The Viper Room Stage Sign

My prevailing thought this morning, after seeing L.A.-based rock band Hypnogaja live at The Viper Room (great live music venue once owned by Johnny Depp): I need to go out and see more local bands.

Seriously, Hypnogaja’s music is superior to 95% of the music we hear on Rock, New Rock and Modern Rock radio.

To my ear, Lead singer Jason Arnold’s (AKA “ShyBoy“) voice floats somewhere between Aaron Lewis (STAIND) and Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer). The band also features guitarist Jean-Yves “Jeeve” Ducornet, keyboardist Mark Nubar Donikian, drummer Adrian Barnardo and bassist Bryan Farrar.

Hypnogaja Live at The Viper Room (2009)

The bands touring resume (playing with acts Shinedown, Saliva, 311, Cold and Godhead) gives a strong indication toward their sound. Yet Hypnogaja feels more “accessible” — radio-friendly, even! — as compared to others in their genre. I mean, keyboards and gorgeous harmonies? The fearless audacity! Who do they think they are, Saigon Kick?! (Full disclosure: SK is one of my all-time favorite bands).

The band has been playing L.A. for ten years, clearly enjoying a good following. Case in point: After their set (playing first), the room literally CLEARED OUT; everyone was there to see them. If you’re in or around L.A., I urge you to check out this utterly sick band before you have to pay stadium ticket prices to do so. I can’t wait to see them again soon, hopefull next time they play The Whiskey!

"ShyBoy" Arnold and Chelsea, outside The Viper Room (right where River Phoenix OD'd)

REO Speedwagon (1987)

1987 was my Junior year in high school. I remember really liking REO Speedwagon when I was in, like, elementary school. That would be around the time of REO’s “Hi Infidelity” which featured killer tracks like, “Don’t Let Him Go,” “Keep On Loving You,” and “Take It on the Run.”

I’m pretty sure REO had a new album to support for this tour, but I wouldn’t know which album it was… or whether they had any big singles. Judging by the venue (the University of Michigan’s basketball arena, which is pretty small), I’m guessing their popularity had waned considerably from their early ’80s heyday of sell-out stadium tours.

All I remember from the show was the fact that several band-members looked like they were on their way to a Renaissance Festival. Tall, brown, suede lace-up boots, vests and poofy shirts.

It was a little alarming.

Observations:

-David Duchovny opened the show [why?] and had a cold, one week later he would check into rehab for sex addiction.

-Dave Grohl had a cold, or at least a blown voice, but still foo fighters tore into ‘Young Man Blues’ – ballsy even to attempt as the ‘oo’s version is the greatest live rock song on vinyl.

-Mila Kunis is hot – dumb as a soup spoon – but hot.

-The singer from Incubus wore wayfarers.

-I am a flaming lips fan – but they kind of blew

-standing around in front of the venue before doors open, Eddie Vedder was wheeled past us in golf cart. He was wearing white pants, and holding a beer.

-it’s the first time in my life where I was amongst the better looking men in the crowd – that includes the times I’ve gone to minor league hockey games. The Whooligans [american branch] are among the butt-fugliest collection of yobos ever to wear t-shirts with targets on them.

-Jeremy Piven had better seats than we did.

Thanks to having two older brothers, I was practically weened on old Pink Floyd records. I spent summers at camp in Northern Michigan listening to “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Animals” and “The Final Cut.”

Roger Waters (1987)

The latter album, Pink Floyd’s last featuring founding member Roger Waters, was my favorite. I am one of those Floyd-heads who feels Waters was the creative guts of the outfit. Apparently, Waters felt the same way! I guess he and guitarist David Gilmour could never work it out (and continue to feud, sadly). So I moved onto Waters’ solo albums quite naturally.

I didn’t get to see the first Roger Waters tour, in support of his debut effort, “The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking,” (my brother did. The bastard!), and I remember being off my rocker when this tour, in support of his sophomore “Radio KAOS” album, was announced.

It was a brilliant show, but my strongest memory is this:

You know that song “In the Flesh” from “Pink Floyd’s The Wall,” the one that goes, “So ya… thought ya… might like to… go to the show,” right? The one where Pink is becoming a Nazi dictator? Yeah, the one where he calls out minorities: “And that one looks jewish… and that ones a coon… Who let all of this riff raff into the room?”

So Waters is doing this song, and stage spotlights are flying around the audience. The spotlights are hitting one place and just *staying* there while Waters sings the verse. Then it moves on. Well, during one such stop, it’s pretty clear that a whole bunch of dorks have taken the sentiments literally, and they’ve decided to flat *stomp* some poor schmuck. From my vantage, I thought it was a young black kid getting pounded by a group of illiterate, trailer trash monsters.

Whomever was the unfortunate recipient of the beat-down, Waters himself peeped the activity from the stage… and promptly walked off the stage.

As order was restored in the stands, radio DJ Jim Ladd (an integral part of the album, Radio KAOS) actually berated the crowd! Called us out for “not understanding” Roger Waters, for being “too stupid” to know what he’s talking about. That kind of thing. Ladd warned us that Waters might not come back out. That the show might be over and we should be ashamed.

Eventually, Waters did come back and finished the set. It felt abbreviated, but I will never be sure if it was truncated due to his irritation, or just the natural end. Anyway, it was a strange concert experience. And one that I cherish.

Many years after they were cool; many years before "Rock of Love"

I am not ashamed to say that I really liked Metal Music of the late 80’s, early 90’s ~ and happily sang along with these “hair” bands and had posters wallpapering my room.  Bands like Motley Crue, LA Guns, G ‘NR, Ratt, Cinderella and ~ yes ~ Poison.  I never was able to see them in their prime which was about 1988 after their second album, Open Up and Say..Ahh!.  I have to say I was a bigger fan of the first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986) but discovered it a few years later due to the fact that I was only 11 when it came out.
Poison also recorded a cover of a Kiss song “Rock And Roll All Night” for Less Than Zero’s Soundtrack (1987).  During THIS show, my memory is that I was one of the youngest women there but knew all the words to every song.  I also remember, while watching Poison perform, why the other bands I liked (Guns and Roses and Motley Crue, etc.) were so much better.

Another important fact, if anyone really cares, is that C. C. DeVille, was fired from the band before this show and 5th Album, Native Tongue (1993).

Leaving you with this thought ~ ‘Rock of Love’ ~ Bret Michaels, really?  Ummmm ‘Rock of Love Bus’….  Sigh.

My Concert Ticket

I have such fond memories of this show… juvenile delinquent that I was.

This was 1988, and I was a senior in high school. My fond memories are not because I was a fan of Van Halen. Or Scorpions, Dokken, or even Metallica, for that matter. Certainly not because I was a fan of Kingdom Come (who?!).

I do remember the thousands of Crotch-Rock fans who showed up for this bloated tour of testosterone, dubious rock and cheap beer… sporting torn-and-pegged acid-washed jeans (with Goodie™ combs in the back pocket) and high-top Reeboks.

This was an all-day, indoor event. The show started in the early afternoon, and there were no “in-and-out” priveledges. We didn’t think about this, so we spent all our money on beer before the show, intent on drinking in the parking lot before going inside (yep, around 11am).

So it’s like 118 degrees inside the Silverdome. The show takes forever and it’s not even good. Eventually our cheap-beer-buzzes wear off and we are crabby. We are sweating. We’re exhausted. And we are HUNGRY. Again: NO MONEY.

So I turn to my friends and say, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.”

For those unfamiliar with the Silverdome, it’s a giant enclosed arena in Pontiac, Michigan. The Detroit Lions used to play there. There are food stands all around the circumference. I make a beeline toward the closest food stand, and lean over the saloon-door where stadium food workers enter. Nothing. So I move on to the next food stand.

Upon arrival, I lean over the saloon-doors. BINGO. I see the bright yellow apron each food worker must wear while working (along with sweet plastic gloves and little shower caps). I shove the apron under my shirt and duck into the crowd, making my way to the next food stand.

By the time I get to the next food stand, I’ve already donned the apron. Acting like I know what I’m doing, I confidently burst through the saloon-doors and walk right up to the oldest person I can find.

“We’re really slow in section 34, so they sent me down here to help. What can I do?” I ask.

“Hot dogs,” she replies, thumbing toward the back room.

I go into the back room where shower-capped losers are packing hot dogs into metallic bags as fast as they can. I smile and start stuffing pork parts. About 5 minutes later (again: HUNGRY), I turn to my co-worker.

“I’m gonna go on break. Mind if I take some dogs?”

“Hunh? Nah. Whatever.” (about what I expected).

So I lift my apron and start piling hot dogs into the fold. I think I got about 22 dogs before making a hasty retreat.

When I got back to our seats and revealed the score to my friends, they all cheered. In fact, folks who weren’t even in our group cheered. I guess that’s why I have such fond memories of 1988’s Monsters of Rock show in Detroit.