Of all the unlikely origin stories in the history of Rock, The Dead Daisies may possess the unlikeliest of them all. Co-founder/guitarist David Lowy’s résumé prior to 2011 included holding the Executive and Managing Director positions for Australia’s Westfield Group, a corporation that oversaw the creation, acquisition and marketing of shopping centers (or centres, as they arrange the letters). He held the job from 1981 to 2000, at which point, he left Westfield and spearheaded the formation of his family’s private investment company, Lowy Family Group (LFG), with which he still maintains several directorial positions. He had retained a seat on the Westfield board until his 2011 retirement.
The following year, Lowy and veteran vocalist Jon Stevens co-founded The Dead Daisies. In 2013, the Hard Rock/quasi-Metal band released its self-titled debut album which featured the hit single “Lock ’N’ Load,” co-written by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, who also guested on the track. The band was fleshed out by GNR vets Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer and Dizzy Reed, along with Whitesnake/Thin Lizzy bassist Marco Mendoza. The Dead Daisies toured relentlessly in support of the album, opening for ZZ Top, Jane’s Addiction, Alice in Chains and the Black Star Riders, performing several festival slots, and headlining their first show late in the year in the U.K. By then, they’d already installed a new rhythm section — former Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones and former Cult/Divinyls drummer Charley Drayton.
In 2014, the Daisies shifted lineups fairly regularly, most notably with Mendoza returning to the band, and released the Face I Love EP. The band also did its first headlining tour of Australia and opened the Bad Company/Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kiss/Def Leppard tours. In 2015, the Daisies made history by becoming the first western band to play Cuba after the Obama administration normalized relations with the country (Stevens opted out of the tour — and eventually the band — and was replaced by former Mötley Crüe /Angel City vocalist John Corabi). In 2015, the Daisies’ sophomore album, Revolución, was released and the group continued its association with KISS, opening the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ Australian tour and taking part in another KISS Kruise.
In the last two years, Fortus and Reed left for GNR duties, replaced by former Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich and, eventually, veteran skinsman Deen Castronovo. The band has also released its third studio album, 2016’s Make Some Noise, and a live album, last year’s Live & Louder. Back in April, The Dead Daisies released their fourth studio set, Burn It Down; the first single from the album, “Rise Up,” is a call to counteract the current ills of the world.
The Daisies may well go down as one of the greatest semi-supergroups of the Rock era and, given Lowy’s business pedigree, could redefine the term “corporate Rock.”
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This article appears in Aug 22-29, 2018.