LA Guns Tickets - Who Are These Guys?

Would you believe me if I said this band was one of the merging of two bands to form a band that you've definitely heard of? As in, Guns N' Roses. LA Guns was a band that joined up with another band by the name of Hollywood Rose. Surprising, right? Originally, the LA Guns formed in 1983 with the lineup of Tracii Guns and Axl Rose (recognize that name?), but the band LA Guns didn't truly form until after the merging of the two bands. Once that occurred, you had the lineup of frontman Phil Lewis, drummer Nickey Alexander, bass guitarist Kelly Nickels, and guitarist Mick Cripps. That was an impressive setup of talent in the hard rock industry, so it didn't take long for a label to notice; and that label was Polygram Records, signing the band back in 1988.

LA Guns Tickets - The Music of the Guns

It was that year that the Guns released their self-titled debut album, spawning enough interest to follow up right away with a second album: Cocked and Loaded. And, boy, were they loaded! 'The Ballad of Jayne,' the album's lead single was a critical success, forcing the album to go gold. Two years later, Hollywood Vampires was released followed by a 1995 release of Vicious Circle after waiting for the grunge craze to die down.

LA Guns Tickets - The Sound of the Guns

They had something going with their sound -- they weren't simply a cheap hair rock band. You could possibly describe their sound as a raunchier version of Aerosmith. Unsurprisingly, Aerosmith was one of the band's influences!