Former MEGADETH/BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Bassist JAMES LOMENZO Speaks To VINTAGE ROCK (Video)

Vintage Rock 's Junkman conducted an interview with bassist James Lomenzo (MEGADETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DAVID LEE ROTH, WHITE LION) at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which took place January 23-26 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if he ever keeps up with what his former bandmates are doing, Lomenzo told Atomic Ned in a 200 interview: "Mike Tramp [WHITE LION] calls me every once in a while and lets me know what he's doing, so it's easy for me. Ace Frehley … I contacted him because a friend of mine in Japan was doing an album of songs that go with animated monsters and I thought he would love that. I just keep an eye on him peripherally, we don't really speak very much, although he's been to my parents' house. Every once in a while I'll see somebody who knows David Lee Roth and they'll say, 'Dave says, 'hey.'' There's not, like, a clubhouse or a batcave that we all go to and hang out."

Lomenzo also spoke about trying out for former guitarist Jake E. Lee's post-OZZY OSBOURNE band BADLANDS while James was still a member of WHITE LION.

"Just before WHITE LION broke, Ray Gillen, who was in BADLANDS, a dear friend of mine from way back when, called me up and said, 'I know you're in L.A. and you're going to get on a plane but we need a bass player, would you come down and audition?' I was already in WHITE LION and we had already recorded our album ('Pride') but, as it goes, I said, 'Let me come down, I'd love to play with Jake.' Eric Singer [ALICE COOPER, KISS, BLACK SABBATH] was playing drums and we jammed for a while. It was really quite good except I remember Jake E. Lee had some sort of distortion pedal and it was really hard to hear everything he was playing. So we finished playing. There was this little bathroom in the corner so I went there because, you know, we had to go to the airport and as I'm relieving myself, in comes Ray and he goes, 'Well, you want to do it?' I was like, 'Dude, let's just get to the airport. Get me home and I'll think about it.' We got in his car, turn on the radio, and [the WHITE LION song] 'Wait' came on. It was the first time I had ever heard it on the radio. I looked at him and said, 'You know what? It was really cool playing with you but I don't think so.'"