The Story of Glamazon the Band

I first picked up a guitar in the Air Force and got serious about it when local rock musicians inspired me to really play. Six years later I was back in SF, married, and getting good enough to be in a band. But when I left my wife to transition, all my rocker buddies cut me loose. My guitar became my refuge until I mutilated my hand on PCP. Resolved to play again, I learned to play left-handed. I went out as a solo act, played and sang rock cover songs to a backing tape of bass and drums.

I met Shredmistress Rynata in 1993 while I was performing as the "Queen of Metal." She was playing in a band far below her level, collecting pay and waiting for a real prospect to come along. I was amazed by her talent and she was impressed by my vocals. We founded a band, Glamazon, to put out inventive, cutting edge hard rock. We moved in together so we could afford a lock-out rehearsal space and spent most of 1994 song writing, recording a demo, and looking for a bass player and drummer.


We lucked into our first gig only six weeks into rehearsals. Barely ready, we played a packed house in a trendy club and blew away the crowd. For the rest of 1995 we gigged around the SF Bay Area and went into the studio to cut our first CD. But our successes didn't bring us bigger bookings or a recording deal. Our musician turnover and flakiness problems began.

We ditched the bass player and drummer, and Rynata taught herself digital music production. Now it was just the two of us and a backing tape, and arrays of foot-controlled vocal and guitar effects to make us sound bigger. It was hard work but nobody else had a sound like Glamazon! Then in 1999 live music venues started closing.

The SF rock scene was dwindling so we moved to Los Angeles. In early 2000 we were flavor-of-the-month but soon we had to vie for gigs with all the other unsigned bands. I built a foot-controlled portable light show to help us stand out. (I had to step on so many switches for 45 minutes!)

We began recording a new CD at our home studio and entered the best song in a record label contest along with an older song. I was now 42, so this was my last shot. We were on track to win the May 2001 contest (and possibly a contract!), but the record label folded. A year later we split up. Eventually I was back to my solo show on special occasions. But it was a blast while it lasted!