Chris Weber
Encyclopedia
Chris Weber is is an American musician
best known as the guitarist and founder of the groups U.P.O.
and Hollywood Rose
(which featured future Guns N' Roses
members Axl Rose
, Izzy Stradlin
, Slash
and Steven Adler
). With U.P.O., he released two albums, No Pleasantries
(2000) and The Heavy
(2004), while the Hollywood Rose demos, recorded in 1984, were released in 2004 titled The Roots of Guns N' Roses
.
native Izzy Stradlin
, in the parking lot of the Rainbow Bar and Grill
, by friend Tracii Guns
, who was leading the first incarnation of L.A. Guns
at this time, after Weber expressed an interest in forming a band. Soon afterwards, Weber and Stradlin started writing material and, at the suggestion of Stradlin, recruited his childhood friend, former Rapidfire
and L.A. Guns singer William Bailey
. At the suggestion of Bailey, the group called themselves AXL They played their first gig at The Orphanage in North Hollywood and played a few more shows before changing their name to Rose, with Bailey changing his name to W. Axl Rose
. The group soon changed their name, for the final time, to Hollywood Rose when Weber discovered that the name Rose was already being used by a New York band.
After borrowing money from Weber's father, the group recorded a five-song demo in Hollywood in 1984. After playing a number of more shows, Rose fired Weber from the band with former Road Crew
guitarist Slash
joining the group. They would disband soon after.
The group reunited, briefly, with Rose, Stradlin, Weber and Darrow returning along while L.A. Guns drummer Rob Gardner
also joined the group. Weber, who left to move to New York City
, was soon replaced by Tracii Guns.
, Weber and singer Shawn Albro began working on material that eventually gained some major label interest. They recruited bassist Ben Shirley and drummer Tommy Holt, forming U.P.O., and going on to sign a record deal with Epic Records
. They released their debut album, titled No Pleasantries
, in 2000, produced by Rick Parashar
, with the album peaking at number 19 on the Billboard
Heatseekers Chart
while the singles "Godless" and "Feel Alive" peaked at number 6 and 25 on the Mainstream Rock Chart respectively. "Feel Alive" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
while the group toured with the likes of Slipknot
, Slayer
, Mudvayne
and Sepultura
as part of the Tattoo The Earth tour with the song "Dust" being included on the live album Tattoo The Earth: The First Crusade. After further touring in support of the album, the group went on hiatus with Albro auditioning for "The Project" (later known as Velvet Revolver
) during this time.
The group returned in 2004, recording an releasing The Heavy
, working again with producer Rick Parashar, the same year through DRT Entertainment
/Nitrus Records. The group toured in support of the album, however, after an October concert later that year, however, Weber suffered a seizure before being rushed to a hospital. It was soon revealed that he had a meningioma
brain tumor
for which Weber underwent successful surgery on November 17, 2004. The group seemed to go on hiatus soon afterwards with bassist Zoltan Bathory
, who had replaced Ben Shirley, going on to form Five Finger Death Punch
.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
best known as the guitarist and founder of the groups U.P.O.
U.P.O.
U.P.O. was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1997. Since 2004, the band's line-up has included Shawn Albro , Chris Weber , Ben Shirley and Tommy Holt . Previous members include Zoltan Bathory and Philippe Mathys.To date, U.P.O...
and Hollywood Rose
Hollywood Rose
Hollywood Rose was an American hard rock group formed in 1983 and is best known as the precursor group for what would eventually become Guns N' Roses. The group was founded by Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber while they were aided during live shows by Rick Mars, Johnny Kreis, Steve Darrow...
(which featured future Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
members Axl Rose
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
, Izzy Stradlin
Izzy Stradlin
Jeffrey Dean Isbell , known by his stage name Izzy Stradlin, is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of its fame in 1991. Following his departure, he led his own band Izzy...
, Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
and Steven Adler
Steven Adler
Steven Adler is an American musician. He is best known as the former drummer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s...
). With U.P.O., he released two albums, No Pleasantries
No Pleasantries
No Pleasantries is the debut album of American post-grunge band U.P.O. Released on May 30, 2000, the album broke U.P.O. into the mainstream rock scene was their most successful. It was made available on iTunes on September 22, 2004....
(2000) and The Heavy
The Heavy (album)
The Heavy is the second album by American post-grunge band U.P.O. Released on March 9, 2004, it marks the band's return from a two-year hiatus and departure from Epic Records. As common among sophomore independent albums, The Heavy could not repeat the success of U.P.O.'s major label debut...
(2004), while the Hollywood Rose demos, recorded in 1984, were released in 2004 titled The Roots of Guns N' Roses
The Roots of Guns N' Roses
The Roots of Guns N' Roses is a compilation album containing old songs of Hollywood Rose, released on June 22, 2004 by Deadline Music .-The Album:...
.
Hollywood Rose (1983–1984)
Prior to forming, Chris Weber was introduced to LafayetteLafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
native Izzy Stradlin
Izzy Stradlin
Jeffrey Dean Isbell , known by his stage name Izzy Stradlin, is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of its fame in 1991. Following his departure, he led his own band Izzy...
, in the parking lot of the Rainbow Bar and Grill
Rainbow Bar and Grill
The Rainbow Bar and Grill is a bar and restaurant on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States adjacent to the border of Beverly Hills, California. Its address is 9015 Sunset Boulevard....
, by friend Tracii Guns
Tracii Guns
Tracii Guns is an American guitarist best known as the founder of glam metal group L.A. Guns as well as the supergroups Brides of Destruction and Contraband. He was also involved in the formation of the first lineup of Guns N' Roses but eventually left the group and was replaced by guitarist...
, who was leading the first incarnation of L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
at this time, after Weber expressed an interest in forming a band. Soon afterwards, Weber and Stradlin started writing material and, at the suggestion of Stradlin, recruited his childhood friend, former Rapidfire
Rapidfire
Rapidfire was a Los Angeles based band that featured Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose in his first ever studio recording just before he joined Hollywood Rose.-Members:* Axl Rose - lead vocals* Kevin Lawrence - guitar* Mike Hammernik - bass...
and L.A. Guns singer William Bailey
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
. At the suggestion of Bailey, the group called themselves AXL They played their first gig at The Orphanage in North Hollywood and played a few more shows before changing their name to Rose, with Bailey changing his name to W. Axl Rose
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
. The group soon changed their name, for the final time, to Hollywood Rose when Weber discovered that the name Rose was already being used by a New York band.
After borrowing money from Weber's father, the group recorded a five-song demo in Hollywood in 1984. After playing a number of more shows, Rose fired Weber from the band with former Road Crew
Road Crew
Road Crew were an American garage band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1984. The band was composed of future Guns N' Roses members Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan. They auditioned a number of singers while writing material...
guitarist Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
joining the group. They would disband soon after.
The group reunited, briefly, with Rose, Stradlin, Weber and Darrow returning along while L.A. Guns drummer Rob Gardner
Rob Gardner (musician)
Rob Gardner is an American musician best known as the drummer for the original lineups of L.A. Guns and Guns N' Roses while he was briefly the drummer for Hollywood Rose.-L.A. Guns :...
also joined the group. Weber, who left to move to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, was soon replaced by Tracii Guns.
U.P.O. (1997–2004)
After meeting in the mid '90s, at the Reading Festival in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Weber and singer Shawn Albro began working on material that eventually gained some major label interest. They recruited bassist Ben Shirley and drummer Tommy Holt, forming U.P.O., and going on to sign a record deal with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. They released their debut album, titled No Pleasantries
No Pleasantries
No Pleasantries is the debut album of American post-grunge band U.P.O. Released on May 30, 2000, the album broke U.P.O. into the mainstream rock scene was their most successful. It was made available on iTunes on September 22, 2004....
, in 2000, produced by Rick Parashar
Rick Parashar
Rick Parashar is a music producer who came to prominence in the early 1990s through his work with grunge bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Blind Melon. Parashar co-founded London Bridge Studio with his brother, Raj...
, with the album peaking at number 19 on the Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
Heatseekers Chart
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
while the singles "Godless" and "Feel Alive" peaked at number 6 and 25 on the Mainstream Rock Chart respectively. "Feel Alive" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is the 2000 American horror film and the sequel to the film The Blair Witch Project, directed by Joe Berlinger...
while the group toured with the likes of Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Mudvayne
Mudvayne
Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band. Their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate visual appearance, which has included face and body paint, masks and uniforms...
and Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
as part of the Tattoo The Earth tour with the song "Dust" being included on the live album Tattoo The Earth: The First Crusade. After further touring in support of the album, the group went on hiatus with Albro auditioning for "The Project" (later known as Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
) during this time.
The group returned in 2004, recording an releasing The Heavy
The Heavy (album)
The Heavy is the second album by American post-grunge band U.P.O. Released on March 9, 2004, it marks the band's return from a two-year hiatus and departure from Epic Records. As common among sophomore independent albums, The Heavy could not repeat the success of U.P.O.'s major label debut...
, working again with producer Rick Parashar, the same year through DRT Entertainment
DRT Entertainment
DRT Entertainment is a New York City based independent record label founded in 2003 by Derek Shulman, Ron Urban and Theodore "Ted" Green. It is now solely owned by Derek Shulman....
/Nitrus Records. The group toured in support of the album, however, after an October concert later that year, however, Weber suffered a seizure before being rushed to a hospital. It was soon revealed that he had a meningioma
Meningioma
The word meningioma was first used by Harvey Cushing in 1922 to describe a tumor originating from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the CNS ....
brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
for which Weber underwent successful surgery on November 17, 2004. The group seemed to go on hiatus soon afterwards with bassist Zoltan Bathory
Zoltan Bathory
Zoltán Báthory is a Hungarian-born musician. He is the co-founder and one of the main songwriters for the Los Angeles-based hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch.-Career:...
, who had replaced Ben Shirley, going on to form Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2005, the group's name is derived from classic oriental martial arts cinema. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, guitarist Zoltan Bathory, guitarist Caleb Bingham, bassist Matt Snell,...
.
Discography
| Title | Release | Label | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Pleasantries No Pleasantries No Pleasantries is the debut album of American post-grunge band U.P.O. Released on May 30, 2000, the album broke U.P.O. into the mainstream rock scene was their most successful. It was made available on iTunes on September 22, 2004.... |
2000 2000 in music See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List.... |
Epic Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
U.P.O. U.P.O. U.P.O. was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1997. Since 2004, the band's line-up has included Shawn Albro , Chris Weber , Ben Shirley and Tommy Holt . Previous members include Zoltan Bathory and Philippe Mathys.To date, U.P.O... |
| The Heavy The Heavy (album) The Heavy is the second album by American post-grunge band U.P.O. Released on March 9, 2004, it marks the band's return from a two-year hiatus and departure from Epic Records. As common among sophomore independent albums, The Heavy could not repeat the success of U.P.O.'s major label debut... |
2004 2004 in music See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol.... |
DRT Entertainment DRT Entertainment DRT Entertainment is a New York City based independent record label founded in 2003 by Derek Shulman, Ron Urban and Theodore "Ted" Green. It is now solely owned by Derek Shulman.... /Nitrus |
|
| The Roots of Guns N' Roses The Roots of Guns N' Roses The Roots of Guns N' Roses is a compilation album containing old songs of Hollywood Rose, released on June 22, 2004 by Deadline Music .-The Album:... |
Cleopatra Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music... |
Hollywood Rose Hollywood Rose Hollywood Rose was an American hard rock group formed in 1983 and is best known as the precursor group for what would eventually become Guns N' Roses. The group was founded by Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber while they were aided during live shows by Rick Mars, Johnny Kreis, Steve Darrow... |
Guest credits
| Title | Release | Label | Band | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dopesnake | 2007 2007 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame... |
Deadline Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music... |
Hollywood Roses | Guitars on "Come Down" |