It’s an interesting time to be alive, you have Gene Simmons (KISS) telling the world that rock is dead, while simultaneously there are a handful of bands that are flying the 70’s rock banner loud and proud, so my guess is that Gene is just so disconnected from the “underground” that he just doesn’t know most of these bands even exist. Yet, here we were at Ace of Spades in Sacramento with a truly fun rock ’n roll lineup.
Classless Act is anything but classless (but I get the intent), and this being my second time seeing them live and shooting them (the first being in LA opening for Slash), and let me tell you that these dudes are bringing some major energy to the stage every show. And considering no one really knows any of their songs past the few they have streaming, I could tell by the audience reaction that they were pleased with not just the energy, but also the raw classic rock ’n roll sound they brought. And as they went song after song with very little to no talking in between due to the short opening set, they also filled it in with a very nice rendition of Guns ’N Roses “Civil War,” which was met with loud applause, following up with their big single featuring Vince Neil aptly titled “Classless Act,” and to give an impression of the amount of energy this band had on stage, as they were loading off the stage, singer Derek Day ran back out just to continue the hype from the crowd. Classless Act is truly ready for the big stage, but the question is, will their debut album be as fun and hard driven classic rock ’n roll as their live show would imply? Only time will tell!
When Joyous Wolf entered the stage, with front man Nick Reese dancing his way to the front, waving a scarf in the air, was reminiscent a bit of Steven Tyler, but with a voice very different, but still brought out the nostalgia in me for early 1970’s rock. A bit funky, a bit heavy, a bit bluesy; they really packed it all in their set with a little bit for everyone. I’ll admit that I have only ever heard them a handful of times on one of my newer rock stations, and have never seen them live. Something I really like about these “young/newer” rock bands that embody that 70’s vibe is the energy they bring, a very positive, fun atmosphere that makes you want to rock or dance. Very fun set from Joyous Wolf, and looking forward to what’s on the horizon for them.
Moving on to Dorothy, who I admittedly have never heard before, I was truly impressed by. The show opened with the band playing an intro tune with fog filling the stage as Dorothy walked out screaming at the crowd as the band ripped into their first song. From there, they played several songs that I have heard at one point or another and put on a very fun, energy filled show.
