On Monday nights in L.A., about the only sure shot you got is Fast Times at the Whisky A Go-Go.
The Whisky A Go-Go‘s Monday night house band, Fast Times, is a totally awesome and completely tubular ’80s tribute band that never fails to knock your neon lime green socks off and get your checkerboard Vans moshing.
Bored on a random Monday night, we cruised over to Sunset and Clark to catch yet another set by Fast Times, which has been the Whisky’s Monday night house band for the past two years. And they always give one of the coolest, most faithful sets of ’80s covers that are spot-on and have an awesome added edge that comes from the high-energy live show that includes plenty of audience participation.
Throughout the show, the faux Jeff Spicoli frontman brilliantly segues from handling the vocals of Jon Bon Jovi one minute to Dave Gahan the next and then effortlessly switching to Mark Almond and Holly Johnson, and the segue is as smooth and crisp as the keyboard riffs of a Casio.
Fast Times always manages to engage the audience to the point that for a moment in time, the Whisky feels like you just stepped into a rockin’ prom circa 1985. The crowd is very much into the experience, everyone knows the words of every song, and they’re excited by just how good the covers are.
Plus, the audience is often invited to sing/yell the choruses into the microphone during the many times various band members step up into the edge of the stage. Fast Times’ set feels more like a really wicked party than a concert.
The only disappointment came when we stepped outside and realized there wasn’t a 1982 DMC DeLorean waiting to hit 88 mph and take us back to the ’80s for good.
Hey, bud, let’s party! Faux Jeff Spicoli hosts ‘Fast Times’ and rolls out the best of ’80s rock at Whisky A Go-G0 every Monday Night.
The Whisky A Go-Go is slowly but surely getting back into the swing of rocking your face off again with awesome live shows and concerts that will make you remember exactly why the Sunset Strip is the birthplace of rock and roll.
There is nowhere else in the city of Los Angeles where you’re going to get as much world-class entertainment–for $10, no less–than at Whisky’s weekly event, “Fast Times.”
The moniker is both the name of the event and the band that headlines the evening of totally awesome all-1980s hits at the hottest party you’re ever going to find anywhere in Hollywood on a Monday night.
It’s actually more precise to say that “Fast Times” is the name of the band, and the band is an event. They deliver note-perfect covers of high-energy, fist-pumping rock and pop classics by bands everyone loves, like Depeche Mode, Beastie Boys, and Bon Jovi, and the energy in the room, the visuals, and the faux Jeff Spicoli host combine to make this one of the coolest Eighties parties this side of a Ridgemont High prom.
‘WHEN THE WORLD GETS IN YOUR FACE, I SAY,’ “HAVE A NICE DAY,”‘ DECLARES BON JOVI IN SUNSET & CLARK’S TOP FIVE FEEL-GOOD HEAVY METAL TRACKS TO TACKLE ANY DISTRESS
Ever since the first time I heard the incredible, amp-shaking, adrenalin-pumping sounds of heavy metal–courtesy of a neighbor introducing me to KISS Alive in fifth grade–I have relied on metal music as a mood adjuster.
I crank up good ol’ hard rock to try to block out the world at times when it’s just not making sense, like when the daily headlines are over-crowded with news about riots, the recession, natural disasters and Miley Cyrus.
Over the years I have maintained a mental list of deeply therapeutic heavy metal mood setters that have always helped to make things feel a whole lot better when they just weren’t feeling right with the state of the modern world.
Here’s a list of Sunset & Clark’s five all-time greatest hard and heavy classics for dealing with any challenging situation.
“When the world keeps trying to drag me down,
I’ve gotta raise my hands, gonna stand my ground.”
When it comes to perfectly crafted feel-good anthems, Jon Bon Jovi is the grand messiah of mainstream metal. And while kick-ass classics like “It’s My Life,” “Everyday” and “Keep the Faith” are stellar and inspiring tracks that always provide an intrinsic kick, Bon Jovi‘s title track to 2005’s Have a Nice Day is hands down one of the best and most bad ass songs in the band’s expansive catalog.
Make this track the ringer for your cell’s alarm clock app and you’re virtually guaranteed to wake up empowered and ready to face the day.
“Never cared for what they say.
Never cared for games they play.
Never cared for what they do.
Never cared for what they know.
And I know.”
In HBO’s Paradise Lost doc on the West Memphis Three, the mom of Jessie Misskelley, Jr., one of the accused teens, was asked how she held on to her sanity when her innocent son was being held in jail for three child murders. She revealed that she and Jessie sang Metallica‘s “Nothing Else Matters” to one another during jail visits.
Metallica’s 1991 track from The Black Album also works well in buffering bad moods during those times when you’re forced to deal with your own less dramatic drama.
“Express yourself in the face of change.
Repress yourself, you surely seal your fate.
You got to look inside; the answer lies in wait.
Resurrect before it’s too late.”
Like Bon Jovi, the guys in Poison are also metal masters at crafting empowering anthems that inspire equal parts self-reflection and some serious fist pumping, like “Something to Believe In” and “Cry Tough.”
Should you ever find your personal integrity challenged, however, it’s the Sunset Strip-launched band’s timeless track “Stand,” from 1993’s Native Tongue, that will super-charge your confidence and make you wanna unskinny bop all night long!
“Don’t need to wait for an invitation;
You gotta live like you’re on vacation.”
Ever have a bad day that seemed to last a week? Overwhelmed by the daily grind? Fortunately, when times get tough there’s always KISS to remind us all that “it ain’t a crime to be good to yourself” in the killer KISS classic “Lick It Up.”
Vinnie Vincent‘s scorching guitar attack, Eric Carr‘s full-throttle percussion and KISS’ early ’80s harder edged sound effortlessly power up a universal ode about learning to appreciate and enjoy the here and now.
The 1983 track from KISS’ eleventh album of the same name is not only one of the most powerful feel-good gems in the band’s catalog, it’s also one of the greatest classics in the history of heavy metal.
“There’s somethin’ wrong with the world today.
The light bulb’s gettin dim.
There’s meltdown in the sky…”
Rock legend Steven Tyler penned 1993’s “Living on the Edge” in response to the ’92 L.A. Riots, and over 20 years later, the Aerosmith classic still holds up as a reliable and rockin’ reminder that you’re not the only who sometimes feels like you just can’t stop yourself from falling. And through it all, Tyler stands tough and declares: “We can tell ’em no or we could let it go, but I would rather be a hanging on.” Guess there’s still reason to dream on.
BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE YOU ROCK & ROLLED? GET SET TO SHOUT AT THE DEVIL & DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY ONCE AGAIN!
Not enough metal in your summer? Bummed about the closing of Rock Row landmark Hollywood SoundCheck? Disappointed by the lack of classic metal bands in the SSMF 2014 lineup? Don’t fret. A good mix of hard rockin’ fan bands is coming to a stage near you to save your end-of-summer partying.
On September 12, a hard rocking trio of cover bands paying homage to three of the biggest rock groups in history–Van Halen, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue–will set their amps to 11 and rattle the roof of House of Blues Anaheim. Giving L.A. rock fans a good reason to make the commute over to The O.C. is Atomic Punks, the L.A. Music Awards-winning tribute band whose spot-on covers of early VH tracks has made fans out of metal aficionados like Bret Michaels and Howard Stern; Crue-worshipping rockers Motley Inc.; and Wanted, which will attempt to rock a million–or a couple hundred–faces with scorchin’ renditions of Bon Jovi’s runaway hits. Get tickets and additional details here.
The next night, on September 13, head over to House of Blues Sunsetfor a trip back to the awesome ’80s with Brit band The Molly Ringwalds. The costumed cover rockers’ roster of retro rock and pop classics generally includes tunes by Sunset Strip icons like Guns N’ Roses, The Go-Gos, Motley Crue and Poison. Timeless tracks by Eighties metal monsters like Twisted Sister and Whitesnake also often wind their way into The Molly Ringwalds’ set list. And considering that these cover rockers are from Sheffield, England, you can expect to hear some anthemic hits from the group’s hometown heroes, Def Leppard.
Wanna get rocked? The Whisky A Go Go is the spot to head to on September 16, when fellow Def Leppard lovers Pyromania takes center stage as headliners of the return of AXS TV’s concert show The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands. Get more details and free tickets here.
Stroll the Sunset Strip east the following week and hit up House of Blues Sunset for a night of good times, rad times when Led Zeppelin 2 cranks up its amps on September 25. Winding down its national tour through America, the Chicago-based band sticks so close to Zeppelin’s repertoire that you can expect to get a contact high just by watching. It’s also why Metallica guitar legend Kirk Hammet has publicly declared, “These guys sound fucking exactly like Led Zeppelin!”
SUNSET & CLARK’S TOP 12 GREATEST ENDURING HEAVY METAL BANDS
When Ozzy Osbourne proclaimed in 1982 that “you can’t kill rock and roll,” he and fellow enduring metal icons like Metallica, Motley Crue and KISS have gone on to prove that notion over and over again by keeping arenas packed and the charts rocking decades after first plugging in their amps.
Rockin’ and rollin’ all night and partying every day are only a few of the enviable rewards of rock superstardom, which for some bands, ahem, Quiet Riot, often ends as quickly as it begins. Or, once-iconic groups continue to carry the torch, but in name only, such as the current incarnation of Axl Rose‘s Guns N’ Roses andthe Sebastian Bach-less Skid Row.
But that’s not the case with the monsters of metal below that are as relevant today as they were back when your favorite guitarists wore mascara and had big, poofy hair.
1. METALLICA Launched in Hollywood, California in 1981, Metallica has survived the death of original bassist Cliff Burton, image controversy and an infamous battle with Napster only to come out on top over 30 years later as the reigning kings of metal.
James Hetfield and the band have revealed that Metallica is working on a new album for a possible 2015 release. Lars Ulrich recently confirmed to Rolling Stonethat the project is in the “fourth inning.”
2. MOTLEY CRUE In the Motley Crue classic “Kickstart My Heart,” when frontman Vince Neil sang, “When we started this band all we needed, needed was a laugh. Years gone by, I’d say we’ve kicked some ass,” he wasn’t kidding! Since forming in 1981, the Bad Boys of Hollywood have become one of the biggest-selling American rock bands in history, selling over 80 million albums worldwide. Crue is currently rocking the planet on its farewell tour that makes a stop at Hollywood Bowl on July 21.
3. VAN HALEN Surviving three incarnations of the band and years of behind-the-scenes boozy brawls, health scares, rocky on/off reunions and personality clashes, the near-original lineup of Van Halen, fronted by David Lee Roth, continues to rock arenas and the charts — minus bassist Michael Anthony, who has been replaced by Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen. In April 2014, on his podcast The Roth Show, the singer teased about currently “working on a great Van Halen project.”
4. KISS In 1973, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss put on makeup, plugged in their gear and changed rock ‘n’ roll forever, becoming the most iconic and recognizable band in the world. Since then, KISS has endured lineup changes and short-lived reunions to become a certified pop culture institution. The ever-touring rockers recently launched an arena football team, L.A. KISS, and are currently moonlighting as models for fashion designer John Varvatos.
5. IRON MAIDEN Formed in the mid-Seventies, British metal masters Iron Maiden had almost as many different band members as Spinal Tap had exploding drummers. But when Bruce Dickinson joined in 1981, the band released one future classic after another, with “Number of the Beast” and “Run to the Hills” becoming Maiden’s signature songs. Still packing arenas on its 2012-2014 Maiden England World Tour, Dickinson and crew also recently headlined Europe’s Monsters of Rock fest at Castle Donington for a fifth time.
6. JUDAS PRIEST Sure, Britain’s Judas Priest had other frontmen throughout its career, but only Rob Halford really matters.
The on-again/off-again singer has been back with Priest since the early 2000s, and band tells Rolling Stone that their Summer 2014 release, Redeemer of Souls, is going to be a “very heavy record.”
7. BLACK SABBATH Black Sabbath, which formed in England in 1968 and has had various famous lead singers, has regrouped again with original frontman Ozzy Osbourne in 2011. Since then, Sabbath has been rocking the world on a global tour, and the charts with the band’s latest album, 13.
8. BON JOVI Sure, Richie Sambora may be M.I.A., but with Jon Bon Jovi at the mic, Bon Jovi will undoubtedly continue to rock a million faces with sold-out arena shows. Rumors are swirling that Sambora is looking to step back into the band soon, and that’s awesome news, but his sudden departure didn’t damper the success of Bon Jovi’s 2013 Because We Can: The Tour, which proves the iconic band’s superstar success has come near to piquing just yet, not even after 30 years as the best American rock band on the planet.
9. DEF LEPPARD Powerhouse arena rockers Def Leppard lit the world on fire in 1983 with the British band’s third album, Pyromania. Instant rock classics like “Foolin’,” “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages” remain among Leppard’s concert staples, including on the band’s 2014 summer tour with KISS.
10. MEGADETH Legendary Hollywood thrash band Megadeth was launched in 1983 after frontman Dave Mustaine had a falling out with his former band, Metallica. Mustaine has since ended his feud and continues to keep Megadeth on the charts and selling out arenas alongside ’Tallica. Megadeth is currently in the studio working on the follow up to 2013’s Super Collider, which hit No. 6 the Billboard 200 albums chart.
11. SLAYER Southern California rockers Slayer have been bringing their brash brand of thrash metal to the masses since 1981, and the band shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In Spring 2014, Slayer debuted a new single, “Implode,” and announced that a new album is due in 2015.
12. ANTHRAX Anthrax put NYC’s thrash metal scene on the map in 1981 and went on to release countless hard rock hits, including “Bring the Noise,” “Indians,” “Antisocial” and, from 2011’s Worship Music, the 2012 single “I’m Alive.” Anthrax is currently touring and working on a new album to be released in Summer 2014.
SEEING BON JOVI FOR FREE AS THEY ROCK THEIR BIGGEST HITS ON A COOL RAINY NIGHT IN HOLLYWOOD? PRICELESS, FOR SURE!
Rock stalwarts Bon Jovi gave an AMAZING show in the rain last night at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, where the band played for a few hundred diehard fans lucky enough to get free tickets through MasterCard’s Priceless campaign. Saturday night’s downpour failed to dampen spirits at the outdoor gig beneath Paramount’s famous water tower.
JBJ and the band opened with “Nowhere Highway,” setting a course straight to their biggest hits and proceeded to rock a million — or a few hundred — faces for about an hour and half. The band hit the mark on every track from “Living On a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name” to “It’s My Life,” “Two Story Town” and “Who Says you Can’t Go Home” before closing with “Bad Medicine.”
The non-stop drizzle seemed to increase the excitement, providing a spectacular visual, and with all the fevered audience-participation singing and hands to the sky as the rain poured down, it kind of felt like a rockin’ religious revival. Just how we like it!
MasterCard offers fans a chance to check out Bon Jovi’s Paramount show for free until December 31. Get details here.
JOE ELLIOT BLAMES DEF LEPPARD WANNABES FOR THE DEMISE OF HEAVY METAL’S POPULARITY IN THE AWESOME EIGHTIES
Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliot gives his theory on what led to the demise in popularity of heavy metal in the late ’80s/early ’90s in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“When Kurt Cobain came along and tried to kill off the ’80s, he wasn’t trying to kill off Def Leppard. He could have lived with Def Leppard. What he couldn’t deal with was the hundred of other sound-alikes. And that was the problem. And that’s why the ’80s imploded and started eating itself. There were bands that sounded like GN’R, bands that sounded like Bon Jovi, [and bands that sounded like us] — it was one of those three, copied maybe 20, 30 times. It was just a weaker version. And the novelty wore off pretty quick.”
On September 12, a hard rocking trio of cover bands paying homage to three of the biggest rock groups in history–Van Halen, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue–will set their amps to 11 and rattle the roof of 
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