First Ten Days of 2010
New Years Eve to The Ringers, The Vacation & Lady Sinatra
The Viper Room
January 1-9, 2010
By Victoria Joyce
(SugarBuzz Hollywood)
Ten days of heaven in the year before Eleven.
Starting with New Year’s Eve, the Viper Room boldly went where no club has gone before with a little help from local radio legend, KROQ. Calling it “Locals Only,” from January 1 to 10, every night bands from Los Angeles. Hollywood to you and me.
New Year’s Eve was a blast, featuring the Binges (love that band’s name) and headliners, Head Cat, featuring Lemmy (Motorhead), Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) and local guitar man, Danny Harvey. DJ Diva, Dayle Gloria was spinning her brains out and got this packed club swooning with sentimental seasonal faves like “Holiday in Cambodia” and “Communication Breakdown.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
How often do you get to hear Lemmy in a small club? Answer: Never! Except tonight. Fantastically festive covers of all time Rock classics from Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash and even the Beatles, “Bad Little Boy” played by musical giants. Mos def - a once in a lifetime show.
The “Locals Only” shows included 30+ bands with Dirty Penny, Black Robot, The Royal Highness (formerly Chelsea Smiles), Funeral Party, Crash Kings, Darlings of the Day, The Living Things, Happy Hollows, Paper Zoo and The White Arrows. All of them solid rockers. Industrial strength.
God loves Los Angeles. While the rest of the USA is hip-deep in snow January, SoCal is warm and sunny during the day and cool at night. This is why we live here. It’s perfect for rocking. The last blast on January 9 featured three of our super-favorites: The Vacation, Lady Sinatra and the Ringers. We are so there.
Ok, we missed the Vacation but got to the Viper in time for The Ringers. The club was, of course, packed. The Ringer’s Joes + Cousin (Joe Hursley - Vocals/Guitar, Joe Robinson – Guitar, Joe Stiteler – Bass, Patrick Hursley – Drums) have a solid and devoted following. Well deserved. Rocking around Hollywood for a couple of years they get better with each show.
Athletic and aggressive with a comedy kick, The Ringers rock hard, totally absorbed in the moment. So intense, eye contact is minimal and between song banter hints of a “standing 8.” Yeah, a Ringers show is like doing 12 Rounds-Full Contact. Bam!
The Ringers set started with their signature opener “Kamikaze Heart” The Asian theme is constant throughout music and performance all the way to the closer, the furious and funny “Fever Fever” with the faux-Chinese sounding riff - straight out of Bugs Bunny cartoon.
Lead singer, Joe Hursley has a successful screen career (White Gold w/Got Milk?) and brings a lot of personality to the stage. Glammy punk costumes are layered on with accessories are strip-teased away by show’s end drenched with glitter and sweat. Tonight has “Whitey” with a derby, guyliner and 5 o’clock shadow looking a lot like Charlie Chaplin. Think - the Little Tramp meets Ted Nugent.
Twin towers on guitars; Stiteler and Robinson bang about on stage at an equally frightening pace. Rock’em Sock’em Robots with Marshals. Punky, bluesy beats, clangy chords with rifle shot drum beats from Patrick in the back. Lyrics of lost love, distrust, deceit and existentialist truth-seeking dialed up to eleven. Done and dusted.
Lady Sinatra closed the evening. Lead singer,Joseph Holiday hit the stage about midnight with a bunny-hood. “Bunny” is his middle name. Isn’t it ironic?
Wicked rockers in this band too: Gabe De Castro, Nic Nifoussi and Steven Friedlander back up the Bun. Great writing and ambitious songs that slice. Loud, precise and very physical, Joe likes to run up and back on the stage like playing footsie with the ocean that is his audience. Splish splash. Everybody loved it.
Mr. Holiday works the door at the Viper and has a whole lot of friends. His band has been playing a lot around town for a about a year and getting tighter with every show. Big favorite and opener: GirllYou’llBeATrainWreckSoon.” Songs on iTunes and all that jazz.
There is only one fault we can find with The First Ten Days-Locals Only KROQ/Viper Fest. It screams out the sad disconnect between the wonderful rock you hear in small clubs in Hollywood and the Sunset Strip and the swill that passes for music played on the radio.
Oh, wait. Remember radio?
http://www.myspace.com/thevacation
http://www.myspace.com/theringersband