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
Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson To Pilot ‘Led Zeppelin’
Well, not THAT Led Zeppelin, of course -- but the world’s newly unveiled longest aircraft certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to the hydrogen-filled airships of old, and counts Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson among its primary champions and private investors — as well as test pilot.
45 Years Ago: Iron Butterfly Release ‘Ball’
Who was having a ball in February 1969? Why, the members of Iron Butterfly, that’s who, as they collectively unveiled their hotly anticipated third album, which they chose to christen simply as ‘Ball.’
When George Harrison Returned With a Relaxed Self-Titled Album
The project coincided with a particularly idyllic period, marked with personal stability and happiness.
How Humble Pie Reached a Career Crossroads With ‘Thunderbox’
The album was titled after a 17th-century slang term for toilet. Coincidentally, that's also where their sales were headed.
15 Years Ago: Iron Maiden Welcomes Back Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith
The heavy metal community was virtually celebrating in the streets on Feb. 10, 1999 when it learned that British legends Iron Maiden would be welcoming fan-favored vocalist Bruce Dickinson back into the fold after a six-year absence (and guitarist Adrian Smith after a decade).
Five Years Ago: Lynyrd Skynyrd Pianist Billy Powell Dies
The ranks of legendary southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd were deprived of yet another member on Jan. 28, 2009, when the band's longtime keyboard player, Billy Powell, passed away suddenly at his home in Orange Park, Fla.
Paul McCartney and Surviving Members of Nirvana Win Grammy
Historic heavyweights the Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath (as well as relative newcomers Muse and Gary Clark Jr.) were in contention for the Best Rock Song Award at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, but the trophy went to 'Cut Me Some Slack' by the nameless group featuring surviving Nirvana alum Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselik and Pat Smear with Paul McCartney.
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Reunite on Grammy Stage
For all of the many superstars who made appearances and thrilled fans with performances at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, the night will probably best be remembered as the night the Beatles dominated the airwaves again . . . almost 50 years to the day when they first landed in the U.S.
Ringo Starr and His All-Star Band Perform at the Grammys
As expected, the 56th Annual Grammy Awards has been a star-studded affair with, among many others, both surviving Beatles in attendance . . . and onstage!
26 Years Ago: David Lee Roth’s ‘Skyscraper’ Released
The spring and summer of 1986 bore witness to one of the most hostile public airings of dirty laundry in rock and roll history, courtesy of Van Halen and their recently departed lead vocalist, David Lee Roth, whom they had of course recently replaced with successful solo artist, Sammy Hagar...
40 Years Ago: Foghat Releases ‘Energized’
What’s in a name? Well, nothing and everything, if the subject is legendary blues-rockers Foghat, since their curious moniker meant absolutely nothing. Still, their prophetically named third studio album truly ‘Energized’ their career, when it was released in January 1974.
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.