The late '80s - early '90s where a very strange time for music. There was a massive conglomeration of bands and artists all trying to look and sound the same while acting as if they were the true originals. While every band that came from the Sunset Strip had the hair, the attitude and the music down there were some bands that stood above them all. What if there was one man, a "Pied Piper" if you will that not only started one iconic band back then but started TWO? Two bands that traveled the same dingy streets of LA and became two of the greatest bands of that generation. What if one of those bands "reloaded" themselves and came back to do it all over again but this time even better?
I have three really simple questions for you about our youth, assuming of course you were born before 1990. Do you remember rock n' roll radio? Do you remember when MTV used to play videos? Oh and do you remember "Headbangers Ball?"
I remember those three things with blurred clarity because I was a music freak, I still am obviously but what I remember were these bands pounding out music about women, sex, partying and women some more. I remember a time where most of the bands were all men and they all had longer, poofier hair than women of the same era. I remember a time where music entertained you through audio and video, allowing us to put a face with the voices we heard over our car stereos and inevitably scratchy cassettes. I remember the "power ballad" and the campy, shticky songs that seemingly made no sense but had a driving beat and a video with gorgeous women that made it okay. I remember when bands came out in spandex and leather covered with lace and forearm guards covered in spikes. I remember the men in the bands so full of makeup that at first glance of a photo you might think that they were the hottest women you had ever seen.
There were bands that didn't always fit that bill, bands that weren't just about "glam," they were about rock n' roll and women, sex, partying and women some more too. They were about entertaining you and giving you a product that wasn't homogenized or followed the same script as the other 250,000 bands that were coming off of the Sunset Strip at the same time. Bands of that time had material that made you think while at the same time transported you into a fantasy land where you could wish to have the opulence and women that only their fame could. Some of the bands of the era were stacked with awesome musicians but few had musicians that could withstand the test of time and help transform music history.
As I flip through the pages of my remaining memories I see a time where videos kind of shaped music and when I do I see an image in my head every single time. There is a piece of video in my head of five guys all on motorcycles just riding and on the handlebars of one of the bikes is a giant "ALF" doll and its in my memory still to this day. The song is "Electric Gypsy" from LA Guns and whenever I think about music videos on MTV I see that clip in my head. Why couldn't you actually? It's a great song but the imagery of these guys on bikes hurdling down roadways of the deserts of America kind of sticks out. First of all ALF was an incredible TV, I loved Gordon Shumway but his appearance in that video still makes me laugh. The fact of the matter that something that obscure reminds me of an entire genre is telling, and I think it is reflective in the power of the band LA Guns itself.
When Tracii Guns founded LA Guns in 1983 the "era of hair" was really firing up in full force and the power of the genre was being written by Guns himself. When LA Guns was formed the band started with Michael Jagosz as their lead singer but he was replaced by a gentleman named William Bruce Rose Jr., or as he is affectionately known as Axl Rose. Rose decided to leave the band and start his own band then he and Guns joined forces again and formed another band called Guns N'Roses which Guns later left and subsequently reformed LA Guns. That is a powerful man right there, he literally formed TWO bands that are still at the apex of rock to this day some 33 years later.
Think about this for a moment, both bands have extraordinary pedigrees and success and while GNR has released six studio albums, one live album and two compilation albums, LA Guns has gone even further. LA Guns since its inception has released fourteen studio albums, six live albums, and eight compilation albums. It has released twenty videos, five EP's and four singles adding to an impressive pedigree if I should I say so myself.
Guns has always surrounded himself with artists that are far and away the best of the best, he really has and although the last time I saw Guns perform was with the band Devil City Angels (a bit of a supergroup in and of itself) I was anxious to see what LA Guns would bring to the table. Guns officially left LA Guns in 2012 and it wasn't until 2016 when Guns and Phil Lewis would rejoin forces once again and perform as "L.A. Guns' Phil Lewis + Tracii Guns." The history of LA Guns is very intensive and complicated but the abridged version would show that the last time that Lewis and Guns performed together was in 2002 marking the fourteen years between performances. That was a remarkable thing actually because how often in music do friendships, partnerships end and never rematerialize?
Cut ahead to December 2016 when Lewis announced that he was leaving the iteration of LA Guns he was involved in and rejoining Guns. That really was a boon for LA Guns fans because it reunited one of the most powerful and iconic voices in heavy metal with arguably one of the best guitar players of all-time. Neither of those statements are a stretch by the way, I challenge just about anyone to listen to just the Lewis vocal on any LA Guns song and ask them what band it is and I would venture a guess they will nail it every time. His voice is distinctive and has a quality that is reminiscent of a '70s gravelly rock voice but after 33 years has the voice stayed the same?
I went to Poopy's in Savanna, Illinois on July 8th, 2017 to find out how Lewis and LA Guns sounded because the last time I saw the two of them together would have been in 1989 - 1991ish. Poopy's is an incredible venue to begin with, bringing in great acts such as Warrant, Wayland and LA Guns and should really become a destination for any concert goer. The first thing that was noticeable about that July evening was how full it was. I had just left a rock festival a few days earlier and I was excited about seeing a little smaller crowd but I was pleasantly surprised by how full Poopy's was.
LA Guns came out with a fervor that I actually anticipated, its definitely a band that has its roots in that metal scene still but they play like they are trying to knock you out with every blow. There is a tenacity about their music but it is still music that makes you want to jump the shark at the end. There is a control to the music that still pulls you into it and surrounds you in memories and pure rock goodness. I was completely taken aback by how every member of this band really is and how dynamic they are as a whole, it was mesmerizing to watch.
Take Johnny Martin for example. Martin became an immediate target for me onstage for one very simple reason, he looked like Johnny Ramone. The Ramones are simply the most important band in the history of music without question making Johnny Ramone part and parcel to that success. Ramone was a guitar legend, and brandished an attitude that made him a bad boy even in punk terms. Any time someone attempts to look the part of a person like Ramone I start to watch intently. As I stated moments ago Ramone was the guitar player for The Ramones and Martin plays bass but he looks so much like the aforementioned Ramone that it was all I could think about watching him perform.
He was incredible playing that damned bass too! With it swung low, that Johnny Ramone stance and attitude coupled with the leather jacket and hair he really was reminiscent of Ramone. He really was incredible, you could see that punk attitude exuding forth in how he held himself onstage and his approach to the music he was performing. Martin was so fun to watch, he had the energy that every bass player should have and attitude that every bass player does have. What an amazing bass player!
The rhythm section of a band is as close to a necessity as is air to breathe and with Shane Fitzgibbon on drums, LA Guns is spot on perfect. Fitzgibbon has this affinity as he is playing to look like it is effortless while playing so hard I expected to see the floor beneath him collapse and swallow up the entire drum set and the drummer along with it. What was interesting was how young he looks but how talented he really is. A person that looks this young should not be playing at a level that makes you think he has the skills of John Bonham but does he ever. What a treat to see a drummer this good, he could be one of the elite very, very soon! Great job!!!
There is a real enigma in LA Guns, he plays guitar, isn't named Guns, plays like a madman and has the talent that I would liken to Zakk Wylde (he isn't name Wylde either). That enigma is named Michael Grant and can he shred the paint and strings off of a guitar. Watching Grant play is like watching a tornado, complete chaos, one purpose and freaky entertaining! One of my highlights for the night is when he performed the Prince classic "Purple Rain," what an INCREDIBLE version of the song! It is such a powerful song, deep, brooding and powerful but Grant really made the entire version an astounding success! That would be an excellent indicator of depth wouldn't it? As if the music of LA Guns isn't powerful, guitar driven and demanding enough, the technical masterpiece of a music icon (Prince) was performed at the highest possible level with unimagined success. Grant is a real gift on guitar and every LA Guns fan should take notice of him.
There is an iconic sound in every band, sometimes it is the guitar, sometimes it is the speed, sometimes it is the vocals and at other times it is the whole shooting match, and with LA Guns it really is everything, the "whole shooting match" if you will BUT... I think a massive "chunk" of the LA Guns sound lies in the vocals of Phil Lewis. Within the voice of Lewis is an aspect that I really don't think people give much thought to but it is so reminiscent inside the annals of rock it simply cannot be discounted. Lewis is British and when I hear him sing I can hear those incredible singers with names like McCartney, Lennon, Davies, Daltry, Plant and Bolan. There is a vocal quality that is befitting a British lead singer that is really indescribable but it adds power and soul to any song.
When Lewis started the band Girl in 1978 he was in the middle of so many British bands that were tearing the world up so it's hard to not imagine the bands mentioned earlier wouldn't have impacted him. Think about this for a moment, he started Girl in 1978 nearly 40 years ago and almost ten years after he started that band he joined LA Guns. I have mentioned other bands sounding better when they have switched lead singers previously but I cannot fathom LA Guns without Lewis at the helm.
Lewis has "it." Most importantly he hasn't lost "it" either. I have seen LA Guns on a few occasions previous to their performance at Poopy's but I don't think I could ever see the band without Lewis at the helm. In those thirty years since Lewis entered LA Guns he helped shape their sound, he became their voice and I don't think his vocals have changed in all of that time. Lewis on stage is still the man in charge, he is energetic, engaging and when he is singing it is obvious how much in control of the material and the crowd he still is. Lewis still has "it" and truly made a wonderous impression on those in attendance! I can't tell you enough what a legend this man is!
There is but one more person to talk about in LA Guns, that being the man, the myth, the legend Mr. Tracii Guns. Earlier I called Guns the "Pied Piper" and I did it for a great reason, he attracts the finest musicians to work with him. Guns has worked with Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Gilby Clarke (all from GNR), Michael Schenker, Bobby Blotzer, Scot Coogan, Nikki Sixx, Eric Brittingham, Rikki Rockett, Brandon Gibbs, Mick Taylor, Fred Coury, Pat Travers and Matt Sorum to name a few. Guns has been in the bands Guns N' Roses, Contraband, Brides of Destruction, Tracii Guns' League of Gentlemen, Poison, Quiet Riot, and the Devil City Angels as well. He has been on countless albums and guest appearances onstage, he attracts the best musicians to him just like the "Pied Piper" and why you ask?
Tracii Guns is a legend. There are few that can play guitar on his level period. He is an excellent songwriter and he is still creating music that people want to be part of. The current iteration of LA Guns is by itself unequalled but with Guns back in the fold this band is unstoppable. While watching Guns on stage the passion in which he plays drips from him, and you can see that the members of the band see it too. Guns never stops while he is onstage, which makes me want to take young musicians and sit them down just to watch this guy perform. This is what a consummate professional and legend looks like. Still dominate after all of these years, keep it up Tracii!!!
When I traveled to Poopy's in Savanna, Illinois on July 8th, 2017 I had one purpose: to see a legendary rock band, LA Guns. I didn't know if the band would sound like it did since the last time I saw the band but I knew that the last time I did the band was minus Tracii Guns. I had to see for myself if the "old band" was back and how they sounded. The band had two massive cogs from that success back into the fold with Lewis and Guns but their supporting cast could make or break the entire deal.
Just like adding the wrong ingredients to make a cake can ruin it so too can adding the wrong members to a band but that wasn't the case. What I saw and heard was one of the finest metal bands of all-time come out to the stage and dominate. LA Guns performed at such a high level that I am still blown away by it all. I saw a band make a resurgence that is undeniable. LA Guns is back, with new music even and the fact of the matter is that it doesn't sound like they ever left. The additions of Johnny Martin, Shane Fitzgibbon and Michael Grant have propelled this band into the forefront once again and I don't think they will leave it any time soon.
LA Guns brought over thirty years of classic music and its power, its grace and its history to Savanna, Illinois that night and it felt like despite changes through the years that it never left. With Guns and Lewis at the front of this band I don't see anyone or anything getting in their way ever. I think back to the "Electric Gypsy" video and seeing ALF with his hair blown back as he rode on the front of that motorcycle and I think that after all of these years LA Guns is still leading the pack, hair blowing in the wind.
What an awesome performance and what a great job by the band! Find LA Guns and see them live because you won't be disappointed and make your way to Poopy's in Savanna, Illinois for the same reasons! Keep it up guys and I hope to see you live again soon!
#LA_GUNS #TRACIIGUNS
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