RICK BLACK (SHARK ISLAND): “We Put [Bloodline] Out And Sold Out… [We] Realized We Were Over Our Heads With This One”

Someday is Today

Back in the early ’80s you could find Shark Island on the famous Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. They were the house band at Gazzaris before they were signed by Epic Records in 1989. That same year saw the release of their debut album The Law of the Order. An underground Heavy Metal classic. Two songs from the album, “Dangerous” and “Father Time” appeared in the movie Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Another track, “My City” was featured in Point Break. Perhaps Keanu was a big fan?

That was it for Shark Island. Rick Black went on to front the supergroup Contraband in 1991. Black’s bandmates were Michael Schenker (MSG), Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns), Share Pedersen (Vixen), and Bobby Blotzer (Ratt). They also had music featured in a movie. “Loud Guitars, Fast Cars & Wild, Wild Livin” appeared in the Richard Grieco film If Looks Could Kill. And that was it for Contraband. After that Rick disappeared from the scene for a while. He reemerged with Shark Island in 2006 with the album Gathering of the Faithful. In 2019 Shark Island released Bloodline, on their own, and with a limited amount. They sold out!

2020 sees the release of Bloodline 2.020 [review] through Deko Entertainement. The updated version features two bonus tracks. One is an extended version of “Rocks on the Rocks.” The other is a brand new, tear-jerking ballad “Someday.” This song hit me hard and I think it’s going to hit a lot of other guys hard. I reached out to Rick to analyze the new song, to find out how Bloodline got new life, what put the brakes on Shark Island, and if Guns N’ Roses’ front man Axl Rose ‘borrowed’ Rick’s stage mannerisms.

Shark Island is:

Rick Black – Vocals
Alex Kane – Guitar
Christian Heilmann – Bass
Allen Frljak – Drums

Band Links:

Official Website
Facebook
Instagram
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