Chad Kowal and Danny Goo at The Whisky – Live Review

Chad Kowal, Danny Goo, The Whisky, West Hollywood, CA., November 9, 2023

Danny Goo

The world-famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip has always been the place to discover the very best of new talent for nearly 60 years! And on the night of November 9th in the wilds of West Hollywood, a stacked line up was in full force, featuring dynamic sets early on from Danny Goo and Chad Kowal – two solo artists on the rise ready to break on through into the big leagues.

Danny Goo

Danny Goo kicked off the night, presenting a dynamic set of super infectious pop punk tunes. His latest EP Butterflies was produced by Kevin Thrasher formerly of Escape The Fate and included collaborations from the likes of Daniel Wonacott (Finch), Rich Zahniser (The Hippos), and Lil Lotus. On this night at the iconic Whisky, it would just be Danny Goo and backing tracks, and his sheer talent, massive charisma, and superbly memorable songs sent it all into the stratosphere.

Danny has just released a brand single entitled Like Heroin, and the song was absolutely addictive in a live setting. Three unreleased selections were introduced to the audience, including All I See Is You, Another Sad Song, and the wickedly rapturous Too High! Concluding the set with the anthem-like Cut My Hair and the vibrant Butterflies. Danny Goo delivered the sonic goodness tenfold. It will be exciting to see what the New Year has in store for the amazing Mr. Goo!

Chad Kowal

Chad Kowal

Chad Kowal is best known for being the first drummer and then singer for emo rock sensations Farewell, My Love, touring across the country multiples times and gaining quite a fan base in the process. Making a comeback as a solo artist, Chad places a ton of heart and vision into his songs, and his live set at The Whisky was nothing short of a revelation. Not only did the audience witness an impassioned vocals at the height of his creative energies, but also a throwback on how incredible Chad is on drums when he went to take over the kit for a few slamming minutes during the set.

Opening with the exhilarating Alt Pop and then launching into the killer reverberations of Psycho, Chad Kowal delivered a set filled with emotion and intrigue. Heavy Heart is a standout, a scorching reverie leaving quite an impact on the audience.  Another highlight of the set was when Morissa Pena of Sooletsnim joined Chad onstage for a thrilling duet performance of Real Boy.

Chad Kowal and Morissa Pena

Farewell, My Love fans would also note that former guitarist William Stancy was onstage with Chad, playing as brilliant as ever! Many will also remember Stancy within the ranks of Vigil Of War, featuring Alicia Vigil of Dragonforce – so good to see him back on the scene! Also joining Chad on his solo journey is Jake Gillespie, suppling the absolute expert beats on drums. Closing with the sound-be hit single Anti Social Media, Chad Kowal left The Whisky with a lot of great new songs to remember! The next chapter in the career of Chad Kowal is now in full swing, and he is a passionate artist well worth seeking out!

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

Chad Kowal on Instagram
Danny Goo on Instagram
Sooletsnim on Instagram