02 Apr AMI Giveaway Celebrates Rock’s Newest Guitar Super-Duo, Smith/Kotzen

– Prize pack includes an autographed card, t-shirt, and their self-titled debut album on CD and vinyl.

AMI announced their latest contest from hard rock’s newest 2-piece, Smith/Kotzen. One entrant will win a signed card, along with a t-shirt and their debut album Smith/Kotzen on CD and vinyl. The giveaway runs April 2, 2021 through April 14, 2021. Music fans can enter the contest using the AMI Music app, available on iOS and Android. Contest entry is also available on any participating AMI jukebox.

No strangers to the world of hard rock, Smith/Kotzen is one half Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) and one half Richie Kotzen (the Winery Dogs). Said Smith, “Richie and I started working together a couple of years ago. We’d been jamming as we’d been friends for a few years before that. We both share a love for classic rock and bluesy rock so we decided to get together and start writing some songs and it went from there.”

Adrian Smith, who grew up in London, has played guitar since he was a teen. In 1980, his childhood friend—and one of the earliest members of Iron Maiden—Dave Murray, helped secure Smith his spot as Iron Maiden’s second guitarist. He remained part of the lineup until 1989. After a ten-year break, he rejoined the band and is a member to this day. Not content with heavy metal super stardom, Smith’s other side projects include Primal Rock Rebellion, which he started in 2012.

Richie Kotzen began his musical journey playing piano at the age of five. Inspired by glam rockers Kiss, he decided to take up electric guitar. At the age of 21, Kotzen joined Poison as a co-writer and performer on their 1993 album, Native Tongue. In 1999, Kotzen went on to play guitar for Mr. Big, while also working on solo material. He formed the Winery Dogs in 2012, alongside heavy hitters Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan.

The formation of Smith/Kotzen came naturally, said Kotzen: “We’d get together whenever we could and throw some ideas around and it just evolved, which was great because there was no pressure and nothing other than just a natural course and I think the record really speaks for that.” Recorded in Turks and Caicos, Smith/Kotzen features nine tracks. The first single “Taking My Chances” was released in December 2020 and the long-awaited full album was released March 26, 2021.

AMI is proud to offer this giveaway to fans of Smith/Kotzen. All are encouraged to enter the contest using the AMI Music app or by visiting a nearby AMI jukebox venue.