By Andrew Bansal
March 16th 2014, House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA: Sundays on the Sunset Strip aren’t often as action-packed as the other days of the week, but last night was an exception as a group of local bands came together to play at the House Of Blues, a show for which each of the participating bands gave out plenty of free tickets through their respective online social networks and for a Sunday night, the venue enjoyed a reasonable turnout.
By the time I reached the venue, the first two bands had already played and Opus Dai was getting ready to take the stage. At 9:30, they began their 30-minute performance with a melodic tune but even in this short set they were able to showcase a great degree of variety, as from the opening number they moved to a couple of edgy hard rock tunes that got the crowd excited, and they followed it up with a slow, haunting bluesy track before ending out the set with some heavier, faster material. They’ve been around in the scene for a few years now, and through last night’s set they formed a positive impression on first-time listeners in the audience, myself included. Vocalist Tim Neighbors led the way with his excellent delivery as he handled the varying musical styles to perfection and his voice came across powerfully enough to fill the entire concert hall, hitting the high notes beautifully. They employed the classic four-piece band setup and brought forth a simple yet refreshing presentation of hard rock. Because of their diversity and power, Opus Dai could fit really well as an opening act for bands like Tool. LA locals are encouraged to check them out.
Visit Opus Dai on the web:
OpusDai.com
facebook.com/OpusDai
twitter.com/OpusDai
Next up, Rosemead, California’s high-octane hard rockers Delta Rose showed this crowd what they’re all about. The last time I saw this band was when they blew Anvil off the stage at the same venue a little over four years ago, and to me it was unbelievable that I had gone that long without seeing a local band as good as Delta Rose. Their dynamic performance last night reminded me of why I liked them as much as I did on that eventful evening of February 5th 2010. Last night, they delivered a Van Halen-esque blues-based hard rock sound and attitude, combined with a touch of Southern rock a la ZZ Top and at times even a bit of Clutch, which also came through in vocalist/guitarist Spencer Krasch’s mannerisms and interactions with the crowd. Musically they seem to have gone even more old-school as compared to four years ago, and their newer material in this set definitely sounded bluesier, edgier and more guitar-driven. The frontman lifted lead guitarist Forrest Goss on his shoulders during the last song of the set, a moment that singlehandedly won the crowd over. A lot of different sub-genres of heavy music are going through retro-revival phases at the moment, but the Van Halen/Southern style of hard rock is certainly not one of them, so it’s great to have a band like Delta Rose doing justice to it with their excellent songwriting and compellingly great live musicianship. For LA folks hungry for high-energy, attitude-driven hard rock, Delta Rose is the answer.
Visit Delta Rose on the web:
DeltaRoseUSA.com
facebook.com/DeltaRoseUSA
twitter.com/DeltaRoseBand
instagram.com/DeltaRose
Due to commitments lined up early Monday morning, I left the venue after Delta Rose’s set, but overall it was a good outing with a great vibe at the House of Blues, and the venue should make it a point to host more such local showcase events in the future as well.
Visit House Of Blues Sunset Strip on the web:
HOB.com/venues/LosAngeles
facebook.com/HOBSunset
twitter.com/HOBSunset
instagram.com/HOBSunset