WHITE WIZZARD's Joseph Michael On His Cousin RONNIE JAMES DIO - "People Make A Bigger Deal Out Of It Than It Seems To Me, But Yeah... He Was A Family Member"
July 9, 2013, 11 years ago
LA Weekly recently did an article on WHITE WIZZARD, regarding their upcoming CD release show at the Roxy in Hollywood. During the interview, singer Joseph Michael talks about his relation to the late RONNIE JAMES DIO:
Q: Joseph, what is the story behind this rumor that you're Ronnie James Dio's cousin?
A: "That's true. People make a bigger deal out of it than it seems to me, but yeah. He was a family member."
Q: What's the relationship?
A: "My Uncle is his Cousin. It's kind of hard to explain. Dio's Aunt and Uncle were also my Uncle's Great Aunt and Uncle. It's a couple times removed."
Q: Is this on your Mom's side or your Dad's side?
A: "My Father's side."
Q: Did you ever encounter Dio?
A: "I spoke with him once, after I put out my first record, and I was looking to get some traction in the metal magazines at the time. I reached out to him because I was going to record a version of 'Heaven And Hell' with my old band, MIDNIGHT REIGN, and was just giving him a hello, basically. But, no, I never met him. Never hung out with him. Just pictures on the wall, really, for most of my life."
Q: Your voice sounds so much like his that it's almost scary.
A: [Laughs] I keep hearing that [from other people]. I don't hear it. Maybe certain little things, but I think that's more from just listening and being a fan than any genetic thing."
Read the full interview at this location.
White Wizzard have confirmed dates for a full European headlining tour, which kicks off on September 27th in Brighton, England.
The band will be hitting the road in support of their new studio album, The Devils Cut, starting with a string of recently-announced UK shows, followed by stops in Germany, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Bassist and mainman Jon Leon comments: "We are very excited to get back over to Europe. Giovanni and I have worked hard to get a solid lineup of guys that will actually tour and stick it out and to make White Wizzard a stable entity for the fans. We appreciate all of our fans being so patient and supportive. What we have now is a line-up that has been together over a year that is very dedicated and serious. The fans will finally get to see the five guys that recorded the album and we promise we will not disappoint.
"This is only the beginning as we are already writing the next album and we are hungry to finally see the band through to its intended vision. If you dig the album, just wait until you see this group of guys live. We are on a mission in its first stages and we hope you come along for the ride. It is going to be a blast!!!"
Tour dates:
September
27 - Brighton, UK - Prince Albert29 - Wolverhampton, UK - Little Civic
30 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
October
1 - Edinburgh, UK - Banshee Labyrinth2 - Glasgow, UK - Audio
3 - Manchester, UK - Alter Ego
4 - Norwich, UK - Waterfront
5 - Cardiff, UK - Bogiez
6 - London, UK - Borderline
8 - Cologne, Germany - Underground
9 - Munich, Germany - Backstage Club
10 - Berlin, Germany - Cassiopeia
11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Stengade
12 - Hamburg, Germany - Headcrush
13 - Lichtenfels, Germany - Paunchy Cats
15 - Bologna, Italy - Freakout Club
16 - Milan, Italy - Blue Rose Saloon
17 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Galery
19 - Drachten, Netherlands - Iduna
The Devils Cut tracklisting:
‘Forging The Steel’
‘Strike The Iron’
‘Kings Of The Highway’
‘Lighting In My Hands’
‘Steal Your Mind’
‘The Devils Cut’
‘Torpedo Of Truth’
‘Storm Chaser’
‘The Sun Also Rises’
BraveWords review of The Devil's Cut can be found at this location.
