Black Star Riders @ Fulton 55, Fresno CA 05/14/14

I cannot get over the embarrassingly shitty turnout for this gig. Per the venue, 57 damn people attended. One could argue that this made for an intimate show. But from my vantage point, a seasoned, international touring group with a celebrated history was playing to less than 10% of the venue’s capacity, making this tiny little club look cavernous. My jaw freakin’ dropped. There are almost half a million people in Fresno – not all of us are Country or Pop music fans. There’s a rock audience in the valley and we’ve been starving for quality rock acts. Where the hell’s the support for this group? It’s difficult to say where blame should be placed, if it lays with anyone or anything in particular. I figured the off night and a reliance on social media were the culprits. Come to find out, ads and other blurbs were taken out on FM radio as well as the local newspaper, The Fresno Bee. This is the valley and this isn’t exactly a sprawling metropolis, any kind of cultural or entertainment news is a bit slower in making it’s way to the general population than say, San Francisco or Los Angeles. In the end, I think the group may have been screwed by their name change. I seriously think the casual Thin Lizzy fans and classic rock fans in general simply didn’t know about the name change to Black Star Riders. Well, any future bookings in the valley for BSR are now shot to Hell. Don’t get me wrong, the band was great, their performance was great. They were the consummate professionals, delivering a hair raising performance for the few people that were there. We made up for the sparse attendance, I remember us being VERY loud and equally appreciative. Seriously, I forgot that the venue was near empty. Only when I turned to look behind me was I reminded of the depressing reality of this gig.

The band kicked ass. This is the latest incarnation of Thin Lizzy, and the sound IS the classic Thin Lizzy sound. I don’t know how to put it into words, but there’s a groove and a swagger to this kind of hard rock. It’s equal parts American and Irish, riff based rock & roll with some blues and boogie thrown in. The new album, All Hell Breaks Loose, is very much in keeping to that sound and to the legacy of Thin Lizzy. This is due to veteran guitarist Scot Gorham’s unmistakeable style, as well as Ricky Warwick’s gruf croon that’s very much in keeping with the Late Phil Lynott’s style.

I must say that it was awesome finally being able to watch Jimmy Degrasso in action. At one time or another, Jimmy had played drums for Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth, and the great Y&T, amongst many others. Nevermind about the light turnout, he was still all smiles, having a good time and trading words with the other bandmembers. Jimmy’s a great all around hard rock drummer with great dexterity and chops. I was close, real close, and could see every stroke, tom and cymbal hit. Mark from Bentley’s Drum Shop was in the crowd, I said hello and said he’s got one heck of a drum shop. Bentley’s is awesome. It’s a high quality shop, super clean, and wall to wall with gear. It rivals some of the big city drum shops…and it’s a hell of a lot better than San Jose Pro Drum Shop (which is owned by Jimmy Degrasso!). Also on-hand was Rudy Parris, a great local musician and one time contestant on The Voice. I got to introduce myself and had a few words with him. It was cool to hear him say “I recognize you!” That was uber cool. It was also interesting to hear that Scott Gorham influenced Rudy’s guitar playing style, very cool piece of info. Lastly I wanted to give a shout out to the teacher who also happened to be a Rush/King’s X/U2 fan. Great chatting with you.

If anyone has any ideas how a crappy turn out like this can be avoided, please send those ideas along to Tony at Fulton 55. It seems we both heard the same line: “Man I would have gone if I had only heard about this show.” I’m at a loss about how a gig like this can be better promoted. The set was something like the following. It was eye-popping being able to hear those Thin Lizzy songs recreated and sounding just like the studio originals, but with vigor and the adrenaline of a live situation. The new songs stood up well to the classics and the set was a great mix of both classic and new material. Great show, guys. I don’t blame you if you never come back.

All Hell Breaks Loose
Are You Ready
Bloodshot
Bad Reputation
Hoodoo Voodoo
Jailbreak
Kingdom of the Lost
Hey Judas
Valley of the Stones
Emerald
Bound for Glory
Cowboy Song
The Boys Are Back in Town
Whiskey In the Jar

Y&T @ The Tower Theater, Fresno CA 02/28/14

I must have been living under a rock all these years. It took a client of mine to introduce me to this criminally underrated group. One sunny afternoon in Woodlake, my client, a guy in his 40s, showed off his vinyl collection while his step-daughter (also a metal-head) was blasting Lamb of God’s “Laid to Rest” on their stereo. You have to understand, Woodlake is a little ville near the foothills, known as a back-water rodeo town. In this town you’re either listening to country or ranchera. So this household was like a dark, metallic mecca for those of us with a love for chunky guitar riffs, double bass drumming and screaming vocals. So in this glorious pile of records were LPs by Journey, Van Halen, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath…and Y&T. I was like, “Hey man, who’s Y&T?”

I found out they were Californians from the bay area who influenced the likes of Kirk Hammett and Joe Satriani. Now I HAD to see this group live. Guitarist/vocalist Dave Meniketti is only remaining original member, however the sound of this newer version of the group is more than faithful to the original lineup. It’s melodic hard rock: tunes that are easy to digest, with thumpin’ grooves, powerful riffage and accessible melodies all in the same package – GOOD rock n’ roll.  The rockers are energetic and fact paced while the slower tunes have a bluesy edge to them. Dave Meniketti has to be one of the most overlooked guitar masters of all time. AND he’s a kick-ass singer too. So not only can he play his ass off on guitar, but he can sing his ass off as well. You can hear Hendrix in his playing and you can also hear contemporary metal in their too. As for his singing, Dave is an olympian singer, able to do extraordinary things at his age that few singers in their 20s can do. He has this open, throaty, bluesy croon…equal parts Graham Bonnet, David Coverdale and Ronnie James Dio.

The theater was almost full and the crowd was very supportive – the valley rockers came out in force, fists raised and chanting “Y AND T! Y AND T!” The group got the party started right away, opening with two of their signature anthems, “Mean Streak” and “Don’t Stop Runnin.” Wow, what great riffs and vocals. This one-two punch was an awesome way to begin the show. I came in as a curious novice. After these two songs I was pumped and immediately won over – another fan chalked up for the Y&T army.

Dave said that the group was celebrating 40 years of making music since January 1974, cheekily saying “f*ck me, good thing I joined the band when I was 3!” Dave was very appreciative of the Fresno crowd, thanking us for coming out and saying “fuck it, we’ll do this another 10, 15 years so long as you guys keeping coming out.” The mix and live sound were absolutely PERFECT. There was lots of low end, never distorted or overbearing. The drum kit was practically singing, the kick and snare coming in with definition and presence, shaking the theater and powering the group nonstop. There was plenty of thump with a healthy amount of tone from the bass drum as well as mid range crack from the snare. The cymbal work was great too, with plenty of swells, rolls and intricate little patterns played by Mike Vanderhule, and the song endings were all extended showcases of musicianship by the group and vocal acrobatics by Dave. The guitars and bass all sounded great, crisp and clear. It never fails, someone is usually too high in the mix or using too much distortion, but not these guys. John Nymann on guitar was superb, as was Brad Lang on bass. AND they could actually sing, fleshing out the harmonies, providing great backing vocals for Dave. About Nymann and Dave’s guitar parts, I could hear their distinctive parts perfectly and they shimmered with clarity. Either the acoustics of the Tower Theater made for a magical sound, or these guys and their crew know pro audio and live sound engineering like the backs of their hands. Like I had mentioned about Dave’s vocals, they were fiery and bluesy, soaring at times then coming back down for husky growls and throaty howling. As a first timer I was very impressed by this group’s talent, energy, and love for playing live. This incarnation of the group has been together a while, and their interplay and performance was flawless, without a single clam. They’ve been doing it for years and they can probably do it in their sleep. Dave has taken good care of himself health-wise, he’s preserved his voice and I’d believe it if he practices several hours a day. Great singing, great chops, great group. Y&T constantly tours and they seem to hit California every February. Go see them again? Don’t have to ask me twice. The setlist was something like the following and by no means complete or in order, I’m still fairly new to this group.. I’m convinced that Don’t Stop Running was the second selection played. Corrections welcomed.

Mean Streak
Don’t Stop Runnin
Lonely Side of Town
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Midnight in Tokyo
Winds of Change
Dirty Girl
I Believe In You
Nasty Sadie
Contagious
I’ll Cry For You
I Want Your Money
Lipstick and Leather
Beautiful Dreamer
Rescue Me
Summertime Girls
Forever
Open Fire

Thanks to Claudine for the following pics. Great Blondie shirt by the way 🙂