Video footage of THE WINERY DOGS performing an acoustic version of their song “Fire” at the studios of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey, can be seen below.
THE WINERY DOGS is the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON).
The band’s sophomore album, “Hot Streak”, debuted at No. 30 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 13,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8.
The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).
“Hot Streak” was released on October 2 in North America on Loud & Proud Records via RED (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) and in the rest of the world via earMUSIC. It was preceded by the first single, “Oblivion”, which was made available on August 25 at radio. A double vinyl edition of the new album is also in the works and is due out in early November.
“Hot Streak” shows the powerfully pedigreed trio’s initial burst of collective chemistry was no accident, from the strum and headbang of “Captain Love” to the propulsive uplifting vibe of “The Bridge” to the introspective acoustic harmonic convergence of “Fire”. If these three DOGS thought they captured lightning in a supper dish the first time around, “Hot Streak” barks ups the aural ante into exciting new territory.
“I feel we’ve taken the band to another level,” explains Kotzen. “The compositions are stronger on this album. I feel more connected lyrically and musically to what I did on this record than on the last one. We’ve widened the musical scope of the band on this record and moved it forward.”
Portnoy adds: “Everything on this album was more of a collaboration than on the first album. There’s just a natural chemistry. The three of us really mesh very, very well, both musically and personally. The mission of this band is to write catchy songs, and not have the musicianship overpower that.”
“I’m glad we’re not playing it safe and just doing songs that automatically fit in the category of what we did on the first record,” Sheehan concludes. “Some of them are a little different, and we definitely took chances. And you have to do that — otherwise, you don’t grow.”
Source: Blabbermouth
