Vanishing Lessons video...

Enjoy....

Thank you for recording and sharing. Vanishing Lessons is a solid album and was the last TQT album I purchased.

Too bad we never got the Luke Easter EP for Girls Purse Issue.

I'm going through a really tough time right now, and that video took me back to better days.

Thank you, Luke.

Much better days. Sorry to hear you're going through a tough time.

I never expected to see more behind-the-scenes Tourniquet from the 90s. Great surprise. Vanishing Lessons was one of my favorites as a teenager.

I still have a VHS copy of this video, but no VHS player. 

So thanks for posting this!

TZ75 wrote:I still have a VHS copy of this video, but no VHS player. 

So thanks for posting this!

This is not the same thing as the Pushin’ Broom video release. This is where a lot of the footage in that release was taken from, but this is a completely different video.

Luke Easter wrote:

TZ75 wrote:I still have a VHS copy of this video, but no VHS player. 

So thanks for posting this!

This is not the same thing as the Pushin’ Broom video release. This is where a lot of the footage in that release was taken from, but this is a completely different video.

My mistake. 

Thanks again for sharing this extremely rare behind the scenes footage!

This rare footage is like a bunch of Easter eggs all at once!

Wow! Thanks A LOT, Luke!!

I'm so glad you had recorded this. Not only we are seeing actual footage of the producer actually cutting and editing the tape the old school way, and recording one of the underrated TQT tracks Sola Christus, but there's also footage of MICHAEL RUSSO too!

I asked about his involvement in Tourniquet from both Ted and Gary and both affirmed that he was an actual member of the band for a very short time.

I just checked his reply from Facebook private messages and this is what he said when I asked him to confirm if Michael Russo was an actual member of the band:
"yes to this... Actually gone from the band before the album was even completed. Sometimes things just don't go as hoped... quickly."


Years ago I tried to add this information to Tourniquet's Wikipedia page but someone said there is not enough credible sources for that. I recall I had put some interview as a source and also an archived short mention about Russo replacing Mendez from the online archives of some magazine, and I even showed him that private message but nothing worked and he deleted the info over and over again.

So his involvement with the band has interested me a lot for the past 10 years and it's been a big mystery. It's amazing to see actual video footage of him playing his solo! Not that this video confirms him being part of the band but it's still amazingly cool to see him playing there. No wonder Tourniquet chose to use his solo as especially hearing and seeing him play it's incredible stuff!

Did Russo play Tourniquet shows in '93? I saw them in Fresno and was on the other side of the stage. I'm not sure if that was him or not.

For a while VL was my favorite TQT album. I still love it. It’s got great riffs and my favorite vocals on any TQT album. Thanks for sharing this, Luke!

I clearly remember reading in Heaven’s Metal magazine when Ted and Tourniquet announced finding Luke Easter and Michael Russo as the respective replacements for Guy Ritter and Erik Mendez. For a short period of time, the band was in limbo. It was a relief to know they were going to carry on! 

I was a Christian Metal fan since 1991 and loved getting my copy of Heaven’s Metal in the mail box (back in the day). In a way, it was more special because we didn’t have the internet for instant information. The pre-internet days had the element of surprise!

TZ75 wrote:I clearly remember reading in Heaven’s Metal magazine when Ted and Tourniquet announced finding Luke Easter and Michael Russo as the respective replacements for Guy Ritter and Erik Mendez. For a short period of time, the band was in limbo. It was a relief to know they were going to carry on! 

I was a Christian Metal fan since 1991 and loved getting my copy of Heaven’s Metal in the mail box (back in the day). In a way, it was more special because we didn’t have the internet for instant information. The pre-internet days had the element of surprise!

With the Christian Metal scene, it was even more of a mystery. They didn't pound us with the release date like many major labels did. Sometimes I didn't know a new album was out until I saw it in the Christian bookstore.

Bahana wrote:

TZ75 wrote:I clearly remember reading in Heaven’s Metal magazine when Ted and Tourniquet announced finding Luke Easter and Michael Russo as the respective replacements for Guy Ritter and Erik Mendez. For a short period of time, the band was in limbo. It was a relief to know they were going to carry on! 

I was a Christian Metal fan since 1991 and loved getting my copy of Heaven’s Metal in the mail box (back in the day). In a way, it was more special because we didn’t have the internet for instant information. The pre-internet days had the element of surprise!

With the Christian Metal scene, it was even more of a mystery. They didn't pound us with the release date like many major labels did. Sometimes I didn't know a new album was out until I saw it in the Christian bookstore.

I agree!

I would more likely than not stumble on new releases by accident while visiting a book store.

Ah yes, those were the days, when you would go to the bookstore and stumble across your favorite band’s new release.  That happened to me many times as well.  I remember they usually let you listen to the cassette and eventually the CD so you could preview the album first as well.  That was something you generally could only do at used CD stores.  And that was before there was Spotify / YouTube or internet word of mouth.  Often you just took a leap of faith and just rolled the dice on a new release.  But I remember that thrill of seeing a new album by Petra / Whitecross / Bride / Stryper etc.  It was nice to be able to preview it but you were buying that album regardless.  

Luke - thanks for posting the Vanishing Lessons clips - always cool to see what was happening behind the scenes.  That was a great album which was a shock to the system for hardcore Tourniquet fans at the time as it represented a shift in the sound from thrash / speed metal to a more grungy / doom sound.  I like the 2 different eras to be honest and am glad we can enjoy both.  One thing that remained constant was the crazy cool drumming.  Hoping to see a Stop the Bleeding show someday to finally see some of these songs live.

VL reminds me of Symbol of Salvation by Armored Saint. It’s heavy, but not thrash. Or maybe comparable to the change of style Metallica made on TBA. It was common back then for speed/thrash bands to go a little bit in a simplified direction for wider appeal. 

Luke has that John Bush way of singing.

Great footage, Luke. Loved seeing the editing on the 2” tape.

Bahana wrote:Did Russo play Tourniquet shows in '93? I saw them in Fresno and was on the other side of the stage. I'm not sure if that was him or not.

Michael did two shows; Fresno, and one in SoCal near Magic Mountain. I forget the name of the town/venue. He was a great player, but it just didn’t work out.

As to an HM announcement of both Michael and me, that’s unlikely. I joined in June of 1993, so by the time Michael came along I’d already been there awhile touring and such.

At the 18:18 mark on the video, it sounds like someone (I presume Gary) is playing a few notes from the intro riff to Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell.

Luke Easter wrote:

Bahana wrote:Did Russo play Tourniquet shows in '93? I saw them in Fresno and was on the other side of the stage. I'm not sure if that was him or not.

Michael did two shows; Fresno, and one in SoCal near Magic Mountain. I forget the name of the town/venue. He was a great player, but it just didn’t work out.

As to an HM announcement of both Michael and me, that’s unlikely. I joined in June of 1993, so by the time Michael came along I’d already been there awhile touring and such.

Maybe I got the timeline a little incorrect, but I did read when you both were added to the band. I guess the announcements were separate, but I just was lazy about how I wrote my comment and lumped you both together. 

But I guarantee that I did read the news about you guys in HM. 

HM was the best source of Christian Metal news back then. And Tourniquet was one of the most popular bands! Of course HM was gonna report about it.

Regarding Russo not working out as a member of Tourniquet… was it a personality thing? Did he not “mesh” or blend in with the other members?

In the video footage I’ve seen of Tourniquet, the guys seemed very outgoing and playful on camera. A shy or introverted person may not have felt as comfortable.

TZ75 wrote:Regarding Russo not working out as a member of Tourniquet… was it a personality thing? Did he not “mesh” or blend in with the other members?

In the video footage I’ve seen of Tourniquet, the guys seemed very outgoing and playful on camera. A shy or introverted person may not have felt as comfortable.

I can’t comment beyond what I already said. It just didn’t work out.

Luke Easter wrote:

TZ75 wrote:Regarding Russo not working out as a member of Tourniquet… was it a personality thing? Did he not “mesh” or blend in with the other members?

In the video footage I’ve seen of Tourniquet, the guys seemed very outgoing and playful on camera. A shy or introverted person may not have felt as comfortable.

I can’t comment beyond what I already said. It just didn’t work out.

That’s understandable.

It’s my darn inquisitive mind!