NEWS & UPDATES FALL 2006

All comments & questions go here e-mail


E-mail  /  1-818-569-5450  /  RLS Records PO Box 371202 Reseda, CA 91337 USA

February 2007
I will be going to play 2 shows for the METAL SLUDGE X-TRAVAGANZA DOWN UNDER in Australia. This will be my first trip down under & I can't wait. I have to thank in advance Milan @ ROCK n' METAL SHOW along with my support band THE DEAD THINGS. They recently came to play LA & are all great guys. For more info. go visit the shows link.  

March 2006
I had the awesome chance to go play Sao Paulo Brazil. The support band was BASTARDZ who have a video on MTV in Brazil and were great guys. Steve Summers of Pretty Boy Floyd and myself were the featured artists on the Metal Sludge Extravaganza in the Jungle. The people treated us great, and the in-store was amazing as over 150 people attended. Thanks to Carlos, Veridiana, BASTARDZ and all who helped make this trip possible.

On July 30th 2005 TUFF played the annual CRUEFEST and I spotted a band from Falkenberg Sweden called VAINS of JENNA. After 1 show, a meeting, and a quick rehearsal/recording session with Gilby Clarke (X-GnR) I decided to represent them as their manager. This band is super young, extremely talented and I think the future is very bright for them. Check them out here.

Check the
shows section for an update! TUFF featuring: Stevie Rachelle will be making appearances on the West Coast and into the Midwest for the MSX-II summer tour. There will be a few surprise guests as well.

This past spring of 2005 former TUFF bassist Danny Wilder passed away, he was only 36. Danny cut his teeth playing bass in the Phoenix local scene before moving to Hollywood and joining the Sunset Strip band Paradise. He joined TUFF in the spring of 1992, and also played in Alice in Thunderland (featuring Emi Canyon / Motley Crue Nasty Habit back-up singer). There are several pictures of Danny in the
photos section. We will miss you greatly Danny - RIP my brother.

Papa Rachelle X 2? I became a Father again, when my son Steven Gilbert Laurentiu Hanseter (pka Stevie Rachelle Jr.) was born 8 lbs 3 oz. @ 7:12PM on March 10th 2005. And if you had not already heard I became a Father for the first time on January 8th 2004. My beautiful daughter was born 7 lbs 11.8 oz. at 10:54PM and she was named Cerasela Cristina Rachelle Hanseter.

RIP Dimebag Darrell Dec. 8th 2004.
I remember you my friend. The second of my 3  meetings with Dime was this. A Tj Martel event at a Los Angeles bowling alley of all places. Dime approaches me and says: "Hey you're the dude with that TUFF ring right?" - as he puts his fist in the air. I said: "Yeah, that's me. Cool neck chain." He was wearing the Judas Priest "British Steel" razor blade around his neck. We shook hands and went our separate ways while sharing Atlantic Records as label mates. My 3rd meeting was backstage at a Skid Row & Pantera show in the early 90s, and the very first was 1989-ish in Dallas. I believe it was a TUFF show at DCL, and Mad Maxx Hammer (Z-Rock) introduced us if my memory serves me. RIP to another friend.


$AVE! Buy a TUFF Super Box Set & get a FREE TUFF T-Shirt. Includes all 7 TUFF CDs & all 3 TUFF Home VHS. Regular price is $ 150.00  now only $ 99.00...Buy It Online 

Click here for 500 Killer Rare 80s CDs & 80's Tour Laminates! - Bon Jovi, Poison, L.A. Guns, Slaughter, David Lee Roth, Dokken,  White Lion, Mike Monroe, Ratt, Electric Boys, Rush, Bad English & more. Note: Does not include neck Lanyard....ONLY $ 7.00 Buy 80s Laminate Now!

A special thanks to all the staff at VH1 for involving Stevie Rachelle in their "40 Least Metal Moments" which debuted on the weekend of November 13th.


WildSide
has inked a license & distribution deal with RLS Records. The title is "The Wasted Years" and the release will contain 14 tracks. The band has reunited with 4/5 of the original line-up. Drew Hannah (vocals), Brent Woods (guitars), Marc Simon (bass) and Jimmy Darby (drums). Look for some re-union dates this fall. This 3rd disc overall includes various demos, a few live tracks and B-sides that did not make their Capital Records (1992) debut "Under the Influence."  The band released WildSide "ST" on TNT Records in 1995. The order link is up now. Also the first of a new series to be issued by RLS Records will be hitting the streets in late October. There will be Volumes 2 & 3 to follow. The title is Kings of Sunset Strip - Volume 1. KOSS Volume-1 has 3 tracks by each: Angora (feat: John Corabi), Jailhouse (feat: ex. Rough Cutt members), Tommi Gunn, & Young Gunns (who later became WildSide). 
 
Monday August 2nd 2004 7:AM
(pst) I am Metal Sludge. Now deal with it how you like!
Oh yeah, use this for now on Http://www.MetalSludge.Tv 

I just heard about the death of Enuff Z'nuff original guitarist Derek Frigo. What can I say but, that sucks bad. I'm beyond bummed for all, but especially Chip, Donnie, & Vic. Those early years were likely high & low for them. No pun intended. But the original gang always has some magic that will never be re-produced. Every time I hear about these tragic endings I'm thankful for another day, another smile, another anything. RIP.

I will be teaching skate camp at the Simi Valley Skate Lab Skate Park. Oddly enough I've had a few friends in the music industry inquire to me about this as their children are really taking to this great sport. For anyone who has an X-treme kid interested, please visit Http://www.SkateLab.com for more info. I've done this several years in a row now and have had the great pleasure of meeting, skating with and working along side many of my childhood skate heroes, but working with these kids is what I really enjoy most.

TUFF has a new song "Dear Jani Lane" on the debut Metal Sludge CD "Hey - That's what I call Sludge - Vol. 1." It's already getting some great reviews, and the song seems to be holding it's own among the others in reviews. There are cool tunes by Firehouse, Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot, Lit, Wednesday 13 of Murderdolls, Sum 41, The Wildhearts, Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate and about 15 others. Go buy it Http://www.Metal-Sludge.com and let me know what you think. ;)

I recently did interviews with Jesse Capps @ RockConfidential along with Mitch LaFon from BraveWords and the peeps @ MetalShrine. Look for those soon, and a big thanks for the plugs of my press release and banner ads. from the fine folks @ MetalExiles, KNAC, MelodicRock, & MetalSludge. I'm sure there are some others that I may have forgotten.

Motley Priest
will headline
the Annual Crue Fest at the "Whisky A-Go-Go" July 17th. Click shows for more details or go to Http://www.CrueFest.com

New TUFF DVDs! Yes believe it or not, all 4 DVDs are finally here. TUFF "What comes around...Goes around" - The Videos, TUFF "Religious Fix" The Making of Videos, TUFF "Decade of Distant Memories" & a newer piece TUFF "Rock N' Rarities."  There is 6+ hours of footage in all, 2 are 60 minutes & 2 are 120 minutes. Please visit the store now for more info.

A few friends have new websites up. Go check them out. Tod "T" Burr is officially a drum whore @ TodBurr & Michael Thomas has a new site & clothing line @ MichaelThomas19 

TUFF
on the big screen? MGM Pictures Inc. has started production on "Be cool" (Get Shorty II) starring John Travolta. Some scenes have been shot in music industry office settings using various TUFF & CWA posters, logos & images. Look for these paper cameos in the future (2005). 

Cheeseheads with Attitude (CWA) "Greatest Slices of..."
is available by way of RLS Records. This is the 4th release by the Green Bay Packers un-official musical backbone. This new CD will contain 6 old tracks, 2 hits from each of the 3 previous releases. In addition it will include 2 new tracks, both with mixed versions labeled as "All-League" mixes. This will give another 31 NFL markets the chance to spin music from the self proclaimed biggest Sports parody group in the World. Their debut "Straight outta Wisconsin" (1996) has rumored to have sold well over of 30,000 copies and the 2nd "Cheeseheads for Life" roughly half that. "It's time for a comeback and a reunion" says St. Evie, "KISS did it for a while, so why can't CWA!

Stevie Rachelle
will be helping teach at a Summer Skateboard camp for kids for the second year in a row at Simi Valleys "Skate-Lab" Skatepark. The summer camp runs during select weeks throughout the summer months and includes sponsored and pro-level riders as instructors. Alva team rider Steve Badilla is the camps main teacher along with Rachelle and a few others. "This gives me a good feeling, as skating has been a part of my life since the mid 70s. When Tony Alva comes in every year for a day, it's like me hanging out with David Lee Roth at a gig all day. There are my musical heroes and then I have my skate heroes as well." says Stevie.  Speaking of skating, he may be appearing in a Skateboard scene or two in the major motion picture "Grind" (Warner Bros). It's slated to hit the big screens in the month of August! "Let's keep our eyes peeled and hope that I didn't hit the cutting room floor" says Rachelle. The movie was filmed late last year and features cameos by Bam Margera & Jason "Wee-man" Acuna (Jackass), along with several pro-skaters including Bucky Lasek & Brian Patch.

Stevie Rachelle
of TUFF/Motley Priest & various band members appeared on NBC's "Dog Eat Dog" TV show on Tuesday July 22nd @ 8:PM (PST). "I'm just looking to help keep Heavy Metal alive and in front of the masses!" says Rachelle.

TUFF
added to MSX date in Hollywood, CA Thursday July 24th. The tour features Faster Pussycat, Enuff Z'nuff & Pretty Boy Floyd. Http://www.Metal-Sludge.com 

Los Angeles, CA / Miami, Florida / Budapest, Hungary-July 9, 2003-POWERFEST. 
A weekend long celebration of speed and sound, has added to its line-up for Saturday night's concert with the addition of the popular 80's and 90's hard rock band-TUFF. The announcement was made today by Roy A. Sciacca, Executive Producer of the event. Twisted Sister, Tommy Lee of Motley Crue & many other American & European acts are slated to appear. For more Info. Http://www.POWERFEST.com 

RLS Records to release "Live in the U.K." & Jim Gillette's "Proud to be Loud":
May 2003 will see the release of TUFF "Live in the U.K." on RLS Records. This CD will contain roughly 15 tracks and include LIVE versions of "American Hair Band", "I Hate Kissing You Goodbye", "The All New Generation", "Tied to the Bells" and a LIVE cover of Michael Monroe's "Dead, Jail or Rock n' Roll." 

In addition RLS will be re-releasing Jim Gillette's "Proud to be Loud". The very rare 1987 debut will be re-mastered, re-packaged, and include Bonus tracks from NITRO, Organ Donor and a super rare SLUT track from 1985-86. It will also include rare photos and features the guitar work of guitar God virtuoso Michael Angelo.


TUFF song on Mullet Years - Rockers Compilation CD:
The TUFF song "American Hair Band" song will appear on a Canadian compilation through Universal Records titled "Mullet Years - Rockers".  This CD will feature various tracks from RATT, Cinderella, Whitesnake, KISS, Skid Row, Twisted Sister, Helix,  Slaughter & more.  

Great White in the News:
No words can describe how I felt when this first occurred.  This has hit the very heart of the industry that many, including myself, call home.  I have been a fan of Great White since I first heard "Stick it" nearly twenty years ago. I've had the pleasure of seeing them live as far back as 1984, and as recent as a Jack Russell show in 2002.   I have now learned that many involved were even closer to me than first expected.  My heartfelt thoughts go out to Heidi, her family and Ty's unborn child.  The same to the band, Bobby Rager, and all of the friends, fans and individuals affected by this horrible tragedy. 
Stevie Rachelle / TUFF


TUFF back from the U.K. (10-2002)
We made it back - almost in one piece. Brian Saunders had to make a trip to the emergency room at 4:AM after taking a tumble out of the tour bus. He played the 3rd show (Fleece & Firkin in Bristol) sitting on a chair with what we thought was a broken leg. Luckily it was only a severe sprain. He leaned on a bar stool @ Trillians in New Castle for the Wednesday show and the final 3 shows saw him hop around a bit on one leg. He was a super trooper. We played 7 shows in 8 nights and had a killer time. Shameless and Steve Summers (PBF) supported on all the dates and we all got along great. I can't thank all of you enough for your support. The entire crew, promoters, club staff and fans were all great.

Cool Rock Clothes:
Check out a killer clothing line at Red Widow. I am wearing one of their shirts on 
the back of the new "History of TUFF" CD. I'm also wearing their long sleeve spider 
web shirt & the Red Widow logo shirt on my photos page. Go check them out, order
today and tell them I sent you!

E-mail  /  1-818-569-5450  /  RLS Records PO Box 371202 Reseda, CA 91337 USA