Richie Rocker, Those Scalar Waves & Donna Jane
The Bengal II Lounge in Metairie played host to three live acts on Wednesday the 27th as part of a weekly “Original Music Wednesdays” series. Neworleansmusicians.net was in attendance to hear the latest set from the Richie Rocker Band. This show was a special one for the band for several reasons. The band’s drummer, Chad (a.k.a. Rocky) would be parting ways the Richie Rocker Band to nourish his fledgling project, Streetlight Confession. And one of the opening bands, Those Scalar Waves, was an offshoot started by the Richie Rocker Bands’ former guitarist, Eddie Hebert. “I tell you, it makes me feel good to have inspired them to push forward into their musical careers”, said Richie on former members’ present pursuits. Breathing new life into band, Adam Hains came on board brandishing his own style of electric and acoustic guitar, as well as keys. “He really adds a whole new dimension to the music, sort of the way it was intended”, said Richie. After sharing drinks and laughs with Richie and the band, the lights dimmed and the opening act commenced.
Donna Jane took the stage on lead vocal and keys backed by (aptly named) short notice. Ms. James was a last minute addition to the line up, but definitely brought her own spice to the gumbo. She reminded me of the entertainers one sees bar hopping late nights in the Quarter. The bass, guitar and drums backing her that night was Short Notice. The four manifested themselves with a 70’s style of rock and roll with a hint of New Orleans rhythm and blues. They were a perfect opener, warming up a receptive crowd of both fans and musicians. “Bad Girl”, a highlight of their set, was reminiscent of the Rolling Stones in their heyday. I could have done without the manual echo created by repetition backing away from the microphone (get some effects processors!).
Next up was Eddie Hebert’s Those Scalar Waves. During the night I was introduced to a man known only as “Danny the Redneck”. Hailing from the woods of Folsom, Danny was kind enough to give us his expert opinion on the evening’s entertainment. “The first band, not really my style. Now this band here, this band rocks; which reminds me of a story. I got the bright idea to go down to Bourbon Street one night. That’s what rednecks do when the want to go get shit faced and fight. Later that night, around 2:30 a.m., I was coming across the Causway in my ’79 Camaro. The draw bridge began to raise and I floored it. Now I caught air, which is what rednecks live for, and I made it to the other side. I made it all the way to the last crossover by the time the cops caught up to me. Now it was cold outside see, but the inside of my car was warm. As soon as I got out the car and that cold air hit me, I passed out at the cops feet. Luckily, we were from the same neck of the woods and I was eventually released later that same night. Now see son, that rocks, much like this band here.” We couldn’t agree more! The dynamics and versatility of this band was definitely its strong point. Lead vocals were provided by both the guitarist and the bassist for different songs. At one point, the guitarist donned a bass and the bassist swapped his instrument for an electronic mandolin. The power chords in Second Look and the tempo change ups in Mistakes were evidence that this band brought a new style to the table. Pushing the envelope is important, when the rock/ metal scene in New Orleans is struggling for its piece of the national spotlight. Adding to the uniqueness of their set was Marc Hebert of the Chee Weez, sitting in for his brother on drums that night.
Finishing the line up was headliner Richie Rocker Band. Green lights reflected against the red button down and Chuck Taylors on Richie and the rest of the suit clad band, as Danny the Redneck was kind enough to point out the nice ass on the girl walking past the stage. As their set began, you could really get a feel for who Richie was through the performance of the whole band. A positive attitude, a syncopated jam and a cohesive sound immediately engaged the crowd. This is rock the house party music, this is fat movie theme music, this is point of view triumph music. Danny the Redneck nodded his head and said “They’ve got the energy of Rush, with a whole ‘nuther sound, and I just like it.” I could hear the wide appeal of Smashing Pumkins, as this music could be enjoyed throughout generations and genres. Chris Anderson really came through with his vocals on Invincible, and his own excitement could be seen as he jumped off the drum riser closing the song. Just then, Richie announced that he had just discovered a new button, after which a technical difficulty ensued. So he started playing Sweet Home Alabama replacing the lyrics with “we’re wasting time while we’re fixin’ something”, merging into “wanna be a balla, shot calla” and “love is what I got”. I couldn’t stop laughing! Following the technically difficult comedy, the band rounded out their set with a dedication song to saucy ladies, followed by a poignant song, In Your Shoes, sung by bassist Chris Anderson.
The band really had fun on stage that night, and the energy was conveyed onto the crowd. If your neck is ever stiff and your frown just won’t turn, well, upside down, you should really treat yourself to a show Richie Rocker style. They’re really not part of a scene at all. Rather, they are an entity onto themselves. Originality, camaraderie, melody, and humor combine to form a rockin’ good time. Be sure to stop by their site, as well as the other local bands reviewed here, and pick up a CD or a show date. After all, you won’t find the sounds of New Orleans anywhere else on earth. This is David Trahan for Neworleansmusicians.net saying, SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!!!
Richie Rocker Band: myspace.com/richierockermusic
Those Scalar Waves: myspace.com/thescalarwave
Donna Jane: myspace.com/donnajane69
Streetlight Confession: myspace.com/beatprogression
The Bengal II Lounge: myspace.com/thebengal2
Donna Jane took the stage on lead vocal and keys backed by (aptly named) short notice. Ms. James was a last minute addition to the line up, but definitely brought her own spice to the gumbo. She reminded me of the entertainers one sees bar hopping late nights in the Quarter. The bass, guitar and drums backing her that night was Short Notice. The four manifested themselves with a 70’s style of rock and roll with a hint of New Orleans rhythm and blues. They were a perfect opener, warming up a receptive crowd of both fans and musicians. “Bad Girl”, a highlight of their set, was reminiscent of the Rolling Stones in their heyday. I could have done without the manual echo created by repetition backing away from the microphone (get some effects processors!).
Next up was Eddie Hebert’s Those Scalar Waves. During the night I was introduced to a man known only as “Danny the Redneck”. Hailing from the woods of Folsom, Danny was kind enough to give us his expert opinion on the evening’s entertainment. “The first band, not really my style. Now this band here, this band rocks; which reminds me of a story. I got the bright idea to go down to Bourbon Street one night. That’s what rednecks do when the want to go get shit faced and fight. Later that night, around 2:30 a.m., I was coming across the Causway in my ’79 Camaro. The draw bridge began to raise and I floored it. Now I caught air, which is what rednecks live for, and I made it to the other side. I made it all the way to the last crossover by the time the cops caught up to me. Now it was cold outside see, but the inside of my car was warm. As soon as I got out the car and that cold air hit me, I passed out at the cops feet. Luckily, we were from the same neck of the woods and I was eventually released later that same night. Now see son, that rocks, much like this band here.” We couldn’t agree more! The dynamics and versatility of this band was definitely its strong point. Lead vocals were provided by both the guitarist and the bassist for different songs. At one point, the guitarist donned a bass and the bassist swapped his instrument for an electronic mandolin. The power chords in Second Look and the tempo change ups in Mistakes were evidence that this band brought a new style to the table. Pushing the envelope is important, when the rock/ metal scene in New Orleans is struggling for its piece of the national spotlight. Adding to the uniqueness of their set was Marc Hebert of the Chee Weez, sitting in for his brother on drums that night.
Finishing the line up was headliner Richie Rocker Band. Green lights reflected against the red button down and Chuck Taylors on Richie and the rest of the suit clad band, as Danny the Redneck was kind enough to point out the nice ass on the girl walking past the stage. As their set began, you could really get a feel for who Richie was through the performance of the whole band. A positive attitude, a syncopated jam and a cohesive sound immediately engaged the crowd. This is rock the house party music, this is fat movie theme music, this is point of view triumph music. Danny the Redneck nodded his head and said “They’ve got the energy of Rush, with a whole ‘nuther sound, and I just like it.” I could hear the wide appeal of Smashing Pumkins, as this music could be enjoyed throughout generations and genres. Chris Anderson really came through with his vocals on Invincible, and his own excitement could be seen as he jumped off the drum riser closing the song. Just then, Richie announced that he had just discovered a new button, after which a technical difficulty ensued. So he started playing Sweet Home Alabama replacing the lyrics with “we’re wasting time while we’re fixin’ something”, merging into “wanna be a balla, shot calla” and “love is what I got”. I couldn’t stop laughing! Following the technically difficult comedy, the band rounded out their set with a dedication song to saucy ladies, followed by a poignant song, In Your Shoes, sung by bassist Chris Anderson.
The band really had fun on stage that night, and the energy was conveyed onto the crowd. If your neck is ever stiff and your frown just won’t turn, well, upside down, you should really treat yourself to a show Richie Rocker style. They’re really not part of a scene at all. Rather, they are an entity onto themselves. Originality, camaraderie, melody, and humor combine to form a rockin’ good time. Be sure to stop by their site, as well as the other local bands reviewed here, and pick up a CD or a show date. After all, you won’t find the sounds of New Orleans anywhere else on earth. This is David Trahan for Neworleansmusicians.net saying, SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!!!
Richie Rocker Band: myspace.com/richierockermusic
Those Scalar Waves: myspace.com/thescalarwave
Donna Jane: myspace.com/donnajane69
Streetlight Confession: myspace.com/beatprogression
The Bengal II Lounge: myspace.com/thebengal2
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