The Autograph connection

[Steve Savicki]

Okay, I never knew these guys didn't even have a record deal at the time they were hired to tour with VH.

Was it Dave that discovered them?

Anyone know of any comments CVH said about Autograph?

[katie]

They did have a record deal and it was what is known in the trade as a buy on.

Been going on since the dawn of Rock N Roll (LOL)

[Calderone]

the drummer was dave's friend
i like the voice of steve plunkett,very dlrish

[Nitro Express]

When I saw VH in 84 they had a rockabilly group warming up for them. Man were people pissed and they were throwing shit at them. The venue was standing room only on the ground and no assigned seating. It was some wild shit with a ton of booze and drugs being passed around. When that shitty rockabilly band called "The Velcros" if I remember right started playing is was like that scene in the Blues Brothers movies were the band is getting pummeled by bottles and shit. Except no chicken wire. I saw a mini bottle of Jim Beam peg the guitar player and he looked so dam pissed.

[katie]

fuck him! He knew the risks! (LOL)

Ah Salad days......................(LOL)

[darkknight]

I thought it was a well known tradition to go to a VH show and be prepared to boo the opening band off the stage.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I saw Autograph open for VH in '84 in San Diego, and they blew dog....

They didn't stop for more than a couple of seconds between songs, so that the boos weren't heard too loud....

[Terry]

Basically like Calderone said; Autograph's drummer, Keni Richards, used to party with Dave before tha band got signed.

Saw them open for Van Halen in 1984 as well, and it was one of the shortest, most lackluster opening band experiences I ever saw. Back then, it WAS a given that everybody was there to see Van Halen (as opposed to ten years later, when Van Hagar were opening for Bon Jovi). Plus, the entire Van Halen stage was covered with one of the largest plain white backdrops I'd ever seen, so as not to give anyone a glimpse of the stage production until VH hit the boards, so Autograph were in front of this white backdrop with a couple of white spotlights on them....the whole thing smacked of an appearance of some group at a High School Battle Of The Bands (like, you practically expected that a long cane would make an appearance from stage left and yank the group off all at once, like in a cartoon). And this was shortly before Turn Up The Radio was released as a single, so they didn't even have the benefit of having ONE song the audience might have heard of...basically everyone yelled "Get the fuck off the stage and bring on Van-fuckin'-HALEN!"

The only other thing I remember about them is that Mike Anthony sang backup vocals on the track Blondes In Black Cars, and that their guitarist, Steve Lynch, used to run around and tell every guitar mag that would listen how he was "tapping way before Eddie Van Halen got famous" (which I do believe, but too bad - Ed got out in front of that whole thing first, so tough titties).

[Romeo Delight]

Originally posted by Nitro Express
When I saw VH in 84 they had a rockabilly group warming up for them. Man were people pissed and they were throwing shit at them. The venue was standing room only on the ground and no assigned seating. It was some wild shit with a ton of booze and drugs being passed around. When that shitty rockabilly band called "The Velcros" if I remember right started playing is was like that scene in the Blues Brothers movies were the band is getting pummeled by bottles and shit. Except no chicken wire. I saw a mini bottle of Jim Beam peg the guitar player and he looked so dam pissed.

Same thing in Vancouver in '84...I can't remember the name of the band but the one that played here was a different name but rockabilly.

No wait...It was the Pink Velcroes!!

It was ugly