History Bang Tango

Although Bang Tango was often lumped in with the whole 80s glam metal movement (their deliberate 'pretty boy' looks and the fact that they hailed from Los Angeles, CA made it inevitable in their view), the hard rock quintet was one of the few L.A. metal groups to incorporate funk rockinto its sound, happening some time before the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More made it somewhat trendy to do so. Perhaps best known for their arena-ready tune "Someone Like You", the band's lineup consisted of Joe Lesté (vocals), Kyle Stevens (guitar), Mark Knight (guitar), Kyle Kyle (bass), and Tigg Ketler (drums), and the budding group gained the interest of MCA Records shortly after the quintet issued the in-concert recording 'Live Injection' in 1987. Their major-label debut, 'Psycho Café', was issued in 1989.

Though gaining a significant fan response, the group seemed cursed to have come in at the tail-end of the pop metal boom. Despite MTV's Headbanger's Ball program giving some air time to their single "Someone Like You", a release that came complete with a TV-hopeful music video, their album failed to break the band into the big time. Still, "Someone Like You" has ended-up included in various multi-artist hard rock album releases.

Bang Tango continued to issue albums during the early part of the 90s. These include 1991's 'Dancin' on Coals', 1992's 'Ain't No Jive...Live', and 1994's 'Love After Death'. Still, with the emergence of the alternative music movement, bands like Bang Tango became relatively passé with most of the metal community. Saddled with the 'also-ran' label, the band broke up shortly thereafter, with bassist Kyle joining former Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe's industrial rock project, the Newlydeads, while Joe Lesté did some time as a stand-in member of L.A. Guns.

As well, Ketler and Knight also resurfaced in the group the Worry Beads. In 1998, Kyle Kyle and Joe Lesté resurrected the Bang Tango name for the 1998 release, Live (on the Cleopatra label). A best-of compilation, Greatest Tricks, saw the light of day in 1999, as did United and Live the same year. In 2001, Lesté formed a more modern-sounding alt-metal outfit, Beautiful Creatures, issuing a self-titled debut the same year on Warner Bros., and toured as part of Ozzfest.

Bang Tango band members

(1987-1993)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Mark Knight - guitar

Kyle Stevens- guitar

Kyle Kyle - bass

Tigg Ketler (born Robert Ketler) - drums

(1993-1995)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Mark Knight - guitar

Matt Price - guitar

Kyle Kyle - bass

Tigg Ketler - drums

(1995-1996) SPLIT

(1996-1998)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Mark Tremalgia - guitar

Dan Aon - guitar

Kyle Kyle - bass

Rob Jones - drums

(1998-1999)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Mark Knight - guitar

Kyle Kyle - bass

Walter Earl - drums

Mattie B. - guitars

(2002-2003)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Michael Thomas - guitar

Anthony Focx guitar

Brian Saunders - bass

Robert Gibb - drums

(2003)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Michael Thomas - guitar

Anthony Focx guitar

Curtis Roach - bass

Glenn Sobel - drums

(2003)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Alex Grossi - guitar

Anthony Focx - guitar

Curtis Roach - bass

Glenn Sobel - drums

(2003-2005)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Alex Grossi - guitar

Anthony Focx - guitar

Curtis Roach - bass

Matt Starr - drums

(2005)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Michael Thomas - guitar

Jamie Keane - bass

Tod Burr - drums

(2005-2006)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Mark Simpson - guitar

Lance Eric - bass

Timmy Russell - drums

(2006-2007)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Michael Thomas - guitar

Lance Eric - bass

Timmy Russell - drums

(2007-present)

Joe Lesté - vocals

Michael Thomas - guitar

Ryan Seelbach - guitar

Lance Eric - bass

Timmy Russell - drums

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