Hair Band Heaven - Interview with Dario Lorina of Black Label Society

HBH: Tell us a little bit about your solo band, and the new Dario Lorina album “Death Grip Tribulations” ?

DL: My latest solo album “Death Grip Tribulations” came out this past February and we’ve been doing some shows in support of it during this BLS downtime. I have my Black Label brother John JD DeServio playing with me, Daniel DC Conway on drums, and Zach Hennig on guitar. The band is killer and we’ve been having a blast jamming this music. Death Grip Tribulations is my second instrumental solo album to be released on Shrapnel Records. JD and DC also played on the record, along with another Black Label brother Jeff Fabb, as well as Phil Campbell from Motorhead and Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons.

HBH: The new video for “ Death Grip Tribulations” was filmed in Las Vegas. What was it like growing up in Sin City? Did you find that it offered you more opportunities as a guitarist?

DL: Vegas is my hometown via Boston, MA and yes, I do feel that being able to travel back and forth from LA easily while living in Vegas has really aided in pursuing opportunities. I love all things Sin City and I wanted to try and encapsulate those things in a Death Grip Tribulations music video as this place can bring much suffering if you don’t play your cards right.

HBH: I grew up buying every album Shrapnel Records put out, it’s really cool that they are keeping up the tradition with your new record. What’s it been like working with Mike Varney at Shrapnel.

DL: Oh thats awesome! Shrapnel is a label I’m a fan of as well and I looked up to many of its players as a guitar player coming up myself. I’m humbled to be a part of it. As a guitar player, making two instrumental albums was always something I wanted to achieve. Mike is an awesome human being and its been nothing but a pleasure to be able to work with him.

HBH: You started touring with Jani Lane of Warrant at age 16. How did that come about, and what are some of your memories of that time with Jani?

DL: MySpace was big at the time, I was a junior in high school and I knew that I wanted to play guitar and be involved in music as my “career path” and I was going to do anything I needed to make that happen. At the time, I was heavily in 70’s and 80’s music and guitar players so I of course knew who Warrant was. I saw an ad that was posted on MySpace that Jani was looking for a guitar player for his solo band so I sent the contact a few emails and started conversing with his manager, they had me send over some recordings of me playing Warrant songs, then had me come out to LA and jam with Jani in a rehearsal room in Hollywood where Jani just played drums, we played Uncle Toms Cabin, Mr. Rainmaker and some other Warrant tunes. That was pretty much how it went and we started touring a few weeks after that and continued for a bout 2 years.

HBH: After working with Jani Lane, you joined Lizzy Borden. I always thought they were a really great, underrated band.Where you a fan of the band before joining them?

DL: Definitely! Lizzy has always had killer guitar players and it was a blast playing in that band! Nothing but great memories!

HBH: Give us your top album of all time ?

DL: Van Halen 1

HBH: Who are some of your biggest influences when it comes to guitar?

DL: Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, George Lynch, Paul Gilbert, John Sykes, Johnny Winter.

HBH: I’ve seen some pretty crazy post from your fearless leader in Black Label Society, Father Zakk Wylde. I was just wondering if he mandates that all of you drink Valhalla Java before every show or is it optional?

DL: Its optional, but the strength it gives you isn’t usually something you want to pass up.

HBH: How did you get the gig with BLS, was there an audition process or did you already know the guys in the band?

DL: I had known Blasko who manages the band for some time prior to BLS looking for another guitar and we were in touch when the opportunity had come up. I sent over some videos playing some BLS tunes and also singing and playing acoustic guitar on a couple of Zakk’s Book of Shadows songs. Zakk then had me come out to the Black Vatican to meet and hang out for a bit. This was at the very end of 2013 and on January 1st, 2014 it was official.