|
L.A. Guns: Sticking to their guns |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Glenn BurnSilver
|
|
Thursday, 19 April 2007 |
|
|
|
|
 Their hair isn’t quite as shaggy, the tattoos are a bit faded, and the eyeliner helps hide some of the wrinkles.
But that hasn’t diminished the star power of L.A. Guns, one of the few surviving hair metal acts that can still draw a crowd.
It’s been some 20 years since their eponymous debut helped put the Hollywood hair metal scene on the map. L.A. Guns drummer Steve Riley said the wild look of L.A. Guns was toned down compared to contemporaries like Guns ‘N Roses, Faster Pussycat and other metal bands from the early 1980s.
“Actually, the first (1980s metal scene) was much more exaggerated,” Riley explained by phone from his Hollywood home.
“When I was with WASP, everyone was decked out, the stage was decked out. And for all the bands who were on that whole wavelength, everything was a little bigger than life and overdone. It was such a circus act. The second wave was a little dressed down. It was much more a street feel, it was organic. Even though there was still makeup, it was still markedly different from what came before it.”
In fact, L.A. Guns was much more than just another eye-catching, fashion-accessorized band, despite merely trading in the spandex for more leather, turning those long locks into teased-up mops. By avoiding the big production values infiltrating first-wave metal bands, L.A. Guns music infused the Hollywood metal scene with gritty, thrashy, brash and in-your-face attitudes that accentuated the look, but wasn’t because of it.
“It was an incredible scene. That whole period, it was just off the hook,” Riley said. “There were so many bands and people. It was bound to burst because there was just too much.”
And burst it did in the early 1990s when a little Northwest band called Nirvana — three guys dressed simply in T-shirts and Chucks rocking hard with solid hooks and barely a guitar solo — redirected people’s musical perceptions. The lipgloss on the hair metal bands dried up fast.
Yet, for L.A. Guns, it simply meant playing smaller venues; putting out albums on smaller labels. It was by no means a cease and desist order.
“I think we’re one of the lucky bands because we did make a name for ourselves. We got a lot of exposure in the 1980s. We were on TV all the time,” Riley said.
“There is a difference in the size of the venues now and the number of albums we’re selling, but we lucked out. We’re still working all the time, touring all over the world.”
And still rocking hard all along the way.
“When you play your own music you get a boost,” Riley added. “We stay fresh in our own minds by writing and recording, and as long as we’re putting out fresh material, we feel fresh, so it’s easy to put everything we have into it every night. We’re still really into it. It’s a good thing.”
———
TO GO TO THEIR SHOW
L.A. Guns
Doors open: 7.p.m., Showtime: 8 p.m.
Friday, April 20
The Yukon, 5400 N. Garfield Ave., Loveland 593.1661
$20 advance, $25 at the door
with Open Fire
———
WILL THE REAL L.A. GUNS PLEASE STAND UP?
Currently there are two bands touring calling themselves L.A. Guns. One is the band profiled here; the other features former original L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns. This creates some confusion, something that is beginning to wear on L.A. Guns drummer Steve Riley.
“Tracii said in an interview that when he can’t get the money he wants as the Tracii Guns Band he’ll call it L.A. Guns,” Riley explained. “Me and him own the name and he has every right to do that, but the fact of it is … you cannot have L.A. Guns without (original singer) Phil Lewis. This guy’s got such a distinctive voice.
“Tracii is taking that thing out right now, and it sounds really bad and it will eventually peter out on it’s own. We know there’s confusion, but this is the real thing what we are doing. People want to hear Phil sing these songs, not some other guy.
The shelf life is really short on something like that. It is kind of a desperation thing right now for Tracii.”
Glenn BurnSilver | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
