It’s the City of Angels, so they say, but Los Angeles is also the city of stars, and they aren’t only visible under your feet as you pound Hollywood Blvd, writes Sammy Jones.
We could barely move for musicians during a recent trip to the sunshine state.
Not that we were complaining any, you understand.
During a 10 day stint in our second home (well, if someone offered us a pad to crash in, we’d not turn our nose up at the idea), we enjoyed more rock than you’d find in a Brighton sweetie shop...but this sort won’t rot your teeth!
We had pre-booked for a night of the hard and heavy at the Henry Fonda Theater to see Teenage Time Killers, a one-off performance by many of the artists who have contributed to the compilation album, Volume 1.
Members of Corrosion of Conformity, Clutch frontman Neil Fallon, Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe, Lee Ving, Tairrie B Murphy and Pete Stahl are among those performing.
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor is on hand too.
We’re battling crippling jet-lag, but sleep can wait with such a ferocious line-up before us.
Before we leave Tinsel Town we will head out to Anaheim to see how Foo Fighters have fared during the couple of weeks since we last caught them here in MK, too.
And we'll be happy to report that Grohl’s throne is still firing on all cylinders!
But it’s a cheap $10 ticket to an unlisted gig at legendary little club The Viper Room that proved a few quid well spent.
We've been here before, but arrived early at the venue on the Sunset Strip and stood awkwardly in the blacked out bar, unsure what would follow.
It was almost as deserted as a make-up store immediately after the bubble burst on the glam rock scene here.
But then, almost in the blink of an eye, the club wiped the sleepy dust away, ignited and began buzzing in anticipation.
We had stumbled into the debut gig by Wakrat, the new band formed and fronted by Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford.
The trio tear up fierce, locked-in tracks including Knucklehead to an audience including Tim’s musical cohorts Rage guitarist Tom Morello, and Soundgarden/Audioslave singer Chris Cornell.
Ridiculously ace producer Rick Rubin is watching the gig feet away from us, too.
Anywhere else, this would be considered quite the night, but in L.A it's an every night kind of affair.
Two days later, we spend the afternoon with Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa and Dean Martin at their place of rest in Westwood Village Memorial Park.
Then we watch a fellow jet-lagged (but still chirpy) Brit at work, as Frank Turner gives an acoustic show for shoppers at LA’s premier music emporium, Amoeba. Vinyl fans will be in musical heaven here, a store so big and bustling with good things that you never simply pop in. You need to set aside a good couple of hours to peruse and seek out hidden gems.
And that's after you've understood and navigated the lay-out!
In the evening we are back on the Strip.
In the 50’s it was the Villa Nova restaurant, the haunt where Marilyn Monroe met Joe DiMaggio for the first time.
In the 80’s, by now known as the Rainbow, it became synonymous with the hair-metal factor who used to get their kicks there.
Today it is largely frequented by tourists, but stick your head in and you’ll usually spy someone.
Adult film director Ron Jeremy was in the last time we visited, and we bumped into Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell en route to the ladies room once.
As you do.
Tonight though, all the action is focused on the 500 capacity Roxy club next door, where The Hollywood Vampires are playing the first of two highly anticipated shows.
This is the hot ticket – GnR members Matt Sorum (below) and Duff Mckagan, Aerosmith legend Joe Perry, shock rock original Alice Cooper and a certain Johnny Depp (top) are the on-stage players and the whole of the city wants in.
As we make our way into the Rainbow on a typically steamy evening, we pass those hoping for a late ticket congregating outside, and can hear the strains of Cooper singing his classic School’s Out.
There are no late entries to be had though, only a promise from management that staff letting anyone inside without a valid ticket will be dismissed on the spot.
We sit quietly over pizza, earwigging the industry conversation on the next table, where discussions about the probability of the much-mooted Guns n Roses reunion world tour are in full flow.
According to these seemingly well connected fellas, it’s all being drawn up now. For sure.
Remember where you read it first!
Tom Morello is back too, ducking in fresh from his guest spot at the Roxy gig, and when we leave we are met by a pap-parade of camera wielding snappers.
Not to be outdone by LA’s press-pack, we sidle up in between two of the big guys and take a spot on a stairwell above the action, camera phone at the ready.
It’s not long before a specs wearing, hatted Johnny Depp is whisked along and I get a handshake.
Now that just doesn’t happen in Bletchley, does it?!
Pics: Sammy Jones
