Although Paul Laine is probably best known for his 10-year tenure fronting US hard rockers Danger Danger in the late 90s and early 00s, the Vancouver native first made his mark with Stick It In Your Ear, his stunning, Bruce Fairbairn-produced solo debut, released by Elektra in 1990. If you’ve never heard this gem then, trust me, it’s worth hunting down a copy – it’s the best record Bon Jovi never made.
It’s fairly common for musicians to say that the first time they saw, say, The Beatles, Kiss or Van Halen was the spark that caused them to rush out and buy a guitar or a set of drums, so it’s perhaps unusual that Paul’s first musical epiphany came while seeing Seattle metal band Rail open for The Beach Boys at a Vancouver music festival in the early 80s.
