Tag: the whisky a go go

Photo Recap: Kingdom Come at the Whisky-a-Go-Go

Janky Smooth Central Command February 7, 2020

It’s been over 30 years since the Monsters of Rock but every band has stayed alive since that epic Los Angeles festival. Of all the bands, perhaps the one that holds a soft spot in my heart is Kingdom Come. A metal band with transcendent power and soul. When they announced a reunion for their 30th anniversary, I made it to the Whisky to see the incredible band showcase their talents to a packed house. The people did not forget. A year later and the band is still going strong. They returned to the Whisky for a stop on a three show tour and every member of the band shined. The Kottak attack ala James Kottak was savage, Keith St. John wields one of the most powerful voices in rock and roll, Danny Stag’s lead guitar-work was Godly, Rick Steier’s rhythm guitars brought the house to their knees, and Johnny B. Frank’s bass was frankly, thunderous. We’ve got pics from the show where you can see the ear candy just oozing out of every pixel. Photos by: Dillon Vaughn related content: Return to the Old School: Kingdom Come At The Whisky

Satan’s First Born: Possessed at the Whisky

Rob Shepyer January 18, 2019

Anton Lavey’s church of Satan could’ve only happened in San Francisco. They have a certain way of playing with ideas in Northern California that they can deal in evil and sin while not taking themselves too seriously but also not being perceived as jokes. Anton Lavey’s dream of a new world based on humanist principals was so unapologetic that it could invert any cross. It’s no wonder, that these two forces, satanism and good ol’ fashioned San Franciscan California dreaming, contributed to the birth of death metal in a band called Possessed. related content: The Battle Of The Bays: Obituary & Exodus Clash At Teragram Ballroom Whether you debate death metal crawled out of the San Francisco bay or Tampa bay, we are all in agreement that Possessed’s singer, Jeff Becerra is an icon of the genre. You feel power and wisdom emanating from him when he’s working a stage. His vocals shoot out in bolts, they’re not quite guttural but it’s certainly signature death. It delivers the satanic, thought-provoking, and ominous lyrics home, as if a dark wizard were singing. related content: Morbid Angel At The Regent: A Lesson In Death Possessed began in 1983 and after breakups, reformations, lineup

Children of the Night: Doyle at the Whisky

Rob Shepyer December 18, 2018

I love The Misfits, so naturally I feel inclined to support every member in whatever endeavor they do but it would be a mistake to relegate Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein’s band, DOYLE, to the status of a side-project. They stand alone with their amazing songs and performance. And as amazing as it is to see Doyle, the vegan beast, storming a stage, the real story here is Alex. Alex Story is one of the most visceral, intense frontmen anyone could ever see. I feel like it’s a shame he’s not more of an icon, actually. Nicknamed the Wolf Man, Alex Story summons up lycanthrope ferocity when he performs. His body, neck, ribs, and legs contort to some wolfly design, he prowls off the balls of his feet, really feeling the monster within. It’s like seeing the transformation scene from An American Werewolf in London play out before your very eyes. The set always ends with Alex drenched in sweat and leaving everything behind on the stage. related content: All I Want For Christmas Is “Blood And Tears”: Danzig Halloween Hell Bash At FivePoint Amphitheatre This night at the Whisky was filled with bands inspired by horror, darkness, and evil. I arrived to see

Return of the Old School: Kingdom Come at the Whisky

Rob Shepyer October 11, 2018

It’s my contention that if 80’s metal and grunge were to duke it out today, 80’s metal would come out victorious. I once read about a book called “The Pendulum” that theorized every forty years, people’s attitudes change from collectivist thinking to independent thinking. Grunge swung more like an axe, not a pendulum, to behead metal and change American rock music forever more. Now, in the Trump era, where collectivist notions don’t connect the same way they once did and hyper-masculinity seems to be the means to reclaim male identity, I think 80’s metal would prevail. We’ve had too many years of bands playing shoegaze without any charisma. We want spectacle. We want solos. And most of all, we want balls. You sense this when you see a great 80’s metal band live. I did when I saw Kingdom Come on their reunion tour where they celebrated their 30 year anniversary. related content: Soulfly And Nile: From The Amazon To The Whisky Kingdom Come were one of the original monsters of rock. Straight out of Germany, these guys had an incredibly powerful, soaring hard rock, metal sound that gained plenty of praise and comparison to Led Zeppelin. They were yesterday’s