“Viva La Rock” is the excellent new solo album from Marco Mendoza, currently the bass player for The Dead Daisies and previously associated with some of the biggest names in rock. Marco was my guest on the Friday NI Rocks Show back in January, when we talked at length about the new album and much more – http://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/3279-ni-rocks-interview-with-marco-mendoza.html . He subsequently put on a great show with his band in Voodoo, Belfast on 18th February, ahead of the release of “Viva La Rock” through Mighty Music on 2nd March. In addition to playing 3 tracks on the Show on 12th January, I played “Chinatown” on 16th February.


 

For almost 30 years, Marco has recorded and toured with bands such as Ted Nugent, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, Neal Schon and of The Dead Daisies. He released his first solo album “Live for Tomorrow” in 2007, followed by “Casa Mendoza” in 2010. On his third solo album he has worked with producer / guitarist Soren Anderson to record ten tracks. Those include two covers – Ted Nugent’s “Hey Baby” and Thin Lizzy’s “Chinatown”. On the latter he is joined by Mike Tramp on vocals and there is a guest guitar appearance from (his former bandmate in The Dead Daisies and briefly in Thin Lizzy) Richard Fortus of Guns n Roses. The drums on the album were recorded by Morten Hellborn.

 

The two covers were chosen to acknowledge the importance of those artists on his career to date. During the interview, Marco also talked about the tracks “Viva La Rock” and “Sue Is On The Run”. One of my own favourites is the track “Rocketman” which was written about the Danish inventor who is currently on trial for the murder of a journalist.

 

There was a gap of almost 8 years between Marco’s second and third solo albums – simply because he was so busy with other projects. Hopefully, the fourth solo album will come along a little sooner. He did mention a “next album” during our interview and hinted at some more covers from bands that have been a big part of his career.

 

Check out Marco’s website for all the latest news and links to his social media pages - http://www.marcomendoza.com/

 

About “NI Rocks Recommends”

The simple idea behind “NI Rocks Recommends” is to acknowledge and promote some of the great music being submitted to Rock Radio NI. I'll not be giving marks or ratings or analyzing the tracks in great detail; just telling you something about the artist and the album. It’s a personal recommendation to go check something out, not a traditional “review”!

My musical tastes cover most things rock; from the not too melodic to the not too heavy. The albums that I’ll be recommending are those that you’ll hear me playing tracks from on my shows on Rock Radio NI.

 

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