I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day. But sometimes, I just wanna rock and roll all day and party every night. And at other times, I just wanna sleep. 🎶
L.A. Grammy Museum’s Bruce Springsteen exhibit covers the best of The Boss.
While killing a few hours before attending the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022 concert at L.A. Live, we got a chance to check out the Bruce Springsteen shrine, er we mean exhibit that opened last week at the Grammy Museum in Downtown L.A. (Spoiler alert: Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the Rock and Roll HOF event and performed!)
When we’re discussing somebody of the caliber of The Boss, we probably should refer to this as a shrine because St. Bruce really is in a league all his own when it comes to the sheer artistry of rock and roll music. This is one reason why he has his own headlining exhibit at the famous museum.
The rockin’ showcase includes everything from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band‘s well-worn instruments and familiar stage props from countless tours to the luxurious golden “throne” that legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons used in later years. And, of course, the exhibit includes Springsteen’s iconic t-shirt and Levi’s that he wore on the cover of Born in the U.S.A.
Check out some of the highlights that we captured while scrolling through this amazing history of the greatest living rock musician of our generation.
Stellar L.A. bands Dina Dover and The Band Called Sex are proving Gene Simmons wrong.
Music icon Gene Simmons caused a stir with rock and rollers in the recent past when he proclaimed that rock and roll is dead.
The outspoken Demon was referring to the fact that modern rock radio simply doesn’t have any decent new rock bands that seem like they will stand the test of time like KISS did, and Van Halen, Motley Crue, and other legendary bands from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s (and a few from the ’90s) who we all still listen to today.
LOCALS ONLY: Whisky welcomes back original rock from L.A.’s best new bands.
While we’d never refute the legendary Demon’s opinion on such an important topic, there is a good sign that rock and roll may not necessarily be dead. Proof of life is found at the Whisky A Go-Go, where we recently took in a set by the totally awesome L.A. ’80s tribute band Fast Times.
On a random Monday night, as we were checking out the two local bands opening the show, Dina Dover and The Band Called Sex, we were stoked by the rock and roll authenticity of both bands, whose original songs were memorable, catchy, and rocked hard without any bit of pretentiousness or gimmickry.
Plus, you could see and hear obvious influences of the likes of The Go-Go’s, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath in the performances by these new young bands that played straightforward melodic original rock and roll that the crowd seemed to really appreciate.
I WANT YOUR SEX: The Band Called Sex rocks the Whisky.
The two bands that supported Fast Times, Dina Dover and The Band Called Sex, had the 40 or 50 people in attendance riveted to their music as they banged their heads, bopped to the beat, and cheered on the bands as if they were watching Aerosmith. It was a sight to behold, especially after post-pandemic L.A. nightlife had been stagnant for so long.
The Band Called Sex delivered some badass, unpretentious original rock and roll that echoed of the bluesy grooves of Led Zeppelin and the powerhouse pipes of Ronnie James Dio but delivered with a straightforward musicality all its own.
ROCK N’ ROLL THRILLER: Dina Dover’s fun, edgy tunes had the house transfixed.
Dina Dover followed TBCS and the excellent band may look like a misfit group of high schoolers who just stepped out of The Breakfast Club, but when they jam together, it’s magic–a marvelous cohesive rock and roll sound that is slick, edgy, and instantly catchy. If The Go-Go’s ever got together with Blink 182, this could be their love child.
Plus, any rock band that opens their set with a fantastic cover of Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller,” automatically gets a gold star in our book. It’s not easy to make an MJ song your own, but they did it effortlessly.
HEY, I KNOW THAT DUDE! Fast Times brings the awesome ’80s to Sunset.
The memorable evening at the Whisky A Go-Go was an authentic music moment that was goosebump inducing because it seemed to be a noticeable, pivotal moment where music fans were in the mood to get their faces rocked off and they were certainly getting exactly that on this random Monday night on the Sunset Strip.
This musical experience was all about being moved by the entire enormity and majesty of this rockin’ showcase of original music that was followed by Fast Times’ incredible spot-on covers of the best rock songs of the ’80s by bands like Def Leppard and Van Halen.
So, with all due respect to the mighty Demon, rock may be on its last breath, but it is being resuscitated nightly at the corner of Sunset and Clark, where you could still rock and roll all night and party everyday. And for that we’ll forever be grateful.
Hollywood street art gives a shout out to classic Pat Benatar album.
When you’re strolling through HOLLYWOOD, there are usually a lot of distractions that have your eyes darting from one scenario to the next. One minute you’re gazing in awe at Marilyn Monroe‘s star in front of McDonald’s on Hollywood Boulevard and the next you’re trying to quickly look away from the crackhead pooping on the sidewalk in front of Madam Tussaud’s Hollywood Wax Museum.
Fortunately for us, while walking to the Hollywood Bowl recently to catch a Stevie Nicks show, it was a random, rockin’ homage to another music icon, Pat Benatar, that distracted us.
The vibrant, dye cut sticker-art tribute to Benatar’s fourth album, Get Nervous, is immortalized on the back of a sign post on Highland, just outside the Bowl.
The crazy-cool artwork immediately had the songs from the 1982 album streaming through our cabeza, timeless classics like “Shadows of the Night,” “Little Too Late,” “Looking for a Stranger,” and “Anxiety (Get Nervous).”
Caught up in the nostalgia, we found ourselves holding an old Bic lighter high in the air as we continued our stroll to the Hollywood Bowl.
The Go-Go’s frontwoman Belinda Carlisle is bringing 50 years of timeless rock n’ roll hits to Beverly Hills in October.
If you were one of the lucky ones who caught The Go-Go’s 2018 show at the Hollywood Bowl, which took place beneath a twinkling starlit SoCal sky just before the pandemic reared it’s ugly head, then you know just how awesome it is to catch a legendary Hollywood-launched band play an equally iconic venue.
Fans will get that opportunity again this fall, when The Go-Go’s frontwoman Belinda Carlisle headlines another local landmark, the gorgeous, intimate-sized Saban Theater in the heart of Beverly Hills.
The hit-making singer-songwriter is sure to give Beverly Hills a night to remember with a set spanning more than 30 years of solo smashes, from 1986’s Belinda to 2007’s Voila. Of course, fans can also expect to hear over 40 years of timeless hits from The Go-Go’s, which formed in L.A. in 1978, after Carlisle and her friends devised the idea while sitting on a curb outside a house party in Venice.
“I Get Weak,” “Circle in the Sand,” “Mad About You,” “Leave a Light On,”and her number one single “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” still hold up today as some of the best pop gems in music history, composed of instantly memorable choruses and dance-inducing melodies wrapped around smartly written lyrics about love, loss, and learning to navigate both with a smile on your face and a beat in your step.
To rock fans who grew up in the awesome Eighties, The Go-Go’s were the soundtrack to the Me Decade, and kids certainly got the beat from the moment 1982’s hits-packed Beauty and the Beat hit the bins.
The band’s debut album shot to No. 1, making the California band the first all-woman group off singer-songwriters to top the charts with their own original material.
Beauty and the Beat’s singles “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed” were instant global smashes that made the band MTV darlings and landed them on the cover of Rolling Stone and launching a 50-year-strong career that shows no signs of slowing down.
Carlisle’s Beverly Hills show at the Saban on Oct. 27 starts at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $50-$130. The Saban Theatre is at 8440 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
Ozzy Osbourne billboard adds some rock cache to Sunset Strip’s Roxy.
Signs are looking good that rock and roll is returning to the Sunset Strip after a long hiatus due to the pandemic. Exhibit A: this awesome new Sunset Strip billboard on the side of the Roxy hyping Ozzy Osbourne‘s upcoming 13th studio album, Patient Number 9.
“It’s about being a patient in a mental hospital,” revealed Osbourne about the title track on his Ozzy Speaks Sirius XM show. “All we do really is self-medicate.”
The 73-year-old heavy metal legend’s Patient Number 9 isn’t due until September 13, but last week, fans were treated to a sneak-peek of the album. The POFD released the official music video for the title track in a clip directed by ToddMcFarlane.
Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg’s ‘A Hollow Realm’ Art Exhibit Opens in Silverlake for one night only, July 7.
Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg is hosting his first solo art exhibit on July 7 in Silverlake. The multi talented musician will showcase his paintings in a one-time, in person show titled “A Hollow Realm.”
The rare showcase is described as “a fully-immersive virtual gallery experience created in collaboration with Optic Nerve.”
Fans are invited to attend the free event, which will take place from 6 p.m. through midnight at Rampart Studios Gallery, located at 2520 Sunset Boulevard in the heart of the Sunset Junction area of Silverlake.
Sunset Strip rock landmarks Rainbow and Whisky set to pay tribute to metal legend Ronnie James Dio, July 7 and July 19.
The immortal Ronnie James Dio would have hit the big 8-0 on July 10, and to celebrate, the Rainbow Bar and Grill is celebrating with a rockin’ party dedicated to the late, great singer-songwriter, who once famously fronted a band named after this very restaurant.
On July 7, the Rainbow is hosting “Dio at the Rainbow in the Dark,” a record release celebration in honor of Rhino Records’ 40th anniversary remixed and remastered edition of Dio’s spectacular 1983 solo debut, Holy Diver. The classic rock masterpiece is being released on three formats: digital, vinyl, and as a two- and four-disc CD set.
Ubiquitous Sunset Strip headbanger and radio personality Eddie Trunk is emceeing the event, which is happening from 7-9 p.m. in the upstairs bar, where the evening is sure to be dominated by the glorious sounds of Dio’s timeless classics rockin’ the roof off of the Rainbow.
The Rainbow Bar and Grill is located at 9015 Sunset Boulevard. The “Dio at the Rainbow in the Dark” event is free.
One week after the Rainbow’s Dio celebration, the Whisky A Go-Go is hosting a night honoring the heavy metal legend on July 19, with the club’s biweekly Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood event set to crank out career-defining classics spanning Ronnie James Dio’s career, from Holy Diver to 2004’s Masters of the Moon as well as scorchers like “Man On the Silver Mountain,” “Gambler, Gambler,” and “Rock ‘n Roll Children” from his time in Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf, and Heaven and Hell.
The Whisky is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard at Clark Street in West Hollywood. Ultimate Jam NightHollywood’s Dio tribute will kick off at 10 p.m. and is free to those 21 and over, and $10 for those under.
Tower Records Sunset is stripped from the world-famous boulevard, with only rockin’ memories left in it’s shadow.
Opened in 1971 and shuddering in 2006 when the company went bankrupt, Tower Records Sunset is unarguably the iconic brand’s most famous outlet.
Situated in the heart of the Sunset Strip’s Rock Row, mere steps from the Whisky A Go-Go, its exterior’s vibrant yellow and red color scheme and huge colorful album cover replicas added to the vibrancy of the world-famous boulevard.
The former record shop at 8801 Sunset Boulevard also hosted some of the most unique rock events, concerts, and record release parties for every superstar from Mariah Carey and Shakira to Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie
Plus, while browsing through the racks at Tower Sunset, it was not uncommon to see rock stars like Henry Rollins and Slash checking out the latest releases.
EX-RECORD STORE ROCKERS: Axl Rose (left) and Rivers Cuomo
Also, future rock superstars like Guns N’ Roses‘ Axl Rose, Weezer‘s Rivers Cuomo, and Green Jelly frontman Bill Manspeaker worked behind the counter at Tower Records Sunset before they moved on to careers headlining arenas.
Once Tower Records Sunset closed its doors forever in 2006, the building was utilized for everything from a pop-up art gallery showcasing work by The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy to interactive walk-through mazes promoting shows like Roswell and the movie Captain Marvel.
Most recently, the Tower Records Sunset location was used as the setting for the Hulu movie Pam & Tommy.
The local landmark is a protected historic institution that somehow ended up completely losing its shell recently thanks to lax protections and a new directive by its new retail proprietors.
Earlier this week crews began dismantling the walls and famous storefront. Despite its historic value, the building was forever changed and is unrecognizable as the famous yellow and red square building that was an unforgettable part of the Sunset Strip cityscape since the early Seventies.
Popular clothing and sneaker shop Supreme is the space’s new proprietor. It’s kind of ironic that in order to showcase their mammoth sneaker shop, Supreme completely removed the sole, er soul of the Sunset Strip.
Foo Fighters to honor Taylor Hawkins with special tribute concert at the Forum in September.
Great news for L.A. Foo Fighters fans. The hit-making band is set to play a tribute concert in honor of late drummer Taylor Hawkins on September 27 at the Forum.
The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert will feature an all-star lineup of guest performers, which will be announced at a later date.
Texas native Hawkins, who was raised in Laguna Beach, died on March 25 in Bogota, Colombia, where he was scheduled to perform with the Foos at the Festival Estereo Picnic, before headlining Lollapalooza Brazil. An official cause of death has not been released, but toxicological tests reportedly found a number of different narcotics in his system.
In a statement, the late musician’s wife, Alison Hawkins, thanked For Fighters fans for the “outpouring of love.”
“Taylor was honored to be a part of the Foo Fighters and valued his dream role in the band every minute of his 25 years with them,” said Hawkins.
Tickets for the L.A. tribute concert go on sale on June 17 at FooFighters.com.
The L.A. concert will be preceded by a September 3 tribute concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. The U.S. and U.K. performances are the only two shows announced.
Lita Ford, John 5, Enuff Z’nuff, and Iron Maidens are bringing classic metal hits to Rainbow’s ‘Backyard Bash’ in September.
The Sunset Strip is back in full swing as one of the most rockin’ places to party in SoCal thanks to the resurgence of some great recent rock shows that have reinvigorated a post-pandemic boulevard. Sunset was recently serenaded by the sounds of rock n’ roll legends like Stephen Pearcy, who headlined Rainbow Bar and Grill’s “Party in the Parking Lot” last month, and The Runaways’ Cherie Currie, who recently rocked the Whisky A Go-Go’s “Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood” event.
And thankfully, things are just starting to heat up. In fact, the Rainbow just announced the lineup for its hotly anticipated “Backyard Bash” fall showcase that is headlined by rock icon Lita Ford (pictured below). The concert showcase will also feature sets by fellow heavy metal hit-makers Enuff Z’nuff and John 5 rounding out a bill for what’s certain to be another excellent live outdoor event on Sunset in September.
Born in London and raised in Long Beach, Lita Ford is no stranger to the Sunset Strip, having rocked the Whisky and the old Gazzarri’s plenty of times as a teenage member of The Runaways, and later as a solo artist with hits like “Close My Eyes Forever” and “Kiss Me Deadly.” Lita’s scorching guitar solos are sure to be on par with that of Rob Zombie guitarist and ex-Marilyn Manson member John 5 (pictured below), whose solo set is sure to cover much of his 2019 release, Invasion, and 2021’s Sinner.
Enuff Z’nuff (pictured below) is no stranger to the Sunset Strip, having rocked the Whisky A Go-Go plenty of times, including recently when the band’s set included some stellar Beatles covers that they’ll likely showcase at the “Backyard Bash.”
Local faves the Iron Maidens and ex-Murder Dolls frontman Wednesday 13 are also on the bill for the “Backyard Bash,” an all-day concert event happening September 4 in the parking lot of the Rainbow, at 9015 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Def Leppard’s Diamond Star Halos shines on the Sunset Strip on eve of band’s invite-only Whisky show.
On the eve of their hotly-anticipated show at the Whisky A Go-Go on May 26, Def Leppard left their mark on the Sunset Strip earlier today to announce the release of their new album, Diamond Star Halos.
Sunset Boulevard welcomes rockin’ resurgence thanks to Rainbow’s ‘Party in the Parking Lot’ and Whisky’s tireless championing of live rock n’ roll.
For almost two long, agonizing years, the world-famous Sunset Strip’s “Rock Row” seemed like a ghost town because of the pandemic and it’s stranglehold on the fears of the general public.
But once the mask debates subsided and the world got back to semi-normal, the sounds of authentic rock and roll began once again filling the Sunset Strip with a buzz that has kept the scene alive since then, courtesy of some of the coolest concerts to ever hit WeHo post-pandemic.
Cherie Currie delivering timeless classics by The Runaways at “Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood.”
The Whisky A Go-Go and RainbowBar and Grill should be commended for keeping the flame of rock n’ roll alive through some challenging times by hosting recent free shows at the Whisky, with Tuesday’s Jam Night, and at the Rainbow with April’s “Party in the Parking Lot” with Ratt‘s Stephen Pearcy, Steel Panther, and Hollywood legends Pretty Boy Floyd.
Red Hot Chili Peppers pop up shop is coming to the band’s alma mater, Fairfax High, on April 3.
L.A.’s Amoeba Music will be at the Melrose Trading Post at Fairfax High School on Sunday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. selling the band’s new album Unlimited Love, along with exclusive merch!
Fairfax High is, of course, the band’s alma mater and is located at 7850 Melrose Ave. in L.A.
The Chili Peppers pop up shop will be located at Booth B84.
Speaking of Amoeba Music, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will play a special show at the Hollywood record store on April 7.
Fans who bought Unlimited Love at the Hollywood Boulevard music shop on April 1, when the album came out, received free tickets to the show.
Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood’s Randy Rhoads tribute concert was a family affair at Whisky A Go-Go, with special guests Kelle and Kathy Rhoads making a guest appearance.
The Whisky’s long-running Tuesday night showcase Ultimate Jam Night Hollywood, which has hosted tribute nights dedicated to everyone from Metallica to Motley Crue, set it sites on the iconic music of Randy Rhoads on March 15.
The evening paid tribute to Rhoads’ influential guitar work as well as the songs he had co-written while a member of Ozzy Osbourne‘s band and Quiet Riot.
The show featured Ozzy’s greatest hits performed by amazing tribute performers and rockin’ guest artists covering two hours of the greatest heavy metal classics ever written.
SoCal icons Red Hot Chili Peppers will receive long-awaited star on Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 31, with guests George Clinton and Woody Harrelson to honor L.A.’s hometown heroes.
It’s been 40 years in the making, and now, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are are leaving their mark on Hollywood—literally—with an official Walk of Fame star on Hollywood Boulevard.
The Walk of Fame ceremony is being held on March 31, the day before the Chili Peppers’ new album, Unlimited Love, is due out (April 1). Coincidently, funk legend George Clinton, who produced the Hollywood band’s second album, Freaky Styley, will be presenting the star at the ceremony, which begins at 11:30 a.m. at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of Amoeba Records.
RHCP band members, including singer-songwriter Anthony Kiedis, bassist Michael “Flea” Balzary, guitarist John Frusciante, and drummer Chad Smith, will be honored with the 2,717th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Famous fan Woody Harrelson is also set to appear at the ceremony to salute the iconic musicians. Bob Forrest, the former frontman of L.A. band Thelonious Monster, is a longtime friend of the band and occasional collaborator who will also be on hand to say a few words.
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