The first song from
FARMIKOS, the new band led by former
OZZY OSBOURNE/
DAVID LEE ROTH guitarist
Joe Holmes, can be streamed at
Farmikos.com.
Holmes is joined in the new group by former
LAIDLAW singer
Robert "Robbie" Locke (pictured below with
Holmes).
Holmes, 49, took lessons from legendary guitarist
Randy Rhoads (
OZZY OSBOURNE,
QUIET RIOT) in 1979 before forming the Los Angeles-based band
TERRIFF in 1983.
Holmes briefly left
TERRIFF in 1987 to join
LIZZY BORDEN and stayed with the latter group for a year before reforming
TERRIFF.
After guitarist
Jason Becker was diagnosed with ALS while recording
DAVID LEE ROTH's album
"A Little Ain't Enough" in 1990,
Holmes stepped in to replace him.
In 1995, after
Ozzy Osbourne had finished recording the
"Ozzmosis" album, a replacement for
Zakk Wylde was needed for the tour and
Holmes got the job.
"It's really spooky,"
Ozzy once said in an interview, "because when
Joe plays the
Randy Rhoads stuff, he plays just like him — it's like I can see
Randy's fingers."
Holmes remained
Ozzy's guitarist for five years, before leaving the band during the writing sessions for the
"Down To Earth" album. Although
Holmes does not play on the CD, the songs
"Facing Hell",
"Junkie" and
"That I Never Had", which were co-written by
Holmes, appear on the album.


