Eduardo Rivadavia (aka Ed Rivadavia) was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and by his late teens had already toured the world (and elsewhere), learning four languages on three continents. Having also accepted the holy gospel of rock & roll as his lord and savior, Eduardo became infatuated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and all things heavy, crude, and obnoxious while living in Milan, Italy, during the mid-1980s. At this time, he also made his journalistic debut as sole writer, editor, publisher, and, some would claim, reader of his high school's heavy metal fanzine, earning the scorn of jocks and nerds alike, but uniting the small hardcore music-loving contingent into a frenzied mob that spent countless hours exchanging tapes, talking shop, and getting beat up at concerts. Upon returning home to Brazil, Eduardo resumed a semi-normal existence, sporadically contributing music articles to local papers and magazines while earning his business degree. Finally, after years of obsessive musical fandom and at peace with his distinct lack of musical talent, Eduardo decided the time had come to infiltrate the music industry by the fire escape. He quit his boring corporate job, relocated to America, earned his master's degree while suffering the iniquities of interning for free (anything for rock & roll!), and eventually began working for various record labels, accumulating mountains of records and (seemingly) useless rock trivia in the process. This eventually led him back to writing, and he has regularly contributed articles to multiple websites since 1999, working with many different rock genres but specializing, as always, in his personal hobby: hard rock and heavy metal. To quote from the insightful 'This Is Spinal Tap': "People should be jealous of me...I'm jealous of me...." Eduardo currently resides in Austin, TX, with his wife, two daughters, and far more records, CDs and MP3s than he'll ever have time to listen to.
Eduardo Rivadavia
30 Years Ago: Judas Priest’s ‘Defenders of the Faith’ Released
Perhaps the definitive Judas Priest offering of the '80s, 'Defenders of the Faith,' their ninth studio album, was released on Jan. 4, 1984.
Def Leppard Guitarist Phil Collen Reveals New Project, Delta Deep
2013 was a busy year for Def Leppard, between their Las Vegas residency, assorted live and studio engagements and guitarist Vivian Campbell’s treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But not busy enough for guitarist Phil Collen, apparently, since he is devoting parts of his holiday season to promoting a new musical endeavor named Delta Deep.
Metallica and Iron Maiden Team Up to Headline Sonisphere
Two of heavy metal’s greatest champions, Metallica and Iron Maiden, have been officially confirmed as headliners for Sonisphere 2014 -- the European continent-touring mega-festival first launched to great success in 2009, but which latter suffered a last-minute cancellation of its UK leg in 2012, and took a year off in ’13...
How Frank Zappa Returned to His Youth on ‘Cruising With Ruben and the Jets’
A mysterious group of pompadoured cartoon faces turned back the clock to highlight the golden era of doo-wop.
Jake E. Lee Returns With Red Dragon Cartel
After maintaining a relatively low profile in recent years -- at least for someone whose past includes time with Ozzy Osbourne's band, Badlands, Rough Cutt and even founder status in the pre-Ratt group Mickey Ratt -- guitar great Jake E. Lee is once again making a high-profile splash with his new band project Red Dragon Cartel.
When Metallica Got Riffy and Spontaneous on ‘Reload’
In a way, this is the least self-conscious album they ever made.
21 Years Ago: Ozzy Osbourne ‘Retires’
Ozzy Osbourne’s lofty career achievements and shocking controversial episodes were known to almost anyone who loved and kept up on music throughout the '80s, so when the notorious singer announced he intended to retire from rock and roll on November 15, 1992, people listened!
AC/DC Almost Fired Bon Scott After 1975 Heroin Overdose, Claims Former Bassist
According to a new book, former AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott was nearly fired from the group back in 1975 after he almost died from a heroin overdose.
Tommy Lee: Mick Mars’ Health a Factor Behind Motley Crue’s Farewell Tour
The countdown to what's being touted as Motley Crue’s farewell tour has officially begun. But details about the exact reach, dates and reasons behind the decision remain subject to wild debate.
35 Years Ago: AC/DC Release ‘If You Want Blood You’ve Got It’
By 1978, AC/DC had packed their relatively short, half-decade career with five albums and hundreds of concerts. For their strenuous efforts they deservedly attained a considerable amount of success around the world. But they still hadn't cracked the platinum-sales mark in the U.S. That career benchmark was just around the corner, with the following year's 'Highway to Hell.' But before taking that
26 Years Ago: Joe Satriani’s ‘Surfing with the Alien’ Album Released
The future of guitar playing arrived in stores 26 years ago, courtesy of Joe Satriani’s epochal second album, and de facto public coming out party, 1987’s ‘Surfing with the Alien.’
45 Years Ago: ‘Live! Bootleg’ Presents Aerosmith Unvarnished
It was a hot mess but also perhaps the most authentic concert release of the period.