The Drama: Keeping Rock ‘N Roll Alive In Los Angeles

By Lisa Burke

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May 18th 2016, Good Times At Davey Wayne’s, Los Angeles CA: Live rock ‘n roll and heavy metal venues come and go all the time in Los Angeles, and due to the loss of Loaded Hollywood’s live venue, finding a comfortable place to play in Hollywood has been few and far between. One emerging small venue that definitely works for certain rock ‘n roll bands is Good Times At Davey Wayne’s, which is a ’70s themed bar where there’s an old-fashioned refrigerator door as the entrance, and a living room style dance floor with a wooden stage. This place always has a line out front to get in after 10 PM, so getting there ahead of time is always recommended. On Wednesday May 18th 2016, I arrived just before the line started to form to see the only live band of the night, The Drama.

The fact that only one band plays per night around 10-10:30 for a very decent set length, or at least as was the case this night, already proved to be a great start. The stage size is ample and these guys were successful in achieving maximum sound quality despite the choice of minimal equipment. I will say that the typical clientele at this vintage-inspired bar/club/venue is usually short-haired tight plaid shirt wearing dudes and fitted dancing dresses for the ladies. People are louder than loud and sometimes ruder than rude, plus you have to walk through the dance floor to get to the outdoor patio and to the bar. For live bands, however, the sound is surprisingly better than ever probably due to the acoustics of the room, and if you can finagle your way around the couches and coffee table in the middle of the floor, you probably have a good view of the band. I do recommend this spot for live music, but I’m pretty sure your black metal band isn’t going to get rave reviews from the regulars. The Drama, on the other hand, with its pure rock ‘n roll and ’70s vibe fit in perfectly.

The Drama
The Drama

The Drama has been around for years but suffered a brief hiatus, only to then reform with a new line up comprised of musicians that really share the same vision and perform together dynamically. The vocalist Ashley Winters always has a uniquely charming presence and an equally inviting voice that he can enhance and enchant even more with his magical wooden box he was frequently adjusting knobs on during the set. They have some great new songs, some of which have gone even more towards the direction of a modern day Beatles that still keeps a vintage ’70s tone. John Dzubak is now flying solo with on guitar, and with his counterpart bass buddy Eric Schrader busting out the creative bass licks, they are a commanding duo. Schrader also wins the fashion award of the evening with his black and white seventies-esque floral print shirt and skinny black tie, although Dzubak’s leopard print boots and scarf belt came in at a close second. Yanni Ezer on drums makes true rock ‘n roll come to fruition, and with the lyrics filled with love and sex and everything real rock ‘n roll is made of, you know you are dealing with a professional bunch. The regular crowd seemed to love them as much as the fans, as I suspected they would, which for me was sort of as if I was in a room where fraggles and gorges were hanging out together and getting along only because they were entranced by the music, because as soon as it ended and reality set in, I was ready to find my people and keep myself safe. Obviously, I’m not so much of a dance club girl and I do better with divey darkness and heavy metal, but this place had its moments.

If you missed this unusual setting and fun time and are interested in seeing new songs and old songs live by these guys, you can catch them again on June 20th at Crazy Girls which is quickly becoming a hot spot to see live music on Monday nights again. The Drama also just released their new single ‘Mother Superior’ for free download and they have some really great YouTube videos you can entertain yourself with until the next time.

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