{"id":45089,"date":"2024-10-09T16:44:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T23:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/?p=45089"},"modified":"2024-10-09T16:44:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T23:44:44","slug":"derek-davis-from-babylon-a-d-looks-back-on-the-35th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-their-debut-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/derek-davis-from-babylon-a-d-looks-back-on-the-35th-anniversary-of-the-release-of-their-debut-album\/","title":{"rendered":"Derek Davis from BABYLON A.D. Looks Back on the 35th Anniversary of the Release of their Debut Album"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">BABYLON A.D. Release Their Third Single and Video to Radio, \u200b\u201cSometimes Love Is Hell\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-45090\" src=\"http:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pr-2024-10-09-babylonad-01-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/REpbdvsU4To?si=EaSzNTehkTvddIGf\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">YouTube video for \u201cThe Kid Goes Wild\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 3, 2024) \u2014 35 years ago today Babylon A.D. released their self-titled debut album. Lead singer Derek Davis looks back on getting signed and their showcase performance for Arista Records Clive Davis&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><em>Getting a record deal and releasing our first record was one of the greatest highlights of my life. I had dreamed about getting \u201cThe Deal\u201d and being in a recording artist since I was 8 years old. It just proved to me dreams can come true.<\/p>\n<p>I remember it like it was yesterday, The band had just moved to Hollywood in a one bedroom apartment at the infamous \u201cSaint James\u201d off Hollywood Blvd. There was 6 of us living there for less than a week when our manager called and said that Clive Davis the President of Arista Records wanted to see the band on that Saturday and they had arranged a showcase for us at SIR studios on Sunset Blvd. We had not practiced in a while do to the move from the Bay Area but we were ready! I mean this is \u201cClive Fukin Davis\u201d The Music Mogul\u201d the man who signed \u201cJanis Joplin\u201d, \u201cAerosmith\u201d, Simon and Garfunkel\u201d, \u201cThe Grateful Dead\u201d, \u201cSantana\u201d,\u201cWhitney Houston\u201d and many more world renown artists and he wanted to see &#8211; US!!! WTF??????????<\/p>\n<p>That Saturday morning we practiced a 7 song set and Clive showed up around noon with two New York A&amp;R guys and Randy Gerston the head of the West Coast A&amp;R department. Our manager Jay Malla was there also and that was it! Five guys wearing suites, sitting on a big long couch right in front of the band. We were on stage and we blew through our set and nailed it, and the second we finished the last song \u201cThe Kid Goes Wild\u201d, &#8216;Clive Davis\u2019 jumps up off the couch and opens his arms real wide and says, &#8220;Welcome To The Family Boys&#8221;! I will never forget the rush of that moment, We had been working for a moment like this our whole career. We signed a 10 album deal and the dream began with our first album the self titled &#8220;Babylon A.D.\u201d which was released 35 years ago on October 3rd 1989!<\/p>\n<p>What a fantastic ride it has been and we plan to keep on going. There is no stoping us, \u201cBabylon A.D.\u201d is creating new music and we still get that rush every time we play together on stage and in the recording studio. The music and the fans keep us alive and let us live the dream we still have! We are truly grateful and blessed to be able to still do what we love!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Stay tuned because we are just warming up!!!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Babylon A.D. recently released their latest album\u00a0&#8220;Rome Wasn&#8217;t Built In A Day&#8221;. The third single\u00a0\u201cSometimes Love Is Hell\u201d is active right now on radio<\/p>\n<p>Stream &#8220;Sometimes Love Is Hell&#8221; at:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/babylonad.hearnow.com\/sometimes-love-is-hell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/babylonad.hearnow.com\/sometimes-love-is-hell<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The new album can be purchased or streamed at <a href=\"https:\/\/smarturl.it\/Rome\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/smarturl.it\/Rome<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The new video can be viewed at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ujzsN-hNGzE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ujzsN-hNGzE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Derek Davis, lead singer, discussed the meaning of track,\u00a0\u201cSometimes Love Is Hell\u201d is the universal love story of every man and woman that have\u00a0ever lived since the days of Adam and Eve. Love alway starts out peaches and cream and then the daily grind of everyday life sets in and the beautiful movie that began with two people joining their souls together slowly becomes a struggle for what they once had. Can you get back to the beginning? Will you make it to the end? How strong is the\u00a0bond that has been forged? Can you survive the struggle and stay in the fight to be\u00a0with the one you love Forever? This is what the song is about. It\u2019s every man and woman\u2019s journey of hope, desperation, desire and the truth that, \u201cSometimes Love Is Hell! But it can be Heaven Too! It\u2019s how bad do you want it!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Recent praise for the Babylon A.D. album\u00a0&#8220;Rome Wasn&#8217;t Built In A Day&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;All these years later they still &#8220;Bang The Bells&#8221;. &#8211; Max Volume \/ 105.7 KOZZ Reno&#8217;s Classic Rock<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><em>\u201cDerek Davis and his Babylonians deliver the cornerstone of their catalog. Rome Wasn\u2019t Built In A Day is a gem-riddled roof of songs that sits firmly atop the Babylon A.D. empire that has been under construction for more than three decades.\u201d\u00a0&#8211; Scott Itter Dr. Music\/All Music Magazine<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><em>&#8220;The new Babylon A.D. album\u2026 might just be the comeback that 80\u2019s Rock fans have been waiting for\u2026 If you love 80\u2019s Hard Rock this is an essential purchase.&#8221; &#8211; The Rock Pit<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Babylon A.D. can\u2019t wait to start playing the songs live and have some very exciting shows coming up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Upcoming Babylon A.D. Tour Dates:<br \/>\n<\/strong>Aug 24th &#8211; Monster On Mountain &#8211; Gatlinburg TN<br \/>\nSept 20th &#8211; Feather Falls Casino &#8211; Oroville CA<br \/>\nSept 21st &#8211; Horsefest &#8211; Newark CA<br \/>\nOct 26th &#8211;\u00a0Vinnie&#8217;s Bar &amp; Grill &#8211; Concord, CA &#8211;\u00a0107.7 Bone Night Out<br \/>\nSept 5-8, 2025 &#8211; Hard Rock Hell Sleaze Festival &#8211; O2 Academy &#8211; Leicester, England<\/p>\n<p><strong>CD available at:<\/strong><br \/>\nAMAZON: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0CYNBRHJ9\">https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0CYNBRHJ9<\/a><br \/>\nAEC\/WOW HD <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wowhd.co.uk\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-day\/670573060529\">https:\/\/www.wowhd.co.uk\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-day\/670573060529<\/a><br \/>\nPERRIS RECORDS: <a href=\"https:\/\/perrisrecords.com\/babylon-a-d\">https:\/\/perrisrecords.com\/babylon-a-d<\/a><br \/>\nWOWHD worldwide Free Shipping: <a href=\"https:\/\/perrisrecords.com\/wowhd\">https:\/\/perrisrecords.com\/wowhd<\/a><br \/>\nGERMANY: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prideandjoy.de\">https:\/\/www.prideandjoy.de<\/a><br \/>\nJAPAN: <a href=\"https:\/\/aor-paradise.com\/\">https:\/\/aor-paradise.com\/<\/a><br \/>\nJAPAN: <a href=\"https:\/\/diskunion.net\">https:\/\/diskunion.net<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Track listing and songwriters:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Wrecking Machine 4:16 *D. Davis &#8211; J. Matthews*<\/li>\n<li>Pain 4:09 *D. Davis &#8211; J. Matthews &#8211; R. Freschi*<\/li>\n<li>Sometimes Love Is Hell 5:25 *D. Davis*<\/li>\n<li>Rome Wasn&#8217;t Built In A Day 4:27 *D. Davis*<\/li>\n<li>Looking For A Heartbeat 4:21 *D. Davis &#8211; R. Freschi*<\/li>\n<li>I Will Never Break Again 7:00 *D. Davis &#8211; J. Matthews*<\/li>\n<li>White Hot Bullet 3:45 *D. Davis*<\/li>\n<li>Crashed Into The Sun 4:52 *D. Davis &#8211; R. Freschi &#8211; D. Soto &#8211; C. Pepe*<\/li>\n<li>Face Of GOD 6:30 *D. Davis*<\/li>\n<li>Shut Up 4:31 *D. Davis &#8211; D. Soto &#8211; C. Pepe*<\/li>\n<li>Super Beast 3:43 *R. Freschi &#8211; J. Matthews &#8211; D. Soto*<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Album details:<\/strong><br \/>\nProduced, Mixed, Engineered by Derek Davis @<br \/>\nThe BADMOFO\u2019s Recording Studio, Pleasanton, CA.<br \/>\nDrums recorded by Gabriel Shepard @ 25th Studios Oakland CA.<br \/>\nMastered By David Donnelly, DNA Mastering Los Angeles CA.<br \/>\nPhotos &#8211; Angela Probst &#8211; Studio A<\/p>\n<p>Vintage Artwork Concept Design &#8211; Derek Davis<\/p>\n<p><strong>Band Members:<br \/>\n<\/strong>Derek Davis &#8211; Vocals, Keyboard, Guitar<br \/>\nRon Freschi &#8211; Lead Guitar, Background vocals<br \/>\nJohn Mattews &#8211; Lead Guitar<br \/>\nCraig Pepe &#8211; Bass, Background vocals<br \/>\nDylan Soto &#8211; Drums \/ Background vocals<br \/>\nBackground vocals\u00a0*I Will Never Break Again* Lane Borchard<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Babylon A.D.<br \/>\n<\/strong>Formed in 1987, Babylon A.D. hail from the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Original members, Derek Davis vocalist\/songwriter, guitarist&#8217;s and music writers John Mathews<br \/>\nand Ron Freschi drummer James Pacheco and bassist Rob Reid met in high school before they began playing together as &#8220;The Persuaders&#8221; making a name for themselves with their powerful live performances and catchy songwriting skills becoming one of the top drawing original Hard Rock bands in the Northern CA.<\/p>\n<p>In 1989 the band changed their name to &#8220;Babylon A.D.&#8221; and caught the attention of Arista Records President and industry music mogul \u201cClive Davis\u201d, who signed them at a live showcase in Los Angeles thanks to their impressive three song demo and a home made video. John Mattews departed the band and was replaced by another high school friend Dan De La Rosa just before their self-titled album \u201cBabylon A.D.\u201d was released in 1990. The album included their hard rock classic hits &#8220;Bang Go The Bells\u201d, \u201cHammer Swings Down\u201d and \u201cThe Kid Goes Wild\u201d, which featured Screaming &#8220;Sam Kinison&#8221; and was the trailer song and promotional video for Orion Pictures (ROBO COP 2). The band scored three #1 songs at Metal Radio and reached Gold status on their first release, which spent 38 weeks on the Billboard top 200, peaking at # 46. Their sophomore e\ufb00ort (Nothing Sacred) was produced by the legendary &#8220;Tom Werman&#8221; and released in 1992, it produced two more top-ten metal rockers. \u201cBad Blood\u201d and \u201cSo Savage the Heart\u201d. Constant touring throughout the early 1990s and several MTV videos made them<br \/>\none of hard rock fans favorite bands.<\/p>\n<p>In 1999 the band and released \u201cLive In Your Face\u201d on Apocalypse Records, a compilation of live tracks recorded at various cities\u2019 across America. Their next release \u201cAmerican Blitzkrieg\u201d soon followed in 2002 and both records were well received by critics and fans alike. In 2008 the band released Babylon A.D. &#8220;In The Beginning\u201d on Perris Records, a compilation of songs from the original demo tapes that secured them their recording contract with Arista Records.<\/p>\n<p>After a long hiatus the band started playing and recording again in 2014. Touring across the States and Europe releasing the four song E.P &#8220;Lost Sessions&#8221;. in 2018 John Matthews rejoined the group and the band signed with Frontiers Records for their forth studio release \u201cRevelation Highway\u201d Four singles\/ videos and more touring followed<br \/>\nthrough the beginning of 2020. In 2022 original members James Pacheco and Robb Reid left the band for other pursuits remaining connected to the bands legacy and part of a brotherhood of friendship that has lasted for over 30 years!<\/p>\n<p>PRESENT DAY&#8230;<br \/>\nFast forward to 2023, BABYLON A.D. announced new members Craig Pepe (bass) and Dylan Soto (drums) and a new live concert album \u201cLive Lightning\u201d from Perris Records.<br \/>\nThe new album included their top-ten rock-radio classic hits from their debut album as well as songs from \u201cNothing Sacred\u201d, \u201cAmerican Blitzkrieg\u201d, and \u201cRevelation Highway\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>As 2024 begins the band is set to release their 5th studio album on Perris Records titled<br \/>\n\u201cRome Wasn\u2019t Built In A Day\u201d on May 17th. The 11 track album is classic Babylon A.D. firing on all cylinders, showcasing great songwriting talent, performances and the hard rock sound the band is known for. New videos and singles are coming and the band is currently booking and playing select live shows across the states in support of the new album.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Perris Records<br \/>\n<\/strong>Perris Records has been in business over 29 years distributing and promoting the label&#8217;s hard rock bands such as Helix, Stephen Pearcy, L.A. Guns, Babylon A.D., Bang Tango, Enuff Z&#8217;Nuff, Heaven&#8217;s Edge, Roxx Gang, Dirty Looks to name a few. Perris Records is distributed worldwide by Select-O-Hits (Sam Phillips Jr. &#8211; Sun Records family), ALLIANCE (AEC) distribution &amp; WOWHD.COM. WOWHD.COM ships to Australia, Denmark, Germany, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands &amp; United Kingdom (UK).WOWHD Direct Link at Perris Records (Special links showing all Perris titles available at WOWHD in their selected country): perrisrecords.com\/wowhd<\/p>\n<p><strong>Management:<\/strong> Jay Malla, Malla Entertainment Group<\/p>\n<p><strong>Links to Website and All Socials<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/babylonadband.com\/\">https:\/\/babylonadband.com\/<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Babylonadband\/\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Babylonadband\/<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/babylonad_\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/babylonad_\/<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpQVt2LWl21avPsyLstHJEA\">www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpQVt2LWl21avPsyLstHJEA<\/a><br \/>\nopen.spotify.com\/artist\/6sh4WKluS0LOsPdGPerKJ5<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PerrisRecords\/\">www.facebook.com\/PerrisRecords\/<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.perrisrecords.com\">www.perrisrecords.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-43203\" src=\"http:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pr-2024-08-23-babylonad-02-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-40250 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pr-2024-06-05-babylonad-02-300x119.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"119\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">For all inquiries, contact:<br \/>\nMICHAEL BRANDVOLD MARKETING &amp; MANAGEMENT<br \/>\nMichael Brandvold | me@mikebrandvold.com | 415-200-8483<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Michael Brandvold is a freelance music industry consultant based in Northern California. Having launched Michael Brandvold Marketing to leverage his years of experience to provide direction to large and small clients in the areas of online &amp; social marketing as well as e-commerce and customer acquisition and retention.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Gene Simmons of KISS first tapped Michael\u2019s skills as a pioneering online marketing strategist to launch and manage all aspects of Kissonline.com\u2019s multi-million dollar enterprise, including their ground-breaking VIP ticket program.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Michael has also managed the online efforts for Jordan Rudess, Greg Kihn, KISS, ACCEPT, SOiL, Tantric, Killer Dwarfs, Dream Theater, Little Caesar, Narada Michael Walden, Motley Cr\u00fce, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna and Britney Spears to name only a few.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">If you are interested in speaking with Michael about what he can do to assist with your marketing needs contact him online at\u00a0me@mikebrandvold.com | 415-200-8483<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BABYLON A.D. Release Their Third Single and Video to Radio, \u200b\u201cSometimes Love Is Hell\u201d &nbsp; YouTube video for \u201cThe Kid Goes Wild\u201d &nbsp; SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 3, 2024) \u2014 35 years ago today Babylon A.D. released their self-titled debut album. Lead singer Derek Davis looks back on getting signed and their showcase performance for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1209,"featured_media":45090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,3355],"tags":[3360,3384,3386,3385,3362,3361,3363,3390,3387,3391,3389,3700,3371,2901,3392,3639,3388],"class_list":["post-45089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-marketing-2","category-press-releases","tag-announcements","tag-babylon-a-d","tag-babylon-ad","tag-babylonad","tag-client-announcements","tag-client-news","tag-client-press-releases","tag-danny-de-la-rosa","tag-derek-davis","tag-james-pacheco","tag-john-mathews","tag-malla-entertainment-group","tag-perris-records","tag-press-releases","tag-robb-reid","tag-rome-wasnt-built-in-a-day","tag-ron-freschi"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pr-2024-10-09-babylonad-01.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45091,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45089\/revisions\/45091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}