Royal Distortion, Teenage Ritual, and Motorbone at The Whisky

Royal Distortion, Teenage Ritual, Motorbone, The Whisky, October 29, 2018

Royal Distortion

The Royal Distortion residency continues on at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in the heart of the Sunset Strip, drawing in crowds on an otherwise sleepy Monday night. Consisting of members from Barb Wire Dolls, Royal Distortion present their own wondrous take on the pop and grunge movement, delivering a collection of songs that should be played all over the worldwide radio airwaves. There is a ton of passion and conviction to be found within both the sonic artistry and overall musicianship Royal Distortion has to offer. Royal Distortion definitely create their own rules, instantly conveyed in the opening refrains of Must We Wait and then on to the bittersweet Hole In My Life. Dressed up for Halloween, Royal Distortion certainly treated the audience to yet another exceedingly memorable performance.

Isis Queen exudes a regal amount of star quality in the grand tradition of Debbie Harry and Shirley Manson – you simply cannot tear your eyes away from the stunning radiance of sultry vocals and magnetic film star appeal. Pynn Doll absolutely rips it up on guitar, unleashing quite a few memorable solos. Gabe Maska, sporting purple hair for the Halloween festivities at hand, unveiled a stunning low end bass presentation while Kevin Tylor brought it all home with flair and determination on drums. Royal Distortion are definitely paying their dues, and what the band has been exhibiting each and every Monday at the Whisky are the very type of shows that make both music fans and record labels take notice! Further Monday entreaties in November include the 12th, 19th, and 26th!

Teenage Ritual

One of the aspects that render the Royal Distortion residency such a must-see experience is their strong and ardent support they have for the Los Angeles music scene – shown by the many local bands they’ve booked at their ongoing Monday night extravaganzas. One such collective was power trio Teenage Ritual, performing their third show ever in direct support of Royal Distortion. Conjuring their own spirited brand of punk tinged rock and roll, Teenage Ritual definitely gained the attention of the early arrivals. Top original compositions included Never Remember and Born Of A Demon, showing at once a band who can really deliver a rapturously memorable song.

Their covers, especially selected for the Halloween occasion, included Pet Cemetery by The Ramones and Ghoul’s Night Out by The Misfits – unveiled with a vibrant display of fierce intensity. Nikki Stevens, formerly of Paradise Kitty, is an exciting front woman, delivering the sparkling lead vocals and vibrant bass work. And then there’s the participation of Austin Ingerman from New Year’s Day, whose guitar work is dynamic and imaginative. James Renshaw completes this ambitious three piece, with supremely solid work on drums. The chemistry found within Teenage Ritual is sheer magic and intrigue – it will be exciting to see what the future has in store for this fun and fearless trio of musicians.

Motorbone

The headlining Royal Distortion may have vacated the stage, but the rock and roll party was far from over – and this was thanks to a deliciously over-the-top performance from L.A.’s own Motorbone.   The assault force known as Motorbone present their own exhilarating amalgamation of sleaze and grunge – sort of like The Dead Boys crashing headfirst into the Stone Temple Pilots and having a wild party they won’t be able to remember in the waking hours of the morning.

Motorbone slammed headfirst into a raging set of ferocious tunes. Performing songs from their soon to be released Come Out And Play EP, Motorbone grabbed the listener’s attention and proceeded to tantalize the senses with luscious selections such as Dirty Rock Star and S&M. Front man Josh Tripp is a devastating presence onstage, snarling the lyrics with a massive amount of scorching ferocity and fiendish glee. The guitar work of Dick Delnevo is raging and inspired while Dan Clout plays a powerhouse bass and Handsome Devil member Keith Morgan slams it all home with an all-out vengeance on the drums! Closing out their set with a ripping rendition of the Mötley Crüe classic Bastard, the mighty Motorbone sent the room spinning, leave each and every audience member craving a whole lot more of their pulsating auditory decadence!

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

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Teenage Ritual on Facebook
Motorbone on Facebook