Bang Tango

All Music Guide:

Although Bang Tango was often lumped in with the whole '80s glam metal movement (perhaps due to their pretty-boy looks and the fact that they hailed from Los Angeles, CA), the hard-rockin' quintet was one of the few L.A. glam groups to incorporate funk into its sound -- around the same time as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More made it acceptable to do so. Their lineup consisted of Joe Lesté (vocals), Kyle Stevens (guitar), Mark Knight (guitar), Kyle Kyle (bass), and Tigg Ketler (drums), and gained the interest of Mechanic/MCA shortly after the quintet issued the in-concert recording Live Injection in 1987. Their major-label debut, Psycho Cafe, was issued in 1989, and despite MTV's Headbanger's Ball program giving some air time to their single/video "Someone Like You," the album failed to break the band into the big time.

The group continued to issue albums during the early part of the '90s -- 1991's Dancin' on Coals, 1992's Ain't No Jive...Live!, and 1994's Love After Death -- but with the emergence of the Seattle movement, bands like Bang Tango became passé with most of the metal community. The band broke up shortly thereafter, with bassist Kyle joining former Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe's industrial project, the Newlydeads, while Lesté did some time as a stand-in for L.A. Guns (Ketler and Knight also resurfaced in the group the Worry Beads). In 1998, Kyle and Lesté resurrected the Bang Tango name for the 1998 release Live (on the Cleopatra label). A best-of compilation, Greatest Tricks, saw the light of day in 1999, as did United and Live the same year. In 2001, Lesté formed a more modern-sounding alt-metal outfit, Beautiful Creatures, issuing a self-titled debut the same year on Warner Bros., and toured as part of Ozzfest. Mark Knight also formed a new band, Gravy.

Wikipedia:

Bang Tango is an American funk-infused hard rock and glam metal band.

Biography

The band formed in 1987 in Los Angeles, California and were signed to MCA Records that same year. The band's line-up has fluctuated since its inception, with the one mainstay of the group (until 2010) being frontman Joe Lesté. Psycho Café (the band's debut album) was released in 1989, but, although MTV gave considerable exposure to the single "Someone Like You," the album wasn't able to crossover to mainstream success.

Nevertheless, the group trekked on until 1995 when they split up. Bang Tango then reformed in 1996 only to disband again in 1998. In 1999, the band reformed to mount a national tour, Lesté and original bassist Kyle Kyle (born Kyle Keiderling) joining forces with former bay area S.F. Altar Boys punk rock guitarist Mattie B. The tour was a success and a record was in the works but nothing was released. Lesté reformed the band yet again in 2002, albeit structured around a revolving door of lesser-known musicians. Many of those were also members of Lesté's more modern sounding alt-metal outfit Beautiful Creatures.