A sad day for those of us raised on the music of Warrant and the bands of that era. Jani Lane was found dead on Thursday. August 11th in a hotel near L.A. While his moment in the spotlight ended over a decade ago, Lane was one of rock's most talented songwriters. His talents were often overlooked, thanks to the massive success of tracks like 'Cherry Pie' and 'Down Boys'. I implore everyone to check out 1992's epic 'Dog Eat Dog' for hard proof that this guy was more than just a flash in the pan. This was the start of Warrant's shift into a more contemporary sound and with Lane at the helm, they never sounded better. After jumping ship from Warrant for a few years, Lane rejoined and they put out 2 fantastic modern rock albums in 95's 'Ultraphobic' and 96's 'Belly to Belly'....virtually unheard albums, lost in the mid 90's rock shuffle.
After leaving Warrant for the last time, Lane resurfaced with his first solo effort, 2002's 'Back Down to One', which contained some of his strongest tracks. He also recorded an all star album by the name of Saints of the Underground, which focused on the heavier side of his talents.
Gone too soon, but always remembered for the great music he shared with us. This is yet another example of the destruction that drugs and alcohol abuse can cause. While popular musicians and actors get all the press when they meet their untimely demise, this horrible trend is everywhere and is felt by all who have had addiction touch their lives.
RIP Jani Lane
