Bio - What's it all about?
GONE SAVAGE are a melodic hard rock band out of Manchester UK, formed in 1990 by bassist Ian Salpekar (formerly of SWEET SIN), guitarist Andy J (formerly of SWEET SIN), vocalist Will Glover (formerly of SAM THUNDER) and drummer James Ross (formerly of Darren Wharton’s DARE). As the band evolved they would go on to have a long history with several other contributors. The band released many demos in the early years which were only ever sold at gigs, or via their fan club.
They recorded four demos over two sessions with Andy J featuring the AOR classic – ‘Love Caught me Out’. These sessions were recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, home to 10cc, JOY DIVISION, THE SMITHS, THE MOODY BLUES and many other 70s and 80s renowned artists. The recordings would be engineered by famed producer Martin Abbott, who was responsible for producing most of Lisa Stansfield’s early work. Both demos were also used as self-promotion with the main UK radio stations of the time, which included two sessions with the legendary UK radio broadcaster Tommy Vance on his “Friday Night Rock Show”, the number one show in the UK at the time.
As the demos were selling out at live gigs and more radio stations began picking up on the band, there was a demand for more music.
After Andy J left the band in 1991 GONE SAVAGE went back to record more demos with Vinny Burns (DARE/TEN/ASIA/ ULTRAVOX).
Vinny played lead and rhythm guitars on a 3-track demo recorded at another stalwart of UK recording studios - The Engine Room Studio in Bradford, England.
GONE SAVAGE continued to write songs and returned to The Engine Room in ‘92 to record a 2-track demo with Grant Mallison on guitar duties to much aplomb resulting in an interview with the renowned Games Workshop in ‘93, producers of the Warhammer table-top game, who wanted to branch out to include a rock/heavy metal record label division. The company showed interest in signing GONE SAVAGE as its first outing. Things didn’t go as planned as a disgruntled ex-manager of the band created mayhem with the company leading to Games Workshop walking away from any further negotiations. The band would fold later that year.
GONE SAVAGE went on a hiatus until 2013 when all original members tried to pick-up the pieces. This included Andy J and then again with Grant Mallison, but alas the candle did not burn and both Will, Grant and Andy stepped aside.
In 2015, GONE SAVAGE, still eager to create more music, brought in a fledgling young gun by the name of James Marsh who took on both lead / rhythm guitar duties and lead vocals. A new 4-song EP was recorded and self-produced by the band titled ‘Resurrection’. A self-funded CD would be released on their own 3@47inc Records in January of 2016.
The EP would be very well received by the media and radio stations alike, which resulted in a gig at the prestigious Hard Rock Hell franchise alongside the likes of SKID ROW, NIGHT RANGER and Joe Lynn Turner to name but a few.
In 2019, Salpekar started writing again with Glover for a new album. Out of over 30 songs, the cut came down to 11. Due to the worldwide pandemic, recording was all done remotely with Salpekar recording, engineering and producing the album at his studio in the North West of England, whilst Glover resided in the South of England and sent his vocal stems to Salpekar. Mallison returned as a guest and played guitar on five of the tracks on the new album together with another rising star Sam Millar (THE SASS BANDITS, BIGFOOT) who also played on five tracks. James Marsh guested on the re-recorded version of “Love Caught Me Out” playing guitars and singing backing vocals.
Mixing of the stems was carried out by a young emerging producer named David Radahd-Jones at his Red City Recordings studio in Manchester. Mastering was carried out by legendary mastering man Pete Maher, responsible for mastering THE ROLLING STONES, THE KILLERS and U2 amongst many others.
Starting in 2019, GONE SAVAGE started to release a steady stream of singles that began Friday the 1st of November 2019. This marked the beginning of a new era for GONE SAVAGE with the release of a new track “Bulletproof” with accompanying lyric video. The follow up single, “Louder than the Sun” was released on February 7th 2020 and as part of special re-release, “Love Caught Me Out” was remixed and remastered with Glover back on lead vocals and dropped on the 25th of September 2020. The single “Life in Black and White” followed in April 2022 with an acclaimed animated video produced by Rock n Roll Babies. Another single, ‘Icon of Today’ would be released in December 2022. These singles would be combined into a full-length album titled ‘PastLife’ that would only be released digitally in May of 2022 to much acclaim from reviewers and media.
GONE SAVAGE have built a strong rapport within the rock scene and journalist community, with the likes of HARD ROCK HELL, AOR UNDERGROUND, POWERPLAY MAGAZINE, CLASSIC ROCK RADIO, FIREWORKS, MANIC MOSH and several others taking a genuine interest in the band. As well as receiving much airplay in continuous rotation on over 100 broadcast and internet stations both national and globally.
Ian Salpekar
Bassist and General Manager
Ian (aka Ku Martinez) formed Gone Savage with Andy J ( Andy Halliwell) from the ashes of UK Hair metal band Sweet Sin. From the very early days Ian has been heavily involved not just with the writing but also the management and direction for Gone Savage!
Will Glover
Lead Singer and lyricist
Will has been with Gone Savage from the very beginning. Coming on board from Sam Thunder, another successful Manchester band, Will came up with the name for the band and helped to craft our melodic rock side with his heavy influence of AOR..!
Dex Tyler
Drums and percussion
Dex has a wealth of experience over many years … and has recorded over 35 albums and numerous EP’s. Very experienced live drummer having also toured extensively over the globe with several known and some lesser known bands down the years, with music ranging from rock to punk to prog he is one hell of an asset to what we are planning for in 2022 and beyond!
Jon Sudbury
Guitars
Based in South Wales, Jon was hooked at an early age on the music of bands like AC/DC Van Halen and The Faces.
With his high energy guitar playing and soulful vocals, Jon has played in numerous bands over the years, with the press and public taking to his style immediately, bringing in comparisons with the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang!
Don Genovese
Second Vocalist
Hailing from Willesden Greater London, Don was hooked at an early age on the music of Punk and new wave bands. From the 80’s to this day, Don follows music from all genres, and is quite an encyclopaedia when he comes to fashion, music and images from his days growing up listening to bands from The Stranglers to Black Sabbath! His vocal range to complement not only Will’s lead vocal but to harmonise with backing vocals makes him a very important member for both stage and recorded work.