Ex-Heart Members, With A New Alias, Look To The Road

Alias, the new band featuring three former members of Heart, starts rehearsals here Monday for its first national tour, following radio acceptance of its debut single, ``Haunted Heart.'' Only two weeks after its release, the tune, from the ``Alias'' album, is already in the Top 40 on Billboard's ``Album Rock Tracks'' chart, which lists the hottest tunes on rock radio. A dramatic mainstream rocker in the tradition of Foreigner, REO Speedwagon and Heart, it features the big voice of lead singer Freddy Curci. He and guitarist Steve DeMarchi formerly headed the Canadian band Sheriff, which had a No. 1 single last year with ``When I'm With You.'' Working on a new project in Los Angeles, the two ran into Mike Derosier, former drummer for Heart, who was doing session work in L.A. The three started jamming together, and when forming a new band was discussed, Derosier brought in fellow Heart alumni Roger Fisher (guitar) and Steve Fossen (bass). All three had been in other bands since being kicked out of Heart, but Alias looks like the first big break for them. The band will be joining a major tour as an opening act, but no word yet on who the headlining band will be - Heart, maybe?

Update on Charles Cross, editor of The Rocket: In addition to the book on Elvis Presley he's writing for Harmony, the second book he's signed up for with the same publisher is not on Frank Zappa, as Word previously reported, but Led Zeppelin. To be called ``Led Zeppelin:

Heaven and Hell,'' and released in the spring of 1991, it will be co-written by Erik Flannigan, with photographs by Neal Preston. The Presley book, with the working title ``Elvis Presley and the United States of America,'' is set for publication in late 1991. With Cross busy writing books, Grant Alden has been named managing editor of The Rocket. He had been senior editor for four years.

High Performance, headlining a rap show tomorrow night at the Temple Theatre in Tacoma with Nastymix label mates America's Most Wanted, is the hottest Northwest rap group since Sir Mix-a-Lot. The young foursome attracted national attention last year with its debut single, ``Do You Really Wanna Party,'' a dance-floor hit. The irresistible record borrowed heavily from KC & the Sunshine Band's ``Do You Wanna Go Party?'' - KC even appeared in the video - and also made use of snippets of music from Michael Jackson, Prince and Nocera. The song seemed to peg High Performance as a party-all-night dance-music band - until it released ``All Things Considered,'' the title track of its debut album.

The powerful, tough-talking, serious political rap blames the assassinations of Martin Luther King and President Kennedy squarely on the FBI, and hints that black leaders are still targets of a governmental conspiracy. The outstanding video, shot mostly in Washington, D.C., includes footage of Jesse Jackson, Michael Jackson at the White House, and dramatic images from racial struggles in the 1960s and, more recently, in South Africa. The overall message of the record and video is one of political awareness. It's probably the finest rap song to come out of the Northwest.

High Performance, based in Tacoma's troubled Hilltop area, is headed by Maurice ``MC Duce'' Owens. The other band members are Ron ``Microphone Ace'' Stewart, Jesse `` DJ Mad Dog'' Williams and Rodney ``Action'' Stokes.

Show time is 8 p.m. Advance tickets, at Ticketmaster, are $10.50. Posters for the show warn ``Strictly Enforced by Tacoma Police Dept.''

Country-music station KMPS figures prominently in nominations for Billboard Radio Awards '90, the most prestigious radio honors. The station is nominated in four country categories, including best station, program director (Tim Murphy), promotion director (Mark Seignious) and air personality (Ichabod Cain). No other local station received any nominations.

Diane Schuur has patched things up with GRP Records, the label she had said she was quitting. The world-class Seattle jazz singer is hard at work on her sixth LP for GRP, recording at London Bridge Recording Studio here and Mad Hatter Studios in Los Angeles. The album is tentatively scheduled for an early 1991 release.