{"id":3128,"date":"2014-03-25T11:02:55","date_gmt":"2014-03-25T18:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/?p=3128"},"modified":"2014-03-25T11:02:55","modified_gmt":"2014-03-25T18:02:55","slug":"moby-dicks-play-the-whisky-with-special-guest-frankie-banali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/2014\/03\/25\/moby-dicks-play-the-whisky-with-special-guest-frankie-banali\/","title":{"rendered":"Moby Dicks Play The Whisky With Special Guest Frankie Banali"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review & photos by Joe Dolan<\/strong><\/p>\n

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March 21st 2014, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA:\u00a0<\/strong>They\u2019ve been the talk of the town since NAMM 2014 as more and more patrons are becoming witness to just how great they sound. Unlike a variety of tribute acts circulating on the scene today, the all-star band known as Moby Dicks don\u2019t rely on wigs and elaborate stage setups to pay homage to the lords of rock \u2013 Led Zeppelin, they simply play the tunes, and they play them well.<\/p>\n

In review of the band\u2019s official website, you\u2019ll note that there is a fairly consistent lineup to the Dicks, but as the players are all professionals making a living in music, there are times they are on the road or in studio with other artists. As a result, surprise guests appear with the band often, as they did tonight.<\/p>\n

Let’s begin with frontman for the Moby Dicks, Chas West. As a singer and performer, the music of Led Zeppelin is close to home for Chas. Touring, performing and recording with drummer Jason Bonham, son of Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, it is expected that this music would matter to Chas, and as a result, he takes it quite seriously. Note for note, Chas pays tribute to the living legend of Robert Plant while masterfully re-enacting his stage presence in every move. Chas is as close to being Robert Plant as you will ever see in Los Angeles. Having been part of acts including Lynch Mob, 3 Legged Dog and the Hollywood Allstarz, Chas has amassed a long list of music from his own conceptions, and has recently been offered a two-record contract to bring to the world. More news in regards to that will follow as events transpire.<\/p>\n

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Guitarist Brent Woods, the masterful six-stringer who brought the early 90s band Wildside to the forefront of MTV while recording and being produced by sound engineer Andy Johns, the man behind the Led Zeppelin IV album as well as a long list of the top charting music that was produced between 1969 and the first decade of the new millennium. Brent has also manned the axe for artists including Vince Neil, Sebastian Bach and produces music for artists behind the scenes for major Los Angeles studio productions from his home-based studio.<\/p>\n

Drummer Brian Tichy has been called upon by legendary artists including Foreigner, David Coverdale\u2019s Whitesnake and a long list of bands that he has been the driving powerhouse of beats behind. As a regular fixture behind the kit at the Dicks shows, he was unavailable for this performance and good friend and trusted fellow drummer Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot supplied the skins to make it a perfect show.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, at Lucy\u2019s 51 in Toluca Lake, CA, both Brian and Frankie have performed with the now famous James LoMenzo Jam alongside a host of other artists. The jam was founded by James LoMenzo, Kenny Aronoff and Brent Woods and has been a staple for rock fanatics that travel through and live in Hollywood. As James is a regular bass player in the line-up of the Moby Dicks, it is no surprise that even in an intimate setting like Lucy\u2019s 51, the Dicks take the stage and bring the house down, often with more stars involved then they can list on their website. Over the past year, these have included Bruce Kulick (Kiss), Ron Thal and Gilby Clarke (both with Guns n\u2019Roses), Richie Kotzen, even Billy Ray Cyrus got on stage a couple of times to entertain.<\/p>\n

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As James has been recording with Michael Sweet, he was unavailable for this show and rotating in and out for select performances, bassist Michael Devin joined the band on stage. Michael has played alongside Brian Tichy and has appeared in bands including Lynch Mob and Whitesnake among other influential acts. At 35, he\u2019s an International sensation and an amazing talent.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the band, a staple in the lineup is keyboardist Stephen LeBlanc, another multi-talented artist who did time performing and working with Jason Bonham alongside Chas West. His note for note performance on each song is a major part of what offers the Dicks distinction when you hear them play.<\/p>\n

The show on March 21st<\/sup> was a headline performance for the Moby Dicks. Opening the show were both local acts and a band that trekked out from the Vegas area to play on the bill. One fan by the name of Kurt, who had attended the recent Randy Rhoads Remembered event and the annual Bonzo Bash, both events spearheaded by Dicks drummer Brian Tichy, told us he drove in from Redlands, CA just to see the show at the Whisky.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a legendary thing, you know?\u201d Kurt shared. \u201cThis is Frankie Banali appearing with the one band that sounds so close to Led Zeppelin, you\u2019d think it was. What\u2019s better \u2013 it\u2019s at the most iconic club on earth, the Whisky. There wasn\u2019t a chance in hell I was going to miss this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dicks came on stage, opening with \u201cRock and Roll\u201d and proceeded to play through 4 songs before stopping to greet the audience. Fans clamored to get up against the stage to raise their hands, sing along and get their best view of Banali on the throne behind his amazing drup setup, including a full-sized gong and a pair of timpani drums. Over the course of nearly two hours, the band played through their set list, mixing in their own rendition of the traditional classics, much the way Led Zeppelin would extend and play out their own music live.<\/p>\n

Set List:<\/strong>
\n01. Rock N Roll
\n02. Celebration Day
\n03. Heartbreaker
\n04. Bring It On Home
\n05. The Wanton Song
\n06. The Rover
\n07. Ramble On
\n08. The Song Remains The Same
\n09. No Quarter
\n10. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
\n11. Ten Years Gone
\n12. Moby Dick (With Frankie\u2019s Drum Solo)
\n13. Misty Mountain Hop
\n14. Custard Pie
\n15. Kashmir
\n16. Whole Lotta Love<\/p>\n

Known for their ability to play all night, the band kept the music going until the very last minute before the club had to prepare for closing. Their version of Kashmir lasted nearly ten minutes and fans stayed until the last note before meeting with members of the band for photos and meet and greet opportunities after all was said and done.<\/p>\n

This show follows their recent showcase in Las Vegas and precedes the band\u2019s appearance on the annual Monsters of Rock Cruise, setting sail March 29th<\/sup> and will include the band jamming alongside longtime friends and fellow artists including the only Cinderella concert booked for 2014.<\/p>\n

Check out a photo gallery from the show below (view the photos here<\/a> if you’re on a non-Flash device):<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Visit The Moby Dicks on the web:<\/strong>
\nTheMobyDicks.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Visit the Whisky-A-Go-Go on the web:<\/strong>
\nWhiskyAGoGo.com<\/a><\/strong>
\nfacebook.com\/theWhiskyAGoGo<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>
\ntwitter.com\/theWhiskyAGoGo<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>
\ninstagram.com\/the<\/a>WhiskyAGoGo<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review & photos by Joe Dolan March 21st 2014, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA:\u00a0They\u2019ve been the talk of the town since NAMM 2014 as more and more patrons are becoming witness to just how great they sound. Unlike a variety of tribute acts circulating on the scene today, the all-star band known as Moby Dicks … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Moby Dicks Play The Whisky With Special Guest Frankie Banali”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3128"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3128"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3133,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3128\/revisions\/3133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}