Tales from the Rock and Roll World: Sammy Hagar and 80s Metal

Ever wonder how a rock anthem can give us a fresh perspective on life? We start off the session by cranking up Diamond Eyes by Shine Down, a hard rock track that uplifts and inspires us to see life differently. From our rockers around the globe to our listeners in Japan, Ireland, Germany, and the US, we share heartfelt messages and stories that resonate with the spirit of rock and roll.

Next up, we take a journey through Sammy Hagar's life as a rock and roll legend. From his unforgettable times with Van Halen to The Waboritas, we get a glimpse of Hagar's solo career, business hustle, and his renowned brand Cabo Wabo. We also dish on his intriguing book Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock and his festive Cinco de Cabo tour. And to top it all off, we'll be reminiscing the golden era of metal with a tune from the 80s hair metal band Firehouse. So rockers, are you ready to keep this dialogue alive? Reach out with your thoughts, suggestions, and let's keep the rock and roll spirit burning!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hello and welcome to the Haircuts. Strap in and get ready as we take you on a hard, rockin' trip through the decades. Through the decades More shredding guitar, booming bass and pounding drums.

Speaker 2: 0:20

That drives us hard rockers.

Speaker 1: 0:22

Streaming around the world and beyond. The Haircuts is your show for all eras of hard and heavy rock. And bringing it all to you, your host Smacks.

Speaker 2: 0:40

Hello, friends and fellow rockers. I am Smacks, your host, and you are listening to the Haircuts. Great to be back with you, my friends, and as I stated in our last episode, we will be posting some new shows to round out the year. And true to our word, here we are with another hard rockin' trip through the decades. For today's episode we've lined up some great content Hard rockin' and heavy hitting tunes by artists that span the decades. We're going to queue up some hair extensions, some 80's hard rock and we're going to put a veteran rocker from the roots era in the chair. So some fun rockin' shit lined up for today's show. But before we get started, I just want to take a moment and thank you all for tuning in.

Speaker 2: 1:26

Even with these episodes coming far and few in between, we know our audience. We know the rockers that listen. Every time we drop a new show I'd like to say konechewa to our fellow rockers in Japan, what's up. To our friends in Dublin, ireland, and to our listeners in Germany, guten Tag. And, of course, all of our friends right here in the good old US of A. A big shout out to Columbus, ohio and Marlboro Mass. It just goes to show that ass kicking. Rock and roll is a universal language spoken around the world. It's a language I'm proud to be fluent in and it's a flag that I'm proud to fly.

Speaker 2: 2:05

In our last episode we dropped our new email, thehaircutsatgmailcom Real simple and of course that's haircuts with a Z. But what I asked is that you all hit me up. I want to get the rock and roll dialogue going once again. So it didn't take some of you long to fire off a couple emails. So here we go. This is the first one from Tammy from Texas. Tammy from Texas Cool, it reads smacks. Glad to hear you're getting back to it. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your rock and roll stories and some of those hard rock and tunes. Well, thank you, tammy, and yes, we are truly glad to get back to it. Nothing makes me happier than being your tour guide on this hard rock and trip through the decades. Now this one comes from CJ. He didn't say exactly where he was from, but I thought I would go ahead and read it Smacks, it's about damn time you're getting your ass off the couch and going back to playing some good old rock and roll.

Speaker 2: 3:04

Hopefully it won't be another year for a new episode. Well, cj, I have to say you call them as you see them, my friend, it's not been a full year, but I get what you're saying. Myself and the haircuts crew, we have a handful of episodes slated to finish the year. So stay tuned, cj, and we look forward to sharing those with you. So, my fellow rockers, hit me up, let me know your thoughts.

Speaker 2: 3:29

I want suggestions on music bands to cover. Hey, even if you want to be in an upcoming episode, let me know. You can reach me at thehaircutsatgmailcom. Ok, so I'm with the rock and roll. I want to start out with a band from the hair extensions, and I always love these guys. Now, just as a reminder, the hair extensions are bands that came after the glitz of the Sunset Strip, so when I seen this band live for the first time, I was absolutely blown away. They have so many great cuts that it was really hard for me to pick one. But this tune, if you listen to the words, feels like you can hit the reset button, redirect your life and live life through a different lens. Check it out. This is Diamond Eyes by Shine Down.

Speaker 3: 5:12

It may take a step back, but you can try to pull your legs. So stay a little while, cause the part of my cast is a little extra. Hey, when a circumstance can be real, I'll take it to your castle. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait until your eyes are in your right way so you can keep going From day to day, from day to day. One more shoot is all you'll need From day to day, from day to day. It's the start of lots of free From day to day, from day to day. If you want to go, then that's okay. Okay, no, so I hope you're making it.

Speaker 3: 5:47

I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but we find the story is just beginning. I've spent the night with my weakness. I've gone through the re-wrestling, I've seen the world through time and in my face, oh, damn it all. Man, I'm so bored to the tip of my head. I'm so what the hell are you? What are the things you know about me? You heard me, hey, some days I blew. I was close to the way out, but I'm thinking, so I'm thinking just too well, everyone knows it's been there before From day to day, from day to day. One more shoot is all you'll need From day to day, from day to day. It's the start of lots of free, from day to day, from day to day. If you want to go, then that's okay. Okay, no. So I hope you're making it.

Speaker 3: 6:50

I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but the story is just beginning. I've seen the power of my weakness, I've gone through the re-wrestling and now I know that I'm all alive. I'm so. What the hell are you? What the hell is the story that's beginning? I've seen the power of my weakness. I've gone through the re-wrestling and now I see the world full of time and space. Every night of night, our heart's angels fall from the sky. Every night, every night, every time that the sun still sets. I'm waiting to take your eyes. I'm all in front of my glory. I'll be fine. The story is just beginning. I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to regret. I'm all in front of my glory. I'll be fine. The story is just beginning. I say goodbye to my weakness. I've gone through the re-wrestling and now I know that I'm all alive. I'm so. What the hell are you? What the hell is the story that's beginning? I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to regret. I'm all in front of my glory. I'll be fine.

Speaker 2: 9:13

The story is just beginning. I say goodbye to my weakness so long to regret, and now I see the world full of time and space. I'm waiting for the night to go, for the night to go, for the night to go. For the night to go. For the night to go. For the night to go. For the night to go. For the night to go. For the night to go. Let's make our way over to the chair.

Speaker 2: 10:20

This week's featured artist is an old-time rocker. Now, I don't mean old even though he is in his 70s. I mean, he's been kicking out the jam since the early 70s. He's fronted bands, had a solo career, he's an entrepreneur and, in my humble opinion, a freaking class act. In honor of October, this guy's birthday, we're going to take a dive into the history of the red rocker Sammy Hagar.

Speaker 2: 10:45

Sammy started out as a San Francisco Bay musician. One of the bands he's seen in his early days was the Jeff Beck group with Rod Stewart. That show inspired him as to what he wanted to do. He said I want to play guitar like Beck and I want to sing like Stewart. I mean that's a pretty high par right, but that was his focus and he wanted to have his own band that wrote their own songs. So Sammy was set on doing his thing his way right from the get-go. So he started his first band and it was named the Justice Brothers. They were a working bar band. They worked four to five nights a week, pulling down a mighty $25 per man every night. I mean, think about what the red rocker makes per night now, huh.

Speaker 2: 11:28

Anyways, over time the musical tastes started to differ between Sammy and his bandmates. He wanted to be more rockin', like the Stones and the rest of the Justice Brothers funk musicians. So it wasn't long before Sammy stopped going to rehearsals and everybody kinda went their own separate ways. But for Sammy, along came Ronnie Montrose. Montrose was the guitar player for Edgar Winner's band and when he split from Winner he was looking for a singer for his new crew. Sammy took four songs that he wrote, plugged in his guitar and ripped through that session.

Speaker 2: 12:04

On that day the two wrote one of their bigger songs, which was Space Station, number Five. Of course Sammy had a good run with Montrose. They were well known. But it's pretty well documented that Sammy and Ronnie butted heads. Their last shows were two sold out nights in France and before going on for the final show. Montrose told Sammy after tonight I'm breakin' up the band Now. Can you imagine having to go on stage after getting that news? Anyways, sammy found out later that it was all planned out. About a week or so later, montrose called up all the other guys, told Warner Brothers that he wanted to renew his contract and that he was getting a new singer. This is the first song Sammy ever wrote and was one of the songs played for Montrose during that first meeting. Bad Motor Scooter produce. So.

Speaker 3: 13:16

If you're getting lonely on your daddy's farm, mm, just remember I don't live too far and there's a red bridge in oxford bay. You're being my place less than a day. I'm feeling the bad boys gonna ride. I'll pull up my braids and stay all night. I'm trying to stay in the morning when I'm feeling around. I'm feeling the bad boys gonna ride. The last time I see your face, I just want to know where to take your place Now. Since you've been gone, I've been feeling a bad year. I've come out to your place. I'm afraid you're dead. So you're getting the bad boys gonna ride. I'll pull up my braids and stay all night. I'm trying to stay in the morning when I'm feeling around. I'm feeling the bad boys gonna ride. Don't leave it. Bring it on now. Get in. Your bad boys gonna ride. I'll pull up my braids and stay all night. I'm pressing you on it when you're feeling around. I'm feeling the bad boys gonna ride. I'm feeling the bad boys gonna ride.

Speaker 2: 16:21

Ride. What an awesome tune. So in the late 1970s, sammy was enjoying moderate success as a solo artist on Capitol Records. It was during this period that he had the hit Red, which would build his persona and style, leading to his nickname the Red Rocker. In 1978, while playing a festival, eddie Van Halen, who happened to be on the same bill, approached Hagar and told him that Montrose had been one of his favorite bands. He actually referred to himself as a Montrose freak. Now, isn't that something? Eddie had been heavily influenced by Ronnie Montrose Cool.

Speaker 2: 17:08

In the early 80s, sammy left Capitol Records for the newly formed Geffen Records. He also made some personnel changes, including enlisting longtime friend and former Justice Brothers bandmate David Lauser as his drummer. His first release with Geffen was Standing Hampton. That was his biggest selling album to date and went platinum on the strength of songs such as there's Only One Way to Rock. His follow-up, three Lock Box, generated his first pop top 40 hit single, your Love is Driving Me Crazy, which peaked at number 13 in 1983. Sammy continued his ride throughout the 80s with perhaps his best known song, I Can't Drive 55, from his 1984 album, voa. By this time, hagar had become a headlining act in many parts of the United States as well as Europe. In 1983 and 84, sammy and Neil Shown from Journey formed a supergroup called HSAS, hagar Shown, aronson and Shrieb. It was a short-lived project, but one song in particular, a cover of a whiter shade of pale, received some airplay. However, it all changed for Sammy in 1985.

Speaker 2: 18:21

After parting ways with vocalist Diamond David LeRoth, the remaining members of Van Halen found themselves in need of a singer. Eddie Van Halen and Sammy both had a mutual mechanic named Claudio. It was Claudio who suggested to Eddie that he call Sammy up and get him in the band. So Eddie picked up the phone, gave Sammy a call and, according to Sammy, the first session was a bit sketchy. Eddie and Alex were pretty shit-faced, in fact, but Sammy, the rock-and-roll pro that he is, went in and absolutely kicked ass.

Speaker 2: 18:54

The brothers couldn't believe it. They kept saying we got a band, we got a band. However, sammy didn't commit. He said hey, let's talk about it. Maybe I'll come back down next week. However, later that night Sammy popped the session tape that they did into a stereo. Listen to it and according to Sammy, it gave him goosebumps. It reminded him of the band cream and at that moment he decided to do it. And the rest, folks, as you know, is history. Van Halen went on to be one of the biggest bands of that era. This Sammy cut that I'm going to play for you happened to be liked by Eddie Van Halen, and they even worked it in on some of the shows during the 5150 tour.

Speaker 3: 19:32

This song is heavy metal 50 thousand miles of power and it's pushing on the load. The beast is ready to devour All the men will make it whole. Retreat on the load, it's not too explode. Get your one way ticket to midnight. Call it heavy metal, I feel it just right. Call it heavy metal. Desperation on the red line. Call it heavy metal, no way. Tight pants and lipstick. She's running on razor's edge. She holds the load against the boys. Yeah, I'll press through the crowd just like a wedge. Ooh, can't you feel the static? So many contacts being made, we've got a third fanatic, caramel the barricade To reach the stage. Can you feel the rage? Get your one way ticket to midnight. Call it heavy metal, I feel it just right. Call it heavy metal. Desperation on the red line. Call it heavy metal, no way.

Speaker 2: 22:39

No way. Get your one way ticket to midnight. Call it heavy metal, I feel it just right. Call it heavy metal. Desperation on the red line Call it heavy metal, I feel it just right. Call it heavy metal no way Heavy metal, no way. Heavy metal, no way. Heavy metal, no way. Call it heavy metal, no way.

Speaker 2: 23:51

He talks about his time with the brothers in his book Red my Uncensored Life in Rock. If you get a chance to get your hands on a copy, it's a great read. It gives us a peek behind the curtain of the Rockstar Life. I highly recommend it. I love it and I think you will too.

Speaker 2: 24:07

So after Sammy departed, he went back to his solo career in business ventures. On that note, I'm going to talk about one of his most famous brands Cabo Wabo. Back in my drinking days, the lovely Lisa and I spent an entire summer becoming tequila connoisseurs, and that ended with Sammy's Cabo Wabo being our all time favorite. In fact, I still have one of the original Cabo Wabo bottles. They were hand blown and just a beautiful piece in itself. Of course, the tequila has been long gone, but I threw a pic of it up on our Insta page at the haircuts and of course that's haircuts with a Z. The lovely Lisa and Sammy are both Libras and share Rocktober birthdays, in fact just a day apart. We're hoping at some point to find ourselves one of these years in Cabo at the Cantina, so they can celebrate their birthdays at his annual birthday bash Bucket List trip.

Speaker 2: 25:01

For sure, you know, during Sammy's ownership of the brand he was able to create a whole vibe and even kind of culture around it. But remember one tour that he did. It was the Mexican themed Cinco de Cabo tour, and what he did is brought a Mexican beach town on the road with them. The amphitheater that we've seen the show at had thatched roofs selling tequila, makeshift markets selling merchandise, and there were even some donkeys scattered around, like you would see in a Mexican village. Man, what a great tour, just a fun summer party done only as Mr Sammy Hagar could do it. This next cut I want to play was the anthem from that period. This is Sammy Hagar's Mastiquilla Mayor committee, because it was that new names Woo.

Speaker 3: 26:09

That's great, woo Woo. I fall way down south where the big bro is coming from, taking a wicked drip down the bar. How can you go? You can drink the wine, but don't you eat the ice. Take a bite of the tea. So the whole slice. I say one shot, hey, one shot, killer. Stop spending money, give us your money. She did a beat like a waiter to the party called the beginner Behind the bonnet. Shot has been my return. She drinks the drink from the bottle and the condom From a bottle and the beer beans. I say one shot, hey, one shot, killer. Stop spending money, give us your money. She drinks the drink from the bottle and the beer beans. I say one shot, hey, one shot, killer. Stop spending money, give us your money. Woo Woo, yeah, you can drink the wine, but don't you eat the ice. Take a bite of the tea. So the whole slice. I say one shot, hey, one shot, killer. Stop spending money, give us your money.

Speaker 2: 29:38

Woo, woo, hi, this is the Lovely Lisa and you're listening to Smacks on the Haircuts. Hey, old friends, we've been talking the Red Rocker here on the Haircuts and fast forward to present day. Sammy is still hard at it touring opening new restaurants, such as Sammy's Beachside Bar and his latest Cabo Wabo Beach Club. I mean, this dude is just nonstop. And if you haven't seen the band the Circle yet, put it on your list. You've got Michael Anthony, original bass player for Van Halen. You've got Jason Bonham and, of course, his guitar maestro, vic Johnson. They play it all Montrose, sammy's solo stuff, van Halen and you guessed it even Led Zeppelin. They just freaking rock and I know they're out on tour right now. So make sure you get out and you see them. You'll thank me.

Speaker 2: 30:45

We're going to wrap this episode up with a cut from our 80s hair metal bands. This group has been rocking out, touring, doing shows such as Rock Island Fest, monsters of Rock, cruise, and they're currently scheduled to do a fall North American run with guest appearances by Warrant and Winger. I picked one of their more rock and tunes. This is Shake and Tumble by Firehouse.

Speaker 3: 31:36

I don't need no lady, I need a woman that gets me hot, to know that you'll be nice and better be good. I must go. Oh, baby, I don't know what to do. I know it's got better in the mind. It makes me feel better. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know I got a little man that makes me lose control and we shake and tumble, shake and tumble down, baby, shake and tumble down.

Speaker 3: 32:22

I need a woman that can make me Shake and tumble down. Oh yeah, body's flaming got no more. The downing dead is wonderful, it's got better. In the mind it makes me lose control and we shake and tumble, shake and tumble down. Baby, shake and tumble down. I need a woman that can make me Shake and tumble down. Oh yeah, shake and tumble down. Oh yeah, baby, shake me, baby, shake me, shake and tumble down. I need a woman that can make me Shake and tumble down, shake and tumble down, make me shake and tumble down. Come on and shake and tumble, shake and tumble down, down down, shake and tumble down. I need a woman that can make me Shake and tumble down.

Speaker 2: 34:26

Shake and tumble down. We've got a new email you can hit me up at thehaircutsatgmailcom, and we're also in the process of launching a website, and I look forward to sharing that announcement with you before the end of the year. So help us get the momentum going for these new shows. Let me hear from you. I'd like to read your questions and comments on our next episode. As always, I would like to thank you for spending time with me here. This is SMACK signing off, encouraging you all to keep the volume up, See ya.