It’s been a while since my last blog post. (It’s easier to post my babies on Instagram.) Anyway, I was thinking about a year in review. There were many shows. Many photos shot. Many classic moments. More hearing loss!
A few weeks ago I had drove up to The Whisky to check out Ultimate Jam Night. It was a memorable experience, to say the least. Here is a write-up, “the skinny,” on the event. I hope you dig the photos. (And thank you, Adam Mandel.)
Ultimate Jam Night for Adam
Whisky a Go Go
Hollywood, California
November 26, 2024
For nearly 10 years, Ultimate Jam Night remains one of the hottest musical events that Los Angeles has to offer the wild hearted who like to catch live music on weeknights. Held at the world famous Whisky a Go Go—usually every other Tuesday night—Ultimate Jam Night spotlights 50 or more musicians who perform cover songs from a wide range of music. Undiscovered, up-and-comers join the rockstars onstage as well and the performances are raw, real, and unrehearsed. It is an all-out party that runs about four hours.
A couple of weeks ago, the Whisky was packed and there was a killer lineup that featured musicians from the hard rock/heavy metal world: Kenny Aronoff (John Fogerty, John Mellencamp), Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses, Kings of Chaos), Dug Pinnick (Kings X), Sean McNabb (Lynch Mob, Resurrection Kings, Dokken), Phil Demmel (Kerry King, ex-Machine Head), Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, Alice Cooper, Montrose), Debby Holiday, Paulie Z (Bohemian Queen), Ira Black (BulletBoys, Dio Disciples), Derek Day (Classless Act), Rachel Lorin, GayC/DC, along with other extremely talented musicians.
The Gormandizers, a new four-piece CBGB band, opened the night with a great set of cover songs from punk rock’s golden era, followed by Ultimate Jam Night emcee, Hal Sparks (VH1’s Talk Soup, Nerd Halen). Sparks is one hell of a singer, and belted Foo Fighters’ “My Hero”, flanked by an ensemble of players that absolutely rocked.
UJN typically has a theme, such as a tribute to musicians, or honoring a particular genre of music or timeline. This night’s honoree was Adam Mandel, who has been a behind-the-scenes contributor to Ultimate Jam Night as a partner, producer, and production runner with creator Chuck Wright since its inception in 2015. During an interlude, Mandel, who had been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, gave a moving speech that emphasized the importance and strength of community. It was evident that Mandel’s presence elevated the energy among the community in that room.
There were memorable performances throughout the night. One of which was when a supergroup featuring Paulie Z and Chad McMurray on vocals, Rafael Moreira on guitar Sean McNabb on bass, Mike Mangan on keyboards, and Yoyoka, a 15-year old female drummer from Japan got onstage to Deep Purple’s “Burn.”
Singer Rachel Lorin, guitarists Ira Black and Phil Demmel, bassist, Gabriel Connor, and drummer Jeremy Colson blew minds with an incendiary performance of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper.”
Another jaw-dropper: The Who classic “Won’t Get Fooled Again” Gilby Clarke (lead vocal and guitar), Chuck Wright (bass), Kenny Aronoff (drums), and Mike Mangan (keyboards).
Here’s a video I shot with my GoPro. The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” performed by Gilby Clark , Chuck Wright , Mike Mangan , and Kenny Aronoff. I’d like to think that the video clips I post, whether done with a GoPro or camera phone, are pretty good. The audio quality on this one is great.
The Jam Fam is alive and well!
