Eduardo Rivadavia (aka Ed Rivadavia) was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and by his late teens had already toured the world (and elsewhere), learning four languages on three continents. Having also accepted the holy gospel of rock & roll as his lord and savior, Eduardo became infatuated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and all things heavy, crude, and obnoxious while living in Milan, Italy, during the mid-1980s. At this time, he also made his journalistic debut as sole writer, editor, publisher, and, some would claim, reader of his high school's heavy metal fanzine, earning the scorn of jocks and nerds alike, but uniting the small hardcore music-loving contingent into a frenzied mob that spent countless hours exchanging tapes, talking shop, and getting beat up at concerts. Upon returning home to Brazil, Eduardo resumed a semi-normal existence, sporadically contributing music articles to local papers and magazines while earning his business degree. Finally, after years of obsessive musical fandom and at peace with his distinct lack of musical talent, Eduardo decided the time had come to infiltrate the music industry by the fire escape. He quit his boring corporate job, relocated to America, earned his master's degree while suffering the iniquities of interning for free (anything for rock & roll!), and eventually began working for various record labels, accumulating mountains of records and (seemingly) useless rock trivia in the process. This eventually led him back to writing, and he has regularly contributed articles to multiple websites since 1999, working with many different rock genres but specializing, as always, in his personal hobby: hard rock and heavy metal. To quote from the insightful 'This Is Spinal Tap': "People should be jealous of me...I'm jealous of me...." Eduardo currently resides in Austin, TX, with his wife, two daughters, and far more records, CDs and MP3s than he'll ever have time to listen to.
Eduardo Rivadavia
Rock’s Most Dysfunctional Bands
Rock bands are a lot like families and, just like any family, they can be very dysfunctional.
How Soundgarden’s ‘Badmotorfinger’ Finally Got Some Attention
Despite forming all the way back in 1984, they were the last of the so-called "big four" grunge bands to break.
When Iron Maiden Got Serious on ‘A Matter of Life and Death’
By this point, rose-tinted glasses that welcomed the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith had been placed back in their cases.
How Judas Priest Reached a Career Crossroads With ‘Demolition’
Unfortunately, most of their efforts fell on deaf ears.
Dio Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Ronnie James Dio’s discography is so extensive that you almost forget he recorded 10 albums with his own self-named band.
How Whitesnake Reached a Crossroads With ‘Come an’ Get It’
They'd become established stars elsewhere but in the U.S., nobody was listening.
50 Years Ago: Spinal Tap Begins Journey to Stardom as the Thamesmen
The Thamesmen, featuring future members of Spinal Tap, released "Gimme Some Money" b/w "Cups and Cakes" as their first – and only – single.
The Story of the Ramones’ First Show
Their debut was so immediate that it was hard to believe this band had already been around for about two years.
How Jeff Beck Changed Everything With Top 5 Smash ‘Blow by Blow’
At this point, the former Yardbirds legend was no stranger to career crossroads.
When Ozzy Osbourne Bit Off the Heads of Two Doves
An event intended to promote goodwill with his label went horribly wrong.
How Judas Priest Came Into Their Own With ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’
Heavy metal may have first roared into existence circa 1970, but this group ushered in the second wave.
Why Motorhead’s Breakthrough ‘Overkill’ Almost Never Happened
This sophomore album now stands as a widely praised, towering achievement in heavy-rock history.