It was 1985. Frontman/rhythm guitar player Gregg Lee and drummer John (Jet) Matthews had recently split from the popular cover band Justin Morgan that Lee had started in his parents basement his senior year in high school. Dissatisfied with touring the Midwest on the cover circuit, the two joined forces and began drawing up plans for the Initial Attack of the band AIRSTRIKE. Having left Justin Morgan two years prior to Matthews, Lee had been writing songs on his Fostex 4-track cassette recorder and presented the idea. The two enlisted long-time friend and guitar player Stan Liberty to record several demos in an old farm house that became a make-shift studio using that Fostex recorder and mixing down to an 1/8 inch tape machine. Liberty who is currently lead guitar with Lee in the band Paisty Jenny was unable to continue with the project, so Matthews and Lee began the search for the next axe-man and a bass player. Andy (Lucky Strike) Melendez, who had recently worked with Tommy Shaw (Styx) in an area project called Mainstreet was offered the roll of bass guitar. Melendez and his instrument were inseparable. He was known to ride his bike in downtown Lincoln with his Fender P Bass strapped to his back. His personality and his love for music were one in the same. Answering a Help Wanted ad in the newspaper, 18 year-old guitar player Kurt (Krome) Griffey from Red Oak, Iowa skipped his high school state track meet to audition for the project. The foursome was solidified and began intense rehearsals to record what is now the highly sought-after LP Initial Attack. The band released only 100 vinyl copies and 300 cassette tapes in 1986, and toured for 2.5 years. During that time a few other musicians were added to the mix in various positions. Michael Babb filled keyboard parts, Ronnie Moore covered guitar and vocals, and Christian Scalaro beat the drums for the last year. The demise of the band took place in Cincinnati, Ohio when Lee was involved in a car accident that put things on hold for 9 months. During that time, Nick St Nicholas (Steppenwolf) asked Lee to front his project called The Wolf, which Lee turned down due to his injuries. St. Nick then hired the other Airstrike players and the rest is history. Gregg Lee went on to co-create Cowboy X, an FnA artist, and to tour and release 5 CDs with his current band, Top 100 and Grammy-considered, Paisty Jenny. He is also a voting member of the Recording Academy. John (Jet) Mathews spent 20 years performing with Omaha-based On the Fritz and is currently recording a CD with his band 1 Track Mind, in which Stan Liberty plays lead guitar. Andy (Lucky Strike) Melendez relocated to Nashville and toured with major recording artist, Lacy J Dalton. Kurt (Krome) Griffey relocated to California and has worked with members of the Eagles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Foreigner, Santana and Journey.
