Dave Kushner
USA- Early Life and Education
- Early Career
- Wasted Youth
- Infectious Grooves
- Electric Love Hogs
- Jane's Addiction and Beyond
- Velvet Revolver
- Film and Television Scoring
- Awards and Recognition
Early Life and Education
Dave Kushner was born in Los Angeles, California on November 16, 1966. During his high school years, he attended Fairfax High School where he met and befriended Steven Adler, Gina Gershon, Lenny Kravitz, and Slash. It was also at Fairfax that Dave took his first guitar lessons. After graduating from high school, Dave continued his musical education at the Musicians Institute, studying until he was 20 years old.
Early Career
Before joining Wasted Youth, Kushner played in a number of bands, including Cathay De Grande, The Masque, Darbys, The Starwood, and Tower Video.
Wasted Youth
Wasted Youth was formed in 1984. With a changing lineup from their debut album, Dave Kushner joined the band in 1987 as a guitarist. However, for his first and only album, "Black Daze," released in January 1988, he played bass guitar, with the exception of "On Fire," where he played rhythm guitar.
Infectious Grooves
Shortly after his brief tenure with Wasted Youth, Dave worked with Mike Muir, later of Suicidal Tendencies, on the Infectious Grooves album "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves," released in 1991. He has since played on four more Infectious Grooves albums.
Electric Love Hogs
In 1992, Dave Kushner joined the San Diego-based band Electric Love Hogs, originally formed by John Feldmann, Chris Lemieux, and Bobby Hewitt. Dave was joined by Donny Campion.
Jane's Addiction and Beyond
In 1993, Dave Kushner played in Jane's Addiction with Dave Navarro. He has also worked with Loaded, Danzig, Sugartooth, Zilch, Cyco Miko, and more.
Velvet Revolver
In 2002, Kushner joined rock band Velvet Revolver, which featured former members of Guns N' Roses. He became widely known for his contributions to the band's successful albums.
Film and Television Scoring
Dave Kushner also composes music for film and television. His most notable works include the theme song for FX's "Sons of Anarchy" (which won him an Emmy in 2009), the music for films "Four Christmases" and "Couples Retreat," and the score for ABC's "Detroit 1-8-7."
Awards and Recognition
In 2009, Dave Kushner was named one of the "50 Greatest Unsung Guitar Heroes Ever" by Total Guitar magazine.
