When the band formed in the early 1970s, little did they know they would set the standard for hard rock bands that trailed. Many of the biggest acts of the ’80s became a popular opening for headliners Y&T—and cut their teeth on the band, as evidenced by the Y&T mentions in tell-all books by acts such as Metallica and Mötley Crüe.
Born in Oakland, California, Y&T is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s own innovators of the hard rock sound. Whether performing to a festival crowd of fifty-thousand or in an intimate nightclub, Y&T’s high-energy set and passionate performances still captivate legions of fans around the globe, proving Y&T’s music timeless.
Originally formed as Yesterday and Today, the initial powerhouse quartet—featuring Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), Phil Kennemore (bass), Leonard Haze (drums), and Joey Alves (rhythm guitar)—tore through the ’70s and ’80s with their own brand of hard rock. After two ’70s albums on London Records, they shortened their name to Y&T and released eight albums on A&M in the ’80s. Two more albums with Geffen Records marked an era of change with Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth) on drums and Stef Burns (Alice Cooper, Berlin, Huey Lewis) on guitar.
With a discography of 18 albums, three greatest hits collections, plus a boxed set, Y&T has sold over four million albums since their 1974 inception. The band’s most recent single I’m Coming Home has climbed to roughly 1.5 million views on YouTube. Y&T received extensive airplay with hits such as Forever, Rescue Me, Mean Streak, Don’t Stop Runnin’, and Summertime Girls—which played in heavy rotation on MTV. Y&T songs have been featured in a multitude of movies and television shows, including Real Genius, Out of Bounds, Baywatch, and Hunter. After five top 100 albums, songs that tipped into the 40s, two Bammie Awards, and many international television appearances, Y&T’s hits are still played on VH1 Classic and classic rock radio stations worldwide.
With the passing of Kennemore, Haze, and Alves, it’s Meniketti who carries on the legacy that is Y&T. Y&T continues to tour the world, featuring the dynamic original frontman Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), John Nymann (guitar/vocals), Aaron Leigh (bass/vocals), and Mike Vanderhule (drums/vocals), playing songs that span the band’s five-decade career and including all the hits and fan favorites. Prepare to have your face melted.
Y & T have been a band for almost thirty years but are still going to this day. They are definitely one of those bands that straight up refused to transcend. I mean, can you imagine if Bon Jovi still had huge blonde hair and sang with the biggest screaming vocals? Nope, me neither. To be fair though, I could maybe be swayed to go and see this band again as they still perform with such virtuosic qualities, Dace Meniketti has such a technically fantastic voice singing in the upper register of his tenor range! I know, wild. The guitar solos are fast, with lots of tapping and pinch harmonics, each one better than the last. They finish their set with the mammoth riffage of “Don’t Bring Me Down”. The audience sing throughout the song, as loud as they can with their fists and horns in the air pumping along to every syllable sang. I definitely feel as though I am in a time warp and have gone back to the mid 80’s to watch a metal band.
Lannistaar
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