by Pamela Chelin and Lee Miller

Gallery (10 images)

The Hollywood Hills were alive with the sound of music last month for the opening of the 1st annual Sunset Strip Music Festival at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard. Hosted by Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray/Entertainment Tonight), the night was a tribute to Sunset Strip godfathers Lou Adler (The Roxy), Mario Maglieri (The Rainbow, Whisky A-Go-Go), and Elmer Valentine (The Rainbow, The Roxy, Whisky A-Go-Go) who were introduced by Slash, Michelle Phillips (Mamas and Papas), and Cheech and Chong.

California’s Camper Van Beethoven opened the musical portion of the event, running through hits like “Take the Skinheads Bowling” and “Cowboys from Hollywood”. At one point, Camper Van Beethoven singer David Lowery introduced a song by admitting to the crowd, “We don’t know what this song is about either. We were 24 and high when we wrote it.” Moaning about their short 45 minute set, Lowery promised a more in-depth gig in San Francisco two days later in commemoration of the band’s 25th anniversary.  Minneapolis’ Soul Asylum, with rock star bassist Tommy Stinson (Guns N’ Roses) on board, grunged up the event with a smattering of their early ‘90s hits including, “Black Gold” and “Misery”. Notably missing (perhaps on purpose), was “Runaway Train”.

Hometown headliners Everclear’s energetic delivery of songs including “Santa Monica” and “Father of Mine” brought the night to a robust climax. Sitting in the audience before he hit the stage, Everclear singer Art Alexakis, said, “I used to go to the Sunset Strip to see my favorite band, X, but by the time I could play the Strip, it was all butt-metal bands like Warrant.” Coincidentally, later in the evening, as part of the festival, Warrant singer Jani Lane performed with infamous Sunset Strip rockers LA Guns at the Whisky.

Kicking off Friday evening was the Virgin America party at the Standard Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in honor of Lou Adler, who expressed both nostalgia and excitement about the three-day fest. “My son Nick is now part owner of and runs the Roxy,” he said. “This has been a dream of his for the last 10 years. He’s always wanted to do something like this and it’s amazing to see it come to fruition. I’m very proud of him and what he’s pulled together. All the memories come flooding back. I think there will be a revival of the Sunset Strip and that it’s something that will grow and grow and be something that will be really big.”

Following the soiree, the Roxy promised the hot, hot, hottest line up of the night. Local bands, The Shys and Deadly Syndrome, had been hand picked by Canadian headliners Hot Hot Heat to open their show. “When they asked us to play the Festival,” said Hot Hot Heat singer Steve Bays during the band’s raucous set, “I said I’d only do it if I could play with my two favorite LA bands, the Shys and the Deadly Syndrome.” Later, referring to the band’s invitation to play, coupled with the importance of supporting local music, Bays told the crowd, “I am very grateful to be at the Sunset Strip Music Festival. The Sunset Strip is not all about SUVs and Axl Rose. One day everyone will be riding a bicycle to the Deadly Syndrome show.” After a rousing set, which included the hits “Bandages” and “Middle of Nowhere”, members of both opening bands joined the Heat on stage for a tour de force cover version of Talking Heads’ classic “Psycho Killer”.

“I think we’ve had a little bit more luck than most bands,” says Deadly Syndrome drummer Jesse Hoy, “Because the Roxy has been really nice to us in general, so this is our third show we’ve played there and it was a lot of fun. LA’s weird, though. There are amazing things happening, but people like to talk shit about the Sunset Strip because it’s all fake boobs and dudes with lame facial hair. And, the whole rock star scene is not a cool scene anymore for inventive music. It’s more doing what you do whether it’s a big fantastic show or small intimate shows. Everyone’s respected for that instead of just trying to be a rock star.”

Meanwhile, over at the Viper Room, Juliette and the Licks (actress Juliette Lewis’ band), played to a packed, sweaty audience which included Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins. Lewis, a highly charged livewire onstage, consistently interacted with the crowd and commented upon the festival. “So this is the Sunset Strip Music Festival,” she said. “This took a long time...to figure this shit out...2008, but, this is good. I hope it keeps going.” Before ripping into an electrifying cover of Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff”, Lewis introduced the tune saying, “You’ll love this song, because...why wouldn’t you?”

Saturday afternoon’s Red Bull/Wasted Space (a bar/live venue opening at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas) event, held in an outdoor parking lot on Sunset Boulevard, was comprised of a line up of bands culled from MySpace by drummer Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver), and included Pop Noir and The Dreaming. Sorum’s own all-star cover band, Camp Freddy (with special guests Donovan Leitch, the Cult’s Billy Morrison and Billy Duffy, Fuel’s Brett Scallions, and Chris Chaney), headlined the event, pleasing the enthusiastic dancing crowd with covers of “Ziggy Stardust”, “All the Young Dudes”, “Surrender”, “Roadhouse Blues”, and “Werewolves of London”.

Included in the day’s festivities, besides copious amounts of free Red Bull, was a meet and greet autograph session with San Diego band Louis XIV whose singer, Jason Hill, explained, “I don’t live in LA but, when I had a fake ID, I’d come around to some of the clubs and see the bands. I loved Gun N’ Roses and Faster Pussycat. It was a really cool scene. It’s such a great street full of so much heritage. I think the festival is an incredible way to bring people out to get people back into these awesome clubs. There’s a lot of talent in this city and a lot of talent comes through this city, so it’s just a matter of getting people out to shows. I think it’s a great idea.”

Before Camp Freddy took the stage, Billy Morrison and Matt Sorum DJ’d live from the grounds on LA’s Indie 103.1. “Well, we’ll get it going here this year,” said Sorum, pausing and laughing before adding “and it’s going to be better next year.” Adopting a more serious tone, however, he discussed the importance of the festival. “It’s great. I wanted to do it because I grew up in Hollywood. My whole musical career has been based around this street. I think it needs to be done and I think it needs to be a festival where we block off the street and get bands like Motley Crue and Van Halen out. That’s the objective, to build this vibe back up to the scene it used to be when this street was nuts with rock and roll and people used to walk up and down the street with flyers promoting their bands.” “We’re having fun,” adds Billy Morrison. “Being from London, I only read about the Sunset Trip to start with. I was only here at the very tail end of the ‘80s...Motley Crue at the Whisky and the G N’ R guys. At least I experienced it when it was wall-to-wall motorcycles. Matt called me on my cell phone and asked me to do the festival and I said, ‘Why not. Sounds like fun.’”

Mario Maglieri, holding court later that evening on the patio of his baby, the Rainbow, says, “Somebody had to do this. I was chosen. There’s so many bands that have played here...Motley Crue and English groups like Humble Pie, Fleetwood Mac… I just can’t think of all the bands I’ve had go through here. I’ve had ‘em all. Every day’s a party for me. I’ve been here for 44 years, I have fun all the time and I enjoy being here. And, rock and roll is going to be here when I’m gone. It ain’t going anywhere. Anyway, we get Vince Neil (Motley Crue), Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)....they all come in here. Lemmy’s (Motorhead) here every night, but he’s on tour right now.” With a playful glint in his eye, he jokes, “I can go on and on with stories, but they cost money.”

Though taking the stage late, Louis XIV gave the Viper Room crowd exactly what they were looking for once the band strapped on their instruments. Forgetting the lyrics to the band’s first big hit, “Finding Out True Love is Blind”, singer Hill admitted that despite playing the tune over a thousand times, it still isn’t ingrained in his head. Handling the gaffe with grace, he smiled and promised the audience that he’d catch up by the next verse. He did manage, however, to deliver songs such as “Paper Doll”, “Air Traffic Control” (if that ain’t a Sunset Strip lighter ballad, what is?), and “Pledge of Allegiance” without screwing up once.

Also notable over the course of the three-night love affair with the Sunset Strip: B Real (Cypress Hill) playing with Slash; rapper Mickey Avalon; Dilated Peoples; Starfuckers; and CNN’s Larry King roundtable interview at West Hollywood’s London hotel with the godfathers of the Sunset Strip, as well as new club owners, which was followed by a rooftop party. And, in true rock star style, you could only get to the roof escorted by hotel staff with a special pass card.

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— 18 July 2008