Stevie Rachelle

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Stevie Rachelle
Instruments Vocals, Guitar, Baritone, Piano (a few notes)
Associated acts Tuff

Stevie Rachelle is best known as the lead singer of '80s glam metal band Tuff.[1] He has also released multiple solo albums, as well as material with a Green Bay Packers themed side project he founded called Cheeseheads With Attitude. Rachelle also tours, and records with a German based group called Shameless. In addition he is the sole owner/operator/financer/manager & co-creator of '80s glam metal website Metal Sludge and the manager of the Swedish sleaze rock band he discovered Vains of Jenna.

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[edit] Early life

Rachelle was born Steven Howard Hanseter on March 2, 1966. He was raised in America around the Lake Winnebago area of Oshkosh Wisconsin, despite being German. He moved to California as a young adult. Rachelle graduated from Oshkosh West High School in 1984, now the owner of the nickname "Banger", which was shortened from "Headbanger". Rachelle didn't receive the name because of his love for heavy metal music however, but after falling on his face trying to jump over a fence to impress a group of girls.

By spring 1985, self-taught musician Rachelle found himself in the local band X-iter as vocalist after being suggested for the job by a skateboarding friend of his. The band would perform originals and heavy metal cover songs by bands like Kiss, Black Sabbath and Van Halen.

[edit] Tuff

After singing in a few local Wisconsin bands like X-iter and Talon, Rachelle moved to Hollywood in June 1987 to pursue joining the band Tuff. Tuff became a fixture on the Sunset Strip selling out the Whisky-A-Go-Go, Gazzarris, The Troubadour, The Roxy and even the 1,100 seat capacity Country Club. The band were soon snatched up by Atlantic and recorded their debut album What Comes Around Goes Around in 1990. Their debut was produced by Howard Benson who had produced a list of similar bands such as Southgang featuring Butch Walker, Bang Tango, Sweet FA & Pretty Boy Floyd.

Tuff never achieved gold or platinum success but did have a top requested single, "I Hate Kissing You Goodbye", that hit #3 on Dial MTV just behind the #1 (Guns N' Roses) and the new Metallica single "Enter Sandman". The following week, Nirvana debuted.

Stevie Rachelle appeared in the Penelope Spheeris "rockumentary" The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. He was, at the time, one of multiple interviewees who were hopeful to land a record contract while trying to make a name for themselves on the crowded Sunset Strip music scene in late 1980s Los Angeles.

He is also the founding member of a Green Bay Packers tribute band called Cheeseheads With Attitude or CWA.

[edit] Indy Record Label

After struggling with record labels for years Stevie decided to form his own. Tuff was signed in 1990 and dropped by Atlantic Records in 1992. The band was then picked up by IRS Grand Slamm Records in early 1993. The label folded in less than a year, and Tuff were without a label. In early 1994, Rachelle started RLS Records. The initials stood for "Rachelle's Lyrics & Songs". The offshoot Cheezee Records was formed in 1996 to be the home for the Cheeseheads With Attitude project.

Tuff again signed to a record label in early 1995 when BMG/Mausoleum/MMS records picked up the RLS Fist First release after it sold upwards of 10,000 copies. BMG re-issued it as Religious Fix in June 1995 with 3 bonus tracks. The additional tracks were produced by Randy Cantor.

[edit] Later life

In 2001 a Tuff greatest hits package was released containing a new track called "American Hair Band". The song had several lyrics attacking grunge music. Rachelle referred to the song as his tribute to a scene he was extremely proud to be a part of and wanted to give something back to. Rachelle was in recent years revealed as "the man behind the curtain" of the 80's metal music website Metal Sludge. Rachelle is now living in California with two young children.

[edit] Skateboarding

As a youth growing up in Oshkosh, Steven became interested in skateboarding in the mid 70s. By the late 70s and very early 80s he and his friends were very serious about skateboarding. In January 1985 Steven moved to Florida to pursue skating and warmer weather. While skating at the local Ron Jon's Surf Shop Steven's ability to skate vertical drew the attention of a local rep from Kami Kaze Skates who wanted sponsor him and possibly to give Steven his own signature model. However the draw of rock and roll and Motley Crue, became to much and it was around this time that Hanseter became obsessed and beyond serious about pursuing music. Skateboarding a 10 year passion was now taking a back seat to heavy metal.

Once moving to California in 1987, music replaced skating in his life. In 1996 after the breakup of Tuff and the start of the X-Games Rachelle bought a new equipment and started to skate regularly at Skate Street in Ventura County, Skate Lab in Simi Valley and at the new Vans locations in Orange County, Ontario and Bakersfield. Stevie regained some of his skills and soon found himself doing skating on the 80' wide vertical ramp at Vans in Orange County. Many sessions included skating with the likes of Lincoln Ueda, Neil Hendrix, Mathias Ringstrom, Rune Glifberg, Omar Hassan and many of today's top professional vert skaters.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Tuff

  • What Comes Around Goes Around-Again (2012) RLS Records
  • Live in the U.K. (2003) RLS Records
  • History of Tuff (2001) RLS Records
  • Regurgitation (2000) RLS Records
  • Decade of Disrespect (1996) RLS Records
  • Religious Fix (1995) BMG/Mausoleum/MMS
  • Fist First (1994) RLS Records
  • What Comes Around Goes Around (1991) Atlantic/Titanium

[edit] Tuff Home Videos/DVD

[edit] Stevie Rachelle (solo) Albums

[edit] Cheeseheads With Attitude Albums

[edit] Cheeseheads With Attitude Home Videos

[edit] Shameless

[edit] Shameless DVD

[edit] Metal Sludge Releases

[edit] Miscellaneous Releases

[edit] Related RLS Records Releases

[edit] Compilations & Tribute Albums

[edit] Appearances in Published Books

[edit] TV & Film

[edit] References

  1. ^ Miller, Gerri (June 23, 2001). "Still Rockin' After All These Years". Billboard: p. 40. http://books.google.com/books?id=bRQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA40&dq=Stevie+Rachelle&hl=en&ei=OXu9TeH-HI_QsAPu65TjBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Stevie%20Rachelle&f=false. Retrieved 1 May 2011. 
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