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On a cold St Patrick’s Day, former White Lion singer
Mike Tramp rolled into Long Island’s party town Farmingdale, to commence
us to his new formation of “Mike Tramp’s White Lion” at the Long Island’s premier
rock club The Downtown. A wise choice, considering the hefty crowd attendance
that night, cheered on by radio station WBAB disc jockey and reining king of Metal
Shop, Mr. Fingers” himself.
The question asked by many is why White Lion broke up. Was it the Grunge revolution
of the nineties or simply internal conflicts? With many hits, successful albums
and sold out tours it is an infamy that the guys could not persevere on like their
counterparts Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Aerosmith. White Lion were known
for precisely crafting catchy songs combined with instrumental wizardry from master
guitarist Vito Bratta.
 With
their hit singles “Wait”, “Little Fighter” and “When the Children Cry”, they stormed
the concert halls across the world, leaving teenage girls weeping and guys with
sore necks from head banging. The deadly mix of good looks, striking songs and a
great stage act made them headliners in no time and soon the boys from Brooklyn
were on their way to Hollywood. Little did they know that the gravy train would
soon end after their final yet fantastic album “Mane Attraction”. This album was
loaded with hot songs and truly showcased the talent of the band. It was also released
around the time “grunge music” started hitting the airwaves, leaving the album prey
to greedy record executives scrambling to climb aboard the new wave of rock music,
therefore putting metal acts on the lower rung of the totem pole of promotional
budgeting.
Mike Tramp came to America in the early eighties from his native Denmark to seek
out the American music dream. After the White Lion period he recorded various solo
albums and participated in a band called “Freak of Nature”. A recent documentary
on VH1 about White Lion probably sparked the idea to go back on the road again under
the same moniker. Currently he is a residing in Australia and indeed reviving the
White Lion legacy with a world tour in different venues like this performance in
Farmingdale, NY.
With a new cast of great musicians plucked from various countries including Australia,
Denmark and America, he is ready for the kill and hungry to bring back the memory
of the eighties. After a spineless yet reliable set by the faceless eighties one
hit wonder group “Enuffz’Enuff, Mike Tramp hit the stage under loud applause with
the White Lion favorite “Hungry for your Love”. Any aficionado of White Lion’s
music will agree, that seeing Mike Tramp back on stage sparked mixed emotions similar
to meeting a long lost girlfriend who you were very fond of, but for some reason
had no appreciation for at the time. It was a magical point in time you thought
would last forever, yet came to an abrupt end!
Mike still has his looks and is in good shape with tattoos fashionably across his
body. Backed by a very strong band, Mike strummed with ease through the White Lion
greatest hits list. His voice still intact and boisterous stage personality impressed
the jaded Long Island audience and soon enough he persuaded them to sing along with
great songs such as “Little Fighter”, “Lady of the Valley” and the infectious “Tell
Me”. As the band plays “Broken Heart”, you can’t help but wonder if indeed
the lyrics-“you can’t fight the pain of a broken heart”, are written all over Mike’s
forehead. He is passionate and angry about the loss of his White Lion success days
and wants the world to know he is back to shake everyone up with crushing songs
like “Lights and Thunder”,” Radar Love”, “Love Don’t Come Easy “ and “Wait”.
 In
between the songs Mike amused the crowd with a comedy-like rap he dubbed himself
as a David Lee Roth knock-off. Not claiming to be bitter, he profusely scolded on
today’s TV shows and music scene, reminiscing the days when MTV played metal videos
and clubs were packed with music lovers supporting bands. Indeed, it must be difficult
for someone like Mike, to adapt in today’s world as a believer of great rock n”
roll music while being plagued with pitiable shows such as American Idol where spiritless
wanna-bees who have not paid their dues on the live circuit, are rocketed to instant
fame. Perhaps Mike Tramp will have to date a Baywatch starlet, write a book on the
rock n’ roll lifestyle and be featured in a VH-1 reality show to get White Lion
to play and sell–out Madison Square Garden in fashion with the recently reunited
Motley Crue.
As the spirited concert draws a near, the remaining late-night crowd is exhausted
yet sad to see the end in sight. The worn-out fans barely have the energy to cheer,
but are rescued by the band eager to play an encore.
The band will next head out to Ohio to preach and teach another surprised crowd
the principles and lessons of rock n “roll- a great service provided by Mike Tramp
and the band in these times of lethargy and indifference.
For more information, check out http://www.miketramp.com,
http://www.drummertroy.com
and the
Mike Tramp FanPage.
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