The Bengal
II Lounge in Metairie played host to three
live acts on Wednesday the 27th as
part of a weekly “Original Music Wednesdays” series. Neworleansmusicians.net
was in attendance to hear the latest set from the Richie Rocker Band. This show
was a special one for the band for several reasons. The band’s drummer, Chad
(a.k.a. Rocky) would be parting ways the Richie Rocker Band to nourish his
fledgling project, Streetlight Confession. And one of the opening bands, Those
Scalar Waves, was an offshoot started by the Richie Rocker Bands’ former
guitarist, Eddie Hebert. “I tell you, it makes me feel good to have inspired
them to push forward into their musical careers”, said Richie on former
members’ present pursuits. Breathing new life into band, Adam Hains came on
board brandishing his own style of electric and acoustic guitar, as well as
keys. “He really adds a whole new dimension to the music, sort of the way it
was intended”, said Richie. After sharing drinks and laughs with Richie and the
band, the lights dimmed and the opening act commenced.
Donna Jane
took the stage on lead vocal and keys backed by (aptly named) short notice. Ms.
James was a last minute addition to the line up, but definitely brought her own
spice to the gumbo. She reminded me of the entertainers one sees bar hopping
late nights in the Quarter. The bass, guitar and drums backing her that night
was Short Notice. The four manifested themselves with a 70’s style of rock and
roll with a hint of New Orleans
rhythm and blues. They were a perfect opener, warming up a receptive crowd of
both fans and musicians. “Bad Girl”, a highlight of their set, was reminiscent
of the Rolling Stones in their heyday. I could have done without the manual
echo created by repetition backing away from the microphone (get some effects
processors!).
Next up was
Eddie Hebert’s Those Scalar Waves. During the night I was introduced to a man
known only as “Danny the Redneck”.
Hailing from the woods of Folsom, Danny was kind enough to give us his
expert opinion on the evening’s entertainment. “The first band, not really my
style. Now this band here, this band rocks; which reminds me of a story. I got the
bright idea to go down to Bourbon
Street one night. That’s what rednecks do when the
want to go get shit faced and fight. Later that night, around 2:30 a.m., I was
coming across the Causway in my ’79 Camaro. The draw bridge began to raise and
I floored it. Now I caught air, which is what rednecks live for, and I made it
to the other side. I made it all the way to the last crossover by the time the
cops caught up to me. Now it was cold outside see, but the inside of my car was
warm. As soon as I got out the car and that cold air hit me, I passed out at
the cops feet. Luckily, we were from the same neck of the woods and I was
eventually released later that same night. Now see son, that rocks, much like
this band here.” We couldn’t agree more! The dynamics and versatility of this
band was definitely its strong point. Lead vocals were provided by both the
guitarist and the bassist for different songs. At one point, the guitarist
donned a bass and the bassist swapped his instrument for an electronic
mandolin. The power chords in Second Look and the tempo change ups in Mistakes
were evidence that this band brought a new style to the table. Pushing the
envelope is important, when the rock/ metal scene in New Orleans is struggling for its piece of
the national spotlight. Adding to the uniqueness of their set was Marc Hebert
of the Chee Weez, sitting in for his brother on drums that night.
Finishing
the line up was headliner Richie Rocker Band. Green lights reflected against
the red button down and Chuck Taylors on Richie and the rest of the suit clad
band, as Danny the Redneck was kind enough to point out the nice ass on the
girl walking past the stage. As their
set began, you could really get a feel for who Richie was through the
performance of the whole band. A positive attitude, a syncopated jam and a
cohesive sound immediately engaged the crowd. This is rock the house party
music, this is fat movie theme music, this is point of view triumph music. Danny
the Redneck nodded his head and said “They’ve got the energy of Rush, with a
whole ‘nuther sound, and I just like it.” I could hear the wide appeal of
Smashing Pumkins, as this music could be enjoyed throughout generations and
genres. Chris Anderson really came through with his vocals on Invincible, and
his own excitement could be seen as he jumped off the drum riser closing the
song. Just then, Richie announced that he had just discovered a new button,
after which a technical difficulty ensued. So he started playing Sweet Home Alabama
replacing the lyrics with “we’re wasting time while we’re fixin’ something”, merging
into “wanna be a balla, shot calla” and “love is what I got”. I couldn’t stop
laughing! Following the technically difficult comedy, the band rounded out
their set with a dedication song to saucy ladies, followed by a poignant song,
In Your Shoes, sung by bassist Chris Anderson.
The band
really had fun on stage that night, and the energy was conveyed onto the crowd.
If your neck is ever stiff and your frown just won’t turn, well, upside down,
you should really treat yourself to a show Richie Rocker style. They’re really
not part of a scene at all. Rather, they are an entity onto themselves.
Originality, camaraderie, melody, and humor combine to form a rockin’ good
time. Be sure to stop by their site, as well as the other local bands reviewed
here, and pick up a CD or a show date. After all, you won’t find the sounds of New Orleans anywhere else
on earth. This is David Trahan for Neworleansmusicians.net saying, SUPPORT
LOCAL MUSIC!!!