Akron, Ohio, band Aleister Wild have two new members that will be going to Iraq and numerous other military bases to entertain the troops. Kelle Rhoads, brother of the late great guitarist Randy Rhoads, and Kelly Garni, who was the original bass player in Quiet Riot with Randy, joined the band July 4th. Aleister Wild band founder and guitarist Terry Span recruited the two to play a holiday show in Akron at the 356th Fighter Group as a thank you to the troops here at home. Both Garni and Rhoads, who have both been musically inactive for a number of years, were so impressed with Span and had such a good time, they decided to sign up for the long haul.
"We really liked Terry, right off, and his cause is great. Both of us decided it was time to get back into the music world. The fact that it's not about trying to be a rock star, and was geared toward helping others, was really appealling to us," says Garni.
Kelle Rhoads will be playing keyboards and will have a solo spot in the show that will showcase the composing he has been doing for a number of years. "He told me he was going to get up there and play classical music. At first I was skeptical, I mean, the rest of the show was heavy metal. I thought people would walk out. Boy! Was I wrong. It went over like you wouldn't believe, it totally blew me away."
The band is now putting together a small tour of the Ohio state area "to tighten the nuts and bolts," says Garni. "After that, it's off to Iraq for a month. And then shortly thereafter, Afghanistan."
For more information, visit aleisterwild.com.
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