Head Games biography

The Foreigner Tribute

It was a chance meeting at a local Long Island dance club, of all places, that sparked what was to be the ultimate Foreigner tribute band. After touring Europe and the USA in hard rock bands Panther, Next of Kin, Hangtown, and Seeing Eye Dogs, singer/guitarist Mike Ledesma settled back in NYC.
It was there that he accidentally bumped into bassist Billy Randall, whom he had worked with previously in L.I. metal band Grand Illusion and Forever. Billy had just parted with New York City glam rock band Drop Dead Gorgeous. A band that was known for it's over the top stage show, wild pyrotechnics, and a huge following.

The two started reminiscing until they settled down to talk about working on a new project. It would definitely be hard rockin', but what?

The subject of a tribute band came up. But, who?

They thought about Journey, Queen, & Rush. But there were already bands out there doing this material.

So, they decided to tribute a band that had been around for more than 25 years and sold over 40 million records: Foreigner

The search for musicians was on. So, they held auditions at Roxie Studios in Long Island City.

More drummers showed up than they knew what to do with. Among them, Mike Dagostino (formerly of the band Wild August) drove in from Brooklyn from his job as a database programmer. Not only did he play and sing well, he also looked like a rock star. The total package.

John Francese came on board in March of 2004 to take the guitar spot. John's guitar style fits in perfectly with the Foreigner sound churned out by the band. As frontman for the NYC rock group Steel House, cut his teeth on hard rocking music and, thus, earned his spot with the band.

Simon Walsh has recently joned the band and replaced original and founding member Billy Randall and has been playing the NYC club circuit for many years and brings a wealth of influences to the band that serves as a glue for the backbone of this hard rocking outfit. He also sings lead and background vocals.

Mike Hack came in to replace original keyboardists Jose Damien (RIP)and Jon Loyd. Mike is a multi-instrumentalist who also plays keys for Elton John Tribute Band Rocket Man. Mike os a fine addition to Head Games and who is taking the place of 2 keyboardists. He also sings and doubles on guitar. Is there nothing he can't do?!

This is HEAD GAMES. Five diverse musicians from the New York City area. All with a love for hard rocking music. Whether rocking out on the harder stuff such as "Hotblooded", "Dirty White Boy", and "Juke Box Hero", or getting softer with the tender "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and the mega-hit "I Want To Know What Love Is", Head Games faithfully recreate some of the greatest rock and roll by one of the greatest rock bands: Foreigner.

NEWS | ABOUT | PHOTOS | LISTEN | SHOWS | MERCH | LINKS | SONG LIST | QUIZ | COMMENTS | RIDERS | EMAIL

Copyright 2003 Head Games including all original graphics and content. This site developed and; maintained by Mike Ledesma and Mike Dagostino.Contact foreigner_tribute@yahoo.com

*The Foreigner Tribute* It was a chance meeting at a local Long Island dance club, of all places, that sparked what was to be the ultimate Foreigner tribute band. After touring Europe and the USA in hard rock bands Panther, Next of Kin, Hangtown, and Seeing Eye Dogs, singer/guitarist Mike Ledesma settled back in NYC. It was there that he accidentally bumped into bassist Billy Randall, whom he had worked with previously in L.I. metal band Grand Illusion and *Forever. Billy had just parted with New York City glam rock band Drop Dead Gorgeous. A band that was known for it's over the top stage show, wild pyrotechnics, and a huge following. The two started reminiscing until they settled down to talk about working on a new project. It would definitely be hard rockin', but what? The subject of a tribute band came up. But, who? They thought about Journey, Queen, & Rush. But there were already bands out there doing this material. So, they decided to tribute a band that had been around for more than 25 years and sold over 40 million records: Foreigner* The search for musicians was on. So, they held auditions at Roxie Studios in Long Island City. More drummers showed up than they knew what to do with. Among them, Mike Dagostino (formerly of the band Wild August) drove in from Brooklyn from his job as a database programmer. Not only did he play and sing well, he also looked like a rock star. The total package. John Francese came on board in March of 2004 to take the guitar spot. John's guitar style fits in perfectly with the Foreigner sound churned out by the band. As frontman for the NYC rock group Steel House, cut his teeth on hard rocking music and, thus, earned his spot with the band. Simon Walsh has recently joned the band and replaced original and founding member Billy Randall and has been playing the NYC club circuit for many years and brings a wealth of influences to the band that serves as a glue for the backbone of this hard rocking outfit. He also sings lead and background vocals. Mike Hack came in to replace original keyboardists Jose Damien (RIP)and Jon Loyd. Mike is a multi-instrumentalist who also plays keys for Elton John Tribute Band Rocket Man. Mike os a fine addition to Head Games and who is taking the place of 2 keyboardists. He also sings and doubles on guitar. Is there nothing he can't do?! This is HEAD GAMES. Five diverse musicians from the New York City area. All with a love for hard rocking music. Whether rocking out on the harder stuff such as "Hotblooded", "Dirty White Boy", and "Juke Box Hero", or getting softer with the tender "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and the mega-hit "I Want To Know What Love Is", *Head Games* faithfully recreate some of the greatest rock and roll by one of the greatest rock bands: Foreigner.
NEWS \| ABOUT \| PHOTOS \| LISTEN \| SHOWS \| MERCH \| LINKS \| SONG LIST \| QUIZ \| COMMENTS \| RIDERS \| EMAIL
Copyright 2003 *Head Games* including all original graphics and content. This site developed and; maintained by Mike Ledesma and Mike Dagostino.Contact foreigner_tribute@yahoo.com