About Me
It was 1980 and an aspiring rock singer named Michael Matijevic climbed a dark stairwell and entered a beer can littered room located above a low rent bar in Norwalk, Connecticut. Introductions were brief. Without wasting time, Matijevic grabbed the microphone and belted out Zeppelin's "Been a long time since I rock and rolled. When guitarist Chris Risola, bassist James Ward and drummer Jack Wilkinson kicked in, STEELHEART was born. Playing as "Red Alert", Matijevic and the band spent the next 7 years playing nightclubs and festivals. Eventually John Fowler replaced Jack Wilkinson on drums. Later, former Rage of Angels frontman Frank Dicostanzo joined the band and "Red Alert" became a five piece. After recording a four-track demo tape Matijevic went in search of a record deal. After months of pounding the pavement Matijevic met artist manager Stan Poses. At first Poses refused to listen to the demo. But Matijevic did not give up and continued to promote the band. His persistence was finally rewarded when a chance encounter with Poses ended with a scribbled address on a scrap of paper. The next morning a Federal Express package was waiting for Poses on his desk. Hours later Poses left a message for Matijevic: "You fuck, you're right. It's that fucking good! Call me as soon as you get this message". On Wednesday the band drove in to New York to meet with Poses. Poses refused to let the band leave until they had a verbal agreement to work together. The band agreed and that Friday Poses called Matijevic. He left the following message: "You ready? You are now on MCA Records. Have a good weekend!" Then he hung up the phone. Matijevic and the band flew to California to record their debut album with producer Mark Opitz. They soon discovered that the name "Red Alert" had already been trademarked and that they needed a new name. A few days later, over tacos and beer at Barney's Beanery, the name "SteelHeart" was agreed upon. STEELHEART soon embarked on a tour of Japan and Europe. Their song "She's Gone" had risen to number 1 on the international charts, and ended up staying there for 17 weeks It sold thirty three thousand albums on the first day of it's release in Japan. While touring Europe, a radio station in Salt Lake City took notice and played their song "I'll Never Let You Go". The song became an over-night success, reached number 14 on the billboard charts and was the number 2 most requested on MTV. They soon released a new song and video called "Everybody Loves Eileen", which also hit high levels of success. The album sold over a million copies worldwide. Returning from their first world tour , Matijevic and the band went back into the studio. The result was “Tangled in Reins, produced by Matijevic and Tom Werman. After the album was completed, STEELHEART hit the road again. On Halloween Eve, at Denver's Mc Nichol's Arena, Matijevic climbed an improperly secured lighting truss during STEELHEART'S performance. The 1000 pound rig collapsed and fell upon him. He was struck on the back of his head and crushed into the stage. Matijevic sustained serious head injuries and a long recovery period followed. In 1996, Matijevic assembled a new group of musicians under the STEELHEART name. The group included Kenny Andrews on guitars (Slaughter, Hellion), Alex Makarovichon drums (Texas Chainsaw Massacre III soundtrack) and session pro Vincent Mele Jr.on bass. Veteran producer Kit Woolven (Thin Lizzy, David Gilmour, David Bowie) joined Matijevic in producing 'WAIT'. The album was released in the Far East and included the song "We all Die Young" which was later featured in the movie "ROCKSTAR".
