Sammy Hagar & the Wabos - 2008

Sammy Hagar
Lead Singer / Guitar
Sammy is a professional rock and roller, nightclub owner, and Tequila connoisseur with a passion for quality in everything he does.

Sammy’s accolades include the journey as singer and songwriter for Van Halen for 11 years in the mid-80s through mid-90s, a highly successful solo career both before and after his run with Van Halen, and an early stint with Ronnie Montrose. In his long road of a career, Sammy's combined record sales when considering the above resume exceed 60 Million records sold! As founder of the most rockin’ club in the world (the Cabo Wabo Cantina of course) and producer of one of the truly premium Tequilas in the world (Cabo Wabo Tequila naturally), Sammy has established himself as an astute and extremely successful entrepreneur.

David Lauser
Drums
David and Sammy have played together on and off for over 30 years. In fact, there is no other musician Sammy has spent more time touring and recording with than David. They first met when they were both very young - barely out of high school. Sammy joined one of David's first bands as a teenager.`The Mobile Home', in San Bernardino, CA. David describes how they met: "I recall Sammy being dressed really cool and really digging our music. Afterwards the leader of our band told the rest of us that Sammy wanted to take the place of the guitar player who had just quit. Even at that young age, I had the balls to ask if this Sammy guy was any good...'what can he do?' Well, the next day we all jammed a couple of Cream songs...Sammy played the solo to 'Sunshine Of Your Love' note for note. We've been friends and gigging together ever since."

According to Sammy, after he and Van Halen parted ways, David was the natural choice as his drummer. Even during Sammy's time in Van Halen, he asked David to play drums on his non-Van Halen music, including his solo record, I Never Said Goodbye, and his 'Best Of' record, Unboxed. Additionally, Sammy recruited David and Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony to form his "party" band down in Cabo San Lucas, aptly named `Los Tres Gusanos' (`The 3 worms' in Spanish). Los Tres Gusanos will never die, and rumours abound that they may resurface in Cabo soon.

David's discography, along with more information on David's career, can be found on his website, www.DavidLauser.com

Vic Johnson
Guitar

As a teen growing up near Colorado Springs, Vic Johnson liked to think of himself as his town's own Jimi Hendrix. "Jimi turned me on to guitar," he says. "I soon picked up guitar and tried to learn all the Hendrix licks." Once bitten by the rock 'n' roll bug, Johnson never got over it. He played in bands throughout high school and beyond before moving to L.A. to seek entry into the thriving Hollywood music scene. He didn't have to wait to long. In 1980, he auditioned for and joined a fledgling all-African-American rock/soul band called the Busboys, and for the next eight years, he took a long ride on the back of a hurricane. The band appeared on the film "48 Hours", performed on "Saturday Night Live," and recorded several albums for Arista Records, all to the approval of their legion of fans around the world.

Vic enjoyed taking on side projects, such Sound Barriers, an all-black heavy metal band signed to MCA in the mid-80's. He also started his own metal band, Total Eclipse, which recorded for Taboo/A&M Records. Once the Busboys had run their course, Vic became a much-in-demand session player. But in the spring of '97, Vic's life changed yet again. He auditioned for Sammy Hagar's new band. He and Sam right away found many common interests, from mountain bikes and running to rock 'n' roll. "We started jamming," remembers Vic, "and Sam hired me on the spot."

The newly formed WaboRita's toured most of 1997 on the Marching to Mars world tour, which was a total joy for Vic. Now, he's most excited about the band's upcoming album, Red Voodoo. "This record is a departure from the last record," says Vic. "It's very funky in spots; very upbeat, party music. It's about fun, fun, fun." As for the temperament of the band itself, Vic couldn't be more pleased. "Everyone has input," he notes. "It's always about 'we' and 'us'. I'm really inspired by Sammy. To stand and play next to him is a very special thing for me."

Victor's website: http://www.vic-johnson.com

Mona
Bass Guitar

Mona makes her home in Willits, CA, along the rugged northern coast, and maybe some of the region's hardy spirit rubbed off on her. That's because she's gone on to be one of the best rock bassists in a world notoriously dominated by men. She started out playing guitar in high school, later taking up the bass viloin before switching to Fender bass. Mona played with the Mendocino College jazz band and other local cover bands, before joining Tommy Tutone("867-5309/Jenny"), with whom she stayed for 4 years.

Mona's Website

Mona then began working with a variety of artists, including Gene Parsons (Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers) and cult favorite Wayne Perkins, through whom she met David Lauser. The drummer told her that Sammy Hagar had been looking for a bassist.

Within minutes of her audition, Mona landed the job, and soon was off on Sammy's Marching to Mars tour of 1997. Throughout her career, Mona has earned respect and admiration for her playing, rarely finding her gender an obstacle, "Most people I've worked with have been really encouraging and accepting," she says. "Everyone thinks of Sammy as the testosterone rush, but his fans have been great, totally into having me on board. I've always been an aggressive player, and I think people respond to that."

As for Sammy's upcoming MCA album Red Voodoo, Mona offers this preview. "The new album is totally killer," she says. "The fans will dig it, and we'll attract a lot of new fans with it as well."

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