAND. And lucky for me it was one of my ALL TIME favorite bands!!

CAN YOU FEEL IT?............I CAN!!!

BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE

I hear ANGEL is doing a free show in St. Louis. Well guess what?? It was vacation time again and it was on the September 28th, three days after my birthday. Another road trip people.

Randy calls me a few days before the show, saying Barry was going to be using someone else's drum kit and asking about decals for the front of his kick drums. Well, being I already had the ANGEL LOGO in the ol' computer, all I had to do was size it up and print them.

We get to St. Louis and we are hauling our baggage into the hotel. On my way out I run into Danny, Frank and Steve. "Joe whats up, Happy Birthday Man." I could tell this was gonna be fun. Again the hand shakes and hugs exchange. I tell Frank I heard there was a band in town tonight and we drove in to check them out.

We hang out a bit and Danny asks if I wanted to help out down at the club. DAMN RIGHT I DO. LET'S GO.

We're at the club and we are hanging the famous Angel backdrop, setting up for t-shirt sales and the drums show up. Time for me to do my magic. I decal the heads and get them on the drums and Barry comes in. "Hey what the fu...........," he then sees me and smiles. "HEY BUDDY." So, Danny and Barry start to set his shit up and I offer to help out Barry because Danny was trying to do 15 things at once and hey, I play myself. Then he asks if I would help him out thru the show. HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!.....I'm working with Barry Brandt.

Barry's Drum Heads Which Are Now In My Living Room

Now we are getting to the good part of the story. The part that really fucked me up now people!!!! It seems a couple weeks before the show, my sneaky little wife Marie and my baby sister Judy had talked to Randy Gregg and had planned this surprise birthday party. While I was at the club with Danny, They were at the hotel fixing up the room. So its show time and toward the end of the set I hear, "Hey we wanna wish Joe a Happy Birthday because he is probablly 1 of the Biggest Angel fans. He drove from Virginia to be hear to night . Would you believe the band got the entire club to yell, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE." How cool!!!!

The show ends, and I finish packing Barry's equipment and I head to the meet and great. I'm shooting the shit with Barry and he say's, "I want you to work for me".............FUCKING A!!!!!

Now we are heading back to the hotel and I walk thru the door with Danny and the guys in fucking ANGEL are there. I was speechless. I mean there were frickin ballons everywhere, and a banner on the wall which the guys signed, cake, food, the works. WHAT A 40th BIRTHDAY. I'LL NEVER FORGET IT GUYS. And Marie you sneaky little devil.................you got me.

Frank, I know you were feeling rough that night and I want to thank you for taking the time to hang with us. It meant a lot to this Angel fan. Randy Gregg. Where do I begin brother? Thank you for everything. Steve Blaze. It is too cool that we have the same birth dates and I still think you should be called "Smoking Steve." Mr. Barry Brandt. shit man, what can't I say about you. I love ya man!!

And last but not least. Danny Stanton. Thank you for making us feel like part of the family and everything else you have gone out of your way for. Well never forget our days with the guys.

Now, when is the next show??

CLICK LOGO TO GO BACK TO MAIN PAGE