I have ranted'n'raved about all of these acts previously, but getting them together in one show ensured that I would venture out, even mid-week, to partake in the rockin' psych and garage!
Locals Trevor and the Jones opened and this was the first time I've seen them with the new bassist (sorry, I didn't catch his name - I'm terrible at that) and the group seemed to gel better than ever and moved from riotous rockin' to far-out psychedelic trips smoothly and effortlessly. After the fast'n'furious opener Trevor and 2nd guitarist Joe both moved to 12-strings (each one odd brands - Trevor's with a whammy bar!) and did several tunes with 28 strings with Trevor letting loose some flying leads. Joe played cool, effects-laden keys on a couple of numbers while Trevor strummed tremelo'd guitar, hit some surf licks and sipped a drink during the keyboard solo!
Special guest John Fallon (of the 80's band, the Steppes) joined in and they busted out his new single "Ain't Got No Money" and all fell into place, bringing the tune to life. I know when I saw the Laissez Faires a few months ago they were a little shakey, but they've tightened up considerably on John's tunes and sounded great! They did a couple more Steppes' songs - "Drama Queen" (with some nice accents and dynamics) and the psych jam "No Name Yet For Henry" and then John stayed on stage for a slow, groovy Trevor original, with plenty of soloing from all three guitars at once. This show has got me looking forward to seeing more Laissez Faires gigs this summer!
Then, of course, the sparkling, mini-skirted garage-rockin' ladies of San Diego and Detroit, the Rosalyns, took the stage and showed us what we were in for right from the start with the Pleasure Seekers terrific "What a Way To Die"! There were a number of great songs from the last time they were out, like Anja singing in German the "Paranoid" take-off "Der Hund der Baskervilles", and new ones like "Go-Go-Gorilla" and Diana Death crooning "Get Off Of My Cloud" in Spanish! Plenty of excellent harmonies from the four lasses out front and top-notch playing from everyone.
Once again, Vegas was lucky enough to be a stop in their current mini-tour - thank you to Teresa Kidder for promoting this gig! - and once again they will be playing San Diego and LA, so be sure to see them if you are anywhere in the vicinity! These garage goddesses look great, play great and have enough edge and energy to satisfy any r'n'r junkie!
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