STEEL PANTHER Announces New Bassist

California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER have welcomed Spyder as their new bassist.

Spyder and the STEEL PANTHER guys have known each other for decades. But it was in 2018 that Spyder did his first live show with the band. Little did they know that those shows would be a foreshadowing of what destiny had in store for their collective futures. In 2021, the band found themselves in a pickle; they needed a bass player. An exhaustive search brought many submissions and fans were treated to a variety of bassists on different tours. The band had even considered a few well-known bassists to fill the void. Throughout the five-week European tour in summer of 2022, it became quite evident to all four guys that this lineup was unstoppable. A few more months of touring together perfected the new lineup and now anyone that has seen the band recently knows that Spyder is the perfect addition to STEEL PANTHER.

STEEL PANTHER said in a statement: "We wanted it to be you. We wanted it to be you so badly. So, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but we want to do that because we want you. We want all of you, forever, you and us, every day. To us, you are perfect. You had us at hello. You complete us. We're gonna need a bigger boat."

To coincide with the new bassist announcement, STEEL PANTHER has announced a U.S. tour, "Claus & Paws Holiday Party". The eight-city trek will kick off in late November after the band wraps up its recently announced Canadian leg of the "Res-Erections" tour 2022.

"Claus & Paws Holiday Party" tour dates

Nov. 26 - Sault St. Marie - Kewadin Casino
Nov. 27 - Grand Rapids, MI - 20 Monroe Live
Nov. 29 - Warren, OH - Packard Music Hall
Nov. 30 - Ft. Wayne, IN – Piere's Entertainment Center
Dec. 02 - Waterloo, NY - Del Lago Casino
Dec. 03 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance Theater
Dec. 04 - New Haven, CT – Toad's Place
Dec. 29 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
Dec. 30 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom

Just three months ago, STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr and drummer Stix Zadinia discussed their search for a permanent replacement for their original bassist Lexxi Foxx in an interview with RAMzine. Michael said: "We tried out over… We had how many video submissions… probably [over 700]. And we went through every single video. And we did some test runs with some people. And when we find the right guy, you guys will know."

Added Stix: "On this tour, we have our friend Spyder with us, who is a great friend and an even better bass player. He's not that great a friend. I'm kidding. He's awesome. We've known him since 1990. He's one of our homies and he's killing it. And we cannot wait to jam with him. But we are still searching for the permanent guy 'cause Spyder's got another gig; he's got a paper route that he works on."

Continued Michael: "We may never find another replacement for Lexxi. We love him. We miss him dearly. And I'm glad he's doing what he wants to do in life. But replacing him, it's like trying to replace Stix or me — it's impossible. So we may never, ever have a bass player. We might just be trying out bass players until I die."

Stix added: "And every time we get a new guy, we just say, 'Hey, come out. There's no money involved. So just try out.' We just keep doing it forever."

A year ago, Lexxi — whose real name is Travis Haley — told Rocking With Jam Man that he hadn't spoken with his former bandmates since his exit. "I still talk to the singer a little bit; I have in the past," he said. "But I think that those scars and I think that the departure, the way that it went down, I think there's some sore spots. But that's tough for me to talk about.

"That was something that I'm very proud of — to be that character for such a long period of time, and to play with those cats," he continued. "They're all amazing musicians. And I just think that it is different to not have that [in my life] — I'd been in character for so long — but I have to say it's a little refreshing as well."

When STEEL PANTHER first announced Lexxi's exit in July 2021, the band jokingly said that Foxx "started his side business, 'Sexy Lexxi's Prettiest Pets,' to bring in money for Botox during the lockdown." After realizing that "his love for making pets pretty was greater than his love for being pretty himself," he chose "to hang up his mirror and focus on his newfound passion: making ugly dogs pretty," the group wrote in a statement.

Back in December 2018, Lexxi sat out a STEEL PANTHER tour after being admitted to "sex rehab." The real reason for his absence was never officially disclosed.

During an appearance on an episode of the "2020'd" podcast, STEEL PANTHER guitarist Satchel stated about Lexxi's departure: "We didn't want him to quit. Nobody wanted him to quit, including a lot of fans. I'm sure a lot of fans are very sad that he left. But he's the guy who left the band. I think he's got his own things he's dealing with, and he just wanted to go and do that. So, I don't know… I can't answer for Lexxi Foxx. But we will all miss Lexxi Foxx, and we all wish him the best in everything that he does. But we didn't fire him; he quit the band. So we're gonna have to move on and get somebody else who's younger and foxier and doesn't need as much Botox," referencing the drug doctors have been using for years to treat wrinkles and facial creases.

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Fourteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

Haley, who was an original member of STEEL PANTHER, recently announced the formation of his new band HOLLYWOOD GODS N' MONSTERS with longtime friend and television celebrity from MTV's "Pimp My Ride", Diggity Dave.

Photo credit: David Jackson