Misfits Revisit House of Blues: New Tour, New Album

October 7, 2011
House of Blues - Los Angeles, CA
Editor in Chief: Megan Farquhar
WARFEST.COM
 


The Misfits may be getting older, but they will never be outdated.  I remember listening to them in my youth while I was going through my punk phase and rocking out with my friends to the song "Last Caress" (which was a classic even 12 years ago).  The look on my mother’s face when she heard the lyrics was probably why I loved them so much.  The Misfits have gone through a lot of changes over the past 34 years, but one thing remains the same—They put on a ridiculously fun show. I don’t even think they stopped to breathe between songs, just one badass song after the other.  They played classics, oldies, goodies, and stuff off their new album "The Devil’s Rain," which debuted the same day as the show on October 4, 2011.  Some other great bands that joined the party at The House of Blues in Los Angeles were D.I, The Dickies, and Juicehead. 


 
The Misfits fit into the sub category of horror punk, and they didn’t disappoint with their show attire. Jerry Only who is the lead singer and bass player, wore a leather cutoff, Dracula-like jacket adorned with 4-inch metal spikes. His accomplice, guitarist Dez Cadena, wore a long trench coat with his face painted white. His long hair was flowing like a hot wind from hell was blowing up from underneath him. The stage had an eerie tone you usually only see during Halloween, decked out with skeletons, skulls, ball and chains, and green, blue, and red florescent lights. They played classic songs including "Where Eagles Dare" and ones off their new album including "The Mummy’s Hand".  You can find a video of their live performance on warfest.com.   


 
After the Misfits performance, Jerry was rushed by fans in front of the stage and started signing autographs.  As I was walking through the crowd to talk to him, he grabbed my hand and brought me behind the mosh pit barricade.  I asked Jerry for an interview and wasn’t expecting for him to do it in front of all of his fans.  He brought me up on the ledge he was standing on and I interviewed him in front of a crowd of people, which was a very unique experience.  Before we started, he took some black face makeup and marked the middle of my forehead—I have been blessed by the Devil of punk rock himself. He told me about their horror movie influences, their new album, and their world tour. You can watch the interview on warfest.com.


 
The Dickies, who are a quirky punk band from Los Angeles, CA put on a very entertaining show equipped with a blow up doll, talking penis puppet, a snorkeling mask, and other random accessories.  Front man, Leonard Phillips, put on an eccentric and comedic performance, dancing across stage like a mad man. "We would love to go down on each and every one of you, but we don’t have the time," said Leonard. "Johnny Depp went down on me at that bar right over there."


 
The Orange County punk band, D.I, also performed at the House of Blues. Lead singer, Casey Royer, brought a ton of energy on stage. He is also an ex-drummer for Adolescents and Social Distortion.  D.I sticks to anti-government philosophies, which is the root of punk rock. "We live in the land of the free, but we are all on probation," said Casey.  They also express their religious philosophies in their songs such as "Hypochristian". Hypochristian is a term for hypocritical Christians who bring negative vibes to the faith.  Drummer of D.I, Joey Tatar, was described by one fan as looking "like a lunatic" during their performance.  His brother, Eddie Tatar, killed it on bass and a shirtless Clinton Carlton bared it all on guitar. 
 


Juicehead, who is currently on tour with Misfits, kicked off the event by bringing their Chicago punk flavor to Los Angeles. They remind me of the classic punk rock era, which was more politically and socially centered. However, watching Juicehead perform had a definite new-age twist to it.  I wouldn’t have guessed they were from Chicago, which goes to show that punk rock has universality to it.  Their new album "How to Sail a Sinking Ship" also debuted the day of their show.  I asked Rob Vannice, guitar and vocals, how to sail a sinking ship and his response was, "with perseverance." Juicehead gave a high-energy performance with Tommy Kloss on bass and Mike Garelli banging away on drums.


 
The House of Blues in LA is located on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of West Hollywood. This venue has a very unique style, almost like you stepped foot into a house on the Bayou. It’s not on the water, but it has that wooden, cabin-feel covered by trees. You walk up the steps onto the porch of the venue and you forget you’re in LA. The floors are wood planks, there are lanterns hanging all around, and wood beams between levels.  The bottom level is fully equipped with three bars, one on every side. The middle is where the pit is located in front of the stage.  Upstairs is the balcony, which is more of a dining area. There are tables lined up next to the balcony for patrons to enjoy some food and drinks while watching the bands. For a quieter atmosphere there is a large dining area in the back.  Of course there are also more bars located upstairs to keep thirsty guests satisfied. The house of blues is one of my favorite venues not only because of its history, but because it provides a very intimate feel while watching your favorite bands perform.
Don’t forget to check out our website www.warfest.com, the worldwide music competition and first social networking site that pays. You can find interviews and live performances of the bands who performed on our site. You can also promote your own band and help support musicians by signing up for FREE under the invite code "MF24".

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CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL VIDEOS OF LIVE PERFORMANCES ON WARFEST.COM


VIDEO TITLE- Misfits Live: "Where Eagles Dare"
http://warfest.net/videos/details/misfits_live_where_eagles_dare


VIDEO TITLE- Misfits: Interview with lead singer, Jerry Only.
http://warfest.net/videos/details/misfits_interview_with_lead_singer_jerry_only


VIDEO TITLE- Misfits: "The Mummy's Hand" live performance
http://warfest.net/videos/details/misfits_the_mummys_hand_live_performance


VIDEO TITLE- Juicehead: Live Performance
http://warfest.net/videos/details/juicehead_live_performance

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