100th Edition of the Ultimate Jam Night, Whisky A Go Go, Hollywood, CA on 3/14/17

During my recent trip to Los Angeles, I visited the historic Whisky A Go Go.  The venue is so influential it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Doors, Frank Zappa, Neil Diamond, Van Halen, and Guns N' Roses (to name only a few) have performed on the sacred ground. Maybe more importantly, it introduced the world to the fine art of go go dancing.

I was lucky enough to attend the 100th Edition of The Ultimate Jam Night. Every Tuesday an all-star group of musicians gather to bring rock and roll back to the streets of Los Angeles. Most of these artists are from national touring groups, studio musicians, tribute bands, and local talent. Oh, and it's free.

Paulie Z and the house band

The Master of Ceremonies, Paulie Z (Paul Zabildowsky), led the talented group of troubadours through a diverse set of rock classics. He started with the fitting AC/CD's It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock N' Roll) complete with bag pipes. Paul Z took center stage and filled the room with the essence of Bon Scott. Next was Cheap Trick's Dream Police. The entire mixed crowd of old long haired rockers, young hipsters with aggressive piercings, and tourists (like me) sang along "'Cause they're waiting for me/Looking for me/Every single night/(They're) driving me insane/Those men inside my brain."

Jimmy Sakurai - All photos by

The Rock and Roll Princess

Survivor keyboardist Walter Ino belted out Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed with the help of the lyrics in the monitor in front of him (cheater).

Joe Retta from Dio Disciples performed Rainbow's Man on the Silver Mountain follow by Dio's solo masterpiece Like a Rainbow in the Dark (one of the few dark metal songs about rainbows). Bass player and Kevin Dillion doppelgänger Sean McNabb backed the chaos. Besides playing in Quiet Riot and Dokken, McNabb played on the music tracks for the Dr. Phil Show and the McDonald's I'm Loving It breakfast commercials.

Cherokee Fortune from Absinthe took the stage in her 1970's inspired bell-bottoms to sing Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. Two female violinists joined providing a fuller sound for the classic. Jimmy Sakurai from the Led Zeppelin tribute band Mr. Jimmy mesmerized the audience with his licks and tricks. He stole the show with his staggering moves, big hair, and open shirt (a little something for the ladies).

Acid Queen Debby Holiday

Los Angeles' own soul rocker Debby Holiday embraced her inner Tina Turner with her take on Acid Queen from The Who's Rock Opera Tommy. Holiday smoothly transitioned into the Ray Charles classic Don't Need No Doctor. Guitarist Mitch Perry, who has performed with Edgar Winter, Cher, Lita Ford, and Ratt, played an extensive guitar solo intertwined with Holiday's long braid dancing and sexual screaming.

Others joined the all-star band to play Ozzy Osborn, Metallica, Pat Benatar, and Pink Floyd covers. There wasn't much down time between songs.  Which is impressive due to the number of musicians that came and left throughout the night.

Go Go Dancer Go Going

A scantly clad go go dancer captured the crowd's attention throughout the evening. Her style of dancing peaked at the Whisky A Go Go in 1965. The club pioneered the art form by being the first to have Go Go Cages suspended from the ceiling. The dancer that night was uncaged (probably because Los Angeles is a sanctuary city).

Paulie Z ended the night with The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil.  The forty-nine year old song still holds up after all these years just like the Whisky A Go Go.

See you at the next show.  I'll be the one looking for the go go dancer.

Joey Harris and the Mentals at Bolt Brewery in La Mesa, CA on 03/18/17

Joey Harris and the Mentals

In Junior High, I read a review of the Beat Farmers.  A San Diego, California Cow Punk band that stormed through Denver. They jugged open beer bottles, gave the audience the middle finger as a jester of love, and put on one hell of a show. It was a mixture of rock, country, and punk with kazoo and beer gargling solos. The band sounded like living cartoon characters. I went to the record store immediately to get their albums.

The three vocalists in the band shared lead singer and drumming duties. On vocals, drums, and, guitar Country Dick Montana looked like a western movie villain belting out hilarious dirty drinking songs. On vocals, drums, and guitar Jerry Raney was the rocker of the group that previously played for John Lee Hooker.  On vocals, guitar, and drums Joey Harris, the nephew of The Kingston Trio's Nick Reynolds, sang roots rock tunes with cleaver funny lyrics.  Rolle Love held the band together with his bass and evil grin.  They had amazing covers of Johnny Cash, The Kinks, Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, and Tom Waits songs.  This sent me down a path of discovering awe-inspiring music that changed my world.

Living cartoon charters

I saw the Beat Farmers live numerous times after turning the legal drinking age because they mainly performed at bars. At these incredible performances, I saw my first bar fight, witnessed a wedding performed by Country Dick Montana, and cracked my tooth in a mosh pit. Their run was cut short when Montana died of a heart attack on stage in 1995 breaking up the Beat Farmers and breaking my heart.

Later Joey Harris formed Joey Harris and the Mentals.  They have been playing around the San Diego area for years. I made a musical expedition to witness one of my heroes perform at Bolt Brewery in La Mesa, CA on a beautiful California Saturday night.

Joey Harris and the Mentals

His band consisted of bass player Jeffrey Stephen Kmak who went to High School with Dan McLain before he transformed into Country Dick Montana. Kmak is a legend in the San Diego music scene for the past 40 years.  Even Calab Yearsley played the drums. He is the son of the late great adult actress and singer Candye Kane. She sang Let's Put the X- Back in Christmas with Country Dick Montana.  As a child, Yearly used to wake up and step over various members of the Beat Farmers passed out on the floor to watch cartoons.

Joey Harris - All photos by the
Rock and Roll Princess

Before the show, Joey Harris and I talked about Denver's rock venue Herman's Hideaway and my love for his music. I took a seat close to the band armed with a refreshing Bolt Brewery offering.  The Mentals played a three-hour show with only a brief break.

The 60-year old Harris went through his vast catalog of songs singing with a clear voice and shredding on the guitar.  He played You Never Call Me a catchy pop song from his early solo album Joey Harris and The Speedsters. He also played a recent one entitled Your a Piece of Cake about losing a girl to another girl.

He didn't disappoint and played a number of Beat Farmer songs including Bigger Stones from their first album Tales of the New West. Joey Harris' explained Make It Last was played on country radio briefly until radio programmers found out the drummer drank beer with his feet. Harris described the night Country Dick Montana conducted his wedding ceremony right before playing The Girl I Almost Married.  His wife was in the crowd to collaborate the story.  The song Riding had him reminisce about girls on the beach smelling like coconut oil.  Hideaway had him recall the Beat Farmers network television debut performing the single on Late Night with David Letterman.

Just when I thought the night couldn't get any better, Harris played the Country Dick Montana tune Lakeside Trailer Park. "Got doctor bills and legal ills/ My wife's a fat old whore/My TV's broke; my life's joke/And the Sheriff moved next door/But I don't frown/Don't get me down/I got somethin' good to say/'Cause I live in a Lakeside trailer park/And Everything's gonna be okay."

After the end of their set, I walked over to Joey Harris and he hugged me goodbye.

See you at the next show.  I'll be the one stepping over you to watch cartoons.

The Reverend Horton Heat (Night 5), Jello Biafra, and Wayne "The Train" Hancock at The Larimer Lounge in Denver, CO on 2/25/17

The Reverend Horton Heat - Pictures
by The Rock and Roll Princess

The Larimer Lounge transformed into The Larimer Church of The Reverend Horton Heat for a five-night sermon of psychobilly (a mixture of honky-tonk and punk).  The last show of the residency was a whirlwind of rockabilly, surf guitar, and trash metal. The opening act and the headliner looked like they just transported from the middle of the last century. The rockabilly dudes in attendance dressed like auto mechanics with black jackets with classic car emblems. The rockabilly chicks wore vintage dresses that showed off their cleavage and back tattoos...okay back tattoos kind of throws off the 1950's vibe a little.

Jim Heath AKA The Reverend Horton Heat started the trio in Dallas, Texas back in 1985.  His stage name came from a combination of people calling him the reverend when he played the guitar, Johnny Horton (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Rockabilly singer), and his own last name Heath.  While touring last year The Reverend Horton Heat's bus caught on fire almost killing the band.  After escaping the blazing inferno, the trio did a show that same night demonstrates their passion for performing.

The Reverend Horton Heat Psychobilly Trio

The Reverend Horton Heat started the night with the mostly instrumental Psychobilly Freakout and Zombie Dumb showing off his guitar surf style of playing. The Reverend Horton Heat summed up his extended stay in Denver by announcing, "You won't get knifed, but you will get drunk."  That's when bass player Jimbo Wallace took over the guitar and lead vocals on Chuck Berry's Little Queenie. After the song, The Reverend Horton Heat repeated one of the lyrics, "If it's a slow song, we'll omit it.  If it's a rocker, then we'll get it."

Jello Biafra

Special guest Jello Biafra, former lead singer of the legendary punk band Dead Kennedys and Boulder, Colorado native son joined the band. Dressed in a fez, gold cape, and western shirt, he performed The Animal's The House of the Rising Son, DOA's Jezebel, and his own punk classic Holiday in Cambodia. Biafra reminisced about the local KIMN Radio Station and the legendary Denver country venue The Grizzly Rose.  He also got political showing off a Natzi Trump F*ck Off Shirt.  Jello Biafra did baffling hand jesters. I didn't know if he was about miming about fishing, drinking, or asking for an ambience to be dispatched.

The Reverend Horton Heat

After the legendary punk rocker left the stage, The Reverend Horton Heat played Let Me Teach You How to Eat (I don't think it's about food) and Motorhead's Ace of Spades.  The fast paced songs inspired the formation of a mosh pit.  The slam dancing paused for a moment during Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues.  But the moshing continued when Jello Biafra came back to sing Johnny Paycheck's Take This Job and Shove It and Elvis Presley's Viva Las Vegas.

Wayne "The Train" Hancock

Opening act Wayne "The Train" Hancock entered The Larimer Church of the Reverend Horton Heat looking like he just stepped out of a 1940's movie set.  It's fitting that the former Marine claims to be the King of Juke Joint Swing.  He sounds like Hank Williams (he even yodels).  His band played songs such as Slinging Rhythm, Two String Boogie, and I'm Too Young to Marry sending the crowd into complete Western Swing Bliss.  Hancock told steel guitarist Rose Sinclair to take a solo in the middle of almost every song by stating, "Take it Rose."  The audience felt like they were being taken back to a time when country music was heartfelt and pure.

See you at the next show.  I'll be the one wearing a fez telling Rose to take another solo.

The Nuns of Brixton, The Shaloms, The Bad Engrish, and Ballistic Biscuit at Lost Lake in Denver, CO on 02/03/17

The Nuns of Brixton's singer Jim Yelenick's spirit being lifted

What's better than seeing a punk show?  It's seeing guys dressed up as Catholic Nuns and Hasidic Jews playing a punk show. The combination of religious apparel and punk brought out a diverse crowd to the sold out event. There were twenty-somethings with spiked jackets covered with patches of their favorite bands, a guy in a kilt (did he know it's winter), a woman in micro-mini skirt (did she know it's below zero outside), a guy in a suit, and a woman wearing a lion mask.

The Nuns of Brixton

Bassist, Tim Beckman who was in the Geds and Spell in the 90's, conceived The Nuns of Brixton. The name is inspired from The Clash song The Guns of Brixton. He recruited Jim Yelenick to front The Clash loving habit wearing musical troop over seven years ago.

They started with Career Opportunities from The Clash's 1977 self-titled album warming up the Lost Lake crowd. The nuns went through the punk pioneer's massive catalog of songs throughout the night: London Calling, Brand New Cadillac, Clampdown, and I fought the Law.  The self-described transvestites that love The Clash also played deep album cuts such as Charlie Don't Surf and Police and Thieves. After praying for shots of alcohol to be delivered, Sister Jim drank a sip and blessed the crowd by throwing the rest upon them. Toward the end of the evening Sister Jim was carried to the back of the bar on the shoulders of the drunken crowd without falling.  It was a miracle. The Shaloms joined them onstage for The Roman's Blitzkrieg Bop (the hey ho let's go song). The night ended with Should I Stay or Should I go?  Since it was 1:30 in the morning, I decided on the latter.

The Shaloms

Before transforming into a sister that evening, Jim Yelenick introduced The Shaloms by stating, "the band flew in a by private jet from Israel to avoid the new migration policy."  The world's finest kosher Ramones tribute band took the stage wearing traditional Hasidic attire complete with payots (hair curls).  CJ Shlomo, Saul Shalom, and JJ Shalom sang The Ramons' Beat on the Brat and Rockaway Beach inspiring the crowd to dance and sing-a-long. Much to the audience's delight, the band yelled, "L'chaim bitches" or "Mazel Tov bitches" between the Godfather's of Punk classics.  Taking a brake from The Ramones songbook, the trio played Tom Petty's American Girl and Tommy Tutone's 867-5309/Jenny in true punk fashion.  Instead of drinking the expected bottle of Manishewitz, it appeared the band was drinking beer throughout their set.  Making me believe they might not really be from Israel.

The Bad Engrish

Before the religious punks took the stage, The Bad Engrish (that's how they spell it) played original songs with Pogo Punk attitude.  Gordy lead the band through a raucous set of songs in a striped green and black sweater that matched his hair.  He yelled, "Pogo" throughout the night encouraged the crowd to jump up and down. The band finished their set with Glory Days that is a mission statement for their music and life style. Gordy joined the fans in front of the stage singing, "Living for now/Remember the past/Raise your glass/We know it's going to last."

Ballistic Biscuit

The dirty punk duo Ballistic Biscuit started the long night of music. The drummer might have indulged too much before their set.  He looked like someone who just got off a roller coaster that had one too many loop-da-loops. There was one heavy-set guy moshing.  He was knocking into anyone near the band and was visibly upset nobody was joining him.  Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except for death and taxes."  If Franklin was a music fan today, he would add another certain...nobody likes you if you are the only one moshing. Before the band finished, the singer yelled, "We have two more songs until we get off your dick." This made the audience move further away from the band and the lone mosher.

See you at the next show.  I'll be the one preying with the nuns for punk to never die.  The lone mosher is on his own.

The Dustbowl Revival, Modern Whiskey Market, and Treehouse Sanctum at the Larimer Lounge in Denver, CO on 01/20/17

The Dustbowl Revival

Inauguration day reflected a divided nation, but that night a band brought the commonwealth together with a washboard and a lampshade. The Dustbowl Revival is an eight-piece band that combines bluegrass, Americana, and New Orleans Swing. Their infectious sound won over the sold out crowd immediately. Girls with long flowing scarfs took over the front of the stage dancing in a gypsy trance. Bluegrass fans sang along to all the standards. And others just smiled from the first note until the band marched off at the end the night.

Liz Beebe of The Dustbowl Revival

The Venice, California based band started when singer/guitarist Zach Lupetin placed a Craigslist ad bringing transplanted jazz and bluegrass musicians into a mash-up ensemble. A grueling tour schedule transformed them into a powerful musical force. The Dustbowl Revival gained a loyal following and was recently voted the best live band in Los Angeles, California by LA Weekly.

The band fired up the Larimer Lounge crowd with the New Orleans standard John the Revelator (you know he wrote the book of the seven seals). Liz Beebe put down her washboard and took the lead singing the rhythm and blues inspired Busted. Belting out, You think you got something/But you don't got nothing/Honey, it you don't got me. 

The Dust Bowl Revival

A lampshade slowly worked its way from the back of the room to the front of the stage as the band performed the ultimate party song Lampshade On (I saw the proud owner of that lampshade getting the band to sign it at the end of the night).

The Dustbowl Revival requested the crowd to join arms for So Far Away and join in the chorus, "So far way/ So far from home/I got these new friends/ And I ain't drinking alone."  

The band jumping off the stage (it wasn't easy with a stand up bass) and played in the middle of the crowd.  They performed the bluegrass classic New River Train and marched off into the night with The Saints (because they go marching on).

Modern Whiskey Market

Modern Whiskey Market was the second band on the bill.  Their social media state, "they have been playing knee slapping music for the fine people in Colorado since 2012." I speculate their love for bluegrass and facial hair brought them together. The band was short a man due to a medical issue (I assume it's beard related). They sang original songs about drinking moonshine and tripping on mushrooms in the Rocky Mountains. Their Prince cover of When Doves Cry transformed the 1980's classic into a fast paced bluegrass jam.

Treehouse Sanctum

Denver's own Treehouse Sanctum was the opening band. Singer/guitarist Sam Rymer sporting a red bandanna (Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA era) and Singer/Keyboardist Danya Lynn Prado decked out in leather pants (Jim Morrison Lizard King Era) lead the band through a set of music they describe as indie dream rock. When they played Pilot & Crew about a World War II Veteran, an older gentleman blowing the trumpet appeared from the back of the stage.  The crowd might have wondered who brought their Dad. It turned out it was Dewayne Rymer (Sam's father). They ended their set with Van Morrison's Into the Mystic (making me ponder how one can rock a gypsy soul?)

See you at the next show. I will be the one with the washboard with my lampshade on.

Winehouse and Judge Roughneck at The Mercury Cafe in Denver, CO 0n 12/31/16

Winehouse - Counting down to the new year

The upstairs at The Mercury Cafe on New Year's Eve is like being in a loft of an old barn in the middle of Denver with Christmas decorations and organic gluten free liquor.  Young partiers wearing masquerade masks mixed with couples with AARP memberships were ready for a New Year's Eve celebration. It started behind schedule because the annual erotic poetry reading went long (thanks Viagra).

Singer Toddy Walters come on stage before her Amy Winehouse transformation to pay respect to all the artists lost in 2016.  She sang 100 Days, 100 Nights by Sharon Jones who passed away in November.  It seemed only fitting because Sharon Jones' band The Dap Kings played on Amy Winehouse's Grammy award winning Back to Black album.  At the end of her moving song, Walters introduced the opening band.

Judge Roughneck

Judge Roughneck has been playing with every ska and reggae band that has come through the Mile High City from UB40 to The Wailers since 1995. Singer Byron Shaw led the group through a fast paced set reminding everyone there is always time for a bongo solo.  David Dinsmore dressed in a suit and baseball cap (making the fashion statement work much better than the President Elect) provided additional vocals and trombone. Because you just can't have enough horns, saxophone player Jon Hegel wearing his signature fez hat and Prince look alike/trumpet player Andre Mali completed the brass section. Their music made the audience dance from a hipster wearing a court jester hat made of fake eyeballs to an older couple in Mardi Gras masks.  One of the highlights was The English Beat's Mirror in the Bathroom (Fishbone's Angelo Moore sings on the band's recent studio version on the song).

Winehouse - All Photos by the Rock and Roll Princess

Winehouse, recently voted as Westword's top tribute band, took the stage. Toddy Walters embraced Amy Winehouse's spirit with a beehive, tattoos, and English accent (some might be fake). The main members of the band are the horn section and singer from Judge Roughneck. The majority of the songs Just Friends, Love is a Losing Game, and of course Rehab paid a fitting tribute the late singer.  Not surprisingly, some of the songs were versions of the legendary ska band The Specials (all songs that Amy Winehouse covered).  Byron Shaw revved up the New Year's Eve crowd by having them sing the chorus to The Specials' Monkey Man, "Aye Aye Aye."

Toddy Walters A.K.A. Winehouse

The band provided the perfect Motown feel for Amy Winehouse's own He Can Only Hold Her with perfect backing vocals and matching choreography.

The encore was The Specials' You're Wondering Now with fitting lyrics to start the new year from a tribute band honoring an artist that left this life too soon.  "You're wondering now/What to do/Now you know this is the end."  Of course, it was sung in an upbeat ska way.

See you at the next show.  I will be the one waiting for the bongo solo.

Top Shows of 2016

Keeping the yearly tradition alive, I picked my tops shows of 2016. I was extremely lucky and got to see big acts in small venues such as Mudcrutch (Tom Petty's pre Heartbreaker band) at the Ogden Theatre and Chris Stapleton at the Fillmore Auditorium (feeling like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory getting not only one, but two golden tickets).  I witnessed the punk duo PWR BTTM go from an opening band to headlining within a year. Father John Misty made me a believer ... in his cynical dark lyrics and rock and roll delivery.  Lucius mesmerized me with their magical voices and futuristic caped outfits. Despite attending incredible shows throughout the year, my favorites were all strangely in April and May.  So here is the official 2016 Old Guy at the Show Best Concert List.  Drum role please...

5) PWR BTTM at the Bluebird Theatre on 4/4/16

Smeared glitter makeup, hilarious lyrics, shredding guitar, and comic banter 
are bringing the punk spirit to a new generation.

4) Chris Stapleton at the Fillmore Auditorium on 5/6/16

The hairy teddy bear of a man sang his heart out renewing my faith in 
country music.

3) Lucius at the Gothic Theatre on 5/14/16

Possible aliens with angelic voices singing in beautiful harmony.  

2) Father John Misty at the Ellie Caulkins Theatre on 4/9/16

Singing sarcastic poignant lyrics while channeling the Gods of Rock 

with a majestic performance.

1) Mudcrutch at the Ogden Theatre on 5/26/16  

Tom Petty getting back to his southern roots with his teenage band 

while sounding better and looking happier than he has in years. 

Honorable mentions: Courtney Barnett at the Ogden Theatre on 11/8/16 - a divisive American election night seen through the eyes of an Australian Indie Rocker, Blues Traveler at Red Rocks Amphitheater on 7/4/16 - John Popper threw me his trademark hat making it the best Independence Day ever.  Margo Price at the Bluebird Theater on 10/24/16 - Proving why Jack White (my Lord and Savior) signed the Midwest Farmer's Daughter to his record label, and Against Me! at the Marquis Theater on 9/2/16 - Pre-Riot Festival Transgender Dysphoria Blues.

Everybody here at Old Guy at the Show H.Q. wishes you happiness, peace, and music in 2017.

See you at the next show.  I'll be the one talking about the time I met PWR BTTM.

PWR BTTM and Old Guy at the Show