A Look At Dave Navarro & Billy Morrison’s “Above Ground 2” September 16th Benefit Show

Millions of people know Dave Navarro as the founding guitarist of the pioneering rock band Jane’s Addiction. Millions of people more know Navarro for his five-year tenure with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which produced hits like “Warped,” “Aeroplane,” and “Love Rollercoaster.” Millions more people are familiar with Navarro for the many seasons he has hosted of the hit Paramount Network show Ink Master. And this tally doesn’t even include the millions of others familiar with Navarro for his work on other artists’ hits, like Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Work,” Diddy’s “Bad Boy For Life,” Marilyn Manson’s “I Don’t Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)” or Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter.”

Guitarist Billy Morrison is no slouch either. Prior to joining The Cult in 2001, Morrison was signed to Geffen Records with the band Stimulator. After leaving The Cult, he co-founded the band Camp Freddy — alongside Navarro — and formed Circus Diablo with members of The Cult, Fuel, The Almighty and Slunt. Since then, Morrison has been a key member of Billy Idol’s band, a co-founder of Royal Machines (also with Navarro), a solo artist, a radio host (co-hosting Ozzy Speaks on SiriusXM with Ozzy Osbourne) and an acclaimed fine artist who has presented multiple sold-out art shows.

For many musicians, all of that successful activity would be enough, but that is not the case with Navarro and Morrison. The two co-founded Above Ground, a non-profit which celebrates the vinyl album as an art form while at the same time raising awareness and funds for the treatment of mental health. Profits from its star-studded Above Ground 2 show — taking place this Monday at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theater — will be donated to MusiCares, a charity of the Recording Academy.

I had the pleasure of speaking with both Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison by phone on September 11, 2019 about the Above Ground 2 event and plenty more, as embedded below. More on the Above Ground cause can be found online at www.twitter.com/abovegroundorg, www.facebook.com/AboveGroundOrg and/or www.instagram.com/abovegroundorg.

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Tags: Above Ground, Billy Morrison, Dave Navarro, Ink Master, Los Angeles, MusiCares, Ozzy Osbourne, SiriusXM

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."