New York-based rockers Held Hostage are all about helping military veterans, and will do so this Veterans Day, when their latest single, “Show Me the Way Back Home,” is released, with portions of the proceeds being donated to veterans groups. The thought-provoking track featuring iconic singer Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow/Deep Purple/Yngwie Malmsteen), and then will be followed up with a full-length CD, entitled ‘Epic.’ A video has also been released for the track and a link has been established for purchase: https://heldhostage.hearnow.com/show-me-the-way-back-home
“I started writing ‘Show Me the Way Back Home’ after hearing stories from my brother about Vietnam, and the way they were treat when they arrived home,” explains the group’s founder/guitarist, Tom Collier. “They were spit on, thrown beer cans at, and treated horribly by the protesters. They were even told upon arrival to USA to take off their uniforms so protesters wouldn’t target them. I became fascinated by the stories – not to mention disgusted – and I researched Vietnam and all the wars.”
“I realized that a lot of these men never came home, and the ones that did come home, truly never made it back all the way. That’s why I wrote ‘Show Me the Way Back Home,’ in hopes to heal and let them know there is a way for them to come back home. I will also donate a portion of the proceeds of my music sales to veterans groups. I am currently helping the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 704 raise funds to build a memorial for the 27 Heroes in Cayuga County – 27 that never came home.”
Held Hostage will be supporting the single with upcoming live performances, including January 24th, Held Hostage will assemble at The House Of Blues in Anaheim for their assault opening for Metal Allegiance.
And it turns out that Held Hostage’s link to bringing awareness to those in need stretches back to their formation. “Held Hostage was formed in the 1980 after the Iranians held the Americans hostage. I started it under the premise to help people and bring awareness through our music. It became an official band in late 1983 and we started in this little shack/former slaughter house, in small town in Upstate New York called Victory.”
Currently, Held Hostage features a line-up comprised of Tom on lead guitar/Vocals (sometimes lead vocals), Greg Truax: lead vocals, Scott Gregg: rhythm guitar, Joe Reppert: bass, Ian Evans: drums, plus special guest players Carl Canedy: drums (from The Rods) Giorgio Mongelli (Ethan Brosh) Freddy Villano (Quiet Riot, Dee Snider’s Widowmaker, American Mafia), and Mike Santarsiero (Totally Lost Cause).
And it turns out that Tom has an interesting story behind how Joe Lynn Turner and Carl Canedy got involved. “It all started at one of my first shows. I met this woman, Loree Hunt, who drove from New York City to Upstate NY to see our band. She works with a booking agency in USA and Europe. She said you have some great songs, I need to introduce you to this guy that can help you. She introduced me to John Pettigrass, the owner of AEM (Artist Event Management). I met with John, and he said, ‘Show Me the Way Back Home’ is a great song and great cause. We need to find the right producer and iconic singer to this song.’ John mentioned Carl Canedy, and me being a huge Rods fan, I was like, ‘Yes!’ .Carl and I have become great friends and he not only produced the song, but he played drums on it, also. Now the tracks were done John said, ‘I have found the perfect singer. He brought in Joe Lynn Turner, who sang the song with heart and passion. It was a great match.”
With the song/video released and the full-length ‘Epic’ set to appear in early 2019, touring now lays ahead. “This past summer we went out on a USA tour with our good friend/brother Ross the Boss. We were greeted with loud cheers and yells for encores, as we left the stage each night. It was a great tour and experience for all of us. We are currently setting up our tour dates for 2019, including January 24th, 2019 playing the NAMM show as direct support for Metal Allegiance, at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. We hope to have all of our tour dates finalized in the coming weeks. Held Hostage plans on touring, releasing our new album, and we have a little bit of surprise release coming in April, featuring a former rock star who passed away. I have written enough material to cover 6 albums! So, we are ready, willing and able to rock.”
