By Andrew Bansal
July 15th 2015, Five Star Bar, Los Angeles CA: When it comes to live music entertainment, there is no such thing as a ‘dead night’ in Los Angeles. But some nights are more low-key than others, and that’s when the true underground talent really shines because there isn’t much else going on in town. Last Wednesday July 15 2015, the Five Star Bar hosted one such event featuring Los Angeles rock ‘n roll rising force Warchief, doom band Black Prism, and Psycho California alumni Lords Of Beacon House as the headliners. The Five Star Bar has treated LA rock/metal scene supporters to some excellent evenings for a number of years. With a a $5 price tag on this potentially enjoyable gig, there was no reason not to attend.
San Francisco-based Huntinanny, who describe themselves as ‘Rockabilly Surf-Psycho-billy-Punk-Country’, opened the show with a set that seemed to go on for an eternity. I love Reverend Horton Heat but I’m probably not well-versed in this genre, because every Huntinanny song sounded the same to me and I could not wait for the set to end. It’s not my place to criticize a band that plays a style I know little about, but it has to be said that they came across as an odd item in this otherwise heavy rock/metal lineup.
Next up, rock ‘n roll trio Warchief took the stage and played an extremely solid set of vintage hard rock. The last I saw this band was when they opened for Night Demon at the Old Town Pub in Pasadena in September 2013, and in all honesty, they have improved by leaps and bounds since that show. The three members clearly lock in well with each other, and guitarist Fabio Molina was particularly impressive, playing out of a classic Gibson-Marshall half stack rig. Alongside him, bassist/vocalist Andrew Posada was using an equally classic Fender-Ampeg rig and momentary technical issues aside, sounded great. Their set-ending eponymous tune ‘We Are Warchief’ was the highlight of the set, as Posada and Molina jammed out fully on their respective instruments, with drummer Mucho also contirbuting with some tasty drum solos. Warchief is a band that needs to be seen and heard by a lot more people. They definitely possess a solid groove that’s easy to rock out to. Their music is such that if overrated mainstream bands like Mastodon or High On Fire were to put out something sounding exactly the same, it would be sucked up as the greatest thing ever, but because Warchief is a local underground band, the music isn’t perceived with nearly the same level of respect or appreciation. This makes Warchief’s efforts and dedication to the musical style they love most, all the more commendable. Warchief shall rise.
Black Prism were next to hit the stage with their religiously straightforward interpretation of all things doom. They fogged out the entire room massively, so much so that I could not see anything in front of me. But it was part of the vibe they were going for, and it worked well, specially once they started playing. Their Sabbath-worshipping tunes make heads bob automatically and they can pride themselves on being able to make an instant impact. One can’t imagine any heavy music lover disliking Black Prism, and for that reason they could be put alongside bands like Warchief that should be better known in the community.
Because of the show starting as late as 10 PM, I could not stay past Black Prism’s set and unfortunately had to give Lords Of Beacon House a miss this time, but it was overall another good outing at the Five Star Bar, and attracted a turnout far better than I had initially expected. A pleasantly chilled out, low-key night of righteous rock ‘n roll.