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WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2025 7:17 pm
by MetalSludgeCEO
WHERE’S VITO? …
Mike Tramp visits Hair Metal Guru and talks White Lion, the ever elusive Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
#miketramp #whitelion #vitobratta #thehairmetalguru #wait #radarlove #whenthechildrencry #denmark #mabel #newyorkcity #freakofnature #miketrampswhitelion #markweiss #metalsludge
https://metalsludge.tv/wheres-vito-mike ... -in-mabel/
$ludge
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:10 am
by MetalSludgeCEO
Reading the comments on anything White Lion or Mike Tramp related, where there is always someone asking: "Where is Vito?", got me thinking...
Why would Vito Bratta lawyer up and go after Tramp back in 2007, when Mike was trying to do a tour as White Lion?
They were booked, and slotted as the main stage opener to Ratt & Poison... and in the 11th hour, Bratta and his team came crying, and threatening to a point that Tramp had to back out... or... I believe it was Live Nation who said "We can't let this go forward", as Bratta would have sued them, and they have the deepest pockets.
And now... we're nearly 20 years after that, Tramp is still working, and Bratta is still somewhere on the East Coast nowhere to be seen in decades.
I mean... the guy has pretty much walked away, disappeared and has lived hidden from anything music related for 35 years... so why does he care what his old band-mate does?
I think it's a bitch move that he's stood in the way, or tried to, all the while Tramp has continued to make music, write, record, release, tour, and repeat on-going. And he's done so solo, doing acoustic runs, with Freak Of Nature, and his own version Mike Tramp's White Lion.
This is the reason why a band leader, the founders, or select members, etc... go to great lengths to protect their name and brand.
The analogy is as follows....
2 guys open a store, they are equal partners, 50-50.
After 4-5 years, 1 of the partners says; "I don't want to do this anymore."
The other partner says: "Well, I do... so... go enjoy life and I'll be right here."
But the quitter says: "No! You can't continue. I want to close the store. Shut it down, or else!"
The guy who wants to go forward says: "Hey. I have a family. I have kids. I have to pay my bills. This is something I helped create, build from the start. I am not stopping."
Then the quitter gets mad and decides to stand in the way, bad mouth, or take legal action to stop the other partner from moving forward.
I don't want to play ball anymore. But I don't want you to play either. So, I want the ball destroyed!
Lame!
#teamtramp
$tEvil
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:25 am
by gtrjay
All of what you said $tevil is spot on. Except the 50/50 store owner example. One key thing was left out. How unique was the name, brand and trademark etc.
Any lawyers on here care to jump in ?
Other than that spot on. Let Mike play under WL.
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:35 am
by Spongie
White Lion is half Vitto’s legacy as well as Mike’s. I read his position as wanting to preserve his legacy as he’d left it 34 years ago, and not risk Mike dragging it through the mud years after its expiration date.
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:55 am
by FreddyFender
Eh...
If one of the guys from Simon and Garfunkel was like "lets get the band back together!" and the other said "fuck off, I'm retired", I really don't think one of the guys should still be able to to go out as "Simon and Garfunkel".
By that logic, there was nothing wrong with Blotzer going out as "Ratt", when clearly that was fucking stupid.
Having to call it Mike Tramp's White Lion is fair to both parties.
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 11:20 am
by Black Stuff
Anyone else find his voice annoying?
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 11:27 am
by Fat_Elvis
In 50 years, nobody will give a shit about 99% of these bands. And even when that generation discovers bands like White Lion, does anybody really think they will care about who was in the band at any given time? Do fans of The Four Tops listen to "Can't Help Myself" and say, "What a great catalog, too bad the group kept touring with literally zero original members"?
Legacy shmegacy. Everyone needs to eat. We're all gonna die eventually. Maybe even me.
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 11:32 am
by Lobo
I assume Mike Tramp could have always bought out Vito Bratta for the band name if he really wanted it. He didn't.
Or, give him a % of the White Lion touring income like Steve Perry with Journey. He didn't.
Tramp comes across as very bitter that Bratta doesn't want to do anything. So...do it yourself! Just don't call it White Lion. Tramp is upset that nobody wants to see "Mike Tramp's White Lion Experience". Or whatever the hell he does these days.
He can't live off of that band name anymore like Axl did with the GnR name.
Tramp needs to pony up some dough to Bratta or just get over it and move on.
Bratta may not want anything to do with music or White Lion anymore but that doesn't mean he has to give up the right to the band name if it's partly his.
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 11:39 am
by MetalSludgeCEO
FreddyFender wrote: ↑Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:55 am
Eh...
If one of the guys from Simon and Garfunkel was like "lets get the band back together!" and the other said "fuck off, I'm retired", I really don't think one of the guys should still be able to to go out as "Simon and Garfunkel".
By that logic, there was nothing wrong with Blotzer going out as "Ratt", when clearly that was fucking stupid.
Having to call it Mike Tramp's White Lion is fair to both parties.
""""""""""""By that logic, there was nothing wrong with Blotzer going out as "Ratt", when clearly that was fucking stupid.""""""""""""""""
Acting like Blotzer was as important to Ratt, as Tramp was to White Lion is a reach!
$tEvil
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 12:03 pm
by TheCULTofMANSON
MetalSludgeCEO wrote: ↑Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:10 am
Reading the comments on anything White Lion or Mike Tramp related, where there is always someone asking: "Where is Vito?", got me thinking...
Why would Vito Bratta lawyer up and go after Tramp back in 2007, when Mike was trying to do a tour as White Lion?
They were booked, and slotted as the main stage opener to Ratt & Poison... and in the 11th hour, Bratta and his team came crying, and threatening to a point that Tramp had to back out... or... I believe it was Live Nation who said "We can't let this go forward", as Bratta would have sued them, and they have the deepest pockets.
And now... we're nearly 20 years after that, Tramp is still working, and Bratta is still somewhere on the East Coast nowhere to be seen in decades.
I mean... the guy has pretty much walked away, disappeared and has lived hidden from anything music related for 35 years... so why does he care what his old band-mate does?
I think it's a bitch move that he's stood in the way, or tried to, all the while Tramp has continued to make music, write, record, release, tour, and repeat on-going. And he's done so solo, doing acoustic runs, with Freak Of Nature, and his own version Mike Tramp's White Lion.
This is the reason why a band leader, the founders, or select members, etc... go to great lengths to protect their name and brand.
The analogy is as follows....
2 guys open a store, they are equal partners, 50-50.
After 4-5 years, 1 of the partners says; "I don't want to do this anymore."
The other partner says: "Well, I do... so... go enjoy life and I'll be right here."
But the quitter says: "No! You can't continue. I want to close the store. Shut it down, or else!"
The guy who wants to go forward says: "Hey. I have a family. I have kids. I have to pay my bills. This is something I helped create, build from the start. I am not stopping."
Then the quitter gets mad and decides to stand in the way, bad mouth, or take legal action to stop the other partner from moving forward.
I don't want to play ball anymore. But I don't want you to play either. So, I want the ball destroyed!
Lame!
#teamtramp
$tEvil
Facts
Re: WHERE’S VITO? … Mike Tramp visits The Hair Metal Guru talks White Lion, Vito Bratta and his early years in Mabel
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 12:25 pm
by PBFSUCKS
MetalSludgeCEO wrote: ↑Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:10 am
Reading the comments on anything White Lion or Mike Tramp related, where there is always someone asking: "Where is Vito?", got me thinking...
Why would Vito Bratta lawyer up and go after Tramp back in 2007, when Mike was trying to do a tour as White Lion?
They were booked, and slotted as the main stage opener to Ratt & Poison... and in the 11th hour, Bratta and his team came crying, and threatening to a point that Tramp had to back out... or... I believe it was Live Nation who said "We can't let this go forward", as Bratta would have sued them, and they have the deepest pockets.
And now... we're nearly 20 years after that, Tramp is still working, and Bratta is still somewhere on the East Coast nowhere to be seen in decades.
I mean... the guy has pretty much walked away, disappeared and has lived hidden from anything music related for 35 years... so why does he care what his old band-mate does?
I think it's a bitch move that he's stood in the way, or tried to, all the while Tramp has continued to make music, write, record, release, tour, and repeat on-going. And he's done so solo, doing acoustic runs, with Freak Of Nature, and his own version Mike Tramp's White Lion.
This is the reason why a band leader, the founders, or select members, etc... go to great lengths to protect their name and brand.
The analogy is as follows....
2 guys open a store, they are equal partners, 50-50.
After 4-5 years, 1 of the partners says; "I don't want to do this anymore."
The other partner says: "Well, I do... so... go enjoy life and I'll be right here."
But the quitter says: "No! You can't continue. I want to close the store. Shut it down, or else!"
The guy who wants to go forward says: "Hey. I have a family. I have kids. I have to pay my bills. This is something I helped create, build from the start. I am not stopping."
Then the quitter gets mad and decides to stand in the way, bad mouth, or take legal action to stop the other partner from moving forward.
I don't want to play ball anymore. But I don't want you to play either. So, I want the ball destroyed!
Lame!
#teamtramp
$tEvil
No one who ever opened a business as a 50/50 owner would just walk away and say, it’s all yours. There would be buying out of the 50% in some form. Unless the person quitting is a f#cking idiot.