Joey Tafolla On Channeling Legends In The Graham Bonnet Band

FOR FORMER SHRAPNEL RECORDS alum Joey Tafolla—his releases on the label include 1987’s Out of the Sun and 1997’s Infra- Blue—it’s hard to think of a sweeter gig than playing with Alcatrazz, Rainbow, and Michael Schenker Group vocalist Graham Bonnet.

- Matt Blackett

Think about it: He gets to cover guitar parts on the singer’s tours that were originally laid down by Schenker, Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai. But, even better, Tafolla gets to do his own thing with Bonnet, as he is writing and recording an album with the vocalist.

“It’s a good place to be, because I love the music,” says Tafolla. “But when I got the gig, I thought I’d have plenty of time to learn the material and rehearse it. That wasn’t the case. We went on the road almost immediately. Then, we started writing the new record the day after we got back. I love that pressure, though, because you find out who you are when you have to write a record so quickly.”