Vain

BIOGRAPHY

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Vain (1986-1991, 1993-present): a Glam Metal band from San Francisco, California, USA.

merican glam metal act Vain are natives of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and formed in 1986 under the membership of Davy Vain (lead vocals/additional guitars), Ashley "Ash" Mitchell (ex-Guns N' Roses; bass), Dylana "D.N." Nova Scott (lead guitar) and Tommy "Tom" Rickard (drums). The band suffered a split for two years between 1991 and 1993 before reforming. The band membership has shifted over the years to include Louie Senor (drums; 1994-2009), Danny Fury (drums; 1993-1994), and most recently Joel Proto who replaced West in 2016.

Davy Vain had initially began his career as a record producer, producing Death Angel's debut album The Ultra-Violence, before recording a demo with Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett in 1986. After recording, Vain decided to form a band, in the San Francisco Bay Area, under his own moniker, adding bassist Ashley Mitchell, drummer Tom Rickard and guitarists Dylana Nova and Danny West to the lineup. From 1986 to 1987, the band proceeded to play shows in San Francisco, before playing regularly in Los Angeles, where they also opened for Guns N' Roses prior to their subsequent success. The critically well received debut, No Respect (1989) peaked at 154 on the Billboard 200.

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However, the honeymoon would be over during the recording of the sophomore effort, All Those Strangers (1991) when their label 'PolyGram', dropped the band leaving the album incomplete and having to be finished elsewhere. The same year, West and Rickard departed the band.

Vain soon added guitarist Shawn Rorie and former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler to the lineup. Vain then renamed themselves Road Crew, the name of one of Adler's previous bands that featured both Slash and Duff McKagan. They recorded a new album and gained record label attention. However, Adler's drug problems at the time led to that band's disbanding.

Vain reformed in 1993 with new drummer Danny Fury, formerly of The Lords of the New Church, to record their next albumn Move On It (1993). The rise in popularity of Seattle's grunge movement meant the album did not achieve the same success as No Respect previously, however. By the time Vain began recording their fourth album, Scott, West and Fury had departed the band, with Scott going on to audition for Ozzy Osbourne and join Big Blue Hearts, while West released a solo EP entitled Taste the Sounds. With Davy Vain now handling both vocal and guitar duties, as well as producing the album, and Mitchell on bass, Vain added drummer Louie Senor to the lineup to record Fade through 'Polystar' in 1995.

In 2000, Davy recorded and released his debut solo album entitled In From Out of Nowhere with Mitchell, Senor and guitarist Craig Behrhorst. The same year, Scott returned to the band and contributed to the solo album. The following year, Davy worked with Christina Aguilera as the assistant engineer and Pro Tools engineer on her album Stripped.

Vain re-released their debut album No Respect, through 'Gott Discs' in 2005, with West rejoining. On the Line would follow later that same year.

In 2009, original drummer Tom Rickard returned to the lineup.

In 2011, Vain toured Europe, with the enhanced line-up including Deathstars guitarists Cat Casino and Skinny Disco, as well as San Francisco bassist Fraser Lunney, before releasing their new album, Enough Rope. The album featured drums by Rickard, Senor and Adler, bass by Ashley Mitchell and Fraser Lunney as well as unreleased material from their time as Road Crew.

In 2017, Vain released the album Rolling with the Punches.

Scott, now a multi-patented inventor of guitar gear, would make cameo appearances live and records with the band on a limited basis since relocating to Nashville, TN in 2009.

Joel Proto would take guitars in time for the 2024 release of Disintegrate Together, replacing West.

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