Dress The Dead, the San Francisco-based band featuring former Forbidden guitarist Craig Locicero and Witch Mountain singer Kayla Dixon, have announced the addition of former Insolence guitarist, Mike Rowan.

A message states: "Hello all. Everyone in DtD is extremely happy to announce our newest member to the fold, Mikey Rowan! Mikey is a very well known guitarist here in the Bay Area from his many years with his band, Insolence. He was a 16 year old fresh faced kid who got the gig when Insolence signed to Maverick Records back in 1999. They toured the US and Japan pretty extensively.

"James, Mark & myself all remembered Mikey as being an ultra-talented force in that band. We knew he had something special to offer. He really stood out, even back then as a teen and into his 20’s. It’s funny how life can make the full circle and bring great things together.

"Literally within minutes after our announcement that Dan Delay had to step away from the band for his family, Mikey was suggested by a friend to me. In the same instance, Mikey wrote Mark a text asking about the gig. It was very odd and seemed too good to be true, but it made a lot of sense. It seemed like Mikey was already equipped with all the essentials we were looking for. Our only thought was, 'It can’t be that easy, can it?' We had to at least meet Mikey and try him out.

"In the meantime we were hit up by a lot of guitarists. Most were local but quite a few from out of the Bay and other States. In all honesty, I was dreading the process and not looking forward to getting to know another stranger. Been there, done that. So we held the audition criteria and process off until after we tried out Mikey. We did the first audition without Kayla, as she was in Portland at the time. We recorded everything on video. It was seamless. Mikey brought all the energy and technique we were hoping for, more actually. It was rad!

"The following week Kayla flew out and we needed to see what she thought. It didn’t take but a couple of songs for her to give me that look. The look that said 'YES!' Mikey was in!

"It’s difficult to compare Mikey to other guitarists I’ve personally played with. He’s got more attitude and punk rock to his stye than most guys I know. He kinda brings a Dillinger Escape Plan type of energy into the mix and pushes me... pushes all of us.

"In the last month he’s learned almost everything and we’re working on another 5 or 6 ideas. It’s perfect! Even Dan Delay is excited for us. He let us know how good of a choice Mikey is, in his opinion. That means a lot to us because we love Dan so much.

"We prepare for what’s next, putting together a recording studio to do preproduction and capture as many takes we can use on our upcoming release. Look for us to tour the US.and Europe starting in the Summer of 2020. We’re already getting offers from a few festivals. Yes, there will be a release. Those details come later. For now we celebrate having Mikey aboard and will continue to dig deep into our work. Cheers Mikey!" - Craig, Kayla, James and Mark

(Photo - Phil Emerson)